Viewfinders Newsletter October 2021 by Viewfinders Photography Club of Brussels

www.viewfinders.be newsletter@viewfinders.be ©AlunFoster Newsle�er281, October2021 Next meeting:20October Since 1994

Allnewbeginningsarehard... Orsotheysay.Wesortofexperiencedthiswithourfirst mee�ngofthenewsseason–exploringtheboundariesofthe technologywehadpickedupduringthelongmonthsofremote mee�ngs–butontheotherhand,thefactthatwecould actuallymeetandgreeteachotherfacetoface(albeitwith somelimita�onss�ll)aswellaswelcomeremotea�endees, andwelcomesuchanengagingspeakerforthatfirstmee�ng, madeallthosetribula�onsfadeintoinsignificance. Well,atleastun�lwedidthe“postnatum”,sowenow understandwhatwentwrongandhowtofixitforfuture mee�ngs(well,mostofit).We’llcertainlybeworkinghardto implementthoselessonsinthefuture. Summerdefinitelyseemstohavecometoanend,with eveningsslowlydrawingin.Timetorelivethejoysofthe summerholiday,withthephotographicrecordwemadeof whatwehopewasapleasantbreakforall.Whynotsharethis withyourfellowViewfinders?Thenewsle�erisanidealplace forthis,andwe’llhaveplentyofotheropportuni�estoshow theminthecomingmonths. Welcometothenewseason! PreviewoftheOctober2021Mee�ng ComejoinusatournextViewfindersclubmee�ngonthe eveningofWednesday,20October,star�ngat20:00. Weareplanningtoholdthemee�ngatthechurchwhichwill alsobestreamedliveviaZoom.Thelogininforma�onwillbe senttoallmembersbye-mailseveraldayspriortotheclub mee�ng. A�erAlun’sannouncements,hewillpresentashorttutorial on“ColourManagement”. Themaineventoftheeveningismemberphotos,where memberswillhavetheopportunitytopresenttheirimages. Furtherdetailswillbesentbye-mail. Lookingforwardtoseeingyouattheclubmee�ngon20 October. Staysafe. RichardSylvester ByAlunFoster INTRODUCTION 2 © AnneChris�neBrouwers

©KathyMoran

orthefirst�mesincethestartofthepandemicearly lastyear,wewereabletoholdourmee�ng,thefirst ofthenewseason,attheSwedishchurch,accompaniedbythelivestreamingofthemee�ngviaZoom. Thereweresome20memberspresentatthechurchwith another10membersa�endingviaZoom.

By RichardSylvester

sourcesandtheireffectonthephotosthatwetake.He thenprovidedinsightsonadjus�ngwhitebalance,both“in camera”andin“postprocessing”.

3 VIEWFINDERSMEETINGSeptember22

Inhisannouncementsatthestartofthemee�ng,Alun men�onedtheac�vi�esthatareplannedinthenew season,whichincludetheFragileChallengeinDecember, theUrbanLifeChallengeinApril,photoprojectsin February(BlackandWhite)andMay(Water),andareturn totheVFCaféandtophotowalksinthenearfuture.He alsoremindedmemberstosendintheirholidayphotosto theNewsle�er.

Moreinforma�onaboutDamiencanbefoundonhishere: h�ps://www.damienmaguire.eu/ h�ps://www.damienmaguire.eu/about-me

AlunalsopresentedashorttutorialonWhiteBalance.He focusedonthecolourtemperaturesofcommonlight

Themaineventoftheeveningwasourexternalspeaker, DamienMaguire,aprofessionalphotographerfromtheUK whohasrecentlyrelocatedtoNamur.Withover25years ofexperience,heisinvolvedinmanyareasofcommercial photography,specializinginarchitectureandinteriors, products,portraits,andpublicrela�ons.Damienpresented anddiscussed52imagesfromhisPressArchivecollec�on.

