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Edenvale Photo Club Newsletter - APRIL 2021
Sharing Visual Art since 1950 CERPS WINNERS 2018 AND 2019
02 / APRIL 2021 COVER IMAGE BY CLARE APPLEYARD On a recent trip to Cape Town we stopped at Windmill Beach, just outside Simonstown. A photography friend had mentioned it as a good spot at midday, with blue skies and azure waters. The wind was quite strong so I left my camera in the car and hopped down to the beach to see if it was worth even taking my equipment out of the car. I spotted a couple of guys sitting on top of the rock and thought it would make for a great long exposure to get some movement in the water, given the beautiful clouds in the sky. I shot the image on my iPhone SE 2020, using the Spectre app for a 3 second exposure. One of the figures on the rock moved during the exposure, so I removed him in Photoshop to leave the single, stationary person on the rock. A full edit on the picture was done using a combination of Lightroom, Photoshop and DXO Nik.
CONTRIBUTE TO FUTURE ISSUES ANY MEMBER CAN SUBMIT MATERIAL FOR CONSIDERATION IN FUTURE PUBLICATIONS PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IMAGES HAVE A MINIMUM RESOLUTION OF 1080 x 1925 pixels. Of course, we also have to adhere to the regulations for data protection and the rights of use according to the copyright law, therefore, we ask you to supply a declaration of consent of the person or website that you extracted your submission from. Please use the following email address to send contributions and consent letters hanlis54@gmail.com Proof reading of this magazine Kindly done by Heidi Broschk
EDENVALE PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA
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DEAR MEMBERS The club goes through peaks and dips. Right now, for me, we are currently on a plateau. Things are running smoothly but there is no excitement, no get togethers, but there is no drama either. It is hard to garner enthusiasm during this pandemic. We seldom see each other and it is hard to determine mood and feelings over Zoom and other electronic media. This makes it more difficult to function as a true club. A club is about the social interaction, the personal touch. The common topic, photography, is what brings us together. We need to find a way to create the spark, to rebuild the interest and the excitement. This is where you all come in. We, as the committee, can keep the club running and arrange outings that we think would appeal. Your input, comment and ideas are always required. We all need to strive together to create a club atmosphere and spirit that inspires us and pushes us to do more. Unique shoots and out the box ideas would definitely add that “X” factor. The committee is working on some ideas which we will shortly share with you all. Your feedback is essential in ensuring that we are on the right track and going in the right direction. We thus ask that you please air your voice and come forward regarding anything you have in mind. Your input could be a twist on standard ideas or even a totally new concept. Everything is welcome, no matter how trivial or abstract you think it might be. Looking forward to hearing your shutters click
Dave .
Chairman: David Wolstencroft 083 229 8066 davewol@gmail.com
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Committee Members
BI-WEEKLY MEETINGS ARE CURRENTLY CONDUCTED VIA ZOOM DUE TO COVID REGULATIONS Chairman:
Treasurer:
Scoring & Promotions:
Ted Kinsman 083 461 2350 tkinsman@global.co.za
David Wolstencroft 083 229 8066 davewol@gmail.com
Marketing and Secretary: Natasha Bird 082 920 8898 mnktrad@mweb.co.za
Newsletter Editor & Graphic Design: Hanli Smit 083 253 1034 hanlis54@gmail.com
Certificates & Awards Des Alexander 083 226 1452 neoncomp@webmail. co.za
New Members, Social Media & Website Clare Appleyard 083 234 0247 clare.appleyard@gmail.com
MEETING TIME AND PLACE 2ND AND 4TH WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT 18H30 FOR 19H00 EDENVALE COMMUNITY CENTRE COR. VAN RIEBEECK & 2ND STREET, EDENVALE
Salons, Judges and Outings: Heidi Broschk 079 886 8515 heidib@uj.ac.za
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IN THIS ISSUE Page 6 Page 14
PAST MASTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY --Georgi Zelma
APRIL CLUB NIGHT WINNERS
Page 26
RULES FOR NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Page 36
CELL PHONE WINNERS 14 APRIL
Page 37
CELL PHONE WINNERS 28 APRIL
