I squealed like a girl in pigtails watching Hannah Montana in 3D when I learned Derek Powazek’s newest creation, Pixish, has launched in beta. I’ve been wondering since last summer what the site would be . . .
Here’s the short version: Pixish is a new site where you can create image contests.
But the short version doesn’t give the new site nearly enough credit for how cool the idea is, you should definitely read the long version.
The Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that encourages voters to capture, post and share photographs of this year’s primaries, caucuses and general election. By documenting local voting experiences, participants can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America.
Here’s how it goes: Stop people by the street, talk with them, ask if you can take a portrait. Post the picture to Flickr and 100 strangers pool. Try to get an idea who they are. Write a caption that tells something about the person in portrait. Describe how you got the photo. Don’t post archive photos. Get out on the streets to take new ones.
So if you’ve made set “Taking more pictures of strangers” as a 2008 photo resolution then this is the challenge for you.
Here is a cute Valentine’s Card idea from Stefani Greene of Wilmington, NC. This project will take a little bit of camera know-how - or at least the willingness to take the camera off of auto! You will need a camera that has manual settings, but you don’t necessarily need a dSLR. Many point-and-shoot cameras have manual settings, too (read your manual!).To get the shot, set your camera to aperture priority and use a large aperture to create a shallow depth of field (DOF). Different lenses will have a different maximum apertures, so this will vary. Somewhere around f2.8 or f3.2 will work great. If your lens won’t open that wide, try using your largest aperture and getting in close to take the photo. I have seen this done with the focus on the candy and the child’s face in the DOF, or as shown here with the focus on the child.
Print the photo, cut slits at the top and bottom of the hand, and slide a lollipop through the slits. Attach the lollipopped photo to card stock to give it a little extra support. Try a flower for grandma or even a pencil for classmates. The end result is a very cute personalized Valentine that is sure to delight your sweetie!
Popular Photography magazine recently ran a great feature on tips for getting great photos of Insects. Among their ideas:
Early morning and twilight are the best times to make insect photos, as the cold-blooded creatures slow down when the temperature is lower.
Most insects are very sensitive to carbon monoxide, and will run or fly away if you breathe directly on them
Depth of field is razor-thin at wide apertures, so it is necessary to stop down to much smaller apertures (f/16-f/32) to have most of a small insect in focus.
Flick A Day is here to help keep you on task. The Boston-based service allows users to choose from taking photos with a web cam, or uploading images from their computer. You will get an email reminder by noon if you’ve not taken your daily picture AND they compile all your photos into a nifty widget you can use on other sites.
In our last newsletter, we suggested a photo project where you created an ongoing photo time capsule by hiding photos and instructions for yourself in the future.
We also asked if anyone knew of ways to reliably send something to yourself in the future. Here’s what you said:
Regular mail. With the number of things on the average persons mind, this will probably be forgotten by the time it gets to you.
Go a step further and give it to a friend to keep and mail at a random date without telling you.
Gabe Grote offered:
Open a safety deposit box. Put items in box. Leave detailed instructions at bank to close box on certain date. They will open it/and or contact you when it expires. You will then get it mailed to you by the bank or they will contact you regarding how to pick it up. Pay in advance (If you have the cash.)
Did you love the idea of 24 hours of Flickr but didn’t know about it until it was over? Or did you participate and it’s left you wanting for more chrono-based photography?
Fret not, ShutterClock is going to do its part to help you out on May 11.
ShutterClock has several ways to participate but all let you share images taken at the same time in different geographic locations. I heart these types of projects because they give you a quick, achievable photography goal that can kickstart better photography habits. Check it out and join in!
Thanks to Photojojo reader/ShutterClock creator Ronan for letting us know about his project. Got your own project, let us know!
We totally love it when readers take one of our projects and make one just as cool. Reader Mary did just that with Project 365
“I decided to adopt the idea for 2007, and to piggy-back off of the original idea . . .making a calendar on iPhoto and drag and drop each picture in each day that I took it. At the end of the year, I would order the calendar and have a tangible visual of what I did every day for this year.”
It’s a great way to mark those milestones and a neat twist on the project. Thanks for sharing it Mary!
Thomas Hoehn over at Kodak’s A Thousand Words has a post featuring his “Extreme Holiday Photo Card Ideas.” For the past five years, Thomas has created unique cards to share his family photos and holiday cheer with others. Check out his stained glass look-a-like or the photo paper airplane!
Today’s Photojojo Newsletter features a really cool portrait photo project you can do with your family (or your friends!) And the sooner you start, the better it’ll be!
Our friend David Nuss wrote in with another tip:
There is a really cool exhibition in MoMA like this right now. 2nd floor - it’s a matrix of about 60 years (!) of 4 sisters. Really beautiful.
So if you’re in the NYC area, be sure to check that out, too!
Flick A Day
In our last newsletter, we suggested a photo project where you 
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