MANHATTAN FOCUS

Manhattan Miniature Camera Club Vol. 48, No. 8 mmcc-nyc.org May 2009

MMCC meetings: Below are the bios from the judges: 6:30 pm sharp!* Ken Bausart Monday, May 4 (1st Monday) Competition and Assigned Theme: Ken’s bio was not available at the time of printing. “Crossing Rivers” Judge: Jack Kaminsky Vicki Dolce

Monday, May 18 (3rd Monday) When Vicki was laid off from her “real” job eight years ago, She knew it was time to concentrate Best of the Year Judges: Ken Bausert, on her real love - photography, specifically nature Vicky Dolce and Bernie Saper and wildlife. Since turning pro, she has been published a number of times; some of which are Monday, June 8 (1st Monday) Hallmark cards, Black River Publishing outdoor End of the Year Dinner (Location TBD) calendar, Huntington Tulip Festival Brochure, Best of Photography Annual 2002, USA Color Sports * Competition entries must be in by magazine, two images in the book Reflections (a 6:15 pm; put your ID number on prints photo journey of the events of 9/11) and the cover and slides. Send your digital projected story titled “The Elegant Egret” in Nature Friend entries to Betsy Currier. magazine. She has had exhibits over the years at Paul Weinschenk Gallery, Ashforth Warburg Gallery, Competition No 9: Lever House and the UniBank Building. May 4 One of her greatest enjoyments is presenting shows and tutorials to various venues (camera Jack Kaminsky bio was not available at the time of clubs, schools, libraries) and instilling her love of printing. photography, nature and wildlife to others. She maintains memberships in: Best of the Year • North American Nature Photographers Competition Association May 18 • Sierra Club • Audubon Society All images are eligible for submission. These are • Nature Conservancy the images that you consider your best work even • Central Park Conservancy if the judges didn’t. • ASPCA • Humane Society • International Freelance Photographers Assn. Manhattan Miniature Camera Club

Bernie Saper galapagos Island Bernie is a member of the Fresh Meadows Camera by Karl Sparber Club. His interests in photography go back many years and range from nature, landscape, floral, For two weeks in Jan. I headed South to Ecuador architecture, and anything of interest that wanders in with the intention of an 8-day cruise around the front of his lens. After many years of pleasure in the Galapagos Islands. This trip involved more than 6 darkroom his work now is digital and he must say months of planning so I expected to learn a lot and that it is wonderfully exciting to explore the hidden have some fun too; and I wasn’t disappointed. I flew meanings of a photograph with Adobe Photoshop. from Miami to Guayaquil and then continued on another flight (2 hours) to Baltra, a small airport on the island of Santa Cruz. There I boarded my cruise FIELD TRIP ship (60 feet long with accommodations for 20) - I MAY 9 was surprised that we were only 7 tourists mostly by June Steffensen Hagen from Europe and around 30 years old - so I had a cabin to myself. On Saturday May 9th, we will have a photo field There are approximately 18 islands; we visited just trip to the wilds of Astoria, Hunter’s Point, and 8. Still, lots of native fauna to see. Of prominence , an eight-minute subway ride from in this area were: sea lions, turtles (which live in the Bloomingdale’s. The focus will be: water) and tortoises (which are land based), and lots Shoreline and Bridges. Probable sites include of birds: boobies (both red and blue footed varieties), Gantry Park, Socrates Sculpture Park, Astoria Park, cormorants, hawks, albatrosses, sally light footed , Bridge, Triboro crabs (red) and lots of iguanas of various colors and Bridge, and the Hellgate Rail Bridge, with maybe sizes. In addition, there were plenty of sharks of some old factories thrown in for good measure. different varieties, penguins and dolphins. We will meet at around 9:30 at June’s apartment in Except for several small towns, the islands are Astoria--easily reached by N, W, and F trains, with devoid of population. The resulting peace and a few minutes walk--have some coffee and bagels, quiet is extremely striking. The government get oriented, and use cars the rest of the way. By bars immigration to the park from the mainland 1:00-1:30pm. we’ll eat lunch at a favorite Greek dive, and overseas, as well as any and all economic Opa!, right near an entrance to the elevated N/W development. In addition, the number of boats, lines, so you can get home easily. (If it rains we will tourists and even snorkelers are limited at all times go to the Noguchi Museum--photography allowed, and all places by the government. but no flash--and to PS 1, the contemporary art museum connected to MoMA. Both these buildings, This was a wonderful trip, one which I would highly the first an old factory, and the second, an 1890s recommend to anyone interested in nature. public school, are worth seeing and photographing, no matter what the exhibits happen to be.

