Watsonville, Calif.-Olympus America Inc. has commissioned Web Photo School to develop an educational CD-ROM that provides instructions and illustrations on how to most effectively use its new E-1 Digital SLR camera.

The new CD debuts the week of January 5 at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, where a Web Photo School representative will demonstrate the CD to Expo attendees in support Olympus sales outreach at the Olympus booth.

Afterwards, the CDs will be used by the Olympus sales staff, initially throughout the company's Western Region, to support sales and customer service for the E-1. The E-1 is the first camera in the new Olympus E-System, which debuted in October 2003 as the world's first 100-percent digital interchangeable-lens SLR system.

"Our lessons can be put to work quickly by owners of the new E-1," states Gene Kester, Web Photo School's chief executive officer. "Presented in a revolutionary way, these lessons include numerous photos that reinforce the text and show step by step how to use the camera, including setups and results. E-1 owners can take first-rate photographs right away by following each lesson's series of quick, simple, stress-free tasks."

E-1 owners receive instruction on getting started, followed by information on photo resolution and printing, white balance indoors, white balance outdoors, depth of field for table top, depth of field for portrait, and an Olympus product page. Additional lessons include using white balance to modify color, creating brushed metal reflections, creating special effects, shooting for auctions, shooting jewelry, shooting outside, shooting inside, shooting fashion, modifying light for portraits at sunset, and adjusting white balance for interesting effects.

In mid-2003 Web Photo School created customized lessons on the fundamentals of digital photography for Olympus America's corporate website. The lessons were designed specifically for nine models of Olympus cameras (C-4000 Zoom, C-4040 Zoom, C-50 Zoom, C-5050 Zoom, C-720 Zoom, D-520 Zoom, D-550 Zoom, E-10, and E-20N).

According to John Knaur, senior marketing manager for Olympus, "Web Photo School has been extremely helpful to us. We've significantly lowered our tech calls and greatly improved our customer service with the school's excellent lessons."

With nearly 200 lessons viewable on its own website (www.webphotoschool.com), Web Photo School represents the world's largest online source of photography and digital-imaging lessons for all levels of photographers, taught by leading professional photographers.

Web Photo School is sponsored by leading photography industry companies such as Olympus and Photoflex.

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