• The world is the canvas, light is the medium
• Jeremy presented some historical painting with light.  1st was Manray in 1935.  Picasso and Eric Staller also did works.  There is a large gap where it was never taken up seriously.
• He gave us a demonstration of making a light ball — focus on a point on the ground and swing the light in a full circle
• Always try to use low ISO (100).  Preserves color and gives low noise
• Use F22 with a bright light to keep things in focus.  Focusing can be hard.
• Film does a better job
• Use bulb mode and a remote trigger so you can open/close the shutter while far away
• Demonstrated a LED RGB strip which can make neat effects
• Demonstrated a wheel with a small flashing LED strip attached.
• Demonstrated “the camera toss”
• Demonstrated a “fizzyogram” – swinging a light from the ceiling
• Visit the Flickr group Light Junkies
• Steel wool can be burned to make neat trails.  Stuff fine steel wool into a wisk at the end of a chain/rope.  Light and spin it.  Wear a hoodie!
• Jeremy will have a tent up at Floyd Fest

Upcoming Themes

• July – Backlighting
• Aug – Nature Fighting Back
• Sep – Painting with Light

Theme Winners

1. Mike Diersing – Luster’s Gate Sunrise
   
2. Mike Diersing – Horse Sunbeams
   Rebecca Heaton – Sunset
3. Joe Zhou – Sunset HDR
   Laurie Ashley – Beach Sunrise
   Tammy Hipp – Sunset

Open Winners

1. Rebecca Heaton – Feather
   
2. Laurie Ashley – Water Landscape
3. Charles Good – Crockery
   Joe Zhou – Waterfall/Bridge

Next Meeting is Moved:

The July meeting will be held Aug 10th

• Currently uses a Nikon D80, but still carries a mechanical SLR backup in case of electronic failure!
• Doesn’t like using filters or manipulating the shot.
• Learned about how weather affects photographs over the years.  Look for those overcast days for dramatic skies and soft light.
• Learn to accept automatic — often times the moment is so fast or fleeting that you’d miss it if you weren’t willing to just let the camera go.
• With a military background, finds that shooting good photographs in low light can be helped by the same skills as shooting — Feet at right angles, Tight body, shoot during the natural breath pause after an exhale.
• Read a lot about photography.
• Flowers look great and pop with an overcast sky, but consider full on midday sun in deep woods for “spotlights” on small objects.
• Uses smugmug.com to advertise and sell his work.
• Gives away free desktops and the like to draw in traffic.
• Prints are not popular and hard to sell unless you can touch it (selling at a fair/festival).
• Shoot like you don’t have photoshop, pay attention to details.

Upcoming Themes

• June – Sunset/Sunrise
• July – Back lighting
• Aug – Nature fighting back

Classes

Sports Photography for Parents – Jon Fleming – Four session class, Jun 21, 28, Jul 6, 12 – 7:00-8:30pm.  Register at recreation.blacksburg.gov

Theme Winners

The theme for May was Portrait with managed light.

1. Laura Swift – Boy
   
2. Nathan Sharp – Girl
3. Nathan Sharp – Girl

Open Winners

1. Mike Diersing – Frog
2. Joe Zhou – Heritage Park
3. Rebecca Heaton – Tree

Upcoming Meeting

Our next meeting will be June 29th and our presentation will by by Jeremy Jackson (tackyshack.net).  He would like to do a live demonstration of how he takes his photographs, so brink lights, cameras, and tripods!

The winner of this theme was Mike Diersing with his landscape from Luster’s Gate.  Congratulations Mike!

The winner for this theme was Laura Swift.  Congratulations Laura!

• Make it creative, loose, and fun
• You have to learn the rules… so that you can break them.
• No one thing about it is hard, but putting it all together is challenging.  Learn each piece individually.
• Prefers one light technique to keep it simple
• Feminine vs masculine poses
• Broad (light on closer side of face) or short (light on far side of face) lighting.  Most of the time use short lighting.
• Watch the nose shadow to know if you’ve got the light in the right place.
• Learn to really see the light
• Learn to really see the model.  Look for asymmetries.
• Shoulders have to support the head
• Spot focus on front eye
• Catchlight important, but any light will do, even weak ones
• When photographing a couple, you have to compromise.  Always give priority to the woman.
• Don’t let them throw a shadow on each other
• Generally use a long lens.  If using a short lens for an environmental shot, careful with the subjects near the edges that tend to distort.
• Ears – in shadow and out of focus
• Generally start at F5.6 – adjust for depth of field or light from there
• Nose should always be contained within the cheek
• If shooting B&W, contrast and fill much more important for tonal range
• John Tice will be holding a workshop soon, write if you are interested in joining!

Upcoming Themes

• April – Patience
• May – Portrait using artificial light
• June – Sunset/Sunrise

Announcements

• The April meeting will be held May 4th
• John Tice will be holding a portraiture workshop.  Contact him through his website.
• Photography basics class starting Thu Apr 8 running for 4 weeks.  Register online at the YMCA Open University.
• Jon Fleming will be holding a “Sports Photography for Parents” workshop.  Schedule is not final yet.

Theme Winners

The theme was Flash Photography

1. Nathan Sharp – Magic
   
2. Joe Zhou – Child
3. Dale Goorskey – Couple

Open Winners

1. Laurie Ashley – Sunset
   
2. Rebecca Heaton – Sunset
3. Mike Diersing – Kid in Bath

Next Month

Presentation by Parv Sethi.

Justin Cook presented a class on flash photography.  Some of the topics included:

• Drag/Slow Shutter
• Second Curtain Sync
• Color Balance
• Accentuating twilight blue with orange filter on flash
• Overpowering the sun
• Fill flash
• Color swatchbook for flash effects: http://www.adorama.com/ROSB.html?sid=1267301920243141
• Strobist “kit” with filter holder: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/649244-REG/Rosco__Strobist_55_Piece_Filter_Kit.html
• The Strobist flash “101″
• More info, PhotoNotes.org

Upcoming Themes

• March – Flash Photography
• April – Patience

Announcements

• April meeting will be moved to May 4
• Next field trip: Blue Ridge Parkway on May 16th

Theme Winners

The theme was “Fill the frame with red”

1. Joe Zhou with his daughter in red
   
2. Jon Flemming – Tree silhouette
3. Sumeyra – Rose

Open Winners

1. Jon Flemming – Duck Pond Snowy Day
   
2. Joe Zhou – Poppy Flowerhead Opening
   Laurie Ashley – Neon Storefront
   Teresa Hash – Kid Sledding
   Paula Johansen – Hot Air Balloon Abstract
3. Nathan Sharp – Deer