Western Wisconsin Imaging Group

Door Prize

2012-02-25T10:42:00.001-06:00

DOOR PRIZE

As always members are encouraged to submit (by e-mail) digital images or bring prints to our March 7th meeting. To stimulate interest I am offering a chance to win a great door prize in a drawing to those who do-- let me be honest, it's a bribe. Everyone contributing an image will have their name placed into the hat. You don't have to be present at the meeting to win. Good luck.
Byron

New Photo on the Masthead

2012-02-25T10:00:00.001-06:00

Jackie Rand won't be at our meeting on March 7th. She and her husband Tom are visiting the Four Corners region, staying in Page, AZ. She did send several images to be shown, however, and they are really wonderful. I could have used any of them for the masthead and selected this one., Rest easy, you will get to see them all at the meeting. I didn't use my favorite here in order to show you the projected version so that you will get the full impact. I can assure you that it is spectacular.
Byron

Interval Report

2012-02-23T20:54:00.001-06:00

It's true... some things never change. For example, my blogging behavior. I have started 3 blogs with a burst of enthusiasm and the best of intentions realizing that the success of any blog depends, more than any other factor, on a steady stream of posts. But in each instance my performance just doesn't live up to my expectations and the assurance that I have routinely given to readers that I will do better in the future. So here we go again. To those of you who have visited this blog expecting to find something new to read and perhaps find your interest in some aspect of photography stimulated, my apologies. Am I promising to do better in the future? No... I know better than to make hollow assurances and won't insult you by doing so, nor will I make any lame excuses. Suffice it to say that I find the whole thing embarrassing.

Let's move on to some news that is more felicitous and, to be perfectly candid, which allows me to preen. I submitted images to B&W+Color magazine a few months ago for their annual color special issue. Three were accepted and published in the April 2012 issue.

Also Theresa Smerud and I submitted a proposal to the Pump House for a gallery showing for next season and we were accepted. The show will run from July 18, 2013 to August 31st. I have seen recent additions to Theresa's portfolio and, let me tell you, the work is stunning. I am extremely pleased with my own recent work but, frankly, have no idea how others will react to it. While it is nice when one's friends and fellow photographers enjoy looking at one's work, I'm glad that I don't have to sell my prints to make a living. Essentially, this allows me to strive to make images that satisfy my own creative needs without being overly concerned when others don't like them.

I am able to do some serious contemplation of lots of important things while doing long distance driving. On my recent trip, especially on the return leg from Florida, I considered my constantly shifting attitudes about criticism, especially the formalized critiques that have been de rigeur in the amateur photography scene for what seems like forever. Personally, as you know, I don't care to to be part of that process either as a subject of critique or to analyze the work of others. Let me be more precise. I love visual art, especially photographs but my opinions about images, both my own and others, is very subjective. Does the photography provoke some emotion, or appeal as an intellectual construct; does it tell a good story, or better yet create a mystery that encourages one to make up his or her own story? I put a very high value on novelty, in other words, is the image like nothing I've seen before? My own photographs don't stand up very well to scrutiny as far as the technical aspects-- for instance, almost every shot is a little soft which is likely due to my not paying proper attention to details (or seldom using a tripod) but this is unlikely to change because, frankly, I don't care all that much. The prolific photographer and entrepreneur Trey Ratclif recently responded to some of his critics in an extremely amusing YouTube video which I present here to close this long post which I hope readers will find interesting and, furthermore, willing to offer their reactions to the opinions expressed at some future meeting.

Byron

Next WWIG Meeting

2012-02-11T10:44:00.000-06:00

There will be a meeting of the WWIG on Wednesday March 7th. Same time and same place but the meeting format will be substantially different,

I will present a slideshow of the images I made during and after my recent trips to Cuba and Florida. These images do represent a significant departure from my previous work and demonstrate the new directions in my photography that I intend to pursue. As always those attending are encouraged to bring prints or submit digital images (by e-mail),

For quite some time I have been contemplating how to go forward with the WWIG. The options include carrying on as before, which doesn't work for me, discontinuing the group, or making substantial changes that will reinvigorate the enthusiasm of the members as well as my own interest. I would like to forge ahead but using a significantly changed format. If you have any interest in seeing continuation of this organization and participating in planning its future, I strongly encourage you to attend the March 7th meeting.
Byron

Epson Printer Has Been Sold

2012-02-11T10:07:00.000-06:00

The Epson StylusPro R2400 that was offered for sale in a previous post is no longer available.
Byron

Jamie Heiden Exhibit at Pump House

2012-01-15T12:37:00.000-06:00

From Jackie Rand:

"Could you post something about Jamie’s artwork being on display at the Pump House through March 10th. Went last night and it is simply beautiful. She is truly a gifted artist".

You will see that the header image has been changed. This wonderful B&W photograph is from Theresa Smerud.

I will be leaving today and will be gone until mid February but can, if necessary, be contacted by e-mail.
Byron

Printer For Sale-- Very Good Deal

2011-12-19T10:59:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-12T06:34:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-06T09:09:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-26T19:05:00.002-06:00

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

2011-11-25T21:08:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-14T10:23:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-12T14:55:00.003-06:00

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

2011-11-12T14:05:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-12T11:53:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-10T08:22:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-09T10:38:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-08T16:05:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-03T14:39:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-02T17:10:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-02T13:41:00.004-05:00

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

2011-10-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-29T09:23:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-29T08:57:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-29T08:33:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-27T05:58:00.001-05:00

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?

2011-10-26T13:06:00.004-05:00

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

2011-10-26T12:52:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-10T16:23:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-26T09:09:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-07T15:55:00.001-05:00

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

2011-09-05T12:46:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-03T21:20:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-03T20:42:00.002-05:00

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

2011-08-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-21T15:40:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-17T15:31:00.001-05:00

–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

2011-08-13T14:08:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-12T20:50:00.003-05:00

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

2011-08-12T19:08:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-12T17:05:00.002-05:00

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

2011-08-12T12:54:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-12T12:37:00.003-05:00

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

2011-08-04T23:47:00.000-05:00

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

2011-07-21T18:54:00.000-05:00

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

2011-07-20T07:52:00.000-05:00

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

2011-07-12T15:35:00.004-05:00

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

2011-07-12T07:13:00.000-05:00

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

2011-07-12T06:37:00.001-05:00

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

Follow Up WWIG July Meeting

2011-07-07T11:01:00.001-05:00

Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting of The WWIG yesterday evening, especially Janet Rosseter and Ben Stern who gave presentations, to those who submitted or brought images to share and to all who participated in the great give and take discussions we had.

