SHUTTERNEWS Publisher: Boksburg Camera Club
06/22
Editor: Cheryl Knight
BOKSBURG CAMERA CLUB 1 Boerneef Street, Parkrand, Boksburg (Baanbreker Laerskool)
Photographic Society of South Africa
BOKSBURG CAMERA CLUB IS A PROUD MEMBER OF PSSA.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
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2022 COMMITTEE
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PSSA PAGE
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CLUB NIGHTS
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SALON CALENDAR
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WHAT ARE SALONS & WHY DO WE
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ENTER THEM UNDERSTANDING SCORING
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RANKING GUIDELINE
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SET SUBJECTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS JUNE Club Night
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Winners
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OUTINGS, WORKSHOPS & PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES FEATURED ARTICLE THE RULE OF THIRDS
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“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
Promotions
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CHAIRMAN’S NOTE JUNE 2022 Hello BCC Members, Recent comment arising from a previous monthly judging session alleges that with time the members within a club will be able to predict the author of an image as it displays for judging. This is undoubtedly true, because we settle into a comfort zone and tend to produce images in the Genres we favor or have specialized in. Whilst the origin of this debate arose from predictability in local judging, the question of sticking to one or diversifying into multiple Genres is surely relevant from several facets. Considering new skill acquisition one can argue that the best way to attain skill and to improve ones’s photography is by focusing on one thing. However, the inverse is also true, and some advantages of diversifying are: Exploring all types of art (photography) is beneficial to the photographer. This can be in the form of inspiration - from an image, learning about light from a statue based on how shadows and reflections fall, color from paintings provides teaching on their use and the wow factor evident in an image. By not exploring other fields one is losing out on opportunities to expand their interest/s. When limited to a narrow range one tends to restrict thinking into that area of focus. A black and white photographer will be considering high contrast, tonal range between black and white and texture, whereas a landscape specialist would be considering horizons, leading lines, layering (depth of field) etc. Clearly these two genres give differences in perspective within photography and those who practice both will surely have a broader perspective and level of creativity than someone in a single field. Ultimately each Genre requires differing skills sets, so by exploring/attempting one is availing oneself of additional skills, that can be applied in their favorite areas of photography and a natural photographic improvement should arise. In conclusion, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to – in photography. However, improving one’s art and skills is a fundamental reason for joining a club. The Set Subject is a fixture of monthly meetings and is an opportunity to explore new options. I would therefore urge everyone to use this opportunity to grow. Even if you never go back to that Genre, there will surely be new learning, skills and abilities picked up from exploring and entering a set subject image. Yours in photography
WHAT’S ON IN JULY July 9 Boksburg Camera Club Workshop Day July 16 Kosmos National Salon July 30 Bloemfontein National Salon
Barry C
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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COMMITTEE 2022 CHAIRMAN
BARRY CLAYTON
VICE CHAIRMAN & COMPETITION MANAGER SECRETARY CLUB TREASURER
DAVID MACINTYRE DENISE SMITH JACQUES TALJAARD
OUTINGS & EVENTS
HANNES BRONKHORST
MARKETING COORDINATOR
CHARMAINE ZIETSMAN
EQUIPMENT COORDINATOR
HANNES BRONKHORST
PHOTOGRAPHY COORDINATOR CLUB EDITOR
NICO GROBBELAAR
READERS CORNER
CHERYL KNIGHT
COORDINATORS & ASSISTANTS 2022 SALON COORDINATOR ADMINISTRATIVE & CLUB
JACQUES TALJAARD RUZAAN BLIGNAUT
NIGHTS ASSISTANT CATERING COORDINATOR
CHARMAINE ZIETSMAN
SOCIAL MEDIA
DENISE SMITH
SCOREKEEPER
KERRY MELLET
Volunteer your services to the Club
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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PSSA HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT APPLYING FOR YOUR HONOURS? How to apply for Honours Closing dates for Honours applications Twice per annum on 25 January and 1 July
The Honours Division controls the awards made to members in recognition of a high standard of photographic ability and/or service to PSSA and to photography in general. Application is only open to full members of the Society. Anyone interested in applying for Honours may join at the same time as applying. Proof of status of current membership must be included with your application. After successfully applying for your Honours you may list the relevant Honour after your name as long as you remain a fully paid up member of PSSA. All successful applicants may apply for an Honours e-badge which can be used on personal websites, letterheads, accreditation applications etc. as long as you remain a full member of PSSA. Application must be made to membership@pssa.co.za If you continue and achieve higher honours you only list the highest honour after your name, excluding Hon, (Dux) and (Vers) awards. The letters are listed without punctuation or parentheses. Refer – Honours Listing. For the rules & regulations and all other aspects of honours and how to apply, click on the item below to download the information. As these items are periodically updated it is important that you download the latest version to make sure that you have the current requirements. https://pssa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/3._LPSSA_APSSA_FPSSA_-_Honours__March_2022.pdf https://pssa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2._Rules_and_Regulations_-_Honours__March_2022.pdf
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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CLUB NIGHTS Boksburg Camera Club meet every third Wednesday of the month at Baanbreker Primary School, 1 Boerneef Street, Parkrand, Boksburg. o Time: 18H30 for 19H00 o Judging starts @ 19H00 Our remote members join our Club nights via the online portal. Entries must be submitted via the online portal o www.photovaultonline.com
KNOW YOUR STAR RATING
Club Night Submissions: 1. Open Any two images (PDI or Monochrome) 2. Set Subject One image 3. Cellphone Image One image
Verify your star rating on Photovault. This ensures that your photos are being judged fairly.
Sizing: Images must be sized to a maximum of 1920 (Horizontal) x 1080 (Vertical) Pixels. Physical print size for the print category is A4-A3 and the digital copy of the print is 1920 x 1080 Pixels.
remember to change
Save your images in JPG. File sizes should not exceed 2MB. Use your Photo editing software to resize your images.
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
When you are promoted to the next Star rating, your Star rating on Photovault before our next Club Night or entry into a Salon
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SALON CALENDAR 2022 - 2023 7/2/22 Witzenberg Photographic Society 2nd PDI & Print Salon 2022 7/16/22 Kosmos National PDI Salon 7/30/22 Bloemfontein National Digital Salon 8/13/22 PPS National PDI Salon 8/27/22 7th Bosveld Fotografieklub Salon 9/10/22 Krugersdorp Camera Club 17th National Digital Salon 9/17/22 Amber Camera Club 2nd National Digital & AV Salon 10/1/22 9th Swartland Salon 2021 10/9/22 Danube Autumn Circuit 2022 – Edenvale Photographic Club 10/15/22 Kroonstad Fotoklub 65th Jubilee PDI Salon 10/22/22 PSSA 22nd Up and Coming Competition 10/29/22 International “Glass” theme AV Salon for 2022 11/5/22 Tygerberg Photographic Society Salon 2022 11/12/22 7th Centurion Camera Club Digital Salon 11/19/22 2nd SANParks Honorary Rangers: Free State Region Nature Only PDI Salon 1/7/23 3rd Bethal National Salon 1/9/23 Miroc Circuit 2023 1/14/23 11th AFO National Digital Salon 2023 1/28/23 PSSA National Youth Salon 2/4/23 Tafelberg Fotografiese Klub 12th national Salon 2/25/23 5de Brandpunt Fotoklub Nasionale Salon 3/4/23 Southern Suburbs 7th National Digital Salon 3/11/23 6th Rustenburg National Digital Salon 3/25/23 PSSA 23rd Up & Coming Salon 4/8/23 PSSA National Salon of Photography 2023 4/15/23 5th Hibiscus Coast National Digital Salon of Photography 4/29/23 6th Paarl National Salon of Photography 5/6/23 5th Alberton Camera Club National PDI Salon 5/27/23 Kriel Foto club 2nd Digital Salon of Photography 6/3/23 South African Visual Arts Society (SAVAS) 3rd National Salon 6/10/23 PSSA National AV Salon 6/17/23 2nd Springs Photographic Club National Digital Salon 6/24/23 Western Cape Youth Photographers Photographic Salon 2023
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
WHY SHOULD YOU ENTER SALONS? We encourage all our members to enter in Salons as often as possible. Photographers are invited to submit their images in various categories for possible inclusion in the salon exhibition. A Panel of Judges scores all the submitted images and chooses approximately 20% for exhibition. The images that are chosen are known as “Acceptances” and these are the “Salon Acceptances” that are required for Club promotion.
