Monthly Newsletter of the St. Albert Photo Club Vol. 10 / Issue 3 - November 2010 November Guest Speaker: Zoltan Kenwell November Competition: Shape & Form November Workshop: Studio Lighting December Guest Speaker: Arto Djerdjerian December Workshop: Santa says no Sep: St. Albert Oct: Line Nov: Shape & Form Dec: Macro Jan: Texture Feb: Color Mar: Senior Apr: Street May: Moonlit Landscape Jun: Trilogy (plus ‘Year-End Shoot-Out’) 2010 – 2011 Competitions R emember...yes, this is time of the year to remember. As we approach the end of 2010 and peer into another new year, we have several opportunities to remember and be grateful. First we had the Canadian Thanksgiving, where we not only remember, but pause to give thanks for all the good things in our life. Sure, there is always the “yucky” stuff. But compared to most people in the world today, you’re one of the luckiest people alive...and don’t ever forget that! Then there’s the American Thanksgiving. Although most (or none) of us are American, we get emersed into Thanksgiving again if we watch TV or go to the movies. Let’s also not forget Remembrance Day (that’s an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp). Here’s where we’re reminded again that our freedoms and everything we take for granted did not come to us for nothing...it cost someone a lot for you to enjoy the life that you do. So how does this relate to photography? Well, your photos to some degree, will encapsulate memories, be it past memories, or memories you’re currently making. Don’t just snap what you see... capture the “mood”, because that’s what will grab your attention when you look back at your photos. Now get out there and take your best shots.
Transcript
Monthly Newsletter of the St. Albert Photo Club Vol. 10 / Issue 3 - November 2010
Remember...yes, this is time of the year to remember. As we
approach the end of 2010 and peer into another new year, we have several opportunities to remember and be grateful. First we had the Canadian Thanksgiving, where we not only remember, but pause to give thanks for all the good things in our life. Sure, there is always the “yucky” stuff. But compared to most people in the world today, you’re one of
the luckiest people alive...and don’t ever forget that! Then there’s the American Thanksgiving. Although most (or none) of us are American, we get emersed into Thanksgiving again if we watch TV or go to the movies. Let’s also not forget Remembrance Day (that’s an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp). Here’s where we’re reminded again that our freedoms and everything we take for granted did not come to us for nothing...it
cost someone a lot for you to enjoy the life that you do. So how does this relate to photography? Well, your photos to some degree, will encapsulate memories, be it past memories, or memories you’re currently making. Don’t just snap what you see...capture the “mood”, because that’s what will grab your attention when you look back at your photos. Now get out there and take your best shots.
2 November 2010StAlbertPhotoClub.com
PhotographyTrivia
NightscapePhotography
Do you have an idea you’d like to see for a ‘Wednesday Workshop’? If so, tell Mark, our President. at one of our monthly meetings.
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The new world record holder for the largest panoramic photo was taken by a group called 360 Cities that dwarfs at the 75 gigapixel photo of Budapest, scoffs at the 45 gigapixel picture of Dubai and laughs at the now minuscule 26 gigapixel panorama of Paris. At 80 gigapixels, this panorama of London is now the biggest in the world. Unlike previous record holders, the London picture goes 360 degrees around, so you can check out different parts of the city.
As a photo club, we all like to learn new ways and tips on
how to improve our photo skills with new ideas and experiences. And that’s what this month’s guest speaker, Zoltan Kenwell did. He “shed some new light” on nightscape photography. For over an hour, he was our guide to photographing the night. He began the tour by offering some tips and insight on how to take beautiful night-cap images of the sky, particularly when it included the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). There’s a fair a bit of equipment required, that you wouldn’t need to worry about during the day or during the warmer seasons of the year. This is beyond your normal camera gear and includes:
• vehicle • clothing• cell phone (ideally a smartphone)• laptop • GPS• headlamp• flashlights (over 100 lumins, such as a Dorcy, or better yet, a Pelican or Underwater Kinetics dive lights because of their ruggedness and waterproof seal, even though they cost more than other lights• extra batteries
Zoltan currently shoots with a Canon 5D Mark II DSLR camera. However, he has shot every Canon from the 10D and up. His camera gear during nightly excursions include:
• DSLR camera body (2)• lenses (12mm to 400mm...the faster the better)• remote trigger (or self-timer)• batteries • charger• inverter (in vehicle to charge camera & flashlight batteries along the way)
He typically shoots anywhere from ISO 1600 up to 3200, yet sometimes goes as low as ISO 800. Even at high ISO settings, capturing images at night entails time-lapse photography, with long exposures up to 30 seconds. His dad got him started in photography (using a good ole’ Nikon!). When he was 13 years old, he began developing film in his parents basement. After a few years of not taking a lot of photos, he got back into photography before his son was born. His favourite photo subject of course, is the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). So why would a relatively sane person do this? Many people wonder how (or why) anyone, particularly a married man with a son, would shoot the vast majority of his photography at night...on purpose, where there’s not a lot of
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Once you find a nice sky, look for an appealing subject to add interest to the photo, yet something that won’t take away from the wonderful sky.
