"Show It to the World" by James Wiseman
"Photoshop Magic & Mayhem" by Dennis Deavenport
March 3rd
Dual Digital 'How-To' Program

This month’s show will be a digital tag team by James Wiseman and Dennis Deavenport.  James, as most of us know, is a digital force of nature.  It’s as if he eats, sleeps and dreams about this exciting new visual format that is starting to take the world of underwater photography by storm.

In the first part of the program James will walk us through some of the different ways to share images on the internet.  This will include how to size images for the web, protect them, create simple photo gallery web pages, etc.  The highlight of James’s presentation will be a tutorial on how to create a beautiful online photo gallery in 10 minutes flat.  As you would expect from James, his talk will be liberally illustrated by digitally projected images showing exactly how everything fits together.  Come prepared for his show by logging onto his dynamic web page: http://www.reefpix.org.

Then on to the second part of the program in which Dennis Deavenport will walk you through many of the typical and some of the not so typical procedures that you can use in Adobe Photoshop to improve your digital images or to use it to create entirely new pieces of "art."

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Dual Digital from previous column

Using examples from his collection of scanned slides, he will go step by step showing how to correct problems with exposure, color, and composition that can make dramatic differences in the visual appeal of your work.  This will be followed by examples of more dynamic techniques that can be used to remove backscatter, scratches, or even unwanted fins or other distractions using the "clone" brush.  Moving on to more complex projects, Dennis will show how to create dynamic title slides and illustration pages using text, images, and a variety of Photoshop’s tools for digital manipulation.  He will top off the show with his form of digital mayhem using scanned images, filters, masks, and cut and paste techniques.  Come join the fun March 3rd. . . you might learn something that you’ll find very useful.

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.

HUPS Post SEASPACE Meeting Presenters

Ken Knezick has helped us schedule Jack and Sue Drafahl for our post SEASPACE meeting on June 9.  The Drafahls will be in Houston conducting seminars and workshops at SEASPACE.  Jack and Sue started their professional photographic careers at Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, California.  They have been writing for both photography and diving magazines for 30 years, and have several new books on digital imaging under their weight belt, Digital Imaging for the Underwater Photographer and Photo Salvage with Adobe Photoshop.  Two new ones – Advanced Digital Camera Techniques and Step-by-Step Basic Digital Photography - will be released in Spring 2003.  If you want to learn more about Jack and Sue check out:
http://www.jackandsuedrafahl.com/

President's Message

Have you always dreamed of having your images published in National Geographic?  Well, have I got an opportunity for you.  I don’t have any contacts at National Geographic, but I have the next best thing, a perfect opportunity to show off your photography skills.  Of course I am referring to SEASPACE.  Participating in the HUPS Gallery and Film Festival show will be an opportunity for you to have thousands of people view your images.  I can hear all the oohs and aahs already.

This is a great chance to show off those images in which you take great pride.  Maybe you are not David Doubilet, but I would guess everyone has a couple shots that they would be proud to show.

I can see it now. . . walking through the Gallery you come across several people discussing one of your prints.  Maybe they are asking each other how that incredible image was captured.  You kindly interrupt to say that was your shot and answer their questions.  After they barrage you with compliments you think to yourself. . . that was neat, I am glad David talked me into submitting those images.  Participating in the Film Festival can evoke the same feelings.  You’re at the film festival with a group of friends and your shot is projected on the big screen in front of a thousand people and you cooly say, "That’s mine."  After the show your friends congratulate you on your outstanding contributions to an incredible show.  You then think to yourself. . . "I’m a STAR."

Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit.  But, I do want to strongly encourage all of you to participate in the Gallery and Film Festival programs.  Take a look in this newsletter (pages 3 & 4) and you find more details on how to participate.  Don’t think that we are limiting image submissions to the more experienced members.  I would like to see even our newest members submit images.  I expect the gallery and film festival show to display all levels of member images.  Don’t miss your chance to be a STAR.

See You March 3rd,
David

The DEA Wants to Question You!

Joe Nicklo, the new HUPS Director of Educational Activities (DEA), is planning to survey the membership at the March meeting.  He wants to determine the types of workshops or seminars that will benefit the members.  The plan is for Joe to schedule programs, outside of the normal monthly meetings, to help sharpen the skills of our membership.  Start thinking about what topics would improve your images.  Joe can be reached at jnicklo@aol.com.

