Capturing scenes in low light remains one of the most challenging aspects of photography, yet the results when executed well can be truly captivating. Whether it’s an energetic cityscape or ethereal seascape the possibilities are endless. Here are a few essentials points to consider before you begin.
Photo Expeditions
While visiting a local art and craft store, I saw these flyers and thought they might interest some of our members.
Franschhoek Motor Museum: Concours & Time Trials
I’m sure that some of our members will be interested in attending, and photographing at this event.
The Franschhoek Motor Museum will host the FMM Concours and Time Trial, a glamorous celebration of classic cars, on the L’Ormarins wine farm on 27 & 28 February 2010. Showcasing the most coveted cars, all produced between 1900 and 1980, it’s a not-to-be-missed event on the social and motoring calendar.
10 Essential Photography E-Books
Over the last few months a number of respected photographers have released some quality e-books and e-resources for photographers.
We thought it might be a great time to do a wrap up of some of the e-books that we recommend the most here at DPS.
Here they are, listed in no particular order of quality or preference as each will meet different photographers needs in different ways.
Create Compelling Photographs
If you’re in need of a photographic creative boost, you’ve come to the right place. Enjoy the following ideas and tips that come from my latest book, Visual Poetry: A Creative Guide for Making Engaging Digital Photographs (www.visual-poet.com).
Creating an HDR-like Image From a Single RAW File in Lightroom
If you have been anywhere near the photography world in the past couple years, I am sure you have heard of HDR by now as there have been countless tutorials floating around on how to create HDR images using 3 bracketed exposures in programs like Photomatix and Photoshop. However what if you don’t have your tripod or if you are shooting a scene with moving subjects, yet you still want to create an HDR type shot? Well, good news, it is possible.
This tutorial will teach you how correct and produce a single RAW image into an HDR-like masterpiece using only Lightroom! That’s right, Photoshop skills are not even needed for this tutorial.
Creating an HDR-like Image From a Single RAW File in Lightroom
Transcend and Transgress
Artist Leon Botha, one of the world’s longest surviving Progeria sufferers, and photographer Gordon Clark embark on a collaborative and artistic adventure, exploring the questions of destiny and immortality to bring us this powerful photo series Who Am I? Transgressions.
Free Photography Book
I received this from a newsletter I subscribe to.
Rolando Gomez has re-released his fifth book for FREE. Totally FREE. You can download it and print it on your home computer. Yes, this was first made available late last year but now it’s expanded from 77-pages to 105 pages, full-color, new images, a new chapter and expanded chapters. It’s also now totally printable at home in color by anyone who downloads the free PDF file.
The book and it’s website, http://www.freephotographybooks.com are totally redesigned and you can now preview the book before downloading. Totally FREE! No gimmicks, no spyware, no adware, clean, safe site to download your free book now! Again, if you have the original PDF, trash it and download the updated version, ten times better!
February and March 2010 Outings
Please make a note of the following outings, organised by Paddy:
‘OLD CARS’ (Wijnland Auto Museum) next to the Cape Garden Centre on the N1 on the way to Paarl – take Exit 34. Meet there at 9.30 am on Saturday 27th February. R50 entrance fee payable at the museum. This is an ideal opportunity to do abstracts, graphics (set subject), macro. Bring bottled water – it tends to get hot!
RALLY : Saturday 13th March meet at 9.30am in the parking area of the Afrikaans Taal Museum in Paarl. Directions: once you turn off to enter Paarl (the Main Road exit) from the N1 (60kmh!), take care in looking for a road to the left (not really well signposted) which weaves through a residential area before getting to the parking area. The rally takes the form of ‘clues’ which you have to photograph … in the good old days of slides we were allowed to make only one shot of the subject … these days, a digital camera allows you to surreptiously delete an image which you think is not successful, and take another one! But you are earnestly requested to not do this! There is a possibility of particpants receiving a free ‘throw-away’ camera (with film!) which JJ will process – thereby allowing only one shot per subject! You will be kept informed!
CAPE TOWN FESTIVAL/CARNIVAL takes place over the weekend of 20th March. We plan to meet at the Adderley Street entrance to the Company Gardens, between St. George’s Cathedral and the Cultural History Museum, at 2.30pm, on Saturday 20th March. Remember one of our set subjects is ‘Carnival’.
Please diarise these dates! See you there!
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009
Iziko Museum, Company Gardens, Cape Town. Until 13th March 2010.
I visited the exhibition recently and marvelled at most of the photographs. Being a bit of a photographic purist, I could not appreciate the 2008 and 2009 winners receiving accolades for photographs that had been ‘organised’ by the setting off of trap-beams, instead of physically pressing the shutter.
The winner this year ‘Storybook Wolf’ has now been disqualified because it is believed that the animal was a ‘tame’ one … an explanation follows:
Wildlife Photographer’s storybook
wolf has sad end
The Natural History Museum has disqualified the winner of the Wildlife Photography of the Year 2009 prize
LAST UPDATED 11:45 AM, JANUARY 21, 2010
The stunning picture of an extremely rare Iberian wolf jumping a gate, which won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 2009, has been disqualified after judges decided a Spanish photographer had staged it.
In a statement, the Natural History Museum said: “It saddens us to confirm that after a careful and thorough investigation into the image, ‘the Storybook Wolf’… the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide have disqualified the winning entry of the photographer José Luis Rodríguez.”
The move confirms what a dossier of evidence sent to the judges by a group of rival Spanish photographers had claimed: that the wolf in the photograph was probably a tame model. Specifically, they said the wolf is called Ossian and lives at Canada Real, a zoological park near Madrid.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition rules clearly state that photographs of animal models may not be entered into the competition. Louise Emerson, a spokesperson for the competition, said the judging panel had reconvened and determined that the wolf in the photograph was likely an animal model that could be “hired for photographic purposes”.
Rodríguez strongly denies the wolf in the image is tame.
The disqualification means that for the first time in its 46-year history, there will not be a winner for Wildlife Photographer of the Year and that ‘Storybook Wolf’ is to be removed from the exhibition. Rodríguez will not get his £10,000 prize money, but he will be allowed to keep the £500 he received for winning his category, animal portraits. This is in lieu of the royalty payments that would be due to him for the use of the photograph in memorabilia relating to the competition.
The news is particularly unfortunate for the annual photography contest, which this year has been criticised for a lacklustre selection of entries. For the first time in several years, the overall winner was clearly the standout best photograph – even if it was “too good to be true”, as one of the judges, Mark Carwardine put it. 
However, there are many more wonderful photographs to view. Lee Slabber from Fish Hoek has a portrait of a leopard accepted – Congratulations, Lee. Do make the effort to get there. Parking is generally available in Queen Victoria Street – about R10 per hour …
Helderberg Photographic Society 