Check out this web site for some really excellent nature photography. Finalist images are here.
Carp Fair Shootout
The camera club’s first shootout of the 2016/2017 season will take place at the Carp Fair this Thursday, September the 22nd. We will meet at the Rotunda building at 6 pm. Since we will be shooting in the dark you might want to bring a tripod. This will be a great chance to shoot pictures for the September “Movement” assignment.
Free Photography Courses at Lynda.com
Most Iconic Photos of All Time
This infograhic shows one person’s idea of the 16 most iconic photos ever. For each, the photographer, the date, and a brief description is given.
Too bad they’re all news images and that no fine art images were included.
Shoot Some Fireworks
At the September meeting, Anne Jones mentioned that there will be an opportunity to shoot fireworks in Kanata as part of the Lumiere Charity Gala to be held on Thursday, September 22nd. The event will be held at Kanata’s Brookstreet Hotel located here.
She suggested shooting from this possible location.
The web site doesn’t specify when the fireworks will start but sunset on the 22nd is at 6:59 pm and twilight is at 7:29/8:03/8:39 (civil/nautical/astronomical).
Please note that the Club’s Carp Fair shootout is also scheduled the same evening.
Marg’s Tip for September
Using Natural Framing to Improve Your Composition
To help you compose more exciting and beautiful photographs there are certain key techniques that you can use. Using framing can create extremely impressive and elegant images when done right. Here are some tips.
Natural framing is when you use an element within your image to frame the subject. This draws the eye into the photo and highlights the actual subject. The internal frame can be constructed using a multitude of things you’ll find anywhere – branches, archways, tunnels. door frames etc. as well as things that aren’t solid like light, shadows, rain, fog etc. – it doesn’t matter what you use. Framing is a technique to use sparingly.
Why should you use natural framing?
- it easily draws your viewer’s eye into the photo and emphasizes the subject.
- it brings a sense of order and structure to a photo and the eye loves order.
- to obscure boring sky.
- to add depth to an image – especially when the item acting as a frame is not in focus.
- to bring contrasting elements into the photo without detracting from the subject.
- to create structure.
- to create a feeling of a self-contained image, particularly if you are photographing something quite ordinary and simple, a frame will help give depth to the subject.
Natural framing is one of the hardest rules to pull off well. Many people use it to make a boring landscape or scene more interesting. If your subject is boring, no technique is going to liven it up. Framing should be used as an additional interesting element – not as an overlay to a mundane scene.
- a photo looks more natural and pleasing for the frame to take up 2 or 3 sides of the frame.
- when the frame is out of focus it creates a sense of depth in the image.
- the frame can be made from different elements – the colours can be the same and have interesting shapes.
Natural framing is a very good way to remember that you are in control of how the viewer’s eye will go around the image. Your job as photographer is to direct the eye.
As a photographer you need to make sure that everything you put in a frame is saying something that you want it to – that the elements are all working together to form the idea and feeling that you seek.
- what am I feeling here?
- what is interesting to me in the scene?
- why is this important?
A final thought from Henri Cartier-Brisson
“You just have to live and life will give you a picture”.
Summer Images
Next Camera Club meeting
Meeting delayed one week
Because of the Seniors Centre open house on September 2nd, the next meeting of the Kanata Seniors Center Camera Club will be delayed until September 9th, 2016 starting at 9:15 at the Kanata Seniors Centre, 2500 Campeau Drive, Kanata Ontario K2K 2W3.
Assignment
Please note: All assignment and review images must be sent to the club’s email before noon, Friday, September 2nd, 2016.
Due to the extended summer break, at the June meeting the club gave three separate topics for the summer assignment:
Summer – images depicting your concept of summer. This could be your kids playing in the yard, a family bar-b-que, playgrounds, end of or start of school, festivals, the outside, the sun or anything else that your imagination would consider to represent “summer”.
Water – images that show water. This might be a poolside shot, images from a trip to the beach, the lake, river, ocean or any other body of water, kids running and jumping through the sprinkler, puddles after a rainstorm, just to name a few suggestions. Let your imagination run wild.
Gardens/gardening – images that show either the act of gardening, or the resulting gardens. This becomes a fairly broad topic that could show either world class gardens you have visited on your travles, right up to you own garden at home. beautiful images of flowers, shrubs, vegetables, even just lawns are just a few of the full range of shots that could reflect this theme.
Images are due before noon Friday September 2 2016.
News
At a recent meeting of the executive of your club, the newsletter shutterBUG was discussed. In basic terms, all of the information that was put into the newsletter is all readily available on the website, under the tab of “news” or elsewhere on our site. This being the case, it was felt that the newsletter is redundant. Considering the effort that went into putting the newsletter together, and considering the previous assessment, we have decided to cease production of the shutterBUG effective immediately. As such, there will be no further issues, June 2016 will be the last production.
Scheduled Club Shootouts
Your club has made plans for various “Shootouts” over the coming year. Details of the following “Shootouts” will be provided and/or reviewed at the next meeting:
Carp Fair
- When: Thursday, September 22nd, 2016 starting at 6:00 pm
- Meeting location: The Rotunda building, located at the Carp Fairgrounds
- Topic: The fair activities including, since this is an evening event, the midway, rides, etc.
- Rain date: Friday, September 23rd, same time and place.
Butterfly Show
- When: Wednesday, October 5th, 2016 starting at 9:30 am
- Meeting location: Carleton University Campus The Nesbitt Biology Building
- Further Activity: get together for lunch (at your own cost) in the cafeteria in the University Centre Food Court building starting at 11:00 am
Becoming a Travel Photographer
Amy Lo has pointed out another free course on the Creative Live web site titled Becoming a Travel Photographer. While it seems to be aimed at commercial photographers, it does sound interesting and we all love to travel.
Here’s their description of the course:
Get Paid To Travel By Capturing And Telling Unique Stories
The world is full of unique and beautiful places. By learning the business behind travel photography and mastering how to capture and write those stories, you can get paid while filling up your passport; more importantly, you can brand yourself as a travel photographer.
Laura Grier is a photojournalist who has made a life out of exploring the world, capturing, and writing about her experiences. She has worked for National Geographic, Huffington Post, and is the owner of Beautiful Day Photography (one of LA’s most highly regarded destination wedding companies). In this class she’ll teach you:
- How to break into the travel photography world
- How to pitch story ideas and get trips funded
- How to prepare for destination and travel shoots
It will air for free July 28th and 29th. After that, it will cost $99US
Free Beginning Photographer Course
Creative live is running a free online course for beginning photographers starting Monday July 11th and ending Friday July 15. You’ll learn:
- How exposure works and how each setting creates a different effect
- The basics of different shooting modes (Auto, Program, Shutter/Aperture Priority, Manual, etc.)
- How to make use of your camera’s functions – flash, white balance, exposure compensation, timer, and focus points.
- How image size and resolution work, and why it matters (or doesn’t)
- How to choose and use different lenses.
- The best resources to download, backup, and share your images
Thanks to Amy Lo for sharing this with us.
Kanata Seniors' Centre Camera Club 
