Education

May Education Night – Special Presentation – “7 Secrets of Outstanding Telephoto Landscapes” by Joshua Cripps

You are invited to a special presentation to get you ready for our July assignment, Telephoto Landscapes, and make your future landscape images so much better!

Presentation Summary

“7 Secrets of Outstanding Telephoto Landscapes”

Ask a random photographer what lens to use for landscape photography and 90% of the time
they will answer, “a wide-angle, duh!!” Wide-angle lenses and landscapes are so closely
connected it sometimes feels like “thou shalt use a wide angle” is the first commandment
handed down from the landscape photography gods.
But in my opinion, the BEST lens for landscapes is actually the telephoto! What?! Heresy!! I
know, I know…
You see, photography is all about telling visual stories. And every complete story needs to do at
least three things:

Establish the environment.
Provide storytelling moments that showcase what unique things happen at a place.
Show intimate details about the subjects/places/things in your story to help your viewers
understand the place more deeply.

Telephoto lenses can do all of these things, and they are particularly good at numbers 2 & 3.
Which means telephoto lenses allow you to be a clearer, more personally expressive
storyteller since the specific moments and details you notice are very likely to be unique to you
and you alone.
However, shooting landscapes with a telephoto lens is extremely challenging. There are
compositional challenges, technical challenges, and visualization challenges, just to name a
few. But fear not. In this talk, I will cover 7 secrets that will allow you to harness the power of your
telephoto in order to tell more effective visual stories and become a more complete
photographer.

Joshua’s Bio

Joshua Cripps is a wilderness landscape photographer who has garnered widespread acclaim
for his strong compositional style and dramatic use of light and color. His images have been
published by National Geographic, NASA, CNN, BBC, Nikon, Outdoor Photographer Magazine,
and many others. He is one of today’s most sought-after photography educators, speaking at
conferences and leading photo tours in North and South America, Europe, and the Pacific.
Josh grew up in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada and has been exploring the Range of
Light for most of his life. Since 2015 Josh has made his home in the Eastern Sierra, one of the
most spectacular and photogenic mountain landscapes in the world.
In 2023, Josh founded The Mount Whitney Gallery as a way to share his passion for the
stunning landscapes of the Sierra Nevada and beyond. Located at the base of stunning Mount
Whitney in the small town of Lone Pine, California, the gallery features fine art prints of Josh’s
signature photographs. The gallery also serves as a classroom where Josh teaches other
photographers how to capture their own spectacular photos.

A Few Examples of Joshua’s Art

Who Should Attend

If you shoot landscapes (which is pretty much all of us!) then this presentation will help you narrow your point of view. This seems counter-intuitive but believe me, I shot landscapes with an 80-200mm lens for many years. I still use my 70-200mm lens a lot. I needed that very narrow view to start to see the landscape in smaller bits. Now I am much better at using my wide-angle lenses and eliminating what the telephoto lens did for me.

I have had Joshua as an instructor, in-person and online. He is a dynamic teacher and an amazing photographer and he knows more about PhotoPills than anyone else I know!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2023) members a few days prior to 05/25/2023.

Non -Members – If you are interested in joining us to see what we are all about, we will send you a Zoom Invitation for our Exhibit/Comments Night only. Please send your Name and Email address with the Subject line “Zoom Invite Needed for MEETING on (appropriate date)” to mytbcc@gmail.com so we can get the invitation to you.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on 05/18/2023 and at our Education Night on 05/25/2023, for this special presentation.

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

April Education Day – Special Day and Time and Very Special Presentation on Travel Photography by Rick Sammon

Yes, the “Godfather of Photography” will be doing a special presentation all about Travel Photography!

This Education Day Zoom meeting will be at 3 PM EDT on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

Presentation Summary

In this fun-filled and info-packed presentation, Rick Sammon will take us around the world, from Alaska to Africa and from the High Arctic to Antarctica. He’ll share with us his tricks, tips, and techniques for making images with impact – which is one of Rick’s goals. If you are interested in wildlife, nature, and landscape photography, this meeting is for you.

