boksbu april 2017 rg camera club newsletter...
TRANSCRIPT
Boksburg Camera Club Newsletter April 2017
Shutternews
BCC is affiliated with PSSA
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Index From the chairman 2 Committee 2017 3 Events 4 Set subjects and inspirations 5 Feedback on outings 7 Tip cards 8 Pygmy Photography 27 Bulletin board 28 Members list 29 NEW FEATURE: BCC Service Desk 30 PSSA feature 31
Winners April print winners 9 PSSA results 17 April e-photography winners 24
Features The secret to perfect exposure 10 Raw vs JPEG 19
Photo by Jackie du Plessis BOKSBURG CAMERA CLUB www.boksburgcameraclub.co.za Photo‐Vault‐Online‐Entries www.photovaultonline.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/ BANKING DETAILS First National Bank Sunward Park Branch: 201209 Current account no: 62482721406
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From the chairman There are many aspects that make up a ‘personal style’ in photography. It could be the gear you use, the type of light, your post processing style or film choice. Your style could be determined by the stories you are trying to tell, the philosophy behind your work, your concept or message.
These are a few of the things that can contribute to a unique style. But are you deliberate with your style? Do you go out of your way to get a consistent look with your photography? The 10,000 hours of practice ‘rule’ is not exactly true.
You need to break elements down even more, like what composition specifically you want to work on. Why aren’t you good at it now? How can it be improved? Is there a better way to approach the task? What am I missing? The list goes on, but the starting point is to analyse what you already know and improve yourself.
Deliberate practice is really just having small specific goals that you can improve on in order to achieve an even larger goal later—like becoming a master at black and white composition. But the books I have read suggest that you must do this consistently over a period of years or a lifetime, never letting yourself do it automatically. They say that you must deliberately think and improve on your previous achievements.
So, can you implement this method of deliberate practice to find your own unique style? The answer is yes!
Till next time. Happy shooting!
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Committee 2016-2017 Welcome to the new committee
Percy Mitchell
Chairman
082 575 7401
Errol Wagg
Vice Chairman and
Competitions
Manager
082 491 8710
Denise Smith
Secretary/admin
076 731 1980
Nico Grobbelaar
E-photo coordinator
082 448 4299
Jacques Taljaard
Treasurer
083 654 4614
Annemi Taljaard
Editor
079 499 5281
Erich Schober
Equipment
manager
083 447 8014
Steve Koekemoer
Workshops and
outings
082 572 3065
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Events
April Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
June Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
April
1- Alan Driver
Renee de Klerk
8- 5th Tygerberg Photographic Society Salon
12- Club evening
14- Andre Koekemoer
22-5- Botswana tour
23- Wallace Hayward
Suzanne Morshead
Jasper van Eeden
25- Pam Eley
28- HP van Zyl
29-Basic photography workshop- postponed
May
2- Esme Bruwer
6- Rand Airshow Aerobatics
10- Club evening
12-14- Himeville outing
13- 1st Youth Division Salon
Hibiscus Coast Photographic Society Salon
14- Erich Schober
18- Steve Koekemoer
27- Springs Photography Club Salon
Ettienne van Niekerk
29- Magda van Vreden
31- Wildlife workshop by Johan Botha
June
3- Armand Wessels
8- Sandra Mc Callum
10- Bloemfontein Kameraklub Salon
Club Evening
14- Willie Pieterse
24- Johan Botha
25- Christine Janse v Rensburg
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Set subjects for 2017
January- Macro/close up
February- Street photography
March- Water
April- Food
May- Wildlife/Zoo acceptable
June- Monochromes
July- Colour(Red)
August- Silhouettes
September- Scapes
October- Portraiture (emotions)
November- Trophy evening January2018- Shapes/Abstract
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Set subject inspirations for May:
Wildlife/Zoo acceptable Any wildlife is acceptable.
Kierie Viljoen
Erich Schober
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Feedback on outings Painting with Light
On 31st March our members got together for a fun filled evening at the ERPM- golf course.
