RPN Newsletter Sept-Oct

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THE SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2011 ISSUE 5

for RITZPIX

NETWORK MEMBERS

INSPIRATION

PHOTOS FOR MOTIVATION

PHOTO TIPS Fall Colors

PHOTO PATROL Education

TECH CORNER Histograms

PHOTO PROJECTS Pick-A-Subject

PARTING SHOT

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Meet The...

A NEW Web Series!

The “RitzPix Girls” are three 24 year olds who live and party in LA and take pictures of everything they do. They create YouTube video episodes of how they take pictures and use Ritzpix.com to create, share, store and print all their memories of the events. Each episode will focus on a different product offering from the site. i.e. Photo Books, Canvas Prints, Greeting Cards etc. and show the final product off as well.

http://www.youtube.com/RitzCameraandImage

Tori moved to Los Angeles last year to continue her career as a freelance writer. A native of Chicago, she loves exploring LA’s beaches, mountains, and city life - although her time in the sun is limited because she usually sleeps until noon. In the afternoon you can find her over-caffeinating at the nearest coffee shop. Most evenings she is either on a bad date, or trying new bars and restaurants with friends and telling them about her bad date. Other nights you can find her curled up in her favorite place - her bed - reading or watching a good movie. While Tori is a true sweetheart, she usually expresses her feelings by pulling pranks and causing general chaos and mischief in the lives of her loved ones. She also loves vegetarian cooking, tv shows about ghosts, and the Chicago Bears.

Tori

Nicole

Nicole is a transplant to Los Angeles, having grown up in Annapolis, Maryland. She is currently fulfilling her dreams of being a star....well, being close to a star anyway, as she is a personal assistant to a celebrity. But shhh....she can’t say who it is. Nicole is a die-hard for Hollywood glitz and glamour, especially anything “Old Hollywood”. She loves nightlife and is always on the hunt for a new, undiscovered location for drinks and nibbles. Nicole has fallen in love with the cuisines of Los Angeles, particularly Mexican food. She loves to be part of a crowd, or life of the party, but is always down for a calm drink at a dark wine bar or gastropub. Most weekends you will find her cruising down Pacific Coast Highway, top down on the convertible, with her friends, heading off to some undetermined location.

Nicole is a fan of dramatic, romanticized television shows. She watches limited reality tv, but would never miss an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians or TMZ.

Ashley is a native to Los Angeles, ok she might be a valley girl. She currently lives in Los Angeles working as a bartender. Ashley is a fan of mixology drinks (or what she likes to call yummy drinks and a snack) and going wine tasting. A self-proclaimed foodie at heart, Ashley loves to try new things, but can never pass up on her favorite fallback of sushi. Ashley loves to dance and relax while doing her yoga. Ashley’s guilty pleasure television includes any and all reality television (So You Think You Can Dance, All of the Real Housewives series on Bravo, Top Chef, Jersey Shore). She is obsessed with Award Shows, claiming them to be her favorite religious holidays. She also loves the newest/ cheesiest videos appearing on YouTube. Ashley is addicted to vanilla lattes from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, shopping, and Justin Timberlake.

Ashley Fun, Cute, and Real life examples of how it all comes together.

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RITZPIX NETWORK MEMBERS ONLY ASK YOUR ASSOCIATE ABOUT RITZPIX NETWORK BENEFITS

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And with over 1,000 free apps from Chumby® industries streaming your own personalized channel of news, games, social networking and more, Dash offers a premium entertainment experience that only Sony can deliver.

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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 THE NETWORK

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INSPIRATION

rusty rails

by ANGEL RODRIQUEZ nashua, new hampshire

who me?

by MIKE ROSENBAUM westminster, maryland

city glow

by JOSEPH ORLANDO sterling heights, michigan

little pumpkin

by UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER somewhere, usa

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lollie pop

by UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER somewhere, usa

drip, drip drip

by KEVIN ANFINSON folsom, california

window to the soul

by UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER somewhere, usa

freedom

by NICOLE THOMPSON sandy, utah

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 THE NETWORK

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BACK TO SC

As summer is coming to a close, the sounds of children frolicking in pool becomes is only moved by nature’s wind, and the endless hours of trying to chase the kids aw again upon us.

