TOPIC OF THE MONTH APRIL MEETING

I realized that although I have been alluding to the April Topic Of The Month, I haven't been explicit. Those of you who attended the February meeting did hear the announcement of the topic and some discussion. For those of you who weren't there the Topic is Photos That Make You Hear the Music. I know that the title is awkward but I can't think of anything better. This, however, may be a good thing since it allows you some latitude.  What I am getting at is that when I look at some images I hear music-- sometimes pieces that are specific to the image and sometimes more vaguely related.

Unfortunately, I don't have the examples shown at the last meeting on my laptop but may be able to access them with LogMeIn. If not, I'll find new ones and post them here on the WWIG Blog. You should visit from time to time if you are interested in participating in this important activity.
Byron

Topic Of The Month

My workshop with Jay Maisel in Santa Fe finished on Saturday morning. All in all I achieve both of my goals-- gaining some confidence in taking people pictures and getting better control of the visual real estate within the viewfinder  frame.

In hopes of getting something to show at our March 6th meeting for the Topic of the Month I skipped the end-of-workshop dinner on Friday evening-- which in the past I didn't enjoy at all-- and drove down to Madrid NM instead to hang out in a bar that was holding their weekly open mike. For the most part the music was astoundingly bad...with the exception of a bother and sister from Santa Fe. She was a Janice Joplin like singer who generated tremendous kinetic energy. I'm no connoisseur of rock music but to my ear she sang very well indeed. Taking the photos was very difficult because the stage was poorly lit, the color temperature was awful, and there as a lot of detritus on the stage. Nonetheless I'm excited about my images and think that I'll have something to show at the meeting after doing some Photoshop.

I hope that you are getting images for this challenging Topic of the Month.
Byron

Update

I don't know if any of you have looked at this blog recently, especially since I have been so derelict about making entries but it seems appropriate to post something, particularly since I've done nothing with the trip blog I started then abandoned.

I am currently in the midst of my workshop with Jay Maisel. As you may remember, I did the same workshop with him in the summer of 2008 and it was probably the seminal photographic experience that I have had in my journey of attempting creativity and self-discovery. I do have a habit of doing things one time too many and this week is a case in point. Let's just say that  Jay doesn't think much of my work and he certainly is not one to hide his opinions. I fully realize that I am the one with the problem and it is my responsibility to learn what he has to teach. The photographs that I have taken this week have, in a word, been embarrassing and yet I am approaching picture taking with much more thought and discipline-- so far not much payoff, but I hope that there will be.

On Monday and Tuesday I will be doing one-on-one sessions with my digital imaging mentor Leslie Alsheimer. On Wednesday I'll leave Santa Fe and head for the Rio Grand, then it will be a waltz across Texas (that's the name of a C&W song for those who said "huh" when they read the foregoing) to be followed by my meandering through Mississippi, Louisiana, and wherever else seems to offer good things to experience and good photo opportunities.

All best wishes to each and every one of you. I am very much looking forward to seeing you at the next meeting of the WWIG in March.
Byron

Add On: Here is one of the images done this week that I like. As instructed, I've been doing people which is hard for me but not impossible I've learned.

I'm On My Way

Hi Everyone--
I'm more or less on my way... on my quest to see America from ground level. Anyone who might be interested in follow my roadtrip adventure-- and possible misadventures-- is welcome to visit the blog that I have set up to document my journey. It can be accessed at http://byronannis.blogspot.com

The next meeting of the WWIG will be on April 6th and I have obtained at least one commitment from a non-member to speak about an interesting and pertinent topic for those who are interested in handling and displaying their prints.

Jackie Rand has made a really intriguing suggestion for a very worthwhile activity that I think many if not most members will enjoy and profit from. She suggested that an image be sent to all members well before each meeting. This image will be unaltered, exactly as it came out of the camera. The charge to the members will be for them to do whatever they think appropriate in the way of post-processing. I talked with Roger Grant and he was very enthusiastic about pursuing this and offered to supply the image for the next meeting.

More to follow-- at somewhat infrequent intervals. Stay tuned.
Byron

Question

This could be one for the experts during our March meeting... but I would also take any information now. 

My question is - How do you back up your images ...specifically your photoshop documents that you would like to preserve forever?  cd's, dvd's, hard drive, outside source like filedropper or dropbox?  Let me know.

Thanks,  Jamie

La Crosse Public Library Print Display

John Zoerb called this morning to say that he has arranged for a gallery showing of our prints at the La Crosse Public Library in August. It is presumed that the format will be the same as it was in 2010. The quality of work displayed by the WWIG was truly exceptional and I hope that members will again participate enthusiastically. Perhaps you would prefer to select a single theme or at least establish some limitations on subjects or formats. We should have a discussion about the exhibit at an upcoming meeting. What I consider to be most important is that the work of each and every member be included to show anyone who cares the diversity of interest and the considerable talent in our group.
Byron

WWIG Meetings: Recent Past and Future

I hope that members who attended the WWIG meeting on February 2nd enjoyed it as much as I did. Special thanks to Larry Lindesmith for his presentation about photography at Gundersen/Lutheran. Also welcome to Marti Sullivan who came to the meeting and did mention that she plans to continue to attend. I intend to expand our membership and particularly hope to add members who are likely to attend meetings on a more or less regular basis, and who will be active participants. It is hoped that the showing of images as well as back and forth discussion of them will be the central activity of our meetings.

I would like to have more discussion of digital imaging including gear, software, digital techniques, workflow, etc., but recall that in the past a member did express an objection to these topics and I don't want to force my preferences on an uninterested group. Ergo, another poll! Look to column on the right and respond to let me know your wishes.

The interest in the February Topic of the Month was impressive and probably the best of any meeting yet. The images shown did confirm what I had suspected-- that there is probably no subject that is too trite or too much of a cliche that doesn't lend itself to fresh interpretation by a group of talented and engaged photographers. It is realized that the next Topic of the Month is going to be very challenging. I will be writing more about it on this blog in the coming days and posting some examples of what I am trying to encourage (but wasn't able to express in words very well at the last meeting).

I am almost certain that there will be a meeting on the 1st Wednesday of April. Whether there will be a meeting in March is up to others and I presume that if there is the host will be contacting the group by e-mail and perhaps this blog. As you may know I will be doing a workshop in Santa Fe and plan to return home by way of the deep South. The places I plan to visit put me in mind of Paul Simon's song Graceland:

The Mississippi delta was shining
Like a national guitar
I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the civil war
I'm going to Graceland
Graceland
In Memphis Tennessee
I'm going to Graceland
Poor boys and pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland

No, I don't plan to visit Graceland; I never have "gotten it" about the Elvis thing, but will be driving through and hopefully photographing the "cradle of the civil war". I recently purchased the AudioBook version of James McPhearson's Battlecry of Freedom and intend to listen to it on the homeward bound leg of my trip.
Byron

Jackie's caboose

Here is another interpretation very much like the original capture.  I cropped it a little and  saturated the color slightly.  What I like about the camera capture is the simplicity of the clean white environment - not unlike what one has in a white studio cyc wall.  For me, it showcases and dignifies the shapes and colors of the the caboose and neighboring structures.

Roger

Another One For the Experts

What should I do about distant blurry seagulls in photos taken at the ocean's edge. They are small dark blurred smudges which look like dust but can't be cloned without leaving artifact. Leave them in?
Byron

I would try the Spot Healing Brush.  It works beautifully in most situations.  If you think the image might be picked up by National Geographic,  then you must be a purist and leave the birds in place.  If you are creating your expressive interpretation of the location, anything goes. 

Roger

Quick Review of Art History

Response from Ron Reimer to Jackie Rand's Query

Attached is a simple crop of Jackie's image to show how to deal with


uninteresting backgrounds. See you tonight.

Another Question for the Experts...

I am looking for a good archival adhesive to use when mounting an image to a sintra board which I will then varnish and frame without matting or glass.  I want it to be archival of course as well as sticky.  :)  I have yet to find one that meets both of these criteria.  Any ideas?

Jamie

ask the experts

How do you keep text confined within a certain area in an image.  For example I want to type a short paragraph and do not want it to go beyond say an area of 4 x 6 inches.   Thanks for any help.
Jackie

This should be easy to do.  Select the Type Tool, move the cursor to the area you want to start the text, and begin typing.  The text will be on it's own layer so you can press the return key to start a new line as well as make typography and point size options, as appropriate.  When done, use the Move Tool to finesse the position of the text block.  As long as you save the file as a PSD, you can return to the text layer(s) to make changes.  Have fun.

Roger