SLO Bytes Photography Group
Notes Page
| Meeting of 11/10/2024 | Notes from the Meeting of 11/10/2024 TOPIC: Transformations Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photography Group website Sutter summarized the new content; Comparison of Image Viewers, 4K Slideshow Maker and Pixabay Then, using the Slideshow feature of ACDSee, Ralph showed transitions of ice, radish seeds, ramen, coffee beans and burning matches Alan Raul followed with an illustrated history of Pismo Beach, its City Hall and Fire Station. Next, he changed focus to the town of Pismo Beach. Alan showed the group how he used the raw filter on jpg images to reveal details that were otherwise unavailable. While the filter can't draw on the details present in true raw images, it offers opportunities for development beyond the scope of jpgs not using the raw filter. John Waller showed the transformation of his fire-damaged house from bare walls to finished spaces. He then brought his camera outside and documented how his yard changed. He used progressive images of his fields to illustrate modern growing techniques of Ikeda Farms. Finally he went to the end of Grand Avenue and cataloged the changes to the beach from storm surge to recovery. Kaye Raul used Adobe Lightroom for creating different views of the piers of Avila. She also captured changes in leaves, pumpkins, flowers and trees. Stanford Brown presented Symbols of Transition featuring falling leaves, decomposing trees, blooming roses, acorns and Paso Robles skies. He then narrated the evolution of his back yard from move-in many years ago to present day. After everyone made their presentation, Stanford asked what photo editors each of us used and our recommendations for someone looking for a basic editor. The editors commonly mentioned were Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, ACDSee and Luminar Neo A consensus choice for light editing on PCs was Irfanview. Alan pointed out that both Microsoft's Windows and Apple's MAC operating systems have quite capable built-in photo editors. The last meeting of the SLO Bytes Photo Group in 2024 will take place on December 8th beginning at 2:00 pm. The assignment is to take your camera to the Embarcadero in Morro Bay and photograph whatever interests you. See the Links page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 10/13/2024 | TOPIC: Learn and Share
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting sharing two articles from the Links Page of the Club's website The first was Essential Reference Guide to Long Exposure Photography The second was Creating a Slideshow with ACDSeeStudio Ultimate 2024 Next, Ralph played his slideshow of Farm Days at the Arapaho Rose Alpaca Ranch in Redding, CA. He later shared images showing low-light photography and focus stacking. Alan Raul travelled to Pismo Beach and vicinity for shots of sunsets, sea caves and staircases. Using layering, he embedded a small image inside a larger one and used On One Hdr for high dynamic range photos Kaye Raul explored the slideshow creation abilities of Adobe Photoshop Beta 25.11. Kaye showed a video that showed how to add snapping text from metadata and remove unwanted elements with the distraction tool. John Waller, having installed Adobe Photoshop Beta 25used it to remove power lines, people and miscellaneous distractions, apparently calling upon artificial intelligence. Stanford Brown shared slideshows created with Honeyview The group learned that Honeyview has been updated and renamed Bandiview The topic for November 10th will be Transformations; Share Images Showing Change and Explain the Creative Process The meeting will take place via Zoom beginning at 2:00 pm, The last meeting of 2024 will take place on December 8th, 2024 Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 09/08/2024 | TOPIC: Learn and Share
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting displaying images shot with his Samsung Galaxy S22. Sutter focused on food that he had prepared and photographed with the Food feature of the Samsung software. He struggled showing photos of his kayaking trip to the San Juan Islands, finally managing to share those images after other members of the group showed their photos. Alan Raul shot exclusively with the Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II Lens to become more familiar with its strong points and limitations. Most pictures were shot at the Avila Beach third pier with a few in Shell Beach area where it was very foggy. His subjects included squirrels, seals and boats. Kaye Raul was excited to share recent updates in Adobe Lightroom that allowed her to erase and manipulate images without having to call up Adobe Photoshop. John Waller lamented recent changes to the YouTube algorithm that misclassified Photoshop images as music content. He then demonstrated how to quickly remove a complex background with selective use of the Photoshop eyedropper. Stanford Brown explored the advanced photo features of his Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra phone with examples that used the features Expert Raw, Food, Panorama, Slow Montion, Hyperlapse, Portrait Video and Director's View. The topic for October 13th will be a reprise of our previous session; Learn a Skill and Share It with the Group. The meeting will take place via Zoom beginning at 2:00 pm, The topic for October 13th will be a reprise of the September theme; Learn a Skill and Share the Technique. The meeting will take place via Zoom beginning at 2:00 pm, Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 06/16/2024 | TOPIC: Macro Photography
The meeting began with Ralph Sutter He shared the link to a presentation on SD Cards that he posted to the Digital Photography website at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html While Stanford Brown was out of town and couldn't join in today's photo session, he submitted five macro images. They included watch faces, rocks, fruit and tree bark Ralph Sutter followed with closeups of leaves, orchids, microphones and frozen vegetables. Ralph commented that it was far easier to do macro photography with a smart phone than with a traditional camera at little or no sacrifice in image quality. John Waller offered closeups of evaporated salt, mustard plants, Dandelions and Queen Anne's Lace. Kaye Raul alternating between a smart phone and a Sony camera, focused on tight shots of sand dollars, scallops, building blocks, and artistic ash trays. Alan Raul , again switching between phone and camera, shared flowers, rocks, stucco surfaces and objects found on beach sand. The topic for July 14th will be Curves. The meeting will take place via Zoom beginning at 2:00 pm, See the Links page; https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 7/14/2024 | TOPIC: Curves
The meeting began with Ralph Sutter sharing the link to the photos taken by Alan Raul at the July 7th SLO Bytes Pizza Party Ralph continued with images curving objects: scissors, noodles, chiles, bananas and giant jacks. Sutter used the background removal tool in ACDSee 2024 Ultimate among other tools to edit his images Alan Raul shot a variety of curved images around the Pismo Beach Premium Outlets which included his Toyota pickup, a Tesla car, bicycle, basketball, water and gas pipes and more. He showed curved neon lights found while walking around Pismo Beach. These images were all shot with his Leica Q3 without any modifications. He photographed a vase with embedded Abalone pieces given to him by his sister as a gift. This image was modified in different ways using Photoshop. His last image was a colored drawing with curves made with Photoshop. Kaye Raul found curves in water pipes, glass vases, electrical insulators, jewelry and antique foot warmers Stanford Brown noted curves in the landscaping that he created at home, from garden paths to coiled cats and planters. He also shared photos of the curves of the San Luis Obispo Airport John Waller saw curving handrails, garden hoses, walkways, palm fronds, sundials, power lines and the foothills behind his property. After the sharing of images, Ralph Sutter showed the processes that he used to create the Pizza Party Slideshow available on the club's web site. The documentation is viewable at 2024 Pizza Party Photos.docx Ralph also made a slideshow using ACDSee but did not upload it to the website since the web host does not allow videos. The topic for August 11th will be Landscapes. The meeting will take place via Zoom beginning at 2:00 pm, See the Links page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 06/16/2024 | TOPIC: Macro Photography
The meeting began with Ralph Sutter sharing the link toa presentation on SD Cards that he posted to the Digital Photography website at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html While Stanford Brown was out of town and couldn't join in today's photo session, he submitted five macro images. They included watch faces, rocks, fruit and tree bark Ralph Sutter followed with closeups of leaves, orchids, microphones and frozen vegetables. Ralph commented that it was far easier to do macro photography with a smart phone than with a traditional camera at little or no sacrifice in image quality. John Waller offered closeups of evaporated salt, mustard plants, Dandelions and Queen Anne's Lace. Kaye Raul alternating between a smart phone and a Sony camera, focused on tight shots of sand dollars, scallops, building blocks, and artistic ash trays. Alan Raul , again switching between phone and camera, shared flowers, rocks, stucco surfaces and objects found on beach sand. The topic for July 14th will be Curves. The meeting will take place via Zoom beginning at 2:00 pm, The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2024 is as follows. See the Links page; https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 05/19/2024 | TOPIC: Learn Something and Share
The meeting began with Alan Raul sharing links that are posted on the SLO Bytes Digital Photography website at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html Alan commented on the free video editing program, Davinci Resolve from Black Magic Design. He used the program to demonstrate some of its capabilities. Particularly impressive was its new editing app for the iPhone. He then showed how to use Adobe Photoshop'sky replacement adding some of his own skies to enhance images of Pismo Beach. Next, Raul commented that it is now possible to use an iPhone as a portable scanner for a MAC computer. Continuing with the Davinci Resolve theme, Ralph Sutter used that program to create a video of him turning a screwdriver handle on a wood lathe and then fluting it with a homemade jig. Finally, Ralph demonstrated focus stacking by combining 6 images into one resulting in a shot looking down a long hallway with every foot of the corridor in focus. Kaye Raul also showed focus stacking. Her subject was flower arrangements. Kaye mentioned that there will be a free Lightroom Summit from MAY 20 - 24, 2024. Register at https://www.lightroomsummit.com/?r_done=1 The topic for June will be Macro Photography. The meeting will take place via Zoom on June 16th, beginning at 2:00 pm, one week later than normal. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 04/14/2024 |
TOPIC: Flowers Ralph Sutter opened the meeting sharing images of wild and garden flowers seen around Arroyo Grande. Most were shot with a Sony A7iv camera and a 2.8 50mm Sony primary lens. Often, Ralph edited these images using Luminar Neo, particularly the Super Sharp extension. Alan Raul shot a variety of images of flowers around Shell Beach and Pismo Beach using his iPhone, Leica and Sony cameras. He shot a variety of images using focus bracketing which is built into the Sony A7R V camera which automatically brackets the images. He then used focus stacking in post processing using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. Kaye Raul showed poppies, roses, freeway daisies and hydrangeas, promising to explore focus stacking in the near future. John Waller played with depth of field and blankets of color, pointing his camera to yellow wildflowers, irises and historical images of Waller Seed's Open House. Stanford Brown told a visual tale of bees in flowers, apple blossoms, margarita daisies, thistle, roses, rosebuds and succulents, The topic for May will be Learn Something New and Share It with the Group In deference to Mothers' Day on May 12th, the meeting will take place on May 19th via Zoom beginning at 2:00 pm. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 03/10/2024 |
TOPIC: Architecture John Waller opened the meeting with shots of his home reconstruction following last year's fire. He later showed images of Matties Tavern, the Santa Ines Mission and his grandparents' iconic home in Santa Maria. Ralph Sutter took his camera to Guadalupe where he photographed local landmarks. Alan Raul shot a variety of images of architecture in downtown San Luis Obispo. Some of which included the new Hotel San Luis Obispo, Hotel Cerro, the Old Free Library, Ah Louis Store, Mission San Luis Obispo and more… Kaye Raul visited Halcyon, the Rose Victorian Inn, the San Luis Obispo Train Station, the SLO Little Theater and other San Luis Obispo sites. The topic for April will be Flowers. That meeting will take place on April 14th via Zoom beginning at 2:00 pm. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 12/10/2023 | TOPIC: Things for which I am grateful
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by playing two video clips that he recently uploaded to the group’s Links website. They are Where are the paid extensions in Skylum Luminar Neo?; and That's Why Your Photos Aren't Sharp Ralph then shared images of things for which he is grateful. These include family, the great area in which he lives and the time to pursue activities of interest to him; among them are cooking, woodworking and coffee roasting. Alan Raul shot a variety of images along Pismo Beach. He’s thankful that he lives in this area and can still walk and enjoy the beauty. He used ON1 HDR 2023 to creatively adjust the color on some images. He showed the last few persimmons with some green leaves still on the tree. He’s thankful fall has finally arrived. Kaye Raul mentioned the lure of bougainvilleas, stunning seascapes, ducks on the water and visual treasures found along the roads. Stanford Brown cited family and friends, coffee shop cronies and daily walks in a beautiful setting. John Waller was glad for family and the dogs in his life. Computer glitches kept him from expanding into other areas. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 11/12/2023 | TOPIC: Images of the Fall
Kaye Raul couldn't attend the Photo Session but thoughtfully sent some Fall images of grape vines and bushes changing colors. Ralph Sutter continued with an off-topic video that he created on Microsoft's Format Painter, a feature found in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. View it at https://youtu.be/bLvC3an_Es0 Then Ralph shared images of Fall leaves, pumpkins and orange garden implements. Finally, using a 16mm closeup ring and a 50mm f2.0 lens on his Sony A7iv camera, he showed closeups of Goji berries. Alan Raul shot a variety of images using focus bracketing which is in the camera. He then used focus stacking in his post processing using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. His subjects included pumpkins, etc. at the Avila Valley Barn. He then showed a variety of persimmons shots. John Waller showed images of a stately dead tree and the same tree several years later after it collapsed. He then took his camera to the Santa Maria Air Fair and captured numerous planes in flight. John then demonstrated selective blurring and masking in Lightroom and Photoshop. Stanford Brown commented that Fall was slow in coming this year. He then made his point by showing the same tree lined streets from a previous year and those trees this year. Like others in the group, he included a shot of ripe persimmons and shared a story of a failed third-party attempt to scam him when he mailed boxes of that fruit to friends far away. The last meeting of this year will take place on December 10th, 2023 beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom The topic will be Things for which we are grateful. See the Links page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 10/08/2023 | TOPIC: Learn a New Technique and Demonstrate It
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with images of objects that he turned on his wood lathe. To achieve sharper focus, Ralph set his camera on a tripod and placed the objects one by one in a 24" lighted photo stage. Connecting the camera to a 55" monitor helped him see if the images were in focus. He experimented by shooting at f8/manual focus for maximum sharpness and depth of field. Alan Raul shot a variety of images with his Sony 70 - 200 F/4.0 macro zoom lens with and without his Sony 2x teleconverter. His goal was to learn more about the lens and the many controls on the lens. Those images included surfers at the Pismo Beach Pier, Shell Beach, flower closeups, some people and pumpkins at the Avila Valley Barn. John Waller shot long exposure astrophotography. Next, he used the free Microsoft video program, ClipChamp to create a series of images of waterfalls in Yosemite. Kaye Raul set a goal of achieving maximum sharpness. She stopped down the aperture of her camera and steadied herself on stationary objects and held her breath while shooting. Stanford Brown demonstrated how easy it was to use Microsoft's ClipChamp for quick video edits. The next meeting will take place on November 12th, 2023, beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom The topic will be Images of the Fall The final meeting of 2023 will take place on December 10 See the Links page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 09/10/2023 | TOPIC: Close-up Photography
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with close-up images taken using a Sony A7iv camera, Zeiss 4.0 24-70mm zoom lens and a Vello 2x teleconverter. Using the 2x teleconverter made it difficult for the autofocus to produce sharp images. In his last image, Sutter switched to a Vello 3x converter, connecting the camera to a 26" monitor to aid in focusing. That produced a noticeably sharper image. During the Second Session, Ralph shared a slideshow of his August kayaking trip to the San Juan Islands. View it on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ES840b2Pm6o Alan Raul shot a variety of closeup images with his Leica Q3. He then took more closeup images using his Sony A7iv with a new Sony 70 - 200 F4.0 zoom lens. He then added a new Sony 2x teleconverter and shot more images. All JPG's from both cameras were directly from the camera (s) WITHOUT any software modifications. Alan Raul's current gear consists of the following: https://www.dpreview.com/members/9828863162/gearlist Kaye Raul began close to home, sharing images of vases,orchids and household items. John Waller followed suit offering details around his BBQ pit and crisp images of dog fur before showing a stunning closeup of the moon taken with a 500mm lens and a 2x extension tube. The next meeting will take place on October 8th, 2023, beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom The topic will be Try a new technique or refine a known one, demonstrating how to accomplish it Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 08/13/2023 | TOPIC: Celebrations
