The View Findercvcameraclub.org/Newsletters/CVCC_Dec_News13.pdf · 2013-12-04 · CVCC Photographic...

Volume 2, Issue 12 December, 2013

There are various phases of sunrise and

sunset, however each phase repeats itself

twice a day – once during sunrise and

once again at sunset. All phases during

sunrise are the same for sunset phases –

the only difference is chronological order

i.e. when each phase begins and ends.

Therefore, sunrise and sunset are exactly

the same, except that sunset reverses the

order of phases seen at sunrise.

“Head-On” captured by Mark Broughton

Twilight phases at Sunrise:

Astronomical twilight

Nautical twilight

Civil twilight

Sunrise

The phases of twilight at sunset are the

same just in the opposite order. Let’s

begin with sunrise and discuss each phase

separately.

The length of twilight before sunrise and

after sunset is heavily influenced by the

latitude of the observer; therefore I will

not discuss the length of each twilight

phase since it is highly variable. The first

phase of morning twilight is known as

astronomical twilight. This period of twi-

light occurs when the center of the sun is

between 12° and 18° degrees below the

horizon and slowly increases before day

time officially begins.

Most casual observers would consider the

entire sky already fully dark even when

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY AT TWILIGHT

1

PIONEERS OF THE SKY QUIZ 3

WEB SITES TO TRY 3

WHERE ARE MY GLASSES 3

2013 CARL MOSER SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

4

PIONEERS FO THE SKY QUIZ ANSWERS

7

PRESIDENTS REPORT 11

SIX STEPS TO START SEEING PHOTOGRAPHICALLY

2

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2

BUMPER STICKERS FOR THE ELDERLY

5

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY AT TWILIGHT

6, 7

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 SIX STEPS TO SRART SEEING PHO-

TOGRAPHICALLY

8, 9, 10

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP 12

Inside this issue:

C a t a w b a Va l l e y C a m e r a C l u b

The View Finder

Continued on page 6

Landscape Photography at Twilight

by Stefan Hofer

2


We are living in a time of unlimited free

shutter clicks. This is both an advantage,

and a disadvantage for you as a photogra-

pher. On one hand, the learning curve is

faster, easier and definitely a lot cheaper.

On the other hand, many photographers

have a tendency to shoot without taking

much care in their composition and rely on

the occasional lucky shot.

Stop shooting randomly and start photo-

graphing with intent. Before you click that

shutter, ask yourself: “What do I want to

convey? What story do I want to tell?”

There are many ways to achieve this, here

are few easy steps to help you step up your

game, no matter what camera or lens you

use.

1 – See the light

Be aware of the quality of light around

you (hard versus soft light) and its effect

on objects, buildings, etc. The more

aware you become of the quality and

quantity of light, the better you will be at

harnessing it and making it work for

you, no matter the time of day.

Stop shooting

randomly and start

photographing with

intent. Before you

click that shutter, ask

yourself: “What do I

want to convey?

What story do I want

to tell?”

Calendar of Events

Nov 6 Competition - Print - Open

Nov 20 Competition - Projection - Field Trip Images

Dec 4 Image Critique Night (3 images)

Dec 18 Dinner & Awards presentations at Hickory Museum of Art

Jan 10 Image*Ination Reception

Jan 15 Competition - Projection - Open

Jan 25 Field Trip - Columbia, SC Riverwalk, Art Museum Doreen Suqierski


Continued on page 8

Six Steps to Start Seeing Photographically by Valerie Jardin

3



Pioneers of the Sky

This month, we celebrate the 110th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight and other early feats of aviation.

1. On December 17, 1903, Ohioans Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first controlled flight of a powered heavier-than-air machine at Kitty Hawk. What day job did the Wrights hold back in Dayton?

A. Carpenters

B. Auto mechanics

C. Bicycle shop owners

2. After its first flight on February 20, 1948, Piedmont Air-lines became one of North Carolina’s most successful pas-senger carriers. What type of plane did Piedmont operate for many years whose military version was know as the C-47?

A. Douglas DC-3

B. Consolidated B-24

C. Fairchild Flying Boxcar

3. Ehen World War I erupted, brothers Kiffin and Paul Rock-well of Asheville joined the French military; Later, Kiffin became a pilot in one of the most famous aviation units of all time. What was this group called?

