PhotographyBB Issue 2

An anonymous tipster writes in to tell me that the latest issue of PhotographyBB is now available. Here's a snippet of the "press release":

PhotographyBB announced today, the release of the second edition of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine. By way of download in either PDF or ZIP formats, PhotographyBB is setting the stage for the future of magazine distribution. In a completely ad-free format, each issue contains informative and educational tutorials for amateur photographers.

I haven't had a chance to read it (there's also a February 2008) issue, but when I get home, I'll be sure to take a closer look. It looks (at a quick glance) very promising, however, and I definitely expect it to be. I just hope they can keep up the ad-free format.

Tagmee

Ok, so real quick Tagmee is a new photo sharing platform (in the spirit of Flickr), which judging by the few blog entries I read has some great ideas. One, is the Active Footer, which helps you discover new photos and photographers by providing something new on every page load. Check it out and don't get scared—it's alright to try other sharing sites besides the mainstream ones. Who knows you might just like them better. (Disclaimer: Ok, Ok, I'm not yet practicing what I preach. My time is still being occupied by numerous other things.. I will try Tagmee out though, and maybe give it an actual review at some later date)

Gimp 2.4 Released

The Gimp has reached a version 2.4 release.

Developers, artists and user interface designers from all over the world worked together to make GIMP more powerful and easier to use than ever. The changes from version 2.2 are too numerous to list here, please check the Release Notes to get an overview.

This is exciting news, and with it comes a new look for their website, which looks really good. Thanks Gimp Team! So, if you're a user, it's time to upgrade.

Two links in a row about The Gimp; it's obviously a Gimp news day.

jAlbum

Daniel from jAlbum writes in to tell us about jAlbum, a free piece of software for creating photo albums. Oh, and did I mention it's written in Java, a cross platform language, meaning it'll run on your computer too? Check it out, it looks great.

Comeeko is a site that allows you to create comic strips from your photos. Looking through the gallery, it becomes widely apparent that people on the internet have too much time on their hands.

Morguefile Classroom

When I said earlier today that regular posting would resume soon, I didn't expect to find such a great resource within Morguefile's classroom. However, upon checking it out, I discovered Jodie Coston's 10 lesson course.

The course starts off talking about composition, proceeds through to basics and then tackles portraits, studio lighting and product photography. Great examples and illustrations provide you with the a visual guide to the topics being discussed, and to top it off there's a discussion board for each lesson, which I must admit I haven't tested and it seems to be fairly old (2004ish). However, even if the forums aren't active, or disabled the course is still good.

Hometown Views Photo Contest

Staples is sponsoring a photo contest. The Hometown Views Photo Contest, is looking for pictures that highlight what you love about your hometown. One Grand Prize Winner will receive a 5-day/4-night photography adventure for two to Reykjavik, Iceland and a chance to make $5000 in comission from selling prints in Staple's stores nationwide. 40 Finalists also get a chance to make $5000 and for everyone's efforts, you'll get a free 12"x18" print of one of your photos.

The Hometown Views Photo Contest will accept entries until March 15th, and is limited to 1 entry per person.

You've got a ton of time and nothing to lose, so start snapping pictures now. I propose we tag entries/potential entries on Flickr with 'hometownview'. I wanna see what people come up with.