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Timelapse Photography – Presentation by Jim Sykes for our September Education Night

TBCC has always been about still images, but those expensive cameras we all have, as well as our phones, are all capable of so much more!

Video is becoming more and more mainstream. Timelapse photography is a combination of a long series of still photos made into a video, so this is a step up from say, a slideshow. It is a bit of a process but not quite as involved as processing true video. So consider this a stepping stone to videography, which we may address in future education nights.

Join us on Thursday, September 22, 2022, as our own Jim Sykes will share his knowledge of this interesting and fun side of photography.

Summary of Material to be Covered

Timelapse vs hyperlapse

Cameras and accessories

Camera settings

Importing and processing files

Adding a soundtrack

Exporting/rendering video

Alternative camera options

There will be plenty of time for questions, as well.

Why Attend

Timelapse is a lot of fun to create! It is an interesting addition to your bag of photography tricks that not everyone does. This is another form of creative play that can get us out of a photography rut! OH! And we just might have “timelapse” as an Assignment sometime in the future! Hint Hint!

We are all about getting everyone to use their expensive piece of electronics in as many ways as they can!

How to Attend

I will send out a Zoom Link to all members on Tuesday, Sept 20th.

If you are not a member and would like to see what TBCC is all about, please send an email to mytbcc@gmail.com with the Subject: Request Meeting Zoom Link and the date.

Hope to see everyone at our next Exhibit/Comment Night on Thursday, Sept 15, and this Education Night on Thursday, Sept 22nd.

Lynn W.

The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art is Our Next Outing on July 30, 2022.

Mark your calendars as our July outing will be in air-conditioning at The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art! Our visit, complete with docent/tour guide, is scheduled for Saturday, July 30, 2022, at 9:30 AM. Sign-up is required– See below.

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST!

Information on the James Museum

The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art provides experiences that inspire human connection and transformation through art depicting the peoples, landscapes, and history of the American West, and wildlife of the world. More than 400 premiere works of art including sculpture, paintings and jewelry are on display in the museum’s 26,000 square feet of gallery space. The museum engages the community through programs and educational opportunities, for all ages, that bring our history to life and amplify voices that are not often at the forefront of mainstream western art. When The James Museum opened in April 2018 it became one of the newest additions to St. Petersburg’s thriving arts community. Learn more and plan your visit at thejamesmuseum.org!

Our Visit

We will be visiting on the next to last day of the special exhibit of Ansel Adams and Clyde Butcher landscapes. So this is a great opportunity to see some of these master photographers’ work. We will have at least one docent to act as our guide to give us an inside look at the museum. Once the tour is completed you will have the opportunity to explore the museum on your own. Even if you have seen this exhibit the additional insight provided by the docent may be a great reason to visit again!

Photography is allowed except where noted.  Feel free to share on social media using #thejamesmuseum. No flash photography, tripods, video cameras or selfie sticks, please!

Why Attend

Ansel Adams is one of the great landscape photographers and Clyde Butcher is a living Florida legend. Seeing the masters’ work can give you inspiration and help you take your photography to the next level. Even if you are not a landscape photographer, these masters’ use of natural light can only add to your knowledge.

Parking

Individual Vehicles

Museum Parking is available on Levels 3 & 4 of the automated South Core Parking Garage located above the museum. Enter at 101 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. The first hour in the garage is free and $1/hour after that. Please note: special event rates vary and may apply.

The Cost

The museum has given us a great deal at $15 per person. This is a discount of up to $15 when the tour guide fee is included. I will need to collect the fee prior to all of us entering the museum. Please arrive at the museum by 9:30 AM with the correct change. If you arrive after the group has entered the museum at 10 AM you will have to pay the full fee.

Afterward

We will spend several hours at the museum and follow that up with lunch at one of the local restaurants. Everyone is welcome to join in!

Sign Up Required

Since the number of attendees determines the number of docents/tour guides needed, we must require that everyone signup in advance. The DEADLINE for signing up is July 26th to give the museum time to notify their docents.

Please click this link for the sign-up form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdmeIqXOdzCmpZs8I13Hh5QSA6C-FzxNL9KVwr0s4jWmfm2DA/viewform?embedded=true

Hope to see everyone there!

Lynn W.

The museum is located at: https://g.page/thejamesmuseum?share

Our Next Outing is Saturday, June 4, 2022 – At the Field of Flowers

Please read this entire post!

Last year one of the strawberry farms in Dover started planting their off-season fallow field with zinnias and sunflowers (see image above). They have planted even more this year and by next Saturday, June 4, 2022, the field should be awash with multicolored zinnias and 3 colorful varieties of low sunflowers (the shorter version of sunflowers so you can actually see across the field).

So our next outing will be a visit to Three Son Farms’ (map below) beautiful flower field on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at 8:00 AM rain or shine. (Flowers are even better to shoot when the sun is not glaring down!) The farmer has left some large paths in the field and some smaller paths have been created in the flowers. It is fairly easy-going, just don’t step on the flowers!

