"Assigned Subject" Study Group #12

A Digital Photo Study Group
of the Electronic Imaging Division of the Photographic Society of America

See NEW PHOTOS by the 10th of EACH MONTH
Read COMMENTS by the 25th of EACH MONTH

 


ASSIGNED SUBJECTS CHOSEN BY PHOTOGRAPHER

February -Hand(s) - Carole Kropscot
March - Neon - Mary Heiting
April - Manipulated Reality - Barbara Kuebler
May - Fish or Fishing - Howard Freedman
June - Ben Hans
July - Stephan Funke
August - Dennis Poeschel		 If YOU want
to participate, contact
Director of EID Study Groups
Barbara Miller, FPSA
If not already a PSA member,
you can join PSA here.

Past assigned subjects have been:
architecture, patriotic flag, pets, portrait of a person, clouds, birds, butterflies, close-ups or macro photography, bug critters, red, colorful fall foliage, action, nature patterns, water, color, child, fruit or vegetable, night, creative altered reality, holidays, abandoned, flowers, person doing a handicraft, pet.

Use these links to see the many, many, many more digital photos which CHANGE EVERY MONTH:

  Study Group 1

 Study Group 2

 Study Group 3

 Study Group 4

 Study Group 5

 Study Group 6

 Study Group 7

 Study Group 8

 Study Group 9

 Study Group 10

 Study Group 11

 Study Group 13
Workshop

Study Group 14

Study Group 15

 Study Group 16

 Study Group 17

 Study Group 18
Nature

Study Group 19
     

 Study Group 20
        

Gallery of Nations

EID's Online Forum

Your Digital Questions Answered

Assigned Subject for FEBRUARY 2005

"HAND OR HANDS"
as suggested by CAROLE KROPSCOT

(E-mail next month's image of "NEON" before MARCH 10)

 

 

 

"Playing Hands" by Carole Kropscot
Remember doing these string games when you were a child! I asked my grandson to play with the yellow yarn. The knot was an added bonus. His red shirt was a good background. He knew I was taking a "hands" picture, so he curved his fingers to try to add interest! I cropped the picture to what you see. Digital camera with flash in a familyroom.

MARY'S COMMENTS
STEPHAN'S COMMENTS Good idea and good composition with almost diagonal lines and framing mode
in the hands. This shot outdoors in open shadow without a flash would make a
good picture. Here - as it is - it is a quickly shot picture to fulfill
formally the given task. Sorry, I see the potential in your image but a
technically well done picture like yours is not my pot of tea.
 BEN'S COMMENTS Cute idea, nice shot, good composition and color. Can't add anything, it looks just fine.
 BARBARA'S COMMENTS This was a great idea. It certainly fulfills the assignment. I like the way you filled the frame with his hands and the yarn. The only slight distraction is the black and white stripe on the shirt sleeve.

HOWARD'S COMMENTS

 A fine look at child's hands playing an ancient game. The sharp contrasts of vibrant colors emphasises the simplicity. A fine image for a children's nursery.
DENNIS'S COMMENTS I like the diagonal placement of the hands rather then being straight. It adds to the composition of the image within the frame. The string also connects the two hand together well. Exposure and sharpness looks good. The only thing I don't like is the shadow from the string on the red shirt.


 

 

 

"Sianne" By Stephan Funke

First of all I want you to invite to check out my "HANDS" - folder at : www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=335822 This folder contains lots of related images which I published about 2 years ago.

My February study - picture was taken last November during the Bangkok Fringe Festival 2004. The indonesian dancer performed a contemporary dance, based on classic indonesian ( (Bali=) movements. The movements of her hands were like a dream and I go back again and again to see the pictures of that performance. It was taken during the running show at terms of a show - just sit where you sit, do your best and hope you have something in your black box........ No SET UP, no special lighting and no go back to make it a better one.


