The Cambridge Photography Group

January 23rd, 2010–Issue 24

2011-01-23T08:05:00.000-05:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
Baby, it’s cold outside! Winter this year has been whiter and required more woolier than it has in a very long time. Burrr…

Christmas has come and gone. A new year has begun, and the members of the Cambridge Photo Group met on another chilly afternoon in the back of the Video 99 to share some photos and conversations.

After sharing some of our photos from the challenge, and from the excursion out around the lights in town, we spent some time viewing Ruby’s Flickr collection. Some great images Ruby. Thanks for sharing!

Monthly Challenge
Each month, we present our members with a challenge to inspire their photography and prompt them to get out there with their cameras and sometimes stretch their photography to include a subject they would not normally include.

The Last Challenge: Blind Photography
Our challenge this month helped us to “see” in a different way. “Blind Photography” is about making the things we hear help us relate to the subject of our photography. The challenge was based on the theory of an Israeli group of actually blind photographers. Don’t believe me? Check out their website for details, and galleries of some examples of their work.

Here are some images from our group: It was interesting to see the odd angles that came from these images – not composed for the lighting or the viewpoint, they were composed for the purposes of capturing the source of the sound.

Jen was listening to her husband play guitar, heard the music and pointed her camera towards him picking a tune. The angle is natural and almost inviting.

Gary heard the ticking of an antique clock in the relative quiet and snapped this image of the pendulum of a clock sitting on a mantle.

Tammy heard the crunching of teeth on bone and turned to snap this photo of her dog. Notice how the subject is centered in the frame? If you were more interested in taking this picture visually you might be more interested in capturing the dog, but the angle of the photo tends to point more to the bone – and the noise that is being made as it is chewed.

Rachel, remembering the sound of her alarm clock radio going off every morning took this image.

The photography might not have been some of our most technically excellent and creatively stunning work, but we did learn some interesting things from these images. Realizing that the “rules” that apply to good images don’t always have to apply, and in some cases, finding another “center” to our subjects was an eye opener.

This Month’s Challenge: Black & White
Perhaps it was because there were no colour images in the early days of film, but Black and White photography became an art form in itself. Photography’s grass roots were built on Black and White. The contrast of light and dark and the fundamental idea that photography is about capturing light (White) and shadow (Black).

Along those lines of thought, capturing a Black and White image is not always about the situation of the photograph as it can be about the contrast of light and dark within the image. The dark and the light can be a metaphor that produces an emotional response to the image.

Our challenge this time is simple enough – take a Black and White photograph – either in camera, or in post processing. But how “moody” can you make it? How much can you use the contrast of darkness and light to highlight the mood of your subject?

Next Regular Meeting: March 20th, 2011
SPECIAL NOTE: There will be no meeting in February. Due to circumstances, the dates we had planned for the February meeting are unavailable and we are cancelling the February meeting. Be sure to book the date on your calendar though for the March meeting, and bring your Black and White photos with you.

We meet at the back of the Video 99 store in Hespeler (see the map on the blog). And for those of you who have already been by, don’t forget to post your images to the Flickr group!

December 19th, 2010–Issue 23

2010-12-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
Christmas is a beautiful time of year. Love, joy and peace are all around us – or at least in our hearts if not in the mall. Sharing and visiting with friends and family, and the putting up of Christmas lights to shine brightly in the darkness.

The busyness of Christmas also reduced our numbers this month, so there were only a few to share images and take the excursion out to photograph the Christmas lights in Cambridge. After a dinner at Ernie’s, we headed out to look for festive displays.

While we were shivering in the cold, the tripods were nice and steady. We got some nice shots out on Hunt Club Road. Here are a couple of examples:

This Month’s Challenge: Blind Photography
Since there were so few in attendance, it was decided to extend last month’s challenge. See November’s blog for details on “Blind Photography”.

Next Regular Meeting: January 23rd
Our next regular meeting will be held at Video 99 as usual on January 23rd.

November 21st, 2010 – Issue 22

2010-11-21T18:04:00.000-05:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
Winter’s coming, we’re hearing the wind howl more often and the temperature is dropping fast. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather keep my camera inside – near the cozy warmth of the fireplace. But then I’d be missing all those great images of sun glistening on the snow, and lights twinkling in the darkness.

So, don’t let the cold stop you cold. Be sure to get out there and keep shooting!

We all enjoyed viewing each other’s images this month – the challenge brought some really cool shots (see below) and sharing them brought some really great ideas on what we liked and what we thought worked really well.

Sadly for us, but not for David, David Adamson shared the news that he has accepted a position in Virginia Beach and will be moving down there this coming month. We’ll miss the images he has shared with us and his warm personality. You’re welcome back any time you visit back up in the North David.

Our Contest last month was a lot of fun, and went over well enough that we discussed doing it again, so, coming up in January, we’ll have another opportunity to enter images and have them displayed in the Video 99 store once again for customers to vote on. Stay tuned for details and come and share your images with the group and the public!

The Last Challenge: The Haunting
Last month was Halloween. Ghouls and Ghosts and Goblins wandered the streets along with Fairies, Princesses and Star Wars Characters in a parade of costumes. Our challenge wasn’t limited to costumes though – the idea was to depict the supernatural. Some of the images we shared were absolutely ghastly (in a good way), some were eerie and others were just plan and simply quite good!

David captured an image of the ghost of Galt Collegiate by mixing this image of a pumpkin face over the image of the school. As was mentioned, David is moving to Virginia and we are going to miss his photos.

Tammy opened up the store again this year and offered photos of the kids dressed in costume. She had some great shots, but we all liked this one of a skeleton she had hanging up in the display. No, that’s not one of the kids.

Jennifer had an eerie picture of an old barn with a warm glow inside and pumpkins all around. It brought about some great talk about ISO & Exposure.

Rachel and Gary did some photoshop work on some images to add Ghosts to photos most of which were taken during the month, but some elements were almost 100 years old (see the flickr group for some of those)..

Ruby, brought this great shot of a friend of hers in London under-lit and backed by faces on a mural… very cool, and somewhat spooky.

As always, there were lots of tips and suggestions made on a lot of the images, You’ll

This Month’s Challenge: Blind Photography
”Blind” photography you say? That’s an odd concept? How can a blind person take a picture? And even if they did, what good would it be to them? They couldn’t see it! Well, that’s what makes it so interesting. A couple of photographers in Israel have been working with blind people helping them to work with cameras to visually express their creativity and give others a view into their world. Check out the website for more details, and then view the galleries.

While their images may not make it to Vogue or National Geographic, they are provocative and inspiring. Their odd angles and interesting choice of subjects draws you into a different world and a different way of choosing how you point your camera.

So how do you, a sighted person, take a “blind” photograph”? Its not as difficult as it sounds. Close your eyes for a moment and use your other senses: listen, smell, touch. Then point your camera in the direction of the thing that you find interesting – that noise, or the object that’s creating the fragrance, or the texture of that object.

As usual, bring your images with you and share them at our next meeting.

Freebie of the month: Photo Book Creator
So, ultimately it’s not really free because they want you to buy the book, of course, but this bit of software is pretty cool for designing your own photo books with fully customizable layouts and a neat view of what the book will look like – and they’re printed in Canada!

Check out the software at http://www.photoinpress.ca/en/index.html

With a little know how, you can print your photo book to a PDF file and simply e-mail it to others for free! (check here for a free PDF printer)

Next Regular Meeting: December 19th
Our next regular meeting will be held at Video 99 as usual on December 19th.

Following the meeting, some of us will be grabbing a quick bite and taking a stroll through the local neighbourhoods to take some photos of the Christmas lights. Be sure to bring your camera and a tripod if you would like to join us. We’ll be sharing techniques, tips and tricks with each other, so bring some of your own and be ready to learn some new ones.

Future Meetings:
January 23rd – We’ll be opening up another contest – details to follow.
February 20th

October 24th, 2010 – Issue 21

2010-10-24T16:48:00.000-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
And the winner is…

Well, before we get to that, let me explain. Last month we collected images for our first ever Photo contest voted on by customers of the Video 99 store. Thanks again to Tammy for opening the space for our group. There were quite a number of entries to be judged in two categories – a local image, and a non-local image. The prize was 1 half of the proceeds from the contest for each category.

There was no criteria for judging, simply which image the customers felt was the best.

When the ballots were counted, it was interesting to see which images received the most votes. It was also interesting that a number of the photographers felt that there were some really great images that were overlooked in votes – a reminder that art is in the eyes of the beholders.

In the end, everyone was a winner. We all got to see some fantastic images, and to share some of ours with the community.

So, now, for the winners… The image with the most overall votes was this picture of Signal Hill in Newfoundland by Tammy Burden. She received first prize for the best overall picture.

David Adamson’s great image of a homeless person on a cell phone walking towards a bum on the street received the second highest number of votes. and deserves an honorable mention.

Gary Scott’s image of Doors in Elora received the third highest number of votes and was deemed close enough to home to also receive the first prize place for local image.

All of these images are still on display at the Video 99 store, so come on by and have a peak at the larger versions.

There was a lot of discussion about the contest, and it was decided that we would hold another again between the January/February meetings.

Tammy and Gary, though thankful for the honors and the prize money for their images, decided to donate the money back to the group to add to the “kitty” for snacks and other incidentals for the group in the future. It’s all part of the fun!

4 Week Challenge
Each month, we present our members with a challenge to inspire their photography and prompt them to get out there with their cameras and sometimes stretch their photography to include a subject they would not normally include.

The Last Challenge: Night Skyline
Night skylines are definitely not only for city scapes. The challenge this month was to take an image of a night skyline. A real challenge considering how quickly the sun sinks below the horizon each night. Rain and clouds also made it difficult to get just the right moment to capture that great skyline.

Ruby Parhar created this fantastic image of an amber sky reflecting on the street outside her window. She tells us that there was no colour enhancement or adjustment to this image – it was taken just as you see it. This is a great example of why you should always have your camera handy – you never know when the perfect photograph will be just outside your window!

Gary took a drive up 86th line west of Elmira one night in hopes of a nice sunset. The clouds did not cooperate exactly, but some of the evening silhouettes were gorgeous.

Tammy took a walk across the river from the story to capture this great image, nicely framed by the trees – a great example of both a fibonacci curve and the rule of thirds – and the colours are great too!

There were lots of other great images and examples of skylines. But you had to be there to see them… so, if you weren’t there, why not! Hopefully we’ll see you at the next meeting – and bring your images to share too! (Oh, and psst… all you who were there, be sure to upload your images and add them to the Cambridge Photo Group Flickr page!)

The Next Challenge: The Haunting
There was also some lively discussion about our next challenge and how it might be “executed” (Pun intended)…

Halloween is approaching, so of course we have a Halloween theme. The challenge this month is “Halloween” – for those who just want a subject to shoot, the challenge is to create an image of some of those fantastical and spooky setups people have around their homes, or perhaps the trick-or-treaters, or maybe even your own costume.

Those who wish to take on a bigger challenge can try to create an image of the paranormal – a ghost in the image, or something particularly spooky and spine chilling. You can use photographic techniques in camera or in post processing.

Whatever your image, be sure to bring it next month to share, and the stories of how you obtained such a rare photograph of your neighborhood poltergeist.

Freebie of the Month
Thanks to David Adamson for pointing us to this month’s freebie. Actually a couple of freebies. virtualStudio and virtualPhotographer.

virtualPhotographer is a plug-in set for Photoshop that provides a number of pre-set filters – all for free. virtualStudio is a free application to run them (and other Photoshop filters) in, without having to have Photoshop. If you’re looking for something to use to enhance your images, or simply to place a frame around them, then give virtualStudio and virtualPhotographer a try.

Next regular meeting: November 21st, 2010
Be sure to come along to the next meeting and bring your spooky images. Meet at the Video 99 store as usual, from 4:00pm-6:00pm

Future meetings:
December 19th
January 23rd

September 26th, 2010 – Issue 20

2010-09-26T22:18:00.001-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
Summer is over and most of us are back to our regular routines. The kids are back to school. Work is ramping up for the fall. And it’s no different for the photo group. We had our first ever “Open House” this past meeting and invited everyone to join with us as we mixed and mingled over some food and sharing our images. It was a great success.

Those who missed the open housed missed some great food, and meeting lots of new folks along with some regular ones.

We also collected images for our contest. Here are some thumbnails to give you a hint (in no particular order). Be sure to drop into the Video99 store to vote on your favorite pictures.

If you still want to post your pictures for the contest, bring them by the Video99 store and ask for Tammy. But remember, the later you post them, the less chance you have to receive votes, so bring them by soon.

4 Week Challenge
Every month, we challenge each other with a task – try our challenge and bring your photos to the next meeting on a memory stick to share with everyone. We’ll tell you what we like about them. If you don’t do Digitial, bring a print! We’d love to see your images.

The Last Challenge: Three Part Story
The idea behind this challenge was to take three images that portray a story. It’s a bit like a cartoon, or a three frame movie. Where one image tells a story, each one progresses the story … If one picture is worth 1000 words, then three must be worth… well, you get the picture(s).

Dave brought us this series based on a familiar story this time of year, of our kids going off to college:

Gary brought a couple of stories – one familiar and one humorous.

Sometimes the stories are very simple, like this tale of a man eating lunch at the diner.

Other times they can be humorous. Rachel helped out with this humorous word play. Note the sign says “Butts here”…

Next Challenge: Night Skyline
As we move into Fall, the days are getting shorter, but the weather is still nice enough to sit out or go for a walk, at least with a sweater or a coat. Time to start thinking about some evening or night time shooting.

Not living in a big city might mean you need to be a little more creative than simply taking an image of the night lights of the cityscape. Perhaps you’ll share your sunsets, or you have a particular building in mind, or know of some unusual shadowy places when the darkness comes. As always, get creative, carry your camera and watch for that evening opportunity to capture a night skyline. Bring your images to share at the next meeting.

Freebie of the month: Colour Theory
Along with composition and the technical aspects of light, colour plays a big part in the attractiveness of the images you create. Marius Waldal has a great article on Colour Theory on his Blog site “Framed Reality”. Have a read of this article, and then browse his blog for even more great tips for all photography enthusiasts.

http://www.framedreality.com/color-in-photography-color-theory

Next Regular Meeting: October 24th, 2010
Be sure to come along to the next meeting to hear the results from the contest. Note that entries can still be made and your photos displayed in the Video 99 store at any time by dropping the images off, but voting will continue throughout the month, so the longer your image is posted, the more likely it is to receive votes.

Future dates to keep on your calendar:

Future meetings:
November 21st
December 19th

And for those of you who are interested, check out the Henry’s Photographic, Video and Digital Imaging Show, October 15th to 17th. Check their site for details: http://www.henrys.ca/Show/Imaging-Show.html

See you next time.

August 15th, 2010 – Issue 19

2010-08-15T20:07:00.000-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
Summer is quickly coming to a close. The weather has been great this summer and many of us have taken holidays all around the world. It’s getting time again to get back to the daily grind – kids go to school and vacations are over. As we settle back into our routines, we’ll have some time to sort through those thousands of images we took over the summer and start to find the best ones. Be sure to save a few of your absolute best images to bring to the open house and share with all the customers of Video 99 in Hespeler.

That’s right! At the next meeting, bring your best images in 8x10 format for display at the Video 99 store. The images will be voted on over the next month by customers and the winners will receive half the entrance fees. Sound worth your while?

The Last Challenge: Old Barns
There is a strange attractiveness to an old run down barn. The ghosts of past lives still seem to live on in the rustic boards of the weather worn buildings, whispering their stories to those who pause a moment. David seemed to have captured a few of those stories in his images of boards and windows and old trucks. In this image, the bicycle, long abandoned seems to beckon it’s rider to return as David waits, hiding behind a fence.

Still as if peaking into history, Gary preferred to stay a little further away from those ghosts and framed the barn behind a field of wild flowers and a crop of Soy Bean.

Scott brought a number of great images, some of which you will have to come to the open house to see – they are really marvelous, but sticking with the barn theme, he used an HDR technique to enhance this image. He also managed to crop and replace the sky skillfully enough that we had a hard time telling that he had done so. That’s not an easy feat when cropping the leaves of trees!

Rachel didn’t really bring us a picture of a Barn, but her macro shot of Noah’s arc was close enough for us to add it to this small gallery. Nice “Rule of Thirds” Rachel.

Next Challenge: Three part story
Images should tell a story, right? So what about three images? Will they tell three stories? Well, not if they are all in one image. Confused? So am I.

But the challenge is not that confusing. Rather like a cartoon strip, simply take three or more sequential images and put them together to tell a story. There are different ways to do this – one way is like the cartoon strip, another is by combining the sequence into a single frame much like you have seen on sports shots. In fact, there is an entire flickr group dedicated to this kind of sequence shot… check it out: http://www.flickr.com/groups/sequence_photography/

As always, be creative, use your surroundings and let the story be heard!

Open House
At our next meeting, September 26th, we will be having our first (hopefully) annual Open House – and you are invited to participate by bringing and displaying your favorite images in the Gallery to be set up in the Video 99 store in Hespeler.

This is an opportunity to share your talent with All of Cambridge. And there will be prizes too. Don’t worry if you don’t think your photo will win – it’s not just about the prize money, though we want to encourage those who do win, we also want you to have an opportunity to show your talent.

On September 26th, Tammy will be firing up the barbeque out back - bring your own food and a little for someone else to share. We'll be enjoying a mix and mingle time and be displaying our images. Entry to the contest is $5.00 per photographer and the total of all entry fees will be returned to the winning photographers in two categories: 50% will go to the best "local" image (Cambridge and area), and 50% will go to the best image in an "open" category.

To enter, bring between one and three 8x10 printed images that we can display at the Video 99 store between the Open House on the 26th and our closing date of October 24th (the following meeting). During that time, Customers at the Video 99 store will be able to leave an anonymous ballot with the number of their favorite image in each of the two categories. In October, the ballots will be counted and the prizes awarded accordingly.

Sound exciting? I know I’m looking forward to being able to display some of my work, whether I should win the prize or not, and I hope you are too!

Freebie of the month: Stock Xchng
This month, in stead of free software or tools to create images, how about a site that provides free images? That’s what Stock Xchange is all about. On this site you can download literally thousands of images royalty free for promotion and commercial purposes. Many photographers are happy to have their work used and all they ask is a credit. Signing up for an account is free, and if you’re ambitious, you can even submit your own images to see if the “Stock Gods” will smile upon you and accept them for publication – it’s not an easy task to get published, but it’s rewarding to see your images promoted on the site.

Visit here: www.sxc.hu

Oh, and if you’re curious, you can visit my portfolio.

Next Regular Meeting: September 26th, 2010 – 4-6pm
Be sure to update your calendar, print your images and bring some food for the barbeque. Bring your photos on a memory stick too so we can share some of them on the blog and a friend to share in the fun. Meet us at the back of the Video 99 store in Hespeler – see the side panel for a map to the location.

Upcoming Meetings
October 24th – Contest Closing, judging and prizes.

July 25th, 2010 – Issue 18

2010-07-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
Be sure to read through to the end of the blog this month as there is a date change, and a special announcement regarding an upcoming event!

Surprises! Yes, it’s great to be able to set up a shot just the way you want it and have it turn out just the way you planned, but sometimes it is capturing an unexpected moment or an almost missed opportunity that is the most thrilling when it comes to photography.

Don’t you wish you had your camera handy all the time to catch those moments? Well, for those of us who went on Scott Kelby’s World Wide Photo Walk on July 24th, we had a great opportunity just like that.

Shoot Out: Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk
Well, it wasn’t an official “shoot out”, but it was a good chance to get out and socialize and meet some other photographers. Thanks to Scott Toman for organizing the event this year in Hespeler.

Not long after we began the walk, we ran into our surprise. We met Shawky Fahel who is developing the old American Standard building, which closed in 2007, to become riverfront condominiums. He kindly offered to take a group through the building. Many of us grabbed the opportunity to shoot some awesome photos inside what will soon become history.

Check out the Flickr Group for pictures from our photo walkers, and the Scott Kelby site for photo walk images from around the world.

The Last Challenge: 50mm
Our challenge this month was to take an image using your 50mm lens only – or with a fixed focal length. Here are some of the shots we looked at.

Gary used an extension tube on his 50mm lens to get some close up shots of bugs – of course, the extension tube removed any in-camera lens communication, which made taking these pictures an interesting challenge, moving forward and back to find just the right focal point.

Tammy was the “official photographer” at her church event where she practiced some of her 50mm shots. The angle and focal point of this shot was very interesting. Don’t you just want to reach out and pop that bubble?

Rachel had an opportunity to travel to Northern Ireland, where she had a great time and took some great photos. Being Rachel, some of her best images were of the local flowers, like this one of the buttercups.

This month we welcomed two new folks to the meeting who were at the photo walk – unfortunately, they did not have any of their shots with them, but we look forward to seeing some of their work in the future. You can also view some of their photos from the photo walk.

Our Next Challenge: Old Barns
Everyone loves the look of those old boards, the barns and the livestock roaming through them. This month’s challenge is to go looking for some of those great old scenes, time the light right, and grab a great image of an old barn. Here is a flickr search for inspiration:

As always, bring some of your best shots to the meeting next month, along with any other shots you would like to share – we love to view them and comment (typically encouraging comments with a few helpful tips).

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: OPEN HOUSE
Be sure to plan on coming to the September 26th and October 24th Photo Group meetings as we will be having a very special event I know you will all want to participate in. We are planning an "Open House" event where you will be able to bring and display your favorite photos in a Gallery set up in the Video 99 store!

This is an opportunity to share your talent with All of Cambridge. There will be a contest too, but don’t worry if you don’t think your photo will win – it’s not just about the prize money, though we want to encourage those who do win, we also want you to have an opportunity to show your talent.

On September 26th, Tammy will be firing up the barbeque out back - bring your own food and a little for someone else to share. We'll be enjoying a mix and mingle time and be displaying your images.

Entry to the contest is $5.00 per photographer and the total of all entry fees will be returned to the winning photographers in two categories: 50% will go to the best "local" image (Cambridge and area), and 50% will go to the best image in an "open" category.

Sound exciting? I know I’m looking forward to being able to display some of my work, whether I should win the prize or not, and I hope you are too!

Next Regular Meeting: August 15th, 2010 – 4-6pm
Be sure to update your calendar if you have already booked the 22nd – there were a number of people who could not make that date and asked that it be moved to the 15th – so, as always, bring your photos and meet us at the back of the Video 99 store in Hespeler – see the side panel for a map to the location.

Upcoming Meetings
September 26th – Open House
October 24th – Contest Closing

June 27th, 2010 – Issue 17

2010-06-27T16:55:00.000-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
I have an admission to make. I missed the meeting. First one in a year and a half, so I figure that’s not too bad. And I’m really late putting up the Blog this month :(

Anyway, I hope to make the next one again, and hopefully it will be a year and a half before I miss another one! How about you? Do you think you’ll be able to make the next year and a half of meetings? I hope so.

I’m afraid I don’t have a great cross section of pictures this month, but I’m including what I have. If you were at the meeting and shared a picture you think should have been posted here, please send me it – it’s never too late to add!

Shoot Out: Air Show
So I hope you all got out and got your cameras out somewhere, and I’m sure you’ll be sharing all those summer pics at our upcoming Open House Gallery (Details will follow). I definitely enjoyed my time at the air show as always. It’s a challenge to trigger the shutter at just the right moment as the planes wiz by – you only get one shot at it for sure!

The Waterloo Regional Airport hosted the Aviation Expo and Airshow again this year on June 19th and 20th. There were plenty of planes to shoot, both on the ground and above it, and as always, the snowbirds were definitely a highlight.

There were lots of near misses and high flying formations and occasionally opportunities to shoot planes doing things planes don’t normally do – like land on a Winnebago! Or do loops and spirals while the engine is completely stalled!

The Last Challenge: Strangers
Last month’s challenge was to talk at least three pictures of someone you didn’t know. That’s a challenge for me to do since I always have a hard time walking up to someone and saying, “hey, can I take your picture?”, but Brett helped me out a lot… he had a model shoot he was doing for a local clothing designer and I was invited to help take some of the shots for the catalogue. Here are just some of them.

The models were, of course, total strangers to me, so I figure I’ve got it covered! If you’d like to see the rest of the images (and shop for the clothes, you can find them here.

Brooke Anderson shared some images of strangers as well, though I’m not sure he approached them… though I’m pretty sure the cows did not mind him taking their picture.

Our Next Challenge: 50mm
Take an image using a 50mm lens only. All these fancy lenses sometimes take the challenge out of photography, and the creativity too. This month’s challenge is about shooting with a fixed lens.

Even if you don’t have a 50mm lens, set your zoom to 50mm and leave it there – don’t touch that dial! Move around your subject towards it and away from it to look for an unexpected perspective.

Next Regular Meeting: July 25th, 2010 – 4:00pm-6:00pm
Come on out and share your images at our next meeting – as always, at the back of the Video 99 store in Hespeler (see the side panel for a map of the location).

Upcoming Meetings: be sure to put them on your calendar!
August 22nd
September 26th

SPECIAL NOTE…
At our September meeting, we will be having an “Open House” to show off our photos. Come out to the meeting to get more details and provide some input on how you would like to see this event run!

May 30th, 2010 – Issue 16

2010-05-30T10:19:00.001-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTO GROUP
Welcome back! Hope you’ve all been out shooting lots and having fun. I know, I know, the strong sunlight makes for harsh shadows… well, perhaps you want to take a nice snooze in the warm sun before you head out in the cooler evening and better light – either way, I’m enjoying the great weather.

Speaking of which, come to our meetings from 4 to 6 monthly – after the meeting is a great time to just go out and shoot some photos – the light is good, the weather’s great, and you may have picked up a few great tips during the meeting!

That’s exactly what we did right after our meeting this month. We went round the back of the old furniture building where Video99 is located and took some shots of my bike in the grass. This wasn’t the only shot of course. Come out next month to see more, or bring your own!

Some other highlights of this month’s meeting were Shannon’s sharing of her first attempts at DSLR HD Video (I want one!) and Brett sharing photos of his latest model shoot. There were lots of great tips shared on how to capture not just great images, but great poses.

Those who missed out on the Henry’s “Photographic, Video and Digital Imaging” show missed a great opportunity to get some tips from the pro’s in a variety of photographic disciplines. Myself, I enjoyed sessions on everything from making movies on a DSLR, to Nature Photography with Ethan Meleg (who also has a blog on blogspot), to Travel photography with Michael Willems.

The place was packed with photographers of all grades – from full on pro to point and shoot newbie's. Many eager to buy equipment that ranged from a few dollars to many thousands of dollars. There were lenses to try out and if you brought your own gear, many of the booths allowed you to try their products on your camera right at the show.

Another highlight of the show was a great shooting area with some really cool setups. Hot bikes and hot fire breathers… was there a theme going on? At least they didn’t set off the fire alarms!

4 Week Challenge
Every month, we challenge each other with a task. Try our challenge and bring your shots to the next meeting on a memory stick to share with everyone. We’ll tell you what we like about them.

The Last Challenge: Speed
Capturing speed isn’t as easy as some led me to believe. It’s tricky to get that smooth motion of the camera, and focusing at the same time can be difficult as well. We had some good discussion about the images.

Shannon had some interesting shots at the fair where she shot a posed person in front of a moving ride (sorry Shannon, I didn’t get the copy of your images to post :(

Brett managed to capture a few images while waiting by the curbside and managed to pull it off quite nicely with a few very sharp images of cars passing by.

Our Next Challenge: Strangers
Sound odd? Scary? Well, it wouldn’t be a challenge if it wasn’t… well… a challenge. The idea behind this challenge is to bring at least three images of people you don’t know. Chat with the people, ask them if you can take their picture and pose them if you can. Some of us find that really hard – and I know some find it very easy (I definitely fall into the hard category). Either way bring your photos next month and let us see your new friends.

And remember, you’re welcome to bring any images you have taken and share them with the group – they don’t always have to be from this month’s challenge.

Future Challenge: 50mm
All these fancy lenses sometimes take the challenge out of photography, and the creativity too. Start thinking the next month about shooting with a fixed length lens.

Shoot Out: Air Show
Well, there were lots of undiscussed options this month. Get out and shoot! Take your camera when you go looking for flowers for your garden, your trip to the beach or anywhere else.

Here’s an idea. The Waterloo Regional Airport is hosting the Aviation Expo and Airshow again this year. The show is on June 19th and 20th from 9:00am until 5:00pm. If you didn’t get those “speed” shots before, maybe you’ll get some of the jets screaming by!

