Photography
As one of my creative outlets is amateur photography, here are some sites I've found useful.

New Link
First, I should show you where my photos are, right? ;-)
general sites, typically with articles, reviews, communities, etc
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Photo.Net
- one of the foremost community sites for photographers, with unbiased articles, gear reviews, galleries, etc. Articles allow response additions, which are quite valuable with such a broad and expert community. highly recommended.
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28mm
- an online photography magazine whose goal is "to showcase traditional, digital, and lo-tech photography by amateur, hobbyist, and professional photographers."
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Bob Atkins Photography
- Nature, wildlife, digital camera reviews, lens tests, canon EOS news and FAQ
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iStockPhoto
- an affordable stock photo site, based on a community of contributors and inexpensive downloads. highly recommended.
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PopPhoto
- online home of Popular Photography and Imaging and American Photo magazines
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The Luminous Landscape
- a comprehensive site "devoted to the art of landscape, nature and documentary photography using digital as well as traditional image processing techniques. You will find on these pages instructive feature articles, product reviews, travel and technical discussions, inspiring portfolios, and a discussion forum"
other neat photography odds and ends
various useful information for photographers on issues of what you are legally allowed to photograph, including restrictions of privacy, security, copyright, etc that have been coming up more in recent years
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PhotoPermit.Org
- "... is about keeping photographers out of trouble, and supporting them when trouble looms. Have you been hassled while trying to make what you thought was an innocuous photograph or video? Have you been threatened? Have security guards demanded that you hand over your film, memory cards, and/or camera? Perhaps snatched them from you? ... Have you been one of millions of honest, non-threatening photographers who are anxious about visiting the streets of their own cities, national parks, or public landmarks for fear they will be targeted by overzealous authorities? Then PhotoPermit is here to help you be sure and comfortable in your rights and responsibilities."
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The Photographer's Right - A Downloadable Flyer
- "Your Rights (for Americans) When You Are Stopped or Confronted for Photography" - a well-known and useful reference flyer to carry in your camera bag, by attorney Bert Krages II. This seems to be the recognized best reference for the USA.
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Photographers' Guide to Privacy (USA)
- "What every cameraman, photographer and videographer should know about invasion of privacy standards in the US." includes a State-by-state guide. by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
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Guide to photographers rights in Australia (NSW)
- a guide, with printable PDF, by Andrew Nemeth. This also has information and links at the bottom on rights in other countries.
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Guide to photographers rights in the UK
- a guide, with printable PDF, by Linda Macpherson
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ePHOTOzine: Photograph copyright advice and tips
- "Few photographers have a complete understanding of copyright legislation and its implications, but once you start operating as a freelance it becomes vitally important - otherwise you could find yourself financially out of pocket, or at the wrong end of a legal battle."
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Land of the Free (article)
- a somewhat-whimsical article by Mike Johnston
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NYIP: A Cautionary Tale: The Investigator Calls
- If you make photographs outdoors, you have to read this. by NYI Dean Chuck DeLaney
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Popular Photography & Imaging: The War on Photographers
- not online, so find this article in the July 2006 issue of Popular Photography & Imaging magazine: The War on Photographers, by Neal Matthews. "We talk to photographers about run-ins with the law while out shooting. What can you shoot? What are your rights? What you need to know before your take your next photo."
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Should Photography be Illegal?
- an article by Jim McGee, with good advice on how to respond to police questions when taking photos in public
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SignOnSanDiego: Digital photos can look great, but some labs won't print those that appear too professional
- an article on the issue of photo labs refusing to print or copy photos they believe may be copyrighted (by a professional photographer)
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The Guardian: Bruce Schneier: Are photographers really a threat?
- (interesting article) "What is it with photographers these days? Are they really all terrorists, or does everyone just think they are?" ... "Given that real terrorists, and even wannabe terrorists, don't seem to photograph anything, why is it such pervasive conventional wisdom that terrorists photograph their targets? Why are our fears so great that we have no choice but to be suspicious of any photographer?" ...
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Wired: Stalker or Shutterbug?
- a short article answering the question: "I sometimes snap pictures of strangers and post them on my blog and Flickr. Could I get into legal trouble for violating their privacy?"
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Slashdot | Citizen Photographers v. The Police?
- "Several hundred readers commented on yesterday's Slashdot post about citizens arrested for photographing police either in public or in the photographer's own property. Read on for some of the comments which defined the conversation..." (includes some good discussions and and resource links, though there is plenty of useless and inflammatory arguing too ;-)
not a category for all the stock sites out there, but for sites *ABOUT* stock photography, mainly for contributors (photographers)
Resources to help you preserve both your own current photos and those old family photos you may have in that shoebox.
self-explanatory, right?
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ACD Digital Photography: Columns and Articles
- a good set of articles and tips on digital photography and editing, by ACD, maker of image-editing software
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Digital Cameras and Genealogy, by Ken Watson
- "The goal of this article is twofold, to make sure that your descendants a hundred years from now can enjoy the pictures you take today, and to make sure that people today can enjoy photographs of their ancestors, taken a hundred years ago." covers making digital copies of old photos, long-term storage, labeling, captioning, etc.
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Earthbound Light
- "Nature Photography from the Pacific Northwest and beyond by Bob Johnson" ... be sure to check his photo tips section archive... lots of good articles there.
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How to Care for Your Photographs
- tips on storage of photos, particularly old photos. by the Nebraska State Historical Society
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MrEclipse
- 'The Ultimate Resource For Eclipse Photography' Detailed instructions by Fred Espenak for several methods for photographing solar and lunar eclipses. Also includes examples, galleries, and much more.
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NYIP: New York Institute of Photography
- a photography school, with photography courses and free photo tips to help you take better pictures
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Photodoto: All about photography
- John Watson (0f flagrantdisregard.com) writing "articles that can show you how to get the most out of your digital camera. Whether you shoot with an inexpensive digital compact or the latest digital SLR, we all share the same passion for making images. The articles on this site will cover the gamut of photography from techniques, to lighting to learning about your equipment; and may even contain the occasional assignment to help make a concept clearer. Everything is explained in plain terms and my goal is to have something here for everyone."
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Photography Composition Articles Library
- articles about how to improve photographic technique and composition
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Strobist
- "our goal is to promote more effective use of small, shoe-mount flashes"... good site for learning better use of flash in photography, see esp. Lighting 101, and "The "Starving Student" Off-Camera Light Kit"
sites more focused on camera gear reviews and news...
hosted online services to let you share your photos, and, optionally, to let you or other order prints
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SmugMug
- an excellent photo sharing & printing service with powerful customization options, attractive gallery templates, NO ADs, unlimited space and reportedly very good quality prints. They are not free, but offer such value that IMO they are a very competitive option with free services. (I use them for our church photo share/galleries as well as my own.) If you sign with them, you save $5 and I earn a bit if you put my email in the referred-by box (jwilkinson@mail.com)... (though I'd recommend them just as strongly without any payback)
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dotPhoto
- photo sharing service, free
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Flickr
- photo sharing service, free, community-based
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Kodak EasyShare
- photo sharing service, free
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PhotoBucket
- photo and video sharing service, free
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Picasa
- photo sharing service, free, run by google. Picasa is also the software to help you search and manage your photos on your own computer. Using it, you can upload pics to your web albums on their service.
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Shutterfly
- photo sharing service, free
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SnapFish
- photo sharing service, free, run by HP
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Webshots
- photo sharing service, free
web applications and software to let you share your photos online on your own website...
bear in mind that many consumer photo organizer applications (like PaintShopPro Album) also let you create and upload static html/javascript galleries easily. I'm not listing those here, but mainly web apps that dynamically do galleries on a site.
in case anyone is interested, here's what I own and use... contributions accepted anytime ;-)
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Canon EOS REBEL T2i DSLR with 18-135mm EF-S IS Lens
- my new digital SLR as of 7/2011. a terrific camera IMO, and I'm loving it with the 18-135 lens. Yes, it's one of the kit lens options, but still shoots well, with good quality and a very useful zoom range for a good price.
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Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
- a great little lens. It's cheap (in price) but not in quality. Very handy to have a f1.8 around for flowers, low-light, etc. Yes, there is an f1.4, but it's a couple of hundred $ more... even the gear snobs admit that this is a worthwhile lens to add to your kit.
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Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT DSLR
- my new digital SLR as of 3/05... it finally got me to make the jump from film. bought with kit Canon EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 lens - (though I'm looking for a better lens)
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Canon PowerShot A1100IS
- We have 3 of these, one each for my kids and wife. They've been great point-n-shoot's. Note that they come in different colors, handy if you have a couple and want to keep track of which is who's... (bought 2009?)
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Tamrac 5767 Velocity 7x Photo Sling Pack Bag (Brown/Tan)
- When I went looking for a new bag to hold my new Rebel T2i with the 18-135 lens, I wanted something big enough to hold most of my normal carry-around gear, but not huge. Aside from not wanting the hassle of carrying anything bigger than normal I prefer not to be too obvious with my gear. Also, I was visiting in Denver and doing some hiking, so definitely wanted something that was comfortable to carry without bouncing around against me like my last bag always did.
After looking at a lot of bags, I picked this, and really love it after several months of use.
It is surprisingly comfortable to carry, either over one should, over an arm and neck, or slung around behind you. But it's quick to pull it around to get your camera out. It even has a waist strap you can use if you want. I haven't needed that yet, but I've put my monopod through that space as a handy way to carry it.
It fits the longer 18-135 lens, has lots of pockets and so forth for holding all the bits & pieces, and can even hold my charger, another lens, hood, etc. And the brown looks good.
There is a series of this bags in this Tamrac Velocity line, so pick the one that works for you.
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Trek-Tech MagMount Ball-head with magnetic quick release
- a great little ball head for monopods. I use it with my Bogen 790B, where it doesn't add too much weight. Affordable, a good ball grip, and the magnetic hold is plenty strong enough for a Canon Rebel DSLR with normal lens. (it has a safety clip too.) Look for it bundled with the VersaMount clamp.
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Trek-Tech VersaMount Clamping Arm
- handy clamping arm to let you mount a camera low on a tripod leg, table leg, etc. look for it bundled with the MagMount ball head
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Bogen / Manfrotto 790B Monopod
- a great light-weight monopod I found. works particularly well with the Trek-Tech MagMount quick-release ball-head
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LensPEN
- handy little thing to keep in your camera bag. gets into the edges of a lens or filter better than most micro-fiber cloths
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Canon PowerShot A570IS
- my daughter used to have one of these. pretty nice so far. definitely good features for the price. (summer '07)
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Minolta Maxxum 5 35mm SLR
- my most recent in a long line of Minolta 35mm SLRs... IMO Minolta makes terrific cameras, under-rated in the usual Canon vs Nikon battles. I normally use mine with a 28-90mm zoom or a 50mm.
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ColorVision Spyder2 Suite Win/Mac
- monitor calibration gear, especially recommended if you are shooting for istockphoto or other stock/micro-stock collections
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Paint Shop Pro (and PSP Album)
- Coming from webdeveloping into digital photography, I've long used PSP, and now enjoy both PSP and PSP album for managing the folders of new images. Both are relatively inexpensive, but powerful. (though I'm learning/using PhotoShop too as I get time...)
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Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)
- by Bryan Peterson. "For serious amateur photographers who already shoot perfectly focused, accurately exposed images but want to be more creative with a camera, here’s the book to consult." ... though I've practiced photography since elementary school I still found this useful to tune my skills in getting the right exposure with my DSLR.
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