Seënwense - 2011

- Seënwense - 2011-

Terwyl die jaar ten einde snel, dink ek onwillekeurig aan elkeen wat in 2011 by die Weskus Fotografiese Vereniging ingeskakel was, hetsy as Komiteelid of lid. Dit is vir my ‘n trotse voorreg om te mag verwys na ‘n Vereniging waarby soveel begaafde én ontluikende meesterfotograwe betrokke is. Baie dankie vir elkeen se aandeel by die ontwikkeling van ons Klub.  U mag dalk dink dat dit ongesiens verbygegaan het, maar omdat ‘n fotograaf dinge om hom of haar waarneem, is daar wel deeglik kennis geneem van u insette. Vir elke koppie wat gewas is, elke tafel reggeskuif voor en na ons byeenkoms en elke artikel wat gedra is, sê ek vir u dankie!

Mag hierdie Feestyd vir u en u gesin ‘n tyd wees van vrede, liefde en rus. Mag so ook 2012 vir u voorspoed inhou en dit u stoutste verwagtinge oortref!

Vriendelike groete

Emil 

As the year draws to a close, I involuntarily reflect on the input of each and everyone, both as Committee member or as member. It is with no little pride that I may refer to a Society in which so many talented and emerging master photographers are involved. My thanks to each and every one for your contribution to the growing of our Club. You may believe your input to have gone unnoticed, but because a photographer observes that which takes place around him or her,you may rest assured that your contribution to the Club has been duly noted. For each cup washed, every table moved before and after our meeting and for each item carried, my sincerest thanks! 

May the Festive Season be a time of peace, love and rest for both you and your family. May you prosper in 2012 and it also be the year in which your wildest dreams come true!

Kind regards

Emil

Year-end Function - Fri 9 Dec 2011 - The Farmhouse Hotel, Langebaan

Die Jaareindfunksie sal by The Farmhouse op Langebaan gehou gaan word en wel op 9 Desember 2011. Die tyd: 18h30 vir 19h00.

Die formaat van die aand sal gelukkige trekkings insluit en ook die beste tien foto’s van die jaar sal aangekondig word. ‘n Onafhanklike, ervare beoordelaar van Paarl Fotografieklub sal al die goud - wenners deur die jaar se foto’s evalueer en die beste tien dan aanwys.

NB! Laat weet my asseblief so spoedig moontlik wie die aand saam met ons sal geniet ten einde die korrekte getal aan The Farmhouse te kan deurgee.

Vegatariese disse is ook beskikbaar. Ek verwag die spyskaart daarvoor teen eerskomende Vrydag en sal dit aan die lede ter sprake deurstuur.

Groete

Emil

www.thefarmhousehotel.com

PSSA Audio Visual Convention in Victoria West, 17th to 21st March 2012

PSSA  Audio  Visual  Convention  in Victoria West, 17^th to 21^st March 2012

The Audio Visual Convention 2012 in Victoria West will run from Saturday 17. March starting at midday with some official matters, possibly a club reps. meeting, the official opening and shows in the afternoon and evening. We will have lectures and workshops by qualified AV makers until Tuesday evening, leaving Wednesday the 21. to travel back home, filled with ideas and enthusiasm to make better / new AV shows. 

Our lecturers and workshop leaders are all actively involved in Audio Visual, either as media professionals or as dedicated amateurs.

Whilst the mornings are for lectures, we will have some more presentation in the form of short demos and longer practical workshops in the afternoons. You can read about that on the PSSA Website, AV Division.  HYPERLINK "http://www.pssa.co.za" www.pssa.co.za 

The evenings we set aside mostly for you to show your work, which is a very important aspect of this AV Convention.  We are encouraging all the AV makers - novice to experts - to show AVs, even if some of them are "works in construction".  If you like, you can get advise, or you can tell the other delegates your ideas of making AVs.

As the AV Conventions are fairly short events, we do not cater specifically for “free time”. If you want to explore the area a bit more, you could combine the Convention with a short holiday. 

Please register as soon as possible for this Convention.  For catering we have space for 80 delegates, but the Apollo Theatre can cope with many more. 

