Got a few emails asking for a better view from last week’s “What’s This” so here is the outside view of the Constructon Shute (so everyone was right who participated – thanks for the interest all!)
Author: Jason
What’s on YOUR tree?
Since I missed out on recording a podcast this week, I was also slack in getting out and about to shoot a “What’s This?” type image. The fact that Tracy wanted to get all the decorations up (I did too…actually it was probably more me than her) so we’d have some time to enjoy them also detracted from the photography mission for the week. So, as I ditched the bad chili from yesterday, I pulled out the ole 40D and snapped off a few macro type shots from our work on the house. Nothing that will make Better Homes and Gardens, but kinda neat anyway. Here’s the best of that I got so far – will likely try more as we get closer and closer. So, enjoy thiese two, but also please feel free to share your own as you ponder the question of “What’s on YOUR tree?“
Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!
No blog Tuesday
Sorry all, I know Tuesday is the day for the podcast, but after a very long commute home last night in bad weather, and a morning like the one I had today, let’s just say that you wouldn’t want to hear my voice right now, so, it’s a no blog Tuesday – I’ll be back in the trenches tomorrow!
Sixteen days folks…
Are you ready for it? The biggest commercialization of the year is only 16 days away, and retailers desperately need your business so they can keep flying in those corporate jets. Okay, many retailers don’t do that, but news stories like that make me very unwilling to spend my hard earned money on a car this year. (Not that I could even afford it, but that’s another story altogether!)
So, what can I afford? Well, believe it or not, the significant other has asked for a camera for Christmas! That’s right – I am winning her over, she’ll become a member of the dark side soon. So, in the spirit of the Christmas lists that I started last week with cards, this week, I am suggesting one of three different price buster point and shoots. One actually is not a Canon camera! My picks for consumer P&S cameras this year are:
- The Canon G10
- The Lumix LX3
- and the Canon A590
Okay, so the G10 isn’t exactly entry level, but it’s super sweet! The blogo-sphere seems to have settled down about the in-camera processing that the Lumix does to correct for barrel distortion and chromatic abberation, so the LX3 is back in people’s good graces. The A590 also made my list primarily because of the feature set it has relative to it’s price (it comes in at just a hair over $100!)
So, when combined with the list from last week, there are now six items on my Holiday Guide! I’ll get another four added here soon to give you a full top ten, but for those keeping score, here’s what I have thus far:
- Personalized Gift Cards
- Memory Cards
- Christmas Cards (share the holiday cheer on a budget)
- Canon G10
- Lumix LX3
- Canon A590
In other photography news, I am working on the photography site some more to really get a new look in place and I’ve got a new header to set the tone. Feel free to stop over and take a gander. Then, come back and tell me what you think! I am listening in the comments, on the Twitter, and via email. Don’t forget to vote in the poll – we’re on pace to shatter the previous record!
That’s it for today – I’ll be back tomorrow with the weekly audio podcast series, so be sure to stop in for that. Until then, happy shooting!
Friday Morning Coffee
Well, another day of IT goodness is ahead of me so this is just a short post to say have a great holiday-shopping filled weekend! (We’ve only got 20 days left until the bg day – gosh I hate how commercialized this holiday has become!) In some photo news, I shared a few snapshots with Photography and the Mac – he asks for shots of a coffee cup and a phone for his Friday blog posts so readers can chime in on which is worth me. Kind of a fun exercise, so stop over there and check out all his installments – you might see the shots I contributed go up some time today. If I have time, I’ll put together another post later on today, but don’t hold your breath! Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here Monday!
Holiday Photography…
I recently agreed to put together an article for the December issue of the PhotographyBB magazine on “How to Shoot the Holidays”. With the compilation of that nearing completion, I subsequently got an email from Towner Jones Photography to write a guest post over at his blog! Egad! A guest post?!?! Never been asked that before! I was floored.
About all I could muddle out was “Well..uuh, I am writing an article for a free online magazine…would that work?” Again, I was floored when he said that’d be great! You could have knocked me over with a feather! So, my post for today is actually to say thanks to Rob for the vote of confidence! The scariest part of it all though, is not having to deal with my bantering, but he asked for a pic too! So, here’s your chance to see my mug on the other side of the lens. Go check out Towner Jones Photography today. Make sure you tell him thanks for me too!
I’ll return next week with a new edition of Thursday Thoughts…let’s see, who can I ask for an interview? Any ideas? 🙂 thanks again go out to Rob, and remember, it’s all about the photo, so get out there and get ya some! Happy shooting everyone and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
Can cards be cool Christmas candy?
