Saguaro Camera Club CACTUS POINTS

Transcription

1 Saguaro Camera Club CACTUS POINTS October 2016 Vol. 63 No. 02 Date: Meets 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, From October through April Meeting at 6:30 PM (Note New Start Time--Unless otherwise noted) Location: Mesa Fire Station Community Room NW Corner 1st St. & Mesa Dr. 360 E. First St, Mesa, AZ President Sandy Kwas Visitors are always welcome Our mission is to provide a friendly, creative and inspiring atmosphere for learning and growth for all skill levels. A place where we can share, learn and inspire other s love of photography. The Saguaro Camera Club is affiliated with both the Photographic Society of America and the Arizona Camera Club Council. 1

2 Inside This Issue CONTENTS Inside This Issue 2 President s Message 3 Those Who Make it Work 4 Contacts 4 Workshop 5 Year End Meetings 6 Year End Awards 7 Upcoming Events 8, 12 Editor s Choice 13 PSA Interclub Results 14,16 Reminder 16 October Competitions Front Page Header The header is Maintenance Garage by Fred Busack. It was taken at the Illinois Railway Museum located in Union, IL. IRM has an extensive collection of trains and visitors can ride some of these on their large track system. The museum s mission is to show the role trains played in the growth of Chicago. It is a great photographic venue. Fawn in the Field by Marcy Starnes shot in Ennis, Montana. It is an excellent use of Topaz Impressions. Published October 24,

3 President s Message As I sit in a hotel room in Oklahoma tonight on my way back to Arizona, I am pondering my 6 months in Wisconsin and what a beautiful summer it was. The shores of Lake Michigan offer such a variety of photography, weather conditions (yep, all four seasons in one day!) and a total turnaround of vegetation. I tried to take advantage of the many photo opportunities; the local parks carpeted with spring wildflowers, some no bigger than my fingernail. The Trillium are so plentiful I could spent an entire day with my macro lens. The Lady Slippers in Door County dappled the woods with bright yellow. Sunrises and sunsets never disappoint and the Aurora Borealis finally showed its glowing pillars this summer. I also managed to catch waves blowing over the lighthouse on a Nor easter day and also a few surfers. Surfers? On Lake Michigan? Yes, of course! Did you know that my home town is known as Fresh Water Surfing Capital of the World? The hot humid days of summer passed too quickly and gradually the terrain changed to its autumn tones. The best colors appeared late this year, but I managed to catch a few fall shots before we packed the car for our long ride back to Arizona. As we begin our next season of Camera Club, I look forward to seeing all my Saguaro friends again and going out shooting with you. Happy Clicking, Sandy Kwas 3

4 Those Who Make It Work Saguaro Camera Club Officers & Board President Sandy Kwas Vice President Karen Lowery Treasurer Gary Hintz Secretary Norma Walsh Past President Larry Durbin, FPSA, PPSA Competition Chair Nancy Sams, FPSA, EPSA Program Chairs Pauline & Larry Price Members at Large Phyllis Picardi Karen Busack Committee Chairpersons ACCC Delegate Dick Lund Field Trips - Thursa Stair Hospitality - Karen Busack Nature Exhibition - Jim David, EPSA Webmaster - Bill Still wyaz@cox.net Interclub Competitions Nature Marcia Dillon PID James D. Smith, PPSA PID Creative James D. Smith, PPSA Photojournalism Jim David, EPSA Photo Travel - Lou Romain FPSA, EPSA, EFIAP Cactus Points Managing Editor James D. Smith, PPSA james@gfstarharbor.net Contacts Website Photographic Society of America Arizona Camera Club Council arizonacameraclubcouncil.org All photographs in this newsletter, on all pages, are under copyright protection. They may not be used without permission from the individual photographer. All written material is also under copyright and may not be used without editorial permission. Quotations, if used, are in the Public Domain. 4

5 Workshop Google Nik Software Collection Firehouse: November 3, PM-4PM by James Smith I sent out an on September 8, 2016 describing my plan for this workshop. Also included in that and two additional s are three.zip files of images I will use in the workshop. The workshop will be to show you the various options that are available rather than a processing tutorial on a given image(s). It will be for the benefit of those of you who do not have other packages such as Topaz, Filter Forge, etc. Even if you do not expect to use it, you should download and install the Google Nik Collection; 1) because it is FREE, 2) it is a very powerful set of plug-ins for making small to large adjustments in your image(s) and 3) the plugins can be used to evaluate your image(s) for further processing. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Before coming to the workshop you should: 1. If you have not already done so, download and install the Nik Collection onto your laptop or desktop computer following the instructions above. 2. Unzip the three zip files and place the images in a folder where they may be accessed. If you wish, bring your laptop to the workshop with the Nik Collection installed and the images unzipped to an accessible folder on your laptop. My plan is for you to leave the workshop with an idea about how to use the Nik Collection on your image(s). One of the things I will stress is how to use the Nik Collection to evaluate an image for processing. Hopefully this will provide you with some things to keep in mind as you are out in the world gathering images. 5

6 November & December Meetings November 10, 2016: 6:30PM Club Digital and Print competitions Open and Assigned Photojournalism (one Sport). Members who are unfamiliar with the definition of Photojournalism are encouraged to consult this link: November 17, 2016: 6:30PM NOTE THE DATE Recall that we shift our last-of-the month meeting date because of the holidays in November and December. After announcements, the Program will be a talk about the Palouse Region of SE Washington by Jim Smith and a proposed Club field trip there June 18-23, More information to come. December 1, 2016: 6:30PM NOTE THE DATE In order to give Norma the time needed to prepare for the End-of- Year Awards, we will move our first December meeting to the first Thursday rather than the second. The digital images will be shipped to and judged by the California Gold Rush Camera Club. See below for End-of-Year Digital and Print competition submittals. Club Digital and Print competitions Open and Assigned Photo Travel. Members who are unfamiliar with the definition of Photo Travel are encouraged to consult this link: December 15, 2016: 6:30PM NOTE THE DATE The program for tonight s meeting is our Annual Holiday Party. Members are asked to bring a wrapped $10.00 gift for the grab bag exchange. Chocolate turtles and popcorn are popular items. Members are also asked to bring a snack to be shared by all. 6

7 Year End Awards The 2016 Year End (YE) Awards, will be given for Digital and Prints. To qualify for these, you must have entered at least twelve (12) digital images and/or six (6) prints during the 2016 calendar year, January through December. YE Digital Images Members are asked to select four (4) images from their 2016 digital image entries, Open and/or Assigned. You may select images from one or both divisions whether or not they received an award. The selected digital images MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE by midnight December 2, Enter your EOY digital images using the online entry form (available on the Club website) while ignoring Open or Assigned ; use the month designation 08. YE Prints Members are asked to select two (2) prints from their print entries for the year. These may be Open and/or Assigned and they need not have received an award. The prints must be handed in at the December 1, 2016 meeting and a.jpg MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE by midnight December 2, 2016 using the online entry form (available on the Club website). Use the same procedure you used for the monthly print competitions for entering online; use the month designation 09. YE Digital and Prints Awards Overall Best of Show; TOP(s) & HM(s) Diamond, Gold, & Silver; High Score 4 digital and High Score 2 prints, Diamond, Gold, & Silver. YE Accumulated Points Awards In addition to the above-mentioned awards, members who have entered digital or prints in any of our 2016 monthly competitions are eligible for our YE Accumulated Points Award. No action is required by you. First, second and third place awards (Diamond, Gold, & Silver) will be given. 7

