Members' Evening

[Tina]

A big thank you to Frank and Emmanuel for their interesting and informative talks last night, and for
the hard work in putting it all together.
I'm sure each one of us present took something away with us. It is always valuable to learn how
each of us started in photography and how each person's approach varies.
Once again many thanks
Tina

[Franke07]

Thank you Tina, there were a few things that I wanted to cover but didn't get the time. I wanted to cover the discarding of files, in the not to distant future the applications that we use for post production will be able to correct issues with blurry images, depth of field, over and under exposure, and any other manner of things that currently spoil our images so years from now we will be able to correct our mistakes.

Another area was the auto modes on our cameras, the processing power in our cameras now mean they can cope with more tricky lighting situations than previously, so when an opportunity presents itself and you don't have time to set your camera up use one of the auto modes to get the first image in the bag. Then you can switch to manual and do the creative bit.

Always happy to share the little that I know! Interestingly following Weds mtg Emmanuel and I worked on a couple of images that a member sent to us, these resembled my blue colour cast images. We were able to correct them and provide instruction on how the member could do it themselves.

[Mike Farley]

Interestingly following Weds mtg Emmanuel and I worked on a couple of images that a member sent to us, these resembled my blue colour cast images. We were able to correct them and provide instruction on how the member could do it themselves.

Correction of white balance issues is straightforward in Lightroom, using the WB function in the Develop module. There are presets for daylight, cloudy etc., although I find that they do not always match the manufacturers' settings. It is easy to find out what they are; simply take a picture with the required WB and import it into Lightroom. There is also an auto function and a dropper tool in addition to the manual controls. Once one image has been corrected, the WB settings can be applied to all similarly affected images using the SYNC function and takes moments to complete. It does not matter whether the images were shot in Raw or JPEG, Lightroom can handle both. Wrong WB is a non issue.

For those who do not yet use Lightroom, you should. Or if you want something which does not come from Adobe, try the more expensive Capture One instead. Provided an image does not need extensive manipulation to achieve the desired composition, most can be worked to completion without the need to go anywhere near Photoshop. For around £100, it really is a bargain for the amount of functionality on offer.

[Iggy]

Well said Tina.
I would like to echo Tina’s thanks to Frank Edwards & Emannuel Muscat but also include Ros Conti and Keith Ash that have made presentations on Members Evenings for the first time earlier this summer. This does take a lot of work but also guts to do for the first time even though they are presenting to a friendly audience.
We do have some more first timers presenting in the new season starting in September 2017 onward, but also have several advanced member’s presentations.
Members’ evening gives us a chance to learn about each other’s photographic background as well as about any special techniques and short cuts that are used.
So from Emmanuel & Frank, I learnt of an easy way to remove the blue cast from some of my recent Singapore aquarium by first taking the images into Camera Raw.
We do seem to have a problem with the PA system that has worked well below par and needs to be sorted out.
Kind regards,
Iggy

[walterconquy]

Dear All as a non sequitur, following Iggy's mention of problems hearing at club meetings. We have the problem of not hearing clearly or not at all, bearing in mind I am going gently deaf.
I was thinking could we not try a system of sending the sound waves towards the listeners, such as a large sheet ( card, Plastic, hardboard we could try a large sheet of card one evening when we have a spare moment or two) above the screen to project the sound back.
The problem of course is the height of the ceiling which disperses any sound into the ceiling firmament.
Perhaps also place the speakers in front facing towards the audience.
I know I miss a lot of interesting information and it spoils my evening, I can't keep on asking people to speak up, I am sure a lot of other people suffer as well.
Whats the consensus on what happens in the club and how is it affecting other people. Please lets get a dialogue going and see if anyone knows about the subject
of acoustics and can resolve the issue.
Kindest Regards All
Wally

[Iggy]

Hi Wally,
I am not a sound expert, but I have noted that the PA system does work reasonably well on occasion, especially when a particular senior member (sadly, I don't know his name) twiddles with the system.
This knowledge needs to be passed on to all!
Are there any batteries associated with the microphone that need to be replaced?
Do we need to invest in a new system?
Iggy

[davidb]

I am not a sound expert, but I have noted that the PA system does work reasonably well on occasion, especially when a particular senior member (sadly, I don't know his name) twiddles with the system.

This would be Tony Cane

Are there any batteries associated with the microphone that need to be replaced?

This is generally checked before the mic is given to the speaker/judge

[Mike Farley]

A sound system will only ever be as good as its source. Experienced speakers will learn how to moderate their delivery to ensure they can be understood. More often than not, I find that I am able to give presentations without amplification being necessary. I always ensure that I talk from the front towards the audience, which includes occasions when I am operating the computer to give live demonstrations.

Specific hearing problems have to be resolved according to the needs of the individual concerned. Occasionally I am given a radio mike to wear which connects directly to someone's hearing aid, which seems to work well.

[Iggy]

David B wrote

This is generally checked before the mic is given to the speaker/judge

I assumed that this had been done and did not further check it when attaching it to the collar of the speaker.

Mike wrote

A sound system will only ever be as good as its source.

We would expect to have some amplification of the speech that did not seem to happen sufficently, probably for a combination of reasons.

Speaking to an audience for the first time, even when we are among friends, can be difficult and therefore speakers need all the support we can give them.
I too am used to speaking to the audience from the front, but at the CCC that can be difficult as the first chairs are close to the screen and I invariably got between the screen and some of the audience, obscuring their view when I did my first presentation last year. Also had some sound amplification problems.
So next time I will be doing it from the middle. That also gives me the opportunity to set up the PowerPoint on my laptop in Presenter View (Alt f5) that gives me recourse to prompts or notes as necessary on the laptop screen alongside the slide.

With age we are all tending to get a little deaf. I have had a problem for a long time and am not able to hear a conversation in a noisy pub.
My guess is that our PA system should be able to provide sufficient amplification if properly set up by Tony Cane or someone else with the know how. It has to be ready and available for all further speakers and judges at the start of the evening.