One Minute Update (4 Sept)

Greetings Creative Photographers,

Top winners receive a
9" crystal trophy

I love that our Group appears to be always growing.  Not just in numbers but in how well we treat our members.  I am excited to announce that every dues paying member is now eligible to enter (1) FREE image in our Community Photo Contest.  This year we are going to have (6) categories  There will be Portrait, Landscape (including Nightshots), Close-up, Black & White, a Man-made/Abstract (Barns, Doors, Cars ect.) and Animal (domestic or wild) categories.  Our CSCPG goal since the beginning has been to 'showcase' our members.  The 'Community' Photo Contest is intended to recognize the incredible talent, unique vision and artistic diversity that we have in the Colorado Springs neighborhood. 

We believe there is value in encouraging you to annually look at your photography to check and see if your headed in a good direction.  Your direction seeking helps us serve you best.  We can then offer the MeetUps that keep you, and 'us', growing.

Photo by James Van Hoy

Member Profile:  James Van Hoy
There are photographers who are always shooting and delivering amazing images.  James is one of them.  He has been a member of the CSCPG Group since 2009.  He served last year as a judge for the Horticultural Art Society Photo Contest and we look forward to working with him again.

A GREAT MeetUp coming up!

Introduction to Panorama ($25)  focusing (pun intended) on the aspects of camera setup and techniques for getting a series of pictures to be able to assemble into a panorama using Adobe Photoshop, and other panorama-specific apps for both PCs and Macs.


Cool Links:

Nikon Behind the Scenes: Lenses for Great Portraiture.

Our first stop for the Fall half of the Canon In Action Tour is Denver!

Sad little girl learns what it means to delete a picture,

Rant & Rave:
Just a little 'rave.'  There is an exciting change in the works for the CSCPG.  Something that I hope will be fun and rewarding.  So stay tuned.  Other news... I haven't been able to do a coffee with the Organizer lately- and my Sept calendar for Sat.'s is already full.  But I will schedule one for Oct.  See you then or at a MeetUp soon. 

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 (14 Aug)

Hi everyone,

It is great to be back home.  My adventures on the Colorado Trail were amazing, but I have to admit that after 9 days of afternoon showers and hail, it did dampen my enthusiasm.  I definitely have a better idea of what to expect next year.  Check out my banner if you would like to see photos.

It looks like things went smoothly while I was gone.  All the MeetUps were given 5 stars ratings and we have some fun looking MeetUps scheduled for the end of the month.

Here are some of the things that you might have missed in the last few weeks:
This Selfie Toaster Can Burn Your Portrait Onto Your Morning Toast

7 things to realize before you can safely quit your daily job

Here is a quick update on the MeetUp Group.  I cleaned house again, so we are down to 443 members in the MeetUp Group, but on the other hand we have past 1,200 members on FaceBook (1,216).  And as of today we have 205 members paying dues.  So financially we are doing well ($947.47 in the bank).  $500 of that is spoken for for our Student Scholarships and the rest will most likely go to 'thank you' baskets for our Community photo contest judges.  

I am excited as we head back to school and fall and the approach of Nov & Dec and the 3rd Annual Community Photo Contest.  So mark you calendar for1 November and for 31 Dec (Contest Deadline) and 14 January for the Contest Judging.  We will hang this years winners at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts in Mar.

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 (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

One Minute Update (22 May)

Hi everyone,

Paul is full of energy
and gives his all to
the Group

I want to start by sharing some exciting news.  The Group now has a 'Deputy Organizer'.  I asked Paul Martin and he has accepted to serve as 'Deputy Organizer' and as a manager of the Event Hosts.  Paul has been a member of the Group longer than I have (5.5 yrs).  He has served as a Co-Organizer for the last 3, going on 4, years and hosted scores of FREE MeetUps.  He is also co-signed on our Group checking account.

So if you are interested in becoming an Event Host please email Paul and introduce yourself.  You can teach just 1 class a year or teach as often as you would like.  IF you want to offer a paid class or two to the Group you can, but you must be willing to teach a FREE classes to the Group. 

We have also recruited an Intern.  I have recruited Arnett Luce to serve the Group and help me with the chores of running the Group.  She will take on managing the Annual 'Community' Photo Contest and will be the lead volunteer in our outreach to the Boy Scouts of Colorado.

