Digital Camera Fiend - A Camera Review

Have you ever been driving down the street and almost gotten into an accident because of the attention-grabbing bumper sticker on the car in front of you?

This should be a cue to all advertisers…a clever sticker placed in the right spot can be better marketing than a massive billboard–and at just a fraction of the price.

The folks at customizedstickers.com specialize in high-quality stickers of all sorts. If I had an unlimited ad budget for this blog (or let’s be honest, any budget at all) I’d make some funny custom labels, bumper stickers and the like. Try to get a buzz going, at least in my neighborhood. This is a sponsored post.

Here’s a new place for budding photographers to get some exposure. The folks at Corbis, an online stock photo company started by Bill Gates, have launched a new website where anyone can upload and price their photos.

Called SnapVillage.com, this brand new site allows users to upload as many as five photos at a time (to upload more in bulk you have to mail them a CD or DVD). You can then price each photo anywhere from $1 to $50. If someone buys the photo the money gets deposited into your paypal account.

SnapVillage apparently launched on Monday. They don’t seem to have a huge inventory yet, which probably means your photos have a much better chance being seen before they are lost in a sea of submissions.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll make money, but it’s worth checking out.

What photographer hasn’t dreamed of shooting for National Geographic? Exotic locals, a dollop of danger, and the chance to capture the most gorgeous and moving events of our planet.

Any photojournalist who has been in the business long enough has a cache of stories and anecdotes that could hold an entire room in rapt attention, and that’s exactly what National Geographic photojournalist-turned-motivational speaker DeWitt Jones banks on.
Jones (who photographed the above picture) is one of the many keynote speakers bookable through the International Speakers Bureau, a website that connects motivational speakers to businesses and other interested parties.
This website will give you access to hundreds of celebrity keynote speakers from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives: sports figures, investment and business giants, women speakers, technology gurus…you name it.

Find your ideal keynote speaker, read about their presentation, and make contact. Each speaker’s program is described in detail. Jones uses his own amazing photographic work in a slide presentation as he explores with his audience the fundamentals of creativity, what they are, how they exist in each one of us and how we can learn to use them every day. It’s all about unlocking the creative genius within each of us–Jones did it through photography–what will it be for each one of us? This post is sponsored.

Boathouses, originally uploaded by Secretsamba.

This serene photo, taken with a Nikon D80, is a perfect example of how to capture the mirror-like quality of water.

The dark vegetation contrasts nicely with the starkness of the boat houses.

The photographer claims to have not used any photo-enhancing software (Photoshop, Capture NX, etc.). Most photo software is capable of mimicking the reflective nature of water–but if you’re a purist like me a natural shot with little or no “photoshopping” is much more stunning.

Before you order photo prints from an online store, check out the deals at keepcash.com. They have thousands of merchants who are offering online shopping coupons.

The Shutterfly.com discounts are like hitting a jackpot for anyone who orders a lot of digital photos online. How does 20% off your next order sound? Another Shutterfly coupon offers a free 8×10 print with a purchase of $10 or more.

It’s easy to redeem the coupon of your choice. Simply click on it and you will be shuttled away to the merchant’s page. A pop-up window will also appear to give you the coupon code. Pretty simple.

The deals on Keepcash.com are updated daily, so it’s good to check back often. You can look for your favorite merchant, or also shop by category. And yes, they do have a digital camera category, which is well worth browsing through before your next camera purchase. This is a sponsored post.

lost in the fog, originally uploaded by AraiGordai.

This photo looks as though it belongs to a poetry book.

I love the quiet beauty of this shot….the soft mist, the barefoot female character in a dainty dress, the picturesque country road.

It’s also an interesting study in the contrast between “beauty” and the “beast” or “man” versus “wild”.

With wedding and graduation season upon us, many families are busily assembling photo collections to display to their guests. Many times this slideshow of images is one of the event’s memorable highlights.

But what’s the best way to display these photos?

Consider renting an LCD projector, says the folk at projector123.com. This online company will deliver your projector rental anywhere in the United States via FedEx.

So if you need a San Jose Projector Rental next time you’re in the Bay Area (or anywhere else for that matter, whether it’s for a formal social occasion or a big business presentation), you know who to call. This post was sponsored.

Taken with a Panasonic DMC FZ20 digital camera.

Bicycles are one of my favorite subjects to photograph. I love their gentle geometry. There’s something nostalgic about a bicycle as well, whether it’s a beaten-up vintage model resting on an urban street corner, or my personal favorite…a shiny new beach cruiser.

Well-placed cruiser bikes, like the several as we see in the top photo, can make a photo come alive.

After seeing a preview of USA Network’s Burn Notice, a new TV series about a CIA operative who was blacklisted after being canned, it got me thinking about the life of a spy.

What qualities and tools would be necessary for a career of intrigue? Would I make a good spy?

The answer to the latter question is most assuredly a ‘no’ since I can’t lie to save my life, but that doesn’t mean I can’t daydream. And to me, the coolest thing about being a spy would be the gadgets at your disposal.

Every good spy needs a covert spy camera to record their findings. There are some amazing ones on the market, even for us civilians.

Check out this covert wireless camera in a pen.

The pen is fully functioning and if worn in a breast pocket no one would be the wiser that inside is a camera capable of recording images up to 60 feet away. At a cool $550, it’s not for the novice.

Or how about the digital spy cam hidden in a pair of sunglasses? OK, this one is a little bit obvious (I already admitted I wouldn’t make a good spy) but it’s pretty cool to take photos from your sunglasses with the click of a button on a remote control.

And lastly, this is my favorite. The cigarette pack spy cam:

Can’t you just picture Mr. 007 himself pretending to reach for a smoke from this benign-looking pack of cigs? Maybe the ousted CIA operative Michael Weston from Burn Notice has some of his own tricks up his sleeve as well. The show premiers on June 28.

Exactly 35 years to the day after AP Photographer Nick Ut snapped the above Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Vietnamese villagers running from a napalm attack, he snapped this photo seen ’round the world:

From the war-torn villages of SouthEast Asia, to the Hollywood Hills home of a fallen star on her way back to jail, Nick Ut has seen it all in his 40+ years with the Associated Press.

The two photos both taken on June 8 depict vastly different worlds and types of suffering. In his heavily accented English, Ut, a native of Vietnam, had this to say to the AP about capturing the moment outside the Hilton home amid a media feeding frenzy:

“It was a very difficult shot, not easy, but I’m lucky I had one nice shot of her crying, calling ‘Mommy, Mommy’…She upset, she don’t want to go back to jail.”

Strange the places a career in photojournalism will take you.