Discusson Group Notes January 23, 2009

Seven seems to be our lucky number.

I had brought a CD of my San Fernando Mission photos for John. He didn't make it but everyone else seemed to enjoy them. Someone recommended the William S. Hart Museum as another place to visit: .http://www.hartmuseum.org/.

Terri showed us her photos of M&Ms and a dog, two of which won prizes at the following Tuesday's competition.

Fred talked about competitions, judges, travel, and salons. He also talked about photographing in foul weather and how he treats his camera equipment. This made some folks shiver but he seemed OK with it all and said that that's what it takes to get the shot.

Fred talked about his experiences taking photos of the Vincent Thomas Bridge at night while fending off Homeland Security officers. http://www.sanpedro.com/sp_point/vtbrdg.htm

Fred went on to describe his use of a small (about three-inch) tripod which he gets away with using in places where full-sized tripods are not allowed, apparently because it's not a trip hazard. He says he can press it up against a tree and get three-minute exposures with no problem but often places it on a table or post.

We talked about how some architects claim the image rights to the buildings they design but, taking that to the extreme, that would mean that no one could take a photo in any town or city without permission of every architect who had a building in the photo. The same logic says that, since children are created by their parents then the parents have image rights to all their children. Such claims of image rights to something in full public view are ridiculous, and just making the claim doesn't make it legally binding on anyone. It was generally accepted within the group that it's best to just take the shot, do what you want with it, and don't worry about it.

Fred described what it takes for him to create a gallery quality picture and why they have to sell for so much. He also described how much work and expense some photographers go through just to win competitions.

Bonnie got in some sample packs of photo paper so she's ready to experiment with them. From there we went on to discuss Epson and other printers.

Refrain: We meet each Friday at Bianco's Cafe at the South end of the Lancaster Market Place, behind and across the street from Movies 12. The core times are from 7 to 8 PM but there's typically someone there from 6:30 to at least 8:30. Bianco's will keep the lights on for you.

Glenn Olson
Coordinator and Moderator