Halloween brings with it the chance to combine many areas of Photography whether you are presented with a field of pumpkins, decorated houses, close up spooky food creations or indeed infants and children adorned in the cutest of costumes. In terms of vibrancy, fall/Autumn and Halloween combine wonderfully to create a time of color, emotion and interesting subjects. So it's often difficult to know where to start, but the key elements behind arming yourself with the camera don't differ that much from how you should behave day to day when shooting.



Halloween is about the drama and you can capture this and convey it in your images by getting in close and filling a frame with your subject. People or objects alike, getting in close will add a bit more drama to your shots. If you're capturing food and in particular cupcakes or other Halloween treats and desserts then consider making your background Halloween themed too. Orange paper, pumpkins, leaves and any other orange item in the background would work really well to create a wonderfully blurred Halloween-ie backdrop.

Halloween is a time of drama and you can add to this in your images by getting in nice and close and filling the frame with your subjects. Whether it’s people or objects – getting in nice and tight will usually add punch to your shots.
^pullingcandy is our resident go-to girl for all things Halloween and Spooky. She's the Community Volunteer for the Horror, Macabre and Cosplay Photography Galleries and has shared her tips and tricks for Halloween Photography.
"The most important thing is mood, and lighting. The next important in the setting.You can convey Halloween through cute and cheerful and dark and eerie, it's all down to the lighting. Photographing a vampire using the sunlight and pumpkins in the dark is kind of backwards, of course, and you should utilize your ideas and light sources properly to create the best effect. Anything can be spooky - from a pie plate to a pumpkin, it's all about how you position and center your subject. You want to create a mood, andyou need to figure out how to go about doing that before you snap pictures. Putting a pumpkin on your front steps might sound cute, or even a little spooky if the pumpkin is rotting, or carved in a menacing manner, but doing it in broad daylight won't create the same effect as if you were to snap a shot of it at dusk, with the fading light. Or early morning, with fog or the dim glow of a rising sun. Or you could add fake cobwebs, or a scary, ghostly shadow from inside the door, etc."

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^PirateLotus-Stock - one of the Community Volunteers for Stock and Resources - has put together some fantastic tips to help you make the most of Halloween if you're into creating stock photographs.
"As long as you're in your costume, shoot model stock! Put on your costume extra early and do a stock shoot before the party. (This is also good for testing out your costume before you have to wear it all night!) Do poses that are typical AND atypical for your character, for variety.

Halloween is also a great opportunity to shoot costumed model stock of people other than yourself, but make sure you have their permission. ^Elandria suggested to me once to just print out model release forms to take with you, and then ask people to sign them after taking pictures. That
way, you can get natural-looking photos, AND the people photographed can know exactly what they are approving for use. Just make sure you don't use the photos of people that didn't want to sign the release for stock. If you are lucky enough to have friends that aren't shy, try getting together for a group stock session!
Don't forget object stock! Take stock of jack-o-lanterns, treat bowls, yellow-orange leaves, Halloween decorations, and anything else that is only around at this time of year. Acquiring a stocker's eye takes practice, but keeping your camera out of its case to stay in the mindset of, "Would that be good for stock?" will help. Halloween is a great time to get stock that you can't get for the rest of the year."

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Halloween  is a particularly difficult holiday to shoot because most of the action  occurs after dark, when low-light conditions make it difficult for your  camera to get a sharp shot. You’ll get your best Halloween photos at dusk. For that hour or so while the sun is setting, you’ll have enough natural light to easily forgo your flash while still capturing the glow of your Pumpkins and the bright colors of your costumes. After sunset, use a high ISO setting (400 or more) and hold your camera  as steady as you can (or use a tripod) to capture action without a flash. The rich, dark colors characteristic of Halloween are essential in setting a spooky mood, so make sure your flash doesn’t overpower them. Remember, Halloween’s not a bright holiday; and dark and creepy shots can work in your favor.

"Use a tripod and change your exposure when shooting in low light to capture the mood a lot more crisply and sharply. Use a good flash for indoor photography or bounce your flash off of something." ~ ^Astralseed

"Get down to the level of your subject and don't shoot down at them!" ~ ^deshrubber

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You can have the most awesome Halloween Costume and yet, the picture just does not do it justice. So many people work tirelessly on their costumes but lack in knowing how to capture them properly. It's a huge shame because the photograph afterwards is Art in itself. Over-exposed faces, the wrong shoes, running make up and random backgrounds are just some of the things that people struggle to get right. It's firstly important to pose against a background that fits your costume. Bathroom mirror shots and 'arm chopped off' mobile phone shots are just not the way forward! You're better than that. If you can't find a backdrop, make one, or find a blank wall to help you out.

As with a lot of Halloween Photography, don't be scared to get up close and personal. If your face makeup is the best part of your costume, fill the frame with it! Equally if it's your hair - do the same there and so on. Be careful with the flash, don't use auto - if you have to, then add some filler, a reflector or a diffuser to help take the glare down.

Check your shoes. Honestly, it's what people think about the least. Perfect costume - sandals on feet. Awesome scary zombie - wearing flip flops...don't let your shoes let you down. A rule that should be applied on and off camera!

Finally, strike a pose that's fitting to your costume. Snow White shouldn't flex her muscles and Superman shouldn't be looking timid and innocent. Get the pose right and you've added atmosphere right there.

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As many of you know, the Capture Your Pumpkin Contest has launched! So why not take advantage of these tips in capturing your Pumpkin most effectively and having a chance to win the contest! Pumpkins, or as some of you know them - Jack - o - Lanterns - are a beautiful subject at Halloween. Warm glows, Orange hues, lovely long shadows - they make everything cosy and round off the perfect Halloween Decorations. So it's important you turn off the flash, grab a tripod and change to a long shutter speed to get some great glows and minimal blurs.
If you’re photographing outdoors and your shots only capture the glow  of the jack-o-lantern and nothing of its outer shape, try creating some  makeshift lighting with a flashlight raked against the outer hull of the pumpkin–you can generate some pretty dramatic lighting effects this way!

