Feeds and links

I currently have 29 RSS feeds in my Photography folder, and if you count WTD, then I have 30. And they represent the most active way I have of keeping up to date with what is going on in my interest in photography. I am not saying they are the best out there, but for what I like and am interested in they do keep me well informed.
Some sources are updated daily, one barely twice a year. But they are all important to me. One is a feed for keeping up with new comments on my Flickr stream- I don't always go there to keep up to date. One is for friend's photo blog, and another is for a charity photography event.
I thought about posting the feeds, but realized that you should find your own. If you are interested in checking them out- I will post them in the near future. Just let me know.
Here is a link to that OPML file (right click and save) that you can import in to your favorite RSS aggregator/reader. When you import it, the file will create a subfolder called Photography and have the links I use be added.

On with the links!

- Pixel LV-WI Wireless Live View Remote Control: look out, family self-portraits- Engadget; Not sure what to think of that. Good for... ummm, yeah- self potraits I suppose.

- Through the Viewfinder Method Makes Your Digital Pics Look Analog- LifeHacker; I've read about this before. Not sure if I want to go down the arty route of photography. One of my orginal goals is to reproduce photos as best as I saw them.

- 122 Brilliant and Blinding Blow Outs- Gizmodo; I suppose there is always a time and place to break the rules!

- Snapm Helps You Find and Book Photographers- LifeHacker; I might try this site- but the 15% off the top it takes for a gig booked is a bit much. How does it know you booked the gig if they can contact you? Supply an email address and avoid it... then again, I haven't used it yet.

- 17 Clever Tricks of Scale- Gizmodo; Good stuff.

- Lowepro Unveils Next Generation SlingShot AW Bags- PB; I love my SlingShot, love the addition for the tri/mono pods. Heavy gear makes it tough to carry a single strap system though.

- Retrospective Shoulder Bags from Think Tank Photo- PB; When I think bags, I think protection for my gear, then I think ease of transporting- ie how easy is it to carry around. It comes from my backpacking days when comfortable straps is vastly more important than looks.

Links

Another round of photo-related information I have found.

- Build a High-Speed Laser-Triggered Photography Rig to Capture Split Second Exposures- LifeHacker; That is simply amazing.

- Giz Explains: Why ISO Is the New Megapixel- Gizmodo; Very good stuff. I have wondered why most folks need anything above 8megapixel. You are never going to crop a photo and print it bigger than 8x10. The better ISO is one key to a great quality image. (Along with the lens)

- Flickr meetups! There is some great action going on with the photography world and it is tied to Flickr groups like the DC/Baltimore Strobist. For these groups, members are arranging for get togethers to discuss, do, and learn. Some people are professionals, some are newbies, most are just eager to learn, practice, and share with others of like mind. I've only been to a couple, but they are fantastic things. The group dynamic makes they fun and interesting. It is relatively easy to get it all lined up... spend a day shooting with folks, and maybe create some new friendships through photography.

- Finally, WTD mirrors my life. In my case, it was cupcakes not beer.

SNOW!

Now that the two blizzards in the area have gone away, I can report on my few photography attempts. The first was to do time lapse photography of the progression of the storm. I do not have anything fancy like a Timer Remote Control. I would also not argue if someone bought me one. Instead I went old school and snapped at semi-regular intervals. I used the tripod to setup a spot next to the front door so the images would be consistent. What I did not count on was the blowing snow melting on the window and creating a bad image. Live and learn.

I had thought that was pretty cool.. then we had a second blizzard. In less than five days- wow. I did the same setup, and while I knew the window would get really crusted, I didn't care. However there was a point that my inner-photogeek awoke- a snow plow at 5:51am! Wonderful! Low light meant I would do a 2 second exposure and the slower snowplow with lights would make some good streaks.
I was very happy with the results...

Here are the two sets of images:
Blizzard #1
Blizzard #2

Funny thing you can see from the shots was my slowly disappearing mail box. I don't think I will get it delivered again until July!

