Thanks so much to all the participants for your wonderful images of Cheer!  It really did bring a smile to my face going through all the images and selecting a winner!  As always, the decision was quite difficult, but ultimately, the nod goes to Pan Shovel for the annual holiday giveaway.  As you all may recall, the prizes this year were donated by the good folks of Craft & Vision (David DuChemin), Thinktank Photo, and Photojojo for the books, bags and lenscap holder respectively.  So if you get a moment to check out their respective product lines, you can say thanks to them in your own way too!

The downside after all this excitement is that the January giveaway does not have a sponsor (same as last year), so this means the prize will be the ability to choose the theme for the February contest giveaway.  Think of January as a practicing month to take your own shots of whatever you find appealing.  No themes to restrict your creativity, but the rest of the standard rules apply:

1.  One photo per person

2.  Must be work-safe/family-friendly

3. Posted to the Flickr thread

4.  Largest side must be no more than 800px or less than 600px (this is only so that the winning image can be displayed well…)

5.  Taken within the last 60 days (preferably during the contest window)

6.  Images must be done by Feb 3rd (Friday).

7.  Theme is open (no theme)

8.  And most importantly, have fun!

Congrats again to Pan Shovel, and good luck to everyone in the coming months for the 2012 giveaways – keep the great shots and creativity churning!

For the official contest rules, visit the blog post from near the beginning of December here, and to submit your images to the Flickr thread, visit this link here (or via the quick link on the top right of the homepage!  Again, good luck to all, and may the best photo win!

I should be getting a print soon, and you know a review will be forthcoming once in hand, but for now, it’s exciting and news enough to announce the giveaway!  Thanks to the folks over at Image Wizards for sponsoring the November contest!  Here’s the particulars:

1.  One image per person, with the longest side between 600-800px.

2.  Share your photo in the Flickr thread here.

3.  The theme is Shiny!

4.  All images must be work-safe/family-friendly.

5.  Taken within the last 90 days (preferably during the contest window).

6.  Image submissions must be done by December 2nd.

7.  Have fun!

Notice that the deadline actually extends past the end of November.  This is partly due to the fact that we are starting a tad late, but also because November ends in the middle of the week, so it just makes sense to finish things up on that Friday.  The winner will be announced the following Monday, and the December giveaway will also be announced then.  Good luck to everyone!

Special thanks and shout outs go to the folks at Image Wizards!  (I can’t wait to get the print to review!)  If you have some time, do check out their products and services over on their website – the results seem to certainly speak for themselves!

inspiredbytime (Josh and Jamie Noah)

Something about the idea of stacking up soda caps, the angle of view here, and the inclusion of one color tab randomly just kind of spoke to me this month.  A clever take on the theme, and nicely blurred background also gave this some points in the judging.  While many photos were well done, this is the one that stood out for me. (Believe me, it was very tough to choose!).  So, congratulations to Josh and Jamie Noah (I am guessing it’s a joint Flickr account)!  Please contact me via email to get the details and logistics done to claim your Lensbaby from our sponsor over at Stack Exchange!

Coming up this month – another awesome sponsor has stepped up to the plate.  We are finalizing the details, but the folks at Image Wizards will be sponsoring the November giveaway with an awesome print on some of their stock, which I understand produces amazing prints.  The contest details and particulars will likely be announced tomorrow, so do stop back for the specifics.

One last shout out to the October sponsors at Stack Exchange, as their contribution of a Lensbaby Composer for the monthly contest series was super generous – if you have some time to check them out, it’s really a great photography resource!

The folks over at Stack Exchange have become the latest sponsor for the monthly contest series, and I gotta say, they are quite a clever operation.  The site is based on the same idea that the blog is based on – which is sharing knowledge and experience with the greater community at large.  No forums to join, no registrations to mess with, just good information in a Wiki-style interface.  The layout is pretty slick where you can post (and answer) photo-related questions.

There’s lots of topics covered and it’s definitely a useful resource to answer everything from generic to specific questions like “Depth of Field and Focal Length” to “How to take sharp night photos“.  Definitely one to add to your photo bookmarks folder.