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What are salons and why do we do them? Wikipedia: “From the seventeenth century to the early part of the twentieth century, artistic production in France was controlled by artistic academies which organized official exhibitions called salons.” To be able to exhibit your work on a salon, you had to obtain the approval of the judges. Today it is still the same in photography that all entries received are evaluated by the jury and only those found acceptable will be exhibited. And this is how we think of a photographic salon today – an exhibition of photography. Photographers are invited to submit their images in various categories for possible inclusion in the salon exhibition. A panel of judges scores all the submitted images and chooses approximately 20% for exhibition. The images that are chosen are known as “acceptances” and these are the “salon acceptances” that are required for Club promotion. The acceptance rate will be different for each event and is set by the jury but within the parameters set by the organizations which approved the exhibition (salon) and lend their name to it (patronage). In South Africa, PSSA as the national organization representing amateur photographers, uses a guideline for acceptances for PDI (projected digital images) salons at between 20 and 25% and up to 35% for prints and Audio Visuals. Overseas you may see rates between 25 – 45%! The prime reason for presenting a salon is to see work that you would otherwise not see and share that with all our members and the public. The entry fee is there to cover cost and if there is a surplus that is a bonus. Salons are either National ones where only photographers from South Africa (as well as all members of PSSA worldwide) may enter or international ones where photographers from all over the world compete. A list of salons is published on the PSSA website, in Club newsletters and entry for SA salons is generally via PhotoVaultOnline. Conditions of Entry The salon conditions of entry document (salon brochure) will provide all the detail of the event such as: • Time table – Closing date, judging dates, when results will be available and exhibition dates. • Awards – Medals and other awards which can be won. • Categories of entry and their definitions. • Names of the judges. • Entry fees • How to enter
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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UNDERSTANDING SCORING CLUB NIGHTS AWARD No Award Bronze Silver Gold Certificate of Merit (COM)
POINTS 0 1 2 3 5
OTHER AWARDS AWARD Digital Photo of the month - Category Winner. 1st & 2nd Place Set Subject Winners 1st Place Cell Phone Winners Trophy evening score of 11 or higher Digital Photo of the month - Category Winner. 1st & 2nd Place Set Subject Winners 1st Place Cell Phone Winners Trophy evening score of 11 or higher
POINTS 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
SCORING Our Score Keeper for 2022 is Kerry Mellet. If you have any queries on your Promotion Status or your Points and what you need for promotion, chat to Kerry so that she can assist you.
NATIONAL PSSA SALON POINTS AWARD Salon Acceptance Judging at a Club or Salon Salon Com or Medals Salon Winner of Category
POINTS 1 1 2 3
INTERNATIONAL SALON POINTS AWARD Salon Acceptance Salon Com or Medals Salon Winner of Category
POINTS 2 3 4
All points earned go towards your Promotion
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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RANKING GUIDELINES Grade One Star
Two Star
Three Star
Four Star
Five Star
Judging criteria Correct Exposure In Focus Element of Composition Correct Post Processing Picture clean and well presented. Correct Exposure In Focus Element of composition Some knowledge of when and where to crop Correct post processing Image clean and well presented Element of composition Correct exposure Some knowledge of when and where to crop Should begin to show understanding of line, shape and form Correct post processing Image clean and well presented Element of composition Correct exposure Some knowledge of when and where to crop Should understand line, shape and form Correct post processing Image clean and well presented Should show a full grasp of all the above principles and should show work of entry level National Salon Standards. The language of visual elements and design principles to convey information emotions, thoughts, ideas, concepts or feelings Relies on the understanding and mastering of the craft to successfully communicate National Salon Standards plus entry level International Salon Standards.
