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Volume 2, Issue 3, May/June 2008

www.grandphotos.org/

FROM THE PREZ…

By Jerry Weinstein

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

By Ken Kroen

The initial response to the plan of forming Special

Interest Groups (SIGs) has been very positive. As of

this writing, approximately 50 members have

responded to the initial e-mail that was sent to

everyone on April 9th. The majority of the people have

shown an interest in multiple groups. The most

popular group has been Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Enough interest has been shown to support between 2

and 3 groups for Elements. The goal is to have groups

of less than 15 members. Two people have expressed

an interest in Pro Show Gold. If we can get a few

more requests, then we‟ll have enough to form a SIG

for Pro Show.

The current Special Interest Groups that are being

organized are Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe

Photoshop Elements – Advanced, Canon Digital SLR

Cameras, Nikon Digital SLR Cameras and Pro Show

Gold, assuming we can get a few more requests. Each

SIG will consist of between 5 and 15 members who

have a common interest. These SIGs will be part of

the Sun City Grand Photo Club with one of the

members of each group acting as the coordinator. Any

Photo Club member can join one or more of these

groups at any time.

If you are interested in joining one or more of the

above SIGs, send an e-mail to GrandPhotos-

SCG@cox.net listing the group(s) you would like to

join. If you are a temporary resident of SCG, don‟t let

that stop you from joining a SIG. With e-mail and

phones it is possible to maintain contact throughout

your travels. Also, let us know if you have an interest

in an area other than those listed above. There may be

other members in the club who have a similar interest.

The next step in developing the SIG program is to

assign people to each of the groups and identify a

coordinator for each group. Also, a set of guidelines

will be developed for the SIG coordinators. Once

these two steps have been completed, the SIG

coordinators will contact the members in their groups.

If you are interested in being a coordinator, please

send an e-mail to GrandPhotos-SCG@cox.net. ♦

Contents

1 From the Prez, SIG’s

2 VP, Membership, ACCC

3 Webmaster, Greece Trip

4 Monthly Photo Contest,

Photo Shoots, Editor

5 -6 Focusing in on…, Orientation

7 -8 Favorite Places

9 Tips and Tricks

10 Why Compete?

11-12 Photo Gallery

13 ACCC Winners

14 Classifieds

We did it again!! The Spring Faire was a big

success. We had many visitors and sold pictures,

notecards, and wine bottle covers. We also ran a

very successful auction. We didn‟t stop there. We

had a table at the SCG Garage Sale and did very

well. Thanks Lyle, Spring Faire Chair and Betty

Burke, Fund Raising Chair plus all of you who

helped to put these fund- raisers together.

Thanks to Gary Jann, our workshops are going

great guns and will continue throughout the

summer. The Club is planning special interest

groups (SIG). Be sure to sign up. We have a new

website and it is great! It has a load of information

and a slide show of member pictures. The website

will also have tutorials of many of the workshops

for those members who did not get the handouts.

Thanks, Marshall Oseas, our new Webmaster.

Keep up the great work!

How about our Annual Banquet? It was without a

doubt the best ever. We had 100 members at the

dinner with entertainment by Dave Pritle, one of

our members. Gale McCall chaired a terrific party

and did a stand-up routine that you could have

seen at a comedy club. Our club is one to be

proud of. It‟s unbelievable how we have grown so

much in such a short time. We have 275 members

and counting. Let‟s all look forward to a great and

busy summer.♦

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VP Report By Gary Jann

Our workshops continue to be very well attended. I

assume this is because the subjects are diversified,

meeting member needs, and are being led by good

instructors.

Beginning in April, we identified workshops for

beginners, intermediates, and advanced

photographers, if they are repeats from earlier in the

year. I hope this has helped you make a decision as to

their appropriateness in meeting your needs. We are

also running a trial workshop feedback form for a few

sessions. (Thank you, Gene McDermott, for the first

draft.) These forms are intended to provide two types

of feedback. One is for the instructors to let them

know how they conducted the session and to provide

any ideas for improving subsequent workshops. The

second is for members to express how well they felt

the session met their needs and expectations. I hope

you will take the time to fill out the form if you attend

one of these sessions. I also would like your feedback

as to the appropriateness of having feedback forms for

our workshops. Are they beneficial? We will make a

decision on the use of these during the October Board

meeting.

