Photo.net Newsletter: May 6, 2009

Hi %%First Name%%,

What do we have for you in this month’s “community” newsletter? An important update to the image tagging system, the new interesting member note feature, a few articles, a featured member who has traveled the globe more than I can imagine, plus all the usual stuff like the Photo of the Week and interesting forum threads.

Something personally important to me in this edition is a letter to film photographers that I hope everyone who cares about film photography will read. It’s time to stop fighting silly battles and start doing something that will introduce new photographers to the world that is film photography.

Finally, I want to welcome a few new site sponsors to photo.net. In today’s challenging economy, we are very pleased to be working with great photographic companies like these:

• Bogen is having a drawing for over $2000 in prizes. You can sign up via your PN Workspace.
• Samsung is showing off their SL620 point & shoot camera.
• Canon is promoting new instant rebates on many cameras and lenses. Save up to $500 this week only.
• Enter the Wiley Press Travel Photo Challenge. Win $500 cash and more.
• Focal Press will be contributing book excerpts to photo.net from its library of titles.

It’s a tough year for a lot of people and we know that money is tight in a lot of households, which is why I’m glad to be able to say that virtually all aspects of photo.net are available for free to users. The companies listed above (plus long time sponsors such as Adorama, Newegg and Lensbaby) are what make it possible for us to keep this site running. At the risk of sounding like a used car salesman, take the time to visit our sponsors and see what they have to offer. If you are going to order something, give our sponsors a chance to be your supplier. Everybody wins.

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

An Open Letter to Film Photographers

Rise Up!

If you use film, love film, miss film, think film photography shouldn’t die out, enjoy sharing the world of film, or simply have film on the brain, this is for you.

Photo.net film photographers, let’s move forward. If you’re tired of the pointless film vs. digital debates, let’s work together on a solution that celebrates film photography equally. I’ll admit, we underestimated our film community during the early days of the digital revolution. For me personally, it wasn’t until I became the site administrator – the guy that everyone yells at – in 2006 that I really started to see just how active photo.net’s film photographers were. And that’s when I started thinking of ways to encourage that side of our community…

Read the rest by clicking here.

New Photo.net Site Features

Image Tagging system now uses only single word tags

We have changed the way that the image tagging system works and gotten rid of the multi word tagging. After extensive testing, it became apparent that single word tags resulted in vastly more accurate searches than multi-word tags.

Multi word tagging either caused users to create more specific tags than people were searching for (something tagged “kodak ektar 100” wouldn’t show up for an “ektar” search) or to create long lists of unnecessary tags (kodak, ektar, 100, “kodak ektar”, “kodak ektar 100”, etc). The single word tag system seems to be much more accurate. Tagging an image with (kodak, ektar, 100) will get results for searches on kodak, ektar, kodak ektar, kodak ektar 100, etc. It allows both the specific and non specific searches to give good results. For more info or to ask questions, please click the link below:

http://photo.net/site-help-forum/00TGHj

I need to point out once again: This system is currently a BETA release. That means we’re still working on it. If you find any bugs, please report them in the Site Help forum so they can be fixed. Things may change from time to time as we add features and fine tune the system.

Notes for your ‘Interesting People’ list

Photo.net users now have the ability to make a note to themselves when they mark someone as “interesting”. Instructions are pretty simple:

• Go to a user’s member page.
• Type something in the “Note this person as interesting” field.
• Click “ok”.
• That’s all.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have already marked someone as interesting, you will have to remove them from your list and mark them as interesting again in order to add in a note. Further questions, ask here:

http://photo.net/site-help-forum/00TDsU

New Article

Welcome to Filmtown: Horizon 202 & Kodak Ektar 100

I’ve just finished the third article in the “Welcome to Filmtown” series on interesting films and cameras. This month, I check out the swing-lens panoramic Horizon 202 and Kodak’s Ektar 100 color negative film. I’m getting better with these, the March article was published only 2 days into April!

Read the Filmtown: Horizon 202 & Kodak Ektar 100.

Featured Member Photographer: Jim Downs

Jim has traveled a lot. Way more than the average person and probably more than your buddy who likes to call himself a “world traveler” Jim has literally been all over the globe.

There is a big difference between traveling and traveling as a photographer. As someone who was a traveler first and a traveling photographer second, Jim brings some very interesting insight into how photography fit into his travels and how he gradually became a traveling photographer.