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
If there are members that would like to have a Mentor, please feel free to chat to us. Boksburg Camera Club have several Members who are more than willing to impart their knowledge and skills.
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SET SUBJECTS 2022 July
Ruined Structures – Ruins
August
Hard at Work
September
Motion (Show Movement)
October
Aircraft
January 2023
Back Light / Rim Light Narrow Depth of Field
Ruined Structures – Ruins – Emphasis on depicting the architecture. Not abandoned buildings or old buildings now occupied by vagrants, but rather old buildings or houses that have started crumble and decay. Hard at Work – Not restricted to human, animal, insect etc. but must illustrate/show something hard at work. Student studying, Cows pulling a plough, bees ladened with pollen etc. Motion (Show Movement) –Photograph in which the viewer is clearly able to discern motion relevant to or from the main subject in the image Aircraft – The main subject and focal point of the image is an aircraft/part of an aircraft. This includes all man-made flying machines. Back Light / Rim Light – Backlight in photography involves positioning the main light source for a photograph behind the primary subject. Rim lighting is a technique that puts light around the edges of a subject.
SET SUBJECT JULY RUINED STRUCTURES
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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OUTINGS/WORKSHOPS & PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
SATURDAY 09TH JULY 2022 LEARNING & FUN DAY @ OUR CAMERA CLUB MEETING PLACE
EVENTS & OUTINGS Should any of our members have ideas for Outings and Workshops please feel free to chat to Hannes, Dave, Barry or Douglas and share your outing ideas. All ideas are welcome. We look forward to hearing from you.
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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Featured Article - The rule of thirds
How to use and break, the rule of thirds. Get the basics of this composition guideline and exceptions to it, to help improve your photography.
“It’s not really a rule. It’s more of a guideline or best practice,” photographer and designer Shawn Ingersoll says of the rule of thirds. Does every successful photo follow the rule of thirds? Definitely not. But every skill or art is built on certain foundations and understanding and mastering them are important for improving your abilities. Repetition is king when it comes to honing foundational skills. Practice leads to muscle memory and building trust in your eye, which eventually becomes an instinct for what works and what doesn’t in photography. “The more you do it, the more it gets ingrained into your head.” “If you are tuned in to the imagery we see around us, I feel like you sort of absorb [the rule of thirds] even if you can’t put your finger on it,” photographer, author and instructor Khara Plicanic suggests. “But it’s incredibly helpful for people who are starting out and need a practical tool to help them with their composition.”
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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What is the rule of thirds? The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots. If you imagine dividing a photo or even your camera’s viewfinder, into nine equal zones using horizontal and vertical lines, that forms your rule-of-thirds grid — a setting you can select on most cameras and even on your phone. “This might be a generational thing, but if you think of The Brady Bunch intro where you have the nine identical rectangles,” Ingersoll explains, “they’re all the same size and it’s three by three — three rows, three columns.” That means the corners of the central square are the intersection points in your grid where you want to place the focal point of your shot. It’s called the rule of thirds, but you can think of it as giving you four crosshairs with which to target a shot’s important elements. This will help you to balance your main subject with negative space in your shot to nail an effective photographic composition that will draw the viewer’s eye. First-hand advice on using the rule of thirds. Repetitious, practical use of the rule of thirds is the best way to understand it and hone your skills — at some point, the grid lines and their intersecting points will be ingrained in your brain. Until then, here are some photography tips from working professionals that can help steer your experimentation in the right direction.
