sps february 2005

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Volume 74 Number 5 February 2005 Art was always a part of her life. Rainy summer d a y s vacationing in Atlantic City, Joan Hefflers m o t h e r encouraged and even supervised arts and crafts projects; decorating shells with colored string and paints, making paper mache puppets, and then selling the wares on the boardwalk with her talented sister. This talent was passed down from the maternal grandmother who painted in oils, sculpted and taught her grandchildren to appreciate the arts. Visiting her grandmother in Delaware for weekend trips, Joan remembers following her grandmother up a very steep, spiraled and creaky staircase thinking they were going to Rapunzels castle room. Instead, at the end of the journey was Marketing Your Creativity is topic of print night Please see Joan page 2 Gina Ochiogrosso is currently the Gallery Director at The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, New York, but her career as a painter, art teacher, and gallery curator wouldnt be where it is today if it werent for pastries. Gina has spent much of her non-art time earning extra money at the French Confection. Her first stint at the bakery came just after she graduated with an art degree from the Tyler School of Art, which is part of Temple University in Philadelphia. She had spent her first year of college at Syracuse University, but she specifically wanted to study painting as her major, so she transferred to Temple. Philly was a great city, and many of Ginas classmates remained there after graduation, but Gina returned home to Schenectady, New York, where she spent the next six months vegging on her mothers couch, trying to figure out what to do. Ginas mother suggested that a job at the local bakery might be an enjoyable chance for artistic expression that happened to earn some money and so began Ginas long-term relationship with baked goods. Comical though it may be, Gina was very serious about her job, and the development of her artistic career. Soon she realized that teaching was her future, so Gina took a job as a teaching assistant at SUNY Buffalo. While giving two art classes per semester, she also took classes, earning a Masters of Fine Arts. After graduating from SUNY, Gina returned home, and returned to the bakery. With her Gina Occhiogrosso: Painting and Pastries Are The Things of Life Amy Howansky Please see Gina on page 2 Rowboats. Photo by Joan Heffler

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Page 1: SPS February 2005

Volume 74 Number 5February 2005

Art was alwaysa part of her life.Rainy summerd a y svacationing inAtlantic City,Joan Heffler�sm o t h e rencouraged andeven supervisedarts and craftsp r o j e c t s ;d e c o r a t i n gshells withcolored stringand paints,making papermache puppets,and then selling the wares on the boardwalkwith her talented sister. This talent was passed down from thematernal grandmother who painted in oils,sculpted and taught her grandchildren toappreciate the arts. Visiting her grandmother

in Delaware for weekend trips, Joanremembers following her grandmother up avery steep, spiraled and creaky staircasethinking they were going to Rapunzel�s castleroom. Instead, at the end of the journey was

Marketing YourCreativity istopic of printnight

Please see Joan page 2

Gina Ochiogrosso is currently the GalleryDirector at The Arts Center of the CapitalRegion in Troy, New York, but her career as apainter, art teacher, and gallery curatorwouldn�t be where it is today if it weren�t forpastries. Gina has spent much of her non-arttime earning extra money at the FrenchConfection. Her first stint at the bakery came just aftershe graduated with an art degree from theTyler School of Art, which is part of TempleUniversity in Philadelphia. She had spent herfirst year of college at Syracuse University,but she specifically wanted to study paintingas her major, so she transferred to Temple.Philly was a great city, and many of Gina�sclassmates remained there after graduation,but Gina returned home to Schenectady, New

York, where she spent the next six months�vegging� on her mother�s couch, trying to�figure out what to do.� Gina�s mothersuggested that a job at the local bakery mightbe an enjoyable chance for artistic expressionthat happened to earn some money� and sobegan Gina�s long-term relationship withbaked goods. Comical though it may be, Gina was veryserious about her job, and the developmentof her artistic career. Soon she realized thatteaching was her future, so Gina took a job asa teaching assistant at SUNY Buffalo. Whilegiving two art classes per semester, she alsotook classes, earning a Masters of Fine Arts. After graduating from SUNY, Gina returnedhome, and returned to the bakery. With her