Page 38 Page 40 Page 42 -47 Page 49
GEORGE MAYER-INSPIRATIONAL WEBSITE
SALON CLOSING DATES CUT OUT CHEAT SHEETS TIPS ON HOW TO USE A REFLECTOR
Page 52
MEMBER FOCUS- HITESH DAYA
Page 54
MEMBER FOCUS- TAHLITA VERSTER
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PAST MASTERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
G E O R G I Z E L M A Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1906, Georgii Anatolevich Zelma moved to Moscow with his family in 1921, where he began taking pictures with an old 9 x 12 Kodak camera. His first experiences as a photographer took place at the Proletkino film studios and during theater repetitions for the magazine Teatr. He soon joined the Russfoto agency. From 1924 to 1927, he returned to his homeland as a correspondent for Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia in order to document Islamic culture being reformed by Soviet socialist reconstruction. This work was published in Pravda Vostoka. In 1927, Zelma was enlisted in the ranks of the Red Army, serving in Moscow. After the demobilization in 1929, he returned to Tashkent and worked briefly for the Uzbek cinema chronicles. In Moscow, he entered the team of Soiuzfoto and received a Leica. Throughout the 1930s, he was sent on assignment to the mines and factories in the Donbass region, to Collective Farms in Tula province and to the Soviet Military maneuvers in the Black Sea region. He worked with Roman Karmen on the stories The USSR from the Air and Ten Years of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lakutia …, which were published in the propaganda magazine “USSR in Construction”. For this magazine he also collaborated with Max Alpert and Aleksandr Rodchenko. During World War II, he was a correspondent for Isvestiia stationed at the front-line campaigns in Moldova, Odessa, and Ukraine. His most memorable photographs are of the Battle of Stalingrad, where he spent the severe winter of 1942-43. After the war, Zelma worked for the magazine Ogonek and from 1962 for the Novosti press agency. He died in 1984.
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ONE STAR CELL PHONE WINNER ONE STAR NATURE WINNER 10 2021 14March April 2021
Nyala kill
Peter Fine
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ONE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 14 April 2021
ChiaroD
Brian Abrahams
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TWO STAR NATURE WINNER 14 April 2021
Cattle Why go when I amEgret still thirsty PeterDuffy Fine Gavin
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TWO STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 14 April 2021
Windswept
Linda Carter
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THREE STAR NATURE WINNER 14 April 2021
Ostrich Pair
Brian Kleinwort
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THREE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 14 April 2021
ah I lost it
Kenneth Kubheka
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FOUR STAR NATURE WINNER 14 April 2021
Kaleidoscope of colours Christa Smith
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FOUR STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 14 April 2021
Leaving in a While
Stephen
Kangisser
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FIVE & 5 STAR HONOURS NATURE WINNER
14 April 2021
Incoming
Dino Bottega
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FIVE & 5 STAR HONOURS PICTORIAL WINNER
14 April 2021
Vortex
Gary Andrew Peck
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SET SUBJECT WINNER TREES 14 April 2021
Lone tree faces oncoming storm Natasha Bird
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SET SUBJECT WINNER STEAM 28 April 2021
Hot Cuppa
Gary Andrew Peck
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POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU ENTER NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY The Most IMPORTANT aspect of Nature Photography to remember is that
NO MANIPULATION IS ALLOWED WHAT IS CONSTRUED AS MANIPULATION? Manipulation shall constitute any or all of the following modifications to the original image: •Adding an element to the image that was not contained in the original capture; •Removing an element from the image that was contained in the original capture; •Moving or repositioning an element of the image that was contained in the original capture. In the categories Nature and Photojournalism, manipulation is not allowed.
