Official Newsletter of the LINN AREA PHOTO CLUB July/August 2015 Vol. 12, No. 4. Photo Amy Mueggenberg

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1 Photo Amy Mueggenberg Official Newsletter of the LINN AREA PHOTO CLUB

2 In This Issue: 2015 LAPC Officers and Committees... pg. 2 Neon Photography... pg. 3-4 Wildflower Photography... pg. 5 May Meeting Minutes... pg. 6 June Meeting Minutes... pg. 7 Calendar... pg. 8-9 Photo Opportunities... pg. 9 Classifieds... pg. 9 About the Linn Area Photo Club The Linn Area Photo Club (LAPC) was established in November 2003 in order to bring together individuals in the greater Linn County, Iowa, area who are interested in acquiring and developing an appreciation of the art and techniques of photography. Monthly meetings are normally held at 1:30pm the second Sunday of the month at Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center in Toddville. (See Calendar of Events for details) Club Membership is open to photographers of all skill levels and photographic interests. Club Membership dues are $25 annually and includes a variety of educational programs, seminars and photo shoots. There is an informal monthly theme contest and an annual club contest that drew over 90 entries in its first year. Nicole Dernelle-Ruhlow We are looking for your contributions to the LAPC newsletter! We are looking for: - Images!!! Monthly contest winners, participants, or any photos you would like to share! - Articles - Classifieds Items to Sell, Volunteer Opportunities, Personals (i.e. Canon shooter seeking help with night photography, Nikon user looking for help with macro, etc.), etc. Members range from beginners to professionals and use both digital and traditional photographic technology. LAPC is a great place to meet and learn from other photo enthusiasts. Contact Information: Linn Area Photo Club PO Box 676, Marion, IA Website: membership@linnareaphotoclub.org Linn Area Photo Club Sponsors: Your contributions are important to continuing to put out a successful newsletter! Deadline for submissions to The Focal Point is the 26th of each month for the next month s newsletter. The Focal Point will be published by approximately the 5th day of each month. Questions or submissions should be sent to newsletter@linnareaphotoclub.org 2015, Linn Area Photo Club Page 1 of 9

3 President: 2015 LAPC Elected Officers Rick Young (319) Vice-President: Bob Lancaster (319) Secretary: Treasurer: Cherie Flint (319) David Byrnes (319) LAPC Appointed Officers & Committees Activities: Amy Mueggenberg (319) Membership: David Byrnes Kris Hoeger (319) (319) Newsletter: Public Relations: PSA/N4C Rep.: Nicole Dernelle-Ruhlow (804) Ken Boardrow (319) Bob Lancaster (319) Webmaster: Bob Randklev (319) LAPC Contests & Contest Rules: Ken Boardrow, Doug Hoeger, Doug Shaffer Exhibits & Outside Photo Competitions: Bob Lancaster, Karla McMurrin Cherie Flint Upcoming 2015 Monthly Photo Contests July - Neon Lights August - Panorama September - Wild Flowers October - HDR November - Club voted theme - TBD at a later date December - Fire & Ice Dean Traver Page 2 of 9

4 Tips for Taking Photos of Neon Signs by John Peter ( Many photographers feel that taking photos of neon signs is tricky and calls for expertise and thus they try to avoid it altogether. But with the right photography techniques, exquisitely beautiful shots of neon signs are possible. White Balance Adjust the white balance of your digital camera for the ambient light, and if you balance your camera for daylight, the image will depict a pleasing warm glow. Further, a tungsten balance will make the sky appear more bluish. Mel s Drive In captured by Dave Jennings Time of Day As a first step, you must select the best time to take a photo of neon signs. If your intention is to confine your focus only on the sign, you can take the photo at any time of your choice. But, if you plan taking a photo that also covers the surroundings, the ideal time to take the photo is either 15 minutes before dawn or 10 minutes after sunset. This is called the blue hour. It s dark enough to allow the neon tubes to show up well, and there s also adequate light to see the surroundings. Flash Override the automatic flash feature of your camera by following the instructions in the user manual. You can use your camera s internal light meter, and the matrix meter function is best for this. If your camera has a spot meter feature, then you can meter over a wide range of the photographic area, including the lightest and darkest areas. Camera Stabilization Place your camera on a tripod to shoot. A tripod lends stability to the camera and helps eliminate the blurriness that may occur if you hold the camera by hand. You can also further minimize the blurriness by using a remote shutter release. ISO Set your ISO to 100. Jeff Wignall Jeremy Brooks Basic Tips for Photographing Neon Signs For those who wish to take crisp and clear photographs of neon signs at night, the following tips should be of help. 1. Get as near to the sign as you possibly can. 2. Open up your aperture to its fullest extent. The aperture is your f-stop and it is measured with numbers 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, 8.0, etc. Keep this number as low as you can. 3. Do not go below 1/100 of a second on your shutter speed. 4. Never use flash, as it will only lighten the background and spoil the overall effect. The tricky issue about shooting neon is you are shooting light. As a camera functions by recording light, it is almost certain to capture a neon sign, even if the sky around the sign is utterly black. It may be worthwhile to study how some eminent photographers have captured images of neon signs, as that will serve as an inspiration for you. You can have a look at Thomas Hawk, Devil Doll, and Tom Spaulding, among others. Page 3 of 9

