Adventure Cycling is holding its first annual Bicycle Travel Photo Contest and is asking for digital photos from photographers that show the wonder and fun of bicycling through touring and travel.

What to Submit
According to Adventure Cycling:

“These images can be taken anywhere in the world.  Photos that focus on the scenery of an area must include some connection to or indication of bike travel. We are especially interested in images that showcase the wide range of bike-touring experiences: road and dirt riding, rural and urban settings, scenery, people, and the emotions.”

How to Submit
Adventure Cycling will accept digital image via email or through its Flikr image site. According to the guidelines:

“Via Flickr^TM - If you have multiple photos to enter in the competition, please consider using this method to enter the contest. After logging in, upload your images using the mechanism provided.

“If you are not already a member of Adventure Cycling’s Contests group on Flickr^TM, join by clicking “Join this Group?” on the group’s homepage. Browse to the image you wish to submit for the contest, and use the “Send to Group” function to add your images to Adventure Cycling’s Photo Contest photo pool.

“Once added to the group, tag each photo with Adventure09. If you do not upload your photo to Adventure Cycling’s Contests group on Flickr^TM, or do not tag your photo with an appropriate tag, it will not be considered for the competition.

“Via Email Submission Process - If you choose not to use Flickr^TM to submit your image, you may email your photo to flickr_contest@adventurecycling.org. Send a low-resolution version of the image (72dpi) along with the subject of the image, the location the image was taken, and the name of the photographer(s).

“You will also need to be able to provide a print quality high-resolution version of the photo upon request, no less than 2250 pixels wide and no less than 3000 pixels tall, preferably at 300 dpi.”

Prize
The winner of the contest will have his or her photo published in the 2010 March issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine and Adventure Cycling’s website. The total readership of the magazine and website is over 1 million annually.

Other Information
Entrants retain all rights to their photographs. All individuals, 18 years or older, are eligible to enter. There is no entry fee. The deadline for this contest is December 31, 2009.

You may be contemplating going to a graphic design school or graphic design college to earn your degree. Or you may already be enrolled in a design program. What can you do to make your experience better while attending a design college?

The following advice and tips may help you to understand the process of what it takes to get the most out of your graphic design school.

Time Management
This is probably one of the most important things that you can work on while attending graphic design school.

In addition to understanding and assimilating the information from your classes and lectures, you’ll also be charged with the duty of turning in your art projects and assignments on time.

Managing your time is crucial to the quality of your projects and will allow you to get the most out of your assignments. This means that you’ll have to be brutally honest about how important your recreational activities are to you and whether you will need to sacrifice some events in order to finish your projects.

Concentrate On Your Own Education
In any creative environment where you are surrounded by others who possess talent, there is an unconscious need to see how you compare to everyone else.

This is perfectly normal as we’d like to find out how good we are. But over emphasizing this informal competition can sometimes be a distraction to your own graphic design education.

The main reason why you are attending a graphic design college is to acquire and receive the proper career training that you’ll need for a graphic design job. If you concentrate too much on how everyone else is doing in your classes, you may be sidetracked in developing your own talent and skills by worrying about everyone else.

You can have some friendly competition with others, but don’t be distracted from your own development as a graphic designer.

Next Time…
We’ll present more survival tips that can help you to get the most from your graphic design school. See you then!

The Basics So Far
In our last few articles we’ve covered topics related to properly preparing for graphic design job interviews and ideas for designing creative resumes.

In this new series we’ll explore what sorts of traits successful professionals in design or creative positions commonly possess. . .
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What the Employers Say They Want
The original information was researched by Preston Lee, an award winning graphic designer, who queried design professionals from different firms.

He asked them what sort of traits they believed are inherent in people who work in jobs that required creativity.

The following list of attributes isn’t exhaustive by any means but may be useful in determining whether you have “the right stuff” to work for a design or media firm.

The List
What is interesting to note is that of all the traits that were mentioned as valuable for a career in design, very little was said about actual talent.

The responses were generally about personal character, good attitude, and good communication skills.

Of course talent is a factor, but this seems to be a given and employers are looking for that extra “something” from potential hires in addition to talent alone. We’ll list the top responses here with a short comment for each trait.

• Be motivated and eager to learn. Design methods and software are constantly changing, so a graphic designer who continues to learn becomes a valuable team member to the company.

• Be curious about the industry. This could also be rephrased, “Be interested in your work.” A fresh perspective of where the industry is heading shows employers that you are involved and engaged in your work.

• Get a good education. Preparing yourself for a career in graphic design, illustration, or one of the many related fields in the arts means getting the best education that is available to you. Graphic design schools and graphic design colleges can help you to receive the graphic design education you need to qualify for jobs in the industry. Most entry level jobs require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

• Be authentic. It is sometimes hard to admit a lack of knowledge when searching for a solution to a design problem. But pretending to know everything isn’t the way to go either. Just be yourself. Employers want people that can fit into their organizations.

• Network constantly. Or in other words, communicate! Errors in design concepts can sometimes be attributable to nothing more than just a misunderstanding of project guidelines or the assumption that the other party knows what is expected. Design companies need people who can effectively communicate.