I slightly modified the otherwise original EOS 10 D / f/2,8/24-70mm L picture in removing a knee. Camera settings: 800 ISO / f=3,5 (about). The frame was built in PS (Grass is "DUNEGRASS" out of the normal brushes at size almost 1000).

MARY'S COMMENTS

CAROLE'S COMMENTS

 Her left hand (viewed by us on the right center of picture) sends me the message of her dancing movements. The shadow of the fan is a wonderful extra added attraction. The dune brush design in the mat around the photograph is a little busy but does coordinate with the fan slats somewhat. I find it amazing that you can capture these photographs during a regular performance without special lighting setups or special seating. You must have the camera settings just perfect. Congratulations! And I do so enjoy seeing these dancers in all their clarity and color.

 BEN'S COMMENTS

 WOW Stephan, what a great shot, excellent color, model and you did a wonderful work with it. I like the frame that adds without distracting.

 BARBARA'S COMMENTS

 This is a beautiful image of a beautiful woman. The position of the arms and hands, and the shadow on the face create a triangle, and hold your interest right where it belongs. Again, nothing distracting here. You are lucky to have such wonderful subjects to shoot, and you do that with great skill.

HOWARD'S COMMENTS

 The trials and tribulations of imaging live performances are well told and catching just the moment is exciting. The hands here are expressive, but for me the image is made by the shadow of the ribs of the fan placed just so on the dancer's face. I am a little perplexed by the effext of the shadow in the left axilla of the dancer--could it have been modified (cloned away?) to eliminate the appearance of distortion of the left arm?
DENNIS'S COMMENTS This image can be critiqued with one word "WOW"

This is a wonderful portrait. I love it. The hands play well into the composition. The shadow of the fan onto the face of the woman is very well thought out and executed. That red color in the fan has a strong presence.

The only thing I don't like or might have tried to change would have been the shadow from her left hand. I might try to remove it.

 

"WEDDING CANDLES" by Ben Hans
This picture was shot with the Nikon D100, f-3.5@ 1/60"; FL28mm(42 Eq.) with flash.
This is part of a normal shot to which I cropped the hands from the bride and groom lighting the candles. I first soften the background (using a dupe of the BK layer to which I erased the areas I wanted sharp) then I adjusted levels and saturation; some cloning was done to clean up, saved as PS file, flattened, resized, sharpened and saved for the Web.

MARY'S COMMENTS

 CAROLE'S COMMENTS

 The hands you're depicting are placed in a lovely setting with lit candles and pretty flowers. The hands would appear to be more the center of attention if the fingers were the sharpest part of the picture. The overall focus isn't sharp, perhaps due to your cropping out a section of a larger image. The color seems very natural. This is often hard to do with candlelight.

 STEPHAN'S COMMENTS

 Here we have a good feeling of warmth and celebration. The overall softness
is natural and it is alsways a big question where - if at all - stop with
sharpening the main item in a situation like this. Fortunately candles,
hands and sticks are almost in the same distance, so the focus there is no
additional problem. A slight problem are the unsharp things in the
foreground. I think the best solution is to darken these down. Then it does
not matter if they are not in focus. Feather with at least 2 x 200 pixel
befor using the BRIGHTNESS slider of CONTRAST/BRIGHTNESS for darkening. This slider does not change colors. You could also change the picture to PORTRAIT
mode, crop the hand righthand. I like your image.

 BARBARA'S COMMENTS

 Another great shot with no distracting elements. Your angle of shooting is good as the man's dark suit certainly makes a better background than the white wedding dress would. The flames on the matches and candles are the brightest part of the image, and the way you cropped puts them in a strong part of the frame.

HOWARD'S COMMENTS

 E Pluribus unum! This says it so much better than candles on a cake. Probably the most touching picture of the whole wedding. Somewhat smaller lens opening may have sharpened the focus on the flowers--but that is nit picking.
DENNIS'S COMMENTS As a one time wedding photographer this shot reminds me of years of being tied up on Saturday shooting the same types of images.

The image is to soft for in the areas that I don't think they should be. The flowers are static and should have a crisper edge. The mood of the candle would still play through with the warmer light. If anything I used to do this shot through a soft edge filter that I would make from a clear plastic sheet and nail polish.

I would also suggest coming around more to the front to reduce the depth of the candles in the image.

"" By Mary Heiting

 CAROLE'S COMMENTS

STEPHAN'S COMMENTS

 BEN'S COMMENTS

 BARBARA'S COMMENTS

HOWARD'S COMMENTS
DENNIS'S COMMENTS

 

"" By Barbara Kuebler

MARYS' COMMENTS

STEPHAN'S COMMENTS

 BEN'S COMMENTS

 CAROLE'S COMMENTS

HOWARD'S COMMENTS
DENNIS'S COMMENTS

 

"Troubador" by Howard Freedman
I caught my Grandson giving an impromptu concert. I was struck by the triangular format and felt that it showed off best in the horizontal oval. No manipulation other than cropping. I tried a variety of framings using "Stroke" but decided that the unadorned was best.

MARY'S COMMENTS

STEPHAN'S COMMENTS

 An o.k.picture including hands and showing what these can do. May be it is a
bit too low profile as a study being 300 x 400 in size only and showing a
rather flat lighting. To make use of this kind of frame is o.k. for studies.
We learn. It is another question whether the frame fits the bill here
showing lots of bland white in the already tiny image. Again: we can learn
and fill the empty space with perhaps relating information like paper for
writing notes, notes, bottle with ink, feather for writing the
music............ eccetera. By the way: I sent today 2 greeting cards for
Valentine. They let me choose a music. How to add a music to Howards image
????

 BEN'S COMMENTS

 Interesting shot and shape; for our topic I would crop the hands on the guitar and work on the oval or a different shape as you wish.

 BARBARA'S COMMENTS

 The way you presented your grandson with his guitar certainly draws the eye to his hands. The grayish background and his dark shirt give the guitar and hands more prominence. I might have cropped a little bit wider to give him more room in the frame.

CAROLE'S COMMENTS

 I like your composition with the hands being the most important element of the picture. The tilt of the head and the guitar contribute well to the composition. Your grandson is looking at his hands, so the viewer does, too. The oval removes any distraction of his arms or other background.
DENNIS'S COMMENTS This image is a little dark for me and presents a cooler color as a result. The oval is a nice touch but the subject seems to have been forced into the frame. I think it needs more room around the subject.

There are actually a number of images in this shot. I might have tried to select just one hand on the strings.

 

"In My Daddy's Hands" By Dennis Poeschel
This image was take this past August. The large hand is that of my son. The small hand is one of my new granddaughters, Emily. They came early and needed allot of attention. They were in the hospital for a month. For the first two weeks this was the only way they could get to know their mom and dad. They could not he held.

I would never have thought about including this image until we knew everything was going good. Today both are perfect babies and growing like weeds.

The picture was taken through Plexiglas. I used a flash but detached it from the camera and held it above the top of the glass. That way I did not have to worry about flare from the light.
I did a minor amount of detail and edge sharpening and them burned down the edges slightly to draw your attention more to the hands.

This was a touching picture for me to take and a family portrait that means a great deal to me.

I hope you like it.

MARY'S COMMENTS

STEPHAN'S COMMENTS

 A very touching picture. I think the composition and possible done crop are
o.k. and the picture will live within the family as a wonderful and
important record of these days. As artistic image it lacks something. I
think it is the harsch flat lighting which lets it down.

 BEN'S COMMENTS

 Congratulations grandpa, I'm glad everything turned out well and thanks for sharing this moment with us. The picture is very expressive and meaningful, it fulfils our topic. The technicalities are secondary and what matters to me is the message of love that it projects.

