From the Editor, ArthurineHappy New ELCC year! I know I’m excited. My New Year Resolution is going to be have more fun with my camera. Not much new to say so I’ll repeat my mantras and add a new one this year.

“We are ALL volunteers so be kind to us.” I try to get all the ELCC submissions right so please forgive me or any of the f/stop committee members if we forget a submission or make a total confusing mess out of your text and hopefully not your image. Also, contact us so we

make corrections. Everything is digital and can be reloaded easily.“Every great idea needs a volunteer.” I’m excited to image what the new volunteers will bring to the club this year. However, some popular categories in last year’s f/stop will be missed if a new volunteers do not come forward. The f/stop committee is the largest committee since I consider everyone a member. What does it take to contribute? For example, someone has to tip us off about Other Announcements, etc. If you are interested in some photo-specific content, chances a club this large will have someone else also interested. Consider sharing.“We are a club not an organization.” So I’ve added a third mantra this year. I did not really understand this mantra when I heard it in the ELCC executive meetings so I looked it up. The main difference in the definitions:

“A club is a formal association of people that play with similar interests.” “An organization is a formal association of people that work on similar interests and goals.”

ELCC members play, we have fun. The f/stop is separated into two parts: the basic club news and the attachments. Volunteers are the heart of our club and we document our activities in our club news. Some individuals actually work and make a living or supplement a living with photography. Their contributions would/could be included as part of the f/stop attachments. If a paid activity is mentioned, chances are some member considered sharing that photo-specific content. The f/stop provides the articles only as an informational forum for our club members and guests.

- The Enchanted Lens Camera Club relies heavily on electronic media to get the club

news to its membership. The chairperson is Darrel Patterson. All ELCC communications including this monthly published newsletter rely on the member to PULL the information from the Internet. The club supports two forms of electronic communications.

1) The Web Pages - Your first source for club news!!! Most of the information on the web pages are open to the general public. However, some information is for members only.

The group password is now gone. You now register with your e-mail address and choose your password.

2) Yahoo Mailing and Flickr site -- The most timely form of communication is the Yahoo mailing group or elcc-abq@yahoogroups.com. You can choose between getting the e-mail individually as posted or daily burst which comes without attachments. Did you know? For those who subscribe to this list using the “daily digest” option, you can view attachments at the Yahoo page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elcc-abq/attachments/folder/0/list Newest attachments are at the top. Do you realize that the club has a great photo sharing site on Flickr? You need a Yahoo ID to gain access to both the Yahoo Group and to Flickr. Sign up now!

The monthly f/stop is generally a collection of important messages posted first on these two sites!Note: The dashed lines around some text in the newsletter are hypertext to more information on-line.

Digital Photography—So Easy a Monkey Can Do ItBy Kim Ashley

Ever since George Eastman came out with the Kodak camera and the advertising slogan, “You press the button. We do the rest,” photography became the art form of the masses.

Then came the digital photography revolution in the 1990’s and now, according to a recent survey, snapping photographs ranks third among preferred adult activities behind, you guessed it, having sex and dancing.

This has led some to argue that digital photography is no longer an art form since anyone can do it. Sadly, a recent story on NBC’s Nightly News with Brian Williams seems to confirm this allegation.

Exhibit A is this self-portrait taken by a macaque monkey in Indonesia. According to the report, wildlife photographer David Slater spent three days hiking into the remote jungles of Sulawesi when he came across an incredibly friendly troop of crested black macaques.

One day, Slater turned his back on his camera, and one of the more inquisitive macaques started admiring himself in the reflection of the lens. Then the monkey accidentally hit the shutter button. According to Slater, “the sound got his attention so he kept pressing it. He must have taken hundreds of pictures before I could get my camera back.”

“Of course,” Slater offered, “most of them were out of focus.”

This latter comment is small consolation indeed to the thousands of digital photographers of the human species who struggle mightily with the new digital technology, trying to figure out all the jargon—ISO, white balance, aperture, histograms.

We spend thousands of dollars on the newest equipment. We join camera clubs, attend workshops, purchase photography magazines, read countless “how-to” books, for the sole purpose of getting just one compelling image. Just one image that arrests attention and that compels others to say “Wow!”

In short, just one image like the one above, taken by a monkey in the remote jungles of Indonesia!

OK…we can chalk it up to luck. Beginner’s luck. That, at least, salvages some human pride.

In the meantime, we continue our quest to study this newest art form—digital photography—an art and a craft that is supposed to be so incredibly easy and yet remains such a mystery to many of us.

In the end, however, I hope we don’t lose ourselves in the books and the technology. I hope our heads don’t rule our hearts. I hope that we each get a chance to stand, for at least one moment, in the hairy feet of that Indonesian monkey and take one glorious photo for the sheer joy of it.

