First on the docket is Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk 2011. If you haven't attended one of these, do yourself a favor and find the closest city near you that is sponsoring a walk. Its a fun time to hang out with other local photographers and to just walk around and shoot stuff in your neighborhood. Plus, you can win prizes too! This is the 4th annual photowalk and it just seems to get bigger every year!
Another thing Scott Kelby and his posse at Kelby Training have come up with, is the new Light It Digital Magazine for iPad owners. It has to be one of the best resources for photographic lighting yet to be developed and the first issue is FREE! Sure you have to have an iPad to view it, but at this point, doesn't everyone already have one except me? Actually, my fiance' has one so I was able to watch it on her's. :)
Perhaps maybe the biggest news of the year has been the release of the new, retro Fuji X100. If you live in a cave and haven't heard about this nifty little gem, Fuji has created a new, high performance camera in a retro-styled point and shoot body. Its a little pricey, but it looks totally sweet and has had some really good reviews (and a few negative ones too). If a dSLR is too big of a beast for you to swing, then you might want to check it out. If the price tag still pushes you away, then hold on to your dollars for a trimmed down version soon to be released called the X10!
If you happen to be a fan of Expo Imaging's Rogue Flash benders and their new Grid System, then you might be interested in their new gels as well. If you're using speedlights frequently, then you can never have too many gels around. Check these out!
Over on the Strobist blog, the latest installment of the Strobist Bootcamp is in full swing! Right now the current project is about Thinking Big! If you need a little practice or just want to participate in a fun lighting project, then hop over there and play along.
If you're still thinking about one of those new, shiny little mirror-less cameras and are a Nikon fanboy (ahem, guilty) then you might want to keep your eye out for Nikon's newest addition. So far its just rumors, but with all of the excitement of Fuji's new X100, I'm sure Nikon is wanting a piece of the photo pie. Plus, you may even be able to get it in a color of your choice!
Have you been shooting for a while and haven't been able to get published in any cool magazines? If so you might want to check out this cool article on Digital Photography School's website. Seems to be a lot of useful information there!
If you're looking for a little inspiration, then check out the work of Jonas Fredwall Karlsson. He has photographed a ton of celebrities and has a great sense of style and light, especially with environmental portraiture.
And last but not least, if you're feeling a little down, then check out this video of a kitten (totally not photography related but entertaining none the less) ...oh, the actual vid doesn't start til after the crummy advertisement.
:)