We will meet at the tables under the tent that they have set up beside the flower field.

Zinnias – May 24, 2022

What to bring:

I would recommend that you bring a hat, rain gear, water, bug spray, and, of course, a macro lens, Lensbaby, and a wide-angle lens. Wear old or waterproof shoes/boots in case the field is muddy. A tripod is ok but not necessary unless you want to try timelapse, image stacking, or the multi-image cloud painterly look. Bring a plastic bag with a damp paper towel in the bottom (see Rules below)!

The Creative Challenge:

To add to the fun, here are a few ideas of ways to shoot beyond the single flower image:

  1. Close-up of an individual flower with those behind in a colorful bokeh with a shallow depth of field.
  2. ICM – Intentional Camera Movement – Increase your f stop, slow your shutter and decrease your ISO and then move the camera up or down, or sideways while the shutter is open. This can be so much fun!
  3. Multiple Exposures – find the setting for Multiple Exposures in your camera menu, and set it up. Move the camera for each frame and see the amazing abstracts you will get.
  4. Use the Slow Shutter app and the Average Cam Pro app on your cell phone to accomplish 2 and 3 above.
  5. Look for insects on the flowers… There are a lot of bees buzzing around, in my experience, they are so involved in eating at all the flowers that they do not care about anything else. I have been able to get within a few inches and shoot them with no problem. But be careful! There may also be other interesting insects and some butterflies as well.
  6. Wide-angle of the whole field. If the sky has some clouds include them.
  7. Wide-angle from a low perspective.
  8. Get really close for a true macro shot (1:1 or closer).
  9. Multi-image painterly clouds… this requires a tripod and clouds! Set up your camera for timelapse (but not for a timelapse video as some cameras have a setting that automatically creates a video) as you will need all the images. Take at least 50 images spread over 10 minutes. In post-processing, you take all the images to PS as separate layers, select them all, and then use the “lighten” blend mode. Make a duplicate of one of the layers (should be one with no movement in the flowers), using a mask, bring in all but the sky into the image. This should give you a very painterly sky and perfect flowers below!
  10. Timelapse. Use a tripod. Use the Timelapse movie setting in your camera. This makes a short interesting video, especially with flowers, clouds, and people moving around.
  11. Image stacking – tripod, set up in camera(if possible) and shoot a number of frames with the point of focus moving slightly with each frame. Combine the frames in Helicon Focus or PS to get an image that is in focus from front to back.
  12. Use the video setting on your camera or cell phone!
  13. Images of People in the flower field.
  14. Make a Selfy with the flowers!
  15. Anything else you can think of! Just have fun!

Rules:

  1. Because we want the farmer to keep planting the flowers every year, we must support him! SO, you must buy flowers (Zinnias last for days and Sunflowers last for a few days) OR buy some produce. I buy tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, etc from their stand and it has all been fresh and tasty! The flowers are what that plastic bag with the wet paper towel is for! We don’t want your flowers to wilt on the way home! Recut the stems when you get home and stick them in cool water immediately.
  2. Be respectful of your fellow TBCC members, other photographers, other visitors, and our hosts! It is Saturday so they may be very busy!
  3. Please send me up to 10 of your most creative images and/or your videos so I can create a highlight reel for the outing! I will send out a reminder email after the outing.
  4. Be creative and have fun!

Why Attend?

Since we are not having meetings in person, this is the next best thing….to me, even better, because we are getting to do some fun photography while we get to spend some time together!

We may drive to a local taco place for an early lunch after we finish shooting!

Any questions, email me at mytbcc@gmail.com

Lynn W.

PS Here is a link to my Sunflower Field Gallery from last year if you are interested. FYI- The images at the top of the gallery are the tall sunflowers they planted in the fall. https://galleries.theilluminatinglens.com/Places/Sunflower-Field-Dover-Florida-2021/

2021 Competition Assignment Subjects

January – Leading Lines. Create an interesting composition that has elements that work as a visual path to guide the viewer to the main subject.

February – Old Buildings. Be creative -interiors, exteriors, architectural details, etc.

March – Nightscapes. Photograph an interesting landscape or cityscape at night.

April – Places of Worship. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a building, it can be a spiritual or holy locale. Make sure your photograph informs the viewer in some way that the subject is a place of worship. It should not require additional explanation to make the connection.

May – Flowing Water. Show an interesting scene that creatively uses flowing water as the primary subject. Be creative, remember that flowing water exists in many places other than in nature.

June – Long Exposure. Make an exposure 1/2 second or longer in such a way that that length of the exposure contributes substantially to the appearance of the subject.

July – Reflections. Submit an image in which the subject is shown creatively in a reflective surface. For example but not limited to water, glass, mirror, metal, etc.

August – Double Exposure. Present an interesting image that is obviously combined from two distinct and separate original images. This may be done in camera or via software. Since this process is altered reality by it’s very nature you will not be required to label your submission as such.

September – Rainy Day. Create an image that is obviously created in rainy conditions and in which those conditions contribute substantially to the story you are visually telling your viewer.

