Camera Straps

As more and more people are branching out into the world of DSLR usage there has been an increased desire for not only a more comfortable camera straps but for ones that are more fun. Some people even have several to match different outfits, their camera bags, their moods, or for certain events they are attending.

I have so far only purchased one new camera strap(however I am sure there are more in my future) and I went with this cute example which I purchased from the etsy shop of Kristie Denton




There are also some others that make camera straps on etsy so do a search on the words camera strap and see what pops up.


Now for those that feel they are not ready to branch out into the fun and funky looks and just want comfort places like B&H or Amazon (among others) have a ton to choose from.
A very popular brand for comfort is Op/Tech.


Of course there are those that are more crafty and creative than others and will simply make their own and I applaud those people. Make it fun, make it funky, but most of all make it comfy and functional….

**Edit in December 2008**

I am up to 3 fun camera straps. The person I got my original from is no longer making them but there are lots of others out on Etsy for purchase.

Photoshop and lightroom Actions/Presets/Templates

Looking for some fun and unique presets or actions for Photoshop, Photoshop elements or even ligthroom? Well the below links are just a few of the Many options out there. Give it a look..

Jess's Actions and Presets - Lightroom and Photoshop and Photoshop Elements

Lolly's Actions and presets - Or Lolly's Playground Lightroom and Photoshop CS2 & CS3

Vibe - Actions, Presets, and Borders In Photoshop and Photshop Elements

Orange Gecko Designs Actions/borders/story boards and other fun stuff.

Here is another site that has some Great templates

LCH Photography - Click on the Photography designs link

For those really new to this and wondering what actions are here is a brief description

Actions...What are those?
Actions are mini"programs" or keystroke replicators. (macros)

If there is a certain set of steps you do on a regular basis in PS you can "record" these keystrokes into an Action, so in the future, you could accomplish them ALL with the click of one button. Pretty cool huh?

There are many talented photographers and designers out there that have recorded THEIR successful Actions and sell them (or offer them for free from time to time) so we can all more easily replicate the "looks" they achieve in their photos.

You can even have an action for proof sharpening and resisizng or even for embedding copyright info into the EXIF data of each image AND adding your copyright logo on the images for proofing.

Oh and if you are thinking you will never be able to keep track of all your actions.. Never fear there is this great little software program called ActionDex that organizes all your actions for you. It gives you a lot of management ability for your actions..

Photoshop tutorials

Photoshop has oodles of things to offer the digital photographer but getting started can be very overwhelming. So here are some links to various sites that offer tutorials.

A couple basic tutorials by Jess
The Photoshop Fairy -Brought to you by Orange Gecko designs
Making a collage
The Curve Tool

Of course you can also find others by using a search engine.

Help they are speaking in code - Acronyms and other definitions

Help what on earth are people talking about? What do all these acronyms stand for? What do these terms mean? Here is a list of some things you might come across. It isn't complete but it covers a lot of them.


18% grey/midtone grey: Average tone the camera meter wants to make the picture. If there is lot's of light or dark in the image, exposure should be adjusted accordingly.

A : Aperture Priority Shooting
ACR : Adobe Camera Raw : raw file converter in PS products
Adobe : company that produces Photoshop and Acrobat among other products Action : automated steps to achieve a change in an image : B&W : Sepia : Color pop : see bottom of post for more on actions
AD : Anomolous Dispersion
AE Lock : Way to set focus AF : Auto Focus
AF-I : Nikon Auto:Focus lens with Integrated motor
AF-S : Nikon Auto:Focus lens with Silent wave motor
AI : Automatic Indexing
Alien Bees : a brand of studio lights
AP : Aperture priority
APO : Apochromatic (Sigma)
Aspect Ratio : the ratio of height to width of an image. The traditional 35:mm film ratio is 2:3, which is frequently expressed as 1.5 to 1 It is what makes an 8x12 work as an uncropped image and also what makes an 8x10 not work as an uncropped image.
AR : Aspect Ratio (W/H)
aRGB : Adobe RGB
AS(S) : Anti Shake (System)
AV : Aperture priority Asph : Aspherical

