World Image issue 15 December 2014
Magazine of Photography and travel and wildlife
Magazine of Photography and travel and wildlife
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The Magazine of the Peoples Photographic Society<br />
Issue Fifteen - <strong>December</strong> <strong>2014</strong><br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 1 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Society Management<br />
Management Committee:<br />
Gordon Longmead - England<br />
Peter Hogel - Tanzania<br />
Dave Walster - England<br />
Scott Hurd - Namibia<br />
Tom Coetzee - South Africa<br />
Alexander Rostocil - Kenya<br />
Paul Welch—Australia<br />
Steve Cook - USA<br />
Robert Murray - Scotland<br />
Regional Co-ordinators:<br />
Arusha, Tanzania - Peter Hogel<br />
Benton, Kentucky, USA - Jack Glisson<br />
East Herts UK - Gordon Longmead<br />
Lincoln UK - Dave Walster<br />
North Scotland, UK - Robert Murray<br />
Peak District, UK - Kev Sidford<br />
Yorkshire UK - Rodger Lee<br />
Chairmans Bit -<br />
The Peoples Photographic Society are to stage an<br />
International Exhibition and sale of Photography at the<br />
Welwyn Civic Centre on the 20th and 21st of June. The<br />
exhibition is supporting the village during its festival,<br />
and will bring to Welwyn some of the best the Society<br />
has to offer from Africa, Australia, Europe and the<br />
Americas. It is also hoped that submissions will also be<br />
received from many of the other countries represented<br />
within the Society. More details on the blog or in the FB<br />
group page.<br />
The colour spot competition will be decided by the end<br />
of February. pictures may be submitted at any time to<br />
lendasnow@hotmail.co.uk if there is insufficient interest<br />
to warrant a stand alone competition the pictures<br />
submitted will be combined with the April greyscale<br />
Competitions.<br />
The Travel Guide has now taken the place of the Hub,<br />
and has been redesigned. I hope members will take the<br />
time to look at it before they plan their next holiday.<br />
As I have just spent the day in hospital this chairmans bit<br />
is staying short.<br />
I wish you all a happy Christmas tide, and for those who<br />
do not celebrate the event, please remember there is no<br />
rule that states you are not allowed to have a festival or a<br />
party. So whatever your viewpoint, party, have fun, but<br />
most of all enjoy life.<br />
Gordon<br />
© Please remember that all articles and images published in this magazine are copyright protected<br />
Cover Picture—Sundsbacken, Sweden by Jaak Arendi<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 2 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Results of the End of Year Exhibition<br />
Colour Group<br />
Greyscale Group<br />
1st place - Solitude by Rags Raghavan, India<br />
1st place - St Paul by Rajan Gomu, England<br />
2nd place - Waterproof by Peter Hogel, Uganda<br />
2nd place - Go find your own lunch by Tom<br />
Coetzee, South Africa<br />
3rd place - Sea of Humanity by Ramesh Raja,<br />
India<br />
3rd place - I hope they come soon by Tom<br />
Coetzee, South Africa<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 3 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Titles of the other pictures making the judges top ten are shown below. The pictures are currently<br />
displayed on the homepage of the website. The judge for this event was Jason Pearce of the<br />
Photographer Academy who commented that, it was very hard to choose my favourites. Loads of<br />
fantastic images. So very well done to all.<br />
Colour Group<br />
Greyscale Group<br />
10014 - Fulmer Falls by Steve Cook<br />
10020 - Red Fox Walking by Larry Hitchens<br />
10042 - Colours by Ramesh Raja<br />
10075 - The Pelican by Peter Hogel<br />
10031 - Lost Girl In The Woods by Robert Murray<br />
30072 - Going Home by Alan Griffiths<br />
30064 - Talacre Sunrise by Alan Griffiths<br />
200<strong>15</strong> - Spiral<br />
200<strong>15</strong> - Spiral by Robert Murray<br />
20039 - United Family by Rajan Gomu<br />
20046 - Haze by Peter Hogel<br />
40001 - Blarney Castle by Peter Henriksson<br />
40008 - Stairway to Fame by Peter Henriksson<br />
40016 - Waiting for the Day to End<br />
by Peter Henriksson<br />
40012 - Foggy Day by Naomi Moriyama<br />
Exhibitions<br />
April 20<strong>15</strong> - Closing date for entries 30th April<br />
The International competitions are open to all<br />
members of the Society.<br />
Categories - Open (Colour and Greyscale)<br />
Each member may enter up to six pictures,<br />
three in colour and three in Greyscale.<br />
No identifiable marks or copyright statements<br />
are permitted on pictures, and submitted<br />
pictures should not be posted into FB until after<br />
the judging process is complete.<br />
Entries should be sent by wetransfer.com or<br />
emailed to lendasnow@hotmail.co.uk and be<br />
between 1mb and 5mb in size. Larger files<br />
received will be resized, smaller files will be<br />
inspected and rejected if they appear to be too<br />
small in size to provide proper quality.<br />
In this case the entrant will be contacted to<br />
resubmit the image. Previously top three placed<br />
or similar pictures may not be resubmitted.<br />
An email giving the file names and picture titles<br />
and categories, should be sent to the above<br />
address at the same time as submissions. This<br />
email may also contain a resume about the<br />
picture. All submissions will be acknowledged.<br />
Copyright remains always with the<br />
photographer but the society shall be permitted<br />
to display the pictures on its website were<br />
reasonable precautions are taken to prohibit<br />
unlawful downloads and coping.<br />
All competitions are judged 'blind', the names<br />
of judges and entrants will not be displayed or<br />
supplied until after the results have been<br />
ascertained for each event.<br />
A prize of a years membership to The<br />
Photographer Academy at pro level will be<br />
awarded to the winners in each category.<br />
www.thephotographeracademy.com<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 4 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Photo Spot - Tom Coetzee, South Africa<br />
South Africa - Wildlife in View<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 5 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Floral Isolation<br />
Gordon Longmead<br />
So after opening the picture, I am using CS6<br />
although this can be done in any reasonable<br />
software, the first step is always to create a<br />
copy and then hide the original.<br />
Having done this select the magic eraser tool<br />
and set the tolerance to 30. Start erasing the<br />
background as close to the main subject as<br />
possible being careful not to delete any of the<br />
flower to be retained.<br />
Once you have separated the flower you can<br />
switch to the hard eraser tool to remove the<br />
remaining background.<br />
Most people like taking pictures of flowers, but<br />
often their beauty is swamped by the leaves and<br />
dead flower heads that surround them.<br />
This can be dealt with in a number of ways. In<br />
your own garden you can remove the dead<br />
flower heads or unwonted buds and leaves, but<br />
that would tend to spoil the garden display, and<br />
of course you can not do that with other peoples<br />
flowers.<br />
You could use a black card cut to fit behing the<br />
flower, but then it will need supporting and<br />
again it is not always appreciated when you<br />
trample over some ones flower bed to place the<br />
card.<br />
In these instances we must find another way,<br />
usually in post processing. I have chosen the<br />
picture above because I like the reflections and<br />
the colour, but I do not like the busy<br />
background or the additional flower heads.<br />
Having reached this stage, we then hide this<br />
layer and return to the original. The simplest<br />
and most effective way of showing the flower is<br />
on a black background.<br />
This is achieved by simply changing the<br />
exposure of the original image to totally<br />
underexpose the layer and turn it black. If you<br />
preference is for a white background just delete<br />
the hidden background layer or preferably use<br />
the same tool to over expose it, which allows<br />
for corrections, and flatten the image.<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 6 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Whichever is your final preference go for the<br />
black first as this will show up all the<br />
background colour you missed erasing in the<br />
copy layer which can now be unhidden.<br />
With the background displayed, return to the<br />
copy layer and the eraser to remove the bits that<br />
were missed.<br />
Once the obvious specks are cleared, select the<br />
soft brush eraser tool and set the point size to 6,<br />
enlarge the subject to over fill the screen and be<br />
sure to work with the program at full screen.<br />
Then using this tool and setting, work round the<br />
edge of the main subject. What you will see is<br />
that the larger pixel groups round the edge will<br />
soften into individual pixels which make the<br />
edge blending much finer and harder to spot in<br />
normal view. It is worth taking time over this<br />
stage as it is the one that will make of break the<br />
final picture.<br />
In this picture I have use the Dynamic Contrast<br />
and changed the temperature slider to<br />
exaggerate the core colours.<br />
This exercise has taken me half an hour to<br />
complete, and I have made a few mistakes in<br />
this last image.<br />
It may take you longer to do, especially when<br />
you start with your first attempt, but with<br />
practice you will get quicker and the mistakes<br />
will become less.<br />
This treatment of some subjects will take you<br />
ten minutes others will take 16 hours to<br />
complete. The bottom line is that the more care<br />
you take, the better the end result, the more<br />
time it will take.<br />
In the previous <strong>issue</strong>s I have discussed the use<br />
of Perfect Effects 8 and it can also be used in<br />
these pictures to change the final appearance<br />
and give alternate final images.<br />
One final tip, ALWAYS check the final image<br />
at full screen before you delete the PSD file.<br />
This is the default file that saves the layers in<br />
case you need to modify them later.<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 7 email = magazine@photosociety.net
They say one gets to know one self best in<br />
relation to other individuals, and boy have I<br />
been exposed to different wonderful and<br />
various individuals these first three weeks of<br />
my journey.<br />
Havana, Cuba - Part One<br />
Tina Andreasson - www.gallerytina.com<br />
So, exhausted and drained (but happy and<br />
content), self-contemplation started to kick in<br />
as I was left to my own devices as I tried to stay<br />
awake waiting for my delayed flight at Santiago<br />
airport…<br />
I feel like a shy exhibitionist, a sinner with a<br />
conscience, a silent storyteller, a sleeping<br />
insomniac, and a lover without a heart… The<br />
heart I'm going to get back like I’ve mentioned<br />
before, it’s in Havana somewhere I reckon…<br />
Oh, and I feel like an artist with a canvas and a<br />
photographer with a pretty good camera.<br />
Don’t read too much into this nonsense,<br />
because I’m a thinker without brain cells at the<br />
moment. Also known as emotional…<br />
Yes this is Real<br />
The last couple of days were spent in Santiago<br />
de Chile, a city very much alive and kicking. I<br />
roamed the streets taking in the many vivid<br />
sounds and impressions and happenings.<br />
There were student riots with Molotov<br />
cocktails, shoppers shopping, businessmen<br />
rushing, lovers kissing, lunatics raving, buskers<br />
busking, and all crazy things that belong to a<br />
big city and then some…<br />
I truly enjoyed the heat and being back closer to<br />
sea level. The final night I got together with my<br />
newfound friends and enjoyed a dinner at a<br />
very quirky restaurant by the name of "The<br />
Clinic".<br />
Reflections<br />
These few individuals I’ve hung out with a fair<br />
bit for the past three weeks have (almost) made<br />
me doubt my feeling of being a bit of a loner<br />
Perhaps I’m not when surrounded by the right<br />
crowd? Anyway, mostly I still prefer to be the<br />
observer of things rather than a participant,<br />
oooor am I a clingy loner afraid to be by<br />
