Capture the Moment Monday

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.


If you are planning to visit Washington D.C. this spring or summer you must put the NEWSEUM on your itinerary.

This is definitely a photography opportunity you don't want to miss. Believe it or not there is a Kodak moment at every turn. The Newseum opened last year and you will go down memory lane seeing exhibits from years past. As you approach the Newseum from the outside you will see a display of newspaper front pages from all 50 states that greet patrons and passers-by each morning.




The Newseum, which bills itself as "the world's most interactive museum", features more than 125 interactive game and simulation kiosks, 15 theatres and two television studios. The exhibits in the Newseum are some of the best I have seen.

Some of my favorites, are the gallery of News over the past 100 years, the 9/11 gallery chronicling the attack on America, the Berlin Wall gallery featuring a 12 foot tall section of the Berlin Wall on display along with one of the 300 guard towers that stood along the 27 mile barrier between East and West Berlin, and the Internet, TV and Radio gallery. However, my most favorite gallery was the Pulitzer Prize Photographs gallery...This gallery features the most comprehensive collection of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs ever assembled as well as interviews with many of the photographers. After a four hour visit and 300+ photographs it was a photographic experience I can't wait to go back and do again--Hope I will see you there !!!!!!

Until next week thanks for dropping by...Meanwhile go out and have FUN WITH YOU CAMERA!!!!!

Tuesday's Treasures

On Tuesdays we provide our Faculty an opportunity to feature the talented work of some of our students and friends. You may see a display of creative PhotoShop work, their beautiful photographs or an interesting story about an individual’s meaningful contribution to his or her community, country or the world.If you have memories, old or new, you would like to share, send them to me at mxw8110@yahoo.com.

Strength and Beauty

On Thursday, June 25, 2009, there was a great article about Vicki Agee and her rose garden in The Dallas Morning News. I remembered her sharing some lovely images with me when she was in one of my Photoshop classes. After prowling around on my computer for a while I found them. I called her and I’m delighted to say that she is willing to share them with all of us!

Her garden starts blooming in April and may still be in bloom come December. The spring scene is further animated by barn swallows that have built mud nests in the corners of the covered patio…what a lovely spot to build a home!


Vicki intentionally bought a house with very little landscaping so she could start from scratch and put her own ideas in place from the beginning.


Knowing the importance of starting with good soil, she didn’t bother amending the native clay. Instead she ordered truckloads of Living Earth Technology’s Landscaper’s mix with expanded shale and shoveled the planting medium on top of the native earth to make well-draining raised beds.


With all her gardening chores and club responsibilities, Vicki still has time to open her garden to tours sponsored by one of her many clubs.


This gardener also is a hospice volunteer. If she has roses in bloom, she cuts bouquets to deliver to her people in discarded vases she accumulates for this use.


“They love to smell them,” says Agee of the hospice patients. “It brings back memories of happier times."

And she still finds time to join us for Photoshop classes at the Richland College where she comes up with gems like this!!

Now that's an active, productive, compassionate senior, folks!!

Many thanks to Vicki for allowing me to share part of her story and these lovely images.

Mimi

Capture the Moment Monday

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.

4 DSLR Questions you were afraid to ask--Part 4

1.) What's the difference between evaluative, centerweighted and spotmetering?
All camera meters try to make some part f the frame appear as a midtone---right between very light and very dark. Evaluative metering divides the frame up into segments, compares the reading in each section, and decides on an appropriate pattern for determining exposure. Centerweighted takes into account all the light, but puts a heavy emphasis on the middle of the frame. Spotmetering uses a small percentage of the frame--often less than 5 percent and typically in the center, though some cameras let you link it to the active AF point while evaluative is best for most situations, centerweighted works well for subjects such as group portraits. For the most control, use spotmetering to choose the midtone.

2.) Why use a handheld lightmeter when I have all those choices in the camera?
Because most handheld meters let you set your exposure based on the light falling on your subject, called "incident" light. They're great when your subject is unusually dark or light which camera meters tend to over or underexpose. They also help get consistent exposures in scenes with a wide range of tones. For an incident reading, hold the meter at the point on your subject where exposure is most critical, such as the face, and point it at the camera position. Many handheld meters can be set to read reflected light ad flash intensity, too.

3.) How do I tell how far my flash will reach?
By the Guide Number, assigned to almost all built in and shoe mount flashes and listed in feet, meters, or both in the back of you camera or flash manual. The GN tells you how far your flash will carry at a given aperture or what aperture to set for a given distance. Just divide the GN by either distance or f-number. For example, if a flash has a GN of 80 at ISO of 100, it can reach up to 20 feet with a lens set to f/4. If you want to shoot at 40 feet at the same ISO, you'd have to open your lens to f/2.

4.) My flash has TTL and Auto settings. What's the difference?
The TTL setting controls flash output by measuring how much flash reflects back through the lens (TTL) to the camera's built in lightmeter. It's usually the most accurate means of determining flash exposure, and it lets you aim your flash in any direction to bounce the light. It's accurate enough for most scenes and usually will function on many different cameras, while flash units that offer just TTL control work only with compatible cameras.

Dave Berry shares his Photography Tips at Computer School for Seniors (www.cs4seniors.com).

Capture the Moment Monday

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.

3 DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex)

 Questions you were afraid to ask--Part 3

1.) What's with "equivalent" focal lengths? Why do you sometimes call a 50mm a 75mm equivalent?
It refers to the corresponding focal length on a traditional 35mm film camera or full-frame DSLR. Because most DSLR sensors are much smaller than a 35mm frame film, they record on the center of the image circle cast by the full frame 50mm lens, producing images with the same field of view as those as those a 75mm lens would capture on a 35mm or full frame SLR.(The difference in area is called the crop or lens factor.

2.) Can my camera keep pace with the latest high speed memory card?
The newest model can, and manufacturers are always working on improving image transfer speeds and reducing the time it takes for ever larger image files to clear the camera's buffer. But another benefit of high speed cards is their ability to transfer images to your computer quickly. To make them run at top velocity, always use a compatible card reader.

3.) Does it harm flash cards to reformat them frequently?
Nope. In fact the experts encourage it. Reformatting scrubs images, file names and other image related data from the card, freeing up memory so you can keep shooting. It's best to reformat the card in the camera, rather than on your computer, to ensure they work together properly.

Dave Berry shares his Photography Tips at Computer School for Seniors (www.cs4seniors.com).

Capture the Moment Monday

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.

4 DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex)
Questions you were afraid to ask--Part 2

I am a believer that the more you understand about Photography the more fun you will have taking your favorite pictures. It is also important that before you go out and buy a new piece of equipment that you know as much about your purchase as possible. So often I see sales people not always giving the proper advice. As a result the person will not buy the right lens or camera. It's important to always get a second opinion or better yet give me a call or send me an e-mail so I can assist you in your purchase. Today is Part 2 in answering your most burning photo queries, once and for all..here we go !

1.) What makes one lens "faster" than another?

A fast lens (or bright) lens admits lots of light through a big maximum aperture. This allows you to use a faster shutter speed than you can with a small-aperture (slow or dim) lens.The f-number designation on a lens tells you the biggest aperture you can set, with lower numbers signifying wider apertures: an f/1.4 lens is very fast, f/2.8 is pretty fast, and f/5.6 is slow. The lower the number the faster the lens.

2.) So is it better to use a full-frame lens on a DSLR that has a smaller sensor?

No. Since the smaller sensor records only the central "sweet spot" of the image circle, full frame lenses theoretically should give you images that are sharper around the edge's than digital-only lenses do-but there's scant evidence of that in the real world. Full-framers have some benefits: Retaining their utility if you upgrade to a full-frame DSLR with the same mount, for instance. But the crop factor means they can't give you an ultrawide angle of view--that a 17mm lens becomes a 25mm equivalent on a camera with an APS-C size sensor.

3.) So, what does a range such as f/3.5-5.6 on a lens mean?

On less-expensive zooms, the lens gets slower as you move to longer focal lengths. On an 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 lens, for instance, you can set an aperture as big as f/3.5 at 18mm, but at 55mm the widest you can set is f5.6. At an intermediate focal length---say, 35mm--the maximum aperture will be around f/4.5.

4.) Why should I buy a telephoto lens when I can just put a teleconverter on my kit zoom ?

That will make your already slow lens even slower. A2x converter will make a f/3.5-5.6 lens, for example, effectively f/7-11, dim enough to prevent autofocus. And the teleconverters available for kit lenses tend to be of so-so optical quality. Better to put your money toward an inexpensive kit telezoom.

5.) I love shooting sunsets, but when I expose for the sky, the foreground is too dark. What can I do?

Use a split neutral-density filter. The color, a neutral gray that won't affect the colors in your photo, goes from dark to clear either abruptly (hard edge) or little-by-little (graduated filters). A split ND is the perfect solution for situations where the foreground and background are under vastly different light. The filter allows you to expose properly for the dark foreground without blowing out the highlights of the lighter sky.

