August 2016 - Camera Club of Hendersonville

Dick Spicka 7 Kayak Parking in the Dupont State Forest Dick Spicka A Picnic Under Moore Cove Falls John Owens Eastern Bluebird Feeding Young
In Focus!
The Camera Club of
Hendersonville
August 2016
CLUB MEETINGS - Are held on the fourth Tuesday
of the month at the Chamber of Commerce Building,
204 Kanuga Road (intersection with Church Street).
6:30 Social half hour; 7:00 Meeting.
Next meeting is August 25th.
CRITIQUE GROUP - meets on the second Tuesday
of the month at 1:00 at the Unitarian Universalist
Church, 2021 Kanuga Road. Next meeting is August
9th.
STEERING COMMITTEE:
Bob Benedict
Communications/Newsletter rcbenedict36@
gmail.com
Bob Coffey
Programs Director
[email protected]
Dennis Guffey Treasurer
[email protected]
Dick Spicka
Facilities Director
[email protected]
Ken Weaver
Chairperson
kennethweaver@
kenzlenz.com
UNDER THE FOLD
In This Issue
2016 Program Schedule
Chairman’s Message
August Meeting August & September Outings
Announcements
Photographer of the Month
Tip Of the Month
Members Forum
Illustrated Photography Directory
Last But Not Least My Favorite Photo
p. 2
p. 2
p. 2
pp. 3-4
p. 4
pp. 5-6
pp. 7-8
p. 9
p. 9
p.10
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Editor’s note: In days past for a reporter the second most valued
goal (other than a Pulitzer Prize) was to land a story so important it
would appear at the top of the front page. Secondary stories were at
the bottom half of the front page or “Under the fold”. With no
breaking Camera Club stories, what appears here will be Under the
Fold.
GIMME YOUR BEST SHOT
Just a reminder that the topic for August is Rural Architecture. See
the rules for submission in terms of sizing and formatting at:
www.cameraclubofhendersonville.com/forum-entryrules-12-10-2015.pdf.
HOWEVER, images for Gimme Your Best Shot should be sent to
Ken Weaver at: [email protected] images will
simply be displayed, but not critiqued.
Page 1
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE - BY KEN WEAVER
I want to encourage you all to be sure and attend the next General Meeting on
Tuesday, August 23. Our guest speaker is Kevin Adams, the outstanding
photographer and author who had dedicated his life to sharing his knowledge about
waterfalls of North Carolina. I was fortunate last month to hear his presentation to
the Lunch at the Library audience which was superb! He had stripped much of the
photographic technical information out of that presentation for that general interest
audience but I'm sure he will share many great tips on how to get the best waterfall images. Even if you are
not a waterfall photographer you will be amazed at the creativity of his work.
AUGUST MEETING
Our August presenter, Kevin Adams, is well known to club members. His bio states:
“
“I’ve always loved nature and the outdoors. As a kid, family vacations were always to the
North Carolina mountains in search of waterfalls…Early on, I realized that the best way to
learn nature photography (or any kind of photography) was to get out and photograph.
I started teaching nature photography seminars in the early 1990s, and soon
afterward began leading photo tours to the North Carolina mountains to photograph
waterfalls. I continue to enjoy teaching others how to photograph through photo
tours, nature photography workshops, and seminars…
Among my greatest satisfactions is producing nature and photography books, ranging from North Carolina
Waterfalls (1994) to Backroads of North Carolina (2009). (In June of 2016 a new edition of North Carolina
Waterfalls was published).
I decided long ago to specialize in my home state of North Carolina and shoot the subjects I love…(While) I’m
proud of my collection of images from around the world, more often than not, you’re likely to find me following
my passion through the blackwater swamps, and flats, old-growth forests, and Appalachian mountains of the
Tarheel State”.
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Page 2
AUGUST REFRESHMENTS
Judy Tuthill and Pat Freeman
Our thanks to Robert Vines and Marge Pearson
for the July refreshments.
AUGUST & SEPTEMBER OUTINGS
Coordinator Mike Merrill has organized two outings for August and two for September. For each trip please
RSVP to Mike at [email protected] or (828) 684-9436 so he will have a headcount of whom to expect.
Field Trip Proposal for Friday, August 12th to Poppins Posies, a
flower farm in Mills River that specializes in Dahlias and other annuals.
Meet at 9:30 am at the Food Lion in Mills River, 132 Cross Rd.
Drive, Mills River
From Hendersonville drive west on Hwy 191 to Hwy 280 or Boylston
Hwy and turn left at the light, Food Lion will be on the right. We will
carpool to the location. Continue S.W. on Boylston Hwy to Ray Hill
Rd. and turn left. Continue to 374 Ray Hill Rd. on the left.
We can shoot at Bob and Judy's farm until about 12:30 or longer. In
the early afternoon we can return to the Food Lion for our cars and
meet for lunch at Mills River Restaurant, 4467 Boylston Hwy, Mills
River. This is a 4 star rated family restaurant.
My weather forecast is for HOT with a chance of showers.
This will be close-up photography. Visit their web-site at at http://www.poppinsposies.com
Field Trip Proposal for Thursday, August 18th
How about another three-part trip (Sunrise, WNC Arboretum,
Farmers Market) that anyone and everyone can attend all or part
of the trip?
Forecast: Hot and fair with another full moon. There will be
threatening weather earlier in the week so maybe we can get a
few clouds or early fog. Sunrise will be at 6:22 am
First group - Meet at 5:30 am at the Bi-Lo shopping center on
Hwy 64 and 280 at the entrance to Pisgah Forest and park on the south side facing Pizza Hut. Continue on
Hwy 276 through Pisgah Forest to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Turn right to the first overlook. Shoot until 7:30 am
then drive north on parkway to the Pisgah Lodge. We can have coffee here and shoot around the lodge until
around 8:30 am and then continue north on the parkway to Brevard Road. Exit left and drive to the Asheville
Outlet Mall, 800 Brevard Road, Asheville. We can park behind McDonalds at the blue emergency light.
Second group - Meet at 9:00 am. We can carpool here with 3/ 4 per car. Arboretum parking is $12.00 a car
load; there is no admission fee. Turn left out of the Asheville Outlet Mall onto Brevard Road. Go to the Blue
Ridge Parkway entrance and then turn right into the WNC Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmstead Way,
Asheville.
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Page 3
Third group - Meet us at (time ?) next door to the cafe at the Western Carolina Farmers Market. This should
be a fun time of year with a lot of things going on. We can shoot here until around 3 to 3:30 pm, returning anyone
parked at the mall to their car. Anyone leaving their car at Bi-Lo, I will take them back.
Field Trip Proposal for Tuesday, September 20th to see the elk in Cataloochee Valley
Meet at Lowes on Airport Road at 5:30 am. It will be at least an hour drive. Sunrise will be at 6:47.
Forecast: Rain earlier in the week, but should be clear for weekend. Maybe some fog.
Take I-26 to I-40 west to Exit # 20 and turn onto US 276 South. There is only one exit. The first road on the
right is the exit ramp for I 40 East, so go to the second road on the right, which is Cove Creek Road. Follow
the main road with the yellow center line until it turns to gravel. Continue up and over the mountain until you
come to a stop sign, then take a left turn. Continue past ranger station and campground, with restrooms on
right and the road will dead end. Elk and wild turkeys should be on both sides of the road. This trip is great for
wildlife photographers so bring you long lens. They usually go into the woods between 9:30 - 10:00 am, but
should have a few other photo ops until around 11:00 am.
We will return on I-40 to Smokey Park Hwy. to Fatz Café (4.5 star rating) at 5 Spartan Avenue in Asheville
for lunch. After lunch return to I-40 East to 240 toward Asheville. Take the Amboy Rd. exit. Continue to the stop
sign and take a left to 191 Lyman St. This is the studio of Duncan Chaboudy Photography. He is above
Jonas Gerard Studio, in Studio 250 and he is expecting us. If anyone remembers the field trip to the River Arts
District, this is the building in front of where we were shooting. Return to Lowes parking lot.
Wednesday, September 28, an afternoon trip to see elk in Catalooche Valley. Details later onf
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ginny Bedell passed this along for photographers of the Arboretum.
On display July 30 – October 23, 2016, Nature Connects®, Art with LEGO® Bricks
is inspired by nature and built from more than 370,000 LEGO® bricks. This special
exhibit features 14 amazing sculptures placed throughout the Arboretum’s gardens
including a giant praying mantis, butterfly and hummingbird. Created by Sean
Kenney, a nationally renowned, award-winning artist, and the first artist to be named
a LEGO certified professional, Nature Connects uses sculptures built entirely from
LEGO bricks to challenge visitors to think about nature, creativity, science and play
in a new way.
The exhibit will run from Saturday July 30 through Sunday, October 23. There is no charge to see the exhibit,
but normal parking fees apply (parking is always free for members of the Carolina Arboretum Society).
"In summer, the song sings itself."
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
- William Carlos Williams, Poet (1883-1963)
Page 4
PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH: JOHN OWENS
For forty years, I was involved in some form of video production as a photographer,
editor, writer, and producer…mostly in the Detroit area. During that time, I had the
opportunity to attend the Republican and Democratic Convention, travel in the Papal
Media plane across the country, produce documentaries in Russia and Japan, and
interview a wide range of personalities including Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Jay
Leno, and many others. I wish I had the foresight to carry a still camera with me
because I’ve been behind the scenes at many incredible events. The first time I came to
the Asheville area was twenty years ago to produce a documentary about the Black
Golf Tour (similar to Negro Baseball Leagues).
I’m semi-retired now, and I’m looking forward to spending time shooting stills for reasons other than family events and
vacations. I have no specific area of interest, but the photos of other Camera Club members inspire me to get my camera out
and start snapping pictures. I know my way around video software programs, but I’m just starting to learn Photoshop and
Lightroom.
Dawn
Skyscrapers
Helmet Kid
Red Smokestacks
Planet Funk
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Page 5
Trees
Edneyville
Acquarium
Scranton
TIP OF THE MONTH - EDITED BY BOB BENEDICT
Expose to the Right (ETTR)
The experts used in this tip are: Ross Hoddinott, “Achieving a Good Exposure”, Landscape Photography Workshops (First
Edition), 2016, pp. 22-23; Cambridge in Color, “Digital Exposure Techniques” at: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/
digital-exposure-techniques.htm; Laura Shoe’s Lightroom, Septembr 8, 2011 at: http://laurashoe.com/2011/09/18/the-easyway-to-expose-to-the-right-in-digital-photography/; “ETTR Expose, Digital Photography Review, January 4, 2014 at: https://
www.dpreview.com/articles/6641165460/ettr-exposed; Alex Cooke, “Spagetti and Histograms: Exposure to the Right”,
FStoppers at: https://fstoppers.com/education/spaghetti-and-histograms-exposure-right-75895.
Among the techniques that can be used to achieve the best exposure in photos are:
Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB). Most cameras have an option to automatically capture both an under and overexposed alternative, just after the first "standard" exposure. While this can provide useful backups, it does occupy more
storage space.
High Dynamic Range. This powerful technique has the potential to provide virtually limitless dynamic range — without
ever clipping the highlights. This does require a tripod.
Image Stacking. Another way to both decrease image noise and improve the number of tones recorded — but without also
risking clipped highlights — is to use image averaging. However, this requires tripod use and is really only for specialty
shots.
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Page 6
To this list can be added Exposure to the Right (ETTR).
Wikipedia defines ETTR, Exposure to the Right, as a “
method for adjusting exposure of an image with as high as
possible base ISO (without causing unwanted saturation)
to collect the maximum amount of light and thus get the
optimal performance out of the digital image sensor….
Advantages include greater tonal range in dark areas,
greater signal-to-noise ratio(SNR), fuller use of the color
gamut and greater latitude during post production.”
Illustration by Ross Hodditnott
Image sensors in digital cameras are deigned to record more tonal levels – and less noise in the brightest
part (the right side) of the sensor. Cambridge in Color, provides several illustrations of the concept:
Progressively darker tones have correspondingly higher image noise:
← More Noise
Less Noise →
Progressively brighter tones are unrecordable beyond a certain intensity, causing textures to turn solid white
("clipped highlights"), or individual color channels to saturate:
Incomplete use of a camera's dynamic range reduces the number of recorded tones, and this problem is
compounded by the fact that cameras capture disproportionately fewer dark tones compared to how we see
with our eyes.
Digital Photography Review describes how to take an ETTR exposure:
“If your camera has live-view histograms or blinkies (colored areas, usually red or white or zebra striped, that
indicate over-exposure), these indicators provide the simplest means for setting ETTR – or at least an
excellent first approximation. Let us first suppose you are using A-priority… Set the camera to display the LV
(Live View) histogram. Set the f-ratio according to your Depth of Field (DoF) requirements, and then frame the
scene. While keeping the camera on the scene, adjust EC (Exposure Compensation) up or down as needed
to place the top tail of your histogram just up against the right-hand limit…Shoot. You have now accomplished
ETTR. Don't worry about the brightness of the resulting image; it may look too dark or too light. But you've got
a proper exposure and you can fix the brightness later in processing or post-processing.”
“The process for using blinkies is similar to that for using histograms described above, except now the
camera is set to display the LV highlight blinkies. While viewing the scene, you adjust EC till the highlight
blinkies just begin or just end. If there are highlights you wish purposefully to over-expose, simply adjust EC
till the blinkies in the brightest regions you wish to retain just begin or end, ignoring their presence
elsewhere.”
If S or TV (Shutter speed) is being used the process is much the same, except that the shutter speed is first
set, and then Exposure Competition as needed to adjust the f-ratio so that the histogram touches the right
edge or the blinkes just begin or end.
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Page 7
As is often the case nothing is as simple as it sounds. As noted before, ETTR requires accurate exposure
information to just reach the right hand edge of the histogram. However Live View blinkies or histograms are
based on a quickie JPEG made on-the-fly and are not as accurate as post-shot histograms or blinkies based
on a more processed JPEG. So if possible after taking the shot take a second shot with 1/3 to 2/3 EV less
exposure and recheck the post shot indicators. Iterate as needed.
For photo tekkies needing more accurate exposure information a program called Raw Digger is available
(Raw Digger Exposure Edition, $19.99 at http://www.rawdigger.com/purchase). With the program one can see
the actual raw histograms and how close one has achieved ETTR, as well as the effects of various camera
settings and how these affect the histograms and blinkies. Digital Photogaphy Review provides an example:
There are several situations in which ETTR is not advised, or may not produce the best results. Alex Cooke
suggests the pitfall of pushing one’s histogram as far as possible is pushing it too far and blowing out the
highlights. Once this happens there is little that can be done. Therefore ETTR is preferred where “lighting is
relatively controlled or unchanging and there is a margin of error if one does not get it right the first time”.
Situations benefitting from ETTR might include landscape and architectural shots, most studio work and some
portraiture. Wedding photography would be risky, as would the shot on page 10 of the newsletter.
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Page 8
MEMBERS’ FORUM
other. This
that
your
still
behind
The purpose of the Forum is to raise questions so that members can learn from each
other. This month’s question is “What is your favorite lens”? It could be your “go to” lens
that is used most often. It could be the the lens that allows you to be most creative in
your photography. Or it could be the lens that takes the most pounding in the field, but
still gives excellent results. Perhaps it was a lens used in a film camera, but was left
behind in the transition to digital. Send your responses to [email protected]
ILLUSTRATED PHOTOGRAPHIC DICTIONARY
James Clark Maxwell - (1831-1879) was
a
color
process,
of
our
some
that
all other colors.
f
taken in 1861 by
a tartan
a theoretical theorist who proposed the first
color photography process, the trichromatic
process, in 1855. This process is the basis
of modern color photography.
Maxwell discovered that of all the cones in
our eyes, some are more sensitive to red,
or to blue and some to green. He imagined
that these three colors could be combined to create all other colors.
The first durable color photography image was then taken in 1861 by
photographer Thomas Sutton (1819-1875. The photograph was of a tartan
ribbon taken through red, green, and blue filters.
Then at a lecture at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London, the three
three
negatives were projected together on a screen, using the same colored
filters, and combined to make one color image.
This date, May 17, 1861, is sometimes referred to as “Tartan Day”.
Medium Format Camera - is any camera that uses film larger than
35mm,
term
sensor.
(both
can
camera
file
information
metadata
35mm but smaller than 4x5 (large format) film. In digital photography, the
term refers to cameras that use sensors larger than a 36 x 24mm image
sensor. Examples include the Pentax 645Z and the Hasselblad H5D-200c
(both with a sensor size of 43.8 x 32.8mm). The Pentax camera (body only)
can be purchased from B&H Photo for only $6,996.95.
Metadata - is text information that describes an image file, such as EXIF
camera settings and user-added captions such as author, date created and
file size. The goal of metadata is to make working and managing
information easier and quicker. For example, knowing one or several
metadata entries can make searching for files a much quicker process.
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Page 9
LEGAL STUFF - THE FINE PRINT
Contents of this site are © 2016 by the Camera Club of Hendersonville, NC or its members except where noted. All image
copyrights are held by the photographer. You may not copy, distribute for hire, or use for commercial gain any contents of
this newsletter without the explicit written permission of the copyright holder. Any links to external websites provided on the
Camera Club of Hendersonville Website and/or newsletter pages are provided as a courtesy. They should not be construed
as as an endorsement by the Camera Club of Hendersonville of the content or views of the linked materials. The information
contained is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by the Camera Club of Hendersonville, a not-forprofit organization, and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or
warranties of any kind.
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST
Editor’s note: There are only so many humorous photography photos. Moreover, the Club has moved from "Show
& Tell" presentations toward critiques of members’ photos by professional photographers. The Tuesday critique
also emphasizes comments for improving members’ photos.
So this segment will be subtitled “My Favorite Photograph”. Members are asked to submit one favorite photo
taken in the year previous to submission, along with a brief description of it. One will be featured each month.
My favorite photograph was taken two weeks ago on the Cuiaba River in the Pantanal region of Brazil. The
Pantanal, centered in the state of Mato Grosso, is the world’s largest wetland (or swamp as my wife would say).
About the same acrage as the state of Nebraska, it is estimated to contain some 1,000 jaguars, the largest
concentration in the world. About the only chance of seeing them is when they come down to one of the region’s
many rivers. Staying for six days on a “flotel” on the Cuiaba River about 30 miles from the nearest town allowed
maximum time in the field for photogaphy. Shots combining bright sunlight and deep shade presented a
challenge.
Pictured are mom Ruth and cubs Nessi and Charlie. The cubs are between six to eight months old.
Exposure: 1/640 sec @ f/4
Focal Length: 400 mm
Exposure Bias: -0.66 ev
ISO Speed Reading: 250 ISO
Exposure Program: Shutter Priority
Metering Mode: Automatic Exposure
Model: Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Lens: EV 25-400 2.8-4.5 IS USM
Camera Club of Hendersonville, est. 1979
Page 10