8 Upcoming Events Fort McDowell Orme Dam Victory Days November 18-20, :00 AM 4:00 PM Each November, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in Arizona celebrates their 1981 victory over the federal government, who proposed to construct the Orme Dam at the confluence of the Verde and Salt Rivers. The Rodeo grounds are located at: Beeline Highway (Hwy. 87) and Fort McDowell Road, Fort McDowell, AZ. In my experience, the Fort McDowell Rodeo grounds are the very best rodeo venue I have encountered. Great shooting locations abound from just about anywhere in the uncovered bleachers to the east end near the VIP tent. Last spring, I used my Tamron mm and my Tamron mm with very good results. A tripod or monopod might be useful in the bleachers. I photographed all three days and arrived very early in the AM in order to shoot the slack sessions when the crowd was very sparse and I could wander around. Slack sessions are qualifying rounds of all events. Since you see the full range of contestants in each of the events, you have loads of opportunities to shoot from various locations and perspectives. As a matter of courtesy, you should always ask permission before taking photos of costume attired Indians. WARNING: wear a good ear and neck covering hat because there is no cover. A light jacket or sweater might also be useful. If you arrive early, you can usually park within easy walking distance from your car. $5 parking fee with free admission to all events Bring your own chairs 8

9 Upcoming Events cont. Fort McDowell Orme Dam Victory Days November 18-20, :00 AM 4:00 PM Here is a link to their website which may provide more information. I was not thrilled by the Pow Wow because it was under cover of a tent and lighting wasn t that good and it was crowded. 9

10 Upcoming Events cont. Zoolights November 23, 2016 January 8, :30 10:30PM Nightly Join the Phoenix Zoo at the Valley s brightest holiday tradition: ZooLights presented by SRP! Celebrating 25 years, ZooLights shines with millions of lights, a three-story-high holiday tree, hundreds of glimmering light displays and lakeside music-in-motion shows. ZooLights is open to the public. Ticket and event information at: Fantasy of Lights: Opening Night Parade November 26, :00 PM This beloved community tradition brings a varied lineup of parade units including floats, marching bands, and novelty units. It s on this day that Mill Avenue s trees are lit with thousands of lights that remain throughout the holiday season. The parade launches from Mill Avenue at Rio Salado and heads south on Mill, it then turns right on 7 th street through Centerpoint Plaza and heads north on Maple where it concludes. Following the parade, Tempe St. Luke s Hospital sponsors our annual tree lighting ceremony at Centerpoint Plaza. Santa s lap is then available for requests and photos. Here is a link: 10

11 Upcoming Events cont. Fantasy of Lights: Boat Parade December 10, :00 9:00 PM The 17th Annual Tempe Boat Parade is set to launch on December 10, 2016! This year we have an exciting line up for you. Live music, VIP opportunities, food, beverages, photos with Santa, and what parade would be complete without a colorful fireworks display! The Tempe Lake Christmas Boat Parade offers a great opportunity and challenge for night photography. For night shooting on Tempe Lake, I always prefer the north shore. For the boat parade, the south shore will be overcrowded with spectators. On the north shore, I like shooting between the Mill Ave bridges. Boat Lights & Light Trails The boats launch from the Marina on the north shore. They pass straight over to the south shore and pass slowly along that side to west of the Valley Metro light rail bridge. They then swing over to the north shore and pass along it back to the marina. It gets chilly so wear warm clothes and a hat. 11

