Photo.net Newsletter: December 4, 2008

Hi %%First Name%%,

Happy Holiday season to all. If you do not celebrate any December holidays, then I wish you an early Happy New Year. And if you still think we’re in the middle of August, you should try flipping your calendar pages once in a while.

If you are doing any photographic holiday shopping, I encourage you to consider ordering from our sponsoring partner Adorama and helping to support photo.net. By shopping at Adorama, you are helping us improve the site and add new features. We’ve made a lot of great improvements over the past year and my goal is to keep that going.

So if you have anything photographic to purchase, click on the Adorama Store tab at the top of the screen and see if they have what you are looking for. You’ll get a good deal from one of the best in the business (whose roving customer service agent Helen Oster posts frequently to photo.net), and you will be supporting the improvement of a web site you enjoy.

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

Sincerely,

Josh Root

Photo.net Director of Community

Latest Articles

We’ve got a few teaser articles ready for you at the beginning of the month. Don’t read them all in one go, but take your time—savor the flavors and colors, ponder and think about what photography means to you, etc. We want you to get philosophical on your camera. Do it!

Introducing the complete guide to Sigma Lenses for Digital SLR Cameras from photo.net! It’s high time we offer you a concise landing place for you to see all of what Sigma has to offer in the world of lenses, along with links to Adorama for the various camera mounts in case you may wish to make a purchase. Special thanks to all the photographers whose Sigma photographs are featured in the guide!

• Sigma Lenses for Digital SLR Cameras by Hannah Thiem

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Shopping on a budget? Just switching to the world of digital and want to check it out first before you dive in all the way? Looking for a DSLR camera and a lens for under $1000? Bob Atkins takes a close look at the features and specifications of 5 budget DSLRs perfect for beginner photographers, photographers on a budget, and travel photographers. He includes a comparison chart for easier viewing of the key highlights.

• 5 Entry Level DSLR Camera Kits by Bob Atkins

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Nikon just announced their latest addition to the full-frame sensor family: the Nikon D3X. The D3X is basically an enhanced version of the D3 with double the megapixels (24.5 vs. 12). Hannah Thiem takes an initial glance at the D3X and runs through the similarities and improvements on the new camera.

• Nikon D3X Preview by Hannah Thiem

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Looking for a good camera bag for your small digital SLR or rangefinder kit? Awhile back, I obtained a number of great bags for this purpose and tried them out, seeing which features were useful and which were less than desirable. Take a look at this guide when looking for a new camera bag.

Camera Bags for a Small DSLR or Rangefinder Kit by Josh Root

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More articles to peruse:

• Top Tips for Travel Photographers by Rick Sammon
• Factors to Consider when Choosing a Digital SLR Camera
• Exposure Basics: Correctly Expose Your Photographs

Featured Member Photographer: Josh Root

First off, yes, I’m sure it’s funny that I’m writing an article about myself. As I was late getting the scheduled featured member interviewed this month, I thought it would be a good excuse to answer some of the frequent questions I get about extreme sports photography. And yes, as pathetic as it is, I’m going to write the rest of the article in the third person. Josh Root likes talking the third person. Josh Root has never made a secret of that.

Josh is a photographer based in Washington state. He spent a number of years shooting extreme sports such as snowboarding, BMX, wakeboarding and skateboarding for magazines and companies both foreign and domestic. Starting out with film, he made the switch to fully digital in 2001 and was one of the first photographers in the industry to do so.

”For me, extreme sports photography is more than just capturing images. I love it because it is an activity that is intertwined with the story of my friendships over the past 15 years. Not only are these interesting moments in time because of the tricks that are being done, but they are meaningful to me as a record of the places I was able to go and the friends I have been lucky enough to have. Plus, girls think it’s pretty cool when you tell them you shoot photos of the guys they see on the X-games. No, not really. They mostly think you don’t have a real job.” -Josh Root

Read More »

Samples from the member’s portfolio:

View Josh’s entire portfolio »

Special Deals from Adorama

With the Composer, Lensbaby introduces a completely new lens, based on a ball and socket configuration that delivers smooth selective focus photography with unparalleled ease. The Composer retains its position after being bent and is easy to use even with one hand.

Photographers no longer have to squeeze the lens to focus, but can simply tilt the lens to a desired angle and then focus with a traditional barrel focusing ring. The Composer stays in the desired bent position without requiring a locking mechanism and features the new Lensbaby Optic Swap System.

The Composer features a unique manual focus design which requires more rotation to move the optic as you approach infinity. This makes it easier to focus on objects at intermediate and distant depths than regular manual focus lenses.

Buy now from Adorama: Lensbaby Composer [sale price: $269.95]

Other deals from Adorama:

• LaCie 1TB Desktop Hard Drive [sale price: $118.95]
• Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home Photo Bag [sale price: $102.80]

Photo.net Holiday Gift Guide

It’s that time of year again. Happy Holidays. Get ready to prepare your shopping lists, search for the perfect gifts, wait in long lines, etc. Eliminate some of the confusion by consulting our Holiday Gift Guide in advance.

This season, Photo.net’s Editors and Moderators team up to take a look at the season’s best in everything photographic: Digital SLRs, Lenses, Point & Shoot Cameras, Software, Books & Magazines, and Accessories. There’s something for everyone. Dive into the guide and get advice on the best prices and the best gear for those pro and enthusiast photographers on your list.

Read the Photo.net Holiday Gift Guide

What’s Happening In Our Forums

• Digital Darkroom (101 Responses) My Computer Geek: "Don't get Vista 64. wait for Windows 7"
• Casual Photo Conversations (50 Responses) Why pay outrageous prices for a camera strap

Go to Photo.net Forums »

Project Of The Month: Animals and Their People

This month how about some photos of animals and their humans?

Why do we take so many photos of our pets? Probably because they are always around, never yell at us about a bad hair day, and don’t mind the extra attention.

So this month, take a few photo of your favorite animal and its human. It could even be a self portrait if you are that fancy. But I don’t want to see any humans or animals on their own. This isn’t a portrait or wildlife project. Animals with humans, that’s the deal.

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 Hip To Be Square project page and see all the wonderful images that were uploaded. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Editors’ Picks

Abstract Photography

Samples: