I’ve been searching for a decent tool to create flash websites for a long time now, I am pretty sure I have finally found one! WIX.COM. I had been tossing up the idea of paying a web designer $1000’s of dollars until I discovered WIX.( I can now use that money to buy myself a new lens!)

For photographers who want to create awesome flash online portfolios this might be just the thing for you. WIX is a free website builder that’s really easy tool to use, lots of dragging and dropping with the ability to add your own content, pictures, videos, text, animations, effects and widgets. One of the biggest selling points for me was I no longer have to learn or understand any type of programming or code, which is a huge bonus!

The free version of WIX is suitable for just about anyone however you have the choice to upgrade to Premium for features such as –

- Use your own domain
- Remove Wix ads
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Extra storage
- Google Analytics site stats
- Unlimited pages
- Professional hosting
- Premium support

Take a look at some of the example photographers sites that have been created with WIX, they also have a blog to keep you up to date with  latest news and announcements etc.

If you are currently using WIX let us know what you think? Or, if you are using something similar tell us about it using the comments section below.

Here’s a short  video I found on youtube on how to build a website in 2mins using WIX

I, like many others I have spoken to, am yet to master the HD video on my canon 5d mk2 or Canon 7d, so something like this seems to be out of my reach for now. “The story beyond the still” is a HD video contest put on by Canon where photographers have a chance to show off their skills as filmmakers.

Last month the contest kicked off when Canon asked photographer, Vincent Laforet, to interpret a still by telling the story that lived beyond it using the Canon EOS 7D. It was the first chapter of seven, ending with a still photograph of its own for the Vimeo community to then interpret. After 112 entries, Josh Thacker was chosen as the very first winner, the below winning entry was shot using a Canon 7D and 5D Mark II.

Job Security from Runner Runner on Vimeo.

Check out the rest of the videos that have been submitted to the beyond the still contest.

Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski the photoshop gurus of ‘Photoshop User TV’ fame, have now added Nikon DSLR’s to their evangelical repertoire. Great news indeed for Nikon users.

No doubt funded by Nikon, ‘DTOWN TV’ is a weekly show for Nikon DSLR Users, with plenty of camera tips, photo techniques and Nikon Capture info. The production value of the episodes is quite high so it makes for some very addictive viewing, even if you’re a Canon user. Already up to Episode 24 my suggestion is, break out the popcorn and the Nikon and settle in for a nice stint.

Big thank you to Matt Collinson for sending through the lowdown. Enjoy!

DTown TV

Oculi Home

oculus oc·u·lus (ŏk’yə-ləs)
n. pl. oc·u·li (-lī’) – Eye.

I have often argued that for such a small nation Australia has some of the best photographic talent in the world. In all genres, if you look carefully at the who’s who of the influential photographers of our time, there’s bound to be an Australian or two in there, kicking butt on the world stage.

In the field of Documentary / Reportage photography the Australian collective ‘Oculi’ has fast become the go to destination for current local based (and International) content. Featuring the work of 10 local photographers each with their own slant on local events and culture, the Oculi site offers an inspirational narrative on current events as seen through the eyes of our great photographic artists.

Definitely worth a look.

Visit Oculi

"Jesus I Trust In You" - © Daniel Linnet

One of the most asked questions from aspiring and pro photographers alike is “What are my rights when photographing in public places, especially if photographing people candidly?” In other words, are you able to photograph a couple smooching in Hyde Park, and then use it in your online folio or for other purposes? The answer can often be a complex one, especially when you start considering common courtesy, etiquette and plain old morals.

A big thank you to Glenn Weinnert who found and posted this link on our Shots Flickr Group. It definitely answers a lot of questions.

“Created in response to objections to my Sydney Unposed project, it is written from a photographer’s perspective, with a focus on what rights shooters have (and don’t have) when it comes to candid photographs of people. Please note: as it is not an encyclopaedia on every possible aspect of photographic law, it does not attempt to address issues like anti-terrorist legislation, council photography permits or National Park commercial photo restrictions. The sole purpose of the following is to discuss legal issues which apply to people photography only.” – Andrew Nemeth BSc (Hons) LLB MTeac

Click here for ‘Australian street photography legal issues ‘

by Daniel Linnet

Check out the short video below about how to conduct yourself when offered a photo assignment by a magazine. It’s pretty hilarious and somewhat scarily accurate of what photographers come up against in the industry today.

enjoy!

WARNING: The video contains some harsh language, if you think you may be offended please do not hit play!

daniel linnet, Photography, Color image, Horizontal, Indoors, Portrait, Torso, Head and Shoulders, One Person, 24 - 35 years, front view, One Bushman, Single Shearer, Farmer, Shearers, Old Polo Shirt, Clippers, Shearing Shed, outback australia, rural, Hand on Hip, Rural Scene, agriculture, Cowra, Wool

I hate keywording my images! In fact, one of the main reasons I haven’t been a regular contributor to an image library all these years is the amount of time it takes to consistently and  accurately describe each image in a manner that would make it easily searchable to potential image buyers. Yes, believe it or not, acurate keywording is indeed an art form, all be it a time consuming one.

If at any time now, or in the future you might be looking at having a crack at earning a few extra dollars from the stock photo market, brushing up on those descriptive terms might be a good idea.

Here are a few links to point you in the right direction.

Liisa Kaakinen is a keyword trainer and cosultant who has a really cool Keyword Test on her site, keywordtrainer.com. It’s a great way to get a start on how to properly keyword your images.

Alternately, if you’re not up for the challenge and need a touch of extra assistance, Imense Annotator can help you out for US$145 p/year.

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1. What is good keywording? – In order for images to be found, sold and used they should be easy to retrieve and logically accessible from as many needs and perspectives as possible. Good keywording characterizes broad as well as specific descriptions of the image without being speculative or too detailed.

2. What is a good caption? – For commercial and creative imagery captions should be concise, literal and accurate. Concentrate on the main message and elements and avoid describing the entire contents. For editorial images captions can be longer; the classic rule of thumb for journalistic images is ‘Who, What, Why, When, Where and How’. Captions for fine art images normally include the name of the artist, work title, year of creation and material.

Reproduced from the Imense Anotator site.

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To access the image Metadata just open the file in any image editor or RAW converter  and head staright for the properties, info or metadata tabs. Here are a few links to help out.

“Working with Metadata in Lightroom” – Martin Evening

“Editing Metadata – Adobe Bridge”

“Modifying Metadata & Keywording in CS4″ – Chris Orwig

“Photoshop CS – use Metadata to identify images” – PC Today

“How to Edit Metadata in Aperture 2″ – Video

EXIF, IPTC, XMP Software – Metadata Readers, Editors, Extraction Tools

Feel free to add your useful links as comments to any of our posts.

Happy annotating!

Daniel Linnet

Debbie Harry, London 1981 - Janette Beckman

Stylin’ and Profilin’ by Janette Beckman

For the first time in Australia, a collection of iconic images which span music, street culture, hip hop, rock & roll and punk icons will be on show throughout the month of October in Sydney.

On Saturday October 10th 2009, Blender Gallery will be hosting a book signing with Janette Beckman.
Her two books ‘Made in the U.K.: The Music and Attitude, 1977-1982’ and ‘The Breaks: Stylin’ and Profilin’ 1982–1990′ are available for purchase at the gallery. Come and meet the photographer behind these classic images!

London native Janette Beckman has made her fame photographing not only a wide array of performers in several musical genres but also the youth subcultures that have cropped up around their music. Whether it’s capturing images of young punks and mods in ’70s London or the b-boys and -girls of New York’s hip-hop scene of the ’80s, her documentarian’s eye has captured the culture and the style of these groups.

Among her best-known photographs are the iconic front covers for the first two albums by the Police, along with portraits of artists from the Sex Pistols to Run-DMC and from Blondie to Lily Allen, among others.

Janette Beckman began her career at the dawn of Punk Rock working for The Face and Melody Maker, when British music pushed every boundary. She soon had extraordinary access to the musicians topping the U.K. charts– icons of an era when music had an agenda with such acts including The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Undertones, The Specials, The Beat, The Ramones, The Rockats, Raincoats, Billy Idol and Echo and the Bunnymen.

