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Volume 71, Issue 6

December, 2014

Holiday Day Dinner

The club had a full house for the holiday

dinner, it was great fun. We extend our

thanks to Lorraine Caddy for organizing

the dinner along with the capable help

of Jaci Finch, Debbie Devonshire, and

Jan Lee.

All members contributed with plenty of

various holiday dishes. We sincerely ap-

preciate the many club members and fami-

lies for setting up the room and clean up

including the returning all furniture to the

proper rooms following the dinner. These

activities where quickly and efficiently

handled allowing everyone to head home.

Highlights

Professional Photographer James

Pratt will present program for

December Club Meeting

Club member’s images featured in

OKC Zoo’s 2015 Calendar

Club Member’s Print on Display 2

James Pratt - WildCare Program 3

Club Members Successful in Zoo’s Annual

Competition for Calendar

3

Successful Competition Photos 4

Member Scores 15 in Competition 5

I Am Photography, narrative 5

Oklahoma Camera Club Information 6

Inside this issue:

Work Flow Steps . . .

Jan Lee, APSA, EPSA

From here . . . . . . To here

1. Except for a few rare and unusual

circumstances, I always shoot in Raw;

I just don't want the JPEG program

making any choices for me. OK, call

me a control freak.

2. Of course, I open my images in the

Adobe Raw processor. I do a great

deal of my processing there before I

ever take the image in to Photoshop. I

have been doing more and more in Raw

over the years, as I have learned more

about it. There is always more to learn,

and Adobe keeps improving it.

I would not give you 2 cents for the

Raw processor you are stuck with if all

you have is Elements. I suppose it is

better than nothing (or shooting in

JPEG), but not much.

3. In Raw, I correct for chromatic aber-

ration, fix linearity issues, sharpen,

slightly de-noise, a little work on high-

lights and shadows, fix white balance

issues, tweak the six color channel satu-

ration and luminance, and rough crop,

all before opening Photoshop.

Cont’d page 2 . . .

2

Work Flow Steps . . .

4. The first thing I do in Photoshop is

check my Levels. You can open the

Threshold Layer and find your first

light and first dark, remember these

numbers, close that layer. Open the

levels layer and plug in those numbers.

Or you can just open the Levels layer

and eyeball it. In any case, you should

check your levels. For a photo to "pop"

there usually needs to be at least some

true black and whites.

5. From there, I usually work on crop

and composition. I turn the photo

every which-a-way. Up down and

sideways, backwards and around. Flip

it every way you can. It is amazing

what you may find. Get your eye and

brain out of the rut of the orientation in

which you shot the image. I often

"finish" back where I started, but I am

never finished until I have viewed the

image several ways.

6. Once the levels are set up and the

crop/composition is close to where I

think I want it, then I have been spend-

ing a lot of time with Topaz lately.

I think I have fallen in love with the

Detail3 module. I have found Detail3

to be their most versatile module for

"everyday" processing of images that

you want to still look "natural." I may

decide later to use one of their more

altered/creative modules, but I always

start with Detail3 and usually end there.

7. I do a lot of work with mono-

chrome. My strong advice is, unless

you have shot in a mono only mode, to

always make as strong and finished a

color image as you can before you be-

gin your mono processing. Do not

make it a mono and then begin to proc-

ess the image, you will be disappointed

almost every time.

8. I have been having a lot of fun and

success with Topaz BW2. It is a great

module with some super tools. I love

the right side of the screen. I have

moved away from the presets on the

left side, in fact, I am using fewer and

fewer of the presets in all of the mod-

ules and concentrating on all of the

Special Delivery

by Charles Taylor, APSA

Currently representing OCC at:

Bedford Camera & Video - OKC

Baker Photo & Video - Yukon

. . . Black & White

fine-tuning controls you have on the

right side. Love, love, love it.

9. The very last thing I do with my

images, especially mono, is insure I

have not lost my whites and blacks. I

again do a levels check in Photoshop.

10. I have the Nik bundle, and I am on

the Photoshop Creative Cloud. I use

all of these somewhat for some things.

I have just been tending more toward

the Topaz modules lately. Who

knows, the pendulum could swing.

Jan Lee, APSA, EPSA

Club Member’s Print on Display

3

Club Members Photos Featured in the OK Zoo 2015 Calendar

December Program

Four Giraffes at Dawn

Ward Conaway

Mandarin Duck

Jennifer D’Agostino

James Pratt photographed a recent story for Oklahoma

Today called WildCare. His picture of an owl made the

cover of the magazine. James will talk about how he re-

ceived the assignment and how he captured the photos to

tell the story. He will present the images that he submitted

to editors, tell about how he acquired those images, and

then show the final story as chosen by the Oklahoma To-

day editors.

