Douglas Wade set up a “Show & Tell” workshop for members.  It was an open forum where members could share up to ten of their favorite photos and tell stories about them if desired.  Eleven members shared their photos, and over twenty one people were in attendance.

David Wilkins shared photos and techniques used for photographing star trails, and light painting.  Creative effects were enhanced by things such as having lit up tents, people walking with flashlights, and using colored gels. 

Eugene Duley’s photos and stories were of Yellowstone wolves, sunsets and samples of using a tilt shift lens.

Matt Maholwald and his daughter Morgan took a road trip and decided to make it a photo road trip, part of which included Yosemite, and shared images.

Led by Suzanne Gonzalez

Suzanne Gonzalez has a degree in art but after being a working artist, switched into photography.  She has been in business for over 20 years.  She photographs cheer teams, dance studios, school dances, and some weddings.  She also loves doing character portraits.  She makes her own backdrops (up to 30’ across) to accommodate large teams.  She is print chairman for S4C and now president of the Glendora Camera Club.

After giving a presentation on how to pose models (using LPA members to demo), she shared some of her photos, and pointed out what made them work… S curves, graceful side of hand, tilt head inwards, etc.  She provided a handout Family Photo Tips – by Suzanne Gonzalez 2012.  Afterwards, members got to practice posing each other and taking photos under the strobe lights with the backdrop that Suzanne provided.

One handy tip she mentioned was to view other portrait/family photos on other website sites such as Flicker (Pinterest is a good one too) and copy/paste photos you find inspirational to a folder on your computer and review them before you go out to do a photo shoot.  Suzanne suggested studying the works of Norman Rockwell and Monte Zucker.  Another tip… rules are made to be broken.  Have fun with your photo creations!

Check out Suzanne’s website at www.photobysuzanne.com.
 

In preparation for our upcoming field trip to Mono Lake to photograph star trails, David & Chris Wilkins arranged for a practice session out at Saddleback Buttes State Park.  Saddleback Buttes was chosen because of its close proximity and distance from bright lights, and the date because the moon would rise after midnight, thereby allowing for star trail practice on a very dark night.

What wasn’t anticipated was the weather and thunderstorm in progress!  On the drive out, bolts of lightning were striking to the east, and travelers encountered rain and even hail!  After sitting in our cars waiting for the raindrops to stop falling, we all gathered for a group photo and then proceeded to the picnic area for instructions on “How to Paint with Light and Star Trail Photography”.

The group was walked through setting their cameras up (pre-focusing on a distant object and taping down the focus ring, settings for light painting, etc.) and then did practice shots painting with flashlights and colored gels before forming smaller groups and setting off into the dark desert in search of photogenic Joshua Trees.  Instruction was given on camera settings and techniques for doing star trails, hoping that the clouds would dissipate after dark.

Twenty two of us had a great time photographing, and enjoying the company of our fellow photographers.  Tips for making Start Trail Shots and Light Painting can be found on the LPA website under Articles/Members Tips.  Thank you David and Chris for arranging another great photo adventure for us!

Over 37 people, including 3 visitors, attended an Introduction to Photoshop CS5 presented by Douglas Wade.  Photoshop is a powerful tool for the photographer and is used to edit images by beginners as well as professionals.  A less expensive, but still great option for editing photos is Photoshop Elements.  GIMP is a   “free” Photoshop equivalent and available on the web.

Free trial versions of Photoshop software are available for downloading at Adobe.com.  Tutorial courses (for a fee) are available at Lynda.com and Kelby.com.  YouTube is a great source for free tutorials.

Over 35 members attended a presentation by Douglas Wade on the newly released Adobe Lightroom 4.  A general overview of Lightroom was presented as well as the upgraded features added in version 4.

Lightroom is organized into modules:

• Library – Organize your photos
• Develop – Tools for adjusting your photos
• Map – GPS info
• Book – Create your own photo book
• Print Module – Export images for printing
• Web – Publish photos to an html or flash site.  Export directly to Facebook, Flicker, and SmugMug

The evening began with a 15 minute demonstration by Wayne Staley on “How to Enter LPA Photo Competitions”.  Wayne created an easy to follow, step by step guide that is available on the LPA website, under Competitions – How to Enter.

Swap meet night was a great success! We provide this opportunity to members every few years and everyone really enjoys it.  It’s always a great time to eliminate photo gear you no longer need, and a good time to get some great deals on items you want.  All things related to photography were there:  camera gear, training materials, DVD’s, and books.   Members also enjoyed visiting and talking photography. 

Photos by Lee Garner

Led by Tylene Trout & Sue Craft - 6pm at the Senior Center in Lancaster

Timing was great… Tylene Trout and Sue Craft presented a workshop on Action Photography.  The presentation was designed to provide more ideas and new techniques to try before our July 17th Action Photography contest.

Action is defined as “motion being portrayed as the dominant theme”.  Topics for  the  workshop included:  panning/blurring, freezing action, capturing peak action, focusing, and concluded with fireworks photography.

10 Tips for Stunning Action Photography was shared, plus Youtube videos on:  Action Photography by Samy’s Camera, Panning Photography, Back Button Focusing, and How to Shoot Fireworks – Tips & Tricks.  Download a PDF version of the 10 Tips for Stunning Action Photography

Remember, for action photography, Shutter Priority is of most importance.  Think in terms of speed.  Do you want to blur the action or background, or do you want to freeze it?

Presented by Douglas Wade – AVF Photography Chair

Our annual Photography Workshop for Prepping Photos for AV Fair was held June 16, 2012, following the 1st Southern California Photography Conference.

Over 25 people attended the workshop.  Douglas started out by engaging the audience… “How many of you take photos, but never show them to anyone?”  Many hands went up!  Now is the time to share them… besides just posting on Facebook.  Share your photos with the AV community at your local AV Fair.

Douglas presented an updated colorful version, with new photo examples of “How to Enter and Prepare Your Photos”.  We were led through calendar of events, samples and definitions of classes and photo examples,   and detailed on-line entry process.  Everyone then gathered around the table to watch his demo on a cost effective way to mount a photo (print, foam core, spray adhesive and razor blade required).  Alternative choices for having photos mounted and places to do that for you, were also presented.

Download the AV Fair 2012 Photo Mounting Workshop Notes

And don’t forget… submit early!  On-time submission deadline for AVF is July 7.  Late entries accepted through July 21, with a $5 late fee.  Be early!  Save money!

Photos by Bob Lion