focal point may-11

Focal Point MAY 2011

1 Northern California Professional Photographers



Northern California Professional Photographers Officers

Committee Chairs and Coordinators

President Wayne Miller 925-330-8737 [email protected] 1st Vice President Programs Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 [email protected]

Membership Stacey Flurscheim 925-330-7130 [email protected] blog / Website Wayne Miller 925-330-8737 [email protected]

Send Newsletter information to: Tom O'Connor. [email protected] Deadline for submission of articles and ad copy is the 24th of each month. Information received after the deadline cannot be guaranteed publication

2nd Vice President Print Competition Tom O'Connor 925-586-2745 [email protected]

Newsletter - Focal Point Editor Tom OConnor 925-586-2745 [email protected] FP Copy Editor Denny Weigand 925-336-7994 [email protected] Hospitality Lisa Duncan 925-284-3878 [email protected]

3rd Vice President Membership Stacey Flurscheim 925-330-7130 [email protected] Treasurer Malcolm Slight 925-330-8737 [email protected] Secretary Kevallyn Paskos 925-766-3121 [email protected]

Apprentice Membership Ann Gordon 510-222-4115 [email protected]

Chairman of the Board Randy Cazinha 925-249-1999

Photographer Eduardo Cardona

Focal Point is published by Northern California Professional Photographers. Articles and comments are invited; publication is subject to space available and editorial approval. Note: Articles are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of NCPP. Ads and flyers may or may not have the endorsement of NCPP or its Board of Directors.

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Presidents Message

"There is no success like failure - Wayne Miller 4 - 5 Preparing an image for "Projected Image Comp" 6 7 May Speaker Christian Peacock

Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow 8 Educational Opportunity

From The Edge With Peter Lik Business 101 Super Monday 9 - 11

Print Comp Winners and Calendar

"PPA Style Print and Projected Comp" 12

Best of Show April 2011 13 Western District Competition NCPPers Results 14 Image Competition Notice!!!!!! 15 April Meeting Images 16 - 20 "Non Destructive Dodging & Burning and Contrast Control" Michael Kirwan 21 - 25 Coming on June 14th, 2011 Gary Bergren 26 Membership Information 27 NCPP Presidents, Awards & Degrees 28 - 29 PPA Certification, Merit & Degree Programs 30 NCPP Membership Classifications and Fees for 2011 31 Member Advertisements & Ad Specs. 32 - 33 NCPP Sustaining Members 34 - 39 Our Neighboring Affiliates 40 Calendar - Important Dates 41 Sunset Chart 42 NCPP MEETING THIS MONTH TUESDAY, May 10, 2011

Doors open at 6:15pm, meeting starts at 7pm Come early at 6:15pm to socialize!!

Table of Contents



There is no success like failure.. And failure is no success at all-Bob Dylan. Back in the 70s this made a huge impression on my attitude toward business and life. Yeah the 70s man when we never exhaled, or what did one Prez say oh I never inhaled.whatever. During our last meeting I was speaking with a few NCPP peeps and asked a few Master Photographers if they were going to enter something next time in Projected Image competition (we have dropped prints except for Peoples Choice as we had NO prints entered in April). All I got was a feeling that they were not going to enter or were not interested. It then occurred to me that maybe, maybe, even Master Photographers can suffer from the same fears that new photographers may have when it comes to entering image competition. Fear of failure. Hmm, a Master might even have a bigger fear of not winning than a newbie. Think about that for a second, if you earned your Masters Degree several years ago and now you have to test the waters with your art again! Well, my thought is that if you want to stay on top of your game you need to get feedback on your art forever; yes, that means a possibility of failure even as a Master in image competition. Gasp, you say, if I do not enter then I cannot fail! I say to that failure is no success at all. NCPP members need to see all members work in competition so they can also learn from the feedback of the judges. Image competition is for all levels from newbie to Master photographers period. What better way to see how to improve ones art than to get feedback from your peers from judging your images. Photography like life is a journey in becoming better, and being a Master is not the final destination. I for one have had many failures in business and life. When I first joined NCPP and entered print competition both my images didnt even get a blue, and both were moved to the unacceptable pile, as I watched others get blue and gold awards. Crap, I came from being a camera club Master photographer and with the big boys I didnt even rate an acceptable. How humbling was that? Did I accept this failure as my lot in life, would I cry and feel sorry for myself and live under a freeway overpass to avoid the embarrassment? Hell no! This was my wakeup call that I needed to step up my game and improve my photography. Well I never gave up and Never Surrender is my mantra, folks. When I went for my CPP (Certified Professional Photographer) I passed the written part with flying colors with a score of 88 out of 100. Then came the image submission and I put in 20 of my best images for review, and guess what, I failed to meet PPA standards. So did I give upNO. Another wakeup call! The review committee was right, my images stunk. So I had to review what I didnt get right, and I re-submitted 3 months later and passed the general/commercial photography certification. After that I put in another 10 images for my Portrait Specialization Endorsement and got that. Did I reach the destination? No, I am still on the journey. I then decided that I would pursue both my Masters and Craftsman degree with PPA. So I entered the Western Regional Image competition with four prints and got a seal (over 80 score) on one of the images. I sent all four off to PPA International images competition and got a total of three merits, plus one image went into the Gallery Book collection. Still on the journey! Last year I entered Western Regional which had a live webcast of the judging, and was able to see them score images, mine included. Cruising at Lous had won Best of Show at NCPP Sept 2009 and when it came up it scored an 87, then one of the judges challenged the score, and after review it got a 77. Man was I a happy camperno. Again they were right, it had flaws that I fixed, reprinted and sent off to PPA. By the way, four images at Regional no merit/seal. So I swapped out two images and sent off four to PPA and drum roll, please, I got zip, nada, zero. Disappointed yes, immobilized no!