I am still looking for additional workshop ideas for

this summer to help us become better photographers.

There are also many of you with hidden talents that

are just waiting to be unleashed in a workshop. Let

me know what talents or knowledge you have and are

willing to share with the rest of the club. I look

forward to hearing from you soon!

Thanks and see ya in a workshop! ♦

“To sleep, perchance to dream…”

j. j.

Membership By Betty Burke

What a growth spurt we had over the winter!

Our membership has now risen to 275 with 109

new members in 2008. Here are some other

interesting stats: 78 members are snowbirds, 97

are women, we have 48 couples, and 110

volunteers.

If you are still missing a name tag after checking

the box in the lab please let me know and I‟ll

order one for you. If you have lost your tag I will

order you a new one for $5.00. How often we

hear someone say, “I remember faces but not

names.” So PLEASE wear your tag to all club

functions. We are a friendly group and it‟s so

nice to call each other by name. ♦

Photo Tip for DSLR Lens Reviews:

Here’s a great site!

www.Photozone.de/

John Hertia

ACCC Fall Roundup By Stan Bormann, President Elect

The Fall ACCC Roundup will be held on

November 15th and the Rotating Category will be

Doors and Windows. I don't know if that needs

any further definition, but clearly Doors or

Windows or both must be a major element of the

image. You will notice there are few limits here to

your creativity. The image can be as shot from the

camera or any amount of "creativity" you wish can

be added to the image, as long as all the elements

in the image originate with you. The Fall

ACCC Board Meeting where our Club

Representatives will need to turn in our entries is

Saturday, November 4th. They will set our club

image turn-in date to allow them to organize the

entries and meet that date, so plan to have your

entries ready in late September. There is now a Competition Guidelines document

on the ACCC web page. You will find a link to

this document at:

http://www.arizonacameraclubcouncil.net/index.ht

ml.

This document provides explanation in one place of

the rules and guidelines for participation in ACCC

competition. There are many opportunities to

compete in the ACCC roundup and our club has the

highest level of participation of any of the ACCC

clubs. Let's keep it up. ♦

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Words from the Webmaster . . . I‟m very pleased and appreciative, having the

opportunity to become Grand Photo‟s new

Webmaster, allowing Ron to pursue other

activities he is involved with. What I have done

is make many decisions on my own, and some

with advice and suggestions from our President,

Vice President, and Secretary.

In essence, this is OUR WEBSITE and it is there

for us to enjoy; the club members at large. While

we do have some parameters, we are certainly

open to positive suggestions as to how we may be

able to improve our site. As an example, John

Menard had suggested utilizing Flickr.com for our

slide show instead of Adobe with which we

started. As it turned out, it was certainly an

excellent suggestion. Jim Urquhart suggested that

some of the colors I had used for fonts were too

dark to read easily, and we corrected that as well.

We can still accept photos for uploading to the

website slideshow from members . . . I would like

to see at least 50 members showing their work.

For now, we will limit it to one per member . . .

and I still have a couple of mine uploaded that

should be replaced with your photos. Right now,

they are merely place marks. Perhaps in the future

we will also have the season's competition winners

shown in a separate link as well.

Please let us know how we are doing . . . what we

can improve . . . or what changes we can make to

bring you the best possible website. Our Board

maintains ultimate control, and we have already

discussed placing links to members‟ own websites,

which was defeated by the Board. This was to

keep the website as "commercial free" as possible

by not linking to any commercial endeavor other

than websites of interest to camera buyers,

software, etc.