BetterPhoto : BetterPhoto.com: Offers classes : photo hosting and more
Bil : Sil : Fil : Mil : Brother, sister,father,mother:in:law Bi:scraptual : digi scrap and paper scrap or a combination thereof
BF : back focusing
BIF : Birds in flight
Bit images : can be 8 bit : 16 bit : 24 bit
BKT : auto bracketing
Blog : Web Log : personal website hosted by a blog site :
Bokeh : the background blur from a wide aperture.
BOG : Birds on ground
BOP : Birds on poles
BOW : Birds on water
BTT : Bump Thread to Top in message boards
Burn Tool : PS tool to darken areas of an image : darkroom term
B&W: Black and White photographs
BTW : by the way

CC : Constructive Criticism ( try to be helpful but nice)
C&C : Comments and critiques
CA : Chromatic Aberration
Card Reader : device used to move files from memory card to computer. Some printers and computers have card slots to read cards.
Catchlights : the white spots in photographed eyes : caused by the way light is reflected off the eyeball : oftened lightened in PS :
CNX : Capture NX (Nikon Program)
CoC : Circles of Confusion (commonly, "bokeh")
Collage: Grouping of photos Color Space : RGB, sRGB, AdobeRGB, etc
Conversions : converting a color image to B&W, sepia etc. often done with actions.
CPU : Central Processing Unit
CPL : Circular Polariser (also PL:CIR, and others depending on brand)
Crop : cutting off portions of an image CS3 : Creative Suite 3 (Adobe Software)
Curves : a feature of PS for fine tuning colors in an image
CWB : Custom White Balance

DD : DS : DH : Dear Daughter, Son, Husband : or darn depending on the day
DG : Digital Group
Diffuser : something you put over the flash to soften the light : tissue : hankie : deo cap : purchased ones like Lightsphere
Digital Zoom : forget your camera has it : using it lowers the quality of your image
DPI : dots per inch ( resolution when printing)
DOF : Depth of Field : how far out is your lens going to focus
Dodge tool : PS tool used to lighten areas of image : darkroom term
dpi : dots per inch
DPOF : Digital Print Order Format DR : Dynamic Range
DSLR : Digital Single Lens Reflex
DVD : Digital Versatile Disc DX : Digital eXclusive (Nikon)

E300 : Evolt 300 : Olympus DSLR
EC : exposure compensation
ED : Extra low Dispersion
EF : Electro:Focus (Canon's designation for their auto focus lenses)
EF-S : Electro:Focus Short back focus (Canon; as EF but restricted to their 1.6x crop DSLRs))
EOS : Electro:Optical System (Canon's auto focus system)
ESP : meters light at and around subject
Erase : Delete : Remove : get rid of images on a memory card
ETA : Edited to Add
EV : exposure value
EXIF : Exchangeable Image File : information attached to image file : also called Metadata
External drives : HD's either portable or connected to your computer for the purpose of redundancy

Fast lens : one you can shoot wide open : fast shutter speed
FBF : First Black Frame
FEC : flash exposure compensation
FF : front focusing
File extensions : 3 digits at end of computer file name ( jpg : tif : png : NEF : CR2 : MP3 )
Firmware : software installed in a digital camera : can be upgraded from the internet
FL : focal length
Format card : put your memory card in camera or computer and run format for your camera
FOV : field of view
FX : Full frame
f stops : (f/2.8) usually maximum aperture for that lens

GAS : Gear Acquisition Syndrome
Grey card : or cloth used to set exposure and white balance.
Green Lamp : focus lock

HAND : Have A Nice Day
HD : Hard Drive or can be High Definition
HDR : High Dynamic Range
HHCC : Hard Hat Constructive Criticism - You have on your Big Girl panties and can take criticism of even your child’s picture : or are ready to have your perfectly great picture really picked apart to help you move to the next level.
HQ : High Quality
HI : high speed sequential shooting Histogram : a bar graph that shows the distribution of an images pixel values
HSM : HyperSonic Motor (Sigma)
HTH : Hope this helps

