WPPA Newsletter. Lisa Cuchara: Masking & HDR. May 24th Mini Program. Facebook & Instagram Explained! You can t afford to Miss this.

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1 WPPA Newsletter Lisa Cuchara: Masking & HDR At our April 26th General meeting at the David Chen Chinese Restaurant in Armonk, NY our guest speaker was Lisa Cuchara who came to teach us about Photoshop Layers, Masks and HDR processing. There is much to learn about these topics and we got a detailed overview of the subject at our meeting that evening. HDR or High Dynamic Range is a method of taking multiple exposures of the same subject, using over, normal and under exposures to capture all the light values available in the scene and then using special software to blend the exposures together to produce one image that shows all the highlights, all the shadows and the midtones in a way more like the way human brain perceives things. Using as many as 77 exposures for one image, Lisa showed us how she merges a panorama with HDR stitching together amazing wide-angle shots with a full range of exposures. Lisa showed us how to make duplicate layers in Photoshop (PS) and then use blend modes to achieve dramatic effects. There are 27 different blend modes in PS. With this simple method one can create blurred backgrounds to hide distracting items in an image, increase contrast to make an image pop or take an image of lint on a black background and use it to look like snow in a nature scene. May 24th Mini Program Facebook & Instagram Explained! You can t afford to Miss this. See Page 4 A Triple Play of Experts: How to Get That Merit Image Entering an image competition can be a daunting experience, even for veteran photographers and especially for those who have never done it before. Watching and then entering these competitions are probably the best ways to enhance your photographic skills. What factors does an image need to earn that blue ribbon? Is it technically good enough? Does it have that Wow factor to make it stand out from all the other entries? Will your image make viewers know that its maker is a true artist? Does it tell a story that will impress the judging panel? What do the judges look for and on what do they base their scoring? The answers are not simple, but there are techniques and procedures that you as the photographer can master in order to increase the Continued on Page 4 odds of scoring 80 or above. Come to our May 24 dinner meeting at David Chen Chinese Restaurant in Armonk, NY and get the insights that you will need to achieve high scores at Image Competitions. Owen Kassimir, Paul Bernstein and Caryn Benjamin will take you through the entire process of selecting an appropriate Wow image for competition, enhancing it in post-production, creating a professional presentation and giving it that perfect title to bring it over the top. Paul and Owen are both PPA trained judges with many years of experience entering and evaluating print and image competitions, while Caryn has an amazing set of retouching and design skills that she has used successfully to create many blue ribbon winners. You will learn about the rating system that every panel at section, state and national level adheres to. Understanding the basis of how your images are judged will allow you to grasp the formula for success. It results in a winwin situation by increasing your chances of getting those merit images, as well as creating better art for yourself, plus higher quality and more profitable work for your clients. May 2016 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: President s Message 2 WPPA 2016 Schedule 3 Nicastro Standings 3 Award & Scholarship Winners 3 Members Flash 3 Photos of April 26th Meeting 4 Spotlight on Instructors Marty Grivjack UPCOMING EVENTS Next Board Meeting May 10, 2016 David Chen Chinese Restaurant 6:15pm Dinner 7:00pm Meeting Monthly Dinner Meeting May 24, 2016 David Chen Chinese Restaurant 85 Old Mt. Kisco Rd. Armonk, NY (914) :00 pm Reg. & Conversation 7:00pm Dinner 8:45pm Speaker Photo Imaging Workshop July 17-22, 2016 Hobart & William Smith College Geneva, NY 5

