Newsletter January 2013

The
CACCA NEWS
The Official Publication of the Chicago Area Camera Clubs Association
Volume 81 - Number 3
January 2013
CACCA Spring Salon – March 16, 2013
The CACCA Annual Spring Salon is a day set aside
for everyone to enter individual competitions. If you
ever wished an entry at your local club competition
had gone down to the CACCA monthly interclub competition, but it wasn’t selected or you feel you just don’t
have enough entries to compete in a full year of individual competitions, this is your chance. You only
need at the most 4 images in one category. This is
also your chance to try out different categories that
you may not have entered before. One third of entries
will receive acceptance ribbons, of these 10% will receive Honorable Mentions and medals, and 10% will
receive Awards and suitably engraved plaques. The
Best of Show in each division will receive an engraved
trophy/plaque, or a certificate at the entrant’s request.
All trophies, plaques, medals and acceptance ribbons
will be distributed at the Annual CACCA Banquet. Plus
your honor is printed in the annual CACCA catalog
given out at the banquet. The following are the categories being offered:
Prints: Large Prints- Pictorial Color and
Monochrome
Small Prints- Pictorial Monochrome,
Pictorial
Color,
Nature,
Portrait,
Photojournalism
Panoramic Prints
Slides: Pictorial, Nature, Photojournalism and
Portrait
Digital: Pictorial, Nature, Photojournalism, Portrait
and Creative.
Video
Prints and Slides- use form available that can be
picked up from your club delegate or at one of our
CACCA meetings. Instructions are on the back.
Please read carefully. Each category is to be submitted in its own envelope with the entries, entry form and
fee of $3.
Digitally submitted images – Images must be no
larger than 1024 pixels wide, nor more than 768 pixels
tall. Computer file type is jpeg only. Image titles can be
no longer than 35 characters including spaces. Enter
online at the CACCA Website. See instructions on the
Home tab. You will be able to start online submission
after February 11th. You will know your entry is complete when you see your image on the page. Submit
your total entry fee in a single plain small envelope.
On the outside of the envelope write your name, club
affiliation which digital competitions you are entering
and your total fee for those competitions.
Video competition- You can submit 4 videos which
are 3 minute or less on a CD, DVD or thumb drive
along with your $3 entry fee in an envelope with your
name and club name on the outside to Jerry Hug at
the March meeting. Your videos must contain an actual video and not just a moving slide program. Two main rules to remember are that entries that have
been previously accepted in the same CACCA salon
division are ineligible; and the same or similar image
may be entered only in one division each year.
All entries are due one week before the competition.
Prints, slides, CDs or thumb drives are to be turned it
at the March 9th CACCA meeting. Get your entries
to your delegate before this date so they can bring
them to CACCA or you can bring them down yourself
to the CACCA meeting. Online submissions must be
done by March 9th and your entry fee sent down to
CACCA to the March 9th CACCA meeting. There will
be boxes at the March 9th meeting in the main room
(Jordan Hall) with each category printed on the outside. Take care to submit your entries into the correct
box. We will return your entries back to your delegate
at the regular CACCA meeting on April 13th. Check
the boxes that the entries were submitted in for each
category.
The Spring Salon Competition will be held on Saturday March 16th at our usual meeting place (Arlington
Christian Church in Arlington Heights, 333 W Thomas
Street) from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Everyone is invited
to come down to the judging and we can always use
any help you can give. If you are a new person to a
. . . Continued on Page 3
Visit Our Website — www.caccaweb.com
Page 2
THE CACCA NEWS - Published
October through May by the
Chicago Area Camera Clubs
Association, member of the
Photographic Society of America.
Editor.................................. Jerry Hug
What’s Clickin’......... Janet Schleeter
25912 W. Timber Ridge Drive
Channahon, IL 60410
[email protected]
For additional information on
Camera Clubs please contact
President.......................Sheri Sparks
506 Kirkwood Ave.
Winthrop Harbor, IL 60096
Ph. 847-872-3447
CACCA Calendar Meetings
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Christian Church of Arlington Heights
333 W. Thomas St.
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Board of Directors’ Meeting - 10:30 a.m.
Delegates’ Meeting - 12:30 p.m.
Contests
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Interclub Slides, Prints & DPI
Special Category - Slides: “Lighthouses”
Special Category - DPI: “Simple &
Un-cluttered”
Send articles to:
Jerry Hug, Editor
957 S. 6th Avenue
Des Plaines, IL 60016
Ph: 847-299-9099
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.caccaweb.com
The CACCA News is printed by
Allegra Print & Imaging
Elgin, IL 60123 • Ph: 847-697-1434
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
2012 - 2013 Competition Dates
10/13 11/10 12/8 01/12 02/9 03/9 04/13 05/11
Interclub Slides, Prints & DPI X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Creative Digital
X X X
Photojournalism Slides & Prints
X
X
X
Nature Prints
X
X
X
Nature Slides
X
X
X
Portrait Prints X
X
X
Postcard CompetitionX
CACCA Spring Salon Material Due
X
Special Category Slides
XXXXXXX
Special Category DPI
XXXXXXXX
The deadline for entries in the Interclub DPI or CPI and DPI Special Category
SCI are both one week before the monthly CACCA meeting.
Spring Salon will be March 16.
