Printer For Sale-- Very Good Deal

Epson Stylus Pro R 2400

On offer: An Epson Stylus Pro R2400 Inkjet Printer. Priced for fast results! Best offer over $99. This printer is working flawlessly. I will throw in a roll (unused) of 13 inch Epson Premium Luster Paper. This was my primary printer for a couple of years but has been idle since I purchased an Epson Stylus 3800-- only in order to make larger (17x22 inch) prints. I'd be happy to arrange an inspection and demo. If interested call me at 788-1812.
Byron

New Photo on the Masthead

The image you see in the masthead was submitted for the November Topic of the Month (photos about fall) by WWIG stalwart Larry Lindesmith. One of the aspects that really appeals to me is that this photo is an excellent depiction of one of the foundational principles that guided me during my intense gardening days, namely to arrange landscape and hardscape so as to interrelate color, texture, scale and shape. Another of Larry's submissions is also very appealing to me, primarily because of the wonder quality of the light.

I've returned from my very excellent phototour in Cuba having had a thought provoking and photographically rewarding experience. I will be posting some of the images on my personal blog, Seeing America One Back Road at a Time.

Byron

Ansel Adams exhibition in Chicago area

If anyone will be traveling to the Chicago area in the next month, you may want to check out the exhibit at the Wauconda museum displaying work by Ansel Adams.

Here is a link to the article from the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-1201-museums-ansel-adams-20111201,0,4699048.story

Phyllis Olson

To Cuba on Tuesday

I doubt that I will be blogging during my trip. Back on December 9th. All good wishes,
Byron

PS: There were many outstanding images submitted for our November meeting.   I will be using them in the header over the next few months. The one placed today is from Marti Sullivan. Thanks to everyone who has participated.

Happy Thanksgiving... a day late

I spent quite a lot of time on the Internet searching for a photo that says something about Thanksgiving that isn't maudlin or hackneyed. I saw hundreds of images of food, people at table-- every last one looking deleriously happy, lots of turkeys-- both in their natural state (ie. alive) or cooked, but nothing that I found the least bit interesting or meaningful. There were 2 paintings scattered among the images, this one by an artist named Farley, and another by I can't remember who.

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday for our family, just not one that has any particular profound meaning. I don't want to seem cynical, but the commericial aspects and the forced and phony sentimentality do annoy me.

About the images I posted last week: The first is part of a series taken at the Los Angeles Airport by a renowned "street photographer" Gary Winogrand. The photo was seen in a NY Times slide show about the wonderful Arts scene in LA-- this image was used to hype the permanent photo collection at the Getty Museum. Hmm... I thought,  I bet that if it is the the Getty's permanent collection it must be very valuable and although I didn't see a dollar value when, on the Internet, it is obviously a well known and highly regarded picture. I certainly have no idea why. To my untutored eye it is a not very well composed snapshot and it really doesn't say anything about the Los Angeles Airport that I'd like to know. I suspect that there are plenty of similar pictures taken by regular folks with the Kodak Hawkeye cameras that were predominant during the 1950s.

The 2nd image is Rhine II by Andreas Gursky. It has the distinction of selling at auction for the highest amount ever paid for a photograph: $4,338,500! This image is from a video made by Gursky admirer (sycophant) and was made at the site where the 4+million dollar photo was taken. Gursky mentioned that he did a bit of cleanup with Photoshop.

Finally I want to thank Phyllis and Jamie for commenting. I really do appreciate knowing that this blog  is being read.
Byron

Images For Contemplation and Discussion

I had planned to post images that I find captivation this month, but decided to take a break when this last weekend I came across these 2. They, each in their own way, are very thought provoking and I hope that members of our group will find them interesting and be willing to comment about them. Today, I'll simply post the images but tomorrow I will make my comments about them. Please do respond by posting or commenting on the blog.

More tomorrow, including complete attribution. In the meantime, I'm eager to see what you think.

Byron

Web Gallery

At our recent meeting I did mention that my web gallery is more or less done and gave a shout out to Ben Stern who helped convert what was for quite some time an embarrassing mess into something I am quite proud of.  I am doing some shameless self-promotion here and formally inviting you to visit. It is still a work in progress but all of the important elements are finished. I will be adding more slide show presentations and plan to add a large number of photos to the family snapshot gallery but will make it available only to family members (as soon as I learn how).

If you do visit,  any feedback you care to share will be appreciated-- especially suggestions about what can be improved. 
Byron

NEW PASSWORD

I purchased an iPhone yesterday and am in the process of setting it up. In doing so I accidentally screwed up the password setting for this website/blog. Unfortunately Mr. Google wouldn't let me re-enter the password that we have always used. I whined and begged and tried a couple of workarounds but he wouldn't relent, so I had to assign a new one. The process of accessing the blog is unchanged and the change in the sign in process involves only the password. So that we are all on the same page I'll repeat the relevant information here.

The URL remains unchanged: http://westernwisconsinimaginggroup.blogspot.com  To read the blog, look at the posted images, access the archives and link to the listed websites all you have to do is enter this address into your browser. It is suggested that you bookmark it so that one click will get you in.

To post entries or comments you do have to sign in. Just click "Sign In" in the upper right hand corner of the blog page and on the right side of the page you will see boxes for e-mail address and password.

E-MAIL

wwig01@gmail.com 

PASSWORD

wwig1111

The only change that has been made is in the 4 digits of the password-- from wwig1234 to wwig1111.

I regret that this occurred and hope that this post will clarify the situation. Please call or e-mail me if you encounter problems using the blog.
Byron



Image for Saturday November 12th

Recently I've been looking at paintings once again, but haven't made any progress in understanding-- or liking--  most Modern Art. Cubism has always been way beyond my comprehension. Here, once again from Demitri Daniloff, is what one could call an example of Photo-Cubism which, while elusive in meaning, is nonetheless a very impressive work in terms of digital artistry.

Byron

A Portrait Artist to share

The photographers name is Jaqueline Roberts and can be found here.  I grabbed a photo off the internet just to entice you to visit her page. I think she's wonderful!  -Jamie Heiden

Future Fantasy From "After Capture" Magazine

I recently subscribed to After Capture Magazine. It's not a great publication what  I like best about it is that the subscription is free. In the most recent issue there was a fascinating article about a French photographer (more accurately, a digital photographic artist?) Demitri Daniloff, which was copiously illustrated with his remarkable images. I'll post some of these during the remainder of this month. Incidentally, I don't think that I'm violating any intellectual property rules because his images are freely available for download when one Googles his image pages.

Byron

Images That I Find Compelling

During the week or so before our meeting on November 2nd I repeatedly encountered images that I found very compelling and decided to save them to show at the meeting. Those of you who attended know how intense it was to hear Julio Bird's presentation and by the time we had done that and the Topic of the Month photos, I felt that it was time to end the meeting. Showing another series of images would have been anticlimactic. Because it is going to be a rather long time until the next meeting I've decided to post these images and any others I encounter here on the blog. Any comments you have about my selections will be welcomed and you are all invited to post any images that you feel would be of interest to the group.

Jamie Heiden post a truly exceptional image on Flickr yesterday. It can't be copied and posted here but you can easily access it by clicking here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamieheiden/

Susann and I attended the opening of Roger Grant's gallery showing at the Pump House last Friday evening. Many members of our group were there. It will continue to be hung until the end of the month and is a show that you shouldn't miss. The metal prints from Bay Photo are spectacular. Much of this exhibit will be new to our members.

Finally, today's image  was found via an article published recently in the Wall Street Journal: Seeing Double: A Photography Power Couple. The  photographer is Hendrik Kersten:  "Hendrik Kerstens is an autodidact who decided in 1995 to dedicate himself entirely to photography.He is well-known for his documentation of the important moments in his daughter Paula’s life, which earned him a Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize in 2008 from the National Portrait Gallery London.His portraits refer to the Dutch masters and the those of the Italian Renaissance

Check out the link for more biographical information and a sampling of more of his remarkable work.
Byron

."

Another Photo of the Day for Melissa

Melissa Anderson is on a roll! She has once again had an image selected as  Photo of the Day which you can see at The Digital Image Cafe. When I get an email announcing the selection of one of her photos I generally reply. I'm running out of superlatives.  Congratulations Melissa!
Byron

Roger Grant Photographs at The Pump House

I am one of three artists currently featured at the Pump House Regional Arts Center.  The official opening is Friday, November 4, from 5-7.  Please come if you can.  The exhibit will hang through December 22. For more information, here is a link to the Pump House web page: http://www.thepumphouse.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=268:new-exhibits&catid=74:featured&Itemid=106

Program Notes: November Meeting WWIG

SOCIAL HOUR AND PRINT VIEWING--
Susann is back and has prepared coffee and desserts. If you plan to bring prints please place them for display and viewing during the Social Hour.

PRESENTATIONS--
Julio Bird will discuss mountaineering at the highest level. Discussion about the challenges of photography under the difficult conditions encountered will follow. Julio has will also make some comments about another of his interests, Astrophotography, mostly about the gear required.

