Discusson Group Notes September 25, 2009
We had a cozy little gang of five this night.
Bonnie and Dwight described their trip to Mono Lake and Bodie. Bonnie said that the weather was great and that they came back with some great photos. They opted for the early entry at Bodie, which was $50 a head, but said that it was well worth it. At Bodie Dwight pulled a little red wagon around which had their equipment, chairs, ice chest, lunch, and etc. It sounded more like a BIG red wagon to me, but this let them stay out longer and relax whenever the mood hit them.
Mary told us of the Santa Barbera zoo. She said that it was smaller than the LA zoo but less crowded. During the week she no problems setting up her tripod and not worrying about tripping people up. She said that they are one of the very few zoos that have Condors. They also have Catalina Kit Foxes and other interesting animals. Plus it's close to the ocean, the Santa Barbara Mission http://www.santabarbara.com/points_of_interest/mission/ , and the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. http://www.sbbg.org/
Someone mentioned the idea of a field trip to the Carmel mental hospital. I saw that movie, all but two of the people who sneaked in died horrible deaths. I think it was a Stephen King story. Actually, when I looked it up on the internet it sounds like an operating mental hospital with a good reputation. Architecturally, it looks intriguing.
Bonnie said that she's very busy and is currently focusing on portraits, both in classes and in practice. She told us of some of her recent work and upcoming shoots.
Dwight told us the tale of how he got roped into taking soccer team photos. First it was informal shots for one team then it grew into several teams.
Julia brought up Fossil Falls, which we visited a few weeks ago. It's a great place to go for 3D shots because of the extremely rough area. http://www.desertusa.com/mag07/jul07/fossil.html
Mary talked about freezing bugs for photos because it slows them down, usually without hurting them. She told us of one time when she froze a bee then set it on a flower for the photo. She said that some people had asked how she got such a closeup without the bee flying away. One time I caught a Wolf Spider and chilled it in the refrigerator then took it out and got some real closeup shots before letting it go.
Bonnie told us of a snake she saw on the Mono Lake/Bodie trip (it wasn't a rattler). Then we told tales of snakes for a while.
If you can, please join us each Friday evening at Denny's at the corner of Ave K and 20th West. We begin about 6:30 PM and usually go to at least 8:30 PM. You can drop by at anytime and stay for as long as you like (you don't even have to buy anything). Denny's has graciously provided us a section to ourselves and the service is great.
All photography related subjects are fair game and there's never a planned agenda. You can bring in your questions, your stories, your equipment, your photos (paper or digital), or even just yourself to sit, listen, and/or talk.
I would again like to extend a special invitation to both new members and the more expert members who would like to participate in these informal discussions.
You are welcome to visit the LPA forum and leave your comments......
Glenn Olson
Coordinator and Moderator
glenn@glenn-olson.com
816-8278
