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When I first typed www.orbit1.com into my browser I had no idea what to expect. I hadn’t heard much about it, and all I knew was that it had photographs of peoples’ work. What I didn’t know was that all of the hundreds of photos were from one person - a kid, as a matter of fact. This boy takes amazing photos of scenery, flowers, and people as if he’d been doing it his whole life, and I know he can’t be any older than fourteen years of age. Though the vividly expressive photos let the talents of John Perkinson be known by themselves, this site is more of a gallery/advertisement rather than a useful resource to professional or amateur photographers like myself. John Perkinson updates his ORBIT1 website regularly. The main features include: a daily photo log, which is somewhat unorganized, but very pleasing to look at; a projects and galleries page, which holds John’s previous exhibitions; and a page to sell his unique prints to the public. On the photo log, there are so many beautiful pictures to view. The good thing about this page was the variety and quantity of images by this outrageous kid. I really found it a little helpful that Perkinson tries to say something about each photo and experience with each shot, but he never really explains the procedure of some of his night shots, for example; I’m sure a lot of amateur photographers would want to know how he does some of the things he does. He states what types of camera equipment he uses, but never the types or sizes of the lenses, or exposure settings like several of the professional photo magazines do. The projects and galleries page gives me an idea of what Perkinson has accomplished in the past, but it still makes me think: Where does this kid get the time to do all these projects and update his website regularly? The major benefit for Perkinson is it gives him a chance to make money. He sells his 8x10s for $60, and these photos are worth every penny. The only weakness in this resource is that - it’s not really a resource. Orbit1.com is more like a showing of a museum exhibit with the expensive gift shop at the end, simply because Perkinson doesn’t explain his techniques. Therefore, this site is more useful for inspiration or ideas rather than an actual resource of useful information. Submitted by Megan Gonzales |