Learning about photography

During my commute to and from work I listen to podcasts about photography. I found this to be a great way to learn about what the professionals consider to be the most important aspects of photography. There are a lot of great interviews with active professionals in all the various photographic categories (photojournalism, wildlife, fashion, wedding, etc.). Podcasts are also a great way to find out about the latest software and gear, to know what it is all capable of, and what the professionals are using. Podcasts are a fun, free and easy way to learn about pretty much anything. "This Week in Photography" (TWIP) is one of the shows I enjoy listening to.

Printing Photo's

Below is a photo I took while on a cruise in Alaska. It is an irregular shape in that it is pretty much square because I AutoStitch'ed it together from two portrait photographs. I use Lightroom for managing and post processing my photograph collection and I used Lightroom to tweak the contrast, colours, clarity, etc.

Yesterday I sent this photo to print at Costco's Photo Centre.

Many of your run of the mill print centres do not provide much variation from the standard width and sizes (4"x6", 5"x7", 8"x10", 8"x12", etc.); Costco provides a couple of square selections (8"x8" and 12"x12") at a very reasonable price point. I printed this photo at 12"x12" for the paltry sum of $2.49. I will write more about the quality of the print when I pick it up.

-- Edit -- MAY 19, 2010

I picked up the print and am quite pleased with the result. I will reserve final judgement until after I print some more pictures with a greater colour range. However I recommend it purely for the price; it is definitely not going to break the bank.