A full review of the Nikon D80 has just been posted at DP Review.

This is a great camera and Phil Askey gives it a much deserved HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating (his highest). If you have Nikon lenses and have been thinking about jumping into digital, this is a great way to do it. If you hve an older Nikon didital SLR, is is worth upgrading? That depends on which D-SLR you have and whether or not you consider the features and improved image quality worth the price. Read the review and weigh your options.

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The latest version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (beta 4) is now available as a
free download for MAC or Windows. This is fully functional (so far as a beta release goes) software that you can try out.

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Aspen, Marshall Pass, Colorado. Photo © Jim Doty, Jr.

The hearts of landscape photographers are beating faster. Shutter fingers are getting itchy. Visions of gold and orange and red and crimson dance in their heads. Fall color is already arriving in various parts of the country, especially up north and at higher elevations in the Rocky Mountains. Reports this week indicate that some places in Colorado are already nearing peak color.

You can keep up with the changing colors. I just updated my page of links to fall color reports and locations. Head out with your camera and have some fun!

Photo by James Nachtwey for TIME magazine.

On this date, five years ago, we experienced a great national tragedy in the United States. Not only in the lives that were lost in the terrorist attacks, the families torn asunder, and the emergency responders who are suffering terrible health problems as a result of working at the scene – but also in the way we view ourselves and our world.

The photo essays linked below (in the September 9 post) are a reminder of what we all went through on that fateful day.

Bill Biggart’s final photograph. He was killed when the second World Trade tower collapsed on top of him. He was 53 years old.

You can read the story about Bill Biggart’s last images and see an album of his last photos at The Digital Journalist.

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Steve Irwin, his wife Terri, and a Joey

I was saddened to hear about the death of Steve Irwin who was stabbed in the heart by a sting-ray barb while filming off Australia’s coast. I liked his high energy, somewhat over the top style as he shared his love for crocodiles in particular and the wonders of the natural world in general. He will be missed.

My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Terri, their children, and the rest of the family.