Freebie of the Month: Tintii
Last month we showed you a photoshop plugin package from filterforge. Plugins are great but if you don’t have photoshop, they’re not very useful.

Here’s a little utility that is both – the paid version is a photoshop plugin, so if you can afford it, it works directly in your photoshop. If, however, you just want to run it as a standalone, then you can.

The program will let you take a full colour photo and processes it into a black and white image with some elect highlighted colours quickly and easily.

Download here. And enjoy!

Next Regular Meeting: June 27th, 2010 – 4:00-6:00pm
Come on out to our next meeting, share your images. As always, meet us at the back of the Video 99 store in Hespeler (see the side panel for a map of the location).

Upcoming Meetings: be sure to put them on your calendar!
The Fourth Sunday of every month…
July 25th, August 22nd, September 26th…

April 25th, 2010 – Issue 15

2010-04-28T21:00:00.001-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
Are you feeling it yet? The weather’s been beautiful and it’s getting nicer to get outside. Time to leave the indoor studio for a while and venture out into the landscape for some vista shots. No matter where you live, there are always some beautiful subjects to be shot.

Those who went on the Shoot Out in Elora were treated to a beautiful sun-shiny day with plenty of material to shoot. This shot of a tall work of art was nicely silhouetted against the Sun by Tammy.

Almost everyone in the group took a shot of the coloured doors, on one of the side streets, and it was interesting to see the different perspectives in each of them, as evidenced by these two by Chris and Gary respectively.

Finally, Rachel showed her creativity and photographic eye by angling this image so that it was the door that was on the slant, and not the road as was indeed the reality – good job, Rachel!

And as if that were not enough, we also had a great time at the meeting at Video 99 where Brooke Anderson set up and providing us with a demonstration of a basic studio lighting.

We learned a great deal about placement of lights, how the light should be balanced, how to meter it effectively and even a little on posing our subjects. Great job, and thank you Brooke. Thanks also to Brett who was our impromptu model for the evening!

The Last Challenge: Easter
Admittedly, the last blog was a little late being published and not everyone got the message that the challenge was “Easter” but Shannon and Rachel came through for us. Shannon showed us an image of one of her favorite subjects – her dog! And managed to practice some studio lighting in the process.

Rachel gave us a glimpse of some of her “loot” with a picture of her chocolate. What you don’t see is the real interest part of the photo – she’s been practicing her photoshop skills and removed the net weight from the box… too bad we couldn’t remove the net weight from eating it!

Our Next Challenge: Speed
This month’s challenge is about capturing speed. Unlike the “Stop action” challenge we did a few months ago, this time we want the image to portray the speed. The idea is that on a two dimensional, still image, we want you to convey the feeling of motion – and the faster the motion, the better.

For inspiration, here’s a flickr group to look at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/deliberatemotionblur/

Future Challenge: Strangers
I know this one will be a challenge to me! The idea is to bring at least three images of people you don’t know – Oh my – you mean I’ll have to ask strangers if I can take their pictures?!

Shoot Out: Henry’s Show
OK, so it’s not really a shoot-out, but how could we call ourselves photographers if we didn’t go at least one show? May 14th, 15th and 16th, Henry’s is presenting their annual “Photographic, Video and Digital Imaging Show” at the International Centre in Mississauga. Some of you may want to attend all three days when you see the Show Schedule, but if you would like to go on Saturday, contact Gary (you should already have my e-mail address as I send notes to you all). Perhaps we can travel together.

For more information on the show, visit the website:

http://www.henrys.ca/Show/Imaging-Show.html

Freebie of the Month: Photoshop Plugins
Filter Forge is a plugin package for Photoshop that allows you to use pre-built and build your own filters. You can also access over 7000 user-created filters from their website. Best of all, they have “Freepacks” that you can download and use on images up to 3000x3000 pixels!

These filters do some amazing things to your images. Give them a try. (Note: If you have photoshop elements, I believe these plug-ins will work for you too, but that is unconfirmed… if you find out one way or the other, please let me know and I will update the blog… thanks).

http://www.filterforge.com/download/

Next Regular Meeting: May 30th, 2010 – 4:00-6:00pm
You never know what you’re missing when you’re not there. We share a few of the images we see on the blog, but certainly not all of them, and not always the best either. Come on out and share you’re pictures with the rest of us! Meet us in the studio at the back of the Video 99 store in Hespeler.

Upcoming Meetings: Put them on your calendar now!
June 27th
July 25th
August 22nd

CPG – March 28th, 2010 – Issue 14

2010-03-28T22:48:00.001-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
Spring is here! And early! We’ve had some wonderful sunny days and some rainy ones too, but one thing is for sure – the warmer weather is hear to stay (it will probably snow now that I’ve said that!) I don’t know about you, but I’m a little more eager to carry my camera around with me now that I know my shutter finger won’t freeze to the button!

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each month, we have a new challenge and an opportunity to share our pictures with each other. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks (because we want you thinking fresh, not digging through your stock of images. We encourage you to take as many as you like (it's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge: Cold
Well, I mentioned a cruel trick, and then got played another one. Our challenge was cold, and no sooner did we announce that, and the weather got a lot warmer! Still, we saw some nice photos from our members.

Is it winter or is it not? In this case, it is not! Brooke Anders shared this image he had manipulated to make look cold. And a very convincing job he has done. You would never know that this is wheat in the heat of summer.

Always great with people – and dogs - Shannon Nicholson brought some great images taken in the snow. Seeing the bundled face and the joy in these eyes let’s you know that snow is not always about shivering. Sometimes it’s a lot of fun too.

Is it fair that Tammy Burden lives so close to a beautiful river? Well, fair or not, this wonderful photo of the old building on the river across the street from her Video store is a wonderful example of cold landscape. Still air and calm water make for a reflective moment.

Our Next Challenge: Easter
Too late for Easter? Well, I know the Blog is being posted after the date (sorry about that), but there’s still time to bring out the eggs, the bunnies, or the more Holy side of Easter and create an image that depicts what Easter means to you. Or maybe you just took some great images over the Easter Holiday and want to share them with the group. Whatever you like, bring your Easter images to the next meeting for us all to see.

Future Challenge Sneak Peak
If you want to start thinking about the challenge following this one (it will come quickly), then get on your sneakers! The next challenge will be about showing speed in your photo. Blurs, streaks, whatever it takes to show your objects in full motion… but don’t take those shots until after the next meeting!

Our Next Shoot Out
We’d love to have you join us for a walk around down town Elora. It looks like it’s going to be a sunny day and the mill and old shops will make for some really great images. You can meet us at the Elora Mews (56 Mill St. West in Elora) at 9:00 on April 10th. If you miss the time, don’t worry, come on out and look for people with cameras – if it’s not one of us, invite them to the next meeting!

Freebie of the Month: Photo to Sketch
Here’s a fun little tool to make quick and easy sketches from your images. There’s nothing fancy about it, but it’s really easy to use and you can get some fun effects – and of course – it’s free!

Download --> Here <--

I also ran across this neat little freebie from Black’s – I don’t know if the date was last December or the coming one, but it might be worth a try! It’s still on the Black’s Website, so hopefully you can still get one!

http://www.blackphoto.com/imgs/data/Coupon.jpg

Next Regular Meeting: April 25th, 2010 - 4:00-6:00pm
You’ll want to be at this meeting! Brooke is going to do a workshop on studio lighting basics. Come and learn some lighting techniques, or share your own tips as we discuss the best way to light for portraiture.
And don’t forget to come with your challenge images on a memory stick to share with the group.
We're still meeting at the usual place: the Video 99 store in Hespeler - come in the front door and meet us out back in Tammy's Studio. See you there! And don’t forget to bring a friend!

Upcoming Meetings:
May 30th.
June 27th.

CPG Newsletter 13 – February 21st, 2010

2010-02-21T16:47:00.024-05:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
Wow! This newsletter marks the end of our first year. There have been lots of changes, a bigger venue (thanks Tammy), lots of great instruction (thanks everyone), and lots of great images.

Shoot-Out
This past month, we had a great “Shoot-out” but our attendance was poor – only Rachel and myself attended the event at the Chicopee ski hill. That’s unfortunate because the day turned out to be beautiful and there were some awesome opportunities for pictures. Hopefully we will have some more great events coming up in the months to come.

Next Shoot Out
That being said, we don’t have a “Shoot-out” planned for this month. We want you to take some time to consider where you would like to go, and if you think you have a great place you would like to take us to, we’d love to have you lead an expedition! Come with your ideas to the next meeting.

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each month, we have a new challenge and an opportunity to share our pictures with each other. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks (because we want you thinking fresh, not digging through your stock of images. We encourage you to take as many as you like (it's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge: Lights in the Darkness

We challenged you to work with your shutter (curtain) or use the night shot mode on your camera, and we got some interesting and creative shots.

This ghostly image was taken by Tammy Burden using a long exposure and a pinlight. (note it has been cropped from the original).

Brooke Anders, created this great image from downtown Hespler. Members commented that the streams of light hide the vintage of the vehicles, giving the image a timelessness. Welcome Brooke and we look forward to seeing more of your work.

Another new member, Derek Marsh, didn’t have a theme picture, but shared some great images, including this striking one from his trip to Disney that we all loved (and I had to share). Great work Derek.

Our Next Challenge:Cold
Well, the warm weather came, the snow was melting away and some of us even thought winter might be over, but it was all just a cruel trick! We got dumped on this week and the snow has returned – and it’s cold! Cold enough for Winter Olympics – at least on this end of the country.

So what better theme for our challenge this month than “Cold” – the challenge is to take an image that depicts cold. Be creative – use colour (usually blues) to give the cold feeling, or depict something that makes us feel the chill as we look at the images. I’m sure Tammy will provide the heater again to warm us up after.

