In Shades of Gray

I had the somewhat daunting honor to jury the In Shades of Gray exhibition currently in the Kader Room of the Pump House Regional Arts Center.  It is an open media exhibition including two beautiful photographs by WWIG member Jennifer Bucheit.  Here is information from the Pump House website:

November 4, 2010 - December 23, 2010

In Shades of Gray
Kader Room
Reception:  November 6, 2010 5:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.

“In Shades of Gray” explores the use of monochromatic, “black and white” in art. By eliminating the use of color, artists must address the other elements in their work and thus be challenged to look at their process ina new light.

Please check it out when you are in downtown La Crosse.

Roger

WWIG November Meeting ~ Program

Welcome to the November 2010 Meeting of the Western Wisconsin Imaging Group. Here is tonight's program.

SOCIAL HOUR, DESSERT, AND PRINT VIEWING: Thank you Jennifer Bucheit.

PRESENTATIONS: 

• John Zoerb will speak about the benefits of Photo Competitions. After his talk there will be a forum about this complex and sometimes contentious topic. All members are encouraged to participate in the discussion and to express their views candidly. 
• If time permits Byron Annis will briefly present an "invention" which can be helpful to the problem encountered by those using digital SLR camera's who have presbyopia (virtually everyone who is in or past their 40s).

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• There will be no scheduled meeting in December or January. However, alternative activities are being considered and will be briefly discussed tonight. If there is sufficient interest we might offer Photoshop tutorials in December and January.
• I am hoping to arrange for an extended talk by John Gregor of Two Harbors MN who, while not a household name, is an outstanding nature photographer and teacher of both Photography and Digital Imaging.

• The Topic of the Month for February will be the gazebo at Pettibone Park. I know what you're thinking, but sometimes it is necessary to swallow bitter pills. 
• I plan to do some picture taking in bars that feature the kind of music I like, bluegrass, country, biker and the like and I would enjoy having company. If anyone is interested let me know. 
• New members.

ASK THE EXPERT:

• Roger Grant wants advice about printer nozzle clogging.
• Byron Annis has these questions:

Currently I print all of my images on Epson Premium Luster Paper. What are the advantages of using matt paper, especially for B&W images and what specific papers would the experts-- and you know who you are-- recommend? 

Recently I opened the extended Brushes Panel in Photoshop CS5. I had trouble locating the brushes I had wanted to use and, even more vexing, had lots of difficulty returning to the default panel. Can anyone give a brief summary of how to negotiate the brushes panel where there seems to be an almost endless variety of options? 

Are there any aftermarket products available which protect the camera's LCD screen from damage?  

TOPIC OF THE MONTH & OPEN MIKE

 

Image Submissions

My wheedling and grovelling seems to have paid off. Several of you have submitted images. Thanks. I suspect that most of the people who are going to send photos have already done so, but just in case there is anyone reading this who hasn't here is a reminder/request. I previously suggested a format for naming the submissions but it is obvious that using it is not going to be popular. However, at a minimum, please do include YOUR NAME.

I will be posting the program for tonight's meeting in a short while. Thanks for stopping by.
Byron

Message from Bob Hurt

Bob serves on the Sewer Comission for his community which unfortunately meets on Wednesday evenings so he isn't able to attend out meetings for now. He did send some images and invited us to view them at the upcoming meeting and I plan to do so. They're terrific. Bob is still trying give away an Epson large format printer. This could be a very good deal for someone.

    I still have my Epson 7600 printer available (up to 24" wide prints) . As I mentioned before, I'm willing to give it away (free) if I could collect something for the ink and paper supplies. I think I have about $300 in supplies but would take $100. It appears that the motherboard needs to be replaced and "possibly" the network card. The testing we performed did not indicate any problem with the network card, but until the motherboard is replaced, the network card can't be tested. However, the network card is only needed if it is used as a network printer. Otherwise, the printer uses an USB 2 connection directly to the computer. The motherboard cost is $375 and the network card (if needed) is $299. If someone was willing to do the work themselves and didn't need the network card, the total cost could be as low as $375 plus the $100 for the supplies. The printer cost $3000 plus a few hundred for the stand. This is the printer I have used for all my large fine art photographic prints including 85 at Mayo Clinic.    Bob.

Contact Bob directly if you have any interest.

Byron

November 3rd Meeting

Once again, a plea for members to submit digital images or bring prints to share at the meeting. If you can't remember how to e-mail images please see the WWI Blog entry of September 30, 2010 for directions-- it is really very easy and please bear in mind participation and not perfection is the goal. The Topic of the Month, once again, is GESTURE (broadly interpreted).

The new feature for this meeting and for future meetings is Ask the Experts: I can only speak for myself, but every time I pick up a camera, open Photoshop or shop for photo gear I have questions most of which I can't get answered with the resources I have readily available at home and I suspect that others in our group have had similar experiences. There is a wealth of expertise in our group which begs to be utilized, and our monthly meetings may be best forum for seeking advise (limited to photography, of course; try Ann Landers for personal issues).  To make this work well, it is suggested that members who have queries submit them by posting to this blog so that the experts have an opportunity to contemplate their answers before the actual meeting.

To get the ball rolling here are a some of the questions I have:

• Currently I print all of my images on Epson Premium Luster Paper. What are the advantages of using matt paper, especially for B&W images and what specific papers would the experts--  and you know who you are-- recommend?
• Recently I opened the extended Brushes Panel in Photoshop CS5. I had trouble locating the brushes I had wanted to use and, even more vexing, had lots of difficulty returning to the default panel. Can anyone give a brief summary of how to negotiate the brushes panel where there seems to be an almost endless variety of options?
• Are there any aftermarket products available which protect the camera's LCD screen from damage?

This is all for now. More to follow today and tomorrow.
Byron

Interesting Textured Image

Forgotten place
Originally uploaded by Bessula

This lovely image was found on the Flickr in a group that is well worth visiting: In the Memorie's Book. At our November 3rd meeting I will discuss my main source of great Flickr photostreams and groups. Here's a hint: Jamie's photostream.
Byron