Presidents Message - Wayne Miller



So another year has passed, I was able to obtain my PPA Craftsman Photographer degree for sharing my knowledge and getting 13 speaking merits, 12 service merits. I recently entered Western Regional 2011 competition and got three images sealed, which will fetch merits when sent off to PPA. One of them was a facelift on Cruising at Lous and it finished with an 84. I will be half way on my journey toward my Masters, and looking forward to how I can raise the bar even higher to get my images over the 90 mark. Congratulations to Michael McNamara, and Richard Stahlberg (past NCPP member) in their winning images in Western Regional. I know both these guys have failed a few times in Western and PPA competition as I did, but kept on keeping on. Image competition is not for the faint of heart; sometimes you need the skin of an Armadillo to weather the judges comments and the results of competition. With failure comes: humbleness, knowledge, experience and the chance to grow as a photographer in your craft. If you are green you are growing and if you are ripe you are rotting. So why not grow as a photographer in your craft even if you are a Master or a newbie? There is no success like failure and failure is not success at all. So what are you all waiting for? Maybe you need a personal invitation to enter image competition without any chance of failing? Well I personally invite you. (No I CHALLENGE all Masters and first timers) to enter image competition and without a chance of failure, because the real failure is not to enter. May 10th we open the floor for NCPP nomination for Officers. This organization needs leadership to carry on the great tradition that you have all come to expect. The List of Officers and duties are: Full list link here President: Preside at all meetings of the Association. Direct the activities of the Association. 1st VP: Responsibility for program events and Association equipment, and duties of the President during the President's absence. 2nd. VP: Responsibility for monthly print competition and year-end print competition. 3rd VP: Complete responsibility for membership. Treasurer: Supervise and have custody of the funds of the Association. Secretary: Supervise the maintenance of the minutes of all meetings But I am too busy to be part of this great Board, you say. To that I say BS most of these positions require a minimum of 2-4 hours a month (more if you want) and that includes the Officers Meeting before the general meeting. I would bet, and give odds that 80% watch more BS TV a month than 4 hours that could really make a difference. Why did I become part of the Board? It was because I wanted to give back to the organization for all the education, professional advice, print competition feedback, and experiences that I got from the meetings and friendships that I developed in NCPP. It is a great feeling to give back to NCPP because why this organization exists is to educate Professional Photographers, and to be part of its growth. Again we make time for the important things in life, our priorities, things that matter, things we want to do. We can either sit back or do nothing, or we give back to the organization that made us who and where we are today. Step up.

NCPP Mission Statement: The Northern California Professional Photographers is an organization dedicated to advancing the business of

professional photography. Our purpose is to create an environment amongst professional photographers that will inspire each of us and to help one another grow as business professionals and artists.

Presidents Message - Wayne Miller



Preparing your image for "Projected" Image Comp This article will remain permanently in the Focal Point.



Here are the basics for creating your "Projected Image" file. We will be setting the file type, dimensions, color space, jpg quality, pixels per inch and file name that that will qualify for NCPP Projected Image Comp. These requirements are the same as the PPA requirements with the exceptions of the two items in NOTE 2 below.

1. Create a file that will become the background for your image that is 4,000px Wide x 2,200px High @ 200 pixels per inch. (20" x 11") This size fits our monitor and will be displayed at its optimal.

2. The color space can be sRGB or RGB1998. 3. The file type is a jpg with a Quality setting of 10. Total file size not to exceed 3.5mb. 4. You can apply a color or pattern to this layer just as you would do for a printed image that you

would have entered previously in print comp. 5. Next prepare the image that you are going to insert over the background. The color space, ppi

etc needs to be the same as your background layer. 6. Size the image as you wish in either a vertical or horizontal format. The image size must be at

least 80 square inches. An example is 8" x 10". The image may be placed anywhere you want to put it on the background layer. The positioning of the image on the background layer will be part of your "Presentation" score just like with Printed print comp.

7. Add a stroke or any other edge treatment to the edge of the image you want, or not. 8. All images will be shown only with the background in the "Horizontal Format". This is the same

way that PPA is handling it. The monitor will not be rotated for vertical images. They will be shown just like the example images on the previous page.

9. There is to be no photographer name or studio name on the image. 10. Name your file with the following convention:

Member's First Name_Last Name_Image_Title_.jpg (Use _ for spaces). Example file name: Bill_Jones_Mount_Diablo_Sunset.jpg

11. More information for download or viewing at.

NOTE 1: If you plan to submit any of these images to PPA, I would initially save this file as a layered PSD or TIFF. When I was done and ready to submit to NCPP, I would then save it again as a jpg with all of the requirements listed above and submit the jpg. This way if you later decide to enter this same image with PPA, you can open your PSD/TIFF and make any changes required for PPA. NOTE 2: PPA Projected Submission Specifications match what is required for NCPP, except:

PPA requires your PPA# in place of your name in the file name: Example: 12345_Mount_Diablo_Sunset.jpg Link to the PPA site for a video on How To: http://www.ppa.com/competitions/tutorials.php

ENTRY RULES AND DEADLINES:

Cost per each image is $5.00 prior to the Sunday, (at midnight), prior to the Tuesday meeting. Late fee is $10 per image up to Monday midnight. Fee is to be paid via the NCPP PayPal link. Walk-ins Projected Images day of meeting $20 per image (cash at the door)

E-mail images to [email protected]. Limit of 20 Projected images allowed per meeting. This is at the discretion of the Print Chair on a month by month basis.

Preparing your image for "Projected" Image Comp This article will remain permanently in the Focal Point.



Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow Our speaker for May 2011 is Christian Peacock, a commercial photographer and renowned lecturer on the subject of photography and how it influences our lives as professionals. Christian will explain to us why he takes photographs and how his love of photography projects onto his clients. His enthusiasm and energy translates into sales. This is which we do. Christian adopted this expression to explain to people why he takes photographs. Its something I have to do Its in my DNA. He captures the human spirit using his camera. His lifelong relationship with photography is compelled by his curiosity to observe and participate. From his very first photograph at the age of five to a very prolific creative burst of energy today, Christian will talk about the influence photography has on everyone. Using examples of his lifework, he will share commonalities we all have with this medium. Showing examples of his commissioned work from worldwide branding campaigns, as well as personal images, he will explain how the images all have some connection to our lives. He uses all forms of image capture ranging from 4x5 cameras to iPhones and multi-media to video to achieve his vision and tell the story. Christian will inspire us with his positive message of Do what you love and the money will follow. The enthusiasm in which we approach our photographic endeavors will carry over to our clients, resulting in more income. Bio: Christian Peacock captures the human spirit using his camera. His lifelong relationship with photography is compelled by his curiosity to observe and participate. Beginning his career in New York City, he then relocated back home to San Francisco in the early 1990s. His skills have been utilized by major advertising agencies and companies in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and service industries. From large-scale productions to simple one on one sessions, Christians abilities have helped humanized stories for the global market. Among Christians clients in his twenty year career are US Census Bureau, AT&T, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, Eli Lilly, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, GE, PG&E, Bayer, Roche, Farmers Insurance, YMCA, Comcast, United Way, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Second Harvest, Kashi, Fresh Air Fund. Christian has also published a series of Paris photography that have been top selling posters around the world. His photography has been recognized in Communication Arts, One Show, Addy and recently in Philanthropy.com for one of the outstanding photographs in the field of philanthropy. Recent events: San Francisco lecture on the influence of photography in our lives. Nationwide Apple store iphoneography events. Popular Photography Digital Days keynote address speaker. APA panel discussion on estimating. Mechanics' Institute - Gallery opening of Paris Exhibition. You can see more of Christians work at www.christianpeacock.com

NCPP Proudly Presents on May 10th, 2011 Christian Peacock



Beginning Thursday, March 31st, and continuing every Thursday, there will be thirteen 30 minute programs on The Weather Channel titled From The Edge With Peter Lik. See your local TV listing for times and channels. The Weather Channel covers all things weather by providing you with a variety of inspiring and entertaining HD programming delivered by passionate personalities. This includes awe-inspiring weather coverage from experts who make weather fascinating, as well as surprising and dramatic documentary shows that reveal how weather shapes our world. Peter is very passionate about his photography. There are many videos on The Weather Channel as well as on his website so you can get a feeling for his passion and inspiring personality.

About the Show: Join one of the world's most acclaimed photographers in a brand-new action adventure nature series slated to debut on March 31, 2011 at 8PM on The Weather Channel.

Hosted by Peter Lik, a native of Australia and one of the world's most awarded and collected fine art photographers, the show documents his odyssey across the United States in search of nature's most dramatic landscapes. The camera follows as he visits locations as varied as the volcanoes of Hawaii to the snows of

Alaska's Denali National Park, often while battling or embracing the weather in his quest for the perfect shot. Throughout his travels, Lik reveals the country in a whole new perspective, capturing its diverse climates and natural beauty through his lens. "Bringing viewers along on my travels across the beautiful country will allow them to see parts of America that many have not had the pleasure of experiencing," says Lik.

Bringing weather to life The show - the network's first foray into original programming - was inspired in part by the thousands of viewers who share their passion for capturing Mother Nature by sending in their own photos to The Weather Channel and weather.com every week. This natural connection between photography and weather comes to life through the camera lens of Master Photographer Peter Lik, whose unique point of view will give viewers an amazing look at the country and some of its most treasured landscapes. Throughout the 13-episode season, Lik will travel far and wide across the country, to places as varied as the Big Island of Hawaii, the mountains of Montana and the awe-inspiring vistas of Arizonas Grand Canyon, among many others. I have taken the liberty to pass on to all of our members some of the information that is readily available on The Weather Channel web site http://www.weather.com/tv/tvshows/peter-lik, so most of the information shown in my article is credited to The Weather Channel and Peter Lik.