Make us shiver with your images.

Freebie of the Month: GIMP
Wow, I cannot believe that in a whole year I haven’t posted a link for this freebie! It’s a little cumbersome, but it’s a great layered photo editing tool and it’s (you guessed it!) FREE.

http://www.gimp.org/

This GNU licensed program is available for several platforms. It has some great effects and the fact that you can work with layers makes it a great alternative to the ever popular Adobe product!

Next Regular Meeting: March 28th, 2010 - 4:00-6:00pm We want you to come to the next meeting with your ideas and thoughts. Come with ideas for challenges and outings, and if you think you can, bring some suggestions of how you might be able to help the group – bringing goodies, leading an outing, or any other great idea, bring your thoughts along.

We're still meeting at the usual place: the Video 99 store in Hespeler - come in the front door and meet us out back in Tammy's Studio. See you there! Bring a friend and bring your photos on a memory stick or in print so we can all share.

Upcoming Meetings:
April 25th Regular Meeting
– Brooke will lead a workshop on studio lighting basics.
May 30th Regular Meeting

CPG Newsletter 12 - January 17th, 2010

2010-01-17T19:52:00.007-05:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
If you stopped by this blog by accident and live within driving distance of Cambridge in Southern Ontario, please consider joining us. We're a friendly little group of photographers at different levels. We're serious about having fun with our cameras and learning from each other.
Check out the Flickr group page for more images. (And those of you who took images and are part of the group - don't forget to share them on Flickr!)

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each four weeks, we have a new challenge and an opportunity to share our pictures with each other. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks. We encourage you to take as many as you like (it's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge: Christmas Ornaments
All of us love to see the lights and the ornaments at Christmas time. And those of us with Cameras love to take pictures of them, right? Here are some of those shots taken by the group for this challenge:

Tammy had some awesome pictures this month, Including images of silver Christmas balls. Other people also tried taking images of reflective balls, and everyone discovered that it is not an easy task as the photographer usually ends up in the image – but that’s OK. It did spark some lively discussion and sharing of ideas how one could stay out of their own picture. Here, Tammy uses depth of field nicely to draw attention to her subject: the centre ball.

It’s a little difficult to see in a small image, but Shannon took advantage of a star filter to get a little magic in her Christmas postcard pictures, giving the Christmas lights that extra twinkle.

Gary took this shot of the West Montrose Covered Bridge adorned with it’s Christmas Wreath. Of course, such a unique old subject required an “old” treatment with the sepia tone.

Chris took her time to get the exposure just right on this image… she told us she spent the entire time the movie was playing to get it right. Personally I think she was waiting for that perfect moment on “White Christmas” to give the image that extra special quality.
Unfortunately, Rachel’s “ornament” did not survive long after taking her shot. Her cousin devoured it on her as she was busy shooting! Thank goodness he stopped at the shortbread!

Awesome job everyone!

Our Next Challenge: Lights in the Darkness
The challenge this month is to take a picture in the dark... well, sort of. There are different ways to look at this challenge. If you were not with us last February, then you can shoot light streaks with a long shutter speed (Blog: Feb 2009). If you want a greater challenge, then use one of the techniques to capture movement and stop action at the same time.

This can be done a number of ways: using rear curtain flash, but one way we can probably all capture a cool shot in the darkness is to use "slow shutter sync" or shoot with your camera set to "night mode" or "night scene" (have a look in your manual for a description of an icon like this: ) it will give you a long exposure with a quick flash to stop the action. Thanks to Shannon for the suggestion and this link of example images.

As always, be creative! We want to see what you come up with...

Mid-Way Shoot-Out: Chickopee Boarding Hills
Unconfirmed: Snapping the action in the ice and snow, we’re headed for the Chickopee Ski Hills to capture some of the boarders doing their tricks. Join us February 6th at 2:00pm - meet at teh Chalet main entrance. Don't forget to bring along your long lens or find the zoom on your camera, bring a tripod and warm clothes!

Freebie of the Month!
Trying to figure out why your colours come out different in print than your screen? Or when you use one program or another? Well, here's some help. http://www.digitalmastery.com/downloads/pdf/Color_Management.pdf. This 23 page book by Ben Willmore is free to download. Be sure to check out his website http://www.digitalmastery.com/ for lots more info and freebies.

Next Regular Meeting: February 21st, 2009 – 4:00-6:00
We will meet at our new time (4:00pm-6:00pm) at the Video 99 store in Hespeler - come in the front door and meet us out back in Tammy's Studio. See you there! Bring a friend and bring your photos on a memory stick or in print so we can all share.

CPG Newsletter 10 - November 8, 2009

2009-11-08T22:00:00.013-05:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
If you stopped by this blog by accident and live within driving distance of Cambridge in Southern Ontario, please consider joining us. We're a friendly little group of photographers at different levels of skills and interest. We all enjoy photography and the only thing we're serious about is having fun with our cameras and learning from each other. Check out the Flickr group page for some more of our images. (And those of you who took images and are part of the group - don't forget to share them on Flickr!)

My appologies to those in the group for the delay in posting the blog this month... it's been a busy month, what with the new house and all. But we're back - and there's still a little time before the next meeting!

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each four weeks, we have a new challenge and an opportunity to share our pictures with each other. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks. We encourage you to take as many as you like (it's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge: Over Exposure
Our October challenge was to produce an image that was "over exposed". This gave a lot of space for interpretation and some of the images are quite nice.

Tammy created a wonderfully stricking image by exposing for the foreground rather than for the sky, making the sky nicely over exposed and silhouetting her subject very nicely. This was taken at the Elora Gorge.

Brett used over exposure to capture this landscape shooting into the sun, he got an ethereal effect by using over exposure.

Bob braved the early morning fog to capture this image. By using just the right amount of over exposure, he was able to correctly expose the foreground and leave the trees in gradations of silhouette.

Gary took a different path and used the bright light of a window to create a "high key" type effect and blow out his subject to a large extent producing this angelic image... although some might say it was a little more extra terrestreal than angelic - either way, it's out of this world...

Our Next Challenge: A Shot in the Dark
Now that we've mastered over exposure, what do you do when there is little to no light?

Under exposure is probably not a good idea in general. Blacks in a digital image tend to bring out the noise, and trying to manipulate them bring the noise out even more (yes, Bob, shooting in RAW does help a bit ;). But darkness can create a mood that is very ominous and foreboding and can enhance an image and help the viewer to focus on the subject of the image.

This month, we are challenged to create an image using large amounts of darkness. Use the darkness to create a mood. Look at some of the posters of vampires, or study how darkness is used in the Batman series of movies (the "Dark" knight) to see what I mean. The darkness might be used as a background with a lighter subject, or it may be used with a bright light behind a silhouette.

As always, be creative!

Mid-Way Shoot-Out:
Bring your lighting kit to Tammy's Video 99 store in Hespeler on November 29th at 2:00pm, and if you don't have one, don't worry, we'll share. We're going to take some time to shoot each other (with our cameras of course) in studio setups.

Next Regular Meeting: December 6th, 2009 - 6:30-8:30
We will meet as usual between 6:30-8:30pm at the Video 99 store in Hespeler - come in the front door and meet us out back in Tammy's Studio. See you there! Bring a friend and bring your photos on a memory stick or in print so we can all share.

CPG Newsletter 9 - October 18, 2009

2009-10-18T09:44:00.004-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
This month, we welcomed Bob to our group. The discussion was lively as usual, and we all enjoyed the tips that were shared amongst ourselves as we reviewed the images from the previous month. Even as things get much busier in the fall months, we all still find opportunities to pull out our cameras and we love to share the images with each other.

If you stopped by this blog by accident and live within driving distance of Cambridge in Southern Ontario, please consider joining us. Check out the Flickr group page for more images. (And those of you who took images and are part of the group - don't forget to share them on Flickr!)

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each four weeks, we have a new challenge and an opportunity to share our pictures with each other. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks. We encourage you to take as many as you like (it's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge: Stop Action
Inspired by one of Tammy's pictures (See the September Blog), we were challenged to freeze the action. The challenge was to freeze the action so that you could see what was about to happen and anticipate it.

Brett has been hanging out at Calvary Pentecostal Church a lot lately and snapped this shot of one of the kids jumping off the climbing wall. A great example of the "Stop action" shot, it's a little hard to tell if she is suspended there, falling down or going up... but that's the fun of the image. Brett used flash to freeze this action as the exposure was a full 1/60 of a second.

Brett also showed us some images from the grand opening of the church and some shots he had from a model shoot. It was great to hear him share the challenges and highlights of his experience.

Rachel took some time to think about her shot and staged it (honest). This resulting shot is a nightmare for any photographer - that's me tripping on a curb about to smash my 50D on the concrete because I didn't put the strap around my neck! Actually, if I had really fallen, the strap probably wouldn't have saved the camera. On a nice sunny day, Rachel was able to shoot at 1/400th of a second at F/10 using ISO 400. You'll all be happy to know that no cameras were harmed in the making of this image.

Gary took a different tactic and probably strayed from the original challenge a little but had fun exploring a different setup. Using a fishbowl, black cardboard background, good sunlight and a reflector, he was able to take several good images of water splashes and bubbles, freezing the pouring water. This one had a sort of other worldly look to it. Bob made some interesting suggestions about using flash in a studio to accomplish this and I can't wait to give that a try... once I have some space to do it in. (1/512s, F/16, ISO 2500, photoshop enhanced).

Unfortunately Tammy had some technical difficulties with her images and we were unable to view them, but perhaps we will see some of them next month. If you are by the store near Hallowe'en, be sure to ask her about her hallowe'en costume pics. She'll be taking pictures of the kids in costume.