Linda and Garfie did a great job teaching our members the wonderful technique of painting
with light. Braving the cold and the mosquitoes was all worth it as the end results was
spectacular:
Steve Koekemoer
Denise Smith
Steve Koekemoer
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Photography tip cards
All tip cards are adapted from the Digital Camera tip cards
Abstract Pans
For your first shot try
Exposure Shutter
Shutter speed 1/4sec
Aperture Automatic
ISO 100
TO IMPROVE YOUR SHOT...
• To reduce the shutter speed in bright light,
attach a filter.
• Look for bright bold colours in the
landscape that you can include in the pan
to enhance the end result.
• Simply press the shutter and sweep the
camera across the scene.
TOP TIP: It’s important to choose the right
location. Beach or woodland areas are particularly
effective.
Crashing coasts
For your first shot try
Exposure Manual
Burst mode Continuous
Shutter speed 1/500sec
ISO 100
TO IMPROVE YOUR SHOT...
• Position yourself a safe distance away when
you’re shooting rough scenes.
• Use the burst mode to capture a sequence
of images.
• It’s all about timing. Wait for that big wave
to roll in, then fire!
TOP TIP: When you’re shooting rough seas, take a
lens cloth to wipe spray from the lens. Protect your
camera from the salt water with a plastic bag.
Nigt-time Vista
For your first shot try
Exposure Bulb or Manual
Aperture f/2.8
AF setting Manual
ISO 3200
TO IMPROVE YOUR SHOT...
• The longer you open the shutter, the more
the stars will drag across the scene.
• Open the aperture setting and increase the
ISO. Ideally you want an exposure of
around 30 seconds.
• Navigate the land first during daylight to
avoid pitfalls.
TOP TIP: k for clear conditions, and ideally shoot
when it’s a new moon to capture those twinkling
stars.
View from above
For your first shot try
Exposure Aperture
AF setting Manual
Aperture f/8
Shutter speed Automatic
TO IMPROVE YOUR SHOT...
• On your next holiday, make sure you blag a
window seat so you can shoot abstract
aerial shots from the plane.
• If you’re having problems with the AF
setting as you focus through the window
switch to manual focusing (MF).
• The higher you go, the more abstract it is.
TOP TIP: Be careful not to overexpose the image, as
there’s lots of lights bouncing around. Keep one
eye on the histogram.
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Winners
April- Prints
3 Star
Ronald Reeves
Shucks die Taxi is alweer
nie hier nie
5 Star
Owen Single
Old man Varenasi
Set Subject Winner
Owen Single
The Fish Seller Cambodia
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The secret to perfect exposures David Peterson, Jan 12, 2017
If you use auto mode, aperture priority mode or shutter priority mode, you may have
noticed something. Most of the time, your camera does a pretty good job figuring out how
to expose a shot, but every now and then—maybe even more frequently than you’re
comfortable with—you get a photo that’s really overexposed, or really underexposed. How
can this happen in auto mode (or priority mode) and is there anything you can do about it?
Read on to find the answer.
Don’t trust your screen … or your meter
But wait! These are the two most important tools you have for getting the exposure right,
aren’t they? Well yes, and no. Your meter should always be thought of as a baseline, as a
good guestimate for the exposure in any given lighting situation. But all it can ever really be
is a guestimate. Let me explain why.
Your camera’s meter can’t evaluate a scene the way your brain can. Oh, it has its ways, but
even very sophisticated meters don’t guess exactly right every time, because they are
fundamentally limited. At the most basic level, your meter is designed to assume that
everything within the frame averages out to the same middle gray tone. So in other words,
it’s operating on the assumption that if you were to take the highlights and the shadows
and all the tones in between and use that information to come up with an average, you’re
probably going to be pretty close to that middle gray shade. And the truth is that that
system is usually pretty accurate—most scenes do come pretty close to a middle gray
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average, and that’s why most of the photos you shoot with your matrix or evaluative
metering system come out correctly.
