This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (15-21 March ‘09)

Weekly Assignment

This week we finished the Portrait of a Person Assignment. Once again we had an incredibly difficult time picking our favourites, and the comment was even made: “how about a really boring subject sometime soon, just to give us a break” because when we have an assignment where there are so many really high quality entries, it makes it even harder to choose. Of course, what we really mean to say is a big “Well done!” to those who participated and who made are choices so difficult. It wasn’t hard to see that lyskabar’s pastafarian brother was going to come up the winner this week. It was a fun shot, with a great subject, and great colours which really made it catch everyone’s eye. Our first runner up was duna’s shot of someone who must either be a librarian or at least a serious bookworm given what appears to be shelves of books behind him. While you’d think that it might be a busy shot, it created a nice context for the shot which we felt was really well done. And last, but not least is villafane928’s Marlboro Man. The placement of his subject, the sharp focus on the eyes, and the overall look really seem to tell a story about this man’s life.

And as usual, we also started a new assignment this week, and the assignment is Vivid. Nice, bright colours can grab your attention and add energy to a shot. It can draw attention to your subject or be a subject all on it’s own. Regardless, in this assignment, the colour is an important part of your shot. There are a few rules to be aware of for our mini-contests, especially if you’re a first time poster. First, your photo must have been taken between 11 – 25 March 2009. Second, your post must include the words “Assignment: Vivid” somewhere in the post to show you want it included in the contest. And last, your EXIF should be intact and it helps if you can include the main points in your post (see the first post of the assignment for a full listing of the rules). Next week’s assignment will be “Shallow Depth of Field”. So open up that aperture as wide as you can and show us just how effective a shallow depth of field can be.

Hot Threads

• What’s next on your toy wish list?: As jprime84 said, “Pro or not – I doubt very many of you can deny the thrill of that UPS box on the doorstep, or walking out the door of your favorite camera shop with a bag of loot.” So what are the toys that are next on your wishlist? Come share with us in the forum.
• Tips for creating your website: An older thread has made a comeback this week, but the information in it is as relevant as it ever was. morts offers a few tips on how to create a website that is effective and that are short enough to read so you won’t want to “tear your eyeballs out with a rusty spoon”.
• Want to make $$$$! Educate yourself first: So now that you have a brilliant website, thanks to morts tips, Jim Bryant offers some tips on how to actually make money as a photographer. Here’s a hint, it’s not just having the camera and the desire to make money. Jim’s tutorials are really well put together, so if you’re thinking of starting a photography business, have a look at some of his threads.
• Afraid of Critique?: One section of the forum that seem the scariest is the Critique section. But sometimes because it seems so scary, people don’t want to get involved. Saralonde opens up a discussion for people to learn how to get more involved in this area, but just don’t know how.
• 100 Steps: Pick a starting point (your front door, where you pick up your camera, your mailbox, etc) and start walking and counting. When you get to 100 steps stop, and take a photo. This is the challenge that BulldogMom has put to us in the Games and Challenges forum. Why not come join in the fun?
• What Would You Do: And we couldn’t have a week without What Would You Do (well, we could, but still), so don’t forget about our weekly post-processing thread where you get to edit the photo of another forum user. The game is open to all levels of post-processing skill so don’t be afraid to come show us what you would do.