And if you are by Calvary Pentecostal Church for the Harvest Party on October 31st, Gary will be there taking pictures of the kids in costumes as well.

Our Next Challenge: Over Exposure
Also inspired by an image taken by Tammy and shown in the September blog, this month's challenge is to over expose an image. That doesn't sound hard, considering there have been millions of over exposed images over the years, but these days cameras are so smart, to over expose an image, you're going to have to go at least semi-manual and maybe even full manual. So turn off the auto and let's see what you can create.

Now that you're manual, it's relatively easy to over expose an image, but not so easy to make that over exposed image actually work - so challenge yourself to use overexposure to enhance the subject of your image, not just blow it out.

There are many ways to do this. You can explore Solarisation (Sabattier effect), or utilize clipping.

Here is an example of a portrait using overexposure, and here is another of more of a landscape style. Both demonstrate how overexposure can be used to enhance and highlight the subject while washing out detail in the background.

One final note - be careful when you google overexposure - there are some non-family friendly images that may pop up.

Mid-Way Shoot-Out
It was very difficult to come up with a good date this month - things are getting very busy - so the Mid-Way Shoot-Out this month will be done individually. The weather has been very good for shocking the trees this year and making them blush. The colours have come out brilliantly in Southern Ontario. There are plenty of opportunities to take everything from landsacpes full of amber trees, to individual leaves in all kinds of circumstances from floating on water to simply lying in the grass.

Be sure to bring your images with you to the group so that we can all enjoy your exploration of the fall colours.

Freebie of the Month!
Ever want to take your pictures and put them on DVD? Or maybe just a video that you can show on your computer, or in a powerpoint presentation? This month's freebie is a Microsoft tool to help you do just that, quickly and easily. Of course it's still flexible enough for you to express your own creativity.

The tool is Microsoft's PhotoStory (Click the link for the XP version). Just load your images into the tool. You can change the order, change the transitions, add your own music or auto generate music, change the play time for each slide, add text, and even do some basic fixing of the images.

Next Regular Meeting: November 8th, 2009 - 6:30-8:30
We will meet as usual between 6:30-8:30pm at the Video 99 store in Hespeler - come in the front door and meet us out back in Tammy's Studio. See you there! Bring a friend and bring your photos on a memory stick or in print so we can all share.

CPG Newsletter 8 - September 13, 2009

2009-09-13T17:17:00.013-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
Another great month, with lots of activities - not all "official" events, but our members were out with their cameras enjoying the great summer weather and the many events that were happening in the region. Officially, we visited the classic car rally at the A&W in Hespeler, but we were also at the Paris Fall Fair, the airport for the Waterloo Aviation Expo and Airshow. Check out the Flickr group page for more images. (And those of you who took images and are part of the group - don't forget to share them on Flickr!)

This was our second month meeting in Tammy Burden's new studio space at the back of the Video 99 store in Hespeler, we enjoyed the hospitality and space provided. There's lots more room for us there, and we invite you to invite your friends to come and learn and share their images!

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each four weeks, we have a new challenge, and an opportunity to share our pictures with each other. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks. We encourage you to take as many as you like (it's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge
Our last challenge was "Flowers" - taking advantage of the beautiful weather and blooms abounding. Those who went out early enough got some great shots, and those who left it to the last minute (myself included), found the flowers a little wilted from the cold nights and hot days. Still, it's all about the fun and learning, and we all enjoyed each others pictures of the flowers, and of the other events we attended.

Starting off, we were all very amazed with this stunning picture by Rachel. Great composition, good balance of focal length, creativity and the interesting setting using the lock with the small flowers made this a very interesting picture. There were also comments on the fact that the photographer was not in any of the reflections! Great job Rachel.

Tammy chose to over expose her image of a sunflower, giving it added interest. An otherwise relatively "normal" shot of a sunflower became ablaze with light and interest.

Brett demonstrated how changing your perspective on the flower can totally change the image, and make it more appealing. His original shot was flat on the flower. The orange middle parts of the flower became almost invisible, and the petals appeared flat and unattractive. By moving a little lower and looking at the flower side on, the perspective became quite different and the flower "popped".

Gary had some rather ordinary shots of flowers, but shared a tip regarding focus. The idea being to set your focal length, use automatic focus to get a focal point, then gently rocking forward or backwards towards or away from the flower to find the perfect focal point. Often parts of the flower deep down inside are hard to get a focus on, but using this technique allows you to find that focal point more easily.

We were also joined by Chris this week, who brought her images as prints. Unfortunately, we don't have any of them to share on the blog, but we welcome Chris to the group, and look forward to some images in the future.

Our Next Challenge: Stopping the action
Inspired by an image taken by Tammy at the fall fair in Paris, we decided this month to challenge ourselves to take an image that freezes the action. The real challenge is that it must be obvious that there is action taking place, and be able to follow the action, anticipating what will happen, but the action must be frozen in place. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation, so it should be interesting to see what we all come up with.

Here are some other examples from a simple flickr search:

Mid-Way Shoot-Out
This month's (September/October) outing will again be very interesting - and newsworthy! Calvary Pentecostal Church is opening it's doors for a Grand Opening on September 26th from 12:30pm to 4:30pm at which time, the public will have a view of the newly constructed children's areas. Bruce Barry from Wacky World Studios is designing the kids' areas and if all goes well, we are working towards getting our photographers advance admittance to the area to be the first to see and take photos of his work, and the new construction. Stay tuned for more details, but right now, we are aiming at 10:00am at Calvary Pentecostal Church on September 26th.

Freebie of the Month
We mentioned this freebie at the last meeting, but here's the link for all of you. Some of the best photo books for the advanced amature (that's you!) are Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Book series - the third one should be coming out soon. Scott is a photoshop pro, and a fantastic photographer who likes to share his knowledge in a very easy to understand way. There are some chapters of his second book on-line as videos, and you can find them here: http://www.kelbytraining.com/books/digphotogv2/.

Check the videos out if you want some quick tips on photography!

Next Regular Meeting: October 11th, 2009 - 6:30-8:30
Same time, same "Blog" Channel! We will meet as usual between 6:30-8:30pm at the Video 99 store in Hespeler - come in the front door and meet us out back in Tammy's Studio. See you there! Bring a friend and bring your photos on a memory stick or in print.

CPG Newsletter 7 - August 9, 2009

2009-08-09T16:21:00.009-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
This month saw us out on a treck with the world's largest social photographic event in history. Over 900 cities and 32,000 people participated in Scott Kelby's World Wide Photo Walk. Our photo group organized and attended the Cambridge Ontario walk. This awesome event brought out about 15 people to our event, allowed us to meet with some great amature photographers, have a fun and interesting walk around a beautiful part of Cambridge, and take some great pictures. You can see these pictures posted on the World Wide Photo walk site for Cambridge.

This week, we moved out of Gary's basement and into a real "Studio", joining with the CLICK (Camera Lovers in Cambridge and Kitchener) group led by Tammy Burden. We met at her Video 99 store in Hespeler. Future meetings will be held there, and members should note the change in location and dates going forward.

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each four weeks, we have a new challenge, and an opportunity to share our pictures with each otehr. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks. We encourage you to take as many as you like (it's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge
Our last challenge was "Signs" - funny, creative, and interesting signs. It seems there were not too many people that got photos of signs to show this month.

There was a lot of discussion, surrounding Brett's long exposure shot demonstrating speed as the cars flew by the 80km/hr sign on this road. Some thought the car looked a lot like a bullet train! It was very impressive that he was able to get such a long exposure in such bright daylight.

Gary also seemed to follow an unimplied transportation theme with this image. It would also seem that if you are a bicycle, you are authorized to park where cars are not permitted. This shot was taken in the Marineland parking lot in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Unfortunately, Rachel did not get a sign picture, but she did, coincidentally, continue the transportation theme. She showed us several wonderful sunset photos she took at Sauble Beach, including this one of a bicycle silouhette. Great composition!

Tammy got a head start on next month's challenge (though she didn't know she was doing so) as she shared some interesting shots of flowers. She shared how difficult it can be to do this really effectively, as depth of field can be a challenge. Sunlight and lighting in general can also present their own challenges as you try to minimize shadows and highlight detail.

Our Next Challenge: Flowers
This one makes Rachel very happy - her favorite subject! (and Tammy, no cheating now - it has to be taken this month). Not as easy a challenge as you might think either: This month's challenge is to take a great picture of a flower, or flowers. Little ones, big ones, in between ones. Colourful ones, dull ones. Ones from your back yard, or ones from the professional horticulturists. There are so many choices, and now that Summer has finally reached Southern Ontario, we should finally see some blossoms.

Mid-Way Shoot-Out
Our outing for August will be the A&W classic car rally on Thursday night. There will be some gleaming chrome and very proud owners to shoot. We will meet together at the A&W on Hespeler Road to talk with the organizers before moving out to shoot the cars. Be prepared to get some info and make some prints for the drivers of the cars. (Date and Time to be added soon).

Freebie of the Month
Well, perhaps everyone knows about it already, but a Flickr account is a great way to share your images on line, and the basic account is free! So why not sign up for an account and start showing the world your photography? If you're part of the Cambridge Photo Group (or CLICK), you can join the Flickr group and post your images to the group pool - these images are then, in turn, displayed on this blog!

Next Regular Meeting: September 13th, 2009
We will meet as usual between 6:30-8:30pm at the Video 99 store in Hespeler - meet us down back. See you there! Bring a friend and bring your photos on a memory stick, or in print.

