November 2007 Featured Member: Michael Ging

Michael Ging is a photographer living in the US southwest. He has spent the past 35 years as a photographer for the Arizona Republic newspaper. In this time he has covered virtually every photographic subject possible. Though he may have just met his subject moments before, and only have a few minutes to work, his images still show a wonderful respect and compassion. He has the people skills that virtually every talented documentary photographer must have. Those skills shine through in the access that his subjects give him and the images that he is able to create. Anyone who wishes to be able to create moving and powerful documentary images would be well served to pay attention to Michael's comments regarding how he interacts with his subjects.

"I think if you wish to be a successful photographer of people, you have to like being around people. As a 6'6" blonde haired, blue eyed photographer living in the Philippines I was not able to hide who I was in a crowd or in a village without being noticed by everyone. I decided that I would use this to my advantage although sometimes I felt like Gulliver in Lilliput when entering a Barrio or village. The Filipino people were very friendly at the time to Americans, calling me "Joe" after GI joe. The fact that they would fight over whose house you would visit when you went to a village; this taught me not to fear people you don't know. I also believe that personal integrity is the most important thing we own and if I promised a person a Print, I always delivered one." -Michael

Read More: November 2007 Featured Member


Image by photo.net member Michael Ging

Photo.net is currently unavailable

**UPDATE**
The server was reset and we are back online as of 12:30pm PST. Thanks for your patience.
**UPDATE**

We had a database server crash this morning at photo.net. And the site has been unavailable for the past few hours.

We have our technicians working to fix things. But I currently have no estimate of how long it will take to get everything back together. I will post updates here as soon as I get them.


Perhaps today would be a good day for a hike?
Image by photo.net member Josh Root

Changes to photo.net homepage

We made a few adjustments to the photo.net homepage to make it easier to read. It was getting a bit cluttered. But that's what happens when you have a site with as much information as this one.

The changes are slight enough that most users wouldn't even have noticed if it wasn't pointed out to them. But since I am pointing it out anyway, here's a comparison:

A few small site changes

We made a few small changes this week that will help with site functionality. Nothing huge, but some "my workspace" changes and some changes to the navigation bar that is at the top of every photo.net page. The navigation bar changes will probably be the most useful on a day to day basis for users. But the "my workspace" cleanup is nice as well.

In the "My Workspace" area (http://photo.net/pvt/home)

• Clarified wording, consolidated links, and cleaned up the layout
• Added direct links to popular features (image reordering, folder access, etc)
• Added images (self portrait & images from portfolio)

Navigation Bar changes

• Updated section naming to be more straightforward (Gallery, Equipment, etc)
• Added a "Community" section with a number of links & the new blog
• Updated the navigation options based on user data to reflect new content and highlight the site's most popular sections/pages
• Most every forum is not listed in the "forums" drop down menu

Portfolio Management page - (http://photo.net/photodb)

• Added direct links to image re-order page for each folder
• Re-organized items on page
• Added in sample images

Annoyingly slow Photo.net customer service today

I have to apologize to everyone, photo.net "customer service" (meaning me) was badly hindered today. We got hit with a large windstorm last night and this morning and 90+ mph winds will cause problems. Nn my case a large tree fell on the power lines two houses down from mine. The power was knocked out for a couple block radius. Nobody was injured and unlike the owner of the tree, my van was not crushed. However, the power has been out at my house for 12 hours now.

So the email has piled up from over the weekend and the normal Monday rush, I haven't been able to address any of the captcha or ratings questions, and I didn't get to make an official announcement regarding the changes to the "my workspace" area and drop down menus.

So I am currently at the local pub drinking a pint of their winter brew and stealing their wifi connection while I try to catch up. With any luck, things will be back to normal tomorrow.

New captcha verification for rating system

In order to more quickly remove automated image rating accounts, photo.net has implemented a captcha word verification system.

Users will be occasionally asked to prove they are human by re-typing two words that are displayed (slightly distorted) in a verification box. If the words you are being shown are difficult to see, there is a "refresh" button (it looks like two little arrows in a circle) that will give you new words that may be easier to see. If you would prefer an audible verification, click the button with a speaker and you will hear a audio clip of someone reading numbers. Enter these numbers into the verification box and you'll continue as normal. But do be aware that the audio test sounds a little like you are getting a phone number from the poltergeist 411 service.

There is a thread in the Feedback Forum on the subject. though it mostly repeats what has been said here. If you are having problems or have questions, post here or email me at contact@photo.net.

Nikon AF-S DX 12-24/4 Lens Review

Patrick Hudepohl has just written a review of the compact and useful Nikon AF-S DX 12-24/4 lens.

"The Nikon AF-S 12-24/4 delivers pictures with a dramatic wide-angle effect (18-36mm full-frame equivalent) on Nikon small-sensor digital SLR cameras such as the D40 and D300. The Nikon 12-24 is great for use in landscape photography, photojournalism and, to some extent, architecture. The short end of the zoom allows you to show a subject in context, even in tight quarters. This is the highest quality wide-angle zoom available for Nikon's small sensor cameras..."

Read the rest of the Nikon AF-S DX 12-24/4 Lens Review.


Image by photo.net member Patrick Hudepohl

Photo.net guide to wedding photography equipment.

Photo.net has just published an article on what equipment the average professional wedding photographer uses. It is, unsurprisingly, titled Equipment for Wedding Photographers.

This is a common question in our Wedding & Social Event Forum, and I thought it might be nice to have a permanent article that beginning wedding photographers could be directed to.

Do you have a different opinion on what equipment makes the best "wedding kit"? Please leave a comment at the bottom of the article page so that future readers will get the benefit of reading your thoughts as well as mine.


Image by photo.net member Josh Root