FOCUS

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F CUS JULY 2022

SHARING VISUAL ART


02 - JULY 2022 COVER STORY BY Ruth Smit This was a random pic that I took of our cat Blackie, with my iPhone 12 . I saw the silhouette of his shadow and thought...WOW I’ve got to take a pic of this, and so I did . My camera was too far away, I would’ve lost the moment if I went to go get the camera .I realise what they mean when they say the best camera is the one in your hand. I should have called it “Carpe diem”

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 Clare Appleyard

EDENVALE PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA


JULY 2022 - 03

DEAR MEMBERS

Do we Judge the Judge?

First of all, remember that the judge is not attacking you personally. Remember that photography is very subjective. Just because one person doesn’t like something about your photo doesn’t mean that it’s bad – a hundred people could love exactly what the one person is hating. I often smile and nod when people give me their advice or tell me what they don’t like. It’s hard sometimes to fight the urge to justify why you did something, or tell someone why their critique is wrong. But really, what’s the point in fighting back? It is just one person’s opinion. As I mentioned before – photography is subjective and, first and foremost, shoot to please no other than yourself. Over the past 18 years that I have been with Edenvale Photography club I have learned a lot and developed tremendously..even though I have not always and still don’t always agree with the judges critique. Keep an open mind, listen to the judge and don’t take it personally. Keep on trying and keep on shooting for your own pleasure, we have a very strong club and I am sure some (less experienced) judges find the standard at Edenvale intimidating. Hanli Smit Editor & Chairperson

Hanli


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Committee Members

BI-MONTHLY MEETINGS ARE CURRENTLY taking place at the Modderfontein Golf Course and we are also live streaming it via Zoom for our out of town and country members

David Wolstencroft 083 229 8066 davewol@gmail.com

Kenith Kubheka 082 671 8336

Linda Carter 083 324 0702 linda@m-d-s.co.za

Andrew Mayes 083 417 2194 mayes.andy.1980@gmail.com

royal.kubheka@gmail.com

Hanli Smit 083 253 1034 hanlis54@gmail.com

Clare Appleyard 083 234 0247 clare.appleyard@gmail.com

MEETING TIME AND PLACE 2ND AND 4TH WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT 18H30 FOR 19H00 MODDERFONTEIN GOLF COURSE


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IN THIS ISSUE Page 6 Page 16

CUBISM IN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

13 JULY 2022- CLUB NIGHT WINNERS

Page 30

27 JULY 2022- CLUB NIGHT WINNERS

Page 45

MEMBER FOCUS - Etteine van Niekerk

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ZIMANGE OFFER

Page 44

LENS DISTORTION GUIDE

Page 50

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

Page 51

INSPIRATIONAL WEBSITES

Page 55

CERPS 29 OCTOBER 2022


06 -JULY 2022

Source: Wikipedia

HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

CUBISM Art & Photography Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form—instead of depicting objects from a single viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context. Cubism has been considered the most influential art movement of the 20th century. The term is broadly used in association with a wide variety of art produced in Paris (Montmartre and Montparnasse) or near Paris (Puteaux) during the 1910s and throughout the 1920s. The movement was pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, and joined by Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Robert Delaunay, Henri Le Fauconnier, Juan Gris, and Fernand Léger. One primary influence that led to Cubism was the representation of three-dimensional form in the late works of Paul Cézanne. A retrospective of Cézanne’s paintings was held at the Salon d’Automne of 1904, current works were displayed at the 1905 and 1906 Salon d’Automne, followed by two commemorative retrospectives after his death in 1907. In France, offshoots of Cubism developed, including Orphism, abstract art and later Purism. The impact of Cubism was far-reaching and wide-ranging. In France and other countries Futurism, Suprematism, Dada, Constructivism, Vorticism, De Stijl and Art Deco developed in response to Cubism. Early Futurist paintings hold in common with Cubism the fusing of the past and the present, the representation of different views of the subject pictured at the same time or successively, also called multiple perspective, simultaneity or multiplicity, while Constructivism was influenced by Picasso’s technique of constructing sculpture from separate elements. Other common threads between these disparate movements include the faceting or simplification of geometric forms, and the association of mechanization and modern life.


JULY 2022 - 07 History Historians have divided the history of Cubism into phases. In one scheme, the first phase of Cubism, known as Analytic Cubism, a phrase coined by Juan Gris a posteriori, was both radical and influential as a short but highly significant art movement between 1910 and 1912 in France. A second phase, Synthetic Cubism, remained vital until around 1919, when the Surrealist movement gained popularity. English art historian Douglas Cooper proposed another scheme, describing three phases of Cubism in his book, The Cubist Epoch. According to Cooper there was “Early Cubism”, (from 1906 to 1908) when the movement was initially developed in the studios of Picasso and Braque; the second phase being called “High Cubism”, (from 1909 to 1914) during which time Juan Gris emerged as an important exponent (after 1911); and finally Cooper referred to “Late Cubism” (from 1914 to 1921) as the last phase of Cubism as a radical avant-gardemovement. Douglas Cooper’s restrictive use of these terms to distinguish the work of Braque, Picasso, Gris (from 1911) and Léger (to a lesser extent) implied an intentional value judgement.

Far Left: Early Cubism by Braque, Still-Life with Violin and Pitcher Left: Woman with guitar By Georges Braque 1913

Images on the left: Cubist oil paintings by Pablo Picasso The Cubist movement was pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque


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Proto Cubism Proto-Cubism: 1907–1908 Cubism burgeoned between 1907 and 1911. Pablo Picasso’s 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon has often been considered a proto-Cubist work. In 1908, in his review of Georges Braque’s exhibition at Kahnweiler’s gallery, the critic Louis Vauxcelles called Braque a daring man who despises form, “reducing everything, places and a figures and houses, to geometric schemas, to cubes”. Vauxcelles recounted how Matisse told him at the time, “Braque has just sent in [to the 1908 Salon d’Automne] a painting made of little cubes. “The critic Charles Morice relayed Matisse’s words and spoke of Braque’s little cubes. The motif of the viaduct at l’Estaque had inspired Braque to produce three paintings marked by the simplification of form and deconstruction of perspective. Georges Braque’s 1908 Houses at L’Estaque (and related works) prompted Vauxcelles, in Gil Blas, 25 March 1909, to refer to bizarreries cubiques (cubic oddities). Gertrude Stein referred to landscapes made by Picasso in 1909, such as Reservoir at Horta de Ebro, as the first Cubist paintings. The first organized group exhibition by Cubists took place at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris during the spring of 1911 in a room called ‘Salle 41’; it included works by Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Fernand Léger, Robert Delaunay and Henri Le Fauconnier, yet no works by Picasso or Braque were exhibited. By 1911 Picasso was recognized as the inventor of Cubism, while Braque’s importance and precedence was argued later, with respect to his treatment of space, volume and mass in the L’Estaque landscapes. But “this view of Cubism is associated with a distinctly restrictive definition of which artists are properly to be called Cubists,” wrote the art historian Christopher Green: “Marginalizing the contribution of the artists who exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in 1911” The assertion that the Cubist depiction of space, mass, time, and volume supports (rather than contradicts) the flatness of the canvas was made by Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler as early as 1920,but it was subject to criticism in the 1950s and 1960s, especially by Clement Greenberg. Contemporary views of Cubism are complex, formed to some extent in response to the “Salle 41” Cubists, whose methods were too distinct from those of Picasso and Braque to be considered merely secondary to them. Alternative interpretations of Cubism have therefore developed. Wider views of Cubism include artists who were later associated with the “Salle 41” artists, e.g., Francis Picabia; the brothers Jacques Villon, Raymond Duchamp-Villon and Marcel Duchamp, who beginning in late 1911 formed the core of the Section d’Or (or the Puteaux Group); the sculptors Alexander Archipenko, Joseph Csaky and Ossip Zadkine as well as Jacques Lipchitz and Henri Laurens; and painters such as Louis Marcoussis, Roger de La Fresnaye, František Kupka, Diego Rivera, Léopold Survage, Auguste Herbin, André Lhote, Gino Severini (after 1916), María Blanchard (after 1916) and Georges Valmier (after 1918). More fundamentally, Christopher Green argues that Douglas Cooper’s terms were “later undermined by interpretations of the work of Picasso, Braque, Gris and Léger that stress iconographic and ideological questions rather than methods of representation.” John Berger identifies the essence of Cubism with the mechanical diagram. “The metaphorical model of Cubism is the diagram: The diagram being a visible symbolic representation of invisible processes, forces, structures. A diagram need not eschew certain aspects of appearance but these too will be treated as signs not as imitations or recreations.”


JULY 2022 - 09 PHOTO CUBISM OR CUBISM IN PHOTOGRAPHY How did Cubism influence photography? It asserts that Cubist painting triggered the formation of modern photographic style, that the seeds of this style were already present in Pictorialism, indeed that ‘’straight photography’’ was a concept formulated by the most advanced Pictorialists (Stieglitz, Paul Haviland, Karl Struss) as early as 1910

Cubism in photography was practiced by very few photographer as the principle style. However a great number of great photographers did a number of photos with a cubist approach. In Painting the cubist had two branches:

Within Photo Cubism there are two attitutes:

-Conceptual Cubism is mostly done - Analytic Cubism analysed the subject and broke it into fields representing the with post processing or mirrors and gives substance to a single concept total form and different angles - Synthetic Cubism was practiced by combining non related elements to create a new whole Analitic Cubism tend to explode whereas Synthetic Cubism implodes

Comparted Cubism Is more generally practiced by many photographers and involves a mosaic of images mostly supporting a central theme. These works would be a single photo or multiple photos.