"Red Sea Confessions" February 3rd Program by Joe Nicklo a Big Hit

How desperate does a diver have to be to admit that he has to resort to diving with camels and flight attendants in the middle of the Red Sea?  That’s the sort of guy Joe Nicklo is.  Well, maybe the bit about the camels is a bit exaggerated.  They didn’t actually dive with the camels. . . they were just transportation to one of the dive sites.  But the part about the flight attendants is no myth.  (Story to follow at 11.)

All kidding aside, the double whammy slide & digital show give by Joe Nicklo was spectacular in appearance and concept.  The slide part of his presentation focused on the underwater attractions in the Northern Red Sea.  Joe’s goal on this trip was to focus on his wide angle.  If we can judge by what we saw in his show, he’s getting his technique down quite well, thank you.  It was great to see the wonders of this world-premier dive location captured and presented so well.

Joe’s digital presentation gave us ample proof of the Egypt’s unequaled history and mystique.  From pyramids to King Tut to the austere wonders of Egypt’s arid landscape, we were treated to Joe’s unique artistry and humor.  It was a great time enjoyed by one of the biggest turnouts by HUPS members and guests at a monthly meeting in a long time.  All 54 people in the audience, including Joyce Burek (Joe’s special invited comedy relief act) had a great time.  "Thanks for all the Fish" Joe.

The Houston Chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has invited HUPS members to participate in their March 12th “Push Pin Social."  This is a social gathering to share images and discussion of all things photographic.  Attendees are encouraged to bring prints to display.  This is a great opportunity to chat with professional photographers about the latest trends and gear.  Much discussion focuses on the techniques for capturing and printing the displayed images.  This gathering will take place March 12th at The Social (that’s the name of the place) located on Washington at Yale.  This is just west of downtown.  It starts at 6 pm and usually lasts 2 –3 hours.  Everyone is invited to bring up to four 8x10 or smaller prints.  Any type of photographic print is fine, but most people bring inkjet prints.  They will have 4 sheets of 1/2 foamcore (4'x8') that are suspended from backdrop/light stands.  People just take the pushpins provided and "stick 'em up".

If you have questions contact David Lenderman.  For more information on ASMP check out http://www.asmp.org or http://www.asmphouston.org/

1. images scanned or photographed at maximum resolution of scanner or camera
2. saved as JPEG file with minimal compression
3. file size minimum 750 KB and max size 2 MB
4. save files to CD or on floppies or email to james@reefs.org
5. label CD or floppy with name and contact information

We can accept other file formats (TIFF, PSD, etc.) but they will have to be converted to JPEGs for show.

We must have your slides and/or digital files by April 7th at the latest.  On April 12th, a selection committee will go through all of our past monthly contest images and any slides or digital files that are submitted by HUPS members.  If you have any questions please contact Dennis Deavenport, Lee Mixon, and/or James Wiseman.

Pat Miller accepting 2002 Member of the Year award. Photo by Frank Burek

TGCC Awards Banquet

HUPS presented its 2002 awards for Member of the Year and Photographer of the Year at the recent TGCC Banquet.  The 17 HUPS members in attendance enjoyed a fun evening.  Awards were presented as follows: Member of the Year – Pat Miller, Novice Photographer of the Year – Gary Merritt and Advanced Photographer of the Year – Jackie Reid.  Each winner received an etched glass plaque.  Thanks go to Tammy Allyn for selecting and purchasing the plaques.

Jackie Reid accepting 2002 Advanced Photographer of the Year award. Photo by Frank Burek

Gary Merritt accepting 2002 Novice Photographer of the Year award. Photo by Frank Burek

Calling on all members for your best photos to be displayed in the photo gallery at SEASPACE.  We really want to set a new standard of excellence for the gallery at SEASPACE this year and show the quality of our membership.  In order to do this, we would like to display photos from all of our club members and our target is 60-70 images.  If you have one or two (or more) photos that you are really proud of then we would like to have them.

We would like to recommend that the photos be at least 11x14 inches and would really like to see 16x20s.  Since the photos will be hung using Velcro tabs, we cannot accept any framed prints.  For best results, the photos should be mounted on Gator board or standard foam board.  I would recommend the Gator board because it is much more durable where the foam board has a very soft surface and tends to get beat up quite easily.

To help achieve our goal, we are exploring several options for getting your photos printed including local photo labs as well as online providers.  Our local photo lab of choice is HPI (Houston Photo Imaging) and we have been able to secure a very good discount for this occasion.  If you use another shop, please let us know so that we may pass the information on to the rest of the club.  There are also several online photo labs available and one that has been recommended is http://www.pictopia.com/.

If you choose to use an online lab, you will have to send away your slides or have them scanned and then send a CDROM or upload the files to the lab.  Online labs may provide a better price on the prints, but probably will not provide the mounting service which means you will need to take the prints to a local frame shop to have them mounted.  One drawback to this is that a frame shop may not be willing to guarantee your image if they mess it up where as HPI would just reprint the image if you are not satisfied.  HPI provides the complete service of printing and mounting your images if you choose, but they will not mount an image that they did not print.

Now to the important stuff:

If you choose to have your images printed at HPI, they recommend that you take them to the location at 5250 Gulfton (phone 713-666-0282) since that is where they will be printed and also where our contact for the discount is located.

When dropping off your slides, you must tell them that they are for the HUPS SEASPACE Gallery and I recommend you ask for Kathy since she is our contact for the discounts.

There is a four day turnaround on the prints so don’t wait until the last minute.

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SEASPACE Gallery from previous column

Custom prints from positives must be scanned, but is included in the price.  Prints from a digital file are about $3.00 more so you are better off just taking slides.

The discount will differ based on print size, and the larger print is a better deal:

    16x20 with HUPS 25% discount $32.31
    11x14 with HUPS 15% discount $25.50

Mounting on 3/16" board (also covered by discount):

    16x20* Gator board = $18.00 (recommended)
    16x20* foam = $13.50
    * 11x14 is a little less

Finally, if you have several images and you are having trouble deciding which ones to have printed, bring them to one of the monthly meetings and just ask for someone’s opinion.  I will bring a light table and loupe to the meetings so we can look at them.

Rules for SEASPACE Gallery

Deadline: images must be received by the May 5, 2003 HUPS meeting

1. The Photo Gallery is open to all current members of the Houston Underwater Photographer’s Society.  There is no limit to the number of photographs that you may submit, but we would like to give everyone the chance to participate.  Each photograph must have been taken by the submitting photographer and must be their own "original" work.  Winning photographs from HUPS monthly contest or any other photo contest are greatly encouraged (a nice twist).
2. No framed pictures will be accepted.  Photographs should be mounted on a lightweight backing such as Gator board or foam board.  The photos will be hung on display panels with Velcro so we will need to apply several pieces of Velcro to the backside of the pictures.
3. Photographs should be at least 11x14 inches, but not more than 16x20 inches.  16x20 is the recommended size to give the best overall impact.  If you have something smaller and do not want to reprint it then please submit it and we will find a place for it.
4. Photographs displaying unethical activity such as, but not limited to harassing/harming of wild life or divers damaging to the environment, poor diving skills, etc., are greatly discouraged and may not be displayed at our discretion.  We do not condone or promote poor diving activities or destruction of the environment.

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SEASPACE Gallery from 2nd column page 4

SEASPACE Gallery Rules Continued

5. Absolute and utmost care will be provided to all entries, but the Photo Gallery Committee, Houston Underwater Photographers Society, SEASPACE, or any of its sponsors will not be responsible for losses or damages.
6. All photographs MUST be clearly labeled with the photographer’s name, title of the print, location it was taken.  In cases where the orientation is not obvious, then please mark which direction is up.  A nameplate will be displayed next to each photograph.
7. All submissions give HUPS the right to display all photographs for the full duration of SEASPACE 2003.  Every attempt will be made to return photographs at the Post SEASPACE HUPS meeting, but other arrangements may be made (see below).
8. Although I will gladly receive any submissions by mail, for logistical reasons I would prefer that they be brought to a HUPS monthly meeting.  Please contact me via e-mail to make other arrangements.
   

Photo Contest Winners
February 2003 - "Pairs"

Novice
1st	John Ringrose
2nd Tie	John Ringrose, James Wood
3rd	John Ringrose
Advanced
1st	Jackie Reid
2nd Tie	David Lenderman, Gary Merritt, Mary Lou Reid (two slides)

1st Place Advanced - Jackie Reid ©2003

UpComing Meetings and Events

March 3, 2003 – HUPS meeting
James Wiseman & Dennis Deavenport – Digital Manipulation of Images/Sharing Images on the Web

March 12, 2003
ASMP Push Pin Social - see page 2

April 7, 2003 – HUPS meeting
Drew Trent - British Virgin Islands

May 5, 2003 – HUPS meeting
Double Feature: Jesse Cancelmo – Wide-angle Workshop
Dr. James Wood – Sex in the Squidy