The Grace DeWolf Award (for diversity in nature photography) in Prints will be
February 9 and Slides will be March 9.
The Len Gordon Creative Award will also be due on March 9.
Special Category Slide Subjects: October – Barns; November – Color Blue;
December – Sports; January – Lighthouses; February – Fall or Winter; March –
Cats (Domestic or Wild); April – Boats.
Special Category DPI Subjects: October – Trees that Speak to You; November
– High ISO Push to the Limits; December – Smoke (be creative); January – Simple
and Uncluttered; February – Motion; March – Get up Close; April – Street Shots;
May – either A or B – A. Tell a Story in 30 seconds (you need video and sound) B.
Cell Phone Photos (name and model of phone required).
Special CACCA Workshop –
Saturday, February 9, 2012,
at the February CACCA Meeting.
“New Photographic Technologies in Photography”
This presentation is by Jerry Hug and assisted by Dennis
Arendt will feature some of the latest developments in:
Smartphone Photography, Digital pads for Mobile Photo
Editing, WiFi in Cameras, Memory cards that Transmit
images, AirPrinting, Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Format
Camera Systems and more.
iPhoneography started with the iPhone (shooting,editing
& sharing) is now available with other smartphones. Forty
percent of all photos and videos taken in the world today
are from smartphones. Learn about some of the leading
photo applications for editing photos as suggested by fine
art photographers. Wireless photography is now available
through applications, memory cards and other methods of
moving images from one device to another without wired
connections. “Just wait, there is more.”
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
Page 3
Continued from Page 1 . . .
camera club, this is a great opportunity to spend just
a half a day and see what the CACCA competitions
are all about. A light breakfast will be served at 8:30
a.m. and a free lunch for all workers at 12:45 p.m.
The schedule is as follows:
8:00 a.m. Building opens, set up and light breakfast
of coffee, juice, quick breads, donut holes.
9:30 a.m. Competitions begin
Main Room- Jordan Hall
Far end by kitchen: All DPI competitions- 9:3012:30
Other end of room: All Slide competitions - Pictorial
- 9:30-10:30; Nature- 10:30-11:30; Portrait- 11:3012:00; Photojournalism- 12:00-12:30
Down Hall on Right Side - Large Prints Monochrome & Color 9:30 - 12:30
Classrooms on Left Side
Room 1:
Photojournalism Prints 9:30-10:30;
Portrait Prints 10:30-11:30; Panorama Prints 11:3012:30
Mountain Bellwort
Room 2: Small Color Prints 9:30-12:30
Room 3: Nature Prints 9:30-11:30; Monochrome
Prints 11:30-12:30
These times are approximate as some competitions
may take a little longer and some may be done quicker depending on the number of entries.
LUNCH 12:45 p.m.
You can also read about the salon on the CACCA
website at caccaweb.com under the Salon tab, under the member info tab-file downloads-competition
rules-the section about the salon; info on the Panoramic competition is also on the file download page.
If you have questions after reading the entry
instructions on the entry form or the CACCA website, please feel free to contact me Sheri Sparks at
[email protected] or 847-872-3447 or Bill
Brown at [email protected] or 847-888-2161.
Let’s have a great time this year and make it our
biggest Spring Salon ever.
By Michael Kobe M.S.
There are a multitude of flowering plants in the world and each of them has unique
characteristics, form, and color. Typically, wildflowers have a prime time when it’s
essential to photograph their image. This prime time is when the light is correct, humidity and temperature is appropriate, composition of the plant is normal, and hue
and saturation are true. When I photograph wildflowers, I try to capture more then
an image. I try to convey feeling and make the viewer of my image aware of the
uniqueness of the flower and appreciate its composition and wonder at its beauty.
The Mountain Bellwort [Uvularia puberrula] is a stunning, solitary, hanging flower
that has aesthetic appeal. I envision it as
a shy flower that is reluctant to remain in
sight of humans, timid of her beauty, isolating herself in the surrounding plant leaves,
and hanging her blossom in bashfulness.
To capture this stunning blossom, I used a
100mm f2.8 macro lens which has a very
shallow depth-of-field producing a blurry
background which makes the flower stand
out against the out-of-focus forest ground
cover. The flower is petite [less then one
inch] so I had to get low on the grown and
have a very stable camera hold. Natural
early morning warm light was essential to
convey the sepal and petal texture, which
made this blossom eye catching. My mission in capturing this image was to convey
its striking beauty to others so that they
would feel compelled to seek this plant and
marvel at its beauty.
Page 4
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
DRURY’S DIGITAL DIARY
1.2 COLOR SPACES
FRED DRURY
This is the second in a series of columns for the CACCA News. I hope
that you will find these columns both entertaining and educational. If
you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to communicate
with me at [email protected]
Note: the illustrations in this publication are grayscale. If you’d prefer
to see the illustrations in color, a PDF version of this column is available on the CACCA website.
Introduction
As many of you are aware, I teach a number of digital photography related subjects at several locations in the western suburbs. In the course of my teaching, a couple of related questions
come up over and over again. One is this: ‘Why does my print not match what I see on the monitor screen?’
Another, perhaps even more frequently asked is: ‘Why does my image projected for competition not match my
monitor screen?’ Both are very reasonable questions, which unfortunately have complicated answers. The
questions ultimately have to do with a broad and complex subject called Color Management. The next several
of these columns will be dedicated to answering the above questions and are intended to provide readers with a
working knowledge of color management basics.