The more light your jack-o-lanterns pump out, the more bewitching they’ll appear through your lens. Try to maximize the size of the openings to allow as much candlelight as possible to get out. Bigger openings will also help if you want to use your jack-o-lantern to cast light on bystanders. And the bigger your pumpkin, the easier it’ll be to  make those openings large! Also don't forget - it's not all about the carving...

Hi everyone,

I hope you have enjoyed your week! It's been kind-of quiet around here lately; have you all been at the beach?

Here is what I know is going on in our community.

Please welcome . . .

Every week we will try to feature a new member of our community. If you know of a new member (who has been here 6 months or less) and want to have a "welcome" feature for them, please note their name to =ChisSweetArt.

This week, we are welcoming =WriteGirl, Tanya, a writer-turned-manipulator! She has been in our community for about a month, and she has already contributed a great deal through her nicely-developing artistry and inspiring sense of creativity. Here are some of her lovely works for you to admire:

Why not drop by her gallery, leave a comment or two, and welcome her to our community? We've all been new at one point or another, and it's nice to make new friends.

Random Acts of Kindness

Our first Random Acts of Kindness Day (August 7th, dA's birthday) went really well! It was a day of support for our fellow artists, and we chose 12 deviants to receive a one-month membership from Community Relations and a feature from me. You can view the winners here!. I was really touched to see how many people were willing to reach out to each other on this special day. But, can we sustain this mutual support every other day?

By popular demand and thanks to the generosity of $Moonbeam13, Director of Community Relations, we will be having Random Acts of Kindness projects in the photomanipulation community more frequently-- like, every month. We haven't worked out exactly how we are going to do it yet, but I'm leaning toward having people nominate people for doing kind things all month long. Then, we can choose some people to feature at the end of the month. There may also be some prizes involved for people who have really gone out of their way to support others. This project will start shortly, so stay tuned!

They say that having 'integrity' means doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. Acts of Kindness should be done because doing so supports the growth of our photomanipulation community and the deviantART community as a whole. Why not be kind every day? I am excited about this project and about promoting positive support and artistic growth within our community.

Premades and Copyrights

Just a reminder to make sure you are checking to make sure that the stock provider who lets you use a premade background actually has permission to make the stocks they used into a premade. Here is dA's official clarification of the copyright policy as it relates to stock and resources. Any questions about dA's policies on this issue should be directed to the Help Desk.

Advanced Photomanipulation Month

Once again, Project Educate: Advanced Photomanipulation Workshop Month is being moved to OCTOBER rather than September. This move serves two purposes: (1) It gives us more time to plan and (2) It lets us do something in conjunction with Halloween. We have a planning committee going on over at ~The-Sacred-Space, and if you would like to join, you would be more than welcome. =nikkidoodlesx3 will be my community Co-Chair for the event, and I am super excited to be working with her! I will be contacting some of our more experienced photomanipulators to get their input on the events that we plan and also contacting beginner and intermediate artists to gain a better understanding of how we as a community, together, can provide a learning experience that is beneficial to everyone.

Current Contests

There are a lot of contests in which you can participate right now! Why not challenge yourself?

• Before & After Feedback Competition
• The Other Side of Me contest
• Pearls are Women's Best Friends" contest
• Mythical Forest World
• Black Magic contest
• Seven Virtues Contest
• Bravery contest
• Show your imaginary world
• Chinese Horoscope Contest
• When Angels Fly
• Halloween Tarot Deck
• The Best Ever Female Portrait Contest
• Native American contest
• The Raven and the Dove
• #PsychoArtistUnited Challenges
• Behind the Mask Contest
• Double Contest!
• Lighting Challenge
• Collaboration Contest: Dark Halloween
• Erzebet Bathory Contest
• Sun and Moon Contest

Other Good News

Lots of other interesting new things to check out here in the photomanipulation community as well as on dA in general!

• The winners of the When Darkness Falls competition will be announced very soon! Thanks for your patience!
• This week is Daily Deviation Week over in #projecteducate!! Make sure you are watching, especially if you have questions or concerns about how DDs are determined or given out.
• Rising Stars of Photomanipulation Volume 3
• Rising Stars of Photomanipulation Volume 4
• Help support our application to manage .ART
• Fairy Contest winners
• Tutorial: How to make Fog
• Satanic Contest winners
• Stock Challenge Chat winners
• Run your own Community Project!
• New group: #DA-A-U is for getting contests more exposure and finding out what's going on in the world of contests on dA!
• New group: #Inspiration-Creative
• New group: #EliteManips
• New group: #BeyondOthers
  
• New group: #PremiumContent

Feature

I want to give our outstanding community leader, =Vam-pyre, a huge thank-you for choosing our featured deviations this week. They represent the wide variety of tastes, styles, and levels of expertise that can be found in our community. Enjoy!


Be well!

Jade (^SanguineVamp) and the Photomanipulation Community

The sky is so often underestimated in terms of Photography that I felt compelled to give it a bit of love and talk about it in this weeks article. I've been following UK Storm Chasers on facebook who have been documenting the arrival of the 'demon child of Nadine' as it has been deemed. Hurricane Nadine is still out there in the Atlantic Ocean spinning around and preparing to send the UK another demon child (which is really just a tropical storm to us) and with it comes a plethora of opportunities to snap some stunning skies and horizons. But do we appreciate the sky enough? I don't think we do. When was the last time you stopped shooting at eye level and looked up? Often, there's nothing there - but often too, there's something worth capturing. The general rule when capturing landscapes is to tilt your camera downwards and put emphasis on the foreground. So therefore the sky occupies very little of the final product. However trying something different warrants a bit of creativity but should hopefully land you with something completely different...
I wanted to capture the beginnings of the storm last week, but the view from my window was full of builders, skips, lorries and cars on eye level as it was the middle of the day and the road outside was busy. The clouds on their own didn't work well - but putting in that slither of trees in the background just finished it off nicely. Why not give it a go and focus on the sky instead of on a level next time you shoot?