I need to apologize to Sue Retzlaff. Even though she wasn't able to attend the meeting because she was scheduled to be in Chicago, she submitted some very good images for the Digital Challenge. Unfortunately, I lost one of them-- a particularly wonderful job of retouching of the gentleman with the missing teeth. I'll ask Sue to re-send and post the image on this blog.

Here is the information that Janet handed out:

Photo Workshop Recommendations

Rocky Mountain School of Photography: www.rmsp.com
John & Barbara Gerlach: www.gerlachnaturephoto.com

On-line resources

There will be no meeting in August. The next meeting will be on September 7, 2011. The Topic of the Month for the September meeting will be a photograph having deep personal significance (for the photographer, obviously). It is realized that some members may not wish to reveal personal feelings or issues so there is an optional 2nd choice: Food, which can be either a still life of food or a more broad interpretation of anything having to do with food, such as people eating,a vegetable garden, scenes from a farmer's market, etc.

The final day to submit prints to John Zoerb for the La Crosse Public Library Gallery is July 31st.

Once again, there were so many wonderful pictures on display last evening that I can't limit the header of the WWIG Blog to just one image. There will be 2 or perhaps more.

July 4th Fireworks at Riverside Park, La Crosse WI. Maria Barry

Allbestwishes,

Byron

THE PROGRAM FOR THE JULY MEETING OF THE WWIG

2011-07-06T16:52:00.002-05:00

SOCIAL HOUR AND PRINT VIEWING-

Susann Annis is currently visiting family in Colorado but before she left she accomplished 2 important things. She make a cheesecake-- one that you haven't seen before and it's one of her very best-- and she taught Byron how to make her kind of coffee. She has also put herself on call for coffee phone consultation if necessary. I expect a big group tomorrow evening and will try to have enough of everything for all. If you bring prints please be sure to take them to the basement and put them in a place that will illuminate well.

PRESENTATIONS-

Janet Rosseter on PhotoTouring Along the Great Divide .
Ben Stern on the Nikon D7000, which seems to be a major leap forward in affordable digital SLR cameras.
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 delve into this subject in more detail can borrow the video.

ANNOUNCEMENTS-

Future meetings. The next meeting will be on September7, 2011. There will not be a meeting in August- usually genial host is getting wearing and has lots of other fish to fry in early August.
The next Topic of the Month and Digital Challenge
The FINAL REMINDER about the La Crosse Public Library gallery display in August.
Christmas Project.
Communications. The e-mail quandary.
B&W + COLOR MAGAZINE Contest-

ASK THE EXPERTS-

Jackie Rand would like to learn more about "tonality" starting with what it is.
Byron Annis wants to know exactly how a "macro" lens differs from a prime lens of the same focal length (or, for that matter, a zoom lens).

THE MEMBER'S IMAGES

The Topic of the Month
The Digital Challenge
Show and Tell- Members present anything related to photographic technique, gear, digital imaging, books, videos, etc. I am going to show you what you need to do good insect photography. A used camera and lenses are going to be put on offer as well.
Open Mike- Digital images previously submitted by members via e-mail will be displayed and prints will be viewed by the group. Comments are encouraged.

From Trey Ratcliff. Stuckincustoms.com
Byron

More About Fireworks

2011-07-04T10:06:00.000-05:00

Because I couldn't use decent Flickr images of fireworks I Googled the same topic. This resulted in over 12 million image possibilities. I picked a couple to post to make a point. While it is very very difficult to do anything new when photographing fireworks, I don't entirely agree with TimGrey that showing context is essential. I am intrigued by images like these where the burst is more like a floral bloom than an explosion.

Enjoy Independence Day.

Byron

Photographing Fireworks

2011-07-04T09:21:00.000-05:00

On today's Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter a subscriber asked this question: "OK, I know it is a bit of a cliche, and there are many articles on the subject, but since the Fourth of July is approaching I thought I would ask if you have any tips about photographing fireworks."
Here is Tim Grey's response:

A fair question! In my mind photographing fireworks is sort of like photographing a sunset. As photographers we tend to enjoy the show, and that often means we want to photograph the show, but it is easy to forget that you can't just photograph the main attraction.

So, my top tip for photographing fireworks is essentially the same as my tip for photographing a sunset: Try to incorporate something other than the fireworks (or sunset, or aurora borealis, or a variety of other subjects) in the frame. Generally speaking that will mean a silhouetted shape in the foreground of the frame, but it could be a variety of things. Fireworks are pretty cool, and fun to watch and photograph. But to me the photos are much more interesting if there is a scene that happens to include fireworks (in a manner of speaking) rather than just being a photograph of fireworks.

That foreground subject could be a city skyline, a person (perhaps holding a "sparkler" if those are allowed in your area), or just about anything else that can be interesting in a silhouette, and that perhaps might provide context for the fireworks themselves. It's also worth noting that the foreground subject I'm referring to doesn't necessarily mean just a single subject in silhouette. For example, if you have a body of water between you and the fireworks then the composition might be as easy as using a wider lens than you think is necessary.

Otherwise I think the basics are pretty straightforward. Use a tripod, ideally use a cable release, and then set the aperture to f/8 or perhaps a little more stopped down, and use a Bulb exposure to capture a few bursts. Then repeat as many times as you can and review later to find the best!

If you search for Fireworks on Flickr.com you will get access to more than 2.3 million images. On the first couple of pages I saw a dozens of wonderful photos. Unfortunately these could not be copied to this blog entry (at least not by me). I suggest that you go to the Flickr site and take a gander.

From Kurt Peterson

Byron

WWIG July Meeting

2011-07-04T08:21:00.001-05:00

The next meeting of The Western Wisconsin Imaging Group is coming up in just 2 days-- on Wednesday July 6th. The meeting will be at our home (N2207 Pammel Pass W.) and will begin at 6:30pm. I will post the meeting program here tomorrow or Wednesday morning. I do have an number of items to bring up in advance of the meeting:

If you haven't already done so, please submit your images for The Topic of the Month and The Digital Challange by e-mail. If you can't send them this way, please call me so that we can make an alternative arrangement, but please do not bring them on a thumb drive or DVD because the time spent loading and the frequent confusion can be disruptive to the flow of the meeting. Prints, of course, are welcomed and, in fact, encouraged. Also, please rename your images. At a minimum you should label them with your name. Ideally, the label will include the name of the image, and, if you want multiple images shown in sequence, a number.
Please remember that our gallery display at the La Crosse Public Library will be in August and that if you would like to have your work included your prints must be submitted to John Zoerb before the end of this month. Once again, we will be able to hang 24 prints (framed or matted). You can submit as many as you like for consideration. John will be making the the selections. Be assured that this is not a contest and that our goal is to demonstrate the diversity of photographic talent within our group. If more convenient bring your prints to the meeting or to my home at any time and I will be sure that John gets them in a timely manner.
At one of our earlier meetings I passed out a questionnaire and asked that the members present fill it out and return it to me. So far I've only receive 2 of them. Really folks, I know that you can do better. I did try to make the questions relevant and informative (at least to me) and not nearly as stupid as most of the questionnaires we are bombarded with. I am going to print up another batch and hand them out at the upcoming meeting and I would really appreciate a response from you-- if you find this objectionable, jot a few words saying so and send it to me but don't ignore the request.
I have tried to encourage discussion of photographic gear and digital hardware, software and technique at our meetings, but there seems to be almost no interest among the members in these topics. I am going to bring this up for discussion at the meeting and also do a poll on this blog and if my impression is correct these matters will be left behind.
E-mails. I am very reluctant to send out unsolicited e-mail but have continued to do so because there is no way of knowing who does and doesn't use this blog to get information about meetings and other activities of The WWIG. I've considered using Facebook, but don't see how that would offer any advantage (let me know if you think otherwise). In order to lighten your e-mail burden, from now on I will no longer include any messages in the body of the e-mails sent other than the link to this blog-- click on it if you want to get the information that I think is worth your attention. Also, to let you know that the absence of text in the body isn't an error, the subject line will contain the abbreviation EOM (end of message). In my e-mails, I usually ask recipients who are uninterested to let me know so that their names can be removed from the list. So far no one has done so, but some people have indicated that they wish to be included in our group but never come to meetings. I am going to stop asking, but will start removing names of non-participants from the distribution list. If I do so in error, please call me. Finally, please know that my e-mail contact list (Windows Live) is wildly unstable; names do sometimes disappear and other weird things happen. Sincere apologies to anyone who has as a result be snubbed. Please do contact me if any mistakes in communication have been made.
Finally, our last meeting was, in my opinion, our best ever. The WWIG is on a roll. Let's try to keep it going! It is hoped that you will be able to attend the meeting on Wednesday. In the meantime send digital images for the Challenge,Topic of the Month or the Open Mike and, even better, bring prints if you have them.

Best wishes to everyone,
Byron

I'll Be Gone

2011-06-22T11:45:00.002-05:00

I will be away from La Crosse for the next 6 or 7 days and may not be able to respond to you while on the road. I'll try to get back to anyone who e-mails or calls as soon as I return.
Byron

Extreme Photoshop Retouching

2011-06-22T11:42:00.000-05:00

Here is a YouTube video of an extreme makeover done in Photoshop. This is just one of a gazillion available. I am reluctant to post any of them because of some may object to the concept and others including me have a problem with the concept of designating beauty and ugliness. Before you get you knickers in a twist please understand that the "before" in this video is NOT a person but a piece of sculpture. I very much hope that no one will be offended, but I do want to show what can be done at the extremes. Please read these comments by the artist in response to some carping criticism if you are uncomfortable:

I never meant to hurt anyone with this work. I just wanted to know how young I could make that old lady look using photoshop tools. By the way, that woman is not a real person. That is a sculpture made by Angela Talbot, a very talented artist that has a beautiful personality. I think that the real beauty is inside us all, in our soul. And that beauty can be cultivated by any one of us. It's just a matter of wanting. Thanks for watching! :)

Byron

Our Yurt

2011-06-22T11:23:00.001-05:00

For anyone who is interested here are some recent phots of our yurt. We have finally completed furnishing it. The table in the center of the yurt and the chest on the left side back wall were hand made from wood milled from a cherry tree harvested on the property. We hope to be able to entertain members of the WWIG at our land in Crawford County later this summer.
Byron

Digital Challenge: Portrait 4

2011-06-16T20:31:00.000-05:00

Theresa Smerud kindly sent this image to be used as an exercise in retouching. This very pleasant looking gentleman's appearance is marred by an obvious dental flaw. I suspect that most subjects with a similar problem would attempt to keep their mouth closed which would eliminate his smile which is wonderful and reveals much about his personality. For some doing the dental repair in Photoshop may be a piece-of-cake, but I don't think that I am going to be able to bring it off. On the other hand it will be interesting to try.