IF : Internal Focusing
IIRC : If I Recall Correctly
ILP : www.i love photography.com
Image Resolution : how many pixels
IMO : In my opinion
IMHO : In my honest opinion
IPTC : International Press Telecommunications Council IQ : Image Quality
IQ : Image Quality
IRL : In real life
IS : Image Stabilization
ISO : Speed of film : used as a setting on a digital camera : lower the light higher the speed needed
iTTL : intelligent Through The Lens

JK : just kidding
JMK : just my kids J
MO : Just my opinion
JPEG,.JPG,.jpg: Joint Photographic Experts Group : popular image file extension

Kelby : Scott Kelby : famous PS guru and author of the PS books People often reccommend
KM : Konica Minolta : now associated with Sony
KWIM : Know what I mean

L glass: Best quality Canon Lenses, Luxury (Canon)
Layers : makes it possible to work on different images : see them all then combine them.
Levels : Image editor feature for setting shadows, midtones and highlights.
Lightsphere : a brand of flash diffusers designed by Gary Fong
LCD : Liquid Crystal Display
LD : Low Dispersion
LOL : Lot of laughs ( not lot's of love) laughing out loud
Lossy : jpg is a file format that compresses each time it is saved Lossless : tif : png : don't compress when saved

M : Manual shooting
Macro : up close shooting (close up photography)
MB : Message Board
Megapixel : MP : ( 11 megapixel= 11 million pixels)
Memory card : where images are stored in a digital camera. Examples: Compact Flash, Memory Stick, SD Secure Digital, XD, Smart Media.
MF : Manual focus
MLU : mirror lock up
MP : Megapixels
MPEG : Motion Picture Experts Group : Video file extensions : mp2 : mp3 : mp4
Multi : metering all over : maybe in 8 different spots
MF : Manual Focus

NAPP : Natioal Association of Photoshop Professionals
NAS : Nikon Acquisition Syndrome
Noise : grain : digital static : specks of the wrong color : usually in the dark areas of a photo. Most likely to happen with lowlight, slow shutter speed - high ISO
NT : No Text

Oly : Olympus cameras
OOF : Out Of Focus
OP : Original Poster
Optical Zoom : good zoom : get as much as you can afford
OS : Operating System
OS : Optical Stabilizer (Sigma's equivalent of IS/VR)
Output : how an image will be used ( website, email, small print, large print, magazine/catalog, newsletter, slideshow, framed, scrapbook )

P : Program shooting
PB / PB'ing : Portfolio Building
P&S : point and shoot cameras as adverse to DSLR's : usually have a fixed lens
PE : Premiere Elements : Adobe video editor
Photobucket : Photobucket.com : free and paid photo hosting site
Pictbridge : camera to printer ( no computer )
Pixel : Picture Element
Pixel Count : the width and height of image in pixels : these are minimal pixel counts for printing: 640 x 480 : wallets 2x2 3x3 4x4 1024 x 768 : 4x6 1152 x 864 : 5x7 1600 x 1200 : 8x10 2000 x 1500 : 11x14 3000 x 2000 : 24x36
Plug-ins : software made to work in the framework of another software : VP in PSE or PS
PMA : Photo Marketing Association
PNG : Portable Network Graphics : supports 24 bit images :
PNG preserves transparency in grayscale and RGB images
POTD : Picture of the day :
PP : Praise Please not ready for CC
PP : post process ( processing of images after they come out of the camera )
PPD : Pixels per degree (pano resolution)
PPI : pixels per inch
Prime lens :not a zoom -one focal length (50mm)
Pro : photographers who makes a living or money selling their images
PS : Photoshop : Image Editing software by Adobe : common full versions of PS are PS7 : PSCS : PSCS2. PS7 : Photoshop version 7
PSCS : Photoshop Creative Suite PSCS3 : Photoshop Creative Suite 3 PSE : Photoshop Elements - Hobbist version of PS Has most tools needed by hobby photographers. Common versions - PSE2, PSE3, PSE4 : and the newest PSE5.
PS'd or PS'ing : used or using Photoshop
PSP : Paint Shop Pro