PLEASE RESPOND QUICKLY: 1) do you plan on coming? and 2) do you have a car to use for this trip--and how many people can you fit in it? ? Please email [email protected] or phone 718-278- 9130. Space is limited by the number of cars, so sign up quickly. June will have directions, maps, etc., later for those who sign up. Manhattan Miniature Camera Club

ARE YOU READY TO COMPETE? by Bob Burns Newcomers to camera clubs generally learn about HAVE A CENTER OF INTEREST competition by trial and error. Sometimes this can be pretty disheartening. A picture that has too many subjects or objects in it lacks a “center of interest”. This causes the eye to continually So let us explore the “mystery of competition”. You’ll see scan, looking for a place to settle and never finds it. that a lot of the terms used by the judges can be explained Something must be dominant, so that your attention is by the IBM slogan - “THINK”. Think before you trip the fixed upon it. shutter. What makes a competition slide? A slide may be great DON’T CUT OFF THE END as part of a travelogue or essay, but in competition it With a single lens reflex camera particularly, you must must stand all by itself. It must say to the judge, “LOOK learn to look at the ground glass area and see that the AT ME”. It must capture his/her attention with impact, whole subject is included and does not “hang over the mood, center of interest, and technical excellence. If your edge”. If you are shooting a person, its okay to do a head slide meets all these requirements, most judges will give and shoulders portrait, but don’t cut off the top of the constructive criticism of the slide. You can learn from this hair or the tip of the nose. criticism - but only after you have made some mistakes. So... AVOID MERGERS LET’S GET A JUMP ON THE JUDGE: When the subject touches the edge of the frame or mask, this is called a merger. A merger of tones may occur SLIDES MUST BE TECHNICALLY CORRECT when the subject does not have sufficient contrast to its surroundings, even though the colors are different. Slides that are underexposed, overexposed or out of A merger of figures can also happen when there is no focus should not be considered for competition. They will separation between people in a picture. be severely downgraded by most judges. The proper film and filters should be used unless some creative effect is THE WHOLE SUBJECT SHOULD BE IN intended. SHARP FOCUS FIND THE BEST SPOT FROM WHICH TO The proper combination of shutter speed and diaphragm SHOOT opening (f/stop) should be used to ensure the sharp focus of the whole subject. The closer you are to the subject, Don’t just stand there! Look for the spot from which the more critical these factors become. Use the depth of the best possible photo can be taken. Kneel or lie down, field preview on your camera. move to another spot (but watch out for oncoming cars or the edge of cliffs). DON’T CUT A PICTURE IN HALF STUDY THE SUBJECT! Avoid having horizon lines bisect the picture. When shooting reflections, it is usually better not to The difference between a “record” shot and an award include the original subject. Such reflection shots are really slide is generally the result of a little extra thought or two pictures and the eye continually jumps from one to the effort on the part of the photographer. The subject didn’t other, seeking the dominant image and doesn’t find one. change, but the treatment of it was unusual. A fertile imagination cam be most helpful here: DON’T TIP THE SUBJECT • move in closer • shoot up at a high, angle Keep the camera as level as possible. Wide-angle lenses will exaggerate any tipping effect. When photographing • try a different lens buildings, either find a higher vantage point or get farther • silhouette the subject away and use a longer focus lens to increase the image size. • shoot down on the subject in some manner Manhattan Miniature Camera Club

DON’T OVEREXPOSE HIGHLY TRY THE OTHER SIDE REFLECTIVE AREAS Our eyes customarily read from left to right. Many times You should be able to recognize highly reflective areas the leading lines or action in the picture will be improved without difficulty - your eyes begin to squint. When at the by reversing the slide (as long as there are no legible beach or on the ski-slope on a bright day, you shouldn’t signs to prevent it). Reflection shots can be inverted and need a light meter to tell you to close down a full stop, or fantasies created (the original subject must not show). halve the exposure time. PUT YOU INTO THE PICTURE HAVE THE SUBJECT FIT THE FRAME This doesn’t mean you should put the camera on There must be an aesthetic relationship of subject to automatic timer and run around to get in the picture! ! frame. A tall skinny lighthouse should be a tall slender What it does mean is that you can’t photograph other mask. A short stubby lighthouse should be in a mask more people’s work - art, sculpture, etc. - unless you have either nearly square. added something to it or have placed it in some unusual situation or surroundings where it is merely part of the INCLUDE ALL OF THE SUBJECT OR MOVE scene, not the principle object. CLOSER TO GET THE HEART MASK UNWANTED PARTS OF THE SLIDE In the case of flowers, either include the whole flower or move in close and make just a portion fill the frame. Very few winning slides are shown full frame, as taken. Sometimes it isn’t necessary to show the entire head to Generally there is some portion that detracts from the portray a person. However, it must be done with artistry overall excellence. There may be some clutter in the and results in an attractive picture. foreground, a slanting horizon line, some object that intrudes into the picture or just too much of something. GIVE MOTION ROOM TO MOVE Masking can help. Very satisfactory masks can be obtained There should be enough space in front of a moving subject from Erie Color Slide Club, P.O. Box 672, Erie, PA 16512. so that it doesn’t seem cramped or threatened with a The openings available will serve just about all your needs. sudden halt. It will also look as if the subject is moving into They can also supply the binding tape. Cover glass can be the frame. The space behind the subject is less important. bought at your local camera store. AVOID LARGE EMPTY FOREGROUNDS BE NEAT!! Either get closer to the subject or use a longer focus When masking and glass mounting slides, neatness and lens. If this isn’t possible, try to include objects which cleanliness are most important. Fingerprints and dust compliment the subject without dominating it. MUST be removed. Horizons must be really horizontal and vertical lines must be really vertical. The cover glass FILL THE FRAME must be properly cleaned. Film costs money, so why waste it on small subjects and large surroundings. Move in close and make the subject as large as possible. Eliminate useless backgrounds. If you can’t get physically closer to the subject, try a longer focal length lens.

HAVE FUN !!!

ENJOY SHOOTING AND IMPROVING YOUR PHOTOS Manhattan Miniature Camera Club MMCC CUMULATIVE SCORES Competition No. 8 • April 6, 2009 • Judge: Eric Mayr

S L I D E S PRINTS Cumulative honors: Cumulative Cumulative honors: Cumulative Member score Comp. #8 Entries* Average Member score Comp. #8 Entries* Average Group AA Group AA 12+ Entries 12+ Entries Burns, Bob 121.0 HM/A 14 8.64 Burns, Bob 104.5 HM/A-Best 12 8.71 Hsu, Joe 136.0 2A 16 8.50 La Fontaine, Julia 101.0 HM 12 8.42 La Fontaine, Julia 115.0 A 14 8.21 Hsu, Joe 134.0 A 16 8.38 Pollinger, Lila 97.0 A/HM 12 8.08 Jones, Geraldine 112.0 A 14 8.00 Jones, Geraldine 113.0 HM/A 14 8.07 Hagen, June Koster, Beverly 95.5 HM/A 12 7.96 Steffensen 109.5 HM 14 7.82 Under 12 Entries Under 12 Entries Gluck, Dr. Morton 34.0 2A-Best 4 8.50 Currier, Betsy 18.0 2 9.00 Sparber, Karl 59.5 8 7.44 Gluck, Dr. Morton 82.5 11 7.50 Group A Group A 12+ Entries 12+ Entries Heller, Ronald 125.0 HM 16 7.81 Howard, Maria 100.0 A 12 8.33 Pyrpyris, George 104.0 HM 14 7.43 Odoner, Dunn 91.5 12 7.63 Pichetti, Regina 115.5 16 7.22 Under 12 Entries Zimmerman, Rita 115.5 16 7.22 Pinto, Richard 9.0 A 1 9.00 Under 12 Entries Ivanick, Carol 84.5 10 8.45 Currier, Betsy 20.0 3 6.67 Sparber, Karl 64.0 8 8.00 Buncick, Maria 53.0 8 6.63 Eldridge-Matra, Robyn 46.0 HM 6 7.67 Miller, Mark 35.0 5 7.00

