Tag: technique

2D Photography-June Meeting

The June meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday June 12, at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis St. We will begin with social time at 6 pm, and the meeting will start at 6:30 pm. This month’s presentation will be by Joe Sinclair.  Joe will discuss techniques and tips for photographing flat subjects, or 2D Photography, such as documents or paintings. 

Joe Sinclair has been a member of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club for several years. In addition, he is a member of the Napa Valley Photographic Society in California. He has been photographing for 60 years with both film and digital cameras, and has received numerous awards for his photos. As photographers, it is often a challenge to represent our three dimensional world in a two dimensional photograph. However, in this presentation, Joe will discuss the challenge of accurately photographing two dimensional subjects. He will explore techniques and considerations for two-dimensional photography (photography of flat objects) that while simple to do are important to understand. The talk will then relate two-dimensional photography to normal photography, an understanding that is very useful for improving one’s skills as a photographer.

The presentation will be followed by our member’s image share. Photo Club members may bring up to five images to show and discuss with the group. Please bring these on a thumb drive. They should be saved as jpeg files of at least 2000 pixels on the long edge. 

This meeting will also be available on Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to members; others who wish to attend may request the link by email to abutler@mac.com .

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club welcomes everyone who enjoys making and viewing great photography. The Club sponsors educational programs, images sharing and discussion, and outings to help our members improve their photography.  For more information about the Club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Masking in Lightroom

The February meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Feb 14 at the Community United Methodist Church. Come at 6 PM for socializing; the presentation will begin at 6:30 PM. This month, we will have a presentation by Doug Coombs on Masking in Lightroom.

Lightroom (LR) introduced very powerful new masking tools in October of 2022. Learning to use these new tools is a game changer for photographers who are serious about post processing. Before this, LR had masking but it was not nearly as powerful as tools in Photoshop (PS). When you shoot a photo with your phone, the manufacturer’s software is using sophisticated algorithms to post-process it. If you shoot .jpg in your camera, your camera is doing the same. Ansel Adams was a master at post-processing in the darkroom and altered his original image greatly to take it beyond journalism to fine art. 

Moonrise Over Hernandez – Ansel Adams

See https://petapixel.com/2018/11/07/the-story-behind-ansel-adams-iconic-moonrise-hernandez/ for an article on Moonrise Over Hernandez, one of Ansel Adams’ most famous photos.

Today we can do much more, with more control and more options digitally, which has raised the bar considerably. People used to ask me if a photo was “photoshopped”, as if post-processing in Photoshop (PS) is somehow cheating. All fine art photos of all sorts have been post-processed from the beginning of photography, at least to adjust overall light balance, contrast and emphasis. LR and Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) use the same photo processing engine. LR is separate from PS and includes many photography-specific tools. PS incorporates ACR with many additional tools in PS itself, often used after post-processing in ACR. In terms of processing a raw photo, ACR and LR are basically equivalent. Doug will discuss the masking tool in LR and ACR from the LR perspective and then demonstrate how he has processed some photos using LR masking. It is not uncommon for him to use multiple masks in a photo. Each mask is considered a local adjustment and emphasizes some particular aspect of the photo. It could be an animal’s eye, head or portion of its body. It could be the sky, foreground or band of vegetation in a landscape. It could be part of a person’s face including eyes, lips, teeth, cheeks and more. Doug  will provide useful links from YouTube at his presentation.

Even if you don’t use LR or ACR, masking is a universal tool found in other post-processing software, so this presentation should be useful.

The photo of the eagle below, has four masks.

The naturescape below, has three masks.

This program will also be available via Zoom. Members will receive an email with the Zoom link, others may request it by email (abutler@mac.com).

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club welcomes all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. The Club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills.  For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Creative Use of Aperture and Depth of Field

Sunrise, North Window © Andy Butler. A small aperture of f/16 was used to render the spikes of the sun star.

The next meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held Sept 13 at the Community United Methodist Church on Lewis Street. Come at 6 pm to socialize with your fellow shutterbugs. The presentation will start at 6:30. The topic this month is Aperture and Depth of Field. We will watch and discuss a video on this subject by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore. The video will discuss how to use aperture to create visual effects and control depth of field. When, and why might you want to use a shallow depth of field? What’s the effect of lens focal length on depth of field? What creative optical effects can you produce with either a low aperture such as f/2.8 or a high aperture like f/22? What is your experience? As Andy will be out of town, Vice President Gregg Heid will be hosting this meeting.

This will be a hybrid meeting. Those who can’t attend in person may request the Zoom link by email to abutler@mac.com. After the presentation, we will have a member’s image share. Please bring your images to share (up to 5 per photographer, jpeg format please) on a flash drive.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills.   We welcome photographers of all skill levels. Dues for 2023 are just $25 ($35 family). Those who join or renew prior to September 15 are eligible to take part in our 2023 Digital Photography Contest. For more information about the Club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ . 

The Beauty and Challenges of Underwater Photography

© David Lenderman

The August meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will feature a presentation by David Lenderman on The Beauty and Challenges of Underwater Photography. The meeting be held on Wednesday, August 9, 6:00 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs.  

David’s program for the Photography Club will start with a discussion of why he is drawn to underwater photography. He will then share some major challenges of underwater photography and how dealing with these challenges has made him a better topside photographer. Next, David will demonstrate the equipment needed to get started in underwater photography.  Finally, he will share a 3-4 minute music synced slide show of some of his favorite underwater images created in Indonesia, Philippines and Socorro Islands, Mexico.

© David Lenderman

David Lenderman was SCUBA certified in 1989 and fell in love with being underwater. In an attempt to share the amazing underwater world with non-diving friends and family members he began making photos underwater in the early 90s. By 1998 he decided to really work on improving his underwater photography. 

© David Lenderman

As part of his drive to improve, David joined the Houston Underwater Photographic Society (HUPS) and learned a tremendous amount from the more experienced members. David ended up becoming very active in HUPS, eventually serving as board member, VP, and President. During his time as a HUPS member David has been awarded Member of the Year, Advanced Photographer of the Year and HUPS Lifetime Achievement Awards.  Underwater he has photographed everything from 1/2” long pygmy seahorses to forty foot long Humpback whales.  In pursuit of underwater subjects David has traveled to many exotic locations around the world. His favorite destinations are the biodiversity hotspots of Indonesia and the Philippines.  David can’t be underwater all the time so he also dabbles in nature, travel and even portrait photography.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with social time, and the program will start at 6:30 p.m. After David’s presentation, Club members may share and discuss up to five of their images with the group. This will be a hybrid meeting, both in-person and on Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to members; others who wish to attend may request the link by email to abutler@mac.com. Photography Club meetings are open to the public.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills.   We welcome photographers of all skill levels. Dues for 2023 are just $25 ($35 family). For more information about the Club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

July Presentation: “Learning to See Creatively”

soda bubbles, © Greg Holden

The July meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, July 12, 6:00 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our speaker this month will be Greg Holden. Greg’s topic will be Learning to See Creatively.  

Greg Holden is a photographer from Longmont, Co who uses his photography to share with others how he sees the world. He enjoys creative photos of little scenes often overlooked by others rather than postcard landscapes. He often explores abandoned places and captures the details of the layers of paint and rust on a discarded automobile.  Greg enjoys teaching others and sharing his passion for photography and speaks around his home in the greater Denver area, but also continues to speak and judge virtually, at clubs throughout his former home in the MD and VA areas. You can see Greg’s work on his website imagesunderfoot.com .

In his presentation, Greg will discuss his approach for finding different viewpoints in common scenes and how he creates interesting abstract images by isolating a part of a scene.  Whether it is iPhone photos taken in his kitchen or DSLR images from local parks, Greg’s photos will demonstrate that you do not have to travel to exotic locations or spend hours using software manipulation to make creative images.

Our meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with socializing, and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. This will be a hybrid meeting, also available on Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to members; others who wish to attend may request the link by email to abutler@mac.com. Photography Club meetings are open to the public.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills.   We welcome photographers of all skill levels. Dues for 2023 are just $25 ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Controlling Time in Photography

Lower Calf Creek Falls. A slow shutter speed was used to convey the motion of the falling water © Andy Butler

The June Photography Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 14, 6:00 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our topic this month is Controlling Time: Creative Use of Shutter Speed in Photography. We will watch and discuss a video by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore on how to use different shutter speeds to create a variety of moods in your photos. Do you want to freeze action with a very high shutter speed, or use a low shutter speed to depict movement? There are many creative choices possible. This will be a hybrid meeting, also available on Zoom. Club members will receive the Zoom link by email. If attending in person, arrive any time after 6 p.m. for socializing, the actual program, and Zoom, will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Club members may bring up to five images on a flash drive to share and discuss with the group following the presentation. As a reminder, submitted images should be JPEG (JPG) format. Resize to about 2000 pixels in the longest dimension.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between all who enjoy making and viewing great photography.  The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills.  The Photography Club welcomes photographers of all skill levels. Dues for 2023 are just $25 ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .