Message Board
This board is maintained for sharing information of general interest to Club members. Members can submit items by e-mail to Tom Kidd or to the
Club's e-mail address. Please limit submissions to text and internet links (no images, powerpoint presentations, spreadsheets, etc.).
******
3/8 Tom K.: Here's some attitude advice (particularly regarding our reactions to judges' scores and comments) from photographer Rob Sheppard: "Who’s Looking Over Your Shoulder?"
******
3/7 Robert D.: The NANPA 2010 Road Show is in Los Angeles from May 21-23.
******
3/1 Robert D.-- Congratulations to Sam Shaw. Sam won an acceptance in the Coachella 2010 International with his image of "Just Hanging On".
******
2/25 Tom K. -- Photographer Mike Osborne will conduct "Waterfalls of Yosemite" workshops in the Park in April and May -- information at:
The Ansel Adams Gallery Blog.
******
2/24 Some wildflower photo ops:
Robert D. -- At this site you can print an application to photograph
during the Backcountry Weekend at Henry Coe State Park. It can be a
great place to photograph wildflowers as well as other photo attractions.
Once a year the East Gate to the park is opened off of Hwy 152 near Bell's
Station east of Gilroy. Note that the deadline for applying is Feb. 28, 2010.
The Tejon Ranch Conservancy has scheduled a series of "Community Hikes"
in various parts of their extensive holdings that are not otherwise publicly accessible.
Two ongoing sources of wildflower info are:
******
2/15 Robert D. -- Here is a list of upcoming photo symposiums, photofestivals, etc:
******
2/8 Tom K. -- What do Gustav Mahler, Monty Python, Sam Shaw, and Floyd Hopper have in common? Their artistic impressions of "The Meaning of Life." Three of them will be represented at The Gallo Center For the Performing Arts in Modesto, February 12 and 13. (Don't expect to see Monty Python)
******
2/6 Tom K. -- Apparently, discussions like the one we've been having about the pros and cons of manipulating photographic images were going on a century ago. Here is a 6 minute, 15 second Youtube video about the historic clash between two schools of photography in the early twentieth century:" "Pictorialist and Straight Photography."
Present-day photographer Larry Blackwood writes the following about his interpretation of what happened next: "Originally, pictorialism was embraced by many prominent photographers from Steiglitz (who founded the Photo Secessionist movement based in part on pictorialism), to Weston. Even Ansel Adams started in that area. These same supporters later abandoned the pictorialist style in favor of straight photography, which emphasized making the best use of (rather than masking) the unique inherent qualities of photographic process. The most organized challenge to pictorialism as a legitimate method of photographic art came from the members of f64, anchored by Ansel Adams himself.
The difference between pictorialist and straight photography prints is often reduced to that of manipulation in the former case vs. no manipulation in the latter. In reality however, the difference between the two on this dimension is more a matter of the intent of manipulation rather than its presence or absence. Ansel Adams was a master of darkroom manipulation and spent many hours, even years perfecting prints of specific negatives. His prints often produced results that were very much different from the view afforded to the human eye when the shutter was pressed. His intent however was to produce a sharply focused personal interpretation of the light and physical composition of the scene. His prints have tremendous atmosphere of a different type, accomplished through manipulation that produces in a sense a hyperphotographic image, one that takes ultimate advantage of the unique characteristics of a photograph compared to a painting (e.g. sharp focus, clarity of detail) but one that presents a reality that has been altered according to his own artistic tastes. Certainly his photographs are beyond anything that could be considered strictly documentary in nature. The difference then, is that the straight photographers seek to express themselves artistically by maximizing the unique characteristics of photography vs. other fine art while pictorialism essentially seeks to lose those qualities in the resulting image."
******
1/28 Tom K. -- More advice for photographing Death Valley, this time from G. Dan Mitchell:
******
1/26 Tom K. -- Those of you going to Death Valley next month might enjoy this blog post by Southern California photographer Floris van Breugel. You won't see the same conditions, but you'll probably see some aftereffects of the weather he describes: "The Rains."