DIGITALLY PROJECTED IMAGES ELEANOR KATZ THEME COMPETITION Cumulative honors: Cumulative Work Hats (11/3/08), On My Block (3/9/09) Member score Comp. #8 Entries* Average 12+ Entries Cumulative Entries ..... Ivanick, Carol 103.0 12 8.58 Category** Cumulative Howard, Maria 130.5 A 16 8.16 Ivanick, Carol 4D, HM/2A 33.5 Currier, Betsy 102.5 A 13 7.88 Howard, Maria 2P/2D, A/2HM 32.5 Pollinger, Lila 110.0 2HM 14 7.86 Currier, Betsy 4D, HM/A 32.0 Hsu, Joe 107.5 HM/A-Best 14 7.68 Hagen, June Steffensen 2P/2D, HM/A 31.5 Buncick, Maria 116.5 HM 16 7.28 Odoner, Dunn 4P, 2HM 31.0 Under 12 Entries Buncick, Maria 4D, 2HM 31.0 Koster, Beverly 18.0 2 9.00 Pollinger, Lila 4D, A 30.5 Jones, Geraldine 50.0 6 8.33 Hagen, June Pichetti, Regina 4S 28.5 Steffensen 54.5 7 7.79 Gluck, Dr. Morton 2D, HM 15.5 Eldridge-Matra, Robyn 44.5 6 7.42 Roddy, Dolores 44.0 6 7.33 Gluck, Dr. Morton 80.0 11 7.27 ** Category: D = Digital; P = Prints; S = Slides

LEGEND:

A = Award (9 points) HM = Honorable Mention (8, 8.5 points) Best = Best of Month (within each Category, chosen by Judge from all images scoring 9, regardless of Group) Average: Simple avg. computed over all entries submitted by maker within each category *Makers with fewer than 12 entries by season’s end are ineligible to compete in year-end rankings of their Group Manhattan Miniature Camera Club

Slide Winners Photo Not Available Photo Not Available Photo Not Available Slides “Best of the Month” Slides “2nd Place” Slides “3rd Place” Morton Gluck Geraldine Jones Morton Gluck

Print Winners Photo Not Available Slides “Best of the Month” Bob Burns

Photo Not Available Photo Not Available Slides “2nd Place” Slides “3rd Place” Maria Howard Geraldine Jones Manhattan Miniature Camera Club

Digital Image Winners

Slides “Best of the Month” Slides “2nd Place” Joe Hsu Betsy Currier

Slides “3rd Place” Maria Howard

Manhattan Miniature Camera Club Officers

President: Betsy Currier Board of Directors Vice President: Open Bob Burns Julia La Fontaine Secretary: Julia Lafontaine Maria Howard Karl Sparber Treasurer: Maria Buncick Carol Ivanick June Steffenson-Hagen The Manhattan Miniature Camera Club of New York, Inc., founded in 1933, generally meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month at Community Church of New York, 28 East 35th Street, at 6:30 pm. Guests welcome!

Some of members belong to the Photographic Society of America. For information about joining PSA, go to www.psa-photo.org.