Many of you submitted only AFTER photos in our Photo Editing contest. You must submit both versions of your photo so the judge can see the changes you made, and compare the condition of the original photo with the work you did on it.

When you submit your BEFORE images, just put a note in parentheses under your caption that tells me you have already submitted. I'll match them up before I post them.

Thanks!

I just finished editing a bunch of photos I shot at a friend's daughter's Confirmation and my niece's wedding shower, and I realized how important photo editing is to presenting your family, friends, and potential buyers with nice pictures they can enjoy for years.

Hello my patient friends,

Our photo upload tool is finally working again, so I am extending the deadline for the January contest to midnight March 31 so that those who entered, but whose photos didn't show up, can re-submit, and those of you who didn't enter have a chance to.

I'm emailing everybody whose entries showed up with no photo so you can re-submit.

Here's the link to the original entry, with a link to the upload gallery at the bottom:

http://www.boston.com/community/photos/raw/2012/01/january_theme_whats_that_v3.html

I'll also post the theme for April.

Hi folks,

I wanted to let you know that the reason I haven't posted the February theme yet is that we are having technical difficulties with our photo upload tool. In fact, I'll have to extend the deadline for the January contest because several photos did not come through with some of the contest submissions you made.

The developer who built the tool for us is working on the issue along with our system administrators, and I hope things are back on line soon. Meanwhile, we'll get past contests judged -- including last year's Scavenger Hunt -- and announce a new theme as soon as the tool is working again.

Associated Press

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Eastman Kodak Co. said today that it will stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras, and digital picture frames, marking the end of an era for the company that brought photography to the masses more than a century ago.

Founded by George Eastman in 1880, Kodak was known all over the world for its Brownie and Instamatic cameras and its yellow-and-red film boxes. But the company was battered by Japanese competition in the 1980s, and was then unable to keep pace with the shift from film to digital technology.

The Rochester, N.Y.-based company, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, said it will phase out the product lines in the first half of this year and instead look for other companies to license its brand for those products. Once the products are phased out, Kodak said its consumer business will focus on photo printing and desktop inkjet printers.

Kodak said it's working with its retailers to ensure an orderly transition. The company will continue to honor product warranties and provide technical support for the discontinued products.

The moves are expected to result in annual savings of more than $100 million. The company didn't say how many jobs would be eliminated as a result of the decision, but did say that it expects to take a charge of $30 million related to separation costs.

Do you own a Kodak camera? What's your reaction to this news?

Surfing channels last night, I stumbled upon a PBS show about Yousuf Karsh, the famed portrait photographer whose iconic images of the famous (Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, Ernest Hemingway) in the 1940s and '50s helped elevate photographic portraiture to an art form.

It's our recurring January theme: Take a photo in which an object is difficult to identify. We then hold a follow-up contest asking people to guess what the item is ... and award prizes to those whose guess is correct or comes the closest.

These were the winners in 2010 and 2011:

Kerry Garrison of cameradojo.com talks about gear, looks at common holiday presents, and talks about what accessories you may need to get next.

In the Comments section below, tell us what photography gear you got, and whether you need help with anything. We'll ask some experts from local camera shops to help you out.

Have you ever wondered why there are so many amazing videos of Earth from orbit nowadays? The answer is simple: the amazing low-light performance of current DSLR cameras, like the Nikon D3 used by Expedition 29 Commander Mike Fossum.

Watch him explain how he does it to NASA astronaut Mike Massimino on Gizmodo.

John Kennerdell writes at The Online Photographer that even as an arts and humanities guy, it took him years to appreciate how much of photography turns out to be non-intuitive or even counter-intuitive. The hard part is explaining why.

"While most photographs don't aspire to be art, ultimately their value to us depends on something that art teaches us: direct emotional response."

Great food for thought. Read his entire blog entry here.

Although Paul Giguere at SeriousCompacts.com says his examination of the compact Ricoh GR Digital IV isn't a full review, his first impression may provide enough insight to help you decide whether this is the camera for you.

He looks at the camera's size, focusing speed, snap focus, image quality, dynamic range, and LCD quality. As a GRD3 owner, he was interested in discovering whether it was worth the extra money to upgrade (a GRD3 is about $380, a GRD4 about $600), and he concluded that it was - for him, anyway.

First impression of the Ricoh GR Digital IV

By Joanne Rathe
Globe Staff

Christmas morning, opening presents
It’s magic. Christmas morning is full of great expressions and happy moments all ready to unravel in a mostly predictable fashion. It’s what a photojournalist would call a “loaded situation”. Where, basically, you can’t miss – as long as you are ready and anticipate.

By Paul Marotta
Perfect Bokeh Photography

I think I must have changed my mind at least a dozen times on both the Top 10 and the Top 3 ... so many in the Final 50 had wonderful and redeeming qualities, both in terms of technical characteristics and content.

And in the end, what it should come down to is an image taking the eye directly to the subject matter, not any of the technical issues. If the subject or content is strong enough, has enough meaning, and strikes a response in a viewer, then other things can be overlooked.

Even though most of you use full-featured DSLRs, many also carry around a compact camera that's more convenient for weddings or other events, easily slipped in your pocket or purse. Some Globe photographers carry a Canon PowerShot G10, G11, or G12; I recently bought a Nikon Coolpix P7100 to go along with my D300.

Or perhaps you're looking for a camera for a relative or friend. This Consumer Reports piece, which ran in the November issue, should help.

