Last week, the developers of an iPhone/iPad app contacted me about using my RSS feed to pull content for their new application. It’s a pretty cool idea, so I said “go for it!”
PhotoVerse collects photography related news and blog posts like any RSS reader, and makes it handy for anybody interested in photography to keep up on their reading while also allowing them to share the articles on social media networks. In essence, it’s a preloaded feed reader just for the photography nuts.
The developers also asked me if I would like to test out the application… but I’m on Android, so no luck. Instead, I asked if you guys could have some freebies or discounts. Here’s what we have to hand out.
ENTER FOR A FREE COPY OF PHOTOVERSE
I have 5 coupon codes for a free copy of the app. It goes for $0.99 in the iTunes store, so you can go buy it if you don’t want to wait for the raffle.
If you do want a free copy, watch the Epic Edits Twitter account for the start of the raffle. I’ll do it within the day, and the first 5 to reply will get the coupon.
Anybody out there have this app already? How is it?
Before we get to the links, I apologize to anybody that visited the site recently and found it to be infected with a malicious redirect exploit. I became aware of the issue this morning (thanks to an email from a reader) and I had it fixed within an hour. These things happen from time to time, and I appreciate folks letting me know when something is wrong with the site. Now for some weekend reading!
Wanna Free Trip To Visit Chase Jarvis In Seattle? Chase Jarvis
As an extension to his new book and iPhone app, Chase is giving out some signed books and a free trip to Seattle! Check out how you can enter.
10 Stunning Photography Locations Downunder Smash & Peas
From snow-white sandy beaches and red deserts to lush tropical rain forests and immense waterfalls, Australia has some amazing locations.
We’re giving away an HP MediaSmart server Photodoto
Do you need more space for your photos? If so, plead your case to Photodoto and you’ll be entered for a chance to win an HP MediaSmart server plus 1TB of storage!
13 Glorious New Zealand Landscape & Seascape Photos Light Stalking
Just in case you needed that extra bit of motivation to get down there some day, check out these incredible shots of what New Zealand has to offer us photographers.
Editing Tips for Microstock Photographers Photofocus
Editing your photos for microstock is a little bit different than normal editing. Here are some tips to consider when editing your images for microstock.
You may have heard the saying “The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You” at some point in your photographic adventures. I don’t know who coined the phrase, but I do know who is re-popularizing it: Chase Jarvis. And how is he doing it? With is phone, of course!
So Chase created TheBestCamera.com as a central hub for this whole thing. It’s a place for people to share their photos created using the iPhone app. The application looks really cool, and I’d expect nothing less from somebody like Chase. I’m only disappointed with two things: 1) No iPhone for Verizon customers, and 2) No awesome photo applications for Pocket PC phones. But, neither of those things are Chase’s fault, so I’ll just keep my frustrations bottled up for the time being.
But even though I can’t use the app, I still plan on buying the book that goes along with all of this. Chase put together a photo book of his iPhone images and it looks fantastic from what I can tell! The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You is 256 pages of lo-fi inspiration. If you’ve seen Chase’s iPhone work in the past, you know what to expect. If you haven’t… well, go take a look. You could almost convince yourself that these were taken with a toy film camera and they fit right in with the Lomography vision.
The website, the iPhone app, and the book are all quite impressive accomplishments for Chase. But I think he’s doing something much greater: Chase Jarvis is steering the direction of modern photography (at least one branch of it), and he’s driving it with his enthusiasm for art. He’s making the point that great photos can come from any camera and that having your camera in your pocket at all times is more important than having the most powerful gear on the market. And all of this started because he decided to start taking photos with his iPhone every day — in other words, a personal project of his that turned out to be much more (and on a related side note, our latest PhotoNetCast episode is on the topic of photography projects).
The concepts of using lo-fi equipment, shooting often, taking your camera with you everywhere, shooting from the hip, capturing every day life, and just getting the shot are not new concepts. Just look at the cult following of Lomography. Chase is taking these same concepts and modernizing them. Instead of shooting with a Holga or Diana, he’s shooting with an iPhone — not exactly the best cameras on the market. In both cases, the images produced are not technically outstanding, but they do have a certain artistic quality that can’t be found elsewhere.