RAID : Redundant array of independant disks
RAM : Random Access Memory ( need lots for image editing)
RAW : images not processed in camera : must be post processed in an image converter (ACR)
Redundancy : preferred way of saving digital images to save them from disc rot and HD crashes - have several copys of an image in different places on different media.
Resolution : can mean several things in the print industry it is dpi in the computer imaging industry it is ppi. PPI and DPI are not the same but are often confused and used interchangablly which causes confusion. In your camera manual it usually means the jpg setting you want to set your camera for : high, medium or low pixel counts.
RGB : Red, Green, Blue values of the pixels ROFL : rolling on floor laughing
ROFLMBO : rolling on floor laughing my bum off
ROOTC : Right out of the camera
RS : ReStyled lens
RTFM : Read the "fantastic" manual
Rule of Thirds : a guide for composing images : split your image in thirds vertically and horizontaly : then put subject at intersections of the lines

S : Shutter priority shooting
SAHM : Stay at home mom
Selective Coloring : colored item in B&W image
Shoot wide open : using a wide aperture ( small # like 1.4)
SHQ : Super High Quality : jpg setting Sigma : 3rd party maker of lenses for popular cameras
Slow lens : one that needs slower shutter speeds SLR : Single Lens Reflex camera (aka 35mm )
SOOC : Straight Out Of Camera ( no enhancing done in an image editor)
SOTC : Straight out of the Camera
SP : Speed priority
sp? : Spelling
SPI : Samples per inch (for a scanner)
sRGB : Standard Red, Green, Blue
Stock : sites that sell images for photographers - mostly for use in publications and commercial uses.
Storyboards : series of pictures that tell a story :
Spot : meters just auto focus
SS : Shutter Speed DSLR cameras
SSM : Super Sonic Motor (Minolta)
stD : Pentax Camera SWM : Silent Wave Motor (Nikon)

T : telephoto Tamron : 3rd party maker of lenses for popular DSLR cameras
TFL : Thanks for Looking
TFS : Thanks for Sharing
TIA : Thanks in advance
Tif : tiff : Tagged Image File Format : lossless image file
TOU: Terms of Use
TTL : Through The Lens
TV : Shutter Speed Priority ( or Television )

UD : Ultra low Dispersion
UE : "Understanding Exposure" : By Bryan Peterson. A pretty darn good book.
USB : computer cable connector type
USM : unsharp mask (PS : used to sharpen)
USM : Ultrasonic Motor (Canon)

VR : Vibrance Reduction (Nikon’s image Stabalization)
VP : Virtual Photographer : PS or PSE plug:in Virtual Photographer

W : Wide angle Watermark : opaque letters, symbol or logo across photo to make it hard or impossible to print or use without permission of photographer
WB : White Balance WE : Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer)file organizer
WHCC : White House Custom Color : online pro printer
WOHM : Work out of home mom Workflow : steps taken to get image from capture to output

Am I ready to start my own Photogrpahy Business?

So you think you might be ready to take your hobby and turn it into a photography business. You want to Charge for your services. How do you know if you are ready? What more can you do to prepare?

I am by no means an expert in this situation but from starting a few other businesses I will tell you I know it takes a lot of work to make sure everything is nice and legal. I am also a firm believeer that if you are going to be truly pro you need to have the gear that goes with it. Good quality camera bodies, lenses, flashes, tripods etc. While the gear doesn't make the pictures the photographer does, there is a real difference in quality between the consumer and professional level gear. Those entry level DSLR cameras have their place and produce great stuff and are great to start out on, but at some point you will want to and should upgrade before going 100% pro. Now on with the rest of the stuff.

1. Are your technical skills where they should be? Is your confidence level high enough? Can you walk into a house you've never been to before and find enough light, or the right kind of light, along with a decent so no matter what you get at least some decent shots? All this with kids you might not have ever met and perhaps are not fond of strangers? Uh oh what if they have nothing good for a background? How would you handle that? How do you handle less than ideal lighting situations? What about lighting outside? So you know what makes good lighting, or if the lighting is not ideal can you handle that? What if you have a subject that is always on the go? Can you adjust your ISO settings and get the results you need? Can you do the post processing you need? Can you shoot everything to newborns to families or the family dog? Do you know what settings you need for 1 person vs a family of 10? Lighting, lighting, lighting.. Do you know how to light your subjects?


2. The second question you need to ask yourself is if you are ready to start a business. It is a lot of responsibility and often much more than people are ready to tackle. If you have never owned your own business you might want to take some business classes before jumping into this. Make sure you have a good accountant and attorney.

3. Do you have vendor relationships? Do you know where you are going to get your images printed?

4. Do you have a business plan? Do you know what t will cost you to get up and running? Are you including costs like, location, website, insurance, accountant, attorney, taxes, book keeping software and other like items. How will you promote your business to generate customers? If not get started on that right away!

5. Are you comfortable with the post processing process? Do you know if you will use photoshop, light room, or something else?

6. Do you currently have or planning to take out a loan to get all the equipment you need? This includes backups for all your stuff, cameras. Flashes, computer, storage devices, media cards, lenses, batteries, etc… These things can all die from time to time, or at least get very sick.

7. Do you have a portfolio, or web page?

8. Do you know how you are going to proof images for your clients? Will you do it online, and if so which service will you use?

9. Do you need to worry about child care? Do you have that in place?

10. Are you going to run the entire business aspect yourself or will you look for outside help?

11. Do you know what your cost margins are? Do you know what you have to charge to make a profit?

12. How are you going to handle the legal side of things? Contracts, copyrights, model releases, Insurance, business licenses, policies etc?

13. Do you know how much you will have to make annually to cover costs and make enough to make it worthwhile?

14. If you shoot only location photography do you have enough locations to use no matter what the weather is like?

15. Do you have a place you can rent equipment from if something were to break or you need something you do not own yet?

16. If you plan to continue working your current job while getting things up and running do you know how much time you are going to be able to carve out of your schedule?

17. Are you good with handling stress and pressure? The pressure to produce top level product, to be timely and responsible at all times, to constantly keep your professional image in the fore front of your mind, to be constantly on the edge between the value of your services and profit you're attempting to make, making judgment calls on where to draw the line (time wise, client wise, business wise) can all add to the amount of stress you have to deal with. It can be very difficult to strike a good balance... but REWARDING.

18. Are you good at saving receipts and tracking expenses? Have you practiced tracking mileage for work related travel? Do you have a separate phone, computer, etc for business?

19. Do you have a company name, logo, brand identity, etc...?

I am sure there is many other things I am leaving out but these can be a good starting out point.

Other considerations before you start.

1. Take some classes in photography and Photoshop in addition to business classes.
2. See if you can get a part time job with a local photographer to see if it is really something you want to make a living at? (you might be able to get a paying gig but even a fe hours a week as an unpaid assistant could be VERY valuable.
3. If you are interested in weddings get a job as a second shooter.
4. You need to learn to handle the 60 million crazy things that will rise between you and a good outcome on a shoot, and the only real way to SEE how to do that, is to be in the industry before you risk your reputation.

Now if you have just bought your first entry level DSLR and find yourself asking any of the following questions you probably are not ready to go pro just yet..

"I shot a group of people. Why are some of them are out of focus?" Because you used your brand new f 1.4 wide open.

"Help, I have a shoot tomorrow. What lens do I use?"

“Help. I took pictures for someone today. How much should I charge?”

"Help, I have a shoot tomorrow. What settings do I use?"

"Help. I had a shoot yesterday. How do I fix this picture?"

“Help. I took pictures of my daughter’s best friend’s cousin’s pet iguana and she wants a poster sized print. Where should I get it printed?”

Backdrops, Stands and Props

A lot of people prefer to shoot out side and with natural light but depending where you live sometimes you have no choice but to shoot some stuff inside. SO then you start to wonder about setting up a in home studio or portable studio. As part of that you are going to need back drops and maybe even some props.

