PSSA North Gauteng Newsletter - 3/2013

Newsletter 3/2013

27 March 2013

Dear Northern Gauteng Clubs

Will you please be so kind as to send out the following newsletter to all your club members.

PSSA Honours Results:

Congratulations once again to the members within our region with their honours results. Please feel free to view the successful panesl on the PSSA website.

National Salons:

Congratulations to all your members from the different clubs who achieved outstanding results in the 2nd Randburg National Salon and the 1st Midrand Monochrome Salon. Herewith a short summary:

2nd Randburg Salon Results:

	Northern Gauteng	AFO	Bosveld	CCC	MFFC	MCC	NPC	PPS	Rustenburg
Nature	2 Medals 3 COM's 21 Accepted	1 Medal 2 x COM 14 x Acc	1 x Acc		1 x Medal 1 x COM 2 x Acc	1 x Acc	2 x Acc	1 x Acc
Birds	3 COM's 28 Accepted	1 x COM 13 x Acc			2 x COM 9 x Acc	1 x Acc	2 x Acc		3 x Acc
Sport	1 Medal 5 COM's 17 Accepted	2 x COM 6 x Acc		1 x Acc	1 x Medal 3 x COM 4 x Acc	3 x Acc	2 x Acc	1 x Acc
Landscapes	1 x COM 32 Accepted	7 x Acc	3 x Acc	3 x Acc	1 x COM 6 x Acc	4 x Acc	4 x Acc	4 x Acc	1 x Acc
Flowers	1 COM 18 Accepted	1 x COM 2 x Acc	1 x Acc	3 x Acc	6 x Acc		2 x Acc	4 x Acc
Open Scholars	1COM 1 Accepted	1 x COM 1 x Acc

1st Midrand Monochrome Salon:

	Northern Gauteng	AFO	Bosveld	CCC	MFFC	MCC	NPC	PPS	Rustenburg
Nature	1 Medal 6 COM's 34 Accepted	2 x COM’s 11 x Acc	3 x Acc	1 x Medal 3 x Acc	2 x COM’s 6 x Acc	5 x Acc	2 x COM’s 3 x Acc	2 x Acc	1 x Acc
Photo Travel	1 COM 34 Accepted	7 x Acc		6 x Acc	6 x Acc	7 x Acc	3 x Acc	1 x COM 5 x Acc
Pictorial Open	10 COM's 77 Accepted	4 x COM’s 20 x Acc	2 x Acc	1 x COM 11 x Acc	19 x Acc	18 x Acc	3 x COM’s 2 x Acc	2 x COM’s 5 x Acc
Nature Landscapes	5 x COM’s 39 Accepted	2 x COM’s 15 x Acc		1 x Acc	2 x COM’s 7 x Acc	1 x COM 9 x Acc	3 x Acc	4 x Acc
High Key	2 COM's 17 Accepted	2 x Acc			2 x COM’s 6 x Acc	7 x Acc	2 x Acc
Low Key	2 COM's 21 Accepted	2 x COM’s 5 x Acc			6 x Acc	4 x Acc	1 x Acc	5 x Acc

Upcoming salons and competitions to enter:

• 6 April 2013 - 1st Limpopo Monochrome Circuit Salon
• 13 April 2013 - 3rd VPS Landscape Salon
• 16 April 2013 - 2nd PAVC AV Salon

PSSA Club Winning Image:

Congratulations to all the club winners over the past months. We hope to see more of the Northern Gauteng Clubs' winning images amongst the monthly winners this year.

BFK "Familieswaels" by Mitch Veldman

AFO "Flower Waterbuck" by Johan Steyn

BFK "Jy Moet Jou Lollery Laat Staan" by Ancia du Plessis

AFO "The Eye" by Anton Roos

BFK "Durbanspieel" by Geertjie Bester

BKF "Watermassa" by Riana Vorster

AV News

As part of our annual programme to promote AV's PAVC invites everyone from beginners to experienced Audion Visual practitioners to a hands-on workshop:

Date: Saturday 13 April 2013

Venue: Irene Homes Hall, near Centurion

Time: 10h00 to as late as you like

Cost: R50 for members of PAVC (pay at the door) and R100 for non-members (includes a one year membership to PAVC)

Please RSVP to assist us with catering (pretoria.av.club@gmail.com)

A light braai lunch and drinks will be provided (free).

