Hello Club,

As I write this, it's late at night and I've been with my 21-month-old grandson since 6:00 am because his mom is busy trying to deliver his baby brother. Julien's in bed and I've had an hour to work on the newsletter. Then we got the call... our newest grandson has made a safe arrival! Moments later, I closed the unsaved document and when it asked to save, I clicked "NO". So, after a painful search, this is version 2 of the January newsletter. Happy New Year!

This is actually our second grandchild born in the last two weeks. On December 29, our other son was gifted with a daughter, Ella Jennifer. We are so blessed to now have three healthy grandchildren born into loving families.

Congrats also goes out to Kathy Neudorf who celebrated the safe arrival of her fourth grandchild, a daughter, Aubree Elisabeth Selinger, on December 28th. All four of her grandchildren, two boys and two girls, are under the age of four.

Being a parent is the privilege of a lifetime, being a grandparent tops even that.

Photo taken at 3 am when the baby was 3 hours old, by Granpaparazzi (aka Dennis)

New Year's Resolutions for Any Photographer

Here are 10 resolutions that can help us all become better photographers in 2011. Source: www.photoguides.net

1. Never use Auto mode.
   One of the first steps involved in improving your photography is taking control of your camera. P mode is great as it automatically controls your exposure but it lets you meddle with white balance, ISO and a great range of other options that can help bring your photos to life. In 2011 I will never use Auto mode.
2. Shoot more in RAW
   I personally believe there is a time and a place for RAW. Lately though, I've been neglecting the format. RAW is an uncompressed file format that retains all of your photos information. As a result you can continue to adjust white balance and other camera options when you're back at your computer, and your photo retains details that otherwise would have been lost in JPEG. In 2011 I want to shoot in RAW more often.
3. Take control of your flash.
   Your camera's built in flash can be a bit unkind sometimes. On Auto Flash mode the burst of light can drain the colour and vibrancy from your photo. Most camera's these days have multiple flash modes that can help you to use your flash creatively. In 2011, if I'm ever using flash, I'll consider what flash mode will best do the job and switch it off auto.
4. Take your camera with you more often.
   I'm often complaining about the size of my camera. It's too big and heavy to lug around sometimes, and I often opt for a small point and shoot when I'm on the move because it's more portable. In 2011, if I'm ever going anywhere even slightly interesting, I'll take my camera with me. It may be a hassle at times but I'm sure the photos will make up for it.
5. Shoot more in the rain.
   I think photographing in the rain has a great deal of potential. Usually people are scared off by the rain and tend not to use their cameras in fear of getting them wet. Heck, most sane people avoid even getting themselves wet. This though means that the world in the rain is an unseen world. Grab a raincoat and a plastic bag or some other form of camera protection, head out in the rain and see what you can capture. In 2011 I won't let a storm scare me off. I'll head out and photograph the sights that people wouldn't normally see.
6. Never use the camera's Black and White mode.
   If you select the black and white mode on your camera, your camera simply desaturates your image and discards colour information. Typically, the end result is a flat image. If you want stunning black and white photographs you need to photograph in colour and then play around with the colours in Photoshop or Lightroom. Here you have an astonishing amount of control with your black and white transformation because it retains colour information. This means that if you want the sky to stand out in your black and white photo, by adjusting the hue or saturation of the blues in your photo you can make your sky pop. The photograph will still be black and white but these programs remember your colours to give you full control over lighting, shade and the texture of your subject. In 2011 I will never use the camera's black and white mode, and I'll do it all myself in Photoshop or Lightroom.
7. Develop a photography series.
   Pick a subject or topic, get out there and create an amazing collection. It could be bikes in the city, people's hands, the contents of people's handbags or some other idea I haven't thought of. A photography series can be a great thing to share and look at, as well as a fascinating insight into the abstract qualities of life. In 2011, I'm going to pick a different, fascinating subject and photograph the hell out of it.
8. Stop the car.
   Every now and then while driving along I spot a stunning landscape that just begs to be photographed. I always think 'that would make a great photo' but I never stopped for a closer look. In 2011 I'll be sure to stop at any opportunity, get out of the car and photograph that stunning landscape. Don't let these opportunities pass you buy.
9. Use filters.
   Filters really can transform your photos. Whether it's a polarized filter or an ND filter, putting another piece of glass in front of your lens can provide you with a world of new opportunities and some pretty stunning results. PhotoGuides can of course tell you all about the three essential filters. In 2011 I'll invest in ND filters and other sorts as well, and I'll see just what filters can do for my photos.
10. Don't forget the people.
    As a landscape photography enthusiast it's often easy to ignore the people and go for the stunning scenes. In 2011 I'm going to try and take more photos of the important people in my life. Wherever we are, whatever we're doing, great photos of people are always the ones you'll cherish and remember. If there's one resolution that we all take on board, I think it should be this one.
    