 BARBARA'S COMMENTS

 This is a very moving image. Congratulations on your granddaughters ­ I know they will give you lots of joy. The softness that is the result of shooting through the plexiglass helps creative a very sensitive emotional image. I like the way you burned down the edges to concentrate on the 2 hands.

CAROLE'S COMMENTS

 This is the kind of parent-infant hands I was thinking of when I suggested the topic of hands. Your photograph is well done, and I'm sure the finishing touches you did with Photoshop have contributed to the presentation. Thank you for sharing such a personal photo.
HOWARD'S COMMENTS The image is great---but the subject is awesome!!!!! Given the circumstances, a fine job of avoiding flare. I think you overdid the edge and corner burning a bit, especially in the left lower corner

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 Study Group 13
Workshop

  Study Group 14

  Study Group 15

 Study Group 16

 Study Group 17

 Study Group 18

 Study Group 19
     

  Study Group 20
        

Gallery of Nations

EID's Online Forum

Your Digital Questions Answered

AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF CIRCUIT MEMBERS

Mary Heiting

I've been interested in photography for quite a few years. I've returned to work full time, which gave me the opportunity to purchase photographic toys. Either I spend money on lenses for my Canon Rebel, or invest into the digital field. My choice was the Sony DSC707 digital which really inspires me. The only thing is- I just cannot leave any picture alone on the computer. I am always experimenting. I am a member of the Fox Valley Camera Club in Appleton and the Sec/Treas. for about 4 years. My husband and I travel some, and these different places open up opportunities for all kinds of "Kodak" moments. I think the reverse in our truck will wear out because of all the times I ask him to back up. My biggest thrill is sharing my digital camera with my nieces and nephews. Hopefully, I will inspire them to capture moments and see the world around them in 'a different way'. Mary Heiting, Appleton Wisconsin

Ben Hans

 My love for photography started in my 20's, in Mexico City where I was born. Doing travel, nature and family slide shows was a lot of fun.

From 1968 to 1974 I worked in my darkroom doing black and white prints which I shared in a photo club, where we commented on our work and did some exhibits.

In 1974 I moved with my family to San Diego where I took a break while adjusting my profession to the US. Systems. During this time I traveled light with a small Olympus

It was in Jan. 2000 when I connected to computers and BANG, I got exited with the Digital Photography possibilities. I started to pick it up again, bought a digital camera, the Nikon coolpix 5000, and started playing with the printer HP-932C, and scanner HP5370C, editing first with MGI photosuite and then with Ph.Sh. Elements 2. I'm taking classes in Photoshop 7 and I'm very excited with all that I'm learning.

I attended the PSA convention in San Diego and where fascinated with what was happening there, I joined, went to Pittsburgh this year and I'm loving every minute.

Stephan Funke

 I am a Finnish citizen, close to 74 years old and was born in the middle parts of Germany. Nowadays I live in Thailand, in the outskirts of Bangkok. I started taking pictures at the age of 10 - 11 and took after retirement at 65 a serious approach to photography. I started rather soon , about 5 - 6 years ago, with scanning my 35mm work ( Nikon Coolscan II) and working on it with Photoshop ( 4, 5, 6 and now 7) I use Canon EOS 1N for shooting with 35mm film and Graflex 6x7, Kiev 88 and Pentax 645N for 120 rollfilm. All midsize work goes to the own darkroom as I do not have a scanner for that size of negative. And all 3 rollfilm cameras are in use!

My latest purchase is a digital Olympus E 20 and it seems that this will take a big part of my imaging . I am a Fellow of the ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN. As member of the PSA I have been active in the PICTURE OF THE MONTH activity of the Pictoral Print division. My main interest is in PEOPLE PHOTOGRAPHY, and as keen a theatre - goer I am rather active in STAGE PHOTOGRAPHY.

Carole Kropscot

 Photography is my favorite hobby. I have 2 digital cameras: Nikon CoolPix 995 and Minolta Dimage A2. No more film cameras! I started taking photographs in junior high school when on vacation. I bought my first 35mm camera after the birth of my third child. Once the children grew up, I expanded into photography of all kinds. I love nature, travel, and macro photography. I've been working with my photos on my computer for years. I use Photoshop on either my Macintosh desktop computer or my Windows laptop PC. Printers are Epson 1270 and 2200. Scanner is Epson Perfection 2450 (which does slides and negatives, too). I live in a suburb of Kansas City, Kansas.

Barbara Kuebler

As a child I had a Brownie box camera, and loved taking pictures from day one! I grew up in Lead, South Dakota; graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa; met my husband in Chicago, and moved with him back to his home town of Lake Worth Florida. We have been in Jupiter, Florida since 1975. We spend five months each summer in a house in the woods near Bigfork, Montana.

I still am a 35mm shooter ­ all Nikon equipment with lens from 20mm up to 500mm. I originally started out as a nature photographer, but now shoot everything! We love to travel, and since I have been working with Adobe, I see all sorts of new possibilities when taking pictures. I have an older Sony Mavica digital camera that I sometimes use, but prefer to put my slide images in Photoshop and work with them there. I look forward to seeing your images and sharing photography with all of you.

Howard Freedman

Retired Neurosurgeon. Age 87 Previously processed and printed my own B&W images. I have participated in group and one-man shows on East End of Long Island and at a Gallery in NY. Recently have turned to the digital darkroom. Since I had no prior exposure to computers, this is a whole new world to me similar in many respects to the feeling I had when first embarking on snorkeling and entering the world of fishes and coral.

At the present time I am using a Cannon Powershot S100, a Kodak DC4800 and more receently a Nikon Cool-pix 5700 for digital photography, but many of the images I will submit were obtained over the years using Leica or Nikon 35mm and a variety of lenses. I have an Epson flat-bed scanner which is OK for prints but not so hot for negatives. My Mac computer and Abobe Photodeluxe and Photoshop 6 programs provide more potential than I can handle. I think I am improving but my brain requires more ROM.

I am looking foward in participating in the Circuit and to benefiting from the comments and advice (constructive, I hope) that the members can provide.

Dennis Poeschel

My interest in photography dates back to very early 1960's when I received a black and white contact printer photography set as a holiday gift. Although clearly a toy it stuck my fancy and I began reading and learning. In the 7th through 9th grades I took pictures at events that were used in the school newspaper. It wasn't till I got into my early twenties that I was able to buy top quality 35mm equipment. I worked part time in a camera store and took my earnings as a barter employee towards camera lens and darkroom equipment.

I have a real love of working close up. With time always at a premium, extended picture taking outings/trips are difficult and far and few in between. The World of close-up (Macro) allows me to continue my hobby right under my nose so to speak. There is allot that goes on that we just take for granite. We just need to focus in on it.

I was a member of PSA some 25 years ago and entered the various salons in color slides, nature, PJ and black and white prints. A young and active family caused to put those interests on hold. With the coming of the digital age those interests again started to burn. It's great to take picture anytime you want, see the results instantly and not pay the film and processing bills. I also think the digital darkroom is a fantastic idea. I can be as creative as my knowledge will let me and never mix a single bottle of chemicals. Currently I am shooting Canon a 10D and an all Canon lens system.
My hobby and my PSA competition work lead to my teaching photography in the local technical college for about 10 years in their adult vocational division. It was fun to show folks how to take better images and to express themselves through their camera. My teaching also included basic and advance printmaking.

My educational background is as a mechanical engineer. I also have completed advanced studies in industrial business management. Currently I am a manager for a large fortune 100 company and starting to think about an early retirement. At 55 years of age there are many things I really want to do and my job is starting to get in the way.

I'm pleased to be part of this group and hope to learn and advance my talents through others comments both good and bad.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
e-mail: callmaker@sbcglobal.net

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Administrator of this PSA EID Study Group is Carole Kropscot at ckropscot@kc.rr.com