Click here for Pittwater Camera Club website

Monday July 16th is our next meeting

night with a presentation by Andrew

Hall centering around sports, action

and movement.

Andrew has recently returned from photographing the
Le Mans 24hr sportscar race in France and his presentations are always insightful and entertaining .

The meeting will start at 7.30pm.

Don't forget this Monday 9th July will be the first of our Lightroom sessions run by Mark.
Don't spend hours and $$$ trolling the web for advice when all you need to know is right here at your friendly Pittwater Camera Club.
If you are wanting to get in to Lightroom for editing , filing or just want to know what it is all about , come along at 7.30 pm in the auditorium.

Tuesday 7th August is our annual Interclub competition night with Hornsby Heights Camera Club.
If you have any Prints that have scored 12 or higher in any competitions since last September, please bring them along to our next meeting or any of our next 2 Lightroom sessions or give them to Bill .
The more images our Selection Committee has to choose from the better our chances are of winning.


" There is a vast difference between taking a picture and making a photograph "
Robert Heinecken

Ali Nasseri

Although a late night , I hope everyone who entered images in our last competition "Photojournalism" found Ali's interactive style of critiquing our images to be an informative and educational evening.

Digital Image Titling

PLEASE ensure your digital images are TITLED and include your FULL NAME as per the instructions on our website.
Use only lower case characters with no spaces. Use underscore in place of spaces.
eg:  the_shearers_ben_jones.jpg

All digital images are to be sent to entries@pittwatercameraclub.org no later than 8.00pm on Sunday night (the day before the competition).

Pamela Pauline Workshop

Pamela will be holding another workshop on 28th July titled "Winter - Dare to Create" compositing workshop.
Designed for those with a basic understanding of Photoshop but would like to learn more about creating photographic artworks through compositing, using adjustment layers , textures and brushes.
The workshop will be held on Saturday , 28th July - 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
For more information go to :
www.pamelapauline.com/education/

NIK Collection 2018

NIK Collection 2018 information in the attached link will be of interest to those who use this popular software.

www.theimagingalliance.com/with-the-nik-collection-2018-by-dxo-and-dxo-photolab-1-2-dxo-continues-to-develop-innovative-solutions-for-photographers-and-creative-professionals/?ct=t(RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN)&mc_cid=843cfc0bd6&mc_eid=48d8ec43b1

Photographing the Milky Way

It is coming around to the time of year to get out at night for some astral photography and the Milky Way.
To get you started, have a look at the attached link from Aaron Dowling which gives a complete run down on how to get the best from your images.
www.aarondowlingphotography.com/photograph-milky-way/
Also for information on how to edit your images using luminosity masks Aaron has put together tutorials using his ADP PRO c3 Luminosity Mask Panel.
For more information follow the link
www.adppro.com/edit-milky-way/

Evening Atelier with Peter Eastway

Peter Eastway is running a series of interactive evenings of photography, inspiration and dialogue.
There are 5 evenings spread out over 5 months with each evening containing completely different material.
The cost is $9.95 per session and they will be held at Dee Why RSL Club.
For more information go to www.betterphotography.com

Sydney Harbour International & Sydney International Exhibition of Photography

The Sydney International Exhibition of Photography with a closing date of 27th August 2018 is a digital photographic competition which grows every year and is entered by photographers from around the world.
It is a wonderful way to gauge your work on a world stage and to support an Australian initiative.
Len Brown, who many of you know, as he has been a welcome judge at our club many times, is the Chairperson for the exhibitions.Please follow the link for more details  www.siep.org.au

Adam Williams Tutorials

For those wishing to improve their image making skills and learn from an awarded professional, Adam has 24 free tips on how to make your photographs truly awesome.
Go to his website to find out more.
www.australianphotographer.com

Trekabout Newsletter from Mark Rayner

Alan Purnell has forwarded the following information for an informative newsletter he receives from Mark Rayner.
It may be worth subscribing to as there are many useful bits and pieces for all levels of photographers.

madmimi.com/p/c8240c?fe=1&pact=122989-144863160-9360452662-047871d4059a8ef3c835115c59a426f8996e6c5d

Really Right Stuff have revamped their entire tripod range

Tripod and camera accessory manufacturer Really Right Stuff have revamped all 17 of its tripods promising to offer better components and a number of changes from top to bottom.
A major addition is the inclusion of multiple 1/4" sockets at the base of the tripod for adding accessories such as a carry strap or phone mount.
Useful in windy conditions , all 17 Really Right Stuff tripods will now feature an added weight hook on the underside , which can also be used as a convenient place to hang a camera bag .

