Following a few simple tips can improve your photography whether you use a cell-phone camera, point & shoot, or professional camera with all the bells and whistles.
What makes a good photograph compared to a snap-shot is all in how you compose your picture. You are your best judge of what a good photo is for you, try some of these techniques to see if they improve your opinion of your photos.
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| Click image to see program |
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| Field Trip - Bellagio Year of the Rabbit (click for album) |
That's what happened to Larry Kaufman in 1953 when his mom took him to see "The House of Wax" with a Viewmaster. Although it was a horrifying intro to 3D for a young boy, it must have made a deep impression on him.
Several years ago, while reading about the Civil War, Larry discovered that at least 70% of all the pictures taken during the Civil War in the 1860s were taken in 3D. Ten years ago many TVs included a 3D component, due to the popularity of the 3D movie "Avatar." Larry purchased one of those TVs. Later he bought a used Fuji 3D digital camera on Ebay (he has a collection of antique cameras).
Larry's presentation for the Photography Club will give a brief history of 3D as well as examples of pictures in the various methods of presenting 3D. He will then demo how to take 3D on any camera you have as well as on your smart phone. Additionally, he will bring books, cameras and viewers for a "show and tell" segment.
Who would have expected the old scary "House of Wax" movie to lead to this bonus for our club?
Do not miss Joel Lugavere’s presentation on Newspaper Photography at our February meeting.
Joel will cover his life as a newspaper photographer plus some tricks of the trade such as safety, relationship with police and fire, crossing yellow tape, covering sports, staying safe in riots, shoot outs and natural disasters.
He had 32 wonderful years with the LA Times covering just about everything: travelling to the top of Mt. Rushmore with the daughter of one of the original stone carvers, exploring Canyon de Chelly with Native Americans, photographing dignitaries and those who thought they were.
Joel was part of three Pulitzer teams and serving on the Board of Directors of the Press Photographers of Greater Los Angeles. Be prepared for a fascinating presentation.
Access Passcode: J4aG1R=o
Program Title: Landscape, Wildlife, and Nature Photography in Southern Nevada
Speaker: James Marvin Phelps
A look at the abundant landscape, wildlife, and nature photography opportunities in Southern Nevada. Spark you creative juices and get new ideas for photographing the wonders of the beautiful Mojave desert.
More About James:
Self-taught in photography, I've always had a fascination with the power of the still image. Using mostly the Kodak Instamatic cameras as a young photographer, I started using Canon cameras in 1983 and have been using them ever since. Today I use a Canon 5D Mark IV for my landscape and nature work. For my wildlife, I shoot with a Canon 7D. My passion is the natural world and trying to capture the beauty in my landscape and wildlife photography. My work has been published in numerous books and magazines through the years, and I have donated images to some of the National and State Parks of the region. You can view my work at:
https://www.jamesmarvinphelps.com/
9/9/21 Meeting Recording:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/VHS62JOBD4S14bJ2DRqu-ZtSLvcfxC89SGA0FuVNGjuuII0CgkxRNua8z7YLPfQ1.9zgvRgwp7xrBTWSe
Access Passcode: T=^Xs$%6
Art is ”the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form …, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” Oxford Languages.
So, is photography “Art”? Of course. That was easy.
But is a particular photo good or bad art? Not so easy. Just as beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, so is artistic excellence. The out-of-focus shot of your favorite grandchild may be precious to you. But some photographic elements are likely to make more viewers pop a particular photo into the “Good Art” category.
The photographer’s creative skill and technical proficiency are in evidence. The picture is in focus, well composed, without glaring distractors such as a tree appearing to grow out of the subject’s head. Not that someone can’t accidentally get a great shot, but the chances improve with increased skill.
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Many of our members have shared photographs where their intent was to evoke an emotion, share a feeling or a sense of the human condition, show the ferocity of nature, the vastness of the universe, or the nostalgic sadness of the passing of the seasons.
So…is photography art? But what in your view makes a particular photograph great art?
The Camera in Your Pocket
Program presented by member Robert McCandlish
Monthly Meeting - October 8, 2020
This Presentation will be concentrated on the basics that I have
learned to perform that are critical to capturing stunning pictures
while “Using the Camera in Your Pocket”: Focus and Exposure
o I will discuss the hardware inside a Smartphone
o And will touch on 5G and your phone
o I will demonstrate the techniques to Lock Focus
o And, Adjust Exposure on my iPhone.
Other Smartphones have the same limitations and will operate in the
same manner or close to it.
I will also provide insight into additional supplementary equipment you
may need if you want to become a serious smartphone user.
Robert’s father was an amateur photographer and used it to supplement his income back in the 50’s and 60’s by taking photos at weddings or little league baseball teams. Of course, he had his own darkroom with Robert assisting sometimes. Over the years Robert has honed his skills via the college of hard knocks, “self taught”, using various 35 mm cameras, bulk loading his own film and making prints directly from slides using a positive-to-positive photographic process called “Cibachrome.”
 | It’s not always about the grand landscape or the largest bull moose. Sometimes, we need to slow down and take a look at the beauty all around us in the details. With this class, we will explore the world at our feet, focusing on macro photography. Participants will learn about finding scenes, gear selection, special lighting considerations, choosing an appropriate depth of field, and basic Lightroom post processing techniques for macro images. |
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In the upper right of the image, you will see a tools icon that will open up the menu of available videos.
Our photo walk took us to the Magical Forest at Opportunity Village with trees lighted to be scary and be spooky. 
A different opportunity was both fun, very interesting and was close by for our photo walk. 
Talk about Nostalgia Photos, John Turner, a British property manager and member of a local photo club, died back in 1987, leaving behind a suitcase full of his B&W photos. His daughter and her husband found it in their attic during spring cleaning and were blown away by the photos.
