It's time to share are work. We meet at the library in the Meeting Room at 7:00 pm. Bring your flash drive with 5-7 photos to share. What have you done lately? Did you get some good shots in the Cemetery? Have you worked on the assignment? Have you tried something new that you can't wait to sow-and-tell about?
A question regarding upcoming meetings was posted on our Facebook page. I did not respond as I have been struggling with this for quite some time. I do not have the desire or energy to continue planning meetings to which only 5 people attend. I get that people are busy. I am busy too, but because this was my baby, I have it on my calendar to make it to the meetings twice a month. I know that at least two of the other people who come, are coming to be supportive more than out of a real desire to meet as a club.
Me personal feeling is that a formal photo club has run it's course for the time being. I love our little outings and would prefer to get together when we can for some fun photographic explorations rather than try to plan meetings that are poorly attended.
I am recommending that the group disband after our December 6th Holiday Party at Tracy's.
We can spend the next month figuring out how to keep in touch and plan excursions and even occasional show-and-tell dates.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Photo Club Outing -- October 29th at 6:00 pm
We will be meeting up at Elmwood Cemetery for a little night photography. This is a fun opportunity to play with long exposure photography. Be sure to bring your camera, tripod, remote shutter releases, warm clothes and anything else you may need to be outside for a while.
The Elmwood Cemetery is an incredible place filled with history. Remember that this is a sacred place and many families have family members buried here.
Flora Jeanette Dow (Nettie Dow), the first librarian of the Sycamore Public Library is buried here. I enjoy visiting her grave where she rests between her mother and her father. Nettie passed away in June, 1905, the same year that the Carnegie Library was being built. She visited the library on May 24, 1905 while very ill to lay a trowel of mortar on the cornerstone of the building just one month before she passed away. There are some who believe that her spirit comes to visit the library.
The Elmwood Cemetery is an incredible place filled with history. Remember that this is a sacred place and many families have family members buried here.
Flora Jeanette Dow (Nettie Dow), the first librarian of the Sycamore Public Library is buried here. I enjoy visiting her grave where she rests between her mother and her father. Nettie passed away in June, 1905, the same year that the Carnegie Library was being built. She visited the library on May 24, 1905 while very ill to lay a trowel of mortar on the cornerstone of the building just one month before she passed away. There are some who believe that her spirit comes to visit the library.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Plans, Plans, Plans
This is the short version for upcoming meetings. More Details coming Soon.
October 1, 2014: We will play with photographing tiny things. (Macro) You should bring your camera, tripod, flash, and/or some lights and tiny things to photograph.
October 15th: Meeting cancelled
October 29th: We will meet in the Elmwood Cemetery for an evening of Halloween Fun. Meeting time will be 6:00 pm.
November 5th: Show-and-Tell. Boy, we should have lots to share.
Mid November meeting not yet planned or cancelled:)
December 6th will be our annual Christmas Party at Tracy's House. More Details to come.
October 1, 2014: We will play with photographing tiny things. (Macro) You should bring your camera, tripod, flash, and/or some lights and tiny things to photograph.
October 29th: We will meet in the Elmwood Cemetery for an evening of Halloween Fun. Meeting time will be 6:00 pm.
November 5th: Show-and-Tell. Boy, we should have lots to share.
Mid November meeting not yet planned or cancelled:)
December 6th will be our annual Christmas Party at Tracy's House. More Details to come.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Meeting Wednesday and September Assignment
At our September 3rd meeting, we had a little outing and photo challenge. In downtown Sycamore, everyone was challenged to take photographs with the theme bokeh. This Wednesday, we will start the meeting with a little contest. Everyone who participated can bring in their favorite two images (no watermarks or identifying information) and we will all vote on our favorite photo from the bunch. The winner will win a $5 Subway gift card.
After the contest, we will have a show-and-tell of group work. If you have some images you want to share and discuss, please bring them on a flash drive (Put all the images for the show-and-tell into a folder you all something like sarah photos sept.)
We need to make a plan for our October meetings on Wednesday as well.
The theme for the month is macro. Get close up and personal with the world.
We could have a macro party at our October 1st meeting. Maybe a few people would like to set up the room for shooting tiny things. I have a box of little stuff that was donated by Cathi Ruen before she moved.
After the contest, we will have a show-and-tell of group work. If you have some images you want to share and discuss, please bring them on a flash drive (Put all the images for the show-and-tell into a folder you all something like sarah photos sept.)
We need to make a plan for our October meetings on Wednesday as well.
The theme for the month is macro. Get close up and personal with the world.
We could have a macro party at our October 1st meeting. Maybe a few people would like to set up the room for shooting tiny things. I have a box of little stuff that was donated by Cathi Ruen before she moved.
 |
| Playing with water drops |
 |
| Water drops on a Snapdragon |
 |
| One inch tall flamingos |
Monday, September 1, 2014
Meetings, Plans, and Photo Ideas
It's been almost two weeks since our first meeting of the season. This Wednesday is our next meeting at 7:00 pm at the library. Well, we will only stay at the library for a little bit. The group decided that we should head out on the town (Sycamore) and have a little photo challenge. The challenge theme will be determined right before we head out. Everyone is to bring one theme idea to write down and put in the jar. We will pull the out one of the sheets and use that for our outing. (This is a little like the one hour photo challenge that they have at Sandwich Fair). While you are thinking up ideas, think about downtown Sycamore and the possibilities of shooting in that area. Once we have chosen our theme we will head out for an hour or so of shooting (Bring your camera, tripod, flash, colored lights, jackets, bubbles, friends,whatever you want to make for a fun evening on the town.) We will meet up at P.J's after we are done shooting, between 8:30 and 9:00 pm. At our next meeting, we will share our two favorite images (you can edit them), and then have a vote for the top photo of the night. The winner will win a $5.00 gift card to Subway (Prize donated).
At our first meeting, we also decided that we would pair up again to teach each other new stuff. The group wants to meet twice a month. We need to get people to take on the upcoming months. October will be here before we know it. John Dickinson, we are hoping you will bring back the water drops so everyone can try again or try for the first time. There has also been a request for a "Share your favorite Lightroom technique" night. If people don't sign up for a month (One week show and tell, the other an activity or program), we will spend a lot of time at the show and tell meetings figuring out what to do each month. Finally, the group wants to re institute the monthly photo assignment. We will have a jar for that as well.
Another nice opportunity for some Full Moon Photography. September 8th and 9th the moon will be full with good sunrise and set time. The moon will set at 5:59 am on September 8th with a 6:32 am sunrise. The moon rises again at 6:52 pm with a sunset at 7:12 pm. On the 9th the moon sets at 7:03 am and the sun rises at 6:24 am. The moon rises at 7:29 pm with a sun set at 7:09 pm. The value to these times has to do with the light in the sky. The landscape will still have light on it from the sun light and the moon will not appear so overly bright requiring that you adjust for one the moon light or the landscape light. When all else fails, you can create some overlays using your software, but it's always fun to get the best possible image SOOC (Straight out of camera) .
We had a great first show-and-tell. It was fun to see everyone's work again.
I would post other people's work, but I'm at home and their stuff is on the computer at the library. IN the future, if you all approve, I will borrow a few to post on the blog at then end of our meeting.
See you all Wednesday at 7:00 pm.
At our first meeting, we also decided that we would pair up again to teach each other new stuff. The group wants to meet twice a month. We need to get people to take on the upcoming months. October will be here before we know it. John Dickinson, we are hoping you will bring back the water drops so everyone can try again or try for the first time. There has also been a request for a "Share your favorite Lightroom technique" night. If people don't sign up for a month (One week show and tell, the other an activity or program), we will spend a lot of time at the show and tell meetings figuring out what to do each month. Finally, the group wants to re institute the monthly photo assignment. We will have a jar for that as well.
Another nice opportunity for some Full Moon Photography. September 8th and 9th the moon will be full with good sunrise and set time. The moon will set at 5:59 am on September 8th with a 6:32 am sunrise. The moon rises again at 6:52 pm with a sunset at 7:12 pm. On the 9th the moon sets at 7:03 am and the sun rises at 6:24 am. The moon rises at 7:29 pm with a sun set at 7:09 pm. The value to these times has to do with the light in the sky. The landscape will still have light on it from the sun light and the moon will not appear so overly bright requiring that you adjust for one the moon light or the landscape light. When all else fails, you can create some overlays using your software, but it's always fun to get the best possible image SOOC (Straight out of camera) .
We had a great first show-and-tell. It was fun to see everyone's work again.
