HPC - November 2009

November 2009

HPCMONTHLY

Members Choice Anubhav and Antonio How Many Shots?

4 Gallery Openings Island Giclee EHCC Wailoa and Kahilu

Table of Contents Letter from the Editor............................................................................3 President’s Corner................................................................................4 Notes from the Second Banana........................................................... 5 Meeting Minutes, August 19, 2009....................................................... 6 Calendar............................................................................................... 9 How many shots to get the one that counted?...................................11

Letter from the Editor Bob Douglas

Aloha from the editors desk.

Dues, dues, dues are due! Please send your dues to George Jensen. Send a check for $15 made out to Hilo Photography Club to George Jensen, Treasurer, P O Box 100, Kurtistown, HI 96760.

It's here again... it's time for the Yankee Swap! But, but, but... Please adjust your calendars as our December meeting has been rescheduled to December 2nd due to scheduled maintenance at the Kamana Center.

For those of you who are new members, the swap is a process of exchanging gifts (Sometimes several times for the same item!) between members at our annual Christmas party in December. We try to think of items to bring that are funny, possibly very desirable, or an item you know nobody will want to keep and try to get rid of (In the mainland club I belonged to, a bottle of fox urine scent ft that last category). Start looking around and come up with some fantastic ideas. Last year, a wood calendar holder seemed to be a big hit and changed hands many times during the swap.

Looking to get on the front cover? Send us your best picture. To best ft the cover it should be in portrait orientation, minimum 1000 x800 pixels and saved as a sRGB jpeg.

Mahalo and keep making those pictures, Bob

The Hilo Photography Club is a photography club based on the Big Island of Hawai’i, and has been meeting monthly since 1978. Our me m b ers allhave a com mon interest in photography and in sharing their craft/profession/hobby with others. Skillsrange from novice to professional.

We currently have around 50 me m bers from allparts of the Big Island.

The club holds a meeting every month in Hilo. In addition to a business meeting, we often have demonstrations, slide shows from me m bers or invited photographers, invited lectures, in-club photo contests and exhibits, discussions about upcoming contests, photographic technique, technology, equipment, digital manipulation, darkroom, etc. This monthly meeting is usually the 3rd Wednesday of the month, at 7 p.m, at the Kamana Senior Center on Kamana St. in Hilo Google Map .

Hilo Photo Club Website Editor Bob Douglas 333-0402

HPC Monthly

President’s Corner Doug Halsted Aloha all, This is your editor. As most of you are probably aware Linda took a bad spill and broke her shoulder. So being the kind gentleman that Doug is, he is spending a lot of time tending to Linda hence the reason why I am writing this section.

We need more folks to sign up for members choice. It's a great way to introduce yourself and your work to the club. In addition you will gain invaluable feedback. Understandably if you are somewhat scared of public speaking know that you are among friends and that we care as to what you have to say. Go ahead make that commitment today.

We wish Linda fast and complete recovery.

See you at November meeting!

For Doug Halsted President Refreshment Volunteers for November are Randi Schneider, Tom Whitney and the Casiles. Each person should bring 1 carton of juice or ice tea plus 1 snack each (each snack should be enough for 10 people)

“Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness.�

- Yousef Karsh

Notes from the Second Banana Steve Godszak November already and the beginning of the holiday season....how quickly this year has passed. October's presentation from Michael Shewmaker was very enjoyable and informative and very well presented. It reminded me of all the great photographs taken and published in that era's magazines. Yes, the new technologies give us brighter, sharper, more colorful photos but the content seems less informative and much less thought provoking.

Different times, I suppose. Mahalo, Mr. Shewmaker.

I recently attended a planning session for Envision Downtown Hilo 2025 where an idea was foated regarding identifying visual corridors. The panel discussed how identifying and photographing these visual corridors could be used in developing the downtown area in the ensuing years. I mentioned it might be a wonderful opportunity for our camera club. An interesting and challenging project to be certain. If there are members interested in this project or have ideas regarding how to accomplish this project, please contact me.

Steve

Meeting Minutes, August 19, 2009 Mary Goodrich OCTOBER 21, 2009 PROGRAM Our speaker for the evening was Michael Shewmaker who in addition to being a fne photographic artist in his own right, researches the life and work of well-known photographers and other photographic topics of interest. Previously, Michael has presented programs for HPC on Composition and on the great master of portraiture, Richard Avedon.

