The F cal PointOffi cial Newsletter of the

Transcription

1 The F cal PointOffi cial Newsletter of the LINN AREA PHOTO CLUB by Rae Lowenberg I belong to a group on Google+ called Weekly Photo Challenge. Every week there is a theme and you have the week to shoot and post a photo based on that theme. The theme for June 9-15 was Silhouette. I had this in the back of my mind when I went to the June photo shoot at Sandburr Ranch. I shot several photos thinking of that theme: a child playing on tires, the shadow of the fence and spectators on the rodeo arena dirt, but they weren t what I was looking for. So when several members of the group began talking about getting someone on a horse to pose in front of the sunset I was immediately interested. Luckily for us, about that time someone came riding by and agreed to stop for a few minutes. I knew exactly what I wanted, a silhouette of the horse & rider in front of the sunset, with the field, fence and trees. I shot several photos at different angles, until I got the one that I wanted. I immediately knew I had the potential for a great photo. When I opened it in Photoshop, first I cropped the photo. I had and wanted the horse & rider to the side looking/riding into the frame. The trees in the background were actually the most difficult aspect because there were gaps in the treeline. I ultimately chose to crop out the gaps along the edges because they added an awkwardness and, I felt, took away from the main subject. I played with the contrast, I wanted a silhouette shot so I needed the foreground dark and the background light. However, since I was shooting into the sun much of the background was already blown out. I also found that I liked how the grasses, fence and horse & rider caught the light. Also the different tones in the silhouette added character and depth to the photo, you can see the different layers, instead of having two distinct shapes, a dark and a light. Last I added warmth and color. I wanted a saturated golden sunset, not the delicate hint of color the camera had managed to capture. It didn t represent the scene as I remembered it and didn t fit my vision. In the end I had a photo that I was proud of and look forward to hanging on my wall. Rae Lowenberg page 1 of 9

2 Recent Photo Shoot - Rodeo Amy Mueggenberg Rick Boots Rae Lowenberg Rae Lowenberg Linn Area Photo Club is sponsored by: Amy Mueggenberg page 2 of 9

3 June Monthly Meeting by Cherie Flint The May meeting took place at Wickiup Learning Center on June 8th, There were 32 people in attendance. Tim McAdam, Club President, started the meeting by introducing a new member. Candace McKeever enjoys Nature photography Bob Brown enjoys Family photography Jon Adam has spent 20 years as a sports photographer and enjoys travel photography Mary Ann Olinger enjoys family, nature and flower photography Announcements: Linn Area Photo Club is seeking out nominations for the new president for 2015 term. If you are interested in nominating someone or running for office, please contact Bob Lancaster or David Brynes membership fees are due by the end of June. The year fee is $ All previous members whose dues are not paid by June 30, 2014 will be removed from the notification list and will no longer be getting club notifications until dues are made whole. Upcoming Club Sponsored Photography Events July 19th, :30 PM What: Astrophotography Where: Eastern Iowa Observatory & Learning Center 1365 Ivanhoe Rd, Mt. Vernon Cost: 3.00/per person Rain date scheduled for Friday, August 1st, 2014 See details page 6 September 7th, :00PM-5:00PM What: Fireside Winery Where: 1755 P Av, Marengo, IA Monthly Photo Contest The monthly contest theme was Bloopers. There were a total of 4 entries. 1st place was Dean Travers with 7 votes. 2nd place was Steve Thompson with 6 votes. 3rd place was Steve Thompson with 5 votes. Rick Boots page 3 of 9

