The Shutterbug March Volume 57: Issue 7 March 2011

Transcription

1 THE MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY MEMER OF GULF STATES CAMERA CLUB COUNCIL MEMBER OF PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA Volume 57: Issue 7 March 2011 Victoria Ryan Judges March Competition Local photographer, artist, teacher, Victoria Ryan was chosen by co-chairpersons Joe Tiemann and Dale Fleishmann to judge the club competition on March 17. Victoria Ryan had judged for the club once before so this was a repeat performance. The assigned topic for March was "Something Blue" in color prints. Additional categories included open color, open black and white and nature. In spite of the number of entries being limited to four per person, there was an abundance of prints. Victoria started her judging with a discussion of her interest in fine art of photography and her criteria for a good image. She described her desire to see an image communicating with the viewer. She stated that the photographer should make the image as an "adjective rather than a noun." She described the making of a photograph as "painting with light." An image should stimulate the mind of the viewer and the viewer should feel a part of the image. Victoria, who is a classic black and white photographer, also talked about the difference in digital imagery and the difficulty in ending up with an image comparable to film photographs. The competition was a lively discussion of each image with constructive criticism. The judge's remarks were felt to be fair and helpful. Victoria Ryan graduated from the University of Florida in 1977 and attended The Art Institute of Atlanta where she received the President's Award for the school's outstanding art student. Subsequently she has pursued a life of a professional photographer for the past 30 years. She does primarily black and white fine arts photography. Her work has been the subject of many solo shows as well as included in many group exhibitions throughout the world. She has been highlighted in many publications both in print and on the web. Locally, she is represented by A Gallery of Fine Photography and she also has representative galleries around the country. s Photo by Bill Pinto Victoria Ryan with Co-chairpersons Joe Tieman and Dale Fleishmann Ms. Ryan has also worked as a photographic educator for the past 25 years. Currently she runs the photographic department of the New Orleans Academy for Fine Arts. The Academy has courses in traditional black and white darkroom techniques as well as color and composition. She also teaches fine art photography at Loyola University. Victoria has been an activist for the city of New Orleans coordinating many ventures and shows mostly focused on environmental issues. 1

2 The Shutterbug March 2011 Robert Perez wins Lightroom 3 Others Win Smaller Prizes Robert Perez was the winner of the raffle for the software Lightroom 3 at the March 3 program meeting of the Greater New Orleans Photographic Society. His name was drawn from almost 50 registration forms supplied by Adobe for the meeting and drawing. Adobe, in conjunction with the Photographic Society of America (PSA), sponsored the program offered to PSA member camera clubs. The program called for one member of a camera club to take a 2 hour seminar teaching Lightroom 3 and then make a presentation to the entire club membership. At that presentation one copy of Lightroom 3 plus some other prizes were to be given away. For GNOPS Tom Oelsner took the online seminar in August of At the March 3rd meeting, Tom gave an in depth demonstration of the main features of Lightroom 3 and the advantages of using that software in addition to Photoshop. These features included the smooth importation of files from camera cards into Lightroom and onto the hard drive. He also showed how Lightroom can be conveniently and effortlessly used to organize photographic files on the hard drive and the ability to retrieve specific photographs using keywords, file names, metadata information, and other search criteria. After the 90 minute presentation the raffle was performed. Robert's name was the first one drawn and therefore he had the choice of prizes and chose the software program worth $300. Other objects raffled included a Lightroom T-shirt, an Adobe camera bag, five luggage tags and five lens cleaning cloths. An Adobe Tutorial entitled "getting Started with Lightroom 3" is available and can be borrowed by members of the camera club. Everyone present seemed to enjoy the program though there were a lot of disappointed members who had expected to win the Lightroom 3 software program. Photo by Bill Pinto Robert Perez, winner of Lightroom 3 Many thanks to Adobe and PSA. Photo by Bill Pinto Malay Ghosehajra Winner of the Adobe Camera Bag Tom Oelsner demonstrating Lightroom 3 Photo by Tom Zaccaria 2

