In an effort to promote photography, the release of his new book, and, indirectly, the release of the latest release of Adobe Lightroom, author, publisher, and all around nice guy Scott Kelby is hosting the first ever Worldwide Photo Walk.

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk will take place in two weeks on August 23, 2008 and is happening in over 200 cities around the globe. Covering six continents and twenty-four time zones, photographers will be hooking up for a free, social photography event to take pictures, meet new people, get a little exercise, and have an excuse to do what they like doing best.

What is a photo walk? In its base form it is the act of walking with a camera for the main purpose of taking pictures of things that a photographer may find interesting. It's similar to street photography, but the main goal here is to take pictures of things as opposed to people. Along with the ability to meet people and socialize, because it is done in a group, photo walking allows people to be less self-conscious about taking pictures in the open, on the street, and perhaps allows them to get pictures that they might have missed ordinarily.

As I said there are more than 200 cities taking part, the final tally of cities will be released on Monday on Scott Kelby's blog. You can check out the list of cities to see if there is one near you. Each walk is hosted by a professional in the area, and the areas walked are diverse. Each walk will be approximately two hours long and will end up at a restaurant, café, bar, or other establishment for additional socializing, and chimpping; if you don't know what chimpping is, I guess you will have to watch the video in the link at the bottom. Keep in mind that each walk will be limited to 50 people, so if you want to attend, sign up early.

At the end, the best photos that you take will be uploaded and there will be prizes awarded. The grand prize consists of:

• The Adobe CS3 Creative Suite Premium Package
• The New Adobe Lightroom 2
• Two full conference passes to the Photoshop World Conference & Expo
• The new Wacom 6x11 widescreen tablet
• A $500 gift card for purchases online or in-store at B&H
• From Mpix - Two 20"x30" color prints/Kodak Professional Portra Endura Paper
• From Peachpit - A $250 book bundle

Many of the people from NAPP are leading walks around the country, and while I am not leading one, I will be attending the one in Oklahoma City and I am really looking forward to it. If you want more information on the free Worldwide Photo Walk, or would like to watch a short video about the photo walk, check out the Photoshop User site.