Thanks for stopping by the Cambridge Photo Group Page.

If you live close to Cambridge in Southern Ontario, Canada, we'd love to see you at a meeting. We're a friendly group of photographers of varying skills, serious about having fun and learning from each other.

Click the Play button to see some of our photos posted to our Flickr Group page. (Click the expand button to view fill screen)

Don't forget, if you are a member of the photo group, post your pictures to the group pool and see them posted here!

October 24th, 2010 – Issue 21

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.

img9_sm_thumbSo, 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.

img2_sm_thumbDavid 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.

img3_sm_thumbGary 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.

Image Credit: Ruby ParharRuby 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!Image Credit: Gary Scott

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.

untitled-1181Tammy 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
Virtual StudioThanks 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

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