3 Ellis C Baldwin, III Autobiography I have always considered myself a native Floridian even though I was born in Belton, Texas where my mother was visiting my father stationed at Fort Hood. By the time I was nine days old I was back home in Pensacola where I lived for the next 20 plus years. When I was twelve my parents built a house on Grande Lagoon, which is on the Intracoastal Waterway across from Gulf Islands National Seashorehore. As far back as I can remember, I was either in or on the water, swimming, skiing, surfing, fishing or sailing. Those were the days when TV was only on at night, no video games and kids spent their waking hours outdoors. By the time I was fifteen I had my first job which lasted seven summers. My best friend's mother was manager of the Officers club at NAS Pensacola and she hired us to work every summer at the Club beach/pool concession stand. In 1962 I graduated from Escambia High School in Pensacola and enrolled at Mississippi Southern College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. That same year MSC achieved University status and became the University of Southern Mississippi. At USM I studied broadcast communications and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in radio and television broadcasting and a minor in journalism. My college years were tumultuous times, the civil rights movement in Mississippi gave me ample photo opportunities and my first published photos were in a magazine called Religious Life. Upon graduation I was obligated to the military for flight training at NAS Pensacola. After starting flight training it was determined that I had a visual depth perception problem which prevented me from actual control of an aircraft. I had several options and chose to continue in the reserve forces and was assigned to the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. While in Gitmo I worked primarily on the news staff on radio and television. The Gitmo Gazette, the base newspaper, was in the same facility and I contributed both photos and print stories to it. Working with AFRTS also afforded me the opportunity to cover events connected to the Navy in the Caribbean for the Navy Times newspaper. After my tour in Cuba, I served on the public affaires staff aboard the Cruisers USS Boston and USS Springfield, which carried the Admiral for the US Second Atlantic Fleet. Upon completing my military duties my career took a different twist. My father and my Uncle were both veteran Sears employees which resulted in my being recruited into the Sears management training program. So, in 1968 I was sent to New Orleans as a management trainee at the Oakwood Mall store. I worked in management positions in every Sears facility in New Orleans. My favorite was downtown on Baronne St. Those were the days! After 16 years with the company, I left when it began to falter in late From Sears I went to work for the Louisiana World Exposition, more commonly referred to as the 1984 New Orleans Fair. I worked in the on-site merchandise division and assisted in liquidation of excess inventory for several months after the fair closing. In 1984 a new retail operation came to town, SILO Appliance and Electronics. I applied and was hired and after a couple months I was promoted to operations manager for the Louisiana district stores and distribution facilities. Silo closed in 1995 and Campo, was growing so I decided to go there and give up the stress of management. At Campo I was a computer sales specialist, but not limited to computer sales. Campo closed and employees were absorbed by A-1 Appliance. I worked for A-1 until 2003 when I left to help my son with his insulation business which was growing and I felt my background experience could help. I worked for him until 2010 when I retired. My interest in photography came at an early age, around twelve years old. My father and grandfather both had keen interests in photography. My father taught me the fundamentals of photography and darkroom techniques. I built my first darkroom when I was thirteen. I was hooked! My first camera was my Dad s Speed Graphic 4x5, which was not easy to use. The camera used two exposure film packs which required having to load bulk film in a darkroom. Taking the actual photograph was a difficult and cumbersome process. Developing and printing was the easy part. I really loved the darkroom, seeing the image appear on the paper under the soft red glow of the safe light. Of the transition to digital I miss the darkroom most. My first 35mm camera was an Argus C3, commonly referred to as the brick. I still have the C3 in perfect condition. I have no idea what happened to the Graflex, but wish I still had it. My first experimentation with infrared started when I built my first darkroom. Because early cameras had light leaks, most images were fogged. My interest in infrared photography never faded and I now have a Nikon D50 converted for digital infrared. But nothing compares to the old Kodak high speed infrared film for its surreal look. In the mid 90 s I became a devoted Nikon user, acquiring first the N70, then a N90S, F4, and digital D950, D100, D2X, D300 and assorted lens. As for favorite subjects to shoot, it varies from time to time, but cemeteries, French Quarter and Mardi Gras are always on top. I first joined the Camera Club around 1996 but had to leave after a few years due to my work schedule and I rejoined after Katrina. I really enjoy being a part of the club and the camaraderie it offers. Having outside judges affords a real opportunity for members to grow as photographers. The key is to listen to their critique and apply their suggestions rather than look at it as a criticism of your photo. I have entered many club competitions over the years and had several placements. I am also a member of the New Orleans Photo Alliance and active participant in Save our Cemeteries annual photo contest. I have had several photos selected for showing at Cemeteryscape. For the past forty three years I have lived on the Westbank, married to my wife Susan for forty two of those years. We have three children, Holly, and twins, Heather and Ellis IV, two grand children Noah, 11, and Brianna, 4. And, I can t leave out my two dogs, Caillou and Dixie. 3

