Houston Photobloggers

Spotlight: Wardy

Don't Know by Wardy

Check out more great photos by our members at the Houston Photobloggers del.icio.us page and in the Houston Photobloggers Flickr group pool.

The Power of Photography

We all know that the way in which news is communicated these days has radically changed in the era of Web 2.0 and that the 'art' of photojournalism is undergoing a huge evolution. So I wanted to share with y'all the very powerful work of MediaStorm.

As photobloggers we can if we choose, use our photography to communicate issues about the community we live in.

Here are two incredible stories that I thought you might find interesting, which merge both photo and video:

The Fight to Free a Country

The Marlboro Marine

MediaStorm

Photoblogging communities

One of the great things about Flickr is how easy it is to find new photographers and to bookmark beautiful photographs. This is not so easy in the photoblogging world where each site is an entity unto itself. While we await the rebirth of Photoblogs.org, the grand daddy of photoblogging directories, let's look at a few options that help you find more visual goodness.

1.) VFXY
http://photos.vfxy.com/
VFXY makes use of photoblog's RSS feeds to create a visual directory. Photoblogs submit their site for inclusion on VFXY. The wait is sometimes lengthy because the moderators hand check every site for quality and make sure that all the RSS feeds are working. Once the site is listed, new photos will show up on the home page. Members, and any one can be a member whether you have a photoblog or not, can then "collect" images which adds them to a favorite images page or "favorite" entire photoblogs. You can then go to VFXY and see the latest work from your favorite sites. You can also look in the "buzz" and see what photoblogs and photos have recently received attention. A photoblog's VFXY page gives you a quick overview of the images that have been added in recent days or you can click on the photo to go to the photoblog itself. VFXY also has a ratings system and a search feature so you can search by location, photographer or photoblog.

2.) Photoblog Community
http://www.photoblog-community.com/About.php
Photoblog Community is a photoblog directory. You can search for new photoblogs by the search feature, the comment cloud or by categories. Once you find a photoblog you like you can vote for it or leave a comment. On the home page you can see the top sites in each category. When you submit your website you can view your stats (who voted and commented on your site) and you can add tags to your photoblog to make it easier for people to find you.

3.) vi.sualize.us
http://vi.sualize.us/
vi.sualize.us is the new kid on the block just launched in October 2007. Think of it as the photographic version of a del.icio.us bookmark. You can control who views your bookmarks, add other users to your watchlist to keep track of their bookmarks and search and organize bookmarks by tags. On the front page you can see photos that were recently bookmarked as well as the most popular photos.

Of course another great way to find new photoblogs and great photographs is to visit our blog roll! New members are added each month (amazing). Also check out our del.icio.us page for links to more great work by Houston and Texas photobloggers.

Teach the next generation

I received the following email and want to pass the information on to Houston Photobloggers readers.

My name is Jon De La Rosa and I work for a non-profit organization called Citizen Schools. This is an after school program in Title 1 HISD schools, where we help middle school students in their academics.

We also have Apprenticeships, where a volunteer from the community comes to our campus and teaches what he or she has a passion for. Past Apprenticeships that we have included were mural painting, solar car building, fashion modeling, and banking and investing. At the end of each semester we have a WOW, where students showcase what they have learned, and present it to the school community.

We are currently looking for new Apprenticeships and new volunteers in the community. One of my hobbies is photography and I am looking for any one who is interested in teaching a photography class to these middle school students. You get an $80 budget, and if you need more you can request it, field trips are possible.

If you are interested in engaging a new generation of photographers you can contact Jon at delarosa dot jon at gmail dot com. And don't be scared of the middle school kids! They really respond to these type of activities that let them express themselves creatively.

Monday Linkpost 11.26.07

Tips on How to take Tack Sharp Photos
beyondmegapixels.com

The Importance of Keywording your Photos
thomashawk.com

5 Nightmare Photography Court Cases
blogs.photopreneur.com

Monday Linkpost 11.19.07

Lots of discussion last week about Creative Commons.

Creative Commons: A Great Concept I'll Never Employ
JMG Galleries

Creative Commons: A Great Concept I'll Continue to Employ
Epic Edits

Creative Commons + Flickr = 22 Million Sharable Photos
PBS.org: Mediashift

Spotlight: The Ripple Effect

Red by The Ripple Effect

Check out more great photos by our members at the Houston Photobloggers del.icio.us page and in the Houston Photobloggers Flickr group pool.

Lighting Workshop

Hey all, I was thinking it would be fun to do a lighting workshop as a meetup for the Houston Flickr groups, and I'd like to see who is interested in attending. The format would probably be something like:

90 minutes of instruction and discussion mixed with demoing what we're talking about

30+ minutes of everyone getting a chance to do some shooting with the lights

We can go longer if people would like to, I don't think there's any chance of keeping it shorter. If everyone is going to shoot, I think we need to limit the attendance to 20 people or so. If you just want to come and listen, that's fine.

Topics would include light size and quality (hard vs soft), exposing for strobes (aperture, shutter speed, etc.), creating dimension and depth, and so forth. I would bring a model and my lights and seamless background, and it might be fun to go outside and do some location stuff with the strobes too.

The workshop would be free, but we might have a suggested donation of $10 to go towards the model and snacks/drinks.

I'm looking for two things:

Who is interested? Please comment on this post

Location(s): we need a good indoor location, ideally close to a good outdoor location. If you have thoughts on a good indoor location or can arrange one, please comment on this post and leave me your email address or a way to find it (feel free to obfuscate it somehow if you're worried about spam). Boring locations are fine, interesting ones are a bonus.

Suggestions and ideas are also welcome. Thanks!

New Kids on the Block

I'm late! Take a moment to stop by the newest addition to Houston Photobloggers. These sites joined our group in October.

Ed Digital Photoblog
PM Image Photography
Terrence Kent
The Ripple Effect

Wings and Wheels

On the third Saturday of each month, the 1940 Air Terminal Museum hosts a Wings and Wheels event as a fundraiser for the museum. They invite auto clubs to bring in their cars and pilots to fly-in. The Wings and Wheels which will be held this Saturday is special because a B-25 and a B-17 from the Lone Star Flight Museum will be giving rides. If you don't quite have the money to fly in the vintage aircraft ($375-425) you will still have plenty to see and photograph:

HobbyFest will feature aircraft displays, World War II bomber rides (courtesy of the Lone Star Flight Museum), vintage car displays, attractions including the Houston Zoo and the Airport Rangers Horse Patrol, live music, lunch, and other family fun!

Wings and Wheels is from 10 am to 4 pm and the cost is $10 per person ($5 for children under 12). This price includes admission to the museum and lunch.