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BLACK AND WHITE - THE WORKSHOP - Black and White photography is not our past. It is and will remain a current and future art form and one you should miss out on learning and practicing -MARCH 19TH-20TH-21ST 2010 - THIS CLASS IS CLOSE TO BEING AT CAPACITY - SIGN UP TODAY
BLACK AND WHITE
PHOTOGRAPHY -
AN ART FORM THAT IS INCREDIBLY DRAMATIC AND TELLING. IS IT NOT TIME TO FINALLY MASTER THIS ART FORM DIGITALLY? JOIN THE BLUE RIDGE GROUP OF INSTRUCTORS AND MASTER WHAT YOU HAVE ALLOWED YOURSELF TO FORGET - OR PERHAPS MASTER WHAT YOU HAVE NEVER BEFORE ATTEMPTED.
There has thankfully been resurgence in Black And White photography in the past few years. Printers and papers have gotten to state of the art for Black and White, and software such as Adobe Lightroom and Nik Silver Effects as well as Nik Viveza plugins have brought us up to and beyond anything that could be done in a darkroom. TECHNOLOGY has brought us to this point, but how about those that paint with light, photographers. So many, have been indoctrinated to the COLOR WORLD of digital photography for so long that the subtle tones and drifting shadows and light patterns of Black and White have been all but forgotten. FORGOTTEN, BUT STILL VERY MUCH ADMIRED AND LOOKED UPON AS AN INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL ART FORM. AN ART FORM THAT WE LOVE TO LOOK AT IN BOOKS, GALLERIES, MAGAZINES AND THE LIKE, BUT NOT AN ART FORM WE HAVE BEEN READY TO
DELVE INTO.
Working in darkrooms and processing black and white film and prints, at least for me had a wonderfully comfortable feeling of accomplishment when I was able to emerge from the room filled with chemical smells and the red glow of the safe light and view what I had created. The beauty of the shades of gray and the depth of the tones and the finite structure of the textures was just so wonderful. WELL I CAN DO THAT TODAY WITH THE SOFTWARE I MENTIONED ABOVE, and in the LIGHT, with the hum and the humming sounds of my inkjet printer behind me. For many images I find the color distracting. It takes away from what I was trying to convey. It robs the subject of the attention it was meant to have because of other seductive colors around it. Get back to the roots of photography and learn to make the subject the subject and LEARN TO SHOOT AND EDIT
AND PRINT BLACK AND WHITE DIGITAL IMAGES THAT WILL BRING MORE MEANING TO THE MESSAGE YOU SHOULD BE CONVEYING TO YOUR VIEWERS. GET PREPARED NOW FOR THE SOUNDS OF AWE WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT YOUR BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY.
BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS is offering a Black and White 3 day workshop in Sperryville/Shenandoah, Va. where you will learn how to shoot for black and white, how to process and develop your images and how to print your images. You will learn how to shoot for black and white, about software, papers, printers, and all aspects of photography. WE SHALL ALSO JUMP INTO THE WORLD OF INFRARED BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY AND WE SHALL HAVE SEVERAL CAMERAS TO LOAN THAT HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO INFRARED CAPABILITY.
We shall be visiting some very special locations in nature, architecture, and local flavor including an up and running Black Smith shop and many more that will lend themselves to the creative art of Black and White Photography.
The world of photography does not begin and end with color images. ADD BLACK AND WHITE TO YOUR RESUME, and it will change the way you and others look at your photography. Technology does not change the art. It simply changes the way the art is done. The art of photography comes from the mind and heart of the photographic artist.
