October Meeting of Digital Photo SIG: Flickr University

How would you like to study photography at university that features teachers and students from all over the world, in your free time, at no cost to you? The online photosharing site Flickr.com offers these benefits. It occurred to me that through my participation in Flickr, I've gotten my questions answered, met talented photographers, and learned about cool techniques like bokeh, high dynamic range photography, and the Orton effect.

At the October meeting of the Digital Photography Special Interest Group, the topic will be Flickr University: Using Flickr to Improve Your Photography. You will learn how to use Flickr to:

• Take better pictures with your camera
• Get answers to your photographic questions
• Do special effects like the Orton Effect (I will demonstrate how to create this effect using Adobe Photoshop Elements)

Speaker:
Charles Burkett, SIG Leader

When:
Thursday, October 16th, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Maple Heights Branch of the Cuyahoga County Library
5225 Library Lane
Maple Heights, Ohio 44137-1291
Off Libby Road between Broadway & Lee

Cost:
Free and open to the public

Charles Burkett to Exhibit Photographs

I will be exhibiting my photographs with a number of very talented artists as part of the Neighborhoods of Shaker Square HOME TOUR


When:
Saturday, September 27, 2008
12:00pm - 6:00pm

Where:
Building formerly known as American Crafts Gallery (across from Larchmere Tavern)
13010 Larchmere Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44120

Cost:
The Exhibit is free. No tickets are needed.
(The home tour is $15. Advance tickets are needed.)

Artists Include:

Anna Arnold, paintings, educator, graduate student in Art Education at Case Western Reserve University & www.annathebrave.bravejournal.com/

Charles Burkett Jr., photography, teaches photography for Ideastream and leads a Digital Photography Special Interest Group for the Greater Cleveland PC Users Group

Rodney Carpenter, paintings, drawings and graphics, art educator with the Bureau of Cultural Arts, Cleveland.

Shirley Clark, clay and mixed media

Dr. Bruce Cline, photography, Chair of the Photo Department at Lakeland Community College

Bill Faust, drawings, instructor at Lakeland Community College

Nancy Weymouth Halbrooks, watercolors, teaches and coordinates the art program at Lorain County Community College.

Richard Howell, mixed media and functional artist, Studio 126 on Buckeye.

Chloe Hopson, photography, Director of Passport Project, neighborhood non-profit arts organization; world traveler; photographer; dancer.

Charles J. Pinkney, paintings, photography, educator, Director of Fine ARTS Society

Gloria Plevin, paintings, owner of the Gloria Plevin Gallery

Mary Urbas, fiber and clay, Gallery Coordinator and Exhibition Curator, Lakeland Community College.

For more information on the event visit S.H.A.D. (Shaker Sq. Area Development Corp.).
or call 216-991-4991 for tickets and additional information

Charles Burkett to Speak to Chagrin Valley Camera Club

www.flickr.com

The Chagrin Valley Camera Club has invited me to speak to their group about Flickr, the Online Photosharing Site. I'll be talking about how to use Flickr as well as why photographers would want to join this site.

When:
Tuesday, September 9, 2008, at 7 p.m.

Where:
Beachwood Library,
25501 Shaker Boulevard
Beachwood, Ohio 44122-2398
Corner of Richmond & Shaker Boulevard

Cost:
Free and open to the public

Cleveland Photographic Society Falll Course Lineup Starts Soon

I've written in the past about the courses offered by the Cleveland Photographic Society. I took the introduction to Digital Editing Course outlined below and found it immensely helpful. I now teach Photoshop Elements for Ideastream. The CPS course I took allowed Photoshop Elements to make sense for the first time. I had owned the program for two years prior to taking the course and had not scraped the surface of what it can do on my own.

If you are interested in photography and want to learn more from experienced instructors, in a supportive environment, with detailed handouts, this course is for you. The information below is from the website of the Cleveland photographic Society.

Fall Photo School Enrollment Open! For over 90 years, CPS has been promoting photographic education through its School of Photography programs. Sessions this Fall will continue this long-standing tradition. Click here for the complete brochure in Adobe PDF format.

Full details have also been updated on the School page of this website, or click the course titles below for course-specific information:

Fundamentals of Good Photography - 10 consecutive Wednesday evenings, beginning September 10 at 7:30 pm. Cost: $160

Introduction to Digital Editing - 3 consecutive Saturday afternoons, beginning September 13 at 10:00 am - lunch included. Cost: $160

Get a jump on fall foliage and Holiday photography - enroll now!

Adobe Announces Photoshop Elements 7

Today, Adobe announced the release of Photoshop Elements 7. Although the software is not available now, you can sign up to buy it when it is available in October, 2008.

The release of the newest version of Photoshop Elements will have ties to Adobes new Photoshop.com platform which will be similar to the existing Photoshop Express website.

Detail on features is sketchy, since the software hasn't actually been released but you can read more from the Washington Post and Market Watch.

Stay tuned for more details. . .

Join in Scott Kelby's Worlwide Photo Walk on August 23

Author Scott Kelby is organizing a photo walk on August 23rd to celebrate the publication of his new book "The Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers." A photo walk is a social event in which photographers meet at a location, take pictures, and view those pictures afterwards at a restaurant or cafe. Photographers will meet at locations in cities all over the world on the 23rd. After the pictures from each city are taken, they will be posted to groups on the online photosharing site Flickr. The best photos are eligible for prizes and recognition.