Bring your equipment (don't forget power extention) and your AV's. We will do our best to help with problems and give ideas.

Note: The date is just before the closing date for the 2nd PAVC AV Salon. Hand in your entries at the workshop or get that last little bit of critique before finalising.

Paternoster International AV Festival

The West Coast Photographic Society (http://weskusfotoklub.blogspot.com) in conjunction with the Pretoria AV Club is planning a festival of international audio visuals for the weekend of 14 to 17 June 2013. Have a look at developments here: http://goo.gl/Q3TcQ

We hope to show the best of Australian, UK, Irish, Continental American and, of course, South African AVs. There will be time to discuss each AV and the individual styles of each country. Late starts each morning will allow those photographers who want to get out early to capture the photogenic Paternoster surrounds.

Booking for accommodation and attendance is now open. Please see the registration form at http://pretoria-av-club.wikispaces.com/Coming+events for prices. Early bird reservations are limited to the first 30 delegates. More than 20 confirmed bookings have been received already.

Paternoster is two hours drive from Cape Town and we hope many AV enthusiasts from the Cape and West Coast will join us for an entertaining weekend.

Enquiries:

Koos Pieters 022 752 2027 / 083 944 7944 / jhpconsult@weskus.com

Jeff Morris 012 803 2105 / 082 840 5459 / pretoria.av.club@gmail.com

Midrand Camera Club International AV Festival - First Announcement

The Midrand Camera Club in conjunction with the Pretoria AV Club is planning a festival of international audio visuals for Saturday 22 June 2013. The venue will be the usual one, Nikon Headquarters in Midrand. 

This will be a scaled down version of the Paternoster International AV Festival.

Enquiries:

Evelyn Gibson 082 892 6250

Second PAVC National Audio Visual Salon - 2013

Photographic Society of South Africa (PSSA) Patronage "B"

Closing date is 16 April 2013. The SA Fiche (entry form to be completed for each AV) and brochure are on the PSSA website and http://goo.gl/3yk2Y website, where results will also be posted in due course. Be aware of the postal strike. Please get your entries in early.

1st International AV Competition "Citta di Garda"

Details and a registration form for this competition can be found at http://www.fiaf.net/diaf. It has FIAP patronage and payment by Paypal. Closing date is 1 May 2013.

International Digital AV Festival "Challenge 3-2-1"

Ricardo Zarate writes:
Dear AV Friends  
We are once again organising the "Challenge 3-2-1". The main point of this is to gather together short sequences that are no longer than 3 minutes 21 seconds. The choice of subject is free.
These sequences will be judged in various countries by photographic groups who are enthusiastic about AV. Please note the closing date for entries is 30 April 2013. Website: http://www.challengediaporama321.com/

The 3rd DCB AV Competition & Liliane Dorikens Throphy

Prize giving on 4 May 2013.

Village de Pinte, Belgium

Closing date: 15 April 2013

Special prize for video inclusion

Thanks to Maurice Dorikens, South Africans may enter for free. Why not take up this offer?

Enquires: Maurice Dorikens http://www.avnews.org.uk/

Australia AV Fest 2013 results

Only one member of PAVC, Jeff Morris, got an acceptance at this international salon.

Facebook

We now have a presence on Facebook. Please have a look and LIKE what you see.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pretoria-AV-Club/207198902746187

Please join us. If you are not already a member of PAVC, please join in order to get the most benefit out of the club. The application for membership form is on our website. This club is not only for Pretoria locals. Country members are welcome and can participate in many of our activities, like our annual club competition.

PSSA National Congress

Please take note that the PSSA National Congress will take place in St Lucia, KZN from 22-27 September 2013. For more information about St Lucia and places to stay, please consult the PSSA website.

Please remember to send me news from the region should you wish to have it published in the newsletter. Have a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend. Till next time!

Kind regards,

Anton la Grange, APPSA.

Audio Visual Production

This is truly an unique, not to be missed opportunity.

ONLY FOR BEGINNERS

Audio Visual Production

23 and 24 March 2013

At VSS Campus (Pretoria North) (for beginners only)

Audio Visual Production has aroused many heated debates in photography circles. Fact is we live in a visual world and the power of visual communication cannot be underestimated. An AV is everything on TV, from 30 second commercials, through all the soaps, to full fledged movies and also everything that combines audio and visual on the world wide web. Now have you ever seen any of these without a story or a message? Of course not! They're not all good, or equally creative, or equally communicative, but they are all audio visuals!

