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Just one more day to the history-making Worldwide PhotoWalk, and I am just totally excited!!! We now have nearly 8,000 people signed up for the walk, and we’re working hard to help our leaders make the most of their walks.

My Gear for the Walk
I’ve had a few questions about what equipment I’ll be taking for my walk, and I thought I go ahead and answer it here.

For my walk (in Dunedin, Florida), I’m taking my Nikon D300 with just one lens; my 18-200mm VR f/3.5-5.6 lens. The reason I’m taking my D300 (rather than my D3 or D700) is because I just want to use one lightweight lens the whole time, that gives me both wide angle, portrait, and a long zoom in one. If I use that lens on the D700 or D3, it will crop my image down to 5-megapixels. My dream is that Nikon would come out with a 18-200mm VR f/4 FX format lens, so then I would take my D700 or D3, but until that dream comes true (and I’m not sure it will any soon), I’m just travelin’ light.

The Two Most Important Rules For Tomorrow:

(1) The walk is for fun. It’s for meeting other photographers in your area and having fun. That’s it. The contest is just for fun, too, so don’t take any of this too seriously. It’s a social event—not a cut-throat competition, so keep smiling and let’s enjoy our time together.

(2) There’s absolutely no whining. If you get the restaurant and can’t find a seat—-you can’t whine. If it rains on your PhotoWalk—resist the urge to whine (your leader has a back-up plan). If someone steals your shot—don’t whine. Just don’t whine in general. Just have fun. If you come across a situation where you really, really want to whine, refer to rule one. Also, there’s no whining about not being able to whine.

Be A Good Walker
Most of the cities have lots of walkers, so you’re probably going to wind up in some crowded situations (just imagine 50 photographers all walking down a single sidewalk). Be patient. Be really courteous to other walkers, and to anyone you meet during the walk. Be respectful. If someone you see on your walk doesn’t want you to shoot them, don’t. Be nice to your city’s walk leader. Believe me, it’s more work than you’d imagine, and they have really been working hard to make their walks a success for you (I’m really impressed with how involved and enthusiastic the walk leaders have been).

You’ll Be Surrounded By Potential New Friends
We’re all in this together, and there’s no easier place to make new friends than a PhotoWalk. You can just walk up to anybody there and say, “So, what kind of stuff do usually shoot?” or “How do you like that camera” (or lens, or camera bag, or filter, or whatever?), and instantly you’ve got a conversation going. This is really what makes these PhotoWalks special. You’re out there sharing a couple of hours with a bunch of people who are just like you—wanting to meet other photographers. If not, they wouldn’t have signed up to be part of the group (they could just walk that same route all by themselves on any given day). Take the initiative. Extend a hand, or a warm smile. You’re among friends.

Another Cool Prize:
MPIX.com (the photo lab Matt, Dave and I use exclusively), has thrown in another very cool prize for our 10 Runner’s Up; they will create a beautiful 20″x30″ poster-sized print for each winner of their winning runner’s up image. My thanks for MPIX.com for taking it up a big notch!

A Word of Thanks
I’m just so grateful to all the leaders around the world who have come together to do something really special, and just want to give my most sincere and heartfelt thanks to them for being willing to organize a walk for their city. Also, thanks to everyone who is participating, and to those taking the plunge to try something new. I think you’re going to have a surprisingly rewarding experience.

Also, I want to thank the walk’s sponsors; Peachpit Press, Adobe Systems, MPIX, PhotoWalkPro.com, Wacom, Epson, B&H Photo, and CDW. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Let’s Do It!
Charge your batteries! Format your Memory Cards! Clean Your Lens! Blah, blah, blah, etc. Everybody, have a safe, fun walk and I hope you get some amazing photos!

All my best,

-Scott