This is a great opportuniy to have your favorite image(s) printed really big.  Seeing your work printed this big is truly spectacular.

This is one of the two or three high profile competitions for nature photography. It is a multi-level entry systetm which makes it easier to enter than in the past when high resolution files including RAW files were required to enter. Now all that is needed for entry is a JPG file not exceeding 500K and entry is completed online.  Images that make it into the next round will require the larger files, complete description and equipment details be provided.

The rules are simple: All photos must accurately reflect the subject matter as it appeared in the viewfinder. Nothing should be added to an image, and aside from dust spots, nothing should be taken away. Normal processing of RAW image files and minor adjustments to color and contrast are acceptable, as is minimal cropping. HDR and focus stacking are permitted as long as all manipulation is disclosed upon entry.

For competition details visit CALL FOR ENTRIESÂ

A PRESENTATION ON BIRD AND WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Tuesday, February 7      7:00 p.m.

Acton Memorial Library
486 Main St, Acton, MA 01720

Photographer and author Bruce deGraaf will share his knowledge of wildlife photography, including the places, techniques, equipment, and publishing choices encountered in creating this book featuring many of his New England birding adventures. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation.

I’ll be reviewing all the images submitted this year in the club competition, but if you have additional images you’d like considered for the club entry, bring them to one of the meetings on a CD, or just speak with me at one of the next few meetings.  The entry is due at the beginning of March and I’ll be looking to finish the selection and entry form by the end of February.

To read more about the rules and image requirements visit the salon website.  You can also see the winning images in a slide show, as well as results of last year’s salon.

I have read over 30 articles about this technique, and attended two presentations that discussed Helicon Focus; not one of the images used as examples showed the anomalies I experienced in nearly every one of my attempts. I was determined to better understand the focus stacking technique and spent more than 200 hours photographing, processing, analyzing and documenting my observations.  The result is an extensive set of focus stacked image comparisons, and observations of the performance of Photoshop and Helicon Focus techniques.  The technique does solve some depth of field limitations in some situations; I will continue to use the technique, but it does not work in every composition. The results will be presented in three posts, a collection of 20 image sets, and a product review of Helicon Focus.

Focus Stacking

Part 1 – A Technique to Increase Depth of Field in an Image

Part 2 – Anomalies and (some) Fixes

Part 3 – What Works, What Doesn’t — Conclusions

Instructions on how to combine images together, align them, and merge them in Photoshop can be found HERE.

One of the most, if not THE most, prestigious nature photography competitions, the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012 competition, is now open for entries. Closing date for entries is 23 February 2012.  In addition to 11 categories (including B&W and creative visions) special awards include the Eric Hosking Portfolio Award for a young wildlife photographer 18-26 years old, the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Species, the World in Our Hands, and the Wildlife Photojournalist Award for a series of six images telling a story.

Complete description, rules, instructions, and digital guidelines are available here.

Unlike the typical photographic tour, this brand new workshop is designed for those starting out in photography and with a desire to learn to use their equipment in new and exciting ways to capture the essence of the rainforest.  You’ll return home with a colorful portfolio of tropical nature images and an expanded photographic toolbox so you can create dynamic images at home and in your future travels.

Photography is about light, and light in the tropical environment can be challenging, so our first full day will be short classroom sessions to refresh our knowledge of camera operation and metering, exposure, fill flash, depth of field and selective focus.  We’ll follow each session with time in the 10+ acres of garden at our arrival hotel where we will practice these skills to prepare you for your time in the rainforest.  We’ll tailor the learning segments to the needs of the participants, and with two instructors we’ll be able to accommodate any skill level.

Our first destination is the lowland rainforest along the Sarapiqui River where we will spend three days photographing in the lush vegetation of the forest.  This lodge was selected for its abundance of poison dart frogs, tree frogs, lizards and the colorful birds that take advantage of strategically placed bird feeders.  We’ve also scheduled a private boat trip along the river to photograph the wildlife that frequent the water’s edge.

Next we’ll travel high into the Atlantic slope cloud forest (4,500 feet) to a lodge located in one of the most bio-diverse areas of Costa Rica.  Here we will photograph rushing mountain streams, lush vegetation, birds, and mammals.  We’ll practice our macro techniques on the plentiful orchids and even venture out one evening to see what we may find to photograph by flashlight.  You’ll also have an opportunity to use high speed flash set ups to photograph hummingbirds in flight.

Photographers and instructors Greg Basco and Dennis Goulet will ensure you come home with a diverse collection of rainforest imagery.

For the complete itinerary see http://www.dennisgoulet.us/tours-and-workshops