I've always admired my parents for the way they chose my birthday. With the anniversary of my birth placed squarely in the summer, I never have to go more than about six months before I stumble into a celebration loaded with food and gifts. Since my last big party was to roll over my personal odometer, that must mean that the holiday season is upon us once again.
Every December, I dedicate a few newsletters to spreading the word about some cool digital photo gifts you might want to add to your shopping list. Let's get started.
A New Photo Editor
How long has it been since your special someone has upgraded their photo editing software? The photo editor is the modern darkroom--it's the operations center where you fix exposure and color problems, crop, print, and perform all manner of special effects and photo projects. And there are new versions of most of the popular photo editing programs, just in time for the holidays.
Corel has updated its venerable editor to Paint Shop Pro X2. It's available for as low as $60 at PC World Shopping.
Meanwhile, Adobe has released Photoshop Elements 6. I found it for $80 at PC World Shopping. And since I've started using Photoshop Elements to demonstrate photo editing techniques here in this newsletter, perhaps this holiday season is a good opportunity to make the switch, if you're currently using a different program.
Another excellent Adobe option: Lightroom, which works well on its own or as a companion to another photo editing program. It is a powerful photo processor designed specifically for digital photographers; most photo editors have their roots in graphic design and predate digital photography. But it's pricy, at $255.
Better Flash Photos
Adding an external flash to a digital SLR is a great way to throw more light on the subject, but sometimes that light is harsh and ugly.
You can put something in the stocking this year that dramatically improves flash photos--the Demb Flash Diffuser. It's a combination reflector card and diffuser that attaches to a flash with a strip of Velcro.
I really like this gadget; it lets a photographer reflect the light from the flash at a variety of angles, thanks to a simple hinge mechanism. The removable plastic diffuser softens the light. It costs just $35 and packs easily in even a small camera bag.
Wacky Camera Holders
You've heard me recommend tripods so many times that I would sound like a broken record if records still existed, and if the concept could be understood by today's digital music crowd. Anyway, I've found a couple of stocking stuffers that are unusual, clever, and compact alternatives to traditional tripods.
First up: The high-tech Monster Pod bolts to the bottom of a camera and then sticks to "almost any surface" thanks to what is described as a "patented viscoelastic polymer." Stick this thing to a wall, fence, doorway--you name it--and fire away. You can find it at Amazon.com for about $25.
Next, consider the Quik Pod ($25). This telescoping handle attaches to the bottom of a camera, and lets the user take a self-portrait from a comfortable distance away. Small enough to fit in a pocket, it makes possible those "look-where-I-was" photos that are so popular on vacations.
Extra Photo Storage
Unless you just bought a new PC with one of those gargantuan terabyte-sized hard drives, you're probably running low on storage space right this minute. And even if you have plenty of room, are you diligently backing up all those photos you're storing on your PC? Please don't be one hard disk failure away from losing years of photographic memories.
Large capacity, external hard drives are a great way to expand storage, and they make wonderful gifts for any digital photographer. Check out our recent roundup of external hard drives for options that range from a diminutive 250GB to a massive 1.5TB. The prices start as low as $125.
And here's another source of hard drive goodness. These portable drives come in a variety of stylish colors and even feature cool extras like automatic backups that kick off at the press of a button.
Do you or the folks on your gift list have any old hard drives lying around? You might want to try the Stage Rack. This desktop docking port accepts standard internal SATA hard drives and lets you use them like massive floppy disks: pop in a drive; back up your photos; eject the drive and store it in a safe place. It's a great way to get some extra mileage out of old hard drives, and it costs only $47.
Hot Pic of the Week
Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $15 and $50.
Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format, at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering, please read the full description of the contest rules and regulations.
This week's Hot Pic: This week's Hot Pic: "Nature's Lantern," by Tom Thompson, Hamilton, Ontario
Tom writes: "I took these flowers in the town of San Quirico d' Orcia, south of Siena Province, Italy, with my Canon Rebel XTi. I thought that the original picture was too cluttered with green leaves and background flowers of various colors, although I liked the rough texture of the leaves with the veins running through them. I used the quick selection tool and magnetic lasso to select the flower and then converted the background to black and white."
This Week's Runner-Up: "Market Colors," by Noel Hayward, Newton, Massachusetts
Noel took this photo with a Canon G7 at the Icmeler Market in Turkey. "I was impressed by the wide range of colors of the spices," he writes.
See all the Hot Pic of the Week photos online.
Have a digital photo question? Send me your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself. And be sure to sign up to have the Digital Focus Newsletter e-mailed to you each week.
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