Kendall Camera Club Blog

Travel Photography - The Start and the Finish and nothing in between. See other examples.

On a rainy Sunday while cleaning up my Lightroom keywords I noticed I had a lot of images with the keyword “airplane”. It seems I had paid very little attention to these images, very few were flagged and even fewer processed. I thought, “well this could be a project”.  I’ve been taking images out of commercial flights for a long time and have worked through some of the problems. If this is of any interest to you this is what I’ve learned.

1. Before you select your seat think about the direction and time of day you will be flying. You don’t want to be shooting into the sun all afternoon. If there is a sunset during the flight most of the time you can move to a west facing seat during that time, but don’t forget to check the east sky as some of the best stuff happens in the east during sunset.  Also think about what will be on either side of the plane during the flight. This isn’t known all the time but ask as you get on and be ready to move if possible.

2. Get a window seat near the front of the plane. Go online and book your seat in advance. Some web-pages will show you were the seats are located. Try to get a window seat in front of the wing. This works well on larger planes, most smaller commercial planes reserve first-class and business class near the front. This area creates a smoother ride and you don't have the airplane wing to block your view. Another reason to have a seat before the wing section, is that the heat shimmer from the engines will affect the quality of the photo. These seats seem to be in big demand and if you can’t get in front of the wing get as far behind it as you can. I usually sit on the same side coming and going as this gives me a view of both sides.

KCC - FIELD TRIP REPORT

Wakodahatchee Wetlands – Delray Beach, Florida

April 21, 2012

By:  Lorraine Thomas

I hope you enjoy my Field Trip Report.  It’s main purpose is to offer help for you to take better bird photographs, inspire you to photograph birds, and also to motivate you to go to Wakodahatchee Wetlands soon.  There is so much bird activity going on there right now.  It is quite amazing that this beautiful place exists in the midst of a residential area.  Secondly, to show that even the cloudiest of days can turn out to be amazing for photography.  I’m lucky I was leading the Field Trip, otherwise, I know I would have stayed home and missed out.

We all had a wonderful time this weekend with a lot of very nice comments and wishes to repeat this type of field trip more often.

Some of the highlights of the weekend were the beautiful sunset.  On Saturday night when we first arrived, to set-up our cameras and find just the right spot and angle, the sun was still high in the sky and there were no clouds to speak off… but to our surprise clouds came in just in time to help provide the fabulous sunset that we all got a chance to shoot.

The evening photography was a blast, we learned a lot about the stars from Bruce and Nancy Moreland like how to find the North Star via the Big Dipper, how all stars rotate around the North Star and more fun facts.  They also helped everyone with their camera setting? How cool that even with a partial moon we were still able to shot the stars and my personal favorite, paint with lights.   Even the local Alligator could not resist coming over to see what all the lights where about.

Later at the Smith family hosted a campfire and smores waited for anyone that wanted to join in! yummy!  This part of the evening made those that didn’t have a camper wish they did as it was hard to leave the fun.  Maybe next year the campfire can be an official activity and we can add spooky photography stories too.

Whenever a group of nature photographers gather, to discuss technique and composition, the subject of purity, that is, of being a purist, inevitably arises.

On my desk sits The American Heritage® College Dictionary, Fourth Edition. This is what I refer too when the definition and use of a word comes into question.

Let me not get ahead of myself. I have spoken to photographers that tell me they are purists. Some photographers go as far as identifying themselves in print as “one of the few purists left in nature photography”. It is not that I doubt they believe this; I just think it is a little misleading to the public and our customers, and is somewhat naive. Moreover, are they implying that other photographers are not purists and as such, beneath them?

In my passionate and often heated debates with these photographers, I frequently have to clarify their understanding of the word, “purist”.

February Digital Photo Challenge Winner is James Keith for his image "Streak of Red" he will receive the book "Elements 10 for Photographers".

Second Place was "Eternity" by Matthew Lozano

Third Place was "Brussels by Night" by Val Leonard

Last Saturday at Pinecres Gardens, 12 KCC members truly enjoyed Diego's class. It was a great opportunity to learn and get many of those "Now I get it" moments.

Click on the gallery bellow the testimonials to see more images of the workshop.

Testimonials:

"Diego Matrajt's workshop on Exposure & Metering was outstanding. His power point presentation, and answering questions was very well done. He is a great teacher explaining in terms that were very easy to understand. I have taken many workshops, and I can tell you, he was great. I went and purchased a gray card because mine was very old. He is very dedicated. Thank you Diego and KCC".