2 WPPA Newsletter Page 2 President s Message Hello all: At our April General Meeting in Armonk, Lisa & Tom Cuchara gave us a VERY insightful Program, with many tips & hints on how to streamline your Photoshop work, making it easier to make your images POP. It was a joy to behold, her fingers never leaving her hands, as she revealed shortcuts never dreamed of before. If you were here, you became smarter - if not, too bad, you lose. So get here and increase your knowledge of photography! On May 24th, Paul Bernstein and friends will tell us all about creating a Merit Image that you had always hoped for. He has many of them under his belt, and will share his knowledge with us, but you HAVE TO BE HERE TO HEAR HIM. So mark it down, and GET HERE. AND June 28th will be our 2nd Image Comp, so spruce them up and get ready to send them to Kelly. You will be delighted to hear the scores and critiques - everybody wins. NOW GO find a friend and invite them to a meeting. YOU GET 5 NICASTRO POINTS (for $$$ towards our State School tuition) when you convince them to join WPPA. Aspiring membership has been extended for one year, so a prospective member could join us for a mere pittance (only Section Dues of $85) thru May of 2017, and have all the State benefits, too, so GO GET 'EM, to join WPPA. YOU HAVE TO BE HERE if you wish to talk (and listen) to other photogs telling of their experiences in photography, both GOOD and BAD. You can learn a lot, but to hear, you have to BE HERE, and you might get a job from one of us, too!!! Isn t that what it s all about??? Sincerely, Frank

3 WPPA Newsletter Page 3 Westchester Section 2016 Program Schedule 2016 Nicastro Points (Standing as of April 30, 2016) May 24 Jun 28 Jul Aug 23 Sep 27 Oct 25 Paul Bernstein-Getting that Merit Image Also Mini Program on Facebook and Instagram Image Comp State School-Geneva, NY Owen Kassimir-Continuous Lighting Technique Image Comp Nov 15 (3rd Tues) Image Comp Dec 14 Patrick Luke-Gold Medal Sports Portraits Holiday Party-An American Bistro 7 PM Member s Flash Our condolences go out to our member Susan Woog Wagner on the passing of her Mother, Josephine, who passed away on April 19th. The funeral was held on April 21st. Josephine is survived by her children, Susan Woog Wagner, Dan Woog and Laurie Woog. PPSNYS Section Chair Award Incoming 1st Vice President of PPSNYS, Alan Vollweiler, presents WPPA President, Frank Mohalley with the PPSNYS Section Chair Award Workshop Scholarship Winners Alan Vollweiler 24 Frank Mohalley 13 Kristen Vallejo 20 Domenica Comfort 11 Rodney Bedsole 17 Ron Carran 10 Bob Klein 17 Eve Prime 10 Nelson Roman 17 June Greenspan 7 Deborah Lea Cohen 15 Kelly Vasami 7 Hillary Caltagirone 13 JJ Donnelly 6 Brian Madden 13 The two members with the most Nicastro points at the end of 2016 can earn a $100 scholarship for the State 2017 Photo Imaging Workshop in Geneva, NY. How to Get Nicastro Points 1. Attendance at a monthly meeting Submit images for quarterly competition (max of 4 images) Points Point per image when there is no competition 1/4 Point per image when there is a competition 1 3. Presenting a Prologue at a monthly meeting 2 4. Presenting the featured program at a monthly meeting 4 5. PPA membership 4 6. Attending PPSNYS Workshop or PPA affiliate School 3 7. Per $200 of ad revenue for our newsletter 1 8. Sponsor a new member 5 9. Attending the PPSNYS annual convention(2 day min) Entering images at the state convention - per image 1/2 11. Newsletter Editor Webmaster Program Chairman Hospitality Chairman Properties Chairman 3 WPPA President Frank Mohalley in the center presenting Nelson Roman on left and Alan Vollweiler on the right with their 2016 Photo Imaging Workshop Scholarship certificates. MEMBERS NEEDING HELP IN A HURRY If you find yourself in a bind with two shoots at the same time, or unable to fulfill an assignment, look at the Specializing In column on our Finding a Photographer page in our Website Any one of us could come to your rescue as a shooter (or take the second job off your hands). All members are willing to help, at a moment s notice, which is why WPPA exists, for each other. So, when you have a minute, look at the website page and jot down the phone numbers of those in your particular field of interest, in case disaster happens. President: Frank Mohalley