Anyway, they were super generous, tossing a Lensbaby Composer into the ring for some lucky photographer!  So, special thanks and shout outs to Stack Exchange in advance for their sponsorship.  With the theme of their site, and the gear tied to the giveaway, I figured this was worthy of something special, so, here’s the gist:

Lots of ways to interpret this…it could be a stack of pancakes, a stack of coins, a stack of Pringles, a haystack, or any other way you can imagine!  Remember, the prize is a Lensbaby Composer, worth $300 retail, so if there ever was a time to ramp things up a notch, this would be it!  I’ll put something together on the Lensbaby Composer later this week so you know how cool this lens actually is!

That’s it for today – more cool stuff coming up later this week including the September winner (lucky photog will win a year of NAPP membership!), and other fun stuff.  The trick is to keep on shooting!

Self-study may even get you to a point where you can cut through the water relatively easily, but imagine how much easier it would be if when you first started learning to swim, you had a coach.  Someone there to stand at the pool, shouting out encouragement and instructions:  “Reach out with your hands!  Kick your legs!  Good job!  Keep going!”

Coaching always makes learning anything easier, whether it’s swimming, science or photography!  One of the things I’ve noticed as progressing on my own learning curve is that much of what I gathered would have likely been learned moer quickly if someone had been there to say “Hey, the Rule of Thirds works nicely with landscapes…put the sun in one of those cross-sections!”  or other axioms common to learning the nuts and bolts.

This raised a question in my mind, and is actually one of the fundamental reasons why I started this blog – to share experiences as I learned them to help others hopefully reach those levels of understanding sooner.  When someone asked me once how long I had been mentoring other photographers is when it dawned on me that I actually had become something of what I had needed!  Talk about a sense of fulfillment!

These thoughts and experiences were recently shared with my good friend Kerry Garrison of Camera Dojo, and as we talked about the whole concept of mentoring, decided this would be a great podcast topic!  So, enjoy the latest episode of the LDP Podcast (#63):  Choosing a Mentor:

Show notes:  What to Look for in a Mentor

We go into all of this in much greater detail in the show, as to why each trait is important, and we even throw in a few bonus considerations for you too, so be sure to catch the show!  Thanks again to Kerry for participating – it was a great discussion and sure to be one that will draw a lot of attention!  Be sure to stop over to Kerry’s blog to find out the latest activities there too at Camera Dojo.

Food for thought:  As you listen to the show, consider the following talking points…have you ever had a mentor?  Been a mentor?  Wanted a mentor?  Had one that worked or did not?  Think about what did and didn’t work, and why.  What would you want to see in a potential mentor?  As is always the case, we share our own ideas, but would love to hear from others on what their own experiences are, so please let us know in the comments and/or via email, social media, etc.

Happy shooting!

*****

A couple short reminders for this week:

1.  We are in the last week of the Monthly Contest Series for September.  This month you can win a year of membership to NAPP (existing members can extend for an additional 12 months!)!  It’s free, just share your best image in the Flickr thread here.

2.  The Worldwide Photo Walk is coming up this weekend, so if you’ve not registered in your nearest city yet, be sure to check out where the closest place is.  It’s a lot of fun, and is totally free too, so get out and shoot with fellow photogs, socialize, and network!  Oh yeah, and a ton of books are being given away – something from the Kelby arsenal of education will go to one lucky photographer in each city!  (If you live in the Denver Colorado area, there’s still room in the Louisville walk too where you can walk around with yours truly!)

Without further ado, I’m pleased to announce that Drobo has selected Dave King to receive a Drobo for his participation in the giveaway.  Dave, I’ve reached out to you to solidify the details and particulars, so when you get your email, please take a moment to respond with the needed information for shipping.

Many thanks to the folks at Data Robotics for their support and sponsorship!  Thanks to everyone for their participation, and even if you didn’t win, remember, backing up your data/work is always a good thing – the Drobo is an easy solution to that task, so consider their products for your backup needs.

On the subject of contests, the monthly photo contest to win a year of NAPP membership is still underway, so there’s time to get an image into the contest thread over on Flickr as well.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn about Photoshop and photography from one of the premiere learning resources available today!

Keep on shooting, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow…more tk.