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Community Relations News

The 3rd Issue of Celebrating Diversity is out - and what a diverse collection we have! Check it out for inspiring works across many galleries here on deviantart. We've also rounded up our Daily Deviation roundups for September to make it easier for you to navigate to where you want to go. Check out the Full List.

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Contests

The beginning of a new month sees a lot of monthly contests launching again with new themes and challenges. There has been a lot happening in the general photography world lately and so I've got a mini roundup here to help you out so you can see what you do and don't want to enter!

Capture Your Pumpkin! hosted in the #Still-Life-Stills group this contest is still life photography based. But do not fear - if you've never ventured into the Still Life World it doesn't matter! You can quite easily pick up your camera and get creative on this one. Plus there's a category for best carving too....so why not get creative with the carving knife (and your pumpkin!)

Abstract Colours Contest has launched over at #Abstract-and-Surreal and challenges you to capture colour in abstract!

Recipe Challenge: Pesto be sure to check over at #Still-Life-Stills for the recipe for this months challenge and the winners from last month. October will be encouraging to create something with Pesto! Don't know what that is? Check out the group for more info!

Orange Still Life Contest is open at #Still-Life-Stills and is for your Orange themed still life photography. Head to the group to enter!

Seasonal Portraiture Contest is open and is being hosted by #communityrelations along with #PeopleAndPortraits. Check it out as it challenges you to capture people in seasonal environments and creative ways! There is a fantastic prize list too.

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News & Events from Chats

We had our second photography games night this week and it went down really well! Lots of people came along and took part in the obscure photo challenge which involved taking a photo there and then and making it as obscure as possible for the guessing game afterwards. Lots of prizes were given out and we're planning our next event which will be in November - check out the Chat events Calendar and follow #communityrelations for constant updates!

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Spotlight Deviant

This week ^Astralseed bought a photographer to my attention. *1pen shows us exactly how she has improved over a period of time with regards to photography with a fantastic deviation that illustrates the chance and development in skills quite clearly.
"It's an intimidating field, in fact, most photographers will tell you that aside from embedding with the military it's probably the most expensive and difficult field in photography there is. But the fact is with a lot of hard work and practice you can improve. Up there shows what can happen in a year(ish) all completely self-taught. That example spans 72 professional games and countless daysin between spent photographing high school teams, youth teams, college teams, junior teams, county teams, and mountains and zoos and my kitty cat."

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Project Educate

Community week is over thanks to ^neurotype and `JamminJo for heading it up and making it all run smoothly as well as all the fabulous contributors that ran weeks this week! You're all awesome! Check out the gallery for a roundup of all things covered in case you missed anything out. If you want to get involved with the next Communnity week then note #projecteducate! Now it's Photo-manipulation MONTH - which means a month of awesome courtesy of ^SanguineVamp - get yourselves over there and get involved!

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Art History

We're calling for all History Enthusiasts to get involved with the next few months of Art History! Read the article and head over to #ArtHistoryProject to send a note and get involved. Don't forget it's Digital Art Month currently which means lots of historical info about Digital Art is emerging - follow the group for more information!

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General Photography

Community Volunteers ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl |

Photography Troubleshooting this week explores Autumn and getting the best out of those Autumnal shots if you're in a location where the trees drop their leaves and misty mornings creep in. Hopefully it will be useful and once again, if you've got a burning photography question let me know and the Photography team will do their best to answer it! We're also looking for Historians in the Photography world - know some history about Photography? Why not write an article for #ArtHistoryProject in January - note the group to take part! ^3wyl has put together a roundup of her September Daily Deviations and you can find my roundup here!

Still Life Photography

Community Volunteers ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl |

Nom Nom is out again and features very delicious looking cheesecakes! Be warned - it's tasty and you might get VERY hungry looking at the images! As always if you have a foodie theme you'd like to see featured in Nom Nom just let me know. We announced yet another Still Life Photographer of the Week and our blue themed contest at #Still-Life-Stills ended at the end of September and there were some wonderful entries. However we had to pick winners - congratulations to *catchingfyre who landed first place with The First Snow..
Head over to #Still-Life-Stills and join in our Monthly Recipe challenge - also find out the winners from last month! This month we're making Pesto!

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People & Portraits Photography

Community Volunteers ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl |

The People & Portraits Photography team decided that it was time we had a group dedicated to purely the People and Portrait Photography galleries! So #PeopleAndPortraits was launched and with it the Seasonal Portraiture Photography Contest. Head over to the group and join - check out our latest blog which features the very first People & Portraits Photographer of the Week and make yourself comfortable! We're also including the other galleries within People & Portraits that have specific Community Volunteers and we're very pleased to have the majority of those awesome people on board in the group!
Monochrome Eyes is one of our first blog series by =WickedMirage which looks to be fantastic!
 Finally, the latest edition of People & Portraits Exposed is out showcasing some of the most popular portraiture photography in the past 48 hours.

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Artistic Nude

Community Volunteer ^Nyx-Valentine

The feature theme this week is Sunshine! Check out the blog for some fantastic features and artwork - contains mature content.

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Architecture Photography

Community Volunteer ^anmari

The Architecture Roundup for September is out giving an overview of the daily deviations that were featured throughout the month. Check it out for inspiration on what to suggest ^anmari this month!

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Abstract & Surreal Photography

Community Volunteer `DpressedSoul

#Abstract-and-Surreal is really busy at the moment with our latest monthly contest announced and lots of fabulous blogs popping up here and there. Finding Beauty beauty is back and written by *RosleinRot and =WickedMirage has put together a fantastic Abstract Feature. The rather wonderful *KizukiTamura has put together Square Abstract and Surreal Features.
`DpressedSoul has rounded up the daily deviations in Abstract and Surreal for September so you can see what was featured last month and get ideas for suggestions this month! Check out Every Day Hurts for a wonderful abstract and surreal feature.

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Conceptual Photography

Community Volunteer `DemonMathiel

The Conceptual Daily Deviation roundup for September is out! Take a peek for some fantastic conceptual works and inspiration on what to suggest to `DemonMathiel next!

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Horror, Macabre & Cosplay Photography

Community Volunteer ^pullingcandy

Serenade me Sinister is back! This time around it features  art alongside The 69 Eyes! Check it out for some fantastic artwork. ^pullingcandy has also published the Horror and Macabre Roundup and the Cosplay DD Roundup!

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Street Photography

Community Volunteer `StamatisGR

The September Roundup of Street Daily Deviations is out! Check it out for awesome works and inspiration!

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Photo-journalism

Community Volunteer `xbastex

Part Five of Masters of Photography is out and explores fantastic historical photo-journalists. Reccomended Artists gives you some ideas of who to watch right here on deviantART in the Photo-journalism Community.

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Photography Resources

I found this gem in *Fuzzypiggy's journal. So far I think it's only relevant to UK photographers - but I lost myself for a while searching through the images, particularly local, to see what people have snapped. The map is geared up to help you find locations to shoot at throughout the country and gives examples of what people have shot before. Take a look for a bit more info and a fantastic resource!

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News & Events From the Forums

The Forum Events Calendar gives you lots of information on the events and challenges going on in the forums this month. We've also opened up the Critique Thread for October - drop by with your work for some feedback!

Color space
War Photographer Opinions
Fashion and Glamour
Technique Help
Selective colouring, Why do you LIKE it?
Pancake Lens?
Urban Exploration: Where do you find your places?
Main adjustments done in RAW or Editing software?
Macro Lens?
Your first wedding shoot. How did it go?
Wedding Photography?
Suggested photography groups?
Is a full frame camera really worth it compared to cropped sensor?

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Photography Books

Photographing Shadow and Light by Joey L is a fantastic book exploring the photographers talent with a unique approach to portraiture and lighting. It's available now and retails at just £19.99. Worth a read or a borrow if you're into people and portrait photography and want an opinion from a young and inspiring photographer! Bryan Peterson has published a guide to understanding composition which is available from October and retails at £16.99. You can find it at [link] or amazon!

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Exhibitions

London

From the 1st of October in East London - it's Photomonth! It runs until the 30th of November, so there's a couple of months of awesome there and over 200 exhibitions and events are planned! For more information check out [link]!

13th Sept - 13th Jan 2013 @ The Barbican - Everything was moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s

Until 28th October @ Museum of London - At home with the Queen

Until 30th September @ Gallery OXO - Sea Change: Comparative Photos taken at low and high tide

East England

Until 28th October @ Red House - Beyond the Image: Photographers Gallery

30th September - 14th October @ Forum - New Angles  

Wales

17th September - 24th October @ Museum of Modern Art - Brian Adams: Rhaedr Ddu

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Weekly Features to keep an eye on!

There's so much going on around the community especially for Volunteers that sometimes the awesome news can be missed out. I hope to share any weekly or monthly features that are ongoing here so that you can browse them at your leisure. If you know of something that needs to be listed let me know!

Making a Difference from ^3wyl
dA Love for Everyone from `lintu47
Wonderful Wednesday from `JamminJo
Project Porkchop from ^Astralseed
Under 1,000 Views from *L0NE-W0lf
Colour me Orange from =Siaandra

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The Community Volunteer Team - Photography

General Photography: ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl

Architecture: ^anmari

Abstract and Surreal: `DpressedSoul

Animals, Plants and Nature: ^IsacGoulart

Darkroom: ^RockstarVanity

Artistic Nude and Fetish: ^Nyx-Valentine

Conceptual: `DemonMathiel

Fashion: ^Pixel-Spotlight

Horror & Macabre & Cosplay: ^pullingcandy

Pinup and Glamour: ^DistortedSmile

Photo-journalism: `xbastex

Street: `StamatisGR

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Groups to check out

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Get Involved...

You can get yourself into Photography Weekly just by sending me a note! Each week I look for:
Spotlight Deviants
Underappreciated Deviants
Spotlight Groups
Photography related news
Themes & Topics
Featured Tutorials

As the year crawls into the final quarter - lots of challenges and daily photo tasks and so on begin to conclude. I have personally been challenging myself with the 365 Photography challenge - a photo a day for a whole year. It has been tricky to say the least, especially as I set myself a high standard of capturing more than one Photo a day - but also rewarding. Setting yourself a challenge, whether it's following the 52 week photography challenges that are out there, or doing a themed challenge such as 365 breakfasts - is a great way of expanding on your portfolio. Whilst it sometimes means that you struggle to find anything interesting to photograph or share, on the days that you do, you're one step closer to building another aspect of your portfolio.

