(Free) Beginner / Improver Photography Course at the Club

(posted by PeterG) As mentioned at our last meeting, the club is hoping to organise a beginner / improver course over two days some time in the not too distant future. Day-1 mix of talks and practical. Day-2 is an outdoor day subject to weather conditions. Go to the bottom of the post for more detail on the course content.

Please note:

• Max. nr of participants is approx. 8 to 10. We probably need a minimum of six to consider running it at all.
• The course is free to existing club members. It is also open to potential new members for a cost of €20 if introduced by an existing club member or for €50 to potential new members with no connection to any existing club members. In either case, the €20 or €50 would be refundable against the annual membership of €50 so it is effectively free for non-members also.
• The course is really intended for SLR cameras. However, a good deal of the material is equally relevant to bridge cameras which have many (but not all) of the controls available on SLR cameras. Compact camera owners are also welcome to attend but a lot of the coverage is not relevant to compact cameras so it probably only makes sense to attend if you think you might make the switch over at some time in the near future.

If you are interested in attending (whether an existing member or not) please fill out the following form:

Name(required)

Email(required)

 

Contact Nr: (optional)

Select Camera Type:(required) Canon SLR Nikon SLR Other SLR Bridge Camera Compact Camera

Links with Ennis Camera Club: Existing Ennis Club Member Friend of Ennis Club Member No connections with club yet

Preferred Course Schedule: Consecutive Saturday & Sunday Two consecutive Saturdays Two consecutive Sundays

Comments/Suggestions:

Proposed Course Content:
Nothing is cast in stone yet and anything described here is subject to change but this is the general jist of it.

09.30 Overview and Intros (Gerry Ryan and John Mangan)

09:45 – 10:45  Camera settings:  Peter Gorman

11:00 – 12:00  Basic Composition:  Gerald Dunne

12:00 – 13:00  Camera Familiarization (? -hope this  name captures the intention) Split into Canon Group (led by Paul Cooley and David Keane) and Nikon Group (led by John Mangan and Gerald Dunne)

Lunch (buy your own )

14:00 – 14:30  Outdoor Equipment (talk by Gerry Ryan / Paul Cooley)

14:30 – 17:00 Practice sessions (various club members on hand to assist)

End of day 1   (2nd day is then an outdoor group day subject to weather conditions)
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Distinctions for members

To all Members going for there distinctions.

Please take note that the closing date for the next distinctions sitting is April 1st.  The next sitting will take place in Athlone on May 19th.

The number of applications is being limited for both licentiates and associates at each sitting – please see below for further details.

The IPF intends to roll out an additional distinctions sitting this year (provisionally scheduled for Sept 15th) in addition to the regular sittings in May and November.

Further information on distinctions sittings for 2012 are detailed below …

Please circulate this important update to your members.

All the best,

John Mangan L.I.P.F.

Distinction Sessions for 2012:

Saturday 19^th May, Athlone – closing date for applications 1^st April 

Saturday 15^th September, venue TBA – closing date for applications 1^st August 

Saturday 24^th November, Thurles – closing date for applications 1^st October

N.B.: Irrespective of the closing dates, applications will be limited as follows, 

Licentiate: maximum 40 applicants;  Associate:  maximum 10 applicants;  Fellowship:  no limit

Places will be reserved on a first come – first allowed basis.

Outdoor Group Next Outing – 12th February

The Outdoor Group next outing will be in the grounds of Dromoland Castle on Sunday 12th February 2012 at 12 O’Clock (by kind permission of Dromoland Castle Management).  The emphasis will be on Lanscape photography.  All are encouraged to attend and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Flower Photography

Hi All. next Tues meeting will be about flower photography. the flower is one of the hardest subjects to get right. So Gerald will be doing a talk on that. you can also bring in any photos you have taken in the last two weeks. Dont forget to get in your  photos for Feb which is Silhouette . please get out and take these photos and try not to use ones from last year. There will be a committee meeting on Tues at 7.30 before the clubs meeting. it is hoped to get the beginners training day sorted. Beginners can bring in there cameras. also anyone that is doing there lipf can bring in some work if they wish.