But if you think about it, of course there are going to be scenarios where this isn’t going to
be true. Let’s say your subject is a white cat in the snow. Or a black dog sitting in the mouth
of a cave. The averages for these scenes are going to be nowhere near a middle gray—and
even in less obvious examples, you may still be a stop or two off depending on how many
blacks or whites or darker/lighter tones are in the scene. So yes, you can use your meter as
a baseline, but you have to employ other tools if you want to make sure that your exposure
is exactly where it should be.
Now, some meters are smarter than others. Many modern cameras (especially those in the
higher price brackets) actually employ databases of exposure information for common
scenes, which increases the odds of that correct guess, but there’s still no such thing as a
perfect meter. And the accuracy of yours depends, of course, on which model you have and
(unfortunately) how much you paid for it. So you need to also use some of your own
knowledge to fine-tune your exposures.
That’s where your screen comes in—or does it? Logic should dictate that you take a test
shot, check your screen and then use what you see there to determine whether or not you
got your exposure right. And while that plan can also work as a baseline (you should be able
to tell from your screen if you’re severely over- or underexposed), remember that your
screen is tiny, which means that you won’t be able to see the details. How will you know for
sure how much detail you picked up in the shadows? You won’t, and even zooming in isn’t
always going to give you the right answers. Add to that the fact that it can be hard to see
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your screen at all in bright sunlight, and you really can’t depend on it as a way to confirm
whether or not you got the exposure right. So what can you do?
Help! My histogram is eating me!
OK not really, histogramsdon’t eat people, but beginning photographers still find them
pretty intimidating. In fact, I know intermediate photographers who find them intimidating,
and even the occasional pro who just doesn’t want to go there at all. I mean, we didn’t
need them back when we shot film, did we? Why do we need them now?
Just like the digital camera itself, the histogram is a tool. Yes it’s true that we didn’t have
them back in the days of film, because in the days of film we did everything blind. You
didn’t get to see your photo on a screen after you took it, so you could only use your
camera’s metering system and your own experience with similar lighting situations to guess
at the correct exposure for any given scene. So although it’s true that with enough
experience anyone can learn to get a pretty good exposure without a histogram, in the
meantime don’t ignore this simple little tool as a way to improve your photos while you’re
on that learning curve.
Where to find your histogram
Cameras don’t all display the histogram in the same way. I have a Canon point-and-shoot,
for example, that pops up the histogram before you actually take the photo, which I find
infinitely useful. That allows me to make adjustments to my settings before I’ve even made
a single exposure, so there’s no need for a test shot. My DSLR, on the other hand, shows
me the histogram after I’ve taken the photo, so I can review it and then determine whether
or not a second shot is required. Your camera may default to showing the histogram, or it
may be something you have to switch on and off in your menu settings. I always hate saying
that you should check your manual, because it seems like such a cop-out, but there are
really too many variations between cameras for me to be able to make a generalization
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about how to find your histogram. But this is one thing that you really need to know, so it’s
time to dust off your manual and look it up.
You can also find your histogram after the fact, in your post processing software. In
Photoshop you’ll see it when you open up the levels tool. Now, this isn’t going to help you
get the exposure right because by the time you’re in post-processing it’s going to be too
late for do-overs, but you can learn a lot by viewing this larger version of the histogram and
playing around with the three sliders under it (one is for shadows, one is for highlights and
the other is for the midtones).
How to read a histogram
First, let’s talk a little bit about what a histogram actually is and how you can use it to
improve your photos. In simple language, a histogram is a graphical depiction of how many
shadows, highlights and midtones are in your photograph. Ideally, you want some of each—
not too many shadows or highlights and a nice range of midtones. Let’s look at an example:
Butter Church (I) by Flickr user quas
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In this photo, there are too many shadows and too many highlights. It’s actually pretty
evident from the photo itself, which is the interior of an old stone building lit only by the
light from the windws, but when you look at the histogram there are some obvious
problems. You get a dip in the middle, with a lot of very black tones on the left and a few
very bright tones on the right. Do you see how there isn’t a gradual tapering off of the
tones on either side? That’s what we call “clipping,” and it means that there’s lost detail in
both the shadows and the highlights, or detail that existed in real life but was not captured
by the camera. The takeaway from a histogram like this one is that there was too much
dynamic range in the scene, or a very broad range of tones that was more than your
camera was capable of capturing. To fix a situation like this, you need to shoot in better
light. Now that would be difficult to accomplish inside an old stone building, but generally
speaking there may be times of the day (such as the early morning or late afternoon) when
the light is streaming through the windows in such a way that it provides better overall
illumination. And artificial light can help, too—a diffused off-camera flash might be enough
to fill in those shadows and even out the scene overall.