Radically, this generation thought that the punks on the street were just as important as the bands, which fitted Beckman’s aesthetic. Her sharp eye for street style and pop culture led her to document two decades of youthful tribes: Punks, Mods, Skinheads, Rockabillies, B-boys and girls.
Beckman’s powerful portraits celebrating this music and the attitude are collected for the first time in ‘Made in the U.K.: The Music and Attitude, 1977-1982’ PowerHouse Books 2005.

© Janette Beckman

Moving to New York in 1982, she was instantly drawn to the underground Hip Hop scene. Her photographs of pioneers Africa Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Salt’n'Pepa, Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Beastie Boys and countless others, as well as the DJs, MCs, b-boys and fly girls are collected in ‘The Breaks: Stylin’ and Profilin’ 1982–1990′, PowerHouse Books 2007.Since moving to New York she has shot everyone from Kevin Bacon to Lily Allen – Clients include: Hello, People, Interview, Mojo, Glamour, Esquire, Rolling Stone,   London Sunday Times Magazine. Warner Brothers Music, Universal Music, Sony, Doc Marten, Converse etc.

Run DMC, Queens NYC 1984 - Janette Beckman

Her photographs have recently been exhibited galleries and museums around the world including Paul Smith London, Isetan Tokyo, Collette Paris, Flair Los Angeles, Morrison Hotel NYC, Kong Gallery Shanghai, Rockarchive London and now Blender Gallery in Sydney.
Her work is collected by patrons including: Kate Moss, Paul Smith, Susan Sarandon, Adrian Brody, Carson Daly, Craig McDean, Lyor Cohen (CEO Warner Music Group).
Beckman’s work has appeared in Esquire, Rolling Stone, the Observer and Glamour, to name a few.
She lives and works in New York.

Reproduced courtesy of Tali Udovich, Director of Blender Gallery

Exhibition Launch with Janette Beckman: Thursday 8th October 2009 6pm-8pm

Book Signing: Saturday 10th October 2009

Exhibition runs from Friday 9th October until Tuesday 3rd November 2009

Blender Gallery, 16 Elizabeth Street Paddington

Gallery hours: Tuesday–Saturday: 10am – 6pm.

Gallery Invite

By the way, Blender Gallery is also home to The Just Shoot Lomography Shop for all your Lomo and Holga needs. So put an afternoon aside and pop on over to Blender for a nice hit of photography.

Days of endless inspiration and ideas

Trolling the web for images that inspire can often be a daunting and time consuming task. Sifting through thousands of mediocre images to find that rare gem, is definitely one my pet hates.  So when I come across a site that offers a variety of INSPIRING and ORIGINAL photography of all genres and disciplines in the one place, YES……, I get excited!

This link is now at the top of my bookmarks folder. Production Paradise is a directory and showcase for the visual media industry but the cool thing is that you don’t really need to be in the industry as such, to enjoy the visual feast that’s on offer. In particular I would be checking out their selection of past and current Showcase Magazines featuring only the best photographers from around the world. Who knows, you might even see yours truly on there one day soon!

Be warned however, once you click on the link be prepared to lose a good few hours, or even days. Enjoy!

by Daniel Linnet

Showcase Magazine

Many photographers say it, it’s written in blogs, in books and in magazines, one photographer named Chase Jarvis has taken it to the next level. Chase has reinvented the term “The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You” and has created a iPhone app, a website and a book dedicated to inspire people all around the world to shoot with any camera, in particular the iPhone.

From the iPhone app you can upload your photos directly to the photosharing website Chase has also put together the best camera book which is available to pre order at Amazon – It’s the world’s first photo book featuring exclusively images from a mobile phone.

I have already installed the iPhone application, uploaded photos from my iPhone which then seconds later appear on the website and purchased the book from Amazon – I have pre-ordered the book and may have to wait 4-6 weeks for it to arrive! (yes I was excited about the whole concept)

If you don’t have an iPhone then don’t worry, I’m sure you have a phone with a camera in it!

Join the revolution

by Jose

You can see more of my iPhone pics on my Flickr page