From a new set on Flickr, to collect Metro Art.

From Museo de Jose Cuevas

A long time ago I dipped in and out of a Flickr Group called DMU. the concept is simple. You put a photo in the pool, and other members will comment and add a tag – either Delete or Save. Get 10 saves and your snap goes to the Lightbox for posterity. With 10 deletes, your photo is outta there. Naturally, you are obliged to vote and comment on other photos in the pool. I have to say I didn’t really get into it before, but I think I probably will this time.

I’ve put a few photos through the DMU wringer in the last couple of days. One has been saved so far…just so proud! Another, the photo voted the best in my 365 project, so nearly made it….but not quite. The group has had its ups and downs. And nukes. Theres clearly some personalities clashing. Such is life. If you fancy joining in there are a few DMUs of slightly different flavours you can search for. I personally have joined up Workers Of The DMUs Unite and Welcome To Zion groups.

From Ciclothon November 2009

I received an email today inviting me to go to the special opening of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at the Centro de la Imagen. All part of the global tour. Why me? I asked myself that very question. Turns out I had registered with the website to enter some photos of my own into the competition. Also turned out that I hadn’t uploaded any photos. I tried again. The website doesn’t like me, and failed to upload any images.

That’s the second time in the space of a couple of weeks that a site has failed to accept my uploads. Come on guys, it’s not that hard to built a functional uploader into a webpage! But anyway, I haven’t been to the Centro de la Imagen before, so even if I don’t make it to the opening (a Thursday night, and I work) I’ll pop along at some stage. It is free to enter after all. It runs from November 19th to January 3rd.

From last years climb up Iztaccihuatl. To be repeated this weekend.

Edit: Something else repeated on me the night before. Mountain will have to be repeated at a later date.

The iMapFlickr app is one of the most exciting applications for my photography that I’ve come across in ages. I can see just so many uses for this app, from detailing photowalks and tourist ‘must see’ spots for hobbyists, to displaying potential sites in the business world. Obviously it’s the former I am interested in.

I’ve made up one quick map as a demonstration. The image is below. Which is unfortunate. The map can be embedded, but WordPress.com don’t permit strange scripts and VodPod won’t recognize it as a video. So to see it work you’ll have to click here. But I am so excited by this app, that the moment I’ve published this post, I shall be off to a WordPress forum to make a recommendation!

Getty and Flickr partnered up earlier this year to help top Flickr users earn a little money by selling their photos for them. It was an invite only platform to begin with, and although thousands of flickr users were invited, that represented only a tiny, tiny fraction of Flickr’s user base. That changed this week. Sort of. Getty have now opened a group to allow all Flickr users to submit their work for consideration. Then they may invite a few more lucky users to participate in the program.

I have sent a selection of shots to the group, as I’m an optimistic chap! I do have serious doubts though as to the liklihood of me receiving one of the precious invites. I strongly suspect that their pixel peeping will lead them to conclude my point and shoot compact simply doesn’t produce images to match the quality or resolution they are looking for. But still, it’s worth a try and a bit of fun too. The photos I selected have gotten quite a few extra views and comments since I added them to the group.

Want to have a go yourself? It’s easy enough. Click here for the details. You need to select the ten best photos in your Flickr collection, exactly ten. Not nine, not eleven. Ten. Bear in mind files must be 3mp or more, and any recognizable person in the photo will need a model release. If you can’t get it, don’t enter it.