Discusson Group Notes February 27, 2009
Friday we said our goodbyes to the folks at Bianco's. Saturday I stopped by and gave them my personal condolences and wished them luck. The Bianco's will be keeping all their store equipment for at least a year in the hopes that the economy will turn around and they can start again.
Six of us "usual suspects" were in attendance and, as always, we had a good time of it. Bonnie started out with showing us her new camera strap with quick disconnects. It's similar to mine but with different material going against the neck. Terri compared that to her halter-type. Then Bonnie showed us a picture of her new tripod head.
When it looked like we had a quorum we discussed our next meeting venue. I want to thank the folks who offered up suggestions. Those suggestions were a) Crazy Otto's on I, b) Panera Bread in Lancaster, c) Barnes & Noble in Palmdale, and d) Denny's on K. Concerns with parking, distance, and seating area left us with Crazy Otto's and Denny's without a concensus on either. So, we decided to go to Crazy Otto's for the next two weeks and then to Denny's for two weeks to see which suits us best. This is not to say that we won't find another to try out after that. Therefore, it's Crazy Otto's for the next two weeks. I'll try to remember to put a sign on Bianco's window for those who miss this message and hope no one gets too confused.
Bonnie brought out a copy of the Lancaster Outlook magazine for March 2009 (for which Terri had an amusing side story about). There's actually quite a bit for the photographers in this issue. At the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve http://www.cityoflancasterca.org/Index.aspx?page=101 there will be:
- Saturday, March 7 at 4 PM there will be a presentation on bugs ($3).
- Saturday, April 4, at 8 AM Ron Smith will again present his "Bird Watching Walk." Several of us attended this last time http://www.lpaphotography.org/phpBB3a/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=174 and it was very informative.
- Saturday, May 2, at 6 PM there will be a presentation on bats. You probably won't see these flying creatures posing on a stick but, like with birds, if you want to photograph them it's best to know something about them.
- Saturday, May 30 at 4 PM there will be a collection of native animals on display, including a live skunk ($3). Gas masks are extra.
- During April-June there will be two classes in "Picture Perfect Photography" ($65) and Belly Dance.
Bonnie talked highly of the portrait workshop the previous weekend and I wished I had been there. When she described the model she had worked with I was really sorry I missed it. Bonnie expressed her disappointment that not everyone who had signed up had attended.
Lee discussed the benefits of macro lenses and I was called outside to view the moon and Venus in close proximity. They were quite a sight and all I had was Julia's mini-Canon, but I did get a couple of shots anyway.
Somehow we got on the subject of web cams which led into a lengthy discussion. It got me to thinking about how photography has evolved from film to digital. Now we have multi-megapixel cell phones with white balance settings and improved web cams, the photos from which could end up alongside those of street photographers. It was a bit humorous to note that Bonnie's notebook computer camera takes only stills while Terri's phone takes movies. I want Dick Tracy's 2-way wrist TV. Maybe I can take Terri's phone and Bonnie's camera strap and make one. Are we there yet?
As we were getting ready to leave Terri asked our waiter (I wish I could remember names) to take our photo with her point and shoot camera. This took a couple of tries because it was so complicated (I promised her I'd embarass her about this). Maybe she should have had him use her phone.
Bianco's lights are out but Crazy Otto's are still on. We hope to see you there between 7 and 8 PM the next two Fridays.
Glenn Olson
Coordinator and Moderator
glenn@glenn-olson.com