You can get a similar problem just on the shadow side, or just on the highlight side. That’s
easier to fix in-camera because it indicates underexposure rather than a dynamic range
problem. If you do see clipping in the shadows, add some exposure compensation until it
goes away. Likewise if you see clipping in the highlights, add some negative exposure
compensation.
So what does a “good” histogram look like? If you have a very evenly lit scene with an equal
number of light, dark and medium tones, it will look something like this:
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Of course, that situation doesn’t happen very often, so don’t torture yourself trying to
achieve that near-perfect bell curve. What’s important is that you have that gradual
tapering off on either end of the histogram, which indicates that you don’t have any lost
detail in the scene. And if the histogram is skewed to the left, that indicates underexposure,
while a scene that’s skewed to the right indicates overexposure. The ideal histogram should
have a nice balance of tones—it can have more shadows than highlights, and more
highlights than shadows, as long as it doesn’t lean heavily towards one end or the other.
Now, that can be somewhat objective. If you have a very high-key subject such as a snowy
landscape or a dozen white roses, you may have a histogram that is skewed to the right
that is not, in fact, overexposed. So use your judgment. Remember that as long as you don’t
have any clipping, you can make adjustments to your photo in post-processing in case you
get home and decide that your image really is too bright after all.
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Conclusion
After you start to get used to these ideas, it really will take no more than a glance at your
histogram for you to know whether you’ve got the exposure right. Your histogram is a lot
more accurate that just looking at the photo on the screen, because screens are really too
small to give you a good idea of what the photo actually looks like (and what information
they do give you can be impacted by how bright it is in the environment). So try switching it
on, and take a few pictures without giving in to the temptation to view the images
themselves on your screen. Instead, focus entirely on your histogram, and make any
exposure changes based on that information. I think you’ll find that overall you’ll end up
with a lot more perfect photos, and a lot less that are based on the guesswork of your very
imperfect meter.
Summary:
1. Don’t trust your meter or your screen o Meters work in averages o Screens are too small to be accurate
2. Your histogram o Where to find it o How to read it o Use your own judgment
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Winners
PSSA results 2017.03.11- 11th Krugersdorp Camera Club Salon Wildlife - Colour Acceptance bee-eaters with catch Kenny Laetitia
Wildlife - Colour Acceptance Heron 1542 Kenny Laetitia
Wildlife - Colour Acceptance Young Elephant Mellet Kerry
Wildlife - Colour Acceptance A Mating Preston-Whyte Mark
Wildlife - Colour Acceptance old grumpy Viljoen Kierie
Wildlife - Colour Acceptance the crossing Viljoen Kierie
Human Portraits - Colour Acceptance Steph in profile Kenny Laetitia
Human Portraits - Colour Acceptance Tegan in turquoise Kenny Laetitia
Photojournalism and Sport - Colour Acceptance Anti Missile Defenses Preston-Whyte Mark
Photojournalism and Sport - Colour Acceptance die boepie is in die pad Viljoen Kierie
Photojournalism and Sport - Colour Acceptance the champ in action Viljoen Kierie
Photojournalism and Sport - Colour Acceptance red bull storming ahead Viljoen Kierie
Scapes - Colour Acceptance sunset Viljoen Kierie
Open - Colour Acceptance Fantasy 2 Kenny Laetitia
Open - Colour Acceptance Hiding Kenny Laetitia
Open - Colour Acceptance Dahlia in bloom Mellet Kerry
