FOCUS
Edenvale Photo Club
Newsletter - FEBRUARY 2021
Sharing Visual Art since 1950 CERPS WINNERS 2018 AND 2019
02 / February 2021 COVER IMAGE BY KENNETH MUKUTE “Alone” was shot during a City Takeover organised by the Joburg photo walkers in December 2020. As I was walking the streets of downtown Johannesburg, I came across this gentleman and I was drawn to him by his distinctive facial features and beard. I also noticed he had quite an intense gaze that seemed to block out all the hustle and bustle of the city out and he was in his own dream world. I approached him and we struck conversation as I asked to take a shot of him. He is originally from Durban, and he spoke of how much if we don’t have peace, we are not free. We parted on a light note as I handed him some cash for his evening meal.
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
03 / February 2021
DEAR MEMBERS I cannot believe we are already in March. Time is marching. They say the older you get the faster time goes by. Time seems to be supersonic for me. Jokes aside though, we all need to make the most of the time we have. This applies especially to family and friends. Connect, talk, spend time together; these are important and times to cherish in the future. Let your photography take you to places you would not normally go; see things you would not normally see and meet like-minded people who share your passion. Build friendships, build relationships, and create memories. Anger and bitterness is someone else’s power over you. Forgive and forget. Life is too short to hold grudges. Expand your horizons, widen your mind, learn new photographic techniques and above all, enjoy what you do. Enjoyment creates growth and growth creates enjoyment. Take life by both hands and shake it hard. Let the fruits of life fall from the tree, to be enjoyed and shared. I find myself grumbling sometimes about my lot in life. Taking a step back and looking in from the outside I realise that I have nothing to complain about. I have everything I need. I would imagine there is always room for improvement, but constantly seeking the next best thing leaves ones empty and never satisfied. Strive to be a better person; strive to be a better photographer. If you can touch just one person through your actions or images you have achieved more than most on this planet.
Chairman: David Wolstencroft 083 229 8066 davewol@gmail.com
Live a whole, rounded life. Experience, love, and share. This will come through in your photography as you change the way you look at life. Wishing you all only the absolute best, always, and looking forward to your seeing your images. Dave
04 / February 2021
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
05 / February 2021
IN THIS ISSUE Page 6
PAST MASTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY -- Philippe Halsman
Page 14
CHEAT SHEETS , ISO AND APERTURE
Page 16
27 JAN CLUB NIGHT WINNERS
Page 17
CHEAT SHEETS , SHOOTING MODES
Page 28
CHEAT SHEETS , SHUTTER SPEED
Page 29
CELL PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
Page 30
10TH FEB CLUB NIGHT WINNERS
Page 40
SALON CLOSING DATES
Page 41
24TH FEB CLUB NIGHT WINNERS
Page 55
MEMBER ........FOCUS KENNETH MUKUTE
06 / February 2021
PAST MASTERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
P H I L I P P E
HALSMAN Halsman was born in Riga to a Jewish couple, Morduch (Maks) Halsman, a dentist, and Ita Grintuch, a grammar school principal. He studied electrical engineering in Dresden. In September 1928, 22-year-old Halsman was accused of his father’s murder while they were on a hiking trip in the Austrian Tyrol, an area rife with antisemitism. After a trial based on circumstantial evidence he was sentenced to four years of prison. His family, friends and barristers worked for his release, getting support from important European intellectuals including Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Jakob Wassermann, Erich Fromm, Paul Painlevé, Heinrich Eduard Jacob and Rudolf Olden, who endorsed his innocence. Halsman spent two years in prison, contracted tuberculosis there, and his letters from prison were published as a book in 1930: Briefe aus der Haft an eine Freundin. He was pardoned by the President of Austria, Wilhelm Miklas, and released in October 1930. Halsman consequently left Austria for France.He began contributing to fashion magazines such as Vogue and soon gained a reputation as one of the best portrait photographers in France, renowned for images that were sharp rather than in soft focus as was often used, and closely cropped. When France was invaded by Germany, Halsman fled to Marseille. He eventually managed to obtain a U.S. visa, aided by family friend Albert Einstein (whom he later famously photographed in 1947). Halsman had his first success in America when the cosmetics firm Elizabeth Arden used his image of model Constance Ford against the American flag in an advertising campaign for “Victory Red” lipstick.