Dave Berry shares his Photography Tips at Computer School for Seniors (http://www.cs4seniors.com/).

Special Event Post for Tuesday and Wednesday

On Tuesdays we provide our Faculty an opportunity to feature the talented work of some of our students and friends. You may see a display of creative PhotoShop work, their beautiful photographs or an interesting story about an individual’s meaningful contribution to his or her community, country or the world.If you have memories, old or new, you would like to share, send them to me at mxw8110@yahoo.com.

The Hanna Walker Art Show

On May 4th, 2009 I posted a story about a cooperative endeavor being lead by Bill Cardwell, one of my most remarkable students. That event took place May 9th when the Hanna Walker Art Show arrived in Luling, Texas!



For one day, 70 oil paintings were exhibited at the Church of the Annunciation Parish Hall from 20 collectors located in these Texas towns: Luling, Austin, Lakeway, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Houston, Shelby, Dallas, Lewisville, and Diana. Eleven of these collectors are related to Hanna Walker.

Our friend, Kevin Rush and his wife Linda went to Luling to help Bill. Kevin said, "Bill did a great job of succeeding under pressure with little sleep and with max decorum. Linda and I had a blast seeing Lockhart and Luling for the first time and sampling some great barbecue as well as home style cooking at a local cafe. All right out of a movie set only it was all real." Below you see Bill right in the thick of it all!




The three folks in front of the figure painting below are, from left to right, David M. Cochran (Bill’s brother in law), Maryanne Cardwell Cochran (his sister), and Wanda Bassett Carter (a family friend from Luling who is a collector who displayed her own Hanna Walker paintings at the art show).

David was nine years old when Miss Hanna painted this picture of him in 1934. His mother, Cleo Cochran, was a contemporary of Miss Hanna, and we think that Miss Hanna did this painting as a favor to her friend. So, there is David at age 85 in this photograph in front of the painting of him at age nine!




Below is Marie Muenster Galloway who is 97 years old. She came to the art show and brought several of Miss Hanna’s paintings with her. Bill says, “Marie is undoubtedly one of the most amazing people I have ever met.”




Dr. Michaele Haynes, Curator of Witte Museum, attended the art show in Luling.




Dr. Haynes said that this painting, called Camp Site, is the most accomplished of all that were on display at the art show.”

Called Natures Gift, this painting was entered in several competitions in San Antonio in the late 1920s.

Some mind-boggling facts about how this was done:

• Displayed in room 50 feet by 24 feet on walls, doors, floor easels, table top easels, and table tops.
• A total of about 50 easels were borrowed from five sources.
• Sixteen paintings delivered to Parish Hall by Luling collectors and hung on walls the evening before show. About 55 paintings transported to Parish Hall by out of town collectors the morning of show and processed and set up the morning of show.
• An identifying sign placed by the display location of each painting.
• Printed program contains color photo of each of about 55 of the paintings on display and text information about Hanna Walker, her career, and her substantial contributions to this Church and to the construction in about 1951 of this Parish Hall.
• Kevin Rush and Todd Carlson took many photos of paintings on display and of collectors and others attending show. Will Cardwell took video pictures.
• Guest book was signed by 201 persons. Actual attendance was probably about 225.
• Students in high school and junior high school art classes who attended received extra credit (high school classes) and were exempt from final exam (junior high school classes).

All of this resulting in:

• Considerable attention being brought to the talent of Hanna Walker and to her memory.
• Much surprise and enjoyment by those attending.
• The displaying collectors who are related to her were given the chance to renew relations and compare collections—almost a Walker family reunion type dynamic.
• The city of Luling benefitted by being the site of an event of this nature.
• The outcome of the event made the planning aggravations and anxieties seem trivial.

Isn't it amazing what we seniors can do once we set our mind to it? Congratulations for a job well done at the Hanna Walker Art Show!

Thanks so much, Bill, for sharing this extraordinary story with us!

Mimi

Capture the Moment Monday

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.

4 DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) Questions you were afraid to ask

For many of us Digital Photography is a brand new language to use and understand..Over the course of the next few weeks I will be doing a 5 part series to answer your most burning photographic queries, once and for all...Here we go!!!

1.) Sensor Size or number of megapixels--which matters more?
Neither. The most important variable is the size of the individual pixels. A pixel is like a light sponge--the bigger it is, the more light it absorbs. Greater sensitivity lets you shoot at higher ISO's with less noise, better detail, and finer color gradation. Of course, bigger pixels require a bigger sensor to hold the same number.