Educational Opportunity by: Tom OConnor

TITLE:Business101AtoZanewphotographersguidetobusinesssuccess.Date:June25,20119am5pm Location:Clayton,CABusiness101isdesignedfortheaspiringornewerprofessionalphotographertolearnthebusinesstoolstohelpinthesuccessoftheirnewbusinessorexistingbusiness.Withthechallengesofcompetitionandchangingtechnologythisclassisdesignedtolearnaboutcustomerservice,budgeting,costofgoods,scheduling,networking,socialmediamarketing,blogging,licensesrequirementsandtoolsthateveryphotographerneedstobeawareofanduse.

Accounting:Withoutagoodaccountingandcostofgoodshowwillyousurvive. Branding:Yourbrandisasimportantasyourartistryasaphotographer. Creativity:Artistcreatebusinessmakemoneymergethetwoforsuccess. Dedication:Enthusiasmisyourkeytosuccesssofinditanduseittosucceed. Education:Whenyouregreenyouaregrowingandwhenyoureripeyourerotting.Staygreen. Funding:Howtoplanspendingonyourbusinessandequipmentwithoutgoingoverboard. Growth:Planagrowthstrategythatwillhelpyoustayfocusedandprofitable. Health:Learntomonitoryoubusinesstokeepithealth,wealthandwise. Investing:Investinyoureducationandyourbusinesswithoutburnout. Join:Joinprofessionalgroupsandorganizationstoexpandyournetwork. Knowledge:Workshops,seminars,schoolandlecturestohelpyougrow. Learn:Shareandlearnfromotherstogrowyourbusinessandyourphotography. Motivation:Staymotivatedwithyourcraftandbusinesstothrive, Numbers:Learnthenumbersforasuccessfulbusiness,pricing,costofgoods,andoverhead. Overhead:Mostphotographersstrugglewiththisconcept,sowewilldemystifyit. Preparedness:Learntobeanactivethinkernotareactiveonebypreparingaheadoftime. Quiz:Findouthowyouaredoingbyaskingothersthatwillgiveyouanhonestanswer. Resources:Usegoodresourcesforgoodinformationandlookinsideforguidance. Success:Knowwhatitmeansandhowtogettherebeforeitistoolate. Tenacity:Learntobecometenaciousandmoveoninspiteofyourself. Understand:Pricing,themarket,socialmedia,andthetoolsforsuccess. Vitality:Yourbusinessneedsyourenergyandenthusiasmtogrowkeepitmotivated. Workflow:Learntoestablishacleanandfastworkflowinyourbusinessandpostproduction. Xenophobically:Dontbecomeonebyleaningwhatitisandhowtoavoidit. You:Whydopeoplechooseyouasaphotographer?Itmightopenyoureyes. Zealous:Keepthepassionalivebykeepingboththebusinessandartisthappy.

InstructorBio:Wayne Miller Photography Cr.Photog, CPP of Clayton, CA is a Craftsman Photographer and aCertified Professional Photographer, withaPortraitSpecialtyEndorsementand also does Commercial Photography. His creative style with an Avant-garde twist has won several NCPP Best of Show print competitions, and PPA merited prints. He has also given workshops in Wedding Posing, Studio Lighting, Model Portrait Workshops, HDR (High Dynamic Range) plus Lightroom and Photoshop seminars. Wayne ahas done speaking presentations for local affiliates, PPC state convention, and local photography groups

lso .

SIGNUPTODAY:CostofClassis$99earlybird(PayPalSeminarFee5beforeJune1st)and$129thereafter.PPAmembersgetonemerit.Opentoallprofessionalandaspiringphotographers.

PPA Super Monday Clayton,CAGlamour&PortraitCreativeRetouchingCourse#CA10 Wayne Miller, Cr.Photog., CPP You take great images, but how do you move them up to the next level? This creative retouch workflow class will show you how with all the tools available in the digital darkroom. Youll learn how to nip and tuck without surgery and add punch with filters, overlays and composites. Get ready to make those ordinary portraits extraordinary. Course Date: Monday, May 16, 2011 Course Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Items to Bring: Laptop with Adobe Photoshop and/or Lightroom at a minimum. Wacom Pen Tablet is recommended but not necessary. Course Location: Wayne Miller Photography Keller Ridge Drive Clayton, CA 94517 Location Phone: 925.330.8737 Instructor Contact Info: [email protected] Instructor Website: www.wmphotos.com __________________________________________________________________

Sign up here: http://www.ppa.com/education-events/sm/states/sm_states_ca.php __________________________________________________________________

OrindaLightroomfromSouptoNutsCourse#CA30Denny Weigand, Cr.Photog., CPP Its time to get on the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom bandwagon and see what really managing your workflow can do for your business (and art). Come learn all there is to know about Lightroom from an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)and make your images stand out! With Dennys help, youll soon be spending at least 50 percent less time behind the computer and more time behind the camera. Course Date: Monday, May 16, 2011 Course Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Items to Bring: Laptop pre-loaded with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (or use one of the instructors computers in his teaching lab), image samples or a project you want to accomplish. Course Location: DigitalWhims Glorietta Blvd. Orinda, CA 94563 Location Phone: 925.336.7994 Instructor Contact Info: [email protected] Instructor Website: www.digitalwhims.com



