luminosity · iwojima,andfinally okinawa,wherehewas criticallywoundedby mortarfire.hiswounds...

April 2020

The Doña Ana Photography Club Newsletter

I� T�i� Is��…President’s Update

Discover Macro Photography

Where to Shoot in April

March Theme: Candlelight

The Walk to Paradise Garden

Luminosity

April 21, 2020 - 6:30 pmRegular Meeting - DAPC - TentativeCruces Creatives205 East Lohman Ave., Las Cruces, NM

Mark Your Calendar…

April 2020 Serving the Community Since 1955 daphotoclub.org

Doña Ana Photography ClubDoña Ana Photography Club

April 2020 Luminosity - The Doña Ana Photography Club Newsletter Page 1

April 7, 2020 - 6:30 pmRegular Meeting - DAPC - CanceledCruces Creatives205 East Lohman Ave., Las Cruces, NM

April 18, 2020 - 9:00 amBoot Camp - TentativeCost is $5.00 per person (DAPC members are not free)Cruces Creatives205 East Lohman Ave., Las Cruces, NM

April 18, 2020Deadline for Monthly Theme“Frozen”Send to Themes mailbox to participate.

A Note from President Daleby Dale Taylor

Hello all. I want tobring you all up to dateon where things standat the moment. Theyare a mess, but not acomplete mess.I will not be able to

preside at meetings for the next five orsix months. Just before the secondFebruary meeting I had an incidentwhich put me in the hospital for fourdays. The doctors can't put a name on itfor sure. It could have been a TIA, amigraine or a seizure. The symptoms ofall three are the same, but the last onecarries a mandatory six-month drivingrestriction in NM. Since they can'tprove I didn't have a seizure, that gotme. At least I can drink all I want now!Actually, I'm doing pretty well. Nothingobvious residual.

I've been warning you all that I don'texpect to be continuing as presidentafter the end of the year. Guess you’llhave to figure out what to do a bitearlier.Bill Hanson has said he doesn't want totake over the office after me. I'm sure hewill head the meetings in my absencebut that isn't quite the same as runningthings. So please think seriously aboutwhat this means.At least those of you who said you don'twant to be president will now have somebreathing space before one of youdecides to step up. Seriously, by the timeI can be back, it will be time for electionsin October. So this functionally meansthe group needs to move ahead now.

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mailto:[email protected]


President

However, for the meanwhile, I will beactively involved in decision making,although I am more putting things onthe table and letting the board makedecisions without too much input on mypart. So far, that has been working well.Here are a few things I think we need tomove on as a group.I think we need to form a contests andshows committee. As Bill has been incharge of the quarterly printcompetition, I think he should chairthis. The folks who have been helpinghim should be on that committee, plus afew more. Fred will not be doing Photoof the Year this year so this group shouldtake over. Also, the committee shouldtake over the Southern NM State Fairshow. This needs an answer soon.Likewise, we need someone to be ourrepresentative on the International Eyeof the Camera show board. I've beendoing this, but can't get to meetings. Theboard meets oneThursday a month in ElPaso at 5:30 at a gallery on Paisano neardowntown. An El Paso member wouldbe great. It’s okay if that person wants toenter the show too. I've been a strongadvocate of making this show animportant event for photographers inthis region. The club should take astrong stand for that.

Now, given the COVID-19 situation, wehave decided to cancel the next couple ofmeetings and see how things shake out.A lot of our members are older and weare pretty crammed in our meetingspace. Some of our members travel a lotalso, so we thought this was prudent. Wewill continue to have the themes onlineand in the newsletters. We can all stillphotograph in non-public ways, andAnne may re-program the themes toreflect that. Any changes will go out inemails, so keep an eye out.If you’re wondering why you haven’tseen Fred out and about, it is because heis recovering from pneumonia. He sayshe's doing fine, but the doctor wants himto stay in. He and I are both gettingpractice at avoiding the cabin fever thatthe rest of you may be experiencingsoon. Good luck!We can tell you there is no real cure.Any more than there is a cure for thestupidity which has half the populationbuy up a year's supply of toilet paper in aweek. Fortunately, photographicprinting paper isn't the same, so takepictures, print pictures, look at pictures.Just keep them cleaner than all that toiletpaper.I think that brings you up to date.

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by Carl MaierDiscover Macro!Close Photography in Times of Social Distancing


During this period of social and travelrestrictions, none of us wishes to putaway our cameras for the duration. MayI offer a photographic activity that willallow us to continue producing fineimages without worrying about therestraints placed on us by theuncertainties of life, and at the sametime not placing us in harm’s way.

My suggestion is macro photography.This is a solitary undertaking usingequipment most of us already have.

You need a camera with a removablelens, a prime shooting lens or anenlarger lens—50 mm f2.8 works foreither. Also get an adapter ring or two,depending on the lenses and yourcamera mount needs.

Add to these a set of inexpensive macrotubes. These items can be found on Ebayor Amazon and will cost you under $100total. That is it. Unless you plan onproducing images found in ScientificAmerican you will be well on your wayto joining a growing number of macrophotographers worldwide.

