One Minute Update (27 June)

Greetings all,

I am days away from my 'summer vacation' and I am really looking forward to it.  I hope to hike the

It will be a miracle IF I can make it.
I will try to find the motivation
to keep putting one foot in front
of another.  Wish me luck!

Colorado Trail which could be a 1 day, 1 week, 1 month or 10 week hiking adventure-- 486 mi. from Denver to Durango.  It is an adventure that I have been dreaming about for years and this year finally I have the opportunity to do it.  So wish me luck.  I am not into 'selfies', so I think I will try to shoot a little video as a documentary of my hiking adventure.  We'll see what I come up with.  Where I want to take my photography next is one of the great questions I hope to find an answer about during this trip.

If any issues arise Paul Martin, the Deputy, is in charge and with Arnett the Intern they are both an easy email away.  I think you guys are all in the best of hands.

Another update is that I am excited to announce that we will be collaborating again this year with the Horticultural Art Society of Colorado Springs in a 2nd Annual Photo Contest.

They are working on the details and I believe the deadline will be September 31st.  For those that did not compete last year the subject for the contest are the gardens that the HAS cares for to include the Demonstration Gardens.

News:

Try A Free PPAedu Video! Commercial Photography: Lighting a Reflective Object with Cris J. Duncan

The Marriage of Wedding Photography and Photojournalism Getting Totally Out of Hand 

Eerie Large Format Photographs of Central Park Taken in the Middle of the Night

The Stories of Change

Incredibly Mind-Bending Images, You Have to See These
A Collection of Powerful Black and White Images


Rant & Rave:

You know most of the time a Rant or a Rave will focus on problems or issues.  Not this time.  I just want to share 'something great' or a moment when all was right with me and this Group.  It happened a couple weeks ago when I hosted a MeetUp called 'Portraits in the Park'.  It was not meant to be a class, more of a shoot outing.  And it turned out fantastic-  and I had practically nothing to do with it other than posting it.  Members helped members.  There were people of all skill levels.  People learned how to use reflectors by not just seeing one but by holding one so that a great image could be made.  And great images were being made- a few have been uploaded to our MeetUp photo album.  But from the perspective of your Organizer it was a perfect 5 star event. What makes us GREAT is our diversity, our passion for photography and our openness to share and 'have FUN!'

There are other things that we do: Community Service, Student Scholarships and a 'Community' Photo Contest.  But those are just programs that we are invested in.  The fact that we ourselves have become such a great community is what I hope that we can alway be and deliver.

Photo by Richard Firth

Think I will sign off with that. . .

Let's have FUN!
Charlie


Our Vision:  Educate, Showcase and Serve our Community 

One Minute Update (12 Jun)

Dear Community,

I hope that you are off trying new things or maybe looking at old things in a different way.  A different light.  Here is a great example of a fresh perspective.  I recommend that you turn your speakers up and take this little beauty for a test drive.  As our resident panorama guy Jim Harris describes it as, "Stunning is the only word that comes to mind."

I hope that you are all out there doing equally stunning work.  And of course 'having FUN!'  There is some good light/sunshine out there amidst the hail and the rain <grin> ((Welcome to Colorado Springs))

News:

The CSCPG taught its first Photography Merit Badge class to Boy Scouts last Saturday.  There were twenty seven very eager minds.  It is always fun to work with kids.  A little hard sometimes as an 'old guy' because you remember all the challenges you use to face: manual focusing, metering and 'catching moments.'  Today's kids jump in digitally and they are off and running.  And of course they grew up with everything being digital so they are explaining Photoshop to me, Ha ha!  Anyway it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.  We hope to do another class in September prior to our first Pikes Peak Council Boy Scout Photography Contest in Oct. (stay tuned...  Thanks to Arnett for volunteering her time and energy)


Here are a couple great articles from Professional Photographer Magazine.  You can get a subscription for $19.95 a year- it's a great bargain :-)

Classic with a Twist: Ann Naugher's Child Portraiture -- Ann Naugher infuses a child's sense of wonder into traditional portraits.

Fertile Ground: Couture Maternity by Nylora Bruleigh -- "The younger girls love the original belly sessions, and the older women in their mid- to late 30s appreciate the belly couture. They like being pampered."

Family dynamics by Stephanie Boozer -- When you work with families, you find out pretty quickly that there's no single best method. 

The Art of Emotion by Minton -- Photography is about creating heirlooms.

Rant&Rave:  Very special thanks to Allison Earnest for sharing this historical story about Kodak's DCS1000, it's $25,000 price tag and it's 1.3 Mpix resolution and how it was 'state of the art' and photographers were lining up to use them.  As an 'old timer' in the group, it was amazing to bear witness to how technology has changed photography forever.  Things that I thought I would never see?  The death of Kodachrome.  A bankrupt Kodak.  5 Mp camera's on our phones.  20 Million photos being viewed every minute on the internet.


If I had invested in technology instead of buying film I might be richer.  But I am THRILLED that I lived in an age where you had to know what you were doing (there was no LCD on the back of my SLR).  There was (1) shot that was going to go on the cover of a magazine and... it was yours if you knew how to make it.

I recently had a conversation with a fellow photographer about shooting some images on a Twitter/Facebook deadline with their iPhone.  They were aghast at the idea of shooting with something less than with their $2,500- $5,000 DSLR rig.  I grinned and told them that using their DSLR was like killing a fly with a sledgehammer.  Press photographers were aghast at the 'photographers' taking pictures with their little 35mm cameras.  When color film came along an entire industry disappeared-- there was no more need for people who colored in someones photographs.

An image of mine used by Time Life Video in their advertising.
Imagine my surprise when I opened my mail and found my image.
Went into the office and sent them a bill (which they promptly paid).

Some of you have gotten on the 'digital' train later than the rest of us.  We 'old timers' learned it is the photographer, not the equipment, that makes a great image.  So wake up and smell the coffee, it is a brand new day.  And photography is changing.  You can buy a 2 Mp digital camera on Amazon for less that $12.  So here is my bottom line...  take time to invest in yourself.  Improve you!  Don't worry about the next new thing.  Believe me I have 'toys' and I even have a shelf of antiques (film cameras).  But the 'toys' don't define me as a photographer.  What you carry in your camera bag shouldn't define you.  The last honest picture you took should be where you hang your hat.  And if your VERY old and retired like me, you can always reach back and pull one out of your hat :-)

Just never stop seeing.  Composing in your mind.  Watching how the light is changing.

Think I will sign off with that. . .

Let's have FUN!
Charlie

Our Vision:  Educate, Showcase and Community Service