myself?! Need to stop thinking, just need some<br />
sleep…<br />
It goes by the same name as a bar I once visited<br />
in Singapore, but instead of actually having a<br />
medical theme like that one had, this had more<br />
of an erotic/political/gothic theme… I’m not<br />
kidding… There was no lack of sense of<br />
humor!<br />
After a good meal there, we headed on to a<br />
local Karaoke place where they had one staff<br />
member singing permanently<br />
Luckily for us, his voice was pretty good, as he<br />
sang Latin love song after Latin love song.<br />
Belting out words like “amor” (love),<br />
“duele” (hurts), and “corazon” (heart), all the<br />
while his little black eye-brows leaning in<br />
against each other like the Chinese number<br />
eight for you in the know…<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 8 email = magazine@photosociety.net
A little later and a relatively early night for me<br />
and quick farewells to all (rip it off like a bandaid).<br />
I won’t miss anyone at all. And pigs fly.<br />
And the pope likes mature women. And money<br />
grows on trees....<br />
I’m feeling quite shattered as it’s been a rather<br />
hectic three weeks with an overload of<br />
impressions, staying at the maximum two<br />
nights at the same place, literally being on the<br />
move (trying to take photos simultaneously),<br />
and even swapping well needed shut-eye some<br />
nights for dancing…<br />
I only have myself to blame/thank (and Jana<br />
and Manuel of course, fellow crazy creatures of<br />
the night)…<br />
I am now really looking forward to returning to<br />
Cuba after that quick visit in November. I hope<br />
to find a good place to rent and unpack my bag<br />
for the first time in weeks.<br />
Havana<br />
Perhaps I’ll even be able to do some healthy<br />
home cooked meals and jog along the Malécon<br />
and dig out my Yoga DVD that I’ve dragged<br />
along.<br />
It feels like I've come home. It feels like I know<br />
every nook and cranny of this enigmatic city<br />
although of course I get lost, it’s just in my<br />
nature. In the morning I can throw open the<br />
doors to the balcony overlooking the Atlantic<br />
ocean and I can smell the sea and see fish<br />
jumping.<br />
I stroll down town, passing dilapidated villas<br />
and cracking facades, mysterious and nostalgic<br />
with their bright colours.<br />
Old and crumbling, but like most old and<br />
crumbling people here, they too have a rare air<br />
of pride and strength that simply exudes beauty.<br />
Peter has come here to visit me and travel<br />
around a little on this magical island and to do<br />
some awesome photography of course.<br />
Me in Havana<br />
Havana<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 9 email = magazine@photosociety.net
At the moment we are renting a little annex to a<br />
flat in Vedado in Havana. These rentals are<br />
known as "Casa Particulares" and give the<br />
locals an opportunity to earn a little extra<br />
income by renting out a room/flat to visitors.<br />
They have little signs outside the door to show<br />
that they rent and that they do it legally.<br />
Another way for some extra earnings is for<br />
locals to open up their front rooms of their<br />
homes as restaurants, so called “Paladares”. I’m<br />
not sure if this one counts as one as it was too<br />
much of a proper restaurant, but we visited a<br />
little eatery on Obispo in Old Havana last night,<br />
called Sevilla.<br />
It felt like someone’s flat done up with tables<br />
and chairs, and when I visited the bathroom it<br />
was a proper “home-bathroom” with bath-tub,<br />
toothbrushes and other toiletries. I’m quite<br />
certain a proper “paladare” wouldn’t over<br />
charge us for what we got and then add a<br />
service charge of 18%!<br />
The only good thing about this place was that<br />
we sat on a balcony overlooking the street, and<br />
with the long stairs and closed door to this<br />
“flat”, I could for the first time after the three<br />
weeks of travelling in South America (where<br />
three of my fellow travellers ((37%))<br />
unfortunately got robbed) safely put my handbag<br />
next to me without worrying about<br />
someone snatching it.<br />
Unless of course some malevolent Parcour-guy<br />
came tumbling off the roof, did a wall run<br />
(think Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) and<br />
then bounced off the window ledge with my<br />
belongings… I took that risk.<br />
If things go as planned, next week when Peter<br />
goes off to explore other parts of the country, I<br />
will move to another Casa Particular down<br />
town Old Havana.<br />
I went looking the second day and finally found<br />
one that I hope will suit my desires and needs if<br />
I am to lure out my creative side.<br />
Hottie, Bar Havana Club<br />
Mobile Flower Shop<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 10 email = magazine@photosociety.net
It’s situated in the midst of the action in my<br />
favourite part of the city, oozing with life, firm<br />
muscles, salsa rhythms, the slight scent of<br />
Cuban cigars, and of classy sensuality. I planed<br />
to soak it all up.<br />
One sunny afternoon our legs brought us to the<br />
Havana Club bar where I’d spent a whole long<br />
and relaxing day back in November.<br />
One of the band members actually recognized<br />
me after a short while, and we enjoyed the<br />
afternoon chatting (in Spanish!) and looking at<br />
some photos I’d taken of them last time.<br />
It pleased me that they all eagerly wanted<br />
copies, so a few more snap-shots and a memory<br />
stick later, it seems my photos will be adorning<br />
some of their no doubt already decorative and<br />
colourful Havana walls.<br />
Another eventful day awaits, so until then,<br />
hasta luego!<br />
I have moved and am now staying eight floors<br />
up renting a Casa Particular from a Señora<br />
Ofelia in Old Havana and I LOVE IT. I have<br />
one bedroom, one bathroom, and a sort of<br />
kitchen and a balcony/terrace with a panoramic<br />
view over this spellbound city. There's an<br />
elevator up, which has to be "conducted" by<br />
someone in the know, and is managed with a<br />
lever!<br />
Standards are extremely basic, but I am happier<br />
than ever. Looking down over this breathing<br />
