Meeting Monday March 1st

The meeting on Monday is going to be excellent, I believe. Roger Grant will be speaking and several members have said that they will be bringing images for discussion. It is very hard to predict what folks will be showing in response to the 'Topic Challenge", but if our experience last year when we did something similar with oranges is a guide, it should be fun and informative, as well as stimulating interesting discussion.

Two years ago I did a workshop in Santa Fe with Jay Maisel and the experience was transformative. His workshops no matter where and when are always entitled Color, Light and Gesture. I remembered that he is masterful in the use of color accents and also huge swaths of very intense but natually saturated colors. I have one of his books and scanned a couple of images to show how Jay uses the color red:

 

I'd be interested in knowing if you think that these images support the point I'm trying to make.

Byron

Homage?

I visit  The Online Photographer every day or so and it is a frequent source of good information and, more important, intelligent discussion of a very broad array of issues pertainin to Photography. On February 21st there was a very thought provoking discussion about the practice of ripping off someone elses shots. This is a very vexing condundrum and I really don't know the answer as to whether or not this crossing the line of photographic ethical behavior. I have copied the opening portion of the blog entry, but suggest that you read the whole thing. Here is the link: http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2010/02/the-case-of-the-copycat-photographer.html

The Case of the Copycat Photographer

'Teach a man to fish...': PDN (Photo District News) has documented in two articles the curious case of Canadian photo-plagiarist David Burdeny, who has evidently decided to forge a career as an art photographer by, well, by doing exactly what a couple of other art photographers (Sze Tsung Leong and Elger Esser) have done...only a little differently. Not much differently, either.

Sze Tsung Leong, 2007

David Burdeny, 2009.

Coincidence? You might well think so, until you see...all the others.

Roger Grant to Speak at March 1st WWIG meeting

NEWS FLASH!!

Roger Grant has agreed to speak at our next meeting. I told him that he was free to select any topic that he wishes but did remind him that there has been interest expressed in hearing his presentation about Panoramic Photography.

Photo of the day: Again the theme is The Color Red

This photo was taken by George Bower MD, a retired Pathologist who lives in Detroit and spends part of the year in rural Colorado. He is 86 years old and I understand that he takes his pictures with a fairly simple fixed lens camera mostly from his car. His photos very much appeal to me on many levels. He is documenting the truely horrible devestation that is 21st century Detroit. I have never met George but feel privledged to be on his e-mail distribution. I get a dozen or so images from him every day. If you would like to see more, let me know.

Byron 

HDR at the La Crosse Camera Club

You genial host-- that would be me-- is scheduled to give a 45 minute presentation at the next meeting of the La Crosse Camera Club on Tuesday February 23rd. at 7:00pm. The LCCC now meets at the new Environmental Center Building at Myrick Park.

As you may recall, I did this presentation at one of our early meetings but it was attenuated because of technical problems (which is a nice way of saying that I didn't know how to properly use my newly acquired digital projector). I am using the same Power Point as a basis but I have  changed the emphasis somewhat because my attitude toward HDR has evolved considerably. I think that you may find the updated presentation interesting.

Don't worry about not being a member. No one will bother you!

The week before last Scott Kelby blogged about HDR and his entry elicited a hornet's nest of comments which covered the entire spectrum from infatuation to hatred. Reading these comments is entertaining and they led me to do a good deal of contemplation about this very interesting digital imaging issue and, if one wants to stretch, about the nature of photography and even art itself. Check it out here: http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/8491

Regards,
Byron

Red image of the day. This is one that I took for the topic presentation at our next meeting:

THE COLOR RED

At each of our meetings a topic will be chosen and members are asked to bring an image to share with the group that represents their vision of the assigned topic. The purpose of this excercise is to demonstrate the diversity of how photographers conceptualize and to stimulate discussion. This is not to be considered a competition.

Future topics will be chosen by asking those attending meetings to write suggestions on slips of paper and a drawing will be held to make the final choice.

For the first tme (the March 1st meeting) I chose this topic: THE COLOR RED. The image can be a print or digital format for projection.

I will be posting images that I think exemplify what we are trying to encourage you to consider, but please use your imagination and not be constrained by my selections or, for that matter, conventional wisdom.
Regards,
Byron

This image was scanned from the current issue of COLOR, a fantastic new magazine. It was an award winner called Red Waves by Heather Siple  of Wilmington DE.

