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