Next week in Photography Troubleshooting - we will be looking at Money Matters and some of the simplest, cheapest ways in which you can put yourself out there and earn money for your photography. Undertaking something such as the 365 photography challenge is a huge part of that whether it helps you make money or get your name around. On day two of the challenge, back in January, I sold some photos to a local newspaper for an article. Photos I had taken because I was taking a photo a day. I can definitely say that if I had not been doing this challenge, my camera would likely be picked up once or twice a week at the most. So have you been undertaking a photographic challenge at all this year? If so I'd love to hear about it, drop links to your blog/facebook page and so on in the comments of this article!

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General Photography

Community Volunteers ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl |

This week Photography Troubleshooting covered When and when not to use a tripod. Lots of you responded with your own personal views, hints and tips to working with tripods and getting the best out of them. Your responses were fantastic and it was great to get so much interaction going on the article. Hopefully it'll be the same for next week when we embark on Money Matters...
To be Seen is out again and explores some photographers that may be under-appreciated but truly deserving of some more exposure which they will hopefully get thanks to ^3wyl
Photographer of the Week over at #Still-Life-Stills is out once more and the17th Edition of Nom Nom has graced your inboxes. This week it was Cherries! As always if you have a foodie suggestion you'd like to see featured, just note me. Check out the Famous Landmarks Feature from ^krazykel - Stonehenge is featured this week - one of my favourite places especially for Photography! And finally, last but not least People and Portraits Exposed is up and showcases some of the up and coming portrait photographers this week.

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Community Relations News

Pimps and Whoas is out from the fantastic $Moonbeam13 and showcases a lot of the things going on around here. Celebrating Diversity is a fantastic new series of articles that have emerged from the genius of ^pica-ae. It's well worth checking out the diverse arts and artists and keeping an eye out for future articles as a lot of the CV team have signed up to write one! Did You Know is alive once more thanks to $namenotrequired head over and check out what you do and don't know! This week saw a lot of farewells to members of the team including `Hyazintha and `Cymae. But it also saw the welcome of lots of new faces including ^neurotype and ^NicSwaner for literature, ^PirateLotus-Stock for stock and resources and ^SaTaNiA for fractal! ^Thiefoworld came back along with `ChewedKandi!!

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Contests

If you have a contest let me know and also let me know the end date! We can advertise it here.
Unframed Nature's BIG Autumn Contest ends November 7th.
Monthly Recipe Challenge ends October 4th.
Still Life Blue Contest Ends October 1st.
dA Related Autumn Contest ends October

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News & Events from Chats

Chat, Shoot and Build your Skills with #PhotoHunt! It's a hugely popular game hosted by the wonderful `AshleyxBrooke - read the article for more information! Don't forget to keep an eye on the Chat Events Calendar. We've made it easier to read by including all times in PST (Pacific Standard Time) and including a link on each event, to an event time announcer so you can check your local time. Additionally keep an eye on #communityrelations for a countdown!

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Spotlight Deviant

*jViks has a stunning gallery filled with nature and landscape captures that contain colours and hues that usually only dreams are made of - plus he's only been here three weeks! Go over and check out his gallery for inspiration and amazement.

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Project Educate

Last Week Street Art was very successful with wonderful articles shared by the fantastic ^kiwi-pdd. Now Photo-journalism week with `xbastex has kicked in and there are lots of articles to check out!
Natural Events
Natural Events II
Sports
Military

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Art History

Literature month is going strong with lots of fantastic articles pouring out of #ArtHistoryProject If you haven't already, then head over and join the group for regular updates!
Erotic Literature
An Interview with Atrue
An Interview with xIntwtch
An Interview with Lincoln
Found Poetry and Black Out Poetry
A Romantic Takeover
Through Sulamiths Eyes

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Abstract & Surreal Photography

Community Volunteer `DpressedSoul

Who Needs Colour is a monthly feature that has been put together once more exploring a world without colour. If you haven't already seen the weekly editions of The Surrealist then where have you been all this time?!

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Fashion Photography

Community Volunteer ^Pixel-Spotlight

Fashion Friday is out again from ^dekorAdum Check it out for some awesome Fashion features!

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Street Photography

Community Volunteer `StamatisGR

The Third edition of Free Street E-books is out! Check it out for a fantastic collection of free resources.

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Photography Resources

In line with the theme this week of promoting yourself, taking part in challenges and indeed blogging - this resource might be quite useful. Five tips for creating a successful photography blog is an article doing exactly what it says in the title! Good luck!

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News & Events From the Forums

The Forum Events Calendar is a new post from ^3wyl that lets you know what's going on in the Forums and how you can get involved!

Photojournalism. Is it on its deathbed?
Mirrorless VS. Single Lens Reflex
Restricting a client's copyrights?
Models of the Day
Which camera would everyone recommend?
Medium Format Cameras - Bronica?
How do you all do macro photography?

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Photography Books

There are so many books out there on photography but so much info online these days that often, it's hard to switch off and pick up a book instead. However I urge you to do it every now and again if you can. It really helps with focus and new ideas. Phaidon's photobooks - both 1 & 2 are well worth a read for a guide to creating your OWN book of photography.

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Exhibitions

London

13th Sept - 13th Jan 2013 @ The Barbican - Everything was moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s
Until 28th October @ Museum of London - At home with the Queen
Until 30th September @ Gallery OXO - Sea Change: Comparative Photos taken at low and high tide

East England

Until 28th October @ Red House - Beyond the Image: Photographers Gallery
30th September - 14th October @ Forum - New Angles

Wales

17th September - 24th October @ Museum of Modern Art - Brian Adams: Rhaedr Ddu

United States of America 

BOSTON: Until 31st December @ Museum of Fine Arts - Edward Weston: Leaves of Grass
CHICAGO: Until 27th October @ Catherine Edelman Gallery  - Terry Evans: Overview
NEW YORK: Until 13th October @ Yossi Milo Gallery - Lisa Sarfati on Hollywood
SANTA FE: Until 13th October @ Verve Gallery - Susan Burnstine, Michael Courser and Douglas Ethridge

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Weekly Features to keep an eye on!

There's so much going on around the community especially for Volunteers that sometimes the awesome news can be missed out. I hope to share any weekly or monthly features that are ongoing here so that you can browse them at your leisure. If you know of something that needs to be listed let me know!

Project Comment's Interviews from ^3wyl
Making a Difference from ^3wyl
Project Porkchop from ^Astralseed
Under 1,000 Views from *L0NE-W0lf
Life through a lens from `ScENeYmE

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The Community Volunteer Team - Photography

General Photography: ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl |

Architecture: ^anmari

Abstract and Surreal: `DpressedSoul

Animals, Plants and Nature: :isacg:

Darkroom: ^RockstarVanity

Artistic Nude and Fetish: ^Nyx-Valentine

Conceptual: `DemonMathiel

Fashion: ^Pixel-Spotlight

Horror & Macabre & Cosplay: ^pullingcandy

Pinup and Glamour: ^DistortedSmile

Photo-journalism: `xbastex

Street: `StamatisGR

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Groups to check out

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Get Involved...

You can get yourself into Photography Weekly just by sending me a note! Each week I look for:
Spotlight Deviants
Underappreciated Deviants
Spotlight Groups
Photography related news
Themes & Topics
Featured Tutorials

Weather Photography has always fascinated me - the weather in general does anyway, but capturing those changes, shifts in atmosphere and so on have always had me in awe. However when browsing the latest news within popular photography early this week I was stunned by an image that NASA had captured of hurricane Isaac as it lurked over the USA. I've been in a hurricane before, but it never felt as organised or precise as this image shows. This shows a smooth beautiful cloud formation. When below  it's likely wreaking havoc and destroying lives. It's difficult to match the two together and contemplate them as the same thing. It's also incredible how we've advanced in terms of technology. This shot of Hurricane Isaac was captured at the end of a month in which images have been transferred from Mars. We, as a human race, have stepped further than ever before. Incredible isn't it.

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Community Relations News

This week we've said farewell to a few more members of the CV team. Go and show some love to `nasakii `oh-my-goat and `FixMeKnow! Don't forget, if you want to be considered as a volunteer you can check out the current openings in This Journal!

dA Related Update
Birthday Photomanip Challenge Winners!
dA Related Contest - Autumn
Traditional Tuesdays
Tutorial: Joining Chatrooms!

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Upcoming Chat Events

Today is the dA related monthly chat event which you can find more information about here. Pop along and take part in some of the fun and games for the chance to win some lovely prizes!

Next Friday members of the CV team are joining up with the fantastic `AshleyxBrooke to attend and host
PhotoHunt! Check out that article for the rules and regs, times and place. There will be prizes to be won!

Check out the Chat events calendar for more upcoming events. Is there something that doesn't fit your time zone? Let us know on the article and we'll see what we can do!

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Spotlight Deviant

~sandae hasn't been here all that long but has certainly made an impressionable gallery already! Using double exposures and traditional techniques he has created unique and inspiring photos.

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Deviants to Check Out This Week

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Project Educate

It's Fashion Photography week over at #projecteducate so head over to get some informative, fantastic articles from the Fashion CV ^Pixel-Spotlight! This will be closely followed next week by ^kiwi-pdd bringing us Street Art!

Fashion Photography Introduction
Stylenoir Magazine Interview
Walkthrough: Testing

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Art History

This month it's Literature and already there has been a wide range of articles published to help give a historical overview for some iconic past literary influences. Check out and watch #ArtHistoryProject for the latest updates!
Welcome to Literature
The tales of Beatrix Potter
Children's Literature, Morality and Changing Ideals
The Bible and its influence on Literature
The Visual Novel

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General Photography

Community Volunteers ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl | ^IsacGoulart

Our Photography games night this week was very successful with, I think, lots of fun had by all! We started out with 'Snap it' challenges where people had to go and shoot something as obscure as possible. The trickiest to guess won a prize! We gave out points throughout the evening and had a mini trivia game too. We're hoping to get some more of these going so check out the Chat events calendar!

Photography Troubleshooting is BACK! This time around `sine-out has explored some of the issues around Dull Images on dA. If you've ever wondered why sometimes your colours change in your photos, then check out the article as it might just answer it for you!

`ScENeYmE has brought back her previous articles which were a hit before - and will be again! Check out
Photography Discovered and Life Through a Lens for some fantastic photographers here on deviantART.

Still Life Photography

There is lots going on in the still life photography community this week! Lately I've had some beautiful suggestions for Still Life Photographs - keep them coming! Over at #Still-Life-Stills - the main hub for still life photographers - we've announced our September Theme and the latest Photographer of the Week. ~claremanson has put together a back to school Still life Photography feature!

 *mondscheinsonate has also introduced our monthly recipe challenge which is Apple Chocolate Cake for September. Have a go at making it and head over to submit your results for the chance to have a prize or two! Finally Nom Nom is out once more with some mouth-watering Cupcakes! We've also welcomed two new team members!

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Abstract & Surreal Photography

Community Volunteer `DpressedSoul

Through #Abstract-and-Surreal =MichiLauke has blogged a wonderful article exploring beautiful infrared photographs. Take a look!Also we're still working on bringing you the infrared category within the galleries - your patience is acknowledged!

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Conceptual Photography

Community Volunteer `DemonMathiel

The Power of Ideas - a conceptual article from `DemonMathiel is back and shares some conceptual photography hopefully to provoke thought and inspiration. Don't forget to keep sending your Daily Deviation suggestions to `DemonMathiel!

