Photo Competition for your Cellphone Pics!

This week I learned about a fun new photographic competition sponsored by O3 World.  Check out the details in the guest post below and get those camera phones out! – Ingrid

Guest post by Keith Scandone, O3 World.com

While some would consider it a travesty to consider the mobile phone as a means to create art, we celebrate it. Masterpieces Made Simple is new gallery series that is a showcase of creativity provided by everyday people by way of their smart phones. One of the best things about this series is that it is just as easy for the photography beginner to participate, as it is for the expert.

Masterpieces Made Simple is sponsored and hosted by O3 World, a Web Design and Development company in Philadelphia, and the concept was created by one of O3 World’s employees, Hilary Sedgwick, and Kenny Kim.

The site launched June 14th, and in less than a month, has received roughly 800 submissions. The submissions have come from all over the country, including NY, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, North Carolina and Florida, and from all over the world including Egypt, Singapore, Iran, China and India.

This event, which is being held Friday, July 23rd from 6 – 9, is the first in a 4 part series. Each event going forward with a theme associated with it and will be rolled out quarterly.

To check out the photos or make your own submission, check out www.themmsgallery.com

Making a submission couldn’t be any easier. Here’s what you do:

1. Take a sweet picture with your mobile device. Take a new one, or submit an old favorite… the choice is yours.

2. Email your image to submit@themmsgallery.com.

3. Include the following information:

* TITLE: Enter the Title of your image in the Subject Line of your email. THE REST OF THE INFORMATION LISTED BELOW SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE BODY OF THE EMAIL.

* ARTIST: That’s You! Include your name so when people admire your work they know that you created that masterpiece.

* LOCATION: Where were you when you became inspired? (City, State and if it applies, venue).

* DEVICE: Let us know what kind of mobile device you used to capture your image. An iPhone, Blackberry, Droid; any device is acceptable as long as it is a mobile phone that takes photos.

* You may choose to leave any or all of these fields blank. If you do choose to do this we will display the fields as “Unknown”.

4. Once all the information is in place, you’re ready to go. Hit that send button!

5. Once the image is approved by us it will be display on the The MMS Gallery homepage ready for public view and commenting!

Submissions are only being accepted until Monday July 12th, so pick up that phone and snap some photos!

Canon Powershot S90 Review

One of the coolest things about my job teaching people how to use their cameras, is  that I get to play around with all the latest camera gadgets and gear.   This week I had the pleasure of meeting a new student and she wanted to learn how to use her Canon Powershot S90.  I was so impressed with the camera that I wanted to share my thoughts on it with you guys.

Firstly, if you are looking for a camera that’s advanced enough to allow you to shoot in RAW, control your Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO, shoot in low light conditions but without the bulk of of a DSLR then the Canon Powershot S90 is the camera for you.

It has a super bright f2.0 lens and a high ISO rating of 3200 which essentially means you can shoot in really low light conditions without having to turn on that nasty flash or worry about motion blur and camera shake.  With such a wide aperture lens you’ll also benefit from a nice shallow depth of field (otherwise known as a blurry background!) in your pictures which is great for stunning portrait shots.

The Canon Powershot s90 is so small and compact it will easily fit into a purse, diaper bag or pocket.   I think that this is a great camera for women as it really does just fit nicely in my hand.  I found it really easy to access all the functions but I could see this as being a problem with bigger man hands though, as the controls are set quite closely together.

It also features a brand new design feature namely the Control Ring on the front of the camera that can be set to control ISO, Focus, exposure or White Balance.  This is something unique to this camera and kinda gives it an old school feel for me.  I like it!

One more thing that you can do with the Canon Powershot s90 and that is go diving with it. That’s right  -   the addition of an special underwater casing turns the Powershot S90 into one of the best waterproof digital cameras around allowing you to shoot fantastic shots as you scuba, snorkel or just when your messing about in boats. Because of that bright f2.0 lens it’s a fantastic underwater camera.  That’s one of the main reasons why my student bought it and I can’t wait to see her pictures from her diving trip.

Overall I was really impressed by the level of features and flexibility packed into the Powershot s90′s compact body.  I would definitely say that this camera is an excellent choice if you want to begin to move out of Auto Mode, without having to make the jump up to a DSLR.  Or if you already have a DSLR and you’re looking for a handy point and shoot camera, you’ll find that the Canon Powershot S90 will not disappoint on features or picture quality.  It’s no wonder that this is the compact camera of choice for many professionals out there.

If you’re on the look out for a new camera you can check out the Canon Powershot S90 here from my friends over at B and H Photo and get free shipping if you are here in the US.  I’m thinking this will be my next buy…

Happy snapping

P.S. If you already own the Powershot S90 or end up buying it, please comment below and let me know what you think of it.

Parents Magazine Offers Photography Tips to Moms and Dads Entering Pictures of Children in Cutest Baby Photo Contest

I’m really impressed with all the pictures so far! But I’m even more blown away by all the cute kids. I’m so excited to find out who the winners will be! New York, NY (PRWEB) April 29, 2009 — Parents magazine is offering photography tips to hopeful moms and dads who are entering pictures of their chidren in the annual Parents.com cutest baby photo contest. The editors of Parents are holding the amateur photography contest to find the cutest pictures of babies 3-24 months old and pictures of kids 2-6 years old. Two winners will appear on special dual covers for the magazine’s November 2009 issue. Parents magazine cover kid photo contest Sharon Elcock, Sittings Editor at Parents, shared 10 photography tips for moms and dads entering pictures of children in this year’s cutest baby photo contest: 1. Take photos with a really simple, but pretty background. You can keep the dirty dishes in your kitchen sink a secret! Instead, go for natural scenery in front of lush greenery or pretty flowers. 2. Pictures with food on the face are cute for Grandma’s refrigerator – but not so much for the judges. 3. Try to capture your child in a care-free, happy moment. Photos that are too posed usually don’t show your child’s true energy and personality. 4. Try not to submit extreme close-ups please! It makes it hard to see the whole child. 5. Be honest with yourself about your child’s temperament. Does he truly enjoy taking pictures or does he burst into tears the moment you point the camera at him? If he doesn’t enjoy posing, get shots while he’s engaged in an activity. 6. Avoid taking photos of your child with hats on, or with a towel draped over their head – we’d prefer to see the kid hiding under the towel! 7. Try taking pictures using interesting, fun angles. 8. We like happy photos! Leave the cranky faces for family members. 9. Have your camera ready at all times so you don’t miss the money shot! 10. Take tons of pictures! Don’t edit yourself as you go along, Professionals take hundreds of pictures to get the keeper!Elcock says, “I’m really impressed with all the pictures so far! But I’m even more blown away by all the cute kids. I’m so excited to find out who the winners will be!”