CLICK THIS LINK TO SIGN UP TODAY AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP ⬅ _Ⓒ copyright Blue Ridge Workshops LLC________________________________________________________________________ SUSAN LAMBERT MILLER - IS WELCOMED BY THE BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS FAMILY AS A NEW INSTRUCTOR AND EDUCATOR 
In the eyes of the world we are a very young country but for a very young country we sure have some of the most wonderful historical traditions that speak to who we truly are as a nation. Susan has captured those traditions for both young and old alike in her first two photographic publications. CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO LEARN MORE☝
She has frozen in time both the honesty and innocence of the American people, and says to all of us that state fairs are a wonderfully fun and cultural and should be on everyones list as a place to visit, learn and appreciate what the American way of life truly represents. She also makes it quite obvious that this is a wonderful place to make pictures, make art. And who is Susan Lambert? Susan is a new Blue Ridge Workshops instructor and we are just so honored to have her as part of our family. Her credentials speak for themselves and Susan’s bio can be found right here.
YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT SUSAN RIGHT HERE - CLICK ☜
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A PHOTOGRAPHERS EXPERIENCE WITH THE OLYMPUS EP-2 
If you are like me, and I know a lot of people who are, you just love photography and the tools that enable us to make wonderful memories and art and of course all of the accessories that go with it.
Many people make decisions based on market driven concepts, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that as long as products live up to the hype. Most camera systems can get very heavy and become cumbersome to carry for long periods of time. Whether you are young, middle or senior there are most certainly times that your cameras and lenses do not go with you because they are to heavy or they are going to get in the way of everything else you might want to do. So what if I told you that you could carry a light weight system, in a small bag or back pack. In that small bag you can have an ultra wide, medium telephoto, telephoto and a macro. And that bag with all that equipment will weigh a couple of pounds at most. You might tell me that I possibly enhaled to much happy gas.
It is no secret that I have been using the Olympus EP-1 AND EP-2 cameras. It is also generally known that I also have a great Nikon system. But there are many reasons why I like the Olympus EP and especially the E-P2 Pen.
IT IS A CAMERA SYSTEM THAT IS ALWAYS WITH ME because it is so small and light and easy to take with me. THE CAMERA THAT IS WITH YOU IS THE ONE YOU WILL USE.
DON’T EVER MISS THE SHOT. OH JUST IN CASE I FORGOT TO MENTION IT, THE CAMERA IS MIRRORLESS AND QUIET and has a beautful LCD on th back of the camera, and also has in the e-p2 kit an EVF (electronic view finder), that will simply knock your socks off. Manual focusing has never been so easy, autofocus snaps in, and composition is a dream.
Here is the beginning of a photography challenge on DPREVIEW, which covered only the MICRO FOUR THIRDS SYSTEM. ☞ CLICK HERE TO TAKE A LOOK __Ⓒ_copyright Blue Ridge Workshops LLC______________________________________________________________________ IF YOU ARE ON THE HUNT FOR A GREAT DIGITAL SLR SYSTEM THAT IS LIGHT WEIGHT, BUILT, AND EASY TO WORK WITH THEN CONSIDER AND ASK TO SEE THE OLYMPUS E-620 
THE 2009 CAMERA OF THE YEAR - THE OLYMPUS E-620 I have spent the last 3 weeks working with the Olympus E-620 and Olympus optics and can only say wow! Olynmpus is simply a company that knows how to get it right. We feel so strongly about the Olympus commitment that we are offering 3 Olympus field workshops in 2010:
THESE WORKSHOPS ARE FOR EXISTING OLYMPUS USERS OR FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE THINKING OF SMARTLY PURCHASING OLYMPUS DSLR CAMERAS OR PENN EP SERIES CAMERAS Ⓒcopyright Blue Ridge Workshops LLC SO LOTS OF FRIENDS HAVE MADE OFFERS FOR A FEW CENTS ON THE DOLLAR TO BY MY NIKON GEAR
Well I can tell you for sure that it won't happen. I am a multi system operator. The compact system that goes EVERYWHERE I GO, OLYMPUS PEN, and then the HEAVIER Nikon system, when nothing else but HEAVY DUTY, HIGH SPEED, VERY WEATHER RESISTANT, EXTREME HIGH ISO ABILITY will do. There are differences and while I do love my Olympus Pen Cameras and lenses, I also understand the need for what my Nikon D700 and my high speed Nikkor Optics can provide. SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY SEVERE WEATHER VERY VERY VERY LOW LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY BEST WIRELESS FLASH SYSTEM AND MORE.