4 June Monthly Meeting Continued by Cherie Flint 2014 Monthly Photo contests Month Theme July Worm Eye View August Plane, Trains, and Automobiles September Motion October Break the Rules November To be Determined Esther Bartels Member Suggested Photo Opportunities Cedar Rapids Ski Team Practices Tuesday and Thursday during the month of July. Check out their website for more details regarding dates, times and cancellations Cross Country ATV Park 140th St and Ely Rd, South of the town of Ely Often they are practicing on Saturday and Sunday afternoon Newbo Market City Market Mr. Bubbles is a regular entertainer Hours Thursdays 10:00 AM -8:00PM Fridays: 10:00 AM-6:00 PM Saturdays 8:00AM -6:00 PM Sundays 10:00 AM- 6:00 PM Cherie Flint Quad Cities Air Show featuring the F22 Raptures August 9 & 10th, :00AM-5:00 PM Cost: Adults per person purchased for July 25th, per person at the gate website: html Showcase Photographer: This month, Steve Thompson, was the showcase photographer. He shared his collection for baseball images. Steve enjoys baseball photography because the lighting is excellent during the day. page 4 of 9

5 June Monthly Meeting Continued by Cherie Flint Monthly Presentation Filters were the topic of discussion for this month presentation, hosted by president, Tim McAdam. Tim shared his collection of filters and the practical uses for popular filters. LAPC Classifieds For Sale - MeFOTO BackPacker Travel Tripod. Perfect for travel and vacations! Only used a couple of times, great condition. Black with green accents. $90. Call Lori at or lori. schoenhard@gmail.com Linear Polarizer Filter or Circular Polarizer Filter Purpose: Cutting the glare of reflecting water. Use it bring out the detail under the water. It also help minimize the haze in the sky. It is recommended to purchase a high quality polarizer filter. *Tip for point and shoot photographer, shoot through a pair of polarizing sunglasses. Straight Neutral Density (ND) Filter Purpose: Slows down moving water. Shutter speed should be 1/10 sec to 10 seconds 10 stop adjustable ND filter 81A-warming filter that has an amber tint Conklin adapters allow for flexibility with your different lenses. Purchase one set of square filters that fit into the adapters. Then purchase step downs that fit your different size lenses and attach to the adapter. It is recommended to purchased the larges filters that you can afford for your adapter. Website filter resources singh-ray.com/blog srb-photographic.co.uk-european prices and filters are in stock Filter video tutorials with Joe Cornish: leefilters.com/index.php/camera/camera-resources Esther Bartels Photo Opportuniy from Esther Bartels The third Friday of each month the Oelwein Odd Rods Club sets up in the business district of downtown Oelwein. If anyone is interested in photographing vintage cars, this would be a good opportunity. There is usually music and door prize drawings associated with the event. Hours are 6-10pm. There are several restaurants on main street if people are there and need/want to eat supper. Leo s Italian Restaurant and Oelwein Cafe are both located in the vicinity. In fact, Leo s is in the block that is blocked off for the event. (That s my unashamed plug for the restaurant where I work.) Lots of neat vintage vehicles to photograph. page 5 of 9

6 LAPC July Shoot - Astrophotography What: Astrophotography When: Saturday July 19th, 7:30pm to 1:00AM on the 20th Where: Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center, 1365 Ivanhoe Road, Ely Cross your fingers for a clear night on Saturday July 19th as we are led by fellow club member and astrophotographer Lynn Reihman. We will be shooting Star Trails and wide field astrophotography. If it is raining, or if there are solid clouds and/or rain that are predicted past 8-830ish, the rain date for the Astrophotography shoot will be Friday August 1st, same time, same place. Check the website the evening of the shoot for any updates. Suggested equipment to bring: Red flash light (No white light please) Tripod-Shutter release (cable or wireless) Batteries! With cooler temps and longer shutter times batteries go much quicker than usual. They have cans of soda available for $0.50 but you may want to bring your own snacks. Clothing/shoes/etc: We will be inside for the initial presentation and then outside for viewing/shooting. No hiking. Indoor kitchen and full rest rooms will be available all night. Despite being July, it can still get chilly after sun goes down. Lynn would advise against bug spray as it can eat mirror/lens coatings. If really needed you would need to walk away and downwind of scopes to spray. Try to keep spray off of hands as it will eat off equipment lettering as well. July 19th is a club night for CAA members. We will be sharing the observatory with the club. This is good for LAPC members as there will be plenty of CAA members besides Lynn to help with questions. Lynn says he has heard nothing but positive reception and excitement from CAA members about this. The Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center is located at Palisades-Dows Nature Preserve and Observatory on the southeast edge of Palisades-Kepler State Park. Located at 1365 Ivanhoe Road, the Pal-Dows Observatory is approximately 15 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids and approximately 20 miles north of Iowa City. GPS coord , For more information on the observatory, see If you have any questions, please don t hesitate to ask, me at activities@linnareaphotoclub.org and I ll get you the answer. There is a $3 per person fee payable upon your arrival for our use of the observatory. There is no limit on our quantity of people, however I must have an RSVP to activities@linnareaphotoclub.org no later than Wed July 16th. See you out there! page 6 of 9

