ATTENDING: Tom B, Jerry L,
Jack H, Dotti E, Bob G.
TOPIC: How
to Take Great Photographs
Mac users were asked
to bring some of their favorite original photos on a USB thumbdrive
to this meeting and tell us how the pictures were taken. Since many
of us are old experienced photographers (from the film age),
we had a good time sharing pictures, stories and the following tips:
SCUFI
- shoot close up for impact - this also softens background detail
Framing
- use a tree branch, doorway, or foreground element to frame subject
Background
- avoid clutter, distracting lines, extreme light or dark
Lighting
- use natural light indoors (by a window), use fill flash outdoors
for shadow detail
Rule
of Thirds - avoid dead center and symmetry in placement of a key element
S
- curves - use streams, roads or lines to lead the eye into picture
Scale
- include a recognizable element for scale when emphasizing height,
depth or distance
Panning
- emphasize speed by following fast movement with camera to blur background
Focus
on eyes - in a portrait, the eyes are the first thing to be noticed
Angle
- shoot from an unusual viewpoint (high, low, inside-out)
Bad
weather - take pictures in inclement weather (rain, sleet, fog)
View
some of the photos shared at the meeting by Tom, Dotti, Jerry and Bob.
i-FlashDrive by
PhotoFast - two-way file transfer for iPad, iPhone and Mac/PC - USB on
one end, 30-pin dock connector on other - works with free iFlashDrive
app - read
more - 8GB ($95) 32GB ($180)
Uninterruptible
Power Source (UPS) - Jerry shared how to make a low-cost, high-quality
Uninterruptile Power Source. Loss of power or a brown out to a computer
can be disastrous if it happens while writing to a hard disk. It can
corrupt the Table of Contents, making the disk unusable without heroic
measures. So a computer should have a UPS feeding it to eliminate that
danger. Kind of like having house insurance, may never need it but
if you do need it, you REALLY need it. Read more
Caffeine -
freeware to keep your mac awake during long sessions
JAlbum (version
9.5) - free app to transform a folder of photo files into a complete
website in a few seconds with thumbnails, captions, linked images and
camera info. (Tom's favors the older version
6.1)
1) Open folder, then select all pix in folder (Command-A)
2) Right-click (Control-click) on one of the titles and choose 'Slideshow'
from Menu.
3) Slow speed of slideshow by clicking Pause, then use direction arrows
->
4) Move translucent control panel of slideshow by click-holding on thin
divider line
IN THE NEWS
Secrets
From Apple's Genius Bar - read some of Apple's store training
secrets. They include: intensive control of how employees interact
with customers, scripted training for on-site tech support and consideration
of every store detail down to the pre-loaded photos and music on
demo devices.
Water
Accident - If you accidently run your USB thumbdrive through the washer,
or drop your cell phone into the pool (or toilet), do the following
to possibly salvage it for future use:
1) Remove any battery.
2) Then place the device in a ZIP-LOCK bag filled with UNCOOKED RICE.
3) Zip it closed and leave it for a couple days to allow the rice to
absorb all moisture.
4) Replace battery and give it a try.
(Note: if the accident occurred in salt water, first rinse the device
in fresh water).
Hammondsport Mac Users Group - Hammondsport, NY 14840
- www.hportmug.com
TOPIC: How
to Take Great Photographs
View
some of the photos shared at the meeting by 
Uninterruptible
Power Source (UPS) - Jerry shared how to make a low-cost, high-quality
Uninterruptile Power Source. Loss of power or a brown out to a computer
can be disastrous if it happens while writing to a hard disk. It can
corrupt the Table of Contents, making the disk unusable without heroic
measures. So a computer should have a UPS feeding it to eliminate that
danger. Kind of like having house insurance, may never need it but
if you do need it, you REALLY need it. 
Water
Accident - If you accidently run your USB thumbdrive through the washer,
or drop your cell phone into the pool (or toilet), do the following
to possibly salvage it for future use: