Club Meeting of Friday February 9

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The sound of twenty cameras clicking away was heard at our last meeting. We practiced steadying the camera for sharper, better focused shots by using our bodies as tripods.

A few technical questions were raised from the group and discussed. We then proceeded to review the thirty-plus flower shots submitted. Great work, everyone! The pictures were outstanding and participation was lively. We had alot of fun, along with receiving constructive advice we can use on our next assignment.

Our club will ‘rise to the challenge’ with next meeting’s assignment, “Wallet Shot”. Think in terms of a picture we carry in our wallet. The difference is that this picture will have our subject doing something that will give us a clue about their hobby, job, sport or pastime. We will spend some time critiquing the technique, but we will have a lot of fun identifying the hobby and discussing the photo, too. The sky's the limit, so Neil says, “Use your imagination!”

Next meeting, we will see a short video on the “Rule of Thirds” and Barry will review important Picasa picture techniques (loading/saving/emailing). We will critique our ‘wallet’ pictures, and discuss our next photo shoot and assignment. In order to finish up within a sixty minute (or close to it) timeframe, we will endeavor to follow the 20-20-20 minute rule (twenty technical/twenty assignment review & new assigment/twenty open questions from the group).

Our next meeting is Friday, March 16 at 1:30PM in the clubhouse. Join the Harbor Hills group visiting the Appleton Museum on Friday, February 23. Contact Rose at the front desk for more info on the trip. And don’t forget to check out our new Harbor Hills Photo forum at HHPC.
Happy Shooting!

Notable Links:
Sasha Nialla, daughter of Bob and Monique Brownfeld is a professional photographer.
Sasha's link
Interesting black and white photography with an Asian theme.
Jon Morgan
Two fun links submitted by Debbie Bradley:
Comcast photo
Woophy Map

Thanks to Natalie Win (feature photo on very top of column) and Monica Carleson (feature photo just above) for their colorful flower photos.
To view the club's entire flower collection, click
HHPC Flower Collection. Don't forget to run the slideshow option. It's a visual treat!

Photo Shoot to Marion Market!

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Calendar:
Jan 26: Trip to Marion Market, Meet in front of Clubhouse at 8:30 am.
Feb 9: Meeting, Friday 1:30 pm at clubhouse.
Feb 23: Trip to be discussed this Friday. Maybe Homosassa or the Appleton Museum.

Our first meeting of the New Year was attended by a record-breaking fifteen members! We announced contest winners (below) and talked about our next ‘assignment.’ We decided on the theme, FLOWERS. This will be an assignment, not a contest. Members are urged to follow good rules for picture taking. Email submissions to Nikki and Barry. Three pictures max will be accepted from each member. I have already received pictures from five members. The more the better, so get shooting!

We reviewed the last field trip to Alexander Springs. Several photos are displayed on our community Channel 20.

Barry demonstrated some important editing techniques in Picasa, Adobe Photoshop and the new Photoshop Elements. Click here to take a free tour of Photoshop Elements 5.0. Use your browser's back arrow to return to the blog.

Neil Toulch led the review and critique of our Holiday Photos. The group discussed ways to improve our picture-taking skills. Many of these elements can be found in the twelve judging criteria used by the ‘Professional Photographers of America.’ Contact Nikki if you need a copy.

Reminder: Our next group photo shoot will be on January 26 to the Marion Marketplace in Summerfield. Meet at 8:30AM in front of the clubhouse.

Our next meeting is Friday, February 9 at 1:30 in the clubhouse.

Contest Winners by Popular Vote:
First Place: Holiday Table, Nikki Hoffman
Tie for Second Place: Holiday Forest, Bob Brownfeld and Dog With Toys, Lew Jones
Third Place: Holiday Dog at Gate, Linda Trahan

Notable Links:
1. Carol & Tiit Gentalen's son Kirk is an avid photographer and naturalist.
Click here to view Kirk's web site.

2. New Member Dave Elle’s trip to Austin Park resulted in these fabulous shots.
Click here to see Dave's Austin Park photos.

3. Kodak maintains an informative website. Check out this month's article on the importance of lighting. Kodak's site/Consumer Products/Taking Great Pictures.

Congratulations to Natalie and David on the purchase of their new digital camera! We can't wait to see you two out and shooting some great pictures.

Thanks to Barry Pressman for our feature photo, a beautiful example of the impact of black and white photography.

Our Holiday Photo Contest is here!

Below are eight entries for our first themed competition, 'HOLIDAY'. Please click directly on each entry for the larger view. Use the back button (arrow pointing left) on your browser to return to the blog.

Once you've made your selection, please email me with the number and description of your selection and copy Barry. Voting will be open until noon on Thursday, January 11. The winner will be announced at our meeting on Friday, January 12. Good Luck!!

Entry No. 1 - Holiday Scene


Entry No. 2 - Holiday Forest


Entry No. 3 - Holiday Cat


Entry No. 4 - Holiday Cake


Entry No. 5 - Holiday Dog with Toys


Entry No. 6 - Holiday Dog at Gate


Entry No. 7 - Holiday Table



Entry No. 8 - Holiday Child


Nikki's email: thehoffmans@harborhillsgolf.com
Barry's email: tamalemolly@gmail.com

Photo Contest for All HHPC Members!

The third meeting of the HHPC was kicked off by a Ceiva presentation. This connected digital picture frame would make a great holiday gift for anyone, with or without a computer.

We then shared photos from the shoot to Alexander Springs. Using a critical eye, we talked about ‘working for your shot’, offsetting subjects, portrait shots (use a zoom lens from a short distance) and editing out unwanted objects (park bench). There will be a lot more discussion on these topics in future meetings.

Some ‘new’ vocabulary is listed below:

1. dynamic range: Cameras with a large dynamic range are able to capture shadow detail and highlight detail at the same time.

2. camera histogram: It is a simple graph that displays where all of the brightness levels contained in the scene are found, from the darkest to the brightest.

3. polarizing lens: Polarizers are able to reduce or eliminate glare and reflections in some shiny surfaces like glass and water.

4. pixel: Short for Picture Element, a pixel is a single point in a graphic image. Graphics monitors display pictures by dividing the screen into thousands (or millions) of pixels, arranged in rows and columns. The pixels are so close together that they appear connected.

Barry led us through a discussion of the variables in manual mode. They include ISO, shutter speed, aperture and DOF (depth of field).

We will be holding our first photo contest. The theme is “Holiday.” Use your imagination to shoot a landscape or macro, or anything inbetween that captures this month’s theme. New pictures only. Voting will be open to our members from January 8 to noon on January 11, prior to our next meeting on January 12. The winning shot will be displayed on our community channel.

Our next meeting is Friday, January 12 at 1:30PM at the clubhouse.

We are looking for members to suggest discussion topics and share their photographic expertise. Suggestions are very welcome and appreciated.

Take some great shots and Happy Holidays!!

The feature photo above was taken by Terry Bowersox on the Alexander Springs trip. Congratulations on an outstanding photo and your new camera, too!

Reminder! Next Meeting this Friday!!

The Harbor Hills Photo Club will alternate trips with meetings in the clubhouse. Every two weeks will be one or the other, except for Xmas. Trips will meet at 8:30 in front of HH Clubhouse. Meetings will begin at 1:30pm.

Mark your calendars!

Dec 1st: Meeting
Dec 15th: Trip/Photo Shoot
Dec 29th: Skip for Xmas
Jan 12: Meeting
Jan 26: Trip/Photo Shoot
Feb 9: Meeting
Feb 23 Trip/Photo Shoot

This Friday, December 1, we plan on talking about how to take better pictures. Please send Barry any photos you would like critiqued by the group.

We will also be introduced to the Ceiva digital picture frame. It makes a great holiday gift for anyone, with or without a computer!

Feature photos taken by Les and Jeannie Johnson respectively, at Alexander Springs.

HHPC Announces First Field Trip!

Harbor Hills Photography Club
& First Field Trip Announcement

The newly formed HHPC was well represented by eleven enthusiastic photographers in our second meeting held on November 3, 2006. Three of those attending were new to the club. Welcome!

Members’ photo expertise ranges from pro to pre-beginner*. (*defined as 'yet to purchase' a digital camera!) Several members have already benefited from knowledge gained in one-on-one sessions, including (1)blogging, and (2)critical features to look for when purchasing a new camera. One-on-one sessions continue with club members meeting separately during the week. Thanks to our pros who have already donated their time and knowledge!

Picasa software was reviewed and demonstrated by Barry Pressman. The goal is for all club members to be familiar with Picasa as the club’s standard software. Pros are available to help any member, just ask! Try it out and bring your questions about it to the next meeting.

The group critiqued pictures sent to Barry by club members. This was a very helpful and informative exercise. Many photographic techniques were highlighted and discussed as these pictures were reviewed. Contributing photographers were: Lew Jones, Pat Cople, Kathryn Dannelly, Dave Elie, Barry Pressman and Nikki Hoffman.

Announcing our FIRST FIELD TRIP to Alexander Springs. The spring is a major recreation area in the Ocala National Forest with abundant local flowers and fauna.

When: Friday, November 17th.
Where: Alexander Springs
Meet: In clubhouse parking lot at 8:30AM. Don’t be late!!
Please contact Barry directly to sign up.

The next regular meeting will be in three weeks, on Friday, December 1 in the Clubhouse (Bay Room), starting at 1:30 pm.
Additional December meetings, starting at 1:30PM:
December 15 - Room to be Determined
December 29 - Bay Room

Web site of the Week: Tips from the top floor. “A digital photography podcast with tips and tricks for the digital photographer.” Check it out!

Many thanks to Lew Jones for our feature photo. His lovely wife Marian is enjoying the view on a recent ocean sail.

A Well-Attended First Meeting!

Many many thanks to all the members of the newly-formed Harbor Hills Photography Club!! Our first get-together Friday, October 20th, was a resounding success. Barry Pressman's presentation of the Picassa software was enthusiastically received. The feedback on the meeting was terrific.

The next meeting will be held on Friday, November 3rd in the HH Clubhouse, starting at 1:30 pm.

Many thanks again for your participation and contributions. Please feel free to add your comments and recommendations below. This is YOUR CLUB!!

Kudos to Judy Cammarano, whose photo is posted above. This is just one of many outstanding digital pictures from her recent trip to Alaska.