Tonight’s offering was about Margaret Bourke-White, photographic pioneer. Michael spent many hours working on this project and says he enjoyed doing it. His enthusiasm for his subject was obvious and captured the attention and interest of the HPC audience immediately. For the next hour, Michael showed many photographs by Bourke-White and told the stories that went with them.

Bourke-White was born in 1904 and was one of the most signifcant photographers of the 20 th century.

This intelligent, beautiful and talented woman devoted her life’s work to recording industry, civil unrest and the human condition. She had a studio in New York City high up in the Chrysler Building. She worked for Fortune Magazine and later for Life Magazine. She usually had several assistants working with her.

Bourke-White traveled the world taking photographs on assignment and was a war correspondent during WWII. Her photographs in Life Magazine were a window on the war for Americans since there was no TV then. She was the frst photographer to make pictures of the Holocaust victims. She also photographed Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Herbert Goering. Following the war, she traveled to India where she was able to photograph Mahatma Gandhi. She also worked in South Africa photographing the miners.

Her cameras were 4X5 Speed Graphic and a twin lens refex.

She was married to author Erskine Caldwell for a brief time and they produced a book together, “You Have Seen Their Faces.” Later in life she developed Parkinson’s disease. She died in 1971 leaving the world a legacy of photographs depicting some of the most important events and people of her time.

HPC is grateful to Michael Shewmaker for providing us with this fascinating look at the life of Margaret Bourke-White and her work.

MEMBER’S CHOICE Following the break, we were treated to a 15-minute look at the work of Ben Gaddis for Member’s Choice. Ben seeks out unlikely views for his pictures and he has a unique vision. He shared some of his USGS shots of Mauna Loa taken from a helicopter, Halema’uma’u and the lava at Kalapana. He says if you go out to see lava often enough you will eventually get a Pele shot – and Ben had a great one!

Pele’s profle was vividly outlined in fre against a dark sky.

Ben Gaddis is also an excellent bird photographer and had wonderful shots of Pueo, I’iwi, Saffron Finch and Japanese White-Eye. Mahalo to Ben for sharing his work!

CCCH OUTING Steve Godzsak gave an update on the CCCH Outing planned for November 6th and 7th. He said we

urgently need volunteers from our membership to help with driving our guest photographers to locations for photos and airport pickup. Drivers with 4WD vehicles are needed to go into Waipio Valley. If you can help, please email to patnsteve@hawaiiantel.net or call Steve at 969-1035.

This outing offers a fun opportunity to meet members of the Maui and Oahu clubs, and to do some serious photography with like-minded souls. We, HPC, are the hosts this year. Next year, we will visit them! More volunteers are needed to make this a success so if you are able to step up to the plate, contact Steve ASAP. SHOW YOUR WORK! There is still space at the Hilo Hospital to exhibit your photos. If you are interested, please contact Chris Butcher 4butcher@hawaiiantel.net for details.

TREASURER’S REPORT George Jensen gave the Treasurer’s Report and urged anyone who has not paid dues to please do so.

This could be your last newsletter if you have not paid by November 18. Send a check for $15 made out to Hilo Photography Club to George Jensen, Treasurer, P O Box 100, Kurtistown, HI 96760.

PHOTOSHOP Ken Goodrich said we needed a vote for funds from the Treasury to pay for PhotoShop Elements on the club’s computer – this passed unanimously!

COUNTY FAIR Ruben Casile offered his thanks to all who participated in the County Fair. Joy San Buenaventura’s photograph had the most votes and won the People’s Choice. One of Joe Ruesing’s photographs was sold.

WHAT’S NEXT? HPC NOVEMBER 18th MEETING will feature 2 important mini-workshops. First, President Doug Halsted will give a short talk and demo on the proper use of the tripod, and Ken Goodrich will show slides on the different kinds of tripod heads that are available. If you learn to use a tripod well, your photographs will improve. Bring your camera and tripod to this meeting!

Our second mini-workshop will be on cleaning your digital sensor and will be led by Bob Douglas.

Following the break, for Member’s Choice, we will see the work of two photographers: Antonio Chrysostomou and Anubhav Agarwal. Anubhav will show some of his macro work that was done with digital Sony A700 camera, Manfrotto focusing rail, and a mounted fash. He says, “I use the shoe mount fash off camera (wirelessly). The fash is controlled by the on-camera pop up fash via IR. Flash can sync at normal maximum sync speed of 1/250s to HSS (known as FP in either Canon and/or Nikon parlance)”’.