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6 Wildflower Photography For the September Club Meeting, the photo contest is Iowa Wild Flowers. Here is article by Jeff Parker (JeffParkerImages.com) to assist you in preparing for the contest. ( 7 Tips for Wildflower Photography 1. Morning shots are best. You'll not only find flowers their freshest in the A.M., but you'll also often discover them decorated with photo enhancing dew. Take advantage of those moist jewels, which sparkle just right in first light. 2. Make friends with mist. Spring temps can prove unpredictable & variable weather might coerce you to stay snuggled under the covers. But when sweet sunshine is absent, instead of staying in bed, grab your macro lens & capture the drama created by the clouds, wind (see Tip #3) & added condensation. 5. Get on your subject's level. Wear your bum around clothes when photographing flowers so you can get down & dirty to capture their intricate beauty. Let yourself be a kid again (so what about those grass stains!) & hunker down to photograph your petaled subjects from their most interesting angles. (But also keep Tip #7 in mind, please.) 6. Don't put your starring subject in the middle of the frame. An off center subject pleases the eye much more than a centered one. And don't forget to apply the Rule of Thirds to patterns, colors, and empty space in myriad manners throughout your image. 7. Tiptoe through the tulips. As you focus on photographing the flora be sure to treat nature's landscaping gently. To us wildflowers are objects of beauty, but to bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, & other animals flowers provide a means of survival. And remember: blooms also help the plant species carry on. 3. Wind can be your friend, too. True, in blowing wind photographing small objects like flowers can prove frustrating especially that in and out focus phenomenon but wind can actually work in your favor if you slow your shutter speed. Try it & watch as the flowers before you take on new personas. Blur done well can be beautiful! 4. Create your own shade when harsh light abounds. The nice part about photographing flowers is that you can focus on individuals that are easy to shade. That provides the flexibility to photograph even in harsh light. While early morning & late afternoon still make the best times for image making, flowers lend themselves to mid day photo shoots better than most of nature's other models. Images Jeff Parker Page 5 of 9

7 May Monthly Meeting by Cherie Flint The May meeting took place at Wickiup Learning Center on May 3rd, There were 33 people in attendance. Rick Young, club president, started the meeting. Lynn Jeffers introduce herself as a returning member. She uses a Nikon camera Announcements Bob Campanga has a new book about North Eastern Iowa Perspective on sale for $ If you are interesting in purchasing it, see Bob Lancaster. Accident Waiver Release Form Linn Area Photo Club is requesting that members who are participating in the monthly photoshoots complete a release form. The form will be posted on the club website. If you have not completed your waiver form, please see Kris Hoeger. May Monthly Photo Contest The monthly contest theme was "Silhouettes. 1st place was Mike Stark. 2nd place was Dean Travers 3rd Place was Gene Duprey May Showcase Photographer-Bill Coulson Bill photographs a large variety of subjects. He shared images of birds and ducks in flight. According to Bill, his tries to make sure the eyeball is sharp. He will use fill flash to fill the shadow and give the eye some catch light. Bill also shared images of his night photography, high speed captures with water droplets, reflections, pano and waterfalls. Check out some of Bill s work at Monthly Presentation-Panoramas The presentation this month was on Panoramas and was presented by Cherie Flint. During the presentation, Cherie discussed the following: - What is a Panoramic? - Benefits of Multi-shot Panoramic - Equipment needed - Most Common mistakes made: o White Balance o Exposure o Lens Focus o Speed of Capture o Camera Rotation - Capture workflow - Digital workflow using Photoshop Elements, Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC To view the slideshow presentation go to: p8vzudbg5rddlzlartmpqys8aq46qiducs/edit?usp= sharing Dean Traver Page 6 of 9