Open - Colour Acceptance Way back when Morshead Suzanne
Open - Monochrome Certificate of Merit fear in mono Kenny Laetitia
Open - Monochrome Acceptance Voyeur Kenny Laetitia
Open - Monochrome Acceptance Safe Morshead Suzanne
Open - Monochrome Acceptance Handsome Gent Rankin Alan
Open - Monochrome Acceptance we have a lift off Viljoen Kierie
Open - Monochrome Acceptance the crossing Viljoen Kierie
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2017.03.25- 4e Bosveld Fotografieklub Salon Wildlife excluding Birds - Colour Acceptance Another Little one Botha Marie
Wildlife excluding Birds - Colour Acceptance Squirrel Morshead Suzanne
Wildlife excluding Birds - Colour Acceptance the loser shows his brownie Viljoen Kierie
Wildlife Birds Only - Colour Acceptance Is that all Botha Johan
Wildlife Birds Only - Colour Acceptance bee-eaters with catch Kenny Laetitia
Wildlife Birds Only - Colour Acceptance Singing Lark Preston-Whyte Mark
Wildlife Birds Only - Colour Acceptance giant kingfisher on the move Viljoen Kierie
Open - Colour Certificate of Merit waterside Kenny Laetitia
Open - Colour Acceptance Steph in profile Kenny Laetitia
Open - Colour Acceptance Hiding Kenny Laetitia
Open - Colour Acceptance Fantasy 2 Kenny Laetitia
Open - Colour Acceptance the roundhouse kick Viljoen Kierie
Open - Monochrome Acceptance fear in mono Kenny Laetitia
Open - Monochrome Acceptance Umbrella Kenny Laetitia
Open - Monochrome Acceptance Ballet study 1 Kenny Laetitia
Street Photography - Colour or Monochrome Certificate of Merit All in a days work Morshead Suzanne
Street Photography - Colour or Monochrome Acceptance Orphan child Kenny Laetitia
Street Photography - Colour or Monochrome Acceptance Newtown Kenny Laetitia
Street Photography - Colour or Monochrome Acceptance Car Guard Snack Preston-Whyte Mark
2017.04.08- 5thTygerberg Photographic Society Salon Results not yet available
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RAW vs JPEG Darren Rowse The following tip on RAW vs JPEG was submitted by Richard and Rebecca from Finn Productions (You can see their Flickr account here). Note: we’ve since published more up to date posts on the topic at: Raw Versus JPG – Why You Might Want to Shoot in RAW Format The Basics of RAW Files: and What to Do With Them RAW vs JPEG: Which is Best? So, you’ve forked over at least $600 (but probably $1000) for your first DSLR camera. You have more buttons, dials, and menus than you know what to do with, even after reading through the fat booklet that came with your camera and explains its usage in ten different languages. It’s all you can do to understand ISO, shutter speed, and how less is more when it comes to aperture. This beast of a camera can produce files in a Raw format, whatever that means, but it also has the nice comfortable JPEG format that we all know and love. Like me you probably happily shoot in JPEG for quite awhile – getting used to the myriad of options available to you. One day you look at that Raw setting and ask, “should I be using Raw for the best quality? What is Raw, exactly?” Excellent question. First, let us define these two formats. Get More Tips Like this for free via our weekly email A RAW file is… raw vs jpeg• not an image file per se (it will require special software to view, though this software is easy to get). • typically a proprietary format (with the exception of Adobe’s DNG format that isn’t widely used yet). • at least 8 bits per color – red, green, and blue (12-bits per X,Y location), though most DSLRs record 12-bit color (36-bits per location). • uncompressed (an 8 megapixel camera will produce a 8 MB Raw file). • the complete (lossless) data from the camera’s sensor. • higher in dynamic range (ability to display highlights and shadows). • lower in contrast (flatter, washed out looking). • not as sharp. • not suitable for printing directly from the camera or without post processing.
