CCoH May 2023 Newsletter

In Focus! May 2023

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Hello CCoH!

I hope this newsletter finds you happy and healthy. Spring has arrived! That means the photographic opportunities are endless. Bugs, flowers, weather, butterflies, spring growth….yes! This is a great opportunity to go outside and push your photography to the limits.

It’s been a busy month for the CCoH. I want to thank David Day for his great workshop on ICM – very well done. I also want to thank Dennis and others for coordinating our Haunts of Hendo field trip. Finally, many thanks to Jeff Miller for filling in at the last moment for our monthly general meeting and the discussion of our Cemeteries, Gravestones and Tombstones. We had some incredible images, and thanks to Jeff for helping us all become better photographers. Jeff will be back for our May General Meeting to give a presentation on ‘Revealing Yourself in Your Photography.’

May is also shaping up to be a great photo month. In May, we have our Gimme Your Best Shot with the theme of ‘Blue Hour’. As I mentioned above, our general meeting will be with Jeff Miller – I hope to see you there. We also have a field trip to Chimney Rock State Park on Tuesday, May 16^th. If you wish to attend – please contact George Tregay at tregaygeo@aol.com SOONEST.

This is an exciting time of the year to be practicing this art we all love. So – go shoot!!

Steve

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT - CYNTHIA RILEY

A native Texan from Fort Worth, Cynthia relocated to Lake Lure in 2006 after being drawn to the mountains while vacationing in the area. She holds a bachelor of music in piano performance from the University of North Texas and a master of music from Texas Christian University. After being accepted for doctoral studies at the Hartt School of Music, she decided on a career in nursing and completed a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington. Cynthia was a hospital RN for 30 years, specializing in obstetrics in Texas, and worked in the float pool at Pardee Hospital for 5 years before retiring in 2011. Throughout the years she has kept active as a classical pianist performing in various venues from house concerts, retirement homes, receptions, restaurants, and benefit concerts for the Asheville and Hendersonville Symphonies.

Her interest in photography began in high school on a band trip to Europe where she made slides from a Kodak Instamatic camera. After college, she purchased a Canon EOS Rebel and intended to take a photography course but never did, and only shot in the automatic mode. Finally in 2017, her friend Valerie Klevan invited her to join the Camera Club of Hendersonville. Shortly after, she purchased a Nikon D 7100 with a 24- 120 lens and a 50 mm lens and began learning Lightroom and Photoshop. She still enjoys using her iPhone and sharing photos, many of her garden, on Facebook. Street photography is her main interest and she hopes to learn microscopy in the future. Gardening and golf are two of her other hobbies.

Joining the camera club has provided many new learning experiences and fun activities with many new friends!

As you have seen over the last year or so, CCoH Members have some amazing life stories to share regarding their road to photography. Please consider sharing your story. If you would like to be featured in a future Member Spotlight, reach out to Sherri (newsletter editor) at ccoh.newsletter@gmail.com.

NEW MEMBER INTRODUCTIONS

New for the month of March are:

Larry McGough
Lives in Hendersonville
Learned about CCoH from Sal Campanaro
Motivated to join to improve camera skills
Experience level - Intermediate
Photographic interest - nature
Editing with Photoshop and LR - need more skills in this area

Next time you see one of our new members, please go introduce yourself!

APRIL PHOTO REVIEW IMAGES

The April Photo Review images and comments are available at this LINK.

Thanks to Bob Coffey, Rich DeSimone, and Mike Merrill for the review of the images. Seventeen images were submitted this month. Here is a sample starting with Sherri Cappabianca's image of her dog, Fletcher.

Bob’s comment was: “….The composition is really cute with Fletcher's tilted head and his tongue over his nose.” And “….the collar looks fine to me as is, but it would be easy to remove using Content Aware or by Cloning.”

All three reviewers complimented Sal Campanaro’s coastal scene. Mike noted “the sunlight adds so much to a silhouette.” Rich suggested “squiggly vertical streak in the clouds” could be blurred or cloned out.

JD Hannis provided the following beach scene.

Bob noted this is a good example of an image being captured better in portrait mode, and he liked the way the clouds responded to the editing. Rich complimented the off-center nature of the image.

Julee Weller provided this cemetery image.

All three reviewers recommend Julee clone out the “RIS.” Bob had several suggestions including adding a vignette to strengthen the image.

Finally, all reviewers were impressed with Ken Weitzen’s blue bird image.

You can see more images and comments by clicking on the link above to check out the full album of images.

The May Photo Review images are due May 6^th, so be thinking and working on those images you would like feedback on.

If you have any questions, please submit them to Ward Seguin at wrsmd1@yahoo.com.

PHOTOSHOP'S NEW A.I. POWERED "REMOVE TOOL"

New A.I. Powered "Remove Tool" Revolutionizes Photoshop

Recently I received a notice from my other camera club, the Delaware Photographic Society, that included a link to an exciting upcoming new feature in Photoshop. It is the new AI-powered "Remove Tool" that is currently being Beta tested. After watching the video, I am very impressed with its major leap into the Clone/Stamp/Healing/Content-Aware grouping. The demonstrations in the video show how superior it is over its forerunners. Ever since Lightroom was introduced in the spring of 2007, I have used it increasingly as a replacement for PS, except for serious cloning. Initially, the only thing LR could do was clean up dust spots on the sensor, but that deficiency has greatly diminished, such that my need for PS for cloning or healing has reached the point of rarity. However, what I observed in the video shows how much AI has improved the ability to remove major distractions easily, quickly and completely. This should be another major breakthrough in post-processing.

Click HERE to view the video.

Submitted by Bob Coffey

MIDJOURNEY AI, IS IT CHEATING?

I just viewed a video on Youtube at this LINK. It is about Midjourney, an AI-based software service that generates images that are created per descriptive specifications for each image ordered. Apparently, it is derived from a massive database of millions of images gleaned from the Internet without permission from the owners and keyworded them such that they can be pulled up and used as the originals and then optimized in myriad ways very quickly. The results are impressive, but they are also concerning.

I am reminded of the early days of Photoshop when there was considerable controversy and many people wanted to separate real photography from anything that had been Photoshopped on the basis that it was considered cheating. Having had a color darkroom for over 20 years and using it for monthly print competitions in our club, I never thought that was cheating, but merely using advanced technology to improve the cropping, dodging, and burning in the dark room and thus enable much more creativity. Ansel Adams would have loved it.

Now I am amazed by what can be done with my latest cell phone camera (Samsung Galaxy S22 Pro). It can do some things better than my mirrorless Nikon Z6, especially at lower light (ISO) levels and hand-held close-up shots. I had thought that was due to outstanding vibration reduction capability, but I have heard that AI has a lot to do with it. I don't understand how it works, but I certainly appreciate what it can do to help make better captures.

But MidJourney takes AI (AKA CGI for Computer Generated Imaging) a quantum leap forward that scares me. It really takes "cheating" to a new level. I excelled in the Assigned Subject category (versus Open) due to my reverse engineering approach of pre-visioning what subject matter would best depict the assignment and then concentrating on finding the appropriate subject matter to work with, then capturing it with innovative perspectives, composition, and lighting. That kept me busy searching, shooting, collecting, selecting, and enlarging countless images for 25 years.

That is essentially what AI is now doing on a "mail-order" basis, which completely removes the personal creative challenge from the quest. The only creativity that remains is how well one can write super "Google" style specifications in the request.

I'm sure that image competitions have already or will soon adjust their entry requirements by placing AI-created images into a separate category. In our print competitions, we required that all entries must have been captured by the photographer and enlarged in his/her own darkroom. With the evolution of digital photography, the darkroom requirement disappeared, but Midjourney violates all of those requirements. Yes, I think that really is cheating.

Personally, I cannot think of any reason why I would want to use it, however, it will certainly provide graphic designers more flexibility in quickly coming up with photographic images to match their requirements perfectly. It will definitely reduce the demand for stock photography and photographic assignments.

I invite you to go to the link above, check it out, and tell us what you think.

Submitted by Bob Coffey

ITEMS OF POSSIBLE INTEREST

Adjusting Photo Lighting in Post Processing
Here is another ON1 promotion tutorial illustrating several cases of how the lighting in photos can be improved. For those who use other software programs most of these techniques are probably available using your favorite program. Treat this tutorial as a workflow tutorial and not necessarily as an ON1 training exercise. The video covers dodging and burning, gradient masks, directional lighting, creating brushes to fit particular areas, and blending modes using curves.

ON1 Photo Lighting Video

Submitted by Ward Seguin

Tips for Editing Bird Photos
Another ON1 tutorial on editing videos.

Watch on YouTube

Submitted by Ward Seguin

Blue Hour How To
May's GYBS theme is "Blue Hour." For those who may be unsure of what and when Blue Hour is, here is a good How To tutorial on how to photograph the Blue Hour.

https://www.naturettl.com/how-to-photograph-the-blue-hour/

Submitted by Ward Seguin

What is Viewbug?
Viewbug is a site for photographers to showcase their work, enter challenges offered by other photographers, and to enter contests. Viewbug also has its own judges for various items such as monthly uploaded photos, seasons such as Spring 2023, etc.

All the information you would need is on the main menu. It lists the judges, photo contests, challenges, creators' studios, classes, videos, etc.

It’s a great platform and I think several of our members would enjoy it. A Viewbug member can also get followed and follow other photographers. There are three levels of membership.

Here is the link to the main site: https://www.viewbug.com/

An here is a link to Kalena Randall's site so you can have an idea of what your own site could look like: https://www.viewbug.com/member/kalenarandall

Submitted by Kalena Randall

Newsletter Editor's note to members: Any member can submit an item of possible interest by sending an email to ccoh.newsletter@gmail.com, Please write something short about the item - from one sentence to a short paragraph, and include a website link to the full article or video. If you find something interesting, there's a good chance other club members will as well!

A NOTE FROM TIME BARNWELL

For those who don't know, Tim Barnwell is an Asheville Photographer, who has spoken to CCoH in the past.

Below is his announcement on his new YouTube channel.

A big announcement for us is that we have started a YouTube Channel called, “The Face of Appalachia.” You will find three videos so far, including one just released. This is a new venture and we are learning as we go, but are proud of what we have been able to do so far.

This channel is a celebration of the people, culture, and rich heritage of Appalachia. I have spent my life roaming the mountains of southern Appalachia where I grew up, meeting folks where they live and work, and documenting their lives and activities through photographs and stories shared. For more than 40 years these lovely people have invited me onto their farms and into their homes and I am forever humbled by their generosity, kindness, and trust.

I encourage you to take a look on YouTube by clicking on the link above, and subscribe to and share the channel if it is something you find of interest. That will go a long way in helping us continue to produce more content about the rich Appalachian culture and its fascinating people.

APRIL BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Updates from the Board:

Available Cash Reserves: $3908.14; Equipment Fund balance: $1902.98 leaving a Ledger Balance of $5811.12.

With our annual print competition in September, the board felt it would benefit all members to discuss the aspects of the display. Each month a segment will be addressed such as: What are the judges looking for in reviewing your entry; Which category does the photographer enter – particularly now that there are three levels of competition? Other informative topics are how to size your photo, where I should get it printed, and how do I mount my print. Mark your calendar that September 26 is the Print Competition!

We have been fortunate to have ten new members join the Club in 2023, and it’s only May! During our social time, please introduce yourself, and for long-term members, ask how you can help them get involved (or back into) Photography.

With the new members, there has been interest in a mini-workshop on Portrait Photography. Bob Coffey has some thoughts on a course titled Faces are Fun! We are anxious to see what this is about.

A nominating committee has been established to solicit for the two open positions of President and Secretary. As your secretary for the past three years, I want to assure potential applicants that I’m not going anywhere and I will do whatever I can to make the transition smooth. Please consider getting more involved with the club.

Lois Van Reese, Club Secretary

PHOTO EXHIBIT SELECTIONS

Jim Pierson has had 2 photographs selected by the South East Center for Photography for a juried exhibit titled “Architecture”. Exhibits typically comprise 35-40 photographs selected from a pool of over two thousand entries received from all over the world. The Architecture exhibit will be displayed in the South East Center for Photography’s gallery located at 116 East Broad Street, Greenville, SC from May 5 – 27.

Below are the images that were selected.

MAY FIELD TRIP REMINDER

Chimney Rock State Park

Tuesday May 16 (rain date May 17)

A morning shoot inside the park includes the option to enter a photo contest (see below).GPS address is 431 Main St. Chimney Rock NC. Admission is $17. Inside the Park the road is narrow with switchbacks and about 4 miles long.

Questions: Address questions to George Tregay, tregaygeo@aol.com.

RSVP: Please RSVP at your earliest convenience to CCOH.FIELDTRIPS@gmail.com.

Carpooling: Meet between 8:45 and 9:00 in the Ingles parking lot, 3643 Howard Gap Rd. (at Hwy 64) Hendersonville.

Sign in: All members must check in with Field Trip Leader, George Tregay, and sign CCoH release form.

Option 1. Between 8:45 and 9:00 in the Ingles parking lot.

Option 2: Between 9:45 and 10:15 Chimney Rock State Park in the upper parking lot. (Parking lot is at end of road).

In addition to the Chimney Rock itself, there are trails from the parking lot and from the top of the elevator. Notable is a trail weaving down the rock face from the top of the elevator back to the parking lot. Hickory Nut Falls is accessible with an easy trail from the parking lot (1.4 miles round trip) and a moderate-to-strenuous trail (2.2 miles round-trip) from the top of the elevator. (https://www.chimneyrockpark.com/trail-map/).

Lunch is at 12:30 in the Riverwatch Bar and Grill, 379 Main Street, just south of State Park entrance.

Chimney Rock State Park Spring Photo Contest: “Spring Trails”

April 1 to May 31, 2023

Cost: Included with Park admission.

The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers. All entries may be used in promotions of Chimney Rock and park-related activities.

1st Prize: The winning photo will be the Park’s Facebook cover photo for two weeks, and the photographer will receive two annual passes to Chimney Rock State Park and lunch for four at the Old Rock Café.

2nd Prize: The second place photo will be the park’s Facebook cover photo for one week. The photographer will receive one annual pass to Chimney Rock State Park and lunch for two at the Old Rock Café.

3rd Prize: The third place photographer will receive two adult day passes (or one family pack of day passes) to Chimney Rock State Park and lunch for two at the Old Rock Café.

Rules and entry procedures at:

https://www.chimneyrockpark.com/event/spring-photo-contest-spring-trails/

2023 PRINT COMPETITION

The September 26th print competition date is rapidly approaching, and the discussion of preparing for it began at Tuesday's general meeting. To view a PDF of the first round of guidelines with information on skill level categories, please click this LINK.

WEBSITE MEMBER'S GALLERY

Our Members Gallery needs your new photos. If you have a gallery, please take a look and update with your latest works of art. If you have not yet created a gallery, please do so. Our webpage gets a great deal of traffic, and showcasing our work is the best way to show our talent and generate interest in the club.

Photos (formatted as we do for all of our slide show entries), can be sent to our webmaster, Jim Troeger (ccoh.webmaster@gmail.com). Enter your subject line with “Member Gallery Photos for (your name).
Let’s show our talent!

;Submitted by Lois Van Reese, Club Secretary

MAY'S SCHEDULE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

May Monthly Meeting: May 23rd
Featured presentation: "Find Yourself in Your Photography"
May GYBS: "Blue Hour"

Our featured program at the May 23 meeting will be the presentation “Find Yourself in Your Photography” by Jeff Miller.

About Jeff - Jeff is a long-time supporter of the CCoH and is considered a ‘Member Emeritus’. He is a regular contributor to CCoH as a speaker, doing photo critiques, and as a judge at our annual print competition. As you can see on his mountainlens.com website, Jeff’s mission is to help photographers capture the beauty of our mountains, to share it, and ultimately to preserve it. He pursues his mission through “immersion” in photography – field trips, consulting, critiquing, as well as offering digital imaging and printing services. I encourage you to check out both www.mountainlens.com and jeffmillerphotographer.com for more details about how Jeff is currently pursuing this mission. Follow this link for a recent article about Jeff: www.boldlife.com/developing-an-artists-eye/.

May ‘Gimme Your Best Shot’

The theme for May’s GYBS is ‘Blue Hour’. The blue hour refers to the darker stages of morning and evening twilight, when the Sun is quite far below the horizon, coloring the sky deep blue. See petapixel.com/blue-hour/ for a more complete definition from a photographer’s point of view.

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Camera Club of Hendersonville · 131 Creekwalk Ln · Hendersonville, NC 28792-8563 · USA