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Time is flying (or so it feels for me) and more and more good photography articles are being published around.

It’s always hard to come up with a small selection, but it has to be done. So, here are some of those articles that picked my attention in the past days:

• Who is Stealing your photos online? - JMG-Galleries - Jim introduces a new platform (or shall we call it search engine), TinEye, that uses image recognition algorithms and allows you to search for copies of your images online (even modified ones). I’ve been using TinEye for some time and can say that, although their search range is still small, it works. Jim also has some invites to give, in case you’re interested.
• HELP… I’m brand new at this. What do I do to grow my business? - Digital ProTalk - Want to start expanding your photo business? Then David’s blog is the place to go. And from this article you can see what to expect over there.
• DSLR Dust Problems: Prevention and Solutions - Joy of Digital Photography - Dust in the sensor is something that did not exist in the film days. But it’s the digital era and dust can really ruin your work if you’re not careful about it. Jeff tackles the problem and gives some tips on how to avoid it.
• So many cameras - So little time - Epic Edits - I’m sure you know what a SLR is. But what about a TLR, or Rangefinder, or… Brian gives a small introduction to each of the most know camera types.
• 8 Tips for better photo composition - A Matter of Memories - Good photography is much more than just the right equipment. It’s what you do with it. And good composition is a skill that can be improved. There are no rules, just tips, and Jill gives 8 of them right here.
• Lenses - Photography Basics - Camera bodies come and go, but lenses are forever (was this a good adaptation of the cliché?). Knowing what lenses you need and what to expect from them is vital in photography. Garry has a nice intro to lenses for the beginner. And remember "You get what you pay for".
• The War on Photography - Schneier on Security - Photographer’s rights violations is happening everyday. You can shoot this, you can’t shoot that… When is it going to stop? With increasing fears of terrorism (and often using it as an excuse) probably not so soon. As Bruce mentions, blame the movies. We also discussed this issue on PhotoNetCast #2. Maybe I should get one of those "I’m a Photographer, not a terrorist" t-shirts.

It’s been so long since I distributed some link love, and more importantly directed my readers to some great articles around the photography blogs world, that this edition will go a little back than a week.

Nonetheless, these are all great reads and teach something of value.

So, here we go:

• Thomas Hawk, the author of that fantastic video I shared sometime back, published a couple of posts with his views on copyright law and fair use. Although I completely agree with the first one, in reducing the time frame in which a work is copyrighted, the second one is a little more controversial and I’d have to think about it more deeply and in view of my own situation. But go there and read what Thomas has to say.

• David at the Digital Pro Talk shares 12 ways to really improve your photography in 2008. Great tips to really rediscover yourself and your photography.

• After that mild confusion that spread at the first sound of new laws coming that would affect photographers while traveling, Ben from the Complete Digital Photography wrote some more about it with a clarification. It seems that there are no reasons to panic after all.

• And it seems that the subject of Creative Commons will never be dead. This time it was Dan Heller’s Photography Business Blog’s turn to share his view on the subject. And it goes more deeply than it seems at first sight. Later on, Dan published a Proposal for the Creative Commons that would serve photography better.

• And if you are a photographer you know what a portfolio is. But do you know the best way to create yours? Brian, again with the high quality posts he has us used to, shares some tips on the Art of Making a Portfolio. It is a subject that I’ll probably return sometime in the future as I think there is some more to be said about it.

• On a more technical side, bokeh has been and continues to be a way to increase the beauty of a photo and direct attention to your subject. To create bokeh there is the lens way and the photoshop way, and Jeff at Beyond Megapixels teaches both. If you want more on how to use shallow Depth of Field to create bokeh and make those photos “shine”, Lau at PhotoAxe has a nice tutorial.

• Now, on to portrait photography. Besides the 31 Tips Brian “concluded” from his December challenge (nice ones by the way), there was one other, this time at the digital Photography School, that caught my eye: Catchlights (no pun intended). Those little things that add great value to portraits or, according to some professionals, ruin them.

And with a list this big, besides all the other posts from blogs you might be subscribed to, you have more than enough to keep you busy.

Ok, time to get this blog rolling again.

On my previous post, I’ve explained why I was absent for so long…  

Now it’s time to get my stuff together and bring the blog back to life again.

And nothing better for that than start with what has called my attention in photography lately.

Without further delays:

•  Haje at Photocritic.org has a very good article on how minimalist photography can be as or more powerful as photography that contains a lot of information. When less is more shows very good examples of using less information to highlight certain areas of your photos.

• Shutterbox Philippines reports a serious new firmware for Canon Digic II based point and shoot cameras.

How does it sound to have your camera shoot in raw mode, have a live histogram, a DOF-calculator, file browser, among others? Good, right? Go there and read all this firmware can do for your point and shooter.

• Casually, Trevor at Photowalking.org found out that he has a forum after all. Ok, maybe not one of the best things to have neglected for long, but if it grows it can provide a good place for photowalking discussions. Since I know that many out there are avid fans of photowalking, why not going there and talking a look around?

• Many photographers have considered, at one time or other in their careers, turning pro or at least turning photography into a business opportunity. Having a well set portfolio to showcase your work and approach potential clients is a must. If you are interested in this kind of approach, Photopreneur published 3 steps for a better photography portfolio that are sure to give you a better foundation instead of the “how the hell do I do this” way.

And that’s enough “linkage” for this week. Enjoy…