Course leaders: Hein, Christine and Ryno.

Plan of action!

First Day:

• The power of visual communication;
• The theory behind it;
• The goals of communication;
• The 7 C's of communication;
• Barriers to communication;
• The goals of producing an audio-visual;
• The story line;
• The importance of the audience;
• Script writing and storyboard;
• Voice over - writing it and tips on doing it;
• Idea generation - random word technique and associations;
• Reconnaissance of the environment to help us plan our images and integrate shot plan with script;
• Do complete photo shoot according to your script;
• Add spice by shooting video with your camera or cellphone;
• Adapting the script - pre script to post script to final script

Second Day:

• Selecting images;
• The selection process;
• Continuity and consistence;
• Flow and pace;
• Reviewing the story board and adapting it - getting to the final script;
• Sound recording and voice over;
• Sound mixing using Audacity;
• Basic photo editing in LightRoom;
• Final production

Time: 09:00 to 17:00

Cost: R50.00 per day should you wish to join us for snacks and lunch

What to bring: Your camera, laptop and lots of imagination

We can only take 20 students and will work on first come...

Razor publishers text book: "Audio Visual Production" will be launched at this workshop.

Please visit VSS Website

Contact VSS on telephone 012 565 5204

PSSA Definitions - Revised 6 March 2013

The PSSA has released an update on some of the definitions used in PSSA photography. We will update our rule book and eventually our EMMA system to comply with the new definitions:


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PSSA DEFINITIONS 

Revised 6 March 2013 

(Improved Manipulation definition added to the Oct 2010 document) 

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Introduction

For the purposes of competitions, salons and specialist honours applications all images are divided into two categories i.e. Nature and Open (previously known as Pictorial) in each division (Prints, Slides, Digital, AV).

The original image and all elements therein must have been taken by the photographer, whatever photographic medium is used. All actions in reaching the final presentation must be made by the photographer with the exclusion of film processing, un-manipulated commercial scanning and printing.

No images or parts of images may be downloaded from the internet or copied from any source whatsoever.

Monochrome

Unless otherwise stated entry may be made in either Colour or Monochrome. If there is a specific monochrome section the following definition applies:

• Monochrome is a black and white image. A black and white work fitting from the very dark grey (black) to the very clear grey (white) is a monochrome work with the various shades of grey. 
• A black and white work toned entirely in a single colour will remain a monochrome work able to stand in the black and white category. 
• On the other hand a black and white work modified by a partial toning or by the addition of one colour becomes a colour work (polychrome) to stand in the colour category. 

Manipulation

Manipulation shall constitute any or all of the following modifications to the original image:

• Adding an element to the image that was not contained in the original capture; 
• Removing an element from the image that was contained in the original capture; 
• Moving or repositioning an element of the image that was contained in the original capture. 

In the categories Nature and Photo Journalism, manipulation is not allowed. In all other categories, there are no restrictions whatsoever in the way authors choose to post process an image.

The status quo remains for the following, which enhancements is allowed, and is not seen as manipulation:

• Correction of lens distortion, chromatic aberrations, purple fringing, lens vignette and vertical/horizontal perspective adjustments; 
• Removal of dust spots or scratch marks from sensor or scanned images; 
• Due to the limitation of digital sensors regarding dynamic range, the blending of different exposures of the same scene to broaden the dynamic range (e.g. HDR); 
• Focus stacking to widen the depth of field especially in Macro photography. 

In the case of Nature and Wildlife HDR, stitching for panoramas and focus stacking will not be considered as manipulation and may therefore be used provided that the end result is a faithful representation of the original scene. HDR, Stitching and Focus stacking are not allowed in Photo Journalism.

Definitions

ANY EVENT CHOOSING TO RUN WITH ANY OF THE DEFINED CATEGORIES IN THIS DOCUMENT MUST ABIDE BY THESE PSSA DEFINITIONS 

It is strongly recommended that all clubs follow these definitions in order to make it easier for their members when entering PSSA sanctioned events.

Salons and competitions may choose to have other sections as well and for these they may make their own definitions HOWEVER the definitions must be clear and precise and disqualifications may not be made by subjective interpretation of the definitions.

