December 2012— Faking It:
Bob and I were in New York recently and went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a show on manipulation in photography called Faking it, Manipulated Photography before Photoshop. As I read the promotional material about the show, I wondered when photography was first manipulated. Isn't this something new? We currently debate it. I, like everyone else in the club, have strong feelings on this issue and thought I knew something about it. After all, it is new to the "Photoshop Generation"--or is it.
Well, this was an eye-opener! The first photo was manipulated in 1839! I didn't realize the first photo even was made that long ago. The first photos were black and white which was considered a shortcoming. And the lack of color led to hand coloring being a very common enhancement especially popular in studio portraits. Early emulsions were most sensitive to colors in the blue and violet wavelengths so the skies were exposed sooner in the very long exposures required. The skies were, by necessity, blown out. Two exposures could be taken--one for the landscape and a shorter one for the sky. The first HDR! The two images were combined in post processing. Back then, cutting and pasting were not Photoshop commands, they were done with scissors and rubber cement. The cut edges were painted with India ink and then the composite was re-photographed. Some photographers kept files of skies with puffy clouds that could be added to almost any shot and then re-photographed. There was one example shown of three separate and unrelated images by the same photographer--taken in three different places and three different times. They all had the same, very distinctive cloud formation! Guess his file of skies wasn't big enough. Some photographers painted soft puffy clouds onto the negative. By 1846, unwanted picture elements were being cloned out by using India Ink on the negative. Calvert Richard Jones, who studied with William Henry Fox Talbot, was quite skilled at this. Guess he couldn't get it right in the camera. Because of length of the exposure that was necessary, night photography was almost impossible. But there are many surviving examples of night photography. By 1900, photo journals were full of technical advice for creating "mock moonlight". They underexposed or adjusted developing times, added street lights and other details to the negative. Moons were painted in or added from other images. Other enhancements that were done include compositing group shots of people who couldn't get together in the same time and place for a group sitting. There was a shot of William Tecumseh Sherman and his staff taken in 1865. One member of his staff was late for the sitting so he was photographed later and added. Levin Corbin Handy, a photographer in the 1890s, inherited a collection of negatives from his uncle, Matthew Brady. Since there was a great interest in the civil war, he produced many prints from the collection. He seems to have composited images in such a way as to create a new reality. As early as the 1850s and 1860s, panoramas were being stitched; soft focus, collage and multiple exposures were also popular. There was much artistic photography being done to illustrate myths, dreams and visions as well as alternate realities and surreal themes. If you have the opportunity to see this show, don't miss it. Willa Friedman The show was sponsored by Adobe, the manufacturer of Photoshop software. Some quotes from the show: "If you think photography is a mere mechanical business, and success more dependent upon good luck than careful manipulation, get out of it--you are in the wrong business." Edward L. Wilson, 1869 "Every photograph is a fake from the start to finish, a purely impersonal, unmanipulated photograph being practically impossible." -- Edward Steichen, 1903 "The camera is an incurable liar; all that is necessary is to choose the method of deception." -- Angus McBean, 1940 "Let us not delude ourselves by the seemingly nature of the darkroom ritual; it has been and always will be a form of alchemy." --Jerry Uelsmann, 1967 "The minute you pick up a camera you begin to lie--or to tell your own truth. You make subjective judgments every step of the way -- in how you light the subject, in choosing the moment of exposure, in cropping the print. It's just a matter of how far you choose to go." -- Richard Avedon, 1967
December 4th: Nikhil Bahl—Ever-changing Coast Please join us for an inspirational December Program that will be presented by a friend and former member of NVPS, Nikhil Bahl. Nikhil’s December Program will combine photography and conservation, and will largely focus on our local barrier islands. If you’d like to join Nikhil for dinner at Chili’s at 5:30 prior to the Program, please rsvp to Bob at r.friedman.1“ at ”alumni.nyu.edu. Nikhil Bahl BioNikhil Bahl is a professional photographer, educator, author and workshop instructor. His goal is to inspire people to appreciate the splendor of nature by becoming aware of that which is easily overlooked, and by transforming the mundane into the exciting through contemplative and artistic interpretation. While his primary aim is to create art with his photographs, he also strives to document the natural world with an eye toward conservation and education. This has led him to volunteer his time and photography skills with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Nikhil’s work has been published in a number of print and electronic media. His fine art prints have been widely exhibited in the Washington metropolitan area, and are part of many private collections. Nikhil also has a passion for teaching photography and leads nature photography workshops and tours in the United States. His instruction is focused on in-camera interpretation and developing personal vision, rather than simply following the traditional rules of photography. The Ever-changing Coast For more details on Nikhil's work, see his website at:
December 11th: Corey Hilz — Lightroom Training Full details about this program were not available as of the time this newsletter was distributed, but the program will be on the topic of Lightroom. Check the website for updates.
