Photo from a Question of the week entry that didn't make it into the original article. This is a photo of community member, Blufftonian's memorable camera collection.
Photo: Blufftonian
A ton of great content and related photography is created by the DPReview community in our forums: lively discussions, sharing of gear and photography in spotlight articles, collaborative photo events and more. In this "What you missed" roundup for June, we highlight community forum activity from the past month, including some of the photography that didn't make it into articles.
Scroll down to the section of interest as previewed in this list:
- Article of the month: Joining a local photography group
- 'What's in your bag?' community member spotlights
- Question of the week
- Join our collaborative photo chain
- Discussion of the month: Why is it so difficult to buy a first camera today?
Article of the month: Joining a local photography group
"A group shot (excluding me) of that first meetup that I attended."
Photo: Abby Ferguson
DPReview's Features Editor, Abby Ferguson, wrote a great piece about the benefits of joining local photography groups. As a community manager, I naturally found this article fascinating and the kind of advice I feel all of you would find a great insight into photographers outside our forums. After reading her article, I even took it upon myself to look up some photography groups in my local corner of Texas, United States.
"Despite my reluctance, I knew meeting other photographers would only be a good thing. Plus, as this is a place my husband and I will be for the long term, I wanted to set down some roots and finally make some connections here. And so, last fall, I finally put aside my reservations and attended a meetup." - Abby
What's in your bag? A community member spotlight
Every week, we spotlight a community member's unique photographs and gear in our 'What's in your bag?' series. The series highlights a reader's favorite camera gear and how they use it. You'll also get tips and tricks on capturing your own photography.
"Soot-blackened steam traction engine driver – the youngest in the country. Seen at the Pickering
traction engine rally in the north of England."
Photo: Mark Lamb
Mark Lamb shared his portrait photography in celebration of our week of portrait-themed community content. Below is an interesting excerpt from Mark's story about his fondness for portrait photography in Britain. The photo above is a new one he provided us that we couldn't fit into the article.
"In recent years, my work has become centered on a long-term project called One Thousand Contemporary Portraits, an attempt to create a broad and inclusive portrait archive of contemporary Britain. The project has taken me from fishing communities and military veterans to Goths, performers, campaigners, artists and ordinary people whose stories might otherwise go unrecorded."
Check out this month's other reader spotlights:
See all 'What's in your bag?' spotlights
Question of the week: we ask, you tell
Every other week, we ask the community a question about their photography, usually on a specific topic, with the results spotlighted on DPReview's front page and in the forums the following week. There are often many great photos submitted that we don't get a chance to spotlight them all in a single article.
Here is a newly revealed reader's photo and excerpt of their story from the latest question.
What camera is your most memorable?
Photo: thorstenwulff
Featured quote: "My first love was the F3. In the summer of 1987, she went to New York with me and a box of T-Max 400. Paired with a 24mm F2.8 lens, it was my perfect combo for street photography, even if you had to get a bit closer. The other lens was the 105mm F2.5. In early May this year, I took them back to Manhattan, but was put off a bit by the flood of gimbal-toting influencers everywhere Instagram deems worthy of a shot. This couple is one of my favorite pictures from 39 years ago. I love the tenderness between them." - thorstenwulff
See what other questions we ask
Participate in community-led photo initiatives
Seattle boat parade
Photo: Dale Baskin
Every week, new community-created photo discussions and mini-challenges pop up across the forums. Usually, these start as a discussion about a particular camera brand or type of photography. For the month of June, we wanted to highlight Alan WF's invitation to take fresh photos with your adapted lens cameras.
Visit our Community photo threads index for the latest opportunities to share a photo from your collection. We would also love for you to participate in DPReview's own initiatives: Weekly photo exhibitions and the new Collaborative photo chain.
Discussion of the month: Why is it so difficult to buy a first camera today?
Photo: FrancoD
Community member, BernardoSC, asked a great question in the forums that has gained quite a bit of traction. He asked everyone, "Why is it so difficult to buy a first camera today?" This is an excellent question, BernardoSC! I have asked this question of myself recently about various purchase interests, from cameras to computer equipment.
Here is a peek at what others had to say:
JT26: It's hard as there are so many options now. New cameras and new versions of the above are using new tech and are not sold in millions like they used to be, so they are naturally more expensive.
ahaslett: The optical viewfinder is what limits your choice. Apart from retro designs, cameras these days are nearly all mirrorless. There isn’t much between a phone and a camera for £1,000, given how fast phones have improved.
Plankowner110: In the 1960s, you simply adjusted aperture, shutter speed, and focus ring, and it didn't matter if you were using an inexpensive Sears Tower (camera) or a rugged pro-body Nikon F. The major variable was selecting which film to use. Cameras all operated basically the same way, and one could easily pick up any brand of camera and begin shooting. We didn't have to peruse a myriad of menu settings or press tiny re-programmable buttons all over the camera body.
Discuss buying a first camera today
What community content did you enjoy reading, and what more would you like to see in these regular updates? Let us know in the comments below.
For even more content directly from our readers, join the discussion forums and share your camera gear and photography curiosities!
Editor's note: Future editions of this article may include camera use and photo-taking tips and tricks, additional quotes from community members in various discussions and more. If you are interested in seeing community content presented this way, please let me know.
