Photography is one of the great crafts and it has never been easier than now in the digital age.

Which, then, is the best type of camera for the ardent crafter who uses photography as an art or as part of another craft?

As an experiment, I embarked on a Photowalk with three digital cameras to discover which would be the most useful, and in which circumstances.

The cameras are, from left to right in the picture:

1. Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ8 — a DSLR
2. Advent MP8 — a compact.
3. Panasonic SDR S7 — an SD camcorder.

Two still cameras and a movie cam.

Conclusion
As expected, I used the movie camera the most. There was just too much movement and activity for static shots.

However, when confronted with a fine view, the DSLR came out and a staged shot was taken. Even so, these were all hand-held. Pulling out my tripod would have involved too much effort and made me too conspicuous.

Where a fairly static scene was involved, but with something interesting going on, I reached automatically for the compact.

So, predictably the ratio was 3:2:1 for video, DSLR, compact.

Does that tell me anything about my usage and preferences? Probably not, except that I’ll make sure I carry the videocam everywhere from now on.

In these busy times, it’s difficult to find time for essential exercise. If you’re a crafter, it may even be worse. But how about combining the two? If you’re a keen photographer, it’s a piece of cake.

The Quay, Exeter, England

I’ve noticed that a number of people are scheduling lengthy walks for taking photos of their town or city. It’s called “Photowalking”, on the principle maybe that everything should have a name.

A new generation of small, but powerful, digital cameras makes the whole process a pleasure rather than a chore.

I’ve been Photowalking — combining taking pictures with my morning five-mile walk — ever since I bought a digital camera last year. It’s a great way to add value to mere exercise. My project is to photograph the region I live in through this summer, trying to capture the faces and atmosphere of it when it’s at its best. You can see the results so far by clicking the Flickr logo at the top of the sidebar.

It’s really a great extension to walking for exercise because it keeps the interest up on what might be dreary rambles across familiar ground. As I walk, I find myself noticing things, large and small, that might otherwise have passed unseen. I also take many detours I’ve never explored before — maybe an 18th-century street straight out of a Dickens novel. The fact is, Photowalking insists you walk farther, if not faster, than you otherwise would.

As someone who used to run marathons, I know that interest is crucual to exercise. Photowalking beats even personal ambition as a spur to distance travelled. It also drags in different parts of the brain. If exercise utilizes the left-brain — all those time calculations and forecasts along the way — then Photowalking adds curiosity, perspective, artistic appreciation of views and architecture, and delving into historical information. Classic right-brain stuff.

As with any good idea, lots of folk are climbing aboard. Take a look at photowalking.org, where you’ll find lots of ideas for Photowalking around the world, but especially in the U.S.

There’s also an informative post on setting up a Photowalking group. The article covers :

* Accept right away that it is going to take some time.
* Evaluate your available options.
* Find a method to communicate with all participants, current and new.
* How to keep them coming back.

Photowalking is such a simple idea that many people seem to have thought it up simultaneously. The original idea, though, was probably from pro shooter, Thomas Hawk, who has a few videos on the ScobleShow.

Check it out for some real professional advice.

Continuing my photographic tour of the city of Exeter, I’ve been looking at craftshops — there are quite a few here. Incidentally, we’ve received a lot emails from people making photo albums of where they live this summer (or winter in the southern hemisphere). Keep up the good work and let us see some of your shots — Flickr is a great place to share them, and a basic account is free.

You can view all of our pictures in this set by clicking on the Flickr logo at the top of the sidebar.

Back to craftshops, and I have noticed that many of them are better presented than other varieties of retail outlet. Perhaps that’s not surprising as crafters are probably more aware of the appearance of things.

However, here’s a pic of the scruffiest craft workshop I’ve seen for quite a while :

Craftshop at The Quay, Exeter, England

Oddly, this is situated on one of the most expensive and upmarket strips in Exeter, the Quay, where, in Elizabethan times, woollen goods and garments were loaded onto boats headed to all points of the compass.

I’m now looking for the best turned out craftshop of all. Any ideas?

Continuing with our new theme of the craft of digital photography, Darren Rowse of Problogger fame has a very useful site called, Digital Photography School.

Darren has a lot of experience in digital photography and has virtually made his living from his main digicam blog.

Now he’s offering keen digital photographers a chance to contribute to DPS directly :

One of the aspects that I’ve been loving about Digital Photography School over the last few months is that among the DPS community are a growing number of digital photographers who have some amazing gifts and abilities when it comes to their photography. What’s more, many of them are willing to share what they know with the rest of us - helping us all to learn more as a community.

If you’re one of these people with some great experience to share I’d love to invite you to do it more formally in the weeks ahead.

Catch the offer here.