Some world records are broken just for bragging rights, and after the record is broken, not much can be done after that for the record breaker.  In the latest record-breaking photography news, we're seeing that the sky is the limit, and the options are endless for high-resolution photography.  GigaPan, a leader in gigapixel imaging, announced Thursday that it has broken the previous 26 gigapixel photo record with a whopping 45 gigapixel image of Dubai.  To put that in real-life terms, a photo that would take up 1200 billboards if it were to be printed.

In a move that's sure to excite tween girls everywhere, Sony has announced the availablility of the DSC0W350D camera.  What will excite these girls so much about it?  It's pink, and it's got rhinestones.... every 12 year old girl's dream!  The cases to carry these cameras also bring on the bling, with rhinstone decorations and fun patterns on the inside.  The DSC-W350D will be available in silver also, and both color options have a shiny material around the lens ring to add that extra flair.

This is the last part of our Interview series with British Photographer Richard Hull. Richard is a brilliant photographer. He is a thinker and is very gifted. He has managed to come a far way in the past year or so that I have known him. He is not only a talented photographer but a very gifted engineer and an amazing race car designer. He uses all 3 of his skills in his photographic work. When asked what was his current profession he stated that, 'I currently work in the R&D department for a Formula 1 team part-time, while completing a doctorate (PhD) in automotive transmission modeling - the order I listed them tells you something about where my priorities lie. I think my background and interest in engineering is often visible in the photos I take - detail shots of machines and mechanisms, buildings, vehicles, bridges. It's no coincidence that good engineering is usually aesthetically pleasing.'

This is part 2 of the interview series with British Photographer Richard Hull. As stated in the previous post this interview will be published in a series of 4 entries on the Amvona Blog. I just found out that today is also Richards birthday. So here's wishing Richard a very happy birthday from every one at Amvona. I first met Richard in London in 2008. At that time I wasn't familiar with his photographic skills but knew that he was an avid car lover. A friend of mine always raved about his work but somehow I couldn't really build the connection between an engineer and photography. I met him in New York earlier this year where a bunch of us went up to the Empire State building and I saw Richard take some amazing photographs. I have been following his work ever since. Not only are his photographic skills admirable but the precision with which he composes his pictures is also remarkable. He puts life into the simplest of objects and each of his photographs tells a story. His photograph of yellow cabs in New York, taken from the top of the Empire State building is one of my favorites. 

Last week, we discovered 360 Cities Panoramic Photograph of Prague.The photograph was stated as the largest Panoramic Photograph in the world. But the Germans have proved us wrong. As of December 2009 the German Panoramic Photograph of Dresen Germany is the largest Spherical Panoramic Photograph in the world. Our interest in Panoramic Photography made us probe around a bit and we discovered this amazing photograph. The gigantic Panoramic photograph is made up of 1,665 individual shots. The individual photographs were taken with Canon EOD 5D Mark II Camera and a 400mm lens.  The photographs were recorded by a photo-robot in 172 minutes. The image conversion took 94hours. The final resolution of the photograph is 297.500 x 87.500 pixel (making 26Gigapixel). This photograph is the largest in the world right now.

Today, 360 cities revealed the world's largest Panoramic Photograph. The picture was taken in Prague from the Prague TV Tower. 360 cities state, 'This image is currently (as of 12/2009) the largest spherical panoramic photo in the world. It is 192,000 pixels wide and 96,000 pixels tall. That’s 18.4 billion pixels, or 18.4 gigapixels! When it’s printed, it will be 16 meters (53 feet) long at regular photographic quality (300dpi). It was shot in early October 2009 from the top of the Zizkov TV Tower in Prague, Czech Republic. A digital SLR camera and a 200mm lens were used. Hundreds of shots were shot over a few hours; these shots were then stitched together on a computer over the following few weeks.'

2010 Ocean Views contest is searching for the photographs that create a greater appreciation for ocean ecology through the art of photography. The contest is open to all levels of photographers. The goal is to create an exceptional collection of images that highlights the beauty and grandeur of the ocean environment.

Aerial shots are sweet, but lets face it, most of us don't have a plan hanging around that we can use on a whim. Well it turns out a plane is not the only way to get your camera airborne. A number of ambitious photographers are attaching their cameras to kites to get that birds-eye-view shot.

Well sort of... A group based in Jerusalem has set up a service that allows users to Tweet their prayers to the Western Wall.