07 / February 2021 Dalí Atomicus (1948) by Halsman in an unretouched version, showing the devices which held up the various props and missing the painting in the frame on the easel. In 1941 Halsman met the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí; they began to collaborate in the late 1940s. The 1948 work Dalí Atomicus explores the idea of suspension, depicting three cats flying, a bucket of thrown water, and Dalí in mid air. The title of the photograph is a reference to Dalí’s work Leda Atomica which can be seen in the right of the photograph behind the two cats. Halsman reported that it took 28 attempts before a satisfactory result was achieved. Halsman and Dalí eventually released a compendium of their collaborations in the 1954 book Dali’s Mustache, which features 36 different views of the artist’s distinctive mustache. Another famous collaboration between the two was In Voluptas Mors, a surrealistic portrait of Dalí beside a large skull, in fact a tableau vivant composed of seven nudes. Halsman took three hours to arrange the models according to a sketch by Dalí. Various reenactments of and allusions to In Voluptas Mors have appeared over the years; most famously, a version was used subtly in the poster for the film The Silence of The Lambs, while an overt reenactment apeared on a promotional poster for The Descent. In 1947 Halsman made what was to become one of his most famous photos of a mournful Albert Einstein,
who during the photography session recounted his regrets about his role in the United States pursuing the atomic bomb. The photo would later be used in 1966 on a U.S. postage stamp and, in 1999, on the cover of Time magazine, when it called Einstein the “Person of the Century.” In 1951 Halsman was commissioned by NBC to photograph various popular comedians of the time including Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Groucho Marx, and Bob Hope. While photographing the comedians doing their acts, he captured many of the comedians in mid-air, which went on to inspire many later jump pictures of celebrities including the Ford family, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Marilyn Monroe, María Félix and Richard Nixon. Halsman commented, “When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears.” The photographer developed a philosophy of jump photography, which he called jumpology. He published Philippe Halsman’s Jump Book in 1959, which contained a tongue-in-cheek discussion of jumpology and 178 photographs of celebrity jumpers. His 1961 book Halsman on the Creation of Photographic Ideas, discussed ways for photographers to produce unusual pieces of work by following six rules: •the rule of the direct approach •the rule of the unusual technique •the rule of the added unusual feature •the rule of the missing feature •the rule of compounded features •the rule of the literal or ideographic method
To make an ordinary and uninteresting subject interesting and unusual, his second rule lists a variety of photographic techniques, including unusual lighting, unusual angle, unusual composition, etc. The rule of the added unusual feature is an effort by the photographer to capture the audiences attention by drawing their eye to something unexpected by introducing an unusual feature or prop into the photograph. For example, the photograph of a little boy holding a hand grenade by Diane Arbus contains what Halsman would call an added unusual feature. Halsman’s fourth rule of “the missing feature” stimulates the viewer by going against his or her expectations. The fifth rule enlists the photographer to combine the other rules to add originality to his or her photo.
Finally, Halsman’s literal or ideographic method is to illustrate a message in a photograph by depicting the subject as clearly as possible.
Other celebrities photographed by Halsman include Alfred Hitchcock, Martin and Lewis, Judy Garland, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Dorothy Dandridge, In his first rule, Halsman explains that being straightforward and plain creates Pablo Picasso, and a strong photograph. Jean Cocteau.
08 / February 2021
Many of his photographs appeared on the cover of Life. In such photos, he utilizes a variety of his rules of photography. For example, in one of his photos of Winston Churchill, the omission of his face makes Halsman’s photo even more powerful at making Churchill more human. In 1952 John F. Kennedy sat twice for photographs by Halsman. A photograph from the first sitting appeared on the jacket of the original edition of Kennedy’s book Profiles in Courage; one from the second sitting was used in his senatorial campaign. In 1958 Halsman was listed in Popular Photography magazine’s “World’s Ten Greatest Photographers”, and in 1975 he received the Life Achievement in Photography Award from the American Society of Magazine Photographers, of which he was elected the first president in 1945. He also held many large exhibitions worldwide. In 1967 Halsman received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. In the 2007 film Jump!, Halsman was portrayed by Ben Silverstone.