The topic of the meeting was Celebrations. Ralph Sutter opened with images taken on a family visit to Oso Flaco Lake concluding with scenes of his cart-wheeling granddaughter. Ralph then took his camera to the Point San Luis Light House for images of the Dave Becker Quartet and the crowd that gathered. Alan Raul shot most of his images with his iPhone with a few from his new camera. Because of his hand surgery he was unable to manipulate the images, so they are straight out of the camera. His images included the new staircase in Shell Beach, Pismo Beach images and images from the "Concert in the Plaza" in San Luis Obispo. He also showed his unboxing images of his new camera shot by his sister. More to follow next month on his new camera. John Waller visited the Santa Maria Fair and offered low light shots of the evening. He then took us to the Mid State Fair in Paso Robles and the Renaissance Fair at Laguna Lake. Waller concluded by taking his camera to Morro Bay, offering stunning images of the San Salvador, replica of the vessel with which Juan Cabrillo became the first European to reach the California coast. The next meeting will take place on September 10th, 2023, beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom. The topic will be Close Up Photography See the Links page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 07/09/2023 | TOPIC: Black and White Photography
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with candid images of BBQ attendees converted to black and white using Skylum Neo, saved at 72 dpi for quicker display while using Zoom Alan Raul shot images around the Central Coast of boats, structures and landscapes, using his new Sony 28mm F2.0 lens. All the images were modified using Camera Raw in Photoshop. In Alan's absence, Ralph showed his pictures for him. John Waller used several different methods within Adobe Photoshop to transform photos from color to black and white. He adjusted the saturation level of the R, G and Y channels. He also explored the effects that can be created via software filters inside Photoshop, embossing both still and video images Stanford Brown shared photos of his one year trip as a young man that took him from Argentina to Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Pakistan, Vietnam, India and Nepal. He focused on the sites seen and the people that he met as a young man. The next meeting will take place on August 13th, 2023, beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom The topic will be Celebrations The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2023 is as follows September 10 October 8 November 12 December 10 See the Links page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 06/11/2023 | TOPIC: Boats
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with a series of images shot at the Morro Bay Harbor before heading up the coast to above Cayucos. There, he shared numerous pictures of the Point Estero, a wrecked commercial fishing boat on the rocks of Estero Bluffs. Ralph used a Zeiss FE 35mm F2.8 ZA primary lens on a Sony A7IV camera Alan Raul shot images of boats at Baywood Park in Los Osos and Morro Bay. He chose to only show original JPGs from his Sony A7iv camera WITHOUT any modifications. Last month he shot all his photos with a Sony 35mm F2.8 lens. This month he shot with his Sony 24 - 70 F4.0 lens trying to only shoot at 28mm. He found that about 80% of the pictures could be shot at 28mm. He has a new Sony 28mm F2.0 arriving this week. See Alan's images here Kaye Raul ventured to both Avila and Port San Luis for her images. offering seascapes, both in color and in black and white. Kaye suggested that the group look at the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63xd7qu83FU&t=2469s for an impressive demonstration of Photoshop’s generative fill. John Waller visited Lopez Lake focusing on boats seen at the Marina and in Mallard Cove. The then moved to Morro Bay and captured the harbor dredge and Coast Guard self-righting rescue boats. Using his new Canon EOS R6 Mark2 camera, John shot a hawk perched in a tree and then cropped the image severely while still presenting a tack-sharp photo. Stanford Brown took us on a round the world tour of boats ranging from canal boats in Italy to freighters from Argentina, tug boats in Alaska and junks in Hong Kong before returning to local waters The next meeting will take place on July 9th, 2023, beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom The topic will be Images in Black and White. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 05/21/2023 |
TOPIC: Lines Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with images of row crops, orchards, slatted doors and string trimmer line. Alan Raul shot ALL his images with a Sony 35mm F2.8 lens. These included images from in and around the Guadalupe, Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo train stations. In addition, he shot a few from the Guadalupe fields, Shell Beach and the 911 World Trade Center memorial located at the San Luis Obispo Fire Station #1. https://www.kcbx.org/community/2015-09-10/new-central-coast-9-11-memorial-lets-you-touch-history Alan showed still images extracted from videos from his new dash cam and the Avila Beach Polar Bear Plunge using Adobe Photoshop. He got the idea from the Tim Gray article entitled "Extracting a Photo from Video." https://asktimgrey.com/2023/05/02/extracting-a-photo-from-video/ He used VLC to convert the .MOV file shot with the iPhone to a MP4. You can also extract a still image from Adobe Premier Elements and DaVinci Resolve. Kaye Raul, having figured out the issue that kept her from sharing photos at the April meeting, shared them today. They included crops and fields. Apropos of this month's topic, she presented a Lightroom slide show complete with music. Most notable was her image of the flooded Oceano campground. Kaye used Adobe's tools to erase distracting items and enhance the visual impact Stanford Brown found lines in stairways, roads, pathways and power transmission lines John Waller visited Lopez Lake to show the changes brought by the heavy Spring rains Connie Sutter focused on lines created by pine needles and sedimentation lines in rock Linda Styerwalt traced lines in flooring, wainscotting, doors and bakers' racks The next meeting will take place on June 11th 2023 beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom The topic will be Boats Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 04/16/2023 |
TOPIC: Spring Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photo Group website There, Sutter posted the following links PetaPixel - The Photography Terms Glossary Sony firmware update to the Sony A7IV Also here Updated camera manual for Sony A7IV Link to download the Sony Creators' Cloud app Ralph continued, sharing images of local wildflowers found at Pismo Preserve as well as at his house. Kaye Raul showed a spectacular image of Morro Rock shrouded by mist. Alas, she was unable to display additional images, victim of the fickleness of Zoom. After the meeting, she overcame Zoom's petulance and promises to offer the remaining images at the May meeting John Waller visited Walmart, showing the Spring clothing offerings. He then went outdoors to Pine Mountain for pictures of the snow melt and Lopez Lake. Stanford Brown highlighted the transition from Winter to Spring. He offered many images of Turtles, Easter Bunnies, Wood Ducks, birds nests, tall weeds and profuse blankets of wildflowers The next meeting will take place on May 21st 2023 beginning at 2:00 pm via Zoom This is one week later than usual in deference to Mothers' Day on May 14 th The topic will be Lines Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 03/12/2023 |
TOPIC: Water; Bring images of water and explain the what, where, when, why and how of your creative process. Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photo Group website There, Sutter posted the following links Add an audio track with Davinci Resolve; video by Ralph Sutter For a more complete explanation by another author, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nR5fNrGPH8 Sutter Notes on Using Davinci Resolve Sutter Water Project using Davinci Resolve 18- on YouTube Add an Audio Track to Davinci Resolve Upload Davinci Resolve Project Directly to YouTube Ralph continued, sharing images of the snows at Lake Shasta in Northern California Alan Raul showed flooding at the Pismo State North Beach Campground. He then followed up with pictures shot with Adobe Lightroom using his iPhone 14 Pro Max cell phone in both DNR and HDR format. Using his 12.9" Apple iPad Pro he showed screen captures of the Lightroom app. Next, he showed images shot along the San Luis Creek next to Mission SLO. Most of these pictures were adjusted with ON1 HDR 2023. He finished up with some pictures of the Pismo Beach Pier and the Pismo Creek under the 101 freeway. John Waller visited Reservoir Canyon, Montaña de Oro and Morro Bay for images of flowing water. He closed with a stunning image of the moon shot with his Samsung S22 Ultra phone ---- The next meeting will take place on April 16th 2023 beginning at 2:00 pm via ZoomThis is one week later than usual in deference to Easter on April 9 th The topic will be Images of Spring Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 02/12/2023 |
TOPIC: Water; Bring images of water and explain the what, where, when, why and how of your creative process. Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to changes made to the Photography Group Links Page Ralph simplified the Links Page, replacing some content on the page with links to that content on sub pages. Given Sutter's interest in the Video Editing Program, Davinci Resolve, the first section on the Links Page now lists content related to that video editor. Ralph then shared images of recent floods in Arroyo Grande followed by a tour of the Oceano Lagoon. Alan Raul pointed his camera to the flooded Pismo Beach Campground and high water at Avila and Port San Luis piers and nearby creeks. Stanford Brown followed swollen streams in Paso Robles, showed water damage in the area, frost on local vegetation and high water at the 13th Street Bridge. Kaye Raul presented storm damage south of Nipomo before experimenting with motion blur at Pismo and Port San Luis. John Waller walked his rural property showing flooded gopher holes, rising creeks and stormy skies. Connie Sutter captured drenching rain rolling off the roof at her Arroyo Grande home as well a more tranquil water scenes at the Oceano Lagoon. The next meeting will take place on March 12th beginning at 2:00 pm. The topic for the meeting is once again Water. Members are encouraged to offer images that the topic suggests. The meeting will be held via Zoom beginning at 2:00pm. An invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 01/09/2023 |
TOPIC: Things That I Learned with My Camera/Software Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photo Group website There, Sutter posted the following links Add an audio track with Davinci Resolve; video by Ralph Sutter For a more complete explanation by another author, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nR5fNrGPH8 My Notes on Luminar Neo Luminar Neo Keyboard Shortcuts Luminar Neo Keyboard Shortcuts on Two Pages Sutter Notes Photo Group Meeting 01/08/2023 Ralph continued, sharing images of garden plants that he enhanced with Luminar Neo, his image editor of choice. His most often used tool was the Supersharp extension Alan Raul showed various manipulations of a King Tide image using different image editing programs. He then took a gray dismal color picture and changed it to B&W using different image editing programs for a variety of effects. Stanford Brown, trying to get the best images from his Samsung Galaxy phone, played a podcast that recommended always shooting in Portrait mode rather than Photo mode. Further recommendations were to turn off the flash and avoid the digital zoom. When shooting groups, tell everyone to close their eyes, opening them on the count of 3. The final suggestion was to compose portraits leaving minimal space above the subjects' head John Waller apologized for having few images to share. Sadly he had an attic fire at his home and the only pictures that he could offer were shots of firetrucks and water damage. During the Second Session, Kaye Raul pointed out resources for setting up a Sony A7IV camera, the camera used by three members of our photo group. Kay also called attention to the , Nicolsy Challenge, consisting of 52 subjects to photograph, one for each week of the year. Ralph Sutter attempted to show some of the features of the free version of the video editor, Davinci Resolve, but the cybergods did not allow that to happen. Instead, Ralph directed the attention of the group to his YouTube video that illustrates what Sutter couldn't do during the Zoom Session See Add an audio track with Davinci Resolve Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 12/11/2022 |
TOPIC: Images of The Holidays Alan Raul showed images of the "Altrusa's Festival of Trees" located in the Santa Maria Town Center Mall. https://santamaria.com/events/details/altrusa-s-festival-of-trees-12-10-2022-43970 https://www.altrusaofthecentralcoast.org/ Also showed by Alan was the lighted Christmas tree at the end of the Pismo Beach Pier and pictures of holiday items around mom's house. Kaye Raul showed images of Christmas decorations around her neighborhood braving the flying Santa Claus. She also showed closeups of Christmas Tree ornaments. John Waller showed a movie of the Arroyo Grande Christmas parade and other holiday images. Stan Brown showed pictures of his neighborhood after the rain. These included a variety of holiday themed decorations. Skylum Luminar Neo Review https://stuckincustoms.com/skylum-luminar-neo-review/ Kaye mentioned that the latest Neo update was over 5GB Lightroom Classic Over Photoshop https://asktimgrey.com/2022/06/13/lightroom-classic-over-photoshop/ Image Capture User Guide https://support.apple.com/guide/image-capture/welcome/mac Transfer images in Image Capture on Mac https://support.apple.com/guide/image-capture/transfer-images-imgcp1003/8.0/mac/13.0 Take a screenshot on your Mac https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361 Reset Windows 10 or 11 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/recovery-options-in-windows-31ce2444-7de3-818c-d626-e3b5a3024da5#bkmk_win11_reset_pc https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/recovery-options-in-windows-31ce2444-7de3-818c-d626-e3b5a3024da5#bkmk_win11_reset_pc&WindowsVersion=Windows_10 Alan Raul |
| Meeting of 11/13/2022 | TOPIC: Images of the Fall
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with photos of pumpkins, Autumn leaves and a campfire. Alan Raul followed showing persimmons and changing leaves along the Bob Jones Trail, Avila, and the surrounding area. Stanford Brown proceeded with the evolution of Fall colors. We saw persimmons, a Heron, acorns and leaves turning progressively more from green to many shades of brown. Kaye Raul offered a video of changing leaves on trees and grape vines, backed by appropriate music. John Waller, in addition to Fall colors, also shared sharp images from the Santa Maria Air Show with low flying P38s, c17s A 35s and a C130 fire suppression aircraft. He then visited a local winery with an impressive collection of steam-powered engines. John explained how he enhanced the image of a stunt plane flying in the mist through photo manipulation in Adobe Lightroom. In the Second Session, Alan raved about the quality of the B and H Photo Optic West Convention in Monterey that he attended. Raul created a video of his experience quickly using an iPhone 14 Pro Max and iMovie on a 2022 iPad Pro 12.9 inch. View it at "http://slolug.com/bb347652/ Additional information: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/promotion/17247/optic-west.html https://www.youtube.com/c/BandH/streams Ralph touted the power of Davinci Resolve 18, a powerful free video editor. Sutter created a download link for the program and a detailed third-party tutorial. Links follow Davinci Resolve 18 https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/ YouTube Video Tutorial for Davinci Resolve https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEksPdEc7aI This information also appears on the Links Page; https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html Our final meeting of 2022 will take place on December 11th beginning at 2:00pm. The topic will be Holidays Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 10/09/2022 | TOPIC: Look Up; Share images consistent with the theme
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with rooftops, structures and other objects as seen from below. Alan Raul showed updated images of the Shell Beach construction project of the new seawall, staircase and sidewalk along the oceanfront. He showed "before and after" images using Adobe Photoshop 2022 and the image perspective tool. Stanford Brown first asked for ideas as to how to improve an image in which light from a large window blew out the facial features of the subject standing beside it. He later offered a bird nest, seascapes and hot rods seen at Cider Creek Bakery, Paso Robles Kaye Raul delivered a slide show of her recent camping trip to Yosemite Valley, complete with flowing rivers, towering trees and iconic rocks. John Waller took his camera to San Luis Regional Airport, capturing planes in flight. To this he added rain clouds, a missile launch and a full moon. Our final meeting of 2022 will take place on December 11th beginning at 2:00pm See the Links Page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 09/11/2022 | TOPIC: New Skills, New Thrills Again
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting calling attention to the Links Page of the Photography Group website. PhotoSync, free software that allows the user to wirelessly transfer images and videos between smart phones and computers. Ralph created a YouTube video demonstrating the program. View it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgnQOCqibJE Ralph then showed images of his coffee harvest, experiments with his new TT Artisan f2.0 50mm fixed focus lens and photos taken with his Samsung Galaxy s22 smartphone. Finally, he shared images of his kayaking trip to the San Juan Islands and the Portland wedding album that he created for his nephew. Alan Raul continued to explore Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) photography. ICM photography is an impressionistic and abstract style of shooting that has no rules - it all comes down to moving your camera over a long exposure. Stanford Brown demonstrated the play of light on leaves, cats, kids and farms Kaye Raul introduced the group to Midjourney.com, a web portal that used artificial intelligence to create original images from your input Connie Sutter chronicled her challenges in attempting to take a picture of the moon with her Canon digital camera, commenting that she got far better results using her iPhone. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 08/14/2022 | Notes from the Meeting of 08/14/2022
