A recent addition to the club, Gem Webb has uploaded a gallery page featuring a great collection of images. He’s clearly not shy about getting his feet wet or wandering about with flashlights and camera gear after dark! Gem is a skilled computer guy (he’s joined our website team), so be sure to check out his creative ‘fantasy edits’.
Head to his gallery, browse his photos, read more about him, find out how to connect with him on other online platforms, and welcome him to the club!
The theme for October was Silhouettes and we had a nice variety of photo submissions. Here’s the video presentation that was played at the last meeting.
Critiquing a photograph can be a tricky thing to do. You want to give an opinion on the image but how do you go about it? Sure, you can be blunt and just say what comes to mind, but sometimes that can backfire and what comes out might not be what was really on your mind.
Before you give a critique on a photo, first make sure it is welcome by the photographer. An unsolicited critique can tarnish the relationship, if any, between the photographer and the one with the opinion. There are many websites where photos are uploaded for the sole purpose of getting critiqued, and usually the photographer will ask for help with the image in the picture’s description. Your friends may post them to social media outlets just for the sake of sharing them. Should that be the case, and if you’d like to give them your thoughts on the image, simply ask them if it’s okay.
Further preparation for critiquing would include educating yourself on the subject matter of the photo. This may not be of the highest importance in some cases but, depending on the subject matter of the image, when trying to help someone improve their craft, a little more knowledge could go a long way. Honesty is another good characteristic of a quality critique. No artist wants to be misled by patronization or “feel good” comments. Go into a critique with the intent to be helpful.
When commenting on someone’s technique, be sure to ask “why” they made the photo look the way it’s presented. They may have taken an artistic approach that, to them, is exactly what they were after, but to anyone else, looks like a mistake. The photo could be out of focus or have a colour shift that just looks odd. Maybe it’s supposed to look that way, but then again, maybe it really is a mistake, a blunder caused by a mere erroneous camera setting. Asking “why” can sometimes help the photographer understand what went right or wrong with their photo.
Keep your critique neutral. Don’t give a biased opinion because that could confuse the artist. What you think the image should look like and what they were after in terms of a result could easily be two different things. This goes along with the “why” part of a good critique. When discussing a photo with its creator, the conversation should produce ways that could improve their work, maybe even motivate them to make another attempt at the same shot if its possible. The last thing you want to do when critiquing someone’s work is discourage them from continuing on or trying to improve.
Be aware of your statements. Short comments like ”that’s nice” may be complimentary but offer no direction to teach the photographer what makes a good photo. Put some thought into it and be thorough. Also, be constructive if you have to be critical. It’s easy to point out what you feel is wrong with a photo, but it’s much more helpful to end the discussion with a positive note. It makes the photographer feel better knowing he or she learned something about their image, yet at the same time, they still have done something right.
I’d like to encourage club members and non-members alike to be more open to giving and receiving critiques on their work. It’s an important part of the learning process, and I’ve always said the Owen Sound Camera Club is all about the learning.
Cheers,
Greg
All I can say is “Wow!” Last night was the first meeting of the 2014-15 season and boy, did we have a crowd on hand. Some folks had to stand (we apologize, and thank you for sticking it out) and I don’t recall that ever happening before.
First of all I’d like to say a big “Thank you” to all of those who were in attendance. We had most of last year’s membership body on hand as well as a host of new faces, some of whom are now new members. That is awesome! I’d like to see the membership grow more… because apparently, the numbers were quite a bit larger in the 70s, so the challenge has been accepted!
The theme for this meeting was “High Key – Low Key” and some folks found it a little challenging while others had a good grasp of the concept. But that’s what the club is all about – learning. I admit, it wasn’t the easiest of themes, but sometimes facing a challenge in photography is the best way to master the concept presented. The theme for October’s meeting is “Silhouettes” and shouldn’t be as difficult to master, but might challenge one’s creativity, mine included.
Something new that was introduced to the club was the idea of implementing mobile photography into the club’s curriculum. There are literally millions upon millions of people globally practicing this type of work, although most of them for more social reasons than for the art of the craft. We’ll see over time how, and if, mobile photography fits into the OSCC culture.
Well, that’s about it for now. This left-brained chap can’t recall every detail of the meeting but I’ve been able to jot down some of the highlights. If you’re reading this and are within a reasonable geographical distance of Owen Sound, by all means, you are welcome to attend our next meeting on Tuesday, October 14 at 7pm.
Oh, one last thing. Tom Jenks, a member for the past seven or so years and a Past President, announced last night that he will be relocating out of the area and will not be renewing his membership. Tom has graced us over the last couple of years with presentations from trips to Africa and Antarctica and the photos he shared with us were truly amazing. We wish Tom the best is his future endeavours and continued success in his photographic ventures. Thank you Tom for your company, your wit, your wisdom, and your wonderful imagery. We hope to see you someday down the road.
Greg McMillan,
President of the Owen Sound Camera Club
As mentioned in our last post about the June Social, we had a photographic “Scavenger Hunt” organized by Lynn Reket. The results are highlighted in the following YouTube video.
Have a peek at Bob Dolphin’s Gallery Page. With the look of the web evolving to a more flat, less cluttered look, I think as members send in photos to update their pages, I’ll leave the borders off the images to give things a simpler look. It’ll give more attention to the photos and less to the esthetics of the page itself. And of course, comments are always welcome on the Gallery Pages or anywhere on the site.
~Greg
OSCC President and Webmaster
When was the last time you read your camera’s manual, if ever? Could you even find it if you needed it? They can be dry, coma-inducing reading, but are often handy as a reference. Especially in the early days of camera ownership when all the buttons are shiny and new or during foggy memory days when you just can’t remember how to change that setting (or if you even have that setting available to change).
The video from the February meeting is on YouTube. The theme is First and Last, where the members are to convey their interpretation of the first and last part of whatever they wanted. It could be an editing process, a span of time, etc.
At our meeting last night a few members talked about nearby places they like to visit for photographic purposes. Here are a few of those suggestions, subject to my memory.
Club member Tom Jenks has brought a taste of African wildlife to the Full Spectrum Gallery in the back of Foto Art. On display until the end of June, you’ll find a terrific array of images from Tom’s recent trip to Okavango Delta region of Botswana last December. You’ll find African Hunting Dogs hunting with willful intensity, a Yellow-billed Oxpecker playfully pecking, Elephants gorgeously lit in all their elephantine glory, and many more. From planning the trip, to taking the photos, to processing the photos for print, to framing the photos, to the wall, it’s a long journey of which the end results are something any photographer would be proud.
Botswana wasn’t Tom’s first African photo tour and happily a handful of images from his 2011 Tanzania trip snuck into the mix (including one of my favorites- a pack of well-arranged thirsty Zebras). You can also find some of his work on his gallery page, including a few from Africa and a few from Camera Club ‘theme nights’. Be sure to take the trip to check out the gallery display the next time you’re near Foto Art and escape from our May snowfall into the piece of Africa Tom brought back!
Tom will also be presenting a slideshow of images from his trip at the Camera Club meeting this Tuesday, May 14th, 7pm at Foto Art and is willing to do presentations to interested groups.
Owen Sound Camera Club 