living town, I can see people all over the place<br />
– on their balconies, on the rooftops, on the<br />
doorsteps and on the streets. Dogs play on the<br />
roofs and one guy nearby has chickens and I<br />
can’t wait to wake up to the rooster in the<br />
mornings!<br />
Plaza Vieja by Night<br />
She said she loved Cuba and its beauty, but that<br />
she lived in a prison, albeit a beautiful prison…<br />
She said she was hoping soon Cubans will be<br />
free to travel and told me about her plans<br />
should the dream materialize soon.<br />
She gave me her facebook address and<br />
explained how she could have internet access in<br />
a country where private internet is prohibited, if<br />
my Spanish or her English didn’t fail us, I<br />
believe it had something to do with taxes…<br />
So handing me a paper bag with a beautiful<br />
necklace, she also threw in a pair of ear-rings,<br />
and unknowingly some extra gratitude from<br />
being reminded of the privileged life I live,<br />
with the many choices I am free to take<br />
responsibility for and to indulge in…<br />
In the distance there’s often dogs barking, but<br />
far enough not to be annoying. There’s also<br />
music of course. The rhythm is the heartbeat,<br />
pulsating. The people are the blood and the<br />
streets are the veins.<br />
Another guy across some roofs has doves! They<br />
live in little cages but they are open and the<br />
doves soar freely and return when the wings<br />
need a rest. They are beautiful white doves…<br />
Seeing them made me think of the young<br />
woman from whom I bought a necklace at the<br />
market.<br />
La Primera De Prado, Havana<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 11 email = magazine@photosociety.net
This is Havana. What more could one want? I<br />
can still see the ocean and amongst other<br />
stunning buildings also the majestic dome from<br />
the Museo de la Revolucion, which once was<br />
the President’s Palace.<br />
I’ve filled a bowl with fruits in the kitchen, and<br />
am hoping the pineapple will soon enchant the<br />
place with its sweet scent. Looking for<br />
groceries here again makes me very aware of<br />
how spoilt many of us are for choice…<br />
Strolling along a little later I suddenly heard a<br />
voice calling my name “Tina Mei-ling”. Not<br />
many people ever use my Chinese name so I<br />
stopped and turned and there was Rodolfo, the<br />
musician I met on my last night in November at<br />
La Floridita! Needless to say, the rest of the<br />
evening we spent chatting away and having a<br />
few beers and laughs with my old friend.<br />
Local Transport<br />
The same limited products are to be found in<br />
the tiny supermarkets, and I’m not surprised<br />
really in this country of rations on the most<br />
basic goods that I take for granted. I haven’t<br />
been able to buy fresh milk or eggs anywhere!<br />
But I’ve seen more than one place selling<br />
garden gnomes…<br />
This place is strange and illogical, but for this<br />
free bird whose cage-door is open, it<br />
simultaneously somehow just makes so much<br />
sense…<br />
Yesterday Peter and I shared an old Cadillac<br />
cab to the beach situated about 30 minutes<br />
outside of town<br />
I got to soak up some sun as I stretched my legs<br />
along the sea enjoying the soft white sand under<br />
my feet. Later we enjoyed our last evening<br />
together for some time sipping Ron Collins and<br />
enjoying the Cuban beats at Plaza Vieja. As the<br />
sun set the bats came out and partied along in<br />
the dark blue star-riddled evening sky.<br />
Rodolfo making music<br />
This morning Peter set off on his own<br />
adventure and as tempted as I was to tag along<br />
and explore new parts and hidden treasures of<br />
this island, I have to stick to my plan. To paint!<br />
As I stroll down the cobbled streets in my<br />
colourful sun-dress and flip-flops noisily living<br />
up to their name, with an armful of tiny bananas<br />
and a skin-tone several shades darker than a<br />
month ago, I am starting to feel almost like a<br />
local… I could probably tie a towel around my<br />
hair, stick some fruit on it and make a buck or<br />
two by posing with tourists! My otherwise<br />
quick (some call it frantic) pace has slowed<br />
down, and I am taking it easy…<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 12 email = magazine@photosociety.net
I love to start the mornings with a little yoga<br />
session on the rooftop terrace before the floor<br />
gets too hot and I get fried in "pose of the<br />
corpse". There is actually a sun to salute here,<br />
and not like at home where it often feels like<br />
pure mockery, doing the sun salute to four<br />
shades of grey. No wait - make that two shades<br />
of grey, and that is if the sun is up at all yet…<br />
Prado<br />
On the subject of colours, I can say that not<br />
only is Havana and its inhabitants colourful in<br />
many ways, their décor is too.<br />
Minimalism has never been my cup of tea<br />
anyway, so I’m downing this glass of liquid<br />
Skittles with a smile, and it really tastes like<br />
rainbow!<br />
One of the many joys here is popping down to<br />
La Floridita to listen to my friend Rodolfo and<br />
his band D’Amore play. Rodolfo is one of the<br />
few Cubans who have been lucky to travel<br />
around the world thanks to their music. His<br />
voice is good and strong and vibrates<br />
beautifully along with the fast pace of his<br />
dancing feet! The smile is priceless.<br />
I had one of the best times EVER hanging out<br />
with him and his band at his flat one morning of<br />
rehearsal. What a privilege to simply be in the<br />
vicinity of these talented musicians playing just<br />
the kind of music I adore! It was pure magic,<br />
watching them get the chords right, the perfect<br />
beat, and an immaculate sound.<br />
So Til next month ... Ahhhhh...<br />
You may have noticed the photos from the<br />
place I'm renting in the last entry, so you know<br />
that minimalism isn’t the Havana way to put it<br />
mildly…<br />
A friend of mine commented that “at least it<br />
looked clean” and I had to reply stating the fact<br />
that “with those tiles one wouldn’t spot an<br />
armadillo on a surfboard smoking a fat cigar”,<br />
but yes it is indeed clean. The place has had the<br />