June 9, 2003 – HUPS meeting
Post SEASPACE Meeting with Jack & Sue Drafahl - Supermacro UW Photography

July 7, 2003 – HUPS meeting
Ken Knezick – Digital Techniques

3rd Place Novice - John Ringrose ©2003

One of the most fun aspects of underwater photography is sharing your photos with friends and family.  My last two columns covered printing of digital images – one way to share.  This month, I’d like to talk about another way to share your photos with literally thousands of people (don’t be shy!) – the internet of course!  This column will detail two ways to share photos online.  It is definitely designed for the computer literate, but I promise, you will not need to know how to make a webpage or do any "coding" to share your photos – so don’t run away screaming, please!  What you will need to know is how to transfer images onto your computer from your camera, how to connect your computer to the internet, and for advanced users, how to use an FTP program.

Using Adobe Photoshop to Create Web Photo Galleries

This wonderful program has a feature called "Web Photo Gallery" which will take a folder on your hard drive, and make a web photo gallery with it.  To see what one of these galleries looks like, try this link: http://www.reefpix.org/s2samples/macro/.

That gallery was created with the push of a button!  To use this feature, you need Photoshop version 5.5 or higher.  In the current version, go to File -> Automate -> Web Photo Gallery.  There you select your background colors, text colors, captions, etc.  Next you select the folder that you would like to "gallery-ize" and the folder where you would like the completed gallery to go.  You select the size you would like for your images and thumbnails, then hit "OK."

Photoshop will put all of the gallery files in one folder.  These files include three folders: Images, Pages, and Thumbnails, and the HTML file that ties them all together called index.html.

In addition to needing Photoshop, this option also requires that you have some "webspace" on the internet somewhere.  Most dialup internet service providers will provide you with some space as part of your account.  Size ranges from 10 to 100 megabytes.  This is enough space to share 200 to 2,000 photos!  You connect to your webspace using an FTP program such as CuteFTP or wsFTP – which lets you transfer files from your computer at home to the web server computer on the internet.  Once connected, you use your FTP program to transfer the Photo Gallery up to a folder on the server.  In the link I posted above, I transferred my files to a folder called /s2samples/macro If you remove the /macro from the link, you can see a list of other sample files and photos taken with my Fuji S2.

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Sharing Digital from previous column

Using Pbase.com to Automatically Create Image Galleries

If the first solution seems too complicated for you, there is an easier way.  There is a "non-commercial" website called Pbase.com (short for photobase) that was conceived in 1999 by a fellow called "Slug" and set up by a group of skilled programmers.  There are no ad banners, no annoying popups, just photo galleries.  Pbase does everything mentioned in the first part of this article, but it does it automatically.  You don’t need Photoshop, you don’t need an FTP program, all you need is an internet connection and a way to log on to their website.

For this article, I set up a sample gallery at: http://www.pbase.com/jwiseman

To set up my gallery, I registered at Pbase and got a username and password.  This will give you a minimum amount of storage space.  For $23 a year, you get 100 megabytes – which should be plenty for most everyone.  The one-time fee is well worth it, in my opinion.  Next, you use your online control panel to set up your colors (I used what it came with, which looks pretty nice), your galleries, etc.  Setting up my gallery took less than 15 minutes.

Then you can upload images to your galleries – you can do it one at a time, or a whole folder at once.  Pbase automatically takes your photos, and resizes them for the web.  Another excellent feature of Pbase is that it can extract the EXIF information from your photo.  EXIF is the data that your digital camera records with each shot that tells you your f-stop and shutterspeed, zoom distance, exposure compensation, etc.  If your photo contains this information, Pbase will automatically take itand display it alongside your gallery images!  To see this in action, try this link: http://www.pbase.com/image/13248449&exif=Y.

Hopefully this column has spurred you to try posting some photos on the 'net.  Some people are worried about people stealing their images, but at the size that is currently displayed on the web – they aren’t good for much other than photo critique.  I display all of my web photos at 400 x 600 resolution and don’t feel I am giving anything away.  But if you are really serious, you can always put big copyright text on all of your photos.

Good luck and happy posting!

Why So Crabby?

The topic for the March photo contest contest is "Crustacea."  That’s crabs, shrimp, lobsters, etc.  Remember, you can’t win if you don’t enter.  Complete contest rules are now available on the HUPS web site.

If you haven’t renewed this will be your last newsletter.

Any questions concerning your membership status should be directed to Jean Himes.  Make checks payable to HUPS, and please fill out the form below and bring it to the next meeting or mail it to Jean.

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!