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!
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: 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