A Flying Tigers

B. Black Sheep Squadron

C. Lafayette Escadrille

4. During World War II, USAAF Col. Robert Morgan of Asheville became the first American bomber pilot to suc-cessfully complete 25 missions over Europe. Morgan’s B-17F had what nickname?

A Sentimental Journey

B. Tar Heel Honey

C. Memphis Belle

5. In 1929, Greensboro native Mary Nicholson became the first woman in North Carolina to earn a private pilot’s li-cense. Nicholson was also a charter member of what or-ganization made up of pioneering female fliers?

A. Century Club

B. Ninety-Nines

C. Aviatrix Association of America

Answers on page 7

http://500px.com/popular

http://digital-photography-school.com/

http://photonaturalist.net/

http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/

http://www.steeletraining.com/

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/

Click on the links above

Web Sites to try

Where are my glasses-------------

Yesterday my daughter e-mailed me again asking why I didn't do something useful with my time. Like sitting around the pool and drinking wine is not a good thing, I said.

Talking about my "doing something useful" seems to be her favorite topic of conversation. She was "only thinking of me" she said, and suggested I go down to the senior center and hang out with the gals. I did this and when I got home last night I decided to teach her a lesson about staying out of my business.

I e-mailed her and told her that I had joined a parachute club. She replied, "Are you nuts? You are 75 years old, and now you're going to start jumping out of airplanes?" I told her that I even got a membership card and e-mailed a copy to her. She immediately telephoned me, "Good grief, where are your glasses! This is a membership to a Prostitute Club, not a Parachute Club." "Oh man, I'm in trouble again; I really don't know what to do... I signed up for five jumps a week." The line went quiet and her friend picked up the phone and said that my daughter had faint-ed.

Life as a senior citizen is not getting any easier but some-times it can be fun.

4



2013 Carl Moser Scholarship Winner

Sherrie Wells

CVCC Photographic Technology, Class of 2014

The goal of my photojournalistic efforts is to capture the emotion of an instant. I strive to record real life events at the pinnacle of action, preserving that slice of time for the enjoyment of all. Freezing a decisive moment displays the true character of all involved, inviting the viewer to live vicariously through the experiences of others.

My passion for photography is fueled by my adventurous spirit. I enjoy being a part of community activities such as sporting events, festivals and fund raisers in any capacity, from participant to documentarian. To this end, I hope to use my photography skills honed at Catawba Valley Com-munity College to pursue a position with an event photog-raphy outfit, or perhaps a print or online news organiza-tion.

I enjoy the opportunity to tell a story with my images, so my ideal job would be with the lifestyle section of a newspaper or news magazine. Such a position would ena-ble me to be involved with community citizens and events and share that vision with others. I believe my inquisitive spirit and willingness to be associated with every aspect of community life would lend well to this type of endeavor.

With her essay on the left and the three images be-low Sherrie Wells was the unanimously selected of our three judges as the winner of the 2013 Carl Moser scholarship.

5



Bumper Stickers for the Elderly

6



Continued from page 1 Landscape Photography at Twilight

astronomical twilight is just ending in the morning. At-

mospheric colors consist of deep dark blue toward the

horizon, and completely black when facing west. Astro-

nomical twilight really brings cityscape photos to life.

The deep blue mixed with warm artificial lights from city

buildings, streets, and cars produce nice contrasts. Argua-

bly, this is the best time to photograph cityscapes, but this

clearly depends what you’re attempting to capture. Imag-

es during all twilight phases and during sunrise require a

tripod. The photo will be blurry, regardless if your lens

has vibration reduction or image stabilization.

Nautical twilight is when the center of the sun is between

6° and 12° below the horizon. The primary color cast

across the atmosphere is usually a deep blue hue with

noticeable orange and yellow tones at the horizon due to

the rising sun. Light will begin appearing quickly

throughout this phase, and the blue sky will get begin to

get brighter and paler. Details will become easier to dis-

tinguish but will lack most edge definition. Again, city-

scape photographs are nicely produced during this phase.

Most landscape photographs will be uninteresting during

this phase because there is not enough available light.

