Lighting with Speedlight - Date Change

Talk about making a boo boo. An astute reader of our website just discovered that we made an error in our calendar. Which is to say that we had two different dates listed for the Lighting with Speedlights class in December. Darn it.

We have made the necessary corrections on the website. The correct date is Saturday December 12th.

We apologize for any inconvenience!

-BUD and the SOPHA Staff

The Bud and Dave Show!

The latest episode of The Bud and Dave Show is up on YouTube. Check it out!

SOPHA at the Hunt's Sale this weekend

The Studio of Photographic Arts (SOPHA) will be teaching a number of mini-session programs at Hunt's Photo in Manchester this weekend.

Hunt's runs a big sale every year, and this year SOPHA will be on hand to run four classes through out the day on Friday and Saturday (10/31 and 11/1).

Come on down and say hello and join us for one (or more) of these free classes.

Gallery Show: Monochrome

Come join us as we celebrate the work of dozens of area photographers in SOPHA's latest show, "Monochrome."

An opening reception will be held on Friday night, November 20th, and admission is free.

Members can contact SOPHA for information on registering for this show.

All artwork will be available for purchase, with the artists making a group donation to benefit New Hampshire Child and Family Services Teen Programs. Additionally, donations for these important programs helping at-risk youth will be accepted during the show.

We hope to see you Opening Night!

The image in this show's flyer was created by our very own intern Seana. Thanks!

Poladroid - The Digital Polaroid Experience

It is amazing what you can find on the internet with a bit of stumbling around.

I recently found Poladroid - an odd program for both PC and Mac which simulates the Polaroid camera experience. Yes, Polaroid - those lovable cameras that peaked in the early 80's which gave you your image in just 60-90 seconds. Neat. Of course, the concept has been completely obliterated by modern digital cameras, and the Polaroid company went down faster than a six year old kid after a five day sugar binge. But I digress.

This application, downloadable for free here, is a bit odd. Hence why I call it an "experience." Download the application, install it, and then run it. When the application launches, it places a Polaroid camera on your screen with a blank picture hanging from the front. Then all you do is drag and drop the image you want to convert tot he Polaroid style on to it. It makes a loud mechanical noise, a-la-Polaroid 600 series camera, and puts... I swear... a undeveloped Polaroid on your screen.

Yes, you have to wait about 90 seconds to see the result. Which in today's world, is a reminder of just how fast digital works.

How about this - if you grab the resulting image with your mosue and shake it back and forth, you can cut the time in half. Seriously.

I find the application simultaneously humourous and annoying (I dont want to wait!). There are options for adding dirty/fingerprints to the final image, which you have to choose before you drag and drop.

I do like their variable interpretation of the result...it is never exactly the same twice. The overall effect is very good, especially compared with the countless free "Polaroid"-like Photoshop actions floating around the web.

If you are bored, or are looking for a nifty way to make your image look like a 600 series Polaroid, give Poladroid a look see.

(Images, top to bottom: Seana our intern, the Poladroid program open, Eric with snapshots taken during the Poladroid "development", and yours truly.)

The Best Camera by Chase Jarvis

For those that know me - you know that I am a recent adopter of the iPhone. I think that it and I are long lost brothers - we were meant to be together, but in the familial sort of way.

One feature of the iPhone 3Gs is its interesting 3 megapixel camera. I say interesting, in that having a camera with you all the time - one with 3MP - is pretty darn handy.

What do I like most? The complete absence of controls. If I want control, I will go to the real cameras. With the iPhone, it is all about composition - the content of the image, rather than the technical.

In his book, "The Best Camera is the One That's With You," Chase Jarvis writes "The dirtiest secret in photography? Shoot a hell of a lot of pictures to get the ones you want." (page 204 ).

I will agree that shooting more can be helpful. I like the images in his book - but for composition, not for technical. And I admire his energy - last week he launched his book sale on Amazon, launched an iPhone application ("Best Camera") and started a new website - all in one day.

I bought the book for the SOPHA library. Generally, I am underwhelmed at the book, but overwhelmed at the concept. While it is true that details matter, that quality gear can help to make a great image - at the end of the day, you either get the shot of you don't. If photography is about expression, why not keep the tools for the expression at hand?

My good friend Eric Arnold and I are hatching a plan centered on mobile phone photography - I'll let you know when that comes to fruition.

The image above shows Florida Dave staring at the Best Camera book, not knowing whether to pronounce it Gold or Pyrite. You be the judge - swing by SOPHA and take a peek for yourself.

More Books for the SOPHA Library

SOPHA Members know that we have a big library of photography-related books and DVDs.

We just added four books to the library for September:

Beauty in Photography by Robert Adams
Digital Photography #3 by Scott Kelby
Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel
The Hot Shoe Diaries by Joe McNally

Members - come on down!

-SOPHA Staff