CPG Newsletter 6 - July 12, 2009

2009-07-01T13:06:00.014-04:00

THE CAMBRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP

Well, our fireworks outing was interesting, and informative, but not very exciting. We encountered rain until just before the show (luckily it stopped and we didn't have to worry about being soaked or rained out), but then the air became very still. When the fireworks began, the smoke did not blow away, so the fireworks were bursting in the midst of a rather large cloud of smoke. Not very photogenic. Ah well. In the end, there were some good photos - see below.

On the positive side, our numbers grew one more as we welcomed Mark to the group and drooled over his Canon 5D and some of the images he has taken with his prime lenses.

We have also been discussing the location of our group as we grow and may have some news in the near future regarding where we will be holding the group and the frequency. The next meeting is still on schedule and at the same time, however - so stay tuned for that.

The world wide photo walk is coming up - there are over 30,000 people signed up for it world wide, making it the largest social photography event in history! Our own little walk has 15 people signed up and looks to be a good outing.

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each four weeks, we have a new challenge, and an opportunity to share our pictures with each otehr. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks. We encourage you to take as many as you like (it's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge
The last challenge was "fireworks" (as well as our outing). Because of the weather, and timing problems, we only had three shooters out to actually get photos of the fireworks, but we still had some interesting shots.

Brett's image shows a nice burst - captured over one second. You can also see what we meant by the amount of smoke that was present that night. It really obscured our view of the fireworks. Nonetheless, Brett managed to get a nice starburst shot.

As we were all sitting in approximately the same spot, we all had very similar pictures. Brett had a very similar image to this one taken by Gary. Once we figured the smoke was going to obscure the bursts of fireworks, we realized the silouhette of the tree and the reflection of the water gave the composition much more appeal, and started shooting for that instead of the bursts of fireworks, though the smoke did provide some interesting effects at times (See Gary's Flickr).

Rachel did a very respectable job considering the circumstances as well. She was working hard to get the long exposure tripod shots, and had some good ones. This image prompted some interesting discussion about cropping the composition.

Our Next Challenge: Signs
That's it... signs... doesn't seem like much, but when you get thinking about it, it leaves a lot of room for creativity. How do I capture a sign in an interesting way? Remember, although we allow some photo manipulation for colour, focus (blur) and exposure, we're looking for an image pretty much "as shot" - so you're not allowed to create your own sign in photoshop, or doctor one with a new slogan... though creating your own sign is not out of the question.

I don't have any technical links for this challenge, but here's a few tips:
- Remember the sign can be anything - a street sign, a store sign, or even a sign that you make yourself and take a picture, so perhaps it will be a sign that strikes you odd, or perhaps you will create a small sign and place it somewhere unusual.
- Part of a sign, or the whole sign? - Your image does not have to be of the whole sign, maybe just part of the sign in a particular situation will be enough.
- Odd sign, odd place - is the sign somehow incongruant to the place the sign is found? Perhaps you will find a sign that seems out of place.

Mid-Way Shoot-Out
The outing this month is the World Wide Photo Walk... which also might be a great place to take a photo of a sign (just don't let anyone see you taking it, or they may all want that photo of that sign :).

See the world wide photo walk site for details: www.worldwidephotowalk.com/cambridge-on-ca

Oh, and by the way, when you're on the walk, you have the opportunity to enter one or two of your pictures in the contests. There will be one winner from each walk (including ours) and their image will get submitted to the world-wide contest which has some awesome prizes!

Freebie of the Month:
Have you heard of HDR? This unusual mode of photography - High Dynamic Range imaging - is relatively new and directly related to the digital world of photography. For a definition of what HDR is, visit the wikipedia site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging

There is lots of buzz about it. It's not terribly complicated with the right software, and can produce some stunning results. And to help you get started, here is a totally free application you can download to try it out:
http://www.easyhdr.com/download.php#free

It's a little hard to wrap your mind around the software at first - I recommend you read the tutorials - but once you get the workflow, it works very nicely and smoothly.

Next Regular Meeting: August 9th, 2009
6:30-8:30pm - the location may be subject to change this month, so stay tuned, or contact the blogger for details.

PGC Newsletter 5 - June 6, 2009

2009-06-21T17:44:00.014-04:00

THE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP OF CAMBRIDGE
We have two great events we want you to know about this month.

The first is a contest in the Hespeler area that is an opportunity for you to practice and share your talents. There are separate contests for those 18 and over, and 18 and under. Check http://www.hespelervillage.org/ for more information and application forms, or drop into the Hespeler library.

The second is the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk in Cambridge starting at the StoneWorks Outlet Mall in Galt. Whether you're part of the group or not, if you are a photography enthusiast, we would love to see you there. You can sign up here: http://worldwidephotowalk.com/cambridge-on-ca/

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each four weeks, we have a new challenge, and an opportunity to share our pictures with each other. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks. We encourage you to take as many as you like (It's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge
Our last challenge was macro photography. Brett tried out his new Macro lenses, and Gary decided to use the small sensor size of a Sony Point-and-shoot camera to advantage in taking the macro shots, but the clearly best images came from Rachel who impressed us with some really clear images of flowers and a well conceived image of a soccar ball.

Rachel definitely used her creativity in setting up this shot of a soccar ball, getting down to earth and framing the shot with a dandilion and nicely blurred background. Not only did Rachel get a great Macro shot, she did a fantastic job producing a well composed image.

Brett used his macro lenses and discovered that it reduced his depth of field to a very narrow range, but he still managed to get a really clear close-up macro shot of a dandilion - and a very scary image of his eye!

Gary took some interesting images using his point-and-shoot Sony camera, including this one of his cornet. and some nature shots of fungus from a walk in St. Jacobs. He also managed to stump everyone with a macro photo of condensation on a coke glass.

Roy had some trouble with focus getting close up on his subjects, but we all enjoyed some of his shots from a vacation trip to Virginia Beech.

Our New Challenge: The Big Flash
No, not the kind you flip up from the top of your camera --- the kind that goes boom in the sky --- the kind that sparkles and rains fire back to earth --- the kind you see on a night of celebration. We have just such a night coming up on July 1st: A little thing we like to call "Canada Day". On that night, the sky will be lit up with Fireworks.

That's our challenge this month - taking images of the fireworks. See you there, bring a chair and don't forget your tripod.

There are some great tips for taking good fireworks photographs -- and some fantastic example photos -- on the dps website:
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-fireworks
Here is another great set of tips:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Fireworks.aspx
And finally a page with lots more links:
http://reviews.photographyreview.com/blog/fireworks-photography-tips/

Mid-way Shoot-Out
Not only are the fireworks our challenge this month - the outing will also be our Mid-way Shoot-out. And not only is it mid-way between our regular meetings, it will also be at a midway. Meet us at The Dairy Queen on King Street up the road from Riverside Park on July 1st at 8:30pm. From there we can discuss vantage points and find our way back to the park. As twilight comes, the lights of the midway will make some interesting photos, and we'll be there to capture them.

Bring a deck chair and a tripod for the fireworks, and if you like, some snacks - unless you're good with the popcorn and candy floss from the fair. See you there!

Our next regular meeting: July 12th, 2009
Join us July 12th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the usual location (contact the blogger for details).

PGC Newsletter 4 - May 17, 2009

2009-05-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

THE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP OF CAMBRIDGE
Summer is coming, the warm weather is here and the sun is shining. Great picture weather - well, minus the harsh shadows of mid-day sun at least. Still, evenings are warm and the "Golden Hour" stretches much longer for those of us in the northern half of the northern hemisphere. What is the "Golden Hour"? It is that hour, just after sunrise, or just before sunset when the sun's light is softer, redder and lower in the sky, making contrasts more appealing as shaddows strike the sides of objects and show their contours, and hues softer as the colour temperature dips ever closer to the warmer red hues.

In the northern hemisphere, the sun stays closer to the horizon for longer periods of time in the summer, so our "Golden Hour" gets stretched out to almost two hours - of course the opposite is true in the winter when days are short and the sun sets quickly, making the "hour" very short.

So get out and take advantage of the great lighting just before sunset, or get up early in the morning and take advantage of it then. Either way, enjoy the extended shooting time - because, in the end, who wants to go out in the harsh Canadian winters anyway...

4 Week Challenge
Our four week challenge is about encouraging us to reach further and expand our skills and creativity. Each four weeks, we have a new challenge, and an opportunity to share our pictures with each other. The photos have to be new and shot within those four weeks. We encourage you to take as many as you like (It's a digital world) and pick a few of your best, then bring them to our group on a media stick. We will display them and give a quick review for the benefit of all.

The Last Challenge
Our last challenge was about natural light portraits. No flash, only the light around you.

As always, there were some good images to share. Roy was impressed with the way the lighting seemed to remove the freckles from his model's face. The key though was about getting enough light to highlight the contours of the face without either washing out the image or throwing it into total darkness. The way that was accomplished was to use a large white card as a reflector to give some back lighting and lift the shaddows from the face.

Brett managed to change things up significantly as he cropped his image in an unusual and interesting way. He managed to make a very good self-portrait using only the natural light from a window. The image is intreaguing, making you want to look around the corner to see the rest of the image, and subtle as the slightly higher light on the arm tends to draw you back towards his face.

Rachel took a little more traditional approach, as she filled the frame to a larger degree than the rest of us. This tended to make the automatic exposure work better as the overall exposure was more neutral. The lighting from the window highlighted her subject, and a white board helped to fill in the lighting on the darker side of the face.

Finally, Gary's image was also more traditional, with a very technical approach. The image attempted to crop out the natural light source from
a nearby window. A white card was used to gave a subtle lift to the hair line, though admittedly, it could have been a little stronger, and an exposure drop of one stop helped to loose the background and prevent blowout of the subject's face.