GinaOcchiogrosso:Painting andPastries Are TheThings of Life

Amy Howansky

Please see Gina on page 2

Row

boat

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an H

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an artist�s studio with an array of halffinished clay models and easels amiddozens of oil paint tubes and that distinctsmell of turpentine; the memory of whicheven today warms her heart and remindsher of those fascinating art lessons withher grandmother. It was there that hergrandmother introduced her to the joy ofartistic creativity. She watched andlearned and there began her career as anartist, unbeknownst to her. When Joan was in the first grade herteacher asked the students to drawthemselves 20 years into the future. Whilethe others drew themselves as nurses andteachers, Joan drew herself as an artist. Her circuitous route to becoming acreative, artistic photographer took her 50years! A major car accident, turning 50and being fired from what she thoughtwould be a dream job launched Joan to adeep reflection of her life. There had tobe more happiness to life than this! During her physical recovery, she

Joancontinued from page 1

pursued her lifelong hobbythat always gave her acreative outlet, and began tomarket her craft by sellingphoto notecards locally instores and shows. Howeverthat wasn�t enough tosatisfy her creativity.Although she neverphotographed people, shenonetheless took thechallenge. Drawing upon herskills, previously honed, asa counselor, marketer and fundraiser andworking with two photographic studios,she began to develop a style. Using herkeen marketing skills, and constantlyparticipating in workshops and seminars,Joan quickly moved into her ownprofessional career photographingweddings, Bar Mitzvahs, events,portraiture, and creating multi-mediapresentations. Within a very short five years, Joan hasnurtured a growing and thriving businessand is loving it! At the end of every yearwhen the photography business slows

down, she develops a yearly marketingplan. She also reevaluates, redesigns andrefines her goals monthly. Joan is as committed to her clients as sheis to her craft. She is very passionateabout her creative outlet and staysinvolved with them from concept to theend product. Joan tries hard to stay in theforefront of the competition byconstantly daring herself to try newtechniques, new lighting styles, andstudying to find her voice, her �image�through photography. Please join us on Wednesday, February2nd to hear Joan Heffler.

earnings, Gina was able to rent studiospace, where she could go to work on herown projects. She felt very strongly thatit was time to expand her own body of artwork. Within one year, Gina produced anew group of paintings, and she felt

empowered by the achievement. Unfortunately, Gina went to the studioone day to discover that all of her workwas missing! Thankfully, it was notdamaged, it had just been moved by thelandlords into a different rental area. Ginaturned lemons into lemon meringue,though, because she decided to use the

new space as an art gallery tofeature her own work. She setup her show, sent out notices,and waited for opening night. Little did she realize howmuch a national event couldeffect her show. Amazingly, thegallery�s opening night wasinterrupted by the public�sconcern about the riots in LosAngeles. Hardly anyoneattended the opening. Herfamily showed up, as did somenotable local artists. Happily,Gina received a review in a localnewspaper, which was herofficial recognition as an artistin the area. When she was about 26years old, Gina did a residency

at the famed Millay Colony for the Arts,which is an art community at thehomestead of poet Edna St. VincentMillay. Gina speaks highly of the artcolony, which she says is a �centeringplace.� The program takes care of all dailypersonal aspects so that artists canconcentrate their time and energy on art. Over the years, Gina has continued toteach art, and then return home to makeplans for the future. She has taught atRochester Institute of Technology,Bucknell University, the College of St.Rose, and Russell Sage College. Gina really MUST love working long,hard hours, because her current job as theGallery Director for The Arts Center of theCapital Region is very demanding. Sheenjoys meeting interesting people andlearning new things everyday, but sheadmits that the heavy load ofresponsibilities does mean a lot of stress.It certainly is stressful to curate and installan art show, since it often requires 70hours per week to do an installation. Ginaalso feels a huge sense of responsibilityto the community, and to the artist.

