Photo.net
Newsletter: July 2008
Hi %%First Name%%,
Reach up and pull those belts tight, everyone! We've got a packed
newsletter this month. Boogity-boogity-boogity - let's go!
This newsletter goes out to 300,000 people every month and
I'm sure that I'm one of the only ones who gets the reference above.
*sigh* That's the price for being a rebel, I suppose.
I have been asked about the results from the January user survey
that we asked users to fill out. So I put together some of the more
easily quantifiable replies from the responses. Check them out below.
Overall, it was a good set of feedback from the PN users. I will
be interested in seeing what the replies are in the future. It will
be a good indicator as to how well we are doing our jobs.
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
Photo.net
Survey Reults
Photo.net members are:
-87% Male 13% Female
-By age:
17 or under: 1%
18-24: 5%
25-34: 18%
35-44: 23%
45-54: 32%
55-64: 15%
65 or over: 6%
-20% are professional photographers in some fashion, 66% are
serious amateurs, and 14% say they are "just getting started
in photography."
-Cameras used:
Digital SLR camera: 84%
35 mm film camera: 44%
Point-and-shoot digital camera: 41%
Camera phone: 1%
Medium format camera: 19%
Large format camera: 5%
Rangefinder: 12%
Other: 4%
-Brands used:
Canon: 50%
Fuji: 7%
Kodak: 4%
Leica: 6%
Nikon: 42%
Olympus: 12%
Panasonic: 4%
Pentax: 12%
Sony: 9%
Other: 31%
-Lenses and memory cards were the most common items purchased
in the previous 12 months and were also the most likely to be
purchased in the following 12 months.
-Many different computer applications were used for digital adjustment
of images, but Photoshop and Photoshop Elements was the most common
by a significant margin.
-Features/services people would like to see added to Photo.net:
More tutorial & "how to" articles
Better forum searching
More "beginner" information
Improved image organization/search (i.e. image tagging system)
-Areas of Photo.net needing improvement
Forum organization/repetitive questions
Ratings/Critique system
Gallery search (image tagging mentioned again)
A "safe for work" version of the site (limited or no
nudity)
for the
week of 07.14.08
This week's Photo of the Week is by photo.net member Lev
Daichik. It is a tightly cropped portrait of a young woman's
face.
While very simple on the surface, the longer you look at this
image, the more interesting it becomes. How old is she? Her dreadlocked
hair makes you think she must be at least a teen. But her smooth
skin and narrow face make you think she could be a child. Then
you notice that her eyes and expression have that look of experience
that only comes with age. An image that makes you ask questions
is always worthy of viewing and thought.
Have something to say about the Photo of the Week? Then you should
post your thoughts on the Photo
of the Week Forum.
This
Week's Winner
Week
of 07.07.08
Week
of 06.30.08
See
All Past Winners »
Latest Articles
We've got a nice bunch of articles this month. A couple of reviews
start things off. I have written a reveiw of the Leica M8 digital
rangefinder. Plus, Bob Atkins reviews the Canon XSi, EF-S 18-55
IS lens, EF-S 55-250 IS lens and previews the Nikon D700.
In addition, we continue the excellent Digital Photography Workflow
series with articles on Fine Art Photography by Michael Ezra and
Advanced Skin Softening by Jean-Sebastien Monzani.
Finally, I am excited to announce the return of photography writer
Mike Johnston to photo.net. He will be doing a regular photography
column called "Mike
Johnston on Photography" exclusively for photo.net starting
with this issue.
New
Site Features
"Photodrop"
system fixed, please update your PhotoDrop addresses
We had some trouble with the Photodrop system for emailing images
to your photo.net account. The system has been fixed, but you will
have to update your Photodrop email address as its format has changed.
@photodrop.org addresses will NOT work any longer. You need to click
on the link below to get a new @photodrop.photo.net mailto address.
Update Photodrop
email here.
Some
graphic design changes for the forums and galleries
If you haven't noticed already, you will notice in the next few minutes that we've switched up the way a few of
the PN pages look. Some of the changes probably won't be noticed by most people, some will be seen every single
day. While there is something comforting about a site that looks the same as it did five years ago, the fact is
that ignoring design can hinder updating a site with features that are commonplace elsewhere. PN fell behind in
various ways as far as site design and features, we're working hard to fix that.
- Individual forum pages redesigned.
- "Gallery" main page redesigned.
- Portfolio/Folder and Top Rated Photos pages redesigned.
- Individual photo pages slightly redesigned.
- New User Registration page.
Click here
to read more about these changes.
New
Random Image Generator
Do you want to see a random image from the massive photo.net gallery
of photos? If so, then check this out:
Photo.net Random Image Generator
Pretty nifty huh? Linked from the front page and the Gallery dropdown.
A
lot of photographers go through phases when they are uninspired
with their usual subjects. No matter how excited you usually are
about weddings or portraits or sports or even photos if your pets,
you can run out of ideas and interest from time to time.
One of my favorite ways to combat those uninspired times is to
make the switch to macro. I pull out my macro lens, or a digital
camera with a macro-mode, and concentrate on finding the small treasures
that we miss in our every day life. There are millions of interesting
subjects in this "World of Tiny Things" and it is easy
to create images that are completely new to you.
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 "Love
& Marriage" project page and see all the wonderful
images that were uploaded. Here are a few that caught my eye:
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