May 2011 begins PPA Style Projected Images Only. Except for Peoples Choice, all image submissions will be Digitally Projected Images Only. If you are interested in volunteering with image comp, please contact: Tom O'Connor at 925-586-2745 or Email Tom @ [email protected] The next NCPP PPA Style Image Competition will be at the June 14, 2011 meeting where we will have "Projected" image competition. For more information on "Projected" see Table of Contents on page 3 of the Focal PointPreparing an image for "Projected Image Comp" 2011 Print Comp Calendar: May: PPA Style / Jun: PPA Style / Jul: Peoples Choice / Aug: PPA Style / Sep: PPA Style / Oct: PPA Style / Nov: Peoples Choice

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

1st Place Kevallyn Paskos Good Girl" 2nd Place Wayne Miller Capturing Beauty

3rd Place Wayne Miller Illusions of L.A.

Print Comp Winners and Calendar

Images by Eduardo Cardona



Good Girl

My love of animal photography began over 20 years ago while practicing on my first dog a Weimaraner. This was a fun time and we would often go exploring and find the perfect countryside location for a shoot. She would pose, stay put just as I requested and look back at me with those amazing green eyes. The color traits of this particular dog breed are unique and photograph nicely in either color or black and white. I learned so much from my patient companion and this practice time also helped me to grow as a photographer. My photography business also includes weddings, families and children but particularly enjoy photographing horses and dogs of all breeds. These four legged subjects can be a bit more challenging but worth all the effort in getting that perfect look or soulful expression. As a pet owner, I find this part of each portrait session to be the most fun! For the past 6 years, I have worked specifically with the Northern California Weimaraner Rescue organization

(NCWR) and Weimaraner clubs such as SFBWC and SVWC, photographing silent auction events, dog shows, field / agility trials and new litters of puppies (my favorite)! This work has significantly helped to expand my business by networking with and marketing to these dog loving families. Most of my family photography business comes from dog owner referrals! The Best of Show image, Good Girl is of my amazing 6 year old Weimaraner, Kymber. I have been photographing her since she was 8 weeks old and is a natural in front of the camera. This particular image was captured early afternoon on an overcast day in Benicia, Ca. We had a couple of hours and lots of cheerios to use as Scooby treats. My goal was to find little nooks that had some architectural or industrial charm and start photographing. Since Kymber will pretty much do anything asked of her, we got to work and this image was one of many personal favorites captured that day. Since Weimaraners are hunting/ bird dogs, they can catch a scent out of nowhere! In this particular shot, I instructed her to lay stay while looking at me when all of a sudden, she caught a scent of something and turned her nose up smelling the air in perfect alignment with the Keep Out sign! I was on the ground shooting and captured this once in a lifetime moment. Transforming this image into black and white was an effect that perfectly tied the subject and architectural elements together. Earning Best of Show with the Good Girl image is such an honor and I would like to thank the NCPP judges and member peers for their support. Thank you so much, Kevallyn Paskos

Best of Show April 2011 - "Good Girl" by Kevallyn Paskos



For those unfamiliar this is a PPA style regional image competition. Images with a score of 80 and above get a seal that gets a PPA image merit when entered in PPA National Image Competition. Richard Stahlberg CITY OF THE DEAD 79 DISTRUST 76 A STUDY IN BLACK AND WHITE 81 TANGO ARGENTINO THE STREET DANCE 84 Wayne Miller ABANDONED 87 CRUISING AT LOUS 83 LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE 80 RED ROCK CANYON 78 Michael McNamara DIVINE LIGHT 81 HEARTLAND RHAPSODY 75 I CAN'T PUT IT DOWN 76 WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN IN THE CITY 79

Congratulations to NCPPers in the Western District Competition April 2011



Starting in May 2011, there will no longer be PPA Style Printed Print Competition. The only PPA Style competition we will have is Projected Image Competition. We will also continue to have Peoples Choice twice a year in the same format as we have been doing. We have not had submittals with actual prints for the last few months, so we are going to eliminate it. There is a lot of gear to bring and set up for prints, and if nobody brings prints (which we do not know until 7pm), then it is a lot of work for nothing. Although there is a charge for Projected Image Comp, it is small and the funds will buy us better equipment. Presently we are using two laptops that members are donating every month to get the job done. And we would all like a 30 monitor just like PPC and PPA. There is another good side to all of this. Be sure to keep the Projected images you submit during monthly competition. They are perfect for submitting to PPC and PPA. Keep your files in a layered format so you can make changes to them before submitting to PPC or PPA. The only difference in submittal to PPC and PPA is the way you name the file. See the written instructions on pages 6 and 7 of this issue of the Focal Point and on the NCPP web site along with two fine videos showing you how to do it in Photoshop and Lightroom. You can also use these same images for NCPP End of the Year Print Comp!! Submittal will be so much easier. There will be no delivering your images to a studio someplace and then having to go back to get them when it is over. And there is nothing to get damaged. It is a Win - Win!! Personally, I am also going to add the score of my images to the file name of the master file of each image, just so I have a record. Now that there is no physical print to write the score on the back of, we should still keep track. The Print Comp Chair (2nd VP) also has all of the scores as they are recorded and kept by month and year. If you have any questions, just give me a call or email. Tom OConor

Image Competition Notice!!!!!



