Feb. 22 Safari...

Hello intrepid safari seekers.

I am hoping you're up for a little architectural history. I learned the oldest churches in Roswell were all built within a few years of each other. Three of them still have parts of their original buildings intact. I thought there might be some opportunity to compare and contrast the architecture as well as the sanctuaries of these houses of worship. In the hope that you might be interested in exploring that possibility, I have made arrangements for us to tour St. Andrews Episcopal Church, First United Methodist Church, and First Presbyterian Church, all in Roswell's historic district.

We sill start at St. Andrews Church, 505 Pennsylvania, at 9:00. We've been invited to their monthly pancake breakfast and it would be gracious to attend, but not required. We'll tour the church right after eating (about 9:30). From there we will head over to the Presbyterian Church, where we will be met my Lynetta Zuber, the church secretary. Mr Armstrong, at the Methodist Church, will admit us there around 11:30.

This should be an interesting morning. If weather is good, we can explore outside as well as inside the buildings. And if you're really ambitious, you might take a walk around the historic district to see what else you might discover.

Please let me know if you are interested in this trip, or if the times need to be tweaked. We could start earlier, but the breakfast starts at 7 and ends at 10, so I thought there might be fewer people milling around if we go toward the end.  Date: February 22.  Questions? call Sue Ashby 575.208.2197

Wednesday workshop...

This workshop will be Feb.19, at 6:30 in room 29 of the Roswell Adult Center.  

Hi Everyone,

Pat is planning to have us stretch our phototographer's exposure to the computer realm next week. With the help of Bobby Goode and his projector, we will be looking at a couple of computer software programs to see some of the effects that can be achieved with a little creative manipulation. This is not so much a "how to" as a "how about" session to show folks the possibilities using programs both basic (Picassa) and sublime (Photoshop).

If you have any photo editing software loaded on your laptop, please bring it (along with some photos to play with) and we will do some show and tell and comparisons with several different programs.

Once again, we welcome our club "experts" to help with this activity.

Any questions call Sue Ashby 575.208.2197.  This should be fun!

March photo challenge…Hard light...

"I believe in the photographer's magic-the ability to stir the soul with light and shape and color.  -Amyn Nasser

For the year of 2014, our club is exploring light: all types of light.  This is a great challenge to me because I have to do research on what a particular type of lighting means.  Take, for instance, this month's light: hard light.  I know about high key, and low key light…well, actually, I have heard of them, but that is not to say I understand them completely.  As I began to do my research, I was surprised with how it is defined.  I though hard light would be photos taken in harsh sunlight.  Well, it is that, but it is so much more.  In fact, this is another favorite type of lighting for me. (My absolute favorite being backlighting, especially with the solar effects).

Here's what I discovered about hard light. (By the way, if I ever have something wrong in my explanations, or am way off base, please let me know!  I am learning, too).  Hard light is dramatic light that results in high contrast images with bright whites and dark shadows.  Photographers use small sources of light to illuminate parts of a subject, or location to direct attention either to or from a particular portion of a scene.  Hard light creates shadows with a sharp transition from light to dark which makes for a more dramatic look.  Sources for small, concentrated light maybe from an iPhone, iPad, small lamp, flashlight, streetlight, or window.  Look for small patches of light, and experiment.

photo by Jennifer Coats.  

Photo by Rey Berrones

Photo by Rob McKelvy, using an iPhone

Photo by Rob McKelvy

Full sun on a bright day is hard light that creates harsh shadows.  Light from the sun can add more drama to a photo, express emotion, or tell a story.

Photo by Rey Berrones.  The thrower of the jar, Bill Flynt.  This photo amazes me.  To catch the mason jar right in front of the sun is nothing short of a miracle in my opinion.  

Photo by Rob McKelvy

Photo by Rob McKelvy

Two ways to harden light:
1.  Move the light farther from the subject-the farther away the light, the less the subject is illuminated.
2.  Use a bare bulb, or bare flash…no diffuser.

The challenge:
1.  Take up to 4 pictures: 1 a week preferably of examples of hard light.
2.  Use any type of camera.
3.  Present them in any media form: print, CD, thumb drive, and any size.
4.  Have the info available: SS, ISO, aperture.

Go out and get clicking.

Photos around town...

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking landscapes, but in having new eyes." -Marcel Proust

New eyes…yes that is what we need to see the extra-ordinary in our hum-drum everyday ordinary.  I have lovely pictures of some of those 'new eyes' from members of our club.  Sit back, feast on their finds, and enjoy.  Thank you to all who have sent photos to post.

Photo by Sue Ashby.  February's photo challenge: Backlight
shot with a Canon SX50HS, f/6.5, 1/600sec., ISO 500

Photo by Sue Ashby: January photo challenge: Shadows
Same camera, f/8, 1/250sec., ISO 100

photo by Sue Ashby, same info as above

 I heard this owl stirred up quite a bit of excitement to members of our club.  These Horned Owls were spotted in the pine tree next to the walking path at Smith's bird sanctuary. Cliff & Kathe, Bill & Suzie, and James all got to see, and take pictures of the owls.  I am jealous.  I hope the owls hang around, because I sure would like some pictures of it as well.

Photo by Cliff Powell

Photo by Cliff Powell.
These are amazing eyes.  Fantastic.

Photo by Bobby Goode

"To me, photography is an art of observation.  It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." -Elliott Erwitt

"Many people think they need to travel far from home to make photographs when, chances are, if they took the time to look around they would discover that photos ops are right around the corner.  That's where self-assisgnments come in: for the past 30 years mine has been making images that I can walk to from my front door- like the tiny flower in my front yard I captured this afternoon.  It wasn't made for any commercial purpose and is just a way for me to appreciate and document the small things of daily life that many people take for granted.  It's personal projects like this that help us all stretch our talent, skill, and imagination.  You can think of it as a form of 'digital meditation.'"  Shutterbug magazine, Feb. 2014, pg. 34

This is so true.  I was forwarded an article about a Russian mom who takes  amazing photographs of her children and the animals around their house.  We live in a very warm climate compared to her environment.  Can you imagine getting all bundled up for some of these photos?  Her work is breath-taking, and well worth stopping by to take a peek.  The full article can be seen here.  To wet your appetite, and entice you to go take a look here is a sampling of her photographs.

All photographs are taken by Elena Shumilova…stunning work indeed.

More of her work can be seen on Flickr.

Be inspired!  Go out, and look at your world with new eyes, a new attitude, and new a vision.  Now capture the magic of your world with your lens.