When I hear the phrase “travel photographer” I think slick and glossy. I envision a person who thrives on capturing a handful of technically and artistically superior images as opposed to a faster paced sampling of the people, cultures and places that you experience when you stay on the move. I believe a “travel photographer” is infinitely patient, willing to spend considerable time for the right light and mood. Lastly, I think the travel photography purists tend to distance themselves from the squalor, poverty, filth, hunger and the strife of conflict that a majority of the human beings on this planet live with daily. -Jim Downs

Read More »

Samples from the member’s portfolio:

View Jim’s entire portfolio »

Jodi Cobb LOVE Project

The Jodi Cobb LOVE submissions are in. There were some excellent abstract and conceptual representations of the concept of love that members submitted.

The assignment from Jodi Cobb was, “Think about how you can illustrate some aspect of love, marriage in your hometown, some sort of truths about human behavior, high school, first love, courtship. Take the idea and turn it into a narrative while expanding on the concept. It doesn’t necessarily have to have a happy or positive note. Do an edited 10-photo series telling a story of some aspect of love.”

Jodi and the Editorial Photo.net team will be judging the submissions and award the top LOVE photo series with a copy of Jodi’s book Geisha: The Life, the Voices, the Art, and a $50 gift certificate to Adorama. The top series will be announced end of May 2009.

“View the Jodi Cobb LOVE Project Submissions

Gifts for Moms, Dads & Grads

Just off the press: the Photo.net Moms, Dads & Grads Gift Guide. We consulted with the Photo.net forum moderators, editors, and contributing writers for their advice on the best photography equipment out there within a reasonable price range. The Guide features four separate articles on the best selections for Digital SLRs, Lenses & Accessories, Software & Books, and Point & Shoot Cameras.

There are a few great reasons to look at this guide. Mother’s Day is around the corner on May 10th, graduation is coming up, and Father’s Day is in June. For your gadget-conscious mom/dad/grad, make sure you consult the photo.net gift guide for recommendations on how best to add to his/her photography collection. Also, the guide includes recommendations from experts in the field who have tried all sorts of photography equipment and accessories we’re not playing around when we recommend a particular camera or lens. Be prepared to give the best photography equipment and accessories to your loved ones.

Read the Photo.net Moms, Dads & Grads Gift Guide.

Special Deals from Adorama

The Vanguard Elite 4, 3-Section Professional Carbon Fiber Tripod weighs just 6.22 lbs. and can hold a weight of up to 22 lbs. For the price and features it includes, this tripod is well worth adding to your photography kit.

Features

• Professional quality carbon fiber tripod extends to 74”
• Long handle design for easy adjustment in three directions
• Each leg can be adjusted in three different angles
• Leg locks at a variety of different angles for uneven terrain
• Removable magnesium alloy head
• 3-Way Photo Magnesium Alloy Panhead

Buy now from Adorama: Vanguard Elite 4, 3-Section Professional Carbon Fiber Tripod with 3-Way Panhead [sale price: $199.95 + free shipping, regular price $224.95].

Other deals from Adorama:

• Lexar 4GB SD Card [sale price: $9.95 + free shipping, regular price $18.95]
• Canon Powershot SD890-IS Digital Elph Camera [sale price: $199 + free shipping]

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

What’s Happening In Our Forums

• Canon EOS (46 Responses) Just got a new a 50mm 1.4. How should I use it wide open?
• Leica and Rangefinders (60 Responses) Let's Do Some Leica / RF Style Street Photography!
• Nikon (90 Responses) What Lens Do You Have On Your D700 Right Now?
• Philosophy of Photography (110 Responses) "Telling" a story

Go to Photo.net Forums »

Project of the Month: Slow Water

Moving water is a very difficult thing to photograph in a way that captures reality. That is because a photograph can never recreate the way that water looks when it is moving. However, one method that people have long used is to leave the shutter open for a long time and let the water become all blurry and smooth. No, it doesn’t look at all how moving water actually looks. But what it does do is evoke the feeling of moving water for many people.

So get out there to your local stream, river, canal, ocean, or gutter downspout. Bolt your camera to a tripod and experiment with different shutter speeds. Depending on the speed of the water, a good starting point might be anything from 1/15 to 10 seconds.

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 Panoramic 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: Mother’s Day Photography.

Samples:

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

• Concert Photography
• Birds-in-Flight Photography
• Wedding Detail Photos