Freeman Patterson … Almost Here

The efforts of many will some pay off as we enjoy a rich learning experience with Freeman Patterson, described recently by Chris Harris as the best photographer in the world. This is truly a worthwhile event and a highlight for our club to host a photographer of this stature.

A few details about the day:

• There are still tickets available. Make sure your friends and colleagues know of this extraordinary opportunity.
• The Saturday event runs from 9:00 am to 4:45 pm at Chief Sepass theatre.
• Food services (coffee, pastries, snacks, cold beverages and a hot food selection) will be offered. It is not expected that there will be enough food to allow everyone to have lunch. We suggest you consider local restaurants or bringing your own. The lunch hour will be 90 minutes.
• A selection of Freeman's books will be offered for sale.
  

Congrats!

Congrats to Marion McCristall who submitted pictures to the CAPA note and post card competition. Marion received honourable mention for the two cards below. Way to go, Marion!

Competition Update

We depend on our members to support the club's efforts in outside competitions. Thanks to Glenn Newby for this summary of two events coming soon. Please submit images to comps@langleycameraclub.com by January 12, 2011.

North Shore Challenge
This is an annual competition put on by the North Shore Photographic Society www.nsps.ca in West Vancouver.  Most of the local clubs participate in this, and it is similar to our FVI we hold each year in May.  It's been a fun rivalry between all the local clubs and historically we have done quite well.

In their words, "There is no restriction in subject matter.  However, an image submitted to a previous North Shore Challenge competition is not eligible".  So that basically means it is an open competition and anything goes! We are submitting 10 images to this competition, with a maximum of one image per club member.

CAPA Altered Reality
This is a relatively new competition – last year I believe was the first.  We had a fantastic entry to this competition …  we sure have some talented and creative members in our club!

Here is what CAPA (http://www.capacanada.ca/) has to say about this competition:
"Images must be heavily manipulated and obviously creatively enhanced including composites, creative filters etc. These images are not meant to look like a regular photograph."
So there you go – go crazy with Photoshop or whatever!

I will also be going through the club galleries and I may be requesting specific images from you over the next few days.  However, if you have some entries send them along now...  don't wait for me to ask!  And as always I welcome any questions you have.

Planning Ahead
Our next competition is Footwear, with a closing date in February. Details to come.

Fraser Valley Invitational … Night!

Work is underway for our next FVI, to be held on May 7, 2011. The theme is Night. We hope you have plans for great images.

We're also thinking ahead to 2012. We realized that one of the biggest jobs is one that needs to have extra support to keep it strong and vibrant.  Glen MacKenzie is the person who looks for all those wonderful prizes we are able to award each year.  Glen would like to find someone to help him a bit this year, who would also be willing to be mentored by him in the process, so they could pick it up next year (with Glenn in the background).  So we need someone to come forward now.  What's the workload?  It's not as enormous as in other years.  Bill Kellett and Glenn have worked hard to create a set of on-going relationships with our sponsors.   Glen for instance, will soon be sending pictures to sponsors of last year's event, to remind them that the event provides them with real value through their support.  Please think seriously about taking on this role and contact Glen directly (glenmackenzie@shaw.ca) if you think you might be interested, or have questions you want to ask about what's involved. 

Tickets are not yet available for the FVI but we did want to give you all advance notice about a change to the ticket prices.  This year an "advanced ticket" will cost you $15 or you can buy a ticket at the door for $18.  We've been holding the ticket prices at $10 for a lot of years now.  The FVI has never been intended to be a club fundraiser.  Last year we made about $130.00 once all the bills were paid. We suspect we won't break even this year because almost everything that goes into the FVI has increased in price due to the HST etc. In addition, we've noticed that almost all the other club events of this kind now have ticket prices in the $18.00 - $25.00 range.  After much discussion (charging $12.50 for instance) we decided to go to $15.00 (and $18.00) with the intent of holding the price there for the next several years.   We think you still get tremendous value for your ticket.  Where else do you go to have an evening with entertainment (with Night as our theme this year you can look forward to something really different), high level photography, food, and generous prizes.  Thanks for your understanding as we make this change.  Your ongoing support is what makes this event a huge success.