The Author. ELCC member and instructor of digital photography workshops designed especially for the human species.

How To Create a Filename For Digital Entries

THANK YOU! The biggest thank you we can give this committee

is to read and follow this article about entry submission guidelines.

The first letter(s) of the file name must be a capital B, an A or AA. This is the Group you are in.

Type “B” if you are in the B Group (new member, novice, amateur)Type “A” if you are in the A Group (advanced amateur, accomplished)Type “AA” if you are in the AA Group (most accomplished).

So first we have… B or A or AA

Now type a hyphen (-) immediately after the “B”, “A” or “AA”.Do not skip a space. Do not use underscore (_).

Now it should look like this… B- or

A- or AA-

Next, type “Assigned” or “Open” immediately after the hyphen.DO NOT use all upper case. Do not skip a space. Do not use underscore (_).

Now it looks like this… B-Assigned or B-Open A-Assigned or A-Open AA-Assigned or AA-Open Now type another hyphen (-) immediately after “Assigned” or “Open”.Do not skip a space. Do not use underscore (_).

You Filename should now have… B-Assigned- or B-Open- A-Assigned- or A-Open- AA-Assigned- or AA-Open-

Next, type your title immediately after the last hyphen. Do not skip a space.Keep the entire file name equal to or less than 40 characters. Do not hyphenate the title.DO put a space between each word in the title.Delete any File Sequence Numbers assigned by your camera (such as Nikon’s DSC number).Do not add the date to the title. Do not add the JPEG extension as part of the file name. Allow the computer to assign it.

Your finished File Name should look like this… B-Assigned-Your Image Title Here or B-Open-Your Image Title Here A-Assigned-Your Image Title Here or A-Open-Your Image Title Here AA-Assigned-Your Image Title Here or AA-Open-Your Image Title Here

--- Happy ELCC New Year and Happy Snapping ---An article to get everyone oriented with monthly exhibitions.

by Judson Rhodes RE-PRINT from 2010-2011As the Exhibition Chair for ELCC I get to think about how many people participate in our various activities and features, and I wonder why some of them are more attended or utilized than others.

What I’m thinking about this time is the recent NRNR (No Reservations No Regrets) field trip to the Santa Fe area on August 14/15. The organizers did a great job of finding interesting and varied venues at which to shoot, and are to be commended for their hard work and diligence. I’m sure that all who attended got some wonderful photographs and I hope that it was a satisfying and shared experience for all. Many familiar faces were there as well as new ones. I was only able to attend the Saturday events and even then there must have been 25 to thirty people lugging around thousands of dollars of camera equipment and snapping away. What happened to all those pictures? Surely, there must have been some good ones in there!

What’s puzzling me is that ELCC is about people coming together as a social group with a common interest, that being photography. The Club and its members have always been there to help one another, to teach and to learn, and to a great extent to share with one another the results of what we do. As it is stated on the Club’s website, “The objective of the Enchanted Lens Camera Club is to provide enjoyment and knowledge of photography to its members through their participation and efforts in club activities.” Included in those activities are the twice-monthly meetings, the pre-meeting seminars, the off-night classes, Midweek Marauders, the No Reservations No Regrets field trips and the ELCC Flickr Photo-sharing site. All of these features have contributed to the growth and continued success of the Club.

Of the 265 registered Club members, it appears that only 77 (29%) are ELCC Flickr Photo Sharing Group members. And, of the approximately 25-30 members I saw on the Saturday portion of the NRNR field trip, only myself and Tom Kilroy (so far) have posted images from that event. IMO that’s way too few and I’d like to see more participation.

The ELCC Flickr Photo-sharing site exists for the sole purpose of sharing our images with other Club members, and if so desired, getting feedback on a variety of photographic techniques, or just collecting kudos for having taken a really great photograph. I for one would love to see what others accomplished on that Santa Fe field trip. If you are a member of the ELCC Flickr Photo Sharing Group, would it be too much to ask of you all to please share your best work with the rest of us on Flickr?

If you are not currently a member of the ELCC Yahoo Group and Flickr and wish to post in the ELCC Photo Sharing Group, you will need an invitation to join. The Group Administrator, Rhonda Fleming, will issue an invitation to any ELCC member wishing to join the ELCC Flickr Photo Sharing Group. Simply send an email to Rhonda at fleming27858@yahoo.com indicating your interest. Thanks, and I hope to see some new members exhibiting great stuff on Flickr this coming Club year!

--- Happy ELCC New Year and Happy Snapping ---An article to get everyone oriented with yet another way

ELCC encourages participation.

