The power of a single image: 45 stunning photos

I have spent a couple of days this week talking about design with Middle East journalists from the newspaper Al Watan. We have been concentrating on the power of a single image or 'bull picture' on a page. This isn't something that their paper does often. Anyway, in discussion we stumbled across the National Geographic's Photo Competition. We looked at 45 stunning images in the People, Places and Nature categories. Take a look here. If anyone ever doubted the power of a single image, they couldn't fail be to be persuaded by these shots. If you want to enter (the closing date is next Wednesday) or just want to look at more amazing pictures, the details are here.

Picture essay of the year

I have mentioned the Boston Globe's online picture essays before but this study of the student protests in London takes some beating.  

The picture we have all been waiting for ...

... the first man freed from the mine underneath the Atacama Desert. And if there was ever an excuse for wiping out your whole front page, this was it. The dilemma for the picture editor though was not the size ... but the crop. Do you focus in on the hug, leave in the crowd or even the capsule? Do you go horizontal or vertical? In the end, just use it big. I would usually advocate the tight crop but in this picture the setting is pretty compelling and the capsule really needs to be in. But there are other contenders for the cover too - particularly the defiant stance of the oldest miner 63-year-old Mario Heredia whose wife had asked him to retire just days before he was trapped. Santiago's Las Ultimas Noticias used it really well. Nice headline too - certainly better than Free at last. 

Stunning picture essay on Iceland's volcano

It may have caused chaos and started a political row (and scores of dodgy jokes) but Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano is mostly a spectacular natural phenomenon. Take a look at this picture collection from the Boston Globe and be amazed.

Angry residents in angry pictures anger

This site really made me chuckle - a celebration of local newspaper photography Read the captions. Very funny.

Celebrating 20 years of Photoshop

Happy birthday Photoshop ... 20 years old yesterday. Where would we be without it? Lots to enjoy on the web including Streakr and adobe tv. If you really have time to kill you can watch a full film of Thursday's 20th anniversary party in San Francisco (all two hours of it) on Photoshop 20th party. Even if you're not a geek the Russell Brown presentation is very clever. 

Great picture - 12 different layouts

One picture dominated the American front pages this week - Lindsey Vonn's look of elation as she crossed the line to collect Gold in the women's Olympic downhill. Most of the papers used it ... but at different sizes, in different positions and with different crops. In our Training tips we look at 12 front pages and their different approaches.