Silhouettes begin to look interesting, and get better in the

next twilight phase.

“Winter Solstice in Reykjavik” captured by Ævar Guðmundsson

Civil twilight is the brightest phase of twilight and be-

gins when the geometric center of the sun is 6° below

the horizon and ends at 0° sunrise/sunset. The horizon is

clearly visible and shadows are easily discernable. Ob-

jects are clearly defined and no additional light is needed

in most cases. The light cast during this phase can be

anywhere from warm golden tones to cool pink tones.

During civil twilight, the colors of the sky are going to

change quickly. Colors of pale yellow, neon red, and

bright orange will dominate the sky. If clouds are pre-

sent they begin changing colors, first from soft pink then

to deep ruby red. When looking westward you can see

the twilight wedge, which is a mixture of Earth’s shad-

ow and scattered light. The pink and blue hues of the

twilight wedge are separated by multiple layers. Most

landscape photos begin coming to life as available light

increases and details become obvious.

When the sun finally rises, deep ruby red and dark pink

colors splash all over the terrain. Shadows come alive

and retain purple and blue hues due to scattered light.

The contrasts of red and blue are at a pinnacle, and will

arguably provide for the best landscape pictures. The

mixture of colors and shadows helps distinguish form,

shape, and texture, and these compositional elements

should be utilized. The color of light is quickly changing

from red to yellow, and you must react very fast if you

decide to change composition or frame. As the sun con-

tinues to rise in the sky, colors shift from yellow to

white. This is why the first hour of sunrise and sunset is

called the “golden hour“, because red light shifts to gold.

After the first hour of sunrise the color of light begins

turning whiter and is not conducive to most landscape

Continued on page 7

7



Continued from page 6 Landscape Photography at Twilight

Pioneers of the Sky

1. C. Bicycle shop owners

2. A. Douglas DC-3

3. C. Lafayette Escadrille

4. C. Memphis Belle

5. B. Ninety-Nines

photography. The only circumstances that could create

gorgeous photos in midday are during storms when the

sun breaks through high clouds illuminating spots of land.

Otherwise, forget about taking good landscape pictures –

they will not be compelling.

Photo captured by Denis Krivoy

The best time of day to create evocative landscape image-

ry is during twilight and sunrise/sunset. There are rare

exceptions when these “rules” do not apply, which is why

if you are seriously considering landscape photography

you must be out in the wilderness during these hours. Yes

you will miss breakfast and dinner, yes it will be hard

waking up very early in the morning, and yes you will be

frustrated many times when the photo opportunities are

just not there because it’s too cloudy, or no clouds, etc.

But who ever said photography was easy? This stuff is not

meant for the meek. As with anything in life you have to

really want it. You have to be passionate about taking

away a beautiful photo, even though it took many visits to

the same spot to get your photo. This stuff can be grueling

at times, but for me, the rewards far outweigh the repeated

disappointments. I hope this article has helped those seek-

ing to become landscape photographers.

8



Continued from page 2 Six Steps to Start Seeing Photographically

See the light, its effect on buildings and objects around you ©Valérie

Jardin

When you see light, any ordinary object will become a wonderful sub-

ject ©Valérie Jardin

2 – Express your vision with basic compo-

sition rules

There are many ways to express your vision and they all

start with the decisions you make before you press the

shutter.

Use focus point and depth of field

The obvious way to lead the eye of the viewer is by focus-

sing on the subject and using the right depth of field so

that there is no mistake as to where the eye should go. It

only takes a fraction of a second to lock your focus and

recompose. You have to put some thought into it and soon

you will make quick decisions that will make your images

stronger.

Use focus point and

depth of field to lead

the eye to your sub-

ject ©Valérie Jardin

Leading lines

Too often ignored, the use of lines is a powerful tool to

lead the eye.

Use leading lines in your composition ©Valérie Jardin

The rule of thirds

Positioning your subject in your frame is one of the most

important decisions you will make in regards to your

composition. You cannot overuse the rule of thirds, but

it’s okay to break it as long as it is done intentionally.