April Meeting Images



March Meeting Images




Dodging and Burning Over the past couple of releases of Photoshop we have seen an improvement in the operation of the dodging and burning tools. However, dodging and burning, unless you create a separate layer, can be destructive and very difficult to undo once your file has been saved. So here is a neat trick which allows dodging and burning to be done on separate adjustment layers; in addition you can fine tune these layers by adjusting the opacity. We start as always by duplicating our image. Go through and make all the changes the image needs, contrast control, hue and saturation changes, tidying up the image etc. Now we will create our adjustment layer where we will apply our dodging and burning. Go to the Layer/New and create a new layer with the Mode set to Soft Light, Opacity 100% and be sure to check the Fill with Soft-Light-neutral color (50%) gray and click OK.

The following screen shot shows our new Dodge & Burn adjustment layer; pretty simple stuff.

Non Destructive Dodging & Burning and Contrast Control - by Michael Kirwan



Now with our Dodge & Burn layer active, select the paint brush, a white brush will provide act as the dodging control, while the black brush will act as the burning control. It is very easy to overdo so I usually set the Opacity of the brush to 20% and the Flow to 7%. Best for you to experiment, but I find these settings work best for me. I usually check the Airbrush icon as well when I am using my Wacom tablet; but again experiment and see what works for you. The image below is a blow up of an image I took on the streets of Bangalore in India. I really like this image and the expression on the boys face and the store owner in the background. However, the owners face is in shadow and gets lost in the background.

So selecting the brush and setting the brush color to white and carefully dodging the gentleman and some of the background to show more of the detail, I also applied a small amount of burning to the front of the counter to provide better separation from the boy.




If you find you have overdone the control, just change your brush color and paint back in until you get the result you are looking for.

Very simple yet quite effective tool for dodging and burning and if you save your files with layers, you can always come back and delete the layer and start again. For some images when I want more control I will create separate layers, one for dodging and another for burning. High Pass Contrast One of the problems we encounter is getting sufficient contrast in the mid-tones. It is all too easy to get good contrast in the shadow and highlight areas. This technique has two benefits, not only does it provide good mid-tone contrast, it also sharpens the image, so two controls in one. We will use the same image to demonstrate this technique. First we will select all our layers and holding the Alt (PC), Options (Mac) go to Layers, Merge Visible. Call this out HPC Layer. This will give us a new layer to apply this technique, while keeping all our previous adjustment layers intact. The next step is to double click our new IHP layer, and change the blend mode to Overlay set the Opacity to 20% (we can always come back and change this value when fine tuning the effect. Now comes the really cool part. We are going to change the Blend-If sliders to 50/70 and 185/215. This will prevent the delicate details in the shadows and highlights from clipping. To make the change click on the top left slider while holding down the Alt (PC) or Options (Mac) to split the slider controls. Now repeat for the top right slider. Your layer style should look like the image below. The final step is to de-saturate the layer (Image, Adjustments, de-saturate); this eliminates many hue and color shifts associated with the Overlay mode.




The image below shows the effect, a little difficult to see at this size, but there is an overall improvement in the mid-tone shadow detail and sharpness. For this image I did change the opacity of the IHP layer from 20% to 40% which really made the image pop.

This is another image from my trip to Bangalore. This was the first in a sequence I took for conversion to HDR. The colors intrigued me, but this particular image really needs some mid-tone pop.




Applying the same technique the boost to the mid-tones gave the image a slight boost in sharpness and little more punch in the mid-tones.

I discovered this technique at a workshop last year and have been very pleased with the results with both black & white and color images, and another tool for the toolbox.




My name is Gary Bergren. I'm a San Francisco Bay Area resident, born in Berkeley, California. My interest in art began at the early age of five and I've been actively involved ever since. Both my parents have involved themselves in the arts. My mother is an interior decorator and my father a successful sculptor. Together they helped me acquire the basic principles of three dimensional drawing, color and perspective. For the purpose of biographical brevity I offer the following: Childhood: Orinda, California. Interests: Drawing, Falconry, music, gymnastics. Art Education: California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA - creative and figure drawing1968.. Walnut Creek Civic Arts Dept. - oil painting. Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill CA - figure drawing, painting, architectural rendering and perspective 1970-1974. David Hardy in Oakland CA Renaissance techniques, color theory, composition and pigment formation 1982. William Parsons color theory, composition and application techniques. Van Waldron Impressionism, color theory 1996. Charles White landscape 1998. Galleries: First Street Landing in Niles Canyon Fremont California. Shepard Gallery in Danville CA. Impressions Art Gallery in Danville CA. Crossroads Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Main Frame fine Art and Framing in Placerville CA, Lasting Impressions in Carmel CA, The Danville Art Gallery in Danville CA, Simic New Renaissance Galleries in Carmel CA, Studio 7 Galleries in Pleasanton CA and Becquet Winery in Valley Springs CA Art Medium: Oil, acrylic, oil pastel, pencil pen and ink. Form: Portrait, wildlife, landscape. Style: Realism Special Interests: American History, music composition. Notable Art Collector: Ken Hofmann.