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GinaContinued from page 1

Please see Gina page 3

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Ginacontinued from page 2 Having a �sense of community� is veryimportant to Gina and she hopes toprovide some community cohesivenessto Troy by doing more projects at the artscenter. Gina feels blessed to have connectedwith some talented area artists who haveinspired her own work with their projects.Gina also encourages people toinvestigate some of the lesser-knownnational artists such as her own favorite,photographer Zeke Berman. Byphotographing found objects, Bermancreates images that look like hand-drawn,still-life studies. Gina appreciates the use of illusion inBerman�s work, and she says that, whilemost of her previous photography hasbeen documentary in nature, her currentphotography uses illusion by centeringaround �deconstructing an image.� Forexample, she might take a picture and thencut it up, and then use the piecescreatively in another photograph or artpiece. Meanwhile, most of her paintingsfocus on her �life as an artist.� Her piecesof art are really about �art as work.� One of Gina�s goals for the future is toshow her own artwork beyond the upstateNew York area. She also hopes to do moreteaching to encourage other artists toexpand their own horizons. Though shedoesn�t have a lot of free time after herlong hours at The Arts Center of theCapital Region, she continues to enjoycross-country skiing, working out, and(she jokingly admits) thrift-storeshopping. Not surprisingly, even thoughthe French Confection bakery is now out-of-business, Gina doesn�t hesitate to list�baking� as an enduring hobby, as well!

To learn more about The Arts Center,email [email protected], or visit thewebsite (some parts are still underconstruction) at artscenteronline.org fora list of exhibitions, and a schedule of artclasses. Call the gallery at 518-273-0552,or visit the center at 265 River Street, Troy,New York.

Please join us on Wednesday, February9th, to hear this talented artist.

Digital infrared istopic of digitalmeetingMax Tiller, a retired professionalphotographer and member ofSchenectady Photo Society for over 45years, will present an overview ofmaking infrared images digitally. Max will review various techniques in-camera and in your computer darkroomwithout the hassles of using infrared film.He will talk about the article and website that started him down this road. Max will discuss the various camerasand how they apply to infrared and hewill show the finished images. Those of you who have done filminfrared and others who might beinterested in this process should enjoythe presentation. Max recently had a well-receivedexhibit at the Massry Residence of the

Daughters of Sarah that depicted muchof his infra-red work. Join us on Wednesday, February 16when this Master Photographer exploresthe ins and outs of digital infra-redphotography.

Dig

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Jeff Perkins, Mentoring Chair

At the mentoring group on February 23,Jeff Perkins will discuss �Candid peopleand street photography,� a subject loved

Learn how to shootlike Carier Bresson

by many but intimidating to others. Wewill explore the various ways that you canimprove your people photography withany type of camera. Choices for camera,lenses, film and techniques will bereviewed. At the end of the evening, youwill be armed with enough info to go outand shoot like Cartier Bresson! Wewish!!!

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Profile of SPS MemberJim CranerJane Riley By the age of 14, Jim Craner was creating pictures of his friendsand their pets with his Kodak box camera and developing themhimself in his own darkroom. His darkroom was a simple set-upin the basement. He laughs when he remembers that he didn�thave an enlarger, that he used white vinegaras a stop bath, and that he had to cover allthe windows with �stuff� every time hewanted to work down there. But from thebeginning the most exciting part for himwas seeing the image appear on the blanksheet of paper. �It was always thechemistry and technology that drew me tothe field.� After graduating from college, Jimstarted his career as a reading teacher inSyracuse. After school hours, to add to hisincome, he began to work with a commercialphotographer, who did brochure work,product photos with large format cameras,weddings, etc. He says they did a lot ofads involving food with companies fromdownstate. They had a contract withCambell�s soups, among others. It wasn�t until his children were born that he bought his firstgood camera. Jim says this time he set up a real �pro� darkroomfor himself. Not only did he have an enlarger, but even moreimportant, he had a real room with a �door.� Jim stresses that itwas the door that made it a �pro� darkroom. After a few years, Jim moved away from teaching and into amanagerial position with BOCES where he did some computerprogramming and early networking. He rounded out his careerworking with the State Ed. Dept. before retiring 5 years ago at theage of 55. For most of Jim�s life, photography played a rather constantbut minor role, always in the background. It was not until he

retired that he decidedthat photography shouldtake center stage for him.He decided that hewanted to dedicate histime to the field ofphotography and tospecialize in naturephotography. Severalthings factored into his

decision, he says. He had always loved the outdoors and animals.He had always been drawn to elegant nature photos. He knew itwas a challenging and demanding field. You have to go wherethe animals are and search them down, that is, get out early to

catch both the animals and the light. All these things appealedgreatly to him. At the same time, he knew that if he wanted to be serious,he had to update all of his equipment. His cameras, lenses,darkroom equipment, everything, was outdated. He carefullyreviewed the latest photographic equipment and researchedthe latest advancements in the field of digital photography.