Arnett is a budding
talent and also
full of energy.

About the Boy Scouts.  The Group is going to start teaching photography to the Boy Scouts of the Pikes Peak Councel (and the Girl Scouts in the future) who will be eager to earn a Photography Merit Badge.  Arnett is also fundraising to support a Pikes Peak Boy Scout Photographer of the Year and Boy Scout Photo Contest.  So, if your a parent or supporter of Scouting I would encourage you to contact her and offer her your support.  This is a TREMENDOUS opportunity for our Group.  We are thinking that we will grow this program to be State-Wide.

Where oh where have the members gone?  I know, I did a little house cleaning this week.  I removed a hundred members from the Group for being inactive for more than 9 months-- but I emailed them to tell them why, and why they were always welcomed back.  Here is what I said, "Hi, it looks like you have been inactive for more than 9 months.  I hope that sometime in the future you will rejoin and become active again.  You are always welcome to rejoin.  Best, Charlie"  Of all the people that I emailed not one wrote me back and asked to be reinstated.

You should see a big dip as I removed about 100 inactive
members of the Group.  Our intent is to try and continue to
offer the 5 star classes that we do and to reach and grow
our community.  But we need more volunteer Event Leaders
if we are going to reach more people. 

Why the cut back?  Well... we have always been focused on quality over quantity.  Plus the 'number' of members in the Group is a little deceptive.  You can have 953 members, but if the majority of them have not been 'active' for more than a year- are they really a 'member?'

Another reason to downsize is because we are community minded.  We can serve an active Group of 200-300 members better than we can serve 953.  With the volunteers that we have we did more than 130 MeetUps in 2013.  Nobody else has that kind of activity.  I talked about this at our Annual Meeting in January.  I choose to look at the fact that we have doubled the number of active members in the last 4 years and that we have grown our FB page to over 1,060 members in the last 24 months.  So 'yes' we are growing and we want you to share us with all your friends, but we don't ever want to rest on our laurels or stop growing physically or philosophically.

News

What Happens When A Photographer Takes The Same Photo From A Different Angle

Here's what a snail looks like captured in a long exposure photo.

Beautiful Women!

A Photograph Sparked Mothers To Show Us What Their Post-Baby Bodies Really Look Like

Time-Lapse Footage of a Supercell Thunderstorm

What If Famous Paintings Were Photoshopped to Look Like Fashion Models?

'What I Be' Project Reveals People's Darkest Insecurities In Stunning Photos

The Age of iPhone Reporting: Q&A with Neal Augenstein

Water shot! Photographer captures the precise moment a speeding bullet pierces a tiny droplet of falling liquid

Rants&Raves:  This is not so much a 'rant' or 'rave' it is more of a simple ask for your help.  The more that the Group grows the more need it has for volunteers.  Volunteers make any Group successful.  If you believe in 'paying it forward,' if you look at all the newcomers to photography who have never had a single photo class or if photography is a real passion-- then we want you involved in our Group.  Please contact Paul M about how you can make a difference.

Think I will sign off with that. . .

Let's have FUN!
Charlie

One Minute Update (14 May)

Hi Everyone,

I tend to be more intrigued with the
flowers than with the landscapes

Are you ready for summer?  I am getting there.  I have plans to tackle the Colorado Trail and therefore spent the weekend down in the CanyonLands in UT training.  A great trip.  Backpacking is almost as expensive as buying camera gear <grin>.

I am planning a trip back to the CanyonLands in Oct.  Anyone interested in backpacking out into the wild for some awesome views contact me.  We can start planning our FUN!

Other BIG NEWS we celebrated our 7th Anniversary on May 7th.  Did you know that we are the oldest Photography MeetUp Group in the Springs and have hosted over 735 MeetUps?  And we continue to grow.  I had a goal that we would have 1,000 followers on FaceBook by our Anniversary-- and we have 1,056.  GREAT! And we have new people finding our MeetUp Group every week.  So everyone can give themselves a big pat on the back.  Our community is doing fabulous.  So let's get out there and have fun.  Post your photos on the MeetUp Photo Gallery or on Facebook.  Plus, we have a DIY Build a 1 Light setup class set for the 15th (You don't have to buy the gear to participate), a class on 'Color for Dummies' on the 31st and a Professional Photographer Speakers presentation scheduled for Jun 7th.

