Bacchus Marsh & District Photography Club Inc.

September 2015 Newsletter.

Club News.

Slow Shutter Speed / Panning Workshop night on Wednesday 12th of August was well attended and attracted quite a few visitors who had made enquires about the club. We hope that they enjoyed the night .

Nathan Stanley presented an excellent presentation on slow shutter speed photography and we all had the chance to experiment and put what we had learned to good use. Thanks to Nathan, we all went away with a much better understanding of how slow shutter speed photography can work for us. Nathan will upload his file to the Facebook page for future reference.

Fireworks /Night Photography Competition:

We were incredibly lucky that Ken Roberts was present at the Workshop night on the 12th of August. Ken has judged both Nationally and Internationally in the past.

Our Guest Judge for the Fireworks/Night Photography competition had to cancel his appointment and Ken was able to provide his expertise for us at short notice. We were very grateful and Ken's skill and expertise in judging was appreciated by all.

We welcomed a lot more visitors again at the Competition night - a warm welcome to all, we hope to see you all again soon!

There was an unfortunate 'glitch' with the power point display on the TV screen - I had recently upgraded to Windows 10 and had problems with getting the laptop to respond to my tapping, clicking, "talking to it" etc! ( don't you just hate

those "Critical Error Messages!")

Advanced A Group Prints Results:

First: Cabin in the Snow. Jill Bell.

HC: Gold Coast At Night. Robert Armstrong.

C: Bolte Bridge Bling. Nathan Stanley.

Advanced B Group Prints:

First: The Pier. Garry Green

HC: Bolte Bridge. Glenn Carpenter.

C: Purple Halo. Andrea Enever.

Regular Group:

First: The Webb Bridge. Linda Groot.

HC: Sticks. Christine Raymant.

C: Williamsburg Bridge. Linda Groot.

Fireworks / Night Photography EDI'S

Thanks to Nathan for his help in sorting out the display and manning the TV remote to allow us to see the EDI's via the usb stick!

Advanced A Group EDI's Results:

First: Hosier's. Bronwyn Flack. HC: Bronze Shower. Nathan Stanley.

C: Melbourne At Night. Robert Armstrong.

Advanced B Group:

First: Untitled 2: Glenn Carpenter.

C: Fireworks 1. Martin Ball.

Regular Group:

First: Fireworks 2. Linda Groot C: Docklands Fireworks. Christine Raymant

What's on Next Month At The Club:

Wednesday 9th September:

Workshop - Post Production, Metadata, Storage.

Come along and learn how to solve all those problems, learn how to store and readily access your photo libraries etc.

Wednesday 23rd September:

Competition Night. Set Subject: Water - Natural. Can be waterfalls, puddle, rain. stream. river etc.

Guest Judge is David Rendell from VAPS.

EDI''S must be sent to me by Wednesday 9th or bring them along to the workshop on a USB stick on Wednesday 9th September. The Judge will need the EDI'S two weeks before the competition as per normal.

How to resize your images for competitions!

Resize Digital Images in Photoshop to 1920 x 1080 pixels. ( ideally your image will be 1 meg to send)

TO RESIZE A SINGLE IMAGE:

1) Open the image in Photoshop. 2) In the menu heading “file” go down to the subheading of “scripts” and then across to “Image Processor…” 3) The Image Processor window shows a number of options.

• In option section 1 select “Use Open Image” • In option section 2 select “Save in Same Location” • In option section 3 tick save as JPEG and select a high JPEG quality – 8 to 12. • Tick “Resize to Fit” and enter 1920 for “W” and 1080 for “H” • Click on “Run” in the top right hand corner of the image processor window.

4) The script will place a new folder titled “JPEG” in the folder which contains the original image. This new folder contains the modified image.? If the original image was on your desktop, there will be a new folder on your desktop titled “JPEG” which will contain the modified image. 5) If you want to save any changes to this working image, first give it another name. This will save it as a separate image rather than overwrite your original. For example you could add an “a” so that “DSC1234.jpg” becomes “DSC1234a.jpg” which will store these images consecutively.

Ballarat International Foto Biennale.

This event promises to be an exciting time for photographers and the Club has organized an in-promptu outing should you like to attend in the company of other Club Members.

Sunday Club Outing Date: SEPTEMBER 6 Train Melton 10: 11 Bacchus Marsh 10: 22 Ballan 10:39 Ballarat 11:02 Return 13: 19 14: 39 16 :19 17: 14 19: 14 21: 21 ( Last Train) Venues http://ballaratfoto.org/content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/bifb13_venue_map.pdf Propose that we meet at the Ballarat Gallery at 11: 30 for those who wanted to drive. Then get a Light Lunch. Please see the Facebook page and advise if you will be attending so that we can know who to keep an eye out for! Thanks, Glenn for all the info and research!

