Ezine Issue #002

Photography Project Ideas: Get Out of Your Box!

As photographers, we all need to get out of our comfort zone and experiment with new subject matter, in order to freshen our approach, hone our skills, and enhance the creativity in our everyday photography.

What happens when we explore outside our comfort zone is a kind of magic.  Because we are experimenting with new material, we are open to seeing in new ways.  The new techniques that we develop and learn during our creative photography sessions transfer to our everyday photography.  We benefit from a cross-pollination of ideas and techniques that improves our photography, and we develop as artists.

The best project to choose, ironically, is the one that sounds the least appealing.  That’s an indication that it’s the furthest from your comfort zone, and the one from which you will likely derive the most benefit. I usually pack up my camera shortly after sunset, so for my next project, I might try some shooting after dark.

Why don’t you join me, and try the same project yourself? I’ll make it the topic of the July photo challenge so that you can share your results. If you’re in the country, you can shoot moonlight or star trails. In the city, you can shoot vehicles’ tail-light trails or downtown buildings. Wherever you are, you can try light-painting – using a long exposure, and moving a flashlight over parts of the scene.

Share Your Photography Project Ideas

If you have ideas for your next photography project, please share them with the Ultimate Photo Tips Community! I’ve just opened a new topic on the Photo Forums to talk about photography project ideas.

Too Cool Not to Share!

I came across this website recently, and just had to share it with everyone! From their website: “Our vision for LightBuckets is simple…to make it easy to access research-grade telescopes by anyone interested in astronomy – from beginners to astrophotographers to university researchers.” The idea is that you can rent time on their telescopes to take photographs of astrological entities. As a beginner, you can simply tell them what you want to see, and they’ll set it all up for you. Advanced uses can completely control the telescope themselves. Check it out! If you try it, be sure to drop me a line, and let me know the results.

Bummer this site no longer available.

Something Every Photographer Needs to Know: Tip of the Month

What do Shower Caps Have to Do with Photography?

As I write this, it’s pouring with rain outside, so I thought I’d share my favorite tip for protecting my camera in a light rain. I use a shower cap! They’re perfect to slip over the front of your camera. You can cover the lens, and then hook the elastic around the body to hold it in place. They’re quite easy to slip on and off. note that this won’t help you in a heavy rain, but it great if there’s mist, drizzle or light showers. So grab a few shower caps next time you’re staying in a hotel!!

What’s New this Month at Ultimate Photo Tips

Worldwide Camera Club Competition: Results Are In!

The results of the Ultimate Photo Tips worldwide competition are in! Camera clubs from countries as diverse as Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States participated to find out who is the best in the world!

Congratulations to our first place winner, the Camera Club of Brevard in Satellite Beach, Florida, USA! Arnold Dubin represented his club with his beautiful winning image titled “Great Egret with its Reflection.” 

Congratulations also go to our runner-up, the Krugersdorp Camera Club in Krugersdorp, South Africa! Mitchell Krog represented his club with his exciting capture titled “Jackal-Vulture Fight.”

To see the top images from the contest, please enjoy our video.

A big thank you to all the clubs who participated, and of course to our fabulous panel of judges, Richard Martin, Rob Davidson and Tony Sweet.

Photo challenge

May’s photo challenge results are in! The topic was “Color.” Check out the winning image which is a beautiful blue-themed collage.

June’s challenge is brought to you by the letter “D.” That means that this month, you can shoot anything that starts with the letter “D!” A deer, a donkey, or your pet dog! Dinosaurs? (Great Aunt Doris?) It could be anything from disaster and devastation, to dolls, dimples, or dessert! Try desert dunes or a landmark in Denmark! I invite you to participate. Come on – dazzle and delight us! The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite here.

Photo forums

The community section of Ultimate Photo Tips has just launched a brand new feature: our all-about-photography forums. What’s the biggest disaster you’ve had while on a shoot? What do you think about legislation that keeps cropping up to keep photographers from photographing in public? New topics are posted regularly, so bookmark this page, and visit us again. Have your say, and share your stories and opinions!

Photo News

Worldwide Photo Walk
July 24, 2010 the whole world is walking again
Sponsored by Adobe and presented by Kelby Training and NAPP

Happy shooting from Ultimate Photo Tips!