Our Speaker for January

We are privileged to host Jared Hobbs this month, an accomplished biologist and bird photographer. Jared is the only person who has located and observed nests of the Spotted Owl in BC. His persistent search for these rare and endangered birds has taken him to remote parts of the province and allowed him to see first hand what few people ever will. His photographs are arresting and his story of the loss of these birds from our landscape is tragic but one that needs to be heard. Jared's work is published in many magazines and he has also published a book about the Spotted Owl. See more of his work at www.hobbsphotos.com.

		The photo is a Northern Hawk Owl, a rare visitor to Reiffel Bird Sanctuary. Jared took this photo last week, where it visits only once every 6-7 years. Maybe these guys found the same bird.
NB – for those of you paying attention, Jared was originally scheduled to come in February with Patrick Koslo in January. Both presenters preferred to trade dates.

Coming Events (outside)

CAPA Field Trip to Granville Island, January 29
A photo field trip to False Creek and Granville Island is planned for January 29/11. The tour is open to CAPA members, as well as members within photo clubs of CAPA's Pacific Zone. It begins at 9:15 am and should last into the early afternoon. If there is a large outburst on the timing, I will pick another date based on what I hear.

We will meet at the Olympic village station on the Canada Line. We will walk north down to False Creek and follow the sea wall west to Granville Island. This will be a lunch stop, after which those who wish to continue will board the sea bus for David Lam Park on the north side where we will continue east to Science World and back along the south side via the Olympic Village to our starting point at Olympic Village station.

It is 7km in total and the walk takes 4 hours; longer if we stop a lot. The area is quite interesting for photography.

A lunch venue will be determined once I know the numbers, and we are closer to the date. The date is weather dependent so I'll be looking at the long range forecast in January.

I'll be arriving by public transit; the Olympic Village Canada Line station is within three blocks from the start of the tour. For those coming from the south, you can park on the east side of Cambie, south of 49th. It's free and close to the Langara station.

Within the next week I'll put out an interactive map of the route.

In the meantime here are some photos that I shot while scoping out the route.

http://www.neillenobel.com/Other/CAPA-False-Creek/14687823_NqUje#1093712024_NBe5b

Please contact Neil le Nobel (doreenandneil@shaw.ca), CAPA field trips coordinator, if you plan to attend.

Burnaby Showcase

The Burnaby Photographic Society is preparing their 15th Annual "Showcase" – 3 events!

1. Print Exhibit, 30 Jan – 5 Feb; see hours available at bottom of this message
2. Guest Lecture – Friday evening, 4 Feb. 7:00 pm
3. Showcase – Saturday evening, 5 February 7 pm

All events at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby BC
See details below, in the attached poster and on the website
http://www.burnabyphotographicsociety.com/ ; click on the poster that comes up on the first page.

1. Print Exhibit:  all week: 30 January through 5 February, 2011. Free, no admission charge.
   A special selection of 40 large framed prints from members of Burnaby Photographic Society
   on exhibit in the lobby of the Shadbolt Centre. Vote for your favorite print!
   Monday, 30 January: 6pm – 10 pm; Tues through Sat, 31 January to 5 February: 10am – 10pm.
2. Guest Lecture  Friday 4 February 2011 7:00 pm. 
   "An Evening with Dan and David Newcomb" (www.timelapsehd.ca)
   Room 103 of the Shadbolt Centre. Tickets $10.00, order from Lynda Kerr, 604-433-0826  kerr2000@telus.net
   Remember the amazing slide shows of Vancouver with clouds swirling that circulated during the Olympics? Take a look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xMz2SnSWS4 . This was created by twin brothers Dan and David Newcomb.
3. Showcase Extraordinaire!
   Saturday 5 February 2011  - Arrive early to view the print selection in the lobby: Lobby opens at 6pm.
   James Cowan Theatre opens at 6:30 pm. The show begins at 7pm sharp.
   Our popular annual Showcase event -- approx. 15 short slide shows, each set to music to help set the mood.
   James Cowan Theatre, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.  Many excellent door prizes to be won!
   Intermission – refreshments provided! 
   All 285 seats for this event are sold out almost every year -- please get your tickets in advance.  
   Tickets $18, order from Lynda Kerr, 604-433-0826  kerr2000@telus.net

Help Requested

A request from a former member named Darryl-Anne Vanderwall ... I was club Rep for the Arts Council for several years. I have a favor to ask. I am currently sewing a camera bag (Shootsac) which is designed for the purpose of carrying 2-3 lenses for easy access during a shoot. Just wondering if you know of anyone in the club that may have one (I need to see one before cutting into the expensive neoprene) or if you can send a message out via the club list.
Thank you,
Darryl-Anne
If you can help Darryl-Anne, please contact her at dadvan@telus.net .