Disqualifications, in all instances, should only be made when the salon director or judges are 100% sure of their facts. In the case of sections such as Visual Art, Abstract & etc., where the definitions themselves are subject to interpretation, no images should be disqualified.

PSSA reserves the right to withhold or disqualify any image which is considered to infringe the common laws of decency, and copyright. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Members are to be reminded that they should read the rules of all events very carefully as the international rules may differ.

1. Nature Definitions

NATURE photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict observations from all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well informed person will be able to identify the subject material and to certify as to its honest presentation.

• Human elements shall not be present, except on the rare occasion where those human elements enhance the nature story. 
• The presence of scientific bands on wild animals is acceptable. 
• Photographs of artificially produced hybrid plants or animals, domestic and farm animals, mounted specimens, or obviously set arrangements, are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement. Manipulation includes but is not limited to adding or removing any element by means other than cropping. Please read the full definition for manipulation. 
• The faithful representation of what was captured at the time of shooting must be maintained. Digital & printing adjustments are only acceptable if limited to minor cleaning work (removing dust spots), levels, curves, colour, saturation and contrast work, dodging and burning. Sharpening is allowed. 
• Compositing, multiple exposures, sandwich/montage shots and double exposures are not permitted except for new digital techniques such as HDR, stacking and stitching where the end result is a faithful representation of the original scene. 
• Adding or removing animals, parts of animals, plants, distractions, people etc into/from the image is not allowed. 
• Borders, if used in digital projections, should be unobtrusive and generally limited to a thin stroke that separates the image area from the black projection background. 

1.1 Wildlife

Falling within the Nature category is WILDLIFE which is defined as one or more organisms living free and unrestrained in a natural or adopted habitat.

• Therefore, while photographs of zoo or any other animals in captivity, insects or other creatures photographed in the studio or other controlled locations are NATURE subjects they are not WILDLIFE and could not be entered in a Wildlife section. Animals living free and unrestrained on game farms, private game reserves and National Parks are considered to be wildlife. 
• NOTE: Wildlife subjects are not limited to birds and mammals. Insects, reptiles, amphibians, sea creatures and botany are also eligible wildlife subjects as long as they are not captive subjects. The main subjects must be living organisms therefore Landscapes are not eligible wildlife subjects. 

1.2 Nature Sub-sections

Nature sub-sections include but are not limited to Seascapes, Landscapes, Macro, Abstract, Portrait, Visual Art etc. In all nature sub-sections the nature definition as given above applies.

2. Open

In this category the subject matter is totally open.

• All acceptance points accumulating from non nature sections will count in the open section. 
• All elements must be photographic – if graphic elements are included they should enhance the photographic image but not take over from it. All graphics used should be created by the photographer using their own artwork. 

3. Sub-sections

Abstract

An exercise in composition for the sake of art. The real identity of the abstractionist's subject is not important and the result is not intended to be anything.

Altered Reality

An image created by altering reality in an obvious manner. It can be created digitally or in camera. The intention is the creation of a new image that conveys a feeling or message, or tells a story.

Human Interest

An image depicting a person or persons in an interactive, emotional or unusual situation.

Landscape

A genre intended to show different spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. A landscape comprises the visible features of an area, including physical elements such as landforms, the sea, living elements of flora and fauna, abstract elements like lightning and weather conditions.

Macro

A photographic situation where you get close to a small subject by physical or optical means. Starting at approximately 1/4 life size i.e. when the subject being photographed is four (4) times the size of the film plane (i.e. film or digital sensor). There is no limit on the upper end.

Panorama

An image with elongated fields of view, with an aspect ratio of 2:1 or larger, the image being at least twice as wide as its height.

Photojournalism

An image that tell a news story. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography by the qualities of:

• Timeliness — the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events. 
• Objectivity — the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict in both content and tone. 
• Narrative — the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a cultural level. 

Pictorial

Images with wide visual appeal. Any subject that is treated pictorially, embodying the elements of good design, arrangement or composition, which reflects the personal interpretation of the photographer

Portraiture

A likeness, personality, and mood of a living subject where that subject is dominant in the image. Portraiture is not restricted to head and shoulders and may include just a part of the face, a back view or even a full length study.

Sports Photography

Sports photography covers any aspect of a sporting event. Images must depict an active pastime or recreation involving physical exertion and/or skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often of a competitive nature. Images in this section could include, for instance, the judge or umpire in a sporting event.

