by Aaron Hockley on September 3, 2010
The deadline to register for BlogWorld & New Media Expo at a discount is coming up soon… if you’re a photographer looking to share and market your work using social media, you should try to attend. You’re going to save quite a bit of money if you register in the next two weeks, so check out why photographers should attend BlogWorld, then use this banner to check out the conference website and register to attend:
by Aaron Hockley on September 2, 2010
It’s time to call out some bad behavior by the Oregon Arts Commission / Oregon Cultural Trust. Last night, an email was forwarded to me. Here’s the original message in its entirety:
From: D’Arcy, Christine T
Date: Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 5:43 PM
Subject: [OregonArts] Oregon Arts Commission + Cultural Trust Want YOU for a volunteer photo corps! Show us some work!
To: “oregonarts@listsmart.osl.state.or.us”
Call for Volunteer Photographers –
The Oregon Cultural Trust and the Oregon Arts Commission are looking for photographers to take professional quality photos of cultural events across our vast state. As a member of the Oregon Culture Volunteer Photo Corps, your photos, taken between now and June 30, 2010 will appear on the Oregon Culture flickr page, – and your photos have the potential to appear in Cultural Trust and Arts Commission publications and websites with full photo credit.
If you’d like to be considered, upload 4 photo samples (300 dpi or higher) to: http://www.flickr.com [username: culturaltrust@ymail.com, password: oregon2010]. Follow the sample photo for submission instructions.
Make sure you include your name in the subject line and a 100 word description of your community as part of the photo description.
Priority deadline for review: Friday, September 10, 2010.
Information: cultural.trust@state.or.us or Oregon.artscomm@state.or.us Show us your work!
Chris D’Arcy
Christine D’Arcy
Executive Director
Oregon Arts Commission – Oregon Cultural Trust
775 Summer Street NE
Salem, Oregon 97301-1280
(503) 986-0087 direct
christine.t.darcy@state.or.us
I’d think that an important component of a government arts commission would be to better the experience for artists in the state. It’s a shame they expect photographers to work for free. Photo credit is not payment. It’s one thing to have to educate the public about the value of an artist’s work, but I’d have higher expectations when the request comes from an arts commission.
Or if having one’s name on a website is credit, I’m sure the Oregon Arts Commission Staff would have no problem receiving their salary in website credit… right?
If you care about how artists are treated in Oregon, use one of those contact methods in the email message above and let Ms. D’Arcy know how you feel.
The fine print: I do not live in Oregon but I do work there and I know a lot of my readers are in Oregon.
by Aaron Hockley on September 1, 2010
Continuing my monthly tradition, I want to offer a look at the top-selling camera and photography items for the past month as calculated by the fine folks at Amazon.com.
This month’s update includes quite a few different items than last month… as summer ends, perhaps so do gadget-buying patterns:
- Kodak EasyShare C182 Digital Camera (Blue)
– this is a really good little camera for under $75. Doesn’t surprise me that folks are snapping it up.
- Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black)
– last month’s #1 item drops down a spot but it’s still a great deal to create high quality, high definition video with a device that fits in a pocket. I love my Flip.
- Kodak PlaySport (Zx3) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera (Black)
– what’s that? You don’t want the Flip because you want something that’s waterproof? Well here you go!
- Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Black)
– This would be the camera to get if you don’t want the more popular Flip. The Zi8 actually has some nice advantages including an external microphone jack.
- Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18MP Digital SLR Camera and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
– Canon’s T2i is a great entry-level DSLR offering plenty of megapixels and the ability to record video.
- Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera
– the predecessor to this camera, the S90, is my personal point-and-shoot and one of the most powerful compact cameras on the market. The S95 adds new features including HD video and even better low-light performance. If you want a pocketable quality camera, this is the one.
- Canon PowerShot SX20IS 12.1MP Digital Camera
– if you’re willing to carry a bigger camera, the SX20IS offers a powerful zoom lens and great picture quality.
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 12.1 MP Digital Camera
– one of Panasonic’s great new compact cameras, this one has been on the best seller list for a while now.
- Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation, 120 Minutes (Black)
– if you want a Flip camera for cheap, this one will record standard-def video for just over $100.
- Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Deep Red)
– for the second month in a row, the #10 spot is held by a red-colored camera. Canon’s PowerShot SD series has long been a popular compact model; here’s one of their latest offerings.
Check out these products – if you use the links above and end up purchasing through Amazon, a small commission will be returned to me that helps fund the operation of this site. Thanks for your support!
by Aaron Hockley on August 30, 2010
When I seriously got into photography and purchased a DSLR, I purchased the same brand that all of my friends were using. This worked out well in that we should share equipment and help each other out with quirks or problems. As I got more serious and eventually began working professionally (doing a lot of Portland event photography), I have acquired more equipment that matches up with my camera bodies. At this point I’m a Canon man.
I’m about due for a new camera body. As an event shooter, I’m often faced with challenging indoor lighting scenarios. The good news is that the low-light, high-ISO performance of DSLRs has really improved in the last couple of years. The bad news (at least for me as a Canon shooter) is that Nikon seems to hold a noticeable advantage in this area right now. I realize that Canon and Nikon go back and forth and that at any moment, one or the other might hold an advantage, but as I look at a new camera and what’s important for my work right now, there’s no question in my mind that were I starting from scratch I’d buy a Nikon (probably the D700).
As someone with several thousand dollars of Canon gear (lenses, lighting, etc) things aren’t so simple. Do I switch to Nikon, sell my Canon gear and buy replacement Nikon equipment? Or do I buy a camera that isn’t quite as good in low light but will work with my current gear?
Photokina is coming in just a few weeks. I’m holding out hope that Canon might announce something wonderful that would allow me to use my current lenses while giving me superior high-ISO performance. A 5D Mark III perhaps? We shall see. If Canon doesn’t answer my wishes… well, I might have some nice lenses for sale soon.
Am I on the right track? Is there a flaw in my thinking?
by Aaron Hockley on August 29, 2010
My random number generator chose Charles B. as the winner of the iPad book from last week’s contest. Thanks to all who entered.
Charles, look for an email from me about getting the book headed your direction.
