This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (10-16 Jan ’10)

Hi everyone, I’m back from traveling, and a big thanks to Sime who kept the weekend update going while I was spending hours on planes. Now on to the weekly assignment.

Weekly Assignment

This week’s assignment was Show Us Your Camera. We wanted you guys to make your camera star in the image, and the winners this week really did make the camera the start of the image. Our winner was Obijuan‘s picture of his “baby”. This shot had humor, good exposure, good composition, and we couldn’t help but pick this one as this week’s winner. We might mollycoddle and baby our cameras, but we can’t help it when they’re so new and fragile. Our first runner up (and this was a very, very close one) was equilution‘s shot of his D3. You just have to read the text that accompanies the photo in the assignment thread. This one was also well done. The use of a winning image in the background, combined with the effective use of B&W for the overall picture created a really nice composite. And last but not least was AlisonG‘s Ice Age photo. The camera featured in that is a “prehistoric” Kodak Instamatic… the kind favored by cavemen of course.

We also started a new assignment this week that takes us back to the basics of shooting Landscapes. While landscapes may seem easy, there are lots of things that go into taking a good landscape shot that can recreate the scene we saw before us. The challenge in this week’s assignment is to make sure that you have a definite point of interest in your landscape because that’s something we’ll be looking for when picking the winners. As usual, the rules are pretty straightforward. Your photo must have been taken between 6 – 20 January 2009. Your post must include the words “Assignment: Landscape” and the date that the photo was taken, and the EXIF should be intact (and it’s useful if you can include some of the main points in your post). The full rules are always in the first post of the assignment thread. Next week’s assignment will be Streets. Whether it’s rural or urban, busy or quiet, we want you to show us the personality of the street you choose. Consider finding point of interest, choosing a good depth of field appropriate for what you want to shoot, and make us feel what it’s like to be there.

Hot Threads

• Running with the DSLR: If you’re a runner, you may at one time or another seen the “perfect shot” but not had a camera with you. But is there any way to actually take your DSLR with you when you’re running? One forum member is looking for hints, tips, and tricks for how this can be accomplished.
• DPS Photowalks: If you’re in Melbourne, Australia or Chicago, IL and interested in a photowalk, come have a look on the forums because there area few walks being organized by DPS members. If you’re interested in trying to set up a walk of your own (and you aren’t in Chicago or Melbourne), why not ask on the forums if anyone is interested in a walk in your area.
• Video on DSLRs: More and more DSLRs are coming out with the ability to shoot video. Come join in the discussion about whether you use it, what you think of the quality, and what your overall opinion on video in a DSLR is.
• What to Add to a D90, Lens or Flash: If you were trying to decide what to add to your camera, would you pick a flash or a lens? Which is better to use when you’re trying to take good pictures of people, and which is going to have the most benefit overall? Come join in the discussion over in the forums.
• What Would You Do: If you’re looking for something to do on a rainy or cold day, why not stop by the WWYD thread where you get a chance to practice your post-processing skills on another photographer’s photo. Each week a new photo is posted. All levels of post-processing skill are welcome to participate.