Rick’s Bio

Award-winning photographer Rick Sammon loves his day job. A tireless, prolific, and inspirational image-maker, Rick, called by some “The Godfather of Photography,” has authored 43 books. His latest are: “Photo Therapy Motivation and Wisdom–Discovering the Power of Pictures” and “Photo Quest–finding your photographic and artistic voice”.

He also has 40 photography classes on KelbyOne.com.

While Rick describes himself as “evolving” and an Explorer of Life, he hesitates to categorize his work. “I’m an A-to-Z type of photographer. I do it all–and I enjoy the freedom of not specializing.”

With nearly 40 years of experience, this self-taught photographer has many accomplishments–and many more anticipated for the road ahead. As Rick suggests, “When you are through changing, you are through.”

Visit Rick at www.ricksammon .com. He can be contacted at ricksammon@me.com.

Some Samples of Rick’s Photography from His Travels

Who Should Attend

Rick is the ultimate generalist so his presentation is for everyone! This talk is focused on Travel Photography but travel photography in general includes most types of photography!

Rick’s “Sammonisms,” which are his very memorable lines of wisdom on photography, are, to me (who has many of them stuck in my head), one of the main reasons to attend!

We will record the meeting and send the link to our current members in case you can not make the meeting on this special day and time!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2023) members a few days prior to 04/23/2023.

Non -Members – If you are interested in joining us to see what we are all about, we will send you a Zoom Invitation. Please send your Name and Email address with the Subject line “Zoom Invite Needed for MEETING on (appropriate date)” to mytbcc@gmail.com so we can get the invitation to you.

I hope to see you at our Exhibit/Comment Night on 04/20/2023 and at our Special Education Day at 3 PM EDT on Sunday 04/23/2023, for this special presentation.

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

March Education Night – “How to Create an Environmental Portrait” by your Education Team

Making a portrait of a person in their environment is not the same as a normal portrait. An environmental portrait requires that you pull back some and show that person in their workspace or other environment that is applicable to that person’s life and/or passion.

Robert Rostick, Jim Sykes, and Lynn Wiezycki take you into the art studio of a local artist and show you his environment and then show you several ways to work with the person in their environment to create a portrait that is about the person and what he/she does!

We have created a video showing the techniques and essence of this type of portraiture. We will answer your questions after the video.

So please think about a person or persons who might fit this assignment. Think about the environment they work in and come up with some questions that will help you make a creative environmental portrait!

Reminder: This is our monthly assignment for June’s Exhibit/Comment Night!

Who Should Attend

This type of portraiture is actually closer to what most folks shoot of friends and family! Sometimes we even attempt this while shooting folks we see in our travels. But there are some tricks to getting that really good environmental portrait! This will take your photos, of this type, to the next level!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2023) members on Tuesday.

I hope to see you at our Education Night on 03/23/2023.

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC President

June Education Night – Creating Beautiful Portraits with only Window Light – presentation by Robert Rostick and Jim Sykes

Please join us for our June Education Night on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at 7 PM. The presentation will be given by our own Robert Rostick and Jim Sykes.

Presentation Summary

Portraits using only Window Light: Robert and Jim will take you through an actual shoot using window light with two beautiful models.

There will be 3 types of images demonstrated: with some slight variations of each included

Side Light
Silhouette
Full light – subject facing the window

Once they have played the shoot (pre-recorded) they will answer any questions and talk about shooting in Monochrome and converting regular color images to Black and White via post-processing.

Why Attend?

The monthly assignment for the July Exhibit/Commentary is “Black and White Portrait using only Window Light”. But beyond that, it is great to know how to get beautiful portraits and not need all those fancy lights!

We will record this presentation but to get the most from the presentation and to get any of your questions answered by Jim and Robert, it is best to attend the Zoom meeting.

The Zoom Invitation will be sent out on Tuesday, June 21st.

Hope that everyone can attend now that we have moved our meetings to Thursday evening.

Lynn W.

May Education Night – Special Presentation – “The Power of Personal Projects” by Mary Presson Roberts

Please join us at another great TBCC Education Night for a special presentation by my good friend and amazing photographer, Mary Presson Roberts. She will be talking about “The Power of Personal Projects” on May 27, 2022.

Summary of Presentation

There is no better way to grow as a photographer than to regularly practice your craft. Mary has found that personal photography projects have not only been a way to practice her craft but they have led her to some of the most meaningful photographs she has taken during her journey as a photographer. In this presentation, Mary will discuss the importance of personal photography projects, how to choose a personal project, and share several projects she has completed during the last decade.

Mary’s Bio

Mary Presson Roberts is a photographer, author, and educator native of the Carolinas. Mary received her Bachelor’s Degree from Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, and her Master’s Degree from the Citadel, Charleston, SC. Mary has been an educator in the Carolinas for more than three decades. Mary was able to purchase her first serious camera using a gold coin her father gave her. She was immersed in art education throughout life by her mother’s influence. The camera became her primary tool for self-expression. Twelve years ago, Mary combined her passions for photography and education. She leads photography workshops, photo tours, and gives inspirational presentations of her photographic journey. Mary has a diverse interest in photographic subjects. Photography has introduced Mary to people she would have never met, taken her to places she would have never experienced, and adventures she never would have attempted. It transformed her life.

Mary’s Website: https://www.themaryphotographer .com/

Some Samples of Mary’s Photography

Why You Should Attend

I have known Mary for many years as she is another of my fellow Arcanum participants. I have also traveled and spent time photographing with Mary so I have seen her project process. I watched her shoot all kinds of abstracts on surfaces and textures while we were in Wyoming and Montana! She is a wonderful person who just recently retired from teaching elementary school for many years! Watch out Robert, she will have your number! LOL!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2022) members a few days prior to 05/27/2022.

Non -Members – If you are interested in joining us to see what we are all about, we will send you a Zoom Invitation for our Competition Night only. Please send your Name and Email address with the Subject line “Zoom Invite Needed for MEETING on (appropriate date)” to mytbcc@gmail.com so we can get the invitation to you.

Hope to see you at our next Competition/Critique Night on May 20th and for this Education Night on May 27th.

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC Pres

Special Presentation – April Education Night – “Minimalism” by Scott Norris

Please join us Friday, 04/22/22, for a special presentation on “Minimalism” by Scott Norris.

FYI: this happens to be the competition assignment coming up in June.

Presentation Summary

My presentation on minimalist photography will begin with how I developed my minimalist approach/style. I’ll then go into what I feel makes a good minimalist photo and talk about some compositional elements and what to look for.

Scott’s Bio

Emotion. Mood. Atmosphere. This is what I capture through my photographs. Whether it is landscapes, architecture, still life, or macros – it is a very personal journey as my own fears, triumphs, beliefs, and shortcomings are exposed with each photo.

Much of what I shoot is done spontaneously. What surrounds me dictates what is photographed.

And shooting is only the first step – a jumping-off point. I take the raw images and create what I see in my mind’s eye. Coaxing out textures in the shot – sometimes adding them. Enhancing the contrast of light and dark to create the mood and emotions I felt and feel. In the end, it’s all about listening to my heart and mind and creating a visual representation of what I feel the moment the shutter is released.

I’m a native of Texas living on Milwaukee’s East Side with my wife and son. When I’m not out shooting or with family, you can find me hiking along the Milwaukee River, working on my other business, Scott Norris Creative, camping, reading sci-fi, and cooking.

Website: https://www.scottnorrisphotography .com/

Some Sample Images from Scott

“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” –Helen Keller A lone tree on a snowy field. Copyright 2021 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

A mostly hidden outdoor stairway at the newly re-opened, renovated and expanded Milwaukee Art Museum. Day 240 of my 365 photo a day project. Copyright 2016 Scott Norris Photography scottnorrisphotography.com

“Be an opener of doors.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson An old vintage doorknob in our home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Day 174 of 365 Copyright 2022 Scott Norris Creative scottnorrisphotography.com scott-norris.pixels.com scottnorriscreative.com