For accommodation: victoria west south africa accommodation  will take you to various sites.

More detailed information as regards to lecturers and their themes, pictures and the registration form will be on the PSSA Website in the next few days.

Please direct enquiries to: Paul Rixom, Chairman of the AV Convention

e-mail:  HYPERLINK "mailto:prixom@webmail.co.za" prixom@webmail.co.za  phone:   044 – 877 0994   mobile:  072 – 525 0016 

We are looking forward to see you there. Thomas Niemeyer, Chairman AV Division, 4. Nov. 2011 

Find.TheModel Photography Competition

Good evening,

Please find attached a press release from Find.Themodel about the photographers competition we launched yesterday.

The Photographers competition runs over the next 6 months and photographers can win their share of R27,000.

We would appreciate if you would please be so kind as to inform your club members of this opportunity.

Regards

Sean Nel

models@shoots.co.za

http://find.themodel.co.za

Wild Magazine photographic competition

Here's a message from the Wild Magazine:
--------------------------------------------------


Based on the success of our photographic competition over the past year Wild magazine would again like to invite your society to take part in our 2012 competition. There’s fame and fortune (R60 000) to be won, plus the chance to see your image featured in Wild magazine.

This year’s competition is titled "Capture the Spirit of Africa". With our sponsor Amarula, we invite you to take pictures that capture the wild heart of Africa. Show us what makes our continent such a special place to live and stand the chance to win great prizes from Amarula and Cape Union Mart.

Go to www.wildcard.co.za for full rules and to upload your photograph.

Entries for the first round close on 25 October 2011. However, the competition runs through to 23 April 2012 so there's plenty of time to submit additional images - and you can submit more than once.

We look forward to seeing your entry. Good luck!

The Wild Team


TiP Publishing 
021 448 5425  •  021 447 0312 (f)
www.tipafrica.co.za

Winners October 2011

Congratulations to all the month's winners:

Winner Overall & Set Subject "Space": Piet van Heerde with "Sterre in die boom & Skerpioen in die ruimte:

Winner 3 Star: Cassi Goodman with "Lovebirds":

Winner 2 star & Jnr: Sarah Goodman with "Flower Buds":

Points and star-grading after October 2011 meeting

Please click on the table below for a larger view.

Wanted: Suggestions for improving the Photo Club

It's been a great year so far for our club, and I think that we've all learned a great deal. To make it an even better experience next year, we would love some input from all the club members about the direction they would like to see the club take next year.

Feel free to comment on any aspect. Here's some questions to get you thinking:

Do you like the venue?
Should we meet more often/less often?
Does the time of the meeting suit you?
Should we have more workshops?
What would you like to learn more about?
What do you think of the judging process?
Should we do more photos in the set subject, or leave it as is?
Should we do more outings?
Do you like the format of the meetings (talk, coffee, judging)?
What do you like about our club?
What do you dislike about our club?
How can our club be improved?

You can leave a comment on this post so that others can follow the discussion, or you can mail your comments to me (cassi@icon.co.za) and I will circulate it to the other committee members.

Here's how to comment:

- click on "0 Comments" at the bottom of this post
- add your comments in the "Post a Comment" window that will appear
- when you've finished typing in your comment, click on the "Comment as" option box
- you can select "Anonymous" to leave an anonymous comment
- if you want to leave your name, select "Name/URL"and type in your name at the prompt (you can leave the URL line blank).

Please take a few moments to leave a comment. We would really appreciate your input!

Thanks.

--Cassi
 (Webmaster)

Chairman's Newsletter Oct 2011

Goeiedag, Klublede!

FVSA – kongres: 2012

Die FVSA (Fotografiese Vereniging van Suid Afrika), oftewel die PSSA (Photographic Society of South Africa) se Kongres vind aan die einde van Augustus 2012 hier aan die Weskus op Langebaan plaas. Die Weskus Fotografievereniging, met Nicky Bester as ons skakelpersoon, is gemoeid met die akkommodasie tydens die Kongres. Op hierdie stadium verloop alles volgens plan. Die Weskaap FVSA - kongreskomitee (bestaande uit die oorhoofse voorsitter van al die Fotografieklubs in die Weskaap, ander klubs se voorsitters en / of afgevaardigdes) vergader eersdaags weer (ná die FVSA – kongres 2011 by Hartebeespoortdam  ten einde gekom het) om verdere verwikkelinge te bespreek. Nicky sal ons op hoogte hou daarvan.

Kameras: sensor en kamera skoonmaak - R50,00 per kamera (“Clean it while you wait!”)

Chris Hart, ‘n baie deeglike en uiters ervare kamerategnikus is bereid om lede se kameras tydens ‘n Dinsdagaand se Klubaand skoon te maak vir slegs R50,00 per kamera. Chris sal die kameras skoonmaak terwyl ons ons foto’s laat beoordeel. Ek ken Chris al vir meer as twintig jaar en kan getuig van sy vaardigheid. Van ons klublede het al herstelwerk by hom laat doen en nog almal was baie tevrede met sy diens.

Indien enigeen sy of  haar  kamera wil laat skoonmaak, vra ek dat julle my asseblief vóór Saterdagaand , 8 Oktober 2011 kontak ( HYPERLINK "mailto:info@emilbosch.com" info@emilbosch.com of 082 776 8100) sodat ek kan reël dat Chris die skoonmaak Dinsdagaand, 11 Oktober kan doen.

Interklubaand: 28 Oktober 2011

Die Komitee versoek lede wat die Interklubaand in die Kaap gaan bywoon vriendelik om die koste (R50,00 per persoon) Dinsdagaand aan Susan Thiart te betaal, ten einde te verseker dat die kaartjies vanaf Vishoek Fotografieklub  aan ons gestuur kan word. Dit is baie belangrik dat hierdie kaartjies ons vóór die Interklubaand bereik!

Werkswinkel: Lig, Beligting en Komposisie – 18 Oktober 2011 om 18h30 by die Waenhuis

Hugo Germishuys gaan lede vaardiger maak as wat hulle reeds is en wel ten opsigte van bogenoemde. Die werkswinkel word vir klublede aangebied. Aangesien dit in die Klubgebou aangebied word, is dit ‘n goeie idee om benewens ‘n “flash” (kameraflits – hetsy ‘n aparte een of ingeboude een) ook ‘n driepoot saam te bring (indien ‘n lid wel een het). Ons beoog om teen 21h00 klaar te maak met die werkswinkel. Indien klublede wil, is hulle welkom om ook ‘n notaboek saam te bring ten einde aantekeninge te maak.

Werkswinkel: Modelle en veteraanmotors – 22 Oktober 2011 om 09h00

Tydens hierdie werkswinkel gaan lede “hersiening doen” van Hugo se werkswinkel oor Lig, Beligting en Komposisie. Ek sal hierdie werkswinkel lei.

‘n Aantal modelle van ‘n plaaslike modelskool (d.w.s. hulle wéét hoe om te poseer en dus kan die fotograaf op fotografie konsentreer en nie onwillige / beskroomde individue die heeltyd probeer oorreed om te poseer nie), asook twee of drie veteraanmotors gaan beskikbaar wees sodat fotograwe hulle  kan afneem. 

Indien belangstellende lede weerkaatsers (reflectors) het wat vir fotografie bedoel is, ‘n sonskerm vir ‘n motor (wit / silwer), ‘n “emergency blanket” (die foelie wat stappers op staptogte saamneem om hitteverlies te verhoed), of selfs ‘n groterige stuk polistireen, sal dit goed aangewend kan word tydens hierdie werkswinkel.

Bring asseblief ook jou kameraflits (flash) saam, asook jou kamera én flits se handleiding.

Ek hoop om Dinsdagaand die plek vir die werkswinkel (hopelik nie verder as 30 km vanaf Vredenburg nie) te kan aankondig. Ek is tans besig om die logistiek daarvan te bepaal.

Uitnodiging: Bloekom Boma  HYPERLINK "http://www.bloekombomavenue.co.za/index.html" http://www.bloekombomavenue.co.za/index.html

Carl Thom, eienaar van die Bloekom Boma, het die Weskus Fotografievereniging uitgenooi om te kom aansit vir ‘n heerlike potjie of twee op Saterdag, 15 Oktober 2011. Let wel! Hierdie is ‘n uitnodiging wat lede niks uit die sak gaan jaag nie, met ander woorde: Carl gaan ons gratis trakteer dié dag! 

Ons beoog om die potjies gereed te hê teen ongeveer 18h00, maar lede en hul gesinne is welkom om ‘n bietjie vroeër op te daag. Bring asseblief u eie alkoholiese verversings saam.

NB! Ten einde te verseker dat niemand honger ly nie, vra ek lede om so spoedig moontlik (sperdatum: 12 Oktober 2011) hulle getalle aan my deur te stuur, asseblief.

Kyk asseblief na die skakel (link) van Bloekom Boma (hierbo) vir meer inligting.

Klublede

Tydens ons onlangse Komiteevergadering is uitgewys dat ‘n aantal lede nie meer so dikwels ons Klubaande bywoon soos aan die begin van die jaar nie. Ek kan bespiegel dat van die redes daarvoor, onder andere die volgende mag wees: dat die Klubaande vervelig is; te tegnies is; die manier waarop foto’s beoordeel word, lede kwets; die Klub nie aan die behoefte van lede voldoen nie; ensovoorts.

Die één groot beweegrede waarom ons almal lede by die Weskus Fotografievereniging is, is omdat ons lief is vir fotografie. Juis daarom wil ek lede vra om die vraelys op die Klub se blog te voltooi. Hierdie vraelys is anoniem (‘n lid kan dus met die grootste vrymoedigheid sê wat haper – maar ook óf iets haper!) Die WKFV is nie die eiendom van die Komitee nie – dit behoort aan elke lid en juis daarom is dit belangrik dat almal voordeel trek uit die Klub. Ons hoor dus graag van julle, want ook óns wil die Klub (lees: fotograwe) sien groei in fotografievaardigheid en in die liefde vir ‘n wonderlike kunsvorm.

Vriendelike groete en alle voorspoed met die foto’s vir Dinsdagaand se kompetisie!

Emil

Scoresheet from Paart Interclub Competition

Gold awards & Points after September meeting

Please click on the table below for a larger version.

Judgement Day

by Cassi Goodman

Let me start by apologising sincerely to anyone whose feelings I hurt with my inept judging at last night's meeting. I am certainly not qualified to judge anyone else's photos by a long shot. It was a good learning experience and I now have even more respect for the guys who stand up there at each meeting to critique other photographers' work.  It's a big responsibility.

It's quite easy to "judge" a photo in your head -- to just look at it once and go: "Dude, what were you thinking?"  But there's a huge difference between judging and constructive criticism. When you are required to provide useful feedback, you need to look twice and then look some more. You have to see the photo with an open mind. You have to try to see through that photographer's eye, to try to understand his/her vision of what they were hoping to achieve. 

I must admit that I found it easier to point out the things that were "wrong" with the photos (in MY opinion), than to point out what was good/well-done/spot-on/perfect. Sorry about that. When I look at my own photos, I always look for ways to improve them -- maybe the crop is wrong, or the bright bits are just a bit too bright, or the horizon is not quite straight, whatever. The photos normally already have quite a lot going for them, otherwise I won't waste my time trying to make them better. That's kind of how I approached the judging exercise last night. But when I thought about it later, I realised I spent too much time finding fault and not enough time on the positive aspects of the photos, of which there were many!

To submit a photo for "judging" is a very brave thing to do.  Hugo always says "It's just one person's opinion", and while that's certainly true, criticism always stings a little. We are attached to our own photos -- we edit them to the best of our ability, crop them just so, turn up the contrast a little bit and when they are (close to) perfect, we still deliberate endlessly about whether or not they are good enough for scrutiny by the club members and the critical eyes of the judges.  (Or maybe that's just me, who knows?)

When my photos are up for judging, I defend them in my head. I argue that it looked better on my computer screen, or that it's not my fault the bl*nking mossie didn't turn its head so that the light could twinkle in its eye, or that I know very well I could have taken that photo from a better angle.  The judge doesn't realise that if I took two steps to the right as he suggested, I would have ended up ankle-deep in mud. And in my new shoes to boot! And so it goes on. 

