The Grand Canyon Photography Club will

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1 Newsletter Volume 9, Issue 12 december 2009 will celebrate the holidays with its annual party on Tuesday, December 8, The festivities will begin at 7 p.m. at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center in Wellsboro. Members are asked to bring finger foods, snacks, etc. to share. The club will provide beverages, napkins, and tableware. The evening s program will feature a slide presentation by club members. You are invited to submit up to five of your favorite images taken in 2009 to Ann Kamzelski by December 2nd at 6 p.m. Use the digital critique criteria to prepare you photos for submission. We also hope to have Rob Colley from Hoyer s Photo Supply, Inc. in Williamsport with us to discuss What s New in photographic The Grand Canyon Photography Club Annual Holiday Party equipment. (This was not set at press time). Members are encouraged to bring to the meeting their suggestions for programs and themes for May everyone enjoy a safe and joyoussholiday season. There is no critique this month. Please your five favorite photos to kamzel@epix.net or critique@ gcphotoclub.org by Wednesday, December 2nd. For further information about membership or meetings, please contact club co-president Ann Kamzelski at , at kamzel@epix.net, or co-president Tina Tolins at , at tinatolins@gmail.com

2 GCPC President s Message I hope everybody enjoyed my talk on High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography at the last meeting. It has opened a whole new world for me and has motivated me to try lots of new things. My objective was to inspire others with just a taste of what this technique can do. We had our election of officers at the meeting and I wish the new officers success in their positions. We have a wonderful club which I will continue to support. It is my expectation that there will be new and exciting ideas and programs for the next year under the new leadership. I am certainly looking forward to that. The December meeting will once again be a holiday celebration with no formal presentation. We hope that Ron Colley will join us with what s new in the camera world. Also, I will be putting together a slide show of everyone s favorite shots for I can t wait to see what people send me. Since this takes longer to do than a regular critique presentation, I will need the images about a week before the meeting. Please get them to me as soon as possible. I have enjoyed my time as president of this club and hope that I, along with Tina my co-president, have been able to guide the group with stimulating and useful programs and critiques. I would also like to personally thank all of the members who made my job easier, with special thanks to Tina, Mia, Sharon, Gary, Nancy, Wolfram, Bruce, and Judith. Ann Kamzelski Co-president Ann Kamzelski 2

3 Minutes of November 10, 2009, Meeting of the Grand Canyon Photography Club Newsletter december 2009 Co-President Ann Kamzelski called the meeting to order. Next month s program is the holiday program. Everybody can submit up to five of their favorite images for the slide show. Ann will let everyone know when she will need the images. Ann has also contacted Rob Colley about coming with what s new in photography equipment. The club will provide drinks and members please bring a snack to share. The guests were introduced. Wolfram Jobst also spoke about the opening of the Photo Keller Group Show Beyond the Obvious at Mansfield University. About 120 people attended the opening. The show is at the North Hall Library Gallery and runs from November 5th until December 8th. The library is open every day. Please call ahead for hours. Gary Thompson spoke briefly about what a nice show it is. Gary recommended that everyone try to get over to see it. Ann discussed the proposed new slate of officers that appeared in the last newsletter. There were no other nominations from the floor and the slate was approved. The officers and directors for 2010 are: Suzan Richar President Lee Hoar Vice President Gary Thompson Treasurer Judith Giddings Corresponding Secretary Sharon Connolly Recording Secretary David Ralph Director Bob Bair Director Ann thanked the non-elected officers for all the effort they put in: Mia Anderson for the newsletter, Nancy Bickham for publicity, Bruce Dart who is in charge of the mini shows at The Native Bagel and Ten West Espresso, and Ann Kamzelski and Tina Tolins for leading the critiques. Ann introduced her topic Using HDR. Respectfully Submitted, Sharon Connolly Recording Secretary A new year is almost upon us, and this one is special. GCPC will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2010! In December 2000, Art & Christine Heiny invited individuals interested in photography to meet at the Gmeiner one evening to talk about forming a club. With their guidance, interest, and enthusiasm the Grand Canyon Photography Club was born, and we offcially had our first meeting in January Over those ten years, membership has remained strong and the skill and creativity of our members has improved. We ve covered topics from composition to Photoshop to HDR; held shows in Coudersport, Mansfield, and Wellsboro, and encouraged each other to try new and different photographic techniques. In celebration of ten years in existence, I hope to update the web site and the newsletter, making them more informative and interesting. I am always looking for content, whether that s photos, ideas, or articles. If you have a particular topic you would like to learn more about, please contact me, and I ll try to find information on it for the newsletter. Also, send me your photographs for publication on the web site and in the newsletter. Images are our passion so let s see more of them and from more members. Here s to an exciting A Bright, Shiny New Year 3

