Pocket Pro

If you have a DSLR, you probably have a lot of "gear" to go with it. The multitude of lens and accessories give greater creative control over the images you make. But this gear can weigh a lot and take up a fair amount of space. So much so that many people don't lug around their full compliment of gear when on vacation, or traveling around on a daily basis. The result can be many missed photo opportunities. Sony Proposes to solve the weight/size problem with the introduction of a new line of point-and-shoot portable cameras with interchangeable lens.

Sony has announced the NEX series that feature a 14mp sensor and (at introduction) two lens designed specifically for this camera. The top of the line model is the NEX-5 that retails for $700.00 with an 18-55mm lens. In addition to its small size and large LCD screen, it features the ability to take high definition video at broadcast quality (1080/60i). It also features "sweep panorama" that allows a user to create a panorama in camera, and a "live view" for shooting. There will also be a number of accessories available such as an optical view finder and fisheye lens. It is packed with a number of other features that in combination with its size means you don't have to sacrifice creative control to gain portability.

The cost of this camera with it's most useful accessories will put it in direct competition with many advanced pro-sumer cameras offered by Nikon and Cannon. But the addition of very hi-def video, it's size and features make it an attractive alternative to its larger competitors, and also a great second camera for on-the-go.

You can view the product announcement, specifications and features at: www.sonystyle.com under "discover" > "new products" and marvel at how the future of photography is getting smaller.

Something Completely Different

One of the catch phrases of the Monty Python programs was to introduce "Something completely different" so here it is: www.stumbleupon.com/su/2hGQao/moebio.com/loveispatient.

This site features a use of photographs that defy a one word description. It is a little spooky, weird, amazing, wonderful and just plain different. Don't stare at it too long.

North Shore Photo Workshop

Alec Johnson is a local professional photographer and educator who has given presentations at some of our member clubs. Every year he conducts a photo workshop on the North Shore of Lake Superior. This years workshop is scheduled for August 9-12th. Alec has been shooting this area of Minnesota for quite sometime. This workshop takes attendees to some of the very best locations he has found in this area. Examples of Alec's beautiful North Shore imagery include:









To learn more about this workshop, see a video of last year's workshop, or sign up for this workshop visit Alec's website at: http://acjphotoworkshops.com

Red Wing Photo Club update

Red Wing Photo Club is a recent addition to the Camera Council, and only about a year old. They meet at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, which is a well know Art community. This year the Club has been invited to join the Summer Celebration of the Arts, July 10, 12 - 7pm, featuring the work of over 80 local, regional, and national artists and writers. Art sales, musical entertainment, food, cash bar, fun for the entire family! The photo club will have a 20x20 tent to display/sell photography from our members. We are working on having an attraction for the event. It might be a bald eagle from the National Eagle Center in Wabasha pending approval from the Anderson Center, or possibly take photos of visitors next to a "hot" car, or other attraction. The club Activities team is working hard on the possibilities.

As a sidebar, the club is also now offering several classes to the membership. “While we have taught a few of these through Community Education and actually made a few bucks, our goal is to provide solid educational opportunities to those members wanting more from their hobby. “

“Beginning Photography for P&S and SLR (3 hours)- correct posture, getting to know the menus, defining the terms, intro to exposure triangle, camera modes, composition. Intermediate Photography for SLR (3 hours)- exposure triangle, using aperture and shutter speed priority modes, ISO, histograms, exposure compensation, white balance; Advanced Exposure (2 hours) - manual mode, exposure metering, light reflectance and color, Zone metering, histogram analysis, bracketing and blending in PP. And then, Portrait Studio ( 2.5 hours) - lighting lighting lighting, working with models (subjects), composition and poses, equipment usage. “ (Wow!)

Future:
1.5 hour Deep Dive workshops they are working on include:
Advanced camera settings
White balance
Bracketing/blending, file formats
Composition, cropping
Intro to printing
Flash; on and off camera, fill, curtains
Lenses; purposes of different types, prime, zoom, fast, slow

“We have our year planned out for our monthly meetings as well (we meet every month, no shut down for us), including guest speakers, the Tamron Lens Company, picnic and holiday party, etc. All this does not include the weekly Photo Chats at our local Caribou Coffee, photo critiques, schedule of the various classes, photo shoots, photo walks, and the list goes on. We really try to earn the $35 per year for membership. We're over 100 members and continuing to grow. Our goal, however, is not to be big, just great. We continually reinvent our club which helps to keep it fresh, fun, and exciting. We do brainstorming sessions with the general membership making sure we are meeting expectations and moving in the direction the majority wants to see. We have a working Board of 13 Directors, each with a specific task they are responsible for. “ - Jeff , Red Wing Photo Club.