You may also notice that I dropped a hidden time bomb above – we’ve gotten an extension through Friday!  That means, if you haven’t had a chance yet, there’s still time!  It also means that if for any reason you forgot to register, there’s still a window of opportunity for you to do that until tomorrow midnight!  Only 48 hours (roughly) left, so don’t forget to participate for your chance to win!  Thanks to Drobo for both allowing the extension and for adding a second Drobo to the giveaway.  As a refresher, here’s the contest particulars again:

1. Follow me (@CBJason) and @Drobo (no need to unfollow and re-follow if you already are…)

2. Re-tweet the following text message over on Twitter:

RT I’ve registered to win a #Drobo with @CBJason at http://bit.ly/qdqg6Z

3. Share your best story about why you need a Drobo on the blog here (my blog) and on the Drobo Facebook page! (Note the embedded links… )

4.  Don’t forget to register with Drobo in case your name is picked – if you’re not registered, you can’t win!

5.  All entries must be submitted no later than midnight MDT on Friday!

Keep posting the stories – these are great to read.  As a reminder here though too – I am not picking the winner personally, it’s done by a random drawing from all the registrations.  After drawing two names, these will be cross-checked against the Twitter messages and such, so keep ‘em coming!  Some of the stories I’ve read are quite fascinating, ranging from small business owners running retouching businesses, to poetic story lines, and even PhD students working on some pretty fascinating topics that require massive storage needs.

1. Follow me (@CBJason) and @Drobo (no need to unfollow and re-follow if you already are…)

2. RT the text message in the blog post:

RT I’ve registered to win a #Drobo with @CBJason at http://bit.ly/qdqg6Z

3. Share your best story about why you need a Drobo on the blog here (my blog) and on the Drobo Facebook page! (Note the embedded links… )

4.  Don’t forget to register with Drobo in case your name is picked – if you’re not registered, you can’t win!

5.  All entries must be submitted no later than midnight MDT on Wednesday!

This means you only have 3 days to enter – do it now before you forget.

*Special Contest Note*  You only have to re-tweet the message once – multiple tweets will not gain you more entries, and will likely annoy any followers you have.

Many thanks to the folks at Data Robotics for their exciting support.  If you’d like to learn more about what a Drobo is, and what it can do for you, here’s a couple useful resources to read through (and videos to watch) including one from my review here on the blog!  It’s a great data storage solution for people who don’t want to take the time to build out their own RAID solutions (i.e. photographers).  I own one myself (yes I bought it…), and have absolutely fallen in love with its ease of use.  Beyond the initial formatting time frame for a new disk, it’s been an absolute dream, and gives me the peace of mind knowing my data is protected!

My own Drobo Review

Drobo Website

Amy Eklund

Her photo of nostalgic envelopes and old-time postcards was beautifully done and very much in keeping with the theme of the contest – yet also very much outside-the-box in her approach.  Please take a moment to give her some congratulatory hugs and feel-goods over on her Flickr thread.

With the August giveaway now complete, we can also announce the September giveaway – and we’re ready to rock the house again.  Yesterday I mentioned that the folks at NAPP are hosting the bi-annual Photoshop World event going on now in Las Vegas.  If you’re not in attendance, then fear not because the folks there are still supporting the giveaway here, and want you to join in the learning experience that only the folks at Kelby can provide.  That’s right – the giveaway is a one year membership to NAPP!  (Existing members will qualify for a one-year extension to their membership…)

Thanks to NAPP and Kelby media for the support – here’s particulars for the month:

1.  The theme is PARTY

2.  one image per person

3.  Family/work safe

4.  Longest side must be between 600-800px

5.  Must be submitted to the Flickr thread here.

6.  Have some fun!

Thanks again to NAPP for sponsoring the contest…happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow from the Empire State of New York!

Canon Special Edition 70-200 EF Lens Collector Cup Review

Obviously longer and whiter than its 24-105 cousin, this holds a bit more coffee, but it’s also probably more eronomically designed to be a coffee mug than the shorter one.  The cap actually acts like a regular coffee mug rather than a lens cap, so while the “cool” factor may be lost a little, what you gain is more functionality.  I also liked this one a little better because it fits more nicely in a car cup holder than  the other one.  The body also appears to be dishwasher safe as the interior is stainless steel.

However, the downside is that the exterior is still a painted on plastic.  The bevels still don’t rotate, which is too bad, but for the grander scheme of things, it’s probably just as well to make it last longer in its designed purpose.  I did give it a quick sip test after cleaning it and there appear to be no leaks in it at all.

Now remember, this is getting added to the monthly giveaway for August, so be sure you start shooting and getting your images up in the Flickr thread here.  Thanks to the folks at Photojojo for contributing, and keep on shooting!  (Tomorrow I return to regularly scheduled blogging…:)  )

I get this question a lot too.  The problem with any ultimatum, is that it’s going to invite bias and subjectivity.  Whether it’s lenses, cameras, computers, software or even media cards, there is no objective and universal vendor or manufacturer of media cards that is head and shoulders above the others in the field.  What I can tell you is that there are some who are notably superior.  I’ve not ranked these in any specific sort of order, but from my own experiences, these are the vendors that deliver a stable, high quality product with a good focus on QA:

• Lexar
• Sandisk
• Hoodman
• Ridata

If you get your media from them, by and large, you will probably be happy with the results.  I’ve heard stories of amazing success and durability anecdotes ranging from going through the clothes washer, to getting pounded by a 2000 pound vehicle.  One of the most amazing ones I read was someone who took a swim in the ocean, sweated in a sauna, and cooled off at a pool bar before realizing the media card wallet was in his swim trunks pocket – and all survived!  So, you can really pick and choose from the above and likely get quality results.  For my own tastes, I have used all of the above, but will say that I’ve noticed Lexar cards can be found for slightly less, either through promotions or sales for equivalent capacities.  Of course in the interests of full disclosure, they have also contributed to the contest giveaway series here, so that in and of itself could introduce some subjective bias on my part again.

So, there you have it!  On On Monday I looked at capacity considerations in Megabytes vs Megapixels, then later an article looked at speed transfer rates in How Fast Can You Shoot, and today, the last in this series of articles – the vendor portion of the equation.  There are, of course, other factors that could go into any buying decision, but this wasn’t about being exhaustive, rather being informative and sharing my own thoughts, insights, and experiences with media cards in photography.

Just a couple final reminders as we go into the weekend:

First up, the LDP Contest Series is underway, and I’ve added a 70-200 Special Edition from the folks at Photojojo to the giveaway.  Expect a review forthcoming shortly!  Make sure you enter for your chance to win.  Already in the prize list is a license for Photo Rescue software.  Enter here!

A new newsletter is forthcoming shortly, as is a new eBook!  This time it’s free, but only going to subscribers, so be sure to get signed up before that is released!  Special promos and discounts may also be in the newsletter for other products too, so if not signed up, you can get in on the action here.

Have a great weekend everyone, happy shooting, and we’ll catch up again next week….”on the flip side”!

His image, clearly thinking “outside the box” of a taxicab in NYC just jumped off the page for me:

So, Miguel, drop me a line via the blog or Flickr to claim your Streetwalker Pro and I’ll get this shipped out to you in short order!  Congrats to Miguel, and thanks to everyone who participated – this was an excellent month with lots of great ideas, creativity, and inspirational types of imagery!

With July in the books, I’ve got a really cool product up that saved my bacon more than I’d care to remember.  it came to me from none other than David Ziser when I attended his workshop here in Denver.  He had mentioned a little product called PhotoRescue and it does exactly what you’d think – recovers photos off a card that were deleted accidentally!  Sheer brilliance in design, and even affordable to the tune of $30 if you end up not winning the giveaway!  Here’s the nuts and bolts:

1.  Two images per person

2.  Work/family safe

3.  Shared via the Flickr thread here

4.  Downloadable by me (so I can announce you as the winner on the blog)

5.  Deadline is August 31st (this is a Wednesday too, so not a weekend as is the norm)!

6.  This is a software product so the key is distributable globally which means – no country border limit!

7.  And the theme is…”SAVE!“

So, enjoy it, embrace it, and win!  Some extra goodies may be added depending on how sponsorships and such pan out in the next week or so! Hint hint – more coming than what meets the eye!   Thanks to the folks at DataRescue for the sponsorship, support, etc.

1.  I am moving hosting companies!  The timeouts here on the website have gotten pretty bad, and I hear you all loud and clear.  To those ends, the confidence in my current provider has waned pretty substantially to the point where I am laying the groundwork to leave for a VPS solution that can accommodate my budget.  So, the blogging may be spotty for the next couple days while I prep the behind-the-scenes stuff.