Anubhav bounces light from a piece of soft fexible foam attached to the fash with Velcro. Some of the presentation will be close-up images of insects. Anubhav will also show other photographs from Antietam National Battlefeld in Maryland and West Virginia.

Antonio Chrysostomou has this to say about his work: "I frst became interested in photography as a teenager and it is only in the last two years or so that I picked up a camera once more to rediscover this passion. I hope the photography that I will present will show some of my journey over the last two years as I have developed my work and broadened my appreciation of this fne art we call photography." And

we look forward to seeing it!

If you would like to have a 15-minute presentation of your work, please contact Steve Godzsak patnsteve@hawaiiantel.com. You can present a project you’re still working on that you would like critiqued, fnished work, or anything you like. Slideshow or prints is fne.

HPC DECEMBER 2nd MEETING The date for the December meeting has been changed. We will meet for the annual Potluck Supper and Yankee Swap on December 2nd at Kamana Center. Normally, we meet on the 3rd Wednesday, however Kamana Center will be closed at that time in December.

HPC DECEMBER 19TH OUTING How long has it been since you went up Mana Road in Waimea to take photographs? This is a beautiful landscape of tall trees, pastureland and old farm buildings. Higher up you’ll see ancient gnarled trees just asking you to create photographic masterpieces from them. Sometimes, there is a lovely mist on the gently rolling hills. Bring rain jackets and a plastic bag to cover your gear if it gets a little too misty.

Details on where and when to meet will be emailed via Yahoo – for now, put the date on your calendar and think about who you’d like to carpool with.

Calendar What's Next November 6, 5:30PM 33rd Annual Big Island Fall Arts Festival November 6, 5-7PM Wailoa Center, Faces of Hawaii November 7, 6-9PM 2009 Allen-Tarleton Photography exhibit at Giclee Inkjet and Art Supply November 18, 7PM Monthly meeting. Mini Workshops and Member's Choice by Anubhav and Antonio December 2, Annual Potluck and Yankee Swap

December 5, 9AM-1PM Photographer's Swap Meet

December 6, 2PM - Kahilu Theatre B&W Opening December 6, 5-7PM Wailoa, Faces of Hawaii December 6, B&W night

December 19, Club Outing, Mana Road January 20, HPC Member Bill Irwin, Images from Mexico February 17, Glory Guerpo to show a selection of her B&W work March 17, HPC Member Faith Cloud, Slideshow of Spain

How many shots to get the one that counted?

By Tom Whitney David Griffn, Director of Photography for National Geographic, said in a recent blog that for the average article in National Geographic, about 20,000 photographs are taken and about a dozen are used. This is a staggering quantity to many amateur photographers.

ŠTom Whitney

We all take many photographs of many different subjects and consider ourselves lucky to obtain a few good ones. However, few of us have attained the National Geographic numbers. Here I want here to share my own experiences with multiple exposures of one subject to obtain a great result.

I was designing the letterhead for the new Sacra-mento Tree Foundation that I had help get started. I thought it would be nice to have the trunk of a tree on the left side of the sheet. So I went scouting in local parks and found an astonishing tree that had many faces in it. To obtain the picture of the tree you see here, I returned half a dozen times and took 35 photographs of the same tree in different lighting conditions at different times of day over a three month period. I rented a 4x5 view camera each time after I was paid at the end of each month. The best one here was taken in the late afternoon where miraculously the sun came through the heavy tree cover in Sacramento and lighted up the bark. Incredible. The photograph never made it onto the letterhead but a poster of it was used as a fundraiser by the Tree Foundation.

The photograph of Hawaiians huddled together honoring the sunrise on their sacred mountain required taking 27 pictures in the few minutes after the sun came over the horizon to fnally get the best shot. It was my frst trip to the summit of Mauna Kea with my friend Kimo Pihana and his Hawaiian activist friends who felt that telescopes were being developed without paying adequate attention to the Hawaiian culture. Photographically I knew both elements were fne, I just could not get the placement of the sun and the people right until fnally it all fell into place as the sun peeked over the shoulders of two people. It looks like they were cradling the infant sun in their arms.

ŠTom Whitney