JULY What s on this month: Members Choice Shanghai Hotel. Pages 7 & 8. More images inside! Congratulations: David Thomas

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1 JULY 2012 The aims to support our shared love of photography, by providing a forum in which to learn, develop skills, discuss images and encourage each other. Meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday nights each month at the Presbyterian Church hall, Macquarie Road, Springwood, 7.30 for 8pm. Visitors welcome. Members Choice Shanghai Hotel What s on this month: Monday 2nd July: Committee meeting Monday 9th July: Exhibition Night Open + Family & Friends PORTRAITURE Monday 16th July: Project of Passion meeting Saturday 21st July: Outing to Cockatoo Island for the Biennale Monday 23rd July: Meeting & Talk very short AGM, followed by a member talk about their work and methods. Congratulations: David Thomas More images inside! Pages 7 & 8 We are currently working towards: Project of Passion (exhibition in August) Braemar Exhibition (submissions in September)

2 Guest speaker Barbara Seager Barbara has previously judged one of our competition nights, so it was great to welcome her back to speak about her own photographic practice, and to see wonderful examples of her work. Important to Barbara is working with an idea or project. She showed us her project of passion tracing her personal journey from New Zealand to Australia and the world, all shown through the metaphor of the jetty, with overlays adding additional information to the story. Also on display was a book she created about The Rocks, focusing particularly on Susannah Place and Suez Canal (near the Nurses Walk). Through the use of current photos processed to look old (removing modern lights, sepia toning, adding figures in period costume from other photos), historic photos and words, Barbara created an historic view of the area. Last year she visited Bhutan with her camera, and found the country particularly full of photographic opportunities. Not knowing what to expect, with other tourists in the way, and visiting festivals that were for the locals, not visitors, all led to challenges. She decided to concentrate on the architecture, doors, windows, prayer wheels and prayer flags, along with some portraits. Some of these were printed, others combined into a slide show with appropriate music which created a great sense of place and mood. It was a clear demonstration that where one image creates a feel of one place, a well crafted collection of images on the same theme, with the music from the area, creates a bigger picture and a sense of that particular place. Her travel kit consisted of camera, zoom, wide zoom, 35 f1.4 fast lens for dark places, and a flash. Shooting in RAW, she also chose appropriate shutter speeds and apertures. For example, to give the sense of constant use of the prayer wheels, she set one in motion and shot it while still spinning; flags were fluttering in the breeze; zooming the lens or moving the camera while pressing the shutter to create additional movement or blur. Looking at Barbara s photos, it was very clear that she not only loved taking photos, experimenting with shooting techniques (camera work), but also enjoys manipulating her images with postproduction (computer work). Some of the techniques she employs are removing figures that were in the way, adding texture layers, removing or adding selective colour, selective blur, swapping eyes from one photo to another to correct the better shot when one figure had closed eyes, using multiple layers to create the effect of multiple exposures. The photo on the left is her contribution to her club challenge of a single egg, with which she created this self-portrait, another example of layers and manipulation. And for those of us who want to know these things, she uses a PC with Lightroom, Photoshop and Topaz. And her slideshow was created using Pictures to Exe. A big thank you to Barbara for a really interesting evening a great mix of images, stories and information. 2