At the time of his retirement, he felt thatdigital technology had advanced to thepoint that it was finally equal to filmtechnology so he chose to bypass thechemical darkroom and set up his owndigital darkroom. Furthermore, thequality and the life of the prints were nowat an acceptable level. In his words, �Thechemical darkroom was just a good wayto make prints.� He stresses that hedidn�t choose the digital route becauseit was simply new. He truly felt thetechnology had improved to the pointthat it was as good as film and thedirection he should take. Today, nearlyall of his work is digital, and he is totallypleased with his results. Jim is impressedthat now even marginal images withexposure or tonal problems can be

corrected. Color calibration is now simple. Distracting partscan be eliminated. �We are now in total control of our ownworkflow, from the file in the camera, to Psp, to the final print.�And all this is very satisfying for Jim. In 5 short years, Jim has also become an accomplished andrespected nature photographer. He has shot polar bears inChurchill, Manitoba Province, brown bears in Alaska, wolvesand cats in Montana and Minnesota, and much more. A fewmonths ago, he and his wife flew to New Mexico to shootsandhill cranes at Bosque del Apache. Jim is constantly working to broaden his horizons. Mostrecently, he started to do art shows. His goal is to do 5-6 showsa year within a day�s drive. He has his own website at http://www.paws-photo.com/Take a look! His work is impressive. Jim has been with SPS only a few years, but he has made adifference here also. The digital projector that we have beenusing at our meetings belongs to him. He assists with thephoto essay program. He has been a presenter each year thathe has been a member. And already this season, he has puttogether the slide show presentation of at least one of ourspeakers. Jim Craner has shown us that he is a very careful thinker, amethodical person. He takes a hard look at everything aroundhim�Then he springs into action�much like the wildlifesubjects he enjoys photographing so much.

Cra

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January Competition ResultsPrints Color 20 Entries

Slides

* Jeff Perkins What you can do with a 1Sony 828

Kim Koza Chinese Lantern 2Ken Deitcher Midsummer�s Night Dream 3Max Tiller Flowers H MKim Koza Morelli�s Coffe Shop H MConnie Bush Rose #1 H M

Monochrome 18 Entries ** Max Tiller Cook Park 1

Kim Koza Karl and Family 2F. Bumbardatore Desk at the End of the Hall 3Ray Henrikson Untitled H MF. Bumbardatore Old Lamp H MConnie Bush Rose #2 H M

Assigned Low Key Portraits 12 Entries *** Jennifer Young Mex 1

Karl Becker Nhan 2Lauren Hilton Barred for Life 3Ray Henrikson Alexis H MRay Hull 90th Christmas H M

Assigned Snapshots 19 Entries **** Kevin Sarsfield The V 1

Jeff Perkins Jack 2Judy Breslau And Now.... Marie 3Cynthia Placek Reflections H MJane Riley Taylor H MKarl Becker Snapshot H M

Judge: Phil Haggerty

Program: Rob O�Neil / Projections

Winner�s Notes:*Jeff took this photo with a Sony DS 828 on a tripod. One expo-sure was made with an IR filter in Sony IR mode and the other as acolor photo. He merged them in Photoshop with various blendmodes including Color Burn and Soft Light to get the desired image.

** This winner was taken in Cook Park with a Minolta DiMage 7and a 28-200mm lens with the lens set at 28 mm. Exposure with thecamera meter through an infrared filter, printed on an Epson En-hanced Matte paper with an Epson 1270 Printer.

***Jennifer placed her subject in an east facing window about 3 p.m.She used a Sony F717 and a Carl Zeiss lens. She then sepia toned itin Photoshop CS.

