I currently write and publish online in a few places. Photography commentary here. Random thoughts over at Another Blogger. The occasional train photo at Dogcaught. Various social networks.
In the meantime, I’m observing that (at least in my circles) I’m finding that communities are moving away from an information- or niche-centric model and into one built on stronger personal relationships. I’m much more interested in connecting with interesting people who share one of my interests than I am in simply reading a news article.
I’ve observed that many of my interests overlap and it’s often hard to decide which silo to attempt to dump something into.
I’m consolidating my online publishing in a few ways. I want people to form relationships with me rather than with my articles.
You’ll want to head over to aaronhockley.com – that’s where you’ll start finding new articles. My roundups of photo industry observations, thoughts on photo trends, the overlap of photography into social and new media, and other content which previously would’ve been published here are now going to be published on my personally-branded site.
Please join me at aaronhockley.com. It’s easy to subscribe via RSS or email.
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– For the first time ever, a lens tops the bestseller list. This is a good general purpose zoom lens for Canon cropped-sensor bodies. Amazon is selling it for over 50% off of list price and there’s also a big rebate if purchased along with a camera body.
– often known as the “nifty fifty” or the “plastic fantastic”, the 50mm f/1.8 lens is a great item for beginners who want to really learn about composition as well as have a lens in their bag which can produce great images in low light conditions.
– this lens is cheap, which is the only reason I can think of it being on the bestseller list. I owned this lens many years ago. The optical quality is poor. Not recommended.
– Canon’s Digital Rebel series has been popular as an entry-level camera for quite a while, and the T3i continues to offer an incredible amount of both photo and video features at a very reasonable price. I can definitely recommend the T3i kit for someone wanting to get into photography in a serious way.
– Canon’s S95 is one of the most popular compact cameras amongst professional photographers, and it deserves its repeat status on the bestseller list. A larger-than-typical image sensor (for a camera of its size) means great image quality even in low light, high-ISO conditions. Couple that with a pocket size and it’s a great option for producing high-quality images on the go.
– months after being discontinued, the Flip UltraHD continues to be a bestseller due to its great quality, durability, and ease of use. I have one of these units and it works great. Recommended.
– like the similar Canon lens earlier on the list, this Nikon zoom offers a good range of focal lengths for casual photographers using the cropped-sensor bodies such as the D7000, D90, or D3000/5000 series.
– speaking of the Nikon D5000 series, the D5100 is Nikon’s current “one better than entry level” camera, offering a great set of features in an affordable body. Do note that the D5100 does not have an autofocus motor; in order to get autofocus you’ll need to make sure you have autofocus lenses.
– if you’re on a budget, this sub-$70 point and shoot camera will provide decent images. While it lacks bells and whistles of more full-featured cameras, the size and price make this affordable and easy to carry without worrying about loss.
– Nikon’s current entry-level DSLR is a great unit at a great price. Like the D5100, one drawback is the lack of an autofocus motor in the body (which means that you’ll need lenses with autofocus motors) but other than that I can recommend this unit for someone getting started with photography.
which is a great bag. I’ve used it several times since the workshop and it holds a decent amount of gear in a shoulder walkaround bag.