By Consumer Reports

If you look closely at the cameras in recent weekend retail circulars, you might be surprised. A lot boast 14 or even 16 megapixels. Camera makers appear to have injected new life into an old marketing scheme: More megapixels mean a better camera.

Consumer Reports’ latest ratings include 58 recommended cameras, from basic to SLR. CR’s camera tests have shown for years that cameras with more megapixels don’t necessarily produce better images than those with fewer. Under the best of circumstances, models with more megapixels can produce images with greater detail, but that’s not very important unless you need giant enlargements.

By Paul Marotta
Perfect Bokeh Photography

Three rules for Rule of Thirds: Edit in the camera, edit in the camera, and edit in the camera. It is vitally important in photography to pre-visualize, i.e. how and what do you see in a shot or a moment. And, that includes everything from color to emotion to composition and more. And Rule of Thirds is all about composition: Where to position a subject and how to compose a shot are both critical elements to Rule of Thirds.

That being said, there were many extremely lovely images in this round, some that made the Final 50, and some that did not.

ePHOTOzine says that if your camera already has a built-in flash, you won't get much benefit from this array of LED lights that attaches to the hot shoe on the top of your camera.

But if you don't, or if you're shooting macro or video, it could be a valuable accessory.

Manfrotto ML120 Pocket LED Light Review

If you're interested in a new compact DSLR, check out the Samsung NX200. Ilse Jurriën reviews the 20.3-megapixel camera at LetsGoDigital, and says it's an improvement over the Samsung NX100 and delivers strong image quality. The camera retails for about $900 and comes with an 18mm-55mm zoom kit lens and on-camera flash. She writes:

"Two months ago, Samsung introduced the successor to the compact Samsung NX100 system camera. The new Samsung NX200 is even more compact than its predecessor, which makes the NX200 system camera very easy to carry around. The lightweight metallic Samsung NX200 is equipped with a new APS-C CMOS sensor with a large ISO range of 100 to 12800. The large sensor can catch more light, so that the amount of noise is reduced and more details are captured. The resolution is increased to 20.3 megapixels. The revolutionary i-Function lens, that was implemented for the first time in the NX100, is also found in the Samsung NX200."

Read the complete review here.

Other Samsung NX200 reviews:

Photography Blog: "A serious investment ... an enticing new entry"

Pocket-lint: Four out of five stars

dpreview: "A significant step up"

ePHOTOzine: "Highly recommended!"

c|net video review: "Promising but pricey"

Michael Melgar

He explains about using a flash unit, event triggers, sound triggers, and the problems with wireless shutter releases.

(Photo by Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)

Young actors at the Lyric Stage in Boston.

We've had a few contests recently where we photographed inanimate objects, so let's return to the realm of the living with this month's theme: Group Portraits. It's the time of year when we gather with family and friends, and if you're known as the photographer of the bunch, your ability to assemble people into a coherent whole for a photo that everyone will want to keep forever will be tested.

A local photo essay project by Paul Marotta of Arlington, one of our regular contest judges, has been chosen by Kickstarter - a funding platform for creative ideas - to be eligible for completion funding.

That funding, which consists of online donations from supporters, will allow Paul to turn it into a national project complete with potential gallery exhibits, online and print media publication, and even perhaps a book.

Paul writes:

Hi folks,

I'm happy to say that Paul Marotta of Arlington, who has been a terrific judge for us, has agreed to help me catch up on outstanding contests, judging them one at a time over the next several weeks.

Paul had offered to do so earlier, and when I recently received a press release about a cool honor he has received, I decided to take him up on his offer. (More on his honor in a subsequent post.)

As for the Scavenger Hunt contest, I will finish checking all the submissions by the end of this week and have it judged next week.

There are thousands of locations around the world that are iconic places to visit not just for the experience, but also to capture an image by which to remember your journey.

And if you're a photographer, you'll challenge yourself to take that image from a different and interesting perspective.

This month, we're interested in seeing your take on famous places around New England, the United States, or the world that are popular destinations for photographers.

Hey, folks ... the deadline for the October 'Yellow' contest is near: midnight Sunday, Nov. 6. So far we have 83 great entries, and are awaiting another 5 - those photographers' images didn't show up with their submissions.

It does help if you're able to reduce the size of your photo a bit before you try to submit it ... our photo upload tool chokes on massive image files. But if you don't know how, and a second try fails, then I let people email the photo to me and I'll post it for them.

You can check out the October photo contest entries here.

PS The November contest theme is Famous Places. More tomorrow.

You may recall that last fall we featured a project by one of our RAW regulars, Justin Lai, and the Discover Product Design (DPD) team at MIT that involved students taking photos. They ran the program again this fall.

Lai and Geoff Tsai's program finished up recently and they're ready to show off the students' photography. Justin was a Master's student and Geoff is currently a PhD student, both under the supervision of their advisor in mechanical engineering, Professor Maria Yang. The program was sponsored in part by MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Here's Justin's description of the project:

By Paul Marotta
Perfect Bokeh Photography

One of the problems with shooting food is lighting. (Well, there are numerous issues, not least of which is NOT judging photos while you’re hungry, but that’s another story!) Aside from the usual issues of color and composition, light presents a significant issue for the photographer because of the deep contrasts between flaming embers and fire and shadows. There must be light in some way, whether natural or flash, but being aware of the light differences can make all the difference in the world.