Art and About Sydney

Australian Life
For 14 years, the Australian Life photography prize has been a platform to showcase the many experiences, places and faces of life in Australia. Art & About Sydney is once again, inviting Australian photographers to submit their images representing Australian Life.

The City of Sydney are inviting photographers of all experience levels to submit their best images for our entry into our annual Australian Life and Little Sydney Lives photo prizes. We are accepting entries during the month of July. Winning photos will get a cash prize and nationwide exposure.

Competition dates:
8 June entries open
29 July entries close 
Amy Jean Harding, ‘Beryl and Jesus’, Australian Life 2017 Winner.

Les Walkling, Mike Langford and Jackie Ranken in the Daintree.

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Daintree 2018 –Photography Workshop Presented by Les Walkling with Jackie Ranken and Mike Langford
8th to 15th August 2018

Download Brochure    
Daintree 2018 is a contemporary photography workshop for anyone who is wondering ‘how do I get to the next level’? That is, how do I progress beyond merely beautiful images and prints, beyond the mastery of camera craft and production skills, workflows, clients, and competitions to develop and infuse my work with more meaning, significance and purpose?
This is no easy task, and there are many prerequisites: we need time and space away from the hurly-burly distractions of everyday life. We need an unbelievably beautiful and inspiring location that only asks the best of us. We need state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities that won’t let us down. And we need incredibly experienced teachers and mentors who not only work ‘at that next level’, but also possess the empathy, compassion, understanding and intellectual frameworks needed to facilitate your journey ‘to the other side’. These are rarely found qualities, but at Daintree 2018, we supply them all, and in abundance. Read More
This year my two co-presenters are Jackie Ranken and Mike Langford.

Jackie has over thirty-five years experience within the visual arts and her passion is art photography and fine art printing. She learnt her craft by working within the photographic industry as a darkroom technician, freelance and sports photographer, wedding photographer, commercial photographer and photojournalist. In 1996 after gaining her Associate Diploma in Fine Arts she began working as a teacher of ‘Fine art’ photography. Jackie divides her time between her ongoing art practice and teaching, exhibiting, instructing and presenting workshops and seminars both nationally and internationally. Since 2001 she has won many prestigious photography awards, which have culminated in making her not only a Grand Master of both the Australian Institute of Professional Photography and the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography but also a Canon Master. www.jackieranken.co.nz

Mike’s passion is travel/Landscape photography and travel book publishing with over 26 books to his name. He is a Canon Master, Grand Master and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and a Grand Master, Honorary Fellow and Life Member of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP). He has been a professional photographer for over 30 years and an International Awards judge and lecturer for 25 years. He has won multiple National and International awards for his travel and landscape photography including Photographer of the Year for Australian Geographic, Korean International, NSW AIPP, AIPP Landscape, AIPP Travel, NZIPP, NZIPP Corporate/Industrial, NZIPP Landscape and NZIPP Travel. www.mikelangford.co.nz
The Venue:
The venue is James Cook University’s world class Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO) education and research centre at Cape Tribulation in far North Queensland. It is adjacent to Australia’s World Heritage listed wet tropics lowland rainforests which are home to a substantial proportion of Australia’s biodiversity. This is also one of the few areas in the world where the ‘reef meets the rainforest’ and the only place where two World Heritage Areas sit side by side.