PHOTOSHOOT OPPORTUNITY !

Photographer required for Moorabool Shire Libraries images

Moorabool Shire Libraries are wanting to update their image library for marketing material and want to source a local photographer to assist with producing the images.

WHAT: We require various images of the Lerderderg Library, Ballan Library and the Rural library service

DEADLINE: We require these images by Friday 18th September, 2015

SCOPE: We require approximately 5-10 photos of each location from various angles/views, in both portrait and landscape styles.

SOURCE: We require original photos in JPEG format in very high resolution onto a USB drive that we can provide.

BUDGET:This will be a paid service. Please provide a quote for your work and we will choose the appropriate option.

REPRODUCTION: Council staff will have full use and ownership of the photos to use as we choose for an unlimited amount of time. We require a “talent release form” (supplied) to be completed for any individuals who are easily identifiable.

If you are interested or have any questions about this opportunity, please don’t hesitate to contact Natalie, Library Programs Coordinator on 5366 7100.

An important update on that bit of news.....

Glenn Carpenter has suggested that we do this as a Club Challenge: "Cannot see why the Club could not take up the opportunity to do the Photo shoot, if it was

made as a challenge."

All photos to be provided to the Club by the 11/9 for appraisal ( limit on photographs 10 per location )

This is a great opportunity for all Club Members to help showcase our Club - so please support this challenge and take some great images that we can offer to the Shire and perhaps get a little bit of "street cred" and also some $$ for the Club's coffers! Thanks, Glenn, for the great idea! Apart from that - it will get you all out and about!

How To Use Bulb Mode On A Camera.

Probably rather useful for those amazing Fireworks shots that we all tried so hard to get in the dreadful weather the past month or so, but still useful for long exposures.

The shutter speed range on a DSLR camera finishes at 30 seconds. One click below that selection is Bulb, which allows the photographer to manually hold the shutter open for as long as is required as the shutter button is pressed down. The camera bulb exposure setting is only available in Manual mode.

The Bulb mode is basically a creative feature. It allows shots to be taken that are minutes long, rather than seconds. A typical image to capture using this feature is one of star trails when the night sky is clear. Simply aim the camera to the north or south celestial pole, depending on which hemisphere you live.

Another common image to capture is of the trails of vehicle lights when it is dark. These moving lights will create artistic streaks of white and red patterns emitted from the head lights and tail lights of passing traffic. If you are near a traffic junction you may capture orange streaks from indicator lights. And if you’re lucky enough, you may get a streak of blue from the flashing light of an emergency vehicle.

Here are the three things you must do in order to shoot in Bulb mode, in other words, with the camera’s shutter open:

• Use a Tripod: Attach the camera to a tripod in order to ensure that no camera movement will ruin the shot. You don’t have to use a tripod so long as the camera is on a solid base, like a wall. Turn off the any anti-shake mechanisms you may might have on your camera or on the lens.

• Use a Remote Shutter Release: A remote shutter release will prevent vibrations ruining the shot as you press the shutter button. No matter how careful you are, you will always cause a tiny bit of vibration as you depress the shutter button. That doesn’t matter with fast shutter speeds, but in Bulb mode you will record vibrations, however small. If you don’t have a remote cable, use the camera’s built-in self-timer delay, which is just as effective. A two second delay will be adequate.

• Switch to Manual Mode: Since metering is completely irrelevant when using the Bulb exposure setting, switch the camera to its Manual mode. Next, choose an appropriate aperture, like f/8 or f/11, as these apertures offer the best image quality. Also, set the ISO to 100 or 200 in order to minimize sensor noise. Finally, experiment by taking several test shots before capturing the final long exposure bulb mode image.

Victorian Seniors Week - 4th to 11th October 2015.

Our Club will be hosting a special workshop during this time for everybody who would like to learn more about how to take that perfect photo!

We will hold the workshop at Darley Neighbourhood House. Date TBA.

Get your DSLR or Compact Camera off Auto mode and get more creative with your images. Learn more about your camera and how to use it to the best advantage for whatever type of photography you enjoy - Landscape, Portraits, Still Life, Family Memories etc.

All welcome to come along - bring your camera and the camera manual. There will be instructional videos, advice and one on one help offered on the day, as well as the opportunity to take photos with set up props etc.

Help is available for photo editing as well, so bring along a usb stick with a problem photo that one of our experienced Photoshop or Lightroom experts can help you with.

You do not have to have a DSLR camera - we have many experienced photographers who own a compact camera as well - and they can help you to use all the modes to produce better photos with your compact camera.

Spring arrives on September 1st!

Key settings for photographing Spring Lambs ( or anything else that frolics about?)

