Would you like to know more about using flash but don’t know how? Do you think using a flash is difficult? In this meetup we will be taking a look at flash photography and how easy it can be. We will discuss how to use your flash in manual mode and TTL, what the differences are and when to use them. We will cover topics like getting your flash off of the camera for better results. We’ll be looking at modifiers to change the light from a flash. We will discuss what is high speed sync and when should you use it. We will also cover tips for shooting subjects, posing tips and some do’s and don’ts. We will talk about how do metering modes, shutter speed and ISO affect your flash photography. The discussion won’t be overly technical but more of a practical how to discussion for those new to using a flash.
Place: Blue Creek, OH at the junction of SR 125 and Blue Creek Rd. There’s a flat area with room for us to park and set up.
For those interested in car pooling, suggest meeting at Wendy’s in Williamsburg at 5:30 for dinner and carpool from there.
The purpose of the Meet-Up is to learn the basics of astrophotography, or if you know them, to take advantage of some pretty dark skies not a terribly long drive away
Blue Creek is the darkest sky area you will find within about a 3 hour drive of Cinci. On Friday the sun sets at 7:33, and the moon rises at 11: 25. Astronomical sunset is 9:03, but the seeing will be great from about 8:00 o’clock until 10:30 or so (and good for a while after that if you’re aiming away from the moon).
Note: bathroom facilities are nil at the actual site, so be prepared. There is a gas station within easy walking distance, but they are unlikely to be open into the evening.
Equipment: camera, tripod, and the fastest lens you own. A headlamp with a red bulb is important, because red light doesn’t fry the night vision of yourself or others near you. A 24-70 f2.8 lens will work great. Wide angle lenses such as 14-24 are also good. If you want to try a telescopic lens, that can work, but you’ll pay a price in shutter speed and/or noise. A sand bag to weight the tripod and a remote shutter are both good to have (especially the remote). Bug spray (Deet) may be helpful.
Etiquette for star shoots: Keep things quiet, and avoid any sort of light other than your red headlight. A lot of the fun is just being quiet in the night, open to whatever magic comes along. Note: if your camera has a viewfinder shutter, you’ll want to use it. If someone turns a light on while your long exposure is happening, light can enter through the viewfinder and fog your photo.
Tips: Astro shooting for amateurs is a battle between ISO and shutter speed and focal length. Wide angle lenses buy you more time before the stars develop little comma-shaped tails due to the rotation of the earth. For most lenses, 13 seconds is about the longest you can shoot without star trails. For a 14 mm lens, you may be good for 30 seconds or longer. You can of course shoot for longer than that, but the stars will have tails. If you crank up the ISO, you add noise to the picture, but you shorten your exposure time. It all depends on your lens and the camera, and how they work together. As a rule of thumb, the lower the iso, the clearer the picture — but the fewer stars you’ll capture because it takes a long exposure for dimmer stars to register on the sensor.
You can experiment with this in your back yard and develop a good idea of what will work best with your camera.
Use manual focus. You can pre-focus your lens at infinity and make a mark on your lens housing, or you can do it this way: Crank your ISO all the way up. Use live view if you have it to make any star look as sharp as possible. Lower your ISO to your expected setting, and turn off live view. Try not to move the focus ring again (which can be hard, fumbling around in the dark). Hint: you can do this before sundown if you pick a distant enough object to focus on. But the live view method works very well as the stars are first appearing.
The photo above was an f2.8, 24-70, 13 seconds. ISO 640. It is a composite of 773 frames into photo shown here.
Reminder: Dues are requested to be submitted by September 25th. Preferably mail check in the amount of $20 to Rich Sears, 6691 Fox Hunt Ct., West Chester, OH 45069 OR online register and pay with cc at our activity listed as Event, dated June 30, 2020.
{ATTENTION: CHANGE IN TITLING YOUR IMAGES, Rename your file:”1 (2 or 3) Last Name, First Initial, Title Example: “2 Brown, R. Father and Son”}
CRITIQUER: BRIAN TRUONO
CRITIQUE TOPIC: PHOTOGRAPHY OF NATURE. Submit your best nature shot and also a couple more images of one’s you feel could be better, but you just do not know how.
CRITIQUE METHOD: A great way for all photography skill levels to learn how to improve, along with having a great time.
AFTER DINNER PROGRAM: CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF NATURE
At a time when our culture is seemingly little more than a quick swipe of the finger – digging into shortened attention spans and competing tasks – Brian implores others to stop, smell the roses, and to take back their time. Brian will talk about how we ended up in this digital spiral and some simple techniques to extract ourselves from the glowing nether by way of exploring the natural world.
Brian evaluates the philosophical act of experiencing nature through mindful resourcefulness. He appeals to using photography to seek a greater overall experience instead of only as a means of collecting souvenirs of places and events. Brian looks for ways to show timelessness within an image, as if it were infinite and devoid of a timeline. Even traveling into the realm of seeing with the mind’s eye – beyond use of a camera – to the inner workings of perception and what is before us. Take a deep dive into the beauty within, beneath the surface of superficial ‘things.
“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau.
Brian Truono, M. Photog, is a landscape fine art photographer. He holds a degree in Visual Communication and Graphic Design from The Art Institute of York Pennsylvania, along with earning a Master of Photography degree from the Professional Photographers of America (PPA). He has served as an instructor at the Delaware College of Art and Design in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2019, he is serving as Vice President of the board for the Professional Photographers of Southwest Ohio (PPSO). Brian is a proud supporter and member of: The Nature Conservancy, The Sierra Club (Miami OH Group and National organization), The Wilderness Society, and The National Parks Foundation.
Brian is self-taught in the field of photography. His work manifests traditional values of expression, imagination and clarity through cutting-edge digital tools. He is persistent in pushing the boundaries and capabilities of the camera in hand. He is constantly seeking beautiful locations and light, and can often be found jet-setting, road-tripping and hiking around the United States with his wife and travel partner, along with their daughter. _______________________________________________________________________________________
DIRECTIONS: Upload up to 3 images per requirements below to: http://ovcc.smugmug.com/upload/5pbcWM/ovcckey
INSTRUCTIONS: DO NOT UPLOAD MORE THAN ONE IMAGE AT A TIME Members may submit up to three images in JPEG FORMAT. • Depending on quantity of images submitted we may not be able to review all second and third images. FINE PRINT: WE CAN ONLY GUARANTEE CRITIQUING YOUR FIRST IMAGE SUBMITTED, AND IF IT INCLUDES FIRST THE NUMBER 1 (2 or 3) THEN YOUR FULL NAME AND TITLE. Deadline for submitting images will be 10:00 PM of the Friday prior to our meeting. • Sizing: reduce all images to Resolution of 72, and, for horizontal images 1024 pixels wide. For vertical images 736 pixels high. • Rename your file:”1 (2 or 3) Last Name, First Initial, Title Example: “2 Brown, R. Father and Son” – Off Topic images will be deleted at the request of several members. TO SUBMIT YOUR IMAGES on or after the FIRST OF THE MONTH to: https://ovcc.smugmug.com/upload/5pbcWM/ovcckey
Visit the Raptor, Inc. complex, where their educational birds will be displayed for your photographic pleasure. Birds are perched and hand held by the handlers. Photographers are as close as 10-15 feet from the birds and have lots of time to shoot. Tripods and telephoto lenses of 200-300mm are recommended, however, not necessary.
All the Raptor Shoots have been scheduled for this year. We have decreased from 8 per year to 4 per year due to falling attendance over the last couple of years. If you want to participate in this event, you should get your spot sooner than later to guarantee a spot. If there is renewed interest in this event, I will contact the Raptor folks and ask for additional events, but we would like to make sure the ones we have scheduled get filled.