Popular Digital Photography Workshops Offered this Fall at The Artistic Image

Are you new to digital photography and need some help with your digital camera? Or, are you a seasoned photographer but need professional advice on how to get the most from Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS5?

If you answered “yes” to either question, then you might consider checking out the digital photography workshops offered this fall by The Artistic Image, located in the Nob Hill area. Owned by Bob Laetare, The Artistic Image provides a wide range of photographic services, including an art gallery, a state-of-the-art digital print shop, and a digital photography education center.“This fall we are offering 10 workshops,” said Bob, an ELCC member. “What makes these workshops unique is that they are, first of all, affordable. Second, they are taught by professional photographers with years of experience in teaching. Finally, the class sizes are small (from 5 to 12) allowing for lots of interaction with the instructors and personal attention.”“I think that’s why the workshops are so popular,” added Bob. The workshops are designed to complement the excellent and free workshops offered through the Mentorship Program of ELCC. “By design,” said Bob, “our workshops offer more intensive and comprehensive instruction and more chance for personal interaction with the instructors.”Instructors and Workshops. Kim Ashley teaches five workshops for beginning digital photographers:

Mastering Your Digital Camera (3 hours - $30) Mastering Exposure and Focus (3 hours - $30)Creative Composition (3 hours - $30)Photoshop Elements—The Basics (3 hours - $35)Photoshop Elements—Beyond the Basics (3 hours - $35)

Keith Bauer teaches the following three workshops:Photoshop CS5: Series of 6 Classes (2.5 hours each - $40 p/class)Lightroom : 3 Classes (2.5 hours each - $40 p/class)Advanced Photoshop : 2 Classes (2.5 hours each - $50 p/class)

Jeremy Stein teaches the following workshop:Macro & Close-Up Photography: 2 Classes (3 hours each - $50 p/class)

Bob Laetare teaches the following workshop:Color Theory & How to Color Correct Prints (3 hours - $35)

These popular workshops fill up quickly. For dates, times, and registration information, please check out The Artistic Image website at www.photoartnm.com. Or call Bob at 505-554-2706. Or drop by The Artistic Image at 312 Adams Street SE (between Central and Zuni, east of Washington).

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Creating Fine Art Magic Provocative Memories in My Heart ................................................................................................................. 1Creating Fine Art Magic CFAM - Brief Approach .........................................................................................2Proving CFAM......................................................................................................................................................2Juror’s Testimonials ..........................................................................................................................................3Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................................................6

Provocative Memories in My Heart Tangled skeins of my soul straighten, stand tall, when, camera in hand, I trod

wild, beautiful places to build indelibly provocative memories in my heart. One day, I saw a knee high Bisti hoodoo, posing like a thrown javelin in flight. Quickly, lying on my side, I was able to set this rock spear as carapace for delightful, distant red dog hills. Another day, sunset’s marvelous umber light and incoming storm embraced Ship Rock in evening’s mystical majesty. And yet another dark cloud bank enshrouded mythical Gothic towers of rock in Monument Valley, letting light’s magical ambience define yet silhouette evocative powers of an iconic landscape.

Man’s eye is an incredible chalice which preserves exotic memory! At a glance, man knows when beauty penetrates the heart. If only the most expensive camera were that perceptive; that sensitive. Digital camera technology has come a long way – yet lies seriously behind the eye’s inevitable prowess. Nevertheless, adaptive software is bridging that awesome gap these past few years. One can now take several images at different settings then create composite fine art images which contain all the evocative tone and color Nature commanded. This process is called high dynamic range HDR photography…

I call the process of vision, capture, and development Creating Fine Art Magic…

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Creating Fine Art Magic CFAM - Brief Approach Each piece of fine art photography has its own story composed from different

chapters; from innocent photographer to skilled professional, from limited shooter to technical guru, from basic software user to skilled fine art photographer. In my case, a small point-and-shoot camera began this trek. Now I use a semi-professional DSLR. Software too shows a significant progression; from early limited Photoshop Elements to all encompassing Creative Suite 5 – even remarkably skilled HDR software.

One path thru photography’s maze of hardware and software consists of pursuing Nature and some of her incredible landscapes when a storm has just passed. Pick your site, get there at the right time, find just the right tripod setting, shoot several different images, bring them back to the studio, and develop them in advanced HDR software. If you dare, print, mat, and frame – then submit for juried competitions such as state fairs and magazine photo contests.