****This was taken on the New York City subway system - per-haps the last opportunity to do so, since new �photography prohi-bitions have been put in place.� Kevin use a Leica M5 with a 35mmSummicron ASPH lens and Tri X film. Kevin wrote � I had noticed

General Color 22 Entries * Jeff Plant Spring Ice at Sunset 1

Sue Gersten Stogie 2Ruby Gold Vase in a Magenta Spotlight 3Jean Burton Goose Island H MH. Johannessen Untitled H MKevin Sarsfield Patterns in Poinsettias H M

Assigned Organic 16 Entries ** H. Johannessen Untitled 1

H. Johannesen Untitled 2Ken Deitcher Dahlia 3Connie F. Houde Stoned H MKevin Sarsfield Monkshood H M

Judge: Gary Gold

Program: Greg Yankosky / Social change through photography

Winner�s Notes:

this fellow rider in the seat across from me since he was engaged in avery animated �conversation� with his girlfriend. When several strap-holding standees entered the car, they provided a natural screen forphotography. After pre-focusing and setting the shutter-speed to 1/30th second, a wide-open aperture of f 2.0 let me wait for just the rightmoment to catch this expression, framed by the �V�.

**The photo was taken using available light with a tripod mountedvintage Pentax Spotmatic with a Super Takumar 55mm f2 lens anda close up tube. Exposure was one half second at f16 using KodakE100s film. The black background was courtesy of my wife, a velourdress draped over a chair. The tomato and its vine had been purchasedfor consumption, but I thought it looked so photographic,the redof the fruit and the green of the vine, along with the softness of thetomato and the sharp lines of the vine. So before it got eaten I setit up and came up with this image.

*This winner was taken with an F90X on a tripod, a 300 mmNikon f4.0 lens and E100VS film. It was a spring sunset on GreatSacandaga Lake. The melting ice forms ever chang ing patternsand appears black against the sunlit water.

Schenectady PhotographicSociety

is a member of thePhotographic Society of

America

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January

Max Tiller Cook Park 1st

Kevin Sarsfield The V 1st place Assigned (snapshot) print Jeff Perkins 1st place color print

Howie Johannessen Untitled 1st place assigned (organic) slide

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Sue Gersten Stogie 2nd place general slideJeff Plant Spring Ice at Sunset 1st place general slide

Ken Deitcher Dahlia 3rd place assigned (organic) slide

Winners

t place Monochrome print

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What is a Histogram?

A histogram is a chart. Period. Just achart. Like something you might see inExcel. In fact, it�s a bar chart. So whatdoes a histogram graph? Well, to make ahistogram, your histogram software(usually an image editing program) readsevery pixel (that�s a picture element, or aspot in plain old English) in your imageand counts how many of them are black,how many of them are white, and howmany of them are one gray or another.

In short, a histogram graphs yourimage�s luminosity, or brightness. Thebottom axis of the graph (where the Yearsusually appear in an Excel spreadsheet)represents the scale of luminosity valuesfrom black (aka 0) to white (255) with 254grays in between (don�t be fooled by the0).

The side axis of the graph (where thedollars usually go) represents the numberof pixels for each luminosity value from 0to, well, whatever it takes. So if you haveno white pixels in your image, the right endof the histogram will be flat. And if youhave no black pixels, the left end will beflat.

If you have a black-and-white image,you�ll have one tall line at the left endrepresenting all the black pixels and one

tall line at the right end for all the whiteones. And if there are twice as many whiteones as black ones, the line at the rightend will be twice as tall as the line on theleft.

If you have an image that only displaysfour grays, it will only have four lines.