You need not me be a member to attend and you may bring a guest, but all attendees, including guests, must pay the fee. All monies are for the benefit of Raptor, Inc. to help them continue their great efforts.
Sunday, April 14, 2019 – Raptor Shoot Sunday, May 19, 2019 – Raptor Shoot Sunday, September 15, 2019 – Raptor Shoot Sunday, October 13, 2019 – Raptor Shoot
If you do not care to pay online, you may contact Rick and make other arrangements.
All non photographer guests are required to pay, simply because of the space limitations and Raptor, Inc. policy.
Belterra Park originally opened in 1925 as Coney Island Racetrack and later known as River Downs Racetrack. It is now home to the best racing facility in the region with a great stakes calendar across over 90 days. The River Downs Club features more than 40 big screen TVs while preserving our track’s rich history. Come and photograph the beautiful thoroughbreds while in action. Stay a couple of hours or all day. Your preferance. First post time is 12:35 pm.
Sponsored by: The Friends of Caesar Creek U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Caesar Creek State Park Tom Croce Photography The Exhibition will take place between: August 31st, 2019 – December 31th, 2019, at the Caesar Creek Lake Visitor Center, located at 4020 N. Clarkesville Road, Waynesville, Ohio 45068.
Eligibility Requirements: Adult Category – All professional and amateur photographers 18 years of age and older
Youth Category – Anyone 13-17 on the submission date. The entrant must be the solely responsible for all aspects of the photograph.
Entry Requirements: The Exhibition / Competition is open to any image taken in any of the City, County, State, and Federal Parks or Nature Preserve located in the State of Ohio.
The entry process will consist of two parts.
The first part will consist of selecting approx. 30 images from all the images submitted for inclusion in the Photo Exhibition.
Submit up to 3 digital images for consideration via e-mail to info@tomcrocephoto.com
Submit images in the following format: JPEG, resized to 1024 pixels on the long side @ 72 DPI. File Naming – name individual file with the photographer’s first initial, followed by last name, A for adult, Y for youth, sequential image number, title, sale price.
Example naming format: jsmith_A_1_title_$100 Include your name, address, and email address, along with the titles of the photographs in the body of the email.
Submissions will be accepted starting May 1st 2019. All images must be received by July 31st 2019 at 11:59 PM.
You will be notified by August 15th, 2019 whether your work has been accepted or declined for inclusion in the Exhibition.
All work accepted must be received at the Caesar Creek Visitor Center between August 24th 2019 and August 27th during their normal business hours. All work accepted must be framed and ready to hang with a wire hanger, saw tooth hangers or similar hanging hardware will not be accepted. The maximum size of the final print, including frame cannot exceed 18”x26”
Submission of Digital images indicates your agreement to provide prints meeting these requirements. The judging and awards for the competition will be made from the prints submitted for the exhibition, all judge’s decision are final.
Awards: Best of Show – Photo Session* + TBD
1st Place, Adult & Youth – Photo Session*
2nd Place, Adult & Youth – $50 Gift Card to Procam, Photo & Video
3rd Place, Adult & Youth – $35.00 Credit for the gift shop
HM, Adult & Youth – Signed copy of “Ohio Landscape”
*Photo Session will consist of approximately 3-4 hours with Ohio certified naturalist Erin Shaw, Professional Photographers Robert Coomer and Tom Croce.
We will head out on the water in canoes to photograph the shore and wading birds that make Caesar Creek Lake their home during the month of September.
The exhibition will open on August 31st at 5:00 pm, and will remain through December 31st 2019 during regular operating hours.
Awards will be presented during the opening reception.
All reasonable care will be taken in handling the work submitted; however the sponsors or the judges will not be held responsible for loss or damage to framed photographs. All work is entered at artist’s risk.
Submission of the work to this exhibition shall be understood to indicate an agreement on the part of the photographer to the terms stated. The photographer retains all copyrights and ownership of submitted images, but grants FOCC, and Caesar Creek State Park use of digital image for promotion and publicity without compensation.
