Webshots Blog

A self-portrait says a lot about the artist: who they are, what kind of photography they like, if they have a sense of humor. We want to see who the members of Webshots really are in this week’s Creative Challenge, so show us your best self-portrait. Get creative with angles, how much of you is shown and what else is in the composition. Besides, when you become wildly famous, we’ll need your self-portrait for publicity.

Submission Guidelines
1. Our editors look for sharp, clear horizontal images that are at a minimum resolution of 800×600. 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 and frames, will not be considered.

3. Please do not submit images that have been featured in the last three months (either on the homepage or in a featured album).

4. The Creative Challenge runs from 12:01 a.m. on May 30 to 5:00 p.m. on June 4 (all times PDT).

5. 3 photos per member. Please edit your work—show us only the best!

You can easily grab the links to all photos by copying the URL from the yellow action box on each photo page and pasting it in the blog. Click on the photo below to enlarge.

*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.

Self-Helpful Links
Inspiring examples of self-portraits
Turning the camera on yourself
A doctor’s thoughts on self-portraits

The submissions for the Creative Challenge: Patterns were fantastic! Lines, shapes and curls jumped out at us as we searched through all the entries to find our favorite three. It was a tough job (someone had to do it), but we all agreed on these winning photos:

#1. This beautiful abstract by member jessdian2 quinched our editor’s thirst for patterns. The combination of rich earth tones and the many cracks in the dry Georgia clay make for one simply gorgeous image.

#2.Coming in a close second, our editors found this study of perspective and pattern in this image of a green fern by member arsfb extraordinary.

#3.This choice made a lot of sense to our editors, 29 cents actually. This multi-tonal photo of pennies by member candeeline really show off Mr. Lincoln’s features nicely.

Thanks to everyone who entered the Creative Challenge! Come back tomorrow for our new Challenge. Hint: It’s all about…you!

Floating Blossoms

Love the Floating Blossoms photo by professional photographer Don Paulson? Well now you can make your own! Don is revealing his step-by-step process for this technique, which can be applied to just about anything. Get the inside scoop and then post a link to your “Floating Blossoms” in the comments section below. Enjoy!—Penny Adams, Pro Shots Photo Editor
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How To Make “Floating Blossoms”

Most flowers float when gently placed on water, giving you the advantage of having the flowers in one flat surface and making it easy to get everything in focus. When you’re arranging the flowers, pay careful attention to how you situate them and what colors you choose. When you’re finished taking your photos, the flowers will make a nice centerpiece for the dining-room table.

For the “Floating Blossoms” photo, I carefully placed the blossoms in a rectangle container full of water. I used a macro lens and a tripod, but you can easily do the same with a hand-held point-and-shoot camera.

If you’re using a hand-held point-and-shoot camera, I recommend using a slightly larger container with larger blossoms. Take the arrangement outdoors, where the light is brighter, but avoid direct sunshine on your subject. You’ll get the best results on an overcast day or in the shade.

I saved an empty spray bottle to mist water over the flowers. I use this technique occasionally for studio shots, creating a “dew drops” effect.

Depending on your subject or personal taste, you may wish to skip the “dew drops” step. However, I recommend taking a few shots without any dew drops and then a few more with the dew drops added, selecting the photos you like most. That’s what I did.

The flowers in the “Floating Blossoms” photo were taken indoors near a window for light. I found that shining a flashlight at the blossoms from underneath the container added a delicate luminosity to the flowers—an easy, low-tech approach for taking your photos to the next level.

If you try backlighting your subject (see above photo), be sure to avoid shining your light into the lens of the camera. With a digital camera, it’s easy to check the results on your LCD screen after you take each photo. While you’re checking your results, look around the edges and corners to make sure you didn’t include some of your container in the photo. Don’t be afraid to experiment—it’s really easy to delete the bad shots. Good luck!

Want more great tips from Don? Then check out his special three-day workshop filled with helpful information about photography. The workshop will be held July 20 to 22 in Olympic National Park. To learn more about this opportunity, visit Don’s website at DonPaulson.com.

Jellyfish at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Download the latest Webshots Desktop application. This version is ready to work on Vista-powered PCs and best of all it has the ability to upload videos so you can manage all your memories in a snap! Plus, if you’re a Premium member, you can now get full-size backups of your photos.

I am really excited about this new functionality because I use the Desktop all the time to upload my photos all at once to Webshots (instead of one by one!), add my favorite Pro Shots to my desktop screen saver and check out the newest photos and videos from my friends and family.

Get the new version of the Webshots Desktop now—or update your older version—and be sure to download the Webshots Toolbar as well. It works with Internet Explorer and lets you search Webshots or the web right from your browser window—so convenient!

Check out all the great features of the Desktop and Toolbar first, or download now!

Download the new Webshots Desktop with video!

Download the Webshots Toolbar

Patterns

The world is filled with natural patterns, from the symmetrical coils of a centipede to the crooked lines of fractured glass. In this week’s Creative Challenge we want to see your photos of interesting and captivating patterns. Mother Nature is a great place to start, but don’t forget the patterns in life, such as windows, fences and intricate tiles. Let your imagination run wild on this one!