( Posted by John Mangan L.I.P.F. )

More on using Flash (manual flash and guide numbers)

(posted by PeterG) For anyone interested, I’ve just posted part-2 of my series on flash photography. Click here to read. This second article covers manual flash mode and guide numbers. Manual here refers to the ‘manual vs TTL’ mode choice on the flash unit itself which is unrelated to the manual shooting mode on the camera.

February Theme – Silhouette

(By David)

Hi Folks,

Normally we focus on ensuring we have sufficient light to capture the features of the subject but there are also times when making your subject featureless apart from their outline against a bright background can be very effective – welcome to the world of Silhouette photography.

Again, there is a huge amount of information on the web on his subject and it is definitely worth exploring in a bit of dept.  The basic strategy you’ll need to employ in taking silhouette’s is to  place your subject in front of some source of light (can be natural or artificial light) and to force your camera to expose for the brightest part of your picture (the background) and not the subject of your  image.In doing this your subject will be under exposed and very dark or black.

Some basic steps to follow :-

1). Choose a strong subject – the shape should be strong and recognisable so that it will hold the viewers interest.

2). Get your exposure / light right.  Normally we focus on ensuring the subject is well light, with silhouettes we need to think differently. You want to light the back of your subject rather than the front. The perfect  light for this is placing your subject in front of a sunset or sunrise – but  really any bright light will work.

3). Frame your image. Normally silhouette’s in front of a plain bright background work best, eg a bright cloudless sunset.  It is  best to position the brightest part of the background behind your subject.

4). Keep shapes distinct & uncluttered.  If you have more than one silhouette in the frame, try to keep them separated – if there are touching it can merge the shape and leave the viewer a bit confused.

And some of the technical points on making a silhouette image -

1).  Turn the flash off…. normally the job of the flash is to ensure there is enough light to properly expose for your subject.  So we need to ensure that it is turned off. Basic but important

2).  Metering.  If in one of the Auto modes - most cameras work out their exposure levels / meter when you push down the shutter half way (same time as the focus). So point your camera at the brightest part of the scene, press the shutter half way, while keeping it pressed, recompose your image with your subject in it, and take your shot.  Most SLR’s will have ‘spot’ or ‘centered’ metering which can also be used as it means you can accurately tell your camera what part of the scene you want to meter from.  For Manual mode you have total control. A simple way to start is you look at what settings the camera will give you in an auto mode and work from there.  So to darken you subject you might stop down you shutter speed a step or two and see how it looks.  You can also adjust your aperture and/or ISO depending on the creative look you are after.

3). Focusing – In most cases you will want you subject that is in silhouette to be sharp.  This can be a challenge if, as in the previous point, you are metering from the brightest part of the scene by pressing the shutter half way then recompose, as when you press the shutter halfway, you camera will also focus.  To overcome this there are two main techniques. You can manually focus on your subject i.e.prefocus before you meter. Or you can use a small aperture (large number) to maximise your depth of field.

So that’s basically it.  All that remains is to get out there and take your shots.  Not sure if this is the best time of the year for silhouettes, but we can always come back to it again later in the year if needed.

Ps…  John, as your were suggesting we have a romantic theme given the month we are in, we will all look forward to seeing your Romantic Silhouette. 

Also, next club meeting happens to be on the 14th Feb….  so will be interesting to see what takes priority on the day… romance or camera club meeting… 

Understanding Flash – that old chestnut!

(posted by PeterG) I’m giving a talk to one of the Limerick clubs this coming week on flash and in preparation, I was out photographing my complete-with-pigtails blond model today. Have just put an as-yet incomplete article about the misunderstood beast flash (not the model) on my own blog with some of these new photos.  See here if interested.