Sales: 20% of the sale price will go to support the FOCC. 80% will be paid to the photographer within 30 days of the closing date.
{ATTENTION: CHANGE IN TITLING YOUR IMAGES, Rename your file:”1 (2 or 3) Last Name, First Initial, Title Example: “2 Brown, R. Father and Son”}
CRITIQUE TOPIC: PORTRAITS
Candid, Street, Life Style, Self, Individual, Couple or Group, Conceptual, Fine Arts, Glamor, Boudoir, Environmental and Traditional. We are pleased to be able to arrange this excellent learning opportunity for our members. It is highly suggested for your personal growth as a photographer to apply yourself in preparing your images.
AFTER DINNER: Further Discussion on Portraiture
SEE EXCELLENT 2 DAY PORTRAIT AND PORTFOLIO LEARNING OPPORTUNITY BELOW
Types of Portraits: One online article describing the above types can be find at: https://expertphotography.com/types-of-portrait-photography/
DIRECTIONS: Upload up to 3 images per requirements below to: http://ovcc.smugmug.com/upload/5pbcWM/ovcckey
MICHAEL ZERO He is a highly experienced photography teacher. He has taught over 5,500 people in the Cincinnati rea and beyond. As a former Art Director with real-world advertising experience plus working for Apple as creative. Michael has photographed models from the world’s top agencies like Ford and Elite, as well a many local agencies. He has been published in several magazines and books, and his image has been used on the cover of Photography Masterclass Magazine. Michael is an adventurer, a tech geek, a husband, a father and one who is in tune with today’s youth and trends.
EXCEPTIONAL 2 DAY OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP AT THE ESTATE I MONROE OHIO SEPTEMBER 21 AND 28. THIS WORKSHOP IS BOTH A LESSON AND A PORTFOLIO BUILD OPPORTUNITY. For Detailed Information see: http://www.michaelzerophotography.com/training#2-day-outdoor-photography-workshop
Brief information below: Filled with Intermediate and Advanced Concepts; Models that have a commercial look, trendy lifestyle fashions appropriate for the location; Each student will get time to work with models in a creative way; Release to use photos in portfolio; Using appropriate studio lighting and outdoor lighting. Image review by Michael and class participants Learn how to edit wth Lightroom Much more.
Limited Seating 2 OVCC Members and 3 others have already signed in. Early Bird Special $225, regularly
CRITIQUE METHOD: A great way for all photography skill levels to learn how to improve, along with having a great time.
INSTRUCTIONS: DO NOT UPLOAD MORE THAN ONE IMAGE AT A TIME Prepare your file for upload to the OVCC Critique site by following these procedures: Members may submit up to three images in JPEG FORMAT. • Depending on quantity of images submitted we may not be able to review all second and third images. FINE PRINT: WE CAN ONLY GUARANTEE CRITIQUING YOUR FIRST IMAGE SUBMITTED, AND IF IT INCLUDES FIRST THE NUMBER 1 (2 or 3) THEN YOUR FULL NAME AND TITLE. Deadline for submitting images will be 10:00 PM of the Friday prior to our meeting. • Sizing: reduce all images to Resolution of 72, and, for horizontal images 1026 pixels wide. For vertical images 736 pixels high. • Rename your file:”1 (2 or 3) Last Name, First Initial, Title Example: 2 Sears, R. Ruins” – Off Topic images will be deleted at the request of several members. TO SUBMIT YOUR IMAGES on or after the FIRST OF THE MONTH to: https://ovcc.smugmug.com/upload/5pbcWM/ovcckey
LATE CHANGE – WE WILL NOW MEET FOR LUNCH AT 11:30 AM (KRUEGER’S TAVERN, 1211 VINE ST, SEE BELOW) AND START THE TOUR AT 1 PM. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO DO LUNCH SHOW UP AT THE COURTHOUSE AT 12:50 PM. THESE CHANGES ARE AT THE REQUEST OF OUR TOUR GUIDE WHO REALIZED SOME COURT ROOMS MAY STILL BE IN SESSION BEFORE LUNCH AND THE JUDGE IS MORE LIKELY TO BE AVAILABLE AFTER LUNCH.
