Category Archives: Uncategorized

Competition Judge: Gary Landsman, in His Own Words

Our wry, edgy judge this month, Gary Landsman, sent in a highly personal, if not downright idiosyncratic, bio for the Cable Release. With only minor edits, here’s Gary Landsman’s take on photography and himself…

Landsman, why?

I get it, been at it over 20 years, shot everything from cockroaches to Presidents. No humor intended.

I’ve lit 737’s for USAirways (the whole plane) and auto parts for AAA. I know what it is to solve big-hassle problems on the fly, where to put a light, how to put a light, how to talk to the cop that needs validation.

I even had a police sergeant loan me his gun and badge for a Time-Life books shoot, hope to heaven his Captain never finds out.

Solve the technical problem, see it fast, and get it done, as often is the requirement.

Location almost always has its caveats. Figuring it out is what I do. Never let the client know the issues unless they need to be involved to solve the problem. They expect me to get it done, on budget, on time and better than they expected.

PERSONALITY

My subjects run the gamut of “been photographed” experiences. Some have been
abused, some ignored, some are ugly, some with
high expectations. I make them all feel at ease, so
I can capture great images of them. That’s likely
my best and unusual character as photographer.

SUMMARY
Light. Comfortable subjects. Ability to get what you need done regardless of parameters and issues.

April Guest Speaker: Dave Powell

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.
dave-powellIn 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.

March Guest Speaker: Alan Sislen on Landscape Photography

Our March speaker, Alan Sislen, has been an avid photographer for over 45 years. Landscape photography is his passion, and this month he will talk to us about the beauty and challenge of this discipline.

alansislenAlan has photographed in the US, France, Iceland, Italy, Canada, England, Chile, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and New Zealand. Although his equipment might be state-of-theart, Alan’s style and technique are traditional. He has studied with well known British landscape photographer Charlie Waite, former National Geographic photographer Bruce Dale, digital expert Thom Hogan, black and white master John Sexton, photographic artist and Photoshop expert John Paul Caponigro, fine art photographer Charles Cramer, color management/printing expert Bill Atkinson, and Photoshop expert Eliot Cohen.

In 2005, Alan was juried into Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and was then juried into the Torpedo Factory as a Resident Artist in 2006. He is a long-time member of North Bethesda Camera Club, where he has served on the Board and has been selected as Advanced Color Print Photographer of the Year, Black and White Photographer of the Year, and Advanced Electronic Photographer of the Year.

In Alan’s presentation, he will discuss why, after more than four decades of doing photography, he has gravitated to and specializes in landscape photography. He will discuss the equipment he uses, but more importantly, what he looks for in a particular location to try to capture that elusive “great photograph.” Pre-planning is always a major part of landscape photography, and Alan will talk about all the variables that should be considered and how to deal with the unpredicted events that always occur.

For a landscape photographer, more important than the scene that’s being photographed is the light on the scene that’s being photographed. He will use many examples throughout his presentation to demonstrate this critical element, as well as other important topics such as composition, aspect ratio, mood, and emotion, all of which can help make what might be an ordinary photograph, extraordinary.

Alan’s photography may be seen at his web site:
www.AlanSislenPhotography.com

February 27th Competition: Water with Judge Mary Louise Ravese

This month, Mary Louise Ravese makes an encore visit to SSCC to judge our competition topic, “water in any of its forms.” Founder and owner of Bella Vista Photography in Waterford, VA, Mary Louise specializes in fine art nature and travel photography from locations across the US and in Europe and Japan. Her favorite subject matter includes country landscapes, nature close-ups, architectural details, and wildlife. She draws inspiration from a variety of visual arts to produce photographs often described as “painterly.”

mary-louise-raveseIn fact, Mary Louise’s artistic intention is to incorporate the beauty of painting in the clarity of photography. Her images are recognizable for their intriguing juxtaposition of vibrant colors, distinctive shapes, and unique textures. Specifically, she aims to capture the essence of the natural world in color. With a goal of staying true to nature, Mary Louise emphasizes producing the best “in camera” images possible, rather than depending on digital manipulation.

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.

Noted as a popular speaker and competition judge for photography clubs in the Mid Atlantic, Mary Louise excels at explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand way. She also enjoys teaching on a wide range of topics related to nature, travel, and creative photography. She leads classes and field workshops in the Mid Atlantic region and at a variety of locations in the US and abroad.

Mary Louise studied photography through the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Cruz extension programs, the Washington School of Photography, and with such noted photographers as Barbara Brundege, Mark Citret, and Harold “Doc” Edgerton. She is a member of the North American Nature Photography Association, the American Society of Picture Professionals, the Equine Photographer’s Network, and the Loudoun Arts Council.

You can view Mary Louise’s images and learn more about her work and her workshops at www.BellaVistaPhotography.com.

New Guidance on Entering Print Images for Competition

There is a continuing problem with writing the necessary information on the back of prints; it can be rather chaotic. Attached is a label template that can be printed on Avery Label 5164, or just on plain paper & taped to the back of a print. I encourage all of you to start using this template, as it helps make the competition process more efficient. I hope this will bring some order to labeling prints for competitions!

Also, please have all your prints logged in by 7:25. If you are unavoidably late, make sure you see me so your prints can be properly logged in.

–Doug Wolters
(Competition Chair)

February 6: Guest Speaker Cameron Davidson

cameron-davidsonAs this issue of the Cable Release is being prepared, our speaker, Cameron Davidson, is on assignment in Brazil. He suggested that the bio on his web site (www.camerondavidson.com) would be the best way to introduce him to SSCC, so we have reproduced it in this column. Cameron will speak principally about his adventurous life as an aerial photographer. Meanwhile, you may want to examine one of his books: Chesapeake, available through Amazon and featured on his own site. He describes it as a “two-decade labor-of-love shooting aerial photographs of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed from the headwaters in Cooperstown, New York to the mouth of the Chesapeake at Virginia Beach.”

THE BIO
First Light: Miami
Ancestry: Father (Scottish); Mother (French, Alsace-Lorraine)
First photograph published 1973: Jim Lasowski clearing the hurdles at a Grass Lake High School track meet for the Grass Lake News.
Education: Corcoran School of Art + Nova
Best view in the world is from the rear cabin of a turbine helicopter.
October 2012: United States Postal Services issues an all aerial series of stamps titled, Earthscapes. My aerial of Blackwater Refuge is one of 15.
Seventeen NGO shoots in Haiti since 1999.
Ten day circumnavigation of the world for Heinz.
All aerials.
So far: 49 states, 6 Canadian provinces, 2
Mexican states plus 23 other countries.
Hawaii is still on my hit list.
Six books published.
First Camera purchased with money earned while working at a campground in the Florida Keys. It was a Kowaflex SE. I should have gone for the Rollei TLR.
Love working with a team dedicated to a vision.