AIR SHOW PHOTOGRAPHY

June and July are air show months in the upper Midwest. The action starts at the Great Minnesota Airshow June 26-27 at the St. Cloud regional airport. There will be a lot of performers highlighted by the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, and expected visits by B-17 and B-24 airplanes. For more information go the their website at: www.greatminnesotaairshow.com.

Then on July 17-18 there are two opportunities to view and photograph airplanes in action. Locally the Wings of the North put on Air Expo 2010 at the Flying Cloud airport in Eden Prairie. This show is scheduled to showcase a wide variety of vintage planes including a B-17, a B-25, a Mustang P-51, an L-39 Albatross and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter among others. To see the complete list of scheduled performers go to: www.airexpo-mn.org or the Wings of the North website at: www.wotn.org.

On this very same weekend (17-18th) the Duluth Airshow will take place. It will feature many modern planes including a Navy F/A-18d and a USMC Harrier. There will be performances by the Canadian Forces Sky Hawks (parachute team), a program by the USAF Thunderbirds, and a recreation of the attack on Pearl Harbor titled "Tora Tora Tora" that according to the shows website will feature a lot of smoke, fire and explosions for your photographic pleasure. The website to learn more about this airshow can be found at: www.duluthairshow.com.

Last but definitely not least is what is billed as the biggest airshow in North America, the Airventure show in lovely Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. This years festivities take place between July 26th and August 1st. It features flying machines of all kinds including experimental aircraft. The program features far to many performer to highlight here. For more information and directions go to: www.airventure.org to view them all.

Now that you know where to see all the airshows this summer, it might help to get a few tips on how to photograph all of the action. So I turned to a airshow veteran John Ringquist who has a website dedicated to flight located at: www.ringquist.com. I've included a few examples of John's amazing work to give you an idea of what is possible to shoot at these shows.









John would like to share the following tips for successful photography at an airshow:

1. Shoot slow shutter speeds (1/125th or less) to capture the propeller in motion rather than stopping the prop.
2. Panning is the best method for capturing moving planes. Remember to be steady and follow through with your pan after the exposure.
3. Shoot fast shutter speeds (1/500 or faster) for the jets and remember to pan.
4. Bring extra batteries and cards. This type of action eats up both when shooting multiple frame-per-second exposures.
5. Go to www.maxair2air.com and John's website to see examples of what type of images to look for when shooting.

My thanks to John for providing us all this valuable information for great action shooting this summer.

The Landing Encampment – Shakopee – weekend: May 29th - 31st

Experience life along the Minnesota River. Meet traders and Civil War soldiers, and observe demonstrations in the encampments. Enjoy an imaginary ride upriver via the moving panorama show. Ride the Percheron horse-drawn trolley and play games. Visit Mr. Robert‚s lunch counter at the depot. Photographic opportunities abound at The Landing (formerly Murphy‚s Landing)!

http://www.threeriversparks.org/events/T/the-landing-encampment.aspx

* Ages 18-64 $5
* 2-17 & seniors $3
* Children under 2 free.

LEARN PHOTOSHOP TECHNIQUES - FOR FREE!

One of the big challenges facing any camera club is dealing with the fact most members come to the club at very different skill levels. There are members who may be professionals together with new members that have little or no knowledge of Photoshop (or other editing programs) and very little experience using their cameras. Each club has to develop its own method of handling this disparity in skills to hopefully create an environment that keeps all of its members active. This challenge generally repeats itself each year as new members are attracted to our clubs.

Camera clubs can deal with this issue through presentations at meetings, photo shoots and tutorial sessions where more experienced members are able to teach less skilled members, and the judging process used at most clubs. But the learning curve is generally steep and there is simply not enough time at a club meeting to continually bring everyone up to speed without risking the loss of experienced members.

Ultimately the issue is one of responsibility. Our clubs accept the responsibility to help new members learn, but these members have the responsibility to learn the skills they need to be active in the club. Or put another way; the club should be a resource for new members to learn the skills they need to actively participate. Since there is not enough time to do this at a club meeting, one way to address the issue is through the use of outside resources.

