September 13^th Meeting
Here Come da Judge

By Leonard Cichowski

Those of you old enough will recognize the phrase, "Here Come Da Judge!"  For the rest of us too young to remember, this was the punch line used in a skit in the 60’s comedy variety show "Laugh-In."  The skit featured a comic dressed as a judge, ready to unload his zany edicts upon some poor defendant.  Well, on Monday, September 12, you, the HUPS membership, will become da judge.  No, there won’t be any defendants waiting for a verdict to their crimes.  Instead, it will be a group of your peers waiting for you to pass judgment on their photographic skills.  Yes, that’s right!  It is time for the judging of the 2004 HUPS Shootout that took place in Bonaire, N.A., July 10-17.  Twenty- four of us trekked down to the lovely island, . . . and now it is time to showcase our skills and compete for the prize.

Judging will be on two categories: macro and open.  Both digital and film will compete heads up against one another.  Trophies will be given for the first three places in each category.  Now, this is where you come in.  You get to vote on the images that walk away with the trophies.  So brush up on composition and exposure and make your vote count.

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September 13^th Meeting from previous column

This will be a night of contests, as we will also be judging several delayed monthly and digital photo contest. These contests will be judged in the usual monthly contest manner. So, if you feel up to it, please volunteer to be a judge.

In addition to all of the contests, we will also have two short shows put on by all of the contributing photographers from the Bonaire Shootout. One short will be in film format and the other will be in digital. So as you can see, the September meeting will be very busy.

Last month’s meeting was fantastic. Mary Lou and Jackie Reid gave a wonderful presentation on varied locations in Indonesia. I also found the section on” How Mary Lou Put a Digital Show Together” was quite enlightening. The ease of use of the Proshow Gold Software was self evident. It was a great instructional segment to great presentation.

I am awaiting confirmation from our potential speaker for the October meeting. If we can pull this one together, it will be a special treat. More to come on that.

Another thing that will happen in the October meeting is the nomination of Officers and Board Members. I’m making mention of this so that you may consider the position of VP/Program Director. After 15 years of holding some kind of office or board position, I think I’d like to sit back and take a rest.

So with that said,” Here come da judge, here come da judge. . .”

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.

Happy Diving,
Leonard

President's Message
Stretching the Envelope

In my "real job" I work in an R&D group.  In the 32+ years I’ve been doing this, I’ve seen a lot of people that have “the right stuff."  The one thing that I see in these individuals is their willingness to step outside the box whenever they are challenged with a particularly difficult problem that has to be solved.  On the other hand, I’ve also seen a lot of other people that have all of the credentials to be successful but for some reason, just can’t make the connection.  They just don’t have what it takes to get outside of their particular comfort zone and try something different.

So what does this have to do with underwater photography?  I think that it has a lot to do with being a really good underwater photographer.  Other than trying not to hurt ourselves by learning good diving skills, we have this other little pressing matter that complicates life, . . . we’ve got to also learn how to handle a bunch of complicated (and expensive) equipment in this hostile environment.  Because it isn’t an easy task, I think that a lot of us get to the point where we try to learn a few basic skills that let us get half-way decent results.  This is a great starting point, but I don’t think that it really gets us over the hump that separates the average underwater photographer from the ones that excel at getting outstanding results on a regular basis.

Becoming really good at underwater photography takes a lot of effort and dedication.  You don’t just drag out your equipment once or twice a year and jump in the water hoping that it will all work and that we’ll remember how to use it correctly.  If you’re smart, you will have taken extra time between trips to analyze the images from your last trip to see what works and what doesn’t.  And did I also mention that it helps to take out the equipment manuals and review them now and then to make sure you can get the most out of your expensive equipment?  If you see that a lot of your shots of a particular type are all bad or less than good in the same way, try to figure out how to correct the problem next trip.  Take notes and practice mentally how you will do it better next time.  Show the offending images to someone whose skills you respect and get their take on what is going on and how to correct the problems.

Going the next step beyond this will take you out of that comfortable "box" where we all find ourselves at times.  It involves exploring new ideas and techniques to create those really special images that get "Ooh’s" from the audience when your work is flashed up on the screen.  If you really feel comfortable with macro and feel that you have a good handle on that, why not put on a wide angle lens and start trying to master that too?  Don’t be satisfied to be a one-trick-pony.

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President's Message from previous column

When you see a really outstanding photo op, don’t just sit there firing away in one location.  Would you rather have 10 good shots of something that all look the same, or would you prefer to have 10 good shots that all present a different view on that particular reality?  Get close, change your camera angle, vary your strobe placement, change aperture, bracket your exposure, be patient and wait for the right shot, and look for an unusual but effective composition.  Above all else, when you get back your results, look critically at what you did and find out what works and what doesn’t using your newly explored skills.  Don’t get put off if something doesn’t work.  It’s all part of the learning process.  Take pride in what you learn and how much you have progressed.