For some parents this time represents a little peace and routine in their lives. It is al stop with that big hug and those 3 little words that every young kids loves to hear in

Will young love prevail this year? Will Sally make the cheerleading squad? Will John Chemistry? Will homework get done in time to watch a reality TV show? These are j answered over the next school year.

It’s a new school year and it’s time for the next chapter in your children’s lives. Are

Think about all the opportunities to capture new and exciting memories. So don’t pu batteries, clean off those lenses, and plan your next opportunity to capture, share a

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CHOOL

quiet once again, the sand on the beaches way from their favorite video game are once

lso the time to embarrass your kids at the bus n front of all of his friends, “I Love You”!

nny mix up the wrong chemicals in just some of the questions that will be you ready?

ut your camera in the closet, charge those and display those precious memories.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 THE NETWORK

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shooting tips

FALL COLORS Photograph around sunrise and sunset for the best light and color - The first and last hours of sun during the day (the times right around both sunrise and sunset) have a brilliant quality to the light that can yield great photos.

Take photos on overcast days - They can often be wonderful to shoot on because the sun isn’t drowning out the colors and the shadows are softer.

Use a tripod - Especially when shooting with dusk encroaching, tripods really help.

Turn off your flash and start shooting. Experiment with your shutter speed, a 1-3 second shutter can do wonders.

Polarize your lens - A polarizing filter can increase the contrast in your photos and make your colors richer.

Underexpose your shots slightly - (which most cameras, even point-and-shoots, will let you do) to deepen the saturation in your colors, then use your computer’s photo software (iPhoto, Picasa, Photoshop, etc) to increase the contrast and play with the color saturation to warm things up slightly.

Experiment with your white balance settings - Don’t be afraid to take your camera off auto mode and play with those settings. Increase the little numbers manually, or select a white balance setting like “cloudy”.

Try a macro lens or macro mode - For those expert-looking close-ups of leaves, a macro lens is indispensable. No macro lens? Set your camera to macro mode and get really close, that works too! Tripods are handy at this point so that you can really focus on the leaves without worrying about blurring your shot.

Look for contrasts - One way to accentuate the colors in your shots is to think about framing your shots in such a way that the different colors contrast with one another.

Golden leaves on a blue sky – a red leaf on a lush green grass, etc. southern colors

by DENNIS OLIVE homewood, alabama

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Halloween is Coming!

TIPS from the RITZPIX PHOTO PATROL Halloween Photo Ideas - Focus on the most interesting part of the costume & fill the frame with it.

- Fill the frame with your subjects, if it’s a group shot have people crowd close together.

- Take photos just before it’s dark for more interesting lighting but still have some color in the background.

- Shoot from different anglesif it’s kids in costumes get to their level or shoot from the ground looking up for a more interesting angle.

- Use a tripod and try photos w/o flash to get more interesting lighting.

- Try and get candid shots of kids trick or treating or at the Halloween party.

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EEXPRESSIONS xpressions You never know when that perfect expression will be waiting for you to capture. A memory that can last forever. It can happen at the most unlikely time and place.

Remember, you must always be ready.

Have your camera charged and ready to go at a moments notice.

This could be the start of Hailey’s super model career!

This photograph was captured at the entrance of a grocery store.

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by PATTY HAWKINS waldorf, maryland

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Learning How to Use Your Camera’s Histogram The histogram is a graphic representation of the tonal range in a photograph, and its analysis of the image’s tonal range provides a precise check on exposure. The histogram depicts the range of tones in an image from the darkest on the left of the graph (0 in digital terms) to the lightest on the right side (255 in digital terms).

You might think of it this way: a light meter reads the scene before you take the photo; the histogram analyzes the photo you’ve just taken. You can choose to have the histogram appear on the camera’s LCD along with the playback display of your photo (see your manual for the exact procedure).

That’s what the histogram is. But why is it an important, fundamental tool of digital photography? Simply because your understanding of the histogram will tell you if it’s necessary to adjust your exposure, and it will indicate how to make that adjustment.

The first thing to realize, though, is that it’s not always necessary to use the histogram. In fact, selective use is best. Few if any photographers look at the histogram for each and every photo they take. In the majority of instances, your camera’s meter will accurately and precisely set the correct exposure for the scene.