Sports Action Photography

Sports people in action. Images must depict an active pastime or recreation involving physical exertion and/or skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often of a competitive nature. The level of sport can range from children playing a sport to the Olympic Games.

Still life

An image depicting mostly inanimate subject matter.

Table Top

Table top is an image depicting mostly inanimate subject matter arranged in an artificial setting such as on a table top.

Visual Art

Photography as a means of expression and as a vehicle for the author to make a personal photographic statement.

Pictorial images can be Visual Art and Visual Art images can be Pictorial - the important part of the definition for Visual Art is that these images should go beyond the straightforward pictorial rendering of a scene. The image does not have to employ derivative or manipulative techniques to be Visual Art.

MCC Monochrome Salon Results

It gives me great pleasure to inform that the 1st Midrnad Camera Club Monochrome Salon was a huge success. I would like to extend a word of appreciation and congratulations to all the participants, winners, judges and Midrand Camera Club Committee members.

Herewith a summary of the results:

• Nature had 748 entries, 179 acceptances and 20 COM's were awarded;
• Nature Landscapes had 572 entries, 151 acceptances and 18 COM's;
• Photo Travel had 537 entries, 149 acceptances and 18 COM's;
• High Key had 343 entries, 98 acceptances and 14 COM's;
• Low Key had 519 entries, 130 acceptances and 14 COM's; and
• Pictorial Open had 1 061 entries, 311 acceptances and 43 COM's

WINNERS:

High Key Category:

Winner: "High Key Arum" by Ronel Viljoen

Runner Up: "Windfall" by Pam Brighton

Low Key Category:

Winner: "Awakening" by Jane Ferraris

Runner Up: "Low Key Nude" by Koot Marais

Nature Category:

Winner: "Springbok Drinking" by Koot Marais

Runner Up: "Nesbouer BW" by Bennie du Plooy

Nature Landscapes:

Winner: "Glowing Night" by Koot Marias

Runner Up: "Waves of Time" by Johan Beyers

Pictorial Open:

Winner: "Curves at the Sea" by Jason Stander

Runner Up: "Old Age" by 

Photo Travel:

Winner: "Della Carne" by Koot Marais

Runner Up: "Umhlanga Pier" by Ben Myburgh

What is a Salon?

A salon is a national competition presented by one of the many photographic clubs in South Africa. Almost every moth there is a salon presented by one club or another, have a look at the PSSA website for dates and details.

During judging at a salon no comments are made and only points are given. The judges do not know who the author of the images presented is nor do they know his or her star grading. A photo is judged on merit only according to set standards.


Why would I want to take part in a salon?

The fact that you belong to a club shows that you are serious about your photography and you want to improve. Criticism is thus important. It gives you an idea of how much you have improved in your photography. Salon judging is on a national level, far wider than club judging and if you have exposed your images to national judging then you have another measure as to how much progress or otherwise you have made. Also at the club, besides a certain number of golds you need a certain amount of salon points so as to advance to the next level.


What is judged?

The same things are judged at club level - the image must:

• Be nice and sharp
• Good lighting
• Correctly masked (cropping)
• Good composition
• Must be "clean" with no distracting background or other distracting areas
• Must have good impact (people must almost say "wow" when they see the picture_
• If it is a digital photo it must be correctly processed not over sharpened nor over saturated, any black or white on the photo must still have detail - this is very important as it immediately catches the eye of the judge.

How do I know that my photos are up to salon standard?

Nobody is ever 100% sure, but if you concentrate on the images that have mainly received gold at the club that will already be a good indication. Personally I look at the above mentioned standards and form my own opinion. If I believe that I have a good photo, which received silver at a club, I do not let myself be put off and will enter it in a salon as long as it fits the above criteria. That is the advantage of a salon - your photo gets a chance to be judged again.

 How does one get salon points?

Salon competitions often attract 3000 or more entries from photographers throughout the country whose photos will be judged. The judges' score for the images are put in order of preference and then about 25% of the highest scores get acceptances. If your picture gets an acceptance at a salon, you get 1 point. From acceptances about 10% of the pictures are chosen and they receive Certificates of Merit (COM) that is 2 salon points. Sometimes there are two winners and then two people will get medals.

How many pictures may I enter in a salon?

Each salon has a few categories - the rules of each salon explain each category. Normally one may enter 4 pictures in each category. If you are a nature photographer and you only have two good nature photos then you may enter them provided there is a nature section. You need not enter dour pictures per category.

At how many salons may I enter the same photo?

Until the picture has had 3 acceptances. After the same picture has been accepted more than three times the points do not count as salon points.

On the PSSA website where you get the info on the salons there is a document attached with the rules in their brochure. Please read this very carefully for the correct sizes, correct definitions of the categories etc.

Please support as many of the salons as possible as it is a good test for your photography.

Please do not be disappointed if you do not get an acceptance, it sometimes takes a few salon entries before you may get one acceptance. It is all part of the learning curve with our photography.

You may get an acceptance in one salon but the next salon it may get thrown out. This is part of judging as we all know.

Hope this helps the understanding of salons with our members, especially our newer members and also those who have not ventured into this avenue yet of salons. Go for it, it adds value to your photography.

Evelyn - 2013

Message from the President - 2013/02

Well into March and I do hope you have some lovely images in the bank for us and as always we look forward to seeing them.

We have had a very successful Mono Salon and extreme thanks must go to Anton La Grange who ran this salon with a dine tooth comb and with exceptional efficiency. Results will be posted within the next week. It must be understood that when a club is the hosting club and internal judges are involved in that particular category, then our members cannot receive the top awards, they will receive acceptances if applicable in the category. If the category had external judges then COM's will be applicable to members if they receive them. I have asked Nico to attach an article I wrote some years ago on "What is a Salon" so that you as members will understand a bit more (Click here).

Nikon will be installing a new projector in their premises very soon. This projector will be an HD projector - High Definition which means that we will need to change the size of our images when entering them into the club - the majority of the clubs in South Africa are now going this route, many have already implemented it and Photovault copes with it very well. Also, when you enter Salons overseas, many of them are HD now. Instead of your images being 1024 x 768, it will now be 1920 x 1080 - remember you go back to your original image and resize it accordingly, please do not try and resize your 1024 x 768 to the larger size as you will lose pixels and definition. We will keep you informed as to when you will move over to this size, probably for the April images. Don't panic about it, there is always help at hand.

Our guest speaker for March will be Anne d'Oliveira - some of you may remember that she was with us in November and due to technical issues she could not share with us the AV's that her and Frans Jesche had prepared for us, which I know and have heard are something to experience. We look forward to all working well this time round.

We are needing as much assistance as possible with the club due to various commitments that the present committee have from time to time and it is necessary to call on assistance when and where we can. Please if you feel you have expertise in a particular field, please feel free to contact me.

The club continues to go from strength to strength and will almost be a year old but we still need to put a lot of things in place for the continuance of the success of the club. I am always available to help and assist when and where I can with any queries.

The closing date on Photovault for the remote judging images is Wednesday 13 March and for the set subject Saturday 16 March - Photovault is already open, please get your images in as soon as possible.

Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 20 March at 19:00 and remember it is the 3rd Wednesday of every month that we meet.

Evelyn
President - Midrand Camera Club
Tel no: 082 892 6250
email: evelyng@mwebbiz.co.za

PSSA Northern Gauteng Region - Newsletter 2/2013

Newsletter 2/2013

8 March 2013

Dear Northern Gauteng Clubs

Will you please be so kind as to send out the following newsletter to all your club members.

PSSA Honours Results:

Congratulations to the members within our region with the honours results. As a region we are very proud of you.

LPSSA - Colour Digital:

Etienne Burger; Tania Cholwich; Treurnicht du Toit; Eddie Everson; Carolyn Greathead; Alice Grundy; Rudolph Heimstra; Pierre Jordaan; Fransois Potgieter; Eric Rauenbach; Christo Schutte; Marna van der Walt; Bernard Richard (HD)

LPSSA - Mono Digital:

June Fincham

APSSA - Audio Visual (AV):

Ryno Oosthuizen

APSSA - Colour Digital:

Renier Burk; Hannes Buys; Mariette de Buson; Koos Fourie; Charles Kok; Roger Lee; Marilou Manning; Percy Mitchell; Stanwell Slater; Willem Smith

FPSSA - Colour Slides:

Henning Blignaut; Geoff Ortlepp

FPSSA:

GB Jordaan; Henning de Beer

National Salon:

Congratulations to all your members from the different clubs who achieved outstanding results in the 4th Bethlehem National Salon. Herewith a short summary:

Upcoming Salons and Competitions to Enter:

• 16 March 2013 - 1st Southern Suburbs Mono Salon
• 23 March 2013 - 2nd Edenvale Digital Salon
• 25 March 2013 - Four Nations Competition
• 25 March 2013 - FIAP 27th Projected Images Biennial

PSSA Club Winning Image:

Congratulations to all the club winners over the last months. We hope to see more of the Northern Gauteng Clubs' winning images amongst the monthly winners this year.

MCC - "Lake Nagin" by 

MCC - "One Step at a Time" by 

CCC - "In the Mist" by Alfons de Witte 

CCC - "Pyramid Dune" by Johan van Biljon

AFO - "Muckross House 2" by Pieter Venter

AFO - "Japan Autumn Scene" by van Niekerk

MFFC - "Fishing" by Valmai le Grange

MFFC - "Winter" by Marlene van Heerden

Rustenburg - "The Kite has Landed" by Gerrie van Vuuren

Rustenburg - "Vrede" by Gerda Robberts

NPC - "The Trees" by Dieter Lange

New HD Image Sizes

The new image sizes for HD projection is 1920 (length) by 1080 (width) and the size of the image can be up to 1.5 mb.

The current sizes are 1024 x 768 with a maximum size of 500 kb.

Google YouTube: "How to change the sizes of an image in Photoshop" for short training videos on the topic.

Please remember to send me news from the region should you wish to have it published in the newsletter. Till next time.

Kind regards,

Anton la Grange APPSA

(Tel: 084 442 4442 email: antonlagrange@gmail.com)

Set Subject for March - Phototravel

Our set subject for March 2013 is Photo Travel with the following definition:

Images of travel destinations, accommodation, beach and swimming pool scenes, modes of transport and natural wonders.  The images could include the people of the land, the architecture of buildings internal or external (excluding close ups or building details) and aspects of scapes (excluding pure Nature landscapes).  The images should be aesthetically appealing, showing the destination in the best light, visual impact, perspective effects and human interest.  Does the photograph invite on to go to the destination?  Manipulation is permitted but not to the extent that the image becomes an abstract, photo art or unrecognisable as a travel image.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the definition.

PSSA Related Competitions

The PSSA just wants to remind us of the two competitions currently happening. More detail can be found on the PSSA website.


Four Nations Competition


FIAP 27th Projected Images Biennial

February 2013 Gold and COM awards

Congratulations to everybody that entered photos for our February 2013 club competition.


Here is a gallery with all the COM and Gold awards that was given during the evening.


Webalbum: February 2013 COM and Gold Awards

Message from the President - 2013/01

We have decided to publish news, events, etc. on our blog, which we feel will make it much easier and quicker to get news out to you all as soon as possible. Also the news won't necessary always come from me, if you have something that you would like to publish on the blog, please send it to midrandclub@gmail.com for publishing. In this way we are all communicating with one another, which hopefully is seen as a team effort for the club.

Into February already and hopefully it has really been a good start to you all in the photographic environment and we look forward to those images coming through every month so that we can enjoy and appreciate one another's images.

We once again have had interest shown from potential members in joining our club, this is very encouraging and we look forward to welcoming these people to Midrand Camera Club. Two members from the PE area will be joining as virtual members so we will only see their images, but hopefully if they are up in this area, it will coincide with a visit to the club.

The deadline for upload of the open entries is Wednesday 13 February and for the set subject, which is "Wildlife" is Saturday 16 February. Our speaker and presenter this month is John Coumbias, APSSA, AFIAP, EPSSA. John was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is of Hellenic heritage but has resided in South Africa since 1968. John comes with a lot of photographic experience behind him having purchased his first photographic camera in 1970. John says that South Africa has given him endless photographic opportunities through its majestic beauty and richly woven landscapes. We look forward to welcoming John to our club on the 20th of February.

The beginners workshops will start again on 16 February, so please contact Ken van Wyk on 082 387 3448 to confirm your attendance and for any further information.

Our outing to the Rhino\Lion Park on 20 April is a must for a good get together and for sharing and helping one another with our photography. Please contact Ken for further information to secure your booking.

Looking forward to seeing all of you at our next meeting on the 20th of February at 19h00 at the Nikon Headquarters.

Evelyn Gibson