******
1/19 Tom K. -- Here is a pretty thorough, and readable, article about how, when, and why to use a polarizer, by photographer Darwin Wiggett: "Seven Rules for Effectively Using a Polarizer."
******
1/17 Robert D. -- Here is a source listing some good locations to shoot in the
Big Sur, Point Lobos, and Garrapata State Park areas. "California Photographers' Forum."
******
1/15 Tom K. -- The iconic view of Yosemite's Horsetail Fall glowing at sunset happens only in February. Michal Frye has a detailed discussion of when and where to photograph the phenomenon at: "Photographing Horsetail Fall." The Ansel Adams Gallery's staff will conduct classes to help photographers capture this image. Details at: "Photography Classes Featuring Horsetail Falls."
******
12/29 Tom K. -- The famous nature photographer Art Wolfe co-founded the International Conservation Photography Awards in 1997. His organization e-mailed our club, suggesting we consider entering this year's contest. Entry deadline is 2/28/2010. Contest info is at: ICP Awards.com.
******
12/20 Floyd H. -- Congratulations to Robert Dayton. His image "Moss Covered Tree, Fall" was selected for the Yosemite Renaissance XXV.
******
12/20 Tom K. -- Youtube has a couple of videos related to a new book by Andrew Zuckerman. One, "Andrew Zuckerman's 'Bird,'" is a short film promoting the book. The second, "BIRD: Behind the Scenes with Andrew Zuckerman," shows how the images in the book and the first video were made. And here's another bird-centric video: "Eagle Owl In Flight."
******
12/9 Robert D. -- Here is information/registration form for the 46th Fresno International (deadline 3/20/2010): Fresno International Application.
******
12/3 Robert D. -- Information and entry form for an international photo competition sponsored by the Coachella Valley Desert Camera Club.
******
11/26 Tom K. -- For our bird shooters, here is a sample of what is happening at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge:
California Visions, Central Valley Album.
******
11/26 Robert D. -- Here is a list of icons to photograph in the Pacific Northwest:
Nature Photographers' Net.
******
11/22 Robert D. -- Costco now printing 20 x 30 for $8.99 on a 7880 Epson printer:
Nature Photographers' Net.
******
11/20 Robert D. -- 2010 calendars are available at the Merced Multicultural Art Center.
Four of twelve images are by MCC members, Karen Campbell,
Carlene Cunnigham, Floyd Hopper, and Sam Shaw. Sales' proceeds will go to the Modesto Photograhers Gallery, who paid
publication costs, and the Merced Multi Cultural Arts Center.
Honor the artists in our club by purchasing a calendar. The first
shipment to Merced is only 15 calendars; so act soon before they're
all gone.
******
11/16 Robert D. -- The calendar store is now open on the mall. There are many calendars with grand scenics as well as speciality calendars.
******
11/7 Tom K. -- According to the folks at the Ansel Adams Gallery, on 11/28, at 4:04 pm, the moon will be at the same phase and position as in a famous Adams print. Earlier that afternoon they will conduct a presentation about the making of the original print. Details are at "Moon and Halfdome 'Encore.'"
On another subject: here are two more discussions about the "Traditional vs. Creative" issue:
******
11/1 Robert D. -- Here's and interesting article by Darwin Wiggert entitled "Photoshop and Nature Photography. How Far Is too Far?"
.
******
10/28 Robert D. -- Floyd Hopper won the editor's choice in the photo art gallery of NPN.
To see his image go to
Nature Photographers' Net.
******
10/25 Tom K. -- CJ Nicolai is a blues/rock singer and b & w film photographer in Denver. When she started her blog in May, she posted some "words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer." Part of this is for beginning professionals, but most of it applies to any serious photographer. What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know," (from Photodino)..
******
10/16 Tom K. -- We have a new album in the "Galleries" section of the website -- Al Kessler's. Take a look. Thanks Al. Merced Camera Club Album List. Members who don't have albums yet might want to ask Al how painful the process was.
******
10/10 Tom K. -- What makes autumn leaves take on the colors we like to photograph? Greg Boyer's photoblog has links to some sites that explain the phenomenon. This one comes from the Forest Service: "Why Leaves Change Color."
******
10/9 Tom K. -- Here's another pretty good website for aspen-watchers: "californiafallcolor.com."
******
9/30 Robert D. -- Although not specifically designed for photographers, the
following site may be helpful for those interested in fall
color in Oregon: "Oregon Fall Foliage."
******
9/26 Tom K. -- On-line (free entry) contest for “Eastern Sierra Fall Color” photos: "One Horse Studio." Scroll to the 9/25 post, if necessary.
******
9/22 Tom K. -- I've recently acquired a mild addiction to "photoblogs." There are a few I check every day or two for new posts. Some of them are listed on the "Links" page of my personal website. Today, I found two items that I think will interest some of you:
1. The Ansel Adams Gallery Blog announced that they are going to run a contest for photos "taken at a U.S. National Park, Landmark or Monument." You can see preliminary info now, with more details to come on 10/1, at
"Ansel Adams Gallery National Park Photography Contest." Note that entries "MUST BE SUBMITTED DIGITALLY AND IN JPEG FORMAT NOT OVER 1 MB." Sound familiar?
2. Michael Frye's 9/21 post gives a short first-hand summary of his take on current Eastern Sierra fall color, and provides a link to a blog post by Dan Mitchell at
"A few notes on Sierra Nevada fall color progress." Mitchell lists several on-line sources for timely aspen info.
******
9/21 Robert D. -- Here is the information for competing in the next Color Magazine contest: "COLOR 2010 Single Image Contest."
******
9/21 Andy T. -- Results of competition at Photographer's Gallery, Modesto, San Joaquin Valley Project, Honorable Mentions [$25 each]:
******
9/18 Robert D. -- While at Barnes & Noble today I came across a magazine entitled
"Color," Special Issue 4. It contained winners in a recent photo contest. There
were many different categories, one of which was nature. At the time that I was
in the store, there were two copies left with the submission guidelines in the
magazine. I went online to see if I could download the entry form. Unfortunately,
that did not seem to be available online. If you like entering fine art photo contests,
this might be something that you should consider.
******
9/17 Robert D. -- For those who enjoy entering contests, consider: Digital Photo Magazine "Your Best Shot.".
******
9/13 Tom K. -- Michael Frye's September 12 photoblog is all about photographing Yosemite and the eastern Sierra in the Fall (with graphic examples). Get some timely inspiration at: "Autumn in Yosemite" -- Michael Frye Photography.
******
9/6 Tom K. -- Here's a link to another discussion thread from Nature Photographers' Network.
This one is about the late Galen Rowell's work that many of us have seen in the Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop. It touches on the creativity vs.
realism issue that we have been discussing: "Question about Mountain Light.".
******
9/4 Robert D. -- In this article the controversy about the number of megapixels necessary continues: Nature Photogaphers' Forum.
******
9/1 Tom K. -- I just discovered that the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley has a blog. It appears to be a good source of up-to-date info
for Yosemite photographers, and regular Gallery visitors. Have a look: "The Ansel Adams Gallery Blog".
******
8/29 Robert D. -- A most enjoyable read: "Crafting Creative Compositions: An Alliterative Guide to Advanced Artistic Achievement".
******
8/25 Tom K. -- Helicon Focus is a software application that apparently makes it possible to achieve infinite depth of field. Here's a
Popular Photography article that describes it: "Extreme Depth of Field with Helicon Focus".
******
8/16 Robert D. -- Following is an interesting discussion about Photo Art vs. Landscape Photography: http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=46018&CGISESSID=e08e82b3d9830699bc3f1c634edd2a64&u=32543.
******
8/15 Andy T. -- Beginning Tuesday, September 1, Club meetings will be held at Citibank, 1840 "M"
St., Merced, beginning at 6:30. Those wishing to eat dinner will meet at Bubba's at
5:30, corner of 18th and M, in Merced.
******
8/14 Tom F. -- Thinking about something to do this Halloween?
******
8/14 Tom K. -- Karen Campbell won Best In Show in color prints in this year's Merced County Fair photography exposition. She was awarded 24 ribbons overall, including twelve first places. John Tilley, Ray Reed, Andy Tolsma, and Walt Jacoby also took multiple first places. Congratulations.
******
8/11 Tom K. -- The annual Perseid Meteor Shower is predicted to peak tonight between 1 and 2 am local time. Here are a couple of sources of info:
******
8/8 Robert D. -- For those of you who
like to go to wilderness areas in California or elsewhere, try Wilderness.net.
There are approximately 50 areas listed for California.
******
7/31 Floyd H. -- Here are the results from the Photographer's Gallery Four
Seasons Calendar Contest:
Winter: Floyd Hopper- 1st place,
Andy Tolsma-Gallery Award,
Spring: Karen Campbell- 2nd place,
Andy Tolsma-Gallery Award,
Summer: Sam Shaw- 2nd place,
Karen Campbell- Gallery Award,
Fall: Carlene Cunningham- 3rd place,
Karen Campbell- Honorable Mention,
Sam Shaw-Gallery Award
******
7/30 Tom K. -- The limit of eight images per member for this site is now increased to twelve. Get your additional images to me for posting.
******
7/29 Andy T. -- Karen Campbell's print "Amargosa Stormy Sunset" was named "Best in Show" at this year's Delicato Winery Photography Show.
Karen's other work received two Honorable Mentions. Carlene Cunningham and Floyd Hopper each won First Place awards. Jim Cunnigham received a Third Place
and two Honorable Mentions. Andy Tolsma had a Third Place and an Honorable Mention. Congratulations to all.
******
7/28 Robert D. -- This information might be helpful for photograhers considering the calibration of their
monitor or printer.
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=45248&CGISESSID=a6bea08f4e9412fe9fdee3031d853b64&u=20902
******
6/3 Andy T. -- Merced Camera Club members are invited to participate in a scavenger hunt during the summer months, 2009. Fifteen topics are included. All photos must be taken during the summer of 2009, June, July and August.
During our September Meeting, the images will be shown, and recognitions given for various topics such as most creative, most colorful, most unique, etc.
Topics were selected by the Camera Club Board.
TOPICS
ON-ASSIGNMENT TOPICS
2009-2010
******
"Carol Leigh's California Wildflower Hotsheet"
"Desert USA Wildflower Report"
Palm Springs Photo Festival, March 27-29
The Moab Photo Symposium,
April 29-May 2
Sedona Photofest, July 18-24
Telluride Photo Festival, Sept.
20-23.
"Photographing Death Valley – Part 1"
"Progress Report: Part 2 of the Death Valley Posts"
11/22 -- Regarding the availability of calendars at the Merced Multi Cultural
Art Center, Karen Campbell is going to deliver them on Monday the 23rd or Tuesday
the 24th.
Read this article on the rebate scam that photographers have had to deal with:
Nature Photographers' Net.
"Photography’s Eternal Identity Struggle." -- Guy Tal.
.
"If 'Photoshopping' Is Cheating." -- Dan Mitchell.
.
Here's some information on calendar printing sizing and costs:
Nature Photographers' Net.
In this link Preston Birdwell gives a nice update on fall color in Yosemite NP.
Nature Photographers' Net.
"Windmill and Water Tank" by Floyd Hopper,
"U.C. Rising" by Andrew Tolsma,
"Cowboy Silhouette" by Carlene Cunningham.
Viewing hours 9:30 - 5:30, Monday - Friday,
10:00 - 4:00 Saturday.
Think no more - FotoClave is your answer.
Not sure yet?
Check out this 3-minute video with music.
Yahoo News
Meteor Photography Tips
Abandoned,
Animals,
Autos,
Fences,
Flowers,
Horns,
Humor,
Mail Boxes,
Night scene,
Pattern,
People at Work,
Railroad,
Signs of the Times,
Steps or stairs,
What is it?
October- Boat(s)
November- Light Bulb
December- Cool Colors
January- Body Parts
February- Healthy Food
March- Wood
April- Warm Colors
May- Repetition