In the Open category, there is no restriction whatsoever in the way authors choose to post process an image. The following actions are allowed, and are not seen as manipulation, and therefore may be used with Nature images: •Cropping •Correction of lens distortion, chromatic aberrations, purple fringing, lens vignette and vertical/ horizontal perspective adjustments; •Removal of dust spots or scratch marks from sensor or scanned images; •The blending of different exposures of the same scene to broaden the dynamic range e.g. High Dynamic Range (HDR); •Photo stacking to overcome the limitations of the digital sensor heat artefacts in long exposures. • Focus stacking to widen the depth of field especially in Macro photography. In the case of Nature and Wildlife, HDR and focus stacking will not be considered as manipulation and may be used provided that the end result is a faithful representation of the original scene. Please note: HDR and Focus stacking are not allowed in Photojournalism. Study the rules for each competition or Salon as they will be unique.
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ONE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 28 April 2021
Chiara D
Brian Abrahams
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TWO STAR NATURE WINNER 28 April 2021
Thirsty work
Gavin
Duffy
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TWO STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 28 April 2021
All by myself
Fabiola Geeven
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THREE STAR NATURE WINNER 28 April 2021
Dramatic Elephant
Andrew Mayes
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THREE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 28 April 2021
leaving stones and dust behind Kenneth Kubheka
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FOUR STAR NATURE WINNER 28 April 2021
Leopard Stare
Stephen
Kangisser
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FOUR STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 28 April 2021
Little lady
Christa Smith
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5* & 5 Star Honours NATURE WINNER 28 April 2021
Preening at first light Dino Bottega
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5* & 5 Star Honours PICTORIAL WINNER 28 April 2021
Lady and the Eagle Hanli Smit
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CELL PHONE WINNERS 14 April 2021
1_CP_The postcard view _David Morris
3_CP_macaroon feast_Caryn Wilson
5_CP_Pensive Portraits_ Clare Appleyard
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CELL PHONE WINNERS 28 April 2021
1_CP_Wat Rong Khun_David Morris
3_CP_styles and stripes_Caryn Wilson
5_CP_Cape Town Vibes_Clare Appleyard
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INSPIRING WEBSITES
PRESENT MASTERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
G E O R G E M A Y E R georgemayerstudio.com THIS IS A TRULY INSPIRATIONAL WEBSITE TO VISIT Photographer, designer, artist, member of the Union of Russian Art Photographers. George was born in Nizhny Tagil, Russia in 1985. In 2004 he graduated from the Ural College of Arts and Crafts with honors where he majored in environmental design. Up to 2007 he worked as an interior designer. He participated and became a prize winner of Russian national contests of architecture and design. His works were published in professional books and periodicals for architects and designers by such publishing houses as Tatlin and UniverPress. Since 2008, he has been taking part in well-known international photo contests such as Photography Masters Cup (USA), The Spider Awards (USA), National Portrait Gallery Awards (UK), Maestro Photo Contest (Russia). In 2011 George Mayer won the Russian photo contest Young Photographers of Russia. The contest projects were exhibited in Kazan, Moscow, at the interntional art festival in Marsciano (Italy) and were published in professional editions. In 2011 George was the winner of the photo contest The Spider Awards (USA) where he won Photographer of the Year, Outstanding Achievements in Black-and-White Photography. In 2011 George Mayer arranged his first personal exhibition in FotoliaLAB Gallery (Berlin, Germa-ny). In 2012 he was a finalist of the contest Young Photographers of Russia after which he was admitted to the Union of Russian Art Photographers. In the same year he was nominated for the award in the photo contest Sony World Photography Awards, the exhibition was held in Somerset House (London, UK). In 2015 he participated in the project Perfumer organized by the art center Perinnye Ryady in St. Petersburg (Russia). With his project “Shadows” he won Photographer of the Year at International Photography Awards. The award ceremony took place in Carnegie Hall (New York, USA). George was nominated for the first prize of IPA and Lucie Awards statuette. In 2017 George won one of the most prestigious world photography contests “Sony World Photography Awards” where the project Light. Shadows. Perfect woman.” took the first prize among the professionals in nomination “Portraiture”. After winning the project “Light. Shadows. Perfect woman.” was published in numerous specialized European editions about photography.