No Simple Answers
Unfortunately there is no single answer to the two questions which I’m so frequently asked. Ultimately a perfect
match (between print and monitor, or between monitor and projected image) is impossible. This is because,
in each case the way the image is generated, and the way it is viewed are fundamentally quite different from
one another. In the case of the print, the image was printed on some kind of paper, presumably some shade of
white, and what we’re viewing is light from some source reflected off of the surface of the paper (most often in a
room lit with some kind of artificial light). In the case of the projected image, the source is a digital file, projected
on to a screen (mostly white?), and what we’re viewing is reflected light off of the screen (usually in a darkened
room). With the monitor, the image is transmitted via an LCD screen (we’ll ignore the now historic CRT screen),
and normally viewed (close-up) is a partially darkened environment. The number of variables involved is truly
staggering.
Device Dependent Color
If however, our objective is not a perfect match but the best possible match, then progress is indeed possible.
Figure 1 is a starting point; this was an image I made about 20 years ago at a local Circuit City store. It shows a
portion of the 100+ television sets on display. All are broadcasting the same video, but each set has a somewhat
different ‘look’, which is the fundamental Color Management issue.
‘Out of the box’ the colors generated by a device (monitor, printer, or scanner) is dependent on the
design, construction and age of the device. The brightest red the device can produce is assigned the R value
of 255R; the brightest green the value 255G; the brightest blue the value 255B; and therefore the brightest white
255R255G255B. Is similar fashion, the darkest red, green, blue and black the device can produce are assigned
the value of 0R, 0G, 0B and 0R0G0B. Because each of the monitors in Figure 1 differ in design, construction and
age, the colors also differ.
This ‘device dependency’ is an issue for all electronic equipment, and all require ‘calibration’ to adjust their performance conform to established standards. In the case of a monitor the process is referred to as ‘calibration
and profiling’. The result of calibrating and profiling each of the television sets in Figure 1 would be to base their
colors (reds, greens, blues, whites and blacks) on an established standard thereby converting them from being
‘device dependent’ to ‘device independent’.
As a part of the profiling process the profiling software creates a map which shows how the colors for that particular device are related to one another; Figure 2 is an example1. The wire frame in Figure 2 is three-dimensional
1 Figure 2 was created is a piece of software called CHROMIX Color Think, see: . http://www2.chromix.com/colorthink/.
A unique feature the software allows the shape to be rotated.
. . . Continued on Page 5
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
Page 5
Figure 1 shows
six of the many
television sets
on display at
a Circuit City
store. I shot this
image about 20
years ago to
illustrate the
fundamental
Color Mandagement
issue which
is ‘Device Dependent Color’.
spaceFigure
which1 encloses
colors
which
monitor
display.
TheI shot
solidthis
line
at the
bottom
is a 2-dimensionshows six ofall
thethe
many
television
setsthe
on display
at acan
Circuit
City store.
image
about
20
years ago
to illustrate
fundamental
Color
Mandagement
is ‘Device
Dependent
Color’.shape of the wireframe.
al projection
of the
colors the
space
which is
intended
to helpissue
onewhich
better
visualize
the overall
The result of the calibration and profiling process would be that all six television sets in Figure 1 would look much
dependent
on not
theidentical.
design, construction
andbe
age
of the because
device. The
thethan
device
more alike, but
They would not
identical
somebrightest
would bered
better
others. The better
R
G
would
be of better
design,the
construction
than others.
Thevalue
better255
would
bebrightcapable of displaying
can
produce
is assigned
R value ofand/or
255 ;younger
the brightest
green the
; the
est
blue
thethan
valueothers.
255B; and therefore the brightest white 255R255G255B. Is similar fashion,
more
colors
the darkest red, green, blue and black the device can produce are assigned the value of 0R,
G
0
, 0B and
0R0G0B. Because each of the monitors in Figure 1 differ in design, construction
Color
Spaces
and age, the colors also differ.
Broadly defined a color space is a
mathematical model used to deThis
‘device
an issue for all electronic equipment, and all require ‘calibration’
scribe
color. dependency’
One of the isearliest
to
adjust
their
performance
conform
color spaces was created in 1996 to established standards. In the case of a monitor the
process
is referred
to as Packard
‘calibration and profiling’. The result of calibrating and profiling
cooperatively
by Hewlett
each
of
the
television
sets
in Figure
1 would be to base their colors (reds, greens, blues,
and Microsoft, primarily for use
on
whites
andThe
blacks)
an established
standard thereby converting them from being ‘device
monitors.
ideaonwas
to come
dependent’
to
‘device
independent’.
up with a ‘standard’ that represented the ‘state of the art’ in monitor
design
andofconstruction
of that the profiling software creates a map which shows how
As
a part
the profilingasprocess
time.colors
The name
given
to thatdevice
stan- are related to one another; Figure 2 is an example1. The
the
for that
particular
dard frame
was ‘sRGB’.
Figure
3 shows
wire
in Figure
2 is three-dimensional
space which encloses all the colors which the
both
the
‘sRGB
Color
Space’
(the
monitor can display. The solid line at the bottom is a 2-dimensional projection of the colors
wireframe)
and
the monitor
profile
space
which
is intended
to help
one better visualize the overall shape of the wireframe.
Figure
2 has 3
3 axis;
L, a, L,
anda,
b, all
at mutually
to oneperpendicular
another. Lightest colors
at theanother.
top of the
of Figure 2 (now shown in solid
Figure
2 has
axis;
and
b, allperpendicular
at mutually
toareone
Lightvertical ‘L’; axis, darker colors at the bottom. Least satureated colors are closest to the ‘L’ axis, most saturated colors
est furthest
colorsaway.
areThe
at‘a’the
top
thethevertical
‘L’;being
axis,
atthethe
bottom.
and ‘b’
axisof
define
color: the ‘a’
from darker
magenta tocolors
green, and
‘b’ being
from yel- Least
color). As you can see from Figure
low to blue.
Colors
locatedsee:
on the .‘Lhttp://www2.chromix.com/colorthink/.
” axis, are neither magenta not red, and likewise neither yellow nor blue; in other
1 Figure 2 was created is a piece of software called satureated
CHROMIX
Color
Think,
colors
are closest
to the ‘L’ axis, most saturated colors furthest away. The
they are neutral, which is to say gray; lightest grays at the top of the ‘L’ axis and darkest grays at the bottom.
3,Athe
monitor
Figure
2 allows
is notthe
ca-shape to be words
unique
featureofthe
software
rotated.
‘a’ and ‘b’ axis define the color: the ‘a’ being from magenta to green, and the ‘b’ bepable of displaying all of the colors
result
of the
and profiling
be that
six television
setsnot
in red,
ingThe
from
yellow
to calibration
blue. Colors
locatedprocess
on thewould
‘L” axis,
are all
neither
magenta
Figure
1 wouldneither
look much
morenor
alike,
but in
notother
identical.
They
would
be identical
in the sRGB color space. Newer,
and
likewise
yellow
blue;
words
they
are not
neutral,
whichbeis to
cause some would be better than others. The better would be of better design, construcsay
gray;
lightest
grays
at
the
top
of
the
‘L’
axis
and
darkest
grays
at
the
bottom.
better designed, and more expention and/or younger than others. The better would be capable of displaying more colors
than others.
Color Spaces
. . . Continued on Page 6
Page 6
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
Continued from Page 5 . .
sive monitors have become available in recent years.
The Bottom Line
As I mentioned in the introduction, the questions are simple but the answers are not.
The point of this column is to make clear if
you’re interested in matching either print or
projected image to monitor, effective monitor
profiling is absolutely essential. Unless you
link your monitors color performance to the
established standard, you should not expect
to achieve any better match than is achieved
by the television sets in Figure 1.
In Figure 3 (above) the monitor profile (from Figure 2) is shown in solid color and the sRGB Color Space is
shown as a wireframe. Compared to Figure 2, the axis in Figure 3 have been rotated slightly counterclockwise in order to better show the extent to which the monitor profile is smaller than the sRGB Color Space.
In Figure 3 (above) the monitor profile (from Figure 2) is shown
in solid color and the sRGB Color Space is shown as a wireframe. Compared to Figure 2, the axis in Figure 3 have been roThe Bottom Line
tated slightly counterclockwise in order to better show the extent to
which the
monitor
profilethe
is questions
smaller than
the sRGB
Space.
As I mentioned
in the
introduction,
are simple
but theColor
answers
are not. The
But monitor profiling is not the end of the
process. In the next column I’ll give you
some recommendations for monitor profiling and show you why there are limits to
precisely replicating what you see on the
monitor when you print .
point of this column is to make clear if you’re interested in matching either print or projected
image to monitor, effective monitor profiling is absolutely essential. Unless you link your
monitors color performance to the established standard, you should not expect to achieve
any better match than is achieved by the television sets in Figure 1.
You know when you are a wildlife
photographer when...... By Sue Lindell
But monitor profiling is not the end of the process. In the next column I’ll give you
some recommendations for monitor profiling and show you why there are limits to
precisely replicating what you see on the monitor when you print.
So I’m sitting at my kitchen table this morning with my coffee, idly gazing
out my window when I notice movement in a large, densely branched pine
tree in the area beyond my property. I turn my attention to the deep shadows in the branches and see this movement again.
Oooohhh!! it looks like something large – probably a red tailed hawk? What
else would sit in a pine tree in the morning? I continue watching, but start to
get up as my brain clicks into Photography Assessment Mode....
1.) Where is the camera, does it have a formatted SD card and is the
battery charged?
2.) What’s the light condition? - morning light, but contrasted and the
branches have black shadows –consider, but then reject, aperture
priority – need fast shutter speed for fly off conditions.
3.) Hurry up.....this bird may fly at any moment; forget changing out of pajamas, never mind shoes- running and sneaking barefoot across a little
frozen wet ground never killed anyone GO GET THE CAMERA NOW!!!
4.) Get a good bead on where in the tree the movement occurs; and note
which tree in the line. Trip over old dogs milling underfoot while leaving
table.
It was at this moment I took one final look to reassure myself the location of
this possible fantastic subject.....I realized the movement wasn’t wing flutter,
it was the flash of cars on the 294 bridge in the distance.....
5.) Sit back down and sip now cold coffee. Continue watching out the
window, and dream of the one that got away.
Birds of Raptor Photo
Shoot Subject:
Stillman Nature Center
The next ‘Raptor shoot
for Photographers will take
place on Ground Hog Day,
Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013
from 3:00p.m. till 4:30p.m..
Sunset that day will be at
5:07p.m.
The cost will be $20.00.
I would like to keep this
little gem to myself and
my camera club but it’s far
more important to see this
be a continuing success.
Stillman is right in our own
back yard.
Please pass this information along to other club
members and other camera clubs.
<http://www.stillmannc.org/>
Gerald Ritchie,
Greenbriar Camera Club
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
Page 7
Choosing a Printer
By Ken Johnson
Printed with permission from Lake County Camera Club.
A photographer’s most important tools may be a high-quality DSLR and a few great lenses. You spend time
and money honing your craft, and you practice the skills required to make an outstanding photograph. You
may become proficient at editing and admire your low resolution on-screen images, however your best photographs should not be confined to a computer screen. They're made for printing! There are few things more
satisfying than seeing your high-megapixel, high-resolution images on paper as a fine print. The fine art of
photography culminates in making fine prints—big, beautiful prints, in color and black-and-white. Having a
printed image in your hand carries an intrinsic weight and legitimacy that’s unique in photography.
The last 8-years have seen amazing leaps in both photo printer and ink technology. Current technology
has made producing exhibition-quality prints easier than ever before. So, how do you know which printer to
choose? It's a tough question to answer, because it all depends on what you want to do with your printer.
You need to think about the features that are most important to you. You need to ask yourself what size
prints will you be printing and will you mainly be printing in black and white or color? Do you want an all-inone workhorse, a compact photo printer, or a high-quality single-function photo-only printer. There are many
different makes and models out there to choose from, some you know well and some you do not.
A Choice of Dye Or Pigment Inks
One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether you want to go with dye- or pigment-based inks.
Dye sublimation or thermal dye models are more typical of compact photo printers that produce 4 x 6 inch
prints in a relatively small number of consumer-level compact photo printers such as the Canon Selphy
lineup and Polaroid's POGO series printers. They can produce highly saturated colors and deep, rich blacks
and are relatively inexpensive to produce. Dye sublimation offers the advantage of producing photos with
a clear overcoat that’s more resistant to smudging and moisture damage than inkjet prints. The specialized
media required for these printers is often brand-specific, and normally packaged as an integrated paper/ink
set which is loaded into the printer. The primary drawbacks to dye inks have been longevity—with print life
measured in a few years.
For photographers who are concerned about image stability and longevity, printer companies offer models
that use pigment inks. Pigments are more fade resistant in a greater variety of display environments than
dyes. While the range of hues and saturation pigments can produce has grown significantly in the last few
years, they generally exhibit a smaller color gamut than their dye-based counterparts. The chief advantages
to pigments are long archival life—from 20 to 100-plus years, depending on how and where photos are
stored—and the wide range of paper media available to print on, from traditional photo papers to the new
baryta- and fiber-based papers, canvas, rags, films and more.
How Many Inks?
The basic ink set required for printing photographs consists of four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
This color set is popularly known as CMYK, with the 'K' representing black, the 'key' color for adding depth
to the printed image. Adding light cyan and light magenta cartridges to the four-ink set provides the six-ink
set that is used in most photo printers. These additional inks allow the printer to reproduce more subtle tonal
nuances than the basic four-ink set, thereby improving picture quality.
The holy grail of desktop printing has long been the ability to render beautiful black-and-white prints from a
color printer. Because multiple ink colors have to be combined to create 50 shades of gray - gray output has
long been quite a challenge. Pigment-based inkjet printers may now offer additional black and gray inks in
some models specifically to improve the quality of black-and-white prints they can produce.
Some high-end printers offer up to 10 or even 12 color choices. While the addition other inks can further
increase the range of hues and depth of color saturation in these colors, the usage of these inks is generally
low, so they are not really necessary for most home printers.
. . . Continued on Page 8
Page 8
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
Continued from Page 7 .
Printer Technology
The overwhelming majority of dedicated photo printers on the market today are inkjets. These printers
spray discrete, but tiny droplets of ink onto specially coated papers via a print head that makes multiple
passes across the print surface. With inkjet printers, the illusion of smooth, photo-realistic tonal gradations
is achieved by using extremely small ink droplets and adjusting their size and spacing to produce darker or
lighter areas of an image. Although these ink dots do not mix together before being ejected onto the print
surface, they are extremely small; so small that they're measured in picoliters (trillionths of a liter). Complex
dot placement algorithms known as dithering, along with paper coatings designed to maintain image sharpness and vibrancy, are capable of producing literally millions of colors with tonal gradations that appear
smooth to the naked eye.
Inkjet printers come in a variety of forms. One approach, the thermal inkjet printer, uses heat to squeeze
ink droplets out of the print head and onto the paper. Thermal print heads typically offer a high density of
nozzles per print head, which increases print speeds. This is the preferred technology of Canon and HP. The
other type of inkjet print head is called piezoelectric, and it uses an electrical charge to mechanically push
variably-sized droplets from a single nozzle position, allowing for crisp, finely resolved image detail. This is
the print head Epson uses. Although there are differences in regards to production cost and usable lifespan,
both thermal and piezoelectric print heads are capable of producing very high-quality photographic prints.
Size Matters
Another variation in printer options is based on how large a sheet of paper can the printer handle? While
almost all desktops accept standard 8.5x11-inch paper, higher-end models up the paper size to 13 or even
17 inches wide. The ability to create large prints makes pro-style desktop photo printers more flexible, more
desirable and more expensive. Another benefit of the larger pro-level desktop models is that they are designed to handle thicker, heavier fine art papers that can be difficult or impossible to load reliably into lettersize printers. Purchase price aside, larger printers can actually be less expensive per-print than letter size
models making them less expensive to operate over the long-term. This is because they use larger capacity
ink cartridges.
Conclusion?
Because of the demand for digital photography printers, many printer companies are scrambling to build better products. There are hundreds, if not thousands of different printers out in the market. Some people want
a printer that does everything and some of the digital photography printers available today are so packed
with features you may wonder if they can make your morning coffee. Choosing the best one could be a hard
task. Each company produces different kinds of printers and then goes all out in proclaiming it to be the best.
What does the term “best” mean when you are selecting a digital photography printer? This is as similar as
asking, “What is the best camera?” Canon? Nikon? Sony?
Some people actually try to choose the best digital photography printer based on the cost. Some define
“best” as being the cheapest. They believe that if they find the lowest-priced digital photography printer available, they would have found the best product for them. Yet, many agree quality is expensive—and you get
what you pay for. As with most things in life, the term “best” is relative. What’s best for you may not be the
best for somebody else.
For me, the best conclusion was to obtain a printer with the specific task of making high quality photographs.
I didn’t care if the printing of text was marginal, or what kind of on-screen display the printer had. I didn’t
need to print directly from a camera or use automatic “red-eye” resolution. The ability to scan, copy, fax or
make coffee was not important. I desired high quality prints, both color and black and white up to 13 inches
in width and the option of using many different photo papers. I selected a single purpose Epson R1900 (now
replaced by the R2000) and I am very happy with the results.
Remember that printers don’t make simply beautiful photographs any more than cameras make photographs. Cameras, lenses, photo editing software and printers are just tools used in the fine art of photography. You must practice and learn the strengths and weaknesses of each of these tools.
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
Page 9
X-Rite ColorChecker Passport
Keith Patankar
Hunts Photo and Video
Color accuracy and consistency is one of the
most important things to get right. In today’s digital world we are using multiple devices to output,
sending images through different sources, all interpreting color in different ways. Every camera’s
sensor is different and light consistently changes
from scene to scene. One tool to get accurate
color every time is the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. The Passport is a 24 patch color chart that is
designed to create a custom profile for your digital camera. It includes a white balance card and
warming and cooling swatches. The ColorChecker is the size of a passport you would carry to travel internationally. You can fit it in your pocket and
have it to use as a custom target any where any
time. Just don’t get it stamped by customs.
How it works. The first thing you do before you start shooting is to use the white card to create a
white balance for the lighting you are shooting in. Once you create a custom white balance you will take
the target color chart and place it in your scene to take a photo. The ColorChecker does not need to fill
the frame. You just need to see all the patches in the photo. If the light changes you will re-shoot the
passport in the scene. After you are done shooting you then can import the images either to Lightroom
or Adobe Camera Raw. The software allows you to go into the profiles in both these programs and
change the profile to the custom profile you setup by shooting the passport in your scene. From there
you can sync multiple images with the same lighting to match your custom profile. You can even use
the eyedropper to click on the warming or cooling patches if you would like to warm or cool the scene.
This tool helps to create a foundation of accurate and consistant color thoughout your images. I
found the biggest changes to be in tones of greens, blues and purples. I shoot a lot of fashion and designers create garmets with color tones that just don’t look the same in my camera as they do in real
life. The ColorChecker Passport changes that and brings out the correct colors that are visible to the
eye. Fall foliage and fruits are another example of colors that may not look the same when shot regularly with your digital camera. By creating this custom profile we are getting exactly what we see and
can duplicate it even if we shoot other images with a different camera. For under $100 this tool should
be a staple in everyone’s camera bag.
Keith Patankar works in outside sales, marketing and specialty market at Hunts Photo & Video in
Melrose MA. Please feel free to contact Keith directly at 781.462.2340 with any related questions.
Page 10
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
Jim Bodkin, member of Riverwoods Nature Photographic Society,
was presented with honors for his Photographs that received
High Honors in the PSA Chapter Showcase for 2012.
Jerry Hug, Chicago Chapter PSA Chair presents Jim Bodkin his awards at
the Chapter Holiday Dinner at The Silver Stallion in DesPlaines.
Jim, a member of PSA and member of the Chicago Chapter,
received First Place with “Fishing Success”
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
Page 11
A New Year’s Resolution.............
I've spent a lot of time searching the internet to find a list of new year resolutions
for our photography group. I must confess
that I found many but none of them, I felt
fit me or our group of photographers. So
with that in mind I've decided to share with
you some of my "photography resolutions
for 2013". Please note that the following
list is not in order of importance or with
priority attached.
1. Take more pictures.
Really, take more pictures. Carry a
camera with me more and use my cell
phone camera to take more pictures. So
what if you don't have your main camera
with you. You can still learn and practice
composition with your cell phone or point
and shoot camera. You learn from doing
and being a fair critic of your own work. If
you're lucky enough to have someone in
your life that takes an interest in your work
then ask them to help. You can also join a
DPCC study group.
2. Years ago I had a saying........Look up,
look down, look all around. I somehow got
away from doing that. This year I intend
to not only do that but shoot that way
also. Shoot from high, shoot from low and
shoot all around. As many of you know
it's harder to get up than it is to get down
when you get older. I will make the extra
effort.
3. Learn more about my camera. Yes,
I've had my cameras for several years,
but there are still things I don't know about
them that I know exist. The manual is still
valid. I think equipment is like computers and computer programs. We have a
tendency to learn what we need to learn
to get by. But, what about the extra stuff.
It's so easy now to upload a PDF of my
manual to my smart phone and read it
when the opportunity presents itself.
4. Learn more about flash photography.
Yes, I know enough to get by, but there
is more that I can learn about how my
Canon flash works with my camera. Work
on setting up multiple flash units to work
with my camera to do studio type pictures.
5. Take more pictures close to home.
When we travel or go to places away from
home it seems we find all kinds of things
to take pictures of. That's because we are
seeing and taking pictures in what I call
the opportunity mode. What I need to do
more is to see and take pictures in the
"creative mode". When taking pictures in
the opportunity mode we're basically taking snapshots with a little creativity thrown
in. Real creativity is making something out
By Tom Mulick, President - Des Plaines Camera Club
of nothing. The really great photographers
did it, why can't I? After all they put their
pants on just like me.
6. Do more black & white photography.
Train my eye and mind to recognize more
possibilities for B & W.
7. Do more self assignments. I think this
will get me to think more about photography. Be more creative and I'll learn my
equipment better.
8. Although I'm satisfied with the way I
file and save my images, I could do a better job of backing up. I do back up, but my
goal in 2013, is to backup every month.
Waiting and doing several months at a
time takes too long.
9. Spend more time with fellow photographers. Field trips and outings are fun and
usually everyone learns something.
10. I think I have this on my list every
year..........use a tripod more. Yes, it's a
pain in the you know what, but it helps in
so many ways. Not only are your pictures sharper, but it slows you down and
causes you to think more about what
you're doing.
11. Do more night photography, especially after rain. You can really get some
cool shots at night.
12. Learn to take movies with my cameras.........all of them. My DSLR, my point
& shoot and my cell phone, have movie
mode. Then learn to edit movies and put
them into a show.
13. Stop the car. Yes, be willing to stop
the car to get the shot or go back to get
the shot. How many times have I driven
past a spot where I said to myself, "there
is a great shot". It takes effort to stop the
car when you're going someplace. You
have to have your camera with you to
begin with as well as a tripod sometimes.
Then you have to be willing to get cold or
wet or whatever the weather conditions
are. I always have a tripod in the car. I'm
going to stop the car in 2013. If I don't it's
like the fisherman and the one that got
away.
14. Software........I don't use all that my
different photo related software can do. I
don't even know a lot of what it can do. I
need to work the possibilities of my software more.
15. Do a picture a day project at least every other month. This would be more fun if
I did it with some other photographers just
to keep me honest.
16. Do more macro photography. Let's
face it macro is all around us, we just
need to look for it. Here again it can't be
done if you don't have the camera with
you.
I can go on and on I guess with things I
should do in the coming year, but should
keep my list reasonable. No need to set
myself up for failure. Maybe, I'll put the
effort into completing these challenges because I'm putting my shortcomings out for
all to see. When I look at this list, I have
to say I'm not a very good photographer,
needing so much improvement.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY
#17 Have fun with photography.
Page 12
What’s Clickin’
The number of people bringing in prints for
critique before the CACCA delegates meeting
has dwindled to zero in December. The
Board thought this would be a good idea to
bring new people to meetings, and it worked
for a while. Some people like to come just to
listen. The critique is available each CACCA
Saturday at 11:30-12:30, between the board
meeting and delegate meeting. The critique
is held in the large print room. Please let all
your club members know that this service is
available. We ask that you bring a hard copy
of the print but it need not be mounted, and it
can be as small as a 4”x6” print. Additionally,
you can always bring images and corner one
of the CACCA members whose judgment
you trust. We’re all photographers and are
honored when someone asks us for our
input on their work. By the way, there will
be no critique in February, as there will be
a program on Mobile Photography by Jerry
Hug during that time slot.
Attention Outings Chairmen!!! Please do
not schedule club outings for the second
Saturday of the month October-May. That
day should be reserved for CACCA. If no
one else from you club comes (They should!)
consider your delegate. That person is
already sacrificing some of their time to
represent your club. The least you can do
is schedule outings so that the delegate
does not miss them. The third Saturday of
March is the annual salon, and it would be
appreciated if you would leave that date
open for CACCA, too. Why not organize an
outing TO a CACCA meeting? Many club
members have no idea what goes on at the
meetings/competitions. Attending CACCA
functions is a good way to meet others with
the same passion for photography and to get
new ideas. Remember, CACCA is not “them”,
CACCA is “us”.
Birds and bugs! I have heard that
mentioned a lot lately. It seems like there
are a lot of bird and insect photos winning
our competitions. I’m one of the guilty bird
people, and even I get a little tired of seeing
so many bird photos win (unless they’re
mine). I think bird and bug photography
has become more popular with the advent
of digital and its unique capabilities. There
are also a lot of opportunities in our area
for photography of captive birds. Some of
these include SOAR (Save Our American
Raptors) in Earlville, Willowbrook Wildlife
Center in Glen Ellyn, Stillman Nature Center
in South Barrington, Howell Nature Center
in Howell, MI, and the World Bird Sanctuary
just outside of St. Louis. You might think that
taking a winning shot of a captive animal
is easy, that’s not necessarily true; you still
have to know what you are doing. While I
personally prefer shooting my subjects in
the wild, these captive situations provide
a unique opportunity to see these beautiful
CACCA NEWS - January 2013
By: Janet Schleeter
creatures close up. Don’t worry though, as
this too shall pass. I remember when hot air
balloons were all the rage. Then there were
church towers and skyscrapers. Then there
were landscapes. Beware of Africa! That
might be the next favorite, as a number of
our members have taken recent trips there.
I find something new every time I check
out the club websites. This month I found
an interesting spot on the Calumet site:
calregionphoto.org. There is a “library” tab
that gets you to a listing of excellent sites
for info on bird, landscape, and macro
photography. A link is also available to various
model release forms. There is so much
information available through other clubs as
well as our own. It may take a little work, but
it’s worth the effort. It is easy to check out
the websites—they are all available from the
caccaweb.com site.
Whether you print your own work or send it
to a lab, there’s something of interest for you
in Lake County Camera Club’s December
2012 newsletter. Articles include: “Choosing
a Printer”, “Photographic Papers Matter”,
“Photo Printing Labs”, “Printing Costs”, and
“Printing My Own”. A number of links to
other useful sites are also included. You can
download a copy of this newsletter at their
website.
One of the busiest, most dedicated
photographers I know is Kathleen Sims.
Kathleen is currently active in Washington
Park and 3H camera clubs. She’s also
been a member of Photogenesis. Kathleen
has held a number of positions at CACCA,
judges frequently, and is currently nature
slide chairman. If all that wasn’t enough, she
is also very involved in PSA and was recently
appointed PSA’s Membership Director for the
State of Illinois. We know that Kathleen will
handle that job with her usual dedication and
enthusiasm.
I like what Arlington’s Program VP, Ralph
Childs has to say about photography: “As
technically advanced as our cameras have
become, the heart of photography is still
the photographer.” Arlington has embarked
on a back-to-basics program, providing
information on such subjects as exposure,
light, depth of field, shutter speed, etc.
These are good topics for everyone, not
just beginners. A good refresher course on
the basics is useful to all. Having a good
knowledge of these basics enables us as
photographers to use our cameras, lenses,
flashes, filters, etc. to their best advantage.
As Ralph says, “We, as the photographer,
choose the scene and subjects we shoot. We
decide what the light is and how to use it to
create the mood we desire. We choose how
to compose the scene. We choose the lens
to use.” Point-and-shoot may be a type of
camera, but it is not a technique.
Former ‘What’s Clickin’ columnist, Jeanne
Halama has had some health challenges
in 2012. While she is no longer active in
photography, I’m sure she would love a
note from her many camera club friends.
Until recently she still came to the Downers
monthly dinners and the CACCA pick.
Jeanne’s address is 34 S. 7th Avenue,
LaGrange, IL 60525. Let her know you’re
thinking of her and wish her good health in
2013. A shout out to Artie Harris, too, who
had surgery earlier in 2012. We haven’t seen
Artie at CACCA for a while, but I hear he’s
back at Washington Park. If you’d like to send
Artie a note, his address is 9726 S. Peoria,
Chicago, IL 60643.
Elements users—Des Plaines Park District
is sponsoring a series of hands-on courses
for the Elements 9, 10, or 11 user. Courses
will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, January 8,
10, 15, and 17 and will be taught by members
of the Des Plaines Camera Club. Cost is
$50 for Des Plaines residents and $62 for
non-residents. When you consider that a
single seminar costs $100 and up, that’s a
bargain. Basic computer skills are needed,
but experience with Elements is not required.
That’s what the course is for! You can ask
Jerry Hug for more details. Register through
the park district at 847-391-5700.
Other programs include:
Jan 7
Mayslake
Hank Erdman “ Envision the Landscape”
Jan 14
Central DuPage
“Sharpening Intensity & Selectivity”
Jan 14 Lombard
Hank Erdman “Long and Short of
Close-Up Photography”
Jan 15
North Shore
Oggie Loux “Photographing Greece
and Turkey”
Jan 21
Riverwoods
Chris Smith “Photography in Motion—
or Not”
Jan 22
Foresters
Steve Zasadny & Bob Dietz
“HDR Workshop”
Feb 4
Mayslake
Mike Trahan “Nature Photography”
Feb 11
Lombard
Fred Drury “Eastern Indonesia—
Center of Biodiversity”
Feb 18
Riverwoods
Tom Biegalski “X-Treem Macro”
Feb 19 North Shore
Don Bolak on Composition
Feb 19
Foresters
Stan Kotecki “Landscape Photography”
Feb 19 Downers
Jerry Hug “iPhoneography”
I’m wishing you all great photo opportunities
in 2013 whether in your backyard of on a
once-in-a-lifetime trip. Photography has
broadened my world, and I’m grateful for it.