But. Our art -- be it a photograph, a painting, a poem, a sculpture of a flying mermaid, whatever -- has to stand on its own two feet (except for the mermaid). When you send your work off to a salon or any other competition, you are not there to defend it. You cannot tell the judges what you were trying to do, what the hidden meaning is, how special the photo is to you, or that you intentionally overexposed it by two stops because you liked it that way. Not everyone will "get" it, not everyone will like your style, some judges might just have a pet hatred of the specific subject you photographed. But just how boring would it be if we all took the exact same photos, if no-one tried anything new, if we all followed the rules?

So, don't be afraid of what others think of your work. You're not trying to please the judges -- you're trying to become a better photographer.  If you can learn something from the criticism you receive, good stuff. If not, shrug it off!  Keep trying. Put yourself out there. Take chances. Try something new. Break all the rules. Step into the mud for a better angle. Just don't stop taking pictures! 

--Cassi Goodman

Western Cape Interclub details

WESTERN CAPE INTERCLUB 2011

To be held at THE CR LOUW AUDITORIUM,

at SANLAM HEAD OFFICE, 2 STRAND ROAD,

BELLVILLE

on

FRIDAY, 28TH OCTOBER 2011

at

6.00pm for 7.30pm

hosted by

FISH HOEK PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

(FHPS)

Please let Emil Bosch know by Fri 15 Sep if you would like to attend. The cost is R50 per person.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE EVENING:

1. Parking on the premises, with security guards, is available at

guests’ own risk.
2. Guests may arrive from 6.00pm onwards, and proceedings will

commence at 7.30pm, when the Competition begins. No late comers will

be admitted to the auditorium after 7:30pm.

3. Light snacks (crisps, etc), wine and fruit juice will be served, at no

charge.

4. Viewing of the prints will take place at a suitable venue on the

premises.

5. Guests must have taken their seats by 7.30pm promptly.

6. During the Intermission, tea, coffee and biscuits will be served, at no charge.

7. A program setting out the scheduling of the evening, will be

available upon guests’ arrival.

8. The evening should be concluded by 11pm.

Winners September 2011

Congratulations to the winners of this month's club competition:

Winner 1 Star - Zibbie Matthee with "Stargazer":

Winner 2 Star - Sarah Goodman with "Waterbabies":

Winner 3 Star - Koos Pieters with "Rubicon":

Winner Set Subject "Eggs" & Over-all - Amanda Brink with "Splashing Eggs":

All the other entries can be viewed on our WEBALBUM.

Boksburg Salon closes 10 Sep 2011

Boksburg Salon

When:

10.September.2011

Where:

Boksburg Fire Station - Boksburg

Category:

Salon

Description

Boksburg invites all members of the PSSA and all photographers residing in South Africa to participate in their 2nd National Digital Salon of Photography. The Salon will be in accordance with the requirements and practices of PSSA.

Categories


Nature  No Birds

Nature  Birds Only

Pictorial Open

Portraiture - Human Only

Sport

Open macro

Salon Director

Tony Stacey

(c) 084 837 0058

email: tony.momentsintime@gmail.com

Salon Calendar

Entries close 10 September 2011 at 23:59

More details here.

Photo inspiration: Doing a Project 365

There are many ways to improve your photography, but the best is probably... practice, practice, practice, as it is with most things in life.


One fun way to motivate yourself to take your camera everywhere, and to MAKE a photo even if there's no obvious photo to be found is to start a Project 365. At its most basic, it’s the simple act of taking a picture every day for a year. Many people will then post the photos on their blog, Flickr, Picasa Web Albums or just send them to friends. 


There are also many Project 365 websites where you can upload your daily photos, get some comments and share in the photo journeys of the other photographers. Have a look at http://365project.org/, for example.


Have fun!

Winners August 2011

Congratulations to the winners of our August club competition!


Winner 1-star -- Tersia Coetzee with "Windows through time":

Winner 2-star -- Shannon Goodman with "Slinky dinky twig dog":

Winner 3-star (and OVERALL WINNER) -- Adele van Schalkwyk with "Abstract Iris":

Winner set subject "Patterns" -- Cassi Goodman with "Bright Mushrooms":

All the other entries can be viewed here.

Points and star-grading after August 2011 meeting

Click on the table below to view bigger size.

Next salon -- WRPC Digital Salon -- closes 28 Aug

Full details here.

Event 

Title:

WRPC Digital Salon

When:

28.August.2011

Category:

Salon

Description

All individual members of PSSA and all photographers resident in South Africa are invited to participate in the West Rand Photographic Club Second Digital Salon. The Salon will be conducted in accordance with the requirements and practices of PSSA

Categories

Panorama

Portraiture Monochrome

Open Pictorial

Table Top

Salon Director

Louise McDuling

lcri@mweb.co.za

083 493 3113 (c)

011 679 2443 (c)

Tips for getting out of a photography rut

REPOSTED FROM: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/are-you-in-a-photography-rut-11-tips-to-get-out-of-it

Every photographer hits a wall at one point or another. Here are a few tips to keep things fresh and new.

1. Try something new, get out of your comfort zone. You’ve been photographing nature for years? Try some street photography!

2. Meet other photographers and go on photo walks. It doesn’t have to be a large group. Get together with two or three other people who share the same passion and experiment with different photography genres. Meet regularly and choose a different theme each time: Street photography one week, landscape photography the next! You will learn something new from fellow photographers and getting together will help keep the passion for photography alive.

3. If you own a DSLR, try renting a new lens for a weekend to experiment with something totally different. It can be a fisheye or a macro lens, a special effect lens or a super telephoto. They are big investments and renting for a weekend or a few days is quite affordable and the best way to know if you are ready to make the investment. Try your local camera store or any reputable online rental services such as borrowlenses.com. Check for special deals.

4. Write a list of things you’ve never photographed before and make it a point to learn the techniques to achieve those shots. I’ve been doing this for a while and my list still includes a lot of interesting things to discover such as panoramic photography or time lapse. I recently discovered macro photography and it opened a whole new world of possibilities in my own backyard. I discover something new every time I put the macro lens on my camera! There are many techniques you can learn that don’t require any new equipment and such as light trails, light painting, etc. Just be open to trying new things.

5. Get you hands on a film camera and a roll of film and limit yourself to 36 exposures for a day. You will learn the importance of getting it right in camera. If nothing else, you will realize how incredibly flexible digital really is!

6. Pick a theme and get out on your own. You can pick to only shoot things that are yellow, just feet, people with hats, dogs… The sky is the limit. This exercise will help you see things differently and the results may surprise you.

7. Mentor someone. Give a camera to a child. Take them out to shoot. You may spark a life-long passion and you may learn a thing or two about yourself in the process.

8. Give back to your community, volunteer to photograph a local event for a charity for example.

9. If you can afford it, sign up for a photography workshop in a field you are passionate about or to learn something completely new.

10. Start a project that will force you to shoot more, such as a 365 day project. Share your project through social media or a blog. The more you shoot, the more you are going to want to shoot. Push yourself and set a goal to put all those images in a book when you are done. Pat yourself in the back, it’s a big accomplishment!

11. Look at the work of others. They may be famous or unknown, the goal is not to copy their work but to draw inspiration from it.

Krugersdorp National Salon- entries close 6 Aug 2011

Title:

Krugersdorp National Salon

When:

06.August.2011

Where:

Krugersdorp Camera Club - Krugersdorp

Category:

Salon

Description

KRUGERSDORP CAMERA CLUB invites all members of PSSA and all photographers resident in Southern Africa to participate in their Sixth National Digital Salon of Photography. The Salon will be conducted in accordance with the requirements and practices of PSSA.

Categories

• Nature General - No Birds
• Nature - Birds Only
• Pictorial - General
• Pictorial - Human Portraits
• Pictorial - Photojournalism (PJ)
• Manipulated Nature

Salon Director

Willem van Zyl

(c) 082 452 4050

email: vanzy_wi@mtn.co.za

Salon Calendar

Entries close Midnight, 06 August 2011