2.) So that's the reason you get better pictures from a DSLR than a compact that has the same number of megapixels?
That's just one reason. DSLR's also tend to do better at image processing. They give you more control and of course, a range of lenses. Other pluses: speedier startup time, lack of shutter lag, faster and more sensitive autofocus, clear and accurate viewfinder, faster burst rates, more powerful flash, many accessories, longer battery life, and typically greater ruggedness.

3.) Whats better, digital or optical stabilization?
Digital stabilization is basically bogus--it simply boosts the ISO and shutter speed, and sometimes uses software to sharpen blurry area's of the image. Optical image stabilization is the real deal: Either the imaging sensor or an element in the lens moves to counteract you motion when handholding at slower shutter speeds.

4.) What's the difference between Automatic and Program mode?
Automatic is pure point and shoot--the camera sets aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, autofocusing mode, flash. I much prefer Program Mode, which sets the aperture and shutter, but leaves the rest up to you. You can set some or all of the other parameters, apply exposure compensation, and decide when you want flash.

I hope this answers some of the questions you may have thought about from time to time when your out enjoying your camera...Stay tuned for Part 2 of my series next week..Until than go out and have FUN WITH YOUR CAMERA !!!

Dave Berry shares his Photography Tips at Computer School for Seniors (www.cs4seniors.com).

Capture the Moment Monday

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.

Warbirds over Addision

My son Brian and I had the privilege recently to shoot the Warbirds over Addison,Texas...

We were given the VIP treatment by the museum allowing us complete access to the airfield and the museum to capture what was a great way to spend a sunday afternoon...

The Cavanaugh Flight Museum is an educational organization devoted to promoting aviation studies and to perpetuating America's aviation heritage; the museum fulfills its mission by restoring, maintaining and displaying historically significant vintage aircraft, and by collecting materials related to the history of aviation...

When you walk in the museum you step back in time and watch aviation history unfold before you...

After viewing the beautiful warplanes on the ground Brian and I ventured out to the runway to take pictures of these great aircrafts from the air....

I loaded my Nikon 200-400 lens on my camera and we let the camera rip!! We were able to shoot Bombers (eastern/grumman TBM-3E avengers), North American P-51D Mustang and Curiss P-40N Warhawk fighter Planes along with a B-24A OL' 927 Liberator...

If you are brave enough you can easily arrange for a ride in one of these historical warbirds...

If you happen to be in the Dallas area bring your camera and lets lets go visit and shoot some of these World War l and World War ll fighter jets...

Until next week thanks for dropping by-Meanwhile go out and have some FUN WITH YOUR CAMERA !!!!!!

Dave Berry shares his Photography Tips at Computer School for Seniors (www.cs4seniors.com).

Tuesday's Treasures

On Tuesdays we provide our Faculty an opportunity to feature the talented work of some of our students and friends. You may see a display of creative PhotoShop work, their beautiful photographs or an interesting story about an individual’s meaningful contribution to his or her community, country or the world.If you have memories, old or new, you would like to share, send them to me at mxw8110@yahoo.com.

Hidden Treasure

Valerie Jagiello has been a student of mine for over a year, and in that time we have become friends. She has been on our blog before (you can see her story on the blog post for April 27th) I have always enjoyed her work.

A friend of hers from New York sent her this picture:

She cropped it into several images which are wonderful when they are printed and framed. She says,

“Try to really look at your photos and ‘see’ the little pieces of composition or art that make up the complete photo. You can look at art and/or a photo and know immediately what is possible. Sometimes a photo can be really bad (in choice of subject matter, lighting, or color) yet it can have one component that by itself is fantastic. You have to train your eye to look through the extraneous clutter and find the buried treasure.

This is the top fourth of the photo with the fence, trees, dried grasses added in the left hand corner. I will leave the color or non color look...as the muted shades are too powerful to change.

I tried some filters and have decided this piece will stand as it is. I could not improve the feeling or look of this photographic statement (masterpiece)!!!“

“When working with a LARGE sized picture you can really go in for the smallest detail...like the weeds. It could make a great note card, mouse pad, etc.”

“I didn’t like this image with the door in it (see first picture). In its cloned state the photo stands alone and has a nice quality. The door was hiding a lovely sensitive work.”

“This is what I mean about seeing what can be done with something when the elements are there.

You can turn a good 'regular photo' into a knock out with some work and a little time."

Thanks so much for sharing, Valerie!

Mimi