This is a book cover-- an absolutely terrific book, by the way.

WWIG March Meeting

The next meeting of the Western Wisconsin Imaging Group will take place on Monday, March 1, 2009 at 6:30pm at my home (N2207 Pammel Pass W. in Bridal Coulee). 

• Speaker and topic to be announced (here)
• Topic The Color Red (see next post)
• Please bring prints and digital images for group discussion.
• Please bring gear or digital techniques for 'show and tell'.

Regards,
Byron

WWIG Update

Here are some of the items concerning meeting format that we discussed on February 1st..

• 
  
  Whether the meetings should be held on Monday or Wednesday. Members present were ambivalent and everyone agreed that no matter which day we choose there will be conflicts for some members. For now we will continue to hold the meetings on the first Monday of each month.
• 
  
  Meetings will start at 6:30pm. From 6:30 to 7:00 we will have an opportunity to take a long look at any prints that members bring and to socialize. Susann Annis will be providing coffee and dessert but ,unfortunately, she will be out of town for some of our meetings and I will try to fill in for her.
• 
  
  The serious part of the meeting will start at 7:00pm. At each there will be a formal presentation by one of the members about virtually any topic relating to photography. Participation by members is crucial to the viability of our group and I am not going to shy about asking members  to present and I intend to invite guests speakers as well. As an aside, let me acknowledge that making presentation to your peers can be daunting, and, for some, really intimidating. Yet there is much to be gained when one does a presentation. Remember you are among friends! And you are doing something very worthwhile when you teach to others somethng you know about. Finally, I know of no better way to master a subject that to go through the process of preparing a formal talk about it.
• 
  
  We will also review and discuss prints, digital images, gear or anything else that members bring for the group's consideration. We hope that there will be lively interchange about the images but, as before, formal judging will not be done.
• 
  
  The meetings will adjourn at 8:30. The Webinars I proposed in prior e-mails are a non-starter. 
• 
  
  At each meeting we will select a topic and ask all members to bring an image about that topic. You may recall that  we did this last year when members were each given an orange and asked to photograph it. It was remarkable how many different and interesting images were brought to the next meeting. The topics will be selected by a drawing of the suggestions made by those attending the meeting. See the next blog entry for the topic assigned for the March meeting.
• 
  
  We are going to try to set up an informal equipment exchange using both the meetings and this blog.
• As before, no rules, no dues, and no business meetings. There was some discussion of how the group might display prints publicly. I wouldn't like to see this become a major group preoccupation, but hope that it can be persued. This blog presents an opportunity to post images on the Internet and if someone would like to set  up a group Web Gallery, I sure that we'de all be very appreciative. Any volunteers?
• There is interest in photo field trips. More about this later. I am going to be have a "yurt warming" at my land in Crawford County and, although it isn't the most photogenic place you've ever been, there will be good food, music and some photo ops. This is the yurt.
  
  

Update of Blog

I've done some minor updating of the blog. Although you don't see much of a change, the dialog used for posting has been upgraded and the changes make it even easier to post and especially insert images. I also added several links to the list on the right, including links to our own Jamie Heiden's and Theresa Smerud's  websites. (Does anyone else have a website? Please let me know if you do). Another new referral is to the unfortunately named but exceptional good Light Stalking Photographic Blog. Moose Peterson's blog is a regular source of excellent images and photo advice, especially for those interested in wildlife photography.
Regards,
Byron

We're Back!

Long time no see,everyone. After an 81 day break the Western Wisconsin Imaging Group's informational blog is back on the air-- or in cyberspace or whatever.


As I told you in e-mails that were sent out prior to the meeting we had on February 1st, it was only after considerable contemplation and consultation with most of our members was the decision made to resume our group's meetings for another year, although with several changes in the format.

One of the things that I am going to change is how I communicate with the membership. I will send out just one e-mail prior to each meeting to confirm the date, time and location of the upcoming meeting and ask that interested members link to this blog for additional information. I'll do my part by posting here frequently and I am imploring you to visit and, more important, to post and comment as well. You don't know how? Well, it's less than straightforward but once you have the directions, you will find the process to be simple. I wrote up the directions last year and will be happy to send you a copy by e-mail or even a print-out by conventional mail-- all you need to do is ask (my e-mail is: bannis4@centurytel.net)

Return here often for lot's more news!

Regards, Byron