In choosing her Top 10, judge Susan Vermazen of the Globe Photo Dept. relied on my original instructions for this theme:

"We all yearn for simplicity in our busy, oft-complicated lives. So let's illustrate that desire with sparse, simple pictures of just one subject. Strive for peace and quiet - the zen of life."

Her choices:

Susan Vermazen, the Globe photo editor who judged the 'Singular' photo contest for us, evaluated the overall field of photos as "a really interesting, thoughtful effort." She has some good, basic advice that in summary, really says, "Slow down!"

The Japanese camera site Digital Camera Info (warning: the link is a Google translation of the Japanese language site, and the translation is not perfect) has released what it says are specs for the new Nikon D800, and the camera looks to be a behemoth.

The color yellow, in US culture, is the color of optimism, energy, warmth, happiness, creativity. The sun is yellow, are as school buses, taxis, lemons, and most pencils. (it's also the color of cowardice!)

Artists say that yellow emerges from colors surrounding it, so use that to your advantage.

First, August contest news:

Some of you wrote to me asking if the deadline for the August "Rule of Thirds" contest could be extended because so many people in New England were without power for several days after Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene struck. And you can lose even more days just getting back to normal after a situation like that.

I've tapped the Globe's excellent Photo Dept. for our judge for the June 'Singular' contest: Susan Vermazen, who has been with the Globe as a picture editor and multimedia editor since 2000.

Before arriving at the Globe, Susan, a graduate of Boston University, had quite the interesting and varied resume:

By Paul Marotta
May contest judge

These Top 12, I think, really grab a viewer’s attention and hold it, making them look for all of the elements that are present: color, composition, structure, unusual subject, and even, in some cases, confusing the viewer.

Looking at a strong image that is a reflection and hard to decipher or even confusing is actually quite fun, and even technical flaws can be overlooked if the image is compelling.

The Top 12, and especially the top three, should and do make other photographers say, “Wow, I wish I had done that!”

Getting to the Top 3 winners wasn’t easy. It never is in any competition, and this was no exception.

At this stage, all the finalists have something strong going for them, and it’s usually either a tiny flaw or something subjective that creates the order. All three here had good form and structure on their side, strong technical editing, good reflections, as well as that something extra I define as having passed the “so what” test.

Congrats to all who entered, and special kudos to the top three. Herewith are more specific thoughts.

FIRST PLACE - $100

Sometimes the perfect shot is not always the most complex. The photographer may have done tons of work on an image to get it where they want, or they may have done nothing, letting it speak for itself. But if it seems effortless and elegant and powerful all at the same time, then that is perfection.

I really liked the simplicity in this image. The white background removes any distractions and focuses the eye on the bird itself. I see a very slight blue haze around the head in the reflection, implying that perhaps the background may have been brushed out? The bird is simple and elegant all at once.

The horizon line is not visible, but is implied as it splits the image. The green grasses and the yellow legs provide a subtle and elegant touch of color. The reflection is strong and clear; the image could be virtually turned upside down and not lose any effect. Is this bird a tern? Where was it shot? The bits of brown in its feathers are perfect.

In its simplicity it holds my eye for a long time; there is a lot to look at in the image despite its simplicity. Nice - bravo!

SECOND PLACE - $50

Wow, I really liked this image. There is a lot going on here. The colorful glass beads cut across the image from top left to lower right corner perfectly. The colors are subtle. The three glass beads create a perfect pattern of thirds structurally, and the fill the frame nicely.

Not sure how exactly how big these are in real life. Did the photographer shoot these in macro mode? How close was the photographer? Where are these? Was the image cropped or edited in the camera, so to speak? Where are these? Were other angles possible? This wonderfully subtle image has me asking a lot of questions, which is always a good thing in an image.

My only caveat would be that a round reflective image is always hard to shoot. It’s in essence a "fisheye", so getting out of the shot is not easy, and the photographer is reflected in the image. I wonder if moving around it would have yielded a different shot? The sky is nicely reflected as is the garden arbor. My personal rule of thumb as a photographer? Stay out of the shot!

However, well done, and this subject warrants another outing!

THIRD PLACE - $25

There is a lot going on here, and I always like to see complexity and simplicity combined in a photograph.

First of all, the colors are great, as is the strength of the reflection itself. The little bits of stuff floating in the water help define the difference between the reflection and the actual subject.

More importantly, the subject fills the frame, but the smaller boat steals the show, so to speak, just at the perfect position in the image, splitting the mid frame. And that something extra in this image is the juxtaposition of smaller boat against the larger one.

The contrast between the two, combined with the reflection and everything else going on in this image, make it a terrific shot. Well done!

ED. NOTE: The rest of the Top 12 photos are all Honorable Mentions, in no particular order. Here's a gallery of all Top 12 winners.

Globe staff photographer Jim Davis explains how he captured all three elements of the Red Sox triple play against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday night.

Judge Paul Marotta of Perfect Bokeh Photography liked your "Reflections" photo so much that he chose 51 instead of 50! He also has chosen the Top 10, but is having a bit of a tough time deciding which to make the Top 3 winners. He'll get me those results tomorrow.

Meanwhile, he wrote some very thoughtful and thorough comments for you about the field of photos:

The Rule of Thirds is an important rule to know and practice in your photography, one that often yields dynamic, interesting images. (Of course, rules are made to be broken, but you have to master them before you can break them!)

A group of friends visiting an ultra-Orthodox Jewish town north of New York City ended up getting harassed for taking photos and eventually arrested for refusing to provide identification.

Read the full story on pixiq.

Video of part of the incident:

Photography Bay reports that one of Amazon's Gold Box deals is a discount on the Kingston 16GB Kingston UltimateX 100x SDHC card.

Read more here, then check out your Amazon account.

From pixiq.com: Cameras nowadays use mostly proprietary batteries so there’s not much to worry about in that area. Still, if your camera uses AA batteries you have to decide which are best for you … and the short answer is nickel-metal hydride or NiMh, if your camera can take it.

Read the full report here.

(NOTE: This is a press release from Epson, and as such, is rather breathless in its descriptions of the products. Always comparison shop and check with other photographers before making a major purchase.)

Epson America, a provider of desktop printing solutions, has introduced the Epson Artisan 837 and Artisan 730 wireless all-in-one printers for photo and technology enthusiasts who demand fast, reliable and better than lab-quality prints at home. The new Artisan line combines power and convenience in a sleek, compact design, featuring new midnight blue accents and a three-times-brighter emerald green smart touch panel display for easy PC-free navigation.

The Digital Journal of Photography chats with one of HP's ink gurus, and announces HP's new Premium Plus Photo Paper with porous coating technology for inkjet printers.

Read the complete post here.

Our judge for the delayed May contest (sorry) is a local guy who has achieved quite a bit in the field of photography. His bio:

As I announced last month, the contest theme for July is Grill It!

It's a challenge to get creative with an everyday event, so let's see what you can do. I am talking about grilling food -- not photos of sewer grills or the braces on somebody's teeth.

For you apartment dwellers, if you can't get yourself invited to an outdoor cookout, then indoor George Foreman grills or stovetop grills are fine.

I'm looking for creative shots of food on the grill, closeups of the grill itself, grilling accessories, the grillers doing their magic ... just remember these aren't quick snapshots for the family album. Good framing, lighting, perspective, and creativity are necessary.

Just a few rules:

Your photo MUST be taken this month.

The deadline is midnight July 31.

One photo per photographer.

Here's the gallery where you can see others' photos and enter your own.

AUGUST CONTEST

We'll try our hand at demonstrating the Rule of Thirds for the August contest. Those photos can be taken any time, so you can start work on that now, or find something exceptional in your portfolio.

Here are some good tutorials:

Digital Photography School - Rule of Thirds by Darren Rowse

Photo Composition Articles

Pixiq - The Rule of Thirds

Photographer Peter K. Burian recently posted another comprehensive review on pixiq.com, this time of two Micro Four Thirds cameras: He compares the Olympus E-PL2 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2.

He writes:

"Digital SLR cameras are very popular because they accept interchangeable lenses for great versatility and are loaded with features. But a DSLR with a lens is somewhat bulky and heavy.

"That's why Panasonic and Olympus developed the Micro Four Thirds system of smaller cameras in 2008. The downsizing was achieved by removing the reflex mirror and the pentaprism; this also shed quite a bit of weight. (Since then, Sony and Samsung have also introduced non-reflex or "mirrorless" cameras.)

"Recently I tested the latest Micro Four-Thirds models, the Olympus E-PL2 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2."

Peter looks at the cameras' large sensors, their features and operation, movie mode, performance, ISOs, and more.

You can read his complete review here.

Also, dpreview.com reviewed the Olympus E-PL2 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 earlier this year.

We all yearn for simplicity in our busy, oft-complicated lives. So let's illustrate that desire with sparse, simple pictures of just one subject. Strive for peace and quiet - the zen of life.

The rules:

Your photo MUST be taken this month. No appeals this time!!!

If you know how, please resize your photo to 500 pixels in height.

One photo per photographer.

The deadline is midnight June 30.

* BONUS *

The July theme will be "Grill It!"

It's a challenge to get creative with an everyday event, so let's see what you can do. I'm telling you about it now so you can plan enough cookouts to get a good photo -- and yes, your photo will have to be taken during the month of July.

I am talking about grilling food -- not photos of sewer grills or the braces on somebody's teeth.

And for you apartment dwellers, if you can't get yourself invited to an outdoor cookout, then indoor George Foreman grills or stovetop grills are fine.

I'm looking for creative shots of food grilling, closeups of the grill itself, grilling accessories, the grillers doing their magic ...

* BONUS 2 *

The theme for August will be "The Rule of Thirds." Those photos can be taken any time. More later.

Here's the gallery where you can submit your June entry and see those of others.

Questions?

You RAW Dawgs have outdone yourselves ... your "Reflections" photos are really terrific. And close to 250 entries. Just fantastic.

If you haven't seen them all yet, here's the gallery. And the June and July themes are coming right up.

May "Reflections" photo contest entries

Lauren of Whitman (Second Place) and Mark of Chelmsford (Third Place): I need your home addresses so I can send you your gift card prizes. Please write to me at raw@boston.com. Thanks.

I think judge Michael Cevoli had a good time looking through your April "Humor" entries. How could he not? They were clever, silly, and even laugh-out-loud funny. Glad you had some fun.

Here are Michael's thoughts on the overall field, followed by his Top 10 winners:

Michael Cevoli is a Providence-based photographer and educator.

Hi everybody ... sorry for the absence. My project is starting to ease a bit. I still don't have a producer to help me, but hope to hire one soon. Meanwhile, I wanted to clarify one of the rules for the May contest:

FIRST PLACE - $100

Hi folks,

For the May "Reflections" contest, I received pleas from several people to let them use photos of reflections that they have in their portfolios from trips, etc., so I've decided to eliminate the rule that your photo must be taken this month.