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Darkroom Photography

Community Volunteer ^RockstarVanity

Whilst not Darkroom related - it's definitely dA related and ^RockstarVanity has given lots of info in this fantastic article Deviants who offer Points Commissions. DeviantART is a hive for budding entrepreneurs who want to sell their art for a few points or art trade. The article lists a handful of those who are currently offering commissions.

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Street Photography

Community Volunteer `StamatisGR

There are a couple of interesting articles this week that are well worth checking out. The Playground is Open is an article inviting you to #TheYardPlayground - a group which is open and encourages street photographers of every level to take part, share knowledge and give each other feedback. If you're looking for some inspiration and information on street Photography then check out `StamatisGR's article exploring Free Street E-books!

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Urban & Rural Photography

Community Volunteer `fritsvandersloot

City Strolls is out once more and if you do nothing else today, at least take a wander through the wonderful cities showcased in ^ladygagz's article!

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Photography Resources

This fantastic video explores the beauty and rewards in Night Photography. It's worth a watch just for a bit of inspiration and with the seasons changing (in the UK) to Autumn and Winter and the nights getting darker hopefully your photography won't suffer and you can still head outside!

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Photography Books

This is quite an interesting resource that I've discovered this week. It's an online Photography book which has resources such as HDR photography information, Black and white Photography and a model release form - something many forget about!

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Weekly Features to keep an eye on!

There's so much going on around the community especially for Volunteers that sometimes the awesome news can be missed out. I hope to share any weekly or monthly features that are ongoing here so that you can browse them at your leisure. If you know of something that needs to be listed let me know!

dA Love for Everyone from `lintu47
Project Porkchop from ^Astralseed
Under 1,000 Views from *L0NE-W0lf
Weekly Light Hunters from =MarinaCoric

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The Community Volunteer Team - Photography

The Community Volunteer Team - Photography

General Photography: ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl | ^IsacGoulart

Architecture ^anmari

Abstract and Surreal: `DpressedSoul

Animals, Plants and Nature: ^IsacGoulart

Darkroom: ^RockstarVanity

Urban and Rural: `fritsvandersloot

Artistic Nude and Fetish: ^Nyx-Valentine

Conceptual: `DemonMathiel

Fashion: ^Pixel-Spotlight

Horror & Macabre & Cosplay: ^pullingcandy

Pinup and Glamour: ^DistortedSmile

Photo-journalism: `xbastex

Street: `StamatisGR

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Groups to check out

---

Get Involved...

You can get yourself into Photography Weekly just by sending me a note! Each week I look for:
Spotlight Deviants
Underappreciated Deviants
Spotlight Groups
Photography related news
Themes & Topics
Featured Tutorial

In the news this week there has been a spotlight on Karren Brady, a photographer who has won a copyright ruling. The news article itself is interesting but the cautions that it turfs up for the future and current generations of photographers are slightly more concerning. The general feeling that has started to develop is that if you have assistance with setting up a shot, making a scene, posing a model and making up a person for example, those people may well have rights to your work. This is also being debated with regards to post-production and if you get somebody else to edit your work. What are your thoughts on this? And when attributing this to the deviantART community, what are your personal thoughts and opinions on crediting and recognition for models where possible too? And do you strive to get signatures for the work you do?

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Community Relations News

There have been lots of happenings the past few weeks including lots of things going on for deviantART's twelfth Birthday which was on Tuesday. The gameshow went fantastically well and subsequently ^3wyl and I have secured a date for our next chat event which will have some photography relations but will be about challenges and contests. To find out more check out the Gameshow results and next event details.

Congratulations to all those who applied for a creative grant in the first round and got accepted! There are some really exciting projects receiving a bit of funding to help them get kickstarted or progress and you can read all about it here!

July Daily Deviation Roundups
The LOL Corner
Ongoing Community Projects
Want to run your own community project?
DeviantART Related Updates
How to create a chatroom!
Pimps and Whoas
Bi-weekly Critique nights

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Contests

This is a section that will be expanded on when you note me your contests and events on deviantART!
Photography and Challenges evening on 4th September at 8pm UK time in #CommunityRelations
The Self Portrait Contest

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Spotlight On ~dadar

~dadar was brought to my attention this week by ~dutchshun who sent me a note along with a beautiful piece of his photography.
Photography is a powerful tool, we have the ability to capture a thousand moments and a million unsaid words with just a few clicks of a button. ~dadar's work is a fine example of those moments, those little treasures, captured.

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Spotlight On #UKPhotography

The group does exactly what it says in the name and spotlights UK photographers and shots taken within the United Kingdom. Many don't know, but the UK is actually made up of four Countries which includes England, Northern Ireland (as Southern is independent from the UK), Scotland and Wales. Great Britain is the term used to describe Scotland, Wales and England. And England...well we're just England! The UK has some fantastic photography spots and the group highlights those by showcasing artists from across the Kingdom.
 

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Deviants to Check Out This Week

Each week we bring you a selection of Deviants introducing a wide range of works that might interest you. If you want to be considered or you know somebody who deserves a spotlight just send me a note!

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Project Educate

#projecteducate is a Community Volunteer led project that aims to help educate the wider deviantART population in many different areas of art. It's about tutorials, features, interviews, education, guides and much more. Every few months members of the community team at #projecteducate put together a Community Week - something which you are invited to get involved with, as members of the community. If you're interesting in writing for Community Week then please note the group for more information.

`DpressedSoul has been extra busy this week in the Abstract & Surreal Community as it's his turn with Project Educate. There are some fantastic informative articles, awesome interviews and a few more bits to come to get you inspired, educated and artistic.

Introduction
Lines
Interview with Eintoern
The Colour and the Shape
Interview with Tuminka

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Art History

Throughout the month of August the #ArtHistoryProject has been publishing informational and historical blogs covering many aspects of Graphics. There are some really beautiful articles there to read and lots of information to cover in order to get yourself clued up on your favourite artforms.