Thisexampleshowshowmanyagoodsubjectgetslost behindanexpanseofplainforegroundordistrac�ng background.Anotherthingtolookforisthea�en�onof yoursubjects.Fiddlingaroundalotcanletthemget bored,too,buttalkingtothemusuallyhelpskeepcontact anda�en�onjustright(also,ifyoudothetalking,they typicallydon’t,soopenmouthsorquirkygazesarekept toaminimum).

ByAlunFoster TAKINGPRETTIERPICTURES 4

Thefinalimageisalotmorepleasingeventhoughthe subjectsarenotlookingatthecamera.Thebackgroundis kepttoaminimum,whilethewavingfeetinthe foregroundaddinterestandthelineofthelegsdrawsthe eyetowardsthemainsubject.(so-called“leadinglines”). Despitetheotherwiseverysymmetricalcomposi�on,the subjectsarenotslap-banginthecentre–seelater.

hisar�cleshowssomeverybasic�psfortaking familyportraitsusingasimple“point-and-shoot” compactcamera(inthiscase,a6MegapixelCanon PowerShotA700),basedona“familyphotossession”in andaroundatypicalfamilyhome.

Actionplease! Ge�ngyoursubjecttodosomethingtheylike, somethingassociatedwiththem,isalsoagoodwayof rela�ngthesubjecttotheimageyou’retaking,too.Tryto filltheframe,ifpossible,tominimisethedistrac�onsof fore-andbackgrounds.It’sbestandmostfla�eringtodo thisbykeepingadistanceand“zoomingin”,ratherthan ge�ngupclose.

Ruleof3 Whencomposing,the“Ruleof3”isgenerallygoodto apply.Pu�ngthesubjectintheexactcentreoftheframe usuallygivesalotofopenspaceabovethem(except maybeforelaboratehatsatweddingsetc...),

Foreground,subject,background

Thefirstthingtolookatwhencomposinganypicture, apartfromthesubjectitself,iswhat’sintheforeground andwhat’sbehindhim/her/them.

Also,findouthowtoturnitoff,ifpossible,butavoid camera-shakebyusingasmalltripod,bean-bagor similartosupportthecamerabe�erwhenthelightis lessstrong.

Intothelight

andinthelateraldirec�onarathersta�cimage.Pu�ng thevic�m’seye-level/facelineatrespec�vely1/3ofthe framedownfromthetopand1/3oftheframeinfrom thele�orright,withtheposelooking(ifanything)in towardsthecentreoftheframegivesamuchmore pleasingresult.Somecamerascanevenshowa3x3grid tohelpwiththisveryusefulcomposi�onaltechnique.

ThereseemstobeanaturaltendencyforAuntyMayor UncleTomtowantpicturestobetakenoutsideinbright sunlightathighnoon.Trytoavoidthisifatallpossible, asthebrightlightisveryunfla�eringforfacialwrinkles, whichalsogetexaggeratedbythescrewed-upeyes squin�ngintothebrightlight. So�,indirectligh�ng,inshade,orevenindoorsneara window,givesmuchmorenaturalandpleasingresults. Flash Whenusingacompactcamera,theflashusuallytakes overwhenyoudon’texpectit..

Flashcanbeusefulto“fill-in”darkershadows,butwatch forsharpreflec�onsfrommirrors,windowsandthelike.

2.Convertyourcameratoinfraredby(1)removingthe exis�nginfraredfilteronthetopofthesensorthatblocks infraredlightand(2)replacingthiswithafilterthatblocks visiblelightatafixedwavelengthcutoffbutdoesnotblock

infraredlight. Don’ttrytodothisyourself!CompaniesintheUKofferthis service.Exposure�mesarenormal,andyoucanseewhat youareshoo�ngviaeitherliveviewonDSLRcamerasorthe electronicviewfinderonmirrorlesscameras.Thereare, however,certaindisadvantageswiththistechnique:itis expensive(approximately300€to400€),thecamera becomesinfraredonly,thereplacementfilterblocksvisible lightstar�ngatafixedwavelengthcutoffthatcannotbe modified,certainlensesmayproduceahotspotonthe image,andyoucans�llhavefocusingproblems. Infraredlightfocusesonadifferentplanethanvisiblelightso phasedetectautofocusonDSLRcamerascanposeproblems, aproblemwhichdoesnotexistformirrorlesscameraswith anelectronicviewfinderandonsensorautofocus. Whenconver�ngacameratoinfrared,thereareseveral possibili�esforchoosingthewavelengthcutoffforthefilter thatblocksvisiblelight: 830nm:Deepblack:monochromeonly,nocolor 720nm: Standardinfrared:slightcolor,minimalpost processing 665nm: Enhancedcolor:blueskyeffectinPhotoshop 590nm: Super(false)color:themostflexiblebutrequiresthe mostpostprocessing;cancreatethelookoftheotherfilters. ByRichardSylvester INFRAREDPHOTOGRAPHY 6

Infraredphotographyprovidesanescapefromreality,a wholenewlevelofcrea�vity,andanewvisualworldto explore,especiallywithcolorinfrared.Yes,besides monochrome,colorinfraredalsoexists!!Infraredcan produceexcellentresultswhenthereisbrightsunlightduring themiddleoftheday,alotofgreengrassandfoliage,blue skywithsomeclouds,andcanalsobeusedforportraits.

Infraredispartoftheelectromagne�cspectrum,whichgoes fromcosmicraysattheshortwavelengthendofthe spectrumtobroadcastbandatthelongwavelengthend, passingthroughthesmallvisiblelightpartofthespectrum, whichgoesfromapproximately400nanometersatthe ultravioletendto700nanometersattheinfraredend. Sensorsonmoderndigitalcamerasaresensi�vetoinfrared light,butafilterhasbeenplacedontopofthesensorto blockinfraredlight,atleasttosomedegree.Youcantesta camera’ssensi�vitytoinfraredlightusinganinfraredremote control.

Todoin-camerainfraredphotography,therearetwoop�ons: 1.Placeaninfraredfilteronthefrontpartofyourlensto blockvisiblelight.Thishasseveraladvantages:thefiltersare rela�velyinexpensive(approximately50€to100€)andyou canusedifferentfilterstoblockdifferentwavelengths.Onthe otherhand,youneedseparateinfraredfiltersforeachlens withadifferentfiltersize,exposure�mesaregreatly increasedbecausethefilterblocksvisiblelight,anditis difficulttofocusandseewhatyouarephotographing.

Youcangetmanydifferentlooks:apinkishtanandblue colorimagedirectlyfromacustomwhitebalancedcamera; inpostprocessing:blackandwhite,andevenbluesky imagesbyswappingtheredandblueoutputchannels. Foranexcellentoverview,Ihighlyrecommendthebook

Tryit,youmaylikeit!

RichardSylvester 7

ItisadvisabletoshootRAWsothatyoucanadjusttheWB inpostprocessing.However,postprocessinginfraredRAW filesinLightroomorPhotoshopcanposeaproblembecause theWBsliderdoesnotgobelow2000K.Thiscanbe overcomebyusingAdobe’sDNGProfileEditortocreatea WBoffset.CaptureOneProdoesnothavethislimita�on, withtheWBslidergoingdownto800K.

•inpostprocessing,forexamplebyusingthefaux

Note:ifyoudon’twanttoputanexternalinfraredfilteron yourlensorremovetheinfraredfilterinyourcamera,you canalsoproduceafauxinfraredimage: •incamera,forexampleonaFujithroughthechoiceof thefilmsimula�on(Acros+R)andshoo�ngparameters.

Autowhitebalance(WB)yieldsphotosthatareveryred.It isrecommendedtouseanin-cameracustomwhitebalance toreducetheredness:

•Usegreenfoliagefor830and720nmfilters

infraredpresetinSilverEfexPro2.