2.  I’m updating the photography website.  Yup, aside from the blog (which generates the greater of the traffic), I am also giving my photography website a serious makeover.  Truth be told, I’ve never really given it the attention it deserves, since most of my work has been through word-of-mouth, and not through my online presence (do as I say, not as I do!   )

3.  And last but not least, I am updating my portfolio.  We all have our favorite designed and layouts, so will be tinkering with a few to present on both the blog and the other domain.  But, since you all like pictures the best (at least Google Anayltics tells me that’s the case), here’s some selects from the latest upgrade to the portfolio:

And since any portfolio also needs a gallery to really give it the full semblence of appeal, here’s the entire collection assembled.  Ideas, thoughts, comments, suggestions and critiques, are always welcome!

Before I go, just two quick reminders for you today too:

1.  The Live Learning Lab Webinar is coming up this Wednesday – where Kerry Garrison and I will be tackling the topic of “Mastering Exposure”.  All about the essentials of getting your exposure spot on each and every time.  Tag a reminder to join us now, and we’ll see you Wednesday!  http://tinyurl.com/6aexmnm

2.  Nations Photo Lab is also in the final two weeks of their scorching hot Sizzling Summer Super Size Sal (say that 10x fast)!  Get 50% off all enlargements up to 16×20.  And if you don’t have an account, open one and use promo code “Jason” to get $50 free in prints when you sign up!  Can’t beat that pricing, eh?

3.  We’re also in the final two weeks of the monthly Flickr Contest – submit your own photo to win a free StreetWalker Pro bag courtesy of yours truly and Think Tank Photo!  Click the link in the upper right corner of the blog to submit your best “Street” themed photo before it’s too late!

JawDoc

His image of the Tilt-a-Whirl (or whatever you call it) really stood out for me in terms of the sense of motion and speed, so congrats to you sir.  If you could be so kind as to drop me an email, I will forward your name and info over to the folks at Camera Bits who are ready for delivery of your installation code for Photo Mechanic!  One final nod of thanks to them as well, for their generous contribution for the June Giveaway!

And now, for the July Giveaway, our next prize is yet another doozy!  The good folks over at Thinktank Photo have generously sent some of their latest product line to me for review, and now up for grabs is none other than their already well-received Streetwalker Pro bag.  This holds an astounding amount of gear for its size, allows for a tripod, and much more.  I’ve not had a chance to kick its tires yet (so to speak), but you know a review is going to come up soon for this month, so keep an eye and ear open!

It retails for $159 US, and this one is a beauty!

Again, because the prize will be shipped from my location rather than Thinktank, the shipping requirementsare built into this months guidelines:

1.  All images must be between 600-800 px on the longest dimension.

2.  Each person can submit up to two images

3.  The theme is STREET, fitting for a Streetwalker Pro

4.  Contest Deadline is:  July 31st at midnight Mountain Time (GMT -7).  Add or subtract for your own time zone as needed.

5.  US Residents only…sorry international folks.

6. The photo must be included in this Flickr thread.

7. The Flickr photo must be downloadable – we share the winning photo via announcement here on the blog and in newsletters – so I need to get it to do that!

8. Have fun! Remember photography is supposed to be fun so keep that in mind as you approach the May giveaway.

9. Reminder Guidelines and Rules of Engagement links are here for easy reference.

Special thanks to not only Camera Bits and Think Tank photo, but to all the sponsors – and for readers out there, if you would like to see a product reviewed and/or offered up for a giveaway, feel free to drop suggestions in the comments – that’s where vendors look!

The link to enter the contest is here – good luck to all!

Lakes Photo

Congrats and send me an email with your contact information so I can get your Hoodman Loupe out to you!

*****

So, with the June contest now set to begin, I’d like to welcome a new sponsor to the lineup – the folks over at Camera Bits, makers of the reknowned Photo Mechanic!  After I talked with Kevin Mullins on the last podcast, decided I had to check it out.  What a cool piece of software – it loads full res versions of photos stunningly fast!  I can totally see why wedding and event photographers would use something like this to help expedite their work flow.  I used it to sift through about 500 photos from a recent shoot, and what would have taken me about 20 minutes in Lightroom took about 5 minutes with Photo Mechanic!  That’s a 75% time savings!

So, if you take that percentage out to the thousands of photos that are often associated with event photographers, that can translate to a huge reduction in post production!  It’s tempting for sure, and with the software valued at $150 retail, certainly well worth the investment!  You can get a fully licensed version of the software for free just by submitting your own image to the Flickr Contest thread here!  Good luck to everyone and thanks to the folks at Photo Mechanic for their generous contribution!

In exactly one week, I will have completed a month of blog posts that have all been written, and scheduled in advance! This is a first for me – I’ve never been that far ahead of the game…and I gotta tell you, not only do I feel more organized, the pressure of putting good quality content out has been lifted substantially. The question is – did you notice?

And finally, in week the latest newsletter will be released with some big news! For those keeping score, last month the newsletter went AWOL, but it’ll be back with a bang! I can’t say what yet, but it’s sure to turn a few heads and eyes! A few hints may come out via Twitter and Facebook, and if you’re also a reader of the well-regarded PhotographyBB magazine, you’ll find out there early! (Just sayin’! )

So yeah, the seven day mark from today will be some pretty fun news announcements here on the blog! Any guesses? I’ll give a hint: it’s photography-related!

I do have to say with absolute sincerity though, this was far and away one of the most difficult contests to judge as there were so many good submissions that were in keeping with the “Light” theme. So, a big congratulations to all actually for every single talented submission…the ongoing participation in this series always continues to amaze me with the quality of work! A special thanks also goes out to Faxon Moulder, the owner of www.Backlitbox.com, who approached me about sponsoring one of the giveaways…it was an honor to bring him aboard and expect a review shortly from the product line as well!

Anyway, moving right along, with the April contest closed, and the May contest now open for the Hoodman Loupe^TM, the Flickr thread is now open for submissions here. The theme for the Hoodman Loupe contest, as you may recall from Friday, is BLOCK. Here’s the particulars:

A nod goes out to Hoodman for their sponsorship of the May Giveaway too, and yes, a review is forthcoming here as well. Good luck to everyone!

This month the folks at Hoodman have stepped up to contribute one of their patented Loupes to the giveaway series.  I know, I am overdue on several product reviews, including the Backlitbox from last month, and now this Hoodman Loupe, as well as some RadioPoppers that are currently being tested for another review prior to the giveaway!  Since the Hoodman Loupe is next on the agenda, they get the honor of the May giveaway!  Here’s the rules:

1.  One photo per participant

2.  A new wrinkle – the winner must be able to receive the prize at a U.S. address.  With the blog and pocast having an international following, I typically have the vendors ship the prizes direct, but because I have to ship it this time, in order to keep costs down – a U.S. address is required.

3.  Photo must be work-safe/family friendly.

4.  The longest side (either the top/bottom or the left/right) must be no larger than 800px or smaller than 600px.

5.  The photo must be included in the Flickr thread (which I will post up on Monday) with the May 2011 title.

6.  The Flickr photo must be downloadable – we share the winning photo via announcement here on the blog and in newsletters – so I need to get it to do that!

7.  Since the prize for the contest is a Hoodman Loupe – the theme for photos is:  BLOCK (The Loupe blocks stray light…get it?   You can interpret any way you like, so get creative as that always makes it interesting.

8.  Have fun!  Remember photography is supposed to be fun so keep that in mind as you approach the May giveaway.

9.  Reminder Guidelines and Rules of Engagement links are here for easy reference.  (I’ll also update the link to the contest page on Monday too).

10.  If you don’t follow me on Twitter, do so here, then tweet the following:  “I just posted my photo in the #CanonBlogger Hoodman Giveaway!  http://tinyurl.com/3jlw78x”

Thanks to the generous folks over at Hoodman for their contribution!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here on Monday!

Buying used cameras versus new cameras

It’s no secret by now that the best place to invest the bulk of your money is in your lenses.  However, you still gotta have a camera, right?  So, should you opt for using last years model and risk having a client show up with better gear than you?  Or, should you just step up, spend the bigger dollars and always be on the leading edge?  If it’s a matter of economics, and there’s no gear limitations that stand in your way (slow shutter speed/clicks per second, etc), my answer is to always go used.  There are some of the perils and pitfalls of buying used gear though, so here’s a few tips to keep in mind when shopping around for used gear:

1. Shutter count – the shutter has an expected lifecycle of clicks it is built for. If you can get the shutter count (lots of software programs to do this) make sure you have at least 50% of them left.