Tina-inspection more than once…<br />
After having travelled quite a lot around the<br />
world I’ve come to notice that minimalism<br />
seems very much to be a style limited to people<br />
dwelling in abundance. In poorer countries,<br />
from what I’ve seen, the lack of abundance in<br />
other aspects is over-compensated with<br />
colourful porcelain figurines, doilies on<br />
furniture, gaudy curtains, ornamental incense<br />
burners, and strange and wonderful collections<br />
of misplaced curiosities like a Thanksgiving<br />
turkey candle amongst fake flowers next to a<br />
lamp shaped like a flower.<br />
Havana<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 13 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Press Release 11 November <strong>2014</strong><br />
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM<br />
For the latest addition to the range, Canon has introduced<br />
the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, a new<br />
powerful, high-performance zoom lens in Canon’s<br />
acclaimed L-series, ideal for passionate sports and<br />
wildlife photographers.<br />
A successor to the hugely popular EF 100-400mm f/4.5-<br />
5.6L IS USM, the new model features a range of<br />
upgrades to improve image quality and enhance usability,<br />
setting a new benchmark for performance from a<br />
compact super telephoto zoom lens.<br />
The new mechanism allows you to adjust zoom torque<br />
via a dedicated Zoom Touch Adjustment ring, which<br />
provides a smooth action for fast zooming, as well as the<br />
ability to lock the zoom at your desired focal length,<br />
preventing image composition from changing by<br />
accidentally touching the zoom.<br />
Incredibly compact and lightweight for an advanced<br />
telephoto lens, the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM<br />
has been optimised to provide photographers with<br />
everything they need at their fingertips.<br />
The lens’s tripod collar is now built-in to provide<br />
smoother, seamless rotation, and when needed, the tripod<br />
foot can be removed, reducing the overall lens body size.<br />
A new dedicated lens hood, ET-83D, allows you to rotate<br />
polarising filters, without removing the hood, thanks to<br />
the inclusion of a new access window.<br />
Exceptional optical performance and flexibility<br />
The EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM gives you the<br />
flexibility and freedom to capture subjects, both near and<br />
far, using the incredibly versatile 100-400mm focal<br />
range.<br />
Designed to be used anywhere, even in the harshest<br />
conditions, the lens continues the renowned L-series lens<br />
DNA and rugged construction. You can rely on the lens<br />
to perform in vastly challenging environments, with a<br />
dust and water-resistant construction providing the<br />
durability users demand. For added endurance, the lens<br />
features fluorine coatings on the front and rear lens<br />
elements, reducing the possibility of dirt sticking to the<br />
lens surface and affecting image quality.<br />
The lens’s completely redesigned optical structure now<br />
features an improved 4-stop optical <strong>Image</strong> Stabilizer to<br />
reduce the effects of visible camera shake on longdistance<br />
shots, with three IS modes tailored to most<br />
typical shooting conditions, while Canon’s pioneering<br />
ring-type Ultrasonic Motor provides fast, silent<br />
autofocusing.<br />
Built to deliver the highest quality results with every<br />
press of the shutter, the lens’s 21 element structure uses a<br />
combination of Fluorite and Super Ultra-low Dispersion<br />
(Super UD) lens elements, and in a first for the EF lens<br />
range, Canon’s new Air Sphere Coating (ASC).<br />
The new advanced anti-reflection coating is constructed<br />
of tiny nano particles of trapped air, which create an<br />
ultra-low refractive index layer, to help reduce visible<br />
ghosting and flare.<br />
Redesigned zoom and advanced pro operation<br />
Enhanced following extensive feedback from Canon<br />
photographers, the lens features a number of design<br />
upgrades, including the traditional twist action zoom<br />
mechanism in line with other EF zoom lenses.<br />
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM key benefits:<br />
Versatile, portable super-telephoto zoom lens<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Superb image quality right across the frame<br />
Prevent camera shake with a 4-stop <strong>Image</strong> Stabilizer<br />
Customise the feel of the zoom control for different<br />
situations<br />
Fast, near-silent focusing<br />
Shoot confidently in tough weather conditions<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 14 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Videos and Video Slideshows<br />
Members of the Society do, on occasion,<br />
generate video shows on subjects that interest<br />
them. These may be video slideshows, true<br />
video or a mixture of both.<br />
Because of the medium we use to publish the<br />
magazine, we have decided to include this<br />
aspect of photography for the benefit of our<br />
business members to promote within the pages.<br />
This obviously works best in the on-line<br />
version of the magazine, but we will include the<br />
links for you in case you are reading the hard<br />
copy via PDF or Flipbook versions.<br />
The links are valid at the time of publication<br />
and should remain so until the videos are<br />
deleted from You-Tube host site.<br />
We hope that members videos will form the<br />
basis of the new Video style magazine, which,<br />
like this one, will be accessible through the<br />
website.<br />
As video, this can be used display our<br />
competitions, and to showcase your<br />
photographic work in a protected format as well<br />
as the moving video shorts, and adds a new<br />
dimension to photographic presentations.<br />
The Gary Bridger Borneo Collection<br />
Under the Waves<br />
By Gary Bridger<br />
Beautiful Reefs<br />
By Gary Bridger<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?<br />
v=k53uJljEXuQ<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?<br />
v=Yf9IzmiVVYM<br />
Uganda Explorer<br />
Alex Rostocil<br />
Phone: +254 722 411 566<br />
Website: Beach2bushkenya.com<br />
Email: alex@beach2bushkenya.com<br />