AND WHAT I REALLY ENJOY IS USING THE NOVOFLEX NIKON TO MICRO FOUR THIRDS ADAPTER FOR MY HIGH SPEED NIKKORS. LOOKS FUNNY BUT WORKS GREAT.
FOR ALL YOU LOYAL NIKON FANS WHO HAVE BEEN HEARING ABOUT ALL OF THE THINGS NIKON IS ABOUT TO COME OUT WITH IN FEBRUARY THEN PERHAPS THIS WILL KEEP YOU CALM AS YOU COUNT DOWN THE DAYS TO WHAT MAY BE NIKONS ANNOUNCEMENT - CLICK HERE
⬅☺ CANON PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP IS COMING THIS OCTOBER 2010
Last year Canon joined Blue Ridge Workshops, with Barbara Ellison, and gave Canon users and future Canon users to come to a photography workshop in the Shenandoah Mountains. Canon had brought in all kinds of equipment for the students to use, from the widest-angle lenses to longest telephoto lenses and bodies and accessories. ALL FOR YOU TO USE ON YOUR CAMERAS OR TO USE ON THE MOST CURRENT CAMERAS CANON HAS TO OFFER. For 2010, because of the success of the workshop, Canon has offered the workshop once again through Blue Ridge Workshops.
IF YOU MISSED OUT ON REGISTRATION LAST YEAR OR SIMPLY WANT TO TAKE THE WORKSHOP AGAIN, NOW IS THE TIME TO SIGN UP. THIS WORKSHOP FILLED UP IN 15 DAYS LAST YEAR SO PLEASE DO NOT WAIT TOO LONG.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE CANON AND BLUE RIDGE CREATIVE WORKSHOP. DO NOT MISS IT.
SPRING AND SUMMER ARE JUST AROUND THE CORNER - PLAN AHEAD FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKSHOPS YOU WANT TO TAKE-WORKSHOPS ARE ALREADY FILLING UP SO PLEASE SIGN UP NOW
Spring is not that far away, and there is no better time than now to plan your photographic adventures and combine those adventures with an incredible learning experience with Blue Ridge Workshops. Here is a list of what is coming up in the NEAR SPRING AND SUMMER :
AND THIS IS JUST SPRING AND SUMMER. PLEASE CLICK ON ANY OF THE ABOVE FOR MORE DETAILS AND REGISTRATION – PARTICIPATION IS LIMITED SO PLEASE SIGN UP EARLY. Ⓒcopyright Blue Ridge Workshops LLC WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM A TRIPOD? 
Tripods. I know I have written about them before. Several times before, so I shall try and keep this short. Good tripods are something you need to budget for because a really good tripod (set of legs) can easily cost you between 350.00 and 1000.00. Add to that a good ball head and you are looking at 300.00 to 600.00. These prices are for top of the line tripods and ball heads. Gitzo is most certainly at the TOP of the list in regards to the legs. As for ball heads there are quite a few to select from and they are listed below. Can you buy less expensive tripods and ball heads. Of course you can. You must always look at your budget.
But if you are putting 1000.00 plus dollars of gear on a tripod, then you want to be sure that the tripod is going to provide all of the things below to the highest degree. It is possible that you can buy a set of Aluminum legs and a not so sophisticated ball head, but no matter what you end up with it should meet the criteria below. LEGS
HEADS
Now of course there are those who feel a tripod is a waste of money. There are those that feel that because the lenses or camera bodies have stabilization built in that there is no need for a more solid platform. Nothing could be further from the truth. No matter how good your gear is, no matter how fast your lenses are, nothing beats the ability of a tripod to give you a steady and sharp image.
DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT ONE. Oh! Make sure you have a cable release for your camera model. It makes sure that you can stand back from your camera during a long exposure and not cause camera vibration. If you want to be virtually guaranteed that you are going to have rock solid sharp and well composed images then look at some of these links:
§ BENRO
§ INDURO
§ ACRATECH Ⓒcopyright Blue Ridge Workshops LLC ======================================================================================== WE ARE HEADING FOR SPRING - ALMOST
I have written recently about being prepared for the cold and snow and now is the time in advance of Spring to make sure you will be prepared for what comes at you.
