Greg Holden will be leading a field trip to the abandoned silk mill in Lonaconing, Md (outside of Cumberland). The mill is privately owned and protected and still contains all the machinery, tools, and personal effects from when it was shut down in 1957. There is lots to explore in this 3 story factory–check out Greg’s photos from his past visits. Our club will have exclusive access from 1-5pm. We will carpool from our usual location at the Giant Food parking lot off Flower Ave and Arliss Street in Takoma Park at 8 am and stop in Cumberland for lunch before heading to the mill. Cost is $25/hour per person but I recommend you stay the complete 4 hours. To avoid running into each other, we will limit this trip to 12 people. Email Greg to register or if you have questions: gholden[ at] imagesunderfoot.com

Category: Open

If you’ve attended the Nature Visions Expo in the last couple of years, you’ve seen Sandi Croan and her award-winning photographs. In Northern Virginia circles, Sandi’s well known for landscape, nature, and travel photography, with an eye for capturing the unique and for creating fine art for homes and offices.

As an independent photographer, Sandi has won numerous competitions and awards, including Photographer of the Year and Print of the Year by the Northern Virginia Photographic Society. She’s also won Best In Show and Second Place at the juried Meadowlark Photo Expo in Vienna. Her images have been selected to be put on permanent display at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and the Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts. Sandi has been juried into numerous art shows including the VisArts exhibitions in Rockville, the Fairfax County Council of the Arts Show, and The Fraser Gallery International Photography Exhibition.

Sandi was a featured artist in Elan magazine, and her photograph “Blue Lagoon” appeared on the cover. She has also had other photographs published in local and national magazines. Sandi has sold many of her photographs to private, corporate, and government clients, and she does exhibits for businesses and special local events. She also displays her work at public and private venues such as civic centers and restaurants.

Since 2004, Sandi has been an active member of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society, serving on numerous board positions. She held the title of president of NVPS for two terms, from 2009-2011. Sandi speaks and judges frequently for metro area camera clubs and other exhibitions.

Sandi’s website

Our speaker this month is familiar to all SSCC members: Dave Powell, who now runs the Members’ Open Forum on 4th Thursdays. And what a resource he is for SSCC! Dave joined SSCC a couple of years ago as one way to give back to the profession that’s been sustaining him for 50 years. Few of us, however, are familiar with Dave’s background, so we’ve asked him to kick off the new year by talking about his experiences, emphasizing his primary area of interest – lighting and light.
In his decades as a professional photographer, Dave has used a wide range of photo gear, lighting equipment, and film and video equipment. He has shot on assignment in all 48 contiguous states and has photographed in many locations overseas. While now somewhat retired, Dave continues to do limited assignment work for clients.

Dave has used various media to tell stories that illustrate and bring to life the high impact, high visibility, high pressure, and fast moving worlds of business, schools, museums, and government. He helps his clients refine, clarify, and heighten their messages so they can increase sales, boost fund-raising, or educate. Surprising to us, perhaps, is the fact that Dave is far more than a very successful commercial photographer. He’s an award-winning film and documentary maker and the creator and producer of video and multi-screen slide shows. He’s written and edited scripts. He’s served as advisor on AV equipment and graphic software packages. He’s also a web designer and a one-on-one executive coach for public speaking and presentations.

Here an example of a typical assignment for Dave: He created and produced two complex, multiimage, multi-screen slide shows for National Gallery exhibitions, which were used to give historical and thematic perspectives. In another example, Dave created an anti-smoking film commissioned by the government aimed at students – for which he won an Emmy Award. Since 1990, Dave has been the owner of David W. Powell Communications. Earlier, he held the responsibilities of partner in several communications media firms after serving as a producer/director at WETA and Voice of America. Dave’s client list fills pages; outstanding assignments have come from the World Bank, the CIA, University of Maryland, AT&T, British Airways, GEICO, Exxon Corporation, Hillwood Museum, Georgetown University, and the Egyptian government.

In his own education, Dave received his BA in Radio, Television, and Film Production at the University of Maryland, with an emphasis on public speaking and music. He also plays a mean saxophone.

There are two ways of “playing with light”: the light source moves, or the camera moves. For capturing holiday lights, let’s experiment with moving the camera.

In general:

• Start with a point & shoot or DSLR set to full auto. Then, if you can control the camera settings, try Manual, at ISO 100, 1/5 to 1/2 sec, f/ 5.6. Vary the shutter speed and aperture depending on your subject or choice of technique.
• Try zoom ranges of 24-70mm or 24-105mm and also 70-300mm
• No flash
• Slow shutter speeds (from 1/60 to BULB) give time for special effects and let in enough light
• Use low ISO to keep noise levels low
• Depending on desired effect, experiment with a smaller aperture (e.g., f/8 or f/11)
• For White Balance, try Auto first; try also Daylight or Tungsten
• Use Manual mode or Aperture or Time Value modes
• If images are too bright, move Exposure Compensation toward – sign
• If images are too dark, move Exposure Compensation toward + sign
• To further adjust with your exposures, remember:
  • To lighten: lower f/ stop numbers (wider aperture), slower shutter speed, higher ISO.
  • To darken: higher f/stop numbers (smaller aperture), faster shutter speed, lower ISO
• Experiment keeping the same exposure (as shown by the exposure comp needle) by letting the shutter speeds and the f/ stops dance. Keep the ISO the same.
• Attach a neutral density filter to give you a longer exposure if the lights are too bright
• Use live view for the best way to see what you’re shooting

Shooting without a tripod:

• Wipe or swipe the camera up, down, or on the diagonal to create streaks
• Move the camera in circles – different sizes & speeds
• Move the camera in arcs or waves
• Shake or jiggle the camera gently, quickly or slowly
• De-focus the subject by varying amounts
• Run by the lights, taking a long exposure (4 sec.) as you go
• Combine any of the above
• Experiment with your camera’s pre-sets / “scenes” / special effects
• Use image stabilization or vibration reduction, as appropriate

Shooting with a tripod:

• Change focal length by zooming in or out, full or partial amount of zoom
• Get large soft-focus and overlapping disks by using manual focus; wide open lens (numerically low f/- stops); zoom in or get physically closer to the lights for better effects.
• Try wipes & swipes, jiggles, waves, circular movements as above
• Create multiple exposures, camera permitting
• Practice “exposure stacking”: Use long exposure and quickly zoom lens a little every few seconds, zooming the same amount and pausing between turns.
• Use cable release or remote
• Turn off image stabilization or vibration reduction!

Some examples from the Dec. 7 field trip to the Mormon Temple and Brookside Gardens holiday lights displays (click images to expand)

Mormon Temple

Brookside Gardens