Technique: Panning the Camera

This article is from the January newsletter by Out There Images. You can see the whole article, including images, and other articles at www.outthereimages.com/11_01_newsletter.html . You can also subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

Pan Blurs
Your GOAL Assignment (Get Out And Learn Assignment) last month was to deliberately introduce motion into your images by panning with your subject as it moves. Lots of people wrote about their experiences and a few people posted their images at our Flickr pool. www.flickr.com/groups/out_there_images/

A pan-blur is defined as a photo where you pan your camera at exactly the same speed as the subject while using a long-ish shutter speed. The goal is to create an image where the subject is sharp and the background is blurred from the camera motion.

Creating a "good" pan-blur photo can be incredibly difficult because of high quantities of failures. In fact, I've found that I get one usable image from about 10 to 20 bad images. Many times, the process of creating a pan-blur seems more like a black art than repeatable science. However, there are some good techniques you can use to better your chances of getting a great image.

The most important thing to know about creating effective pan-blurs is that something on the subject of the photo needs to be in sharp focus. For example, if you are photographing a taxi driving through a city, then something on the taxi should be sharp; perhaps a wheel or the logo on the door. If the subject is a person or an animal, then you should generally try to get the face in clear focus.

Getting the subject's face in focus isn't a hard and fast rule, but viewers of your images are always drawn to the face since that is where the emotion of the photo begins. For example, look at the photographs of the kids riding sleds to the left. You can see that their faces are in focus while the backgrounds are blurry from the panning motion. This effect works well for these images. In the image of the wildebeest, the face isn't in focus, but the shoulder is. In this case, I think that not being able to clearly see the face of the wildebeest is ok.

As long as something in the image is sharp, then the rest of the scene can be blurry and the viewer will assume that the effect was done on purpose. If everything in the photo is blurry, then it often looks like the photo is just a complete mess. For example, look at the two images of the young girl sledding that were taken in sequence. The first one has a sharp face while the second one is completely blurry. The blurry photo doesn't give the viewer enough information to feel comfortable with the image. Honestly, it is disconcerting to look at the picture.

Of course, all rules are meant to be broken and it is possible to create great pan-blur images with everything blurry. For example, look at this image taken by Flickr user jpleau00. I think he did a great job of creating an aesthetic pan blur of a wooded scene. Nothing in the image is sharp, yet the image works very well.

Shutter speed plays a very important role in your pan-blur photographs. If the shutter speed is too fast, then you won't see any motion blur. Too slow, and everything turns into a blurry mess. Your shutter speed needs to change based on the speed of your subject. Here are some starting points for pan-blur shutter speeds:

- 1/15 second for someone walking.
- 1/30 to 1/60 second for something running or jogging or a kid on a snow sled.
- 1/125 second for something like a bicycle rider.
- 1/500 second for a Formula 1 race car driving past at 150 mph.

Holding your camera properly is another skill that you'll need to master for effective pan-blurs. I've found that I get the best results when I plant my feet about shoulder width apart and then start my pan with my waist twisted to one side. Then, I rotate my torso while tracking the motion of the subject and end the shot with my waist twisted to the other side. I start my panning motion long before I press the shutter release and then make sure to follow through the pan motion after I'm finished shooting. This ensures a nice, smooth panning sequence and sets me up for success. If I'm jerky with my pan movement, then I'm almost assured to get 100% blurry photos.

Well, there you have it. Remember that creating captivating pan-blurs is a lot of fun, but can also be extremely frustrating. Strive for getting something sharp, choose the appropriate shutter speed and pan very smoothly. Finally, plan to shoot lots and lots of photos and keep practicing. Don't give up until you come home with an amazing pan-blur image.

The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera. ~ Yousuf Karsh

To promote and advance photography as an art form... (LCC Handbook)

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