Lewisburg Photography Club

Jul

2021

How to Shoot Spider Webs?

July 14, 2021

I got up early this morning (6:20 am) to go on my walk before it got too hot. Surprise! Fog!

Bucknell’s rugby field this morning at 6:40 am in the fog. I’m standing on Stein Lane shooting southeast. On the far left below the trees, you can make out a car on Route 15.

I immediately noticed many spider webs. I thought to myself, “A great day to take photos of spider webs!” Normally you can’t see the spider webs like in the photo above. The reason one could see them this morning is that the dense fog caused little droplets of dew all over the webs. A close examination shows many tiny beads of water on the web’s fibers. This occurs when there is dense fog and no breeze to blow the drops off. Spiders are great weather predictors and will build their webs when the weather conditions are favorable such that the webs won’t be damaged, e.g., by rain or strong wind. The eight-legged critters were very active last night.

The above webs are tangle webs and are not so interesting to photograph. But they are excellent indicators that their friends, the orb spiders, may have built their pretty orb webs nearby.

Close up of a tangle web showing the tunnel where the spider will hide and drag its victims.

Shot of an orb spider’s web. This is the spider web we know from Halloween.

How to photograph orb spider webs?

1. You need to get up early in the morning and search for the orb webs. This is best on a morning with dense fog, when the air is very still, e.g., no breeze, and when many tangle webs can be seen due to the heavy dew on the fibers.

2. Search among the tree branches on your and your neighbor’s properties for the orb webs 5-10 feet above the ground. Evergreen trees and hedges are great places to search.

3. When you find an orb web, move around until you can see a dark background behind the web. The contrast of the web against the dark background will make the web visible in your photo. Otherwise, you may find the web can’t be seen in your photo.

Notice in the image above how the web seems to disappear in the background’s brighter areas.

4. Shooting orb webs will test your camera’s focusing capabilities as well as your own focusing skills! To keep the whole web in focus, try to keep the plane of the web parallel to the plane of the camera’s sensor. Since some cameras may refuse to auto focus on the thin strands of the web, you may have to resort to manual focus.

5. You should use a tripod but that usually is not practical as an orb web may be high in a tree with no way to place a tripod. I didn’t use a tripod this morning. All shots were hand held.

Zooming in on the orb web in the previous image. You can see the tiny beads of dew on the strands.

All the images were taken this morning using my new Canon EOS R6 Full Frame Mirrorless camera with a Canon RF 24-240mm zoom lens.

A second orb web about a half block away from the first one. Interesting to study and compare the two patterns.

They have similarities–the two spiders are probably distant cousins.

A third orb web.

A fourth orb web.

Zooming in on the spider in the middle of the fourth orb web.

Three “friends” watched me shoot the spider webs.

Keep shooting!
Dan

Mar

2021

Lewisburg Architecture Challenge May 1-2, 2021

Downtown Lewisburg’s architecture is a photographer’s dream. Walking a few blocks, one can view and photograph Federalist, Greek Revival, Tuscan Villa, Gothic Revival, Victorian, Beaux Arts, and Art Deco styles! With directions and a sharp eye, one can view many interesting architectural elements such as “lie on your stomach” windows, fan lights, shutter dogs, and star tie rods.

The Lewisburg Photography Club challenges you to walk around downtown Lewisburg and take great photos of Lewisburg Architecture on Saturday May 1 and Sunday May 2. Two self-guided walking tours have been designed for you to explore the architecture of Lewisburg. The first tour visits interesting architectural sites along Market Street from the Post Office to the Susquehanna River. The second tour also starts at the Post Office but travels down South Third Street to Bucknell’s President’s House. An annotated map of downtown Lewisburg and the directions for the two walking tours can be found below or can be picked up at the Lewisburg Photography Club’s table in Hufnagle Park from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday May 1.

Five page handout Lewisburg Architecture Challenge Handout includes annotated Map of downtown Lewisburg, two self-guided walking tours, and a page on Federal Style Architecture and useful architectural terms.