That rule is meant to encourage people to get out and explore and shoot, but I also understand that if you captured a terrific image in the past, you would want to show it off for this contest.

For the March "Human Form" contest, I have the Top 10 choices of our judge, Mark Sarver, but I still don't have his comments for each of the Top 3 finishers. As soon as I get those, I'll publish the winners.

But if I don't get them by 2 p.m., I'll publish the winners anyway and add his comments later. Don't want to leave you hanging!

My name is Mark Sarver and I was honored to participate as a judge in the Boston.com photography contest.

My background is as a photographer and a teacher of digital imaging, printing, and design, and as a digital technician hired by many photography professionals to enhance their images and realize their vision.

The theme this month was "the human form." I interpret "the human form" to mean the study of the human body using design, shape, and light. Many great portraits, editorial portraits, and action shots were submitted, but they didn't quite fit the theme.

Within the Final 50 were some images that would have been better with a simple crop. Others could have been enhanced by shooting in RAW and using better image processing.

The images I ranked highest were those using design, shape, and light to say something about the human form.

Thank you for this opportunity to participate as a judge.

Mark Sarver

Here is a gallery of Mark's Final 50 choices. Look for his Top 10 on Wednesday.

Let's take photos of reflected objects this month. Not simply reflected light -- make sure it's objects or people that are being reflected. The reflecting surface can be something shiny, glass, plastic, water, your car, a mirror, a wine glass, an eyeball ... use your imagination.

I know you all think I have been in Timbuktu for awhile, but I've actually been on two major projects. I apologize for neglecting you. But some good news: We have a terrific judge for the March "Human Form" contest: Mark Sarver, a freelance photographer and technical consultant who formerly taught at the New England School of Photography.

Close to 80 photographers will have their images on display this weekend during the annual Somerville Open Studios event - this year, it's being held from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

From our friend Richard of imagesbyrich fame:

"Yesterday, while driving down Hooksett Road in Hooksett, N.H., I noticed an interesting display of a citizen's dismay with the town of Hooksett.

"I believe the broken sign reading 'Welcome to Hooksett' is referring to the current state of the town council and their decision-making processes. The toilet must be referring to the environmental mess the Hooksett sewerage plant caused by releasing millions of sewerage disk filters into the Merrimack River, which are littering the Eastern Seaboard.

"Quite the interesting display."

Camera Eye's May workshop starts May 5. It's Seminar I and is an intensive workshop where students will explore photographic seeing and visual thinking. In a small class setting, the class will discuss photographs in technical, formal, and conceptual terms.

Local photographer Russell duPont has another intriguing exhibit: "Boston, 1960-2011: Photographs by Russell duPont", this one on display in the Main Floor Atrium Gallery of the Moakley Federal Courthouse on the Boston waterfront.

The exhibit runs through June 30, and the gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A Virginia commercial photographer, Casey Templeton, came up with a unique way to introduce himself to potential clients and help his pitch stand out from others. Pretty interesting stuff! If any of you are trying to turn your photography into a business, perhaps shooting weddings on the weekend or portraits of kids, you may get some ideas here.

Lee Cullivan of Belmont, aka shoothead on Flickr and a two-time First Place winner of our monthly contests (the Motion theme and the Jobs theme), has been nominated as an AMD VISIONary photographer.

After the hard work you all did on the Scavenger Hunt and trying to get provocative shots of the human body, let's relax and indulge ourselves a bit. We want photos that make us laugh (after all, it's April Fool's Day).

But remember: This contest is always about skill and creativity, so while you're taking your funny photo, make sure the composition, lighting, framing, etc. are top-notch.

You must take the photo this month. One photo per person.

We'll go back to using our internal gallery; here's the link to the gallery.

Meanwhile, post any questions below.

I went out on my back deck late Saturday to see the so-called Super Moon -- at its closest point to the Earth in 18 years -- as well as to play with a new iPhone app called Star Walk (well, new to me).

Well, I couldn't see very many stars or planets because the moon was almost blinding!

If any of you captured any images of that moon, we'd love to see them. Just upload them to this gallery along with you name, town, and any EXIF information you can grab:

Super Moon gallery

Meanwhile, I visited the Boston Flower and Garden Show at the Seaport World Trade Center Saturday and thought I was going to get crushed by the crowd.

But I spotted LOTS of people with cameras, so if you were one of them, or if you've gone on other days and captured some images of flowers, plants, or overall displays, here's another gallery where you can display your work:

Boston Flower and Garden Show gallery

Thanks.

Yikes, I did not anticipate how long it would take me to go through 1,919 photos to make sure each one met the criteria of the contest. I'm still reviewing them, so please indulge me awhile longer.

Mich Cardin of Boston is an arts & culture writer and photographer who freelances full-time, combing the city for unique events and personas. She recently spent a morning at a Boston Ballet practice.

Mich Cardin's Photo Essay

By Jeff Barnard and Jaymes Song
Associated Press / March 11, 2011

Crescent City, Calif. - A tsunami swept at least five people watching the waves out to sea Friday and ripped docks out of harbors in California, spreading the destruction of a devastating Japanese earthquake to the shores of the United States.

I've heard back from all but one of the Top 10 winners in the "What's That" contest - those who had the best, most intriguing, most mysterious photos.

