Since you, and all my blogging friends, have been so instrumental in creating this wall calendar, I’m announcing the 2010 Wall Calendar’s availability here on the blog first.

The news will go out in the newsletter tomorrow as well.

If you order now, your calendar will ship around Aug 5th–as soon as I get them from the printer.

Features and Benefits:

1. Bright colors will keep you inspired while you plan your days and weeks ahead.

2. You can tell your friends that you helped pick these pictures.

3. The calendar’s 12 x 12 inch (30.5 x 30.5 cm) size has plenty of room to write birthdays, vacations, appointments, etc.

4. Each page displays six weeks (with grayed out numbers to show days from next and previous months). Great for planning ahead or looking back. Holidays and moon phases show up on the grayed-out dates as well.

5. Moon phases (with timing) are included for every month.

6. Eclipses (four of them next year) are listed with the places they are visible on the globe. This is helpful if you are into astrology or astronomy.

7. Holidays include major Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Muslim holidays.

5. Calendars are printed on recycled paper (10% post consumer waste) to help minimize your impact on the environment.

6. You get a 5% discount if you order 5 or more calendars (calculated automatically when you add to your cart).

Order yours today, while supplies last.

Thank you to everyone who left comments helping me choose the pictures for last year’s photography calendar.

Now it’s time to narrow down the choices…

January

I’m thinking about moving the frozen flowers, which is the most popular image for this month, to March–the right time of year for this image. What do you think? After the ice photo, the two most popular pictures for January are the rows of apple trees in the snow and the lone tree in the snow.

February

The three most popular photos for February are: the ice breakup on Lake Skaha, the hay bales in snow, and the grapes on the vine in snow. What’s your favorite for February?

March

The choices for March are the hillside of poppies and lupines, or the frozen flower buds from January. Both were very popular. Would the ice work here in March? What would you choose?

April

For April, it’s between the ladybug, the clematis and the lilacs, with the ladybug winning so far. Any votes?

May

The daisies are slightly ahead for May, followed by the yellow roses and the crumpled tulip. What’s your preference?

June

It’s between the peacock and the waterfall for June, with the waterfall winning by a body length. Any more input?

July

It was a close race for all of the photos for July. The two leaders turned out to be the apricots and the cherries. I’m also going to save the apricot in the tree. So it’s between these three. What would you like on your wall next summer?

August

The clear winner for August was the fishing scene, but unfortunately I can’t use that one without a model release (and I didn’t think to run over and ask the couple in the picture for one when I took it). After that, the waves crashing and the horse picture are the closest seconds. Do you have a preference?

September

The grapes picture was way out in front for September. After that was the apples in bins, and then tied for third was the green apple and the milkweed pod. Any last words?

October

This turned out to be the hardest month. They are all in a dead heat. Can you pick a winner? I’m leaning towards the first one because it worked well on the cover I did a few weeks ago.

November

The ice crystals image is the clear winner for November. If you have other suggestions from January or February, let me know. I might use the old sunflower from January here, or the grapes in snow from February.

December

December’s favorite was by far the pinecones, the next contestant was the snowy village. What’s your opinion? We could also use extra images from Jan or Feb.

Leave your comments below… we’re coming down the home stretch now!

I’m currently in Astoria, Oregon, on my way down the Pacific Coast. Lots of rain the last few days, but I saw the sun this evening! Photography and camping in the rain is challenging, but there were some good shots nonetheless. Photos will show up here over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

The time has come to create a wall calendar for next year. Can you help me choose the pictures?

Last year I was too ambitious when I created four calendars that never went to press. This year let’s just make one, with the best pictures we can find.

I’d love your input on the picture choices… I’ve chosen a few pictures for each month below (some are landscapes, some are flowers… it’s a bit of a mix this year).

Maybe we’ll call it a “Landscapes and Flowers” calendar. There is fruit in there too. Maybe we’ll call it an “Outdoors” calendar, or a “Nature” calendar. If you have any thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them.

Thanks to your input on my survey over the last few months. The winner for calendar size is 12 x 12. This makes sense, as it is the most common calendar size out there. The pictures for the calendar below are cropped to a square aspect ratio so they will fit on a 12×12 calendar.

If you had to choose one picture for each month from the list below, what would it be?

Please tell me your favorites in the comment section below. If you want your favorites to make the cut for next year’s calendar be sure to leave a comment to let me know.

Oh, by the way, this year’s calendar will be printed on recycled paper!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Whew! That’s a lot of pictures. If there are any in particular that you would really like to see in next year’s calendar let me know in the comments below…

Speak up now so your favorites don’t get cut!

A big thank you to everyone who voted on next year’s calendar size. If you haven’t voted yet, it’s not too late. We’ve had 46 votes so far and I’d still love to get 100 before making a decision on a wall calendar size. See the left hand sidebar to vote.

This discussion on calendars has brought up an interesting new idea: Engagement Calendars.

Quite a few people have asked me about an engagement calendar (like the one by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, pictured above). This is the kind of calendar that you put by your phone or on your desk. On the left side page of each spread is a picture and on the right side is a calendar for the week, with room for notes on each day.

I know my mom uses one of these by her phone, and she used to get one for my grandmother every year. I’ve never used a calendar like this, but I’m starting to think that many people do.

What do you think? Are these calendar’s useful? Tell me the pros and cons of this kind of calendar from your point of view. Do you think a lot of people use them? Do you?

I’ve been inspired by some of my favorite bloggers and twitter friends to make this blog more of a conversation than a one-way broadcast. I’d love to hear your opinions and creative input on anything going on at Todd Smith Photography.

Right now I have a couple of projects that I would love your help with:

• Help Create Framed Prints – I want to start running framing ideas by you to get your opinion. I’d also like to do some research on framing and learn what all the possibilities are. I’ll share my research and would love it if you could leave your tips here too. What kinds of frames do you have in your home?
• Help Create The Best Calendar For Next Year – As many of you know, I didn’t make a calendar this year for several reasons. I tried a new printer, and a new large format, and higher price… and had problems. With your help, I would love to create a calendar for next year (2010) that will be both beautiful and practical for everyone. Your input is essential here. If you haven’t done it yet, please vote in the poll on my blog for your favorite wall calendar size.

If there’s anything you want to hear more about, or new pictures you’d like to see, let me know in the comments section. I’m looking forward to talking and creating with you!

P.S. I just gave my blog a new look. Check it out when you get a chance.