I remain open to hear from anyone in the Club.♦

Sincerely,

Marshall Oseas

PhotoOracle@cox.net

Grand Photos 4th

Annual Banquet By Gale McCall

We broke all records with 100 people signed up

to attend the banquet. Everyone had a great time

despite the delay in Dillon's setting up the bar. I

had to dodge the rose petals being thrown at me,

but they were only about seven minutes late and

all was well.

What can I say about our member Dave Pritle?

He was great! He contributed a great deal to the

sophistication and high class of the evening.

You are booked for next year!

I have started a folder called "Photos for the

2009 Banquet". You all know what kind of

photos I am looking for. Several of you had

already sent me great photos, but it was too late

for this year‟s slideshow deadline. Did you

catch someone in a humorous pose? An unusual

position? Trust me; the club wants to see them!

Thanks to all the wonderful people who helped

me in so many ways and for my "setup" girls,

the BB band, Shirley Bormann, Sue Marrugi,

Betty Burke, Sherry Weinstein and all the little

Weinsteins. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) ♦

ASU and Sun City Grand are sponsoring a

Learning Trip to Greece September 11-

September 22nd with the possibility of a four

day add-on for a cruise to the Greek Islands.

We will be accompanied by an expert on

Greece and we will have discussion on

different aspects of Greece. We will also have

a one on one experience with Greeks in

Athens. Some of the places we will be visiting

are Athens and the marvelous Parthenon,

Kalambaka with the incredible rock top

monasteries, Delphi and the oracle which

foretold the future, Olympia, Nauplia (and the

remains of King Agamemnon's palace) and the

magnificent theater in Epidaurus. This trip is

more extensive than the average Greece trip

and the hotels are all 4 or 5 star in excellent

locations. The cruise will include a stop in

Turkey to visit Ephesus, an ancient Roman city

which contains one of the Seven Wonders of

the World, the Temple of Artemis, also visiting

the magical Greek isles of Mykonos, Santorini

and Rhodes. What great photo opportunities!

For more information, contact Gale McCall, a

member of Grand Photos, the Language Club

and a teacher for ASU here at SCG. Until May

2nd at 623 975-3253, anytime: cell 315 882-

2708, or e-mail: Galemccall@AOL.com.♦

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MONTHLY PHOTO CONTEST

2008 - 2009

PHOTO PROJECTS

SUBMIT PRINTS & VOTING BY MEMBERS IN

ATTENDANCE

DATE SUBJECT

OCTOBER 2008 “CUTE KID”

NOVEMBER 2008 “ACTION”

DECEMBER 2008 “STREET SCENES”

JANUARY 2009 “LANDSCAPE”

FEBRUARY 2009 “4 LEGGED FRIENDS”

MARCH 2009 “STORMY WEATHER”

APRIL 2009 “WILD FLOWERS”

Also note:

Submit 8x10 prints

One print per member

Owner to be identified on print

Prints can be mounted or unmounted

Members in attendance will vote on their

favorite

Monthly Photo Contest

Ron Szwiec

Photo Shoots By Shelly Morgenstern

March was a very busy month for photo

shoots. There were many opportunities for

us to take day trips for photo-ops.

On March 1st there was a wildflower shoot

that was begun as an e-mail suggestion by

Betty Burke. Gary Jann led the shoot.

Dennis Cutler headed up the shoot at the

Cactus League game on March 16th

.

The White Tanks wildflower shoot was led

by Marshall Oseas on April 1st. Not as an

organized shoot, but we offered the club

members three suggestions for a daytrip:

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Tres Rios Nature Festival

Bird Sanctuary

Most recently on April 20th

Dan Jacob

invited the membership to his home in the

evening to photograph the full moon (no

wolves allowed!).

A drive into the Grand Canyon led by Dan

Jacob and Gary Jann is planned for this

summer. More details to come. ♦

Grand Photos members all lined up for “moon shoot”. Photo by Dan Jacob.

From the Editor…

We wish you a wonderful, safe,

happy and healthy summer.

We will miss you snowbirds

and welcome you back in the

fall! In the meanwhile, those of

us remaining in SCG will

continue to stay active in

Grand Photos!

Look for the next issue of

IN FOCUS the first week of

July.

Sue Marrugi, Editor

Nancy and Dan Jacob,

Proofreaders

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Focusing in on…

Dik Salsbury

By

Sherry Weinstein

In a recent bio Dik prepared for the 50th

reunion of his

high school class, he wrote: “Fifty years? That can‟t be

right … can it? I still feel like a kid!” Having recently toured the Salsbury home, I fully understand why

Dik feels like a kid. No elaboration necessary on the obvious, this guy

is simply having the time of his life. Every day, his internal batteries

get recharged as he „plays‟ with his current carpentry or photography

project. Living with his best friend, Joyce, he readily admits that she

still makes his heart throb, after 45 years of marriage. It does the heart

good to see the desks in their office facing each other … hers with a

sewing machine on it and his with a computer, both with all the

necessary bells and whistles to generate what they‟ve created in their

minds‟ eye. And with greatest of gusto, Dik treasures his role as

Grandpa to eight-year-old Alex and eight-month-old Josiah. Alex,

along with his mom, Stacy (Dik and Joyce‟s daughter), and dad, Ken,

live in Spokane, so visits take a bit of planning and always feel too

few and far between. Baby Josiah, on the other hand, can pop over

anytime because his dad, Dana Salsbury and mom, Melana, live right

here in Goodyear.

Ancient through Post-Modern Career History

Growing up in Topeka, Kansas, Dik watched how his father – a true

craftsman – built things, not realizing what impact and inspiration this

would have on his mindset or his future life. After graduating from

Kansas State with a degree in Architecture, Dik made some bold

choices and began a career path that would take him first to Omaha,

NE and Minot, ND, then on to Coeur d‟Alene, ID and finally to

Spokane, WA. Early on – as an intern to several accomplished

architects – he realized the need to shift into high gear and soon

became an architect himself, licensed in several states. Over the

years, Dik‟s diversified projects ranged from the design of lake

homes and hospitals to that of free-standing stores and regional

shopping malls. Discussing with me how much he loved his chosen

profession, Dik explained it this way, “One of the things I enjoyed

most about being an architect is that you need to learn everything

about your project – the distinctive language of it, the eccentricities of

its organization, the specific nomenclature. Architecture is an ongoing

exercise in interpretation.”

After completing many projects for a great regional supermarket

chain in Spokane, Dik was made an offer he couldn‟t refuse. He went

to work for the chain and was put in charge of all their design and

construction work – everything from site selection, leasing, the

architectural process, construction oversight as well as equipment

specification and procurement.

He soon became VP of Retail Services and gained

even further responsibility, including the creation

and management of the Capital Projects Budget. In

1990, the employees purchased the company and

the dreams of many came true as business soared.

The company was sold in 2000, with a most happy

ending for Dik, as he would now be in a position to

retire.

Over the course of forty years, Dik designed and

built three homes for his family, much of the actual

„building‟ done by his own skilled and enthusiastic

hands. The first of these homes was in Coeur

d‟Alene, where the Salsbury children were born

and raised. The second home, in Spokane, started

out filled with a very active family and gradually

became a classic empty nest. The third and last,

therefore, was supposed to be Joyce and Dik‟s

retirement home on a pretty little mountain lake,

north of Spokane. What happened? Surprise!

On the Road to their Dreams

With their minds set in neutral after retiring, the

Salsburys took to their motor home on an

expedition around the country in search of a good

place to spend their winters. Once they had scouted

around a bit – with no preconceived notions about

which part of the U.S. would be right for them –

they could no longer deny a compelling

gravitational pull to this part of Arizona. And so it

was that they found what would become their own

version of paradise, Sun City Grand. Loving life

here, they ultimately sold their lake home in

Washington State, but still delight in heading to

their much-loved northwest (and proximity to

Alex) for several months each summer.

Retired? Hah!