So lot's going on and more on its way.


News:

Thanks to David Soldano for sharing this image on FaceBook.

Thanks to Mark Kirkland for sharing 7 Photography Hacks 


Think I will sign off with those.  No Rants&Raves.

Let's have FUN!
Charlie

One Minute Update (1 May)

Hi Everyone,

Thank you Carol Turner our
host at CMJH and our judges
Jeff Johnson, Christopher Gilbert
and Allison Earnest.

I hope you all have been having lots of fun with your cameras.  It has been a busy few weeks for me. school, volunteering and now training for visiting the Colorado Trail this summer.  It is 486 miles long.  Arnett Luce is going after pledges to fund a photo contest for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts using the miles that I hike to buy cameras for the winners.  Shoot her an email if this is something you would like to support.  Shoot me an email if you have any Trail stories to share.  I am trying to plan a fun, relaxing and rewarding hike.

So onto some GREAT Group news.  I am very pleased to share with you that we have had TWO major accomplishments happen in our Group in the past few weeks.  1) We held our first Student Scholarship Photo Contest.  Congratulations to Angel Martinez a 14 yr-old 8th grade student and the winner of the CSCPG's first Student Scholarship and named the CMJH Photographer of the Year.   A special thank you to Nth Wolf (Paul Martin) and Arnett Luce for helping the judging to go on so smoothly.

The 2nd best thing is that we raised $500 which FULLY FUNDS our 2015 Student Scholarship program.  This to me is very exciting.  If we can continue to add a school every year, where will we be in 5 yr, 10 or 20 yrs.  Who knows what gear everybody will be using then (maybe NikCan's or nano tech 'flies on the wall')  I just hope to be there, with you, enjoying the difference we are making in our local community

News:

A flash, a reflector and a window story by Simone

In 1913 it was legal to mail children.
With stamps attached to their clothing,
 children rode trains to their destinations,
 accompanied by letter carriers.
One newspaper reported it cost fifty-three
 cents for parents to mail their daughter
 to her grandparents for a family visit.

Canon vs Nikon Battle ... it appears Nikon wins, check it out it is humorous.

The Secret of Creating a Strong Image - 5 Tips for Creating a Story in your Image

Consider voting for an image in a contest at viewbug.com Last Light of Day by Jeff Johnson -- one of our Co-Organizers

For GoPro fans check this out

From our esteemed member Allison Earnest "How To Change the Contrast On Your Subject In Two-Seconds"

Photographer, Aviation Experts Stunned by Mysterious Unidentified Flying Object

The Photographer's Guide to Copyright has tips and resources to help you tackle copyright law, register your images, and protect your work from infringement.

9 Photographers Rocking Twitter Right Now

Flash photography on Location using just one Speedlight by Nikon

The Faces Behind the America's Food Stamp Program - A photo essay 

PHOTO DISCOVERY OF THE MONTH! Russian documentary photographer Elena Chernyshova shows daily life, work and play in the northernmost city of the world. 45 images with captions. A GREAT story!

Rants&Raves:
It was my pleasure to announce a new MeetUp group this week.  The Learning Center Photography Group by Mike’s Camera is a group for anyone wanting to learn more about photography. They, like us, are a big believer that photography should be fun and feel the more you know the more fun you'll have. They'll have seminars, workshops and events throughout the year on different photography topics. So check them out at: http://www.meetup.com/The-Learning-Center-with-Mikes-Camera/

I like promoting other groups when I can.  From my point of view there are well over 500,000 citizens in the Colorado Springs area.  I am confident that 1/3 of them have cameras or smart phones with cameras.  That is A LOT of people and our group is never going to be able to meet all those people's educational needs.  Maybe we can socialize online via FaceBook.  But big is not always better.  For me the number one thing that we don't want to squander is our 'Community' attitude.  Our vision is to Educate, Showcase and be 'Community' Minded.  Thank YOU for sharing that vision with us and being onboard as we celebrate our 7th anniversary on May 17th.

Let's have FUN!
Charlie