Ⓒcopyright Blue Ridge Workshops LLC =====================================================================================================
LENS HOODS - YOU REALLY NEED TO USE THEM
CLICK RIGHT HERE FOR THE ARTICLE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF LENS HOODS ======================================================================================================= STAY TUNED FOR LECTURES THAT ARE COMING FROM OUR OWN STEVE UZZELL
WE SHALL BE POSTING LECTURE INFORMATION IN A NEWS BLAST VERY SOON ======================================================================================================= SUSAN LAMBERT - WILL SOON BE LECTURING AND TEACHING FOR BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS ======================================================================================================== WHEN IS A CAMERA BAG OR BACKPACK OR A ROLLER BAG THE WRONG BAG FOR YOU
A backpack is to heavy when it takes two people to put it on you or when you have to sit it on a table to get it on your shoulders.
A camera bag is to heavy when you have to switch it from shoulder to shoulder because it hurts or when it is cutting into your skin even with a padded strap. It is also to heavy if you make a sudden move and it shifts hard enough to throw you off balance.
A roller case is to heavy when you leave your house and you have trouble getting up or down a stair or curb. It is to heavy when you cannot comfortably lift it up to get it into your car without you groaning. It is to heavy when you cannot comfortably lift it into an overhead on a plane, bus or train.
There are so many bags, and once you realize that you probably will never find the perfect one you will settle on several second best and almost perfect, but the thing to keep in mind is to pack light. You may want to think about a roller bag that can hold the bulk of your gear and then a small backpack and a small shoulder bag for taking just the right gear for they TYPE of shooting you are going to be doing. It is important to be comfortable.
Bags to look at:
REMEMBER THAT JUST BECAUSE THEIR IS ROOM IN THE BACKPACK OR BAG DOES NOT MEAN IT HAS TO HOLD ONE MORE PIECE OF GEAR. YOU COULD STUFF AN EXTRA PAIR OF SOCKS, A LIGHT JACKET, SNACKS, ALL SORTS OF THINGS
THE NEED FOR SPEED - BRIAN ZWIT ON HIGH ISO 
ISO 102,400: A Game Changer for Creative Photographers Click on Brian's logo here to see view his works of art☛
In just the past two months, both Nikon and Canon have announced cameras with a maximum ISO of 102,400. However, what is important about these cameras isn’t ISO 102,400, although it’s nice, but the absolute superb quality of the images at ISO 12,800 and even 25,600. Simply put, they are game changers for you and me.
During the era of film, photographers chose their film based on a number of factors, including its speed. Typically, once the film was loaded into the camera, you were stuck with it until you used up the roll or you had two cameras, one loaded with a slower film and one with a faster film (an expensive proposition because you also needed two lenses). While they were and continue to be fast films such as Kodak’s T-Max P3200 (black and white) or Ultra Max 800 (color), the quality and speed of these films has never been high enough for many uses. Once the digital era began, photographers were no longer bound to one ISO. We could change our ISO at will, shooting one shot at ISO 200 and the next at ISO 400. However,
the quality of the image rapidly decreased as you increased the ISO in early digital cameras,. Many of these early DSLRs simply produced terrible images above an ISO as low as 400; many point and shoots continue to have terrible image quality at anything above their native ISOs.
As DSLRs have evolved, their ISO performance has improved by leaps and bounds. Just a year ago, photographers were happy with ISO 800 and, potentially, 1600 in their full-frame cameras and ISO 800 in their APS-C sensor cameras. We were shooting at ISO 800 and printing 24 by 36 inch prints without a sign of noise and with deep, saturated colors.
So, why do I think that ISO 102,400 is a game changer for creative photographers? Simply put, we can now more fully utilize one of digital imaging’s benefits-adjustable ISO settings-to set creative exposures. Images shot at as high an ISO as 25,600 are gorgeous and have great color saturation. Even at ISO 102,400, images are still very usable for newspapers and fine art photographs, e.g., those grainy black and white photographs.
