7th Annual Worldwide Photowalk

Well the clock is ticking down now because it’s almost time for the 7th Annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk, which is a great photo event held all around the world. This years event is coming up on Saturday October 11^th 2014. 


Although it’s completely free to participate on a walk, this year we’re “Walking with a Purpose” by encouraging all participants to make a small donation (as little as $1) to the Springs of Hope orphanage in Kenya.  Not only are the Photowalks free, but by signing up for one you can enter a contest to win some really fantastic prizes! Last year there were over 1300 walks with over 28,000 walkers worldwide!

What’s a Photowalk you say?  A Photowalk is a worldwide photo event started in 2008 by Scott Kelby. If you’re into photography you’ll probably recognize that name. Scott is an author, teacher and photographer out of Tampa Bay Florida. He is also a co-founder of NAPP and president of the Kelby Media Group, a software training, education and publishing firm.

These Photowalks have turned out to be the largest social photography events of their kind anywhere on the planet.  Photowalks are a great way for photographers from all walks of life and skill levels to gather together on the same day to socialize, learn new tips from each other, and explore their corner of the world through photography. How it works is that local people organize a small gathering, usually in a major city or scenic place. Then the photo enthusiasts (groups of up to 50 people) from that area meet at the designated location and walk through the city socializing, having fun, and taking pictures. Usually a Photowalk is between 2-3 hours total and then afterward the walkers will gather at a local bar, pub, or restaurant to have a bite and share some photos and some laughs.

I’ve been able to go on four of these myself, and each time I’ve had a blast. One year I was all signed up but the event ended up getting rained out (in my area) and another year I couldn't get the day off from work. But each year I’ve met some great people, learned a few things, and made a few new friends along the way.

Personally, when I sign up for a Photowalk, I try to go to some new location that I wouldn’t normally shoot. The first year I went into the North End of Boston and I met some really great people. My second Photowalk was in Providence RI and it turned out kind of weird. I met a couple sisters who were signed up for the walk and we accidentally drifted off from the rest of the group a little, but as luck would have it we found an outside fair in a park with a group of Civil War actors and a Native American Indian festival. Plenty of stuff to photograph for sure. I've also gone on one in Marblehead MA led by Rick Ashley and last years Photowalk in Nashua NH. This year I’m signed up for one on Mount Desert Island in Maine. The walk is just outside of Bar Harbor which is about 6 hrs from my home in Massachusetts. Its being led by a local photograher named Howie Motenko. Howie runs a company specializing in workshops called Acadia Photo Safari.  I am definitely looking forward to this one because I’ve never been to Bar Harbor before. It's my plan to spend about 5 days in the area and two or three days of those will be with a small group of my photo club members. Its sure to be a very photogenic trip with the change of seasons and all the interesting sites in the area.

This year’s event is coming up fast, but it’s not too late to sign up for 7th Annual Scott Kelby Photowalk.  I’m sure you can find a Photowalk that still have openings. Photowalks are a great way to socialize, get out and take some photos and get together with other photographers. Not to mention take a chance at winning some great prizes too!  Remember, as always, keep shooting and have some fun!

The Digital Photography Book, Part 5: Photo Recipes

The Step-by-Step secrets to make your photos look like the pros !

A little over five years ago I wrote a couple posts on some photography books that I liked and thought were worth mentioning. (May 2009 / August 2009) 

What started out as a good photography book for people just getting into digital photography,  (The Digital Photography Book) has evolved into a 5 part series, the newest book being called "The Digital Photography Book Part 5 - The step by step secrets to make your photos look like the pros!"  



These books have proved to be very popular and are great for anyone either totally new to digital photography or even for people who might be looking for some fresh ideas or tips on how to improve their photo skills. Whichever book you choose, there is bound to be something here for just about everyone with a digital camera.   

Just for the record, the first book I mentioned ended up being the best selling book on Digital Photography ever published. It was originally released in 2006 and was called simply “The Digital Photography Book”. It was written by Scott Kelby who was already well known for his books on Digital Photography and Photoshop and people loved that book right from day one.

Because of its huge success, it was quickly followed up a year later (2007) by another book aptly called “The Digital Photography Book - Volume 2”.   

At the time of my first post I was waiting on Volume 3 but just like the previous two books, The Digital Photography Book - Volume 3 was also well received (2009) and everyone thought that might be the end to the series. But fortunately that wasn't the end of the series, it was followed up by The Digital Photography Book - Volume 4 (2012) which was also very successful. 

All of these books have become very popular with photographers of all types. Books 1 & 2 were so successful they were actually updated and re-released with updated content and new photos. 

In all of these books (Volumes 1 thru 4) the most popular chapter was the final chapter called: Photo Recipes to Help You Get “The Shot”.  Scott would show an image and then briefly describe how to get that type of shot. I still refer back to these books for new ideas, especially those final chapters.

Well Scott has just released another book in this series called “Digital Photography Book Part 5 - Photo Recipes” (photo at the beginning of this post) This book is totally different; it is an entire book of nothing but those easy to follow photo recipes. But he took it up a notch by adding behind-the-scenes details along with photos for each Photo Recipe. Now you can see exactly how it was done so you can get the same look every time yourself.

I’ve always enjoyed reading Scott’s books and would highly recommend all five in the series. The nicest part is that these books won’t break the bank and will only run you about $15 bucks each or in sets for even greater savings. 

His books have always had an easy to read style and have been translated into over a dozen languages and have made Scott the #1 author of books on photography worldwide since 2010.

Maybe you’re new to digital photography yourself or looking for some new ideas? If you’d like to purchase a copy of any of these books, click on the Amazon links on this site to direct you there.

Remember, as always, keep shooting and have some fun!