November 9, 2021: Education & Training – Anonymous Critique by Bill Millhouser and Stan Bysshe

Description:

The NVPS Anonymous Critique is a great opportunity to get feedback on your images. The process is anonymous so you have nothing to lose. Examples of the kinds of images you might want to submit for critique include:

  • Images you think are keepers but may need a little help
  • Experiments with new processing techniques
  • Images you are considering for competition (note: there are no guarantees you will win but the critique may help)

The sole purpose of the anonymous critique is to help you grow as a photographer. You will not be identified unless you identify yourself by making comments or asking questions about your images during the Zoom session. You also can use Zoom chat to send a direct message only to Education & Training Coordinator Lynn Cates and she will ask the question or make the comment for you.

The firm deadline for image submission is 6 p.m. on Friday, October 29, 2021 to allow time for David Crooks to anonymize the images and for Bill and Stan to review them before the November 9 meeting.

Submitting Images

  • You can submit up to three images.
  • Please prioritize them for review by naming them as follows:
    number_title, where number is 1, 2, or 3, followed by an underscore and anything you’d like for a title. For example, “1_Red House on the Prairie.”
    (Putting the number first will allow us to sort the images so that at least one image from every photographer is critiqued.  Beyond that, Bill and Stan will critique as many images as time allows.)
  • Do not put your name or the word “title” in the title of your images.
  • Size your images the same as for competition:
    • jpeg images
    • sRGB workspace
    • Maximum of 1400 pixels wide and 1050 pixels high (vertical shots have the same 1050 pixel height requirement)
    • 127 pixels per inch (PPI, sometimes called dots per inch or DPI) or less (e.g., 127, 96 or 72 PPI)
  • Include “Anonymous Critique” in the subject line of your email, and the name of each image in the text of the message.
  • If you send your images from Mac email, be sure to select the “actual size” option from the “image size” menu in the upper right corner.
  • Submit your images to David Crooks at his email address provided in the October 15th and October 21st NVPS eBlasts.  Also, please note that David’s email address is in the “Notices” section of all NVPS eBlasts beginning October 21st.

Questions?  Please contact the Education & Training Coordinator Lynn Cates (contact information can be found at Board Contacts.)

Biographies:

Bill Millhouser

Bill became interested in photography in the early 1970s, starting with a used Yashica SLR moving on to a series of Canon film SLRs. In 2001, Bill dove in the digital age and bought the Canon D30, which had a rather modest 3.25 megapixel sensor and a blazing 3 FPS frame rate.

Soon after retiring in 2010, Bill attended his first photographic workshop in Costa Rica, which exposed him to the wonderful variety and color of tropical birds and the proper use of big telephoto lenses (both on a tripod and handheld), the use of fill flash, and the complexities of multi-flash setups to capture the beauty of the region’s many hummingbirds. His keen interest in wildlife and bird photography has since led him to visit many locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, the West Coast, New Mexico, Florida, Belize, Central and South America, as well as several trips to Africa,

Since joining NVPS, Bill has served as the Field Trip Coordinator, Co-VP of competition, and President of the Club.

Stan Bysshe

Stan’s photographic journey started in the 1960s with a hand me down Nikkormat. But because of his love for scuba diving and marine tropical reef ecology, his equipment and images became dedicated to underwater nature. By 2010 it was time to hang up the fins and when he joined NVPS, Stan was exposed to a whole new world of land based photography. Still nature remained a driving force behind his images.

Since joining the club, Stan has volunteered for Field Trips (twice), Competitions, Mentoring and is a past President. For the past several years he has helped lead photo tours in Washington State, Alaska and Yellowstone National Park.

This is his second Anonymous Critique, and like most NVPS members he too is still searching for that magic image recipe that captures a viewer’s eye.

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