Corey Hilz has been a regular speaker at NVPS and other area clubs. For more details about Corey and his work, see his website:
/http://www.coreyhilz.com/
December 18th: Competition — Judge Mary Louise Ravese Co – Vice Presidents of Competition Mike Kane and Mike Whalen are pleased to welcome judge Mary Louise Ravese for the club’s December 18, 2012 monthly club competition. About Mary Louise Ravese: Mary Louise Ravese is founder and owner of Bella Vista Photography in Waterford, VA. She specializes in fine art nature and travel photography from locations across the world. Mary Louise’s fine art photography is in private, university and corporate collections in over 30 states and is exhibited nationally through art shows, galleries and shops. Her images have been used in calendars, magazines, books and websites including various projects with National Geographic maps. You are invited to join judge Mary Louise Ravese for dinner at Chili’s in Tyson’s Corner at 5:30 PM on Tuesday December 18, 2012. If you would like to join us please RSVP to Mike Kane (michaelaustinkanephoto" at "gmail.com) by 5:30 PM on Monday, December 17th. Some Competition Reminders: If you are new to NVPS or new to entering photo competitions with NVPS and you are not sure of which class (Novice or Advanced) to enter please contact the Co – Vice Presidents of Competition Mike Kane or Mike Whalen to assist in selecting the correct class for competition. (Contact Info: Here) All images (prints or digital) must have been captured within two years of the monthly competition date. Only club members are permitted to enter monthly competitions. Please upload your digital images by the deadline of 6:00 PM on Sunday December 16, 2012, as per the current instructions on the club website: NVPS Competition Upload. Prints must be signed in by 7:15 PM on Tuesday, December 18th so our judge has time to adequately preview each print. For prints entries please be sure include the name of the maker, the title of the print and the Class/Category in which it is being entered on the back of the print or mount entered. Also, you must include an arrow indicating “this edge up”. Neither the name of the maker nor the title of the print may appear on the face of the print or mount. Please review the NVPS Rules of Competition that can be found here: NVPS Rules of Competition Thank You! Editor's note: We like to share competition winning images on the website and include a representative winner from each category in the monthly newsletter, but we cannot do this unless the photographer specifically grants permission. When you win a ribbon in the competition, please remember to grant permission. See the note in the following section for details.
The full November competition results can be found at: http://nvps.org/home/?p=2876 Some of the winning images from November
Clicking on any of the images above will display a larger version of the image.
The NVPS Website has a gallery of past Competition winning images at http://nvps.org/gallery/v/competitions/. If your image placed first, second, third or received an honorable mention in a club competition, it is eligible for this gallery. This is not done automatically; you must specifically provide consent for your image to be included in the gallery. To have your winning image included in the gallery, email competitionwinners@nvps.org and provide the following information: Your name
Digital Winners: just provide consent for posting your image Print Winners: send a digital version of your print, sized as if it were for digital competition (smaller is ok, but not too small). The FotoFax newsletter is usually finalized during the weekend immediately following the monthly club competitions. If your image is a first place winner and you send it in before the Friday following competition, your image will be forwarded to the editor for inclusion in FotoFax. If you have not provided permission before that deadline, another winning entry may be used.
December 25th: Merry Christmas - No Meeting As a reminder, there will NOT be a meeting on Tuesday, December 25th or Tuesday, January 1st. The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 8th.