ASK THE EXPERTS--

• nada
• How does one use an image to tell an interesting story when the image itself isn't any good.

THE DIGITAL CHALLENGE--

• None this month.
• Byron treads a well worn path and again addresses the issue of HDR (almost certainly for the last time) 

SHOW AND TELL--

• Nothing submitted
• News you can use: Nikon's got problems but perfomance is disappointing!

• Byron's web gallery with shout out to Ben Stern (http://www.byronannis.com)
• How to display at full screen
• Some great images from the Internet 

ANNOUNCEMENTS--

• Next meeting will be on March 7, 2012 (tentatively). 

OPEN MIKE--

• Zilch

TOPIC OF THE MONTH-- FALL
Byron

New Header

The wonderful image in the new header was taken by my friend Melissa Anderson, a really talented photographer. Melissa belongs to an interesting website The Digital Image Cafe. Members submit photos which compete for Image of the Day, Image of the Month and Image of the Year in various categories. I receive an email and link when one of her photos has been selected as an Image of the Day. I was so impressed with this one, I called and asked Melissa if we could use it on our blog. She mentioned that this was a panorama taken during a recent visit to Banff and I believe that HDR was used as well.

Take a look at the Digital Image Cafe website. You might be interested in joining, and, if not, you will get to see loads for great photos.
Byron

Topic of the Month

I happen to have been sitting at my computer this morning which is by an east facing window and I noticed that it is, right now, a stunning fall day. The late morning light is still good, dew is sparking on the grass, and, because the angle of the sun is decreasing, shadows are longer and more interesting. This bucolic scene reminded me that in my prior post I didn't mention the Topic of the Day which for November is Fall. There should be some terrific photo-ops.
Byron

WWIG Meeting November 2, 2011

There will be a meeting of the Western Wisconsin Imaging Group on Wednesday  November 2, 2011 at our home (N2207 Pammel Pass W. in Bridal Coulee/ 788-1812) at  6:30pm. The good news is that Susann Annis is back and will be providing refreshments for the Social Hour, and this time there is no bad news (at least none that I can think of at the moment). Since this is going to be our last meeting for a while-- remember that we don't meet in December and January-- I have been doing my utmost to make it the best one ever.

Please submit images by e-mail or bring prints to share with the group.  Questions for the Ask the Experts segment will be appreciated-- if you can, please submit your questions by email prior to the meeting.  The success of these meetings really depends on active member participation.

Finally, it has occurred to me that some of you may only take photos or do post-processing sporadically-- which is my pattern-- and not have anything you care to share at every meeting. But I suspect that all of you do look at images in a serious and critical way all of the time. Please consider saving any images that you find exemplary or, for some other reason, worthy of discussion and share them with the group-- again, please submit by email in advance.

Susann and I are looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday November 2nd.
Byron

No Digital Challenge for November 2nd

Because he has been busy preparing for his gallery showing, Roger Grant asked me to select an image for the November meeting. "No problema" I responded. At this time I am sorry to have to admit that it has been "big problema". I initially planned to go through the picture files on my hard drive (685 gigabytes and still growing) to find a boring image-- and I have lots of them-- that can be made into something interesting by digital manipulation. To my surprise I found the cupboard to be bare! Sure, there were some that could be improved, lots in fact; but not any that could be made interesting or that would be fun to work on-- and that is the real point of the exercise. So, it was decided that it would be best to just give it a rest this month.

Anyone eager to display their digital skills is cordially invited to bring images that he or she has worked on to the meeting to show to the group and, even better, describe the techniques used.
Byron

WWIG November 2nd Meeting: Special Guest

I am very pleased to be able to announce that we will have a very special guest speaker at our upcoming meeting on Wednesday November 2nd. Julio Bird who, as you probably know, has made the ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, will give a presentation about his mountaineering experiences and discuss the photographic challenges he has encountered. Julio is interested in astrophotography as well and will also describe technical issues, gear, and difficulties encountered.

My impressions about astrophotography is that you can get spectacular images if you have a Hubble telescope, but for the rest of us, it is exceedingly problematic-- which, of course, is what makes it such a compelling challenge.

If you would like to see more of the astounding images from Hubble on the Internet click here: http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/archive/top100/

Byron

A Glimps Into The Photography Future?

Ponder this video. I hope to encourage a group discussion about this very interesting camera and its implications at our November 2nd meeting.

Byron

Back to Blogging

I've been otherwise occupied and have been intermittently disconnected from the Internet because of a malfunctioning router-- it is a weird and, frankly, uncomfortable feeling when one can't get or send e-mail and unable to access the Internet.

