“Fixed in Post” Assignment

If you’ve looked at the list of upcoming monthly assignment on our Galleries page, you might have noticed the March assignment is called “Fixed in Post” and wondered what it was all about.

When we see an interesting landscape, person, event or scene, we grab our camera and take a photograph. However, oftentimes the photograph we capture with our camera is not quite what we had originally imagined.

Many photographers, from amateur to professional, do some form of editing or enhancement of their photographs. Photographic editing can range from straightforward techniques such as straightening a horizon, cropping, and fixing red-eye to more challenging techniques such as highlights/shadows, tonal adjustment and sharpening.

The March assignment “Fixed-in-Post” will give Club members an opportunity to submit original (straight out of the camera) and edited photographs. Please keep in mind that the deadline for submitting photographs is noon, March 31st.

All Club members are encouraged to submit ONE original photograph (straight out of the camera with no editing) rather than the usual three photographs that are normally submitted:

  • For members who do some editing, please submit your one original photograph (straight out of the camera in jpeg format). Also please submit the edited/enhanced version of your original photograph.
  • For members who do no editing, please submit one original photograph.
  • For members who do not usually submit photographs, please consider submitting a photograph.

At the April 7th meeting, we will view the submitted photographs, discuss various editing techniques and perhaps learn some new editing skills. We hope to promote an interactive, learning environment and encourage all members to send in photographs and participate in the April meeting.

For more details and some example images take a look at these slides.

Ron Pierce

Marg’s Tip for March

2-march-hints-for-nature-and-wildlife-tips-huntington-beach-8-d2745Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips

Before heading out, do your homework.  Be as educated as possible, before you ever make a photograph, though you never can be totally prepared.

What Gear to Pack

A good bag is worth its weight in gold.  All the planning in the world isn’t worth much unless you can comfortably carry your essential tools with you. Find a camera bag that can carry the gear you need easily and is especially comfortable on your body.. Bags range greatly in price and quality, but you usually get what you pay for.  For added piece of mind, you might consider a bag that is semi-waterproof or water-resistant.  A rain cover is also a useful addition.

Shoes

A good pair of hiking shoes or boots is one of the most important pieces of gear for any Nature or Wildlife photographer.  Grit, Dust, mud, Insects, rocks and creepy crawlies – you need a pair of shoes or boots that can handle all these elements.  If your feet become uncomfortable, it won’t be long before you start thinking about cutting your trip short.

Prepare a Checklist

It’s always a good idea to have a mental checklist before beginning.  Ask yourself the following questions:
  • Are any Special Permits or Permission Required?   Some National or State parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries require special permits for access to certain areas, especially those deemed as back country environments.
  • Where Will I Leave my Vehicle?  If you park your vehicle in an unauthorised area, you will be stuck with a sizable fine or worse, return to your vehicle to find it had been towed.
  • Are There any Time Restrictions of any Kind? Most natural areas and parks have hours of operation just like a business.  You might arrive expecting to shoot a great sunrise, only to find out the location you chose isn’t accessible until after daybreak.    Also remember that wild creatures and critters are usually most active in the early morning or late evening.
  • What are the Expected Weather Conditions?   This is a biggie.  Know what to expect as far as the weather is concerned.  Check the forecast the day of departure and keep tabs on it throughout the day if possible.  NEVER chance endangering yourself or your equipment by venturing out unprepared for bad weather.
  • What are the Times for Sunrise and Sunset?      Make sure the places are accessible during those times and be aware of the schedule so that you can allow enough time to reach your location and set up your gear before it’s go time.
  • Are There Any Commonly Photographed Animals, Landmarks or Structures?     Research what is usually photographed around the area you plan to visit.  Find a park ranger or staff member and ask about lesser known spots that are less travelled by tourists.  Knowing what’s popular will save you time and help to avoid shooting a scene the same way it has been done, time and time again.  Look for ways to be creative and set your work apart.
Here are a few basic tips that can help you after you reach your destination.

Shoot Raw

Raw files are basically unprocessed, one might say uncooked, straight from your camera’s image sensor.  They contain a mass amount of pixel information. When compared to JPEG, they take up a lot more memory card space.  However the added information allows more latitude for adjustments in post processing.

Use the Lowest Practical ISO

The ISO number of photography film and image sensors relates to their sensitivity to light.  The higher the ISO number the less light is required to make an image, however this can increase the noise.  There are times when a fast shutter speed is often needed to capture the quick movement of wildlife and increased noise is far less noticeable than a blurred image.

AF Can be Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy

A great tool when photographing most wildlife and keeping a moving subject in focus.  Place your selected focus area over the subject and half press the shutter button to engage AF.  Focus will be tracked for as long as you follow your subject while maintaining pressure on the shutter button.  Read your camera manual for detailed information.

