Volume 83 QUARTERLY Issue 04 JOURNAL OF SUMMER 2009 CLEVELAND Darkroom Door July PHOTOGRAPHIC August SOCIETY September Smothered with Love Kathy Nelson Up, Up and Away Todd Liebenauer David Busch’s Digital Photography Bucket List, 100 Great Digital Photos You Must Take Before You Die Story on page 21 In This Issue Club Headquarters President’s Message………...…. 3 9543 Broadview Road Community Service….…..……… 5 Broadview Heights, OH 44147 Field Trips ……………..…...…….. 7 www.clevelandphoto.org Guest Column……….…….….… 11 Correspondence address Club Events………..….………... 16 P.O. Box 470303 Member Recognition…….……...19 Broadview Heights, OH 44147 CPS Competitions..................... 22 Club Room Renovations............ 25 Miscellaneous………….…….…. 27 CPS Officers Club Information………….…….. 30 President: Mark Coletta Vice President: Rick Wetterau Treasurer: Peggy Miklus Secretary: Debby Barath Past President: Rob Erick Board Members: From the Editor’s Desk Nancy Balluck Dave Brooks John Earl Brown Elisha Cerino Sharon Doyle Jim Frazer Diane Funk Dan Le Hoty This is the fourth issue of the Darkroom for me is the CPS Flickr site. I find lots of Barb Pennington Door with me as editor. It’s been an great photos there and I wish more of Shannon Rice exciting adventure over these past 12 you were on it. Many of you go on field Bill Rittman months. I’ve gotten to know many of our trips and take lots of photos, but I don’t members, whom I didn’t know before, know who you are or what photos you Darkroom Door Editorial Board: plus continually meeting both old and have taken. It would be great if you Editor: Marcia Polevoi new members. I’ve learned a lot about would send me your photos and Proofreader: Mary Kay Coletta how to put a newsletter together and volunteer to cover a field trip or event. Layout: Michele K. Abraham how to choose the photos. It’s been You can be sure I’ll be glad to hear from Consultant: Rob Erick frustrating at times—especially when you. I welcome all ideas and suggestions relying on a computer that doesn’t you may have to make the DD better. always do what I want. Mostly, it’s been fun, because I have three wonderful As usual, our club continues to grow and assistants, who help me out a great we are very near the 300-member mark. deal. Your kind remarks about the DD And, by the time this issue is out, we keep me enthusiastic about my work. should be settled into our newly renovated clubroom. Awesome things Most of the stories included are about continue to happen at CPS; we get good the club’s field trips and programs. I try publicity, exciting field trips, well- to cover as much as I can of what balanced programs and best of all...a occurred in the 3-month period that each book featuring many of our member’s issue covers. My aim is to get as many photos in it! members involved in providing the CPS is a founding member of the articles and the photos as I can. I This is all due to the enthusiasm and Photographic Society of America, PSA. attempt to have different people used in passion of our members. Without this, each issue so that all of you can have a we’d be just another camera club. chance to appear. One source of photos All Rights Reserved. All photographs herein are Marcia Polevoi protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the photographer. President’s Message CPS is on the verge of opening the doors of our newly renovated Clubroom, looking forward to all that is new and exciting for the club in the near future and as far off as we can see. After reading the article below, I did start to wonder—are we all just trying to keep up with the Jones’s of the photography world or should we just be working on our craft? I found this article on one of Scott Kelby’s blogs. I found it so interesting that I contacted the author, David duChemin and asked his permission to reprint it in our Darkroom Door. Mark Coletta The Coming Revolution by David duChemin I believe we’re at a turning point in the way we, as February 18 (that video can be found online here: an industry, approach our craft. Thanks to the http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/3433) Internet, information moves faster and faster, is a sign of the revolution of WHY that’s coming. It filling our brains to bustin’ with everything any of begins, like all good revolutions, with the murmurs us could ever hope to know about off-camera of discontent, but it’s going to lead somewhere flash, HDR techniques, hyper-focal distances, and great. the effect of aperture shape on bokeh. We have learned more and more, and if we have not it’s It’s going to lead to a satisfaction with the amount not for lack of information. And at the end of day of megapixels we have and dissatisfaction with we’re still hungry; full up on HOW and still the depth of our images. And that’s going to push wondering WHY. us to make better images, not bigger ones. My first book came out on Monday. After writing it It’s going to lead to a new ecumenical movement, and spinning much of it around the idea that WHY the Nikon versus Canon crusaders will lay down always drives HOW, I am more convinced than their swords and go create photographs instead, ever that we are about to reach critical mass with suddenly aware that talking/arguing about the HOW, and that we’re slowly turning, photography is not the same as actually making collectively, to see the vacuum that has formed photographs. They’ll suddenly realize they’ve while we weren’t paying attention. That vacuum is been asking if Nikon or Canon is better and never passion, vision, and the reason we picked up ask, “Better at what?” cameras to begin with—the need to express ourselves. To use a metaphor; it’s as though It’s going to stop us from using terms like “Travel we’re reaching the pinnacle of typewriter Photography” which defines our images by mode technology and have awoken to find that what of transport and not by how compellingly we we’re really passionate about is the stories, the photograph people, places, or culture, here or poems, and the words themselves rather than the around the world. Sure there are better ways to keys and ribbons. describe our work than, “I got on a plane to create this.” The incredible response to Zack Arias’ video Transform that appeared on Scott Kelby's blog on Page 3 The Coming Revolution cont’d It’s going to lead us to stop talking about the way of us who prefer digital won’t be threatened by we create light and start talking about the kind of that. What matters is that we’ll stop being light we create. That part of the revolution has bankrupted by the need to keep up with this already started with heroes like Joe McNally and maddening pace and instead will learn to use David Hobby leading the fray. the technology we do have, not to create images simply because we can, but to create The revolution, at its extremes, is going to push images that better express our vision in more us to fall so in love with this craft that we and more compelling, and gratifying, ways. abandon our addiction to technology and start calling the camera companies on their lunacy Idealistic, right? Maybe. But it’s that kind of when they tell the world that their new cameras idealism that leads me to believe a photograph are so good practically anyone can now shoot can change the world. Perhaps not all at once, like a pro; a claim that debases our craft and but who hasn’t had their own life course altered dishonors the work we all put in to be the best in some way because of one image? I can point visual storytellers we can be. to several, myself included, who heard the calling to photography in the eyes of Sharbat It’s going to force us the re-examine the words Gula, the Afghan girl whom Steve McCurry “amateur” and “professional,” words that unfairly photographed in 1984. I know that the images I imply the amateur doesn’t love their craft enough shoot for World Vision contribute to changing that they’d do it for a living, or worse: implies the lives of children living with HIV/AIDS and they aren’t good enough. I believe this revolution unimaginable poverty in sub-Saharan Africa - will see the lines not only blur between so-called I’ve seen it. So I believe in this craft, and I like to amateur and so-called professional, but be think that the hundreds of thousands of cameras replaced by more meaningful descriptions of sold every year are a witness to the democratic what we do. nature of this elegant discipline. And it’s that which leads me to think we’re heading I believe this revolution will force the artists and somewhere great, that the information the geeks to not only talk to each other but to avalanche that has necessarily accompanied abandon both their addiction to technology and the technological changes is going to carry us to their pretense of creating “art” and get down to great places, and once we dig ourselves out the business of simply learning and practicing we’ll get back to the business for which we got their craft.