Photochrome Camera Club

Some tips , hints and procedures on travel photography and image presentations. This presentation will be accompanied by recently photographed images of South China’s Pearl River Delta, featuring HongKong, Macao and Canton.

Accomplished China traveler, Jim Silva will moderate.

The Palo Alto Baylands Wildlife Preserve is a great place to visit just about any time, but low tide really is a bonanza for wildlife photographers. Stilts, avocets, and other shore birds abound, and depending on the time of year, barn swallows and ground squirrels are there, Soon it’ll be nesting time for the Snowy Egrets and Black Crown Night Herons in the palm trees. When the time’s just right, the nesting birds can be photographed easily with a 200mm lens without disturbing them.

On April 24, 2008 there was some egret and night heron activity in the trees. Nearby, the avocets were in breeding plumage.

One way to get there: Take 101 to the Embarcadero turnoff in Palo Alto, go East on Embarcadero to the T intersection; turn left to the Duck Pond. The palm trees to the East of the pond are home to the nesting egrets. Bonus: lots of ducks (some itinerates) in the Duck Pond.

Into the Past
Photographs and story by Garrett Griffin

On a recent cool but sunny Saturday morning several members of Photochrome walked through a twelve foot brick wall and steel clad Star Gate into the middle of the 19th century. Well, not really. It was a structure from that time, Fort Point to be exact. A Civil War era Army building, Fort Point was built to defend the Golden Gate, not the bridge of that name, but the entrance to a destination that promised riches to all who passed through, San Francisco Bay and environs. Continue Reading »

Photochrome will be holding its first ever Photoshop Night on Thursday, May 15th. This meeting will be different from any meeting we’ve ever held, with four “acts” going on at the same time! The meeting room will be set up with four work stations, each with an instructor discussing different aspects of this powerful program.
During the evening, members can browse about and spend as much time as they wish at each station.
Here are the subjects being presented:
• Work Flow, with Stacy Boorn. Stacy will demonstrate how she gets her images from camera to computer. Then, she’ll discuss the steps she uses to translate the digital image into a work of art.

• Camera Raw, with Deborah Hall. Deborah will demonstrate the power of Camera Raw. We’ll discover the reasons why this step is so important to the serious digital photographer.

• Dodging and Burning Using Curves, with Connie Louie. Connie will demonstrate this technique, one of several which are preferable to using the Dodge & Burn Tool.

• Cloning, with Alan Heald. Alan will demonstrate several methods which allow a photographer to alter an image by replacing, or modifying, unwanted elements in a photograph.

If you own a laptop, bring it along. If you don’t own one, be sure and bring a pen and a pad of paper, because this evening will be a great way to acquire new skills.
For those of you who shoot film, Photoshop Night would be a great way to gain a new understanding the “digital revolution” in photography.

Our April 17th meeting will feature a special presentation:

Exploring Photography - South Atlantic Ocean
By Enrique Aguirre
Since 2002 I have concentrated most of my travels around the coast of the Atlantic Ocean with the hope of producing a book (just 2 more locations to go: Belize and the Namib Coast). The last of the long trips took me, again, to the Falkland Islands.

Part 1 - the Falkland Islands. Home to 5 species of penguins and the largest colonies of albatross on the planet, these islands provide an amazing wildlife spectacle during the Austral Summer months comparable to the migrations of the Masai Mara. I will show circa 40 images of penguins, seals, albatross, birds of prey and landscapes from the islands and will discuss equipment used, techniques, shooting strategies and location access.

Part 2 - 50° South and beyond - Ushuaia, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. If time allows I will show another 40 images of the planets wildest oceans, the infamous Drake Passage where Atlantic, Pacific and Antarctic Oceans meet… more seals, penguins and lots of ice. I will also talk about equipment, techniques, shooting strategies and access.

I will also bring my camera bag with me

Led by Stacy Boorn and Chris Kibre. Bring a lunch. Expect wildflowers, oak and other trees. Some walking/hiking involved. However, one can find quite a bit to work on near the parking area including a small stream. Meet at the Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 678 Portola Drive parking lot at 7:00 AM. Please let Stacy know if you think you might attend: sboorn-at-aol.com