Unlike the proverbial picture of the retiree whose

initiative has turned to inertia, recent retiree Dik

jumped into woodworking, pottery, stained glass,

Continued on Page 6

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(Focusing in on Dik Salsbury – Cont.)

and boating (which he‟s always done), with so much to do

that his theme song became “Something‟s Gotta Give.” After

finding himself „working‟ 24/7, he decided to spend the

majority of his time with his two favorite pastimes –

carpentry and photography – while he would just dabble in

the rest as his schedule and energy permitted. The word

„carpentry‟ – when used with reference to Dik – does not

mean the replacing of a broken hinge or the sanding of a door

edge so it closes more easily. No, Dik-style carpentry takes

the form of designing, planning, building, and putting every

finishing touch on cabinetry and furniture … all with the most

intricate, eye-catching detail. If you think I‟m exaggerating,

go to Casa Salsbury and see for yourself the fabulous

furniture and cabinets for their home extension … all objects

of Dik‟s design and construction.

As for Dik‟s penchant for photography, it is immediately

recognizable that his photos have been shot by someone with

a critical eye for form, structure, color, and exceptional

composition. But it‟s not only the taking of great photographs

that sets Dik in motion, it‟s also what happens to those images

once the shutter has clicked. A master of creative post

processing, Dik always seeks to show his and others‟ photos

in the most agreeable light, generously teaching and

mentoring photo club members so that they may share his

fortune of knowledge in digital manipulation as well as his

slide show skills and techniques. For anyone who has seen

one or more of Dik‟s slide shows at the photo club, you are

familiar with the highly artistic, innovative, and inspired

results he gets … showing all our images off to their best

advantage. And if you have not yet seen a Dik Salsbury

production, stay tuned for a knock-your- lenses off

experience. The rave reviews you‟ve heard are very well-

deserved. Fortunately for Grand Photos, we have an in-house

treasure who is delighted to spend his precious leisure time

trying to entertain us, and making it happen.

Travel is yet another passion for Dik and Joyce, who are just

about to embark on a month-long trip to Australia, New

Zealand and Fiji. Some of their favorite travel to date has

taken them across North America, Hawaii and Europe. Since

they both have a weakness for – and great strengths in –

capturing beautiful images, these „field trips‟ set the stage for

many a magnificent photo and a fair share of awards.

On a More Personal Level

Asked about any favorite books, Dik‟s response was: “I read

a variety of genres and generally prefer authors that write a

lot of books with the same characters. And books that are set

in places I'm familiar with. Favorite authors are Dean

Koontz, J.A. Jance, Janet Evanovich, Dan Brown, Grisham

and Carl Hiassen. Everything from thrillers to comedies to

thought-provoking books such as The Da Vinci Code.” The subject of favorite movies brought this reply: “We try to

do a weekly „date night‟ which consists of a matinee, dinner

and a little shopping. It's difficult to find good movies to see.

We liked Juno, Michael Clayton, The Italian Job, and

Oceans 12. We almost always hate the movies praised by the

critics and enjoy the ones they pan. We want entertainment,

not social comment, in our movies.”

When I asked Dik, “If you could be anyone in history, who

would you choose to be?” he answered, “Leonardo da Vinci or

Michelangelo, the best of the Renaissance men.” Considering

Dik‟s awesome talent and affinity for creating beautiful things,

combined with a keen interest in so many different areas of the

arts and sciences, it‟s no wonder he would identify with being a

Renaissance man.

What is the greatest measure of a man and his success? When

he can say – with all candor – that his LIFE IS SWEET, he is,

no doubt, the most successful of all. Dik, may you always

celebrate la dolce vita.♦

Plans for Orientation Meeting

By Ken Kroen

The club is planning two Orientation Meetings over the next

6 months. These Orientations are for the entire membership,

not just the newcomers. The first Orientation will take place

in the May/June timeframe and the second in the

October/November timeframe. The purpose of these

Orientations is to provide everyone with an overview of the

organization and the services and opportunities available.

The following is a tentative agenda for the meetings:

Opening comments by the Club President.

Introduction of the Club Officers and their roles.

Club structure and facility overview.

Overview of Special Interest Groups and Mentor

Program.

Overview of the Photo Lab and the plans for the

future.

Overview of the Club Website and Newsletter (In

Focus).

How to obtain assistance with your photographic

needs.

Education Programs

Photo Competitions

Photo Shoots

Volunteer opportunities.

Future plans for the Club.

Question and Answer Session.

If you would be interested in attending one of these sessions,

send an e-mail to GrandPhotos-SCG@cox.net stating which

session you want to attend and what time of the day you

prefer (Morning, Afternoon or Evening). Also, include in the

e-mail any suggestions you have. For those of you who have

replied to an earlier e-mail, thank you.

You will be notified via e-mail as to the actual dates of the

Orientations.♦

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.

Favorite Places…

By Mike and Joyce Seddon

Mike and I had to try our hand at describing our favorite place…Porto Penasco, Mexico. Please hear us out…we

certainly have been on more exotic, expensive, and more fun vacations, but this one was a brief three day get away

that really surprised us with literally hundreds of wonderful pictures. Mike and I were always hesitant to go to

Mexico ourselves. Fear of getting lost, stranded or ending in some Tijuana jail was always in the back of our

minds, but then a bus tour caught our eye and that was the perfect solution.

We left the driving and the frustrations to them, and all we needed were our passports, clothes and gear. The bus

drove us first to a wonderful restaurant, Casa de Capitan at the top of a hill overlooking the harbor. I would be

scared to take my car up that road, but they took all 20 of us in a very comfortable bus. The color of the sky and

water were so vivid, you would think they were Photoshop saturated, and against the bright oranges, greens, reds

and yellows of the buildings, costumes and flowers, it just screamed “Ole!” or for us, “Okay!” The shrimp boats

were coming in. All our fellow bus passengers were enjoying a lovely lunch, and we had a hard time stopping long

enough to eat. The tiles, the arches, the fountain, the angles!

Off to our hotel, Penasco Del Sol, a newly renovated one

which, in March, was quiet and peaceful. Mike and I both

have a deep love for the ocean. (So why are we in Arizona?)

The waves, sounds and even smells of the ocean call us.

What was special about Porto Penasco was that their empty

beach had such a gentle slope. The difference between high

and low tide was amazing… some 300+ feet deep and miles

long? That is 300 feet of potential tidal pools to look at,

shells to find, and starfish to search for. Add pelicans and

seagulls being reflected in the tidal pools and it adds up to a

lot of photo ops.

But on top of that was the sky, so

clear and dramatic with wisps of

clouds everywhere. Then add the

sunset. Wow, we were in heaven!!

By this time our tour guide came out

to see if we were all right. He

stopped as his shoes got stuck in the

wet sand and gave up. We had

kicked ours off long before that,

rolled up our pants and were really

into it until the sun gave us no more

light. It is not that we were anti-

social and did not want to go to the

dinner with them… it‟s just that, as all

of us know, that magic hour won‟t

wait for anyone.

8

As I was bending over, taking my 200th picture or so, some children came up to see what I was doing.

I showed them the pictures I took and asked them and their parents if I could take a picture of them

looking at the sunset. It‟s one of my favorites. The silhouette of the children backlit by the blue gold

of the sunset. By this time our toes were numb, so we went back to warm up.

Next morning the sunrise was disappointing, but the morning light made up for it at the oceanside.

Seagulls swooping or suspended in midair gave us more than enough to concentrate on. And then

there was the clear glass reflection of hotels on the wet sand! Our tour took a trip to a local market

place and as everyone hurried to get their prize pottery, rug or souvenir, Mike and I shopped for

pictures….pottery in piles, rugs in rows, bushels of baskets…it was all there. And yes, I did find

time to buy a little shell turtle. A short trip to a museum gave us more interesting photos and we

actually learned a thing or two. Another great sunset and another great meal. The next day we had

an opportunity to walk the beach and go down to the docks where the old rusty shrimp boats and

some wrecks of ships gave us plenty to focus on.