There are several questions that seem to come up over and over.
1. What backdrop stand should I buy? Well this is another one of those purchases you want to make sure you buy right the first time. Buy one that will be sturdy enough and tall and wide enough to meet the needs of what you shoot now and plan to shoot in the near future. If you are going to be dragging it around from location to location or shooting lots of kids with high energy that might knock them over you want to make sure you get something good and sturdy that can be weighted down. You don't want ot get one too cheap that will fall apart on you. It is also recommended to get one that can support paper rolls even if you plan to just shoot with fabric to start.

2. I am just starting out where can I get cheap backdrops? A lot of people will just use flat sheets, blankets, and even shower curtains that they pick up inexpensively from various locations. They also will hit the fabric stores to find interesting patterns.

3. What should I use for Props? There are a ton of ideas out there for props and places to get them from the garden center at your local Wal-Mart, your kids closet, yard sales and flea markets. Really there are no rules for props, use you imagination. Plus you can find some unique things that not ever one else has.

4. Okay I am ready to move up from raiding my linen closet, and my kids want their toys back where can I buy some backdrops, stands and props from?
Here are some links that I have either purchased from myself or know others that have and are happy with their purchases. You can also check out eBay for deals from time to time, just make sure you are buying through someone reputable.
(a lot of these places also sell lighting equipment also)

Backdrop outlet
Denny Manufacturing
B & H Photo and Video They seem to have a little of everything here.
Aura

One place to avoid is Amvona They also sell stuff on EBay. They have terrible customer service and send damaged goods. you can see what people have said about them Here

Plexiglass

So you have been hearing about photographers using Plexiglass in their portraits to get some cool reflections and you want to know more about it.

Here are some common questions and a few basic answers

What kind of plexiglass to use?
I don't think it really matters what kind. You can pick it up in a variety of sizes at your local Home depot or Lowes. You can also look for places like a Plastic Supply company. You can also is look into getting a sheet of Lexan, or Polycarbonate, developed by General Electric. Lexan polycarbonate seems to be much more resilient, albeit more expensive. Try for ¼ for durability but keep it stored in a dark place since it can yellow and small cracks form (crazing) after exposure to UV. Avoid placing a large amount of weight in one place or it can crack on you. High heels are the worst.
There are also a few places that sell mirrored plexiglass that has even more reflective qualities.

Does it come in colors and if so which colors should I buy?
I am sure it does come in colors but you are generally just going to find clear, and you can use it over your existing backdrops to make it any color you like. Placing it over a darker backdrop tends to give you better reflections.

How do I keep it clean?
Windex and a soft cloth usually work well but test any cleaning method on a corner to make sure it is not going to add an scratches.

Help I have scratches, do I have to buy a new piece or can it be salvaged?
Use a plastic polish available at most home stores, glass shops, and some hobby shops. If you are in a bind you could also use use car wax liquid; if your scratches are really deep, use paste wax car wax with abrasives from you local auto parts store. Some people have also used lighter fluid for the lighter scratches.

How to shoot best with plexiglass?
Determine what you would like reflected in the plexiglass. The items posed closest to the surface of the plexi will have the sharpest reflection, and the items further away will have a softer more muted reflection. Darker fabrics will have a deeper reflection.
To capture the best shot of the reflection, you will need to have a large depth of field. This will allow the entire photograph to stay in focus. Use an aperture of at least 9.0. Shoot down on your subject to capture the reflection with lighting from above and/or behind the camera. Crop in close on your image. The beauty of this technique is in the details. If your image is not cropped close enough the reflection will appear as a blur.

What if I do not have a flash can I use natural light?
You sure can, the reflection tends to be a little less. Just play around with placement.


So there is some tips to get you started. Oh and someof you might pick up soem pieces where the edges feel a little sharp. Some people stick soem clear packing tape around the edges, and I gave mine a light sanding. I am sure if you Google Photography with Plexiglass you will find additional information.