James Pratt, featured photographer in

Oklahoma Today, will present the club’s

December program

The Oklahoma Zoological Society, the non-profit support group for the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and

Botanical Garden, conducts an annual competition each year, the photos that place are featured in their calendar for

the following year. They recently conducted the “2014 Capture the Wild Photo Contest”. The photographs that

placed in the various competition categories are displayed in their recently published 2015 Calendar. Three club

members placed, their photos are included in the calendar. Ward Conaway and Jennifer D’Agostino photos are

shown above; Bob Protus also placed, a copy of his photo was not available.

4

Competition Photos Cont’d . . .

Native Princes

Randy Carr

Special Delivery

Charles Taylor, APSA

Yukon Cop Car

Charles Taylor, APSA

Easter Lilly

Patty McCraw

Many, Many, Miles

Bob Bozarth

Grasping

Troy Taylor

Monarch Butterfly

J. D. McClung

Always Watching

J. D. McClung

Blue Pyramid

Troy Taylor

5

I Am Photography

I AM PHOTOGRAPHY

I turn back the pages of the book of memory.

I bring you thoughts of past and old time friends.

I keep forever green the happy hours of childhood.

I dull the pangs of bereavement and blunt the edge of the

grim reapers scythe.

I carry the news of the world and bring you visions of

far distant lands.

Our modern civilization is largely dependent on my efforts.

Though men may pass and empires crumble to dust,

My magic will prescribe their likenesses for

future generations.

Not purse proud I am within the reach of all.

I solve mysteries impenetrable to mortal eyes.

I ferret out the criminal when others means have failed.

I illumine the pages of history and make learning possible

for the multitude.

Born instantaneously in a ray of light, I become everlasting.

As necessary in war as in peace,

I am man’s servant and yet his master.

I am art and yet a business.

I am Photography Author Unknown

Club President Club President Jaci Finch, APSA,

received a score of 15 in print competition with

image titled

Light On Gourd Image

Photo by Club Photographer J. D. McClung

6

Workshops:

Beginning Image Workshop: Thursday,

following first meeting, Jan & Wally Lee’s

home, 751-8179. While workshop focus on

Photoshop Elements, bring any questions or

pictures you would like to discuss. Non-

members are always welcome.

Hands - On Workshop: Timing for Work-

shop will be announced. If you have an

interest in participating, contact Tom or

Carol McCreary at 634-1817 or

tcmccreary@cox.net.

Photoshop/Elements Workshop: Friday,

December 5, 7:00 pm at Tom & Carol

McCreary’s home 634-1817 or

tcmccreary@cox.net. Workshop will ad-

dress Sharpen - shake reduction and focus

stacking.

December 9:

Projected Image Competition:

Color A & B, Creative, Nature, Mono A &

B and PJ

Judges: Tom McCreary, APSA, EPSA;

Carol McCreary, APSA, EPSA;

Troy Taylor

Program: Wildcard, James Pratt, Profes-

sional Photographer

Refreshments: Eva Ryan

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday

OCC Board of Directors

President: Jaci Finch, APSA - Webmaster

1st Vice President: John Key - Programs

2nd Vice President: Sterling Ranne - Judges

Treasurer: Ward Conaway

Secretary: Carol McCreary, APSA, PPSA

Directors:

1 yr. Debbie Devonshire

1 yr. Inge Vautrin - Field Trip Chairman

2 yr. Brad Smith

2 yr. J. D. McClung - Club Photographer

50th and N. May Ave.

Central Presbyterian Church

Oklahoma City, OK

Meetings: 7:30 pm

2nd and 4th Tuesdays

For club information, contact

wally.lee2@yahoo.com

HypoCheck Editors:

Doug Finch, APSA

Jaci Finch, APSA

dmfinch@cox.net

For more information:

We are on the web

Oklahomacameraclub.com Visit us on Facebook

Club Meetings and Workshops

Meetings: 7:30 pm

2nd & 4th Tuesdays

50th and N. May Ave.

Central Presbyterian Church

For Club Information Contact

wally.lee2@yahoo.com

For Club Dues Contact

fotoward@outlook.com

The Club Board meets on the third Wednesday of the month at

Jaci’s home, everyone is welcome.

Please email Jaci at jacf@cox.net for address & directions.

Oklahoma Camera

Club, Inc.

www.PSA-photo.org www.gulfstates.ccc.org