InfraredPhotography:Digitaltechniquesforar�s�cimages, 2ndedi�on,2020,byL.Klein,K.KleinandS.Vandegri� alongwiththeir freeeduca�onalresources anda YouTube video.Anumberofotherwebsitesexistwhereyoucan learnmoreaboutinfraredphotography,forexampleat DigitalPhotographySchool

•Useagreycardfor665and590nmfilters

IstartedmyinfraredexperiencebyplacingaHoyaR72 (720nm)infraredfilteronthefrontofoneofmylenses,but theexposure�meswerelong,anditwasdifficulttoseeand tofocustheimage.IfinallyconvertedmyFujiX-E1 mirrorlesscameratoinfraredwithasuper(false)color 590nmfilter,whichgivesmecontrastdetectautofocuson thesensorandanelectronicviewfinder.

PhotographyLife and

CédricRouxisaFrenchphotographerbornin1982and livinginParis.Hispassionisstreetphotography.First hewasreluctanttostartexercisinghispassion

UnderFrenchlaw,“droitàl’image”stipulatesthata naturalpersonhastherighttocontroltheuseof her/hisimageandtomaintainher/hisprivacy. Therefore,thereisaseriouschallengeforstreet photographersinFrancebecausepeopleare frequentlythemainsubjectinsuchphotographic compositionsandfacialexpressionsareoftenan addedvalueifnotessential.CédricRouxtookupthe challenge:hecapturedstreetlifewhilerespecting Frenchlegislation.Atthesametimehisapproach underlinestheabsurdsituationwhichlegislation entails:asearchforestheticsinsteadofhavinga documentaryapproach.Andtheresultscanbe entertainingsometimes.

hepicturesofCédricRoux’series“Droità l’image”(therighttocontroltheuseof someone’simage)mademesmileandthen curioussoIwantedtoknowmoreabouthim.

becausehewasafraidthathewouldn’tbeabletotake pictureswhicharecaptivatingenoughtoattract interest.It’sonlywhenhetravelledforthefirsttime toNewYorkin2012thathefinallygaveitafirstmore serioustry.Luckily!Since2014heisregularlydoing streetphotographyontheAmericancontinent,but alsoinEurope’sbigcities.In2017,CédricRouxwas oneofthefinalistsofstreetphotographyfestivalsin Miami,SanFrancisco,LondonandRomeandhis pictureswerepublishedforthefirsttimeinthe magazine“America”.

BySabinePosdziech

Withhisseries“Droitàl’image”hewonthePrixdu PublicdesZooms2018duSalondelaPhotoinParis. TheseriesalsobroughthimtoJapanwherehegotthe opportunitytoexhibitatCP+2019Yokohama,Japan’s largestphoto&imagingshow.

PHOTOGRAPHERSINFOCUS:CédricRoux Allimages@CedricRoux 8

WhilecomplyingwithFrenchlawandstillpursuinghis passion,CédricRouximposedoneruleonhimself: nevertakeapictureofsomeone’sback.Instead,heis lookingforsituationswhichallowtobypassthelaw andwhichsometimescanresultinquitefunny perspectives.Foreachimage,itwasabriefmoment face-to-faceorprofilewithhissubjectwherehehadto foreseesomethingthatwouldmakehissubject unidentifiable.Sometimesitwasaflag,anewspaper,a fenceandsometimeshesimplyplayedwithshadows andstrongcontrast.

Thephotoseries“Droitàl’image”isquestioningifthe Frenchlawofthesamenamedoesreallymakessense. Atthesametime,byshowingsolutionsabouthowto practicestreetphotographyinthesecircumstances,it reconciliatesastreetphotographerandhismain subjectswhicharethepeoplewhoarepassingby. AccordingtoCédricRoux,peopleareoftensmiling whentheyseehowhemanagedtotaketheirpicture whilerespectingtheir“droitàl’image”…

Havealookalsoontheotherseriesonhiswebsitelike «Wonderland»,«Marseillerebelle»,“Paradoxof harmony”etc.and“Portraits”.

