Newsletter of the Highlands Ranch Photography Club

Highlands Ranch Photo Club Meeting
June 12, 2007

DeDe welcomed everyone to the meeting. Meetings are held at the Highlands Ranch Library the 2nd Tuesday of each month. First-time guests were welcomed.

Several club members talked about places they have recently taken photographs. There are very large polliwogs with tails at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Roxborough is full of flowers. The back country hike by the high school in Highlands Ranch is nice right now, although hikers were warned to stay on the paths as rattlesnakes have been sighted.

John Yamamoto is the repair manager for Englewood Camera, where he also teaches some photography classes. He likes to shoot black and white photos with a film camera, but also likes digital photography, especially for color shots. At one time in his career he was a cinematographer. On his recent trip to Paris he took pictures using slide film.

Yamamoto told club members about upcoming events through Englewood Camera. There will be several events and workshops offered in affiliation with Englewood Camera, including one featuring Jay Dickman, a National Geographic photographer. Several of the events will be sponsored by camera manufacturers -- Zeiss, Leica and Olympus. Some will be free events. Check the company website for more details: http://www.englewoodcamera.com/

John started by talking about the camera equipment he likes to pack for trips. One set-up for digital photography was packed to fit into a small rolling carry-on suitcase. His kit included a computer, digital camera, several lenses, flash sets, a circular polarizer, graduated neutral density filters and a cable release. Another set-up it into a small backpack and included equipment needed for a film camera. This set-up included an external hard drive powered by a USB port, camera equipment and film. He always carries model releases, a fold-up reflector and a tabletop trip as well.

For those carrying expensive camera equipment on international trips, John recommends registering the equipment before you go at the customs center at Centennial Airport. He lists the serial numbers on a sheet of paper and has them stamp the list. He takes two copies of the information with him -- one in his suitcase and another in his camera bag. This list can be used for insurance purposes in case of theft, or to prove you already owned the equipment and do not need to pay customs fees.

John looks for things and people that interest him and often starts talking to people to make contact. He asks permission before taking photos, and often asks for the subject to sign a model release if he thinks he might use the photos in the future. He finds that many people are quite cooperative once they get involved in conversation. He often offers to send copies of the photograph to the subject by e-mail or on CD as a way to say thanks.

During his recent trip to Paris, he only had one day of sun. In some ways it is easier to shoot with overcast lighting because there are no bad shadows. Wet streets can also offer reflections for interesting effects. A handheld (tabletop) tripod can be used along with trees or fences or other surfaces for stability in low lighting. Some of his night shots used fill flash to light up people in the foreground.

Subjects for his Paris trip included familiar places like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Versailles, but he tried to find interesting perspectives for his photo compositions. Going in the off-season meant it was not so crowded and people seemed more friendly.

He bought five-day passes for the Metro and the museums and used only public transportation and foot power to get around. Getting up early and starting out before everything gets busy allowed him to shoot with morning light and to get some shots before there were a lot of people out and about.

Some of his ideas for places to shoot came from conversations with people he met on the trip. He enjoyed visiting a sunken shopping center. We also saw shots of escalators on the outsides of buildings -- a great way to see the skyline.

John's people shots seemed very personal and captured some quirky personalities. For example, he caught a father who was drawing animals in the sand for his young daughter. He enjoys doing day-in-the-life photo shoots of interesting people.

We thank John very much for sharing his recent trip to Paris. We also learned valuable information about approaching photo subjects and equipment for traveling.

July 10 - Dale will do a presentation on wildlife photography.
August 14 - There will be an evening field trip somewhere local.

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