At any rate, take all this as you will. I know these types of photos and ideologies don’t appeal to everybody, but I’m guessing that most of you will find some part of it interesting (and maybe even inspiring). For more information, check out the following links:
A bit late this week with the links, but we were having a few things worked on with the server so I figured I would take a break until everything went back to normal. Here are your selections of the week:
Tips for Better Self Portraits Nathan’s Favorite New Flavor
Self portraits are tough — I’ve tried my fair share of them! Here are some tips to improve your skills in this area.
10 Excellent Open Source and Free Alternatives to Photoshop Six Revisions
There are a number of open source (and completely free) programs out there that do much of what Photoshop can. In this collection, you will find 10 excellent examples of open source and free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop.
Digital Black and White Photos Photodoto
Here are a few good tips for creating black & white photos from your digital captures.
Capturing Urban Decay Photocritic
Getting good photos of urban decay is not necessarily hard; it is more a matter of patience and understanding of the subject. So what is it that can help you become a better urban landscape photographer? Here are 10 tips for great urban photos.
Watermarks: Evolution of a Watermark JMG-Galleries
In this article, Jim shows us the evolution of his watermark and reveals the reasoning behind each one. Very interesting for those considering the addition of a watermark to their photos.
10 Easy Steps To Advanced Photography Skills Smashing Magazine
By Trey Ratcliff (aka Stuck in Customs), one of the most famous and renowned HDR photographers on Flickr. In his article Trey describes some professional insights and useful photography tips that he collected over the years of his career.
Catacombs of Paris – The Real French Underground Zoriah.net
I’ve heard of these catacombs under Paris, but I’ve never seen them like this. Zoriah takes to the caverns with some local cataphiles and shows us a different side of these historic entities.
D3A – The Best Photography Contest Ever DIYPhotography.net
Wow! DIYPhotography.net is 3 years old! To celebrate, Udi has lined up some great prizes for the readers — and all you have to do is submit photos to his Flickr pool to be eligible for the contest.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn in Photo School Photoshop Insider
Here are some really great lessons for photographers — definitely not anything you’ll find in a textbook.
100 amazing iPhone photos Photocritic
Camera phones can be pretty fun to use — especially high-end phones like the iPhone. Here is a huge collection of great photos taken with the iPhone.
How To Photograph Rock Concerts – The Basics digital Photography School
Interestingly, I found this article the day after I shot my first concert. I can definitely say that the tips are helpful for those of us with less experience in the subject.
Filters in the Digital Age PhotoNetCast
Lens filters can be difficult to comprehend in the digital age — so we chat about the different options and uses for the various filters available.
Pulled over by Los Angeles Port Police All Narfed Up
My pal Bryan Villarin is quickly becoming the next Thomas Hawk when it comes to photography related run-ins with the authorities. His latest story involves being pulled over while shooting photos from a freakin’ boat!
Wow… this last week has been really crazy with activity on the Internet. I guess everybody got back into the swing of things after the holidays. So here’s a small selection of things going on. And Happy New Year too!
5 Tips For Making Great iPhone Photos Chase Jarvis
For you iPhone users, Chase Jarvis put together a great set of tips for getting the most out of your camera.
The Sky in Motion Astronomy Picture of the Day
A nice collection of time-lapse videos that focus on the sky and the heavenly bodies.
The Top 100 Photography Blogs Photography Colleges
If you’re looking for more photography websites to check out and follow, here’s a pretty good list to check out.
here comes 2009, the good and bad news Pro Photo Life
Our friend, Jim Talkington, shares some good news and some bad news for the new year. Good news is that he’ll be focusing more attention on his personal photography and sharing via a photoblog. Bad news is that he won’t have much time for Pro Photo Life. We’ll miss the frequent updates, Jim.
2009 Challenge: New Subject Each Day January Challenge, 2009: Self Portraits PhotoChallenge.org
Looking to challenge yourself in 2009? PhotoChallenge.org will be announcing a new photographic subject each and every day of the year. If you feel like joining in, just shoot the subject and post the photo on the web. These guys are still hosting monthly challenges in addition to their yearly challenge. January is all about self portraits.
Spatial Relationships and Distortion Beyond Megapixels
If you’ve ever struggled with spatial relationships or had a hard time grasping the distortion differences between telephoto and wide angle lenses, check out this simple explanation.
Blog Project: Your Best Photos From 2008 JMG-Galleries
Did you take photos in 2008? If so, participate in this project and share your best work with other photographers in the community.