The modern teaching and conference facilities are designed with student-centred learning and inquiry-focused practice in mind. The open design and flexible spaces create many vistas where one can look up to rainforest-clad mountains or down over sweeping views to the Coral Sea. With brand new accommodation and catering infrastructure, well-equipped laboratories and a tower crane providing canopy access to nearly 1 hectare of rainforest, the DRO provides an unforgettable hands-on experience in a unique and inspirational environment.
The Syllabus:
The workshop begins with a thorough analysis of your individual workflow which we then refine and polish from capture to print. This ensures your workflow is ‘working’ so well that you are not distracted by it. We can then focus on ’what comes next’ – and how to take your photography there.

Guidance, inspiration and support will flow from the history of photography, painting, sculpture, music, literature and philosophy, as we form a deeper understanding of how pictures capture ‘hearts and minds’ while trading in ‘secrets and mysteries’ beyond our immediate understanding. We will learn from other artists and their production methods, artist statements, finished works of art. and historical circumstances what is required in order to convey significant and lasting impressions, not just through your pictures, but also to your artistic confidence.

Facilitation:
You will photograph in pristine environments, process and edit your files with fully colour managed professional workflows, and make prints of the highest quality with the most beautiful papers and profiles available. Our chefs and support staff will take care of everything else, so all you have to work on is refining and extending your photography, and thereby change not only your relationship to your ‘hardware and software’, but even more significantly, take your pictures and yourself to that ‘next level and beyond’.
Highlights of the workshop include formal presentations, small group tutorials, extensive one to one consultations and opportunities to practice and consolidate what you learn in a supportive and supervised environment.

This is an ambitious workshop that I couldn’t imagine presenting without my 30 years’ experience of doing this day in and day out for generations of undergraduate and post graduate fine art and media arts students. I also couldn’t imagine doing this without over a decade’s experience running our annual Orpheus Island residential workshop. And I also couldn’t imagine d0ing this without the incredible talent and support of my co-presenters, tutors, organisers, sponsors and friends who have encouraged me to dedicate a workshop to ‘going to the next level and beyond’.
And this is that workshop.
The Cost:
AIPP/ACMP/NZIPP/LPN Members $3620
Non-Members $3980
Students $2900
The cost includes share accommodation and all meals at the DRO, all photographic materials, plus coach transport to and from Cairns. The only additional costs are travel to Cairns and possible overnight accommodation in Cairns depending on your flight times and /or other travel arrangements. There is also a small fee if you wish to use the DRO crane to access the rainforest canopy with sweeping views over Cape Tribulation and Mount Sorrow.
Register for this workshop at: www.leswalkling.com/bookings/
If the workshop description intrigues or fascinates you, don’t hesitate to contact us. For further information or expressions of interest please email: events@leswalkling.com or phone: +61 418 980 644
Facebook
Not a member of our Facebook page yet? You are encouraged to join - this is the place to get lots of tips, advice and help, to see what other members are up to and  be able to stay in touch between meetings.
Just follow this link.
 www.facebook.com/groups/pittcameraclub/

Sutherland Shire National Exhibition of Photography 2018

Dear Photography friends
It is our pleasure to invite you to enter
30th Sutherland Shire National Exhibition of Photography 2018
(SSNEP)
APS Approval 2018/14
Opening date: 1st June 2018 (Accepting entries)
This is an all digital exhibition with entries to be submitted online via the exhibition website.

​Online Entry Form:  ​
​http://www.ssnep.org.au/

Includes the following sections:-
- Open Colour
- Creative
- Open Monochrome
- Nature

Entries Close: Sunday 12th August 2018

Seeing in 6's

The time is drawing near so get your creative hats on and think about our mini portfolio style of competition
" Seeing in 6's ".
As discussed , you will be presenting 6 prints on a board no bigger than 500mm x 500mm in size that are cohesive or tell a story.
They can be either monochrome or colour or a mix of both and can be different sizes.
You can submit 2 sets of prints and critique night will be Monday August 13.
We will have "Seeing in 6's " books at each meeting for you to peruse for inspiration.
For any more information speak to Peter, Bill, Brian or Mark at any meeting.