Monitor Calibration

There is lots of talk about the importance of calibrating your monitor so that you can get consistent results when printing your pictures. You want to have your prints match what you are seeing on your screen especially if you are spending a great deal of time doing your post processing you don't want your pictures to come back all wonky because your monitor is not calibrated. However it can be tough to know where to start. So this is a list of some of the more popular products I have come across when looking into this myself.

Pantone Huey
Eye-One
Spyder2 Express - used by a lot of people that use WHCC for printing.

About this blog

Photography has been a passion of mine for years. It is mainly just a hobby and I am always learning something new. The problem I ran into was there is just so much information out there and I was having a tough time organizing it all and keeping track of fun stuff I was finding. I decided I wanted one place to track all my links and misc information that I could access from anywhere, so I decided to start a blog to keep track of various tips, tricks, links and other information. The added bonus of using a blog is not only could I access it from various locations, I also could share it with others that might be interested. Now seeing that there is constantly new information coming out it is clear that this blog will never cover everything. Oh and please note I realize I am by no means an expert on any of these topics. Think of this blog as a starting point for references to help guide you in your search for the information you need.

Oh and if you are wondering I am a Canon, PC, and Photoshop user. So if things seem skewed that way it is only because that is what I use and not because I feel it is the best option nor what everyone else should be using. Always remember to do your research before buying something. Make sure it is the best thing for you, and that you are buying from a reputable site if you are shopping online.

Enjoy the site and feel free to leave feedback, or suggestions of sections to add.

Logo Designs

So you have decided to turn your hobby into a business or maybe you just want your work to look more professional. You have chosen a name for your business but now you need a logo and your creative juices just are not flowing the way you would like or your own attempt in Photoshop was a complete disaster. So you decide you want to get some help but where do you start..

There are a lot of sites out there that offer branding and corporate identities and you can find a ton just by googling it but if you are on a budget or simply just don't need a full blown identity and just want a simple logo here are a few I have stumbled across or heard about on the message boards I read and their customers have been happy so maybe you want to start with them to see what they have to offer. Again use your judgement and pick what works best for you and you are comfortable with.

Orange Gecko Designs

If you really want to make your own here is a tutorial.

Camera Bags

The quest for the perfect bag is one that many photographers will face. I am still on the search and currently have 5 different bags to prove it. Even after you find one that meets your needs you go and buy more equipment and find you have grown out of your favorite bag before long. I have decided for me there is not one perfect bag for all my needs so I will always have more than one for different occasions.

With more and more women getting into photography the demand for cute or at the very least not quite so ugly camera bags is on the rise. I currently have my eye on the medium Jill-e Bag. I hear they will be coming out with a red bag in the medium size this spring and that may be what pushes me to finally buy one.

For those that are a little more on the creative side they can dress up any bag they find that meets their needs in every way but aesthetically. I am actually in the process of giving my pelican case a face lift.

One really important thing to remember is that you should never sacrifice protection for your gear for a cute bag. You have spent a lot of money for your photography gear so make sure you will get a bag that will protect it.

There are two makers of camera bags that have very similar names. Tracy Joy and Tracy Renae. Keep in mind they are in fact different companies. From what I hear the Tracy Joy bags are super cute but not very well padded, and the Tracy Renae bags are also very cute but have better padding. Although not quite as cute the Crumpler bags are really popular, but not everyone finds them comfortable to carry. I recommend trying out a bag in person before buying it if at all possible.

As you start your quest for the perfect camera bag or bags as the case may be decide what features are most important to you. Do you want a backpack for ease of carrying, do you have so much stuff you need a bag with wheels, do you want one that a laptop will fit in, does it need to fit under the seat on a airplane, or do you need quick and easy access to your gear? These are just a few things to consider.

Getting a camera bag is really about personal preference. It needs to be comfortable to carry, hold the gear you want to carry around, and fit your personal style. Do your homework and share with others your success in finding your perfect bag.

Here are a few of the more popular brands to look into in additon to what has already been mentioned.
Tamrac
Lowepro
Domke
Tenba
Pelican - these are not your everyday cases

Please feel free to share what bag(s) you own and how you feel about them in the comment section for others to learn from.