The last morning Mike and I raced to see our seagull

friends again, and then the tour bus started to leave for

home. But first, a final stop at a fish market…Great

Pelican Pictures! And great lunch and margaritas too.

I wish we had more time to take more pictures of dead

fish! Now that‟s a statement only a fellow

photographer would understand.

The best part is that the tour bus got us through

customs both ways without a problem, we never had a

concern about “drinking the water” or eating in the

places where they brought us, and of course everything

was secure. And we never ended up in jail! What

more could you want of a vacation! ♦

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“Tips and Tricks”…

How to Shoot a Portrait

By John Macy and Gene McDermott

When we started to write this we realized how broad a topic we had selected. There are all sorts of portraits;

formal studio portraits, group, wedding and engagement portraits, family and let us not forget, pet portraits.

The intent of this article is to talk a little about how to shoot a good portrait and how the studio lighting system

we now own can really help. It is said, that the eyes are the windows of your soul and are key elements in good

portraits. Catch lights in the eyes give life to the person‟s face. Select a facial expression that makes the subject

look his/her best. Big broad smiles have a tendency to crunch the eyes and wrinkle the face. A portrait

photographer should tell the subject to think inner happy thoughts and not try to force an expression but get the

subject to relax and shoot lots of pictures (it‟s digital).

How to shoot a portrait.

One of the projects Grand Photos was asked to do were portraits of the CAM Board. The process we followed

is when we first meet each person we quickly assess what is that person‟s most prominent feature, ears, nose,

etc. Next was the basic shape of the subject‟s face, round or thin. How we posed or directed the subject to turn

their head, tilt their chin, was based on these initial assessments. The person with a round, full face would have

short lighting, in which you illuminate the side of the face that is turned away from the camera. We used the

units with umbrellas for a softer modeling of the face. This diffuse lighting helps to reduce the amount of time

one spends in Photoshop. During this process we learned that our senior subjects might have a few minor

wrinkles and brown spots. Removing all the natural signs of becoming a senior citizen should be avoided

because over retouching creates a very plastic, unnatural appearance. We are who we are.

Shooting session

Each person was photographed in a seated position in order to get them to relax. We turned a male subject to

about 45 degrees, so one shoulder was closer to the camera and had him face the camera. We noted that we

could see only one ear and had him look at the lens. With the use of our studio modeling lights we were careful

to avoid reflections in the glasses. Having the subject tilt his head slightly removes reflections in glasses. The

results of the portraits are now on display in the Adobe Center and are examples of short lighting, avoiding

reflections and limited use of Photoshop.

The example below shows a different lighting approach in portraiture. This lighting is well suited to male

subjects but may be too harsh for female subjects.

A soft box behind was

used to separate the

subject from the dark

background and serves

as a hair light.

Camera at slightly above eye

level and the subject‟s chin is lowered. We have one catch

light in each eye.

Main light is high and at 45

degrees to cast a shadow to

define the shape of the face.

The triangle of light cast

by the nose is referred to as

Rembrandt lighting after the

sixteenth century

Dutch artist.

Thanks to our model, Ullrich Seike!!

Want to learn more? We are currently in the process of setting up classes on using the studio lights.

Check your e-mails.♦

10

Why Compete???

By Bill Haskamp

Whether you are new to the club or not, you might

have noticed a definite buzz about competitions,

whether our own, Northwest Valley, or ACCC.

We hear about them in our excellent IN FOCUS,

at the meetings, or in some of the classes that are

given. When I first came here to Grand, I joined

the SCG Grand Photo Club to increase my photo

skills, since that was their mission. Everything else

was secondary, including meeting some of the zany

characters that populate our roster. Despite the

nearly constant drone and prodding by some of the

members, my reaction to competing was classic

indifference at best. For most of us, after 40 years

or more of daily competition in our jobs, we

cherish a non-competitive approach to our lives.

So why bother?

