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INSPIRATION
PHOTOS FOR MOTIVATION
4 GEAR GUIDE the ZIP SHOT!
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NEIGHBORHOOD ELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL CENTER
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SPECIAL EVENTS SCHOONERS AND HAWKS, OH MY!
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SHARE, DISPLAY, SAVE BACK 2 SCHOOL SPECIAL
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PARTING SHOT
THE LAST DANCE OF SUMMER
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RITZ CAMERA & IMAGE
Welcome to your first issue of the NETWORK newsletter – your new resource for camera tips, photo opportunities, and amazing
things you can do with your pictures. In this issue, we’ll explore program modes in your camera, take a trip to a local site in Nashville, read about the latest events happening around the nation, and so much more. In addition to articles and insights, look for exclusive offers and discounts just for RITZPIX NETWORK members in every issue. This month features the BURG watch phone – a new and unique approach to the mobile lifestyle, available at our stores for a limited time. Read on to learn more about this and other topics that will help share, display, and save your memories.
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THE NETWORK | AUGUST 2010
RITZPIX
BLOG
The RitzPix Blog is a place to explore and discuss the world of photo imaging. There are endless possibilities when it comes to Sharing, Displaying and Saving your digital photos and we will attempt to shine some light on the subject. For instance, did you know you can put your child’s image on to lollipops to give out at birthday parties? Or how about a pair of photo cuff links for dad. Pretty fun stuff. So check out our blog, rate our posts, comment and join in on the conversation.
Check out this recent post: THE TWEENER GENERATION Many of you are a part of the the “tweener” generation. You were born in an analog age and became adults at the beginning of the digital age. So you kind of represent the bridge between these two worlds (hence the term “tweener”), which means you may have used an electric typewriter or an early word processor (Brother WP-1400D anyone?), but you are now an aficionado with Facebook and Twitter on your DROID Incredible. My, my, have times changed.... The funny thing is that certain things don’t change. People are still in love with photo collections they can touch and feel. What is one of the first things that your parents or grandparents show you and guests that come to visit? Their photo albums (often with those embarrassing yet cute pictures of you as a kid). What does every bride have at her house after she is married? A book of memories from her wedding day. So certain things never change. However, building a book of memories is so much different these days. You can create a library or bookstore quality book of your favorite memories in far less time than it did to compile those individual prints in a “magnetic” or insert page album when you were a kid. RITZPIX.com gives you the tools to build an amazing book online in minutes. Moreover, you can give copies to your friends and family at the click of a button. Books of memories may be different (and better) than they were as a kid, but the joy is still the same. So take some time to check out how to turn your digital ways into an analog photo book through our latest tutorial. It may inspire you to do what “tweeners” do best – take the best from yesterday and share it with the world of today and tomorrow.
Join the conversation and tell us how you take pictures! http://www.ritzpixblog.com
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RITZ CAMERA & IMAGE
Inspirations OLYMPUS E-3 50mm MACRO
OLYMPUS E-3 50mm MACRO
OLYMPUS E-PL1 14-42mm
Olympus E3 w/50 Macro
Sigma SD9 24-70mm
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OLYMPUS E-600 14-42mm
THE NETWORK | AUGUST 2010
gear THE TAMRAC ZIP SHOT TRIPOD Your end of summer pursuits may find you facing a fantastically beautiful sunset, discovering a picturesque freshwater stream, or wanting to get in front of the camera with your family and friends. In each of those situations, a tripod becomes a necessary instrument for capturing some of your summertime memories. Unfortunately, tripods are often left behind because they may be too big for a standard photo bag or too bulky to carry around for long excursions. In-camera or lens stabilization aid hand-held situations, but is not a substitute for the hands-free unmoving stillness that only a tripod can achieve.
So how can you be ready for a tripod moment without having to carry cumbersome equipment? Enter the ZipShot by Tamrac The ZipShot is the ideal travel companion. It only weighs 11 ounces and is just 15 inches long when folded – so small and light weight that your suitcase or camera bag will barely notice it. Yet, it can hold up to 3 pounds and stands 44” tall when the legs spring open. That spring action is the ZipShot’s real gem, taking only seconds to be ready to capture a memory over the minutes of set up time required by most tripods.
Click here to see it in action.
The ZipShot eliminates many of the challenges associated with carrying a tripod on a trip. It is ultra lightweight and ultra-compact, so it can be carried anywhere without hassle. With legs that spring out in seconds and the strength to hold most cameras, be it an interchangeable lens camera or compact, the ZipShot will ensure that you will capture all of your summertime memories. Stop by any member of our Ritz Camera Family of stores to see how the ZipShot fits into your camera lifestyle.
Get Creative!
RITZS TIP
If you have an interchangeable lens camera (ILC), you should carry a wireless remote wherever your tripod goes. Wireless remotes free you from having to stand behind the camera to capture a moment by allowing to trigger the shutter at will from a distance. It’s perfect for taking candids of little Johnny playing with his toys or taking long exposures of the sky at night.
More next issue.
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RITZ CAMERA & IMAGE
SHOOTING AT THE
getting to know your camera after the h The final weeks of summer are very different
from the fever pitched beginnings; no racing from destination to destination, no itinerary to follow, no more packing and unpacking. As great as summer excursions are, the last weeks of summer are more about taking advantage of the long days and warm nights to just - do. Whether it’s taking a long evening stroll around the neighborhood, fishing the local lake, or just playing around with the kids in the yard, late summer activities are all about doing the stuff you normally don’t have time to do, which also includes learning about your new camera. So, as you’re reading this article, take out your camera to explore some of the great things your camera can do to enhance the remaining days of summer.
UNDERSTANDING PREPROGRAMED OPTIONS
The pre-programed options in cameras, often described as scene or shooting modes, are all about freedom and creativity. Like apps in your mobile device, these scene or shooting modes enable your camera to adjust to specific situations or capture a memory in a dramatic way without a lot of incamera tinkering or heavy editing. Most camera owners are familiar with the basic portrait, landscape, and sport modes. Those and other modes function in at least one of two ways mechanically and digitally. On the mechanics side, the focus, shutter speed, aperture of your lens is adjusted to get the type of picture you are looking for. Digitally, the camera’s processor adjusts for light, color, contrast, and sharpness to record the best final result. For example, in portrait mode, the lens narrows its field of view for the person right in front of you while the processor maximizes the color profile to benefit skin, hair, and eye colors.
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It’s almost the opposite case with landscape mode, where the lens is adjusted to keep everything as far as the eye can see in focus, while the processor ensures that the colors and saturation of what you want to capture are balanced. Yeah, you can make all of these adjustments yourself, but in the event your subject won’t wait, pre-programed options are definitely worth exploring.
LATE SUMMER APPLICATIONS Here are some ways to use your scene and shooting to get the best pictures you can.
Use portrait, beauty, and skin tone modes to deal with the harsh sun. These modes soften skin tones even in the afternoon sun.
USE SUNRISE/SUNSET MODES TO CREATE SILOHOUTTES.
Those modes can easily create this effect without a sunrise.
USE BACKLIGHT AND AUTO HDR MODES TO CAPTURE DETAIL
These modes find a way to capture details in bright and dark areas.
THE NETWORK | AUGUST 2010
E END OF SUMMER
hustle and bustle of vacationing is over
USE HI-KEY AND LO-KEY MODES.
HI-KEY overly brightens the background and LO-KEY darkens the background to achive the same end - eliminate the distracting details in the background to give greater focus on your subject.
These are just some of the modes that can enhance your late summer picture taking, but we just scratched the surface. If you want to learn more, enroll in any of our PHOTO CLASSES at a nearby location or visit ritzcamerauniversity.com. No matter what you do, don’t be afraid to explore what you camera can do.
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RITZ CAMERA & IMAGE
in your
neighborhood
Ellington Agricultural Center Nashville, TN
Location:
440 Hogan Rd. Nashville, TN 37211 Approximately 10 miles south of the Wolf Camera at Coolsprings Galleria in Franklin, TN. Whether you live in the Nashville area or just visiting, The Ellington Agricultural Center is a great place to spend time with your camera. Once a private estate, it now houses the headquarters for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, which
a combination of natural wooded areas and beautifully maintained park like settings, the Agricultural Center is a beautiful backdrop for photos of almost any type. hosts an historic mansion, agricultural museum, and lush walking trails free for the public to enjoy. Natural wooded trails run beside Seven Mile Creek and through deep forests, offering opportunities to capture nature at its finest, so wear appropriate shoes and clothing for the rolling hills, wood chip trails, and the 1.6 mile Roger’s Walk (a Nashville Greenway project). Your leashed dog is welcome to walk with you as well. Horses are a common sight in the pasture near the Agricultural museum, and with a convenient trail running alongside the pasture fence you may have opportunity for some excellent photos of these majestic animals. Plenty of shade and sunny glades will give you some unique lighting situations to play with. While creeks and pools alight dragonflies, wooden bridges, glens and gardens of both vegetables and flowers offer opportunities
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THE NETWORK | AUGUST 2010
for scenic as well as macro photography. There are even some grape arbors and old fashioned farm equipment - you’ll never know where your photographic fancy will take you in this unique setting. The best thing about visiting the Agricultural Center? It’s free! Parking and entry to the trails and Iris Garden is completely free when no events are taking place. A number of festivals and other public events are held at this location such as the Tennessee Agricultural Museum’s Annual Rural Life Festival. The site is also listed an official arboretum by the Nashville Tree Foundation. Garden location is available for wedding bookings – check their website for details). Photo opportunities are everywhere, Just look thru the viewfinder.
The author, Krista Patterson, has been a member of Wolf Camera since December 2009 and loves working with customers. “I had a customer from Germany whose parents were meeting her American husband for the first time. It was great helping her build photo books for her parents to take back home to Germany.” Krista Patterson used a Canon 5D Mark II with 24 – 105mm f4 L lens to capture the photos for this article.
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RITZ CAMERA & IMAGE
ritz university spe
I
n partnership with Olympus, Nikon, Sony, and Tamron, RITZ UNIVERSITY SPECIAL EVENTS provide unique photographic adventures across the country. One of our recent events was a Ritz Camera & Sony sponsored “sunset cruise” on the Schooner Woodwind and Woodwind II. These are identical, 74-foot schooners that sail out of Annapolis, Maryland and sail from the historic Annapolis waterfront, past the Naval Academy in to the heart of the Chesapeake Bay. Sony had an assortment of lenses and camera bodies available to for our customers to try out! They were also able to help raise the sails, steer the boat, or simply sit back and relax and take pictures as “Woodwind” cruised the Chesapeake Bay. Our customers produced some wonderful images that were entered in to photo contest to win prizes from Sony.
photos taken by fellow customers Mark Dallura (center photo) and Karen Cook
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ecial events
August
8/14/10 - Seattle, WA Alki Beach-Duwamish Head 8/28/10 - Portland, OR Photo Safari at the Oregon Zoo
September 9/11/10 - Syracuse, UT Antelope Island State Park Sponsored by Nikon 9/11/10 - Englewood, CO Lighting Workshop
photos on this page taken by Todd Sigaty, Zone Manager of our Colorado and Arizona stores.
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9/18/10 - Houston, TX Japanese Gardens 9/19/10 - Colorado Springs, CO Garden of the Gods Sponsored by Olympus
n the other side of the country, we partnered with Tamron to offer the HAWKQUEST event in Colarodo, where attendees were able to capture spectacular photographs of birds of prey in flight. Tamron supplied loaner lenses so that everyone could capture those beautiful birds in awesome splendor.
9/19/10 - Lake Wales, FL Bok Tower Gardens Sponsored by Olympus 9/25/10 - Salt Lake City, UT Travel and Landscape Photography with Sony’s Artisan of Imagery Andy Katz
Whether it’s summer, spring, winter, or fall, there is always an event happening somewhere in the nation.
For the latest schedule of events, visit ritzcamerauniversity.com and contact your local Ritz Camera Family Store for tickets.
9/25/10 - Morrison, CO HawkQuest
October
10/2/10 - Englewood, CO Wizbang, Photo Editing 10/2/10 - Philadelphia,PA Philadelphia Zoo, Sponsored by Olympus
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RITZPIX
NETWORK
THE NETWORK | AUGUST 2010
SPECIAL OFFER
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parting shot
the last dance of summer