Our New Challenge: Macro Photography
Making little things big. Macro photography is about taking pictures of very small objects and blowing them up in the image to make them appear larger than life. Macro photography gives a completely different perspective of our world and the things within it.

So the challenge this time, is to take a picture of something very small. There will be challenges with getting your focal length and depth of field set properly, within millimeters, so take your time and be patient. Here are some great sites to check out for tips and instructions:

http://photo.net/learn/macro/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro_photography
http://photoclub.canadiangeographic.ca/blogs/tutorials/archive/2008/06/20/macro-photography.aspx

and some beautiful examples:

Mid-way Shoot-Out
The first of our Mid-Way Shoot-Out's has been planned. We're going to the Library! Besides the possibility of picking up some great books on photography, we'll be taking some pictures in and around the creative spaces in the Queen Square and Hespler libraries. At Queen's Square, there are lots of architectural features, and at Hespler, the unique glass exterior should make for some interesting images. Thanks to Brett for making the arrangements.

Meet at Queen's Square at 2:00pm. We'll be travelling to Hespler between 3:00 and 3:30pm and finishing up around 4:30. You are welcome to bring tripods.

Freebie of the week
We took some portraits last time... now it's time to clean them up. Use this simple, free utility to make skin look clearer. It doesn't remove all blemishes, but it definitely makes your portraits look cleaner while maintaining the detail of eyes and mouth - and it's relatively fast! Click the image to go to the website.

Enjoy!

Our next meeting: June 14th, 2009
Join us June 14th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the usual location (contact the blogger for details), and don't forget the mid-way shoot-out at the Library. Bring your friends and your cameras.

PGC Newsletter 3 - April 19, 2009

2009-04-19T18:02:00.020-04:00

THE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP OF CAMBRIDGE

Once again our little group had a great time sharing pictures. There was some lively discussion about the last challenge – some of us were a little disappointed at our results, but that is OK because it was still awesome to share what we have taken and get some feedback on the images. Here are some samples:

Roy stuck with the Easter theme, but had some difficulty with the idea of depth of field. His images sparked some great discussion about file size and image resizing, and the need to backup original images before beginning to edit them.

Gary tried to superimpose an in-focus cross over the bright colours of easter eggs to highlight the real reason for Easter. Unfortunately the eggs became too much of an out of focus blur, not distinct enough to communicate the message of the image.

Brett's image had a similar concept, but with an Easter Lilly in the background. The lilly was much more defined, even though it was clearly out of focus. These images (along with others) sparked a discussion about white balance settings and the use of flash or natural (incandescent) lighting.

Rachel was unable to get an Easter themed image, but participated with an interesting doll house image that showed depth of field. Everyone enjoyed this image as it was nicely composed with the subjects placed in good positions and good use of depth of field. It was felt that the image "told a story".

Although not all of the images met the criteria of the challenge, it was fun to see what others had come up with in the four weeks, and there were certainly some very enlightening tips shared.

Mid-way shoot-out
Several possible mid-way (half way between our four week meetings) shoot-outs (outings where we get to take some pictures together) were discussed. Brett and Roy were going to look into gaining permission for some of these ideas. Hopefully more to come...

This 4wk Challenge!
Some time between now and the next meeting, shoot a series of photos based on the 4 week challenge. The photo has to be new and shot in the date range. Take as many as you like (It's a digital world) and pick a few of your best ones. Bring them on a media stick and we will display them on the projector for all to review.

NATURAL LIGHT PORTRAITS
This month's challenge is to take a portrait using only natural light. It can be a self portrait, a portrait of someone you love, or even someone you dislike, the only catch is that you cannot use a flash. The real challenge is to situate your subject in such a way as to use the natural light to highlight facial features in an attractive, or interesting way.

One of the best ways to do this, is to use an open window and situate your subject in front of the window in a way that the natural light strikes only the portions of the face that you wish. If the other side of the subject is too dark, try using a white piece of paper, bristol board or some other form of reflector to reflect some more of that natural light on the other side – but remember: no flash!

And of course some links to check out:
Here are dozens of images from someone else's challenge:
http://www.dpchallenge.com/challenge_results.php?CHALLENGE_ID=712
Some more images using natural light and some photoshop tips:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/hdr_orton_dragan_imagery/discuss/72157612489899870/

Some tips and an example:

http://www.7photographyquestions.com/2008/09/p16-a-natural-light-portrait-with-great-contrasts.html

Freebie of the week:

This week we've got a free lighting kit for you! That's right! For free! And just in time the challenge! God has been kind enough to provide us with free sunshine! All the light you need to take those natural light photographs we've been talking about. The weather's getting nicer, so send our sponsor (God) a quick thank you and get out there and start shooting!!

Our next meeting: May 17^th, 2009

Join us on May 17^th – same time, same place, and bring a friend. The weather's getting nicer and we'd love to get some of these mid-way shoot-outs on the go. Bring your ideas for challenges and for field trips! Contact the blogger for more details.

PGC Newsletter 2 - Mar 24, 2009

2009-03-23T17:30:00.017-04:00

THE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP OF CAMBRIDGE

March’s meeting is now behind us and we grew 33% - yay! We had a look at our “light streaks” images – Rachel had an interesting, creative approach with some fireplace photos, while the rest of us went more traditional. Brett had some awesome images overlooking Hamilton and Gary had some that included ethereal ghost cars.

There was some lively discussion about the images and about some that Roy Scott brought as well, as he tried out his new Canon XSi.

Thanks to Brett for the donuts!

This 4wk Challenge!

Some time between now and the next meeting, shoot a series of photos based on the 4wk challenge. The photo has to be new and shot in that date range. Take as many as you like (it’s a digital world) and pick a few of your best ones. Bring them on a media stick and we will display them on the projector for us to review.

SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD – EASTER!

This 4 week challenge actually has three parts: technical, thematic and stylistic.

The challenge is to take an Easter still life that uses a shallow depth of field to emphasize the subject. Brett spoke up and said he is challenged by still life setups, so here’s his chance to work a little at it! (and yours). Your image might be of the Easter bunny variety, or it could be the more traditional Jesus and the Cross theme, or perhaps you want to go with elements from the crucifixion (whip, dice, nails, etc) or from the resurrection (stone, grave cloths, perfume).

Grab a few objects that relate Easter to you and set them up somewhere for your still life shot. Create some lighting using whatever you have and shoot away, remembering to use depth of field to emphasize the subject of your composition. As always, get creative.

Depth of field is an important concept in photography as it aids creativity, highlights your subject - and can ruin your composition if done incorrectly.

Here are a few good websites with tips and directions to help you with this subject.:

http://www.diyphotography.net/depth_of_field (lots of good examples)

http://www.emmettlollis.com/tutorials/digitalphotography/shallow-depth-of-field.asp (Simple and straight forward)

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm (somewhat Technical)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field (very Technical)

Here are some examples (thumbnails from google image search - click the images to see their origin):

(Note: the last one is not really a still life, but could have been set up as one)

Freebie of the week:

At our meeting, we were discussing “Muslin’s” (Backgrounds) and I mentioned that I had come across a site that showed you how to make your own. Here’s the link for all who are interested – the website also shows you how to make the backdrop stand.

http://www.diyphotography.net/homestudio/chaep-diy-muslin-photography-background

There are plenty of other great diy tips on the web site too!

Our next meeting is April 19th.

Our next regular meeting will be on April 19th. Roy Scott is going to see if we can gain permission to do an in-between shot at a local pub in town. Date is to be determined, but we should be able to announce it at the next meeting.

See you all then!!!

PGC Newsletter 1 - Feb 27, 2009

2009-02-27T17:30:00.002-05:00

THE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP OF CAMBRIDGE
(Name to be determined)

Well, our first meeting was all Scotts, but oh well. It has to start somewhere. We had a chance to sit down and talk photos. Rachel impressed her grandfather by knowing what f/5.6 represented! We looked at some camera gear and what pixel resolution actually meant on screen and in print. A good first start!

We’re still nameless – SWOF (Shutters without focus) SOS (Society of Shutters) CAPS (Cambridge Area Photographic Society) – who knows – so come out and give us your suggestions - help us come up with a name we all like!

Our next meeting is March 22nd.

At this point we don’t have an “in between” photo shoot date or location (which is the plan – meet every two weeks… meet and share, two weeks later a photo shoot and two weeks after that, another meet and share) – that’s ok, it’s in the planning and will happen some time.

But we do have a challenge for you…
here’s how that works…

Some time between now and the next meeting, go out and shoot a series of photos based on the 4wk challenge. The photo has to be new and shot in that date range. Take as many as you like (it’s a digital world) and pick one or two of your best photos to bring with you on a media stick, or e-mail them to me at this address. We will display them on the projector and review them all. We’ll have some discussion about them, and then perhaps vote on the photographer of the week. The photographer’s image will be featured somewhere (to be determined)… Facebook? CrossWorksMedia.com? who knows.

So here’s this 4wk challenge:
SLOW SHUTTER SPEED – TRAILING LIGHTS

Take a photo using a slow shutter speed where lights are passing by or in motion – cars, trains, amusement rides, or even a flashlight. You can use flash if you wish, but the lights have to be in motion and the shutter speed has to be longer than ½ second. Leave the meta data in your image so that we can look at your settings when we review the image. Get creative!

For some tips on slow shutter speed, check some of the following links:

http://www.digital-photography-tips.net/shutter-speed-creative.html
http://digital-photography-school.com/slow-shutter-shoot-out-3-slow-shutter-speed-techniques

Freebee:

And here’s a freebee for club members! Can’t afford Photoshop? Try this free on-line image editing application!

http://www.pixlr.com/

Pretty impressive little application that works much like photoshop!

See you on the 22nd, and don’t forget to pass this along to any would-be members!