Submission Guidelines
1. Our editors look for sharp, clear horizontal images that are at a minimum resolution of 800×600. 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 and frames, will not be considered.

3. Please do not submit images that have been featured in the last three months (either on the homepage or in a featured album).

4. The Creative Challenge runs from 12:01 a.m. on May 23 to 5:00 p.m. on May 28 (all times PDT).

5. 3 photos per member. Please edit your work—show us only the best!

You can easily grab the links to all photos by copying the URL from the yellow action box on each photo page and pasting it in the blog. Click on the photo below to enlarge.

*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.

Creative Challenge: Animals was our most-popular one yet! With over 500 entries, all the editors had a hard time deciding the top three. After all, who doesn’t love an animal photo?! But as we narrowed down the whiskers and tails, these photos really stood out:

#1. Hands down, the editors loved this photo by member vladimirpunikki. After viewing it, some of us wanted to go play in the snow with this lovable guy! We’ve never seen a cat with such character, and the quality, sharpness and composition of the image made it our number-one choice.

#2. Coming in at a close second is this remarkable entry by member omaatje9. We wondered what this little tree frog was thinking as we looked at his pursed lips and intense stare. The editors all commented on the crisp and energetic colors as well as overall sharpness and clarity of the photo.

#3. Look how much fun these two panda bears are having! What a great submission by member veralebail as it really shows the character of these two animals.

We really want to thank everyone for the wonderful photos of pets, wildlife and animals that you shared with us. We had so much fun looking through all the entires, and in our minds, everyone is a winner!

Have you been bookmarking photos on Webshots? It’s a great way to save your favorite pics and let your Webshots friends know what you’re into.

I bookmarked the photo above so that I can take a mini vacation whenever I want! The pristine, white sand and crystal-clear waters are so relaxing. Plus, I wanted to share it with my friends because I think it’s a great find.

Whenever I’m browsing the site, I tend to look at members’ bookmarks. You can bookmark up to 24 photos and change them as often as you like. Member thewise000 has a great “best-of” selection, while member greasedweasel shares her love for horses.

Do you have a great bookmark selection? Post a link to it in the blog and share it with us!

How to Bookmark a Photo
1. Click on the bookmark icon below the photo:

2. In the pop-up menu, write something about the photo and click Add to Favorites:

It’s that easy! Plus, all my friends will get an update of the new photos I’ve bookmarked…and maybe they’ll bookmark them, too.

We just rolled out a new feature that makes staying on top of Webshots easy: alerts. Now you can get the featured albums and the Webshots blog emailed to you on a daily or weekly basis. You’ll never miss a stunning album or Creative Challenge again!

How do I sign up?
Make sure you’re signed in to Webshots, then go to your new alerts page and choose your delivery method and frequency, then click apply changes.

Or click on the link next to the blog and featured albums on the homepage, which will bring up this menu:

If it’s your style, you can also subscribe via RSS—check out this post to learn more about it.

You’ll also notice that we updated the entire account page, making it easier to customize your Webshots preferences, such as:

Newsletters
Sign up for the Webshots Roundup and the weekly Pro Shots email, choose your email settings and more.

Address Book
Add emails of your friends and family so you can share photos, videos, albums and slideshows with them.

Options & Privacy
Allow your friends to print your photos, set up your mobile device, choose your commenting preferences and more.

We’ll be adding more content to the alerts in the coming months, so check the blog for updates…or just sign up for a blog alert now so you’ll know right away!

Webshots is wild about animals this week, so for this Creative Challenge we want to see your best shot of an animal (or animals) that really show character. Whether you snap a pic of your snoozing cat or share a photo of a wild elephant you captured while on safari, we want to feel as if we know something about the animal when we see the picture.

Submission Guidelines
1. Our editors look for sharp, clear horizontal images that are at a minimum resolution of 800×600. 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 and frames, will not be considered.

3. Please do not submit images that have been featured in the last three months (either on the homepage or in a featured album).

4. The Creative Challenge runs from 12:01 a.m. on May 16 to 5:00 p.m. on May 21 (all times PDT).

5. 3 photos per member. Please edit your work—show us only the best!

You can easily grab the links to all photos by copying the URL from the yellow action box on each photo page and pasting it in the blog. Click on the photo below to enlarge.

*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.

We hope you had fun with the Creative Challenge: Shadows because the Webshots staff had a blast looking over all the entries. You submitted so many wonderful photos, which made picking our top three that much harder. But we think these three members did a great job!

#1. The graphic quality of this photo by member volvob12 really jumped out at us. We loved the tight shadow of the artist, which seemed to mimic the drawing in the sand. Overall, this was a great use of shadow and composition. We’ll feature this top pick on the homepage tomorrow.

#2. We thought this excellent submission by member laurent0001 was a nice example of using the frame’s edges with shadows. Everywhere you look, a different shadow is cast, filling up the entire image with elongated shapes and lines.

#3. Simple, classic and serene are three words that come to mind when looking at the shadowy ripples and sleek lines taken by member perrys_pics. We really liked the play of light and shadow in this one!

Congratulations to everyone who entered. Check back tomorrow for a new Challenge!