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• read only (all changes are saved in an XMP “sidecar” file or to a JPEG or other image format). • sometimes admissable in a court as evidence (as opposed to a changeable image format). • waiting to be processed by your computer. In comparison a JPEG is… raw vs jpeg• a standard format readable by any image program on the market or available open source. • exactly 8-bits per color (12-bits per location). • compressed (by looking for redundancy in the data like a ZIP file or stripping out what human can’t perceive like a MP3). • fairly small in file size (an 8 megapixel camera will produce JPEG between 1 and 3 MB’s in size). • lower in dynamic range. • higher in contrast. • sharper. • immediately suitable for printing, sharing, or posting on the Web. • not in need of correction most of the time (75% in my experience). • able to be manipulated, though not without losing data each time an edit is made – even if it’s just to rotate the image (the opposite of lossless). • processed by your camera. These differences lead implicitly to situations that require choosing one over the other. For instance, if you do not have much capacity to store images in camera (because you spent all your money on the camera body) then shooting in JPEG will allow to capture 2 or 3 times the number you could shooting in Raw. This is also a good idea if you are at a party or some other event after which you want to share your photos quickly and easily. On the other hand, if capacity is not an issue at all (1 GB and 2 GB flash cards are getting cheaper every week) you might consider shooting in Raw + JPEG, just to cover all the possibilities. If you cannot or do not want to do any post processing, then you simply have to shoot in JPEG. Taking a picture in Raw is only the first step in producing a quality image ready for printing. If, on the other hand, quality is of the utmost importance (like when you are shooting professionally), and you want to get every bit of performance your DSLR can offer then you should be shooting in Raw. That being said, I know many professional photographers who do not shoot in Raw for one of two reasons: 1.) they don’t know how, or 2.) they don’t want to take the time to process the images afterwards. Shooting in JPEG When you shoot in JPEG the camera’s internal software (often called “firmware” since it’s part of the hardware inside your camera) will take the information off the sensor and
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quickly process it before saving it. Some color is lost as is some of the resolution (and on some cameras there is slightly more noise in a JPEG than its Raw version). The major actor in this case is the Discrete Cosine Transformation (or DCT) which divides the image into blocks (usually 8×8 pixels) and determines what can be “safely” thrown away because it is less perceivable (the higher the compression ration/lower quality JPEG, the more is thrown away during this step). And when the image is put back together a row of 24 pixels that had 24 different tones might now only have 4 or 5. That information is forever lost without the raw data from the sensor recorded in a Raw file. The quality of a JPEG taken with a DSLR will still be far better than the same shot taken with a top-of-the-line point-n-shoot camera that is as old as your DSLR. If your camera can burst (shoot continuously for a few seconds) you’ll actually be able to shoot more shots using JPEG than Raw because the slowest part of the whole process is actually saving the file to your memory card – so the larger Raws take longer to save. Shooting in RAW If you do shoot in Raw, your computer rather than the camera will process the data and generate an image file form it. Guess which has more processing power: your digital camera or your computer? Shooting in Raw will give you much more control over how your image looks and even be able to correct several sins you may have committed when you took the photograph, such as the exposure. To take advantage of this you will certainly need to use some software on your computer to process the files and produce JPEGs (or TIFFs). I have found the Camera Raw that comes with Adobe Photoshop CS2 to be very good at processing Raw files (even batch processing them), though everybody has their favorite (RawShooter has a lot of fans). When you load a Raw file using Adobe Photoshop CS2 the Camera Raw dialog will automatically pop up. Most of the time the automatic settings are fairly decent, but you have the chance to change the white balance, exposure, contrast, saturation, and even calibration of the red, green, and blue guns or correct for lens abberation – all lossless. If the white balance is off I have found that it is much easier to fix using the Camera Raw screen than loading the JPEG and manipulating that – the end result is much better as well. The richness, detail (sharpness), color range and ability to adjust these settings end up being so much greater with a Raw file, even though what a Raw file looks like before processing is anything but rich and sharp. As a side note, all of my work that uses creative coloring was colored using the white balance settings in the Camera Raw dialog. Part of the conversion to JPEG are sharpening algorithms and as a result, the unprocessed Raw file is less sharp. Two things can affect this, one is the brand of camera (Nikon cameras are generally considered sharper, but this is not true across all models) and the other factor is the user settings for sharpening in the camera. Loading a Raw file in a program such as