3November 2010 StAlbertPhotoClub.com
Photo OpticalIllusions
Being of One Head
Which body does Lady Bird Johnson’s head belong to in this unaltered photograph? Can you imagine the magazine editor’s confusion when attempting to match her head with the correct body?
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natural light to light your way. First off, he enjoys being outside. But more importantly, it basically evolved because of his family. After he would put his family to bed, he’d leave home around 8-9 pm and drive out in the countryside. The scope of territory he’d cover was within a 300 km radius of home, looking for the perfect night skies to shoot. The only restriction (or deadline) he had, was that he was home by 6 am. If he did that, everyone was happy. Of course there isn’t much of a night sky after this time anyway…unless you shoot through a high-powered telescope! So with that kind of area to cover, his studio ranges from Hinton to Lloydminister and Cold Lake. Because of the distance away from cities and towns, there are some cautionary factors to consider, with the emphasis on safety:
• full tank of fuel• jerrycan with extra fuel• spare key(s)• clean windshield (good visibility)• powerful headlights• storage (always stores camera stuff in bags)• maps (or atlas & GPS)• parking• tread lightly
Before he heads out, as well as while he’s on the road, Zoltan monitors a couple web sites. First off, there’s spaceweather.com and they’re about 85% accurate. Then there’s cleardarksky.com and they’re right 90% of the time, but geared towards astronomers. He also uses ‘Google Maps’ (maps.google.ca) a lot and a GPS to mark way points. This makes the best use of his time so he’s not going back where he went before.
It should also be noted that ‘Google Maps’ were taken during the day, so you can see what’s there beyond your headlights. Even with the best headlights, you can only see about 25 to maybe 50 yards at the most. Make sure you get a red light to put on/in your headlamp to help save your night vision. A headlamp makes it much easier to light your camera than biting on the light with your teeth. When it comes to clothing, you certainly want to dress for comfort and to match outside conditions. In summer, there’s bugs & rain. Remember not to use Deet (especially your hands) because it takes paint off your camera gear. In winter. there’s the cold and snow. Wear clothes with a lot of air insulation inside. Don’t forget warm footwear, hat, and gloves. Bring extras in case the items you’re wearing gets wet. Chemical hand warmers come in very handy. You can get a box at Costco, which works out to 30 cents each. You can also put them under your camera to keep the battery warm. Although the Northern Lights is his niche, he goes on night photography excursions all year long...from -30 degrees to +30 and everything in between. For those who want to “show off” your photos, Zoltan recommends a web site called Zoom Photo (zoomphoto.ca). He is quite liberal in posting
Do you have a suggestion for a future guest speaker? If so, tell Kevin, our Program Co-ordinator at one of our monthly meetings.
photos on his web site. His online portfolio is at infocusimagery.com and remember…”It’s ALL about the light!”
Many spectacular images can be captured in this light, whether it’s just the sky, or includes rural structures such as old houses, barns, sheds, or windmills.
Kevin MahFrank Wright
Mark Pesklewis
Christianne Visscher
Frank Wright
Gordon MichonMark Pesklewis
Barry OppenSieg Koslowski
Shape &Form
4 November 2010StAlbertPhotoClub.com
November“Winners”
‘Digital’ ‘Themed Print’ ‘Open Print’
Holy “macro”...what are you going to shoot for next month’s competition?
Photo Competition “Scoreboard” (He Shoots, He Scores...)
‘Themed’ Digital ‘Themed’ Print ‘Open’ PrintName Total Points Name Total Points Name Total Points
Seig Koslowski 6 Mark Shalanski 3 Mark Pesklewis 7
Mark Pesklewis 3 Jim Sullivan 3 Frank Wright 3
Gordon Michon 2 Barry Oppen 3 Christi Anne 2
Brad Wynnyk 2 Mark Pesklewis 2 Irena Vlach 2
Mark Shalanski 2 Belinda Bridge 2 Derald Lobay 2
Kevin Mah 1 Ken Hutchinson 2 Mark Pesklewis 1
Derald Lobay 1 Frank Wright 1 Jim Sullivan 1
Jim Herchak 1 Claus Thietke 1
Barry Ryziuk 1
Sep - May competition point tally: 1st = 3 pts / 2nd = 2 pts / 3rd = 1 pt