An OVCC tour of the Hamilton County Courthouse has been arranged. The tour will be guided, with the opportunity to photograph some of the unique art and fixtures within the building including the law library. Currently we will also have some time with one of the judges who is knowledgeable of the history of the courthouse.
The Hamilton County Courthouse is located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and contains the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, the Municipal Court, Small Claims Court, and the Clerk of Courts offices. The present courthouse is the fourth courthouse constructed on the site and was completed in 1919 at a cost of $3 million and dedicated by senator Warren Harding (second courthouse was destroyed in the Cincinnati riots of 1884). The Hamilton County Courthouse is connected to the county jail, the Hamilton County Justice Center, via a skybridge.
Isaiah Rogers, a prominent architect of national reputation, was selected to design the new courthouse. Rogers was perhaps the country’s foremost hotel architect and had recently designed the Burnett House in Cincinnati, the largest and most elegant hotel in the Midwest. His design for the fourth Hamilton County Courthouse was for a massive three-story building, measuring 190 feet square. Its immense size entirely filled the site at Court and Main streets. The building bore a close resemblance to Rogers’ Merchants Exchange building in New York City. Located on Wall Street, this building still stands, with later additions, as the headquarters of National City Bank. A series of arcades accented the ground floor, which was at grade level. The three center bays led directly into the building. Rising above the podium formed by the first floor was a temple-like Greek Revival style building. Its center section was recessed to form a balustraded portico, which was accented by six colossal Corinthian columns supporting a massive triangular pediment in the center of the facade. It rose to a height of sixty feet and was crowned by a massive cornice and balustrade. The front of the building was finished in locally quarried limestone, known as Dayton Marble, while the sides were finished in red brick accented by stone trim.
Camera Equipment – tripods will be allowed, however, given our number if you can get by with a monopod that would be preferred.
Entrance Security – as you might expect all persons entering the courthouse will have to pass through a security line so leave all of your personal defense items at home or in your car.
For More Information – view this 10 minute video https://historyinyourownbackyard.com/video/hamilton-county-ohio-courthouse/
Or read this historical accounting by Steven McQuillin https://www.probatect.org/about/history-of-records
Lunch – BEFORE the tour those who are interested can go to lunch at Krueger’s Tavern, 4+ blocks from the Courthouse, located at 1211 Vine Street. They serve burgers, salads, sandwiches, sausage, etc. but I need a head count to make a reservation. Web-site menu is located here: https://www.kruegerstavern.com/menu/
Parking – there is plenty of parking in the surrounding area (see graphic). Consider carpooling.
Fellow OVCC member Fred Haaser has been asked to present during the Phase 2 Portion of Burning Man. Visit the Cincinnati Art Museum on August 15 in the time period of 5:30-7:30 pm to hear Fred’s presentation or see his highlights video (don’t be surprised if he is in his Burning Man costume).
Currently the presentation will be held in the Castellini Foundation Room located downstairs. If there is any change I will update the notice here.
Walk through Cincinnati’s Riverfront Parks, past the Serpentine Wall, cross over into Newport. We will climb the stairs to the river levee, view downtown Cincinnati and continue walking along the River. We will cross over Licking River, get a bite to eat at Molly Malones Irish Pub. After lunch we will cross back into Cincinnati on the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge to our starting point. This is an easy 2 ½ mile walk.
INDICATE IN COMMENT SECTION IF YOU WISH TO JOIN US FOR LUNCH AT MOLLY MALONES IRISH PUB. LOCATION: MEET ATOP WALNUT STREET STEPS AT THEODORE M BERRY WAY – ENTRANCE TO SMALE PARK. See Link https://images.app.goo.gl/icMJH1hDH4Mr5HJTA