“IttookmeafirsttriptoNewYorktoovercomemy naturaltimidityandtomakeafirststeptowards photography.Sincethatday,Iamtryingtotake pictures.” CédricRoux Website: https://www.cedricroux.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedricroux/ (articleinspiredbythetextofGéraldVidamment–CompétencePhoto) 9

M ynameisDagmaraJakubowskaandIam fromPoland.I'minBelgiumsince2004anda Viewfindersmembersince–cannotreally remember,butmusthavebeensoona�er,so2005ora bitlater. Iamshoo�ngwithOlympusOM-DEM5mkIIandmy preferredlensesarea12-100formostthingsand 75-300forwildlife. I’velikedphotographyforalong�me,butforequally long�meitwasahit-and-missaffair,asIwasmoreofa casualsnapper.Atonestage,intheearly1990’sIgota YashicaSLRasapresentfrommyparents,andIstarted totrytobemoreambi�ousaboutit.In2008Ibought myfirstDSLR–anOlympusE-510–andIbeganto explorethepossibili�esthatdigitalphotography offered. ThegenreIenjoymostislandscapephotography.I enjoybeingoutdoors,theopenspaceandcapturingthe effectthatchanginglighthasonthelandscape.Ialso likephotographingwildlife–Ifinditthrillingand challenging,andverysa�sfying. SincemyfirsttriptotheLofotenIslandsin2014I becamedrawntothenorthernregions,findingthatdue totheconstantlychangingweathercondi�ons,the drama�clandscapesthereofferanendlessvarietyof ligh�ngsitua�onsforphotography.Andit’simpossible toget�redofthespectaclethatistheauroraborealis... MEETDagmaraJakubowska 10

VFmembersPaulaCagli,MarciBayonaandAnne-Chris�neBrouwerswerepresent,eachexhibi�ngtwoprintsof

EarlySeptember,theBrusselscommuneofWoluweSaint-Pierre/Sint-PietersWoluweheldtheir(second)COVIDsafevaria�ononthe“Parcoursdesar�stes”:anexhibi�onoflocalar�stsandphotographersinthetown’scultural

centre/exhibi�onhall.

remarkableclarityandatmosphere.

FromAnne-Chris�ne’sgazeoverIstanbultoPaula’sdetailedstudiesofSt.PetersburgcathedralandMarci’svery

moodyandintriguingstudiesofasylvanautumn,allworkstobeproudof. Congratula�ontothem! 11 WOLUWESAINT-PIERREARTISTSDAY

Viewfinderspresentandcorrect!

Youcanseethe2021winners here Tip: ifyouclickonanimageinthegallery,younotonlygetbiggerpictures, butalsoinforma�onabouttheimageandthephotographer.

“Thesoulofthecamera”-DavidDuchemin In“TheSouloftheCamera:ThePhotographer’sPlacein Picture-Making”,CanadianphotographerDavid Ducheminexploreswhatitmeanstomakebe�er photographs. Illustratedwithacollec�onofbeau�fulblack-and-white images,thebook’sessaysaddresstopicssuchascra�, mastery,vision,audience,discipline,story,and authen�city. “TheSouloftheCamera”isapersonalanddeeply pragma�cbookthatquietlyyetforcefullychallenges theideathatourcameras,lenses,andse�ngsare anythingmorethandumbandmutetools.Itisthe photographer,notthecamera,thatcanandmustlearn tomakebe�erphotographs—photographsthatconvey ourvision,connectwithothers,and,attheircore, containourhumanity.

“I’mageek,Iadmitit,butthissome�meshashidden advantages.Whilelookingupinforma�ononweb design,Iwasledtoasiteasanexampleofgoodgallery technique.Butitwasmorethanthat.Itheldatreasure troveofportraitphotography.It’sthewebsite ofFrenchphotographerDenisRouvre.” AlunFoster Takealook: h�ps://www.rouvre.com 12 DISCOVERY

WildlifePhotographeroftheYear2021

TheWildlifePhotographeroftheYearcompe��on, organisedbytheNaturalHistoryMuseuminLondon, hasbeenrecognisingthewold’sbestnature photographyeveryyearsince1965.