39 / APRIL 2021 The SONY company gave a grant for the project “Libido & Mortido”, the portraits from this project were exhibited in Somerset House, London. Along with art photography George Mayer works in commercial and fashion photography. Since 2009 he has been collaborating with internationally recognized modeling agencies and stylists. Thanks to this his works are regularly published in Russian and foreign fashion magazines. Among the companies that have bought photos by George Mayer are Adobe, Atlantic Records, Alfa Romeo, Lalique and others. His photographs can be seen on covers of dozens of music CDs by such popular foreign singers as Chris Brown, “Buller for my Valentine”, “Operator”. And also one can see photos by George on books by acknowledged Russian and foreign writers and playwrights. Among them are the Nobel Prize winner in literature Mario Vargas Llosa, and the famous French writer, Bernard Werber. Some photos were also bought by Netflix for the film “Bright” (2017) starring Will Smith and some photos were bought by the MGM Television for the cult-favourite series “Fargo.
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Closing dates for upcoming Salons 2021 find the information brochures on the PSSA website 2021-04-30 Jurassic Coast International AV Salon (Brochure available) 2021-05-01 7th Tygerberg National Salon (Brochure available) 2021-05-08 Durban 100 Year Anniversary National (Brochure available) 2021-05-15 5th Vanderbijlpark National (Brochure available) 2021-05-22 3rd SASOL Highveld National Salon (Brochure available) 2021-07-03 1st Witzenberg Photographic Society Digital & Print Salon (Brochure available) 2021-07-17 PSSA National Youth Salon 2021-07-31 TAF PDI 11th National Salon (Brochure available) 2021-08-14 16th Krugersdorp Camera Club National Digital Salon 2021-08-21 Sandton 8th National Digital Salon 2021-08-28 VPS National Salon 2021-09-11 AFO 10th Digital Salon 2021-09-18 5th Lowveld National Salon 2021-10-02 8th Swartland Salon 2021-10-09 Camera Obscura International Salon Circuit - Edenvale
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TIPS ON USING YOUR REFLECTOR Use a black reflector to create more dramatic shadows Sometimes, you actually want to deepen the shadows. I use this technique all the time in my headshot studio. Below is a photo of me with a white background. In the first shot, I have a silver reflector opposite the main light, sending light back towards my left cheek. In the second shot, the reflector has a black cover on it, gobbling up reflected light to leave a dark shadow on the cheek. Except for the small change of literally flipping the reflector from one side to the other, the lighting setup is identical, but the effect is pretty dramatic. (For you studio lighting enthusiasts out there, my key light here is a large softbox, and there are two bare heads pointing at the background to make sure it is a nice, bright white). This is the same technique used in the famous Steve Jobs portrait where he has his hand on his chin. In addition to creating a little drama, you can also use this technique to give someone a photographic face-lift by trimming pounds from the dark side of their face and under their chin.
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Tips on photographing a person with strong back light Backlit Person The easiest approach is to simply expose correctly for the subject and let the background be overexposed. This is where you should start and get comfortable dealing with light behind the subject. You can also use a reflector to bounce some of the light behind your subject back into their face. The last and most effective way to get light on your subject in a backlit shot is to use off camera flash. The advantages of using a flash are that you can control the power, you can use gels to get the right colour, and you can make the light as hard or as soft as you want. If you have a flash powerful enough, you can crank it up and underexpose the background a little for a really cool look.
Understand Spot Metering Spot metering helps the camera focus on a small part of the subject, allowing you to determine the best exposure for that area (i.e.: person). Since your subject’s back is facing the light source, the front side will be darker. In effect, you need to add more light to the scene. When you use spot metering, you can avoid underexposure while focusing on the subject. Try placing the focussing point over the subject’s eyes, wait for the exposure to apply, and then click the shutter button.
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CLUB OUTING 15 MAY 2021 FITNESS MODEL SHOOT MIDRAND
If you are interested in this outing, please contact Dave We will be shooting at a venue in Midrand with 3 glass windows, that means a lot of back light. We will have a backdrop, but the object of the exersise is to learn how to shoot with bright light behind the subject. We will also shoot with the grey backdrop and anbient light. Please bring reflectors if you have, and 50mm or 85mm lenses that can shoot at a low F-stop like F1.8 or 2.8 or 3.5. If you only have a standard kit lens it will also be perfect. We have limited space available!!
