This week's challenge for 4/26/2009
Happy Pinhole Photography Day!
For all those who love [or want to get to know to love] pinhole photography! [link]

This week's challenge for 4/5/2009
Cheap Photo Projects: Printable Lens Hoods, Origami Studios
Photography can be an expensive hobby. While it's entirely possible to live your photographic life with one camera, one lens and one computer, it's pretty unlikely. After a while you'll want to play with strobes, check out wideangle shooting, and on. All this will require new kit.[link]

This week's challenge for 3/22/2009
Expired Film - The Tool of My "Trade"
Expired film. It's crossed every photographer's mind. Sure, there's Photoshop to re-create that lack of color or foggy B&W that expired film can give...but it's not as much fun. Because with expired film, you never know what your gunna get. So this week, I found an article with some niffty images that will help you with all your expired film needs! [link]

This week's challenge for 3/15/2009
Better Lenses for Less Money: How To Use Vintage Lenses with Your DSLR

Back in the day (i.e. 7th grade), we “borrowed” our dad’s camera gear. Eventually, when we could afford a camera of our own (i.e. age 27), we finally gave it back.
Now we’re thinking of “borrowing” Dad’s lenses again, because using vintage lenses on our DSLR is a lot easier than we thought.
All you need is a cheap adapter ring that allows you to attach a particular lens to your camera. And manual-focus vintage lenses are all over eBay, dirt-cheap and ripe for the plucking.
Yes, you have to use manual focus, but you won’t miss autofocus as much as you think. Especially when you consider that vintage lenses are better-made, more reliable, and exponentially cheaper than comparable autofocus lenses.
So dust off your dad’s gear. Fling wide the closet doors, and hike up to the attic! Shake down your relatives for all the old lenses they have stashed away. It’s time to become the gear-geek you always wanted to be. [link]

This week's challenge for 3/8/2009
Fun With Photography - Fruit In Water

There are certain types of photographs that tend to make viewers shriek "Oh that's cool!" Fruit splashing into water is one of those fun photos that leave everyone scratching their heads and wondering how you did it. This photo genre is actually a very simple photograph ---> [link]

This week's challenge for 3/1/2009
The Photographic Dictionary

Has inspiration walked out on you? Is your gray matter a bit too gray these days? Maybe you need a kick in the creative behindus.
The Photographic Dictionary pairs photos with definitions of words, but this isn’t your bog standard A-is-for-Apple dictionary.
Abstract ideas like ascent, vacuous and curiosity are our favorites, but even prosaic nouns like office and bridge make you think in a different way.
Whether you’ve got writer’s block or photographer’s ennui or the systemic aesthetic doldrums, the Photographic Dictionary is good for what ails you.[link]

This week's challenge for 2/22/2009
Motion Blur: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know


You already know what motion blur is: the subject’s in focus, but it’s moving so fast that the background streaks into a mere blur.

And you already know what kind of photos look great with motion blur:

High-speed sports
Busy streets
Small children wrestling an alligator atop a speeding train
But we’ll bet you hadn’t thought of using it for slow-moving subjects. Wind, water and clouds look surreal and dream-like when photographed slowly enough to capture their movement.
The next time you wake up to a dark and windy day, don’t snuggle back under the covers with a cup of hot cocoa. Those are the best days to catch clouds and wind on the move.
So bundle up, grab the tripod and stop down to your tiniest aperture: it’s time to go out and explore the other side of motion photography. [link]

This week's challenge for 2/15/2009
Five Things You Can Make Out of a Film Canister

Ya wanna know something? In our heart of hearts, we still love the silvery gelatinated plastic stuff. And we know some of you peoples love it too.
Well there’s no reason to hide it, pal! Make one of these five projects from used film canisters, and show everyone you still know how to kick it old skool.
Whether you go for the earrings, the keychain, the svelte ring, the dog tag, or the big ol’ belt buckle, we promise you’ll love ‘em. Even if you haven’t shotten film in yearz and yearz.[link]

This week's challenge for 2/8/2009
$10 Macro Photo Studio
Okay, so I like macro photography. And I like things to be cheap. So for this week, it's more macro photography [this time a small studio!] and it still under $10! Can't beat it! [link]

This week's challenge for 2/1/2009
Macro Photography with Disposable Camera

We all love macro photography [okay maybe not all] and we know how expensive it can be. Using a lens reversal is great, but not all lenses can do it. So are you stuck buying a expensive lens? No way! In this article, Greg Lipscomb introduces us to another way to take macro photos with out the costly price tag. [link]

This week's challenge for 1/25/2009
Make Your Own 3D Camera for $15 or Less

Depth perception: wonder of evolution, miracle of sensory perception, and envy of the cyclops.
It’s one of those things you wouldn’t miss until it’s gone, like toes, toothpaste, and trees. That’s why 3D photos amaze us: they remind us about this incredible superpower we had totally forgotten we had.
But it gets even better! 3D photography is surprisingly easy to do on your own and doesn’t even require special glasses. We’ll show you how to make your own 3D camera for less than $15 and enter the fabulous world of the 3rd Dimension.[link]

This week's challenge for 1/18/2009
Low income Housing: Build your own Underwater Camera

Maybe the closest thing you’ve ever got to underwater photography was a plastic covered disposable camera bought from a souvenir shop on a family vacation. Not saying those cameras are bad [they’re still fun and cheep] but what if you want to take underwater photography a step further? Underwater housing for cameras is expensive—and if you’re strapped for cash, why not make one yourself or a lease something more sustainable than a plastic bag. Tom Fuller gives an in-depth guide to building your own underwater camera housing. But be careful! This DIY project can destroy your camera, so try it at your own risk! [link]