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Adobe Photoshop CS2 will automatically apply white balance, sharpening, contrast, brightness, etc… and can even batch process Raw files. I often use this feature as a first pass and then go back and adjust the settings if needed. This is especially helpful because even if I did everything correct in camera when I took the photo and my conversion software was able to use the full processing power of my desktop computer, the conversion to JPEG could still trick the camera or my computer and only my eye can produce the correct while balance, contrast, brightness, etc… What software is good to use with RAW? • Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP (essential for Windows based photographers) • Picasa (Free!) • Adobe Photoshop CS or CS2 • RawShooter Premium (recently bought by Adobe) • ACD See (for Digital Asset Management) • Portfolio Extensis 8 (for Digital Asset Management) • iView Media Pro (DAM, recently bought by Microsoft) • BreezeBrowser Pro (DAM, I also love their Downloader Pro for use with my card readers) • Adobe Lightroom (beta) • Capture One • IrfanView • DXO Optics Pro • Picture Window Pro • the software that came with your camera • more software comes out all the time… Considerations There are a few other issues to worry about when shooting in Raw, such as color space (Adobe 1998 vs. sRGB). I’ve used both color spaces, but sRGB is closer to most ink jet, pigment, and lab printers (the place where I get my photos printed requires sRGB). If you want all 12-bits of color (as opposed to the 8-bits of a JPEG) you will need to store your image as a TIFF. Some people will also convert their proprietary Raw files (with extensions like .CRW, .CR2, .NEF, etc..) into the Adobe digital negative format (.DNG) to make sure those files will be readable in the far flung future. I have yet to spend the time doing this because I haven’t seen the need. For archival, however, consider getting gold DVDs because the gold lining lasts 50 – 100 years (much longer than the maximum of about 25 years for silver lined DVDs or CDs). Keep more than one backup if your images are important (and keep the second backup at a different location, such as the house of a friend or relative). When it comes to your photography, however, you are the ultimate decision maker on what is best. I recommend that, if you haven’t, you play with the Raw format. You certainly
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won’t harm yourself or your camera. In fact, a great test is to go out just to shoot something (even just in the backyard or around the block). Shoot several photographs under various lighting conditions using the Raw + JPEG setting on your DSLR (if it has that capability). Take them back to your computer and compare after processing the Raw files. Take into consideration your time in doing so and see if the gain is worth your extra time.
https://digital-photography-school.com/raw-vs-jpeg/
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Winners April evening e-photography results
2 Star
Jackie Du Plessis
Drift King
1 Star
Zarika Botha
Little Red
3 Star
Marie Botha
Titans vs Bizhub Lions
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5 Star
Percy Mitchell
Hippo Challenge
4 Star
David MacIntyre
Fowl play
1-3 Star Set Subject
Winner
Marie Botha
Very berry Flapjacks
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1-3 Star Set Subject
Runner up
Yolanda Taljaard
Leaning Tower of Donuts
4-5 Star Set Subject
Winner
Esme Bruwer
Gesondheid Uit Die Gronduit
4-5 Star Set Subject
Runner up
Suzanne Morshead
Onions
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Pygmy Photography
So, we all like to get the kids involved in something other than computer games and
watching TV. The pygmy photography feature will give fun ideas for kids to spark their interest in
photography. First of all, we don’t recommend giving your kid a brand new DSLR for his/her birthday. An
old smart phone with a camera or a small digital camera is more than sufficient.
Guess what This is a game to help to get your child’s creative mind working. All photographers need to learn to look at
average things from a new angle.
• Take a picture of some part of an item ex a close up of the screws on a park bench.
• Your child should then guess what the item in the photo is
• When your child has correctly guessed, let the child try to take a different angle photograph of the
same item to try and get them to think outside the box
• You can include a small price for the most correct guesses, or the most interesting new angle photo.
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Bulletin Board
For sale: Nikon D5200, carry bag and
lenses
Cost: R8500
Contact: Lizette Volkwyn
0724312023
GETPIX: PHOTOGRAPHIC ROADTRIP TO KAAPSEHOOP
Kaapsehoop is a tiny village located 30 minutes before
Nelspruit. There are more wild horses than inhabitants in
Kaapsehoop. Add many forests, valleys of mist, waterfalls
and scenic wonders and you are sure to have photographic
fun. Kaapsehoop - A town with no petrol station, bank,
chemist, grocery shops. Distance Benoni to Kaapsehoop
(284 kms). The trip starts along the road, with many
wonderful photographic opportunities of a 1800’s
cemetery and a steam train graveyard.
