Reader Recap for January 11, 2010

Each Monday, I bring you a list of five articles from around the web that I’ve read the week before that I find particularly entertaining, informative, or inspiring.

Many people find that the New Year provides an excellent opportunity to start a project, begin that weight lose plan, or simply get their life in order, so it should come as no surprise that some of this week’s articles focus on ways to improve yourself in 2010. Hit up the links for the full articles.

10 Steps to Financial Success in 2010 – The folks at money blog Get Rich Slowly share their tips for getting your finances in order in the New Year. Some of their tips you’ve already seen featured on the blog here and here.
Your Simple Backyard Photography Studio – Digital Photography School provides a list of quick and easy things that you can do to attract more wildlife to your backyard. The tips are especially great for attracting birds and dragonflies, but you could easily adapt the suggestions to encourage other animals, such as squirrels or deer.
30 Photographic Goals for 2010 – Also from Digital Photography School comes this great article on things that you should do this year to improve your photography skills and knowledge. Some of the goals include Create a photo books a month, Take a workshop and Take monthly photo walks.
Must Have Photography Gear That Won’t Break the Bank – Although the first item on this list from the folks at The Photo Argus is a little bit pricier than I would consider for items that “won’t break the bank,” I won’t argue with them that a super wide angle lens is a must have, and is also number one on my personal wish list.
How to Paint with Light in a Photograph – Our favorite photography activity to do at home as a family is to create light paintings and guess what each other are drawing before looking at the image on screen. One of our recent creations is the lead-in photo on this page, and The Photo Argus does a decent job explaining how to create your own light paintings for anyone looking to try out the art.