Tampa, FL—On July 24, 2010, the whole world will be walking again with Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), as he hosts the Third Annual
Worldwide Photo Walk.
Hailed as the “world’s largest global social photography event in the history of photography,” the Worldwide Photo Walk takes place on the same day around the world where photographers of all walks of life and skill levels gather together to socialize, learn new tips from each other and explore their corner of the world through photography.
“In 2008, we had 241 walks,” said Kelby, founder of NAPP, editor-in-chief of Photoshop User magazine, president of Kelby Media Group and #1 bestselling computer and technology book author. “Last year, we had over 900 walks with over 32,000 photographers participating. We did the math; your average photographer will take upward of 300 photos during a photo walk. That means that nearly 10 million pictures were taken in that one single day that may never had happened otherwise. I think that’s pretty cool, and we all can’t wait to see what happens this year.”
There is no fee to participate, but pre-registration is required at the Worldwide Photo Walk site; photographers can find a walk nearby them and join in the fun. If there is no Photo Walk in their area, they can register to lead a walk of their own. Anyone can participate; all they need is a camera—any kind of camera, even a single-use model.
Kelby credits the success and popularity of the event to the social aspect of photography the world over. “Photography is usually viewed as a solitary activity, but the truth of the matter is that people love to shoot together, compare notes and just have fun with photography,” said Kelby. “The Worldwide Photo Walk is a social phenomenon. I’ve had group leaders contact me to tell me they’ve turned their walk into a monthly event. Other people tell me they’ve made friends at the very first Photo Walk that they’ve kept to this day. It’s the joy of shooting with friends, new and old that makes this event so special.”
The social aspect of this event has also transcended into the online world of social networks as well. Participants in the Worldwide Photo Walk post updates to Twitter before, during and after the event under the #WWPW hash tag, they share their pictures on Flickr and get updates from NAPP via its Facebook page.
In addition to enjoying a day of photography with like-minded individuals, participants may also be eligible to win prizes from the Worldwide Photo Walk’s sponsors if their photo is chosen as the best photo of the day by their walk leader. Each winning walk photo is then entered into a global competition where Kelby picks the single “best photo” of the event along with 10 runners-up.
Print | posted @ Monday, June 14, 2010 3:12 AM