With film cameras, our exposure variables were shutter speed and f-stop once our cameras were loaded with film. With early digital cameras, we had some leeway in setting the ISO depending on the final use of our images but frankly only had one or maybe two stops before the image quality would dramatically drop. With these new cameras, you have seven stops and, if you want to push it all the way to ISO 102,400, nine stops.
Where these higher ISOs will be most useful in the field. Whether you are a sports, nature, concert, or newspaper photographer, these higher ISO will give you abilities far beyond those of mortal women and men. You will be able to capture images that were simply impossible before these cameras became available. Higher ISOs mean you have the ability to stop action in dimmer light or increase the depth of field in your images. What does this mean for us mere mortals who can’t spend $5,000 on a camera? It is a glimpse of our future. While these higher ISOs are only available in Canon’s and Nikon’s professional cameras right now, this technology will quickly make its way into their prosumer and consumer level cameras. The competition is way too great in the market now for these abilities not to quickly move down the line. Ⓒcopyright Brian Zwit, 2010 Editor note: I am in full agreement with Brian as to where the future in other model cameras wil go concerning the technology of high iso. Please also keep in mind that there are cameas out there today in the Nikon and Canon liine as well as others that are performing incredibly great at iso setting of 1600, 3200, 6400 pretty noise free. So keep in mind that if the best you were able to do a year ago or two years ago was 800 without getting noise in your prints, you are still sitting in a good place. But Brian is correct. This new technologyh for sensors and in camera software will get passed down to the masses sooner than we think. I N F R A R E D P H O T O G R A P H Y - EXPLORE THIS EXOTIC REALM OF PHOTOGRAPHY 
Every photographer knows about visible light being used to capture photographic images digitally or with film, but there are other kinds of light that we can’t see.
Light with wavelengths from approximately 700 and 900nm (nanometers) is called infrared light. Interestingly, this band of infrared light is a thousand times wider than that of visible light, but is invisible to our eyes. Infrared is wonderful way to capture your subjects. It creates a very different and exotic looking image with enhanced tones and textures that you normally won’t get when shooting the visible light spectrum. It produces stunning black and white images as well as wonderfully artistic color images. Spencers Camera in Utah, to my knowledge converts a greater variety of camera models than anyone else, and has dedicated his business to producing high conversions for spectacular results. CLICK ON THE SPENCER LOGO ABOVE ⬆ ==============================================================
TERESA AIREY - coming to Blue Ridge Workshops at the end of April - has some spectacular infrared images 
Theresa Airey who will be presenting a spectacular workshop at the end of April 2010 at this CLICK TO: FINE ART WORKSHOP ⬅ ========================================================================================= Theresa sent me to Spencers to get my camera modified and she has some of her incredible infrareds on their site.
AS A SIDE NOTE, SPENCERS GAVE ME INCREDIBLE SERVICE AND A QUALITY INFRARED CONVERSION. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM.
CLICK ON THE SPENSER LOGO ABOVE FOR MORE INFORAMTION⬆
=============================================================== OLYMPUS - Explore the Olympus PEN or E Series DSLR class offered by Penn Camera 
AT BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS WE OFFER FIELD AND CLASS WORKSHOPS FOR OLYMPUS CAMERAS. HOWEVER, PENN CAMERA THROUGH THE EXPERTISE OF BECKY CLOUG, Olympus Technical rep, CAN TAKE YOU THROUGH THE BASICS OF THE OLYMPUS SYSTEM. READ BELOW FOR ALL THE DETAILS.
Explore the Olympus PEN or E Series DSLR class LEARN WHY THE OLYMPUS SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED, BEST DESIGNED, MOST DURABLE, AND INCREDIBLE IMAGING SYSTEM IN THE MARKET PLACE. FORGET THE MARKETING HYPE OF OTHER MANUFACTURERS AND TRY AND LEARN ABOUT OLYMPUS CAMERAS AND SUPERB OPTICS. THE OLYMPUS CAMERAS WHICH I HAVE USED OVER THE YEARS HAVE PROVEN TO ME THAT THE IMAGES THEY PRODUCE ARE SO SPECTACULAR THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES HANGING ON MY WALLS.
