U2 photo auction for AWF

I have coordinated two different photo auctions in support of a great charity called African Well Fund. Over those two, they have raise about $19,000 for the cause. Wonderful!
This write up from @U2 does a much better job than I could ever try to attempt.

I offered my help to the charity a while back with the idea to auction off photos of U2 from fan photographers. It was a modest idea, one I thought would raise maybe a thousand or two, and it just took off from there. I had some issues with shipping and shelved the idea until the folks from AWF came back to me asking to help with the goal of raising $50,000 for Bono's 50th birthday. Sure!

There was already a great list of photographers from the previous auctions, and we were off. Lots of great shots. Some from way back in 1983, and some from just about the last show of the tour so far. And a little bit in-between.

As always it is interesting to figure out which three images of my own I am going to pick. I think I got two of them, the third is still up in the air. It is a small matter of pride to see how my images do with the rest. I think my efforts to get quality images this tour finally matched up with my ability. The only downside is that I was only able to attend two concerts instead of 16 like the previous two tours each.

Links

I had entirely planned to go over filters in an article until I saw my first link. Damn.

Photo articles are becoming hard to come by as my time is now being diverted outside with the nicer weather. A good problem to have!

- The Essential Filters for Controlling Contrast in Digital Nature Photography- Singh-Ray; See the first sentence. Seriously though, the shot of the filter being put in to place could be my camera setup. Exactly the same.

- 21 Reasons to Use Lightroom- PB; In case you needed more.

- How to WaterMark or add Logo to a Batch of Photos and Images!- tnerd; Great stuff! Though I run my through with LR plugin.

- "I'm Not Taking Your Picture, Don't Look at Meeeeeeee"- Gizmodo; I looked at this, and it is too complicated and a hindrance to normal photo process. I guess if you want to look creepy you could use it.

- Don't Be Afraid to Shoot in Low Light Without a Flash- LifeHacker; I started out shooting without a flash because I was lazy and thought it would be easier. Now I go in to a room looking to see how I can light it. Maybe I ought to go back to natural lighting for a bit......... naaaaaa, rooms are hardly ever lit nicely even for a 50mm f/1.8

- Judge Joe Brown - Cheap wedding photographer- YouTube; I don't even know where to start... hundreds of weddings with a Rebel XTi?!

- Greatest Swag In The History of Swagginess: The Canon Lens Thermos- Gizmodo; That is so amazingly amazing. I think I passed out from amazingness.

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.