How’d You Like to Win A Nikon D300s or a Canon 7D?

I’ve got some killer news to share with you!  Lexar is offering up a Nikon D300s or a Canon 7D and some glass to boot as the Grand Prize in their sweepstakes that started on July 1st.  The sweepstakes runs through July 31st so you had best get your entry in NOW!

Grand Prize:
One Grand Prize winner will get their choice of a Nikon D300s and a Nikon 16-85mm VR II lens or a Canon 7D and a Canon 18-135mm IS lens.  Included in the package are (2) 16GB Lexar Professional 600x Compact Flash cards and a choice of a Professional UDMA Dual-Slot Card Reader or a Lexar Professional UDMA Firewire 800 Reader.  Not bad!

Second Prize:
(10) Second Place winners will receive their choice of a 16GB Lexar Professional 300x Compact Flash card or a 1GB Lexar Professional 133x SDHC card.

Here’s the link with all the details and how to enter.  Good luck!

“Winter” Contest Kicks Off Today!

Today kicks of the “Winter” Photo Contest and I’m really excited to see some of the images that are submitted! Here’s the link to my original post with all the rules and specifics. The winner will receive a copy of BlinkBid, the estimating and invoicing software for creative professionals! Thanks again to BlinkBid for sponsoring the contest.

In other news, I spent some time over the weekend working in Aperture 3 and trying out a new beauty dish for speedlights. So far, I’m very impressed with Aperture 3 and I think that if I continue to like it as much as I do now, I may not upgrade to Lightroom 3. But only time will tell. As far as the beauty dish goes, I’ll have a full review up here later this week so be on the lookout for that!

And finally, I’m starting to work on some short video tutorials where I’ll talk about techniques, gear, and software. I may even make it into some sort of podcast, but I can assure you that it won’t be super high-tech, but rather more raw and real. Should be fun. Unfortunately, a little case of laryngitis has put a short delay on the videos. You guys would never come back if you heard what’s left of my voice right now.

That’s it for today, I hope you guys have a great week and for those of you that aren’t working today enjoy your day off!

Photo News and Other Happenings

Thursday is here and the week is almost over. Rather than waste time, lets get right down to what’s going on around the industry:

• Nikon has announced two brand new lenses, the 24mm f/1.4G and the 16-35mm f/4 VR. You can read all about ‘em here, and I don’t know about you but I think that 16-35mm lens is gonna sell like crazy. It’s Nikon’s update to the much older 17-35mm lens and while this new version isn’t f/2.8, it’s got VR baby!
• I listened to Gary Vaynerchuk’s audiobook called “Crush It” and if you are in business and haven’t read this book or downloaded the audiobook from iTunes then you’re missing out. I’ll have a review up here before too long.
• Don’t forget that my ‘Winter’ themed photography contest kicks off right here on Monday! For more details be sure to check out my original post. Good luck and thanks to BlinkBid for sponsoring the contest!
• I was the host photographer for Don Giannatti’s Lighting Essentials workshop last weekend, right here in good old San Diego. We had a great time, the attendees learned A LOT, and we made some great images. If you’re interested in learning how to light, I highly recommend his workshop! Here’s the link.
• Last but not least, Apple released Aperture 3 and it really looks awesome! I haven’t had a chance to do much more than examine the interface, but so far I REALLY like what I see! More on that coming soon… after a solid test drive.

That’s it for today. I hope you guys have a great rest of the week and weekend too! Don’t forget to go backup your images and clean your cameras! Have a great day!

New Photo Contest: Winter!

Alright guys and gals, it’s time to get those cameras out and start shooting! Why? Because I’m starting a new series here on the blog – photo contests! That’s right, once a quarter (four times a year) I’ll be hosting a themed photography contest and I’ll be giving away some really cool prizes, brought to you by various sponsors. Are you ready? Let’s kick it off!

The theme for the first contest is going to be “Winter”. The theme is open to anything that has to relate to the season, but I’ll get to all the rules in just a bit. Ready for the prize? Are you? The winner will receive a free copy of the invoicing and estimate software made by creatives for creatives: BlinkBid! That’s right, this contest is brought you by the great folks over at BlinkBid and the have graciously offered up a copy of their awesome software!

And now… The Rules
There always has to be some rules, and here they are!

• The theme for the contest is “Winter”, so you’re free to shoot new photos or use photos that you’ve shot in the past that pertain to the season. This isn’t an assignment contest, so you don’t have to go out and shoot the photo within a certain timeframe.
• The work that you submit must be your original work and your work alone.
• The contest runs from February 15th to March 15th, 2010, and entries will only be accepted during this period. Entries submitted before the opening date or after the deadline will be disqualified. All entries must be received by 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time on March 15th, 2010.
• Since this is a family-oriented blog, let’s keep it clean. No full or implied nudity. Entries containing such will be disqualified.
• Only (1) entry is allowed per person, so let us see your best shot!
• Have fun and good luck!

How to Enter:

1. Join the stephen zeller | photography Flickr group.
2. Add your entry (1 image per person) to the Group Pool.
3. Add the tag: szpwinter to your photo. (This helps me identify images for each contest.)
4. That’s it! Once your image is in the Pool and properly tagged, you’ll be all set. Stay tuned here to the blog for updates and the winner will be announced here on the blog on Friday, March 26th, 2010.
5. Good luck!

Remember that the contest isn’t open for entries until February 15th, 2010. Get your cameras ready, go through your images, and get your entry ready! I’m looking forward to seeing all the great work from my readers, as well as giving away a copy of BlinkBid to the contest winner!

Now, get out there and shoot!

Suicide Poster Contest News and a Big Thank You!

Happy Friday out there to the 3 people who read this blog. I wanted to pass along my sincere thanks and appreciation for all who voted for my team’s poster in the Navy’s Suicide Prevention Poster Contest. We were voted #1, thanks to your votes and support!

As the selected winners, our poster will be featured in the November issue of All Hands magazine. All Hands is a very popular Navy publication that is circulated to all Navy commands. As a Sailor who isn’t a Mass Communication Specialist, it’s a big honor to have our work published there.

Our CO gave us the day off because of a couple of recent certifications our ship has passed, so I’m spending the day working photography stuff, drinking coffee, and hanging out with my kids. We’re having a big birthday party for my youngest and his friend tomorrow and expect around 60 people between parents and kids… nuts.

Have a great weekend, get out and shoot, and don’t forget to back up your photos! I’ll see you back here on Monday!