Photographers of all ages and skills can submit up to three of their best shots of Lewisburg Architecture to be displayed in an online month-long Photo Show on the Photo Club’s website. No entrance fee required. Send up to three jpeg images to hyde@bucknell.edu by 7 pm Saturday May 15, 2021. Please submit your photos using the following file name format: “LA-caption title–photographer’s name,jpg” where “LA” is code for Lewisburg Architecture, “caption title” is a descriptive name such as “Post Office” or “101 Market Street” to appear as the caption in the Photo Show. A sample might be “LA-Snoopy’s house-Charlie Brown.jpg“

For questions, please contact Dan Hyde at hyde@bucknell.edu or call 570-524-9994.

Mar

2021

Nature Photography Challenge April 25-May 1, 2021

As part of the Lewisburg Celebration of the Arts in collaboration with the Linn Conservancy, we challenge photographers to take nature photographs on the four Linn Conservancy locations (Dale’s Ridge Trail, Shamokin Mountain Trail, Koons Trail, and the Shikellamy State Park Overlook) during the week of April 25 through May 1, 2021. More details including descriptions and maps of the four locations can be found at http://lewisburgphotoclub.org/nature-photography-challenge-2021/ ‎

As part of the challenge, photographers may submit up to three photos to an online Photo Show. No entry fee. Photos must be submitted electronically in jpeg format to Dan Hyde <hyde@bucknell.edu> by 7 p.m. May 8, 2021. Please submit your images along with captions, photographer’s name, and email address. Images submitted are required to use the following file name format where “NP” stands for Nature Photography.

NP-image caption–photographer’s name.jpg

Sample file name: NP-Virginia Bluebells-Charlie Brown.jpg

Photographers do not need to attend the “Tips on Nature Photography” workshop to submit entries.

Mar

2021

“Tips on Nature Photography” Workshop April 23, 2021

Nature Photography is taking photos outdoors and focusing on natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, insects, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. This workshop will provide you with tips on how to take successful nature photos. First we will cover photography fundamentals such as focusing, exposure, lighting, depth of field, choice of lens, use of tripod, and composition. Then we provide tips on shooting landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups (macros). This workshop is part of the Nature Photography Challenge (see description below).

More details including descriptions and maps of the four locations can be found at http://lewisburgphotoclub.org/nature-photography-challenge-2021/ ‎

I will assume you have a digital camera (smartphone, point-and-shoot, or DSLR) and have been taking some shots of nature and want to improve your skills. The format of this virtual workshop is a series of short periods of instruction followed by hands-on exercises. Since you will be taking photos during the exercises, you will need your digital camera with a fully charged battery and several props — a couple of small stuffed animals to use as models and a ball such as a tennis ball that you can roll. We will do the exercises in pairs. If possible to arrange, a pair could be at the same location but otherwise we will have virtual pairs.

This workshop is a virtual event using Zoom starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 23, 2021, and lasts about two hours. The workshop is free and taught by Dr. Daniel C. Hyde, Chair of Lewisburg Photography Club. The workshop is suitable for people who shoot with a smartphone to a more expensive DSLR camera. It’s aimed at photographers ages 12 and up at all skill levels. Registration is required. To register for the workshop, email workshops@lewisburgartscouncil.com. State you want “Tips on Nature Photography.” Enrollment is limited to 24.

Bio on Dan Hyde: Before retiring in 2016, Dan taught for over 40 years as a professor at Bucknell. He has been a nature photographer for over four decades, given dozens of presentations on photography, and won awards in local photography shows. He is the Chair of the Lewisburg Photography Club. Photo Club’s website: http://lewisburgphotoclub.org/

Nature Photography Challenge (April 25 – May 1, 2021):

As part of the Lewisburg Celebration of the Arts in collaboration with the Linn Conservancy, we challenge photographers to take nature photographs on the four Linn Conservancy locations (Dale’s Ridge Trail, Shamokin Mountain Trail, Koons Trail, and the Shikellamy State Park Overlook). More details including descriptions and maps of the four locations can be found at http://lewisburgphotoclub.org/nature-photography-challenge-2021/

‎As part of the challenge, photographers may submit up to three photos to an online Photo Show. No entry fee. Photos must be submitted electronically in jpeg format to Dan Hyde <hyde@bucknell.edu> by 7 p.m. May 8, 2021. Please submit your images along with captions, your name, and email address.