The rule of thirds works, use it! ©Valérie Jardin

Continued on page 9

9



Break the rule of thirds as much as you want, as long as

you know why you’re breaking it. ©Valérie Jardin

Using color

Just like using focus point to draw the eye, using color is

another powerful compositional tool. Alternatively, be-

cause color draws the eye, it is also a reason to convert

your color image into B&W to remove distracting color-

ful elements and make stronger images!

Negative space

The clever use of negative space makes stronger images

as it puts more emphasis on the subject (positive space).

Use negative space to give more impact to your images.

©Valérie Jardin

Patterns

See and use repeated patterns or, even better, look for

breaks in the pattern!


Soon you will see stronger images that incorporate several

elements such as repeated patterns, leading lines, rule of

thirds and color that draws your eye to the main subject.

©Valérie Jardin

3 – Less is more

Learn to make stronger images by leaving unnecessary

elements out of the frame. One thing I notice all the time

when I look at my students’ work is that they tend to in-

clude too much in their frame. What you decide to leave

out of the frame during your composition will make or

break the image. Keep it simple. Learn to see and crop in

camera.

Continued on page 10

10




You don’t need the subject in its entirety to have a strong

image. Practice cropping in camera. The use of a fixed lens

will help you! ©Valérie Jardin

4 – Get close and fill your frame

Objects, even the most ordinary ones, look more interest-

ing if you frame them tight. Get close. You think you’re

close enough? Now get closer!

5 – Work your frame

Try shooting from different perspectives, shoot high, shoot

low. Tilt your camera for more dynamic images.

6- Watch your background!

It only takes a second to scan the edges of your frame and check your background for distracting elements. It also only takes a quick second to move one step in either direction to get rid of a distracting element or avoid a branch to stick out of someone’s ear.

This image would have been ruined had I not stepped slightly to the right to avoid the potted plant to be directly on top of the gentleman’s head. ©Valérie Jardin

Next time you go out with your camera, try to slow down and think more about what you want to convey with your images. Unless you are photographing birds, busy toddlers or action sports, try to make every shutter click count!

Soon these composition rules will become second nature. You will see them without having to even think about them, you will learn to see photographically, and your work will improve.

Have fun!

11


I hope each and everyone had wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends...On to the next holiday!!! If you are

like me you enjoyed the family and friends, but the amount of food you ate was way too much. Back in the gym this

week to try and work off at least one slice of pumpkin pie or extra helping of turkey. But with Christmas just around the

corner I expect more over eating is in our future. At this rate it will take many more days at the gym to work off all the

good food at this time of year. Happy Holidays!!!

Speaking of the holidays our club’s annual end of year social and Awards ceremony is coming up on December 18th at

the Art Museum. Everyone is invited and don’t forget to bring a covered dish or some hors d’oeuvrves to the evening of

fellowship and fun. You can also bring your spouse or a guest to the party if you like.

One year ago I began my term as the club’s President. At the time I thought “two years, that’s a long time” but this past

year has gone by rather quickly. Some things have gone smoothly this past year, but others have been a little rough with

some bumps in the road. I hope I’ve learn from my mistakes this past year so things will go a little smoother this upcom-

ing year.

One exciting thing in our future is the upcoming National Geographic show that we are working on for the year 2015.

While this will not happen until after my time as club President is over, I believe it is something the club can be proud to

having been part of.

Donny Teague

Presidents Report

We’re on the Web

http://cvcameraclub.org/

Club Officers

President: Donny Teague [email protected]

Vice President: Richard Griffin [email protected]

Secretary: Judy Young [email protected]

Treasurer: Chip Young [email protected]

Image Coordinator: Ed Lane [email protected]

Webmaster: Scott M. Powell [email protected]


12



Application for Membership

NAME_____________________________________________DATE__________________

ADDRESS_________________________________________________________________

CITY_________________________________STATE____________ZIP_______________

E-MAIL___________________________________________________________________

PHONE: HOME_________________WORK______________CELL________________

Dues are $35 per year. Meetings are the first and third Wednesday of each month.

Students: $15 per year

CLUB USE ONLY: Date Received__________________ Cash_______Check______

Please print clearly as our club correspondence is conducted via e-mail.

The View Findercvcameraclub.org/Newsletters/CVCC_Dec_News13.pdf · 2013-12-04 · CVCC Photographic...

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