So, I am away in Ireland for a few days (hopefully some great photos to follow) but I wanted to let you all know that I have not forgotten about our meet up discussions. When I get back next week I plan to touch base with a few folks and get some potential ideas going. Some options will be planned and the meet up announced (saves time) and others will be based on what votes/feedback we get. I will be chatting with Mr DicksDaily and Mr Curiously Incongruous about walks with them. Both have very kindly offered their time and knowledge to take us for walks around some lesser known spots. A night meet up sounds cool as well, so we’ll see what else we can do.

I will be setting up a newsletter if you prefer to receive an email reminder for meet ups so check back next week.

Recently Digital Photography School asked its readers about camera bags and what they thought the best bags were. It turns out a number of folks responded and the top 3 bag brands mentioned were Lowerpro, Crumpler and Tamrac. It’s interesting to read in the comments that some folks won’t buy these popular camera bags because they are too obvious to thieves and instead go with bags that are more general. For more: Best Camera Bags as Rated by Digital Photography School Members.

I currently have a Shootsac myself which I really like. It’s not ideal for a lot of camera gear, but great for a day out shooting. It keeps all the items I need anyway, as well as spots for my wallet and phone. I love that you can easily change the covers and have two already that I alternate between, and that it doesn’t entirely look like a camera bag.

What bags do you guys use or recommend?

click! photography changes everything is presented by the Smithsonian Photography Initiative as an ongoing project to explore how photographic images shape our lives.

Some interesting articles here and this Fall the Smithsonian invites submissions from the public. Amazing how photography has impacted so many areas of society and life.

Typically on a lazy Sunday I like to visit the nearby Borders, grab a coffee, and browse the books and magazines.  Yes, I really do have the rockstar lifestyle;) I must admit though, I’m not often enticed to buy anything.  The only two magazines I tend to find myself buying is Professional Photographer and Black & White Magazine. Professional Photographer typically has some really good articles and I always enjoy the interviews and other industry news. Black & White is all about me drooling over the great photos.

That being said though, perhaps I am missing out on some great magazines out there? What photography magazines do you read, whether religiously or only occasionally? What recommendations do you have?

As a follow-up to my post the other day on Save Polaroid, here is a great article from Photojojo: Polaroid-a-palooza: Ten Ways to Love Polaroid Before The Film Runs Out. If, like me you don’t have a Polaroid, you can always cheat with the Polaroid-o-nizer.

As a side note, if you bookmark just one site this week, make it Photojojo (a fantastic site).

Using Photoshop actions can be a huge time-saver when you do repetitive tasks or certain modifications on a regular basis. We all know how time consuming post-processing can be, and no doubt those of you who do professional shoots such as weddings will know this all too well. Epic Edits Weblog has a great step-by-step tutorial on How to Create Photoshop Actions.

Now this is a rather interesting photography service from Brooklyn photographer Izaz Rony at MethodIzaz.com.

Using information provided earlier about their weekly routine, the photographer will arrive on the scene, and unseen, take shots of the subject. The subject will be photographed walking through the streets, going about their daily business. Without posing and artifice, the camera captures only the natural beauty of the person.

I’m all for candid photography and really enjoy street candids so this would be an interesting project to try. It’s definitely a new approach. I wonder if folks who commission Rony feel a bit like a celebrity for the day. You know, stalked and all that.

(via Kottke.org) 

As everyone probably knows already, earlier this year Polaroid announced that they would discontinue production of all instant film. It’s a sad thought really. I know digital is much more accessible nowadays, and cheaper in many ways, but it is sad to see this dying out. I have no skills with a Polaroid, but I know a number of people who are exceptional and produce beautiful photos.

So, if you are a lover of instant film, head over to www.savepolaroid.com and join in. As the site says,

“This site is not about saving Polaroid, the company, rather the remarkable invention of Edwin Land, the instant film that made Polaroid a household name. “

Many folks will argue that film in general is on borrowed time already, but I’d hate to think that. Maybe I’m just being naive.

A heads up to anyone using Adobe Lightroom and/or Camera Raw:

The Lightroom 1.4 update for Mac and Windows has been temporarily removed from the Adobe.com web site. Those Lightroom users who have installed Lightroom 1.4 should uninstall the update and install Lightroom 1.3.1.(Mac, Win) until a further update can be provided. (Source/Read more: PhotoshopNews.com)

So, the St Patrick’s day meet up was  a bust. So, I’d love to hear from you guys about where we should meet next? What areas would be good to explore? As someone who doesn’t know London very well, some suggestions would be great!

Also, what is the best way to keep you guys informed about meet ups? Is it easy enough to subscribe to our feed, or would you sign up for a newsletter to receive a reminder via email?