February 07, 2010 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Penn Camera Tysons 8357 Leesburg Pike, Vienna VA 22182
25 Registration
Instructor: Olympus Rep, Becky Clough *If you purchased an Olympus PEN or E-System DSLR camera from Penn Camera, attendance is free, but you must register to attend. SEATS ARE LIMITED FREE REGISTRATION CAN ONLY BE DONE IN THE STORES, FREE REGISTRATION CANNOT BE DONE ONLINE. PLEASE VISIT ANY PENNCAMERA STORE FOR FREE REGISTRATION. If you have questions about this class or your registration, you will need to contact or visit a Penn Camera Store. Free registration cannot be done online This class is FREE with any Olympus PEN or E-System DSLR purchase from Penn Camera, $50 for others.
Join Becky Clough, Technical Representative from Olympus For an educational lecture on Digital Photography. Becky will share the ins and outs of digital using the Olympus Pen and E System DSLR, drawing from her years with Olympus, and in photography. As a Tech Rep and photographer, Becky will cover fundamental concepts of photography including: - Basic rules of composition The class will be taught using one of Olympus' popular consumer PEN Series and E-System DSLRs, like the E-P1, E-P2, E-520, E-620, and E-30, and will be tailored to the attendees, helping them to maximize their new camera's Becky will explain how to get the most out of your DSLR, taking you through full auto through manual navigation of the camera. See how to take advantage of the best technologies from an industry pioneer such as digital specific, live view, and a proven dust reduction system. If you wish to pay for this class and you have questions, you can contact Penn Camera
HERE⬅ SOME OF THE PHOTO INDUSTRY MAJORS STEP UP TO HELP WITH THE RELIEF EFFORTS IN FOR HAITI
Industry giants provide Haiti support: You can too (UPDATED)
Much of the country's infrastructure - including most area hospitals - has been wiped out by the quakes, and a huge strain placed on every remaining resource by a death toll estimated to reach into the hundreds of thousands, with a further several million people likely to have been injured or displaced. The scope of the destruction led spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs to describe the Haitian quake as the worst disaster the United Nations has ever faced.
In the days since the quake, we've started to receive press releases from leaders in the imaging and technology industries, pledging their support in a time of need. (The first such contact from Canon Inc. prompted this article). Canon has pledged $220,000 to the relief effort, while Hewlett Packard has committed $500,000
, and will also match employee contributions up to a further $250,000. Google has pledged $1 million
and put together an excellent page detailing ways to help or make donations, and Microsoft has made a committment of $1.25 million. In addition, Panasonic has made a pledge of around $110,000
(¥10 million), and Kodak has has announced a $100,000 donation.
We encourage Imaging Resource readers to do their part to help Haitians through this exceptionally difficult time. If you'd like to make a donation, we'd suggest visiting the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders,
UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity,
World Vision, or one of the many other organizations listed on Google's Crisis Response page. |
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Welcome to the January, 2010 newsletter. In this Issue S T U F F AND LINKS
SOME OF THE BIGGIES IN THE PHOTO INDUSTRY STEP UP TO HELP THE RELIEF EFFORTS IN HAITI
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======================== INTO PRINTING, PROJECTING, GREAT COLOR - THEN THIS IS A MUNKI YOU WANT ON YOUR BACK
AND ON YOUR DESK
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DO NOT MISS OUR WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE AND REWARDING BLACK AND WHITE WORKSHOP
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NIKON CAPTURE FOR SNOW LEAOPARD - MACS NEWEST OPERATING SYSTEM HAS NOW BEEN RELEASED ========================
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============ SPENCERS CAMERA FOR INFRARED CONVERSIONS =================================
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MORE GREAT INFRARED IMAGES FROM TERESA AIRES MADE ON CAMERAS CONVERTED BY SPENCERS ========================================
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