But when you look at your digicam�simage, you should see a very nicemountain range with no gaps. It may notgo all the way from black to white, butdon�t be alarmed - that can be an asset. Now that real-time histograms arebeginning to show up on digital cameradisplays, you need to know how to readthem at a glance. Even if you don�t havethe benefit of a histogram that displayseach channel in a different color, theoverall range presented as a black graphicwill still give you important informationabout your picture. The left side of the histogram represents

Ken Deitcher

dark tones. When the vertical bars areclumped toward that end, your image is alow-key photo because most of theinformation (and pixels) is located in thedarker tones. Conversely, when theindicators are clumped to the right end,your image is considered high-key andmost of the information is contained in thelighter tones of the photo. A photo withfull tonal range shows a distribution ofpixels where the middle has a hump andboth ends slope down to a decreasingpopulation of pixels. A spike at thefarthest extremes of either end indicates�clipping,� which means that a goodnumber of pixels are either too white or tooblack to have any usable information.Thus, the shadow or highlightinformation has been lost, or �clipped,�from the image. Aside from clipping, orlosing good data, there really is no suchthing as an ideal histogram. High-key, low-key, and full-tone are all legitimatemethods of image presentation.

Chart from Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Classroon in a Book

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F r a g o m e n iInsurance

584-4200

Home Auto Life Business

If you lovephotography�you belong in the Photographic Societyof America. It is the only photographicorganization anywhere that promotes thearts and sciences of photography through

teaching, exhibition and programservices for allphotographers, novice toadvanced, amateur andprofessional individuals

and groups, in all branches ofphotography.

The monthly PSA Journal, which goesto all members, publishes a wide range oftechnical and how-to articles, along withphotographic news and guides toexhibitions and Society services. PSA has a roster of travel aides in theUnited States and abroad who will helpyou with information on specific areasyou plan to visit. Wondering aboutusually overlooked scenes to include inyour visit? Wondering what time of dayis best to shoot a popular sight? Ask thetravel aide.The annual conference will be held in SaltLake City, Utah from August 29th toSeptember 3, 2005.

For more information about PSA, go towww.psa-photo.org or e-mail hq @psa-photo.org

Ken Deitcher M.D. FPSA

What is a good photograph? It is a veryhard definition to define. It can be anyimage capture you enjoy looking at.Theoretically it should have fourelements: Composition, Exposure,Technique and Presentation.

The image should capture the interest ofthe observer or judge. It may be uniqueor common but to be a winner shouldstand out from all the other images.

Compose images that get attention:

Point of Interest Framing

Angle of view Patterns

Get in close Cropping

Lines Avoid mergers

Simplicity Contrast

Balance Viewpoint

Diagonals Rule of Thirds

Direction of Movement

Background and Foreground

The first rule is - Photograph what youlike. Do not make an image that youthink the judges will like. If you do youwill never have your own style orindividuality.

Keep taking images of all kinds. Build upa portfolio of images that you can use inthe future for competitions, contests andyour own use. Try not to limit yourselfto one type of image or you will be �typecast�.

Many judges are subconsciously or areovertly biased. We have seen this manytimes. A judge may not like �cats� or�digital� images. This should not takeplace in judging but it does.

Do not �play� to the judge�s interests oryou will lose. If a judge is an expert inflower photography he will be super-critical of your flower images or may notprefer flowers at all in his or her judging.

Judges are human and fallible and makemistakes and are not the last word. Animage may lose one night and may comein first some other time.

Photograph what you like but try at timessomething different. Break the rules, itmay work!

Know where your images are and how toretrieve them. A great image that is lostand cannot be found is an image nevertaken. Remember an image is a capture intime that cannot be repeated.

Have you noticed that in a catastrophesuch as an earthquake, fire or explosion,in which a home is destroyed, the firstthings the survivors seek are oldphotographs to remember family, friendsand the past moments?

Why Enter

For the photographer who is confident inhis or her abilities and is knowledgeableof the techniques available, enteringcontests can enable one to compare hisor her works with a vast number ofcompetitive photographers.

Winning is a �high� or �ego trip� of greathelp in increasing self confidence butrejections are the path to winning. Beprepared to lose more than win. Don�t getdiscouraged! The awards are secondaryto the universal recognition andsatisfaction of seeing your photo in print.

How to enter andwin photo contests

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You don�t have to be a professionalphotographer or have expensiveequipment to take professional lookingpictures. One of the keys togood pictures is preparation. This meanscarrying a camera bag andfilling it with essential accessories.

It�s easy to get caught up in the worldof digital camera accessories. There areso many nifty gadgets and gizmos. Butyou don�t want to go overboard�havingso much stuff that you need a smallsuitcase to carry everything.