In Cleveland the photo walk will happen in the Little Italy neighborhood. Visit the website for a map where they will walk and contact information for the local organizer, Tony Salonia.

The National Association of Photoshop Professionals is organizing the event. Thanks to Howard Kass for bringing this information to our attention.

Where:
Cleveland: Public Parking Lot on corner of E. 119 St. and Mayfield Rd.
Other cities: visit the website.

When:
Saturday, August 23rd, starting at 11 a.m.

Cost:
Free, but participation at each location is limited to 50 people. Register here for Cleveland or any other city.

More Information:
Visit www.photoshopuser.com/photowalk

Parade the Circle: June 14, 2008

Parade the Circle 2006
Photo Credit: Charles Burkett

I've been going to this event for years. This celebration of arts, culture and a sense of whimsy brings out an eclectic mix of people.

Come see The Cleveland Museum of Art's award-winning Parade that integrates visual arts, dance, and music. More than 20 museums, churches, and organizations will sponsor fun, family-friendly activities at Circle Village, presented by UCI. Enjoy a parde through Univerity Circle, live entertainment from some of Cleveland's most talented music and dance groups and delicious treats from local vendors and restaurants.

Time:
06/14/08
Exhibits & Food: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Parade begins at noon

Location
University Circle's Wade Oval
Cleveland, OH 0
Wade Oval, off East Boulevard

Cost:
Free

For More Information:
Including a map and detailed description, visit
http://www.clevelandart.org/educef/parade/html/index.html
Source: the Plain Dealer

Avon's Duct Tape Festival 6/13-6/15

Photo Credit: avonducttapefestival.com

Looking for an interesting photographic opportunity? Attend the Avon Duct Tape Festival. There's a parade on Saturday, June 14 at 10:00 am. It begins at Avon Village School and ends at Avon Middle School.

This information is from the Plain Dealer

What's the most creative thing you ever did with duct tape? Go to the Duct Tape Festival this weekend and get inspired. Pirates are the theme this year at Veteran's Memorial Park, 38975 Detroit Road, Avon, and that means you're likely to see buccaneers, galleons and parrots made of the sticky stuff.

In addition to the art, there will be games, rides and refreshments. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. today, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 1-866-818-1116 or go to www.avonducttapefestival.com.

The Festival Hours are:
Friday, June 13: 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Saturday, June 14: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Sunday, June 15: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Thanks to Simplyjake in the Flickr group Photowalk Cleveland for bringing this to my attention.

Metroparks Seeks Photos for Emerald Necklace Photography Show

Photo Credit: jsmuscatello

Snap a photo of your favorite spot in the Cleveland Metroparks and submit the photo as a candidate for the Emerald Necklace Photography Show.

The exhibit is May and June 2009 at Cleveland Metroparks CanalWay Center and May, Jun and July 2009 at the Rock River Nature Center. Photos must be taken in the Cleveland Metroparks and may include landscapes, wildlife, wildflowers, people or historical structures. Photos must be taken in 2008. Submit up to three 8-by-10 photos, color or black and white. Photographs may be submitted in person at the Outdoor Education Administration offices at Garfield Park Nature Center through January 31, 2009, or mailed to:

Emerald Necklace Photography Show
11350 Broadway
Garfield Heights, OH 44125

Do not email photos. Professional Photographers are not eligible. Call (216) 341-9225 extension 222 for additional information.

The information above was taken from the Plain Dealer print edition, 6/7/08 p. B2. I could find no reference to this contest on the internet. If any readers find additional information, please post a link to it in a comment.

June Digital Photo SIG Meeting: Advanced Amateur & Professional Lighting

Professional photographer Marc Golub of Marc Golub Photography and Digital Services Inc. will speak about lighting at the June 2008 Digital Photography Special Interest Group. He will cover topics in advanced amateur and professional lighting, including natural lighting, soft box lighting, and a tennis ball sized light you've never heard of that costs $40 and produces beautiful light. The interior above was photographed with this light.

This talk grew out of my admiration for Marc's control of lighting in his photographs. You can see his other examples of his work from his website and from his Flickr photostream.

Marc literally grew up in the photography business. He has been taking pictures since his father put a camera in his hands at the age of two. He shot for his high school yearbook and college newspaper before joining the family business — Laurel Camera Shops — upon graduating from college.

He left the family business in 1984 and went to work for Jerome Schmelzer & Associates, doing advertising and public relations account and creative work. Wanting "to do his own thing," Golub started his own photography company in 1988.

Marc specializes in editorial photography. Current editorial clients include Crain’s Cleveland Business, The Cleveland Jewish News, Shaker Life Magazine, Cleveland Magazine and Associated Press. He has also created imagery for USA Today, Newsweek and The Plain Dealer as well as a number of other corporations and nonprofit organizations.

A self-described computer guru, Marc uses seven computers — three laptops and four desktops in both Mac and Windows platforms.

When: Thursday, June 19, 2008, at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Maple Heights Branch of the Cuyahoga County Library
5225 Library Lane
Maple Heights, Ohio 44137-1291
Off Libby Road between Broadway & Lee

Cost: Free and open to the public