3 out and about exhibitions & events EXHIBITION REVIEWED Observances. Special Exhibitions Gallery & Café, Level 1, Sydney Jewish Museum, 148 Darlinghurst Road Darlinghurst. Sun-Thu 10am-4pm; Fri 10am-2pm. Admission Fee. Closes 15. Photographs by Phillipino-born Emmanual Santos who now resides in Melbourne. Some 90 odd B&W images taken over 25 years showing Jewish communities from around the world including Melbourne, USA, Tunisia, Argentina, Morocco, France and Poland. These are very strong images taken in a social documentary style. Entry to the museum gets you entry to the exhibition so check out this interesting museum while there. SHOWING World Press Photo 12. A selection of the world s best photojournalism for 2011 from the 55 th annual World Press Photo contest. State Library of NSW, Galleries, Macquarie St Sydney. Weekdays 9am-5pm; Tuesday 9am-8pm; Weekends 10am-5pm. Free. 30 June-22. The Sydney Morning Herald Photos1440. Various photographers published and unpublished work from the Sydney Morning Herald from 2011 to the present as part of Canon s EOS Festival of Photography. State Library of NSW, Galleries, Macquarie St Sydney. Weekdays 9am-5pm; Tuesday 9am-8pm; Weekends 10am-5pm. Free. 30 June-22. Jacky Redgate: The Logic of Vision. An AGNSW collection of Redgate s mainly photographic and some other work. Photography Gallery, Lower Level 2, Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery Rd, The Domain. Free. Until 09 September Outside with the NRL: Photographs by Mark Tedeschi. Portrait photography inspired by art and sport. Level 1, Macquarie building, State Library of NSW. Free. Until 05 August Mostly Agree. A group exhibition involving photomedia and taking a different look at identity within the corporate world. Artists are Lachlan Anthony, Penelope Cain, Carla Cescon & Martyn Ives, Jaki Middleton & David Lawrey, Louis Porter, David M Thomas and Emma White. Stills Gallery, 36 Gosbell Street, Paddington. Tue-Sat 11am-6pm. Free. Until 21. OUT OF TOWN JEFF WALL Photographs. The first Australian survey of this Canadian international photographer. Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Cultural Centre, Western Australia. Wed- Mon 10am-5pm. Until 10 September GOING The Green Desert. Aerial photographs by Peter Elfes of Lake Eyre and other outback landscapes after flooding rains. Customs House, Level 1, 31 Alfred Street Circular Quay. Mon-Fri 10am-7pm; Sat-Sun 11am-4pm. Free. Until 12 July. Compiled by Ted Szafraniec websites and blogs do you have an online presence? like others in the club to check it out? let me know so I can include it in our newsletter. This is the address for one of our new members, Philip: 3

4 from our BMPG library "Masters of Photography" is an indispensable and comprehensive guide to over 70 of the world's best-known photographers, from the pioneers of the early part of the century to the experimental artists who will take us into the future. Arranged in alphabetical order by photographer, each entry contains a selection of sumptuous reproductions of some of the photographer's most interesting and representative and groundbreaking works. In addition there is an incisive appreciation of each of these most well-known or pioneering artists, including the technical background to their pictures, and a key facts panel detailing biographical details and the development of each photographer's career. Published in March this year, this is a very readable book, with timelines to place images in context, facts, background information and slick layout. The author, Reuel Golden, is a senior editor of the world's biggest magazine for professional photographers, the New York-based Photo District News. Prior to this he was editor of the British Journal of Photography for six years. He is also the author of Carlton's Photojournalism, and has published books on photojournalism and New York. Our BMPG librarian, Judy Thistleton-Martin, has just purchased some wonderful interesting and current books which will provide information, inspiration, intrigue they may be instrumental in your inquiry into this insatiably insistent interest photography! Over the next few newsletters there will be information about these new books. Don t forget that these are LIBRARY books owned by us they are for reading and borrowing. See Judy. If you have requests, talk to Judy. If you read a book and would like to jot down a few comments about it, let me share them via this forum. See Jeannie. 4

5 Braemar exhibition Our club exhibition is on in November, with initial entries to be submitted in September. We are forming a submission panel (including local professional photographers) to choose the entries to go up on display, and there will be space for about images. The purpose of the exhibition is to give opportunity to as many members as possible to hang work in a professional gallery for the public to view. That means that entries will be chosen to give a broad range of photographers, subjects and techniques. Printing and presentation is not needed till after selection of entries. Further information will be distributed in the near future about entries, sizes etc. We are very fortunate to have this exhibition space Braemar will close at the end of the year for at least 18 months, due to the construction of the Springwood community facilities. Plan to be part of this important exhibition for our club plan to submit your project of passion, your club images, or any other images you would like to display. visited on the w w web This site begins by stating Start your daily photo journal today! Document a year of your life by taking a photo a day. They state that we provide you with all the tools you need to complete your photo project the great looking calendar, comments and newsfeed Whether you choose to join the community, make your projects through them or not, there are - some interesting discussion pages which include critiques, articles, themes & competitions and tips n tricks; and quite a few blogs which include weekly themes, and topics of interest such as capturing decay, sunrise and self-portraits. And as a member, you can enter their weekly theme competitions. Worth a look, as an addition or alternative to Flickr. Camerallly 2013 Barbara Seager informs us that Camerally is on again next year. Held at Yarramundi, the dates are 8-10 March 2013 and bookings will open in August. This annual event has been going since 1952 and includes workshops and speakers. Next year s topics will include photojournalism, black & white and off camera flash. The keynote speaker will be Jasin Boland, one of the first Australians to be accepted into the LA based Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers, an organisation boasting only 35 photographers world-wide. Check out his website at This is a full weekend, accommodation included, so mark your calendar for Friday 8 th to Sunday 10 th March

