Jeffrey Jacobs speaks to Memphis Camera Club

This past Thursday June 17th, the Memphis Camera Club was honored to have Jeffrey Jacobs internationally renown architect photographer speak to the club. Jeffrey is a local Memphis photographer who use to work in film.

Jeffrey spoke for almost two hours and presented photographs of his work, and answered numerous questions from the club members.

You can tell the passion that Jeffrey has for his photographic work. He communicated several core philosophies in approaching his photography.

1. Pre-Visualize what the end result will be. Have a clear idea in your mind.
2. Pursue excellence.
3. You are only as good as your last photograph.
4. You will be remembered, not for your best photograph, but your worst.
5. Get the best lighting, and composition you can right with your shot, and minimize your post processing.
6. Have ethical integrity in your work.
7. Take control of the environment.

Jeffrey has over 2,000 lbs. of lighting equipment, over 2,000 feet of extension cords. Most of the time he travels in his Ford Club Wagon with his equipment and lighting staff. He uses a Phase One back, uses Schneider lens, and uses hyperfocal for focusing.

It is not uncommon for him to use over 100 lights in lighting his subjects to photograph. Jeffrey can spend hours with his subject to get to know the subject better, get a feel for it, and be able to create a certain emotion, and tell a story when you see his photographs. Sometimes a photo shoot will start at 4:00 pm in the afternoon, and not conclude until the early morning hours around 7:00 am.

His light sources are:

• Lowel
• Arri
• ETC Source

Education night at Memphis Camera Club

On Thursday June 10th the Memphis Camera Club held its monthly meeting to educate our club members about post processing such as Photoshop and lightroom.

Barry Siegel stepped in for Dale Cox and talked about photograph layers, masks and the tool bar in Photoshop. Barry demonstrated techniques that allowed for us to enhance our photographs by using these techniques.These educational club nights are always helpful, as we all come away with learning new photograph techniques, that we can apply personally as well as at the club.

Memphis Camera Club Competition Night

The Memphis Camera Club held its monthly club competition Thursday June 3rd, which is always the 1st Thursday of the month.

We had over 30 images in the digital photography category, and over 50 images in the print photography category. We have three judges and an alternate. The scores range from 1 to 9 being perfect. So a perfect score would be 27, which was accomplished by Tom Richey that night with his picture of a red fox.

Periodically our club competition chairman Barry Siegel will have assigned themes throughout the year, and the Memphis Camera Club assigned theme was “Disturbed”. We saw a wide range of images that represented this theme, and the winner was “Gang Graffiti” by Blair Evan Ball.

Internationally renown architect photographer Jeffrey Jacobs to speak at Memphis Camera Club

Jeffrey Jacobs internationally renown architect photographer will be presenting to the Memphis Camera Club, Thursday June 17th at 7:00 pm. The Memphis Camera Club meets at the Longinotti auditorium which is in back of St. Francis Hospital, emergency side.

Spanning more than 28 years, Jeffrey Jacobs’ career has focused exclusively on high-end architecture, architectural product and hospitality/resort photography for the past 20 years. From large-scale projects to small intimate spaces, Jacobs’ artfully detailed and masterfully crafted three-dimensional lighting techniques are recognized nationally and internationally.

Jacobs’ extensive experience includes all types of image production, from “bubble gum to Mack Trucks,” including food, large studio and elaborate location productions in addition to numerous television, music video and documentary motion picture presentations. In the early to mid-1980s, his responsibilities included Lighting Director, Gaffer, Best Boy Electric and Key Grip on several regional and local television commercials.

Imagine the Possibilities through Photographs

Karen Pulfer Focht – award winning photographer from the Commercial Appeal spoke to the Memphis Camera Club the night of May 20th.

Imagine the Possibilities

Here are some photographs and notes from her presentation.

Karen Pulfer Focht – A story teller, who happens to use a camera

Think in terms of moments, and learn to anticipate those moments

Shoot through the picture to capture the moment. As in golf or baseball, follow through is important.  You may not ever actually see the perfect moment through your viewfinder, but if you shoot through the moment, it will be there.

Patience…wait for the best moment, not everything worth waiting for happens within seconds of your arrival.

Be Open- – – Be Alert – – -Hold Your Ground

You can not publish an excuse

Shoot what you LOVE and Cultivate Joy…Try to tell a story with your images…Take the “pretty” picture that tells the story

Find a new way to look at things, and bring a fresh perspective to otherwise mundane events.

Have fun, and enjoy the journey

Be ready to take the “picture that hurts”.  As in life, not every image has a happy ending, but tell the story anyway…it makes for a better world.  Change the world one image at a time…we all have that opportunity.

Know what you are trying to say, and wait until you’ve said it.  Relentlessly pursue “the moment”, and Make people care.

“There are two ways to live:  you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

— Albert Einstein

Memphis Camera Club hosts CS5 education class

This Thursday the 13th at 7:00 pm, the Memphis Camera Club will host training on the new Adobe CS 5 for its members.

