Better Light News and Events

blue arrow Same Great Scanning Backs — Smaller Size with Faster USB-2 Interface
Better Light's NEW Hi-Speed (HS Series) scan backs are up to four times faster than before, without compromising the superior image quality our products are know for. Featuring a Hi-Speed USB-2 interface capable of transfer speeds up to 480Mbits/sec. with a Windows or Macintosh computer, these new models pack unprecedented processing power and storage capacity into a compact, lightweight system that is about the same size and weight as some 4x5 field cameras.

blue arrow 2011 - 10th "Almost Annual" Owners Conference Report
From the very beginning of our announcements regarding the 2011 Conference there was a noticeable enthusiasm about the event and we had high hopes of rebounding from several years of low attendance. Nearly half of the 52 attendees came from east of the Mississippi River, including five from Canada, two from Finland, and one from Switzerland. Seventy-four percent were owners who have attended at least one other conference in the past ten years, and 19 of them have attended five or more events. That is great testament to the value of the Owners Conference as a unique inspirational and educational opportunity.

2010 - 9th "Almost Annual" Owners Conference Report
This year's attendance was down from typical years, but this conference was proof that good things come in small packages. Owners came in from all over the U.S., Canada and even Guatema for the event and our diverse programming offered something for everyone. For the first time, we offered full-day specialized classes before and after the Conference. The presentations are summarized in this report and many of the speakers have posted their slide presentations as PDF files on the linked tips page.

blue arrow 2009 - 8th "Almost Annual" Owners Conference Report
Once again we returned "home", hosting the conference at the Better Light offices in San Carlos, California. Despite the slow economy we had excellent attendance with owners traveling from the East Coast, Canada, and even New Zealand. Some have said this is the best group of speakers we have had and you can get a taste of what was discussed with this report. An additional page with tips and techniques from the speakers is linked to the conference report page.

blue arrow 2008 - 7th "Almost Annual" Owners Conference Report
This year's conference returned to the East Coast and was held in historic Salem, Massachusetts in early October. In keeping with the season, our theme was "Tricks & Treats". Our talented owners shared their workflow tips and special camera and lighting devices that has helped them excel in the work. Attendees also took advantage of the great seafood specialties and magnificent scenics of the Eastern seacoast, making this Conference a very special event.

blue arrow 2007 - 6th "Almost Annual" Owners Conference Report
The Better Light owners are among the very best photographers in their specialties and this year's conference featured the scanning back in action. Our speakers shared some of their success stories and images using high-resolution, large format digital photography. If you have never attended one of our conferences, this will summarize what you missed.

blue arrow 2006 - 5th "Almost Annual" Owners Conference Report
Educational programs are growing in importance at Better Light, and the Owners’ Conferences have been one of the most successful means of sharing the wealth of knowledge of staff and our talented owners. You have to be there to fully appreciate it, but this report will give you a taste of what you missed.

blue arrow 2006 - Owners Conference Field Trip to Pacific Ocean Beach
On the Saturday following the June 2006 owners conference, a group of photographers headed for the nearby Pebble Beach in San Mateo's coastline for a day of scanning. Click here to view some of the results.

blue arrow 2005 - 4th "Almost Annual" Owners Conference Report
After missing a year in 2004, the Better Light Owners Conference returned in June 2005 at the company's San Carlos, California headquarters. The program highlighted the diverse photographic applications of the scanning back.

2002 - New York Owners Conference Report
Our second conference was held in the Polaroid 20x24 Studio in New York City following PhotoPlus Expo East in November, 2002. This session included a high percentage of people involved in art reproduction – over 1/3 of the audience – from museums, color labs, and independent service bureaus.

San Francisco photographer Stephen Galloway had a collection of prints showing at LIMN Gallery, 292 Townsend, San Francisco, from November 9, 2008 to January 5,2008. The show is titled Ab Aeterno — a series of photographs all made with one material, mattress vine. The material, which much is decades old, is a massive tangle of sticks and strands, twisted and braided together. Between the initial ideas of the photographer and the material's behavior, certain forms and compositional tendencies emerge. The photographs retain the detail of the sticks, but they are now far from natural form. They are simultaneously sticks and wood and ideas and abstractions ...created with the Better Light scanning back.

New York City commercial photographer Tony Penttinato, of Pettinato Photography created this portfolio shot with his Better Light Super 6K-2 scanning back. It was featured in the "Backdrop" feature in the August, 2005 issue of Studio Photography & Design magazine. Click here or on image for larger view.

The Summer 2005 issue of Art News magazine featured a photograph created by Ben Blackwell of Oakland, California. Blackwell is the photographer for the University of California Berkeley Art Museum / Pacific Film Archive, and operates a freelance business specializing in art reproduction for galleries, museums, artists and collectors. This photograph of the near 20-foot tall banana peel sculpture was composited with the outdoor scene in Photoshop. Both images were created with the Better Light scanning back. Click here or on image for larger view.