We looked over all of your guesses and chose those that came the closest. I have added the winners names to the Comments section of each of the photo blog entries where you guessed.

Thanks a lot for taking part, and congratulations to all of the winners.

You can find all of the blog entries here.

By Kati Mai Seiffer
Westford

Talk about starting 2011 off with an unexpected bang: I'm having my first gallery exhibit. I will be showcasing my photography at the Parish Center for the Arts this month.

We'll close guesses for the January 'What's That?' Top 10 photos at 2 p.m. today. Then I'll consult with the photographers to choose the winners, and I'll post the results Monday.

Thanks for joining in!

We've done several themes lately in which we haven't had to include people in our photos, so let's challenge ourselves to capture images of people while at the same time celebrating the human body.

It's finally time to start guessing what the Top 10 images are. Please read the guidelines carefully:

* Please don't cheat by trying to find the photos on the photographers' Flickr accounts. That's not good sportsmanship.

* If you are one of the finalists, please don't tip off a relative, friend, or neighbor about your photo. I know these RAW insulated mugs are like gold, but please play fair.

* Finalists are welcome to post a guess on each other's photos.

* You can post a guess on as many of the 10 photos as you like, but only one guess per person per photo.

* Be as specific as possible. The difference between winning a valuable RAW mug or not may be how well you describe what you think the photo is.

Sorry to have to sound like a scold, but past experience makes it necessary, I'm afraid. With that out of the way, have at it!

You can find all 10 entries here.

Good luck!

We had a bit of a glitch in the January contest, folks, which is why I delayed posting the Top 10 winners for you to guess. I had to disqualify the 2nd place finisher because he didn't take his photo during the month of January 2011.

FIRST PLACE - $100

Judge John Blanding of the Globe Staff said: "This is a scary photo! It has a human element, yet I don't know what it is. The photographer got this shot at just the right angle to use the light really well."

SECOND PLACE - $50

John Blanding said: "This photo has beautiful colors. Many of the photos were one color; this one conveys fun with the whole rainbow - the prismatic effect. It's captivating."

THIRD PLACE - $25

Here's a gallery of all Top 10 winners. Congratulations!

AND NOW ... more fun begins. I'll post the Top 10 winners in separate entries at noon tomorrow, and as soon as those links are live on the RAW homepage, you can start guessing what the items are. The descriptions that come closest to what the object is, and is posted first, will be the winner. I'll have each photographer choose the winner. Please -- just one guess per person.

I'll send the 10 winners a cool RAW insulated mug. Woo-hoo!

Photo by Barbara Bailey
"Nor'easter" - 10th Place, Stormy Weather contest, September 2010

The other evening I received one of the nicest, most gratifying notes from Jan Claffey, a RAW regular. Although it contained sad news, it made me realize the importance of the community we've formed here. Rather than characterize the note, I'll just run it in its entirety:

If you're interested in printing your own photos rather than sending them to a lab or taking them to your local camera shop, you may be interested in Epson's announcement that it will release a new printer in March.

Pixiq says that recently published tests suggest that even the cheap Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, which costs $100, can be better than a Carl Zeiss Planar T50 f/1.4 that costs $725.

DxO, the company that tests lenses and cameras, published tests that, looking at the numbers, "places most of the Carl Zeiss line of lenses behind, sometimes far behind, its Canon and Nikon siblings," according to Pixiq.

Read the entire entry and judge for yourself.

I've always been jealous of anyone with a Zeiss lens. Anybody here own one? Do you like it?

If you use Lightroom, you may or may not have tried your hand at organizing your photos into what Lightroom calls "Collections."

Photographer Helen Bradley writes on Digital Photography School that "Collections in Lightroom are a key tool for organizing images. There are some benefits to working with collections and some things that it helps to know about working with them."

She takes you through whether to use regular or special collections, how to sort images, set a target collection, gather images without duplication, find images, manage temporary collections, and more.

Read the entire tipsheet on the DPS website.

Do you use Lightroom? Do you like it?

"The path of photography is not always cheap," writes The Phoblographer. "As a family man and photographer, I really have to look at how I spend money.

"A person can go broke or in debt, trying to acquire and maintain cameras, lenses, and other equipment. People today have less money to begin with due to the economic downturn.

"With patience, one could save money for their photography needs. To me, it’s about anticipating what’s needed and wanted long before buying it."

Here's a list of his tips for saving money to buy your photo supplies.

How do you afford this expensive hobby?

Start with a half-empty garage with nice, 12-foot ceilings but a budget of just $200. The goal: Build a photo studio by getting control over the space, control over the light, and enhancing the ambiance a little.

Strobist blogger David Hobby is undertaking this project at his home, and chronicling his progress on his blog.

Light Remodeling: Part 1

Light Remodeling: Part 2

Ah, another great contest with some amazing photos. And our judge, John Blanding of the Globe Photo Staff, had a good time making his choices. He told me, "As someone who has photographed rotting food in my kitchen sink, I love this kind of photography!"

I've been looking over your terrific entries in the scavenger hunt contest - there are some really excellent images in the group. I'm glad that you have been able to fulfill the requirements of the list and be artistic at the same time -- bravo!

I do have some thoughts about the photos. If we get a lot of entries, we may have to be picky in terms of who met the criteria of the list items, so here are some suggestions that may increase your chances of making it to the finals.