Set your camera to AV (Aperture Priority) Focus Mode to Continuous.

Lambs are pretty nippy, so set the camera to use focus tracking and continuous burst modes.

Shutter Speed 1/250 sec or faster. ISO - 100 - 800.

Try to frame the lambs against a plain background, avoid distractions such as fence posts and wire. Get down to eye level with the lambs to create a more effective result..

To blur the background, open your apperture wide.

Aperture Guide:

1. Wide Aperture: f/1.8 - f/4.

The widest apertures have f/stops with the smallest numbers. They provide a shallow depth of field, which is great for simplifying backgrounds.

2. Medium Aperture: f/5.6 - f/11.

The middle aperture on your lens tend to give you the best quality images. However, they may not give you the depth of field you require. Sometimes you have to compromise.

3. Small Aperture: f/16 - f/32.

Most lenses have a minimum aperture of f/22, while others will go down to f/32. As the aperture gets smaller, the depth of field increases. Ultimately the image resolution deteriorates due to diffraction.

What is Diffraction?

Diffraction is caused by light bouncing off the aperture blades and onto the sensor. It can make your image detail appear soft and occurs when using a narrow aperture setting.

1. Wide Aperture Setting:

The wider you have your aperture setting, the less likely you are to encounter diffraction. However, if you want to keep the scene sharp from front to back you will need to shoot using an aperture setting of between f/8 - f/16, depending on where the "sweet spot" is - mostly it is f/8.

2. Narrow Aperture setting:

By closing the aperture down to a narrow setting ( a high number such as f/22) you will notice as you zoom in that the detail is soft.

Camera Lens Aperture Diagram:

Aperture Chart with Full and 1/3 F Stop Settings

The F Stop numbers in red represent a full stop and the numbers in black are 1/3 increments between the full stops.

F2 F2.2 F2.5 F2.8 F3.2 F3.5 F4 F4.5 F5 F5.6 F6.3 F7.1 F8 F9 F10 F11 F13 F14 F16

How The Camera Shutter Works:

The camera shutter mechanism controls how long the sensor is exposed to light.

The vertical -travel "focal plane" shutter sits just in front of the sensor on a typical digital SLR.

Two thin blinds move up and down. - one opens to start the exposure, the second one closes to end it. Both blinds are open at some point during a long exposure, but for a fast exposure, the second blind begins closing before the first one has finished opening. This means that the sensor is exposed though a moving slit.

The mechanical shutter is controlled electronically. It's lifespan varies between camera models and may eventually need to be replaced.

Summing Up:

The Camera Shutter: The shutter speed determines the length of time that light will be exposed to the camera's image sensor. Shutter speeds are listed in seconds or fractions of a second. Those times reflect how long the camera shutter will be open during an exposure.

Listed below is a chart showing shutter speeds in full steps and in 1/3 step increments. The numbers in red represent a full step or stop.

Shutter Speeds listed as Full and 1/3 Steps

1/30 1/40 1/50 1/60 1/80 1/100 1/125 1/160 1/200 1/250 1/320 1/400 1/500 1/640 1/800 1/1000

A shutter speed of 1/60th of a second keeps the shutter open longer than a shutter speed of 1/125th of a second. Changing the shutter speed by a full or partial step in either direction is the equivalent of changing the lens aperture setting by a full or partial F Stop in the same direction. Changing the shutter speed from 1/400 to 1/100 will allow the light to be absorbed by the image sensor for a longer period of time. That change will yield the same basic result as changing the aperture from F10 to F5. The point here is that changing the shutter speed by any given amount of "steps" or increments will have the same effect as changing the aperture by an equal number of steps. (as long as the change is in the same direction) The shutter speed also has an effect on the look of an image when there is motion in a scene. If there is fast movement in a scene, you might need to use a fast shutter speed to avoid motion blur.

Freebies, Links and a bit of a giggle.

Well.... come along to one of our Workshops!!!

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/creating-mood-in-photography/

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/how-to-photograph-flowers/

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/layers/layer-masks/

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/the-fastest-way-to-dodge-and-burn-your-photos/

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/where-to-begin-with-your-photography/

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-free-photo-editing-software/

Contributions to the Newsletter are gladly welcomed. Found any good links, hints or tips lately? Send them along to be shared by all in the Newsletter.

Facebook page challenge: The Club has a weekly Photo Challenge - various subjects, it's just for fun. It's interesting to see what Members come up with - so get your camera out and have a go!

Ann Preston. Leaves & Shadows Of Leaves. Bronwyn Flack. Gumleaves.

Bronwyn Flack. Macro - Flowers Judy Archer - Taken With Breakfast.

Jill Bell. Waiting For The Rain.

Bronwyn Flack. Macro - Flowers. Jill Bell. Waiting For The Rain.