Tag: technique

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/ .

Color and Intensity of Light

The next meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 6:30 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our topic this month is Using the Color and Intensity of Light to Enhance Images. The presentation will be a video on the subject by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore. 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. If attending in person, feel free to arrive any time after 6 p.m. for socializing; the actual presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m., MST. 

For our program, we will watch and discuss a video by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore about the Color and Intensity of Light, and how these characteristics can be used to establish mood and enhance the overall composition of your images. 

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’s membership year begins in January. 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/ .

In Search of Great Light

Early morning sun rakes the peaks of the snow-covered Sneffels Range, © Andy Butler

The October meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, October 12, 6:30 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. This month’s program will be about Ambient Light, including discussion of exposure and how to make the most of different types of light. 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 abulter@mac.com . If attending in person, feel free to arrive any time after 6 p.m.; the actual presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m., MST. 

For this program, we will watch and discuss a video by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore about ambient- or found- light, and how to identify various types of light to use in different photographic situations. The video covers how to see and identify great light, which is one of the keys to making great photographs. 

Club members may bring up to five images to share and discuss with the group following the presentation.  If you are attending in person, bring your images on a flash drive; if attending by Zoom, please email them to abutler@mac.com no later than  October 11. 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’s membership year begins in January. For new members, dues are at $25 per year ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/  .

Nightscape Photography

Star trails over Bullet Canyon

The June meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, June 8, 6:30 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our program this month is Nightscape Photography, presented by Andy Butler. 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 abulter@mac.com . If attending in person, feel free to arrive any time after 6 p.m.; the meeting and presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m., MST. 

It’s hard not to feel a sense of awe when you look at the stars on a clear, dark night. Modern digital cameras are able to produce high quality images from long exposures of weak starlight. This allows photographers to extend landscape photography into the night, producing stunning “nightscape” images, in which both the land and the sky are important compositional elements. In this presentation, Andy will discuss planning and taking nightscape photos featuring the Moon, Milky Way, star trails, and other features of the night sky. Topics will include planning for nightscape photos, discussion of camera and lens choices, focusing and exposure considerations, and use of both natural and artificial light to illuminate the foreground.  

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’s membership year begins in January. For new members, dues are at $25 per year ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .