Webshots Blog

Photo walks, a popular activity among photo-sharing communities, let us all be a part of something no matter where we are in the world. By taking a walk this weekend and sharing the pictures with us, you’re contributing to a global mural of life.

So put on your walking shoes, grab your camera and go for a walk. You’ll be surprised at the photographic opportunities that present themselves. We’d love to see all of your photos as you can submit as many as you like!

Please tag your photos with Weekend Photo Walk 183 and then post your links in the comment section. Your entries won’t be judged—this is just for the fun of it!

We’ve been busy updating the site, and have discovered a small glitch after a release went live this week. We are working to repair the issue, but wanted to let you know how to access your free download until we can fix the issue for good.

To download your Free Professional Photo for today:

1. Sign into your Webshots membership.
2. Select the Free Photo of your choice
3. You will receive a page asking you to join.
4. Please click on the option to sign up for a Free Membership at the bottom of the page.
5. Your account information should auto-populate, but you will have to type in your existing password twice, as well as your phone number.
6. Click on the “Continue Registration” button at the bottom of the page.
7. Then, select “Click here to download your photo” in Step 3 or click the “Download Now” button.

We’re sorry for these extra steps to download the free photo. This is a temporary issue and will be corrected in a few weeks.

This week’s creative challenge is all about bridges! We’re calling for all types of bridges from the lesser travelled swinging bridge to the famous suspension bridges and also those picturesque spans found in the country. Our editors will be looking for picturesque shots with perspectives that compliment the overall character of the bridges. We anticipate many strong entries, so we advise to take extra time with editing your photos so they are as perfect as can be. This challenge is not limited to color photography only. In fact, feel free to utilize different techniques to achieve the look you wish to achieve. Good Luck! *UPDATE – on the morning of 5/25 we made a change to the tag name so the entries would not be mixed with a previous challenge from a few years ago. Please make sure your photos are tagged with creative-challenge-bridges-scenic

OFFICIAL ENTRY RULES
To officially enter the Creative Challenge, you must tag your three submissions with creative-challenge-bridges-scenic. You can then view them and everyone else’s submissions on the DISPLAY PAGE (it updates about every hour). To find out more about this, read the Using Tags on Creative Challenges post.

Submission Guidelines
1. Our editors look for sharp, clear horizontal images that are at a minimum resolution of 800×600 (submissions can have larger resolutions than this). Currently, vertical images cannot fit in the homepage template. Therefore, we cannot publish vertical or narrow panoramic images.

2. Images with added text or images, including watermarks, logos, copyright symbols, graphic borders, frames and time stamps, will not be considered for first place or being featured on the homepage big photo of the day at a later date. Collages, however, are acceptable. Images submitted should be your own.

3. Please do not submit pictures that have already been featured on the homepage.

4. The Creative Challenge runs from 12:01 a.m. on May 25th to 12:00 p.m. to June 6th (all times EST).

5. 3 pictures per person (regardless of how many member accounts you have) tagged exactly (including hyphens) with: creative-challenge-alternative *Note: Images that don’t meet the exact guidelines can be submitted and viewed for everyone to enjoy, but please understand that we cannot publish images that don’t meet minimum guidelines on the homepage.

NEXT CHALLENGE THEME: Scenes of Summer - beautiful beaches, hammocks, national parks, inspirational trails, reflective lakes, colorful gardens…it’s all about getting outdoors and capturing the beauty of summer!   

This week’s winning entries listed below were from the Creative Challenge: Alternative Photo Techniques.

It was by far one of the most educational challenges we’ve had in a while. Judging from all the varied entries and some feedback, it seems that everyone had a great time and learned some fun new techniques along the way. That being said, it was one of the most challenging to judge, because there were so many terrific entries! We chose images with a balance of strong compositional quality and the choices the photographer made to utilize alternative techniques to make the image that much stronger.  The creative decisions photographers make after taking a photo is almost as important as the subject itself. All in all, the difference between a simple snapshot and photographic art are the conscious choices to utilize black and white or color, digital or film, different perspectives, focal length, depth of field, exposure, lighting, using post processing filters or other techniques. If your photo isn’t listed below, don’t be discouraged because we’re setting aside several entries for future features. Thank you to everyone who partcipated!

#1. Urban Form by member rm_blizzard - Congratulations! Your Photo will be featured on the Webshots homepage tomorrow!

#2. Sunflower (Selective Color / Sepia) by member anticmos

#3. Sunrise at Bryce Canyon, Utah  (HDR) by member DANMMYERS

#4. Central Park, New York City by member bmanis51

#5. Cottage of the Sea Oats by member kstamper723

#6. Departure: Bromil Effect by member mazaquilt

#7. Samburu Women, Kenya by member bfryxell

#8. Dandelions Scanned (Pressed With a Flatbed Scanner) by member daliabloze

#9. Daylilies (Lomography) by member reddeviltj

#10. Infrared Zack by member peg353

Photo walks, a popular activity among photo-sharing communities, let us all be a part of something no matter where we are in the world. By taking a walk this weekend and sharing the pictures with us, you’re contributing to a global mural of life.

So put on your walking shoes, grab your camera and go for a walk. You’ll be surprised at the photographic opportunities that present themselves. We’d love to see all of your photos as you can submit as many as you like!

Please tag your photos with Weekend Photo Walk 182 and then post your links in the comment section. Your entries won’t be judged—this is just for the fun of it!

Photo walks, a popular activity among photo-sharing communities, let us all be a part of something no matter where we are in the world. By taking a walk this weekend and sharing the pictures with us, you’re contributing to a global mural of life.

So put on your walking shoes, grab your camera and go for a walk. You’ll be surprised at the photographic opportunities that present themselves. We’d love to see all of your photos as you can submit as many as you like!

Please tag your photos with Weekend Photo Walk 181 and then post your links in the comment section. Your entries won’t be judged—this is just for the fun of it!

Before the days of digital, many photographers have enjoyed experimenting and manipulating images in a variety of creative ways. For this next Creative Challenge, it’s all about Alternative Photo Techniques and the best part is that there is such a variety of them to choose from. We’ve listed some of the ways below and listed links where you can learn more about the history and the process behind it. There are numerous articles about each process available online and many tutorials are also available on You Tube if you would like to learn more. Some photographers prefer to stick to the original processes, but we’ve seen a trend in others utilizing software to achieve the same look. It’s lots of fun either way to try it. 

Also, there are numerous ways to manipulate your digital photos creatively, such as using free web-based digital editor like Adobe Photoshop Express. You might even want to give your camera phone a try as the resolution has improved over the last couple of years and there are some really fun apps like the Android app Retro Camera for manipulating your photos. We have listed a few app suggestions below the images, but please feel free to share your favorite camera phone apps with us too.

However if you would like to try or simply learn more about the original methods for some processes listed below, we have included some helpful articles.

We hope you enjoy the Creative Challenge and find it as fun and educational as we do. We’re looking forward to seeing what our talented community submits this time.  

Infrared Photography – What is Infrared?

How do I Make Infrared Photos With My Digital Camera?

Toy Camera Photography – example: Lomography (as seen above)

What is Lomography? 

Where can I find cool examples of Lomography?

Great, but how do I achieve the look of Lomography with Photoshop?

Don’t have Photoshop, but you own an i Phone? Try this.

Polaroid Manipulation – (as seen above)

Traditional How-To for Making Polaroid Transfers

How to Achieve the Same Polaroid Transfer Effect With Your Digital Photos or use a useful plug-in like Nik Color FX pro 3.0.

Traditional How-To for Creating Polaroid Emulsion (Lift-Off) Transfers

Instructions for Manipulating Polaroid 600 Film

Instructions for Achieving the Same Look With Your Digital Photos in Photoshop

Don’t own Photoshop, but you have an iPhone? Try this app.  or if you have an Android try this app.

Cyanotype – What is a cyanotype?

HDR (High Dynamic Range) – What is HDR?

Check out a great article by photographer Kevin McNeal.

Sepia Tone – what is Sepia Tone?

How do I make Sepia Tone Images?

Selective-Coloring – What is Selective Coloring?

How do I create a Black and White Photo with Selective Coloring?

OFFICIAL ENTRY RULES
To officially enter the Creative Challenge, you must tag your three submissions with creative-challenge-alternative. You can then view them and everyone else’s submissions on the DISPLAY PAGE (it updates about every hour). To find out more about this, read the Using Tags on Creative Challenges post.

Submission Guidelines
1. Our editors look for sharp, clear horizontal images that are at a minimum resolution of 800×600 (submissions can have larger resolutions than this). Currently, vertical images cannot fit in the homepage template. Therefore, we cannot publish vertical or narrow panoramic images.

2. Images with added text or images, including watermarks, logos, copyright symbols, graphic borders, frames and time stamps, will not be considered for first place or being featured on the homepage big photo of the day at a later date. Collages, however, are acceptable. Images submitted should be your own.

3. Please do not submit pictures that have already been featured on the homepage.

4. The Creative Challenge runs from 12:01 a.m. on May 11th to 12:00 p.m. on May 23rd (all times EST).

5. 3 pictures per person (regardless of how many member accounts you have) tagged exactly (including hyphens) with: creative-challenge-alternative *Note: Images that don’t meet the exact guidelines can be submitted and viewed for everyone to enjoy, but please understand that we cannot publish images that don’t meet minimum guidelines on the homepage.

NEXT CHALLENGE THEME: Bridges – From the iconic Golden Gate to picturesque covered bridges and those beautiful ones found in Japanese gardens, photographers have been intriqued with capturing these spans of beauty.

This creative challenge celebrated Journeys! From road trips to hiking a backwoods mountain, the journey is often more than the destination. It’s about scenic adventure and the activities you do and the road less taken along the way to recharge your batteries in nature. The entries this week absolutely did not disappoint and were some of our favorites yet! Check them out for yourself by visiting the DISPLAY PAGE. Thank you to everyone who entered and please give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done!

#1. “No Ewe Turns Here on This Slow Journey” by member volvob12 Congratulations! Your photo will be featured on the Webshots homepage tomorrow!

#2. “Cory Pass, Canadian Rockies” by member daliaboze

#3. “Dogsledding in Greenland” by member inuit1963

#4. “Ko Lanta Sunset, Thailand” by member ontheroadagain349

#5. “Jet Wing, Clouds, and Sunrise” by member concreteartist

#6. “Every Journey Begins With a Single Step” by member lemme39

#7. “Climbing New Heights, Castle Hill, Arthur’s Pass, New Zealand” by member mazaquilt

#8. “Journey Across the Ice” by member bfryxell

#9. “Sandals and Sunset, Florida” by member barbndave

#10. “Touring the Peruvian Countryside” by member spinal111

Photo walks, a popular activity among photo-sharing communities, let us all be a part of something no matter where we are in the world. By taking a walk this weekend and sharing the pictures with us, you’re contributing to a global mural of life.

So put on your walking shoes, grab your camera and go for a walk. You’ll be surprised at the photographic opportunities that present themselves. We’d love to see all of your photos as you can submit as many as you like!

Please tag your photos with Weekend Photo Walk 180 and then post your links in the comment section. Your entries won’t be judged—this is just for the fun of it!

We’re bringing something new and exciting to Webshots.

What do you think it is?