2. Overall camera condition – check the camera for nicks scratches, scuff marks, and the like. If it’s all beat up, that cold be indicative of interior problems.

3. Sensor and other internals – Some problems aren’t as easily determined on a visual inspection, and it’s always best to take a few shots with the camera. Check to see if the sensor is scratched, nicked, has dust spots, etc. If it’s dust, that can be easily cleaned, but nicks and/or scratches can be a deal-breaker.

There’s obviously more to it than that, but those are the basics in looking at used camera bodies. In general, my rule of thumb when buying/selling used gear is to start at retail minus 10-15%. If the price is in that ballpark, it’s likely well cared for. I also look at seller ratings whenever possible. Fred Miranda is one of the better places to buy and sell, but Craigslist can be good since they are most often local and you can go do a visual inspection before throwing money out the window…

What experiences have others had with buying and selling new gear?  Any places that are preferred?  Places to avoid?  Sound off in the comments with your own thoughts and experiences!  In the meantime, remember, it’s really not about the gear – it’s who’s behind it, so keep on shooting!

One last thing to mention today – the April contest is live (I announced it over the weekend in the free newsletter blast), and the winner will get an 8×10 image of their choice printed and mounted in a pretty cool Backlitbox!  Very cool prize and thanks to the folks at Backlitbox for sponsoring the April giveaway!  I promise more details are forthcoming here soon in the form of a product review, but time’s a-wastin’, so be sure to get your entries in soon!  Congrats also to Evelyn for her win of the March giveaway!  She’s getting a very cool Tether Table from the folks over at Tether Tools – just drop me an email to claim your prize!  Here’s her winning image up in lights!

The Aero-Master Tether Table

The Tether Table is a pretty straightforward device – it comes with the table itself, made out of T6 Aerospace Aluminum (whatever that is).  Regardless of what the official name is – this table is pretty solid – I have no doubts as to whether it might bend under the weight of a laptop.  What I found to be really nice is that it spins onto a tripod (sans head of course) quite nicely, and just as easily fits over the top of a light stand.  The stability is also pretty equal between the two once it’s locked down.

So, how does the table lock down?  There’s four little Allen screws that tie the female acceptor tube to the bottom of the table through the top.  Their design makes them lay seamlessly flat so no worries about your laptop getting off kilter.  Here’s a few sample shots to show you the design:

The other part that bears mentioning is the additonal kit item (not included normally with a Tether Table) is the Jerkstopper – a handy little device that attaches at both the laptop and camera end to avoid getting cables tugged out of your connection points.  They really help to keep equipment from falling, plugs or connectors from getting ripped or damaged, and the add-on value is well worth the $22!  Here’s the product shot from Tether Tools site to give you an idea…

The first problem I found was that it does require either a light stand or a tripod.  So, if your camera normally goes on a tripod (mine does) and you have an external flash that goes on the light stand (mine does), then either the flash has to become more of a portable device (enter the wireless trigger system), or you need to get another light stand.  I initially lucked out in that I am/was running the triggers through their paces for my good friend Kerry Garrison over at Blackbelt Lighting for an upcoming review this Friday, but the need for another light stand has become pretty clear to me.  When I am using two-light setups though, things could get complicated, but that’s a personal gear issue, nothing really to do with the Tether Table itself, so no harm no foul there.

The second problem I found was budgetary.  While the sturdy construction and clean polished look and feel are certainly features I can appreciate, being on a budget, the cost of entry to obtain a Tether Table of this caliber is a little pricey for my blood.  At $179 for the Table and another $22 for the Jerkstopper kit, we’re over $200 and while it’s not inconceivable, it’s certainly rich for the enthusiast blood.  For most professionals it is easily justified and likely something you can itemize in an invoice if needed.  So, not completely out of reach, but up there for sure.  Oh well, no one ever said photography was going to be cheap!

When all is said and done, I do think it’s a worthwhile investment.  These can be invaluable in a studio or on-location shoot where you need to be moving around in between shots.  The benefits of both the Tether Table and the companion Jerkstopper could be invaluable in a number of environments, including macro photography, food photography, portrait photography, and most product photography where a dedicated preview monitor would be super handy to have! To that end,  I will be sad to see it go, but alas, the Contest Series gets priority!  Thanks to the folks at Tether Tools for their generous contribution, and best of luck to all the participants!  (If you haven’t entered your photo yet, the theme is FLAT, and the contest link is both here and at the top of the page!)

Have you got an idea for a product review?  Is there something you’d like to see a test drive on?  Sound off in the comments and I’ll try my darndest to make things happen!  See you next time here on the blog.  (And don’t forget the Facebook page where the “Behind-the-Scenes” video is posted on using this very table!…”Likes” and comments there are always appreciated too!).

In the meantime, here’s the nitty gritty details for the contest:

• The Number:  1 image per person
• The Size:  Longest side must be between 600-800 pixels.
• The window:  30 day window for capture date (nothing earlier than February of 2011
• The theme is:  Flat
• The deadline:  March 31st at midnight (my time)
• The rest:  You can read more about it at the Contest Guidelines page and the Rules of Engagement

Good luck everyone, and here’s the link:  March Contest Giveaway

For the record, the Tether Table will be very slightly used, as you know a hardware review is likely forthcoming quite soon on this equipment…but then again, that’s something to look forward to, right?

As a final postscript today, a new poll is up on the sidebar, so if you don’t visit the archives much (maybe take some time soon – lots of good stuff there! ), be sure to take a moment and sound off in the latest poll:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

And now – the moment you’ve all been waiting for:  the February co-winners, each of whom gets $150 in printing from NPL, the ones whose images were most compelling, the ones…all right already, they are:

Mason Long

Frank Sammut

You can find their respective Flickr streams of these and their other photo libraries here and here respectively!  Congrats to both of you and I’ve sent your names over to our contact with Nations Photo Lab so they can deliver the coupon codes for your prizes to you!  Thanks again to Nations Photo Lab for their generous donations for the month of February!  Be sure to tune in on Monday for the announcement of the March contest!

I know, you’re all really here to find out who the winners are, so without further ado – comment submissions #6 and #10 are the lucky folks:

Thanks to everyone for their participation…and to Chris and Joe, if you could send off a quick email to me, I’ll make sure the folks at Peachpit get in touch to arrange fulfillment for you.  Once again, I’d also like to thank Nicolesy and Jason Cate for their participation in the show as well as Peachpit for their generous contribution.  It was a lot of fun, and the comment contest also ratcheted things up a notch too, so hopefully we can make these more of a regular occurrence with the podcasts.  With that in mind, are there any other authors, photographers, or folks you’d like me to bring on a show,?  Now’s your chance to sound off and get the folks on that you really wanna hear from!  Sound off (you knew it was coming) in the comments!

Happy shooting (and Happy Valentines Day for the romantically inclined out there), and we’ll see you back again soon right here – same time, same station!

You see, not only is it trash night, but this also is going to be one of the coldest nights I can remember in Colorado – we are on pace to be at 17 below zero by morning!  Like I said – bone-chilling!  In our house, that translates to fires in the fireplace.  A bundle of wood costs around $3 and it heats the entire house to where we almost have to open windows.  So, we needed no encouragement to add the warmth of a fire last night.

Also, as an admitted “guy”, there is nothing more fun than poking and stirring a fire, whether it be in a fireplace or in a campsite.  So, my face was naturally glued to the fire for most of the evening.  Twist twist, poke poke.  Then a log here and there…and some old cardboard I tore up to throw out (remember, it was trash night).  The smell of the crackling wood and ash is still lingering in my mind too.  That, combined with a nice red vino made for probably one of the most relaxing evenings.

It was quite relaxing too…and even Tracy joined me for a few minutes of quiet time just gazing at the embers before finishing things up for the night (a.k.a. the trash).  The flames from the fire, still flickering inside my head, were doused by the chill of the air on stepping out to the garage.  The frost already on the door was right there, in my face, reminding me of how cold it actually was/is outside.  (Bone-chilling, in case you didn’t get that yet.)  And right then, it hit me – frozen snowflakes of ice on the window – with the light coming down behind it…just gorgeous!

When thinking about these two images, and how much I liked them, it dawned on me further that these are great examples of how juxtaposing themes can work really well together…and it all came from taking out the trash!  The point:  keep your eyes open, the next dose of inspiration can come from anywhere, even the most mundane task on the planet!  And wit an amazing contest going on now – this is as good a time as ever to keep your artistic eyes open!