Weekly Flickr group highlights – Week 1

A Very Successful Start!

A little while back, I posted a poll asking people if they would like to participate in a Flickr group, based on this blog, to build a photo sharing and learning community. I was thrilled with the response, so a week ago, I started the group, and make a post here to promote it.

I have been stunned and thrilled at the response. At the time of writing the new group Learning Photography with Neil Creek, has 72 members, 125 items in the photo pool, and 54 posts in 9 threads the discussion. After only one week! How cool is that?

This post is the first in what will be a weekly post with highlights from the group. I’ll be sharing with you my favourite photos from the pool each week (I’m very picky, so there should be some good stuff here!), highlighting some interesting discussion, introducing you to one of the members of the group, and presenting you with a weekly challenge.

Finally, and importantly, each week when I post about the group, will be “Comment Day”! I want all of you to visit the group photo pool, and comment on at least five of your favourite photos.

Read on for details.

Neil’s Favourite Photos

Interesting Discussion

 Some ideas for the group – add yours!

What would make Learning Photography with Neil Creek useful to you? Read what others have suggested, and offer some suggestions yourself. Help to make this group the most useful resource it can be.

 Why not geotag your photos?

Not just a cool novelty, geotagging can be very useful. But it IS very cool. See where the group memebers are located around the world!

 Group member survey

Want to tell us a little bit about yourself? Fill in the member survey, and you might have your answers and a link to your Flickr gallery posted to this blog.

Visit the discussions to read more.

Meet a Member

Chrissy Pesch
Melbourne, Australia
Flickr: Chrissy Downunder

What got you into photography?
Failing eyesight and my garden. When my partner Peter and I moved into our house 3 years ago it came complete with one of the most amazing and breathtaking gardens we had ever seen. The previous owners ran a nursery from here for many years and everywhere you go on the property one is surrounded by beautiful flowers, lush ferns, tall trees, climbing vines, brilliant bushes, flowering shrubs and native birdlife. Not long after moving in we bought our first point and shoot digital camera, mainly for business purposes. I started wandering around the garden taking photos of everything particularly the flowers that bloom all year round here. The rest is history. I’m still clicking away and trying my hand at a wide variety of subjects these days.

What do you think are you photographic strengths and weaknesses?
I feel I have a good eye for composition but lack in the lighting department big time .. I tend to struggle with that aspect sometimes. .. Oh and of course I really need learn more and get my head around all that technical stuff too.

What is your favourite piece of photographic equipment and why?
I don’t have many accessories yet, I’m still getting it all together, but one thing I do have and is invaluable to me is a small 16cm tripod with bendable legs. I call it my ‘Gumby’ It is small enough to fit in my pocket, goes everywhere with me, wraps around things nicely and is great for those difficult little angles when needing support and a still hand.

What is your favourite photographic subject and why?
Nature and definitely flowers ! Why? .. Probably because I want to capture the incredible beauty of them all before they disappear due to the effects of the worlds predicted climate changes to come. I feel that our flora and fauna will be one of the first wonders of this world that will be threatened with extinction. I’m taking lots of photos of as many different species and varieties of blooms that I can for future generations to see.

Tell us a story about a memorable photographic experience you’ve had.
Last year while visiting my father in Tasmania for a few days, Peter and I decided to spend our last afternoon there checking out the Narawntapu National Park. We had only been there for around half an hour when I noticed a cute and very persistent forester kangaroo following us around, I got as close to him as I could to get a good clear shot, squatted down, focused and then to our amazement he just stood up nice and tall, looked right into my lens and posed for me just like an old pro. It was almost as if he was asking to be photographed. Standing very still for me for a few minutes and when I had finished clicking he happily hopped away to into the bush :) The photos turned out beautifully too.

What is the most valuable photographic advice you can give?
The best time to take photos of flowers is on an overcast day, misty morning or when the sun starts to go down. Always have a camera with you wherever you go … be ready to capture a moment in time because you just never know what’s around the next corner.

Comment Day

The whole point of starting the group is to learn with and teach each other. All of us have things we can improve, and most of us have things to teach that others would find useful. Apart from participating in the discussion, which I strenuously encourage you to do, is to comment on others’ photos. Every week, on the day that I post the flickr group update, is Comment Day.

I ask that everyone who reads this blog to please visit the group’s photo pool and leave a worthwhile comment on at least five photos that you find there.

By “worthwhile” I mean something that clearly expresses why you like or dislike a photo, and if possible, what you can suggest that might make it better. Constructive comments are essential, and carefully thought comments are far better than off-the-cuff ones. Absolutely no “Awesome!” or “I like this photo” comments please. I want you to actually say something. :)

Weekly Challenge

Finally, each week I’ll be challenging group members to take photos to a particular theme or topic. Not every photo added to the pool must be to the theme, and you don’t have to participate, but it is encouraged. Try to be creative and imaginative with the theme, and use it as a chance to show off your skills.

Please tag your challenge photos with the following tags:

• lpncchallenges
• lpncchallenge1
• silhouette

You can see the photos submitted to the challenge so far here.

You can join in the discussion of the weekly challenge here.