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Next Time…
We’ll list some more traits that graphic design employers seek in their new hires.

We’ll also discuss some of the things that you can do to increase your chances of becoming hired with a design company, or other firm dealing with the visual arts.

Finding Your Own Voice
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If this is true, many graphic artists, designers, photographers and other have paid homage to their artistic heroes by trying to mimic their styles.

Dedicated nature photographers make the trek to Yosemite Park in California in an attempt to recapture the magic of Ansel Adams‘ photograph of Half Dome.

Some fashion designers toil away at making their pieces resemble the works of Ralph Lauren, Donatella Versace, or Marc Jacobs.

Graphic designers pay homage to Milton Glaser and glean ideas from his famous creations.

We can all learn from the greats and this is a good thing. But in the long run, some creative designers, artists, and those in the liberal arts want to find their own voice and style.

Picasso Broke the Mold
Pablo Picasso shocked the art world with his style of Cubism. It was unnerving to many and a wonder for others.

Some scientists even ventured to explain his art as a representation of how things would look in the fourth dimension.

Regardless of whether people accepted Picasso’s work or not, it was a style he developed and liked.

And this is the center of what drives many who are creative; the search to express something original and different.

Your Style May Look Familiar
If you are consciously attempting to use the same techniques of the artist or designer you admire in order to find your own method, it is a worthy exercise in creative growth.

In some cases, talent naturally mimics those of the great ones. “His style looks like so and so,” we hear occasionally.  As you can see, a similar style can be on purpose or occur spontaneously. But whatever is the case, as long as it is your style, that’s what is important.

Feeling Secure In What You Are Doing
It is a common trait of creative designers to sometimes second guess themselves. “Did I do it right?” Will the client like my work?” “Maybe I should have done something different instead,” and the list goes on.

Being creative can sometimes be a tough act. Are you merely a copy of someone else, or is your work truly original?

Some say there is nothing really new under the sun, and that creativity is an accumulation of what has come before us. But whether this is true or not is open for debate and contemplation.

The real question about personal creativity is, “Are you happy with what you have produced?

If the answer is “yes,” this is all that matters.

A New Camera
Two photography students were having a discussion one day after class about cameras. “I want a ______! If I could only get my hands on one, I could really take better photos.”

“It’s expensive, but it will be worth it,” exclaimed Sidney. Denny, who had an obsolete SLR camera with only a wide angle 35 mm lens, thought otherwise. “It’s your eye that’s more important. Not just the camera you use.”

Several weeks later, Sidney ran through the halls of the school brandishing his new camera for all to see.

But during the semester, it was evident that his photo assignments were still average, while Denny continued to improve and turn in exemplary images with his antiquated camera.

Sidney later dropped out of photography while Denny continued to improve with his old, out-of-date equipment.

Is It Just The Equipment?
There is a notion that better equipment makes for a better photographer. To a certain extent, this is true.

If you have a “good eye” and talent for taking images, better equipment helps you to expand your creativity, and concentrate on composing the image, rather than worrying about the technical details.

Better equipment can sometimes give a photographer more confidence as well.

But in the long run, the secrets of taking better pictures are to understand the basic principles of photography and to use them. And above all, nothing can be a substitute for a good eye in taking photos.

Stay Focused On Your Skills
If superior equipment were all that separated good photographers from mediocre ones, there would be a glut of talented photographers. But this is not the case. Consider the following images taken by professional photographer Chase Jarvis:

A mere cell phone camera was used to take these photos. The composition, colors, and framing of these images could rival those of a $2,000 digital SLR. However this is not to say that good equipment isn’t important to good images. What is said is that a good eye is probably the most important piece of “equipment” in your camera bag.

Don’t Forget the Basics
Along with a good eye, to capture the best images, is the ability to utilize good camera technique in your photos.

A thorough understanding of lighting, exposure, composition, shutter speed, depth of field, and other tools of the trade can help you to improve your photos.

There are ample books and instruction websites to obtain this information.

And of course, there are graphic design schools and graphic design colleges that have specific programs in photography for those who want to make photography their major or improve their skills.

Photography is a wonderful means of expression, communication, and art.

But the most important equipment for any photographer is not just the camera, it is the eye of the beholder.

If you have vacation pictures of the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, or Mexico, they may be more than just fond memories of your visit; they may also help you to win prizes in Wimco’s Vacation Photo Contest.

Wimco, a company that provides villa rentals and hotel booking services to vacationers and travelers, is calling for photographers to submit their vacation photos in any of the following locations:

Caribbean: St Barts, St Martin, Nevis, Anguilla, St John, St Thomas, Virgin Gorda, Tortola, Turks & Caicos, Barbados, Grand Cayman, Mustique
Europe: Tuscany, Umbria, Amalfi Coast & Capri, Provence, Cote D’Azur, St Tropez, Cannes, Mykonos, Santorini
Hawaii: Maui, Oahu
Mexico: Punta Mita, Riviera Maya

The contest is open to all individuals, 21 years or older, residing in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.

Up to three vacation photos can be submitted on qualifying vacation locations and shot in digital format.