DATES: Friday 20th October to
Monday 23rd OCTOBER (3 nights)
R2200-00 per person sharing
Minimum 8 people,
maximum 12 people
For more details:
Contact: Paula 082 720 0585
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Members list Alan Driver Jackie duPlessis Ronel Myburgh
Alan Rankin Jacques Taljaard Rowland Hopley
Alex Pawley James Buys Sandra McCallum
Alta Neto Jasper van Eden Sarah-Blair Penrose
Andre Koekemoer Johan Botha Sharon Naude
Andrew Metcalf Josua Joubert Silvi-Mari Herman
Anna Ireland Kerry Mellet Sivu Matsiliza
Anneke Watt Kierie Viljoen Sonja Nel
Annemi Taljaard Kim Cass Staci-Leigh De Rouwe
Armand Wessels Laurence Keulder Stephanus De Coning
Barry Clayton Lelo Ngomana Steve Koekemoer
Carol Weedon Laetitia Kenny Suzanne Morshead
Channette Coetzee Lynn Perry Theo van der Merwe
Charmaine Zietsman Magda Van Vreden Thomas Bingle
Chris van den Berg Margaret Single Tony Stacey
Christine Janse van Rensburg Marie Botha Tracey Haw
David Macintyre Mari Kok Tracy Hopley
Denise Smith Mark Preston White Ulandi Wagg
Demsey Henning Mavis De Rouwe Ursula Herbst
Deon Mostert Mel Walsh Vivienne Murray
Ditta Arnott Mike Mills Wallace Hayward
Divan Delport Natasha Henning Willie Pieterse
Eddie Mtsweni Nico Grobbelaar Yolanda Taljaard
Edwin Hawthorn Noma Matsiliza Zarika Botha
Elmarie Swanepoel Odette Small
Erich Schober Paddy Abrams
Errol Wagg Pam Eley
Esme Bruwer Paula Rutherford
Ettienne van Niekerk Percy Mitchell
Frans Grotius Pieter Kruger
Gail Zaaiman Reginald Owen Single
Hannes Bronkhorst Renee de Klerk
HP Van Zyl Roger Pike
Jackie Cilliers Ronald Reeves
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BCC Service desk Many of our members are not only excellent photographers; they also
have other great qualities. Please support a familiar face and refer to
our extra service desk.
Member Service Contact details
Percy Mitchell Out of Africa Photography Web:
www.ooaphotography.co.za
Contact:
If you would like to add your details to the service desk please email it to the editor at
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What is PSSA?
The Photographic Society of South Africa (PSSA) is the officially recognised body presenting photographers
in South Africa. The aim of the society is the promotion of photography in all aspects through individual
membership, affiliated clubs and other photographic groups.
Vision
As the internationally recognised Society, the PSSA actively embraces the future in its services to all
photographers.
Mission
• To bring together those interested in photography.
• To promote the highest possible standards.
• To embrace the future of photography while continually supporting the present.
Benefits of joining PSSA
• Become part of the world-wide photographic community.
• Nationally and internationally recognised Honours and Awards.
• Diamond ratings for achievements at National and International salons.
• Receive a quarterly glossy A4 magazine, “IMAGE”.
• Access the online newsletter and members’ section of the website.
• Publish articles and images in “IMAGE” and on the website.
• Evaluation of members’ photographs on the website
• Learn new skills through workshops, tutorials and training DVD’s.
• Attend workshops to obtain accreditation as a judge of photography within the Society.
• Discounted entry fees to photographic salons recognised by PSSA.
• Awards for service and excellence in photography.
• Discounts given to PSSA members attending national and regional congresses.
Join today!
Membership of PSSA is open to all photographers
For application forms and other information, access the website: www.pssa.co.za.