October – Capture Motion. Create an image in which the motion itself becomes the subject. Freeze-frame, blur, timelapse composite, etc.

November – Automobile/Truck/Motorcycle. Make an interesting photo of any of these three modes of transportation. Be creative – think about static beauty shots, action shots, detail shots etc. If including people remember that for this assignment the vehicle must obviously be visually more important as a subject than a driver, rider, etc. For example if you submit a photo of a motorcycle with a rider you must be creative enough to ensure that the motorcycle is obviously more important visually than the combination of the rider paired with the motorcycle in your composition.

Photo Camp 2021

Note: All available overnight camping spots have been filled and we are no longer accepting registrations for overnight camping. Anyone is still welcome to come out on Saturday and spend the day.

Please read everything below carefully to know what we are doing, how we are doing it, what the rules are, and what to expect:

Tampa Bay Camera Club is hosting another Photo Camp event. It will be a fun time to enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow photographers while camping in the Citrus Tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest. The event will take place January 29-31, 2021. The location is the Tillis Hill Recreation Area. We have a block of 5 campsites reserved for the event. Each campsite has water, electricity, a picnic table, and a fire ring. The campground has multiple restrooms with shower facilities. There are a limited number of tents and hammocks that can deployed per site and a limited number of vehicles and people allowed per site so it is important that you fill out the form below accurately so that our organizers can calculate the logistics as the event fills up. There is no limit to the number of attendees that can come for the events on Saturday. Overnight camping will be limited to the first 30 people who sign up as overnight campers for the event. Each campsite has water and electricity.

We have lots of activities planned for attendees. This is the currently planned itinerary however be aware that any of it is subject to change at any time up until and during the event: Please try to arrive no later than 9:00 on Saturday morning to join in, earlier is better. For early arrivals there will be a morning photo hike in the forest area surrounding the campsite. Later, around mid-morning anyone who is interested can carpool to the area where a group of limestone caves and sinks exists in the forest for exploration and photography. When we return TBCC will host a lunch for attendees in the campsite. All food and drinks for lunch will be provided by the club. Donations of snacks and/or additional drinks will be appreciated however. Please bring your own food if you have special dietary needs. After lunch there will be time for campers to set up their camping gear on the campsites or explore the forest on their own for a while. Before sunset everyone can gather at our central campfire for a potluck dinner. Everyone that is staying for dinner should bring a food item to share with the group. TBCC will provide paper plates, cups, and plastic utensils for the pot luck dinner. There will be options to cook food on the fire or on camp stoves. After dinner Jim will lead any interested attendees in a night photography event provided that clouds don’t interfere. For the remainder of the night we will enjoy time at the campfire as late as anyone wants to stay up. Sunday morning everyone will pack equipment and leave by checkout time (1:00 pm).

Getting there: The correct location is 9231 South Trail 13, Inverness, FL 34452

GPS Coordinates: 82º 24.882’ W 28º 43.700’ N

Do not use any other address that you may find online. Make absolutely certain that you plan to access the site via Stage Coach Rd. and Trail 13. If you have a map or GPS directions that tell you otherwise do not follow them. Trail 13 is the main route and it is a maintained gravel/shell road. There are some minor potholes but any vehicle can traverse it fairly easily. You are at your own risk if you attempt to drive through the forest on any other route without a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle. Travel north on Trail 13 from Stage Coach Rd. When you reach the paved fork in the road, take the right fork and drive up the hill to the site.

There is a limit of 2 vehicles per campsite. The first 10 vehicles that arrive will be allowed to park on our reserved campsites. Any vehicles arriving after that will be required to park in the day use parking field at the top of the hill on the right just before the campsite entrance gate. Please note that there is a $2 fee to park there each day. Payment instructions are posted on the sign in the parking area.

There is a limit to the number of people and tents per site. This means that some campers may be expected to be sharing sleeping accommodations with others. We will have to work out the specific details on the fly depending on how many tents get brought and how many people each tent will sleep. There are some options for setting up hammocks on our sites independently from any tents. If you have a camping hammock be sure to bring it as it may help. Jim will sleep in a hammock and will have an extra hammock available as well. Jim also has a spare tent available for others to make use of (sleeps 3 comfortably or 4 people who don’t mind being really cozy).

What to bring:

Sleeping bag, blanket, pillow, towel, etc

Folding camp chair or stool

Camera equipment including tripod if you plan on doing night photography

Flashlight or headlamp. Must have red light option if you plan doing night photography

Food to share at the potluck campfire dinner

Personal snacks and drinks

Firewood for your own campfire if desired. TBCC will provide for the group campfire

Attendees are expected to familiarize themselves with and abide by the rules of the State Forest and the recreation area while attending. Information may be found at the following link. Please be aware that the rules of the State Forest allow leashed pets however pets are prohibited within the boundaries of the recreation area itself.

https://www.fdacs.gov/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Recreation/Fees-and-Information#rules


HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST YEAR’S EVENT: