"Buildings"

A few pictures from the "Buildings" assignment. Click on any one of the pictures to see them in full size.

Bee hive by Ian Peters	Poet's walk willow house by Joanne Valeo	Trondheim Cathedral by Ian Peters
Lighthouse Museum Stonington, CT by Karen Consolato	Pensacola Beach Lighthouse by Karen Consolato	Fishing Museum , Norway by Ian Peters
Old house by Bert Schmitz	Sandy Point Shoal Light by Joanne Valeo	Buildings #4 by Karen Consolato
Corner store by Mary Jean Winkler	City in the rain by Mary Jean Winkler	Santuario de la Madonna della Corona by Joanne Valeo
Lighthouse, Norway by Ian Peters	Assisi by Joane Valeo	Building #1 by Gail Goldberg
Battery potter by Karen McMahon	Book store, Fort Hancock by Karen McMahon	New Hope Station by Dawn Dingee
Pompeii by Joanne Valeo	Buldings #2 by Steve Balkin	Warehouse by Mary Jean Winkler
Bennett College by Dawn Dingee	Draughty Castle by Ian Peters	?Amsterdam in May by Karen Consolato
Farm by Dawn Dingee	Buildings #2 by Karen Consolato	Building #2 by Gail Goldberg
Officers homes, Fort Hancock by Karen McMahon	Buildings #7 by Karen Consolato	Buldings #3 by Steve Balkin
Bulding #1 by Nancy Zannini	Chicken coop in Brazil by Pat Vanicky	Spain # 2 by Bert Schmitz
Bennett College by Brian Wilcox	Doorway into bunker by Karen McMahon	Building #4 by Gail Goldberg
?Amsterdam in May by Karen Consolato	Molde Museum by Ian Peters	Building #3 by Gail Goldberg
Thomas Point Light by Joanne Valeo	Arctic Cathedral, Tromso at night by Ian Peters	Church, Trondheim by Ian Peters
North Cape Norway by Ian Peters	A Home Pensacola Beach, FL by Karen Consolato	Spain # 1 by Bert Schmitz
Houseboat by Karen Consolato	Power plant by Brian Wilcox	Rosslyn Castle by Ian Peters
Down on the Bayou by Dawn Dingee	Buldings #1 by Steve Balkin	Vietnam by Bert Schmitz
Building #1 by Pat Vanicky	Incholm Abbey Firth of Forth by Ian Peters

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS by Dawn Dingee

My husband and I both enjoy photographing birds. We have several feeders in our back yard which unfortunately we had to remove this past winter due to the bears! But with the cold weather on its way, we will be able to put our feeders back out to attract a variety of birds through the winter. One season, we kept a log of the variety of birds and I think we counted 58! Here are some tips for photographing birds, whether it be in their natural habitat or in your own backyard. Either one can be very enjoyable.

BEST TIME OF YEAR

The best time of year to photograph birds is in the spring. At this time of year, you will be able to catch a variety of birds as they migrate north. It’s always a great time to capture them in their nests.

BEST TIME OF DAY

Early morning is best – within the 3 hours after the sun rises is when birds are the most active.

GETTING THE PERFECT PHOTO

Getting the perfect photo is mostly about framing the scene around the bird in such a way that the final image is not only pleasing to the eye, buy conveys the habitat of the bird, its behavior, or other aspects that might be interesting or intriguing. Try not putting the bird in the direct center of the photo; remember the rule of thirds. When a bird is in flight, try giving the bird “space to fly”. This can often be done in post-processing by cropping as long as you have left enough room when taking the shot.
Use the center focus point, or center focus point with surrounding focus points, and concentrate to keep the focus points directly on the head of the bird.  When attempting to track a bird in flight, you must pan faster than you think is necessary. You will miss the perfect shot if you are panning too slowly and you capture the feet sharply instead of the head.

TELL A STORY

Your photos of birds can often tell a story. Capturing a bird catching its meal or a female bird feeding her young will always be more interesting than capturing a bird simply sitting on a branch. Those can be nice too especially if it’s a unique bird – any way you can capture it is good; but for some more common birds, it would be best to capture something unique or intriguing about the bird to add interest. If capturing birds in flight, remember to keep space in front of the bird so it has ‘room to fly’. Freezing the wings by taking the shot at a very high shutter speed is nice, but having some blur on the wings indicates motion so that’s okay too.