Demystifying Photo File Types by Peter Eastway

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Topaz Labs Releases the First Deep Learning Photo Noise Removal Tool for Windows and Mac









The first desktop photo enhancing software that uses the power of Artificial Intelligence to automatically restore detail and remove image noise. Topaz Labs releases AI Clear™ in Topaz Studio™ that removes noise and sharpens detail in photos automatically. It is the first software that uses artificial intelligence (deep-learning) based noise reduction technology for photos and runs directly on Windows and Mac.

“Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence has shown great potential in image noise reduction,” says Dr. Partha Acharjee, a research scientist with Topaz Labs who leads the development of this product. “We were able to develop a proprietary neural network, (a type of AI that learns by studying millions of examples) architecture and realistic noise model to perform well on real-world, high-iso photos. It not only achieves much higher quality result than existing products, but does so automatically without the need for any manual tweaking. Moreover, our custom neural network, trained on millions of photos, can run on any GPU on both MAC and PC, which ensures faster processing on everyday computers without the need to upload your images to a cloud server.”
Topaz AI Clear™ works as an adjustment with Topaz Studio, a standalone photo editor as well as a plugin for Photoshop CS4+, Elements 6+, Creative Cloud, and as an external editor for Lightroom. It is compatible with 64-bit Windows 7+ and Mac OS X 10.10+. Photographers can take advantage of a free 30-day trial with AI Clear™, when they download Topaz Studio (which is available for free). The standard retail price of AI Clear™ is $59.99. For more information about Topaz Studio’s AI Clear™ Adjustment, please visit web.topazlabs.com/ai-clear
Topaz Labs LLC is a privately owned company in Dallas, Texas. Our mission is to bring state-of-the-art technology and creative effects to photography professionals and consumers.
        Australian Photography
   2018 Photographer of the Year  
        presented by Panasonic      
             open for entries

We're delighted to announce our annual photo competition, the 2018 Photographer of the Year, is now open for entries.

The biggest competition for amateur photographers in the Southern hemisphere, winners and runners up in the 2018 Photographer of the Year will share in more than $45,000 in cash and prizes.

For the first time, seven of our category winners, and our overall winner will be flown to Sydney for a special weekend photography experience with landscape photography icon Ken Duncan, thanks to sponsors Panasonic. Winners will meet Ken at his Gallery in Erina, and join him for two days of amazing shooting on the Central Coast, NSW.

We also have amazing prizes, including a Panasonic G9 kit worth $3,500, a photo tour valued at $7,000 thanks to World Photo Adventures, an image editing monitor valued at $1,649 thanks to EIZO, a $1,000 voucher thanks to Camerahouse, a DJI Osmo valued at $649 thanks to DJI, more than $650 of storage gear thanks to WD, SSD and SD storage valued at more than $500 thanks to Sandisk, and a one-on-one session with photo mentor and judge Sally Brownbill worth $750.

Add in the more than $10,000 in cash for our winners and runners up, and the prize pool is the largest we've ever offered. You can see all the category prizes on our competition page.

For 2018, we are offering a new portfolio category, Aerial. We're looking for the best images taken from an elevated position, whether that be from a building, a drone or a plane. All our other categories, including People and Portrait, Travel, Black and White, Landscape, Wildlife and Nature, Junior and Photo of the Year are back for 2018.

We're also hosting Photographer of the Year instameets in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne with Panasonic in June, August and October. The instameets are free to attend, all are welcome and there are prizes to be won. Come along and meet the Australian Photography and Panasonic teams, try out the latest Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and you’ll also have the chance to meet one of our Photographer of the Year judges. You can register for these here.

Our winners will be chosen by a panel of professional photographers, which will be announced shortly.