Theresa sent a JPG and I cropped away a great deal of the original so that the resulting image is a fairly small file but I think that it will be adaquate for this exercise.
Byron
Byron

Digital Challenge: Portrait 3

2011-06-16T20:16:00.000-05:00

This woman is the owner of a small shop located in a alley made up of artsy businesses in Madrid NM. She reluctantly allowed me to take a few photos and because we were already at the limit of her tolerance I didn' think that I could get away with asking her to move into a location that wouldn't have such awful lighting conditions. This image may be beyond the magical powers of Photoshop but I included it because if offers an opportunity to see what one can do with very advanced wrinkles.
Byron

Internet Courtesy

2011-06-16T05:46:00.003-05:00

This photo was taken in our garden several years ago by my son Charles Annis and back in my avid gardening days I used it a lot in various presentations. In my opinion what makes this a great shot the fact that Charlie was exactly in the right place at the right time. See Rule # 1 of Photography: Always have your camera with you! Another interesting aspect of the picture is this. If you look carefully just above the giant garden rat (that would be the deer for the nature lovers among you) you can see a thin white horizontal line. That is my electric deer fence. Really effective, isn't it? All of this is beside the point. Here is the point: Years ago I submitted this image to a website called Subdivision Wildlife. Yesterday I received this e-mail message--

Byron,
I am working on a website for an electronic deer repellant. (deershieldtech.com)
Would you allow us to use this image on our site and in some of our promotional material?
Thank you,
Rick

Here is my reply--

> Yes you may, and thank you for the courtesy of asking! I hope that you will give credit to the photographer who is my son Charles Annis. He did a great job getting this capture.

This is the way things should work when decent people deal with each other in the electronic commons.

Byron

Digital Challenge: Portrait 2

2011-06-15T21:04:00.002-05:00

I took this photograph of Dr. John Hayden at our last meeting and he very graciously gave me permission to use it for this months exercise in retouching. Dr. Hayden had a long and distinguished career as an Orthopedic Surgeon at the Gundersen Clinic and is an accomplished photographer. He is 88 years old and his skin certainly is that of a substantially younger man. Nonetheless, there are some blemishes that can be eliminated and wrinkles lessened. I'm not one to give retouching advice, but I will caution those who haven't done this sort of work, resist the temptation to overdo. This is especially true with the wrinkles.

I'll make separate entries for the remaining 2 images tomorrow and send the whole packet of 4 JPGs tomorrow by e-mail.
Byron

The Digital Challenge: Portrait 1

2011-06-15T20:52:00.000-05:00

This is a stunningly beautiful woman who had the misfortune to be photographed by someone with no discernible talent for glamour or even portrait photography (me, if you must know). I selected this image because it begs for treatment of the eyes, especially the left, and the camera (? lens) introduced distortion of her facial proportions.
Byron

July 6, 2011 Meeting: 1st Post

2011-06-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the WWIG will take place on July 6th. This is the first of what will likely be several posts about the meeting. There are 2 items I want to address in this entry.

TOPIC OF THE MONTH-- If you were at the June meeting you know that the Topic (or, more appropriately, the assignment) is to take a photo of a stranger. It is realized that for many of us this is onorous and offputting-- that, of course, is why I chose it. I, personally, dread the prospect, but then again I really didn't want to undergo a colonoscopy. I requested the procedure because the potential benefit far outweighed the unpleasantness. Likewise, some of the most treasured and meaningful images in my portfolio are of people who were strangers to me when I made the capture. I've not always done a good job of asking permission, but I am trying to make it a practice to politely approach people and with sincerity engage them in conversation before taking the shot; and to respect their wishes if they object.

If, of course, you are really put off by photographing a stranger, submit a photo of any person that you feel has some special quality.

THE DIGITAL CHALLENGE-- I have selected from my files 3 images that are uploaded here and will upload one that Theresa Smerud gave me. Because I want to get the ball rolling this evening I'm posting them now, but because the hour is late I won't make any comments about the images at this time but will over the next couple of days. The challenge is to retouch any one or more of the portraits in any way that you feel appropriate.

Considerably more information about these images will follow, but for now I do want you to know that these are all JPGs and the only alteration done has been cropping. RAW files are available for the first 3 images.

Take a look and see what you think. I would very much appreciate any comments or questions that you have.
Byron

Ridgetop Photography

2011-06-14T20:47:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to call your attention to a new addition to the list of Blogs and Websites About Photography and Digital Imaging in the right hand column: WWIG Maria Barry's Ridgetop Photography. This blog should serve the needs of all of our members and I am glad that Maria has referred us to her interesting commercial venture and I wish her every success in it.
Byron

New Header

2011-06-14T20:33:00.000-05:00

Usually we keep the header for the entire month between meetings. At our June meeting we had so many wonderful images submitted for both the Topic of the Month (Barns) and the Digital Challenge that I decided to use one from each for half the interval instead. This lovely photograph was taken during the last winter just outside of the city of La Crosse by John Zoerb. Older barns, especially those abutting and mingling with encroaching urban development, are everywhere in this part of the country unused and deteriorating. This image evokes a sense of sadness and loss-- a part of our rural landscape and culture will be gone with the barns. Thank you John!
Byron

Follow up WWIG June Meeting

2011-06-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone who helped to make last evening's meeting of the WWIG such a rousing sucess. I think that we all thoroughly enjoyed Roger Grant's very informative presentation and his practicle recommendations about portrait photography. The number of Topic of the Month and Digital Challenge submissions was substantially greater than in the past and the images show great imagination and photographic skill. The discussion throughout the evening was lively.

The new header photo of this blog was Jim Terman's response to the Digital Challenge. It was enthusiastically received by the group. Someone remarked how it resembles the Sydney Opera House and I agree. John Zoerb submitted several barn images and I will be posting in the header a lovely winter barn photo in a couple of weeks.

The next digital challenge will be distributed soon. It will be a portrait, preferably of someone whose face shows the ravages of time and the challenge will be an exercise in retouching.

The next Topic of the Month will be a difficult one-- at least for me. Members are being asked to photograph a stranger. The goal is not so much to obtain a great photograph-- although there would be nothing wrong with that-- but to encourage members to approach and photograph strangers. Someone asked if we are requiring that permission be obtained. This is up to the photographer. I realize that meeting and greeting strangers and asking them for a photo-op can be excruciating (I use this word because this is how the process feels to me) and if a member just can't do it then they can and should do an alternative like an old photograph in their portfolio or a picture of a friend or family member.

John Zoerb would like to have the prints for the La Crosse Public Library display by the end of the 3rd week of July. Remember there is no limit to size and the prints have to be either matted or framed. We hope to have work from most of not all of our members to demonstrate to the community the creative diversity of our group as well as the rather high level of accomplishment of the members. If anyone needs a good printer to use or help making prints I am most happy to help out.
Byron

WWIG June Meeting ~ Program

2011-05-31T22:15:00.001-05:00

The WWIG will meet at my home (N2207 Pammel Pass W. in Bridal Coulee) at 6:30pm. Please remember that Roger Grant who will be location lighting and has asked that everyone bring a camera. Several photographers who have not yet been involved with our group will be attending tomorrow's meeting. Please introduce yourselves and make them welcome-- this has been a tradition with the WWIG and is one of our strengths. Finally, this meeting will be, I think, a first. Yes there will be no overt or subtle whining from the host about lack of submissions. Your participation in the Topic of the Month and Digital Challenge has been fantastic. Thanks to all of you!

I cruised around to various sites in search of some great images to lead off this post but the few I found couldn't be appropriated. Perhaps you may find a couple of photos taken at the wedding we attended in Japan. The first is the group marching into the temple and the second is of my daughter Allison Christie and grandson Damian. They are wearing kimonos at the request of the bride and her family.

THE PROGRAM FOR THE JUNE MEETING OF THE WWIG

SOCIAL HOUR AND PRINT VIEWING-

PRESENTATIONS-

Roger Grant on location lighting
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 delve into this subject in more detail can borrow the video.

ANNOUNCEMENTS-

Future meetings.
The next Topic of the Month and Digital Challenge
Another reminder about our display at the La Crosse Public Library in August.
A proposal for an activity at Christmas time.

ASK THE EXPERTS-
Byron Annis wants to know exactly how a "macro" lens differs from a prime lens of the same focal length (or, for that matter, a zoom lens).
Byron Annis took this photo years ago using a flash. He has never been able to repeat the result although he knows that there is a way of doing so. Help!

IMAGES- The main event.

The Topic of the Month
The Digital Challenge

Show and Tell:

Members present anything related to photographic technique, gear, digital imaging, books, videos, etc. I am going to show you what you need to do good insect photography. A used camera and lenses are going to be put on offer as well

Open Mike-- Digital images previously submitted by members via e-mail will be displayed and prints will be viewed by the group. Comments are encouraged.

Byron

More about the June 1st WWIG meeting

2011-05-30T00:43:00.000-05:00

I have posted photos that I have found on the Internet that impress me in the posts I make in the run-up to the meeting. This one is stunning. Once again from Trey Ratcliff's blog Stuck in Customs. This photo was taken on the Li River in China. I assume that he used HDR because he almost always does and it looks to be the case here. This is also an example of his texture work.

We haven't had any questions for the Ask The Expert segment which is amazing. I do have a question and look forward to hearing what the experts have to say. Here is the question: how do prime lenses differ from macro lenses? Is a prime lens combined with extension tube or teleconverter work in the same way as a macro?

I am offering a camera for sale. I don't plan to discuss it at the meeting but will have the camera and lenses on display and a spec. sheet for anyone interested. On offer will be a Nikon D300 with a Nikkor 18-200mm lens as well as a Tamron wide angle lens, a Sigma 50mm prime lens, Sigma 70 to 400mm zoom lens.

Now that you have been exposed to shameless mercantilism let me tell you some very interesting camera news from the collector community.

Leica was the first to introduce a 35mm film camera with interchangeable lenses. Prototypes were made as early as 1913. This camera, the 'O' was made to test the market before introducing the Leica A in 1925. 31 were manufactured and sold in 1923. The camera pictured here recently sold at auction for $1,890,000. The Nikon that I want to sell looks a hell of lot better and will be going for somewhat

less.

More tomorrow.

Byron

WWIG ~ Next Meeting June 1, 2011

2011-05-24T11:17:00.006-05:00

The next meeting of the Western Wisconsin Imaging Group will be at 6:30pm on June 1, 2011 at our home (N2207 Pammel Pass West).

I have inserted this photo for two reasons: first, to introduce you to a series of pictures that I took at the formal wedding ceremony of my son Charles Annis and Kaori Yoshijima on May 2nd and, second, to show you that I need a lot of help with location lighting for portrait photography. The problem with this photo is quite obvious and annoying-- the dark shadow across Kaori's forehead and eyes. Is any help available? Well, glad I mentioned it... because this is an issue that Roger Grant will be addressing in his presentation at the upcoming meeting.

I am happy to tell you that Roger Grant has kindly consented to discuss Portrait Photography and at the upcoming meeting he will do his initial presentation entitled Available Light Location Photography. Roger has asked that everyone BRING A CAMERA. I will show a short video featuring the work of Joe McNally and just a couple of short segments of his long instructional DVD on location lighting with small strobes.

Today I discovered that the WWIG e-mail contact list I maintain in Windows Live has morphed and that several names have inexplicably been dropped out. I am concerned that some of you may not have received the Digital Challenge image that Roger sent out. I am posting here and if you would like a higher resolution copy please e-mail or call me (788-1812).

Here are some further meeting reminders. The Topic of the Month is Barns. Please do submit questions for the "Ask the Experts" Segment. By the way, are you wondering how the experts are? That would be anyone who who feels that they can answer the question being asked. Finally, we have the "Show and Tell" --an opportunity to show interesting gear, techniques, books, etc and the presentation of prints and digital images, what I have been calling the "Open Mike" segment. Send your queries and digital images to me by email (bannis4@centurytel.net) and I will post the questions on this blog as well as having your images ready for projection at the meeting. Incidentally, if you have trouble e-mailing your images call me and I will be happy to assist you.

Please indulge me for a moment and let me remind you once again that the success of our meetings and the future of our group depends on the active participation of all the members.

I hope to post fairly frequently on this blog during the next week. Please come back often to stay in touch.
Byron

Two Week Hiatus

2011-04-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

I'm off to Japan in the morning and although I am taking a laptop it is unlikely that I will be posting here. Because it will be 2 months between meetings I am changing the header. The new one is Jamie Heiden's submission for the Digital Challenge. Thanks to both Jim and Jamie.

Byron

2011-04-16T17:25:00.002-05:00

Here's one more snow shot from this morning - I was experimenting with a plug-in from Alien Skin.

Jackie

2011-04-16T15:03:00.002-05:00

Snowy greetings -

I wasn't thrilled with the snow this morning but I did take a couple shots just outside my door.

Jackie

Workshop Opportunity

2011-04-13T09:59:00.002-05:00

Phyllis Olson sent some very interesting information about a photography workshop on Madeline Island, WI in May. Here is the link: http://www.madelineartschool.com/Classes_detail.cfm?recordno=1&Product_CatalogID=124&ProductNumber=FCB050911&ProductCode=22&NewProduct=0 Phyllis has had a workshop with the instructor and highly recommends this one. I am seriously considering attending because I have had a great deal of difficulty photographing wildflowers and I do want to learn how to use Helicon focus or a similar technique that is available in Photoshop. Byron

From Madrid NM

2011-04-12T20:31:00.002-05:00

Nothing new to write about, but I am trying to post images frequently in hopes that members will stop by the blog more frequently. This image is one of my favorites. This is my friend Kam who is the most naturally friendly, gregarious person I've ever done photography with. Do you think that he looks French in this photo? I do. Byron

How our own brave Jackie did it!

2011-04-09T10:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I posted this picture of the Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River taken by Jackie Rand. As I have told you in order to get the entire bend of the river one must go to the edge of the cliff. The closest I could get was about 15 feet and even then I experienced acrophobia. So how did Jackie do it? Here is how:

2011-04-08T14:34:00.003-05:00

Jackie Rand sent this photo of the Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River near Page AZ. It's terrific. I wonder how brave Jackie got close enough to the precipice to include the entire curve of the river in the frame? Come back tomorrow and maybe it will be revealed.

Byron

Post-Meeting Notes

2011-04-07T12:34:00.000-05:00

Behold the new Header Photo. This is Jim Taylor's submission to the Digital Challenge. I was very taken with Jamie's version as well and it will be our Header Photo in May. While the Topic of the Month was difficult we had many excellent submissions which I will post here from time to time. Here is one from Sue Ratzleff:

What music do you hear when you look at these images? For me it is Bach's Toccata & Fugue.

Because many members missed last evening's meeting, I am going to post some of the announcements made here.

There will be no meeting in May. I will be in Japan. Unless some calamity occurs there will be a meeting on Wednesday June 1st.
The Topic of the Month for June will be more straight forward: BARNS. It is hoped that everyone will bring some individual perspective to this frequently photographed subject.
There was agreement that the Digital Challenge is fun and members present would like to see it continued. Roger Grant will be choosing and posting the subject photo.
As mentioned previously we are committed to mounting another exhibit of prints at the La Crosse Public Library for August. John Zoerb plans to hang them on August 1st. Please plan to submit them to him well before this date. There are no stipulations about size and they can be either framed or simply matted.
I have some topics I can present in June and don't mind doing so. However, the interests of our group would be better served if I step back and shut-up for a while. Those of you who have been attending meetings since the beginning can almost certainly recall some excellent presentations followed by discussions we have had by various members. Will anyone consider doing a presentation in June? Let me know by email if you would be willing.

Byron

WWIG April Meeting ~ Program

2011-04-05T16:13:00.009-05:00

Where was this photo taken? Hong Kong maybe?

Do you recognize this place? It's Navy Pier in Chicago. A great shot.

This photo was taken in Patagonia, in Argentina. The mountains are in the Fitzroy Range.

The Western Wisconsin Imaging Group will be meeting on Wednesday April 6th at 6:30 pm at my home (N2207 Pammel Pass W.; (608)788-1812). To set the mood for tomorrow's meeting I am posting 3 terrific images I found on the Facebook page of Trey Ratliff who's blog Stuck In Customs (http://www.stuckincustoms.com/) I have frequently referred to here and very enthusiastically recommend. And now on to the business at hand:

THE PROGRAM FOR APRIL 6th

SOCIAL HOUR AND PRINT VIEWING-

Susann Annis has prepared dessert coffee and tea. There will be several people who have not attended previous meetings. Please make them welcome. Also do take a few minutes to look at the prints that members have brought.

PRESENTATIONS--

Invited Guest John Blaschke of Village Custom Framing will discuss print framing and matting options with emphasis on conservation issues.
A short video featuring the work of Jay Maisel with his commentary will be shown along with an introduction to a long video of Jay Maisel and Scott Kelby walking the streets of Manhatten talking about how Jay does his work-- much of it is very ideosyncratic.
Byron Annis will discuss some of his images that show why he finds digital manipulation fulfilling. You are encouraged to disagree.

ANNOUNCEMENTS-

Upcoming meetings.
The next Topic of the Month.
The WWIG exhibit at The La Crosse Public Library.
Please help by filling out a questionnaire that I have prepared. It really isn't as dumb as most of the ones you get.

ASK THE EXPERTS-

Jamie Heiden's question. "How do you back up your images? CDs, DVDs, external hard drives, outside sources such as Dropbox, other? I've heard that DVDs last a bit longer that CDs and that external hardrives are not super stable. Outside sources are not realistic for me because out in the country where I live we don't have fast internet and my large PSD files would take just short of forever to upload. Looking for input on how you all handle this digital dilemma. Thanks."

IMAGES-- This is what you came for.

The Topic of The Month images-- Hearing the music
The Digital Challenge images
Show and Tell-- Members present anything related to photographic technique, gear, digital imaging, books, videos, etc. Marti Sullivan will discuss an interesting opportunity that she learned about on her recent trip.
Open Mike-- Digital images previously submitted by members via e-mail will be displayed and prints will be viewed by the group. Comments are encouraged.
Byron

Google Is Letting Me Down

2011-04-02T11:46:00.002-05:00

It seems the height of ingratitude to whine about the service when one gets a product a no cost. But I'll do it anyway. When I made the previous post I did separate the paragraphs but the space disappeared when I published. Many strategies were tried to work around the problem and I found by doing a search that this has been widespread. You might also notice that font size has been reduced but I was able to overcome this change. Finally I have been having considerable difficulty uploading images to the blog. I assume that Google has made changes in E-Blogger to save space on their servers and understand that since they do not charge it is entirely their choice, but it is annoying and diminishes the quality of what I am sending to you. Sorry, but it isn't my doing. Byron

Update: Meeting April 6, 2011

2011-04-02T10:03:00.011-05:00

I am very much looking forward to our upcoming meeting on Wednesday, April 6th. It may be somewhat different than recent prior meetings and some of the differences will reflect changes which result from the continuing evolution of the format and activities of our group. I'll post the actual program on Monday or Tuesday (this allows me some wiggle room), but it is pretty well set now. We will have a guest presenter, John Blaske co-owner of Village Custom Framing, will speak about matting and framing issues, with special emphasis on photo conservation. I will show a professionally produced video done by the Santa Fe Workshops presenting some remarkable work by Jay Maisel and brief segment of a much longer video of Jay and Scott Kelby doing a photowalk on the streets of New York with a stream-of-consciousness tutorial from this gifted photographer and teacher. I have taken two workshops from Jay which have profoundly affected my work but not without distress. I'll make a few comments about these experiences. We will, of course, view member's submissions of the Topic of the Month images, the Digital Challenge images, and the Freestyle (formerly known as the Open Mike segment). There has, so far, been one submission for Ask The Experts. It seems strange to me that there aren't more question about taking photos, digital imaging, gear, books, Internet resources, art, commerce, intellectual property law, or any other topics that fall under the rubric of Photography. Submission, so far, have been really underwhelming-- the quantity but definitely not the quality! I'll remind you again (and I will persist in doing so) that the success of our meetings depends almost solely on the members willingness to share their ideas, experiences, problems, goals, future plans, and, most important, their images. The polling results are in. 12 members voted on the question of digital imaging discussion at our meetings. You can see the results in the column on the right. I am going to query the members in order to get a better sense of the range of expertise so that future presentations can be targeted more appropriately. As always your opinions, via this blog, by email, or phone, will be appreciated. I have invited a couple of photographers I know to join us at this meeting to see if they would like to participate regularly. Also some current members have asked about bringing other interested photographers. We are only limited by the physical space available at my home. Generally, about half of the members show up at any one meeting, so I believe that we can accommodate several additions to the group. Finally, there is good news and bad news about the desserts during the social hour. The bad news is that Susann Annis will probably not be here in May--she will be visiting our family in Japan-- but the good news is that she is already preparing for next Wednesday's meeting. We attended a wedding extravaganza in New York last weekend and she is truly inspired. Byron

Ask the experts...

2011-03-31T08:22:00.002-05:00

I had posted this question thinking we may have a March meeting but would like to ask it again hoping to get some further input... How do you back up your images? cds, dvds, external hard drives, outside source such as dropbox, other? I've heard that dvd's last a bit longer than cds and that external hds are not super stable. Outside sources are not realistic for me because out in the country where I live we don't have fast internet and my large PSD files would take just short of forever to upload. Looking for input on how you all handle this digital dilema. Thanks, Jamie

Old Car Photo for Digital Challenge

2011-03-29T13:39:00.002-05:00

For reasons that are unclear the new version of e-Blogger has suddenly decided to stop accepting images from me. I was able to switch back to the prior version of the software and have successfully uploaded the image that we will be using for The Digital Challenge. This image is a jpg but I do have the RAW version and can get it to you. Also I shot multiple exposures so that you can, if you wish, do HDR processing-- either in jpg or RAW. Don't hesitate to let me know what you need. Byron

Jamie Heiden Gallery Showing

2011-03-29T13:14:00.001-05:00

I don't know if all of you received this message. In case you didn't I am posting it here.

"I wanted to tell you about a gallery opening at The Lanesboro Arts Center (info. attached)... it's a wonderful show that I am participating in with two other very talented photographers - Ron Germundson and Michael Regnier. It should be a great evening... April 9th 6-8 p.m. and it's a Saturday! If you find yourself will a full calendar then, consider stopping at the Art Center during the Bluff Country Art Tour April 29th -May 1st." Contact Jamie for more information

Byron

Family Pride

2011-03-24T06:35:00.000-05:00

My brother Mel Annis won first place awards in 2 catagories and was recognized the annual banquet of the Ann Arbor Camera Club. Here are the winning images:

Byron

Update

2011-03-24T06:18:00.000-05:00

I was very please to learn that the vile Richard Prince was successful sued! Prince I believe calls himself an "appropriation artist" but actually what I would call him is a intellectual property thief. Here is an example of his so-called work:

Prince's print sold for $1,100,000 recently. I don't know who is more despicable, Prince or the scoundrel who bought it-- who knows full well that there will be a greater fool who will continue to inflate the value until someone points out that the emperor has no clothes. On the other hand, maybe I'm just not bright enough to understand intellectual basis of this transgressive genius, this brilliant artist who succeeds in "shocking the bourgeoisie" This is what one enlightened connoisseur (Dennis Dunleavy) thinks:

"What makes Prince's appropriation interesting is that the iconic nature of the Marlboro pictures signify the cultural pathology of a society obsessed with self-indulgences, individualism, identity and consumption. By appropriating the images, Prince is taking a poke at the very same "high-art" culture that is willing to fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars for his work."

For more about this story and other good stuff go to The Online Photographer. Also found at this always interesting blog is this simple but very cleaver image by Spanish photographer Chema Madoz:

In Photography seeing, while not everything, counts for a hell of a lot. I love this image!
Byron

Next WWIG Meeting: April 6, 2011

2011-03-21T07:48:00.001-05:00

The next meeting of the WWIG will be on April 6th at 6:30 pm at our home (N2207 Pammel Pass W.). I will be posting relevant information about the meeting, including the program, in subsequent posts and suggest that you check in from time to time. I anticipate a particularly good meeting and hope that members will make a special effort to attend, especially because it is unlikely that we will be able to meet on a regular monthly basis for the rest of the year as I am locked into several trips that will take me away from La Crosse.

Topic of the Month: These images, scammed from the Internet, are posted as a reminder of the topic-- pictures that cause one to hear music when seen. (I often use the phrase "the mind's eye" and find it a useful concept. Is there such a thing as "the mind's ear"? If not, there should be.).

Jim Taylor has sent is images and they perfectly fit the topic (thanks, Jim). How about you?

The Digital Challenge:
Roger Grant will be choosing the images, sending them to members, and commenting on the submissions, but Roger may not be able to attend the April meeting so I decided to get the ball rolling. Let's consider this a practice run to see how it works and determine if there are kinks that need to be ironed out.

You can simply copy and work on this image which is not recommended, or you can e-mail me (bannis4@centurytel.net) and I will send you a RAW image or a jpg. If you would like to do HDR I will send 3 exposures that can be used for this purpose.

Ask the expert: Who's the expert? We all are! Please post you questions on this blog or send them to me and I will post them.

Finally, I am going to once again make a plea for member participation. The success of our meetings and the organization itself is, in my opinion, directly related to the sharing of images and ideas by the membership. I've been quite productive recently and have lots of images available, but, frankly, I'd much rather see your work than mine. Even if you're not going to attend the meeting, you can send prints (give them to a colleague to bring) or digital images for display-- Jim Terman has sent both images and text which has confirmed how well this can work. Once again, let me remind you that you should consider showing problem images or outright failures-- it's how we learn. Also, how about sharing digital techniques, gear, or your insights about how to take photographs-- or what to avoid? Just send me an e-mail and you will get on the program. Please?
Byron

John Gregor Madison Workshop

2011-03-15T07:22:00.001-05:00

ColdSnap Photography presents

The Art Of Seeing; A Photography Workshop.

Want to make great photographs? Learn how great photographs are made. The Art Of Seeing workshops teach you how to see photographs and recognize scenes that will translate into great photographs. We will cover; basic camera functions, fundamentals of the digital photographic medium, image composition and most importantly how to SEE photographs. These workshops are designed for beginner to intermediate level photographers.

Each workshop includes two field sessions to ensure practice of principles covered during lectures. You will have the opportunity to work one on one with an instructor during the field-shoots. Your work from the field sessions will be reviewed in an honest and supportive atmosphere where you can learn from successes as well as mistakes.

Madison workshop: April 2-3, 2011, at the Olbrich Gardens in Madison Wisconsin

For more information contact John Gregor at ColdSnap Photography, email john@coldsnap.com, call (218) 830-0767 or go to www.coldsnap.com

To register go to: http://www.olbrich.org/education/register.cfm

TOPIC OF THE MONTH APRIL MEETING

2011-02-28T08:49:00.000-06:00

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

2011-02-27T19:54:00.001-06:00

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

2011-02-24T20:17:00.001-06:00

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

2011-02-13T20:23:00.000-06:00

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

2011-02-08T14:28:00.000-06:00

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

2011-02-07T09:57:00.001-06:00

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

2011-02-06T16:51:00.001-06:00

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

2011-02-02T16:00:00.000-06:00

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

2011-02-02T15:25:00.001-06:00

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

2011-02-02T14:54:00.000-06:00

Response from Ron Reimer to Jackie Rand's Query

2011-02-02T11:56:00.001-06:00

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...

2011-02-01T19:22:00.000-06:00

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

Western Wisconsin Imaging Group

Door Prize

New Photo on the Masthead

Interval Report

Next WWIG Meeting

Epson Printer Has Been Sold

Jamie Heiden Exhibit at Pump House

Printer For Sale-- Very Good Deal

New Photo on the Masthead

Ansel Adams exhibition in Chicago area

To Cuba on Tuesday

Happy Thanksgiving... a day late

Images For Contemplation and Discussion

Web Gallery

NEW PASSWORD

Image for Saturday November 12th

A Portrait Artist to share

Future Fantasy From "After Capture" Magazine

Images That I Find Compelling

Another Photo of the Day for Melissa

Roger Grant Photographs at The Pump House

Program Notes: November Meeting WWIG

New Header

Topic of the Month

WWIG Meeting November 2, 2011

No Digital Challenge for November 2nd

WWIG November 2nd Meeting: Special Guest

A Glimps Into The Photography Future?

Back to Blogging

Rick Sammon Workshop

WWIG: No October Meeting

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

PROGRAM NOTES: SEPTEMBER MEETING OF THE WWIG

Update and Meeting Notes

WWIG Meeting September 7th

Got 9 Minutes to Spare? Watch An Incredible Video

A Question About Minnesota State Fair

Interesting and Fun Images

Reminders and Langiappe

la·gniappe

Restoration by Jim Terman

Travel Video

WWIG Gallery at The La Crosse Public Library

The Digital Challenge for the September WWIG Meeting

Jennifer's Excellent Adventure in Santa Fe

Jennifer Bucheit Departing

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

Something Fun

Sports Photography

Elements 9 and Epson Scanner

Floral Photo-Op

Sue Retzlaff's Remarkable Dental Skills

Follow Up WWIG July Meeting

THE PROGRAM FOR THE JULY MEETING OF THE WWIG

More About Fireworks

Photographing Fireworks

WWIG July Meeting

I'll Be Gone

Extreme Photoshop Retouching

Our Yurt

Digital Challenge: Portrait 4

Digital Challenge: Portrait 3

Internet Courtesy

Digital Challenge: Portrait 2

The Digital Challenge: Portrait 1

July 6, 2011 Meeting: 1st Post

Ridgetop Photography

New Header

Follow up WWIG June Meeting

WWIG June Meeting ~ Program

More about the June 1st WWIG meeting

WWIG ~ Next Meeting June 1, 2011

Two Week Hiatus

Workshop Opportunity

From Madrid NM

How our own brave Jackie did it!

Post-Meeting Notes

WWIG April Meeting ~ Program

Google Is Letting Me Down

Update: Meeting April 6, 2011