12 Upcoming Events cont. Fantasy of Lights: Boat Parade cont. December 10, :00 9:00 PM Equipment: 1. Tripod, absolutely essential 2. I use a Tamron mm f/ It covers the bases pretty well shooting across to the south shore or shooting closer in when the boats pass in front on the north shore. They do not move fast but you need to work fast getting your framing and compositions. 3. I use the Satechi Wireless Remote Intervalometer (see 2015 December Cactus Points Vol. 62_03 Pp13-15). I carry one of these with me everywhere and it is useful for all sorts of night shooting: star trails, fireworks, street traffic light trails, and Christmas boat light trails. 4. Free image stacking software: Startrails.exe for stacking fireworks, star trails and traffic light trails. Make sure your batteries are fully charged and you have ample space on your memory card(s). Park under the Mill Ave bridges; south on E Lake View Dr. off of E Curry Rd. at 4:30PM. The shooting location is an easy walk from your car. Lighting and camera settings vary considerable. For sunsets, I start with: Aperture priority, ISO 800, f/11-14, 1/400 th sec and adjust as necessary. Once it is dark, I change to: Aperture Priority, ISO 4000, f/ , 1/100-1/125 th sec and adjust as necessary. I didn t know there would be fireworks last year, so they were a big surprise at around 7:00PM. I know my fireworks settings but had to reset quickly to: Manual, ISO 800, F/22. I keep my Satechi setup for fireworks: 1 sec interval, 10 sec exposure, infinite shots. So all I had to do was switch to bulb on my camera, plug in the Satechi and go. 12

13 Editor s Choice You might surmise from this month s Cactus Points Header by Fred Busack, Maintenance Garage (Gold HM), and this fine image by Reed Kempton, Winter Train (Gold HM), that aside from old cars and trucks, I like trains. In motion or standing, they make exceptional photographic subjects. It may have to do with the fact that when some of us were shorter, we travelled a lot on trains. I remember the clickity-clack of riding the Illinois Central back and forth to college or going to Chicago on the CB&Q Burlington Zephyr that ran behind our house near Galesburg, IL. Reed s photo has great composition divided horizontally into equal thirds. Even though the engine is nearly centered, it has rolled into that position from the curve in the distance. The beautiful angry bloom of roiling smoke gives the image dramatic motion. There is an implied S- curve made by the stream bending from the left side foreground around a point of rock, then into the image along the tracks and disappearing in the distance, passing unseen, around a curve to the right. The only suggestion I might make is auto white balance would bring a subtle lightening of the smoke and distant bend. Good job, Reed. 13

14 PSA Interclub Competitions As a PSA Club, Saguaro Camera Club competes in five Interclub competitions: 1. Nature Interclub.--Club Chairperson Marcia Dillon. You can view past and present activity of this PSA Interclub Competition at: Marcia solicits and selects six images from the membership for each of the three rounds (Oct. 15; Jan. 15; Apr. 15) of this interclub competition. We compete in Group A and ended the year in 8 th place with 199 points over four rounds of competition. 2. PID (Projected Image Division) Interclub.--Club Chairperson James D. Smith. You can view past and present activity of this PSA Interclub Competition at: Jim selects six images for each of the four rounds (Nov. 1; Jan. 1; Mar. 1; May 1) of this interclub competition from the TOPs and HMs of our monthly club competitions. We compete in Group A and finished the year in 15 th place with 253 points over four rounds of competition. The entries in Round #1 of the year are indicated with a RED star in the report of the Club s October competition below. 14

15 PSA Interclub Competitions 3. PID Creative Interclub. Club Chairperson James D. Smith. You can view past and present activity of this PSA Interclub Competition at: Jim solicits and selects six images from the membership for each of the three rounds (Jan. 15; Mar. 15; May 15) of this interclub competition. We compete in Group C of this competition. We finished the year tied with the St. Louis Camera Club for 2 nd place with 206 points for three round of competition. Although I have picked six images for the first round of the year, they are not due until January 15. We have three more club competitions to select from. So get your best creative images in the Open digital divisions. 4. PJD (Photojournalism) Interclub. Club Chairperson Jim David. You can view past and present activity of this PSA Interclub Competition at: Jim solicits and selects six images from the membership for each of the four rounds Nov. 15; Jan. 15; Mar. 15; May 15) of this interclub competition. We compete in Group B and finished the year in 2 nd place with 262 points over four rounds, one point behind the Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia club in 1 st place. 15

16 PSA Interclub Competitions 5. PTD (Photo Travel) Interclub. Club Chairperson Lou Romain. You can view past and present activity of this PSA Interclub Competition at: Lou solicits and selects six images from the membership for each of the three rounds (Nov. 15; Feb. 15; May 15) of this interclub competition. We compete in Group B and finished the year in 1 st Place with 207 points over three rounds. We were one point ahead of Grand Photo. As noted above, you can visit any one of these and view a slide show of winning images from past and present rounds of competition. This is a great source for ideas. I will be posting our club results as they come in from these various interclub competitions. Reminders Below is a Table showing the Monthly Club Competition Themes for the upcoming years Note that some of the later themes are TBA. Print this page, cut out the Table and carry it in your camera bag as you are out shooting or planning a shooting trip. Remember Colleen Miniuk-Sperry s advice of pre-planning and pre-visualization JAN Nature (1 Bird) Nature (1 Animal Action) Nature FEB Fences Agriculture Architectural Interiors MAR Cityscapes Holidays Still Life APR ACCC Feet ACCC Water ACCC TBA SUMMER BREAK SUMMER BREAK SUMMER BREAK OCT ACCC Reflections ACCC TBA ACCC TBA NOV PJ (1 Sports Action) PJ (1 Weather) Photo Travel DEC Photo Travel Creative Photo Journalism 16

17 2016 October Digital Competition Results Welcome to the Saguaro Camera Club Monthly Competition image results page. Here I will provide the Title of images, Class, Score, Award, and Artist s name. Note I used the term Artist. We, with our cameras, are no less artists than are a painter or sculptor with their brushes and chisels. Below, I will try to display your work as best I can within the constraints of the page. This is difficult sometimes given the different image formats, horizontal and vertical. I have tried a collage approach but arranging and juggling image placement is very time consuming. So I have decide to present six images on a full page and hope for the best. October Assigned: Open Title Class Score Award Photographer My Mom 2 D 27 TOP LOU ROMAIN The Magnificent D 25 HM KAREN KBUSACK Whitman County 8345 D 24 HM PHYLLIS PICARDI Scenic Palouse 7577 D 24 HM PHYLLIS PICARDI Oriental Lilly 1011 D 23 HM LOU ROMAIN Holland Windmill Row D 23 HM NANCY SAMS Flicker Breakfast Time G 25 TOP NORMA WALSH Fox Kits in grass G 24 HM MARCY STARNES Fawn in The Field G 23 HM MARCY STARNES Truckin' Along the Milky Way G 23 HM SANDY KWAS Priest In Lalibella Ethiopia G 23 HM MARCIA DILLON Maintenance Garage G 23 HM FRED BUSACK Palouse Straw Bails _6486 G 23 HM JAMES D. SMITH Winter Train G 23 HM REED KEMPTON Night Fishing G 23 HM JAMES KRONLOKKEN Ethiopian Warrior G 23 HM MARCIA DILLON Teton Horses_6808 S 23 TOP SUSAN SMITH Mountain Stream S 21 HM DALE PRITCHETT Grand Teton_6778 S 21 HM SUSAN SMITH Glass Wing Butterfly S 21 HM JUDY MCLAUGHLIN Dandelion in Gold S 21 HM JENNI PRITCHETT Mountain Storm Warning S 20 HM DALE PRITCHETT MUSHROOM S 20 HM ED MCLAUGHLIN 17

18 2016 October Digital Competition Open The Magnificent Karen Busack D TOP Holland Windmill Row Nancy Sams D HM Whitman County 8345 Phyllis Picardi D HM Scenic Palouse 7577 Phyllis Picardi D HM Flicker Breakfast Time Norma Walsh G TOP Fox Kits in grass Marcy Starnes G HM Submitted to PSA PID Interclub Round #1 18

19 2016 October Digital Competition Open Fawn in The Field Marcy Starnes G HM Truckin' Along the Milky Way Sandy Kwas G HM Priest In Lalibella Ethiopia Marcia Dillon G HM Maintenance Garage Fred Busack--G HM Palouse Straw Bails _6486 James D. Smith G HM Winter Train Reed Kempton G HM 19