4 WP P A Ne w slet ter Mini Program on Facebook and Instagram Social Media has become a major source of inspiration and expression for artists of all kinds. Love it or hate it, outlets such as Facebook and Instagram are here to stay. It has become increasingly necessary for photographers to use these outlets as instruments of display and self promotion, and it can be a free and easy revenue stream if you learn how it works, and when to use it. Kristen Vallejo & Domenica Comfort will discuss their personal experiences using social media in their businesses, and explain some of the simple ways that we can all be using it to boost our business, and to get noticed. Topics will include: *Setting up an account *Hashtags: What the heck are they, and how do I use them? *Following, Liking, Linking and Inviting *Private Accounts vs. Public Accounts *WPPA s instagram and Facebook pages: How can we boost our exposure through these mediums? *Project 52 At our April 24th Meeting: P age 4 Lisa Cuchara: Masking & HDR Continued from Page 1 Using layers in Photoshop is a non destructive way to modify an image. This means that one can go back to the image file later and make adjustments without having to start over from scratch. Masks are used to make adjustments to specific parts of an image. One can hide or reveal part of an underlying image. An easy way to use masks is to start by making an adjustment layer. That is because adjustment layers come with a mask built in. Lisa suggests opening a color image and creating a black and white adjustment layer over it, then with a black brush, paint out a part of the black and white image and reveal the color below. This is a great way to practice using masks Lisa said. With all the things that layers, masks and HDR can do, Lisa says, it is still what inspires you that makes great photos. She also said, there is no excuse for taking a bad picture and saying I ll fix it in Photoshop. Get the best possible picture in camera. What makes a great photograph? Lisa said, who you are, your education, your lens and your camera, in that order. Lisa Cuchara was given a PPA Merit by WPPA president Frank Mohalley for her presentation at our meeting.

5 The WPPA Officers: President Frank Mohalley Vice President Alan Vollweiler Treasurer Frank Mohalley Secretary Domenica Comfort Board of Directors: J J Donnelly Kelly Vasami June Greenspan Eric Wessman Bob Klein Susan Woog Wagner Nelson Roman Committee Chairpersons: Ethics/Grievances Eric Wessman Facebook Page Domenica Comfort Hospitality Deborah Lea Cohen Membership Alan Vollweiler Image Competition Kelly Vasami Programs June Greenspan Properties Alan Vollweiler Publicity Kristen Vallejo Webmaster Kristen Vallejo Newsletter Editor: Alan Vollweiler We re on the web PPSNYS State School July 17-22, 2016 (Instructors as of Feb. 22, 2016) Scott J Dere -Photographing the Elements of Nature Michael Mowbray -Shoot to Thrill Marty Grivjack -The Best Lightroom Course You ll Ever Take Jim LaSala -Street Photography, Landscapes & Photoshop Marty Grivjack, Cr. Photog., FSA The Best Lightroom Course You ll Ever Take THIS is your week to dive into Lightroom s powerful and quick editing tools and make your images come alive with striking and compelling radiance. You ll learn that almost every photograph has beauty and impact hidden within and you ll be shown how to bring out the best in each image you touch. Every Lightroom tool has so much to offer if you only knew how and here s your chance to learn the secrets! Not only that see how easy it is to manage your images and find any photograph in seconds! If you ve been waiting for a tool that can whip your digital storage into shape and help you stop wasting your time, take this class. I guarantee AHA moments! You will be supplied with course materials to edit and work with, but you ll want to bring your laptop, card reader, laptop charger and a photography job, preferably photographed in RAW, for you to import and edit. A tablet is also recommended if you have one. We will go on a photo safari Tuesday, weather permitting to gather raw materials to edit and test your new found skills with. Marty's biography: Marty is a 38-year photographer, an eight-year Lightroom instructor and owner of Martin Alan Photography in Jupiter, Florida. Marty is also a lifetime computer guy which is important to Lightroom, since Lightroom integrates photography and your computer into a fine, productive, organized system. He can answer any computer-related question you have. Marty has conducted Lightroom classes since 2007 around the country and is an Imaging USA speaker. Marty also is a board member of the Florida Professional Photographers (FPP), and is its primary technical advisor for FPP s annual image competition. He continues as a member of the FPP Salon Committee since His business centers around private tutelage and conducting ongoing Lightroom training in Florida and New York. He continues to take on photographic commissions to maintain an edge on the burgeoning and everchanging photographic industry. Find us on Facebook Westchester Professional Photographers Association WPPA Website Offers a Gallery for its Members --- Sign Up Today!