Here’s to a POWERful new year in 2022. Day 92 of 365 Copyright 2021 Scott Norris Creative scottnorrisphotography.com scott-norris.pixels.com scottnorriscreative.com

“Even bad coffee is better than no coffee at all.” –David Lynch My morning cuppa on the kitchen table. Long shadow courtesy of the sun. Day 102 of 365 Copyright 2022 Scott Norris Creative scottnorrisphotography.com scott-norris.pixels.com scottnorriscreative.com

What You Will Learn from this Presentation

I have known Scott for many years. We were in one of the original cohorts in The Arcanum which was an innovative online photography mentoring program back in the late 2000’s. Scott’s style stood out immediately! Minimalism seems like it would be easy but it is all about balance and feeling! I know Scott will give you a great insight into this type of photography.

This will give you a base from which to spring for your June competition assignment!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2022) members a few days prior to 04/22/2022.

Hope to see you at our Competition Night on April 15th and for this Education Night on April 22nd.

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC Pres

March Education Night – Special Presentation – “SETTING THE SCENE” by John K Putnam

Mark your calendar as you will not want to miss this presentation by John K Putnam on Friday, March 25, 2022, at 7 PM.

Presentation Summary

SETTING THE SCENE: Are you tired of getting stuck taking the same shot over and over? Or maybe you’re sick of going home empty-handed? In this presentation, I’ll share a simple approach that will help you make the most of every location and increase your number of “keepers”.

John’s Bio

John K. Putnam is a full-time nature & landscape photographer based on Mount Desert Island, Maine, home of Acadia National Park. From 2006 to 2014 he worked as a photographer in New York City producing work for publishing companies and magazines as well as photographing high-end events, all while spending every vacation traveling and photographing across five continents, 20 states, and more than 30 national parks.

When he moved to Maine in 2015 John founded J.K. Putnam Photography with the mission of building personal photographic experiences for clients, no matter their needs or skill level, by offering private, instructional photo tours and workshops. John’s knowledge of Acadia as a photographic subject is unparalleled and he uses that knowledge to put himself and his students in the right place at the right time based on the tide, weather, light, and time of year. He loves teaching, loves showing off Acadia, and, most importantly, gets outside to photograph every day. John also, on occasion, writes bios in the third person.

Sign up to receive workshop announcements HERE

Book a Tour or Workshop HERE

Read Trip Advisor Reviews HERE

Visit my gallery in Southwest Harbor HERE (Open May-October)

Web: jkputnamphotography.com

Phone: 207-266-4505

Connect: instagram | facebook| twitter | flickr

J.K. Putnam Photography

P.O. Box 1476

Southwest Harbor, ME 04679

Sample Images

Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine. The winter that I photographed this scene was a series temperature fluctuations. Temperatures would rise, rain would fall, snow would melt, low areas would flood, and then the temp would drop again, freezing it all. This happened over and over again. I was exploring an area of forest that had flooded and froze a number of times when I found this leaf, floating in a thin pool of water between two layers of ice.

Big surf is fairly common along Acadia’s coast. It is best on an incoming high tide but that does not always line up with the first light of the day, to have both along with dramatic clouds was a gift. Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine

Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine

What you will get out of this presentation:

I have attended a couple of John’s webinars so I know you will enjoy his presentation. This subject is one that everyone struggles with when shooting landscapes. In fact, this is the primary issue I hear from many photographers when we talk about landscape photography. The way John takes you through the “process” will get you to see the epic landscape all the way down to macro. This will actually help you with any type of photography!

How to Attend

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2022) members a few days prior to 03/25/2022.

Hope to see you at our Competition Night on March 18th and for this Education Night on March 25th.

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC Pres

Astrophotography – Presentation by Barry Ollikkala and Jim Sykes – February Education Night

We have all seen those great images of the moon and the Milky Way. Some of us have had the opportunity to try our hand at it. Now, Barry and Jim are coming together to give us some of the basic knowledge and techniques to get us all out there shooting the night sky. Join us for a Zoom presentation on Friday, February 25, 2022 at 7 PM.

Our Presenters

Barry Ollikkala, a recent new member of TBCC, is a professional astrophotographer and has taught astrophotography on the university level.

Jim Sykes has been shooting the night sky for quite a while but has recently been shooting it using a star tracker to get even more accurate images of the Milky Way and other night sky features.

Presentation Summary

Barry and Jim will give us some of the basics of astrophotography, ie: equipment, finding your subject, how to expose for your subject, and some post-processing) and then get into some details on shooting the moon (see Barry’s Image above ) and using night sky time exposures to get images of the Milky Way, stars, constellations, and galaxies.

Don’t be afraid of that long word, astrophotography. You can get some great images with some basic knowledge, your camera on a tripod, and a telephoto or wide-angle lens! Jim and Barry will get you out there shooting the night sky!

HOW TO ATTEND

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2022) members a few days prior to 02/25/2022. If you have not renewed for 2022, please click on this link to complete the renewal info and pay your dues: http://www.jrsphotos.com/misc_sale_tbcc_dues30.htm

We are all fascinated by the night sky, so sit back and see some beautiful images of the night sky! Jim and Barry will be happy to answer any of your questions. We will be recording this presentation so please just watch, don’t take notes! You can go back and review it as many times as you need.

This presentation is to get you ready for a possible special TBCC outing later this year! So listen, enjoy, and learn about astrophotography.

Hope to see you at our Competition Night on Feb 18th and for this Education Night on February 25th.

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC Pres

M31 Galaxy by Barry Ollikkala (this is advanced astrophotography using stacking – maybe a subject for a future Education Night)

January Education Night – “Mask” – Using the Masking Tools in Lightroom and Photoshop – presented by Robert Rostick

Our own Robert Rostick will be our speaker on Friday, January 28th.

A summary of Robert’s presentation:

I will demonstrate the use of the new masking tools inside of Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom.

I would like for each of the attendees to have at least one image ready to be edited. The image needs to be RAW and unedited.

I will randomly pull images from the attendees as well as my own to demonstrate how the new mask works. This workshop is intended to be participatory in order for us to learn together.

You should participate in this presentation to get up to date on the latest addition to Lightroom (masking – it is a gamechanger) as well as the tried and true masking tools in Photoshop…you know you want to know how they work!

We will send out a Zoom invitation for this meeting on Tuesday, January 25th.

Lynn W. –

October 2021 – Technical Night – Special Presentation – “Photographing Glassware with Refractions and Reflections” by Gerri Jones

For our last Technical/Education Night of the year, coming up on Friday, October 22, 2021, we have a special presentation by Gerri Jones.

Presentation Summary

“Photographing Glassware with Refractions and Reflections”

Photographing glassware can be challenging. Finding new ways to get creative with it even more so. Join Gerri Jones as she demonstrates her approach to photographing glassware using colorful backgrounds and reflections on a surface. This program will feature: What types of backgrounds to use and how to display them. Some technical points of shooting in the dark on a tripod, lens choices, f/stops and angles for successful photographs with this technique.

Gerri’s Bio

Gerri enjoys photographing all subjects and especially the challenge of new ways to see through the creative use of Lensbaby lenses. She is a Lensbaby Ambassador.

Gerri has been a featured speaker/instructor at regional camera conferences including Mike Moats Macro Convention, Hazel Meredith’s Creative Photography Conferences, New England Camera Club Council (NECCC) Photo Conference and Out of Chicago Conferences. Gerri also instructs in creative photography presentations with camera clubs, in person or online.

Gerri’s images have been featured in several publications, commercial proposals and she also has reviewed several photography books for development by Focal Press Publications. Her images have received several first place awards in national and regional photo competitions.

Gerri resides in Buffalo, New York.

A Couple of Gerri’s Images

HOW TO ATTEND

We will send the Zoom invitation to all current (2021) members a few days prior to 10/22/2021.

This is a fun photo project you can do right in your home so you won’t want to miss this. You never know…this might be a competition assignment next year!

Hope to see you at our Competition Night on Oct 15th and for this Technical Night on October 22nd.

Lynn Wiezycki, TBCC Pres