4 Mystery Macro Last month s Mystery Macro (image below, left) is a group of straws (full image below, right). Maggie Holmes correctly guessed the mystery. Check out this month s macro and send your guesses to MiaLisa57@epix.net. I invite you to send me your macros (the more mysterious the better) for publication using the format for the digital critique. 4 Discovering Pattern, Form, and Texture article by WayneTurner, taken from If you want to add a new dynamic to your photography then try adding pattern, form and texture. They will add a new depth to your images and help you rise to a new level in your photography. Patterns Patterns can be found everywhere, in nature and man-made constructions. They are made up of repeated objects, shapes, or colours and whether they are random or ordered can be very pleasing to the eye. You can use patterns as the main subject of your photo with the focal point on the patterns. Or, you can use the patterns as a backdrop to something else. Sometimes the interest of a focal point is the break in a pattern. For example, a tray of eggs is great pattern of beige, uniform eggs in rows. Break one of the eggs in half and the yellow yolk will break the pattern and form a focal point. And of course remember the rule of thirds and the intersections, any break must be on an intersection. Sometimes a pattern is not so obvious to the eye because of size. But start looking at detail in your potential subjects by getting in closer and you see a world of patterns. A bright red fire engine may not seem to have patterns, but get in closer to the grill or the weave of a hose and the world of patterns opens up. A keen observer will always find new patterns in old subjects. Texture While the structure of an object is its form, the material from which it is made constitutes its texture. To simplify it the texture conveys how the subject feels; is it hard or soft, smooth or rough. If you can convey these feelings then you are translating texture visually. Contrasting a smooth object and a rough one allows you to see texture. Again, getting in closer helps achieve this feeling as well. The angle of light falling onto the texture will lift it off the image and give it feeling. It s best revealed by angled light coming more from the side, top, or rear. Front lighting will make it feel flat and uninteresting, although side lighting is the most popular way of revealing texture.

5 Newsletter december 2009 Shoot subjects like rope close up so that you can reveal the fibrous detail by isolating it from the other elements in the scene. If you really want to emphasize the effect of texture, angle the light more. This is achieved by shooting in the early morning and late afternoon. Form Shape is very two dimensional while form adds a third dimension because of the volume of an object. The eye is immediately drawn to form in an image and the art of creating this form is achieved by showing the contours of a subject. The human body as in a sumo wrestler, or the bold contours of round rocks on the seashore. Good side lighting early morning or late afternoon brings out the contoured form through shadow. Direct sunlight from above gives a very flat appearance to an image but when clouds pass over the sun form immediately rises and you have a perfect subject. Here s a tip when trying to convey form in an image. Don t stand front on parallel to your subject because all you tend to view is the shape without any form. Change your angle of view by moving around until shadow starts to reveal the form. By learning to photograph texture, form, and pattern correctly and adding these to elements to your images you will find that a new dimension will be added to your bag of skills and your photos will improve dramatically. Tips for Better Holiday Photos article by Jim Miotke, taken from Compose Creatively and Move in Close Whether you are photographing the symbolic subjects of the holidays or your friends and family, getting creative with your composition certainly cannot hurt. This means paying special attention to how you organize the various elements in each photo. For Better Family and Group Portraits The most important thing to keep in mind when photographing groups and families is this: you absolutely must take a lot of photos. Shoot First, Ask Questions Later Especially if your subject is a child opening a gift - or playing with a gift for the first time - you know that, within a split second, the scene can change. There is often just a few brief moments when that magic spark appears. Look for Reflections One the quickest and easiest ways to add an artistic touch to your holiday photos is to focus on capturing reflections rather than the object itself. Blur, Swirl, and Zoom Those Christmas Lights Tired of the same old Christmas tree photos? If you want to try something new, set your camera to a slower shutter speed - anywhere from 1/2 second to 2 or 4 full seconds. Then purposefully move the camera while taking the picture. The idea here is to intentionally blur the colorful Christmas lights... and in order to blur a stationary subject, you need a slow shutter speed and controlled camera movement. 5

6 Monthly Photo Critique Themes Minimum size 8 x 10, matted; Color or B&W. Only one print per theme to be critiqued. January 13, 2009 Family and/or Friends February 10 Panning/Zooming March 10 Anywhere But Home April 14 Black & White May 12 Animals June 9 No Critique July 14 There WAS Something to Take Pictures Of August 11 Capturing Dimension and/or Emotion September 8 Illustrate a Poem/Song/Quote October 13 Self-Portrait November 10 Before & After (Edited Images) December 8 Your Favorite Shots Ann Kamzelski Treasurer s Report for November 2009 Beginning Balance $4, Cash IN Dues $00.00 Entry fees $00.00 $00.00 Cash OUT Postage $0.00 $00.00 Ending Balance $4, Ann Kamzelski Respectfully Submitted, Gary Thompson, Treasurer Ann Kamzelski Ann Kamzelski 6

7 Newsletter december 2009 GCPC Calendar of Events Now: Mia Lisa Anderson, Mini Solo Show, The Native Bagel, Central Avenue, Wellsboro. Now: Bruce Dart, Mini-Solo Show, Ten West Espresso Company, 23 N. Main Street, Mansfield. There are openings for 2009 at both The Native Bagel and Ten West Espresso. If you are interested in showing your work at either place, please contact Bruce Dart. December 8, 2009: (7 p.m., 2nd Tuesday) Monthly Center: Holiday Party. Theme: Member Favorites. January 12, 2010: (7 p.m., 2nd Tuesday) Monthly Center: TBA. Theme: TBA February 9, 2010: (7 p.m., 2nd Tuesday) Monthly Center: TBA. Theme: TBA March 9, 2010: (7 p.m., 2nd Tuesday) Monthly Center: TBA. Theme: TBA April 13, 2010: (7 p.m., 2nd Tuesday) Monthly Center: TBA. Theme: TBA May 11, 2010: (7 p.m., 2nd Tuesday) Monthly meeting of Grand Canyon Photo Club, Gmeiner Center: TBA. Theme: TBA Suzan Richar Suzan Richar Suzan Richar 7

8 Contact: Ann Kamzelski or Tina Tolins, Club Co-presidents Phone: Phone: December 8th Meeting: 60 West Avenue Wellsboro, PA Annual Holiday Party Critique Theme: No Critique Provided by Sam McCaughey Errol Morris has much to offer for those who really want to think about photography, the use, abuse, and ramifications. Lots and lots to consider. The American Museum of Photography site. A couple of new sites from Mia with photography/photoshop tutorials, tricks, and tips