Graphics Month!
The Beginning of Manga
The Beginning of American Comics
Manga AND WAR!
History of Comic-Con International
Akira Toriyama

Literature Is Coming! Throughout September the Art History focus will be on Literature and there are many ways in which you can get yourself involved. Have a read of the blog to find out more!

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General Photography

Community Volunteers ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl | ^IsacGoulart  

Nom Nom is out once more and explores Bread! If you've a suggestion for themes for Nom Nom then please send them my way! Additionally our Still Life Monthly Photography Contest has opened over at #Still-Life-Stills. Be sure to read the rules and get submitting your yellow works for a chance to win some prizes!

All Snapped Up is a brand new series of articles from ^3wyl that's worth keeping an eye on and if you've any ideas of photographers that should be snapped up send them over to ^3wyl!

Every Picture tells a story, whether that's about the content of the shot, the photographer or indeed both. ^IsacGoulart has begun a series of articles that take you inside the mind of the photographer in order to explore where he or she was coming from, and find out exactly how they captured that moment. Check out the Full Article Here for more.

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Architecture Photography

Community Volunteer ^anmari

The July Summary of Architecture is out and there's lots going on - or lots has been going on and if you've missed it that's the place to go for a catch up! Don't forget that you can suggest Architecture Daily Deviations to ^anmari via note.

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Abstract & Surreal Photography

Community Volunteer `DpressedSoul

Firstly the August Contest is open over at #Abstract-and-Surreal and has a theme of Water! Head over to the gallery, read the comment for more info and get your work in for a chance of scoring some points!

New Samples of Magic Infrared Photos is out once more and explores some of those mystifying yet beautiful infrared shots here on deviantART. Also a Surreal Edition of Finding Beauty is out and shares some fantastic but surrealistic works!

As well as checking out the #projecteducate articles mentioned earlier in the news article there is also another emotive feature out from `DpressedSoul. Memories Punish me Once Again is a feature using music by Anathema and work from the Abstract and Surreal Community.

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Animals, Plants & Nature Photography

Community Volunteers ^Kaz-D | ^IsacGoulart | ^3wyl

Keep sending your Animals, Plants and Nature suggestions to the General Photography Volunteers ^3wyl ^Kaz-D and ^IsacGoulart. We look forward to receiving them and getting your 'APN' work showcased!

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Conceptual Photography

Community Volunteer `DemonMathiel

There are still a few more weeks left for you to enter the Conceptual Summer Contest hosted by `DemonMathiel! If you need inspiration then browse the current entries here! The Conceptual Photography DD Summary is also out!

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Darkroom Photography

Community Volunteer ^RockstarVanity

The July Darkroom Roundup is out and ready to be browsed. It contains all the Daily Deviations awarded to Darkroom Photography during the month of July! Additionally ^RockstarVanity has been busy with Darkroom Exposed and has posted a fantastic article exploring Ambrotypes! No idea what I'm talking about? Head over and have a look!

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Horror, Macabre & Cosplay Photography

Community Volunteer ^pullingcandy

The Spooky DD Roundup for July has been posted and is a summary of all the Horror and Macabre DDs given throughout the month. CosplayCosplay is also out too! Remember that although Cosplay comes under People and Portraits, ^pullingcandy is the person to suggest the DDs to in this case!

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Pin-Up & Glamour Photography

Community Volunteer ^DistortedSmile

The July DD Roundup is out so you can check out all the pinup and glamour Daily Deviations awarded throughout the past month. Some images within the journal will be mature content. Under the Skin is also out once again and highlights undiscovered talent within the community. Check out who has been featured this time around!

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Street Photography

Community Volunteer `StamatisGR

Check out the street photography Daily Deviation roundup. Additionally there's an issue of Friday Night Specials out and another one will be posted today so stop by Stamatis's page and check out some inspirational work.

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Featured  Action

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From the Forums

What makes someone a photographer?
Tips for macro photography?
How often are you out taking photographs?
Photographing Strangers
Advice on Buying Lighting Equipment
How to improve your style
Do you print your photos?
What makes a photo sell?

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Photography Books

The Photo Book is an 'anthology' of photography as it were. From Julia Margaret Cameron to Herb Rittz, it explores photographers from across the years to give you insight, education and inspiration!

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Weekly Features to keep an eye on!

There's so much going on around the community especially for Volunteers that sometimes the awesome news can be missed out. I hope to share any weekly or monthly features that are ongoing here so that you can browse them at your leisure. If you know of something that needs to be listed let me know!

Making a Difference from ^3wyl
dA Love for Everyone from `lintu47
Wonderful Wednesday from `JamminJo
Project Porkchop from ^Astralseed
Under 1,000 Views from *L0NE-W0lf
Square-ishSquare-ish from `dragonfly-oli
Hairflow from =MarinaCoric

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The Community Volunteer Team - Photography

The Community Volunteer Team - Photography

General Photography: ^Kaz-D | ^3wyl | ^IsacGoulart

Architecture ^anmari

Abstract and Surreal: `DpressedSoul

Darkroom: ^RockstarVanity

Urban and Rural: `fritsvandersloot

Artistic Nude and Fetish: ^Nyx-Valentine

Conceptual: `DemonMathiel

Fashion: ^Pixel-Spotlight

Horror & Macabre & Cosplay: ^pullingcandy

Pinup and Glamour: ^DistortedSmile

Photo-journalism: `xbastex

Street: `StamatisGR

---

Groups to check out

---

Get Involved...

You can get yourself into Photography Weekly just by sending me a note! Each week I look for:
Spotlight Deviants
Underappreciated Deviants
Spotlight Groups
Photography related news
Themes & Topics
Featured Tutorials