Past Events

Details

Experience the Mighty Ohio River! Enjoy a two-hour river cruise and special entertainment. This cruise is scheduled at the perfect time to take in the beauty of the Cincinnati skyline at sunset. Sunset Estimated to be: 7:26 pm

Two Options on Same Boat
Music and Sunset Cruise Starting at $27
Cash Bar and Snacks
Outside

OR Dinner Cruise starting at $62
Inside with Reserved Seating, Buffet Style Dining, Plenty of Food
available after sunset.
TRIPODS AND MONOPODS ARE PERMITTED, JUST NOT IN ANYONE’S WAY
Board 6:30 pm
Depart 7:00 pm
Return 9:30 pm
RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION: B & B RIVERBOATS 1-800-261-8586
Cancellations: 48 hours in advance, 90%
Rain: can move inside as seating permits on second or third deck, or first deck (no windows)

ALSO INDICATE YOU ARE ATTENDING ON OUR SITE SO WE KNOW WHO TO LOOK FOR.

FOR MORE FUN:
Remain after arriving back and capture downtown Cincinnati at Night. Leave your car, and shoot from James Taylor Park next to B & B Riverboats down the roadway 300’. Also, since you are so close to the spectacularly lite John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, drive back out of Riverboat Row, take a right turn onto 3rd Street, at round about just ahead, take 1st exit to stay straight on 3rd st (RT. 8), follow across bridge at Licking River, take 3rd Right after bridge onto Greenup Street, continue straight (Do Not Veer Left onto Roebling Suspension Bridge), continue straight through the Flood Way on Riverside Place. Parking to the right of bridge preferred.

Details

Let’s step back in time to an era of chivalry and mystique and photograph the Loveland Castle and Museum Chateau Laroche. This Meetup has ben scheduled on a weekday to offer the best photo opportunities without “tourist” photobombing your images.

The Historic Loveland Castle & Museum Chateau Laroche was built as an expression and reminder of the simple strength and rugged grandeur of the mighty men who lived when Knighthood was in flower. It was their knightly zeal for honor, valor and manly purity that lifted mankind out of the moral midnight of the dark ages and started it towards the gray dawn of human hope. Present human decadence proves a need for similar action. Already the ancient organization of Knights have been re-activated to save society. Any man of high ideas who wishes to help save civilization is invited to become a member of the Knights of the Golden Trail, whose only vows are the Ten Commandments. Chateau Laroche is the World headquarters and Residence of the Knights of the Grand Trail, a.k.a. KOGT.

Let’s meet at the Castle. The castle is located at 12025 Shore Dr., Loveland, OH. Just when you think you have reached the end of Mulberry Rd., continue down the STEEP GRADE to Shore Dr. along the Little Miami River.

There is ample free parking available at the castle. However, there is a $5 admission charge payable as you enter the Castle grounds.

Additional information on the history of the castle is available at www.lovelandcastle.com.

Please note that rest room facilities at the castle are primitive, i.e. (2) Port-o-Lets. Please plan accordingly. Hoping to see you there.

Details

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.

Details

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.

Details

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.
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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

Details

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.