Charlotte Photography Meetup Group http://charlottephoto.org Fun, Friends, & Photography! posterous.com Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:23:00 -0700 Hot Summer, Portraiture Contest http://charlottephoto.org/hot-summer-portraiture-contest http://charlottephoto.org/hot-summer-portraiture-contest

We thought we were assigning something that could be done indoor or outdoor; portraiture. With people even. The doldrums of the summer are hard to get people motivated but a few motivated souls did take up the challenge. This months winner is a repeat winner, Eric Karp.  He usually submits the fantastic table-top oriented shots and this time he took his skill up another notch with objects and a musician. 

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Check out all of this months assignment entrants via Flickr tag: CPMG0810SA

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Sat, 12 Jun 2010 12:24:08 -0700 Sports in June, Mike Newcomer Winner http://charlottephoto.org/sports-in-june-mike-newcomer-winner http://charlottephoto.org/sports-in-june-mike-newcomer-winner Mike Newcomer challenged everyone with a complex setup shot with his son for this months Sports assignment.
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Great setup! He shot his son kicking a water balloon and then worked on getting the right spin shot.  To see the rest of the assignment goers of the month check out our tag: CPMG0610SA

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Fri, 07 May 2010 18:30:06 -0700 Linda Packard, May Contest Winner http://charlottephoto.org/linda-packard-may-contest-winner http://charlottephoto.org/linda-packard-may-contest-winner We would like to congratulate our Pro member Linda Sampson for her interpretation of 'Green'. We had a great field of entrants this month showing both creativity and technical knowledges. Linda's picture though peaked a lot of curiosity of the judges and we are pleased to have her in the winners circle.
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You can check out the entire groups assignment on flickr with the tag CPMG0510SA.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:13:23 -0700 April Photography Meeting http://charlottephoto.org/april-photography-meeting http://charlottephoto.org/april-photography-meeting For our April meeting we were to go over HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography and a Lightroom modules introduction. Steve Lindenman had a work committment jump up so Scott Stallings went through the Library and Development module for us. We also had Sean Busher come out and tell us about the upcoming City Block Project which should be a lot of fun later this month. Here's the intro presentation for those who missed it. I'll also re-record the demo of adding a picture to a forum post in a few days. Our monthly assignment was Luck and can be seen on flickr.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:10:15 -0700 Eric Karp, April Contest Winner http://charlottephoto.org/eric-karp-april-contest-winner http://charlottephoto.org/eric-karp-april-contest-winner This month saw a lot of internal interpretation of Luck. A few lucky souls however tried extra hard to create or capture representations of luck. Eric Karp got hands down the most points in the spread for his setup of a Las Vegas table you'd all love to have. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Los Vegas Luck"]
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[/caption] Thanks to all who have participated in our monthly assignment and contest. Let's continue to see some great captured imagery!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:40:55 -0700 March Catch Up Wrap Up http://charlottephoto.org/march-catch-up-wrap-up http://charlottephoto.org/march-catch-up-wrap-up I put a pin in posting this until I could get the Powerpoint from our wonderful presenter Jayne Hunter of Mcguire Woods.  Having that now check out what we did during a very snowy early March evening.  We had my fastest run through the general presentation ever (seen below) and then to the February photo assignment of 'Love', gracious gigapixel busting Lindsay Birmingham taking it home.

March Photography Presentation

Copyright Basics from Jayne Hunter

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:30:59 -0800 Lindsay Birmingham, March Contest Winner http://charlottephoto.org/lindsay-birmingham-march-contest-winner http://charlottephoto.org/lindsay-birmingham-march-contest-winner We had a nice and diverse group of Pro entrants into this past months assignment/contest of 'Love'.  Many people shared some very precious moments and the field was pretty tight.  Lindsay Birmingham has been striving for a prize for many months now and she takes it home for her entry of a gigapixel macro heart expose. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="454" caption="Candy Heart Puzzle"]
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[/caption] This took a lot of time and a lot of macro pictures of hearts. We enjoyed this photo for it's technical skill and creative edge. She also likes to digitally manipulate items in a portion of her pictures and she laid in a number of modified hearts for people to find. You can check out this massive picture on Gigapan, and her backstory and setup on her blog.  As well she's been running a little contest if you can spot the modified hearts you can participate in! Great job Lindsay!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:04:00 -0800 February Meetup Recap http://charlottephoto.org/february-meetup-recap http://charlottephoto.org/february-meetup-recap We had a huge crowd of near 70 people ready to get out of the house after some bitter cold and icy weather in the Charlotte community. This night we had Casey show us a quick how-to on getting batch actions and droplets setup and Rich presented on 'Working a Scene'.

February Presentation

Working a Scene, How to Maximize a Scene's Photographic Potential

Rich Nicoloff, From the Journey Photography & Design

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:24:56 -0800 Greg Newman, February Contest Winner http://charlottephoto.org/greg-newman-february-contest-winner http://charlottephoto.org/greg-newman-february-contest-winner Ten contenders entered the cage match...er, well they did enter our Pro contest and let us judge them.. same difference!  The topic was Winter and while there were some creative entries the eye was caught solidly by Greg's interpretation. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Greg Newman's "Rent to Own""]
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There was actually a sign on the property that read "Rent to Own". I've had my eye on this property to shoot for months and decided now is the best time. I believe the fire department has schedule to burn this old house for training purposes. Greg Newman
Thanks Greg for a wonderful shot.  The judges thought it was a great setup and shows exposure mastery. The main point against it was the difficulty in feeling winter from the shot but the technical and creative scores made up for it. We look forward to what our Pro members will come up with next months assignment, Love!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:59:21 -0800 Starting 2010 Right, January Review http://charlottephoto.org/starting-2010-right-january-review http://charlottephoto.org/starting-2010-right-january-review It's very cold here in the Carolina's.  Cold enough that most of us want to just hunkerdown and not go outside for shots. Maybe if enough of us stand close we'll be ok. Well a lot came out to join us at St. Johns last night for our January meeting.  If it weren't for all those warm bodies I'm not sure if the room would have warmed up! We had a great meeting reviewing some of the survey that was sent out and ringing in the new year with our Pro Photo of the Year results and some great presentations by Sharon Mason and Casey Sussman.

January Slideshow

Photography Mistakes, Top Things Not to Do

Sharon Mason has been itching to share some top ideas to avoid while shooting photos. These are classic and will get you every time, so start paying attention! Great year scheduled and a lot more being added all the time. Hope to see you at the next meeting or outing!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:22 -0800 Pro Photo of 2009, Eric Karp http://charlottephoto.org/pro-photo-of-2009-eric-karp http://charlottephoto.org/pro-photo-of-2009-eric-karp

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Eric Karp took home our membership wide vote with 22% of the respondents.  Even though we had a limited year for 2009 the field was a tough one.  Eric won back in July during the 'Wow' assignment. Thank you Eric and all those who are entering.  The field will grow larger this year so be ready! Update: We got the plaque in today and are proud to be able to give it at the next meetup.
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:00:19 -0800 December Photography Wrapup http://charlottephoto.org/december-photography-wrapup http://charlottephoto.org/december-photography-wrapup I love the years end with our group.  We all get to gather, keep it low-key and usually nosh down on some great food from everyone.  This year was no different and we had to put quite a few tables together to get to all the grub.  From The Secret Chocolatier's Chocolate Pate, homemade cheese-balls, delicious crab and crackers.  Man it was some good eats. We had planned to have a delightful lady, Casey out to teach us a bit more of photoshop but things come up so we ended up talking about our upcoming Help-Portrait work and the assignment.  You can catch it below.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:45:03 -0800 Brandon, December Contest Winner http://charlottephoto.org/brandon-december-contest-winner http://charlottephoto.org/brandon-december-contest-winner We had a nice spread this month of Pro's entering and we actually had a real close race in second. Brandon took a nice lead in first though this month for our 'Giving' assignment. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Giving in to the Spirit of Christmas"]
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[/caption] You can check out Brandon's works at Gathered Moments, or his flickr outpost.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:02:31 -0800 December Assignment, Giving http://charlottephoto.org/december-assignment-giving http://charlottephoto.org/december-assignment-giving We didn't want to be cliche with the usual 'Family', 'Thanksgiving', 'Holiday' ideas so we gave something that was seasonal but could mean a lot more. Giving. Such a broad range of emotional and interpretive options. The gift of a smile, a touch, a look. As always you can check out our members directly on flickr (tagged: cpmg1209sa) or the embeded slideshow below:

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:05:18 -0800 Mike Newcomer, Autumn Contest Winner http://charlottephoto.org/mike-newcomer-autumn-contest-winner http://charlottephoto.org/mike-newcomer-autumn-contest-winner Mike Newcomer has been working hard the last few months to get our attention with his entries into the Pro contest. He's got a great eye and has a lot of fun with his images. Mike chose to capture something a bit more fun with his seasonal entry with a SC State Fair picture.  Congratulations Mike! [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="I was wanting to capture an image that symbolized what the SC State Fair is all about. I think I found it - Fall, Food, Fun and CORN DOGS! -- Mike Newcomer"]
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[/caption] You can also check out Mike's photography site at Your Best Pix. Thanks to everyone who participated in the assignment and the Pros who let us judge their images.  Assignments are a great way to get yourself out of a rut.  Take it seriously or have fun with it, but get out and exercise your photography/creativity zones and engage with us.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:45:20 -0800 November Photography Meeting Wrap-Up http://charlottephoto.org/november-photography-meeting-wrap-up http://charlottephoto.org/november-photography-meeting-wrap-up It is amazing how many things can go wrong and you still make a right.  Pulling together our meeting this month took a lot of effort from a lot of people.  We had to find a new home this month, a presenter got pushed back, the fall back plan was nuked due to a laptop meltdown.  Ah the joys of coordinating. In the end, in a new location, with a Plan C, we reigned victorious.  Group member BJ Vance found us a new home at her Church which proved quite spacious.  We'll give it a go a few more times and see how well we fit. We are defintely happy to have found  place to rest though.  For as big as our community is there are not many good places to host a group of 40+ on the cheap.