Yup, I talk about 3 different types of cards that make for cool holiday gifts this year for the photographer you know. That, along with online photo contests, the nomination announcement for the Top 8 of 2008 blogs/podcasts are now open, and of course, listener questions. I do have to apologize for the audio quality as I had to record it on the fly using the MBP in my car! Not too shabby after putting it all together, but not the greatest either. Continue reading “Can cards be cool Christmas candy?”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The never-ending tease…
With the company annual meeting coming up this week, I have been very busy with work-related stuff, that has only permitted me short bouts of time to do personal things, so I have not had a chance to record the podcast for today. But, as a perennial teaser, I promise it will be up tomorrow, along with the newest edition of the “What’s This?” series. Then, on Thursday, a new article has been finished, so I’ll be posting that material for your reading enjoyment. (On a side note, I am also guest-blogging for Towner Jones Photography on Thursday too, so thanks to Rob for inviting me. On that subject, if you read posts here or would like me to help out with a post from time to time, feel free to let me know as I am happy to share my efforts with others.) So, lots in store for this week:
- Podcast Episode #61 (Wednesday)
- Weekly What’s This? (Wednesday)
- Holiday Photography article (Thursday)
- Mystery Post to be named soon (Friday)
So, thanks for keeping Canon Blogger in your feeds and tweets, hearts and minds, and all that jazz. If you’re not a feeder or a tweeter, go pick up the feed or twitter link on the side panel and follow me there. There’s also the poll for the season, so please share your opinion there too! Lots going on so talk back to me and let me know what you think of all this photo and social activity! Happy shooting and we’ll see you here tomorrow with a cornucopia of content!
And the countdown begins…
With today being December 1st, the countdown has officially begun until Christmas. Of course, retailers began counting even before Halloween this year as they try to stretch this season of spending out as far as they can, but with now only 24 shopping days until Christmas, there is no denying that the ads asking for your hard earned dollar will increase into a frenzy (not unlike the number of radio stations that play carols exclusively for the next 25 days).
So, where should you really go to shop for holiday presents this year? Your nearest photo store naturally! Here are a few of my top picks for Christmas gadgets that will likely please just about any photo enthusiast. Fair warning, all the product links here are to B&H Photo, where I do 99% of my own shopping, but you are free to choose a retailer or e-tailer of your own preference.
- More memory! We all could use more memory in our cameras, but be sure you get the right kind. Most Point-and-shoot cameras will take the Secure Digital (or SD) type whereas most SLR cameras will take the CompactFlash variety. I like the 8GB as it can store a lot of images, but doesn’t necessarily put all your eggs in one basket. The respective B&H links are here and here.
- Another cool little gadget is the Gorilla Pod. My brother got one of these for his P&S a year or two ago anda loves it. They do have P&S and SLR grade versions for a quick little setup while on the go. Also under $50 (each), they are viewable here and here for P&S and SLR cameras respectively.
- Pictures! That’s right, family, friends and loved ones are those who really thought you had what it takes to go into photography in the first place, so you know they love your work. Tis the season to give, so give them some nice large prints. Mpix is a great online printer and here I am deviating from my B&H heavy references to say do all your printing at MPix!
There’s 23 more days so I’ll likely pepper a few more suggestions in the coming weeks. In the meantime, keep that camera at the ready! Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!
Be Careful With Contests
While doing the annual purging of the tryptophan ritual ysterday I came across Photojojo, which listed 12 contests on their website. As usual, appropriate disclaimers were given as you may or may not surrender your copyrights to images even for entering the various contests. I took a look through them, and one of them struck me by surprise: National Geographic. Here is the copyright condition for participating:
“By entering the Contest, all entrants grant to Authorized Parties (National Geographic Society and its licensees) a royalty-free, worldwide, irrevocable perpetual, nonexclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit) in whole or in part, without further review or participation from the entrant, in any medium now existing or subsequently developed, in editorial, commercial, promotional and trade uses in connection with NGS Products”
Surprise surprise…these types of restrictions and conditions for entering what otherwise appears to be free contests are commonly referred to by those who take care to reading the rules as “Rights Grabs”. Basically, a magazine or other entity is looking to get a large collection of images for free, and by promoting the possible payout of prizes, many unwittingly enter, win nothing, and yet by entering surrendur their images for use by the magazine or other entity. Moral of the story: Be Careful With Contests
While the concept is not new to me, the fact that what would normally be considered an admirable publication like National Geographic would approach things in such a manner is rather unsettling. To Photojojo’s credit, there were several that seemed to be worth considering, so for those of you with nothing to do after the turkey and football, feel free to head over to Photojojo and peruse the offerings. From my perspective here’s the scuttlebutt on the rest of the contests they are showcasing over at Photojojo:
- PDN Student Contest – Entry Fees, and must be an enrolled student
- Center for Fine Art – Entry fees, no info on copyright prior to submission
- M.I.L.K – No entry fee, all copyrights retained by Photographer! Good one!
- Sony World Photography Awards – No entry fee, photographer retains all copyrights – another good one!
- Communication Arts Awards – Entry fees, no prizes (only recognition)…did not search for copyright info
- JPG Magazine – No entry fees, cash prizes, photographer retains copyright – Another good one!
- Million Places – Several contests, some are free, others require purchasing “credits”. Seems photographer retains copyrights, and singular publication in a book is done per Rules and Guidelines.
- Photoburst – Free, photographer appears to retain copyright – another good one ($100 B&H gift card)
Terms and conditions, rules and restrictions may change and/or vary, so always double-check before entering. Happy shooting, have a great rest of the weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday! Leaving on a high note, enjoy the weekly editions of What the Duck, by clicking the link below which goes to my favorite:
