Change in image submission guidelines

Anonymous_light_bulbIn accordance with the image sizing rules for the 2014 Western Cape Inter-Club Competition we are amending the sizing guidelines for submission of digital images for club competition and evaluation evenings.

You were previously allowed to submit images with a maximum width of 1400 pixels, a maximum height of 1050 pixels and a maximum file size of 500KB. These have now been increased to the following.

Maximum image width: 1920 pixels
Maximum image height: 1080 pixels
Maximum image file size: 1MB (one megabyte)

The How to enter digital images and How to resize digital images pages have been updated to reflect this.

Some members seem to have trouble getting their image sizing to work correctly, submitting images that have had the maximum allowed width applied as the height of the image or vice versa. If you have trouble remembering which dimensions apply to horizontal, vertical or square images; don’t bother. All you need to remember is that no image may be wider than 1920 pixels or taller than 1080 pixels. If one of your dimensions is bigger, just set it to the maximum allowed for that dimension and let your software reduce the other dimension automatically.

Why Curves is One of the Most Powerful Tools in Photoshop

curvesJason Row explains why the curves tool is one of the most useful and important tools in Photoshop. Members that attend the black and white meetings will have seen that this tool is available elsewhere too; for example in FastStone Image Viewer, where we sometimes use it to try adjusting images as we view them.

Read the article

Photo competition in support of Helderberg Hospice

HH PosterHelderberg Hospice are holding a photography competition to raise funds. The exact prizes have not yet been announced as they’re awaiting final confirmation but they have been promised a camera as the prize for the overall winner. Once they notify us of the exact prizes we’ll update this post with the details.

I have asked about copyright implications as I know this is of concern to some of our members. This is the answer I received.

As far as copyright goes we only ask (on the entry form which as to be completed in-store at Kodak Waterstone and Somerset Mall) for the right to exhibit the winning photographs at an Open Day at Helderberg Hospice in November. Winning photographs will be sent each month to Bolander, District Mail and the Gordon’s Bay Review for publication. We would also like to post those photos on our Facebook page as part of the promotion of the competition, but we would always credit the photographer for the use of the photo.

Here are some details of the competition. You can also click the image above to see a larger version of the poster.

Life in Full Focus photographic competition

Whether you’re serious about photography or just a happy snapper, your photographs could make you a winner in the Life in Full Focus competition launched by Helderberg Hospice in conjunction with Kodak Superfoto. There are three categories in which to enter and you may interpret them as widely and creatively as you like. Action photo lovers may enjoy entering the Making the Most of the Moment section, while parents as well as those who specialise in macro photography could find their niche in It’s the Little Things that Matter. Anyone who has been stopped in their tracks by a spectacular view or sunset will want to enter the Wow! category.

Photographs must be submitted for development to Kodak Superfoto at Waterstone Village or Somerset Mall by the last Monday of August, September and November. Monthly winners will be announced in the local media the following week and an overall winner of the competition will be announced in November. A R5 entry fee will go towards Helderberg Hospice and an exhibition of winning photographs will be on display at the Hospice during November.

For enquiries contact Patricia McNaught Davis at 082 731 5736 or at patricia@helderberghospice.org.za

Is HDR a Fad?

20140427-134039.jpgNicole S. Young writes;

I recently read a blog post from someone who casually mentioned that HDR (High Dynamic Range photography) was a “fad”, and they were hoping it would eventually go away. Now this was, of course, a very opinionated statement, but it was not really one that was embellished with photos or even an explanation as to what their own definition of HDR is. After reading that it got me thinking, and I knew it would be a good topic to post here. So, without further ado, here’s my very own opinionated “rant” about HDR.

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5 Lessons Vivian Maier Has Taught Me About Street Photography

20140427-123437.jpgEric Kim presents a fairly in-depth look at the fascinating photographic life of Vivian Maier, ending with some lessons he’s drawn from her work.

He begins;

A street photographer whose work and life I hugely admire is that of Vivian Maier. For those of you who haven’t heard her story, she worked and lived as a nanny her entire adult life– and shot street photography on the side for herself. She created incredible black and white and color work through the 1950′s all the way through the late 1990′s. She shot an incredible amount of images– that amount to over 100,000 negatives.

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AF-ON & Back Button Autofocus: This may just change the way you shoot forever

20140201-205219.jpgFrom Petapixel,

Still autofocusing by pressing halfway down on your shutter release? Well, suppose I told you there’s another way that you might even like better? Sound interesting? Read on.

The technique is called Back Button Autofocus and it can really change the way you use your camera. Rather than autofocusing with your shutter release, you move the autofocus function exclusively to a button on the back of the camera. When you first hear about this technique, it’s natural to greet the idea with a bit of uncertainty, but once you get used to focusing with this method, you may never go back.

Read the full article

7 Steps to Great Black and Whites in Lightroom 5

From Photofocus;

Great black and white images require more than simply removing the color, and Lightroom 5 is a really powerful tool for making memorable black and white photographs. Take a look at this video to see the seven steps I take to make a terrific B&W image from any color image.

Watch the video, read the full article and find out more about an upcoming Google+ Hangout on the subject here.

Discover Lightroom

(31)Discover Lightroom is a new 6½ hour video workshop series that will teach you all you need to know about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Whether you’ve never used Lightroom before and wonder if you should be using it, or you’re an old hand and want to sharpen your skils, this workshop might be just what you need.

It is presented by Chris Marquardt, presenter of Tips From the Top Floor, the Internet’s longest-running photography podcast. Chris is a German professional photographer who presents workshops in German in his home country and in English in the UK and USA. He is also the driving force behind the Everest Trek, the world’s highest photography workshop.

Head on over to Discover Lightroom where you can read more about the workshop and view some sample chapters.