7 Submissions Wanted! Have an interest in writing? Have a tip you would like to see in the newsletter? We are looking for club member submissions for future newsletters! Suggestions for submissions include: - Articles - Photography Tips - Equipment for Sale - Educational Opportunities Future Photo Shoots Lynn Reihman Fireside Winery Sunday, September 7, 2014, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Additional details to come Wanted: The 2014 Greater Cedar Rapids Area Help Portrait team is looking for someone with a mind for numbers, a heart to volunteer and a passion for a great cause. Lynn Reihman We are looking for a volunteer with charity or accounting experience to research the Help-Portrait Pure Charity Information, help set up where donations go, come up with a budget, and handle any financial questions/issues as we proceed. If interested contact Amy Mueggenberg at amym@mchsi.com or page 7 of 9

8 Monthly Contest Rules Eligibility: a) Competitors must be members in good standing of Linn Area Photo Club (LAPC), and have paid their dues (at time of judging). b) Must be present during contest to participate Entry format: a) Entries must be in print form only. b) No restriction regarding print paper. Glossy, matte, metallic, canvas, etc., are all acceptable. c) Entries may be either color or black & white. d) Entries must be the original work of the competitor, and must have been taken within two (2) years. e) Entries cannot have been a previous LAPC Monthly or Annual Contest winner. f) Minimum size: 8 x10. Maximum size 11 x14 (including matting, if applicable) g) Entries may be mounted, but it is not a requirement. h) Matting is optional. i) Entries can NOT be framed or include any type of covering. j) All entries must have the competitor s name, image title, and an arrow indicating the up orientation on the back in the lower right-hand corner. Information must be legible. k) Entrant s name, photo title, date, and any other text cannot appear on the front of the photo. l) No collages. m) Any photo may be disqualified by the Contest Rules Committee if deemed inappropriate and/ or not meeting any rule or requirement n) Nude photos are not eligible. Entries, Prizes, & Judging: a) Each competitor may submit up to two (2) photos in each monthly contest. b) Three (3) winning entries (1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place) will be selected. c) Only the First Place winner will receive a prize. d) Contest will be judged by a vote of LAPC members. 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. Dues are $25 for new memberships and renewals. Monthly meetings are normally held at 1:30pm on the second Sunday of the month at Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center in Toddville, Iowa. (See Calendar of Events for details). Club membership is open to photographers of all skill levels. Members participate in a variety of educational programs, field trips, and photo shoots. There is an informal monthly theme contest and an annual club contest that drew over 90 entries in its first year. 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 page 8 of 9

9 2014 LAPC Elected Officers Office Name Telephone President Tim McAdam (319) Vice-President Bob Lancaster (319) Secretary Cherie Flint (319) Treasurer David Byrnes (319) LAPC Appointed Officers and Committees Office Name Telephone Activities Amy Mueggenberg (319) Membership David Byrnes (319) Kris Hoeger (319) Newsletter Nicole Dernelle-Ruhlow (804) Public Relations Ken Boardrow (319) PSA/N4C Rep. Bob Lancaster (319) Webmaster Bob Randklev (319) LAPC Contests & Ken Boardrow Contest Rules Doug Hoeger Doug Shaffer Exhibits & Outside Photo Competitions Bob Lancaster Karla McMurrin Deadline for submission to The Focal Point is the 25th of each month for the next month s newsletter. The Focal Point will be published by approximately the 5th day of each month. Wherever there is light, one can photograph. - Anne Geddes page 9 of 9