20 2016 October Digital Competition Open Night Fishing James Kronlokken G HM Ethiopian Warrior Marcia Dillon G HM Teton Horses_6808 Susan Smith S TOP Mountain Stream Dale Pritchett S HM Grand Teton_6778 Susan Smith S HM Glass Wing Butterfly Judy McLaughlin S HM 20

21 2016 October Digital Competition Open Dandelion in Gold Jenni Pritchett S HM Mountain Storm Warning Dale Pritchett S HM MUSHROOM Ed McLaughlin S HM 2016 October Digital Competition Reflections Mirror Reflection Nancy Sams D HM Egret Reflection Phyllis Picardi D HM 21

22 2016 October Digital Competition Reflections October Assigned: Reflections Title Class Score Award Photographer Museum Cord Reflected D 26 TOP LOU ROMAIN Mirror Reflection D 24 HM NANCY SAMS Egret Reflection D 23 HM PHYLLIS PICARDI Curacao 1363 D 23 HM LOU ROMAIN El Capitan D 22 HM DICK LUND Red Car Reflection 295 D 22 HM PHYLLIS PICARDI Reflection of the Past D 22 HM KAREN BUSACK Tricolor With Reflection G 25 TOP NORMA WALSH I am Lion Hear Me Roar G 24 HM MARCY STARNES Pied Billed Grebe G 23 HM NORMA WALSH Picture Lake G 23 HM JEAN ROMAIN Dusty Ethiopian Road G 23 HM MARCIA DILLON Tempe Train in Red G 23 HM SANDY KWAS Beautiful Glacier G 23 HM JEAN ROMAIN Shadow Boxing G 23 HM MARCIA DILLON Autumn Reflections S 22 TOP JENNI PRITCHETT Harpole Heron_3959 S 21 HM SUSAN SMITH Dark Mood on Apache Lake S 21 HM DALE PRITCHETT El Capitan Dick Lund D HM Red Car Reflection 295 Phyllis Picardi D HM 22

23 2016 October Digital Competition Reflections Reflection of the Past Karen Busack D HM Tricolor With Reflection Norma Walsh G TOP I am Lion Hear Me Roar Marcy Starnes G HM Pied Billed Grebe Norma Walsh G HM Dusty Ethiopian Road Marcia Dillon G HM Tempe Train in Red Sandy Kwas G HM 23

24 2016 October Digital Competition Reflections Shadow Boxing Marcia Dillon G HM Autumn Reflections Jenni Pritchett S TOP Harpole Heron_3959 Susan Smith S HM Dark Mood on Apache Lake Dale Pritchett S HM 2016 October Print Competition Open October Assigned: Open Title Class Score Award otographer Mandrill Portrait D 27 TOP LOU ROMAIN Wind Beneath My Wings D 24 HM DICK LUND Through the Forest G 25 TOP LARRY PRICE Hell City Pirate_4532 G 24 HM JAMES D SMITH Water Color Boats G 24 HM PAULINE PRICE Window Box G 22 HM WILLIAM STILL 24

25 2016 October Print Competition Open Wind Beneath My Wings Dick Lund D HM Through the Forest Larry Price G TOP Hell City Pirate_4532 James D. Smith G HM Water Color Boats Pauline Price G HM Window Box Bill Still G HM 25

26 2016 October Print Competition Reflections October Assigned: Reflections Title Class Score Award otographer Capitol Reflection D 24 TOP LOU ROMAIN Port Reflection G 25 TOP LARRY PRICE Tempe Lake Reflection G 25 TOP PAULINE PRICE Ox Bow Dusk_3045 G 25 TOP JAMES D. SMITH Snow Canyon Reflection G 23 HM WILLIAM STILL Port Reflection Larry Price G TOP Tempe Lake Reflection Pauline Price G TOP Ox Bow Dusk_3045 James D. Smith G TOP Snow Canyon Reflection Bill Still G HM 26