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

I have new gear from Christmas, but I need time to set it all up and shoot examples. One is a backdrop, which I have an example of here. Thanks to my ever present assistant Sierra for helping me model the new use. It may look like a sheet hanging up, but thats pretty much what it is!

I eventually would like to get some seamless backdrop working. But for now the muslin cloth will do. Combined with two shoot through strobes, and the short distances I am using, I think the results should be plenty good.

The other item I received for Christmas is a 5 in 1 reflector and a multi-angle stand to hold that, or other things. No examples of that in action or use yet, hence the lack of a better posting.

On to links!

- Canon announces new Wireless File Transmitter units for latest pro models, enables DSLR hive-minding- Engadget; I can only wish I had a need to instantly transmit data from my camera to a laptop. I can see this being very helpful in studios and perhaps at weddings, but for my need- not so much.

- PaPaLaB's YC-3300 camera sees same colors as human eyes- Engadget; About stinking time!

- A Day in a Photographer's Life- Gizmodo; Nice little slice. Still convinced I wouldn't be able to hack a full time gig as a photographer.

- Repurpose a Drawer Liner as a Powerful Flash Diffuser- LifeHacker; Interesting little hack. Nice.

- Get Your Camera Returned with a Great Photo Message- LifeHacker; Cook idea. Though I format my card a lot. Not sure if it would work so nice.

- Three Songs, No Flash!- New book about concert photography. First one I have seen regarding just this topic. Plenty of websites out there, but no books.

- PLM umbrellas offer sweet combo of efficiency and softness- Rob Galbraith; Nice recap of a very cool system.

- Twenty Questions- Strobist; David Hobby, always thinking.

Once again, What The Duck steals my life:

Links

With late fall here, interesting nature images are in a bit of a lull for me. I haven't taken my camera with me the past two times going for river walks with my dog, and not disappointed about the decision. The last one I didn't see something other than a mallard until ten minutes left. Sad really...
On the positive side I have gotten some really nice photos of my daughter while she plays. As she is a tad lower to the ground than most subjects, I am trying a new method of lighting her. I am still using my shoot through umbrella, but I am putting it on the ground angled up. I simply put the strobe on the floor, and angle the head to match the incline of the umbrella. The resulting light has been just spot on and wonderfully soft.

Links:

- ShutterBuddy Attacks Baby Photo ADD Issue with Simplicity- Gizmodo; Interesting idea. Though I think some toys might be more effective.

- Flickr Chooses Snapfish As Its Preferred Printing Partner- Photography Blog; I guess Qoop has flown the coop. (oh come on, like you weren't thinking the same.) Qoop used to be the primary print function for Flickr.

- Adobe Debuts Photoshop.com Mobile for Android- Photography Blogl; Its coming... mobile Photoshop. Not sure if it will get past the basics (i.e. straighten and crop), but time will tell.

- Portrait Photography In The Eyes Of 5 Years Olds- DIYPhotography; That is just fantastic. I love it.

- Mini Review of the Spyder3 Express- PhotoFocus; I think I need to invest in a monitor calibration tool like this. And the price is pretty darn good considering what it can do for you.

Pieces

-How Should I Price My Photography?- This is an absolutly fantastic article about pricing photography. This is also a fantastic article describing why I will never be a full time photographer. The amount of hustle it would take to get to a decent earning would be so tough to be almost impossible for me. Not that I am afraid of hustle, but that mindset is so different than I am used to that I am pretty sure I would fail before giving myself a fair chance.
I suspect if it was my only means of income, knowing what I know now, I would/could do it. Fear of failure would drive me in new and different ways. It would also probably push me close to hating the one thing I love- snapping photos.
The one piece this article does not describe is price of insurance of any kind. Health insurance, etc. To make an ok living out of photography is an EXTREMELY tough job. I am sure people can do it, but to get the true value of out your work, you need to be willing to push yourself. Stay motivated, and work odd hours. (think when weddings happen or when families are available for potraits) I don't think I could do that...


- New Canon instant rebates available- Lenses, flashes.  Just in time for the holiday season. Nice.

- Norman Rockwell: The Original King of the Photoshop- Gizmodo; Nice discovery. Seems light is light, and editing is still editing... but the end image is paycheck. Norman Rockwell knew that.

- My wish list via B+H Photo Video. Ya know, if you have some spare cash and want to buy me something nice.

Leftover links

Here are a listing of interesting photo related links I have found since the last leftover links posting.

• Entire City Rendered In 3D Using Nothing But Flickr Photos- Gizmodo; That is pretty damn impressive. But to have thousands of photos posted of a single place in a single location like Flickr is very impressive as well.
  
  
• Hang Perfectly Level and Centered Artwork- LifeHacker; I know I don't print much of my work for myself... but knowing how to hang prints is important.
  
  
• Stanford's open-source camera could revolutionize photography, you'll still use 'Auto' mode- Engadget; Thats pretty darn impressive. Would keep older working cameras around and on a level playing field with all the rest of the older working cameras. Interesting concept.
  
  
• I Coulda Been a Contendah…..- Joe McNally; I feel like I have no clue and a bit nervous all the time when I shoot. And if Joe is admitting he feels the same, I feel like at least we all need to keep learning and figuring out new things. It is a never ending field.
  
  
• Use a Vacuum to Clean Dust Particles Caught Inside a Camera Lens- LifeHacker; I have no clue if this would work... but I see a lot of people cringing at the thought of violating their $1,000 plus camera body to their shopvac. And yes, this is a LAST resort... personally, I would just send my camera body off to the shop for a professional cleaning. (and have)
  
  
• Canon EOS 7D 24p footage tries to make indie filmmakers / chain smokers out of us all- Engadget; I still don't know if I would do much video on my DSLR... I know thats all the rage, but I would rather have photos than video. Video is still a major pain to get right and edit in my book. Oh, and why smoking Canon?