This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums

This week we hit another milestone on the way to 10,000 forum members, we had our 8,000th member join this week. And if you want to come and talk to some of the forum members in a more real time environment, check out our thread on Photophlow, a fun new chat site that integrates with Flickr so you can share your photos and other people’s as you talk.

Weekly Assignment

We finished the Repetition Assignment this week, and there’s no need to say it twice, but the entries were great! People are getting more and more creative, so put on your thinking caps as you photograph our current assignment. Our winner was JonTheStudent for his picture of a causeway that led from the main land to a tidal island. This picture really caught our eye as the landscape just kept repeating. Our runners up were geekgirly for her picture of rope, which gets its strength from repetition, and rdaw for the line of falling dominoes.

Our latest assignment is Reflections. We’ve done repetition, so now we want to see things as they are reflected in well, other things. Drag out that mirror or find something around you, but show us a reflection. In order to be eligible for the mini-contest, you need to have taken the picture between 28 November and 11 December 2007, you must include “Assignment:Reflection” somewhere in your post, and the exif must be in tact.

Next week’s assignment will be Holiday Lights, so get out those tripods and get shooting.

Weekly Poll

This week we had a question from Chlobo about whether you print it matte or glossy. The results were close! This was one of our closest polls I think. So, whether you preferred matte or glossy you were in good company.

Kpclark1959 said “uggg, me likem shiny tings. Seriously though, I like my painting, matte and my photographs glossy.”

And Marmalade said matte with a caveat, “Depends on what the picture is for and who it is for. For some reason parents like the shiny. So for all the kid shots I do Moms and Dads get shiny. If it is to be framed most of the time its matte.”

In this week’s poll we’re asking another technical question, so get out those cameras Do you use Auto ISO or do you set it manually? And of course, don’t forget to tell us why, even if it is “Because I don’t know how”.

Hot Threads

Our Cat: It’s getting cold outside, so it seems like pet photography may become a common pastime for some of our forum members. This critique thread shows just one way to do a pet photograph.

Over-exaggeration!: If you’re familiar with our post-processing “What Would You Do” threads, then you’ll understand when I say that here is a before and after thread that shows off the principle we’re going for: Sometimes photoshop can really make a picture pop! Japaslavian shows how he transformed a picture of a San Francisco building that he wasn’t using into something that really stand out on its own.

PC or MAC? Help needed please: It’s the eternal question, right after Nikon or Canon. This thread looks at the various differences between the computers, their ease of use, and a whole lot of other things about choosing a computer.

Lighting Nightmare! Please help!: What happens when you have two strong light sources, a person to photograph, and it has to be done right there? You end up with a possible lighting disaster. So, what do you do? Read this thread to find out.

Large Family Picture – Suggestions?: The holidays are coming up which often means family and group photos. But how you you feed everyone from Uncle Ed down to little baby Jane into the picture without covering up any of the other 15 people in it? Oh yeah, and don’t forget the Christmas tree. If you have any suggestions on how to take a large group photograph or you’re looking for some tips for yourself, this is the thread for you.

Other Threads to Note

We’re still going strong on the What Would You Do challenges, which have now been moved to the Games and Challenges forum so they are easier to find. These threads are your chance to edit a picture done by another forum member and show us how you would edit it. Why not stop by and either get some practice or show off your skills. Another thread in the same forum is the Classic Rock Challenge. This week we’re up to week 6, and the album of the week is Otis Reading’s Definitive Soul Collection. The goal of this challenge is to come with a photo that represents either the album title or one of the song titles. Good luck!