6 what is ISO? It stands for International Standards Organisation, and it referred to the sensitivity of film to light. In the days of film, it was the size of the grains on the film surface that determined how much light was needed to cause them to react. The larger the grain, the more easily it was effected. Thus, 100 ISO film required considerable light to register on its small grains so was used on sunny days and could be enlarged with no perceivable grain on the image, while 400 ISO film was more sensitive to light so was used for indoor shots with the result that the grains of the film were more visible on enlargements. Of course, the whole film had to be shot at this same ISO. On a digital camera, we are able to choose the sensitivity of the sensor to light, and this is also referred to as ISO. Most cameras have a range from 100 to maybe ISO, and can be changed from photo to photo. Grain is now referred to as noise and refers to electronic noise. It occurs at higher ISO and at long shutter speeds. The size of the sensor also has an impact, with the smaller sensors displaying greater noise than the full frame sensors. So, what does this mean to photographers? We need to consider ISO as one of the three variables when determining correct exposure for our photos. It goes hand in hand with shutter speed and aperture. The lower ISO s are going to give finer quality to the image, though if the shutter speed is too slow, everything will be blurry anyway. Consider using 100 in bright sunlight, maybe in lower dawn/dusk light, 1600 in really low light. Try out your own camera and its sensor take a series of photos of the same subject in the same light but with different ISO (don t forget to change the shutter speed to compensate). Enlarge on your computer screen. When does the noise become visible? When does it become unbearable? tips & information page 6 what is a cropping ratio? When preparing images for printing or display, we may choose to use less than the whole image. Cropping refers to removing the edges of the image you do not want. It is important to consider the size and proportions of the final image, and to crop accordingly. This may be to find the best view of the image, though consideration of paper size, mount, frame or even competition requirements could be deciders. The cropping ratio is a mathematical designation that compares a photo s width to its height. Many digital camera ratios are 4:3, but check your camera manual to find out what your sensor ratio is. The standard ratios are: 1:1 length and width are equal giving a square photo. 2:3 one side is 2/3 the measurement of the other. Examples are 4 x 6 and 8 x 12. 4:5 this is a traditional format used by portrait photographers and those with home darkrooms. This is the same ratio as 8 x 10. 5:7 another common ratio used by photo labs to produce 5 x 7 and 10 x 14 prints. theme for July exhibition night FAMILIY AND FRIENDS PORTRAITURE Our definition of a portrait is: A study of a person ranging from head studies to full length portraits - with or without accessories. Ideally a portrait should show some aspect of the character/personality of the subject. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer. The subject should be someone familiar to you.

7 more images from June exhibition night The June exhibition theme was the 7 deadly sins. Here are some examples: cont. Egyptian Wrath Judy Thistleton-Martin Envy Eyes Shane Cocks Lust Shane Cocks Greed is Good Judy Thistleton-Martin Leaf Colin Purser 7

8 From your BMPG committee The AGM will be held next month. This is where the committee reports to the membership, some important awards are made, and the new committee is elected. Jan O Leary is standing down from being Vice-President and from the committee at this meeting, and we would like to thank her for her valuable contribution to our club. This means there will be a vacancy on the committee, so if you are interested, please contact our President, Greg. The committee has recently purchased photography books for our library, and a Color Munki to calibrate our computer and data projector so that projected images are as expected. Also being looked at is a new data projector. Plans are well under way for our September Workshop. Over the past years, these have been really inspiring and informative, and very popular with members of other camera clubs and the public, so make sure you get your name to Shirley to secure your place. And finally, those participating in this year s Project of Passion are enjoying the challenge of their themes. We look forward to the presentation of their work on 13 th August, when Len Metcalf will be joining us to appraise the projects. Have you been watching Photo Finish on ABC TV? It s on Thursday nights at 8pm, and each week sets a challenge for the three participants. So far we have seen portraits, landscapes and wedding photography themes. Although on the lines of other TV challenges, it is interesting to see the problems and solutions other photographers face. There is also a competition we can all enter submit a photo of anything, as long as it includes a camera lens. Check it all out at their website BMPG we are: Pelican Sunset Anne Baker cont. Blue Mountains Photography Group The Secretary BMPG P.O. Box 352 Springwood 2777 Phone: (02) info@bmpg.org.au Web Site Newsletter Jeannie McInnes jemci@me.com articles, information, photos are very welcome