Almost similar to painting, conceptual Cubism tend to explode and Comparted Cubism implodes. As with many 20th centuary avant garde styles Photomontage was a popular technique.


10 - JULY 2022 Conceptual Cubism - El Lissitzky 1890 - 1941


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Comparted Cubism - Robert Frank Robert Frank (November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019)

was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an American binational. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled The Americans, earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and nuanced outsider’s view of American society.


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Photo Cubism Ideas to try out.


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Photo Cubism Ideas to try out.


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ONE STAR CELLPHONE WINNER 13 July 2022

Summer fun

Sonja Olivier


JULY 2022 -17

ONE STAR NATURE WINNER 13 July 2022

Wet andCattle wrinkled elephant Egret John Hosking Peter Fine


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ONE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 13 July 2022

Mad skills

Leanne

Stone


JULY 2022 - 19

TWO STAR CELLPHONE WINNER 13 July 2022

It Takes Three

Tahlita Verster


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TWO STAR NATURE WINNER 13 July 2022

Hello Aloe

Brian Shaw


JULY 2022 - 21

TWO STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 13 July 2022

Fox Racer

Brian Shaw


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THREE STAR CELLPHONE WINNER 13 July 2022

Deep Beauty

Debra Russell


JULY 2022 - 23

THREE STAR NATURE WINNER 13 July 2022

Weaver in early morning light Linda Carter


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THREE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 13 July 2022

My Thoughts

Debra Russell


JULY 2022 - 25

FOUR STAR NATURE WINNER 13 July 2022

African Fish Eagle and its Food Stephen

Kangisser


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FOUR STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 13 July 2022

Beautiful Smile of Africa

Stephen

Kangisser


JULY 2022 - 27

FIVE STAR CELLPHONE WINNER 13 July 2022

My cats shadow

Ruth Anne Smit


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FIVE STAR NATURE WINNER 13 July 2022

Incoming

Antonette Bezuidenhout


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FIVE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 13 July 2022

Singapore Esplanade Vadivelu TT


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ONE STAR CELLPHONE WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Ontvlugting - Ingrid Jonker Jana Botha


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ONE STAR NATURE WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Standing Tall

Jade Nolan


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ONE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 27 JULY 2022

One two threeee

Sonja Olivier


JULY 2022 - 33

TWO STAR CELLPHONE WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Far far away

Clifton Hack


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TWO STAR NATURE WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Feeding on an Aloe Brian Shaw


JULY 2022 - 35

TWO STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Smoking on the Move Brian Shaw


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THREE STAR CELLPHONE WINNER 27 JULY 2022

White haze

Debra Russell


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THREE STAR NATURE WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Lilac breasted Roller Gavin

Duffy


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THREE STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Portrait of a Dancer Linda Carter


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FOUR STAR NATURE WINNER 27 JULY 2022

African Hawk Eagles

Stephen

Kangisser


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FOUR STAR PICTORIAL WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Learned Gentleman

Stephen

Kangisser


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5* & 5 Star Honours Cellphone WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Failure to launch

Clare Appleyard


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5* & 5 Star Honours NATURE WINNER 27 JULY 2022

In The Spotlight Ian Cooper


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5* & 5 Star Honours PICTORIAL WINNER 27 JULY 2022

Nightmare

Laetitia Kenny


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SET SUBJECT WINNER

27 JULY 2022 LEVITATION

Go towards the light

Clare Appleyard


JULY 2022 - 45 Images by Ettiene van Niekerk

MEMBER

FOCUS

ETTIENNE VAN NIEKERK I have always been interested in wildlife photography and especially avian photography but never knew what was required for getting that perfect image. I bought my first entry level Canon 1000D DSLR in 2009, after signing up on a photographic web site, where people could post their images. I received such negative feedback on the site and decided to rather stop posting. Instead, I spent a lot of time trying to read up and understand how to take better photos. I upgraded to a Canon 7D at the end of 2010 in the hope that this will improve my photography but sadly to say, it did not help. I then realized that there is more to photography than just equipment In September 2010, I joined a camera club after receiving advice from a colleague at work.


