Carnival of Digital Cameras and Photography is a weekly round-up of all the latest news, trends, digital camera reviews, top blogs, photography tips and professional advice. Taking or Making - Do you take or make photos? I have to admit, other than a recent photo, I'm more inclined to take photos lately. Photodoto has a great article discussing the differences between the two types of photographers. He feels it comes down to intent. I hope this article turns more makers into takers. Time to Deliver - Jim over at Slightly Out Of Focus has a great rant on the failure of photography companies (pointing more to Nikon) to deliver after announcement of new products. He wonders if Sony will be able to keep promises and whether this will impact the way the big two (Nikon and Canon) release their products. Killer Compositions - Having two kids makes it a little tough, but a little work can make a good photo great. Chris Garret on DSLRBlog expounds on this in his recent post about photographing well known locations. As Chris says, "...just take the extra time, and don't listen to the family members shouting..." Are you a light snob? - Reed Hoffmann on blue pixel had a nice post showing how a few large strobs can make a huge difference in final shots. Take a look at how the properly lit shots just pop. Can't afford, or justify, having such large strobs, try this low cost lighting solution. Great Battery Life - Ken Rockwell has a nice article on getting great battery life. It comes down to recharge often and rotate between two batteries. The good thing is that I do almost exactly what he recommends. The Cost of Photography - It's obvious the photography hobby can get very expensive. Mike Johnston from The Online Photographer has an interesting post regarding the financial hurdles that can prevent some people from experiencing photography. For a real interesting read, take a look at the comments. Digital Camera Reviews (Slow week for reviews, but here's a few.)

• Canon Digital D400 / Rebel XTi - First Canon with a self-cleaning sensor.
• Canon Powershot A700 - Top of the line "A" series.
• Kodak Easyshare P712 - Kodak bridge camera with most things found on a DSLR.

The Carnival of Digital Cameras runs weekly. To find out more about the carnival (or just what the heck a carnival IS anyway) or to find out how to host the carnival on your site, see the main Carnival of Cameras page.