Hail..hail, the gang's all here!
Almost a dozen members of my
Photo Group got together Sunday morning in Summerville.
Rudy Lutge, a co-coordinator of the 21st Century Photography Group, offered a step-by-step tutorial on how - and why - to use Neutral Density (ND) filters.
"Think of these dark filters as sunglasses for your camera," he told us.
On a bright, sunny day, if you try to use a slower shutter speed, the image will be overexposed, Rudy added.
If you want to take a slow exposure shot of flowing water, an ND filter lets you use a longer shutter opening and change the look of a fountain (or waterfall) to a dreamy fog or blurred motion for a special effect.
Rudy often is out at Folly Beach in the wee hours before dawn, taking pictures of waves flowing gently like mist, wrapping around rocks close to the shore. Oh, and he also shoots the sunrise!
Member David Gentry uses a tripod and shutter release cable to take his long exposure (1-3 seconds) photo.
By not touching the camera itself, the images are sharp because there is no camera shake.
Portraits with an out-of-focus background are another bonus of using the dark filters. Opening the lens wider causes a shallow depth of field and the face will stand out more.
The members brought an array of equipment and varying levels of expertise.
My little Canon sx280HS Point & Shoot camera can accept these filters and I can set a slow exposure for as long as 15 seconds. Not bad for a camera that fits in my shirt pocket.
Members John Cullati (L) and Charles Giet, discuss camera settings as we turn our attention to the water fountain.
It's behind city hall, where the Farmers Market is held on Saturdays, and I learned it's the site where a Summerville fire station used to stand. There is a monument there that honor first-responders.
Charles is a long-time resident and my go-to guy with any questions I have about his birthplace.
Here's one of my shots that alters the look of the flowing water.
Miniature waterfalls without having to drive a long distance. (Click on the photos and links for more details.)
If you're interested in photography, join our group. It's free and then come along on some of our photo walks or events.
Oh, what about my vacation photo of
Paris and
Edinburgh? I have plenty more and will share them in future postings on my blog.
Thanks for stopping by. Stay cool for a just a while longer.
Labels: #Charles Giet, Andy Reilly, Danny Cortes, Dave Gentry, Dee, first-responders, John Cullati, Rudy Lutge, Sandy Kaminsky, Saturday Farmers Market, Summerville Fire Station
Take A Hike!
Saturday, 16 members of my 21st Century Photo Group staged a Photo Scavenger hunt in the Historic District.
The Scavenger mastermind was
Charles Giet, a long-time member.
And a huge fan of all sorts of photo walkabouts by the group.
He compiled a list of 25 "items" to be found - and photographed - by the five teams of 3.
My two teammates and I had no problem with one calling for
"a cannon."* Thanks David, for stuffing yourself into that barrel.
We had gathered at White Point Garden (the Battery) and had from 3:30 to 6:30 to go down the list and snap pictures.
However, each picture had to include the team's miniature yellow fan.
This ensured team members would not be tempted to split up and go off independently to search, find and take a picture.
Team effort was required.
One item on the list - a
jogglin' board - caused confusion for one team's member.
She was from New York she had not ever heard of such a thing.
We were fortunate to not only know WHAT it was but spotted one in the garden of an historic Battery home and grabbed the shot we needed. Thanks Debbie for posing.
Notice the small yellow fan is in the shot. Rules are rules.
A license plate is a good one to seek on a Saturday afternoon scavenger hunt.
Charles made it doubly interesting by specifying it had to be a
"West Virginia license plate."
Hmmm. Lots of tourists down around the Market area and we quickly noticed that most states had stopped having a tag on the back AND on the front.
We waked along, checking the rear end of cars, but finally found a visitor who had parked in the open air lot by where the carriages depart, next to Henry's restaurant.
One other team found theirs in a parking garage. Not as easy as it sounds!
Because we started at the Battery, one of our earliest - and easiest - finds was
"a sailboat."
The challenge was to zoom in so the boat was clearly visible and also include the team's token - the yellow fan.
Early on, we discovered that the small fan did not have any batteries in it, so it could not be used for a cooling breeze.
No complaints on the weather though. Temps in the upper 80s, relatively low humidity and not a drop of rain. The "chance" for rain was predicted to be about 20%.
Around Meeting Street at Market, we spotted a small bridal party, really dressed to the nines.
One of our team members went over to ask if any of the ladies was wearing
"stiletto heels?"
Sure enough and she was willing to hike her skirt to have the shoes photographed.
She did ask about the small yellow inoperable fan that was placed next to her right foot.
We explained and the party went on with their downtown stroll.
Our hunt continued for a very difficult object... a "Live Lobster."
I am sure all the team members had Charles Giet on their minds as they went in and out of restaurants and even into the Harris-Teeter on East Bay Street.
It was confirmed that the store "used to" have them in a tank, but the tank had broken, etc.
We also were told we were not the first Scavengers to come in and ask.
Apparently many upscale seafood places have them "flown in fresh daily" but none was on premises at that moment.
Ahah! The new Ruth's Chris Steak House, which has opened where Tristan's used to be, happened to have two hefty beauties relaxing in a small tank at the back of the main dining room.
The genial manager used a wooden rake-like tool to bring one up for it's photo close-up.
Lots of splashing and claw-waving but no damage done. The confused 10-legged crustacean was told that "No, it wasn't dinner time yet," and was returned to his cold, briny home.
Did I mention we were the only team to score a photo of a live lobster?
We gathered at A.W. Shuck's seafood restaurant
at the conclusion of the hunt, and all the other teams admitted looking around hopefully as they entered, searching and wishing to see a lobster tank.
My team had 21 finds and tied with another team, two were tied at 18 and the fifth had tallied 17.
(Click on the photos and links for more details.)
*Yes, technically that is called a mortar but it tosses a cannon ball a long, long distance.
And...Charles Giet (standing on the far right) had researched and compiled the list so he did not participate in the Hunt. 16 were present and we formed five teams of three.
My daughter in California
just sent me a note about a Scavenger Hunt they engineered for a friend's birthday. Unique and fun-filled.
Ended with some lawn bowling.
Labels: #A.W.Shucks, #Charles Giet, #Harris-Teeter, #Joggling Board, #Ruth's Chris Steak House, #West Virginia license tag, lobsters, mortar, White Point Gardens
Almost a dozen members of my Photo Group got together Sunday morning in Summerville.
