Topic of the Month for February Meeting

From Geocaching.com. Photo not credited.

The Topic of the Month for the February meeting is the gazebo at Pettibone Park. I find myself wondering why this undeniably attactive-- and very popular-- architectural artifact was selected and I am tempted to complain about the choice except that if I do, I'd just be talking to myself. Actually, I think that this is a good choice in that it presents a very distinct and not uncommonly encountered challenge for photographers: how does one make an interesting image of something that has been the subject a gazillian photographs and is, for all intents and purposes, a dreadfully overdone cliche. What is being asked is whether some creativity can be applied to photographing the gazebo, to bring some new insight into making a visual representation of what is an all to familiar but nonetheless compelling subject.

I visited Pettibone Park last evening at sunset, thinking that the gazebo would be particularly photogenic with all of the fresh snow cover and warm light. There was moderately good light on the river and the buildings on the La Crosse side but the gazebo was densely shaded. Wanting to be a virtuous member of the WWIG who will go to any length to "get the shot", I got up at 5:30 this morning so that I would have plenty of time to get to Pettibone well before sunrise. When I opened the front door to let the dog out and was smacked by a blast of subzero air-- 13.2 degrees below zero, in fact-- I realized that my dedication to the Topic of the Month has distinct limitations. Well... another time perhaps.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what members of our group do with this difficult challenge.
Byron

Upcoming WWIG Activities

It is hoped that you all remember that the WWIG is in hibernation during the holiday season. There was no meeting in December and there won't be one in January. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday February 3, 2011. I am going to be doing quite a bit of travelling during 2011 and will almost certainly be gone on more than one meeting day (the 1st Wednesday of each month, excluding December and January). I hope that other members will volunteer to host meetings in my absence. If that doesn't happen, we will simply meet when we can and try to make the less frequent meetings more intense and exciting to compensate.

At the last meeting I proposed that during our 2 month holiday hiatus I could  give a couple of tutorials on digital techniques if any members have an interest in doing so. Jim Taylor kindly offered to co-host the sessions. I suggested that the topics could be selected by those attending, as long as Jim or I know enough about them to do a credible job. Roger Grant recommended that I go over some of the Photoshop plugins that I have been using (you have seen some of the results at recent meetings) and I would be pleased to do so. If any of you are interested please call or e-mail me (788-1812; bannis4@centurytel.net). I'll get back to you to discuss time and topics.

More tomorrow.
Byron

The WWIG Blog Is Up and Running Again

Maestro... a drum roll please! After several weeks of silence The WWIG Blog has resumed (for a while).

Let's just get right to it. The  items are going to be more or less random this evening but I plan to do more posting over the next several days and hope that by the time I'm done just about everything that needs to be covered will be in this and the next several posts.

First and foremost, Janet Rosseter's absolutely fantastic photograph is going to be used for The WWIG Blog masthead until our next meeting. If the canoes were the color of mud, this would be and excellent image; but because of the color the photo is something truly special. The fog, the reflection, the barely perceptible trees on the right, that there are 2 canoes rather than 1, and the yellow buoy all add to what make this a perfect image.

Here is another example of something similar. On the Lake Superior Circle Tour our group spent a good deal of time at a secluded and very photogenic beach at sunrise. The beach was adjacent to a cluster of dwellings and community buildings belonging to a small band of Canadian Indians and they have put a table in a very good viewing spot. Most of us ignored the table and photographed the sunrise, waves, and a small island which seemed to be the appropriate subject. A couple of members of our group, however, realized that the bright and unusually colored table had the potential for turning this fairly mundane scene into an unexpectedly interesting photograph.



Michael Jordan, Duluth MN



Carol Madison, Minneapolis MN

Byron