TOPIC: New Skills, New Thrills Again The meeting started promptly at 2 pm. We had 6 people in attendance with the meeting ending at around 3:50 pm with no break taken. Ralph Sutter did not attend the Photo Group session this time. Instead, he set out on a 5-day kayak paddle in the San Juan Islands near Anacortes WA. Still, he was present in spirit, leaving some images and videos with Alan Raul and asking that Alan pick and choose the content from the following options New content on the SLO Bytes Photography Links Page; www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html Sundry images using closeup rings, portrait background removal and Irfanview Compare Kendama; a Japanese ball and stick toy turned on a wood lathe Video of a Tippy Top video on YouTube; https://youtu.be/T6tnngJQUD0 Tippy Top video on YouTube (Playing with the Tippy Top): https://youtu.be/j-rK0iECHj4 Chicks video on YouTube chronicling the delivery of 10 baby chicks: https://youtu.be/tWhFB3oGFxA Kaye Raul demonstrated the power of the new presets available in Lightroom Classic version 11.4 released in June. She followed that showing the HDR plugin now available in Luminar Neo contrasting Neo with the ease of using Aurora HDR which Luminar is no longer updating. John Waller showed off more impressive photographic capabilities of his recently purchased Samsung S22 Ultra phone. He also showed the NEW photoshop feature which removes anything from photo (Multi image Content Aware Fill). https://youtu.be/J60YZTdAUsw He also linked a video "Can I process the JWST data better than NASA?" https://youtu.be/DVuonz26P0w After reading a B and H Photo article, Alan Raul decided to explore Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) photography. ICM photography is an impressionistic and abstract style of shooting that has no rules - it all comes down to moving your camera over a long exposure. After researching more about ICM photography, he found out you can also have a similar ICM result from previously shot images using the Moton Blur filter in Adobe Photoshop. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/intentional-camera-movement-photography-part-1-introduction Just one of many ICM videos available on YouTube The Liquid Landscape https://youtu.be/OMPuQBvnKWQ Olga Karlovac Photography - an abstract expressionist photographer https://olga-karlovac-photography.com/ The Female Street Photographer Who Only Takes Blurry Photos https://youtu.be/r7wF7d04aX8 Stanford Brown showed images while taking his walk around Paso Robles. The next meeting will take place on September 11th beginning at 2:00 pm. The topic for the meeting is open-ended. Members are encouraged to try new techniques and share with the group the results of their experiences. The meeting will be held via Zoom. An invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Alan Raul |
| Meeting of 07/10/2022 | Notes from the Meeting of 07/10/2022
TOPIC: New Skills, New Thrills Again Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with comments about sensor cleaning. He posted relevant information on the SLO Bytes Photography website at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html Ralph then offered a variety of images highlighting the background removal feature of Luminar Neo He also shared images of marauding deer munching on his succulents planter. These were taken with the Vikeri Trail Camera Kaye Raul visited Port San Luis/Avila Beach before showing images of house plants, tree forms and charming Eto Park in San Luis Obispo. Alan Raul showed images shot with his Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max of the newly remodeled tunnel under the 101 Freeway in Pismo Beach. He also had pictures of the downtown Pismo Beach area including the ever-so-famous lighted "Pismo Beach" sign. These were show in RAW with the built-in camera app and the ACDSee Pro app. None of the images were cropped or modified. NOTE: The Apple iPhone Pro Max has a triple-camera array on the rear of the device. It features a 77mm (equiv.) focal length (3x) telephoto module, a 13mm (equiv.) F1.8 ultrawide module and a 26mm (equiv.) F1.5 wide module. One of Alan's pictures of Harry's bar used the 26mm F1.5 wide module setting. See https://www.apple.com/ph/iphone/compare/ See https://apps.apple.com/us/app/acdsee-pro/id968591710 Stanford Brown shot images of the sand festival in Cayucos. He then asked other members of the Photography Group for advice in improving his image of a frog sculpture. John Waller showed off the impressive photographic capabilities of his recently purchased Samsung S22 Ultra phone The 10+ optical zoom produced sharp results of distant objects. Hand-held lo light photos were also sharp and realistically colored. Switching to his Canon full sensor DSLR, John captured dramatic video of the Pismo Beach 4th of July fireworks Our next meeting will take place via Zoom on Sunday, August 14th beginning at 2:00 pm. An invitation with credentials to join will be sent several days before that date. The topic is once again New Skills, New Thrills Explore different photographic techniques and share the fruit of your efforts with the group. Taking up Stanford Brown's challenge to improve his image of the frog sand sculpture, I have uploaded his original picture to the SLO Bytes Photography website. Download it from https://www.slobytes.org/digital/frog.jpg and edit it. Make note of what you did and share the results with the group. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 06/12/2022 | TOPIC: New Skills, New Thrills Again
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with images of his recent landscaping project as well as shots from his orchard and vegetable garden. Ralph added a video of rocks sliding downward as he scooped them into a wheelbarrow. Kaye Raul offered weather-worn barns, scenes from Oceano and Port San Luis before demonstrating the use of the level horizon tool in Adobe Lightroom/ Alan Raul showed images shot with his Sony A7iv with a 35mm F2.8 lens of the north end of Pismo Beach at low tide. He then showed images shot with his 24-70mm F4.0 lens of the sand dunes and the Pismo Beach Creek area. Images were modified with a variety of image editing software to get the desired effects he wanted to share. Alan's photography gear is listed on DP Review https://www.dpreview.com/members/9828863162/gearlist Stanford Brown found fractured trees and scenes high above Las Vegas before retreating to Paso Robles where he added angles inside his house and local landscapes. John Waller demonstrated the use of luminosity masks inside Adobe Lightroom. This technique allowed him to enhance yellow flowers in a field of yellow while affecting the flowers but not the field behind. John then applied the technique to trees in Morro Bay and the iconic rocks of Yosemite. Connie Sutter looked at trees and the shadows that they cast. She then shifted focus to a rock outcropping that she excavated as part of her landscaping project. The session closed with Kaye's positive review of several lesser known lenses for her Sony A7iv camera. Alan called attention to the free web space offered by DP Review where he posted details of his camera gear and showed samples of his photos. See https://www.dpreview.com/members/9828863162/gearlist Ralph showed some of the camera resources that he posted to his web site at https://www.fullbean.com/camera/camera.html Our next meeting will take place on 07/10/2022 beginning at 2:00 pm. The topic is once again New Skills, New Thrills; Learn and share that knowledge. A Zoom invitation will be sent shortly beforehand. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 05/15/2022 | TOPIC: New Skills, New Thrills Again
Ralph Sutter began the meeting demonstrating focus stacking with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021. This required purchasing the after market add-on, Elements+. Sutter then showed a video of the flight, crash and recovery of his DJI drone in conjunction with the autonomous flight software, Dronelink Kaye Raul shared images taken with her new Sony A7 IV full frame camera. Her subjects included shots of Guadalupe, Main Street Beach and local strawberry fields. Alan Raul showed images of Shell Beach including the construction project of a new seawall, staircase and sidewalk along the oceanfront. Later in the day (when it was cooler) using his Sony A7iv with a 35mm F2.8 lens he ventured into the dunes near the Pismo Beach Creek to capture images of the creek and dunes area. Stanford Brown used his Vikeri Trail Cam to capture images of 4 footed nighttime visitors around his house. He then reminded the group of the capabilities of the free Microsoft Photos app. It allows image and video viewing, slideshows and simple video editing. program, John Waller introduced log exposure photography in conjunction with density filters. The filters allowed him to take much longer exposures and capture details of dark scenes that otherwise wouldn't be visible. Bob Styerwalt shared several closeups of roses growing in his back yard. The next meeting will take place on June 12th beginning at 2:00 pm.. The topic for the meeting is once again open-ended. Members are encouraged to try new techniques and share with the group the results of their experiences. The meeting will be held via Zoom. An invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 04/10/2022 | TOPIC: New Skills, New Thrills
Ralph Sutter began the meeting with a single portrait. Ralph then showed the effects of vignetting, exposure manipulation and selective erasure. He then shared a video of the whistling top that he made, followed by aerial footage from his DJI Mini 2 drone. His mission for the next session is to find a way to share videos effectively over a slow Internet connection. Alan Raul showed videos captured with his Garmin dash cam of one of our local CHP motorcycle officers cruising the 101 freeway. He used ACDSee Luxea Video Editor 6 to stitch together different clips to create a short video. ACDSee Luxea Video Editor 6 ACDSee Luxea Video Editor 6 Features ACDSee Luxea Video Editor 6 Competitor Comparison 5 Best Screen Recording Tools for 2021 Connie Sutter focused on the shadows cast by trees and other plants. Kaye Raul offered images of the landscaping project in progress at her house. She tied this to last month's discussion of focus peaking. John Waller visited the Atascadero Zoo. He experimented with controlling depth of field to mitigate the appearance of the fencing that separated him from the zoo animals. The next meeting will take place on May 15th, moved back one week in deference to Mother's Day. The topic for the meeting is open-ended. Members are encouraged to try new techniques and share with the group the results of their experiences. The meeting will be held via Zoom. An invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting |
| Meeting of 03/13/2022 | TOPIC: Controlling Depth of Field
Ralph Sutter illustrated how changing shutter speed and aperture control the depth of field. Sutter shared images of flowers. The first image was shot with the aperture at maximum opening and the shutter speed adjusted for proper exposure. The second image in each pair stopped the lens down to f11 and increased the exposure speed for more light. In some images, he used a zoom lens at 140mm for shallowest depth of field. Kaye Raul emphasized the advantage of using focus peaking for maximum sharpness in her shots of Sea Canyon and Avila. Kaye alternated between color and black and white to show the advantages of each format. John Waller experimented with both a new Canon full frame camera and a new lens while lamenting the learning curve when switching. He hopes to use the pair for capturing sharp images in very low light. Connie Sutter concentrated on a single Poinsettia flower, varying the shutter speed and aperture and noting the effects Alan Raul showed images of powder-coated steel structures located in Waller Park commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Santa Barbara. He also showed images of the wooden walkway at the end of Grand Ave. and some shots around Pismo Beach. Alan spoke about his new Sony A7 iv mirrorless camera purchased in January. Using his previous purchased Sony (Zeiss optical design) lenses he noticed "substantial and noticeable" improvement in his shots. The auto-focus is "extremely fast and accurate." Sony A7 iv Mirrorless Camera https://electronics.sony.com/imaging/interchangeable-lens-cameras/all-interchangeable-lens-cameras/p/ilce7m4-b https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1667800-REG/sony_ilce_7m4_b_alpha_a7_iv_mirrorless.html His images can be viewed here: http://www.365.acdsee.com/folders_public.php?profileid=1618852&folderid=2212013 Our next meeting will take place via Zoom on April 10th beginning at 2:00 pm. The topic is open-ended. Members are also encouraged to try new techniques and share with the group the results of their experiences. An invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 02/13/2022 | TOPIC: Street Photography with or without People,
Ralph Sutter took a walk through the Village of Arroyo Grande with his dog Andy, capturing street scenes along the way. Alan Raul showed images from around Pismo Beach, including the downtown area, pier and the beach. These images were captured with a iPhone 13 Pro Max and a Sony A7iv w/a 24 - 70mm F4.0 lens. Except for the iPhone shots, everything else was modified using Adobe Photoshop 2022. He also showed the before and after shots of removing power lines and other distracting elements of the picture using the "Spot Healing Brush." https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/how-to/remove-unwanted-objects-from-photos.html His images can be viewed here: http://www.365.acdsee.com/folders_public.php?profileid=1618852&folderid=2211657 John Waller visited Farmers' Markets in Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo day and night. During the Second Session, we discussed controlling depth of field and selective erasing of distracting objects in images. Kaye Raul demonstrated the ability of the just released photo editing program, Luminar Neo, to remove power lines from images with a single click. Ralph shared his frustration in not being able to successfully install Neo on his Windows desktop. Luminar responded quickly to Sutter's call for help but their suggestions didn't resolve the issue by the end of the Photo Group meeting. UPDATE: On Monday, 02/14/2022, Luminar released a fix and Ralph was able to successfully install and activate Neo. Alan followed, using Photoshop to simply remove power lines. The topic for the meeting on March 13th will be Controlling Depth of Field The meeting will take place via Zoom. An invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 01/09/2022 |
TOPIC: People; Leisure Activities
Kaye Raul shared shots of people enjoying sunsets with dogs and loved ones at Shell Beach. She followed with shots of boating in Avila Beach and the lake at Waller Park. John Waller showed a variety of images documenting what he does in his leisure. These includes shots of classic books, boats and more. Alan Raul showed images from around Shell Beach coastline which documented "King Tides" shot over a period of three days in the mid-morning and late afternoon. A "King Tide" is a popular, non-scientific term people often use to describe exceptionally high tides. With the high tides come exceptionally low tides. These images were captured with a Sony A7II w/a 24 - 70mm F4.0 lens. The second session dealt with Aurora HDR being used as a stand-alone program vs. a Lightroom plug-in. Alan gave a short Aurora HDR demo. John explained file naming when using Aurora HDR as a Lightroom plug-in. The next meeting will take place on February 13th. The topic for the February 13th meeting is Street photography with or without people, shot within the last 30 days. The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 12/12/2021 |
TOPIC: People; Share images with people
The First Session opened with Ralph Sutter showing portraits including one that used Fog and Masking to soften an image. Connie Sutter followed, offering a series of portraits of a single subject. Connie shared two tips for portrait photography. Have the subject tilt the head slightly forward and downward. Alan Raul showed images from around Shell Beach which included street maintenance and new house foundation construction. He shot these with the iPhone 13 Pro Max showing the differences between the normal lens and the included 3X optical zoom lens. He also showed pictures of people enjoying the beautiful Pismo Beach area at dusk shot with a Sony A7II with a 24 - 70mm F4.0 lens. The pictures were all very low light, enhanced and cropped with Aurora HDR. Links to his pictures here John Waller offered wedding pictures of a family member, people on Guadalupe Beach, images from the recent Arroyo Grande Christmas Parade and shots of friendly dogs. Stanford Brown followed with a dramatic picture of a backlighted figure on a lawn as well as portraits of children Our next meeting will take place on January 9th beginning at 2:00 pm The topic is Leisure Time; Share images relating to what we do for fun The meeting will take place via Zoom. Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 11/14/2021 |
TOPIC: Each One Teach One; Share with others a program that you use or a technique that you practice The SLO Bytes Photo Group originally added the First Session to our monthly meetings so that we could present our own historical images and those of others found on-line. For the past several months, no one has offered such content. For this reason, we decided to suspend the First Session indefinitely. The December 2021 Photo Group will begin at 2:00 pm with members sharing original images taken since the November 2021 meeting. The November Second Session opened with Ralph Sutter showing images of sunsets and palm trees shot at home and land/seascapes seen while hiking near Cayucos and Avila Beach. Stanford Brown followed offering shots of the Salinas River, Paso Robles and surrounding areas. His selection included dogs, alpacas, foxes and squirrels as seen on his walks through the countryside. Alan Raul presented next. He used the Linux photo display program, Eye of Mate, to show thumbnails and exposure data. We saw sunsets, seascapes and cairns. Alan added interest with the selective use of black and white inside color images. Kaye Raul demoed several recent Adobe releases; Creative Cloud, Premiere Rush and Photoshop Express. She compared the sky replacement capabilities of Photoshop to that of Luminar AI, highlighting the strengths and shortcoming of each. See Kaye's links at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/documents/kaye-notes-1121.docx John Waller used the Object Selection Tool, just added to Adobe Photoshop, to highlight multiple objects in the same image and transform them. He used neural filters for manipulating depth of field and changing selective focus. Our last meeting of 2021 will take place on December 12th beginning at 2:00 pm The topic is Portraits; Share images of people The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting See the Links Page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 10/10/2021 |
TOPIC: Each One Teach One; Share with others a program that you use or a technique that you practice In the First Segment, Ralph Sutter called attention to the recent items appearing on the SLO Bytes Photo Group Links Page The Second Session opened with Ralph sharing a slide show that he created from a story board. He then showed how to create a halo around the mouse cursor.  He later demonstrated several recent purchases; a rotating platter and a light box. Learn more at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/documents/sutter-notes-11-21.docx
Alan Raul presented images shot with his new iPhone 13 camera, including numerous seascapes and low light images Learn more at http://www.365.acdsee.com/folders_public.php?profileid=1618852&folderid=2207030 Kaye Raul explained how she used two photo editors, Aurora HDR and Adobe Lightroom, to convert color photos to black and white. She also showed the technique known as Targeted Adjustment to refine the switch from full color to minimal color. Connie Sutter shared multiple image pairs. The first was taken with a Canon Rebel T7 camera fitted with a 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 lens and then with a 75-300 4.0-5.6 lens The Third Session continued the discussion of photo techniques and software, closing out with Bob Styerwalt's photos of The Birds of Avila. Our next meeting will take place on November 14th The topic is once again Each One Teach One; Demonstrate a program or a technique that you use The meeting will take place via Zoom The last meeting of the SLO Bytes Photo Group this year will take place on December 12th 2021 A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting See the Links Page for tutorials and other resources Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 09/12/2021 |
TOPIC: Each One Teach One; Demonstrate a skill that you have learned regarding image editing, whether on a computer or on a smart phone. In the First Segment, Ralph Sutter described two features of Techsmith Snagit. The Simplify tool is used to blur out certain portions of a text document while displaying others. The Magnify tool allows the user to create an enlarged section of a page that pops out from the rest of that page. His presentation was followed by a lively discussion of how to perform screen captures and using a camera to video the start up sequence of a computer so as to be able to read an error message that disappears before the user can read it. The Second Session opened with Ralph speaking once again spoke about filming with a drone. Sutter showed the Circle mode in which the drone shot a 360° video of a house from 200 feet above. He then used the Time Remapping feature of Adobe Premiere Elements 2021 to display the footage in slow motion. He also shared a video of the Rohr Marble Run machine. Ralph assembled the laser-cut device over several days to the delight of his grandson. Alan Raul followed with the striking image of a young man practicing rock climbing on a Shell Beach sea wall. Alan then demonstrated how he manipulated the image of a scrub oak tree, mirroring and inverting it to give the impression that it was beside a pool of water. Kaye Raul explored some of the capabilities of her iPhone 11. She showed how to quickly snap an image from the home screen without opening the Camera App. Kaye then demonstrated how Portrait mode blurs the background and sharpens the foreground, whether the subject is a person, a flower or a small object. The group learned that Night Mode automatically lowers the shutter speed to capture more light. Auto Blur selectively focuses the image. John Waller explained how he created a preset in Adobe Photoshop and then applied it to automatically to multiple images. Waller shared images that he shot with his new full sensor Canon R5 camera. He was particularly impressed by its capabilities to autofocus on the eye of birds in flight, resulting in a sharpness that couldn't' be achieved traditionally. Stanford Brown re-introduced us to Win 10 Video Editor, a program included in Microsoft 10. Stanford commented on the program's simplicity in trimming video footage. The Second Session moved seamlessly to the Third Session when we discussed the different ways to clean a digital camera sensor, both manually and via the auto-cleaning function of some cameras. Our next meeting will take place on October 10th The topic is once again Each One Teach One; Demonstrate a skill that you have learned regarding image editing, whether on a computer or on a smart phone. The meeting will take place via Zoom The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2021 is as follows November 14 December 12 A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting See the Links page for tutorials and other resources
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Meeting of 08/08/2021 |
TOPIC: Textures In the First Segment, Connie Sutter shared her Notes on Texture as it applies to photos and paintings. Texture Notes
perceived surface quality of work of art element of 2D & 3D perceived visual & physical properties conveys messages & emotions
Infer smooth/rough soft/hard matt/glossy Natural Texture wood, sandpaper, canvas, rocks, glass, granite, metal brush strokes in painting create texture to see/feel buildup of paint on surface making actual texture is called impasto 1 hard/soft 2 woven/bumpy 3 jagged/irregular 4 ridged Smooth - slick, soft, slimy, glossy Rough - bumpy, scaly, coarse, sandy, rocky, fuzzy, gritty, lumpy, hairy Fabric Textures Ceiling Textures Wall Texture Carpet Texture Ralph Sutter shared footage of his recovered drone that flew away in February 2021 and was returned in August undamaged thanks to the thoughtful individual who returned it. The Second Segment opened with Ralph offering images of his kayaking trip to the San Juan Islands, WA from July 26-30, 2021 as well as close ups of freeze dried fruits and vegetables Kaye Raul followed showing scenes from the Betteravia Sugar Processing Plant, along with closeups of succulents and small objects Connie also moved in close to examine the texture of countertops, cabinet sides, furniture and window shades Stanford Brown followed suit with textures seen on quilts, walls, carpet, garden stones and fabric. The Third Segment elicited minimal discussion. Ralph again played footage of his drone's errant flight for those who joined the session after the video had been played. Our next meeting will take place on September 12th The topic is Each One Teach One; Demonstrate a skill that you have learned regarding image editing, whether on a computer or on a smart phone. The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2021 is as follows October 10 November 14 December 12 See the Links page for tutorials and other resources
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Meeting of 07/11/2021 |
TOPIC: Follow That Creature The meeting took place via Zoom In the First Segment, John Waller shared images of dogs from his past. The Second Session opened with Ralph Sutter offering a video that featured Andy the Wonderdog cowering in the presence of a snake skin and boldly attacking a Kleenex Kaye Raul visited the Flamingos at the Atascadero Zoo. Stanford Brown took us on a walk past Alpacas, friendly Dogs, Deer, Hawks, Cats, Snakes, Mayflies, Eagles, Foxes and Possums John Waller introduced his dog, as the animal strutted John's house and surrounding property. Bob Styerwalt showed off his Yorkie, Coco, walking, relaxing and recovering from a bath. The Third Session had us talking about optical character recognition and using Microsoft OneNote to capture text from images. Our next meeting will take place on August 8th The topic is Textures The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 06/13/2021 |
TOPIC: The topic is Favorite Images from Nature; Please share scenes of a place free from human interaction In the First Segment, Alan Raul and Bob Ward reflected nostalgically over their earlier years diving for abalone locally and further up the California coastline. Ralph Sutter shared pictures of Santa Cruz Island's Painted Cave and Lopez Cave. Stanford Brown showed scenes from his frequent walks The Second Session opened with Ralph offering images of the his backyard trees and pond followed by water scenes from Santa Margarita Lake and Morro Bay. Kaye Raul took us down country roads, visiting See Canyon and the beach at Morro Bay. Alan Raul walked the Bob Jones Trail and presented shots of the coastline at Shell Beach. See his images here Connie Sutter focused on trees, showing them from unusual angles. The Third Session opened with Ralph playing videos from the club's web site. They included Layer Masks in Photoshop Elements 2021 Vignetting in Luminar AI and How to Load Your Own Skies a Luminar FAQ Alan Raul showed the Clone Stamp in Adobe Photoshop Elements Kaye Raul demonstrated Adobe's free app, Lightroom Mobile Our next meeting will take place on July 11th The topic is Follow That Creature; create a portfolio based on a single animal. The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 05/16/2021 |
TOPIC: Vivid Color; The meeting took place via Zoom In the First Segment, Stanford Brown looked back at flowers, landscapes and structures from around the world, each with one or more dominant colors. Alan Raul followed, shifting focus to harbors of California's Central Coast featuring Coast Guard vessels private craft John Waller , using extensive color masking, shared images of aircraft, fire engines, and landscapes. Alan Raul opened the Second Session displaying flowers and lawn art. His images are available on-line here Ralph Sutter treated today's session as an opportunity to enhance the colors of flowers and children's toys Stanford Brown shared many very vivid flowers Kaye Raul also found colorful flowers as well as brightly colored buildings and gates. She enhanced these scenes by selective color removal. Connie Sutter contributed images of fruit trees and flowers In the Third Session, Ralph called attention to Adobe's Digital Negative Converter, free software that allows image editors to manipulate RAW photos when the software does not natively convert the camera that produced those images. Kaye showed how she selectively removed color from photos using Selective Color. She offered the following documentation in Luminar - https://jimnix.com/blog/2019/3/13/selective-color-in-luminar in Lightroom - https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-easily-create-selective-color-using-lightroom/ in Luminar AI - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPLMD0KWn9M John demonstrated how he used both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom to highlight a single color and convert others to grey. He explained the workings of Adobe's object selection tool Our next meeting will take place on June 13th The topic is Favorite Images from Nature; Please share scenes of a place free from human interaction The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting See the Links page for tutorials and other resources
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Meeting of 04/11/2021 |
TOPIC: Black and White - Architecture The meeting took place via Zoom In the First Segment, we saw images of architecture on-line from humble to haughty and then rendered in black and white. Stanford Brown showed sharp images of ancient temples in Cambodia The Second Session opened with Ralph Sutter showing chicken coops and local buildings first in full color and subsequently reduced to black and white. Kaye Raul followed suit, sharing houses throughout the San Luis Obispo area. Alan Raul opened with structures and vessels by the sea; Morro Bay, Port San Luis and Avila, along with driftwood shelters and the iconic Halcyon Temple of the People. View Alan's pictures at https://www.365.acdsee.com/en/album/alan/2191366/ John Waller, using Photoshop, showed the different results to be achieved by first allowing Photoshop to transform color images to black and white and then manipulating custom color ranges for much different results. John used familiar sites for his transformations; the Santa Barbara Mission, Oceano Train Depot and the Arroyo Grande one room schoolhouse. Bob Ward carefully edited a chicken coop before moving to the old ranch house beside Costco San Luis Obispo and finally applying several of Luminar AI's portrait tools to change the look of the subject. Doug Depue introduced the group to iFun Screen Recorder, using it for a video capture of content from Surfline. Our next meeting will take place on May 16th pushed back one week by Mothers' Day falling on May 9th. The topic is Color Please share images in which color stands out; not just color photographs but eye-catching images dominated by one or more colors. The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2021 is as follows May 16 (Mothers' Day falls on May 9th) June 13 July 11 August 8 September 12 October 10 November 14 December 12 Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 03/14/2021 |
TOPIC: Perspective The meeting took place via Zoom In the First Segment, Alan Raul shared historical photos of San Diego Bay Doug Depue documented erosion along Highway 1 above Cambria with numerous before and after images showing the changes wrought by water. Bob Ward offered nostalgic photos of a sawmill near Shaver Lake, Laguna Lake emptied by drought and a young girl riding a turtle at Knotts Berry Farm The Second Session opened with Ralph Sutter displaying common objects from uncommon angles. Stanford Brown brought images of falling fences, curving paths and reflections on a wine glass Alan Raul shared images of railroad tracks, walkways, bridges, staircases and a unknown tunnel in Pismo Beach. He also showed images of the Pismo Beach Pier in both color and black and white. His images were modified using Aurora HDR and Luminar Ai and are available to view at http://www.365.acdsee.com/folders_public.php?profileid=1618852&folderid=2190592 Kaye Raul took us to Avila Beach for seascapes before moving inland to towers and skies below the Nipomo Mesa John Waller strolled the Boardwalk from Grand Avenue toward Pismo Beach demonstrating the technique of foreshortening through his choice of lenses In the final segment, Alan showed modifying an image in Aurora HDR and also converting the image to his preset black and white template. Ralph closed out the meeting with a demonstration of the Historical Imagery feature of Google Earth Pro Our next meeting will take place on April 11th. The topic is Black and White Photography For that meeting, Ralph uploaded a pair of color images, a .jpg and a raw image, inviting each member to convert them to black and white and share the results with the group at the April meeting. Download them at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/images/sample-for-bw.jpg and
https://www.slobytes.org/digital/images/sample-for-bw.RW2
A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2021 is as follows May 16 (Mothers' Day falls on May 9th) June 13 July 11 August 8 September 12 October 10 November 14 December 12 See the Links page for tutorials and other resources
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Meeting of 02/14/2021 |
TOPIC: Close-up Photography The meeting took place via Zoom With this meeting, the Photography Group began a new meeting schedule as shown below. 1 PM First Segment - Members may show past pictures they shot and pictures from the Internet exemplifying the current topic. 1:50 PM Break - Stand up, coffee/water, snack break, pet the dog, etc. 2 PM - Second Segment - Members will show current pictures taken within the last 30 days on the current topic. 3:30 to 4 PM - Final Segment - Member(s) can demonstrate a software application or technique used to modify the image. This may also include a particular shooting technique. Members may attend any part(s) of the 3-hour Zoom session. In the First Segment, Doug Depue provided numerous images of flowers and other objects from his portfolio. John Waller led off the Second Segment with details of Big Falls, Little Falls, Nojoqui Falls, Salmon Creek and his pet dog. Ralph Sutter showed thumbnail images found in his tutorial on creating a router jig for fluting screwdriver handles turned on a wood lathe. Stanford Brown followed with closeups of pier planks, rusty nails and Toyon berries. Bob Styerwalt continued sharing images of flowers, door hardware and several very sharp images of assorted items attached to a wall plaque. Connie Sutter offered closeups of flowers and dog paws Doug Depue chose coins, bolts, padlocks, lichens and ground squirrels The Final Segment brought a discussion of the software editing program, Luminar AI. Ralph showed his tutorial on Masking with Luminar AI; https://youtu.be/K44wbwinOEU and shared his Notes to Self on using the program; https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/luminar-ai-notes.docx Sutter observed that Luminar AI does not offer Layers, unlike Luminar 4. Various participants expressed their disappointment with this change. John Waller demonstrated photo enhancement by color separation. He also showed images of frolicking dogs in overlapping freeze frame. Finally, we investigated how to successfully share screens inside Zoom. Several members were unable to do so. After the fact, Ralph Sutter wrote a tutorial on screen sharing and posted it at https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/zoom-screen-share.docx Our next meeting will take place on March 14th. The topic is Perspective; as defined by each member The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 01/10/2021 |
TOPIC: Water The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by calling the group's attention to the posts made by member Doug Depue on the SLO Bytes Bulletin in which he shares his thoughts on the subject. View them here Sutter continued with shots of fountains, ponds and lakes. He followed with a slow motion/freeze frame video of water dropping in a bowl. Stanford Brown illustrated the many forms in which water is used; in drinking, bathing and playing; filling aquariums, ponds and kitty bowls. Alan Raul captured images of water around the Pismo Beach and Avila Beach areas. He also provided a link to more of his images here… https://www.365.acdsee.com/en/album/alan/2184651/ http://www.slolug.com/demo/ Alan used Adobe Premiere Elements to strip out separate video frames of movies shot with a GoPro camera. His video clips of the polar bear dip on New Years eve was stitched together using the same program. Other pictures were modified using Skylum Aurora HDR. Kaye Raul explored the seashore finding images of fishermen, seagulls and seascapes. She then enhanced the pictures by altering the sky with Luminar AI. Bob Ward tracked water through its 3 forms showing snow, ponds and falling water. He demonstrated how to alter the look of flowing water by varying the shutter speed and camera ISO. Doug Depue offered numerous water shots that he found on line, interspersed with some of his own images of local historical floods. John Waller followed water from the crop irrigation beside his house and then showed waterfalls from Salmon Creek to Little Falls to Yosemite Falls. \ Bob Styerwalt began showing a glass of water and then expanded to images of Morro Rock, the Hearst Castle outdoor pool, Lake Cachuma and Lake Arrowhead. Our next meeting will take place on February 14th. The topic is Close-up Photography. The meeting will take place via Zoom. A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 12/13/2021 |
TOPIC: Shadows; One step behind. The meeting took place via Zoom Doug Depue opened the meeting calling attention to numerous sources he compiled regarding Light and Shadow. View them on the Links Page; https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html (See 12/13/2020). Doug then shared many images that he found on line illustrating the play of light and shadow. Ralph Sutter followed with photos displaying shadows from both natural and artificial light. Stanford Brown offered images in which shadows on faces and on landscapes added interest. John Waller showed the play of shadows outside his home and on surrounding crops. Alan Raul caught the shadows cast by a Juniper bush on the chimney of his mother's house. He also provided a link to more of his images at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html (See 12/13/2020). Bob Styerwalt followed shadows around his house, inside and out. Linda Styerwalt captured the shadows cast by a Christmas ornament. Kaye Raul found shadows in the sand at several local beaches. Bob Ward explored the shadows cast by vertical blinds before venturing out to the shadows of the Grand Canyon. Ralph Sutter |
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Meeting of 11/08/2020 |
TOPIC: Images dominated by a single color (Second Installment). The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photography web site. Sutter then showed close-up images of common items with a single prominent color; a palm tree trunk, rain clouds, expresso accessories and details of watercolors. Alan Raul followed, offering shots of his annual persimmon harvest. Orange dominated his selections. Kaye Raul chose the local piers at Pismo Beach and Port San Luis as well as some dramatic sky photos. John Waller started out close to home, focusing on flowers and emerging grasses before venturing farther afield to water features. Doug Depue continued to spotlight nuances of color. He sparked a lengthy discussion when he asked if it would be appropriate for him to share some of his voluminous photo library built over many years. The consensus of the other group members was that while it would be ok to offer a limited number of items from the past, we would prefer to see current images, perhaps contrasting his photographer's eye as it evolved over time. Ralph made the point shared by several others that while we often use software to alter what comes out of our cameras, Sutter's goal is to capture a memorable moment in time. That may require nothing more than pressing the shutter at the right time and place with no post-production necessary. Bob Ward shared a series of photos taken many years ago of the last sawmill in California. Bob captured images of a mill near Shaver Lake, its machinery and the support building in the community that it created. Our last meeting of 2020 will take place on Sunday, December 13th, 2020@ 2:00 pm The topic will be Shadows; one step behind. The meeting will take place via Zoom A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 10/11/2020 |
