Photo.net Newsletter: August 6, 2009

Hi %%First Name%%,

It’s the time of the year around here when the “honey-do” list gets pretty long and I end up having a bunch of home improvement projects to work on. You know what’s more fun than painting my house? Most anything. But specifically, taking photos of most anything. In fact, taking photos of someone painting a house would be exponentially more fun than actually doing the painting. Where’s Tom Sawyer when you need him? I’ve got to hire that kid to find me some free painting help.

In this newsletter, we’ve got a pretty cool new feature for the site. Please check out the new Photo.net Event Calendar. Users can now announce photo club meetings, gallery announcements, and so on. We’ve also got a nice pile of new articles and all the typical “community” features like the monthly project and featured member.

Finally, there’s also a reminder about the image tagging system. The tag search is getting a lot of traffic these days and I want to make sure people are giving photo.net visitors every chance to find and view their images.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please send them to us directly at contact@photo.net. Enjoy the newsletter!

Sincerely,

Josh Root

Photo.net Director of Community

Don’t forget to tag your gallery images!

This is just a reminder to everyone that they should be sure to tag their photo.net gallery images. The tag search system is getting TEN TIMES the traffic of the image caption search system. What does this mean to you? It means that you’ve got a better chance of getting your images seen if you have them tagged correctly.

Get to it!

Image tagging tutorial

Here is a forum thread to post in if you have any image tagging questions:

http://photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00U7vM

New Photo.net Site Features

Photo.net Event Calendar

We’re testing out a new site feature. It is an events calendar to help our users notify the community about things like photo club meetings, gallery shows, museum exhibits, workshops and other photo events. Please take a look at the thread linked below and try it out.

Please note: The Calendar is a BETA product currently. That means that it requires testing and feedback from you, the people who will be using it. There will very likely be bugs and problems that need to be worked out before it is running exactly as we want it to.

Click here for more info about the Photo.net Events Calendar.

Forums now work with the iPhone

We’ve got the PN forums working with the iPhone’s safari browser again. There is a glitch with the text editor that causes it not to play well with the iPhone version of Safari. So we have set it up so that the text editor is turned off for iPhone users.

Still having iPhone issues with the forums, ask them here.

New Articles

Abrahhamson Rapidwinder Review for Leica Rangefinders

If you are a Leica rangefinder user, you need to check out Tom Abrahhamson’s Rapidwinder. Quite possibly one of the best RF accessories out there today. Particularly if you are a left-eye photographer why is tired of sticking yourself in the forehead with your thumb advance lever!

Abrahhamson Rapidwinder Review for Leica Rangefinders

Color Film Processing Myths Dispelled

Film guru and all around smart guy Rowland Mowrey has put together a great article on myths associated with color film and processing. Well worth reading for anyone shooting C41 or E6 film today. This article has been around photo.net for a bit, but it got buried and never received the attention it deserved. So I thought I’d bring it out to the light and encourage people to check it out.

Color Film Processing Myths Dispelled

Missing Pages: Depth of Field

Jon Sienkiewicz contributes the 5th installment of his Missing Pages: Tips for using your camera creatively column. Each installment offers tips on using your camera’s functions more creatively and will also feature a project for you to follow along and learn from. This month discusses Depth of Field.

Read the next column installment of Missing Pages: Depth of Field

First Look Review of Nikon D3000: a D200 Junior?

Nikon keeps “upping” the game for their entry-level models. Gone are the days of the 6MP D40 or the D60 with only 3 AF points. Replacing these entry-level cameras in Nikon’s lineup is the new D3000 with 11 AF points and more robust features. This First Look Review includes sample images and size comparisons with the D40.

Read the Nikon D3000 First Look Review.

Preview of Nikon D300s: a prosumer dual card slot DSLR?

Nikon upgraded the D300 to the D300s: a new version with dual memory card slots (CF and SD), HD video-capable, higher frame rate of 7 frames-per-second (over the 6 fps on the D300), virtual horizon indicator, and dedicated buttons for Live View and camera settings info.

Read the Nikon D300s Preview.

Featured Member Photographer: Glauco Dattini

Glauco was born and lives in Rome. When he started photography he joined photos clubs and learned the basics then moved on to a photography school in Rome. Starting out as a wedding photographer using analog film and cameras, he quickly became interested in digital imaging as the technology improved. Particularly he is fascinated by the possibilities of creative expression through digital manipulation of his images.

“In the history of photography there are two school of thought, that divide the photography in pictorial and straight. This division was born many years before the introduction of the digital alteration. I’m mainly interested in the pictorial concept of the photo.” -Glauco Dattini

Read More »

Samples from Glauco’s portfolio:

View Glauco’s entire portfolio »

Special Deals from Adorama

• First Studio Backdrop Kit—affordable lighting solutions for Digital Photography
• Getting started with Digital Photography doesn’t need to cost a fortune. The results you get can still look rich, however.
• The First Studio Backdrop Support Kit includes two LiteStands and one Collapsible Pole as well as a Carrying Bag. Backdrops are available separately.
• The First Studio Backdrop Kit is designed to make basic photography easy to learn. You’ll find more uses for backdrops than you ever thought possible…do your senior portraits at home!
• The new LS933 LiteStands extend up to 9’ high. Wide leg base provides a very sturdy backdrop setup. Thick tubing provides exceptional strength and durability.
• The BackDrop Pole is a single-unit with telescoping sections that constructs easily with a twist and pull motion to extend each section and another twist to lock in place. The Pole stores collapsed at 4’-2”. The Pole extends to 13’.

Buy now from Adorama: Photoflex Studio BackDrop Support Kit [price $149.95].

Other deals from Adorama:

• Lexar 16GB SDHC Card [sale price: $29.00 [with mail-in rebate], regular price: $59.00]
• Adobe Photoshop CS4 [Mac] [sale price: $639.95, purchase with Lightroom 2 and get $85 off the total price]

Find great deals on thousands of other products at the Photo.net Adorama Store.

What’s Happening In Our Forums

• Casual Photo Conversations (47 Responses) Is Medium Format analogue irrelevant?
• Canon EOS (68 Responses) Is canon 5D Mark II suitable for low light photography
• Leica and Rangefinders (58 Responses) Leica announces "S" system prices
• Nikon (71 Responses) In defense of video

Go to Photo.net Forums »

Photos From Your Cell Phone

Calling all cell phone (cameras)!

This month’s project is just to shoot a photo with your cell phone camera. These cameras are often low quality, have little in the way of camera controls, and are unpredictable and fuzzy at best. But that’s part of the fun. You don’t need $5000 worth of cameras to make an interesting photo. Why not try using something you’ve probably got in your pocket or purse anyway?

A couple of users have suggested this to me as a monthly project. I’ve been hesitant given that getting photos from your phone to the computer can be difficult for some people. But I’m willing to give it a try.

See all of the Monthly Projects (and submission instructions) on the Monthly Project Index page. Also, be sure to take a look at last month’s 2009 Global Moment project page and see all the wonderful images that were uploaded. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Editors’ Picks

We have a new Editors’ Picks for your enjoyment: Textural Photography.

Samples:

Also, take a look at some of the most popular Editors’ Picks from previous months:

• Summer Photography
• Abstract Photography
• Night Photography