Ellen Cox will be conducting the class and she is an expert when it comes to Photoshop. She is a partner in Good Advertising in Memphis. She will be showing us what is new in CS5 verses the previous version CS4.

Ellen will also take  a look at Apple’s Aperture and why she likes it as her raw converter and image filing system and she can answer questions about work flow best practice.

So come on down to the Memphis Camera Club and learn some new and exciting tips to improve your photography and take it to the next level. Be sure to have some fun, and bring a friend.

We meet at the Longinotti auditorium at the back of St. Francis Hospital on Park Ave.

Memphis Camera Club competition 3 days away

The Memphis Camera Club prepares for competition night May 6th at 7:00pm. Always a fun and exciting time to see what all the photographs members will submit, and learn from each photographer how they took the photographs.

It will be a busy night as we also turn in our photos for the Places We Worship exhibit for CBU (Christian Brothers University). Brother Robert Werle has been a great and wonderful supporter of the Memphis Camera Club, photography and art. We are grateful to him and to CBU for their generosity and support. The exhibit (Places We Worship) will hang in August at CBU. All photo’s were juried by outside judges in Memphis, and we will have 40 black & white prints.

Ave Maria will be having a silent auction on May 22nd at 6:00 pm, and all Memphis Camera Club members are encouraged to donate prints for this auction. These photographs along with the Auction Item Donation form are due May 6th as well.

Field Trip to The Dixon Gallery & Gardens

The Memphis Camera Club is off to another field trip!

This Saturday, April 24 at 8:00 a.m., club members and spouses are invited to participate in a field trip to the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. The gardens will be opened early to allow members to stroll the grounds and take photographs. At 10:00 a.m., the gallery is open to those interested in seeing the current exhibition, ŒAnything but Clear: The Studio Glass Movement, 1979-2009.‚ This exhibition features over 50 works of art from Memphis collections and beyond.

The gardens will be blooming with azaleas, viburnums, wildflowers, and a host of other woody plants and perennials. It is the most beautiful time of year to visit the gardens.

Diane Reed, former director of horticulture at the Dixon will be available to answer questions about the gardens and the history of The Dixon.

Grab your camera equipment and join us for an enjoyable morning at the Dixon.

The Dixon is located at 4339 Park Avenue, on the south side of Park Avenue across from the entrance to the Memphis Botanic Gardens. The gates will be open at 8:00 a.m. There is no admission charge to the gardens or gallery.

Be sure to take pictures for the Memphis Camera Club Facebook page and scrapbook!

For further information or questions, call Newt Reed at 829-2373 or contact by e-mail.

newtreed@earthlink.net

Vicksburg a place in history

The Memphis Camera Club field trip committee headed by Steve Copen did a great job of preparing us for a wonderful photographic experience in Vicksburg, MS, and surrounding areas. Thanks also to Paula Cravens, who lived in Vicksburg for a number of years, and helped give us a sense of history, and perspective.

13,000 soldiers lay buried in Vicksburg National Military Park in unknown graves.

Approximately 30 miles to the south towards the Mississippi River lay the ruins of Windsor.

Windsor was built by Smith Coffee Daniell II, who was born in Mississippi in 1826, the son of an Indian fighter turned farmer and landowner. In 1849, he took Catherine Freeland for his wife and, together, they had three children. Just weeks after completion of the grand home, Mr. Daniell died at the age of 34.

In 1859 the couple begin to build their home, Windsor, which was not completed until 1861. The bricks used in the columns were made in a kiln across the road from the house. The columns were then covered with mortar and plaster.  The fluted columns had iron Corinthian capitals and were joined at the galleries by ornamental balustrade. Note the iron carvings atop the columns and the iron centers. Skilled carpenters were brought from New England for the finished woodwork. The iron stairs, column capitals and balustrades were manufactured in St. Louis and shipped down the Mississippi river to the Port of Bruinsburg, several miles west of Windsor. The total cost of the mansion was $175,000 (app. $3,500,000 today).

Windsor’s ruins have appeared in several motion pictures including Raintree County (1957) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift and most recently in the movie Ghosts of Mississippi with Whoopi Goldberg and Alec Baldwin and James Woods.

3 days to photo fun in Vicksburg

During the year the Memphis Camera Club plans several outings with its members. This spring we are heading to Vicksburg, MS along with 25+ club members.

We had our meeting last Thursday to discuss the many different places to go and photograph. Steve and Peggy Copen were kind enough to get maps, and guides from the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce to pass out to everyone. This will help tremendously in planning where we are to go.

From the Mississippi River, to the National Military Park, to the antebellum homes, to the National Cemetery, Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum the original 1st Coca-Cola. We definitely won’t be at a loss for photo opportunities.

It is always interesting how we interpret and lend our own style to what we photograph. It will be interesting to see what pops up in next month’s competition.

Come check out the Memphis Camera Club at our next meeting which will be the 1st Thursday in May, competition night. You’ll find willing photographers to lend a hand, share their thoughts and ideas, and make you feel welcome.