Website :<br />
www.ugandaexplorer.com<br />
Email :<br />
ugandaexplorer@outlook.com<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page <strong>15</strong> email = magazine@photosociety.net
Simple Panoramas<br />
Gordon Longmead<br />
Have you ever been in the countryside or on a<br />
mountain, or even in a town square and wished<br />
you had an ultra wide angle lens? Or wished<br />
you could capture a wide vista and only had the<br />
70 - 200mm lens with you?<br />
Well do not despair the solution is at hand that<br />
will not cost you the money to buy the wide<br />
angle lens. Also it is not that fake solution<br />
many camera companies put out of cutting the<br />
top and bottom of the captured image and<br />
calling it a panorama.<br />
So how do you start? Well first you have to find<br />
the right place to take the pictures from. It has<br />
to be as central to the subject as possible, and<br />
somewhere you can stand with your feet still<br />
and rotate your body.<br />
The idea of the panorama works best when<br />
viewing landscapes, especially in mountain<br />
areas. Not so well taking a 180 degree view of a<br />
railway station from one of the platforms<br />
(below).<br />
But how to do it, Set the lens on its widest<br />
available angle of view, on the 70 - 200mm that<br />
would be the 70mm end of the range. This is<br />
not changed throughout the process<br />
Having selected your spot in the landscape and<br />
without moving your feet, you start by turning<br />
your body until the camera view shows the<br />
right side of the desired image. If you are taking<br />
the full 180 or 360 degree this will be over your<br />
right shoulder.<br />
Or you could use a tripod, in which case you<br />
need to level it so the camera remains level<br />
through out its rotation.<br />
If you are in a town square where the corners<br />
are further away than the center of the<br />
buildings, or you do not stand in the center of<br />
the area, you will get some novel panoramas.<br />
The picture above was taken in Sienna, Italy.<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 16 email = magazine@photosociety.net
So now you have a series of images, in this<br />
example three, which can be joined together.<br />
This can be accomplished manually by<br />
changing the canvas size of the center image<br />
and copying in the other two. Then by careful<br />
adjustment of the size, the images can be<br />
joined.<br />
Take the first picture and before moving the<br />
camera, take note of one identifiable feature on<br />
the left of the picture.<br />
However in CS6 under the file tab you will see<br />
automate, in which you should have the<br />
photomerge option, open this select the files to<br />
be merged and the program will join them for<br />
you.<br />
Then turn until that feature is near the right of<br />
the viewfinder. Try to keep the horizon line in<br />
the same relative place in the viewfinder. Take<br />
the next picture. Repeat this until you have<br />
completed the whole vista. In the scenario<br />
mentioned for 180 degree, you should now be<br />
looking over your left shoulder.<br />
You may notice that parts of both foreground<br />
and sky are missing, this is due to the curve<br />
created by the camera as it is turned. You have<br />
three options at this point, you can flatten and<br />
save the image as is (above).<br />
You can flatten and, using the clone tool, you<br />
can build in the missing areas.<br />
Alternatively you might just flatten and crop<br />
away the missing parts of the image creating<br />
the panorama (below)<br />
If you are trying a 360 degree view, turn round<br />
to face the opposite way, you now can move<br />
your feet, placing them in the same spot as<br />
before, continue taking the pictures using the<br />
process. Ensure the last frame overlaps the<br />
scene taken by the first.<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 17 email = magazine@photosociety.net
The story of Uganda Explorer or…<br />
“How I build a tour company around photography”<br />
By Peter Hogel, Uganda<br />
I really don’t like the word “selfie”, I really<br />
don’t, and this is actually the first time ever that<br />
I have used it, but I thought I’d write my own<br />
and my companies “selfie”.<br />
Ill try my best to do a story in the upcoming<br />
<strong>issue</strong>s of the magazine but there's a lot to do so<br />
I might have to skip one in the middle there…a<br />
preview of what’s coming, in January is a 24<br />
day safari tour, two days with the mountain<br />
gorillas.. But that is a story to come…<br />
I use to run a tour company in Tanzania, now I<br />
moved to Uganda and starting up “Uganda<br />
Explorer” a tour company that circles around<br />
my photography.<br />
So… I’ll skip the boring part, registering the<br />
company, getting permits, meeting all the right<br />
people, bribing the ..just kidding, this is Africa<br />
why would you need to do that….now that<br />
brings us up to date.<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 18 email = magazine@photosociety.net
We are just in the start-up phase of Face book,<br />
hey what would you be without it? We are just<br />
about to open up the web site<br />
“ugandaexplorer.com” yes I’m advertising as<br />
well…the photography on the website is a bit<br />
thin but see, here is where this story actually<br />
begins…<br />
Here is a historic moment, I am actually the<br />
first white man to reach the top of these hills<br />
(really I am). The people living here have lived<br />
here for generations, and still retain the stories<br />
of the first white missionary to come here some<br />
hundred years ago (his house is still standing, at<br />
the foot of the hill!), luckily for me he wasn’t<br />
interested in climbing the hills.<br />
If you paid attention I wrote earlier that the<br />
company will circle around my photography, to<br />
do that I need to be everywhere, see and<br />
photograph everything I market, there are about<br />
11 destinations in Uganda that have my<br />
attention at this stage.<br />
I will start off slow with a destination of history<br />
and scenery, no wildlife park but a climb up the<br />
hills of Ankole region…<br />
Ankole, (that’s the region) I want to give<br />
