Digital Double-Dipping With James Wiseman
By Dennis Deavenport

The July 1st meeting will feature HUPS member James Wiseman.  I think that it’s fair to say that we are very likely to see and hear a lot more about James in the near future.  James has only been a member for 4 months but he has already shown a tremendous willingness to contribute his time and skills to HUPS.  Not only has he volunteered to present a show to HUPS at the July monthly meeting but he will be authoring a monthly column on digital UW photography.  His first installment, "Why Go Digital?" goes right to the heart of the matter that many of us in HUPS are grappling with when it comes to the digital revolution and how it will be impacting us in the near future.

James’ presentation will give us an in-depth introduction to UW digital photography.  Come to July’s meeting and find out what all the commotion is about.  Learn what equipment is currently available, how to use it, and where it is leading us.

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inside This Issue
1	July Program - Going Digital - James Wiseman
2	President's Message, June Meeting Recap, A Note From Burt and Maurine
3	Why Go Digital?
4	Thanks to HUPS Booth Volunteers, Welcome New Members, A Call for Video Entries
5	Quick Tip, Photo Contest Rules, Upcoming Photo Contests & Meetings

James Wiseman from previous column

In case you’re worried that this will be an "all-techie" show, not to worry, he plans to show us lots of pretty pictures that he has taken with his Nikon Coolpix 990 and Ikelite housing.  For a nice preview of his work, check out his website at: http://www.reefpix.org.  See James’ first installment of his column on page 3.

As usual the meeting will be at the Bayland Community Center starting at 7:00 PM.  A map and directions are at the end of this newsletter.

James Wiseman ©2002

President's Message

Well, SEASPACE 2002 has come and gone.  The HUPS booth looked better than ever.  Thanks go out to all those who helped with the booth.  SEASPACE 2003 will find HUPS playing a big role.

As you may have heard at the June meeting, HUPS has been asked to produce a 7-8 minute show for the film festival and to provide a print gallery similar to the one DUPS provided at this years SEASPACE.  The show and gallery will be an awesome way to promote HUPS.

During the next couple months we need to start thinking about the theme for our film festival show.  We produced a show for the SEASPACE 2000 film festival and it was a lot of work.  We will need volunteers to provide images, provide equipment, sort/select images, choose music and produce the show.  If you are interested in being involved please let me know.

The gallery will also require advance planning.  We will need LOTS of large prints.  I think the DUPS gallery had around 60 prints.  I would like the HUPS gallery to have even more.  With a year to plan there is no reason we can’t have a truly incredible underwater photo gallery.  Start thinking about your favorite images and get a few prints made.  I would like to see participation from beginner as well as advanced photographers.  We will be looking for a volunteer or two to help coordinate the gallery.

The gallery and film festival show will offer more opportunities for you to get involved with HUPS.  Don’t think you have to be an expert photographer or long time HUPS member to get involved.  As the ad says, "Just Do It!"

David

A Note From Burt and Maurine

HUPS Webmaster extraordinaire, Pat Miller, received the message below from Burt and Maurine.

Hi Pat,
For some reason the only HUPS email address I saved is yours!  Please do me a favor and make sure the entire club knows how much we appreciate being asked to speak at the post-SEASPACE meeting last Monday.  It is always fun to be at HUPS but the membership really outdid itself this time.  Everyone was very responsive to our show.  I hope we helped at least a few folks with their uw photography questions.

Thanks again for making us feel so welcome and a true part of the Houston diving community.

Best fishes, Maurine and Burt

Visions of the Secret Sea of Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock
By Dennis Deavenport

Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock succeeded once again in weaving their special brand of visual magic on members and guests attending HUPS’ Post-SEASPACE presentation.  As a special added bonus, they started the evening with a re-showing of their SEASPACE Film Festival presentation.  As the music and slides merged together in perfect synchronization, we were all transported to islands and seas half way around the globe.  A majority of the images were taken in the waters surrounding the Indonesian islands of the Nusa Tenggara on the northern shores of the Indian Ocean.  In particular, their travels have centered around the rich waters of the exotic dragon-infested islands of Komodo and Rinca.  The lure of these waters is evidently so strong that Burt arrived for SEASPACE directly from Indonesia without stopping in their new home in Mexico on the Yucatan coast just north of Belize.

The middle portion of their presentation focused on questions from HUPS members specific to UW photography.  Pat Miller led the charge on getting all of the questions assembled and sent to them by mail prior to SEASPACE.  Each question was discussed in depth and illustrated by examples from their own photography.  In some respects, this presentation was a mini version of their Saturday morning SEASPACE seminar on "The Art in the Animal."  Questions ranged from subjects on composition and what makes a "killer image" to technical questions about equipment and the newly emerging digital age that is rapidly bearing down on us.  Needless to say, their words of wisdom and numerous examples were well received by the audience.

To round out the evening, the group was shown a brand new presentation put together expressly for HUPS.  Once again, we were transported to waters far away and images from the Secret Sea of Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock.

As always, it was a real treat to be able to spend time with Burt and Maurine.  They are true professionals in the field of UW photography but more importantly, they are personal friends whose warmth and willingness to share with others is greatly appreciated.

