Hi Members,

What can I tell in my first Admin Report.

Well I guess that the goal, a site without misery and disrespect as seen in other sites, is achieved.

In the almost 13 months that this site has existed there has been nothing in the way of members insulting other members and acting without any respect. There were two minor problems until now and the members responsible for those problems stopped without coercion from either Theo or me. So Phodia is a sort of oasis with a very good mood between the members and they are still giving fair criticism and not only that but also helping each other.

The only thing I think of as a pity is that some members are using the gallery to drop of some shots and barely participating in the community. I think we should help the members who have just started with this fine hobby, and we shouldn't look only at the best uploads. Once we needed other people to help us out with tips etc. Nobody is born a photographer and helping each other is the charm of a community like Phodia.

And then we have the Showcase with the Cat-Vote, the Monthly Theme and the Photo-Edit. I think the Monthly Theme is running well and I hope the other two parts are going to run as well.

In the statistics for the past three months we can see that we've got visitors from 59 different countries all around the world and the top ten countries with the most visitors are: Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, United States, Norway, Canada, Portugal, Slovenia and Argentina. So as you can see we have a real international community.

So I can end my first report with a phrase: "We shouldn't forget it's only a picture we talking about"

Letters to the Editor

The heading says it all. Here we will be posting your thoughts. If you have something you would like to share with the members then let us know about it. Maybe there is something you like about Phodia or something that you are not happy about. Regardless of what it is …Let us know about it and we will publish it.

newsletter@phodia.net,

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

For the inaugural issue of the Newsletter, I interviewed the man behind the scenes, the creator of Phodia.net. A few members have met him; a few can call him friend. For most of us though he is simply the man who keeps the wheels of Phodia turning, fixing the bugs as they appear, listens to our complaints when things don’t work the way we think they should and spends his spare time thinking up ways on how to improve Phodia.

• • Q: From the notes in your profile you mentioned working in a dark room..........do you miss the darkroom at all.
  • Theo: not really, only sometimes when I'm thinking back, it had a special atmosphere, a special smell, but compared to digital, I prefer digital.
• Q: After a break, what was it that brought you back to photography.
• Theo: I had a camera, a Canon, it was stolen and I wanted to have a new one. When I went to the shop I saw the Olympus E-300 and thought that it would be nice to buy, not thinking of starting photography again, but when I had bought it, slowly the interest came back. When I discovered FC it became a real hobby again. In the old days it was always nice to take pictures, but sharing was difficult, photo communities are a very nice way of sharing your photography.

• Q:There are a lot good websites for photography so what was the catalyst for creating your own web site Phodia.
• Theo: Mainly because I was annoyed with FC, there was so much fighting. Once it was a friendly community but it became a fight club. Last Year I also wanted to learn a new program language (I'm a kind of web developer) which was PHP so I decided that making a new website was a great way of learning that new language and at the same time make a new Photo platform for sharing photography. Beside photography, it's a kind of hobby of mine, to make websites.
• Q:Kind of web developer, I thought your occupation was computer programmer.
• Theo:Yes I am, but a programmer develops, my official title is developer; well job title.
• Q: I am curious where the name Phodia comes from, I have looked it up in dictionaries and encyclopaedias, but can't find it. Is there a special meaning to the word ‘Phodia'.
• Theo: When I decided to make a website, one of the first things was a name, so I could buy a domain. Main thing was that it should be short, easy to remember and write and also has a link to do with photography. Suddenly I came up with that name. I was doing all kind of words with pho. I asked Liesbeth (my girlfriend) what she thought of it, she said that it was a good name, from then the name was born. It has to do with podium, photo. A podium for your photography.
• Q:Has Phoia.net met your expectations.
• Theo:More then I expected. When I started I asked Rob to help me out and become an Admin. My expectations were that there would be a small site with now and then a picture, but there were a lot of disappointed members from FC and also from Zoom (a Dutch FC), my aim was about 50 members the first year, but we have about 150, a lot not active, but I think about 50 to 70 active and also a high level of pictures appear every day
• Q:Along with expectations, comes disappointment...... are there things about Phodia that you are not happy with.
• Theo:not really, but that's a bit difficult to answer because my role is different from others, I'm more curious what others think of it and not only the positive things. I want to know what others think is wrong and what can be improved.
• Q:I believe you are now planning a 'Phodia 3'. Will we see many new changes.
• Theo:I think so. I have been thinking about it for the last month and have built the site already in my head. I will use more advanced techniques to have a slicker site, also I want to improve on search possibilities and there will be a complete new implementation of the showcase and of course the site will be made ready for paid membership. This is the main reason to rebuild Phodia because building it into the current site will take as much time as starting new.
• Q:So when can we expect the 'new Phodia, with paid membership' to be online.
• Theo: My planning is that will be on the first of April but it depends on a lot of factors. I am working on two projects, one I will finish hopefully this week the other starts next year. If I don't get any new ones I will have enough time for P3, and it will be finished April first. I like building on Phodia, I can do it my own way but these projects make my chimney smoke :-)))
• Q:Not to sure I understand the chimney smoke :)
• Theo:It's a Dutch phrase which says you will need money to buy wood for your stove; then the chimney will smoke.
• Q:Is there anything you would like to say to the members in finishing.
• Theo:I'm just glad that there a group of enthusiastic photographers joined at Phodia. I'm always looking forward to the contributions of everyone, lately I'm very busy and don't have much time for commenting but I will always take time to look at all posted pictures. Also,a big thanks to Rob who has been a great help during this first year.

Jenipher: Thanks for you time Theo, I sure the members will be pleased to meet the man behind the scene :)

Theo: I hope so :-))

Next month we will be interviewing the Admin Manager. Rob Nagelhout.

Places to Visit

As someone who loves photographing Wild Birds, one of my ambitions was to photograph Puffins and this I was able to do this on the Isle of May. For anyone who would like to see and photograph sea birds then I strongly recommend a visit to the very beautiful “Isle of May” on the east coast of Scotland.

The best time to visit and get close to the Puffins and the other sea birds which include Razorbills, Guillemots, Eiders and Arctic Tern (to name but a few) is in April and May before the chicks hatch. Once the chicks start hatching, the wardens rope off some of the paths to protect the young from visitors who can easily stand on the young birds. Your visit to the island starts with the “May Princess” which departs from the fishing village of Anstruther and the trip takes about 1.5hrs. As the boat approaches the island you get the chance to photograph the many grey seals that live there all year round. Once on the island you then get to spend at least 2 hrs enjoying the sights and sounds of this beautiful and fascinating place, with many opportunities to take great photographs
isle of may.

If you have a favourite place that you would like to share with the members, please let me know about it. Send your submission, along with a photo, to the following address lawson.mcculloch@phodia.net. and I will be more than pleased to follow it up.

The Trading Post

Any old camera equipment lying around that you don’t need anymore. Or maybe you are looking for something in particular. Whether selling or seeking, list you equipment or request here with full details and a description if needed. We will then post it here in the trading post for you and redirect any enquires to you that we receive. It does not need to be camera related; we will post anything that has to do with photography; for example, flashes, tripods, camera bags etc.

If you are interested in using this service, please contact us at the following address newsletter@phodia.net

Monthly Theme

The winner of the December Monthly Theme is Luc Grollie with his photo ‘natural mother’ which won with an average rating of 8,1.

The Photo Link Reference Library

In Photo Link I will be presenting a monthly list of links to many different photography subjects, including Wildlife, Landscape, Portrait etc.

This month I have included links to Wildlife photographers that were passed to me by an old chap I met on my travels recently. They include some really fine photographs by people willing to share their secrets and knowledge that they have built up over the years.

I have also included a few other links to Web Sites that may be of interest to you, and if the members of Phodia enjoy this feature, then I will try and include many different links each month.

Wildlife

'Wild about Britain' is an excellent resource link to the wildlife in the Britain. It covers many different aspects from amphibians to wild flowers. For example, here you can find reference tables for identifying fungi, wildflowers and birds. Or maybe you would just like to spend time browsing through the photo galleries.Wildaboutbritain

‘pmg wildlife images’ is a wonderful collection of photos devoted to English wildlife and landscapes presented by an English couple Pauline and Ian. Well worth a look at. pmgiwildlifeimages

Landscapes

'British Landscapes' is a link to some of the work from renowned English photographer Peter Watson. For members just starting out in landscape photography it is wonderful way to learn about composition and what makes a good photo. Or again, just browse through the galleries and enjoy the British landscape.British landscapes

This site from Jeremy Turner features wilderness, landscape and fine art photography from Australia, New Zealand and Europe, presented in colour and black and white.jturnerphotography

Editing

'Photo Answers' is a link to online tutorials for Photoshop and Elements. An excellent site for beginners who just starting out with the editing of their photos. Here you can learn how to use curves, dodging and burning, colour keying or cloning along with many other editing tips.

geofflawrence ‘Geoff Lawrence .com’ is a very comprehensive site for learning about photography and editing. It covers tutorials on Cameras, basic photography, editing and many more interesting and informative topics.photoanswers

We intend these Links to be a regular Monthly feature, and if anyone would like to submit Links for the Photo-Link Reference Library, then please send them to lawson.mcculloch@phodia.net

WE NEED YOUR HELP

to keep this Newsletter going. If you have any interesting articles or links which you would like to share with the members, send them to us. Maybe there is someone you would like to see interviewed, a special place you would like to know about. What ever it is, let us know and we will follow it up. We can both be contacted at any of the following addresses………..looking forward to hearing from you.

Best regards
Your Newsletter team
Lawson and Jenipher

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