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Member FOCUS
HITESH D A Y A Focus: When did you start taking photos? Hitesh: I became intrigued with photography in primary school. I used to play around with my grandfather’s old Olympus camera & I would take a few pictures at sports events for the school newsletter. I became passionate about photography around 2012. Focus: What camera are you using? Hitesh: I am currently using a Fujifilm XT-3. Focus: What is your favourite genre Hitesh: I enjoy photographing wildlife. For me, nothing beats being out in the wild. It’s me & the camera & all else falls away. Focus: What would you like to learn in your photography? Hitesh: I would love to develop my skills in landscape photography & studio work. Focus: Do you find being a member of a photo club is at all helpful? Hitesh: Definitely. I have learnt so much from our club nights. The critique & advice from judges are invaluable. Focus: Tell us a bit more about yourself? Hitesh: I am an optometrist by profession & enjoy working with optics & lenses. I love having the opportunity daily to help people see better or in some cases see clearly for the first time. I am a dad to a 1-year-old boy. I love photographing him & all his antics that he somehow gets up to.
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Hitesh Daya Photography
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Member FOCUS
TAHLITA VERSTER My sister was alway the one interested in photography. I remember as a kid she would make us pose and she would take photos of us with the old film cameras. I was never interested in it. About 10 years ago and just for fun I started playing around with a camera. It was about 2 years after that, that I realized I absolutely loved taking photos. It had become a passion. I found that I would be looking at everyday things in a “new” way, thinking to myself that this would make a nice photo. The only camera I had was either my phone or one of the small digital point and shoot Canons. I eventually went out and got a Canon EOS 650D which is what I still use today. My favorite genre of photography is wildlife and landscape. I have always been an animal lover and to be able to photograph them in their natural habitat is a dream of mine. I went to Italy in 2019 and seeing and photographing the incredible buildings they have there I am finding myself being drawn to architecture photography. I guess I am still trying to figure out what it is I want to do. If I look at the incredible photos of our senior members, Natasha, Clare, Robbie, Vicki and Hanli (just to mention a few), all your photos are exquisite. My goal at the moment is to one day be able to take photos that are as good as yours. You guys are a real inspiration. I would like people to look at my photos and say “wow I did not see or think of it that way”. I would like to give a new perspective to things. To show people some of what I see. With all that we are doing to the world, our wildlife in particular, I want to capture the beauty of our wildlife and landscapes before they are all gone. I would like to learn more about composure. I am not very creative. I see a picture in my mind of what a I would want my photos to come out but when I take the photo, it does not come out the way I had imagined. Things are just not quite as I saw it or how I pictured it would look. The photographer I admire at the moment is Bruna Mentrup-Nortje. She is an incredible wildlife photographer. She captures the real essence of the animals and their life. Being part of EPC is wonderful. There are so many amazingly talented photographers. Attending club nights is always such an inspiration and joy. Due to study commitments unfortunately I cannot attend as many as I would like to. I love being a part of Edenvale Photography club. I have come a long way from where I started but I still have so much to learn.
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Tahlita Verster Photography
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Article submitted and prepared by Heidi Broschk
THIS ARTIST TURNS EVERYDAY ITEMS INTO HILARIOUS OPTICAL ILLUSIONS February 24, 2021 by Dunja Djudjic, DIY Photography
Scrolling through my Instagram recommendations the other day, a strange horse appeared on my timeline. It was made of clothes on a clothing line; it made me smile and made me curious about the artist behind it. And that’s how I discovered Helga Stentzel. She creates fun and quirky images from everyday stuff, turning something we see every day into photos we definitely don’t see every day. Her photos amazed me and amused me, and she kindly shared some of them with DIYP readers. Helga is a visual artist who was born in Russia but is currently based in London, UK. She works in a wide range of media: photography, illustration, video, and stop motion animation. She even combines them together, which is obvious in her work. Other than still images, you’ll sometimes see fun animations on her profile, too.
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