For those members that want more from Burt and Maurine, we highly recommend purchasing their award-winning book, The Secret Sea.  In 1996, it was awarded a "Benny" (Benjamin Franklin Award) from the printing industry as the year’s Best Pictorial Book.

I’d like to begin my new column by letting everyone in HUPS know how much it means to me to be able to contribute something to a club like this.  In the 4 months I’ve been a member, I have already learned a lot from all of you, so I’m really excited to be able to give something back.

I’ll start off with a little bit about myself.  I moved to Houston 4 years ago from California where I grew up.  I have only been diving for three short years -- two of those with a camera, but I grew up in the water -- snorkeling in San Diego’s cold waters 2-3 times a week.  Only after college was I able to afford scuba lessons and my own gear.  My first underwater photos were taken in the Keys using a Coolpix 990 digital camera.  I shot the camera in full automatic -- just about all I knew about photography at the time was how to push the shutter button.  But I learned fast -- incredibly fast.  In the past two years "going digital" has allowed me to take literally thousands of underwater photos.

This brings me to "reason #1" for going digital -- instant feedback -- the ultimate learning tool.  The old adage "practice, practice, practice" surely applies here -- especially since film is free!  All digital cameras will display your shot right after you take it, so looking at the LCD screen underwater you can quickly see if your shot is out of focus or not exposed properly.  If so, you just bump your f-stop up or down, reframe the shot, and take it again!  An extension of this is that most cameras worth their salt will not just record the photo, they will actually record the exposure information about the photo.  This is where the real learning comes in.  After my day’s dives, I can hook the camera up to a TV, view my shots and their f-stop, shutter speed, zoom, etc. -- and learn what I did right and wrong.  This is the ultimate tool that lets me get the shot right the first time on my next dive.  This probably cuts the learning curve in half for new underwater photographers, saving time, money, and most importantly, frustration.  If you’re worried that your slave strobe isn’t firing, you can check your shots after the first dive.  If the boat you’re on doesn’t have E-6 processing, this is a huge advantage.

When considering gong digital, the next most important question to ask yourself is "Reason #2 - What will I be using my photos for?"  If you like to email your photos to relatives and friends, display them on a website, or instantly send digital files to your agent -- then digital is the way to go.

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Why Go Digital? from previous column

When I get back from a dive trip, the first thing I do is hook my camera up to the computer and transfer my photos to my hard drive.  Then I burn the raw pictures to a CD-ROM -- just like that, all my photos are safe and I have 2 copies of everything.  If I saw something noteworthy at the Flower Gardens, I can attach it to an email and fire it off to the Sanctuary staff immediately.

No waiting to get film back from the developers.  Next I use Photoshop to look at all of the photos and sort them into "keepers" and "so-so" categories -- just like with slides -- except I don’t have a lot of black frames to throw away at the end of each roll.  After sorting, I use the same program to make a nice "web gallery" out of all the good photos which I can upload to my website.  Just like that, I can share my photos with friends and fellow divers around the world.  If anyone sees a picture they like and want to purchase, I can send them a full sized copy via email right away.  That day hasn’t come for me yet, but I’m sure it will happen someday.  Here’s a link to one of my recent galleries: http://www.reefpix.org/flowergardens to show what they look like.

The third reason to go digital is definitely size.  My Coolpix fits in the palm of my hand, and the housing is not much bigger.  Since digital cameras are very sensitive to light, you can also get by with smaller strobes.  Literally everything will fit in a Nikonos Pelican case.  If you’re worried about getting your film hand-checked -- don’t worry about it with "digital film."  One half-dollar-sized memory card can hold 250 full quality shots and it is as tough as nails.  You can drop it on the ground and step on it without losing your photos!

Hopefully this month I’ve covered a few of the "why’s" of digital underwater photography -- next month I’ll get into the "how’s."  We’ll talk about what you need to get started, what you need to know to sort through all the confusing technical terms, and how to pick out a system that is right for you.

James’ digital setup.
James Wiseman ©2002

Thanks to HUPS Booth Volunteers at SEASPACE -- Now Get Ready for SEASPACE 2003!
By Pat Miller

I would like to extend my warmest and wettest thank you to everyone who helped make the HUPS booth at SEASPACE a success.  Thanks to David Lenderman for supplying the display boards once again.  We couldn't have made the booth without them.  Thanks also to Dennis Deavenport for loaning his computer for our automated slide show of monthly contest winners (my ex-employer, an ungrateful computer company who shall remain nameless, who loaned computers to SEASPACE in years past, wasn't as generous this year).  Dennis also brought the rest of his stuff -- books, hand-outs, other beautiful printed material.

I think the booth looked great.  I believe we jammed the display with more prints than ever before.  People who contributed prints were Joyce & Frank Burek, Dennis Deavenport, Sue Watson & David Lenderman, Gary Merritt, Pat Miller, Mary Lou & Jackie Reid, and Dick Zingula.  (I'm sure I haven't forgotten anyone, have I?)

Thanks to the following volunteers who got to act like big shot exhibitors for the weekend: Tammy & Jack Allyn, John Anderson, Joyce & Frank Burek, Dennis Deavenport, Mike Epstein, George Freeman, Jean Himes, Yvonne & Chuck Jensen, David Lenderman, Gary Merritt, Joe Nicklo, Drew Trent & Kim Williams, and James Wiseman.  (Haven't forgotten anyone, have I?)

Now that SEASPACE 2002 is over and I've had my post-SEASPACE saltwater fix (I visited the Flower Gardens 4 days after SEASPACE) it's time to start thinking about SEASPACE 2003.  It's June 8 & 9, 2003.  First, take another look at the list of people above who loaned prints for our booth.  Not enough! Need more! Get up off your fat laurels and everybody make pictures for next year!

Besides our SEASPACE 2003 booth as usual, HUPS has been asked to provide a big display of prints where the prints submitted to the photo contest used to be shown, where the Dallas Underwater Photographic Society showed their beautiful prints this year.  We need a pile of prints.  Also, HUPS has been asked to put together a 7-9 minute slide/multimedia show for the Film Festival.  So look hard through your film vault or sock drawer or wherever you keep your pictures, and plan to make some new pictures between now and then.  You'll be hearing more about HUPS and SEASPACE 2003, that's a threat/promise.

Welcome New Members

We had several new members join at SEASPACE and the June meeting.  Please say hello to the new faces when you see them at the next meeting.

Keith Huber & Sally Hintz
Dennis & Mary Vernon
Eva Leif Hoijer
Tracey & Kurt Wilson
Jody & Charlie Reid
Michael J. Szcwczyh
Wade Woodard
Melvin Emmons
Tom Burns

Call for Video Entries - The Monterey Shootout - August 10th, 2002

The Monterey Shootout is now accepting underwater video entries for review and consideration.  The selected videos will be shown at The Monterey Shootout 2002 Evening Film Festival.  The Film Festival, held at The Monterey Bay Aquarium, has become a showcase for new and emerging videographers in California.  Selected videographers will be on stage to introduce their work.

If you would like to submit and entry for consideration please follow the guidelines listed below.

1. Format - miniDV
2. Length - 2 minutes
3. Soundtrack - music
4. Subject - Underwater (conservation minded)
5. Bio about the Videographer - 2 paragraph maximum
6. Contact Name, address, phone and e-mail

Please mail your entries by July 15th to Richard Todd - 17675 Riverbend Road - Salinas CA 93908; 831.455.2000.  All entrants will be notified by July 25th if their work will be showcased.

The Monterey Shootout & The Digital Shootout at www.theshootout.org
EPIC at www.epicphotocontest.org
831-455-2070; fax 831-455-2071

Night of Stars

The topic for the July slide contest is Stars.  These can be any type of starfish including: sea stars, brittle stars, basket stars and feather stars (crinoids).  Everyone has a favorite shot or shots of a starfish so bring them to the July meeting for the contest.  As always we will have both advanced and novice divisions and each contestant can enter up to three slides.  You can’t win if you don’t enter.

HUPS Monthly Photo Contest Rules

1. Photographs must have been taken underwater, with the exception of the "Marine Surface Slides," a category which will be announced periodically.
2. The photographs must be the work of the photographer named on the slide.  The photographer does not have to be present at the monthly meeting to enter their slide.
3. No aquarium, pool, or over/under shots.
4. Photographs with divers touching or stressing marine life will not be judged.
5. Entries that have won 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, in previous HUPS contests, or any major competition are ineligible.  The only exception being the Best of HUPS night at the December meeting.
6. Slides will be disqualified if in the opinion of the Photo Contest Chairman and monthly judge, the slides do not meet the monthly subject matter, or do not meet one of the aforementioned rules.
7. All contest judging will be performed by a judge selected by the HUPS Photo Judge Coordinator, except nights when it is announced that the general membership will judge.  In these instances the Photo Contest Chairman will tabulate all ballots.
8. If a member wishes to question the results of a contest, they must submit their complaint in contest to the Photo Contest Chairman or any club officer.  The complaint must include: complainant's name, questionable slide, nature of complaint (indicating rule broken), proof behind complaint.
9. The Board of Directors will review the complaint, and if they find merit, they may disqualify the slide.

The Novice category is for those that meet the following criteria:

• Photography is a hobby.
• Have never taken best of show or 1st - 3rd in national or international photographic competitions.
• Have not been a HUPS Photographer of the Year.
  

Quick Tip

Want to look cool?  Get a mask with a black skirt.  Not only will you look like a Navy SEAL, you may also improve your underwater photography.  Wondering how looking cool will make you a better photographer?  It won’t.  The black mask skirt can help by reducing reflections inside the mask.  Often these reflections make it difficult to see though a camera viewfinder.  Get a mask with a black skirt to make focusing and composing much easier.

If you have a tip you would like to share please send it to suewatson@mail.ev1.net.

The Houston Underwater Photographic Society (HUPS) meets the first Monday of every month at 7:00PM at the Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonet, near Hillcroft.

Social time begins at 7:00PM for members and visitors to get acquainted. Visitors are always welcome to join us. So, stop by and see what we are all about!