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Water! -
February 2005 assignment
31.
Water!
Sounds easy, and it is. And, it isn't! There were no
restrictions for this assignment, other than to use your imagination
and find water in every place and form you can think of, and then
get jiggy with it! Mother Nature even threw in her two cents' worth
by raining on us off and on, bringing some unique opportunities for
rain-related photos. And then the imaginations went to work! The
creativity of our folks amazes me more and more every month! Check
out the offerings where even every day scenes and subjects take on
new light:
The CAUG DigiCam
SIG meeting was held on March 15 at the Parkdale library.
DigiCam Shots
We had lots of participation from new and regular members alike in
March. The assignment was "Water" with no limitations as prescribed
by our SIG leader, John Hoffmann.
Janice, a newcomer, was first up with beaded water she shot in a
stainless sink. She also submitted raindrop photos and an observant
reflection of a fence in a rain puddle. A great start, Janice!
Then of course, we travel the world with Joan Stephens starting our
journey at Iguazu Falls (its somewhere--come ask her to find out),
then Victoria Falls where the water spray caused some moray pattern
problems she removed in software. It also removed the colors of a
rainbow arc still visible but near-white. We get "up close and
personal" with blueish and white glaciers and then we're treated to
more domestic reflections in pools and a condo's waterfall, then
finally her kitty sipping from the bathroom plumbing.
Bill Draper finds a friendly osprey bird hanging out on his
banister, then a shot of water on a windshield with the wipers
active. Wait a minute, who's that hiding in the driver's seat
pushing the "wash" button? Some finger mullet fish allow him to get
close for a well-composed shot. Other various colorful fish in
aquariums and clouds with a balcony in view finish out his
submission.
Ken Parsons shows his photographic talent with photos of a home by a
canal in the snow one day and the dry home surrounded by a glassy,
calm canal the next day. Not to be outdone by other world travelers,
he shows us pictures of falls from Poland, scenes from Istanbul, S.
Africa, and the Isle of Capri. Anyone, he says, can shoot a
postcard-quality picture at Santori Island. Venice and the English
Channel at low tide round out his entries.
Patty Beasley, SIG co-leader, showed us night scenes of Rockport
beach, dew on spider webs, raindrops on a hedge, a nice, dew-filled
Indian Blanket flower, a toad poking his head out a beaker, and ice
on a towel for interesting variations on our theme.
John Hoffmann demonstrates his sense of humor with several pictures
of cows drinking from a trough and a green tub. Some cows are
partially covered by wood fencing, leaving imagination to fill-in.
Ben Luna gives us the moon over Padre Island, a silhouette of his
grandson Alex on the beach, a waterfall he interestingly framed with
columns and a panoramic Hawaiian beach shot. A nice blurred
waterfall he shot using a tripod and slow sutter speed concluded his
group of entries.
Bruce Switalla showed some pics of our port with Harbor Bridge
overhead, a section of the Lex with beach fire hydrant juxtaposed in
front, a port shot taken while driving over the bridge (don't try
this at home!), water sheeting down inside a washing machine, and
mist drops on a pair of primroses.
Chuck Guion showed us Rockport Beach, a great blue heron, dolphins,
and waves bouncing off the shore running two different directions.
Then chemistry class begins as he pours enamel paints over distilled
water inside a glass bowl. First black, then white, then comes the
oil... and it gets stirred! Did his wife make him clean it up?
Drew and Brian Jacobs weigh in with some professional-grade photos
of rain reminiscent of pointillism and modernism. Then we see coy
fish and an alligator at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
We appreciate the world travel, creativity, chemistry experiments,
and alligator wrestling our members did to participate in our
"water"
assignment. For April and May "wildflowers" are the assignments. If
you have any flowers at all you wish to show, they are welcome
"wild" or not. Some official hands-on field trips may be planned for
these months. Stay tuned.
Patty concluded with a brief recap lesson on composition and where
to find the elusive thick beds of wildflowers. She also presented a
few websites that list places to catch such floral eye-candy. Check
them out as well as all the "Monthly Photo Assignments" at the
DigiCam SIG website Patty provides, www.ccbirding.com/dcsig. We meet
third Tuesdays, 7:00 - 8:30pm at the Parkdale Branch Library, Carmel
at Gollihar. You do not need a camera to join us. But you'll soon
want one!
- Bruce Switalla, bswit(at)musician.net
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