Through an exciting new project called America 24/7 - an all-digital event that will capture extraordinary pictures of an ordinary American week.

Produced by Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen, creators of the most popular photography projects ever - including the New York Times #1 bestseller, A Day in the Life of America...

Until now, only top pros could participate in Smolan/Cohen projects - and 1,000 of the best will shoot for America 24/7. But America 24/7 also offers amateurs and pros across America the opportunity to take digital photos and easily submit them via this website.

Wow! But, wait:

Compensation?

If America 24/7's editors select one or more of your images, you will receive prominent credit and the knowledge that your photos are good enough to be published alongside pictures by America's top pros. (Your chance to be discovered!) You will also receive more tangible compensation including Adobe Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Album software and a copy of the book where your photo appears- a $180 value. If your photo is selected as the front cover of one of our 53 books, you also get an Olympus Stylus 300 camera, a Lexar 512 Mb digital memory card and an Epson Stylus Photo printer- an additional $850 value.

Anytime someone uses the word "value," I get a quizzical look on my visage and remember the difference between "value," "price," "cost," and "worth."

While knowledge is good, I'd really like a little bit of cash, considering, after all, that we're dealing with the "creators of the most popular photography projects ever."

Even if you get on the cover, all you'll get is a cheapo Olympus camera (most of the people who fall for this will be shooting with a better camera anyway). I don't know how much the printer costs, but I can get the camera for $311 at pricegrabber.com, and the memory card is $130 or so.

Plus, they probably got these parting gifts for free in exchange for blurbs in the book, the website, the movie, the plastic drinking cups...

Not only that, but even if they publish 1000 of your photos, you only get one (1) compensation package. Wait, there's more. "You will participate in debriefings, and phone interviews during the course of the project." And, you aren't reimbursed for cab fare and the like getting to your "assignment."

I'll sign up as a student in a day or two; the theme of my first assignment will be to try to find someone who submitted photos for the last edition of America 24/7 and who is now trying to sell his single copy of the book he received in front of a Kragen Autoparts store in order to get food money.