A recent major university double-blind study has concluded that games are fun.

In addition, 63 percent of licensed phlebotomists agree that fun is nice.

These ground-shaking, revolutionary results have caused us to revise our staunchly anti-fun philosophy.

In an effort to explore these new (and somewhat suspicious) avenues of “fun” and “games” we respectfully present our findings on the subject: five games you can play with your camera and photos.

We are informed by reliable sources that they qualify as “fun.”

Photography Games

p.s. Been messing around with perspective lately? Post your photos in the “Tunnel Vision” thread on the Photojojo forum.

Photojojo owns one of the worst camera bags in the world.

Weird, right? You’d think we’d have something really cool, but no.

This thing is ugly. It has next to no padding. It’s too small. And even though it’s tiny, the strap is so uncomfortable that 30 minutes carrying it around feels like a week. Plus it has this big logo on the front that says “Thank You For Shopping With Us.”

So we need a new camera bag. But there are so many options out there, where do we even start? What should we look for? What should we avoid? Will our trusty camera ever find a new home?

We had a look around and here’s what we found:

What to Look For in a Camera Bag

Stealth Bags — For undercover urbanites.
The Electric Pocket — For leetle cameras.

Congratulations to Jennifer Konig for winning the Squarespace Portfolio Makeover Contest!

They say no news is good news.

Unfortunately, Polaroid has news: after next year, there won’t be any more Polaroid film.

Since our beloved Polaroid camera only has a year to live, we’ve decided to make it the Best Year Ever.

Let’s shake it!

10+ Ways to Love Polaroid Before It’s Too Late!

p.s. Our “Monday Stinks!” contest runs until tomorrow: three winners a day will get tasty coffee! Enter here.
p.p.s. Congratulations to Betsy, Lisa and “Maui Pikake” for winning the Thrillist Stupid Photo Contest!

We were full of big plans this time last year. We were going to learn to cook, run a marathon, and stop watching so much doggone TV. Now here it is nearly 2008, and we’re still spending every night talking back to Trebek and noshing on Tasty Bite.

Needless to say, game show marathons and shelf-stable delicacies do not a Haile Gebreselassie make.

So much for 2007.

And hello, 2008! We’re planning to greet it with some kinder, gentler resolutions, and you can bet they won’t involve the kitchen, the remote, or running shoes. But they will involve a shutter.

We’ve come up with 19 photo-related New Year’s resolutions that’ll have you learning more, practicing more, and taking more risks in two thousand and awesome. (What is, “Fewer eyes trained on Trebek,” Alex?)

Ever since the Three Amigos brought gifts of gold, frankenstein and maple syrup to the baby Jesus the first Christmas so long ago, mankind has delighted in the swapping of neat stuff with loved ones come this time of year.

Frankenstein and maple syrup might not be on our list this year, but we still put the same careful thought into what gifts we give to our family and friends. Without further ado, here’s our gift-giving guide to what to buy, and why, for the coming holidays….

Here’s what we know about our dads: They love fishing, golf, mowing the lawn, and taking naps. Alas, the amphibious golf cart equipped with fish-finder, lawn-mowing blade, and squishy pillow has yet to be perfected. (Get to it, inventors!).

Sorry, Pops. Maybe next year. In the meantime, here are some photorific Father’s Day alternatives from your friends at Photojojo.

p.s. Got a funny photo of daddy (like Dep or Robyn)? Add it to the Photojojo Flickr Group. We’ll post our favorites to Uncut and one lucky winner will win our amazing Monsterpod! (Now only $30)

p.p.s. Get Photojojo ideas on your Facebook profile, add the new Photojojo Facebook App!

Photo credit: Denise Perri

Whether you’re heading to West Lafayette or West Xylophone, the travel gurus at Fodor’s have some travel photography tips for you before you embark on your summer adventures.

Pick up nearly 100 pointers, from how to shoot churches, castles, and canyons, to the nitty-gritty of shooting on mountaintops, in city streets, or at the aquarium. Their guide is written with film cameras in mind, but the basics hold true for digital.

Among their tips:

• For clear campfire shots, let your camera take its exposure readings from a well-lit face. Fire in the frame will throw off your camera’s calculations.
  
• Research your destination and plan a “shooting itinerary” so you don’t miss any great shots. (But remember that some of the best photographs are made when you stray from the beaten path.)
  
• In wild caves, put your camera shutter in the B position and fire your flash multiple times to paint the room with light.
  
• Underwater, colors will photograph naturally to a depth of about 10 feet but fade away quickly beyond that. Use flash.

Before you hit the road kick it on over to Fodor’s for the full list.

And hey, while you’re out there, take Yogi Berra’s advice: “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Fodor’s Travel Photo Tips

p.s. Some fun city names we came across while researching this piece that we couldn’t help but share: Sandwich, IL, Romance, AK, Batman, Turkey, Hot Coffee, MS, and Rough and Ready, CA. (Okay, OK enough already.)

Photo Credit: Sergio Louro

Don’t be ambitious.

That may strike you as a bit pessimistic, but we think this whole New Year’s Resolutions thing has gotten a bit out of hand.

This New Year’s, instead of making difficult resolutions anyone would have trouble keeping, then feeling bad about it when you fail, why not pick something that’ll make you feel good every time you do it?

Here’s a few fun photography resolutions we’re considering this year. Pick one that you think you’ll enjoy and start 2007 with a smile.

The holidays aren’t just a great time to take pictures, they’re also a great time to spread the photo love (to yourself, or to others.)

Since many of you are probably looking for great photo gift ideas right about now, we thought we’d give you a hand by telling you about a few of our favorites.

For each of the categories below, there are dozens, often hundreds of options. We’re not going to tell you about all of them–we’ve picked the best of the best. It’s the stuff we’d buy (or have already bought) ourselves. We’ll tell you why, and leave rest up to you.

Without further ado…

How can you not love a holiday that encourages you to dress up in costume, invites children to go from home to home demanding candy from strangers, and promises the annual rising of the toy-laden Great Pumpkin?

Yup, Halloween is pretty darn great.

And now that it’s just around the corner, we’ve put together a guide to help you get great photos on our favorite holiday.

Read on for creative ideas for Halloween shots, tips on how to carve your pumpkins to make them more photogenic, even instructions for making an anatomically-correct thoracic cavity cake!

Get out your glowsticks and get to work!