From the Chair

The best part of editing this magazine is seeing all of the great work our members submit for publication. In this issue you guys outdid yourselves.

Alison Boyle has written a terrific cover article about the ecology of tide pools, their importance within the larger ecosystem, and how she approaches photographing them. It’s worth reading more than once. (Page 4)

Peter Bennett documented the construction and first days of the Junk Raft, a seaworthy vessel floating on a pile of discarded plastic bottles. It set out from Southern California bound for Hawaii, where it made landfall eight weeks later. (Page 14)

Bob Beresh is quickly adapting to his new home, a place which virtually requires that he learn to shoot underwater. He shares with us his newfound expertise about the technique, the equipment, and the thrill of his adventures. (Page 18)

I return to the How-To column with an column about how and why to use the denoise. It’s been “easy” to reduce noise, but it always came at a cost in sharpness and detail. I compare the AI denoise functions of Lightroom and Topaz, and conclude the AI is fine if it produces photos you would have taken anyway if you had an unlimited budget. (Page 22)

Paul Reinstein’s trip report of his Kenya safari is not a travelogue. He has a lot to say about why it’s important to plan your own trip, and to avoid the scrum of photographers. And he has some lovely photographs. (Page 26)

The member photos were spectacular and numerous. In the call for submissions I suggested that we might have a special section on the ocean, in keeping with the theme of the lead articles in this number. More than half of the members submitted only ocean photographs, so the idea of making it a special section went out the window. All of those images are in the Member pages.

Ten photographers submitted portfolios this issue. That’s a lot. In the past I’ve dedicated three to four pages for each one, and included all images. Over the last six months, though, I’ve been looking at other photography magazines, to see how they design their pages to showcase the work of their contributors. I concluded that it is best, given our format, to create a two-page spread for each member. Is it better? Let me know. (Page 38)

Joe Doherty Chair, Sierra Club Camera Committee