Which bring us to the title of this post, learning Photoshop for free. Using Photoshop or other software in photography accounts for a large part of the learning curve. There are excellent websites out there that teach Photoshop skills such as the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (photoshopuser.com) and its associated site Kelby Training (kelbytraining.com). But these and other sites generally charge a yearly fee for the privilege of membership. You can access a wealth of learning at www.photoshopessentials.com for free. The tutorials on this site are written by Adobe certified experts. The mission statement of this site says it is written with "beginner Photoshop users in mind, but it contains techniques that go far beyond a basic knowledge of Photoshop.

Check out this site and keep us informed of any sites you think are a great resource for learning photography and related skills.

South 3rd Ave by Marjorie Carr (using Lightroom)

Karen Gallery reception Friday, May 21

The Karen Gallery reception is Friday, May 21 and will feature more than 50 pieces by the OLLI Art Exhibitionist Thursday, May 13 through Wednesday May 26/ Everyone is invited to a reception Friday, May 21 from 4 to 9 pm. OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Inst) artists in the show are: Marjorie Carr, Liz Dodson, Ed Ferlauto, Joanne Look, Carolyn Papke, Judith Riese, Peter Sammond, Karon Gallery is located at 927 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.

2010 Artist & Photographer Days at Como Conservatory

Use the opportunity to bring in easels and tripods before or after hours at the Conservatory. Only $5 per person. Marjorie McNeely Conservatory & Japanese Garden (in season) :

Sunday, May 16 - 8:00 am- 10 am (MMC and JG)

Wednesday, June 30 - 6:30pm - 9:00 pm (MMC and JG)

Wednesday, July 14 - 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm (MMC and JG)

Sunday, October 24 - 8:00 am- 10:00 am

Sunday, December 12 - 8:00 am - 10:00 am

For more information you may call the Customer Service Office during regular business hours at 651-487-8201.

RIKK FLOHR AT RED WING PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB

Rikk Flohr is giving a presentation to the Red Wing Photography Club that features his photography of the Bad Lands National Park in South Dakota. Rikk served as an artist in residence at the park. His presentation will feature the wonderful images he made while there together with background information on shooting locations and stories of his time in that area. The presentation will be given May 17th. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and it is open to the public.

For more information about this presentation you can visit the Red Wing club site at: www.rwphotoclub.org/. To learn more about Rikk's photography, to subscribe to his blog, or learn more about his workshops go to his website www.fleetingglimpsle.com .

ART REVIEW OF MPC LANDSCAPES EXHIBIT

A reminder that the Minneapolis Photography Center's exhibit titled "Landscapes: Unfeigned or Illusory" is still open and will run through June 13th. It is an exhibit of 71 landscape images curated from over 2400 images submitted by 443 photographers from 17 different countries. For directions to the MPC and more information on this exhibit and other events go to: wwww.mplsphotocenter.com.

An art review of the exhibit was recently written up in the Minneapolis Star: www.startribune.com/entertainment/art/92976384.html?page=1&c=y. This review presents a mixed reaction to the exhibit with kudos to two Crosstown Camera Club members who had images in the show.

The review starts by making an obvious point; good landscape photography is more than documenting the image makers location, especially when everyone has a digital camera and can produce good quality results. Its concludes the exhibit is "problematic" and "disappointing" because it presents some images that were deemed little more than tourist shots. In the reviewers opinion about a third of the show was found to be "riveting" by conveying a personal vision of the photographer. Included in this category was the image by John Olson titled "Under the Wabasha Bridge" (featured in the article) and Cynthia Fleury's image "Rustic Beauty on the North Shore". You should read this article, visit the exhibit before it ends and draw your own conclusions. In the meantime, congratulations to both Cynthia and John for their fine work.

You should note the MPC continually sponsors exhibits on various topics. Any photographer can submit images for these exhibit competitions. The next one is titled "Black and White: People, Places and Things". There has been a call for entries, and the submission deadline is July 23, 2010. To get more information about this upcoming exhibit, or to submit images for competition, go to the MPC website under >exhibits and click >call for entries.