Submitted images are required to follow the following file name format:

NP-caption title–photographer’s name.jpg

Sample file name: NP-Snoopy’s butterfly-Charlie Brown.jpg

Photographers do not need to attend the “Tips on Nature Photography” workshop to submit entries.

Dec

2020

Shooting Macros on your Smartphone

Dec

2020

Holiday Lights in Downtown Lewisburg

December 3, 2020

Haven’t yet had a chance to check out downtown Lewisburg after dark?

We hope these photos of the lights in Hufnagle Park, taken by Dan Hyde, Chair of the Lewisburg Photography Club, will inspire you to do so!

To activate all the lights, stand in the center of the gazebo and wave … or twirl … or dance!

If you dare to look straight up, be careful you don’t get too dizzy!

Garlands and gaily-lit presents decorate the inside of the gazebo’s roof:

Who wouldn’t want to find a present like this under their tree?

The dazzling display doesn’t end in Hufnagle Park. Take time to enjoy the lit-up lampposts lining Market Street, too!

Later in December, weather permitting, the Club plans to have one or more Photo Walks, where small groups of 3-6 members will stroll the streets to take photos of Christmas and other holiday lights. To learn more, please contact Lewisburg Photography Club Chair, Daniel Hyde.

If you have a passion for photography and live in Lewisburg or a nearby town, consider joining the Lewisburg Photography Club, a subgroup of the Lewisburg Arts Council. To learn more about the Club and their activities, please visit their website. And be sure to check out on their Flickr page some of the gorgeous photos taken by Club members!

Nov

2020

Archive of Dorotha Langes’s Photos

August 14, 2020

“Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936”

Famous photograph of Depression by Dorotha Lange

Over 600 of Dorothea Lange’s photographs are now available online. Her photos of the Depression, the forced encampment of the American Citizens of Japanese descent in 1942, and others of her famous shots. See https://dorothealange.museumca.org/

Well worthwhile browsing!

Dan

Dorothea Lange, digitized: Hundreds of rare photographs taken by American photographer Dorothea Lange, whose exploration of the hardships of American life during the Great Depression earned her international renown, are now on display in an Oakland Museum of California virtual exhibit. As SFist reports, the “Dorothea Lange Digital Archive” is the first digital curation of Lange’s work and comprises more than 600 photographs from Lange’s personal archives, which she gifted to the museum after her death in 1965. The collection also includes seldom seen photographs from her early and personal work.

Nov

2020

Photo Tour of three local Covered Bridges.

October 17, 2020

Several members told me they wanted to go on the October 17, 2020 Covered Bridges Photo Tour but they couldn’t due to other commitments. So you can drive on your own to the three covered bridges, see directions and facts about each covered bridge at Covered Bridge Tour 2020.

Our photo tour group had a great time and had fabulous Fall weather for photography. Below are several of my shots from that afternoon.

Dan

Several of our group at the Rishel Bridge in Montandon. Oldest covered bridge in PA.

The sign high up on the left side shows the level of water in the 1972 flood.

We bushwhacked a bit to photograph a good angle of the Rishel Bridge.

The Hassenplug Bridge in Mifflinburg crosses Buffalo Creek.

The Red Bridge in Millmont crosses Penns Creek.

I love the way the water’s ripples distort the reflection of the bridge’s roof

and the white curved wooden beam of the Burr Truss.

Some of the Fall color near Red Bridge.

I love the reflections and their color in the water.

A view of Penns Creek just east of Red Bridge.

Nov

2020

Digitizing 35mm Slides

July 14, 2020

Since many of us older folks have hundreds if not thousands of 35mm slides, we wonder what to do with them. The short answer is “Digitize them!” but how?

Therefore, many months ago I decided to present a talk to the Photo Club on “Digitizing 35mm Slides.” Thinking the Coronavirus would have calmed down by then, we scheduled the presentation for our July 23, 2020 Photo Club meeting.

HOWEVER, the virus situation is still very much with us! Therefore, I decided to write up my presentation and share it with you all as a written document with lots of images.

Please find my personal experiences with Digitizing 35mm Slides in the last couple of months.

Dan

Oct

2020

Photographing Halloween lights at night

October 23, 2020

The Photo Club members who attended the Holiday Lights Workshop last evening had a fun time!

Some of us used point-and-shoot cameras and iPhones while others used fancy DSLR cameras but we all were able to shoot good Halloween Lights images.

Holiday Lights Workshop is a link to a handout for those more advanced photographers who shoot with a DSLR or a mirrorless camera.

Below are two shots that I took last evening during the Workshop.

Dan

May

2020

Notes on “Macro Photography for Novices”

Mar

2020

Macro Photography with a Light Table

March 22, 2020,

Have you tried macro photography with a light table? It’s a great way to explore and enhance your photography skills while cooped up in quarantine.

Did I hear you say “I don’t have a light table!” I bet you do!

An iPad or any other computer tablet will make a great light table. I use an app on my iPad called Trace Table. It’s almost free–it cost me $0.99. There are free apps that will work but I bought Trace Table because it has features for tracing and transferring hand drawings to digital drawings which I use in my artwork.

Last night I used my Canon 80D DSLR camera with my Canon 60mm macro lens to shoot a bunch of macro photography shots using my iPad as a light table. I used my good tripod where the center post can swing out and form a horizontal boom. Here is an iPhone photo of my setup.

My setup of Canon 80D camera on a Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod with center post that swings to horizontal boom.

I have attached my camera on the tripod with a focusing rail. You can see the cable release and iPod as light table as well.

Since the camera is mounted on a horizontal boom, I find it very convenient to use the focusing rail. Without the focusing rail, one would need to adjust the length of the three tripod legs everytime one wants to move the camera up or down a little bit. With macro photography, one likes to adjust the camera’s height often! My focusing rail is Velbon’s “Super Mag Slider” and it allows me to adjust in two dimensions–up and down and side to side. For macro work, you could easily get by with a less expensive focusing rail that adjusts only in one dimension–up and down. Here is a close up of the focusing rail with its two knobs for adjusting in the two dimensions.

Camera mounted on Velbon “Super Mag Slider” focusing rail.

Since I want high quality, I shot at an ISO of 100. To maximize the depth of field, I set the camera’s aperture at f/22. I used manual focusing. You might be tempted to shoot the camera set at Aperture Priority (Av on Canon) but don’t! If you do, you get a shot like the following:

Shot at ISO 100, f/22. The camera in Aperture Priority mode selected a shutter speed of 1 second.

On Aperture Priority, the camera’s metering system will read the strong light of the iPad and your subject will be in silhouette. Great if you want a silhouette! You want to set the camera to M (Manual), You adjust the shutter’s time manually until you can capture the light that is coming through the subject, for example, as shown in the next image of a similar flower cluster.

Shot at ISO 100, f/22. Shutter speed manually set at 10 second.

Note the following interesting fact: with the long exposure time in the above image, the white background is still just white, even though I blasted the highlights in the second image to the extreme. This is an important fact to understand when using high key lighting, i.e., white background. Highly overexposed white is still white!

Another shot of the thin slice of a clementine that we saw in the very first image.

A shot of a leaf of Wild Mustard, a nasty invasive weed that you probably have/hate in your yard.

Leaf is about 1 cm across. Note that you can see the grid of individual pixels in the iPad’s display.

Macro shot of a feather I found in yard. Probably of a Blue Jay.

I tried to make it look like the underbelly of a spaceship from Star Wars.

Part of a pen lying on the iPad to show you how close I can get with my macro lens.

Note: you can see a cat hair. They are everywhere in our house!

I shot a clear plastic ruler with my 60mm macro lens as close as it can focus.

From the “5” to the longer line to the right is a half inch!

As you can see, the iPad as a light table is great source of light for objects that are translucent, such as an orange slice, a flower, or a bug. Many of us knew that! However, you may not have realized the following use. It can make solid objects look like they are floating in the air! What?? Look at the following image of a cat toy (Used with Gandalf’s permission).

A cat toy floats by.

For the cat toy shot, I used a different set up. Rather than shoot straight down on the object lying on the iPad, I moved the camera off to the side and turned on the overhead ceiling light, The cat toy was lying on the iPad that was still lying flat on the dining room table. Because our brain expects the light to come from above as in the sky and expects to have shadows near the bottom of an object, the cat toy appears to float in midair! Any shadows from the above ceiling lamp are canceled by the strong light of the iPad underneath. If you look closely, you can see the temperature of the light on top of the cat toy is slightly warmer (more yellow) than underneath. I made no attempt to balance the temperature or intensity of the ceiling light to the iPad.