Sony press release

Sony has unveiled two new 16.2-megapixel Cyber-shot digital still cameras that offer Full HD video shooting capability at the touch of a dedicated movie button. Recording video at 60 progressive frames per second (1920x1080 60p), both cameras can capture fast-moving action with exceptional smoothness and clarity.

The opening reception for "Capturing Beauty", an exhibition of landscape and nature photography by Kati Mai Seiffer, will be held this Sunday, March 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford.

The details of this contest took a little while to sort out, but I'm really excited about it, and hope you will be, too. I'm also happy to announce that the value of the gift certificates is being increased for this contest, and even better, they are being supplied by Hunt's Photo and Video (appropriate name). More on that later.

We're going to try a Photo Scavenger Hunt for the first time. The rules are extremely important, so I am going to post them first.

Camera GearGuide says the Samsung NX100 compact system camera makes a compelling option for photographers looking to travel with all the benefits of their DSLR camera (image quality, control, and lens options) minus the weight and burden of a much larger camera system. In most regards, the NX100 achieves the goals of a compact system camera, and innovations like the i-Function lens capability certainly help to distinguish it from the growing number of competitors. But all is not perfect; read the full review here.

Camera GearGuide makes another interesting point: The growth of compact system cameras or “mirrorless” cameras on DSLR sales in the interchangeable lens camera market. Olympus and Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds (M4/3) cameras are relatively popular, and Sony has been making big waves with its NEX camera system. But according to GearGuide, Samsung seems determined to make an impact on this market as well.

PhotoWalkPro sums up the buzz about a rumored Nikon press event Feb. 9, and speculates that the company will announce a replacement for the D700 that could include full HD video like the D7000 and D3100, 1080p resolution, and 18 megapixels.

Read the entire post here. Do you have a D700, and are you happy with it?

The January 'What's That?' photo contest ends at midnight today ... we have 118 submissions so far. Remember, your photos is supposed to be unrecognizable. Once our judge chooses the Top 10, we'll hold another contest and ask you to guess the item in the photos -- and we'll award some nice trinkets to those winners.

Here's the description of the contest, and here's the form to enter.

Nikon, Canon, Adorama, Photojojo, Fotodiox, and others are selling cups and insulated mugs that look like lenses -- they're pretty cool!

Canon has cups and mugs that look like its 70-200mm lens, its EF 24-105, and more.

I know about Nikon's AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8; there may be more.

Prices appear to be in the $25 to $35 range. Here's a Google shopping results page for Nikon mugs or Canon mugs.

Even though it had a tough 4th quarter, Canon finished 2010 with an 87% increase in profits in its worldwide operations.

And although much of that profit comes from its office products, Peter K. Burian writes on Pixiq that its photography business contributed quite a bit as well.

Peter looks ahead to 2011 and emerging markets in this piece on Pixiq.

Just point and shoot

By Ryan Prentiss
West Roxbury

I am a dad of four with a passion for photography and the outdoors. I lead a busy lifestyle between family and work, so when I'm running across rocky ridges, hanging from a ledge, climbing vertical ice, or paddling out in the open ocean, I don’t have a lot of space or time to fiddle with technical aspects of photography. I’ve found that with some basic skills, a few tricks of the trade, and a decent point-and-shoot (P/S) digital camera, you can capture amazing adventure photos.

Charlie MacPherson has started a tipsheet blog on his Boston.com profile page, and that's where he'll post his tips for us. We'll get his RSS feed to automatically show up in the Tipsheets section in the left column below, but until then, here's a link to his latest tip:

Don't fall for the "better equipment" trap!

FIRST PLACE - $100

Judge Charlie Mansbach said: "The single word and three punctuation marks seem to animate this photo, explain the look on the face, the body language, an attitude, and all the wonders of emerging girlhood. With no title, or with a title giving only her name, I would spend much less time looking and would appreciate the photo far less."

SECOND PLACE - $50

Judge Charlie Mansbach said, "The clever double use of the term makes the viewer look carefully at the photo. And the title comes across as affectionate, a celebration of the lad and all that sustains him."

THIRD PLACE - $25

Judge Charles Mansbach said, "I know: Paul Revere probably never said, 'The British are coming.' But this title still has fun with our historical lore and with our Boston landmarks. If the viewer doesn't recognize the snow-covered statue in the photo, the title furnishes a gentle nudge."

Here is the gallery of all Top 10 winners.

Congratulations!

With Valentine's Day approaching, we thought it would be fun to practice shooting sweets: candy wrapped in shiny, colored paper; chocolate (solid or melted); hard candy, soft candy ....

The PBS NewsHour, via Twin Cities Public Television, profiled Minnesota photographer Alec Soth, who uses an 8x10 format camera and has an exhibit at Minneapolis' Walker Art Center.

Judge Charlie Mansbach enjoyed himself reviewing your entries and narrowing them to a Final 50. His thoughts:

Michael Rubin, director of product marketing for the Digital Imaging Division of Casio America, sat down with Michael R. Tomkins of The Imaging Resource this week for a chat about the future of digital cameras and Casio's plans for 2011. Among the highlights:

Okay, you hardy New Englanders -- time to clean your sensors and charge your videocam batteries: we're counting on you once again to help us document the severity and extent of the storm that's about to land on our doorstep.

Here are some suggestions, illustrated by your photos from the recent blizzard:

1. Show the severity of the storm without putting yourself in danger.

2. Show how deep the snow is in your area. You don't have to drop your kid into a snowdrift up to his eyeballs, but use some other object, such as a car or patio furniture, to provide some context for the snow.

3. Photograph or videotape something unusual. You may have read that the Charles River turned a weird yellow color during the last blizzard. A few MIT and Cambridge folks submitted photos of it to our last snowstorm gallery, and the Globe reprinted two of them in the paper -- including the one below. So keep your eyes open!

4. Make 'em laugh. There's something absurd about the weather in these parts, and maintaining a sense of humor as these storms wallop us sometimes is the only way to get through them.

5. Find the beauty in the storm. Enough said.

Here's the form where you can upload your photos and see the images others have submitted.

RAW friend Nancy Bray of Harwich, a former Featured Photographer, sent along a video that tells a remarkable story.

It's the tale of Vivian Maier, who worked as a nanny in Chicago, but on her days off, took thousands of photos on the streets of the city. Her stash of undeveloped photos were discovered in a storage locker by a young guy researching a book about Chicago, and he and a friend have made it their mission to scan what he estimates is 100,000 negatives. Experts are calling her work stunning, and have even said her photos may rank with those of Walker Evans.

This video tells the story and shows some of her photos:

By Charles MacPherson
The Amazing Image, Scituate

Sunrise is one of my favorite things to shoot. Even a lousy sunrise is still pretty darn good!

Here are a few tips for your next attempt at capturing the color and drama of a sunrise shoot:

We usually feature just amateur photographers in this space, but I'm making an exception for Charlie because I want to use this venue to introduce him to the RAW crowd: He has graciously agreed to write tipsheets for us on a regular basis. Watch for his work in both the Gigabytes section and the Tipsheets section on the RAW homepage.

By Charles MacPherson
Scituate

I got my first whiff of photography as a teenager when I discovered my Dad's Argus C3 "brick" camera -- and it was love at first sight!

Paul Wainwright was a recent Featured Photographer here on RAW in which he discussed the project that resulted in the book that won the award. Here's a press release about his prize:

New Hampshire photographer Paul Wainwright's new book, "A Space for Faith: The Colonial Meetinghouses of New England", has received the prestigious New England Book Festival Award for best Photography/Art book of the year.

Wainwright works with a wooden large-format camera, sheet film, and develops all his images in his darkroom. Every photograph is carefully and individually created. He prefers to create a photograph rather than "shoot" or "take a picture" and uses traditional processes which force him to slow down and really think about what he wants his images to be.

Bruce Haring, director of the New England Book Festival, said: " 'A Space for Faith' shows a true artist's eye for detail and serves as a wonderful guide to a part of the region that deserves more attention."

The New England Book Festival Award will be presented at the Festival's award ceremony at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston. The Parker House is the grand literary hotel where Thoreau, Emerson, and Longfellow met at the legendary Saturday Club for poetry readings and high-minded discussions.

"A Space for Faith: The Colonial Meetinghouses of New England" is a collection of Wainwright's classic black-and-white photographs that paints a composite portrait of these once ubiquitous landmarks of the New England landscape. Only a few remain as they were – touched only by time – and Wainwright's photographs give us a glimpse into an age when life was simpler.

"I am extremely honored by this award," says Wainwright. "New England's meetinghouses embody a large part of our nation's history, and my work photographing them was aimed at bringing their story to a broad audience."

Wainwright, who has long considered himself to be a "photographer with a day job," discovered his creative passion with his first darkroom at age 12. In 2001, when the job he had held for 24 years at Bell Laboratories was eliminated, he embraced his love of photography and re-created his life.

"I took a leap of faith," Wainwright says. "I'll admit that like many of us who suddenly find ourselves without a job, I was scared. But that leap of faith led me to create 'A Space for Faith', a book which wouldn't exist if I'd still been working in the corporate world." Wainwright is now a successful landscape and architectural photographer.

Drawn to capture images that reflect our Puritan heritage, Wainwright says, "They were religious dissidents who came to New England so they could live apart from the Church of England. Their lives were simple, and their belief in God was central to their lives. I believe my meetinghouse photographs reflect the Puritans' simple, well-ordered lives and inspire my quest to simplify my own life."

For review copies and author interviews, call 603-362-6589. Additional information and photos may be found in the Media Room section of the book’s web site, www.aspaceforfaith.com.

A Space for Faith: The Colonial Meetinghouses of New England by Paul Wainwright (ISBN 13: 978-0-9817898-5-9) is published by Peter E. Randall Publisher of Portsmouth, NH.

LetsGoDigital says, "The Canon PowerShot S95 is not much different from its predecessor (the S90).

"The bright, 3.8x zoom lens has remained and the 3-inch format display with 460.000 dots resolution is also back.

"The Canon S95's compact format makes it appear as an automatic, but the camera also offers the possibility of shooting with full manual settings.

"In short, it is a camera for the beginner photographer, but it also sparks the interest of serious photographers that are looking for a handy little camera on the side."

Full review of the Canon PowerShot S95 from LetsGoDigital

PhotoInduced also weighed in on the S95.

Own this camera? Upload a sample photo you've taken and write your own review.

More camera, lens, and equipment reviews.

Have a teen-ager who likes to take lots of photos and share them with friends right away?

A clever designer at the Samsung Art and Design Institute, Jung Eun Park, has come up with a small camera with 3 USB ports. She can just grab her friends' thumb drives and transfer photos instantly.

Student Jung Eun Park’s UCIM camera.