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Images by Ettienne van Niekerk

He suggested that I needed to join a club so that I could learn and understand the rules and techniques involved in taking photos. I really tried to take as many photos as possible and got advice where I could. I mostly learnt by reading articles on the internet and by learning from friends I slowly but surely got more positive feedback and it started to become an obsession to =improve. I moved up from 1 star to 5 star quite quickly and did my LPSSA and APSSA Honours. One of my photos was also awarded as the PSSA photo of the year in 2012. It is my passion to photograph birds. There is a lot of practice and patience that goes into photographing these beautiful creatures of nature, but the rewards are big when you get the perfect image. I have tried other types of photography but still have a lot to learn. I am currently using a Canon 1DX with a Canon 500mm F4 lens for most of my avian photos. I sometimes add a 1.4 extender to give me a focal length of 700mm and this combination works well. I use Adobe Photoshop to process all my images but would not say that I am an expert at editing. I just know enough to make the necessary adjustments in sharpness and in exposure. Although there is not a lot of manipulation allowed in nature photography, processing is very important because it could make or break an image.

What is important to take good avian photos? Someone told me a few years ago that it is 10% equipment, 20% talent and 70% Photoshop processing skills. I did not believe it at that stage but I tend to agree, if I think about it now. The only missing element in that statement would probably be patience. Without patience you will not get the shot and you need a good photo before you can start with the Photoshop techniques. I take most of my avian pictures between F5.6 and F8. It is advisable to try and keep the shutter speed as high as possible especially with birds in flight to get them pin sharp. I know we are told to lower shutter speed to get movement blur in the wings but that is still an area that I need to improve on. Golden light always works best, so get up early. The background is also very important. Try and get a clean, smooth and out of focus background by planning your shot before the time. You want the emphasis on the bird and a busy background normally spoils the image.


Images by Ettienne van Niekerk

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I’ve recently joined the Edenvale Photography club after taking a 5year sabbatical. I am currently doing my best to get back into taking photos. I used to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature, and this was always my “me” time where I had time to think and relax. There is not anything more rewarding than to plan and wait to get that perfect shot.


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SPECIAL INVITATION FROM ZIMANGA LODGE. 50% DISCOUNT FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2022 This may be the last time to get this huge discount from Zimanga. The lodge is already getting fully booked with overseas visitors. This discount is only for South African photographers to give them the opportunity to also enjoy this unique African wildlife experience. Contact Juan Venter 072 670 3070 www.mightymedia.tv


JULY 2022 - 49 Images by Juan Venter taken at Zimanga


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Previously loved equipment

ITEMS FOR SALE 500W Elinchrom studio flash system R 4500 Brand New Wacom never used!!! make an offer! Contact Chris Joubert 082 907 8888


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Click on the links and take a look at some inspirational websites by other photographers...

https://www.scottsnyderphoto.com Scott Snyder is a product/object photographer based in Costa Mesa, California. His photography is clean-cut and top-of-the-line quality, as apparent from his minimal photography portfolio website. The professional photographer showcases his best photos with plenty of negative space on the homepage. You can find more about each photography project by clicking on the associated photo: He mentions his roles in the project, what he did to successfully complete the project, about the client, and more for each photo. It’s a lot of (well-written) text, but it follows the “show and then tell” principle I discussed in the intro. Besides showcasing his work on the homepage, he has a separate Work page where he has displayed more of his works beautifully in a two-column layout.


52 - JULY 2022 http://www.sanzlena.com Sanz Lena is a fashion and beauty photographer based in Paris. He has been working since 2012 and has an impressive portfolio. There is also editorial work, still-life, and personal-based work in addition to his main focus. His website is built using Format, one of the two best website builders for photography portfolios (the other ones Squarespace). The website uses a classic ready-to-use Format template and looks awesome. It defies the “have plenty of whitespace like in photo galleries” rule I mentioned earlier, but it pays off. (Side note: You need to know the rules to break them.)

https://melvolkman.com/collections/for-beauty-and-truth

This website is the portfolio of Mel Volkman, a fine artist based in Maine. It features a clean and simple design, with a focus on showcasing her work and selling prints. For the ecommerce store, she uses an Instagram profile-like three-column template. She also showcases her photography in the Journal, where the photos are stacked one below another. https://melvolkman.com/collections/for-beauty-and-truth


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Adrieana is a photographer raised in New Jersey. She has some sharp and breathtaking images of animals, people, and more. There are a lot of black and whites for a classic yet loud vibe. She also used to be an opera singer and learned a lot about what it meant to succeed from her years in that field. She uses a slider to show her beautiful photography in the portfolio section. I love the images but am not a fan of the portfolio design choice here. It isn’t bad per se but looks very 2015ish — but it sure is a way to showcase photography in case you are looking for something that isn’t just photos stacked in columns.

https://blazinphoto.com/


54 - JULY 2022 Haris Nukem Commercial photographer that provides images that stand for something and accompany important messages. You can check out his “press” tab on the website and see where his images have been featured and read articles about the photographer and his skills. The horizontally scrolling portfolio looks a bit weird, but you’ll know that it scrolls horizontally anytime you enter the website.

https://www.harisnukem.com


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Click on this link and book your space https://edenvalephotoclub.co.za/cerps2022/


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