PhotoDays-Lesalondelaphoto 22to24October2021,Brussels ViewfindersmemberHaryoNinditowillbeaspeakerat theeventwherehewilltalkaboutartportrait photography. h�ps://photodays.be/ MalickSibideatLaMI–LaMaisondel'Image 10to31October2021,Je�e MalickSibideisaninterna�onallyknownMalian photographer. h�p://lamaisondelimage.be/fr/malick-sidibe/ BrightBrussels–Followthelight 28Octoberto6November2021,Brussels LetyourselfbeguidedbylightsthroughtheRoyal districtandEuropeandistricttotheParcdu Cinquantenaire.Andgetyourcamerasready! h�ps://bright.brussels/en 13 WHAT’SUP?October2021

14 ViewfindersPhotowalkinNamur,June2021 Wereceivedsomanygreatimagesfrommembers par�cipa�nginJune’sphotowalkinNamurthat wedecidedtotreatyoutoafewmore. Ifyoumissedthefirstbatch,headtothe Viewfinders website,andfindtheSeptemberedi�onofthe newsle�er. ©AnneChris�neBrouwers©JoachimCapitao ©AlunFoster ©SabinePosdziech

©AlunFoster

14 ViewfindersPhotowalk-TervurenArboretum,July2021 S amestoryaswiththeNamurphotowalk,soherearea fewmorefromthetriptoTervureninJuly.

Club Meeting 2022datesTBC Club Meeting Speaker:DamienMaguire Speaker:BillFunk Membersphotos Challenge:Fragile 22September 20October 10November 08December DATE EVENT DETAILS Club Meeting Club Meeting VIEWFINDERS CALENDAR2021-2022 If you are onFacebook,connect tothe Viewfinders Group!It’san informalgroupforsharing newson events,‘forsale’items,interestingwebsites andnewsstories,orjust tosharesome ofyour recent photos. Bankaccount: BE133101 2440 newsletter@viewfinders.be7539 President AlunFoster VicePresident MiguelAngelVilar NEWSEASONMEMBERSHIPFEESAREDUE Aswestartthe2021-2022season,it’stimetorenewyourmembership &payyourmembershipfee.30€fortheyearSeptembertoSeptember. We’dliketothankallthosewhosupportedusthroughoutthelastyear bypayingmembershipfeesevenwithoutphysicalmeetings,andwe hopethatyouandmanymorewilljoinagainthisseason,aswewill hopefullyhavemoreandmore“contact”eventswhereyoucanall benefitfromyourmembership. Pleasepay(30€)totheViewfindersbankaccount: IBAN:BE13310124407539,BIC/SWIFT:BBRUBEBB, mentioningyourfullnameand“Membership”inthecommunication. We’dliketoavoidpaymentsincashinpersonatmeetings,soplease doabanktransferifyoucan.Don’tforget,anddon’tmissthis opportunitytoremainamemberofthebestphotographyclubin Brussels! CarolineHendry Secretary RichardSylvester Treasurer Caroline Hendry MembershipCoordinator DagmaraJakubowska NewsletterPublisher TineStausholm NewsletterEditor SabinePosdziech ITSupportCoordinator MiguelAngelVilar PublicityCoordinator MartinSchmid AssociateCommittee members: HectorEpelbaum KathyMoran 17 MiguelRichardSabineMartinPhilippe Angel Alun CarolineTine COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2021-2022 Anyitems frommembersforpublication are welcome.Images are particularlywelcome.Pleasesendtheminasseparate attachments (not embedded inemails ordocuments) inJPEGformat, withno less than 2000px onthe longsideand minimalcompression. Please beaware that, inaccordancewiththelayout, somecropping mayoccur. Pleasesendsubmissions tonewsletter@viewfinders.be. PhilippeClabots AnneChristineBrouwers NicolasJouveneaux