SPLIT ROCK TURNS 100

Most Minnesotans serious about photography (and many not so serious) have made the trek to beautiful Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior to shoot their own images of this historic landmark. Now there is one more reason to go back and shoot again. The lighthouse turns 100 years old this year. As part of the celebration the lighthouse beacon will be turned on the first Friday of each month from May through November. It will also be lit on July 31st to commemorate the date of the first lighting, and on November 10th to mark the anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking. The beacon is lit for one hour on each of these occasions, and each lighting is accompanied by a planned program of events.

You can view the calendar of events and make reservations and prepayment for attendance by visiting the Minnesota Historical Society website at: http://events.mnhs.org/calendar/index.cfm?VenueID=8&bhcp=1.

There also is a well written article that recounts the history of the lighthouse and contains links to other interesting sites related to the lighthouse in the ABC newspapers at: http://abcnewspapers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10213&itemid=93

Preserving a Lifetime of Work - the Folio

DPS (Digital Photographic Society) is exploring printed presentations this year (we try and have a specific project each year as part of our skill development). Specifically, it involves a project that will be shared by members at our September meeting, using the concept of the Folio. What’s a Folio? The Folio is a print photo presentation that is midway between a book and the single image. It includes a printed page or printed PDF that explains the photo project, with an Index, and a series of printed images that includes a title and signature (how many images are included is the choice of the artist). All is enclosed within a special ‘envelope’, or folio cover. Collections of single images in a folio allow the option of being framed by the buyer/owner of the Folio or kept in its Folio envelope and stored or kept on a coffee table or a bookshelf.

The Folio is an old concept for bringing together a collection of items – it’s often used in literature, but recently developed by Brooks Jensen of Lenswork Magazine (www.lenswork.com) for the photographic image. A number of other photo artists have folios being sold through the Lenswork site. And Alain Briot of Beautiful-Landscape is using the concept as part of his Print of the Month Collection. He calls it ‘The White Sands Fine Art Folio. Brooks Jensen of Lenswork is offering a DVD for workshop on exactly how he developed his process and how to replicate a Folio that fits your project. You might find it helpful.

The images meant for a folio should have something in common – a concept theme, colors, or a specific subject, a story, anything that makes sense to the viewer/reader. This might seem like a lot of work, but it can be a solution for handling a lifetime of work that is sitting in closets, in computers or in slide boxes. I have seen many families give away, or even throw away, years of work after a loved one dies – mostly because there is so much of it and they really don’t know what to do with it. The folio, however, or even a book, could be an ideal method of preservation. It is easier for a family to look at, to enjoy, and to pass on, images that are put in a format in which they can relate. The key is - if you want your work to survive you, only you can make that happen; and now is the time.

PHOTOGRAPHY CHANNEL

I found an interesting website the other day I wanted to share with everyone. It is interesting to me because at the last meeting of the Crosstown Camera Club we held a brief discussion about the new DSLR cameras that are capable of taking HD video. The discussion concerned whether camera clubs will at some point in the future have to incorporate video clips in addition to still images into their agendas.

I think it is fair to state that most camera club members are not yet willing to embrace video in a club founded on producing and judging still images. Traditionally the two mediums have been viewed as separate and apart from each other. But I think most people recognize that if a picture is worth a thousand words, then video is the ultimate storytelling medium. And the new cameras capabilities make both possible to the artist.

Many prominent photographers have already made the leap producing video clips of their work that include their own narrative of how and why they took the image(s) they made. The interesting point of many of the videos is that the successful ones not only tell a good story, but incorporate good photography as well. Still photography is alive and well in the video world as the new cameras bring these two mediums closer together.

The website I mention is located at www.photographychannel.tv/ It features videos by many famous artists including Steve McCurry of National Geographic fame, Loren Greenfield producer of the project "Girl Culture" and many others. The site is a photography site and yet it is comprised of videos stories that various photographers have told with their images.

Take a look at these photography/video stories and decide for yourself if video has a future in a camera club setting.

EXHIBIT - LOVE NEVER DIES

An international group exhibit titled "Love Never Dies" opens May 20th at two Minneapolis galleries. The exhibit explores the themes of marriage, family, relationships, aging and generational change in LGBTQ communities. It consists of art work in a variety of media including photography, collage, film/video, printmaking and sculpture.

The exhibit is scheduled to open at both the Form + Content Gallery located at 210 North 2nd Street, and at the Traffic Zone Gallery located at 250 3rd Avenue North. The opening reception will be held June 5th from 7 - 10 pm at both galleries.

For more information go to: www.trafficzoneart.com