Matchbox toy car tumbling.

Same setup as the cat toy before but with a Matchbox toy car. It looks like it’s flying through the air tumbling.

With a bit of creativity, your iPod as a light table can help you create many interesting macro photographs. Have fun!

Stay safe and healthy. Use the extra time you have to improve your photography skills.

Dan

Mar

2020

Lewisburg Arts Festival’s Annual Photo Show April 24-May 8, 2020

The Lewisburg Art Festival’s 2020 Annual Photography Show is from Friday April 24 to Friday May 8, 2020 at the Himmelreich Memorial Library, 18 Market Street, Lewisburg, PA.

Here are the Official Info Packet and Entry Form:

2020 Photo Show Info Packet

Photo Show Entry Form 2020

Note that drop off is at the Pubic Library for Union County on Friday, April 10, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., or Saturday, April 11, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The Reception for the Show is April 24, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in the William D. Himmelreich Memorial Library. Awards will be presented at the Reception at 7:30 p.m.

See the Info Packet for the details.

I encourage all photographers to submit entries to the Show.

Also please share this message with any photographer that you may know. A photographer is not required to be a Photo Club member.

Thanks,

Dan

Feb

2020

Taking shots of Snowdrops and other Spring Wildflowers

February 5, 2020

Yesterday I noticed that my Snowdrops were blooming. On February 4th! A bit early for central Pennsylvania.

It feels strange to be shooting wildflowers this early in the season but why not. Above is a shot of one of my Snowdrops that I took this afternoon. The Snowdrop is about 3 inches high. I took the shot at ISO 400, f/22, and 0.4 seconds shutter speed. Shot on my “macro” tripod with cable release.

I used my Canon 80D DSLR camera with my Canon 60mm macro lens. Since I wanted to get close to capture the whole plant and have a deep depth of field, I shot in Aperture Mode at f/22. For a good quality image and low noise, I shot at ISO 400. With these settings, I could not hand hold the shot. Everything was blurry! I soon discovered that the shutter speed needed was 0.4 seconds. Way too long for a handheld shot! Back into the house for my “macro” tripod.

I call it my “macro” tripod because it can get very low to the ground which is needed for wildflower shots. This tripod is made by Manfrotto and it’s their 190XPROB model. I don’t think they make this particular model anymore but they do sell very similar ones, e.g., Manfrotto MK190XPRO3-BHQ2 Aluminum Tripod with XPRO Ball Head and 200PL QR Plate that costs $255 at B&H. You can get different tripod heads. You can use the tripod’s rapid center column in standard vertical mode or swing it into horizontal position like a boom. The three legs can adjust out to be almost level with the ground (3 settings). See picture below.

Dec

2019

How to make decorative lights twinkle like stars

December 16, 2019

How to make Christmas Tree Lights twinkle like stars as in the above image? Decorative lights are so pretty at night but it can be hard to recreate their sparkle in photographs. Here’s the technique for achieving just that—the secret is in the aperture! Here are the instructions to make the lights appear like starbursts.

First make it dark by turning off the room lights and shooting at night. Mount your camera on a sturdy tripod and use a cable release to reduce camera shake. If you don’t have a cable release, you can use your camera’s two-second timer to release the shutter. I set my camera’s ISO to 1600. Use aperture mode or Manual mode and set the aperture to f/22 (The camera’s aperture is a very small hole.).

In the dark your camera’s autofocus feature may be confused and continually search for focus or not work at all so set your lens to Manual Focus and focus manually on the lights. On my Canon 80D camera, I use Liveview mode so I can view the image on the screen on the back of my camera. Liveview helps me to compose the image and focus when the camera is on the tripod. Start with a long time exposure of 5 to 10 seconds and check the picture for exposure. Adjust the shutter speed if you need but leave the aperture at f/22. Experiment with different shutter speeds.

The key to the starburst effects is using the very small aperture of f/22. If you use an aperture that is narrow enough, e.g., f/22, the image captured will have obvious rays of light extend out from each light source, making them appear like stars. This is known as the “starburst effect.” The number of “points” that your starburst has (i.e., the number of rays of light that extend from the light source) is dependent on the number of aperture blades in your lens’ aperture diaphragm. An even number of aperture blades results in the same number of starburst points, whereas an odd number of blades results in twice the number of starburst points. My Canon 18-200mm zoom lens has six aperture blades which creates starbursts with six points as seen in the above image. Any lens you have will work. However, your lens may create starbursts with a different number of points.

Enjoy taking photos of decorative lights such as Christmas lights and candles.

Dan

Oct

2019

What’s a Macro photo?

Several members have asked “What’s a macro photo?” It is a closeup shot of something small, e.g., an insect such as the bee above, parts of flowers, stamps, coins, and paper clips.

Technically, a macro shot is one where the object’s image on the camera’s sensor or negative is larger than the object.

I like to relax the definition to the following: A macro shot is one where the object’s image when printed 4 by 6 inches is larger than the object. This way the photographer does not need to know how big the camera’s sensor or negative is. This also allows more photos to be macros in line with what most photographers consider macro shots.

This month’s Photo Quest is a follow up of last month’s excellent talk on Macro Photography. Here are links to Wayne Palmer’s talk:

PDF version of Wayne’s slides, six per page, of his presentation Macro Photography-6 – Great for printing.

PDF version of Wayne’s slides of his presentation Macro Photography – Great for viewing on screen.

Dan

May

2019

Images of Photo Walk down Market Street, Lewisburg, PA

Apr

2019

Open House at Brett Hosterman’s new Photography and Design Studio

Feb

2019

“What’s a Photographer?” Dan’s Talk at Milton, PA Rotary

Feb

2019

Using colored gels on your Speedlite flash

February 1, 2019

Today was the first day of the “Hearts of Lewisburg Ice Festival” in Lewisburg, PA. Many of the stores downtown have ice sculptures in front of their storefronts. I thought it would be a great opportunity to experiment with colored gels on a Speedlite flash. This note explains how to use colored gels on your Speedlite flash.

For the colored gels, I used several in my Vello EZ-FLIP GEL SET ($20). The set has 30 assorted colored gels that fit in a plastic holder that’s held on by velcro to the head of the Speedlite. The set comes with a small case.

First, you want control of the direction of the flash. That means getting the Speedlite off your camera! To achieve this, I used a RF transmitter/receiver setup between my Canon 80D DSLR camera and Canon 430EXIII-RT Speedlite. The transmitter (Yongnuo YN-E3-RT) fits on the hot shoe of the camera. The Speedlite fits on top of the receiver (Yongnuo YNE3-RX). This transmitter/receiver pair is a little more expensive (together $135) because they are compatible with Canon’s E-TTL (Through The Lens) protocol. This is the same protocol used by a Speedlite when it’s on top of your camera. This means the amount of flash will be determined by the light measured Through The Lens (TTL) by a pre-flash. Cheaper transmitter/receiver setups mean you have to control the flash manually with lots of trial and error.

My Canon Speedlite came with a little plastic stand. I mounted the Yongnuo receiver on the plastic stand and attached the Speedlite to the receiver as shown above. For my ice sculpture pictures I placed the stand with receiver and Speedlite on the sidewalk near the bottom of the sculpture usually at a 45 degree angle on the right from where I stood with the camera. I pointed the head of the Speedlite approximately at the center of the sculpture.

Here is the plastic stand, the receiver, and Speedlite with a red gel inserted in the Vello EZ-FLIP gel holder.

The Vello gel holder easily flips up so you can shoot without the gel.

Here is example ice sculpture without a flash or gel.

Same sculpture with flash and a blue gel. The stand, receiver, and Speedlight setup was off to the left at 45 degree angle.

Dog sculpture without flash or gel.

The same dog sculpture with flash and red gel. The Speedlight was on right side. This sculpture is smaller than the previous one so I was able to get the flash closer and throw more red light on it.

Ice sculpture in front of Bucknell’s Bookstore without flash or gel.

The same sculpture with flash and red gel on right side. I think this image shows the real creative power that one can achieve with colored gels on a Speedlite.

If you live in the area, visit downtown Lewisburg and see the ice sculptures before they melt!

Dan

Tips on Nature Photography Workshop