4 State Capitol The March filed trip was at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Joe Tieman, who served as a state Senator in the Capitol from 1972 to 1982, arranged for the special tour and opportunity to photograph the state capitol. Parking was pre-arranged in the legislators' parking lot and security check was waved as the group entered the back door of the Capitol. A special tour guide gave an in-depth history of the building which was constructed in the early 1930's under the governoriship of Huey Long. It was only a few months after the building was opened that Governor Huey Long was shot and killed in the first floor hallway of the building. The main lobby offered lots of photographic opportunities. Then the tour went into the House of Representative chamber and later into the Senate chamber. Eventually the photographers found their way up to the 27th floor observation deck where they found a spectacular view of the Mississippi River and the city of Baton Rouge. From the Capitol most of the group gathered at Boutin's restaurant for an outstanding seafood lunch. It was a gorgeous day and about 16 club members attended. Photo by Bill Pinto 4

5 GSCCC Convention GSCCC January 2011 PJ Prints Entries and scores The Gulf States Camera Club Council will be holding its annual convention April in Oklahoma City. It is hosted by the Oklahoma Camera Club. A group from the Greater New Orleans Photographic Society is going to the convention. It is not too late to join them and prepare to have lots of fun and learning. For more information visit the CSCCC website: or contact Mike Parker GSCCC January 2011 Projected Entries and scores GSCCC February 2011 Nature Prints Entries and scores GSCCC February 2011 Nature Projected Entries and scores GSCCC February 2011 B & W Pictorial Prints Entries and scores * Gerard Plauche's Projected Image Squirrel Nutkin' won third place in the February GSCCC Nature category GSCCC February 2011 Color Pictorial Prints Entries and scores * * The February GSCCC winners, Tommy Barrios for "Soleares" in B & W pictorial prints and Joe Tiemann for "Shell Medley" in color pictorial prints were featured in the January Shutterbug. 5