TOPIC: Images dominated by a single color. The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photography web site. Sutter continued with closeups of plants and familiar objects along with fog shrouded images of boats on Morro Bay. Doug DePue offered a lesson in color theory distinguishing between tint, hue and shade. See the Links page for his sources Kaye Raul chose images of a puzzle, rusting farm equipment and fields of squash. Alan Raul showed night shots of the Pismo Beach redevelopment project, moored kayaks and pumpkins John Waller used the Photoshop Object Selection Tool to enhance his images NEXT MEETING: Sunday, November , 2020@ 2:00 pm The topic is Images Dominated by a Single Color (Again). The meeting will take place via Zoom A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. The final meeting of the year will take place on December 13th Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 09/13/2020 |
TOPIC: Artistic Growth Three; Learn a new skill for use inside or outside the camera and present it to the group. The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photography web site. Two articles were added for the September meeting. They are Open HEIC Files in Windows 10 and Wi-Fi Photo Transfer; download images from an iPhone to a PC wirelessly Program suggested by Alan Raul, tutorial by Ralph Sutter Also on YouTube at https://youtu.be/lIKo3PzThTw Next Sutter shared a series of images featuring blossoms of fruits and vegetables. Ralph explained that he used Irfanview to insert titles. He controlled the order in which Irfanview displayed the images by opening an image in that program and then clicking on File/Thumbnails/Options/Sort Thumbnails/By name (natural/logic order). Alan Raul showed his results of long exposures of running water at Waller Park in Santa Maria. A typical exposure for these shots were ISO 64, 10 seconds at f/22. He used a Variable ND (Neutral Density) filter with his 35mm f/2.8 Sony lens to get the desired effect. He use the following web site as a guide on how to set up his Sony mirrorless camera. https://alphauniverse.com/stories/set-up-your-camera-for-long-exposures/ Stanford Brown followed introducing CopyTrans HEIC for Windows https://www.copytrans.net/copytransheic/ John Waller demonstrated a new tool in Adobe Photoshop, the Object Selection Tool, useful for quickly selecting part of an image for further manipulation. John then showed the results of his low light tests with varying speed and aperture settings and different lenses. Kaye Raul used Aurora HD https://skylum.com/aurorahdr with .raw files to improve shadow detail in images taken at Waller Park. NEXT MEETING: Sunday, October 11th, 2020@ 2:00 pm The topic is Images Dominated by a Single Color. The meeting will take place via Zoom A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2020 is as follows November 8th December 13th Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 10/11/2020 |
TOPIC: Images dominated by a single color. The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photography web site. Sutter continued with closeups of plants and familiar objects along with fog shrouded images of boats on Morro Bay. Doug DePue offered a lesson in color theory distinguishing between tint, hue and shade. See the Links page for his sources Kaye Raul chose images of a puzzle, rusting farm equipment and fields of squash. Alan Raul showed night shots of the Pismo Beach redevelopment project, moored kayaks and pumpkins John Waller used the Photoshop Object Selection Tool to enhance his images NEXT MEETING: Sunday, November 8th, 2020@ 2:00 pm The topic is Images Dominated by a Single Color (Again). The meeting will take place via Zoom A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. The final meeting of the year will take place on December 13th Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 09/13/2020 |
TOPIC: Artistic Growth Three; Learn a new skill for use inside or outside the camera and present it to the group. The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling attention to the Links Page of the Photography web site. Two articles were added for the September meeting. They are Open HEIC Files in Windows 10 and Wi-Fi Photo Transfer; download images from an iPhone to a PC wirelessly Program suggested by Alan Raul, tutorial by Ralph Sutter Also on YouTube at https://youtu.be/lIKo3PzThTw Next Sutter shared a series of images featuring blossoms of fruits and vegetables. Ralph explained that he used Irfanview to insert titles. He controlled the order in which Irfanview displayed the images by opening an image in that program and then clicking on File/Thumbnails/Options/Sort Thumbnails/By name (natural/logic order). Alan Raul showed his results of long exposures of running water at Waller Park in Santa Maria. A typical exposure for these shots were ISO 64, 10 seconds at f/22. He used a Variable ND (Neutral Density) filter with his 35mm f/2.8 Sony lens to get the desired effect. He use the following web site as a guide on how to set up his Sony mirrorless camera. https://alphauniverse.com/stories/set-up-your-camera-for-long-exposures/ Stanford Brown followed introducing CopyTrans HEIC for Windows https://www.copytrans.net/copytransheic/ John Waller demonstrated a new tool in Adobe Photoshop, the Object Selection Tool, useful for quickly selecting part of an image for further manipulation. John then showed the results of his low light tests with varying speed and aperture settings and different lenses. Kaye Raul used Aurora HD https://skylum.com/aurorahdr with .raw files to improve shadow detail in images taken at Waller Park. NEXT MEETING: Sunday, October 11th, 2020@ 2:00 pm The topic is Images Dominated by a Single Color. The meeting will take place via Zoom A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2020 is as follows November 8th December 13th Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 08/09/2020 |
TOPIC: Artistic Growth Two; Learn a new skill for use inside or outside the camera and present it to the group. The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter Showed the Links Page at https://slobytes.org/digital/links.html He called attention to How do pixels and dpi and resolution and picture size and file size relate? and His own slideshow, Kayaking in the San Juan Islands Sutter opened the session by playing his San Juan Kayaking Slide Show Alan Raul followed showing how he used the Sketch feature in Adobe Photoshop to create drawings from some of his seascapes Doug DePue first showed how he fused several slides together with his scanning program, Powerslide 3650. He then demonstrated the numerous configurations possible for magnifying displayed image with Microsoft's Magnifier, a feature of Windows 10 built-in Stanford Brown demoed the audio compression program, Switch by NCH Software, using it to compress audio files without noticeable loss of clarity. Kaye Raul experimented with low angle photography and adding texture to images by creating semi-transparent layers in Adobe Photoshop John Waller tried out a 10X adjustable neutral density filter, using it to extend the exposure time when shooting. With the longer exposure time, he then tried light painting and wave flattening. Bob Styerwalt shared high quality photos of Yosemite that he shot in 1967 NEXT MEETING: Sunday, September 13th, 2020@ 2:00 pm The topic once again is Artistic Growth now Phase Three; Learn a new skill for use inside or outside the camera and present it to the group. The meeting will take place via Zoom Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 06/14/2020 |
TOPIC: Animals; please share images of fauna that walk the earth, fly the skies or swim the seas The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter began the meeting by reviewing the links posted on the web site at https://slobytes.org/digital/links.html Ralph then shared photos of animals seen around his house and at Santa Margarita Lake. Sutter used two programs to display his images; Photodex Proshow Producer and DaVinci Resolve. Photodex ceased to exist on 01/31/2020 but their software still works with the exception of their on-line resources. Ralph found the freeware program, DaVinci Resolve to be a very sophisticated video editor whose features equal or surpass those of Adobe Premiere. Doug DePue showed the elephant seals of Piedras Blancas. They were photographed long before that stretch of Highway 101 offered dedicated viewing areas and vehicle parking lots. Alan Raul used Adobe Spark and other Adobe products to create photo collages of some of his four-legged friends. Bob Styerwaltdocumented Bath Day for his puppy, adding images of backyard birds and bees. Kaye Raul showed painted cow statues, livestock and wildlife found near the Madonna Inn and the Avila Barn as well as photos of her dog shedding snow drifts of hair. Stanford Brown captured still images of bison, elephant seals, domesticated fishing cormorants, bears, deer and sundry other wild animals photographed around the world. Connie Sutter pressed into service stuffed animals and hand puppets from her days as a classroom teacher, finishing off with a shot of her new and very lively puppy. John Waller shared images of seals in Morro Bay, deer in Yosemite, many animals of the Santa Barbara Zoo and others roaming Hearst Ranch. NEXT MEETING: Sunday, July 12th, 2020@ 2:00 pm The topic is Artistic Growth; Learn a new skill for use inside or outside the camera and present it to the group. The meeting will take place via Zoom A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. |
| Meeting of 05/17/2020 |
TOPIC: Still-life Photography - subjects could include household items like plants, bottles, vases and items in your garage. Let your creative skills come to the surface with unique lighting, composition and digital manipulation. The meeting took place via Zoom Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by calling attention to two new resources on the Photography web site, www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html. They were PhotoStage; a freeware slideshow creator Thanks to Stanford Brown for the reference Video Backdrops from British TV Thanks to Ron Jeffries for this link Ralph then presented a series of images of ripening bananas and a collection of belts Alan Raul followed offering a tour of the new park at Shell Beach focusing on the light standards Bob Styerwalt shared photos of plants and tools Connie Sutter focused on a single crystal vase shown from different angles and in different lights Kaye Raul also incorporated vases accompanied by fruits John Waller showed family heirlooms and objects from travel abroad The next meeting will take place on June 14th at 2:00pm The topic is Animals; please share images of fauna that walks the earth, flies the skies or swims the seas Ralph Sutter Map at www.slobytes.org/digital/sutter-map.html Dashcam video at www.slobytes.org/digital/images/dashcam-to-photo-group.mp4 |
| Meeting of 04/19/2020 |
NOTE: Due to concerns over the COVID-19 Virus, the Photo Group did not meet in March. Here are my notes from the April meeting. Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by calling attention to two new resources on the Photography web site, www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html. They were Change the order in which Irfanview displays Images https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/irfanview-display-order.html and 4K Downloader Slideshow Maker; https://dl.4kdownload.com/app/4kslideshowmaker_1.8.1_x64.msi?source=website Ralph then showed still and video images of water and images reflected in water. John Waller followed with reflections on Yosemite lakes and Disneyland water rides Kaye Raul offered seascapes of Morro Bay and Avila Alan Raul chose reflections from Waller Park, Santa Maria , circular rainbows and local waterfronts View them at https://alan10f6.myportfolio.com/ Bob Styerwalt caught reflections in windows and in puddles around his home. Linda Styerwalt ventured farther afield with shots taken in Cambria, Carmel and Alaska Barry Dorfman showed stunning images of snow and water in Yosemite Connie Sutter opted for dramatic cloud formations as seen from home in Arroyo Grande Stanford Brown travelled to Amsterdam and Budapest for his reflections. NEXT MEETING: Sunday, May 17th, 2020@ 2:00 pm This is one week later than usual due to Mothers' Day TOPIC: Still-life Photography - subjects could include household items like plants, bottles, vases and items in your garage. Let your creative skills come to the surface with unique lighting, composition and digital manipulation. The meeting will take place via Zoom |
| Meeting of 03/15/2020 |
TOPIC: Reflections; Where water meets the sky NOTE Due to concerns over the COVID-19 Virus, this scheduled meeting did not take place. It has been rescheduled for April 19, 2020, one week later than usual since Easter falls on 04/12/20. NEXT MEETING: Sunday, April 19th, 2020@ 2:00 pm TOPIC: The topic for our next meeting is Reflections; Where water meets the sky The meeting will take place via Zoom A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting. |
| Meeting of 02/23/2020 |
TOPIC: Photo Editing Software Again; Please share images that you modified using your favorite image manipulation software. Due to the interest shown for this topic at the January meeting, it has been held over by popular demand. Connie Sutter opened the session with many spectacular images of sunsets. Ralph Sutter followed showing photos of water activities enhanced with various tools in the Skylum Luminar editing program. Alan Raul showed how he managed his photo editing work flow and then shared black and white/color images for startling effect. John Waller demonstrated sophisticated use of RGB filters, layer replacement and superimposed text both restoring damaged old photographs and improving new ones. Kaye Raul offered a movie all in black and white showcasing natural landscapes and iconic scenes of familiar locations. Bob Styerwalt cropped photographs of family and used careful editing to showcase his newly adopted dog. NEXT MEETING: Sunday, March 15th, 2020@ 2:00 pm; TOPIC: The topic for our next meeting is Reflections; Where water meets the sky LOCATION: Home of Connie and Ralph Sutter 498 Hansen Hill Road Arroyo Grande, CA |
| Meeting of 01/12/2020 | TOPIC: Photo Editing Software
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting, calling the group's attention to several recent posts on the Links Page of the group's web site. See Screen Capture Tutorial; Luminar 4 Sky Replacement on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ZXp-ENp8LV8 Skylum Luminar as an Adobe Photoshop Elements Plug-in Luminar 4 Update Available; Open Luminar 4, Click on Help/Check for Updates Ralph then showed images that he had manipulated using the Sky Replacement feature of Luminar 4. Alan Raul distributed a list of the software that he uses to alter images. See his list here Alan demonstrated several of the possibilities that the programs make possible. Kaye Raul improved some already crisp images using color adjustments available in Luminar. Linda Styerwalt likewise explored how she could improve photos with that software. John Waller moved beyond Skylum Luminar, using advanced techniques in Adobe Photoshop. NEXT MEETING TOPIC: Photo Editing Software Again; Please share images that you modified using your favorite image manipulation software. Due to the interest shown for this topic at the January meeting, it has been held over by popular demand. |
| Meeting of 12/08/2019 | TOPIC: One Spot; many images
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with landscapes seen throughout the day and night from his patio and bedroom window. He followed with a series of still image that he tried to animate using Adobe Premiere Elements 2019 and Proshow Producer 2019. The latter was more realistic. Next, Connie Sutter displayed images of a grove of trees at different moments, creating everything with her iPhone. Kaye Raul followed with different landscapes that she modified using Skylum Luminar software. The rest of the group, intrigued by the possibilities, decided to dedicate the January 2020 session to software manipulation programs. Bob Styerwalt captured the passage of time as observed at various locations of his home NEXT MEETING Sunday, January 12th @ 2:00 pm
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| Meeting of 11/10/2019 | TOPIC: Trees; images of arboreal specimens
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by playing three tutorials that he created. They are Add Text to an Image with Irfanview Configuring Irfanview to Play .mp4 Files Using FormatFactory to Join Two or More .pdf Files Sutter then showed a slideshow of trees seen in and around Redding California's Sundial Bridge. Ralph then shared a series of tree images sent by Connie Sutter during her visit to Westlake, Hangzhou China. Kaye Raul followed with photos of trees large and small. Bob Styerwalt aimed his camera at local fruit trees and bushes. John Waller, in addition to showing the thriving redwoods of Yosemite and elsewhere, offered numerous images of dead and fallen trees forming natural sculptures. Several members commented that most the deciduous trees of the Central Coast have not yet begun to change color or lose leaves. NEXT MEETING Sunday, December 8th @ 2:00 pm.
This will the last meeting of the SLO Bytes Photo Group this year |
| Meeting of 10/13/2019 | TOPIC: Rocks; all manner of objects igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary in nature
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with a slide show of rocks seen in Arroyo Grande, Shell Beach and Port San Luis. Kaye Raul offered shots big rocks and small gemstones. Connie Sutter followed displaying close-ups of landscaping rock features. Bob Styerwalt added photos of rocks found in his back yard and around the world from Canada to the British Isles. John Waller showed some local rocks before focusing on the granite outcroppings of The Indians near Fort Hunter Liggett and the Mission of San Antonio of Padua. NEXT MEETING Sunday, November 10th @ 2:00 pm.
The last meeting of the SLO Bytes Photo Group will this year will take place on Sunday, December 8th |
| Meeting of 09/08/2019 | TOPIC: Walls and Fences; Please share images of borders and barriers
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with a slide show of fences seen on his rural Arroyo Grande property. Connie Sutter followed displaying images of walls and fences seen on road to Bend, Oregon. Despite the fact that she shot the photos with an iPhone through the closed window of a moving vehicle, the images were surprisingly sharp. Bob Styerwalt added photos of ornamental architecture along with garden variety fences and walls. Kaye Raul offered shots of gates, walls and fences. John Waller expanded the category with fog, clouds and other natural barriers. Monica Tarzier brought shots of her backyard landscaping project, complete with walls and fire pit. NEXT MEETING Sunday, October 13th @ 2:00 pm.