In an attempt to do something other than snow photos, I did some others. Most from an attempt I saw else where. A piece of glass, with a strobe underneath shooting up, and a second strobe isolating the item from a different angle. Here is my favorite of the attempts.

Bald eagle nest

On my commute home, I have seen Bald Eagles several times now. And over the past two/three weeks I have spotted what I believe is their nest. It is almost at the intersection of two major interstates. I would love to find some time to spot them and photograph them, but after looking at the map of the area- the only way to do so would involve parking on the interstate shoulder.
There are some businesses on the other side of the swampy/pond area, but I doubt I could zoom in close enough with my 70-200 to make it interesting.

Ah the joys of seeing nature but not being able to photograph it!

If anyone has suggestions let me know.

Links

Stuff I have found in my travels on the web:

- Hydrophobia rain cover promises to keep your DSLR dry, mysterious- Engadget; I don't know if I want to be out in the rain snapping photos if I need one of those. Best for sports photographers probably. 

- The Making of an Expert- HBR; Very interesting stuff.

- DIY Camera Sling Keeps Your DSLR at the Ready- LifeHacker; Nice idea. Seen the R-Strap stuff around for a while now. Never done it myself, but I see the value.

- Unconfirmed: New Canon Rebel DSLR Coming Next Week, Bringing Better Video- Gizmodo; How many cameras does Canon release in a year? This backs this rumor.

- World's Oldest and Most Expensive Camera Hits the Auction Block- Gizmodo; Wonder what sort of megapixel it gets... shutter speed might be a touch slow.  =)

- Pricing Professional Wedding/Portrait Photography: Resources and Ideas- PhotoFocus; Good article on pricing and professional photographers. I have done a wedding or two, but the people knew going in that I was not a professional- I told them at least three times. I would do my best, but this is not my livelihood and I am going to make mistakes/miss things. They accepted that risk and still went with me.

The Photography Channel?

Trying to get to sleep last night, I was hit with the thought of 'why isn't there more photography related shows?' Then the next thought was 'I wonder if there could be a Photography Channel' like FoodTV? I still recall hearing when FoodTV started that it was a little odd to have a entire network based around food. But I saw the light... I doubt that a Photography Channel would ever get to the level where it is selling its own gear at Kohls like FoodTV, but I do believe there is a place for it.

I realize there are drawbacks- like current lack of any successful photography related TV shows. Most of the content is rolled in to shows about something else. Like Christmas in Yellowstone by PBS. It showed some of what it took to get amazing photos in those conditions. But that was it.

I think if photography was more popular like cooking, that there would be more shows devoted to them. The push for it does not seem to be there.

However, I think it could be a good niche channel. There are plenty of channels on cable/dish etc that you do not watch, so why not give it a try? There could be all sorts of subjects. Here are some that I came up with off the top of my head:

• Gear reviews- from camera bodies, to lenses, to lighting, to extras.
• History of photography
• Classes/follow-along to try your own hand. 
• Professional uses- wedding, portraits, sports, photo journalism
• Contests
• Best of
• Photography stores
• Computer based photography- editing, posting, hosting
• Copyright laws
• Selling images in various formats
• Film studies
• Travel base photography
• Editing tools like Photoshop, Gimp, Lightroom, Aperture, Picasa

Gosh knows there is always something new to report on. Every year there is new gear introduced, lots of new people using them... I know I would latch on and find a couple shows to work with. May I put in an early vote to give David Hobby his own show!  =)    (I suppose it was only time until he got a Wiki entry devoted to him!)

In any case, has this been tried or attempted yet? Has anyone thought about this? Can I get a large benefactor to help me out here to get this started?

Or is the current state still scattered enough to support the market place? Various support websites do an amazing collection of people. But I think there are plenty of people who don't want to dig in to the sites to learn nor want to spend lots of money for classes. There is a market out there folks- now lets get this started!