But you should check the histogram when a scene’s lighting is especially tricky; when there are areas of deep shadow and bright light in the same scene; and when you’re going to take a series of images in the same setting and want to be sure your exposure is right on target.

A glance at the histogram will tell you if parts of your photo are over or underexposed. Overexposure means lack of detail in the highlights; underexposure, loss of detail in the shadows. The histogram will instantly reveal the situation: a heavy concentration at the left side of the graph means the image is underexposed and you’ve lost detail in the shadow areas; a heavy concentration at the right means your highlights may be blown out. The remedy? You can increase your shutter speed, close down aperture or lower your ISO to correct overexposure; the opposite settings will serve to correct an underexposure.

Here’s something you might want to use in connection with the histogram: the highlight overexposure warning.

Set this option (again, see your manual for the specific activation method) and areas of overexposure will blink in the playback image. When you see these flashes of light—most people call them “blinkies”—you’ll know exactly which areas of the image are overexposed.

Several Nikon D-SLRs feature secondary, color histograms. Choose to display them and you’ll see three small graphs that show the intensity of the RGB (red, green and blue) color values in the scene. If you need to adjust these values, the camera’s white balance control is the way to do it.

Some Nikon D-SLRs also allow you to magnify specific areas of the photo on playback so you can check exposure and detail rendering in very specific parts of the image. In effect, you’re directing the histogram’s area of analysis.

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tech

CORNER

The accompanying images provide examples of what we’ve been talking about, but the best way to see exactly how the histogram can help you take control of your photography is experimentation and experience. Just go out and take pictures in a number of situations and become familiar with what the histogram can tell you about the results.

The image and its histogram: The white graph represents the tones in the photo. Dark tones are on the left in the graph, light tones on the right.

Nikon D-SLRs allow you to magnify a specific part of an image. When you do that, the histogram changes to represent only that section.

Several Nikon D-SLRs will display histograms that represent a photograph’s RGB (red, green, blue) tones.

Here a shadow area of the image has been magnified, and the histogram shows the arrangement of tones in that section. Note that the yellow rectangle in the small, complete image indicates the area of magnification.

In this example a highlight area of the image had been magnified.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 THE NETWORK

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Photo Patrol Education Seminar Series

Contact a store near you for the latest seminar dates and times 14 THE NETWORK SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011

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Photo Patrol Education Photo Patrol is a customized Education program that offers One-on-One Tutoring, Group Seminars and of course our Free Photography Classes. More than 180 class locations throughout the country have combined to conduct thousands of classes annually.

“Free� Digital Photography Classes 4 classes are included with camera purchase and are designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the principals of digital photography that apply to all cameras.

Advanced Digital Photography Seminars Inexpensive advanced digital photography seminars designed to expand on the basic classes. Seminars are scheduled periodically throughout the year at select locations and offer tips and techniques on a wide variety of specific photographic topics.

Private Tutoring One-on-One consultation that can be tailored to fit your specific needs. Whether it be operation of your specific camera equipment, computer or software training, even hands-on training for your specific photographic purpose. Almost any educational need is available either in-store or on-location.

visit www.ritzpixphotopatrol.com to obtain the latest class schedules SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 THE NETWORK

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WHEN OBJECTS CREATE FUN PHOTOS! Life is surrounded with things that make for great photographs. Stop and look around. Look outside the box or should I say, viewfinder.

Try a new angle, move in closer, or simply step back. Don’t just smell the roses, photograph them!

by JAMIE PIEKKOLA eden prairie, minnesota

We challenge you to get creative.

Expand your photographic horizons.

by KEVIN ANFINSON folsom, california

by KAREN SMITH brentwood, tennessee

by ELIZABETH BARTOY-PROES covington, washington

by UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER somewhere, usa

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PHOTO PROJECTS Pick-A-Subject A photo is worth a thousand words or A word is worth a thousand photos!

Pick any word for one day and see how many places you can photograph that word.

Here are a few to get you going: Red, Green, Blue, Wood, Shoe, Brick, Sign, Flower, Glass, Tree, Car, Truck, Ball, Round, Square, Logo, Number, Ring, Lights, Bottle, or Building. î ˘e whole idea is to get you to see ordinary things in a different way. Find a way to make a potentially boring subject, creative.

I SEE RED! SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 THE NETWORK

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parting shot

back to basics