cover of LIFE magazine
In 1958 Halsman was listed in Popular Photography magazine’s “World’s Ten Greatest Photographers”, and in 1975 he received the Life Achievement in Photography Award
09 / February 2021
Halsman and Dalí eventually released a compendium of their collaborations in the 1954 book Dali’s Mustache, which features 36 different views of the artist’s distinctive mustache. The 1948 work Dalí Atomicus explores the idea of suspension, depicting three cats flying, a bucket of thrown water, and Dalí in mid air. The title of the photograph is a reference to Dalí’s work Leda Atomica which can be seen in the right of the photograph behind the two cats. Halsman reported that it took 28 attempts before a satisfactory result was achieved.
10 / February 2021
H
HALSMAN - ALTERED REALITY - SUREALISM ALL WITHOUT PHOTOSHOP
12 / February 2021
13 / February 2021
- Philippe Halsman’s rule of ”the added unusual feature” is an effort by the photographer to capture the audiences’ attention, by drawing their eye to something unexpected by introducing an unusual feature or prop into the photograph.
14 / February 2021
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15 /February 2021
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16 / February 2021
ONE STAR NATURE WINNER 27 Jan 2021
Cattle Egret
Peter Fine
17 / February 2021
CUT OUT AND KEEP
18/ February 2021
TWO STAR NATURE WINNER 27 Jan 2021
Synchronised Elands
Andrew Mayes
19 / February 2021
TWO STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 27 Jan 2021
Nicole
Tony Wilson
20/ February 2021
THREE STAR NATURE WINNER 27 Jan 2021
Leopard on the Move
Stephen
Kangisser
21/ February 2021
THREE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 27 Jan 2021
Portrait of an Apple Seller
Stephen
Kangisser
22 / February 2021
FOUR STAR NATURE WINNER 27 Jan 2021
Marbled Reed Frog
Christa Smith
23 / February 2021
W E N
5* & 5 Star Honours CELL PHONE WINNER
10 FEB
Meditation
Vadivelu TT
24 / February 2021
FIVE & 5 STAR HONOURS NATURE WINNER
27 Jan 2021
Dish of the day
Dino
Bottega
25 / February 2021
FIVE & 5 STAR HONOURS PICTORIAL WINNER
27 Jan 2021
Wrapped in gold Hanli Smit
26 / February 2021
SET SUBJECT WINNER 27 Jan 2021
Frozen in Ice
Natasha Bird
27 / February 2021
SET SUBJECT WINNER 10TH FEB
Tidal Pool Reflections Vicki Street
28 / February 2021
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29 / February 2021 https://www.theschoolofphotography.com/tutorials/how-to-take-good-photos-with-a-phone
How to take good photos with a phone - 10 Want to take better smartphone photography? Here are 10 smartphone photography tips to get you snapping like a pro. These days, everyone has a camera on them via their phone. Smartphone cameras may not be up there with DSLRs when it comes to quality photography, but they are getting better and better – and for many people, they’re the only cameras they use. So here we’ll show you how to take professional photos with your phone with our 10 top tips! Take this guide with you wherever you go! Download it for free at the top of this page. You could even keep it on your phone 1. Capture Multiple Shots One of the best things about smartphone photography is that you can take as many photos as you want and there is no need to print them off to see the results. This makes it much easier to learn and improve from your results. Burst photos are good to use when using your smartphone for photography they allow you to capture multiple shots as your subject moves. Once you’ve taken a set of burst photos, you can then select the best shots. 2. Learn What Your Camera Can Do Start by taking some time to find out exactly what your phone’s camera is capable of. Analyse the auto mode and look at how it focuses and takes an exposure to light, this is normally done by touching the screen where you want the focus point to be, but it’s good to check. Has the camera phone got the manual settings? If so, get to know them. Some cameras allow you to use more manual settings like white balance and shutter speed. These can help you to take even better photos when you know how to use them. 3. Stick to Outdoors and use natural light where possible Very few smartphones can produce excellent indoor shots due to their small sensors.
killer tips!