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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1. Practice with your camera’s rule-of-thirds grid: “Turn it on so you can see what you’re doing as you’re doing it,” Plicanic suggests. “Eventually, you get a feel for it.” 2. Take a rule-of-thirds field trip: “Go to a park or somewhere and try to take ten good pictures that follow the rule-of-thirds model,” says wedding photographer Anna Goellner. “The more you do it, the more it gets ingrained into your head.” 3. Keep your eye on the eyes: “Choose where you want your point of focus to exist before you’re shooting. I’m always going for the eyes,” author and animal photographer Carli Davidson says. Breaking the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds may not be a hard-and-fast decree, but moving away from an artistic guardrail like this can be intimidating for a beginner. Here are a few examples of where and when experienced pros throw the guideline to the wind:
1. Fill the frame: “Filling the frame is really interesting — when there are parts of an image that aren't necessarily fully in the frame or when there’s a subject that’s very much in the foreground of the frame,” art director and photographer Alex Str says. “I think those are areas where you can really throw the rule of thirds away. For example, I’ve transitioned lately to portraits of people that are perfectly centered.” 2. Pull back from your subject: “If your subject is going to be a really small part of the image,” photographer Derek Boyd suggests, “sometimes the best way to highlight them is to break the rule of thirds and put them almost dead center in the image.”
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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3. Try a different composition style: “Composing a photo in the shape of the letter Z creates a really nice flow because it’s how you naturally read a page,” photographer Sarah Aagesen explains. “The thought is that this draws you from left to right and then down through the image and then back again.” 4. Take multiple shots: “Take a shot with your subject dead center, take one with them in the upper-right and one with them in the upper left,” Boyd suggests. “Even if you think you got it in the first shot, you should always take two or three more. You can pick which one works better later.” Don’t worry, you can always fix it in post. Getting the shot you want with the camera is ideal. It gives you more visual information on the scene. After the shoot is over, you can’t go back and recapture the exact same moment. But thankfully, with technology, you can always edit for a rule-of-thirds composition after the fact.
“I use Lightroom for my quick edits on everything,” Davidson explains. “I go in and I’m cropping things. I’m seeing how the different elements work and I’m playing with my rule of thirds — it's great for editing the images.” As you edit, you’re training yourself once again — working on that repetition for how you see and use the rule of thirds. At first, you might struggle to recognise photos that work with the rule of thirds, but with practice, it will become something you don’t even think about. You’ll just know. Put in the work and your eye and your audience will thank you. Source: • Adobe.com Contributors • Khara Plicanic, Shawn Ingersoll, Alex Str, Anna Goellner, • Carli Davidson, Sarah Aagesen, Derek Boyd
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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JUNE Club Night Winning Images Congratulations to our Club Night Winners on their stunning images
Winning Images for June 2022
Cell Phone
1-3 Star Winner - Wim Pieterse Boat on the Rocks or Rocks on a Boat
4-5 Star Winner - Ruzaan Blignaut - A Day at the Office
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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Digital Open
1 Star Winner: Eric Mathieson - Bird on a Stick
3 Star Winner - Joy Loberg Mountains and Valleys
5 Star Winner Hennie Bestbier - Serval in Duplicate
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
2 Star Winner - Valarie Pieterse Carnival
4 Star Winner - Annemi Taljaard - Yes You
5 Star Masters Winner Willie Pieterse - The Smoker
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Set Subject – Mammals behaving badly
1-3 Star Winner - Zenia McQuirk - Bruno vs Water Guess who wins
4-5 Star Winner - David MacIntyre Jackal Behaving Badly at the Table
1-3 Star 2nd Place - Eric Mathieson - This is for the Birds
4-5 Star 2nd Place - Vivienne Murray - Cross Zebra-ing Table
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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Promotions Congratulations to the following Members who have been promoted:
Zenia McQuirk Pieter Searle Wim Pieterse
Promoted to 2 Star.
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MEMBERS WHO CELEBRATED THEIR BIRTHDAYS IN JUNE.
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” — Annie Leibovitz
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