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| Meeting of 08/11/2019 | TOPIC: Water; images of that classical element
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting using Google Earth Pro to show the route of his recent kayaking trip from Skyline Marina, Anacortes to Cypress Island. Ralph then showed a video of rivers and coastline in Northern California, Oregon and Washington State. Bob Styerwalt followed with water shots including waterfalls, beaches and animals seen near water. John Waller added photos of the California Central Coast and beyond covered with hail or fog and bathed in sunlight. Connie Sutter focused on bottled water, cataloging twenty plus varieties of water for sale at a local drugstore. NEXT MEETING Sunday,September 11th @ 2:00 pm.
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| Meeting of 07/13/2019 | TOPIC: Signs; images that send messages with words and symbols
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting showing a music video clip of the Five Man Electrical Band playing Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign Sutter then played a slide show by Alan Raul featuring signs seen in Avila Beach. Ralph followed with images shot locally and abroad. Connie Sutter offered a series of images of area churches with Elvis Presley's Amazing Grace playing in the background. Kaye Raul ventured to the Bahamas for her signs. John Waller shared a video that created the illusion that we were watching a slide projector presentation. All his images displayed inside a Kodak Ektachrome border. John added the sound track with the characteristic click of each slide advancing and the hum of the fan. Bob Styerwalt travelled the world to find his signs, visiting England, Scotland and other European locales before returning to his own street. NEXT MEETING Sunday, August 11th @ 2:00 pm.
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| Meeting of 06/09/2019 | TOPIC: Bridges; structures through the air
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting showing a link to https://bridgehunter.com/ca/san-luis-obispo/ listing some bridges in San Luis Obispo County. Thanks to Alan Raul for the resource. Ralph then shared a slide show of bridges found in and around Arroyo Grande. Connie Sutter followed with bridges found in Thailand. Kaye Raul showed bridges and railroad trestles including shots from Huasna Valley. Alan Raul presented bridges from Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo and Shell Beach. Most of his pictures were taken with his new Sony full-frame digital camera. Working from the raw images, Raul brought out rich detail without retouching. John Waller offered bridges seen locally as well as in Yosemite, Disneyland and Nipomo. He demonstrated how he used the new Content Aware brush from Photoshop to remove a barbed wire fence from the image of the Lopez Lake Bridge. Bob Styerwalt showed bridges from around the world, visiting the US, Canada, and Europe. The meeting ended at which time Ralph invited everyone to build their own pizza and bake it in his recently completed pizza oven.
NEXT MEETING Sunday, July 14th @ 2:00 pm.
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| Meeting of 05/19/2019 | TOPIC: Boats; images of floating watercraft
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting showing a video of sand paintings that gave the illusion of being three dimensional. View it at 3D Illusion Alan Raul suggested another sand painting artist found at Sand Art by Ilana Yahav - SandFantasy Ralph then shared a slide show of sundry boats that he shot while kayaking at Port San Luis and Morro Bay. John Waller followed with boats seen in Santa Barbara Harbor. Alan presented images of boats, large and small from paddleboards to ships. Bob Styerwalt opened with the painting of a sailing ship that hangs in his living room. He then showed travel pictures of boats seen in Great Britain, Alaska as well as local waters. Connie Sutter went small, capturing plastic toy boats floating on her pond. NEXT MEETING Sunday, June 9th @ 2:00 pm.
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| Meeting of 04/14/2019 | TOPIC: Green; images of a verdant hue
Ralph Sutter began the meeting with photos taken along the shore and from a helicopter over-flying San Luis Obispo, local lakes and beaches. Alan Raul presented images taken as he followed to course of San Luis Obispo Creek above Avila. Kaye Raul revisited the village of Halcyon to photograph some brightly colored glass whimsically placed in the front yard of a local house. Bob Styerwalt walked the shoreline near Shell Beach in search for green and found a dramatically lit window at home. Connie Sutter brought her iPhone to the Getty Museum in Malibu and captured green vases, green foliage, mixed with local landscapes. NEXT MEETING Sunday, May 19th 2019 @ 2:00 pm;
moved back one week in deference to Mothers' Day
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| Meeting of 03/10/2019 | TOPIC: Shadows
Ralph Sutter began the meeting by pointing out the recently added inclusion on the links page to the iPhone app, ProCamera; https://www.procamera-app.com/en/. It is an iPhone photo app - $3.99; additional add ons available; Ralph Sutter began the meeting with photos taken along the shore and from a helicopter over-flying San Luis Obispo, local lakes and beaches. Alan Raul presented images taken as he followed to course of San Luis Obispo Creek above Avila. Kaye Raul revisited the village of Halcyon to photograph some brightly colored glass whimsically placed in the front yard of a local house. Bob Styerwalt walked the shoreline near Shell Beach in search for green and found a dramatically lit window at home. Connie Sutter brought her iPhone to the Getty Museum in Malibu and captured green vases, green foliage, mixed with local landscapes. The topic for our next meeting will be All Things Green; objects of a verdant hue. |
| Meeting of 02/10/2019 | TOPIC: Motion
Ralph Sutter began the meeting by pointing out the latest additions to the links page. The first one pointed to Shotcut; a freeware open source, cross platform video editor. Sutter confessed that he was unlikely to use this very capable editor because he already has equally powerful tools. Though paid programs, Ralph has already purchased them and is hesitant to invest the time required to learn a new program with redundant features. The second link was to the movie, High Flying Bird. This excellent film about professional basketball agents was shot completely on an iPhone 8. Sutter then offered his slide show of running dogs, running water and bouncing balls. Connie Sutter followed with her take on motion; She created a presentation with images of kinetic grandkids shot on her iPhone and edited in Adobe Premiere Elements. Alan Raul, using both his iPhone and a Hero camera attached to his chest, explored the shoreline near Shell Beach, showing the same rocky cove over time with changing sea conditions. Bob Styerwalt achieved interesting effects by photographing spinning objects at different shutter speeds thus freezing or adding blur to the images. John Waller presented long-exposure night shots and curious seascapes created with multiple color channels in Photoshop. The topic for our next meeting will be Shadows; images that aren't quite there. |
| Meeting of 01/20/2019 | TOPIC: Doors and Other Portals
The meeting opened with Ralph Sutter calling attention to some recent links on the SLO Bytes Photography web site. The links were www.audionautix.com/html/free_music.html freeplaymusic.com/ incompetech.com/static/music/ Suggested by John Waller Windows 10 Photos Application Tutorial by Ralph Sutter Connie Sutter, unable to attend, nevertheless provided a series of door images taken at home as well as a poem about door. Ralph followed with doors seen at his sister's Redding Alpaca farm, the town of San Luis Obispo and his own home. Kaye Raul focused on doors and houses seen in Halcyon. Alan Raul offered images of portals; the sea caves and shore lines of Shell Beach. John Waller showed doors from Disneyland as well as entrances to native American structures and other historical buildings. Bob Styerwalt chose doors from his neighborhood as well as many from England and Scotland. Monica Tarzier shared images of doors and private spaces inside her San Luis Obispo home. Due to a technical glitch, Bob Grover couldn't display his presentation of doors and entrances from around the world. The group looks forward to seeing his work at the February meeting. |
| Meeting of 12/09/2018 | TOPIC: Images Suggesting the Approach of Christmas
The meeting opened with Ralph Sutter showing how he uses Irfanview's Thumbnail Viewer to show thumbnails for RAW images in Windows. Windows native program, File Explorer doesn't do this. See the tutorial at Showing Thumbnails in Windows for RAW files with Irfanview and at https://youtu.be/__Yb-pYlcQ8 Ralph then shared a series of holiday images with Christmas decorations, figurines and street scenes. Connie Sutter followed with similar choices, adding fancy food plates and festive outdoor scenes. Alan Raul continued in a similar vein, using Aurora HDR to enhance photos of Pismo Pier. Kaye Raul showed holiday ornaments and pictures of the family celebrating the season. Bob and Linda Styerwalt chose light displays in their neighborhood and Christmas decorations John Waller demonstrated how he used long exposure times to illuminate night scenes. Like Alan, John used Aurora HDR and multiple exposures to bring out detail not seen in a single image. Bob Grover offered daylight and evening shots of a neighbor's house, illustrating an impressive lighting project. |
| Meeting of 11/11/2018 | TOPIC: Night Photography
The meeting opened with Ralph Sutter demonstrating how he enlarged an image, printing it over 36 pages using the Windows program, Paint. Sutter's goal was to create a life size profile of an Alpaca for tracing on a sheet of Masonite. View his tutorial at https://youtu.be/xKge3PXiHAw Ralph then shared night time shots of Cusco and other Peruvian locations. Connie Sutter followed with images of the evening in Hangzhou, China and her own back yard. Bob Styerwalt displayed night shots of his neighborhood pointing out subtle changes in focus and subject matter. Bob Grover brought twilight images from the mountains of Tibet and the wilds of his own back yard. Alan Raul presented numerous sunsets, both as observed and after manipulation with Aurora HD Monica Tarzier contributed night shots as viewed near her home in San Luis Obispo. John Waller demonstrated how he used long exposure times to illuminate night scenes, employing this technique both locally and at Disneyland. |
| Meeting of 10/16/2018 | TOPIC: Scenes of the Fall
Thanks to Kaye Raul for the following notes. Bob Grover started off with his photos taken at the Avila Valley Barn depicting colorful pumpkins and scarecrows. Bob and Linda Styerwalt followed with fall decorations and scarecrows from their neighborhood. John Waller showed fall scenes that he photographed in the Arroyo Grande Village. Kaye Raul shared pictures of fall foliage taken along the Bob Jones Trail. Connie Sutter showed images of dramatic fall skies along with several of the recent rocket launches. Alan Raul ended the presentation with photos that he shot with his new iPhone XS Max and shared how he processed them using Aurora HDR (skylum.com/aurorahdr). We ended with Monica Tarzier's great coffee and treats! |
| Meeting of 09/16/2018 |
TOPIC: Animals The session opened with a series of images of animals from a National Geographic slide show. View the show at https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hodomt6bBOw Stanford Brown provided the link.
Ralph Sutter then shared his own tutorial explaining how he used Adobe Photoshop Elements to remove a dark background from the screen shot of a terminal window.
Finally Sutter pointed out three excellent articles on the workings of the digital camera
After these introductory activities, members of the group offered images that fondly recalled pets, zoos and critters of all stripes. We saw a menagerie of feathered and finned creatures, both in the wild and domesticated, interspersed with animal sculptures, wall hangings and paintings The meeting ended with the distribution of photographic wisdom and oatmeal cookies. |
| Meeting of 08/12/2018 |
TOPIC: Symbols The session opened with Ralph Sutter showing a series of images of trees growing in difficult places. View them here He then updated the group on member Bob Grover's biography. An edition with full-color photos is available in the Kindle format here. Purchasing the Kindle version, those with Amazon's Alexa can have the book read aloud by saying to Alexa, "Alexa, tell Kindle to read Always a Quest". Next, Ralph presented a slide show featuring company logos past and present well as personal symbols. Connie Sutter followed with shots of familiar icons taken from local signs and structures. They included traffic control, religious symbols and flags. Bob Styerwalt offered a collage of automobile nameplates and public works signs. John Waller broke his images down into those with and those without text. Like other members, John showed nameplates and public signs. At the close of the meeting, Ralph demonstrated how he downloaded an on-line article, saved it off-line and used Photoshop Elements to remove selected content. The group couldn't decide on a topic for the September meeting, deciding to e-mail suggestions to Ralph at Ralph Sutter. He will have members vote on the most popular option |
| Meeting of 07/8/2018 |
TOPIC: Edit Free for All The session opened with Ralph Sutter calling attention to the Links Page. He then opened the page, 27 Photos You Won't Believe - Or At Least You Shouldn't
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| Meeting of 06/10/2018 |
TOPIC: Animals or Black and White Images The session opened with Ralph Sutter calling attention to the Links Page where the group reviewed the specs for the Sony RX100 VI camera.Sutter then played a slide show highlighting local tide pools and a recent kayaking trip on the Sacramento River. He interspersed images of animals with scenes shown in color and in grey scale. Alan Raul screened seascapes rendered in natural light and viewed after adjusting the color profile to emphasize different color channels. Kaye Raul gave Ansel Adams a run for his money with stunning black and white images of Yosemite. Bob Styerwalt displayed a collection of pets and other critters Bob Grover reminded us that horses are not the only animals that we ride. Grover expanded the category with elephants, camels and others. Monica Tarzier, unable to attend the previous session on flowers, shared many shots of local plants. John Waller offered images of dogs, both his own and those of others. They included carefully edit stop-motion shots of dogs at play. Connie Sutter closed the meeting with color images of black and white clothing. |
| Meeting of 05/20/2018 |
TOPIC: Flowers The session opened with Ralph Sutter inviting Bob Grover to speak about the recently published biography of his life, Always a Quest, written over the period of 5 years by Bob's wife, Elise Wäälen. The book is available at http://booklocker.com/books/9644.htmlSutter then called attention to two new links on the Digital Photography web site. They are Gimp 2.10.0; an open-source image manipulation program and Meetup Group - How Photographers Think www.meetup.com/How-Photographers-Think Sutter then played a video slide show of flowers found both in his back yard and on Santa Cruz Island. Alan Raul showed flowers shot in camera raw and then optimized for true color. John Waller shared more flowers. Waller used ProShow Producer, a professional grade slide show creation program, taking advantage of its numerous capabilities. Bob Styerwalt offered a profusion of flowers as well. Rather than overwhelm the group with his many excellent shots of individual flowers, he added collages featuring digital floral bouquets. Kaye Raul, frustrated that she couldn't export her images from her computer to a portable media, brought her MacBook Pro laptop to the meeting and displayed her sharp images via Ralph's Apple TV. Her images and her perseverance were well-received. Bob Grover added a historical perspective to the meeting with a presentation of former members of the SLO Bytes Digital Photography Group and their field trip to the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens. Thanks Bob. |
| Meeting of 04/08/2018 |
TOPIC: Circles The session opened with Ralph Sutter screening beautiful images forwarded by Stanford Brown. View them at www.slobytes.org/digital/images/brown-images.oneSutter then played a video slide show with circular objects featuring ceiling lights, spinning discs, coins and wind chimes. Alan Raul followed, taking the group to local hardware stores with assorted pipes, dowels and fasteners. Raul occasionally applied color saturation and haze reduction with dramatic results. John Waller took the opportunity to share pictures of wheels on farm implements and locomotives with a mix of round and spherical objects found in the heavens and around the house. Bob Styerwalt looked to his home for images of paint cans and door knobs before venturing out to the seashore with circular patterns among the waves and the wildlife. |
| Meeting of 03/11/2018 |
TOPIC: Fire The session opened with Ralph Sutter calling attention to recent postings in the Links page of the club web site. There, you will find a listing of 13 free photo editors.Sutter then played a video showing fire ranging from the false fire of a realistic battery-operated candle to a birthday celebration, burn pile and wood stove. Alan Raul followed with fire images of propane heaters in sidewalk cafes and flickering flames in a church sanctuary. He then demonstrated how applying warming filters can heighten the impact of the scene. Kaye Raul mixed fire and smoke in her photos, explaining the challenges of capturing the latter in a way that added to the composition. John Waller took the opportunity to share pictures of fire fighting aircraft and to experiment with the Fire effect in Photoshop, setting ablaze ocean horizons and telephone wires. Monica Tarzier showed rustic scenes illuminated by the campfire or the outdoor fire pit. The presentations were followed by a wide-ranging discussion of image editing, image presentation and photography in general. The consensus view is that auto-advancing slide shows are more apt to be viewed in their entirety than presentations in which the viewer has to click on each image to advance the program. Several members praised the capabilities of the slide show presentation program, Proshow Gold. |
| Meeting of 02/11/2018 |
TOPIC: Water
Two of the links offer suggestions relating to using Photoshop Elements. Other links reference the photo editing programs Aurora and Bokeh. Ralph then played a video collection featuring water; water making patterns as it dropped in a bowl and seascapes of the coast near Cambria, CA. Alan Raul followed with water scenes shot locally and then enhanced with Aurora and Bokeh. Alan used this software to color-correct images and modify the depth of field in stills taken at the Mission of San Luis Obispo and other local areas. Kaye Raul presented seascapes of the harbors of Avila Beach, Morro Bay and Piedras Blancas. She showed rowboats, sailboats, elephant seals, swarming seagulls and feeding whales. John Waller delivered a photo essay on the stages of water; solid, liquid and gas, inserting photos of both the California Central Coast and the High Sierras. Monica Tarzier began with water images from her backyard and then expanding to the Carrizo Plains. Bob Grover took John's concept one step further. His opening image showed the earth as viewed from the moon. He then proceeded to share images of clouds, rivers and lakes, glaciers and ice taken from around the globe. Don Jones showed scenes of some of the waterfowl hunting or perching that he often sees in his frequent walks along the boardwalk near the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach. Our next meeting will take place on Sunday, March 11th. The topic is Fire. Ralph Sutter |
| Meeting of 01/14/2018 |
TOPIC: Before and After
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by showing a series of images that illustrated the progression from an alpaca to a pair of alpaca socks, a chicken to scrambled eggs and water from the storage tank to the faucet. Alan Raul followed with numerous shots of the Avila Beach Polar Bear Plunge. He also experimented with the slide show program, Proshow Gold, exploring some motion effects that he had not tried before. John Waller shared some of his image manipulation projects with the rest of us. He demonstrated color replacement, restoration of degraded photos and recreation of an image after the photo had been shredded by the family dog. He also added the illusion of flowing water to still images of waterfalls. The next meeting of the Photo Group will take place on Sunday, February 11th. The theme is Water, whether in the form of rain falling from the sky, soap suds floating in a mop bucket or anything else that the word Water suggests to you. |
| Meeting of 12/10/2017 |
TOPIC: Enclosed Spaces
Ralph Sutter began the image show and tell with a slide show consisting of gopher traps, 10 in 1 screwdrivers and vignetted subjects. Alan Raul followed displaying largely unretouched photos of the inside of local retailers and public areas. John Waller also showed interiors of public buildings, amusement parks and private residences Connie Sutter captured sundry nooks and crannies of her van Those present commented on the various techniques that we used to view our images, culling the lackluster items and deciding whether to edit the selections that we wanted to share.