As such, it’s best to take photos outdoors in the proper lighting conditions to get better results. Lighting determines not only brightness and darkness, but also mood, tone and the atmosphere of the photo. Therefore, try and use natural light when taking photos on a smartphone.
Give the rule of thirds a try. Whether you’re taking pictures of friends at a bar or working on a landscape shot, you’ll find it simple and effective. Learn more composition tips and how to take better pictures in our course the Complete Guide to Photography.
4. Avoid Digital Zoom Digital zoom nearly always produces poor results as it reduces the resolution of the image. Avoiding it is one of the basic photography tips for taking better photos. Optical zooms however are fine as they do not affect the quality of the photo and these are becoming more common on smartphones. If you only have a digital zoom then instead of using it, simply move closer to maintain the image quality.
8. If dark, rest the phone on a flat surface In dark conditions you can sometimes get camera shake, leading to blurred results. The camera will also push up the ISO which will lead to noise in your pictures. To reduce this simply lean your phone on a flat surface like a wall, table, ledge. This is a great bit of advice if you want to take pictures in a concert, music venue, bar or anywhere that has dark conditions.
5. Use HDR HDR mode stands for High Dynamic Range, and it is increasingly common on many smartphones. It adds detail from the dark and light areas to provide better balanced exposure. In other words, it will stop the sky being too bright or the ground being too dark and really suits landscape photography. If there’s a big difference between the lightest and darkest parts of your scene, using the camera phone’s HDR function it’s a good option. 6. Use Editing Tools You have easy access to editing tools, whether in the camera phones built in editor, or by using more advanced phone apps like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. Using these apps you can crop and touch up your photos in seconds. And don’t forget here at The School of Photography we teach Lightroom, Photoshop and much more in our membership option. Become a member of TSOP today. 7. Apply the rule of thirds In the rule of thirds, an image is split into nine equal blocks that form a three-by-three grid. You should aim to get the most interesting parts of your image near the corners of these segments, where the imaginary gridlines meet. Using the rule of thirds give a more natural feeling to the image and allows the eye to flow around the picture with ease. In contrast to this, placing things symmetrical in your frame will give a clean and clinical feeling (which can also be a good look).
9. Download Better Apps The standard apps are pretty good on most smartphones, but there are others to try out. Editing apps offer more features, settings and filters to take your photos to the next level. Some good editing apps for phones are: 1.VSCO Cam can be used on iPhone & Android. 2.Snapseed can be used on iPhone, iPad & Android. 3.Instagram can be used on iphone, Android & Windows Phone. 4.Flickr can be used on iPhone, Android & Windows Phone. 5.Lightroom can be used on iPhone, Android & Windows Phone. 10. Do you need a Better Phone? It sounds obvious, but sometimes the best way to take better photos is to simply get a better phone. You can read all the photography tips you like, but the fact is that smartphone camera quality varies greatly, so make sure you get one that is capable of taking the photos you want. What phone has the best camera in 2020? Here’s a few we’ve picked out. 1. Samsung Galaxy, S8, S9, S10 2. Xiaomi Mi Note 10 3. 3. Google Pixel 4 XL
30 / February 2021
ONE STAR NATURE WINNER 10 FEB
grey-headed gull Peter Fine
31 / February 2021
ONE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 10 FEB
Alone
Kenneth Mukute
32 / February 2021
TWO STAR NATURE WINNER 10 FEB
Zebra in the Swamplands Linda Carter
33/ February 2021
TWO STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 10 FEB
Kingfisher Dam
Linda Carter
34 / February 2021
THREE STAR NATURE WINNER 10 FEB
Coots Fighting
Brian Kleinwort
35 / February 2021
THREE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 10 FEB
Highkey Hornbill
Michael Broschk
36 / February 2021
FOUR STAR NATURE WINNER 10 FEB
My safe place
Christa Smith
37 / February 2021
W E N
5* & 5 Star Honours CELL PHONE WINNER
10 FEB
EveningShop
Vadivelu TT
38 / February 2021
5* & 5 Star Honours NATURE WINNER 10 FEB
Tasty Tadpole
Dino Bottega
39 / February 2021
5* & 5 Star Honours PICTORIAL Winners 10 FEB
Joshua
Vicki Street
40 / February 2021
Closing dates for upcoming Salons 2021 find the information brochures on the PSSA website www.pssa.co.za 2021-02-27 Western Cape Photographic Forum International (Brochure available) 2021-03-20 PSSA 19th Up and Coming Competition (Brochure available) 2021-03-27 PSSA 7th National Salon (Brochure available) 2021-04-03 2e Kosmos Nasionaal 2021-04-10 1st Creative Camera Club National 2021-04-17 4th Hibiscus National (Brochure available) 2021-04-24 2nd Klerksdorp National 2021-04-30 Jurassic Coast International AV Salon (Brochure available) 2021-05-01 7th Tygerberg National 2021-05-08 Durban 100 Year Anniversary National (Brochure available) 2021-05-15 5th Vanderbijlpark National 2021-05-22 SASOL Highveld National
41 / February 2021
N
EW
ONE STAR CELL PHONE WINNER 24 FEB
_Waiting for take off
Kenneth Mukute
42 / February 2021
ONE STAR NATURE WINNER 24 FEB
white-fronted bee-eater Peter Fine
43 / February 2021
ONE STAR WINNER 24 FEB
Ride Home
Kenneth Mukute
44 / February 2021
W E N
TWO STAR CELL PHONE WINNER 24 FEB
Lady Water
Tahlita Verster
45 / February 2021
TWO STAR NATURE WINNER 24 FEB
Pastel Hues
Linda Carter
46 / February 2021
TWO STAR WINNER 24 FEB
Rose
Tony Wilson
47 / February 2021
W E N
THREE STAR CELL PHONE WINNER 24 FEB
purple delight
Caryn Wilson
48 / February 2021
THREE STAR NATURE WINNER
24 FEB
Buffalo Portrait
Michael Broschk
49 / February 2021
THREE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER
24 FEB
Scarlet and Blue
Stephen
Kangisser
50 / February 2021
FOUR STAR NATURE WINNER 24 FEB
The family photo
Christa Smith
51 / February 2021
W E N
5* & 5 Star Honours CELL PHONE WINNER
10 FEB
Tigers Nest
Vadivelu TT
52 / February 2021
5* & 5 Star Honours NATURE WINNER
10 FEB
Under my Umbrella Vicki Street
53 / February 2021
5* & 5 Star Honours Winners 10 FEB
60’s Glamour Model Vicki Street
54 / February 2021
SET SUBJECT WINNER 24 FEB
Spitzkoppe Namibian Rocky Mountain Natasha Bird
Member FOCUS K E N N E T H
55 / February 2021
MUKUTE The thought of being able to share unforgettable moments through photography to me is magical and I am known for stopping my car on the highway to shoot a lovely sunset or some random tree. I got my camera a Cannon 750D DSLR in September 2018 as I was preparing for a family holiday in Mauritius. When I look back, I laugh as I remember paging through a beginner guide to photography to get to know the basics and also the different genres and my greatest find at the time was being able to shoot in AV and TV modes (lol). I joined the club in 2019 and was very motivated when I got gold in my first submission. I am always humbled and intrigued at how members are open and willing to assist me. Clare patiently taught me how to shoot in manual at the fireman’s tavern event and what a WOW experience, had an image that scored a COM at club and had acceptances in national salons too! Landscape photography is my first love, and I also enjoy street, and travel genres. I am working on my portraiture, and studio skills especially with it comes to editing with photoshop, I currently use lightroom for my editing. I lost my Dad in July 2020 after a short battle with cancer and my camera was tucked away for the better part of that year. It is when you go back to what makes you happy do you realise just how much memories I captured with my photography. I will continue to celebrate life and my view of the world through the lens!
56 / February 2021
Member FOCUS Images by:
Kenneth Mukute
57 / February 2021 Images by:
Kenneth Mukute The thought of being able to share unforgettable moments through photography to me is magical and I am known for stopping my car on the highway to shoot a lovely sunset or some random tree.
58 / February 2021
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59 / February 2021
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