Photography Roundup - 07/31

Summary of photo news, the latest contests, and more

By K David in Columns on Aug 1, 2015

Picture of the Week Entry | mecrox

July is a fairly laid-back month around the world. Many countries are overly hot, a lot of people find time for some vacations, and, most importantly, we're all in food comas from the barbequing. Speaking of which, I'd write more but I ate 19 bratwurst for dinner and need a nap now.

Pentax eBook Giveaway

Have you entered to win one of the free eBooks being given away? If not, do so here. Yvon Borque has kindly offered to give away SIX eBooks to Forum members. Find the official announcement here.

Featured Deals

July is a slow month for deals and gear news, but we've combed the forums and the Internet to find as much as we could for you. If you're planning that end-of-summer trip you've dreamt of every day at work since January, here are some chances to gear up for the road.

• Pentax K-3 with free DA 50mm and flash
• Topaz Adjust for 50% off in July
• Pentax SMCP-DA 55-300 f/4.5-5.8 ED WR for $319
• Pentax Q7 with 5-15mm and 15-45mm Lenses for $315 at Amazon
• HD Pentax D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-56. DC AW Lens for $403 Off
• Lowepro Nova Sport for $17

Pentax Forums Roundup

Converging Lines contest winners

Official Monthly Conest #106 Winners

We'd like to congraulate the winners of our June "Converging Lines" photo contest: forum members panonski, kgyd, and Meg4mi!  Check out the winning photos on the homepage.

"Just Waiting" photo contest

Official Monthly Contest #107, Just Waiting, Entries Closing

Today is the last day to enter monthly photo contest #107, Just Waiting. If you want a chance to win, you need to stop "just waiting" and enter a photo already!  The August contest will be announced tomorrow.

Weekly Challenge #322: Holiday Time (Vacation Time)

Holiday Time Theme Image | mecrox

It's time to dust off all those travel snapshots and find one that can win this week's contest!.

Post-processing Challenge #154

Post-processing Challenge #154 Thread Image | LarsW

LarsW hosted this week's post-processing challenge. I learned from it that raw files can be stitched into panoramas. That's a pretty incredible trick, Lars!

Gear News

• Ricoh Exhibiting at NYC PhotoPlus October 22 to 24, 2015
• More on that on the event web site

Good Reads

This week has a shorter reading list than last, but we hope that the articles are thought-provoking and interesting. An important safety topic, be sure to check yourself for ticks after your landscape photo hikes. The second-to-last article discusses some of the emerging diseases being spread by ticks.

• What Our Food Is Really Doing to the Planet, in 15 Jaw-Dropping Images
• These Incredible Photos Prove What the American Dream Really Looks Like
• 23 Of The Most Powerful Photos Of This Week
• ‘Not Just Lyme Disease Anymore': 7 New Reasons To Fear Ticks This Summer
• Shooting Wet Plate Collodion Images With a Holga Panoramic

Interesting Kickstarter

WearWise

This week's interesting Kickstarter features WearWise, a small, HD camera with 60 minutes of on-board video time, per charge, or the ability to take 2,048 8 megapixel images per charge. It connects to your phone via wifi and charges with any micro USB cable. Available with multiple backs and a 120-degree field of view, WearWise is designed to be a versatile, wearable camera to record your daily adventures or daily mundanity.

As always, Pentax Forums does not endorse either the product or the product's creators. We share Kickstarter items with you to help users stay abreast of cutting-edge camera technology.

Featured Online Photography Resource 

Are you struggling to find a creative image? Routine, by definition, means that we see, do, think, and act in the same way. Our daily lives thrive on routine: wake up, commute, work, commute, eat, sleep. To help you break out of routine imagery, here's Digital Camera World's "Creative Photography Ideas" tag. This link will be updated any time that Digital Camera World shares new ideas that fit the bill of creative photography ideas. This is an often updated tag for them, so bookmark it for great inspiration. As of this article's publication, this tag has 16 pages of articles linked to it, and that ought to provide ample creative fodder.