Ankole a face, but it wont be of the beautiful<br />
hills in the mist, it has to be the cows, the<br />
Ankole cows with their magnificent horns…so<br />
there it is!<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 19 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Ryakasinga, Ankole<br />
The first place to put on Uganda explorers map,<br />
Ryakasinga, Ankole…<br />
A six hour trek in these hills, we start up 6-7 in<br />
the morning when the mist is still lingering<br />
around the hilltops, we bring a good breakfast<br />
for later consumption and start walking.<br />
The first section is up the hills, marvellous<br />
views of ever so green hills, we get closer to the<br />
top to find the local people who live up here, I<br />
tried to milk one of the Ankole cows, but she<br />
feared me, I couldn’t get close…<br />
This was followed by walks through the banana<br />
plantations, picking fresh pineapple, stopping at<br />
the small crater (wish I could say ‘lake’ here)<br />
swamp, but still to watch the colourful little<br />
birds and listen to the frogs.<br />
I can hear four different spices… I only saw<br />
one thou. (yes yes its time for breakfast, this is<br />
not a “are we there yet trip… sit back an enjoy).<br />
Ok so after breakfast at the top of the hill we<br />
pass by the small caves and start our way down<br />
through small forests and lots of banana<br />
plantations, this would be the more local<br />
bananas, green ones called “matoke” used in<br />
everyday cooking, like potato mash really<br />
good!<br />
Or in pancakes small thick ones, or in beer,<br />
or… banana wine … also passing through<br />
coffee plantations, along the creek over the<br />
meadow and back home in time for tea….<br />
We stay with the family for a couple of days,<br />
everyone pitches in when it comes to cooking,<br />
the meat is fresh as of this morning the pots are<br />
giants to fit food for all… and the open door<br />
kitchen is a kitchen with a view!<br />
So this is how I start taking and collecting the<br />
photos to go with websites and Fb… Next<br />
stop…Lake Mburo National Park…<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 20 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Darkroom blues - a blast from the past - part 1<br />
Rags Raghavan<br />
I have been taking photos since I was ten years<br />
old with the family Kodak Brownie 620<br />
camera, which is still with me and a treasured<br />
family heirloom. I am sharing some time slices<br />
from my early teens when I was discovering<br />
photography in a big way, when photography<br />
was both+ physics and chemistry. My main<br />
camera then was a Yashica 635 Twin lens<br />
reflex that could shoot 120 square 6x6 format<br />
as well as 35mm film.<br />
During the 70's when I must have been sixteen<br />
years old, was about the time when I set up my<br />
home darkroom. A family friend gave me his<br />
sparingly used Gnome Beta enlarger that had a<br />
Leitz Wetzlar lens. Four years or so of<br />
darkroom excitement and chemistry followed -<br />
Kodak D76, Microdol - X fine grain film<br />
developers, DA-163 paper developer and photo<br />
paper from Kodak, Ilford, Agfa and Indu.<br />
Fixer solution that could be used for film as<br />
well as prints was called Kodafix, if I<br />
remember right. I was dodging and burning<br />
long before Adobe made that process into a<br />
tool!<br />
My darkroom was basically a bathroom to start<br />
with..Before I began developing, I had to<br />
remove the main light bulb over the bath room<br />
mirror - the switch for the main light was<br />
outside and I did not want anyone from my<br />
family turning it on by mistake.<br />
Ilford had their own building down Woods<br />
Road off Mount Road in Madras where I<br />
sometimes bought chemistry and paper - the<br />
building is now occupied by FabIndia. I used to<br />
buy cut 35 mm film from Lingans Photo studio<br />
in Mylapore - they bought 100 foot rolls from<br />
ORWO and repacked into 35mm cassettes.<br />
I had a choice of two speeds in B&W -125<br />
ASA or 400 ASA, loosely called 'slow' and<br />
'fast' film. Packed ORWO film had their speed<br />
indicated in DIN numbers - 22 and 27 for slow<br />
and fast.<br />
ORWO was way cheaper than Kodak, because<br />
it was an East German product, long before the<br />
Berlin wall fell.<br />
Film developing was boring because you relied<br />
on the timer clock which was the boss. Print<br />
developing was fun as you could work with a<br />
red/orange safe light and see the image<br />
gradually emerging when the exposed paper<br />
was being agitated in the developer bath.<br />
This was the essence and the name of the game<br />
- I took the shot in my camera, and it was a<br />
negative that I developed myself and it was a<br />
final print that I was processing myself -<br />
beginning to end satisfaction at its best! A<br />
popular photo album size was called 'cabinet'<br />
size - roughly 6"x4" which is today's maxi.<br />
Print glazing was on glass sheets with a bare<br />
bulb to add heat. Buying chemicals and paper<br />
left me broke, so there was no money left to<br />
buy a glazing machine. Nor could I afford a<br />
Print trimmer/cutter, so a large scissor and deft<br />
hands did the job well.<br />
Cannibalizing was another name for a home<br />
darkroom and instead of a brand name photo<br />
print easel, I made masks out of cardboard<br />
sheets which did the job well if I needed white<br />
borders, which I hated in any case!.<br />
Developed film drying was under a fan with<br />
clothes clips with weighted clips at the bottom<br />
end. I could not afford those sleek developing<br />
trays that Ilford marketed here, instead used<br />
enamel trays bought from the surgical shops on<br />
Mount Road.<br />
They even had name brand thermometers (!)<br />
those days, the most popular was by Paterson.<br />
Print tongs were made from chopsticks (!) held<br />
together by rubber bands. Contact sheets, both<br />
for 120 and 35mm, were easily achieved with<br />
the negatives sandwiched between a glass sheet<br />
and photo paper.<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 21 email = magazine@photosociety.net
As we dream of buying the latest in high end<br />
camera gear today, my ambition in those days<br />
was to earn and save enough to eventually buy<br />
