Ottawa Places

This is a very early BETA release of ottawaplaces.ca. There is a lot more to come, each month, if other photographers join in. For now, the about and contributor pages say a fair bit.

I developed this site using the laravel framework so it's custom coded and unique to the Ottawa area, with the intention of adding more tools for photographers, and, ways for others to get these photos printed. I am really after "wall worthy". What does that mean?

I think there are 1000s of enthusiast photographers in the National Capital Region extending up to Gatineau and beyond, down to Kingston and Gananoque below us. Perhaps even Montreal is within range. Regardless, I would like to think that this site could be a venue to host wall worthy photos from around the region, whether that's an indoor still life photo that fits with a theme or a room, or, a landscape image for the office or living room. There is lots of info for each image to help a local photographer go practice and "take that shot".

I also like the concept of photo-sets, i.e. 3 smaller framed images from various neighbourhoods that depict a theme or elements of the places we live that make it unique. So that's another feature to develop. Fun!

Can we get local art up on our walls? Can we build the enthusiast contributor such that they make a few dollars when someone purchases their print from us. The ability for any user to purchase a hi-res ready for the wall print is simple. It encourages the enthusiast (or pro if they post here) to get out and take more photos, and, frankly, because this site is custom coded and hosted, there are real costs that I'd like to cover.

But that also allows me to react to feedback and add more features. Meetups? Contests? Other ways to sort photos for example with maps, tags, or by neighbourhood. So far it's just me adding new photos as I try to progress with my new SONY full frame camera, a few courses I've taken. Are you in the same boat, if so, get in touch.

I realize "wall worthy" is perhaps an advanced topic, beyond a beginner's photography course. But I think it's something to strive for, learning what it takes to create hi-res photos that look decent on the wall. Yes, there can be a lot to that. But also, with some basic principles, I think we can all be encouraged to take those steps and learn as we go. For me, wall worthy means I've progressed both in composition and in technical terms for printing larger sized prints. Sadly, many print shops online only take JPEG uploads, that's why I ensure other formats are available upon request. Any submitters retain all rights, but if they put a photo up for sale, it's for individual (e.g. home / office) use by the purchaser. Pricing is very reasonable for a purchased digital file, I want to see the enthusiast photographer get a win, and, I want to pay the site's hosting costs :) Any pros out there wishing to discuss a different model, please get in touch -- the site is new and it will evolve.

Again, if you are on a similar journey and want to find unique locations to shoot, or give you more reason to work on your lightroom or photoshop, get in touch -- let's enable your account for submissions!

Kurt