8 June Monthly Meeting by Cherie Flint The June meeting took place at Wickiup Learning Center on June 14th, There were 41 club members people in attendance. Approximately 20 additional people attended from the public by Linn Area Conservation Rick Young, club president, started the meeting at 1:00PM by introducing Linette Bernard and Terrie Hoefer from Saving Our Avian Resources-SOAR. They brought three raptures to share. American Kestrel, Red Tail Hawk and a Barn Owl will be present. After an hour presentation, the raptures were available to club members to photograph. A big thank you goes out Doug Shaffer, Doug Hoeger, Justin Telford and Photo Pro for providing the background and studio lights so that members could photograph this majestic creatures. Monthly Photo Contest The monthly contest theme was My Favorite Toy. There were a total of 13 entries. 1st place was Patti Sampson with 11 votes 2nd place was Rick Young with 9 votes 3rd place was Steven Thompson and Dean Traver with 6 votes Rick Young Patti Sampson Dean Traver Nicole Dernelle-Ruhlow Page 7 of 9

9 Calendar July 2015 July Monthly Meeting July 12 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Wickiup Recreation Center Morris Hills Rd, Toddville, IA Topic: Photo Retouching presented by Adam from Hawkeye Community College. Adam Hunter, Photography Instructor at Hawkeye Community College, will demonstrate how to enhance your photos using a variety of Adobe software editing tools to retouch your portraits and still life photos. Showcase Photographer: All club members who have participated in a club organized photo shoots in the past year. Please share up to 10 digital images taken from any of the club organized event. A recap of the shoots that have taken place in the last year include: Astrophotography Studio Portrait Photography Squaw Creek Army Challenge Steel Wool on file Sandburr Ranch Rodeo Fireside Winery Pecks Floral Christmas Snow and Ice Cedar Rapids Fire Station Fish Show and Noelridge Greenhouse West Music SOAR Rapture Birds Photo Contest Theme: Neon Lights July LAPC Group Shoot - Motorcross July 26 th, :00-7:00 PM What: Motor cross at 600 Acres, Solon Iowa Restrictions: Must be 18 year of age or older Accident Waiver Release forms need to be signed to be able to participate in this photo shoot August 2015 August Monthly Meeting August 9 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Wickiup Recreation Center Morris Hills Rd, Toddville, IA Topic: Photo Pro Photo Contest Theme: Panorama September 2015 September Monthly Meeting September 13 1:30 pm 4:00 pm Wickiup Recreation Center Morris Hills Rd, Toddville, IA Topic: Commercial Photography & Lighting, presented by Doug Benton, HCC. Want your still life photos to look like those in a magazine or on a website? Hawkeye CC instructor Doug Benton will be at our meeting to help us learn how to improve these skills. Photo Contest Theme: Wild Flowers October 2015 October Monthly Meeting October 11 1:30 pm 4:00 pm Wickiup Recreation Center Morris Hills Rd, Toddville, IA Topic: Portrait Photography presented by Gene Duprey. Help Portrait is just around the corner. Gene Duprey will help you take some great portraits and/or people images. Photo Contest Theme: HDR Page 8 of 9

10 Calendar continued November 2015 November Monthly Meeting/Annual Contest November 8 1:30 pm 4:00 pm Wickiup Recreation Center Morris Hills Rd, Toddville, IA Photo Opportunities Iowa Water Trails have several opportunities this summer check out their website for events during the summer at - July th : Region Paddling Event on the Turkey River Topic: High Dynamic Range presented by Cherie Flint greater cedar rapids area December 5, 2015 For the 3rd year in a row, the Greater Cedar Rapids Area Help-Portrait team with the aid of the United Way are bringing the Help-Portrait movement to the Cedar Rapids area. We are looking for volunteers: - Studio Photographers - Assistant Photographers - Photo Editors - Make-up Artists - Hairstylists For more information or to get involved, please Coordinator Amy at: info@gcrahelpportrait.com Amy (319) Rick Young CLASSIFIEDS Dean Traver has (2) Epson 157 photo black cartridges that I ordered by mistake, for sale $20 ea. They fit the Epson R Page 9 of 9