CAMERA GEAR

To get ‘pro’ shots in the wild, you will need a SLR/DLST with a 300mm (or more) lens, a tripod (with a remote if you can) and most of all patience. I typically shot with a 100mm-400mm lens. You can even get good shots with an advanced point and shoot with a 10X zoom.
Using a telephoto lens will allow you to get good shots without getting too close.
Using a high shutter speed is essential. Strive toward 1/1000th shutter speed or faster when attempting to freeze the wings. As mentioned earlier, you may want to opt for a slower shutter speed to slightly bur the wingtips which can imply motion.
Some people like to use a bird-calling app to lure birds. These can be okay; however, they should be used sparingly and in such a way as to not stress the bird. They should never be used to lure a bird away from the nest during the nesting cycle as this can leave the eggs or babies open for predators! And never use bait to lure a bird!

BIRD FEEDERS

Bird feeders are a great way to lure a variety of birds to your own backyard. Be sure to change the seed often if needed so that the seeds doesn’t become moldy and wet.

BIRD BATHS

To attract birds to a bird bath, put it near a feeder. Birdbath water should be changed every few days to insure a fresh, clean environment for the birds.
Some random shots of all types of birds including owls, ducks, eagles and birds.

Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy

On October 22, 2021, Iforur members of our camera club ( plus Ted Roth) went for a quick trip to Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield.Here are a few pictures from the outing

by Karen Consolato

by Karen Consolato

by Karen Consolato

by Lazlo Gyorsok

by Lazlo Gyorsok

by Lazlo Gyorsok

THE ANTWERP PHOTOGRAPHY MUSEUM by Pamela Peeters

I took my first photograph when I was seven. That was during a very special occasion, and I still remember the excitement of holding the rectangular camera that you had to wind manually and press really hard until you heard a clear “click” sound. The outcome of this snapshot was hilarious as I had photographed a young man - almost 2 meters long and holding a glass of champaign - looking down on the much shorter young girl I was then. To this day, I still like to use the angle “photograph from a low point of view” with great results, although the ones I took when I followed a Silverback gorilla in Bukavu (CONGO) at age 21 were a bit shaky at first. At age 30, I was filming on a weekly basis with a SONY PD 150 as I produced the TV show entitled OUR PLANET that aired on Manhattan cable for six years. Some of the screenshots I took while editing the show were even exhibited at my first solo art show at the Sharon Town Hall. The benefits of digital became clear to me at that time.
So where do I go for inspiration? There where there is nature or people of course as to observe and snap what attracts or talks to me. I also enjoy exploring photographic museums when I travel and the most recent one I visited was the “fotomuseum” in Antwerp this past October the 14th.. It was then that I entered a former warehouse close by the river Scheldt and was met with two very kind women who suggested I started upstairs and make my way down again. Up the elevator I went!
The first fine thing I was able to witness when I walked out of the elevator was a video that explained to the audience how the museum works and what they collect. For the interested amongst you, that video is available on the landing page of their website and offers a fabulous insight in the minds of the people who work at the museum. You will also learn about the kind of works the curators and buyers for the museum collection are interested in. To me, the people who participated with this informative and playful video represent the “Antwerp” of the moment. A “current cultural snapshot” in other words and thanks to the English subtitles, accessible to all the members of this Club.
The guard at the museum, who welcomed me when I entered the exhibit hall, was another treat to meet and that set the pace for the discovery of the old and new photographs that decorated its walls. Since I visited the museum in between two shows there was only one floor to explore but that did not prevent me to feel fulfilled because of the quality of the works and the kindness of the people who work there. You can equally discover a lot on your own through the excellent website: https://fomu.be.
On the landing page you will see the curator’s video and, on the right of it, you will see a black and white picture subtitled: “artist video, David Claerbout.” Click on it and you will be offered an interview with an artist fascinated by Elvis before he was famous. I recommend it.
So, when you plan your next trip to Europe put Belgium on the map and also include a visit to Antwerp, the place I was born. Besides being the host to excellent museums, you can also enjoy the view of a fairytale Town Hall and the Cathedral of Our Lady, started in 1352 (let that sink in) as they are definitely worth being captured by your camera lens. Inside this Gothic building, also on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, you will be able to see four works by local artist Pieter Paul Rubens. Bon voyage!

PSA Travel competition pictures, November 2021

Inuit bikers	October evening, Stockhom, Sweden	Central station, Stocholm, Sweden
Winter in Quebec City	VermontSchoolhouse_NancyZannini	Buda Castle
Where have all the tourists gone	Touring Graffity Alley in Toronto	Make an offering
New York City scene	Mosque	One day hostel
Northenr lights, Norway	King of all

PSA Pictorial competition pictures, November 2021

Still life with flowers	Pakistani Train	Arctic Cotton
Blueberries	At the Great Falls	Celebrations
Cat	Poppy	I DO
Car wash	Not Georgia O'Keeffe	Stockholm, Sweden archipelago
Horse in field	You look very Sheepish	Elephant profile
Chicken of the wood mushroom	A new Day	Haircut
Pond at Grand Teton