I would post other people's work, but I'm at home and their stuff is on the computer at the library. IN the future, if you all approve, I will borrow a few to post on the blog at then end of our meeting.
See you all Wednesday at 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
What You Did This Summer Photography Show-and-Tell
I hope you have had a fun summer filled with lots of photography opportunities. Our first meeting of the season will be Wednesday, August 20th at 7:00 pm in the Library Meeting Room. Hope you will bring a sampling (5 - 7 images) to share and talk about. What did you learn? What skills did you practice? Did you complete any "assignments" for each month? Can't wait to see your work. Photo Club is open to anyone who is interested in photography and growing their art and skills through discussion, practice, and sharing of ideas, experiments, and work.
I was very busy with things other than photography, but did get out for a few adventures.
I photographed my first fireworks. This is an interesting adventure as you are guessing at first were the fireworks will go off so you can aim and capture the explosions. I played with different exposure times to see how that would effect the look of the fireworks. I would like to go someplace to see more fireworks where the is some different scenery to include in the image.
I read that the best time to photograph the full moon is at dawn and dusk of the day of the full moon when you want to include scenery and not need to merge two photos to get the shot. Well, the July Super Moon was hidden by incoming clouds both at dawn and at dusk. Still had a fun experience because we were willing to look for other exciting sites. On the drive home, Toni and I noticed a field of wheat with hundreds or thousands of fireflies. We decided to stop and see what we would get. We got really lucky because the clouds moved in and lightning started off in the distance.
We will have two more Supermoons in a row. Sunday August 10th is the next full (Super) Moon. Here are the sunrise and sunset time for the coming week. http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa/aurora-il so you can plan your outing.
Several years ago, I brought a Plumeria stick home to plant. It is one of our favorite flowering trees in Hawaii. Each year the little stick would grow a set of leaves and as fall came, the leaves would drop and the stick would look pretty dead for the winter. Sprint would come and I would get more leaves and an almost imperceptible growth of the stick. This spring there was a big growth spurt that looked different than previous springs, I noticed that there were buds on the new growth and low and behold, the little stick began to flower. This is my portrait of my Plumeria plant. If only there was smellevision. I put up a black background, used my tripod, and natural light of the sun room. (Sorry, Steve).
I was very busy with things other than photography, but did get out for a few adventures.
I photographed my first fireworks. This is an interesting adventure as you are guessing at first were the fireworks will go off so you can aim and capture the explosions. I played with different exposure times to see how that would effect the look of the fireworks. I would like to go someplace to see more fireworks where the is some different scenery to include in the image.
I read that the best time to photograph the full moon is at dawn and dusk of the day of the full moon when you want to include scenery and not need to merge two photos to get the shot. Well, the July Super Moon was hidden by incoming clouds both at dawn and at dusk. Still had a fun experience because we were willing to look for other exciting sites. On the drive home, Toni and I noticed a field of wheat with hundreds or thousands of fireflies. We decided to stop and see what we would get. We got really lucky because the clouds moved in and lightning started off in the distance.
We will have two more Supermoons in a row. Sunday August 10th is the next full (Super) Moon. Here are the sunrise and sunset time for the coming week. http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa/aurora-il so you can plan your outing.
Several years ago, I brought a Plumeria stick home to plant. It is one of our favorite flowering trees in Hawaii. Each year the little stick would grow a set of leaves and as fall came, the leaves would drop and the stick would look pretty dead for the winter. Sprint would come and I would get more leaves and an almost imperceptible growth of the stick. This spring there was a big growth spurt that looked different than previous springs, I noticed that there were buds on the new growth and low and behold, the little stick began to flower. This is my portrait of my Plumeria plant. If only there was smellevision. I put up a black background, used my tripod, and natural light of the sun room. (Sorry, Steve).
At a campfire at Bridget's Dad's house, we did a little light painting. Toni can tell you more about here image at the meeting.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
May 21 - Meeting Cancelled
I am cancelling Photo Club for tomorrow night. Last meeting only 4 people came. We had a nice time out to dinner, but I think we need to go with a club that meets Mid-August to the end of April.
Have a great summer!
If we have a few outings, we will post them here, in an email, on the Library Calendar and on the Photo Club Facebook Page.
At our last activity meeting in April Steve and Cliff set up some fun play with glass balls and colored water. These are my favorites from the night.
Kaylee: Love your socks. Thanks for putting up with me while I worked on getting this shot.