Here are the top six things you should

1) Extra storage and batteries. These areno-brainers and equallyimportant. There�s nothing morefrustrating than finding your memorycard is nearly full. You end uprationalizing which pictures you candelete�maybe your child�s team will bestate champs again next year..

Always have at least one extra (andempty) memory card in your case.A 512-megabyte memory card can costbetween $60 and $150, dependingon its type. If you are going on a tripand are expecting to take a

lot of pictures, consider a portablestorage unit. The FlashTrax(http://www.smartdisk.com) and eFilmPicturePAD (http://www.delkin.com)allow you to transfer pictures offyour camera and later onto yourcomputer. A 40-gigabyte storage unitruns $450 on the Net. Or, for afew dollars, have a drugstore put them

When it comes to batteries, carryenough power for a day of shooting.If your camera uses rechargeablebatteries, pack a quick-charging unitthat can be plugged into your car.You may find yourself far from an

2) Lens cleaner. The best-framed pictureis easily ruined by a dirtylens. You can pick up a good butinexpensive (less than $15) lenscleaning kit at any photo store. Itshould consist of a blower brush,cleaning solution and soft cloth. Cleanhandkerchiefs are also good at

3) Plastic bag. When foul weather is atplay, protect your camera witha plastic bag. Aquapac (http://www.aquapac.net ) and Keep It Dry Case(http://www.keepitdrycase.com) haveclear bags ranging from $45 - $340.These bags will protect your camera(even in shallow water), whilestill allowing you to take pictures. Youcan also use a large food

storage bag for protection, although itmay not be as good for

4) Block out the light. Framing a shotwith the LCD or navigatinga menu during a very sunny day isnext to impossible. Combat overlybright conditions with an LCD hood.Check with your camera manufacturerto see if it sells one for your model.Expect to pay about $30. Hoodman(http://www.hoodmanusa.com) sellshoods that fit a number of LCD screen

5) Shed some light. Sometimes darknessis your enemy. So, it�s greatto have a little pen flashlight. This willhelp you find items in yourbag. It�s also handy for looking at

6) Manual. This is what separates theexperts from the amateurs.Professionals know their equipment likethe backs of their hands.The rest of us snap photos tooinfrequently to know everything aboutour cameras. By packing your manual,you can quickly refer to it whenan error message occurs or if you needto do something other than point

Finally, when choosing a camera bag,don�t go for the biggest-sizedmodel. You�ll find yourself buying moreand more stuff to fill it up.Make a list of everything you want tocarry with you and then purchasethe bag.

carry with you:

and which stay.

electrical outlet.

taking pictures.

sizes, all under $20.00

buttons and settings.

and shoot.

on CD.

Tim Grey

wiping down lenses.

Six digital camerabag essentials

It�s about time we started totake photography seriouslyand treat it as a hobby. Elliott Erwitt

The best equipment?Imagination! Duane Michals

Page 11: SPS February 2005

page 11

SPS Focus

SPS SPS Focus February 2005

News You Can Use

Frank Bumbardatore

Plumbing & Heating(518) 372-5038

Licensed & Insured

Winter WeatherAdvisorySince we live in the cold andsnowy Northeast we canexpect a little snow and iceduring the winter monthswhich may force thecancellation of a meeting. If thathappens, the announcement will be onWRGB Channel 6; it will be on our webpage; and if you are not able to accesseither one of those, please call the chairperson of that meeting. On print night, callthe print chair, on slide night, the slidechair, etc. Their names and phonenumbers are on the back cover of thisnewsletter.

SPS Board meetingdates changedThe SPS Board meetings will be held onthe third Wednesday of the month,Digital night, instead of the usual print orslide nights. This will be in effect for themonths of February, March and April.

We would like to plan a trip to tour theKodak Eastman House and Museum onMay 21, 2005. This will be a great trip to

Jane Riley wins awardJane Riley won �best of show� at theOrlando Camera Club�s monthly meeting.Not only is she enjoying the Floridasunshine, but she won $50.00 for herphoto in the �shadows� category.

Trip planned to GeorgeEastman House

Don�t use theparking garagePlease do not park in the parking garageacross the street from the church. It is aprivate garage and cars have been towedaway. If the church parking lot is full, parkin the lot that is up the hill and across thestreet.