an Italian made Durst M606 enlarger, with a<br />
Schneider Componon enlarging lens! I would<br />
have been the talk of the darkroom town if I<br />
even owned one! Beseler was another well<br />
known brand, but that was not as radical and<br />
streamlined as the Durst.<br />
I had a Paterson developing tank that could take<br />
two reel sizes - 120 and 35 mm. I made several<br />
12x10 prints in those years, many which I<br />
simply gave away to friends and family.<br />
Today, except for my Nikon F3 SLR - unfair to<br />
call it a user-collectible yet - which I run a roll<br />
of film even now, everything else as you read<br />
above is firmly etched in my mind, but gone<br />
into history....One cracked developing tank<br />
morphed into a flower vase though !<br />
The photo album concept is long dead, sadly.<br />
There was once the thrill and pleasure of<br />
picking up an album and browsing through<br />
photographs - today we share lo-res images by<br />
email and social sites.<br />
How many people, with their huge investments<br />
in expensive high end camera gear, even make<br />
prints today? My home has long since turned<br />
into a photo gallery and the only display space<br />
left for mine and my son's prints is on the<br />
ceiling.<br />
In case you get the impression that I am 140<br />
years old, far from it - I running sixty and<br />
growing younger by the day! And I am glad I<br />
learnt the subtleties and nuances of<br />
photography by the trial and error method,<br />
rather than the Auto everything mode we use<br />
today!<br />
Excursions to Nepal<br />
with Himalayan Pathfinders<br />
Website -<br />
www.himalayanpathfinders.com<br />
Email -<br />
info@himalayanpathfinders.com<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 22 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Tour Operators<br />
Members who operate, or work on behalf of Tour Operators are invited to submit reports on their<br />
tours as a feature of the magazine. These can be a regular feature if desired and may include<br />
pictures to highlight aspects of the article. The first of these reports should be an introduction to<br />
the company area of operations and its tour guides and staff.<br />
Although the Society can not be held responsible for the conduct and safety of the tours, the tour<br />
operators that advertise on, or have links within, this site or provide reports within the societies<br />
magazine, do so on the understanding that they undertake to conduct the tours in a professional<br />
manner, be customer focused, with an emphasis on safety and value for money.<br />
As many of the tour operators and guides are members of the society, they are knowledgeable both<br />
on the areas they visit and on the subject of photography and will be willing to offer tips and<br />
guidance if required. Feedback about your tour is always welcomed and may appear in the society<br />
magazine.<br />
Magazine Submissions<br />
Members are welcome to submit Bio’s and other articles relating to expeditions and equipment<br />
reviews. Small file size pictures may be included. Recognised wildlife trust and Nature<br />
Conservation group adverts may be included free of charge per quarter page subject to approval.<br />
Any one who would like to write a feature article for the magazine, please do. I have no real limit<br />
on the magazine size but for ease I will find a comfortable limit depending on the method used for<br />
circulating it.<br />
Trade Adverts<br />
Adverts may be placed with the magazine at the editors discretion. A charge will be made in<br />
advance of publication towards the running costs of the society amounting to 10 GBP per quarter<br />
page per <strong>issue</strong>. Submissions should be emailed to magazine@photosociety.net please state<br />
‘magazine article or advert’ in the subject line.<br />
www.thephotographeracademy.com<br />
We hope you like the magazine, the size and content of future <strong>issue</strong>s depends on you.<br />
Submissions for the next <strong>issue</strong> are being accepted<br />
In case we do not <strong>issue</strong> for <strong>December</strong>, Merry Christmas<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 23 email = magazine@photosociety.net
Mountainrite has developed a fantastic range of<br />
treks for you in the Carpathian Mountains of<br />
Romania, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, the<br />
Jetim Bel Range in Kyrgyzstan, the Pamirs in<br />
Tajikistan and a spectacular twenty-two day trek<br />
along the Wakhan Corridor.<br />
They are a blend of energising culture and<br />
picturesque landscapes with a diverse and fantastic<br />
range of flora and fauna.<br />
Alex Rostocil<br />
Phone: +254 722 411 566<br />
Website: Beach2bushkenya.com<br />
Email: alex@beach2bushkenya.com<br />
Courses:<br />
Certified Navigation Training<br />
Personal Security<br />
Expedition Hygiene<br />
Mobile: +44 (0)7976460697<br />
Email: kev.sidford@mountainrite.com<br />
Web : http://www.magneflash.com<br />
Email: splash@magneflash.com<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 24 email = magazine@photosociety.net
TECHNOLOGY EQUIPPED FOR GRIP<br />
MacWet Technology<br />
Most gloves on the market today are bulky and uncomfortable, causing a negative impact<br />
on your favourite sport. MacWet's unique Aquatec® fabric responds to moisture and<br />
climate change, ensuring maximum grip, sensitivity, feel and comfort at all times, no<br />
matter how wet or humid. The groundbreaking MacWet Sports glove marks a turning<br />
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performance. MacWet gloves' groundbreaking technology uses natural 'wicking'<br />
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surface to the fabric face, where it quickly evaporates, thus providing the ultimate in<br />
comfort and gripping power.<br />
The breathable, all-purpose MacWet sports gloves offer a comfortable fit and the<br />
performance you desire. Man made fabric permits the hand to breathe ensuring<br />
maximum grip consistently, with absolutely no compromise to the feel or comfort of the<br />
products. The second skin fit allows for fine adjustment of equipment without the need to<br />
remove the gloves.<br />
Website = photosociety.net Page 25 email = magazine@photosociety.net