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| Meeting of 11/19/2017 |
TOPIC: Architecture
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting sharing several camera accessories that he purchased recently.
The second item was a Canon EF Lens to Micro Four Thirds M4/3 Built-in Aperture Control Ring Adapter that allows one to mount a Canon EF lens on a Panasonic Lumix G7 camera body See https://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-EF-Lens-to-Micro-Four-Thirds-M4-3-Built-in-Aperture-Control-Ring-Adapter/182596261604 Adobe CC Cheat Sheet 2016 https://cdn.makeawebsitehub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/adobe-cc-cheat-sheet-for-photographers-2016-A4-PRINT.pdf NIK Collection Free for Now; software suite of plugins for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
Ralph Sutter began the image show and tell with a slide show of structures seen on his recent visit to China. They included images from Beijing, Shanghai, Pudong, Hangzhou, Westlake and Yellow Mountain. Bob Grover followed sharing shots of impressive buildings seen locally and in Mexico City, Yucatan, Machu Picchu and several European cities. These were part of a more ambitious project that Bob is working on. That project will chronicle the many sites that he visited throughout his life. Alan Raul stayed local. He offered a video tour of the new hotel in Pismo Beach, The Inn at the Pier, showing how he enhanced images via Aurora HDR; a software image editing program. Alan added perspective with a quadcopter fly over of the area. Monica Tarzier offered images of garden structures seen at her San Luis Obispo back yard. John Waller brought varied architectural images as seen in Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo, Yosemite, Bodie and other California locales Don Jones visited historical buildings found at the Price Street Park near Pismo Beach. Connie Sutter also offered images from China, specifically Shanghai, Pudong, Westlake and Hangzhou. |
| Meeting of 10/08/2017 |
TOPIC: Geometric Shapes
The Photography Group welcomed back Bob Grover Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with a slide show of familiar objects having hard lines. Kaye Raul showed a video featuring a variety of straight and curved shapes found in furniture. Alan Raul shared some shots of boats and bridges as well as columns that he digitally enhanced using ACDSee Ultimate filters. Bob Styerwalt displayed shots taken highlighting the geometric shapes found in and around the house. Don Jones pointed out the geometry inherent in the sewing cabinet that he built for his wife Bob Grover highlighted the lines found in public buildings and open spaces John Waller added outdoor shots from La Purisima Mission, Yosemite and local landscapes Connie Sutter captured the lines and curves of Leffingwell Landing |
| Meeting of 09/10/2017 |
TOPIC: Obsolescence
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with a slide show ranging from erasable paper to his comb. Bob Styerwalt shared images of old hand tools, early computer manuals, computer hardware and an impressive collection of film cameras. John Waller showed oxcarts, vintage airplanes, analog cell phones and music players. Connie Sutter brought images of cave paintings, primitive fire pits and one room school houses |
| Meeting of 08/13/2017 |
TOPIC: Books
Alan Raul opened the meeting with a collage of images shot at the Phoenix Bookstore. Alan captured images of books from many different genres and then built a slide show from them using the software program, Proshow Gold John Waller followed with shots of texts offered at the Santa Maria Public Library. Ralph Sutter showed messages conveyed either by text or by visual images from his recent travels. Kaye Raul shared scenes featuring the library of her mother Bob Styerwalt displayed some of the books found in his personal library. The categories included volumes on travel, history, religion, classics, reference materials and technical volumes. Like Alan and Ralph, Bob used Proshow Gold to present his images. Following the display of images, Kaye shared an article that predicted how new technologies would reshape our lives, rendering obsolete many current devices and behaviors. This resulted in lengthy conversations, so much so that we chose Obsolescence as the focus topic for the September meeting |
| Meeting of 07/09/2017 |
TOPIC: Deliberate Distortion
Sutter demonstrated the Focus Merge feature of Affinity. The photographer takes multiple shots of the same image, changing only the point of focus. Focus merge then takes the sharpest part of each photo and creates a composite image that is in focus everywhere. Alan Raul showed how altering the colors of an image can dramatically alter its visual impact. He then used the editing program, ACDSee, to both purposely and playfully manipulate subjects Don Jones shared photos of illusive marauding rabbits that routinely play havoc with his landscaping John Waller mixed the whimsical with the artistic, using masking layers to stylize his dog and transforming a local country road into what looked like a meandering stream. He also took a step back in photographic history showing a landscape taken with a pinhole lens Monica Tarzier enhanced images of flowers and pine cones in ways not seen in nature. At the close of the meeting, Alan, Bob and John gave Ralph photos that they took at the SLO Bytes BBQ on 07/02/17. Raul will create a video slide show combining those images |
| Meeting of 06/11/2017 |
TOPIC: Photographing Food The topic for the June 11th meeting was Photographing Food Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by displaying a series of very high resolution images from around the world; Mount Blanc, London, Bergen, Seville, and Astana Sutter then showed images of common foods, condiments and cooking oils as well as their storage locations. Connie Sutter followed, sharing photos of apples, strawberries, bananas and how they were incorporated in beverages and edibles. Monica Tarzier offered pictures of flowering bushes, local landscapes, shots of the sky and sunlight radiating from a bowl of tomatoes Alan Raul rounded out the presentations with a slide show of memorable dishes that he ate in various restaurants along California's Central Coast |
| Meeting of 05/21/2017 |
TOPIC: Photographing Technology The topic for the May 21st meeting was Photographing Technology Ralph Sutter opened the meeting with a slide show consisting of numerous images of hammers. They ranged from a medium sized rock to carpentry hammers, roofing hammers, specialty hammers, mallets and sledge hammers. Kaye Raul followed documenting how insecticides are sprayed on commercial agriculture. Kaye's photos showed the workers involved, the equipment they used and the crops being sprayed. Alan Raul created an extended homage to ios devices. Alan included the iPhone, iPad, ApplePay and other Apple software. Raul used this technology to order coffee, find his truck, document his travels and record his day. Finally, Don Jones shared images of some marauding rabbits living in his back yard and feasting on his landscaping. He captured their activity using both still photography and video. |
| Meeting of 04/23/2017 |
TOPIC: Depicting Time The topic for the April 23rd 2017 19th meeting wasTime
NOTE: This assignment was suggested by Lightbox a 52 card deck with a photo challenge for every week of the year. Learn more at http://lightbox-photography-cards.myshopify.com Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by demonstrating some recent changes that he made to the Digital Photography web site. They include adding a search engine at the top of each page and prominently displaying links for royalty-free images and music. He pointed out two new links;Blending Modes Explained - Complete Guide to Photoshop Blend Modes offered by himself and No Copyright Music; suggested by Alan Raul The group depicted the passage of time in a variety of ways. One popular approach was to show clock faces often accompanied by interesting narratives from Don Jones and John Waller on the history of the timepieces. Some members displayed time-lapse photography of flowers. Others showed structures and geological features weathered by the passage of time. John Waller used morphing software transform his image as a child to his current state many years later. We also saw Monica Tarzier's spectacular images of the Carrizo Plains and Soda Lake in the Spring. |
| Meeting of 03/19/2017 |
TOPIC: Textures The topic for the March 19th, 2017 meeting wasTextures The challenge here was to infuse your images with texture. Taking a two dimensional print and giving it the feel of a 3D experience by introducing texture is a sure fire way of distinguishing your work from those around you. It's all about the angle of your lighting and working with the shadows to take full
advantage of the existing textures.
NOTE: This assignment was suggested by Lightbox a 52 card deck with a photo challenge for every week of the year. Learn more at http://lightbox-photography-cards.myshopify.com |
| Meeting of 02/12/2017 |
TOPIC: Using Layers in Photo Editing. The meeting opened with Ralph Sutter playing a video review of the Moment SmartPhone add-on lenses for the iPhone.
Next, Sutter showed how he used layers for simple manipulation of images. His video screen captures document the steps. See
This generated an extended discussion of Photoshop Element's Quick Selection Brush and the proper positioning of layers. Alan Raul then played a lengthy How to Gurus video tutorial that carefully demonstrated using layer masks and other tools to merge two photos into a single image. View it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtu_gPY_j7k The group often paused the video to ask each other "what if" questions about the process. Raul finally showed his own work in which he pasted a picture of himself onto another water image and invited the rest of the group to clean it up. We took this as a homework assignment as viewing the several videos and battling lost Internet connectivity didn't leave enough time to tackle Alan's challenge. SIDE NOTE: For the record, the new tv used for today's session is a Samsung 55" 4K SUHD Curved LED LCD TV.
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| Meeting of 01/08/2017 |
TOPIC: Using Layers in Photo Editing. The topic for the January 8th 2017 meeting was Using Layers in Photo Editing. The meeting opened by calling attention to tutorials on Layers that have been added recently to the Links page.
There were frustrations when the display monitor didn't play nicely with the laptop computer, making it difficult to control the mouse cursor. The Polygonal Lasso tool in Photoshop Elements also failed, spontaneously closing selections before all intended points were set.
Given the lively discussion of Layers, the group decided that our next session should be Layers Revisited, continuing where we left off this month. |
| Meeting of 12/11/2016 |
The topic for the December 11, 2016 meeting was Anticipating the Holidays. We shared images of the Morro Bay Lighted Boat Parade, Disneyland's Jingle Cruise, several towns along the Central Coast, shots of the audience at a concert and members readying their homes for Christmas. Finally, member Don Jones showed a slide show of the San Diego Wild Animal Park and another that moved up the coast from Avila Beach to San Simeon. |
| Meeting of 11/13/2016 |
The meeting opened with the group viewing Pano | LA; a 6 minutes time lapse video of Los Angeles by night Humbled by that impressive work, our members proceeded to show their panoramic images of locations international and local. Many members used Microsoft's freeware program, Image Composite Editor. Some of us worked with digital cameras, both point and shoot as well as DSLR. Others opted for using the panoramic function of their smart phone. A few of us stitched images together using Photoshop/Photoshop Elements. We compared the effectiveness of different programs to auto-complete those empty, jagged areas on the original panos that we chose not to crop. Several individuals shooting with digital cameras observed that they got better panos if they set the camera on manual exposure. The topic for the December 11, 2016 meeting will be Anticipating the Holidays. Everyone is encouraged to bring photos and videos that reflect activities undertaken in preparation for that time of the year.
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| Meeting of 10/09/2016 |
The October meeting was a follow up to the September event. Members displayed images that they had taken at the Shell Beach Photo Shoot. As expected, though we all took pictures at the same time and place, we focused on a wide variety of subjects. Many of us chose seascapes but we also shared images of wave patterns, closeups of flowers, soaring birds, back lit silhouettes and beach goers strolling the shore and swimming in the surf. Alan Raul described how he took panoramas with his iPhone. See www.alanraul.com/pano/sample.png to view his work. This led to a discussion on how to techniques for shooting panoramas. Raul then took an indoor panorama of our group with his phone to illustrate the power of smart phone imaging software. The group decided that Panoramas would be the focus of our November meeting. One free software program for creating panoramas is Microsoft's Image Composite Editor. Download it from http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/ice/
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| Meeting of 09/11/2016 | There was no traditional meeting on September 11th. Instead, members assembled at the end of Pier Avenue in Shell Beach and took photos of whatever interested them. We will share and discuss these images at the October meeting.
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| Meeting of 08/21/2016 | The focus of the September 21st meeting was Using the Tools of Photoshop Elements
For this session, we tried something different. Members brought a laptop and used Photoshop Elements to improve the sample images provided.
(See http://www.visualsteps.com/photovideoediting/practice.php for these sample images) Ralph Sutter began the meeting following up on Don Jones' recommendation of using the Blend mode. Sutter provided several related links Photoshop Blending Modes; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vL3R94f9hc and Ralph's chart on blending modes Blending Modes Chart; http://www.slobytes.org/digital/August 2016 Photo SIG/Photoshop Blending Modes.docx Ralph then demonstrated how to display metadata when viewing images in Irfanview. Simply open the image in that program and hit the e key on the keyboard. Sutter then mentioned the Photoshop Elements add-on, Elements+ and gave a quick demo of how to use it to display metadata as a graphic on an image. See http://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/Elements+.mp4 Learn more about Elements+ at http://elementsplus.net/ Members then found a comfortable work surface and each edited selected images. After about 45 minutes, we viewed our handiwork with each member commenting on what steps he or she took to modify the originals. The next meeting of the Photo Group will take place on September 11th at 4:00 pm, two hours later than usual. It will also meet at a different location, the ocean end of Pier Avenue in Shell Beach. The assembled members will then go on a live photo shoot, photographing scenes of their own choosing. We will compare our images when our meeting returns to the home of Ralph and Connie Sutter on October 9th at 2:00 pm.
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| Meeting of 07/10/2016 |
TOPIC: Photoshop Tools
Sutter then distributed a handout that gave an overview of the Adobe Photoshop Elements 14 Toolbox. He also provided links to
Next Ralph showed how he manipulated images in Photoshop Elements 14 using primarily the Crop, Adjust Color, Adjust Lighting and Masking tools Don Jones demonstrated how complex improvements could be accomplished with the Blend mode Alan Raul explained how he moved images from his iPhone to his Home Theater PC to his server. Raul then shared a stunning image of a nighttime Fourth of July display with crisp fireworks and ribbons
of automobile headlights against a backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.
John Waller showed how he used layers to create collages, grant his dogs the ability to fly and generally improve photographic images.
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| Meeting of 06/12/2016 |
TOPIC: Tools
Next, members took turns showing images of common tools. Some of us chose kitchen utensils. Others opted for specialized hand tools or hand cranked grinders and slicers from an earlier era. One member interpreted the topic, Tools, as an invitation to demonstrate some of the retouching tools found in Photoshop and shared how she used them to modify her images. Her choice prompted the decision to dedicate the July session to The Tools of Photoshop
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| Meeting of 05/15/2016 |
TOPIC: Flowers
This was followed by a video suggested by Bob Grover that showed a magician performing amazing illusions.