When one tangles technical equipment, creative photography, and the eyes natural ability to capture beauty as dramatic memories, the challenge is to reproduce realistic iconic landscapes in fully natural color. Rather than a single image, today’s superb fine art requires shooting several images which cleverly capture the full range of tone and detail. Collectively, the result is realistic, high dynamic range (HDR) photography. Singly, each result may become a vibrant remembrance of nature. Taken together, a series of images become ones destined path – winning national photo contests – creating breathtaking fine art magic…

Proving CFAM In 2006, I submitted a simple, point-and-shoot image from a ‘toy’ camera to my

first magazine photo contest. I was surprised when that Bisti Badlands image netted a Cover for New Mexico Magazine. The editor said, “Of 1000 photos, Joe is our cover photographer…” Being of technical bent, I did not believe that win was more than a fluke.

Yet in 2009, I submitted a provocative HDR image of iconic Ship Rock. Just stepping into HDR photography, Ship Rock’s initial reviews encouraged me to submit in a professional category. For Ship Rock I took only three location shots, then worked long and hard to create a fine art image. A jury of five judges awarded high New Mexico State Fair honors – 2nd Place, Landscapes. Three more judges from New Mexico Magazine awarded 1st Place, Landscapes. It became a

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prestigious entry in the juried First Annual New Mexico Photographic Art Show. Now I began to feel “I am a better- than-average photographer.”

In 2011, a multi-image HDR shot Storm Gods got Honorable Mention in the prestigious Arizona Highways Magazine photo contest. By then well practiced in HDR and advanced points of fine art creation in Photoshop CS5, these skills provide subtle yet emphatic emphasis with multiple refinement tools to enhance Storm Gods. I began to think of creating fine art magic…

Juror’s Testimonials Bisti Badlands, New Mexico Magazine, Cover, Jan., 2006.

"From more than 1,000 entries, we selected Albuquerque entrant Joe Bridwell's shot of the Bisti Badlands for this month's Cover."

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Ship Rock, New Mexico Magazine, Winner-Landscapes, Jan., 2010, p. 32. One of the most beautiful pictures of Ship Rock I've ever seen! It's a

different view with such strong light and color contrasts. I like the circular arc of the dike framing and leading one's eye to Ship Rock...

Fabian West Art Director New Mexico Magazine Dec 2009 Ship Rock is the best photo I've seen of this locale! Art Bova, Gold Medalist, 2007 Trierenberg Special Themes Circuit, Linz, Austria

Storm Gods, Arizona Highways Magazine, Honorable Mention, Sep., 2011, p. 43.

"This is a great lesson in landscapes, specifically in shooting during weather conditions, or rather interesting or impending weather conditions," Kida, AHM Photo Editor, says. "The effects of light is so magnificent, when you photograph a place that doesn't change, like Monument Valley, it's important to consider what does change - - and what does change, often, are weather conditions."

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Testimonials from qualified judges add to my awareness that creating fine art magic

gains national merit for realistic HDR portrayal of natural landscapes. A test of good HDR software is continued improvement in dramatic preparation. Both

the Ship Rock and Storm Gods award images were prepared using Photoshop CS5 HDR Pro. These images are redone here using Nik’s HDR Efex Pro. You'll note a difference between images prepared by Nik and older images printed in the magazines - texture, clarity, vibrance, contrast, and tone more clearly represent what the eye saw to create these wonderful memories of the heart.

Conclusions From eye thru advanced HDR capture to digital enhancement, we tred that tangled

skein as we create breathtaking fine art images! May we suggest our path, its challenges, and these fine art images vitiate the highly devouring skill of Creating Fine Art Magic…

Clearly the diverse, unbiased body of unknown jurors validly seems to agree!

©2011 Chopawamsic LC, geocomp@geocompa.com, www.PathwaysofLight.blogspot.com 81811

The f/Stop is your club newsletter!The f/stop is a monthly newsletter published by the Enchanted Lens Camera Club. The publication is made available electronically via the Internet. How to submit articles? On the archival f/Stop page on the ELCC website , there is a submit button. Since the medium is electronic, there is little or no limitation on length. The main guidelines are to make sure there are no copyright violations and the articles are educational. No commercial advertisements.When is the deadline? In order to have the newsletter available by the first meeting of the month, the deadline for submitting articles will be the last Thursday of the previous month. Of course, the earlier the submission the better. What format do the articles need to be? No real restrictions are in place. The f/Stop will be published using Adobe® InDesign which is very flexible in reading all data types. We will get back to you if we need any other information.May I submit photographs? Attachments (again almost any format) are welcome especially color images. The on-line version will be in full 300 dpi color.Should I sign up for refreshments? Oh, this has nothing to do with the newsletter. Since this frequently asked question section will be in every newsletter, I thought it would be nice to mention. The hospitality committee wants to keep the refreshment tradition going! Disclaimer: The staff (sounds official, huh?) of the f/Stop has no obligations to use any photo or text submitted although we will make every effort to publish

member contributions on a timely and professional manner. We do highly solicit input from the members.