Just to let you know that Charles Rusnak has resigned as co-chair of Field Trips. We are delighted to welcome Claire Carroll who will co-chair Field Trips with Bill Vanderpool. They have started to work on some new trips for the coming months. - Willa Freidman
December 1st: Middleburg Christmas Parade There will be a December Field Trip on Saturday, December 1st. The venue is the Middleburg Christmas Parade. Photograph holiday floats, horses, hounds, etc. This is a classy parade in hunt country. Check the website or at the Nov 27th meeting for more details.
Programs VP, Tom Burden has resigned from this role due to increased work demand and has been replaced by Bob Friedman and Mary O'Neil. Thank you, Tom, for your efforts. Thank you Bob and Mary for accepting the role. A full list of all current Board members and their contact information can be found at nvps.org/main/about/board-members
Options for Portfolio PresentationsThe Portfolio Project is our nine month long project to develop a portfolio of images with a specific theme or concept. For many of us this is a new and novel approach to our photography. We are overwhelmed by the requirement to develop an artist statement, select our best images, place the images in some logical order and present them in some tangible form. For the last several years, the primary method of presenting the images from the portfolio project has been Print-On-Demand (POD) books because of their relative low cost for single run books. But is the POD book the best presentation for the images and artist statement that you have labored over? In the latest issue of LensWork, editor Brooks Jensen presented a concept that was new to me and extremely enticing, the chapbook. A chapbook is a small, handmade booklet that historically contained poems or fiction, but today includes fine art papers suitable for presenting photographs right alongside text. There is a wide range of choices for paper, bindings and covers to enhance the reader’s experience of your images. To read more, see the reprinted article from LensWork. The NVPS web-site contains numerous articles and examples in the "Portfolio Project" link: http://nvps.org/main/meetings/portfolio/ This year's coordinators are Ginger Werz-Petricka (vze39dgt" at "verizon.net) and Ken Barnett (ken.barnett" at "gmail.com). If you have questions or need help with your portfolio, feel free to contact us at portfolio@nvps.org. Need inspiration? Be sure and visit the Photo Gallery and see the truly impressive portfolio projects from years past.
Notice: Workshop and
contest announcements of events not sponsored by or affiliated with NVPS are
provided as a courtesy to Members. Members should review the detailed
contest rules and conditions to determine what impact entering images has on
rights and ownership of the submitted images. Review the descriptions of
workshop to whether participation in a workshop would actually meet personal
learning goals. NVPS attempts to screen events for legitimacy and quality;
however NVPS does not recommend these events and cannot assume responsibility
for their ultimate quality. We recommend due diligence and encourage you to
share your experience with other club members. Members' News:
Our members routinely receive photo awards and recognition and have images in shows. As FotoFax only comes out monthly, the best place to look for current events is on the website at : http://nvps.org/main/member_news/ Members News for Minnie Gallman Two of Minnie's photos were selected for the 2013 Burke & Herbert Bank calendar. A snowy photo of St. John’s will be featured in January and her Memorial Bridge photo from a kayak will be featured in August.
Exhibition Opportunities Third Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit The Joseph Miller Center the Photographic Arts is pleased to announce that the Third Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit will begin accepting entries on Saturday, December 28th. A calendar of events and prospectus are available on the NVACC website under the ABSTRACT EXHIBIT menu item:
Photo Book Sale The Friends of Richard Byrd Library in Springfield are getting ready for our holiday used book sale on Thursday, November 29 – Saturday, December 1. They have had a number of photography books, including: Tuba Christmas Several NVPS club members have discovered the joys of low brass ensembles playing holiday music. Tubas, sousaphones, baritone horns, and other large brass offer shiny and bright reflective surfaces and many of the musicians dress themselves and their instruments with holiday decorations. If you've never heard over 100 tubas playing jingle bells, it may not exactly be the auditory experience of a lifetime, but it is something you will talk about later. Tuba Christmas events are held in locations around the world and the Washington DC concert is one of the largest.
BALTIMORE - SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 - TIME: 3:30 pm For more details on Tuba Christmas events and other locations/times see their website:
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