From: Jolie Roze <[email protected]>
To: SGC Photography Committee
Sent: Sat, Mar 28, 2020 11:54 am
Subject: Follow-Up to Other Emails
Dear Photography Committee,
First and foremost….a grateful “shout-out” to Juliet, Debby and Kim for emailing today with wonderful suggestions for staying active during these difficult days. Their emails have spurred me to write you. [added by KB: gallery link select here]
I’ve been pondering the best way forward for our committee in light of all that’s transpired recently. At our February 27th meeting (feels like a lifetime ago!), we agreed that a photo presentation of “women working” would be a fun exhibit at the June annual meeting. As a nod to the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, the plan was to photograph women engaged in interesting jobs today. The images were meant to be “environmental” — putting the subject within the context of her work as opposed to just a simple portrait. A challenging but fun project which was heartily endorsed by the SGC Board. But weeks later, this particular project now seems a bit odd because the working world has been turned upside down — with few people working outside of home except in certain industries (medical, emergency services, groceries, etc).
So here is my question for all of you. Would you still like to do this “ Women at Work” project for an exhibition at the June luncheon? I think one fun alternative might be too do interesting photos of life during this unique period of home isolation. Not sure what that means exactly, but it would up to your own imagination to create meaningful and provocative images that reflect what is happening in our lives right now. And of course, all such photos could be put into the Social Distancing Gallery that Kim has now created on our website. I would love to have input from all of you!!
As Juliet wrote, this is a great time to practice your photography skills and learn new ways of post-processing your images. I’ve edited photos on Photoshop for many years now, but this past week, I decided to go through all the learning tutorials on the Adobe site. It was amazing to realize how many holes existed in my knowledge base. Gail Atwater, our Zone XII Photography Rep emailed me with some wonderful resources for you…see below. And of course, there are lots of learning videos online.
I hope you’re staying safe, staying healthy and staying engaged.
Sending you my very best!
Jolie
FROM GAIL ATWATER:
At this difficult time lets all shelter in place but also use the time to celebrate in place, learn in place and even enjoy a therapeutic belly laugh. Photography can take you there!
Enjoy the newest Focus E-Zine
If you haven’t already seen it, there is a wonderful new issue of Focus available. I share with you the success of Zone XII photographers in the recent What (or Where) in the World? online NATIONAL photo contest sponsored by GCA.
Congratulations to all!
Editor’s Choice Award: JoAnne Rosen, Seattle Garden Club – this is one of the top three winners along with Best in Show and Creativity Award (pp. 7 and 33)First Award: Yoni Mayeri, Orinda Garden Club (p. 26)Second Award: Anne-Marie Lamarche, Piedmont Garden Club (p. 23)Honorable Mention: Gina Guerra, Pasadena Garden Club (p. 19)
Don’t miss this Focus issue’s articles:
- A Guide to Amazing iPhone Creativity Apps, by Ryn Clarke
- The Case for Black and White, by Debbie Ross
- Shinrin Yoko and Meditative Photography, by Shelley Galloway
- 40 Let’s Play Photography “Jeopardy,” by Debbie Laverell
- 50 Tips for entering a photograph in a GCA Flower Show, by Christine Paxhia
- Understanding Aspect Ratio in Photography by Teri Taylor
Discover timeless tips in back issues of Focus
While you are on the GCA website thinking about Focus issues, use this link to wander through dozens of past issues full of insightful articles and award-winning photographs. You have the time now. Do this for yourself and encourage your club’s photographers to do the same.
Move ahead with your own photography
I share recent advice from my photography mentor, Professor David Ulrich.
- Use your prudent self-confinement to wander through your collection of photographs. You are bound to find forgotten experiences and enjoy the journey through good times. Inevitably there will be discarded or overlooked gems. Start editing them as possible show entries and/or print or share.
- Practice still life photography. Gather items from your home and/or garden and set them up. Experiment with various compositions and combinations of objects. Try different backdrops and lighting conditions. If you can, use a tripod. Don’t have a tripod? Put rice in a ziplock bag (or two) and place it on a flat surface. Your camera will nest right in and sit still. If you’re using a smart phone, try carefully bracing it with objects to reduce shake.
Join the Zone XII Photo Gallery
If you would like to share photographs of your club activities with the rest of the zone and GCA, send jpegs to our Zone XII Chairman, Liza Lilley at: [email protected] [The photos will be loaded onto GCA’s Zone XII landing page and included in the Zone XII Photo Gallery. Don’t forget a caption with each photo. Jpegs are best viewed when they are 1MB or larger.]
Get ready to enjoy The Art of Seeing with a Camera
Great news! The GCA Executive Committee has approved, for the GCA Photography Committee Landing Page, the addition of an introduction and link to the six videos and study materials included in this informative and inspiring series. We are hoping for a May 1 announcement that this is “live.” With shifting GCA staff priorities it may be later but trust me, IT’S COMING and will be an exciting addition to the GCA photography education.
Have a moment of mirth viewing the attachments…
- An amusing “Photography Report” from the newsletter of Zone XII’s Arizona Columbine Garden Club (Phoenix), courtesy of club president Lenni Grigio.
- More LOL fodder shared by our National Photography Chairman, Lynn Shiverick.
Please be safe while you shelter, celebrate, learn and laugh.
With warm aloha from an eerily tourist-free Hawaii,
Gail
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