Your subjects can be found all aroundyou. Ordinary household items willtake turns being explored andphotographed.Your studio can be a kitchen table usinglight from a window with a piece of

continued on page 4continued on page 4Spruce Cone Detail - Carl Maier

Box Grater - Carl Maier

Macro



white poster board for fill. A set of small speed lights or a goose-neck table lamp willget you started for further lighting requirements.Many lessons will be learned that can be applied to other areas of your photography,patience and attention to detail high among them. Focus and exposure problems willcome early in your experience but new answers will be found using manual mode tosolve them.Tons of tutorials can be found on the Internet and YouTube to get you started on thisfascinating area of photography. All Aboard!

Wave - Carl Maier

by Anne ChaseWhere to Shoot in AprilHaystack Cactus on “A” Mountain


Even though we have suspended our meetings forthe coming month, this does not mean that we can’tgo out shooting. Spring here in our southern desertcan produce some beautiful, colorful flowers. Andit does not take a long trip to find them!

Haystack cactus is native to much of southernNew Mexico. In our area, you will find them in theFranklin Mountains, including Bishop’s Cap, andthe Organ Mountains. The timing of the blooms isa bit unpredictable. It can begin in the last twoweeks of April into the first two weeks of May.

The closest area that we, in Las Cruces, will findthem is on “A” Mountain. Being so close, we cancheck periodically on the blooms without beingdisappointed after a long drive and hike.

Park in the lot which is off Dripping SpringsRoad, between the Farm & Ranch Museum andSonoma Ranch Blvd. The parking lot is on thesouth side of Dripping Springs Road and on thewest side of “A” Mountain.

Hike the trail along the western slope over to apaved service road - about ¼ mile. The uphillside of the paved road all the way up to the topof the mountain is full of specimens.

I suggest a wide angle or a macro lens, and atripod.

Definitely wear good hiking shoes or boots, aswell as a hat. Water, of course, is recommended!

Photos by Anne Chase

There were only 19 entries for the March theme. Maybe candlelight photography is abit knotty. I know it had your editor stymied for a few weeks! Within designconstraints, the photos are presented in about the order they were received. If youwould like to see Kristi Dixon’s full PowerPoint presentation, click here.

Warehouse by Candlelight - Seth Madell


Light My Way Home - Seth Madell

Icarus in Flames - Seth Madell Floating Fountain - Richard Spingarn

https://daphotoclub.org/monthly-themes.html

Shiny Spiny - Richard SpingarnCircle of Candles - Maria Zucconi

Segmented Vessel - David Brown


CandlelightCandlelight

Friendship - Richard Spingarn


Candlelight

Flame of Zorro - Maria Zucconi

Cross into the Light - Gerald Guss

Close Encounters - Maria Zucconi

Candlelight Concert - Gerald Guss

Luminaries - David Brown


Candlelight

Candle in the Wind - Gerald Guss

Dinner Lights - Alex F. Burr

17th Century Shapes and ShadowsDale Taylor

Christmas Farolitos - Patrick Strait

Candlelight


April FrozenMay MotionJune Non-Facial Self PortraitJuly Street Photography

August It FliesSeptember My Summer VacationOctober Side by Side

November Fences

2020 Monthly Themes

Submit up to 3 JPEG files, 2 MB or smaller, witha maximum size of 1920 x 1080 pixels here.Submissions are due by the Saturday eveningbefore the second monthly meeting.

Kristi Dixon’s stylish “Candlelight”PowerPoint presentation is on ourWebsite here.

Christmas Lights - Alex F. Burr

Votive - Alex F. Burr


https://daphotoclub.org/monthly-themes.html

By Richard SpingarnLearning by DoingBattling Light from Candles


I struggled for some time shootingimages for the March “Candlelight”theme. Having never taken any candlepictures—save maybe a few on birthdaycakes—this was a project requiring lotsof trial and error. Mostly error!The assignment was way out of mycomfort zone. I couldn’t use shots I tookin the past and I couldn’t go out and justwander around hoping for inspiration. Ididn’t even have any candles around thehouse to speak of. So, I was off toWalmart to buy tapers and other waxedand wick(ed) things.So now where and what to shoot, andhow? Yes, I could just light a fewcandles and snap away in the dark, so tospeak. But how even to do that? Longexposures would get me some nicesurrounding lighting, but the flamebecomes a blur. A shorter exposuresolves that problem, but then thebackground is hardly visible.I should have sought advice from ourlearned club members, but I’m juststubborn so I soldiered on. To evokesympathy for my struggles, I consideredbaring my soul by showing some of myearly attempts. But no. You’ll have totrust me. They were pretty bad.

I eventually hit on an exposuretechnique that seemed to work. But youcan be the judge of that!Finally, I resorted to trickery (readlayers) to twice add a lone candle phototo a shot of my backyard fountain. Thatcame out pretty well (minus any flowingwater of course)!So besides kind of learning how to takecandlelight photos, I also learned a lotabout using layers to make composites.I guess this arduous assignment taughtme a thing or two after all.You know, next time I may try to putreal flowing water in that fountain shot.An image of a drenched candle may bequite intriguing. Affinity Photo, are youready?

Editor’s Note:If you would like to tell usabout something you learnedwhile shooting or processing,please send your new-foundwisdom and photos to:[email protected]



Image Icons

W. Eugene SmithThe Walk to Paradise Garden, 1946

Historic and inspiring photos

W. Eugene Smith, nowwidely acknowledged asthe father of the photoessay, was a LifeMagazine warphotographer in thePacific during WorldWar II. He took photosin the midst of thebattles of Saipan, Guam,Iwo Jima, and finallyOkinawa, where he wascritically wounded bymortar fire. His woundsrequired two years ofpainful treatment toremove the shrapnellodged in his skull andleft hand.

At the time this 1946photograph was taken,Smith was in a “spiritualcrisis,” not knowing, ashe put it, whether hewould ever be able totake a photograph that“mattered” again. Butone day he was walkingwith his two children,Juanita and Patrick,towards a clearing intheir garden.

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He struggled even to load the film into his camera, but as he watched his childrenahead of him he “became acutely sensitive to the lines forming the scene and to thebright shower of light pouring into the opening and spilling down the path,” hewrote. “While I followed my children into the undergrowth and the group of tallertrees—how they were delighted at every little discovery!—and observed them, Isuddenly realized that at this moment, in spite of everything, in spite of all the warsand all I had gone through that day, I wanted to sing a sonnet to life and to thecourage to go on living it.”

“TheWalk to Paradise Garden” became famous when Edward Steichen selected it asa finalist and the closing image in his famous exhibitionThe Family of Man at theMuseum of Modern Art, New York, in 1955. The aim of the exhibition was topresent the universal experiences of human existence and the essential goodness ofthe human experience.

After the war, Smith started working with the idea of making a collection of photoscentered on one subject, telling a story only with photographs. He is thus creditedwith greatly enhancing the genre of the “photo essay.” The photo above, one of hismost famous, was part of a 1948 essay for Life Magazine titled “Country Doctor.” Itfollows the day-to-day challenges faced by Dr. Earnest Ceriani in Kremmling,Colorado.

W. Eugene Smith continued from page 12continued from page 12

Country Doctor - 1948

DAPC is a proud member ofthe Photographic Society ofAmerica. We encourage youto consider becoming anindividual member of PSA.For more information,please visit their website atpsa-photo.org and see whatthey have to offer.

President Dale Taylor [email protected] Bill Hanson [email protected] Terry Gaume [email protected] Vince Gutschick [email protected] Relations Carl Maier [email protected] Chair Ann Chase [email protected] Service Fred Moore [email protected] Theme Kristi Dixon [email protected] Richard Spingarn [email protected] Open [email protected] Debbie Hands [email protected] Dave Brown [email protected]

About the Photo Club

The Doña Ana Photography Club is a group ofphotographers and other people interested inphotography. Our meetings offer technicalpresentations, friendly suggestions for improving yourphotos, networking, and other activities for a widespectrum of photographers and abilities.

Visitors are always welcome to our monthly meetingsand programs, which are designed to improvephotographic skills at all levels. We meet the first andthird Tuesdays of each month (except December).Meetings are held at Cruces Creatives, 205 EastLohman Ave., Las Cruces, NM. Meetings begin at6.30 pm and last about 2 hours.

Visit our website at www.daphotoclub.org

Serving the Community Since 1955

Doña Ana Photography ClubDoña Ana Photography Club

Photographer Carl MaierTitle NeedlePhoto Location Shed behind Carl’s houseCamera & Lens Nikon D7500

Tokina 100 mm f2,8 macro lensShooting Info 1/15 F5.6 manual mode ISO 100Additional Info 2 Neewer Speedlights manual

mode

All photographs in this newsletter are copyright,all rights reserved, and may not be usedwithout permission from the photographers.

About the Cover…Announcements…

Note: If your email address has changed recently,please notify our Secretary, Terry Gaume.

Upcoming Club PresentationsApril 7, 2020Regular meeting canceledApril 18, 2020Photography Boot Camp - TentativeApril 21, 2020Regular club meeting - Tentative

PSA News82nd Annual PSA Photo Festival will be heldin Colorado Springs, CO, Sept. 30 to Oct. 3,2020. Registration opens April 1, 2020. Youwill be able to register without making anypayment at this time. Register early to reserveyour spot on your favorite photo tour andtake advantage of the early bird discount. Youcan find more information about the festivalon this Website.

PSA Youth Showcase closing date has beenextended to May 15, 2020, due to nationwideschool closures resulting from the COVID-19pandemic. Information is available on thisWebsite.

New Discount for PSA Members. Themaker of Photopia ICT makes videoslideshow software called Photopia Directorand Creator. They have agreed to offer PSAmembers 20% off. Please log into the PSAwebsite under Membership and check out thisoffer, and many more, under the DiscountsAvailable on this Website

mailto:mailto:[email protected]









mailto:



https://daphotoclub.org/index.html


https://psa-photo.org/photo-festival-2020/

https://psa-photo.org/index.php?psa-youth-showcase

https://psa-photo.org/index.php?membership-member-discounts

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