NCPP Proudly Presents on Tuesday, June 14th: Gary Bergren



Contact Stacey Flurscheim with / for any Membership Information Stacey Flurscheim @ 925-330-7130

NCPP has a new web presence with a Meetup group. Join NorCalProPhotogs now for free. NCPP-Meet-Up

If you have comments or information regarding new applicants, please send them to: Stacey Flurscheim, NCPP Membership Chair: [email protected]

Membership Information

NorCalProPhotogs - Meetup

WELCOME NEW NCPP MEMBERS Jean Slavin Professional Active Jean Slavin Photography 1046 Vista Pointe Circle, San Ramon, 94582 Ph: 925-785-2075 Web: www.jeanslavinhotography.com Email: [email protected] Sponsor: Laura Cottril Jenni Harmon Professional Active Wentlings Studio 1804 Colfax Street, Concord, CA 94520 Ph: 925-685-7760 Email: [email protected] Website: www.wentlingstudio.com Sponsor: Dirk Wentling Yolanda Mendoza Professional Active Y Mendoza Photographer 804 Vineyard Court, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 Ph: 510-435-4357 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ymendozaphotography.com Sponsor: Denny Weigand Joe Messina Professional Active Messina Photography 602 West K Street, Benicia, CA 94510 Ph: 707-373-9692 Email: [email protected] Website: www.messinaphotography.com Sponsor: Michael Van Auken Bill Baker Professional Active Bill Baker Photography 220 Lexington Avenue, San Leandro, CA 94577 Ph: 510-701-7685 Email: [email protected] Websites: www.billbakerimages.com and www.billbakerphoto.com Sponsor: Needs a Sponsor

PROSPECTIVE NCPP MEMBERS Stephen (Tony) Gotelli - Aspiring Business Name 1108 Springfield Ct., Antioch, CA 94531 Ph: 925-550-9400 Email: [email protected] Websites: Sponsor: Needs a Sponsor Marilyn Cunningham - Aspiring Business Name 1421 Lydia Lane, Clayton, CA 94517 Ph: 925-200-0413 Email: [email protected] Websites: Sponsor: Needs a Sponsor



NCPP Past Presidents

1998 Michael Van Auken 1999 Judy Host 2000 Jim Fidelibus 2001 Linda Johnson 2002 Walter Guasch 2003 Kimberly Peterson 2004 Jim Fidelibus

2005 Michael Gan 2006 Michael Gan 2006-2007 Laura Cottril 2007-2008 Leslie Artis-Gan 2008-2009 Brent Walton 2009-2010 Randy Cazinha 2010-2011 Wayne Miller

NCPP Member of the Year 1998 Peg Jackson 1999 Michael Van Auken 2000 Jim Fidelibus 2001 Jim Fidelibus 2002 Kay Simon 2003 Shelly Najera 2004 Linda Johnson

2005 Heather M. Whiting 2006 Michael Gan 2007 Laura Cottril 2008 Tom O'Connor 2009 Brent Walton 2010 Wayne Miller

Photographer of the Year 1998 Peg Jackson 1999 Jim Fidelibus 2000 Richard Stahlberg 2001 Michael Gan 2002 Richard Stahlberg 2003 Shelly Najera 2004 Leslie Artis

2005 Richard Stahlberg 2006 Leslie Artis-Gan 2007 Michael Van Auken - Tie 2007 Richard Stahlberg - Tie 2008 Richard Stahlberg 2009 Wayne Miller 2010 Wayne Miller

NCPP Member Awards



PPA Master Craftsman Photographers Lisa Evans Peg Jackson Michael Gan Judy Host Leslie Artis-Gan PPA Master Photographers Jim Fidelibus Linda Johnson Deidre Ligenfelter Mary Small

PPA Craftsman Photographers Denny WeigandWayne Miller PPA Certified Professional Photographers Leslie Artis-Gan Laura Cottril Lisa Duncan Michael Gan Jill Hager Judy Host Greta Heintz Tammy Hughes Linda Johnson Scott Kouns

Dana Smith Richard Stahlberg Arleen Thomas Darleen Tom Denny Weigand Wayne Miller Brent Walton Pam Biasotti Jennifer Chesterman

Jennifer Fink Stacey Flurscheim Nicole Gee Tod Gomes Ann Gordon Malcolm Slight Terry Riggins Mary Small

NCPP Member Degrees



If you are interested in becoming a Certified Professional Photographer, Master of Photography, Master of Electronic Imaging or a Photographic Craftsman, click here. Or, contact Wayne Miller or Denny Weigand PPA CPP Liaisons. This link will take you to the PPA website and you will see the page shown below. The image below is just a screen shot of the website, the links are not hot on this screen shot.

PPA Certification, Merit & Degree Programs



Professional Active:

Annual Dues $135. A professional photographer is an individual who on a regular basis, takes and sells photographs or photographic services. Must satisfy federal, state (resale permit), & local license requirements. Professional Active members have full membership privileges (Free meetings, voting, use of NCPP logo for self promotional use, and image competition).