6 Editor's Message GNOPS Awards Banquet Lets take a look at photo entries in the camera club competitions. It is very common for members to enter photographs from their files that fit the category criteria but may have been taken months or years ago. It is not quite as common for the same image or a very similar image) to be reentered repeatedly in a variety of competitions. There are rules against re-entering an image that has won first place but no rules against re-entering those that have never won first place. So what are the reasons for having camera club photo contests? Firstly, it serves as a stimulus for members to go out and shoot. Particularly the assigned topic should encourage everyone to produce a new image that meets the assigned criteria. We all tend to get lazy and look for an image in our files, but that is not the purpose of the competition. It should serve as an opportunity to come up with something new. Secondly, competition provides a chance to show our work to other members of the club. In the assigned category the criteria are usually fairly specific and therefore we can see how our fellow members have different approaches to the same subject. It provides for new ideas that may result in a unique image. And it gives us feedback on what other members are doing. Members too timid to enter the competition are given encouragement by seeing what others are doing and how they are doing it. Thirdly, the monthly competition is a learning process. Most of the judges tend to do an excellent job of not just critiquing the entries but also offering constructive criticism. Every judge has something to offer and I have learned something from each one. We may not agree with the judge and we have the opportunity to talk to the judge during or after the competition. Even though we may disagree, we respect the judge for his/her work and his/her opinion. The club has been very fortunate to be able to attract such talented photographers and artists as judges. Many of them are also outstanding educators. Finally, competition offers us the possibility of winning. As we observe our image being presented during the judging, our heart skips a beat when the image is awarded a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or honorable mention. Certainly winning is not, nor should it be, everything. But it is rewarding to know that someone else, in this case the judge, likes our work. Most importantly, however, is for every one of us to like our own work and to feel good about it. When out shooting we should be thinking "Is this the image I am looking for?" rather than "Is this the image that will impress the judge, or is this the image that will sell. It has always been my opinion that using a field trip as a source of competition would be a good exercise. That is, for club members to go together on a field trip to a specific venue and then enter only images produced on that field trip for a specific competition. That would level the playing field and produce some very interesting results. So let us resolve to go out shooting more often, to let the club serve as a stimulus to improve our work. Let us not show as many old images and lets stop seeing some of the same or very similar images over and over. The Awards Banquet for the camera club will be held on May 21 at Zea's Restaurant on St. Charles Avenue in uptown New Orleans. On this occasion all of the winning (1st, 2nd. 3rd and H.M.) photographs from the year 2010 will be judged and certificates will be awarded. This is also a fun social event and one of the major functions of the camera club. Mark your calendars and plan to attend. Further information will be forthcoming. The Shutterbug is published monthly by Greater New Orleans Photographic Society which serves photographic enthusiasts in the New Orleans area. Regular meetings of the society are held on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 7:00 PM at Munholland United Methodist Church, 1201 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA. Visitors and guests are always welcome. Club Officers President Mike Parker mike@cox.net Vice President Sarah Brock-Strickland skitlbug@yahoo.com Treasurer Jean Manale jmanalephoto@hotmail.com Secretary Rose Parker parker52@cox.net Webmaster Todd Bologna toddab001@gmail.com Chairperson April Larry and Tammy Brothers GSCCC Representatives Rose Parker - Pictorial Color Prints, Pictorial B&W Prints, PJ Prints, PJ Digital Projected Ozzie Hansen - Pictorial Digital Projected, Nature Prints, Nature Digital Projected!Shutterbug Newsletter Staff Editor Tom Oelsner drtomo@bellsouth.net Photographers Bill Pinto otnip451@yahoo.com Contributing photographer Ricky Gilmore 6

7 Photography from a Moving Vehicle Try some of these techniques the next time you are traveling as a passenger (not recommended for the driver). With the help of image correction software in the computer the results can be quite good and provide opportunities you would have missed otherwise. Shooting photographs while in motion is never a recommended technique. But sometimes, while traveling, whether in a car, bus, train or plane, the temptation is overwhelming. And excellent and interesting results are possible if a few simple guidelines are followed. Part of that requires planning ahead. The choice of where to sit is obviously an important factor. When traveling in a plane you want a window seat which, ideally, should be in front of the wing. Although including a portion of the plane can be interesting, you don't want the entire picture of the wing. If in a car, the front seat (not the drivers seat) is preferable. In a bus the front seat provides the possibility of shooting through the windshield as well as through the side window. In a train, any window seat is okay. Consider the direction of the light when choosing your seat. You don't want to be shooting into the sun. Also, the side of the vehicle likely to provide the more interesting subjects. Reflection by the glass can be a problem. Wearing dark clothes can help to reduce your own reflection. Shooting at a slight angle helps to reduce reflections, as does placing the lens on or very close to the window if possible. There is always the problem of motion blur. When shooting from a plane the subject tends to be very distant and not subject to motion blur. From a car or train or bus motion is much more of a problem. Subjects closest to you are likely to be blurred the most. So it is better to target distant objects. Shooting at ninety degrees from your direction of motion also maximizes the blur so it is better to shoot at an angle or forward or backward. Shutter speed should be set at a high level - a minimum of 1/250 sec and higher depending on the mode of transportation. In order to have a high shutter speed, like 1/2000 sec and still have a decent aperture it may be necessary to bump up the ISO. Try panning while taking a picture, although this can be very difficult while in motion. Sometimes motion blur can be used to an advantage to produce some unusual and interesting photographic images. Be prepared to clean the window you are shooting through if necessary. A tissue or small cleaning cloth in your camera bag can be very useful. The vehicle itself has some unwanted movements and vibrations not all in the direction of travel. It is best not to brace the camera directly on a physical part of the vehicle to avoid picking up these vibrations. Your body acts as a shock absorber so use it for bracing. Holding the camera against your face works when looking through the viewfinder but will not work when using a digital camera that only provides an LCD screen. Bracing your elbows against your chest while holding the camera is helpful. Window tint may alter the color tones of the image. Although color correction in computer software can deal with this problem the results may not be perfect. Another solution is to convert the image to black and white. Museums Museums can present lots of photo-ops. Most museums allow photography though some prohibit flash. Digital cameras permit the easy change of ISO settings thereby obviating the need for flash in low light situations. Those members going to the GSCCC Convention in Oklahoma City will not want to miss the world class museum in that city, The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. It is, indeed, an extraordinary museum of Western art including a large collection of Native American Art and bronze sculptures. The grounds cover 18 acres and contain some of the most outstanding sculptures in the country. Of particular interest is the Buffalo Bill Cody statue on the grounds. Many other large sculptures among the trees in the beautiful gardens surrounding the museum provide an infinite number of photo opportunities. A similar, and equally outstanding, museum is in Cody, Wyoming near the eastern entrance to Yellowstone Park. It contains a large collection of Remington bronzes as well as a huge section devoted to Native American Art and history. One third of the museum contains a revolving exhibit of contemporary American art. Don't miss this treasure if you are traveling in the area. At home, the New Orleans Museum of Art always has excellent exhibits. NOMA also has one of the largest collection of photography in the country and has photographic exhibits on a rotating basis. The Besthoff sculpture garden, next to MOMA, is not only a beautiful place to visit but also provides innumerable photographic opportunities. In fact, all of City Park has been rejuvenated and is deserving of our photographic attention. The World War II Museum is an amazing experience. Start by seeing the emotionally draining motion picture "Beyond All Boundaries" (everyone of all ages needs to see this picture). Then plan to spend the better part of a day in the museum itself seeing the two main portions - The European Theater" and the "Pacific Theater". Photography is allowed. Virtually every town in the country has one or more small to large museums, each is unique and each is a learning experience and a photographic experience for all of us. Don't pass one of these by. 7