Slide projector neededAmy Howansky and Jeff Meyers arelooking to buy a slide projector. If youhave one for sale, please call them at374-6525 or e-mail them atAmyhowansky @yahoo.com

Joan Heffler has exhibitSPS member Joan Heffler has an exhibitat Temple Gates of Heaven , 850Ashmore Ave. in Schenectady. Herphotos reflect her travels to EasternEurope, Israel and Italy.The exhibit willbe up until February 27th.

learn more about photography, see oldcameras, tour the grounds and gardens.There will be an exhibit of Edwin Weston�swork at that time. Estimated cost foradmission and bus trip is 35-45 dollars, ifat least 50 people sign up. Guests arewelcome! Anticipate a 7 AM departuretime from Albany. Contact Jeff Perkins athis email: [email protected] toregister.

Soho Photo Galleryaccepts Bill DeLanney�sphotosBill DeLanney had 2 pictures accepted (1honorable mention)at the Soho PhotoGallery in NYC for the national juriedKrappy Kamera show (all plasticcameras). Entries from 42 states/238phtgrs/1400 images submitted...60 imagesselected from 53 phtgrs. 1st,2nd,3rd placeand 3 honorable mentions. Show will runfrom March 1 to April 2nd.

Page 12: SPS February 2005

Schenectady Photographic SocietyLinda Buckman

3749 St. Highway 30AFultonville, New York 12072

Annual dues are $30.00 for individuals andfamilies. The Focus newsletter is included inthe membership dues. SPS meets at the FirstUnited Methodist Church, 603 State Street,Schenectady, New York. Parking and entrancesare on Chapel Street, a one way street off NottTerrace. Guests are welcome at all regularmeetings.

The Focus is published nine times a year bythe Schenectady Photographic Society. Theorganization meets each Wednesday at 7:30p.m. from October through May to promoteand present informative programs, activitiesand competitions in the photographic arts forphotographers throughout the Capital Dis-trict. Members range from novice to expert.

2004-2005 Board of Directors

February Calendar

Wednesday, February 2 Print group: Marketing you Creativity / Joan HefflerAssigned: Fog & Mist

Wednesday, February 9 Slide group: A Gallery Director�s Guide to �The ArtsCenter� / Gina OcchiogrossoAssigned: Silhouettes

Wednesday, February 16* Digital: Digital Infra Red / Max TillerAssigned: Use of Photoshop Filters

Wednesday, February 23 Mentoring: Candid People Photography / Jeff Perkins

Meetings are at 7:30 p.m.*Board meetings are at 6:30 p.m.

President Linda Wroble 372-0091Vice President Bob Gough 393-9562Treasurer Linda Heim 439-1507Recording Secretary Dale Winsor 437-0207Corresponding Secretary Linda Buckman 922-7011Directors at Large N. Sukumar 283-6958 Linda Heim 439-1507

Newsletter Editor Ruby Gold 463-1674 Assistant Editor Debra Van Deusen 882-5188

Print Group Chair Ray Henrikson 439-4308 Assistants Kim Koza 393-2943 Adrian Kivort 399-2950 Tom Mack 377-5935 Bob Friedlander 458-7393 George Allen 439-7941Slide Group Co-Chairs Amy Howansky 374-6525 Jeff Meyers 374-6525 Assistants Luba Ricket 869-6940 Bob Scribner 399-4659PhotoEssay Co-Chairs Connie Houde 465-0582 Howie Johannessen 293-3556 Jim Craner 526-2253Mentoring Chair Jeff Perkins 438-1573Digital Group Chair Bob Riccardo 767-2193 Assistant Jeff Perkins 438-1573Fine Arts Chair N. Sukumar 283-6958Membership Chair Frank Bumbardatore 372-5038Grab Bag Chair Dave Lilac 469-3916

Web Master N. Sukumar 283-6958Refreshment Coordinators Judy Breslau 356-3805 John Ogden 456-2993Church Coordinator Don Krauter

alentine�

Web Page Addresswww.schenectadyphotographicsociety.com