Our Monthly Slideshow

We had a fantastic time and filled the extra time before break out sessions with a panel of our own leadership answering any question that could be thought of. We easily burned some time and had some fun helping others. While direct Q&A time is great, when we break out is a fantastic time for members to ask other members for input. We are a collective of great knowledges and it's awesome to share with each other. We're definitely going to do some more panels in the future and try and bring in some more domain experts to share their wisdom with us.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:09:40 -0700 November Assignment, Autumn http://charlottephoto.org/november-assignment-autumn http://charlottephoto.org/november-assignment-autumn The air is cooling and the peak leaf season is nearly done. Autumn is definitely in the air. Our assignment for the month is Autumn/Fall and it has been neat to watch everyones submissions.  The themes noticed are the ever classic leaves changing colors, Festivals & Fairs, and in our area a Balloon launching.  Check it out here or through our tag on Flickr: cpmg1109sa

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:38:43 -0700 Coming into Photography http://charlottephoto.org/coming-into-photography http://charlottephoto.org/coming-into-photography
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When you get a small group of aspiring or working photographers together you're bound to have some interesting discussions. When we have evening meetups like we did last night at Common Market in South-End Charlotte the rails usually diverge rather quickly. This night however our gathering was quite focused thanks to Mark Barney who shared a lot of candid concerns with his growth as a photographer. Photography with purpose was what became the theme of the discussion.

Discipline Yourself

I asked what he loved to photograph and it turned out as with many early photographers, 'everything'.  Which always gets me to go down the path of making yourself do studies or your own version of a thesis. While we all love to capture a lot of generalities you won't know what you really have a passion for until you dive deep within a topical matter.  If you love micro/macro photography do a study that brings you close to the subject matters.  What does it take to capture the essence of a macro-object.  How does it change, what changes in its perception and meaning with experimentation. The idea can be applied to anything from portraiture to table top work.  While you may 'like' everything, you will eventually find a love for only a few disciplines in any field. Not to mention all the experience you gain by going through a deep thought process exploring, reflecting, learning.

Grow through Helping Others

Mike Baker also jumped right in with a list of ways to continue growth with high school sports and cause related photography.  While I am not good at paraphrasing his words the closest I can come to his meaning was how much joy one can bring to family & others who are not usually photographed.

You Can't Grow in a Vacuum

We also leaned on the idea of delving deeper into social media (flickr) and our group as a way to grow.  Ask for critiques, seek out groups on your topic matter, explore and share.  Put your work out there knowing something is wrong and looking for ways of making it better. We all had a good time sharing our experiences and thoughts on the matter.  We had a few people share their images and we got to give some light but constructive feedback.  I really enjoy these events as they are far more intimate than a large group setting and allow us to get to know each other better.  If you would like to host such an event just let us know, we're always looking for more help facilitating all sorts of gatherings!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:49:19 -0700 Nick Chin, Music Contest Winner http://charlottephoto.org/nick-chin-music-contest-winner http://charlottephoto.org/nick-chin-music-contest-winner We wanted people to stretch their wings a little with last months Music assignment. Music is is ephemeral, it can literally not be captured. Nick Chin went to great lengths to create an image that was in camera and caught not only the delicacy of music, but of light as well. We congratulate Nick winning this months contest and are amazed at seeing his growth curve within the group. We had some other fabulous entries and we are again appreciative for other Pro members sticking their work out there for us to see and critique. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Charlotte Strobist Captures Music"]
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:03:53 -0700 October Photography Meeting Wrap-Up http://charlottephoto.org/october-photography-meeting-wrap-up http://charlottephoto.org/october-photography-meeting-wrap-up The weather in Charlotte this week has been murky, gray, and drizzle most of the time. Usually when weather like this sinks in we see people want to stay home and warm but not this night. We had a nice group of about 40 join us for a great evening with Scott, Andy, June, Sharon, & Steve. We switched things up a little bit this month as Pro member Lindsay Birmingham suggested and put our assignment overview in front of the actual winners of the Pro contest. We think it was a wise suggestion.

Monthly Presentation

Flickr Tutorial

Every year we need to go over what Flickr is, why we choose to use it, and how the group can best benefit from it as a group and individual. June Wessinger gave us a walkthrough of Flickr from homepage, contact signups, group usage and the importance of tagging. While our more advanced users know much if not everything about Flickr we have to go through this for the sheer amount of questions we usually field about the topic.

Noise Reduction Software

Scott Stallings delivered a comprehensive overview of noise removal software. By far one of the most important tools in a low light shooters arsenal is the ability to save an image from the brink of noise. Scott goes over Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), Picturecode's Noise Ninja, Nik Software's Dfine 2.0, and Imagenomics Noiseware.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1196945/businesscard-front-01.jpg http://posterous.com/users/herZJT0z8cQky CPMG Role CPMG CPMG Role