8 The Shutterbug March 2011 Assigned - Blue Angel Dale Fleishmann Assigned - Blue Guitar Donald Maginnis Assigned - Off to the Wild Blue Yonder Jun Aventura Assigned - Our Lady in the Garden Tom Longmire 8

9 The Shutterbug March 2011 Nature - F jord W Bob Dales all s on Rock Nature - Mos rk la C er Pet Open B & W - Live to Ride Joyce Hanks Open Co lor - Heavy Peter Cla Metal Art rk Open B & W - White Tubas Donald Maginnis Morningscape Open Color - Misty Colleen Schneider 9

10 The Shutterbug March 2011 Open B & W - Two Lilies Mike Brouphy Open B & W - Silo Louis Cazevanette Nature - Alabama Sunrise Donald Maginnis Bound Nature - Adventure nn Dale Fleishma Tree k Velvet on Pine Open Color - El ouphy Mike Br Open Color - The Wi nner Wears Green Peter Clark 10

11 Quote of the Month: Every time someone tells me how sharp my photos are, I assume that it isn't a very interesting photograph.! If it were, they would have more to say.! ~Author Unknown C a l e n d a r o f Events April 7 - Competition Night - Digitally Projected Images. Assigned topic "Architecture". Also Open, Photojournalism and Creative Categories. Entries due by March 17. Chairpersons Tammy and Larry Brothers. Judge - Dan Milham April 16-9:30 AM - April Field Trip - Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve - meet in the Visitors Center Parking Lot April 21 - Program Night - Guest speaker - Jo Ann LeBoeuf April GSCCC Convention in Oklahoma City April 23 - Tamron Seminar - details to be announced by Mike Parker May Competition - May 4. Assigned B & W Prints "Portrait of 70 year old or older". Also Open B & W, Open Color and Nature Print categories. Date of Submission of entries - April 21 WYES 29th Annual Art Auction - Deadline for Entries April 1, Donations are tax deductible. Donations call (504) The French Quarter Festival is on the weekend of April 9. Jazzfest starts of the weekend of April 30 Happy Easter and Passover 11