About Us History Newsletters Sweetwater Camera Club Newsletter -- May 2007
| Sweetwater Camera Club Newsletter -- May 2007 |
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Publisher's Corner Hello, there! This newsletter is coming out a little late. I have had a bad bout of bronchitis for around 2-1/2 weeks, and it has been all I can do to make it through a day at work, come home, fall into bed, and get up to do it again. I also finally escaped to the mountains this weekend for some much-needed R&R, and the Wi-Fi service at the campground has been spotty at best. While I am still not 100%, I am definitely on the tail end of this thing. So, my apologies go out for my tardiness with the May newsletter. A Word from Our President I would like to thank all those who helped with the Club's exhibit at this year's Taste For Douglasville Arts: Stella Spyrou, Nicky Dunn, Charlie Phaneuf, Jim Enterkin, Steve Ottofy, Jane Cupp, Greg Knobloch, and Richard and Norma Nichols. I would also like to extend a special expression of gratitude to Larry Hunter, who was instrumental in planning the exhibit as well as its implementation. I hope I didn't omit anyone who played a role in this event. It turned out to be a fabulous day for meeting other people in the community to discuss photography, and I think we all had a great time. ~ Robbie Bible Your Prayers Are Needed, Please Carolyn Tumlin, active member of Sweetwater Camera Club from 1993 through 2006, will have heart surgery on June 28. Two heart valves (mitral and tricuspid) will be repaired or replaced. She and her husband, Willard, request your prayers for successful surgery and quick recovery. Carolyn is looking forward to again being able to get out and photograph the beauties of God's creation. She has missed doing that for the past six months. She also misses seeing her many friends at SCC meetings. I have asked that Carolyn have somebody update me on when she pulls through surgery and how she is doing, and I will keep you posted. Visitors and New Members We were very pleased to have Dave Todd and Rhonda Wright visit us at our May meeting. We hope to see you back with us again soon. We were also very pleased to have Steve Pritchard and Linda Britt become members at that meeting. If anybody has been left out, please get in touch with me and let me know. We really appreciate our visitors and value our new members and don't want recognition for each and every one of them left out. June Meeting Information We will meet at St. Julian's Episcopal Church in Douglasville on Thursday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m. Our presentation will be given by Emily Davis, who is a professional photographer who also works at Wolf Camera at the mall. Emily will be discussing different and new products that are available as well as the difference in quality between different products. Most of the products she will discuss will be those things that are especially suited for action photography. Our contest topic for June is "Self Portrait." Remember, this is NOT an image of you -- rather, it is an image that defines you. When people who know you well look at your image, they should be able to say, "Oh yeah. That's definitely so-and-so" without knowing that it was you who took the shot. Bring those images in and participate in the contest! We look forward to seeing the different defining shots. Birthday Celebrations Below are our birthday people for the month of June. Happy birthday to both of you. Hope you both have wonderful days.
Tips and Tricks "Photography has Nothing to Do With Cameras"
The first and foremost thing to know about being a photographer is as follows: Photography is all about the eye. Many people make the mistake of thinking that if only they had a fancy camera, then they would be a better photographer. Or they’ll think that if only they could take a trip to a more beautiful area, then they could take better pictures. I’m here to tell you that those sentiments are simply not true. The simple fact is that it doesn’t matter how nice your camera is or how exotic the location, the major determination of the quality of the picture comes from the object that is behind the camera - not in front of it. The camera may be the limiting factor in certain situations, making it so your can’t get as clear of a photograph as you’d like, or the shutter speed might not be as fast as you’d like, but enhancing those features can only remove the limitations. It can’t make you take better pictures. Cameras can only capture a scene or an object on film (or on a disk), but the thing that truely matters is the photographer. You have to see the photographs in your head before your camera can put them on film. Look for photographs everywhere. They are there, you just have to find them. Look around as you go through the world. Look up especially. Nobody else looks up — they look down, they look forward. They get caught up in their busy lives, and don’t take the time to see the beauty that is all around them. That’s where you come in. You have the special position, as a photographer, to be the person who ensnares the beauty of the world around you and presents it to those less fortunate — the ones who haven’t discovered the awe which can be found in all creation. You might be reading this and think to yourself, “Man, this guy is half-baked. He seems to think that the whole world is a painting, and that all you have to do is show it to people and you’ll be great.” Well, I can’t argue with you there. But I also would say that it is because I have this attitude, I can find great photographs in the mundane situations of life. It is because of this attitude that I can walk out my front door in regular-town, USA and be blown away by the beauty of the nature and the sky around me. It is because of this reason that I am a good photographer. Let yourself be in awe of the world around you. Get blown away by the beauty in normal life. And that, my friend, will be the reason that your pictures will become priceless. Because you’ll be the one to bring the awe to someone else. This article is copyright © 2005, Lucas Gentry, GentryDigital.com. The article can be used and redistributed as much as you’d like, as long as you keep this copyright information and resource box attached to the article. This article and others can be found at GentryDigital.com, the source for digital photography tips, tricks, and tutorials. Website of the Month This month's website of the month was mentioned to me by Robbie, as he thought there might be some members who would be interested in what the site offers. Burrell Pro Labs recently launched a new online service providing direct fulfillment services. It's called PrintItOnline, and those of you interested in a place to sell your images online can find out more information at this link: burrellprolabs.com Thanks, Robbie. Looks like just the thing that many folks are looking for! Our May Contest Winners Below are the winning images from our May "Cultural Icon" contest, as they will appear in the July 1st Chapel Hill News and Views. Congratulations to our winners. Job well done by one and all! Speaking of the Chapel Hill News and Views when my husband and I returned from my long R&R weekend in the mountains, the current edition was in our driveway. Now, this might seem like an every month occurrence to the Douglasville people, but I live in Powder Springs, and this is the very first time we have had the Chapel Hill News and Views delivered to us here. Sounds to me as though they are growing again, which can only be an even greater bonus to Sweetwater Camera Club and its members with the wonderful promotional opportunity we have been given with this publication! Photography Quote
Last But Not Least When Sweetwater Camera Club held their last picnic at Sweetwater Creek State Park, Jim E. got a shot of our chef, Jim Gardner, in action at the grill. I took editorial license and published the shot in the newsletter. So, now it's payback time. What was that movie? Pay it Forward? Well, I don't think that's exactly what's going on here, but here's Jim Gardner's shot of Jim Enterkin at the Taste for Douglasville Arts.
Well, that wraps up another edition of the Sweetwater Camera Club newsletter. Get out there -- dare and try. Happy Shooting. Judy Bruner
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