As a veteran now of 2 competitions, my attitude

has changed, and for what I believe are some very

good reasons. Browse through any competition

exhibition, and the first thing you realize is that

there are no technically poor entries. The critique

held this past month emphasized that. Soft focus,

blown out whites, black shadow areas and the like

are plain and simple rejects out of the chute.

Perhaps you tolerate some of these in your

photographs now, but your personal standards will

ratchet up right away when you really internalize

that these are competition rejects. You begin to

really work at improving your images technically.

The second benefit of competition is a true refining

of your personal vision. Many of us believe we

shoot for ourselves, and if the judges like it, great.

And if the judges don‟t like it, then they are wrong.

Not a bad philosophy I might add. However, and a

very big however, is that sometimes the personal

vision is a bit hazy, cloudy, or cluttered. Betty

Burke said it succinctly when she said that her

friends and relatives always praise her

photographic skills (everyone is taken in by

wonderful subjects and pretty colors), but the club

competitions provide a big dose of reality. After

you enter a competition or two, and fail to garner

all of the awards, you begin to understand that your

images may not be quite as good as you think they

are. Then you take those images to the club, a

judging critique, or a similar forum, and find out

how you can improve them. Quite likely this will not be

an overnight process. Gary Jann and I attended the

critique that Jim Urquhart sponsored this past month,

and both of us brought images that we love and

submitted numerous times, but we have yet to win

anything, not even an honorable mention! The judges

critiqued the images and suggested changes to make the

images better. I went home and made changes to the

images based on the critique and the images were

improved! The judges critiqued a number of images and

mentioned that the subject was not well defined or

presented. The subject was lost in an image that was too

busy. Here is where the refining of the personal vision

comes in. Clearly the person who made the image knew

what the subject was, but hadn‟t refined the presentation

of the subject well enough to really make it “pop.”

Finally, if you decide to enter a competition, your entries

must comply with the rules. It is very difficult to

prepare images without learning a great deal,

particularly with respect to printing, mounting on just

the right backing, and resizing and preparing digitally

compliant images. These are the same skills needed to

present images for your personal viewing pleasure, for

presenting to family and friends, to make into slide

shows, and just plain show off your best work.

Yes, the whole thing is a lot of work, learning is never

easy, but entering some competitions will make you a

better photographer, and that‟s what we‟re all here for,

zany and colorful characters notwithstanding.♦

Holiday Photos Needed By Dik Salsbury

Some of you may have seen our slideshow preceding the Grand

Singers' Spring Concert. The Singers received positive feedback

and have asked us to create another thirty minute slideshow of

our members' images for their Holiday Concert this Fall. It would

be shown as people find their seats and wait for the concert to

begin. This is a good opportunity to show our work to a lot of

people and invite them to join us. If we do a good job, it will

probably be a re-occurring opportunity for us if we want to do it.

We need to collect about a hundred images of holiday scenes. They

could include children opening presents, beautifully decorated

trees, selecting a tree, the Thanksgiving table, closeups of

ornaments, New Year's Eve celebrations, general winter scenes,

etc. Anything that conveys the excitement and sentimentality of

the holiday season would work. If you have or take images that

you want to share with the community, please put them on a CD

and leave them at the club lab for Dik Salsbury. ♦

11

Photo

Gallery

“Rodeo” Ron Szwiec

“Camel Boy in

the Sahara” Gale McCall

“Eddontenajon Lake, B.C.”

Ed Knox

12

Photo Gallery

Continued…

“Copenhagen” Darlene Eger

“Forbidden City” Marv Weinstein

“Docking in Norway” Sherry Weinstein

13

ACCC

Spring Round-up April 2008

“Cactus Flower” Jerry Weinstein

Digital, Open, 2nd Place

“VFR on Top” Dik Salsbury

Digital, Rotating, 3rd Place

“Monument Valley” John Wolff

Print, Rotating, 3rd Place

“Desert Museum Owl” Stan Bormann

Print, Monochrome Nature, 2nd Place