Aspiring*: Annual Dues $135. An individual who does not work in the photographic field, or derive any income from photography but plans to enter the profession. Limited to one year. Membership privileges: meetings and entering image competition, but may not vote, hold office or use the NCPP logo. May not actively sell photography or advertise/promote themselves as a photographer for hire. Limited 20% enrolment. Student*: Annual Dues $50. Members preparing for a career in the photography and currently enrolled in a school as a full time student. Applicant must show evidence for enrollment. Membership privileges: meetings and entering image competition, but may not vote, hold office or use the NCPP logo. Limited 10% enrolment. Sustaining: Annual Dues $150. Membership issued to the business name of the organization, which is a supplier, vendor, or manufacturer of photographic materials, supplies or photographic services. One representative of the organization shall have meeting privileges only, additional pay guest fees. * Aspiring & Student Classifications must assist/help six events per year to maintain classification or move to Professional Active.

NCPP Membership Classifications and Fees for 2011



Ad sizes are: 1/4 Page: 4-1/4 Wide x 5-1/2 High 1/2 Page: 8-1/2 Wide x 5-1/2 High Full Page: 8-1/2 Wide x 11 High Spec is: Jpg @ 94ppi Color Space: sRGB Include at least 1/8 of white space at the outer edges the

sizes listed above.

Focal Point Advertising Information

Advertising Costs: 11 Issues per year NCPP Members: You supply camera ready

art work and text. 1/4 page for 3 months per

year - Free Additional / Larger Ads: 1/4 Page for 3 months -

$25 1/2 Page for 3 months -

$50 Full Page for 3 months -

$75 Change to ad -

$25 Note: Members can use the Yahoo Group email to advertise at no cost. Sustaining Members: You supply camera ready

art work and text. Full Page per year - Free Non Members/Non Sustaining Members: You supply camera ready

art work and text. Full Page per year - $500



Sustaining Members are companies that manufacture or distribute photographic equipment, laboratories, publishers or firms providing services to photographers. These Sustaining Members also contribute to the welfare of NCPP, with monetary and technical support. Sustaining Members may participate in all NCPP events, however they may not vote or hold office. We encourage our NCPP members to support our Sustaining Members. If you are interested in becoming a Sustaining Member, contact Denny Weigand. 925-336-7994 or E-mail @ [email protected] -Listed Alphabetically- THE ART OF PICTURE FRAMING APF is a full-service wholesale custom framing facility. We work closely with Fine Art and Framing Galleries, Interior Designers, Professional Photographers, Art Consultants, Retailers and others in need of custom framing at wholesale prices. APF specializes in creating custom programs or packages to your individual business or market needs. We offer superior quality with flexible pricing to fit your individual needs. Contact: Mike Moretti 1084 Shary Circle, #B Concord, CA 94518 (Located behind Costco) E-mail: [email protected] 925-689-5177 web: http://stores.apfwholesale.com/StoreFront.bok

NCPP Sustaining Members



BAY PHOTO LAB Contact: Debbie Thomas E-mail: [email protected] 510-585-7049 web: http://www.bayphoto.com/ 2161 Delaware Ave. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 800-435-6686 fax: 931-475-5257




PPC Professional Photographers of California Affiliates

Company Name City Phone Web Site

All Valley Professional Photographers - AVPP La Canada Flintridge

(818) 262-7903

Associated Image Makers - AIM Fairfield 1-888-442-6606

Central Valley Professional Photographers - CVPP Fresno 559 266-0305

Channel Islands Professional Photographers Association - CIPPA Camarillo (805) 573-7637

Gold Coast Professional Photographers Association - GCPPA Pismo Beach 805 733-5197

Inland Empire Professional Photographers & Videographers - IEPPV Riverside 951-737-7310

Northern California Professional Photographers - NCPP Walnut Creek 925 330-8737

Professional Photographers of California Escondido

Professional Photographers of Los Angeles County - PPLAC Culver city (818) 344-0671

Professional Photographers of North Valley - PPNV Redding 530-241-2191

Professional Photographers of Orange County - PPOC Mission Viejo 949.916.2471

Professional Photographers of Sacramento Valley - PPSV Sacramento 530 363-0138

Professional Photographers of San Diego County - PPSDC San Diego (858) 695-9563

Professional Photographers of Santa Barbara County - PPSBC Santa Barbara (805) 403-6556

Professional Photographers of Santa Clara Valley - PPSCV San Jose 408 244-2293

Professional Photographers of the Greater Bay Area - PPGBA So. San Francisco

530 574-6033

Professional Photographers of the Redwood Empire - PPRE Santa Rosa 707 548-1181

Stanislaus Professional Photographers - SPP Modesto 209 847-0540

Our Neighboring Affiliates

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This information is for Walnut Creek. You can obtain sunset times for other locations at http://www.sunrisesunset.com/

Sunset Table

2011 Planner 5-2011.pdf6-2011

focal point may-11

Documents

year ncpp members

ncpp sustaining members

ncpp presidents

membership information

endorsement of ncpp

position of ncpp

camera ready art work

membersnon sustaining