Informational blog spot for photography groups and people in and around South Carolina
{ Monthly Archives }
Yes, it is still the South Carolina Photography Guild. In an effort to clean things up a little, and offer a little more cross-browser support, we have updated the look and feel for the blog here. Thoughts on the adjustment are always welcome. Tomorrow shall also bring a few of the photos from our recent walk-about to the blog for your viewing pleasure, so check back tomorrow afternoon! As always, thanks for stopping in…
Efforts at continuing to offer resources for people to read and listen to continue as we have our newest article added to the SCPG family. Given the subject matter, it seemed worthy of making an audio podcast as well, so feel free to check out the new written and recorded word where Jason looks at the question of “Why?”. His article and podcast are more of a response to recent discussions on popular web resources including The Radiant Vista and The Online Photographer, as well as offering a possible approach to answering the question of “Why?” from an individual perspective, rather than attempting to address the question for photography as a whole. Enjoy!
For your direct reading and listening convenience, both resources are hot-linked here:
Joe Rosenthal, the photographer who captured the famous shot of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, has passed on at the age of 94. Please join the photographic community as we acknowledge the contributions Mr. Rosenthal has given to the world, as well as offer our regards to the family.
Interestingly, the capture was obtained through sheer coincidence, as he initially had not intended to make the climb to the summit, since he heard a flag was already in place. As it turns out, the first flag was a smalelr flag and the troops decided to raise a larger flag, allowed Rosenthal the opportunity to capture the now famous image. More details on the life and contributions of Rosenthal are available on the AP Wire here: Rosenthal Story
The first advertised shoot for the SCPG was a roaring success. We had most of our faithful regulars show up, and newcomers from the blog world (Heather and Margo), as well as other local recruited photogs from an online ad that announced the group. All told, 13 of us were plodding up and down King Street taking shots of the area. Some are even already up on the forums as we share our “thoughts and shots” in the discussions. Come check things out at the forums (linked on the right panel): SCPG Forums
Meanwhile, here’s a teaser of some of the shots from the outing:
Storage capacities have been increasing on all fronts lately. Flash media has seen the evolution of a previoulsy unheard of 8 gigabyte Compact Flash card (courtesy of Sandisk), and hard drives are now able to store data in increments of 500 gigabytes (that’s half a Terabyte for you geek-types!), surely even the storage hungry uber-shooters would be satisfied right? Wrong!
The portable media that had been largely ignored for offline storage (CD’s and DVD’s) due to limitations has seen recent gains. Dual layer DVD’s have allowed us to store up to 8 gigabytes on one disc. Then blu-ray technology showed how we could store up to 12 gigabytes on one disc. As if that’s not enough, Verbatim has taken the blu-ray technology one step further by implementing dual layer capabilities for the media. That’s right, you can now store 25 gigabytes on one dual layer blu-ray DVD. Granted, you need a drive that can read blu-ray, of which there are select few, but with this announcement, the ability to save and backup data to for offline storage has just seen another exponential step forward.
Yet, I am sure, someone out there somewhere, will no doubt lose some data because they didn’t want to spend the $25 on a blu-ray disc to save the contents of their hard drive. 
The first advertised shoot (or “walkabout” as we call them) for the SCPG is scheduled for this coming Saturday, so mark your calendars! Come on out and join us as we take a stroll down beautiful and historic King Street in downtown Charleston. Sharing of thoughts and shots, tips and tricks, and enjoying the cmaraderie of fellow photo enthusiasts is just a part of the fun. Whether you are a beginning novice or experienced pro, it’s a good time to be had by all. The meet-up time and location is 7am at the statue @ Marion Square. We’ll be be saddled up and ready to go, cameras clicking, no later than 7:30. Bring your camera, coffee, and bring a friend!
Any questions, comments or additional information requests, do not hesitate to contact us in our online forums at www.scphotogs.com/forums, or the shoot coordinators Jason Anderson(jason@scphotogs.com) or Thomas Leger (tmgraphics@scphotogs.com). See you behind the lens…
A live chat feature has been added to the forums for the SCPG. If you are a registered member (which is free by the way), you can join other photographers who are online for live discussions of whatever the topic of the moment might be. Whether it’s our next shoot location, subjects like framing, or even current events, it’s all live in real time! Please feel free to stop over and check out the activities in our forums, where pictures are shared, and in the live chat, where discussions can be had. In order to enter the chat, you do need the Java Runtime Environment installed (JRE), and that can be obtained by clicking the link titled “Java Runtime Environment” (also free). The links to all the respective member features can be found on the SCPG Panel to the right…
The recent thwarted efforts of alleged terrorist cells has sparked lively discussion from virtually every side of the political spectrum. The fallout is also being seen in the photography world, as the question of carry-on baggage raises serious concerns for professional photographers.
With literally tens of thousands of dollars invested in their gear in some cases, professional photographers have learned the hard way to stow their gear in carry-on luggage. Apparently in the past, these high ticket items would find their way into long-fingered and less than reputable airline employees both in and out of the U.S.A. Having to relegate their high ticket items back in these dangerous waters has brought photogs into the discussion, asking one another about issues such as increased insurance premiums, actually being able to transport gear (lens cleaners are fluids) and everything in between. Interesting conversations can be found all over the web. A thread has been started here at our local photog forum site and links to the originating one from a fairly popular photography forum hosted by Fred Miranda. To check out local photog thoughts and such on the subject, follow the first link, or to read through the Fred Miranda site, follow the second link. Alternatively, feel free to post comments and thoughts here as well!
Link #1: SCPG Forum on Terrorism Fallout
The forums for the SCPG has a good discussion going on right now on the subject of framing your pictures digitally. We are looking at the subject of whether frames enhance, hurt, or are even needed for pictures. There are perspectives from every angle, and some shots are offered up as examples to help encourage discussion. Here is one shot displayed with multiple background effects, including an original for comparision. Come on over and check out all the shots and offer up your own two cents today! Thanks for stopping in and feel free to leave comments here as well.
This first shot setup uses what is referred to as a gradient background:
This second shot is using a plain white background:
And finally, here is the original for an overall comparison:
Which do you like best? Feel free to leave a comment here, or join in the discussion
In photo news today, Casio has released two firmware updates for it’s Exilim EX-Z850. More information and links to the download site can be found here: Casio Firmware Updates
Not only has Konica-Minolta gotten out of the photography business, they are also handing off their photo paper production to Dai Nippon, which was reported in a press release today from Dai Nippon today. To read more about this, follow this link: Dai Nippon Takes Over for Konica-Minolta
From a human interest perspective, Peter Feldstein’s work of 20 years ago is reported today in the Orlando Sentinel. Turns out he had a plan to take shots of all 600+ residents of a remote Iowa town, and is rounding them up again today whenever possible to get side by side shots. Friend and author Steven Bloom is working with him now, taking down narratives of the participants, and interest has been expressed from 2 publishers to turn this into a book. More information can be read here in the: Orlando Sentinel Article