Bob also submitted a link to a YouTube video of the Tesla automobile assembly process; https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_lfxPI5ObM?rel=0. Due to time constraint,, the group didn't view it. Several members who had seen the video recommended that others do the same. On the recommendation of Earl Kaplan, we viewed the video clip, Blue Moon Rise During the show and tell portion of the meeting, members shared images of flowers. Some of us chose to focus on flowers growing nearby. Others offered shots from farther afield. Some photographers focused on individual blossoms, some featured whole plants. Still others stepped back, widening the field of vision to include surrounding space as well. We commented on the effects of changing the aperture and editing outside the camera. Some presenters opted for a series of individual images. Others chose to display their photos in video clips with simp[le to complex transitions between slides. The meeting closed with Nancy Vrooman demonstrating how she uses Irfanview to edit the flower images that she posts on-line at Gardenweb. See Nancy's Flower Photography Tips here You will find Notes to previous sessions by clicking on the Notes tab at the top of this page or by navigating directly to www.slobytes.org/digital/notes.html
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| Meeting of 04/10/2016 |
TOPIC: Recent Images
Following that screening, members displayed digital images and videos that they had taken since the March meeting. Popular topics were Morro Bay, Yosemite, as well as scenes of rural San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. We viewed many landscapes and spectacular panoramas along with a discussion of how they were accomplished. Often, the audience asked for before and after versions of manipulated images. At the close of the meeting, the group chose its topic for the May meeting. We opted for Flowers and agreed to hold the meeting on May 15th, one week later than usual to avoid conflicting with Mothers' Day on May 8th. Check the Links page for the links discussed at this meeting
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| Meeting of 03/13/2016 | TOPIC: Reflections
The focus of the March 13th meeting of the Digital Photography SIG was Reflections. Bob Grover opened the program showing recent weather events and then gave the group a glimpse of some of the stunning weather extremes that he experienced many years ago while conducting research at a Mount Everest Base Camp. He added images taken when he climbed the Popocatepetl Volcano near Mexico City. Other members stayed closer to home in their choice of images. We saw many stills and videos of enormous waves pounding the local shoreline. Several members shared scenes of trees blanketed in white and numerous snow covered landscapes. While the group enjoyed left-over Christmas cookies, deviled eggs and coffee, Ralph Sutter called up a web site that discussed "the fastest memory cards that money can buy". See the Notes page for details.
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| Meeting of 02/14/2016 |
TOPIC: Food
Sutter speeded up the film and linked it to the bottom of the Photo SIG Location Map.
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| Meeting of 01/10/2016 | TOPIC: Weather Phenomena
The focus of the January 10th meeting of the Digital Photography SIG was Weather Phenomena.. Bob Grover opened the program showing recent weather events and then gave the group a glimpse of some of the stunning weather extremes that he experienced many years ago while conducting research at a Mount Everest Base Camp. He added images taken when he climbed the Popocatepetl Volcano near Mexico City. Other members stayed closer to home in their choice of images. We saw many stills and videos of enormous waves pounding the local shoreline. Several members shared scenes of trees blanketed in white and numerous snow covered landscapes. While the group enjoyed left-over Christmas cookies, deviled eggs and coffee, Ralph Sutter called up a web site that discussed "the fastest memory cards that money can buy". See the Notes page for details. The topic for February 14th Photo group will be Images of Food . You will find notes from previous meetings of the Photo SIG at www.slobytes.org/digital/notes.html or by clicking on Notes tab at the top of all pages of the Photo SIG web site.
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| Meeting of 12/13/2015 | TOPIC: Rewind
The focus of the December 13th meeting of the Digital Photography SIG was Rewind - Images from the Past . Ralph opened the meeting showing David A. Cox’ review of Digital Photographer's Action Pack, a plug-in for Photoshop. View Cox’ review at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uuSYxwyXc0. Then members took turns sharing their interpretation of the Rewind theme. Some of us showed photos of memorable personal events from the past. Others chose images of public places from long ago We saw photos of great grandparents, early scans of traditional images and the first digital images some of us had ever taken. We toured yesteryear San Francisco and visited numerous national monuments at an earlier time. Sutter asked other users of the slide show creation program, Proshow Gold, if they had found a way to edit slide show sound tracks downloaded from the Proshow Music Library. No one had the answer. Apparently, the .psa extension is unique to Photodex and designed not to be editable. Ralph detailed how he removes audio from video recordings of his quadcopter flights. The audio track contained only the whirring of propeller blades, adding little to the viewer experience. Sutter loads the video files into Microsoft Moviemaker, mutes the audio and then saves the project as a new .mp4 file. He then adds new audio tracks back before publishing the project. Don Jones shared the details of an issue that he had mentioned a week earlier at the SLO Bytes General Meeting. It relates to a Dell security issue about which Jones had read recently in which certain Dell computers come with a flawed Certificate of Trust pre-installed. Sutter found a further description at
As always, the meeting ended with coffee, snacks and conversation. In anticipation of upcoming events, the topic for January’s Photo group will be Weather Phenomena. You will find notes from previous meetings of the Photo SIG at www.slobytes.org/digital/notes.html or by clicking on Notes tab at the top of all pages of the Photo SIG web site.
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| Meeting of 11/08/2015 | TOPIC: Images of Halloween
The focus of the November 8th meeting of the Digital Photography SIG was Images of Halloween in Stills and Video. Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by mentioning an on-line Photography class that was recommended to him by SLO Bytes member Ed Lynn. The site, Photoclassforyour.com, offers weekly personalized lessons. New member, Gigi Kandler gave the rest of us a first hand testimonial to the value of the course. Subscribers to the classes can upload their photos for critique by the instructor. Next, members of the Photo SIG shared their photos and videos of Halloween. Pumpkins, scarecrows, tombstones and goblins figured prominently. Some members shared both videos and stills. Others stuck with still images. The topic for the next meeting, taking place on December 13th was suggested by Alan Raul. It is Rewind. The idea is to share images from the past, whether recent or distant. As always, the meeting ended with coffee, snacks and conversation. You will find notes from previous meetings of the Photo SIG at www.slobytes.org/digital/notes.html or by clicking on Notes tab at the top of all pages of the Photo SIG web site.
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| Meeting of 10/13/2015 | TOPIC: Objects in Motion - Video
The focus of the October 11th meeting of the Digital Photography SIG was Objects in Motion – Videos. Ralph Sutter opened the meeting by screening part of a video from Geeks on Tour – How to Manage My Pictures - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxaiT81e37E Sutter then showed a series of unattributed still images that he received in an e-mail featuring unusual landscapes and dramatic portraits. Sutter selected some of the e-mailed images and posted them on the club web site at http://www.slobytes.org/digital/img/beautiful-pictures/index.html. Members then shared their videos of things in motion. Typical subjects were waves, flooding, spinning objects, kinetic grandchildren and other animals. Member Bob Grover asked the group how to rotate a video from portrait mode to landscape mode. John Waller indicated that he used Photoshop for that purpose. Bob also asked if anyone could recommend a local computer repair shop. With no recommendations coming forth, Sutter suggested that Bob post his question on the SLO Bytes Bulletin Board at http://slobytes.org/smf/index.php?board=1.0. Alan Raul suggested that the topic for the November meeting be Images of Halloween. The other members agreed to Raul’s proposal, commenting on likely scenarios for capturing these images. The meeting ended with coffee and kibitzing. You will find notes from previous meetings of the Photo SIG at www.slobytes.org/digital/notes.html or by clicking on Notes tab at the top of all pages of the Photo SIG web site. |
| Meeting of 09/13/2015 | TOPIC: Objects in Motion - Still Photographs
The meeting opened with Ralph Sutter showing a series of photographs featuring flights of stairs from around the world. View the images at http://realtortomgriffey.blogspot.com/2015/05/when-stairs-become-art.html Sutter then shared an article taken from the PUSH series in which Mark Mattson reviewed the Topaz Photography Collection, Part 1. These various tools, some stand-alone and some that work as plug-ins for photo editors allow the user enhanced capabilities for image correction and manipulation. Next, Photo SIG members showed their images suggesting motion. We saw photos that froze birds in flight and other images in which the subject was blurred but the background was in sharp focus. Popular subjects included children, cars, trains, airplanes, ocean waves and, moving water Finally, the group discussed whether we should change our name from the Photography Special Interest Group, renaming it the Digital Photography Club, Digital Photography Class or something else that might be more appealing to prospective members. No consensus was reached.
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| Meeting of 08/09/2015 | TOPIC: Human Emotions
The meeting opened with Ralph Sutter reminding members of the APCUG Photo Contest; Entries are due Aug 26th Details at
Sutter then mentioned the link, How to Get Microsoft Movie Maker for Windows 10
Ralph then repeated the advice of Alan Raul, recommending DigiKam, a free cross-platform photo editor and organizer.
Next, Sutter shared Dick James' tip to have Windows remember your preferred size for opening a window. Hold down the Windows key after opening window to preferred size and then close the window. Windows will remember the size the next time that you open the window. Then members took turns showing their images of small objects while other members asked questions about how and why the photos were taken. Alan Raul created a collage using Microsoft Research AutoCollage 2008; http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/autocollage/ He then showed humorously distorted self-images done with Apple Photo Booth; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_Booth and formatted with ACDSee Image Viewer, Organizer and Editor; http://www.acdsee.com At the close of the meeting, the focus shifted to talk of quadcopters. Raul showed some angst-ridden images of Ralph Sutter flying a Yuneec Q500+ over Shell Beach. Sutter then showed footage of that flight, viewable at
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| Meeting of 07/12/2015 | TOPIC: Small Objects
The meeting opened with Ralph Sutter showing Alan Raul's photos of SLO Bytes' BBQ of 07/05/15. View them at www.slobytes.org/photos/2015bbq/2015-bbq.mp4 Sutter then showed the three links below
Then members took turns showing their images of small objects while other members asked questions about how and why the photos were taken. |
| Meeting of 06/21/2015 | TOPIC: Seascapes
The meeting opened with Ralph Sutter showing the two links below
Ralph Sutter's demo of Snagit batch conversion Then members took turns showing their images of seascapes while other members asked questions about how and why the photos were taken.
Bob Styerwalt then showed some of his images that he printed on his eight cartridge color printer Don Jones passed around his latest camera, a Panasonic DMC ZS40. This point and shoot camera has a view finder in addition to an LCD screen. |
| Meeting of 05/10/2015 | TOPIC: Live Photo Shoot
With fewer members attending due to Mothers' Day, we opened the session when Ralph Sutter pointed out three links recently added to the Notes Page. They were Will anyone be buying mechanical-mirror DSLR cameras in 5 years? SoloShot; a robotic tracking device for video or still photography and Free Music Archive.org/; a site offering free music for slide shows, arranging it by genre. For the next 45 minutes, the group went outside and photographed whatever caught the members' interest. We then returned inside, uploaded the photos to a computer and view the images, commenting briefly on each of them. Some of these images may be seen in an embedded slide show at the bottom of the Photo SIG Opening Page Ralph announced that he will not be able to attend the next scheduled meeting of the Photo SIG on June 14th. He, Connie Sutter and Alan Raul will be out of town attending the SWCC convention in Pomona. Sutter asked the other members if they would prefer to hold the June Photo SIG meeting on the scheduled date but at the home of someone else or move the meeting date back one week for one month only to Sunday, June 21st. The members chose the second option. Coincidentally, June 21st is Fathers' Day Beginning in July 2015, meetings will revert to their traditional meeting time, the second Sunday of each month. The topic for the June meeting will be Seascapes. Everyone is encouraged to bring images of the ocean and share them with the group. |
| Meeting of 04/12/2015 | TOPIC: Architectural Photography; Buildings and Structures
Members of the Photo SIG each showed images of buildings and other structures. Some members shared multiple versions of a single image, explaining how they enhanced the image. Alan Raul demonstrated Sway; www.sway.com a freeware Microsoft product for displaying images on line. He also screened images modified with the freeware application,
Explore other links discussed at www.slobytes.org/digital/links.html or by clicking on the Links tab at the top of this page. Likewise, you will find notes from previous meetings of the Photo SIG at www.slobytes.org/digital/notes.html or by clicking on Notes tab at the top of this page. |
| Meeting of 03/08/2015 | TOPIC: Video Editing
The Photo Group looked at colorized black and white photographs modified by the software program, Coloriage 9 from SoftCity; $59. Thanks to Bob Grover for calling our attention to this product. Ralph Sutter played a video showing how to use Movie Maker.
Alan Raul played several videos that he had created in the past using earlier versions of Movie Maker. Ralph gave a brief demo of Movie Maker, editing video of a recent kayaking trip to Port San Luis. He later used Movie Maker's anti-shake and anti-wobble correction features to improve the images. Alan Raul, Bob Styerwalt, Don Jones, John Waller and Bob Grover all shared videos that they had created using Movie Maker, making use of the basic editing functions as well as the features for creating credits. They also screened short videos created with Photoshop, ProShow Producer and iMovie. Grover explained how to use Movie Maker to edit a presentation originally created with ProShow Producer. Sutter demonstrated how to do a video screen capture with Techsmith Snagit 12 ($49.95) and then used the built-in Snagit editor to modify the output. The theme for the next meeting, held on April 12th is Architectural Photography. Everyone is encouraged to bring photos of structures and discuss these images with the group. |
| Meeting of 02/08/2015 | TOPIC: Transformations - Color to Black and White
Ralph Sutter opened the meeting showing a PowerPoint file in which the images slowly changed from color to black and white. Members commented on the effectiveness of the transformation. Sutter then showed some color photos that he had taken recently and then changed them to grey scale sca;e using the Convert to Greyscale tool in Irfanview. He repeated the process, this time using the Decrease Color Depth/Two Color (black/white) tool. Members commented on which photos were enhanced when transformed. Ralph then created a slide show of his images using Irfanview's Slideshow tool. He showed how to order the images, insert title pages that he had created in Word and add music. Next, other club members showed their Color/BW image pairs, explaining how they did the conversion and which image worked best. |
| Meeting of 01/18/15 | TOPIC: Wildlife
Members shared images of animals large and small.
Later, Ralph Sutter demonstrated the Panorama feature of Irfanview. The group concluded that numerous other options did a better job of creating panoramic images. Looking ahead, the March 8th meeting will demonstrate freeware video editors. Members are encouraged to record short videos and edit them at this meeting. One freeware video editor, Windows Movie Maker, can be downloaded at
One Minute Tip - Photoshop Wednesdays Photoshop Elements User Tim Grey; Digital Photography Educator These links will always be clicking on the Links tab at the top of each web page |
| Meeting of 12/14/14 | Ralph demonstrated two freeware programs. They are
File Tree: www.jam-software.com/treesize_free and Jing: www.techsmith.com/download/jing File Tree "shows you the size of (a) folder, including its subfolders in an Explorer-like fashion." Jing is a screen capture program that allows you to take a screen shot of a single image or record a video as you navigate from one screen to another. Ralph then demonstrated Focus Twist: www.focustwist.com an app that allows you to create refocusable images from a iPhone. By clicking on different areas of the image, the selected area comes into focus, giving the illusion of depth of field. You will find a example at www.focustwist.com/ekSkj Afterwards many members of the group shared images in which red was the dominant color. The theme for the next session is Images Featuring Wildlife. Members are invited to bring photos in which wildlife is the primary focus. |
| Meeting of 11/17/14 | Ralph introduced two freeware programs. The first, Karen's Printer Directory,
www.karenware.com/progs/ptdirprn-setup.exe, allows the user to either save or print the names of files that appear in a directory, choosing the level of detail included in the printout.
The second program is Bulk Renamer, www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/,
Ralph then showed a slide show of the art museum at Crystal Bridges in Rogers Arkansas using Irfanview. Members who attended the meeting discussed the future focus of the Photo SIG. The consensus was that we should concentrate on interesting images, photo editing and photo display. Given the challenge of coming up with new topics for each meeting, we will give ourselves an assignment at the close of each meeting to discuss at the next meeting. Images in Red; The assignment for the meeting on Sunday, December 14th is to bring one or more images in which the dominant color is red. I look forward to a wide variety of images and a lively discussion of techniques and artistic intent. |