Lucio: Even with your eyes closed, I can see your wonderful sense of humor and the light in your eyes.
Food coloring in wine glasses does really cool things.
The May assignment was/is "Do Over" Go back to the activities and assignments for the year and work on them again. Maybe you will want to combine the various things you worked on into one image. Maybe you just want to spend time on them because you were really busy and didn't get much time to play.
January: Fibonacci and Shapes
February: Peace and Love
March: Water, Water, Everywhere
April: Light and Shadows: Ansel Adams was a master at seeing light and shadow. Monet was fascinated with light and would paint the same seen over and over again throughout the day to see the way light and shadow and color changed. Shadows can be intriguing on their own making cool designs on the ground. Look at the way day and night light play with the world.
May: Do Over
June, July, August: Take your pick. What do you want to work on this summer? The following list was my design. You are welcome to use this list or make up your own list.
Landscape and graffiti: there is so much to see in the world wherever you are. Take time to stop and see the big picture. Capture the writing on the wall.
Forced Perspective: make something look big or make something big look small. Maybe it looks like a person is holding a cloud or Bokeh lights are filling a glass. Maybe a shell looks huge or Lego people are now giants. Maybe the full moon looks really big in the sky.
Time and Space: how do you see these things? The skies the limit. Maybe you time lapse photograph the sunset. Night shots of the sky, clocks? The growth of a new plant. As with time and space, the possibilities are endless.
Up Close and Personal: get your macro on. Look at the details.
Portraits and People: This one scares me half to death. I include animals in my idea of portraits. This is also an opportunity to get to know other people. Maybe start a stranger portrait series. Really stepping outside of my comfort zone.
Windows and Doorways: not sure I need to say much on this. It could be used as a compositional style. Frame within a frame. Or it can be literal or metaphoric.
Pencils, Paper, and Everyday Things: How can you make a unique photograph from everyday objects. The goal is to see it and experiment with it until you have a photograph of the object that is unlike any other.
Look How Far You Have Come (Take an old photograph that you like, retake it. How have you change? What did you do differently?)
We will see you back at the library on August 20th for a really great show-and-tell.
Have a great summer!
If we have a few outings, we will post them here, in an email, on the Library Calendar and on the Photo Club Facebook Page.
At our last activity meeting in April Steve and Cliff set up some fun play with glass balls and colored water. These are my favorites from the night.
The May assignment was/is "Do Over" Go back to the activities and assignments for the year and work on them again. Maybe you will want to combine the various things you worked on into one image. Maybe you just want to spend time on them because you were really busy and didn't get much time to play.
January: Fibonacci and Shapes
February: Peace and Love
March: Water, Water, Everywhere
April: Light and Shadows: Ansel Adams was a master at seeing light and shadow. Monet was fascinated with light and would paint the same seen over and over again throughout the day to see the way light and shadow and color changed. Shadows can be intriguing on their own making cool designs on the ground. Look at the way day and night light play with the world.
May: Do Over
June, July, August: Take your pick. What do you want to work on this summer? The following list was my design. You are welcome to use this list or make up your own list.
Landscape and graffiti: there is so much to see in the world wherever you are. Take time to stop and see the big picture. Capture the writing on the wall.
Forced Perspective: make something look big or make something big look small. Maybe it looks like a person is holding a cloud or Bokeh lights are filling a glass. Maybe a shell looks huge or Lego people are now giants. Maybe the full moon looks really big in the sky.
Time and Space: how do you see these things? The skies the limit. Maybe you time lapse photograph the sunset. Night shots of the sky, clocks? The growth of a new plant. As with time and space, the possibilities are endless.
Up Close and Personal: get your macro on. Look at the details.
Portraits and People: This one scares me half to death. I include animals in my idea of portraits. This is also an opportunity to get to know other people. Maybe start a stranger portrait series. Really stepping outside of my comfort zone.
Windows and Doorways: not sure I need to say much on this. It could be used as a compositional style. Frame within a frame. Or it can be literal or metaphoric.
Pencils, Paper, and Everyday Things: How can you make a unique photograph from everyday objects. The goal is to see it and experiment with it until you have a photograph of the object that is unlike any other.
Look How Far You Have Come (Take an old photograph that you like, retake it. How have you change? What did you do differently?)
We will see you back at the library on August 20th for a really great show-and-tell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)