Assignment: Houston

Weekly Reading 09.30.09

Think Inside the Box - Cropping for Maximum Impact
Digital Photography School

Getting Rid of Dust Spots
Photodoto

Photojojo - The Book!
Photojojo

Cleaning Out Your Lightroom Catalog Part A
Cleaning Out Your Lightroom Catalog Part B
Photowalk Pro

 

Weekend Planner 09/25 - 09/27/09

Strange Fruit - Strange Fruit, an Australian performing arts group that fuses theatre, dance and circus together in a remarkable elevated medium will be performing at Discovery Green this weekend for their first Texas appearance. Strange Fruit will perform their work Swoon! and The Spheres on the Jones Lawn suspended above the audience. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Hours vary.  Visit DiscoveryGreen.com for details. FREE.  

South West International Boat Show - The South Shore Harbour Marina plays host to the largest in-water Boat Show ever to come to Houston with over 400 boats in the water and onshore, ready to demo. Luxury autos, trucks and custom motorcycles, swimwear fashion shows, fishing and boating gear, live music from The Bahamas and plenty of fun for the family. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Prices and hours vary. 

Italian Style Expo - The Italian Style Expo is America’s largest "Made in Italy" expo. This is an event that is held annually in Chicago and due to its great success there, it is proudly expanding to Houston for the first time this year. Italian Style Expo is an exhibit for the public to see high-quality fashion appare, design, taste Italy’s world-renowned cuisine & wine, and plan their next Italian vacation with our tourism experts, all while enjoying the cultural entertainment.

Fort Bend County Fair - This weekend kicks off the fair which will run until October 3rd.  Music, food, games, carnival rides, animals, beauty queens.  Everything a Texas fair should be.  Check the website for all the details.

Aurora Picture Show Garden Party - Bring your blankets and enjoy a night under the stars in Mandell Park with a garden party of film, food and flowers. Take a tour of the garden and learn how to plant your own seeds, bring a culinary delight inspired by your garden and watch short films about gardening and nature. Saturday. 6:30 p.m. Free.

Woodlands Oktoberfest - It's the very first one so you can say you were at this festival from the beginning. The two-day event will feature music from German bands, German food, Bavarian souvenirs and costumes. Saturday and Sunday. Hours vary. Prices vary.

National Park Documentary

Lake in the Yosemite National Park by FrancoisRoche

On Sunday a documentary series begins that I think will be of interest to many photographers. Documentary film maker, Ken Burns, has turned his lens towards national parks in the United States. Burns has been traveling the country the last six years collecting stories, film and photographs to tell the history of the national parks and the people famous and not so famous who helped create these treasures.  National parks are an oft photographed subject and I'm sure that you will be inspired to make some travel plans after watching.  The series will run in six parts and starts this Sunday.

http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/

Spotlight: HIWI Afflictions

  

  

Photos from Dan Pancamo, millyuns, allison_b216, sulla55

Some selections from this month's theme of Houston It's Worth It afflictions.  You have one more weekend to get out with your camera and get creative.  Don't forget that three participants this month will win a copy of the HIWI: Ike book.

Weekly Reading 09.22.09

Photo Printers: Choosing the Best Ones For Your Needs
Digital Photography School

50 free resources that will improve your photography skills
Smash Magazine

Add vignettes using Photoshop in 6 simple steps
All Day I Dream About Photography

Under-Water Photography
Photocritic

How shooting just one thing can improve your photography chops
Photojojo

Photo Project: Edit John's Photo
Epic Edits

Photoshop Training on the go for your iPhone
Photowalk Pro

Weekend Planner 09/19 - 09/20/09

Houston Hot Sauce Festival - Entertainment, food and hot, hot, hot sauces, rubs, marinades, dips and more. Saturday and Sunday.  $5.

Grand Taiko Festival - Japanese Taiko performance combines high energy movement, dance and aerial acrobatics to the beat of drums.  Saturday and Sunday.  Miller Outdoor Theater. Free.

Washington County Fair - This weekend Brenham hosts the oldest county fair in Texas.  It has everything a fair should including food, carnival rides, games, exhibits,  and music.

Assignment Houston Happenings 

We are meeting for a picnic tomorrow. Drop by Memorial Park between 1 and 4 p.m. Bring your own food and hang out with some of your Flickr friends and make some new ones.

Monday and Tuesday we are photographing the Opera in the Heights dress rehearsal of their upcoming production of Il Tabarro by Puccini and Pagliacci by Leoncavallo.  

Weekly Reading 09.15.09

How to soften up harsh flash lighting
Digital Photography School

You're only 50mm away from becoming a better photographer
Digital Photography School

Create great panning photographs without moving your camera
DIYPhotography.net

Finding a fascinating photography project that pays
Photopreneur

Starting your photo biz: What's in a name?
Photojojo

35 Undiscovered Photographers... Discovered by You
Epic Edits

Weekend Planner 09/11 - 09/13/09

Houston It's Worth It: Ike Book Release Party - Come celebrate the release of this new book filled with photos and writing remembering the storm that brought Houston together. The party is at Craft Salon, 2307 Dunlavy. Music by DJ Josh Zulu, Drinks and Light Bites, A Photo Booth called Queso,  Goodie Bags for the First 200 Guests, LAUNCH PARTY Ike Gear and, of course, Books. Friday. 7-10 pm. Free

Museum District Day -  Seventeen museums will waive their general admission fee to offer the community the opportunity to enjoy the District's diverse displays of art, science, nature and history. Board a free bus shuttle at any participating museum and spend the entire day exploring favorites and discovering new destinations. Saturday. 10 am to 5 pm.  Free

Petapalooza - Music and pets take over Discovery Green with the Houston Humane Society and Petapalooza. Pet lovers will enjoy HHS adoptables, doggy massages, pet caricatures, a magician, Whole Foods Market Doggy Idol Trick Competition, other pet related activities and live music.  Bring your four legged friends.  Saturday.  9 am - 2 pm.  Free.

Polish Festival & Slavish Heritage Festival - One weekend. One location. Two Festivals. The Polish Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday from 10:00am - 10:00pm and the Slavic Heritage Festival will be on Sunday from 11:00am - 6:00pm.  There will be polish and slavic food, Bier Garden, kids carnival games, dance, music, arts, and crafts.

Revival and Reflections - Sunday is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Ike's landfall. There will be a series of events on Galveston island to mark the first anniversary. Visit the website link to see the many activities planned for this weekend. Friday - Sunday.  All day.  Free.

Spotlight: Galveston

Galveston by smoothfoote
Assignment: Hurricane Ike

The anniversary of Hurricane Ike landfall is this Sunday, September 13th.  Hurricane Ike was the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States.

Weekly Reading - 09.08.09

Hope everyone had a good Labor Day holiday.  Now back to work!

How to Clean your DSLR sensor
Photocritic

Get Better JPEG Images
PhotoWalkPro

The Different Methods of Cleaning Memory Cards
Digital Photography School

11 Inspirational Image Collections
Digital Photography School

Take Cool Car Photos With A DIY Specialized Car Rig
DIY Photography.net

Want to Look More Professional?
Photodoto

Splashism
FlashFrog