My top priority for today is to get a new router and to make some blog entries today, especially about our next meeting which will be in 1 week-- on November 2nd.

To start I will post a video which made my blood boil. You may remember that I have been concerned (actually semi-obsessed) about issues of freedom to photograph, or what others call The War on Photographers. Take a look at this video which has been posted on YouTube. Meanwhile I'll go pour water on my head to deal with my hair being on fire.

More later.

Rick Sammon Workshop

After my whirlwind travels in Tel Aviv, Paris and Madrid I returned to La Crosse but stayed for only 3days before driving to Croton On Hudson, New York (about 40 miles north of the city of NY) to attend a Rick Sammon Workshop. The drive there was arduous. I had only 2 and a half days to get to my destination and it rained for almost the duration. It was my intention to make the return leg a leisurely jaunt on the back roads. However, because it once again was cold and raining and I was somewhat homesick, I stuck with the Interstates and only stopped for the night once. Next time I'll fly!

The workshop was terrific. Rick Sammon has an incredible energy level and seems to be in high output mode pretty much continuously. During the workshop, if he is talking he is almost certainly teaching. Our on site exercises covered areas that I really need help with-- use of the flash out of doors, portrait photography, and a terrific session introducing studio photography using off camera flash (a first time experience for me).
Rick offers lots of workshops and if you are looking for excellent opportunities to learn at some very attractive locations, give him consideration. This is an informative website: http://www.ricksammon.info/p/croton-workshops.html. If you scroll down you will see an image of mine that Rick selected. It wasn't my favorite but, as you may know, my now defunct blog was called But, Then Again, What Do I Know.

For your interest this is our group photo and some shots from a studio session similar to the one in which I took part.

Rick Sammon explaining the technique and setting up the shot.

Everyone gets an opportunity to shoot.

I'll post some of my images from the workshop here or on my personal blog and you may see some prints at our next meeting.

Byron

WWIG: No October Meeting

I have decided that it trying to have a meeting of the WWIG on Wednesday October 5th would be a very poor decision on my part. Although I am reluctant to blow off the meeting and am having what some in the therapeutic community call "guilt issues", this is the best choice for me and for all of you. Those of you who are not interested in excuses can stop reading now-- see you in November.

Here is the back story: I returned from Israel, France and Spain on Friday evening and am leaving this morning to drive to New York for a workshop. I could be back in La Crosse by October 4th but it would mean that I would have to drive very hard for 2 solid days. On many levels it works much better for me to do the return trip at leisure.

Short of a calamity on the scale of The End of Days there will be a meeting on November 2nd and I will try to make it an outstanding one. Also, I may be able to arrange for a field day later in October, depending on weather and my personal situation. Stay tuned-- more to follow on this blog.

Please note the new header. At our last meeting I neglected to show Phyllis Olson's submission for the Topic of the Month. My bad! It is, as you can see, a truly wonderful image. Thank you Phyllis.

Speaking of the Topic of the Month, for November it will be Fall: anything that speaks of the fall season, including Halloween, Thanksgiving, Octoberfest, etc.. You, of course, an use anything in your portfolio but I would like to suggest that the exercise is more beneficial if you use a photo that you have taken specifically for this TOM. For the Digital Challenge I'll need to confer with Roger Grant, but you will be informed in plenty of time before the meeting. Does anyone have any suggestions or specific images they would like to see used? E-mail me if you do.

Allbestwishes to each and everyone.
Byron

Roger Grant and Ron Reimer To Hold Travel Photo Slide Show this Wednesday

Dear WWIG members,

Just a reminder that this Wednesday is the day Roger Grant and I will be showing slideshows of our travel photography, with Kay Shaw of Fountain City, at the Winona Art Center on 5th and Franklin in Winona, at 7 pm. Refreshments will be served and you will have an opportunity to view our Travel Photo Exhibit as well. Hope to see you there. We appreciate your support of the art of photography. See my early post, last month, for details of the show.

Ron Reimer

PROGRAM NOTES: SEPTEMBER MEETING OF THE WWIG

SOCIAL HOUR AND PRINT VIEWING--
Susann is in Israel. Coffee by Byron Annis as well as cake by Linda's Bakery of West Salem and one of the famous pies by  the legendary Rustic Inn on the North Shore. If you plan to bring prints please place them for display and viewing during the Social Hour.

PRESENTATIONS--

• Phyllis Olsen will discuss Helicon Focus
• I attended a one day seminar in Minneapolis given by Joe McNally and David Hobby on lighting using small strobes. I will show a short video of McNally's work and a couple of brief segments of a 2 disc video tutorial. Members who wish to delve into this subject in more detail can borrow the video.
• The Equiptment Lady (http://www.equipmentlady.com/details.html): I recent sold my Nikon D300 camera and all of the DX lenses I had through Laurie Excell. If you are a NAPP member you will almost certainly recognize her name. Much to my surprise the gear sold rapidly and I was pleased with the prices obtained. Laurie's fees were fair and the service given was very professional. All in all it was a completely painless process.
• The Digital Image Cafe Photo Of The Day 
• http://www.digitalimagecafe.com
•  http://www.digitalimagecafe.com/viewPhoto.aspx?type=theme&id=60213
• http://www.digitalimagecafe.com/poty/2010/default.aspx 

ANNOUNCEMENTS--
October Meeting Dilemma
SHOW AND TELL--
Jim Terman will tell us about a new card printing service at National Camera and Video
ASK THE EXPERTS--
Is there any reason to purchase a fast lens-- an f stop larger than 5.6-- if one is using a digital camera that shoots noise free images at very high ISOs?
MEMBER IMAGE PRESENTATIONS--
Topic of the Month
The Digital Challenge
Open Mike, Digital Projection and Prints

Byron

Update and Meeting Notes

A little "critique humor" to brighten your day.

Now that your day is brighter how about a couple of images to pique your interest in things photographic?

This, as you probably recognize, is from Trey Ratcliff's photoblog Stuck in Customs. The photograph was taken at San Simeon, more commonly known as The Hearst Castle. I've been there and to a remarkable degree this photo captures the sensation of being in this almost unworldly place. If you have been regularly been visiting this blog, you know that I greatly admire Trey's work, but I have to say that the uniformity of his images-- the unvarying  heavy application of HDR--  detracts from the experience of viewing  his work.

 These photographs are from Petra, a remnant of the Nabathean culture which flourished in the late Roman era along a trade route from the Mediterranean at Gaza to the Yemen and points east. It is located in present day Jordan and easily accessible  from Israel. I've been to Petra twice but have very few decent photos to show for it. These images do capture the experience of entering the site quite well. One walks though of 3 km rift-- this is not a canyon or derivation of one but a rift resulting from the separation of 2 tectonic plates-- as nicely shown in the top image. Then, rather suddenly, the architectural relief seen in the lower image comes into view. This is not an actual building but rather a carving in the face of rock. It is difficult to photograph because the plaza in the foreground is packed with tourists. This photographer evidently chose to crop them out which in my estimation detracts from understanding the context.

I have a submission for the Ask the Experts segment: If one has a camera which takes noise free photos at very high ISOs-- such as the Nikor D7000-- is there any reason to ever purchase a lens faster than f5.6? Does anyone else have questions? If so, it would really be helpful to them in advance.

Byron

WWIG Meeting September 7th

The next meeting of the Western Wisconsin Imaging Group will be on September 7, 2011 at my home (N2207 Pammel Pass W. in Bridal Coulee). The meeting will begin at 6:30pm. Unfortunately, Susann Annis will not be here and didn't leave anything for  Social Hour refreshments. However, in the freezer there is what is said to be a legendary from the North Shore and I plan to bake something as well. Susann will give me a coffee making tutorial refresher over Skype, so we should be in good shape.

First and foremost, John Zoerb called today and asked me to convey a message to all members who submitted prints for the WWIG display at the La Crosse Public Library. The exhibit has been taken down and John will be bringing the prints to the September 7th meeting in order to return them to you. If you are not going to attend the meeting, please call either me (788-1812) or John (782-2642) in order to make arrangements for return or disposal-- long term storage is not an option. I hope that all of you who attend will show your prints and share your thoughts about them at the meeting.

Time is getting short. Please submit digital images for the Topic of the Month and the Digital Challenge to me by e-mail at your opportunity. Submissions for the Ask The Experts segment would be appreciated.

I anticipate a lively and interesting meeting. Phyllis Olson will give a presentation about Helicon Focus Software. This software provides a solution to a serious problem, especially in macro-photography. I have tried other methods that were, in my hands, a dismal failure so I am particularly eager to hear Phyllis's presentation.

I'll post more about the meeting before Wednesday including, as usual, the program. Stay tuned. I'm looking forward to seeing you then.

Got 9 Minutes to Spare? Watch An Incredible Video

World Builder from BranitVFX on Vimeo.

These comments are from the Vimeo website, from which this video was obtained:

"A strange man builds a world using holographic tools for the woman he loves.
This award winning short was created by filmmaker Bruce Branit, widely known as the co-creator of '405'. World Builder was shot in a single day followed by about 2 years of post production. Branit is the owner of Branit VFX based in Kansas City."

This remarkable video blends remarkable creativity and imagination with almost unbelievable digital technical mastery. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
Byron

A Question About Minnesota State Fair

Greetings--
I attended Larryfest this weekend-- as much for photography as the music. The Friday evening concert was listless, but by the end of the Saturday concert all was forgiven. The main act was Dailey and Vincent a Bluegrass group who are absolutely at the top of their game. They are a bit too polished for my taste but tremendous energy. Although I've been taught that there are photos to be had wherever there are people doing anything, I surely didn't encounter them. It was a major disappointment.

I am thinking of going to the Minnesota State Fair to see what I can see and photograph. However, when I looked a MN State Fair site on Flickr and other web resources, it appears that this may be another dismal photo opportunity. What I saw were lots, and lots of Ferris Wheel pics,  zillions of photos of people eating fair food, and grandstand show images but nothing very interesting. Am I missing something?  Actually I suspect that I am. Any guidance and opinions will be appreciated.

Byron

Interesting and Fun Images

Larry Lindesmith sent these images a while ago which I am just getting around to posting. There are too many for the blog so I'll just do 2 or 3 to whet your appitite. Go to This URL to see them all.

Thanks for supporting this website, Larry!
Byron

Reminders and Langiappe

la·gniappe

   /lænˈyæp, ˈlænyæp/ Show Spelled[lan-yap, lan-yap] Show IPA

–noun

1. Chiefly Southern Louisiana and Southeast Texas . a small gift given by way of compliment or for good measure; a bonus.

2. a gratuity or tip.

3. an unexpected or indirect benefit.

I used to think that the word lagniappe was an affectation and something that was too precious by half when used by anyone not native to Cajun Louisiana, yet I couldn't think of anything more appropriate to describe this lovely image.

Jim Taylor uses this image for a greeting card. It is so nearly perfect that I am considering having it framed. Kudos Jim.

While we are talking about Jim Taylor, you might be impressed to know that he has already submitted his final result for the September Digital Challenge. Roger indicated that one of his candidates is a "nightmare" and I believe that it is the one that Jim restored to a fare-the-well! More kudos, Jim.

This is a reminder that the next WWIG meeting will be 3 weeks from today. You might want to be getting your submission for the Topic of the Month ready. Remember you have a choice between  something that his highly personal and/or deeply felt; as an alternative, if this is uncomfortable, an example of food photography.

I've starting to think about our October meeting and, if I don't change my mind, it will be quite a bit different than usual. During September I will be travelling to Israel, Paris, and Madrid (one trip) and also resuming my Seeing America One Back Road At a Time adventures-- I am driving to Croton-On-Hudson, NY for a workshop with Rick Sammon. I don't want to cancel the October meeting, but it won't be possible to devote a lot of time to preparation. What I've come up with should work for most, if not all, members. Further discussion to follow.

Byron

Restoration by Jim Terman

Jim Terman sent this example of his restoration of a photograph of his great-great grandparents which is very meaningful to him. I suspect that many of us have or have access to similar family photos that could benefit from restoration.

Here are Jim's comments:

I have inherited a fair number of tintypes, vintage prints, negatives from snapshots, and cartes de visite, some with identifications, many without. It is a real challenge to restore not only the images but also the information they impart. For the latter, careful comparisons with known images can help as well as information on borders and backs of studio images. I have been most fortunate to learn about and come to know three bright , intelligent, and (mirabile dictu) computer-savvy 91-year-old cousins who have enormously helpful. Other resources include the book Dressed For the Photographer, by Joan Severa, former costume and clothing historian at the Wisconsin State Historical Society, and Ms. Leslie Bellais, her successor, a willing e-mail consultant. I have heavily used the staff of the Johnson County (Indiana) Museum of History, since my family roots are there. Finally, I use Ancestry.com –which is where I met my senior cousins -- and for family tree and profile graphic display, Geni.com.


This is one of my prizes, obtained from my 90-year-old cousin Annabelle McAlpin Spencer of Cape Girardeau, MO, after repair. This photo shows my great-great grandparents, James William Terman (my accidental namesake), and Martha Cutsinger Terman, with their daughters (2/14 children) Bertha and Flora, Oct. 10, 1904, their 50th wedding anniversary. This is also meaningful, because Nancy and I are nearing our 50th, Sept. 2. They are on the lawn of their farm home in Johnson County, Indiana, 4 ½ miles east of Whiteland and 17 miles south of Indianapolis. Their home, sadly, burned in the 1920s, but the farm still exists, and their horse barn has been converted to an ample and beautiful home. A decade ago, I barely knew the name of these ancestors and despaired of ever seeing a photo of them. Annabelle (their granddaughter) has actually given me the original, a print permanently adhered to a back, badly faded so that the people and the home could barely be seen. I brought it to this stage in Photoshop Elements 1, including repairing a large crack, still partly visible in the house siding. The fuzzy, blotchy surface is typical of vintage prints as the emulsion is very thin over the paper fibers and represents one of the limits of print restoration.

Byron



Travel Video

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

I was cruising around the Internet-- The Imaging Division-- this evening when I came across this remarkable video-- another one of those "how the hell did they do it"  posts.  Enjoy your trip.

Tip: If you liked this video, click on the link (above) to Rick Meriki's 2 other videos on Vimeo. They are both wonderful. Learn reminded me that learning how to do new things and acquiring knowledge are just about the best things that one can do-- not to mention my last best hope for avoiding decrepitude as I continue inexorably in life's journey.

Byron

WWIG Gallery at The La Crosse Public Library

This WWIG exhibit at the library is once again an inspiration. John Zoerb did a wonderful job of selecting the prints to hang and certainly accomplished our goal of showing the breadth and variety of photographic vision within our group as well as the depth of talent. Jennifer Bucheit and Sue Retzlaff helped hang the prints which is no small task. Thanks to John, Jennifer and Sue and to everyone who submitted prints.

Please remember that the exhibit will only be on display until August 31st. Last year several members did not realize that the exhibit extends for only a month and regretting missing seeing it.
Byron

The Digital Challenge for the September WWIG Meeting

Roger Grant has selected 2 images for the September Digital Challenge. In his e-mail he commented: "Attached are two scanned old photos from my wife's mother's family. One is a nightmare, the other less so. Perhaps people could choose the one they want to spend time with."

Last month the challenge was to retouch portraits. This time it is an exercise in restoration. In doing so you should follow your own inner compass. For what it is worth, my own personal bias is that, like in retouching, when restoring less is generally more. For several reasons I don't aspire for perfection and, in fact, want to make obvious that the image is an old one, thus emphasizing its historical context.

So what should you use as a source for this Digital Challenge? You can right click and save these images to your hard drive but they are very small (373 and 365 kbytes) and this approach is not recommended. You can contact me or Roger and ask for the original scans which are quite large (44 and 16.4 mbytes) which will be good if you plan to make say a 22x17inch print but otherwise unnecessary. Finally, you can use the images that are attached to the e-mail I will be sending. These  have been reduced in size to a level that is appropriate for web or digital display (3.29 and 3.21 mbytes)-- this is the approach I favor.  Choose what works for you.

The images attached to the e-mail Roger sent were not this sickly copper color but more of a sickly yellow color. I don't know which is the color of the print from which these were derived. Part of your job, of course, is to choose a color for the final restoration that is pleasing.

Remember this is an opportunity to learn-- admittedly through self-instruction-- and, as always, it should be an enjoyable experience.
Byron

Jennifer's Excellent Adventure in Santa Fe

These are a sample of the images Jennifer sent. For more about  the workshop she attended in Santa Fe see the prior post. Wow!
Byron

Jennifer Bucheit Departing

It is with sadness that I have to announce that Jennifer Bucheit and her family will be moving to Madison. Here is an edited version of a very thoughtful e-mail that she sent:

"...my family will be relocating to the Madison area; we'll be living in Middleton. My husband Chris took a job at UW working in the Information Technology dept. as their only graphic designer. We are both excited and sad; sad to be leaving the special friends... that we have made here in La Crosse.


I thought there would be an Aug. meeting where I could say good-bye to everyone in person, but I see the next meeting isn't until Sept.. My hope is to make it back to La Crosse periodically. I know week nights will be challenging during the school year, but over the summer months I would love to still attend WWIG meetings when possible. I hope you'll let me remain a WWIG "member-at-large." I will try to post more frequently on the blog and keep you up to date with my photography. I'm not exactly sure what my plans are photography wise. Tentatively I'm planning on continuing my on-line graduate studies and then transferring to UW next fall—we'll see. Let's please keep in contact through email and the blog.


Also, wanted to let you know I attended Santa Fe's Power of Light with Tony Corbell and learned a tremendous amount about studio lighting and natural lighting.   I'll attach a couple of images from the week. [I will  post the images Jennifer sent in the next message, ed.]
Warmest Regards,
Jennifer


P.S. If you know anyone that is looking for a beautifully restored 1938 colonial in La Crosse, please have them contact us :-)"

I have used one of Jennifer's complex  and intriguing images for the WWIG blog header as a reminder of her always thought provoking and technically advanced images that Jennifer brought to our meetings. Let us all do what we can to facilitate Jennifer's continuing participation in our group, via e-mail if not in person.

Two Members of WWIG Featured in Group Photo Show at Winona Art Center

Roger Grant and Ron Reimer will be exhibiting their travel photography in a group show at the Winona Art Center in Winona, Minnesota. You are cordially invited to attend the opening, which will be held on Wednesday, August 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. The WAC is located on the corner of Fifth and Franklin Streets. (It looks like an old church, because it was.) If you can't make the opening, the show runs til the end of September, and there will be a  talk, given by the photographers about their travels and about travel photography, on September 14, 7-9 pm. Check the WAC website for more info.

Something Fun

My engineer husband found this... he's a fan of mechanical creative thinking.  Do you think if we all pooled our gear we could top this?  I do.

Rube Goldberg Photoshoot machine.  (hit the play triangle)

-Jamie

Sports Photography

I didn't watch the World Cup finals on Sunday-- not surprising because for me the sport almost a boring as baseball (to watch on TV not to play, I presume), but because of the back story I was curious about the result. On Monday I saw this photo somewhere on the Internet and immediately knew who won and, most likely, how. This is a terrific example of a photograph that tells the story and I can't imagine how it could be improved upon. It is with considerable regret that I have to admit that I didn't note of the photographer's name and, therefore, can't give proper credit here.
Byron

Elements 9 and Epson Scanner

I had an interesting (?) and time consuming experience yesterday with one lesson perhaps of general interest. In my film photography workflow, I make great use of my Epson V700 scanner to scan negatives for record keeping, addition to my website (www.jtermanphoto.com), and to create notecards for sale as well as many other applications. I have just acquired and installed Photoshop Elements 9. I have used sequential versions of Elements as my main photo manipulation program and always import the scanner output to Elements. This uses the TWAIN driver software, although one can also use a WIA program similar to camera output. However, only the TWAIN method delivers the pro level dialog box where resolution, size, and many other important controls are located. The WIA is a very simple and inadequate interface. After many twists and turns I learned that Elements 9 does not support TWAIN driver programs in its issued form. Fortunately, I found my way to Adobe support, and learned that there is a plug-in to fix this problem. After I described my problem to the Adobe tech lady in central Philippines, who had to break off twice to study it, she did come back and coach me through a patch for the Elements program buried in the depths of the C: drive. This fix is posted in their on –line tech support, but I would have never been able to do it alone. Also note that the fix is different for 32-bit Windows and 64-bit Windows as I have. The reason for this gap in Elements 9 escapes me; perhaps others can comment”

Jim the filmguy

Floral Photo-Op

My garden has thrived this season probably owing to the abundant spring rains. Judging from the lush foliage and exceptional number of buds, it is likely that the daylily bloom season this year will be spectacular. I estimate that the peak bloom will start about 5 days from now but this will depend on the weather. The .75 inch rainfall on yesterday will certainly play a role. Warm night time temperatures contribute to early morning opening of the flowers. If the overnight low is greater than 70 degrees the situation is ideal.

Members of the WWIG are welcome to visit my garden to photograph the daylilies at any time, but you should understand that they look their best in the morning. If you come at mid-day, especially, if it isn't overcast you should bring an umbrella or something else to shade the subject.

A very large tree limb fell into our shade garden yesterday and at the moment I don't know how much damage has been done, but suspect that it is substantial. Other than the daylilies, I don't think that the garden is particularly photogenic right now-- unless, you would like to take photos of hosta that have been partially, or entirely, eaten by deer; we have quite a few of them.

Despite my waning interest in high intensity gardening, what keeps me mesmerized by daylilies is their remarkable variety of bloom color, pattern, size, and form as well as plant habit. Here are some examples that show the wide array of presentation:

  

Byron

Sue Retzlaff's Remarkable Dental Skills

Remember this one from the Digital Challenge of July 6th?  Although she wasn't able to be at the meeting, Sue Ratzlaff submitted 2 wonderfully restored images.  I'm not sure how I managed to lose one of her submissions and  for this unexcuseably sloppy image management I apologize to Sue and to everyone who attended the meeting and didn't get to see her wonderful example of the digital retoucher's art. Sue kindly re-sent the image. Here it is:

Sue, are you willing to share with us how you accomplished this very impressive feat of digital dental restoration?
Byron