Pre-earlybird entries are open now. You can enter the competition here. 
www.australianphotography.com/poty

1 Legged Thing !

Winner of the Lucie Technical Awards Tripod of the Year, British Tripod Manufacturer, 3 Legged Thing, announces the release of two new monopods, and a rugged foot stabilizer.   Complementing their highly-acclaimed range of tripods and accessories, and inspired by the Bletchley Codebreakers and 90s industrial metal (there’s a sentence you never thought you’d read), 3 Legged Thing has announced the release of Alan, a rugged carbon fibre professional monopod; Trent, an ultra-tall Punks monopod; and Docz; a foot stabiliser that works with both monopods, and which is also available separately.  The perfect blend of size, weight and capability, Alan is built for versatility and resilience. Ideal for action and sports photography and to add stability when creating video footage, Alan has a stored height of 45 cm / 17.5 ”, and is compact enough for transportation in hand luggage. Alan extends to a maximum height of 1.49 m / 58.7 ”. Formed from 8 layers of 100% pure carbon fibre and aircraft grade alloys, ensuring he is both light and incredibly strong, Alan can support a maximum load of 60 kg / 132 lb – almost 100x his own weight! Both ends of the monopod feature dual 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 threads allowing Alan to connect to a variety of accessories, and to be used as a camera or microphone boom. The patented Tri-Mount plate has three hollowed spurs for the attachment of accessories, and the unique Big Grip provides maximum grip for security and has deep channels designed to disperse moisture. Punks monopod Trent’s full extended height is over 2 m (80”) making him one of the tallest monopods in the world today. Formed from aircraft-grade magnesium alloy, Trent is both strong vertically, and is capable of lateral loads making him ideal for use as a camera or microphone boom. Trent’s maximum load capability is 30 kg / 66 lb, giving him an impressive load-to-weight ratio of 50:1. Trent features 3 Legged Thing’s unique Bubble Grip technology on the leg locks and column grip. This offers users improved leverage, and maximum grip in inclement weather conditions. Like Alan, Trent also has dual 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 threads at either end allowing for use with a variety of accessories. Both Alan and Trent have a detachable rubber Boot at the bottom, which can be replaced with any of 3 Legged Thing’s footwear – Heelz, Stilettoz, and Clawz – or can be used with the new foot stabiliser Docz. Docz is a rugged foot stabiliser with a 30 cm /12 “ base, designed specifically to add stability to monopods. With an alloy base construction, a rugged ABS top cover and rubber boot adjuster, Docz adds a stable, solid base for monopods with no flexing. The rubber adjuster controls the friction and tension settings on Docz’ ball mount, enabling an ultra-smooth motion for action and sports photography. The ball mount has a 3/8”-16 thread, and can also be locked upright for extra stability. Docz legs can be folded upwards, creating a more compact footprint for transportation. 
More info on ALAN
More info on TRENT
More info on DOCZ

Don't forget - Momento offer a 30% discount to our financial members off their first order then all subsequent orders will receive an automatic 10% discount.
Hop over to ​http://www.momentopro.com.au/ to sign up.

                      Other bits and pieces which should be of interest.


Sydney International Exhibition of Photography  www.siep.org.au   entries close 27 August 2108

Len Metcalf  lensschool.com

Adam Williams ( for inspiration and workshops)  www.australianphotographer.com

Luke Tscharke, (for great astrophotography tips and workshops)  luketscharke.com

Pamela Pauline ( local fine art photographic artist ) www.pamelapauline.com

Peter Coulson  (inspiration for fashion photography, great studio lighting and workshops) www.peter-coulson.com.au

Greg Benz Photography for tutorials and newsletter  www.gregbenzphotography.com   

Alfonso Calero  www.photographytravel.net    ( for travel photography workshops and one of our upcoming judges)

Leonie Barton  leoniebarton.com  (great for creative inspiration)

Mark Galer, Adobe Ambassador  www.markgaler.com

Photoshop Cafe ( loads of free tutorials )  photoshopcafe.com

Phlearn (easy to follow tutorials, many of them are free, you don't have to subscribe ) www.phlearn.com

www.beckhamdigital.com.au  (go to more , then newsletter) for some awesome tuitions. Thanks Alan for this one!

For a different perspective and inspiring photography, have a look at Erika Zolli Photography  www.erikazolli.it

Just click on the links or google any of the above for more information.


Other items of interest are also being posted directly to our Facebook page, so please like us and share with your friends.
If you have any items of interest that you would like to share with your fellow members please email Bill at bill@peninsulareflections.com.au.