Allow me to digress a little from the usual photographic subjects. This morning, while driving to work and almost frying my brain over somes unpleasant issues cynically awaiting for my arrival at the office, I've got an e-mail from my friend Bob Holmes. I know what you are thinking, but no, I wasn't driving and reading, just checking my e-mails while briefly stucked in traffic, I think it helps dealing with my impatience.

Last month Bob and his wife Marge, celebrated their 60th anniversary in an emotional ceremony among friends, family and some of his 98 foster children, some are no longer kids, but they still call Bob and Marge, "mom and dad". The Holmes Foundation made possible for all these kids to have an education, achieve a college degree and in the process, thanks to Bob's generosity, countless lives have been touched by him.

So, Bob's email subject was: "Once in a while between all those e-mails, comes a gem"  It made me pause... I hope you enjoy it.

Rain...

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman, probably in his 80s, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in ahurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.

He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, and you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?' He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "she doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, that is the kind of love I want in my life.

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. true love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there is one that comes along that has an Important message. 

This one I thought I could share with you. 

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; They just make the best of everything they have.

I hope you share this with someone you care about. I just did.
'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,      
But how to dance in the rain.'We are all getting OlderMake  the  best  of  your  LIFE.

 

 

I had a fantastic time at our first meeting this morning!  We had an awesome discussion about inspiring images that make me want to know more about how to create focal points, framing, and lines within a photograph. Yevette and Alberto shared great images of photography, as well as fine art, that inspired conversation about composition.  Everyone brought books to consider, and the decision was made to center our meetings around The Photographer's Eye.  

Two of my favorite characteristics of KCC are the depth of knowledge and the genuine warmth of its members, and today was no exception.  I think it will be an awesome group!

The book: The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman.  

Current focus:  Stone Building at Mattheson Hammock State Park

Assignment:  Using guidance from the book, photograph the building emphasizing Composition and Design.

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Frank J. won the January Digital Photo Challenge with his image "Xmas in San Antonio"

The new Nikon D4 is aimed squarely at professional photographers—especially sports and action shooters, and no wonder: Nikon is the official pro imaging sponsor of this year's Olympics, which will take place in London. With the D4, Nikon should be highly visible in a land hertofore dominated by cameras that took off-white lenses. 

 From the swamps of Florida to the Studios of New York: Joe McNally Gets His Hands on a Nikon D4

Nikon D4 vs. Canon 1D X: The Battle Begins

Thinking about how you can improve your photography in the new year I came up with a list of items that might help. If you have any additional ideas please comment.

1. Review 2011 the Good Stuff

What images do you like and why, what images did friends like and why. Is there a common theme you can build on?

2. Review 2011 the Not So Good Stuff

What mistakes did you make. It is easy to ignore or delete bad images, revisit mistakes and make sure you know what you did and have you fixed the problem. Another reason to review mistakes is they can lead to new ideas.

3. Journal

Record findings in 1 and 2 in your journal. If you don’t have a journal start one.

4. Weakness

Vision, capture or post processing which is your weakness, if you don’t know ask a friend, don’t get defensive. This year work on your weakest area the most. Next year reevaluate.

5. Read More

Ten years to get good at anything shorten the time-frame by reading as much as you can about the techniques that interest you. More and more information is now online, but don’t forget about great resource in print. There are numerous books out there pertaining to your area of interest. Talk to photographers you respect and inquire which books they recommend reading. As you read photography blogs keep an eye out for posts on reviews and recommended reading. For example "The Photographer's Eye" by Michael Freeman.

We had a great attendance, great food and lots of fun.

Special Thanks to Bob Holmes for being our "Secret Santa." The gift exchange was a hoot. Many thanks to everyone that contributed to make it such a successful event.

Yevette's punch was FABULOSO. Valerie's chocolate cake was so good it was kidnapped immediately!!!  And ... we could go on and on about the GREAT food and desserts.The best, however, are the lasting friendship. Cheers to ALL!!

This year, we again had a blast photographing Pinecrest families on Halloween Night. Parents and children bravely participated in the event in spite of the persistent rain. If they could endure - so would The Kendall Camera Club!

Because of the weather, Plan B went into place - just one off camera flash, instead of the light setup that was originally planned for the day.  A definite "go with the flow" attitude.

The entire setup including the Halloween background, seating arrangements, line control and pictures, was made possible by members of the KENDALL CAMERA CLUB that volunteered to contribute to this wonderful Village of Pinecrest event.

 VOLUNTEERS:

Ibis Hillencamp, Alina Boisjoly, Windsor Fleming, Albert Rodriguez, Melissa Rodriguez, Lorraine Thomas, Yevette Shapiro, Nick Chin and Walter Rojter

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