Don’t Forget the Tripod

“I really think I would need my tripod” are words that usually begin a sad story about how a potentially great shot is missed.  It’s better to have access to one and not need it, than to need it and not have one available.
Learn so you can prepare. Prepare so you can photograph.
Photograph so you can Grow.
Photographing wildlife can be difficult but it can also yield huge artistic, personal and even spiritual rewards.  So go out and have fun doing what you do, but don’t forget to put the camera down every now and then to enjoy the world around you.
Nature never goes out of style.
Marg Jackman

Canadian Camera Conference 2017

The Canadian Association of Photographic Arts and the RA Photo Club are hosting the Canadian Camera Conference 2017 in Ottawa from June 28-30, 2017. This coincides with the national celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation on July 1st. It is shaping up to be a very special experience for photographers from across Canada. In addition to a stunning line-up of speakers and presentations, there will be hands-on sessions and photographic outings as well as unique opportunities to visit special collections such as the works of Karsh through a joint venture with Archives Canada.

For more information visit their website.

 

APRIL 7 UPDATE:

  • to receive a $30 reduction in the conference price use the promo code Dave Haggarty gave us: CLUB PROMO NCR & ONT
  • To see the videos Dave showed plus others go to the Canadian Camera Conference YouTube channel

March 3rd Meeting

The next Camera Club meeting with be held on Friday, March 3rd at 9:15 AM.

The  meeting will include:

  • Slide show of member images from February “Light” assignment.  See below for additional information on submitting images
  • Feature speaker will be Ted Simard discussing “Lightroom Editing”
  • Marg’s photography hint and joke
  • Review of Chosen Photos
  • Discussion of March “Fixed in Post” assignment
  • Tip of the Day “Metering Mode”
  • Announcements

Your images from the February “Light” assignment must be emailed by noon on Friday, February  24th to be included in the slide show. Images submitted after the deadline will only appear in the online gallery. For details on how to submit photos including formats and titles go to our Galleries page.

The Mentors will be available before the meeting to help you with any technical or creative questions you have about photography.

See you on March 3rd.

Hyperfocal Distance?

Hyperfocal distance is one of those nerdy terms that provokes tiresome forum discussions, but a basic grasp is useful if you’re going to push the limits of depth of field. A sensible working definition is that’s the distance at which you need to focus for things at infinity to be acceptably sharp – for a particular focal length and aperture. There are lots of variables here, not least what your eye considers acceptably sharp. In practice, because no one has time to fiddle with tables and calculators, the working method is to focus roughly a third of the way into the scene and stop right down. This gives you a starting point, but the devil is in the fine detail so that taking a shot and then examining it at high magnification on the camera’s screen is the only way to be sure that you have the front to back sharpness you want.

Marg Jackman

Photography at the National Gallery

The  Cana­dian Pho­tog­ra­phy In­sti­tute at the National Gallery of Canada has several photo exhibitions this year. From the CPI website:

Joseph Sudek

Continuing until February 26

Known as the “poet of Prague,” Josef Sudek created some of the 20th century’s most evocative images of nature, monuments, objects and streets.

A true “flâneur,” he enjoyed meandering through the streets of the Czech capital, recording intimate and beautiful details of the city he loved. Over many decades, he took thousands of photographs of its architecture and inhabitants.

Organized by the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada, The Intimate World of Josef Sudek features a thoughtful selection of 163 works by the photographer and his artistic circle.

Spanning his career, the exhibition explores how Sudek’s photography reflected his deeply personal relationship with the city of Prague during its artistic heyday and reveals his sensitive understanding of light — and its absence.

On display are works of Sudek’s photographic experiments carried out within the privacy of his studio, images of the garden seen from his window and pictures taken during his walks through the city.

PhotoLab 1

Continuing until 02 APRIL

Windows have fascinated artists for centuries. In photography, the transparency and reflectivity of glass as both a subject and symbol have made windows a particularly popular theme. Since the invention of the medium, photographers have been attracted to the subject, whether as an exploration of still life, portraiture, popular culture or even abstraction. With their ability to both reveal and obscure, to challenge ideas about the viewer and the viewed, or to dissolve the boundaries of inside and outside space, windows have been used as a metaphor for the act of looking itself.

 

Photography in Canada: 1960–2000

  07 April – 17 September

Experience the diversity of Canadian photographic practice and production from 1960 to 2000. Bringing together more than 100 works by 71 artists — including Raymonde April, Edward Burtynsky, Lynne Cohen, Angela Grauerholz, Michael Snow, Jeff Wall and Jin-me Yoon — it explores how the medium articulated the role of art and the artist in an ever-changing world, along with differing ideas of identity, sexuality and community. Formulated around themes such as conceptual, documentary, urban landscape and portrait, this exhibition celebrates the enormous growth of the practice, collection and display of photography over more than four decades.

Pho­toLab 2: Women Speak­ing Art

07 April – ?

Cel­e­brates con­tem­po­rary art pho­tog­ra­phy by women that features text, in­clud­ing posters, prints and videos.

Catching a Wave

The best time to capture a wave is when it’s drawing back.  As the wave comes in it envelops any rocks and sometimes it completely washes over them.  Taking a shot at this point makes it look overwhelmed with that white froth you get from the crest of the wave.
By waiting until the water is starting to draw back out you have clearly defined movement from the water and the rocks become visible.
Marg Jackman