These are just a few of the things that you can work on.  How about working with 1 vs 2 strobes?  Are you satisfied with your present film (if you’re still doing film)?  And if you are digitally inclined, why not spend time trying to figure out the most effective way to edit your images to give them the most impact?  Don’t just download them like you shot them.  Crop, correct color imbalances, edit out back-scatter, etc., etc.  The sky is the limit when you go digital.  Then there are also many different ways to present your work.  How about putting together a personal web page or putting together a show with music and interesting titles and effects?  There are tons of stuff to think about here that can bring out your creativity.

What I’m saying is, don’t just accept the status quo.  Strive to become better in all facets.  Hold onto what works but add new skills to your resume.  Pretty soon, you’ll find out that other people will be coming to you asking for advice.

See you at the next meeting, 7 pm Monday, September 13th, at Bayland Community Center.

Dennis Deavenport

Check it Out on the Web

This month we are featuring http://www.NetBetter.net.  This is the web site of HUPS Webmaster Pat Miller.  On the site you will find PowerPoint slides for Pat’s SEASPACE presentation on "Enhancing Your Underwater Photography with your Computer" and a couple galleries of underwater images.  Pat says the site is a work in progress with new things being added all the time.

If you have a website that would be of interest to fellow members please e-mail it to David Lenderman.

Fish Faces and Leftover Cephalopods

For the September monthly contest we are scheduled to have both slide and digital contests.  The contest topic is Fish Faces.  If you have some favorite mug shots of fishy characters, bring them to the September meeting.  If you plan to enter the digital contest, e-mail your images to Dennis Deavenport.  Digital images need to be e-mailed no later than midnight Saturday, September 11.

We will also have the digital Cephalopod contest that was rescheduled from the July meeting.  Please e-mail those entries to Dennis as well.  Each member is allowed to enter 3 slides and/or digital images per contest.  Complete contest rules can be found here.  You can’t win if you don’t enter.

Monthly Contest Winners
August 2004 - Abstract Art

Coral Reef Lecture

On October 20th the Houston Zoo Lecture Series will feature Dr. John Heiser presenting "Diversity’s Jewel: An Introduction to Coral Reefs."  Dr. Heiser will explore how reefs manage to survive and flourish in water that is almost devoid of nutrients.  He will also discuss current threats to coral reefs.  This is a great opportunity for any underwater photographer to learn more about coral reefs.  Tickets are $12 for zoo members and $15 for non-members.  You can purchase tickets online at http://www.houstonzoo.org or by calling 713-533-6550.

Quick Tip

It’s very important to thoroughly check out your gear well in advance of that big upcoming trip.  Don’t wait until you are packing to discover an equipment problem.  By then it may be too late to get gear repaired or replaced.

UpComing Meetings & Events

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

Two Ikelite SubStrobe 200 (orange) with batteries, quick charger and 2 diffusers -- $900. All work great and one just serviced by Ikelite

Ikelite flat port for 50 Micro Nikkor (#5502 for lenses < 3.5" max extension). $25

Photos of these items are viewable at http://www.seabelow.com/uwphoto4sale.  All prices OR BEST OFFER.  Contact Dave Van Rooy at dvanrooy@seabelow.com.  Dave has been a member of HUPS for over 15 years and currently resides in Bali.  All equipment is in good working order, and he will guarantee money back if not satisfied.  Equipment is located in and will be shipped from Austin, TX.

Correcting Chromatic Aberration using Adobe Photoshop CS
By James Wiseman

When Adobe came out with their newest version of Photoshop, called "CS" short for Creative Suite, digital photographers (at least this one) breathed a sigh of relief.  This software package comes with a RAW format converter called Adobe Camera RAW (ACR).  This feature rich converter is constantly updated by Adobe, to provide the best possible RAW conversions for most, if not all, of the popular digital cameras.  Each time I use Adobe Camera RAW (they are up to version 2.2) I find a new and useful feature that pleases, if not amazes me.

In this article, I’d like to talk about a photographic feature that until now has only been available through special third-party software – chromatic aberration (CA) correction.  CA is an optical defect that is inherent in all camera systems to some degree.  CA occurs because the different wavelengths of light – from red to violet – bend as they pass through port glass, and lens elements.  The spectrum of light spreads out after passing through the lens materials resulting in colors bleeding to one side or another of a sharp line or boundary.  Since it’s a function of the lens and port used, CA can occur when shooting using a film camera OR a digital camera.  The advantage for digital shooters is that this aberration can be corrected when converting the RAW file (the digital negative) to a photograph.  CA usually does not show up in the center of a photo as light does not have to bend as much; generally, lines will be sharp in this area.

An unsharpened 100% crop from the center of the photo, showing little CA

The following photograph shows a 100% crop of a photograph that has been "tweaked" to accentuate CA in both the red and the violet directions.  A consumer camera shooting at 28mm equivalent through a flat port can easily generate CA this extreme.

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Chromatic Aberration from previous column

A "tweaked" JPEG showing extreme chromatic aberration

The following photo shows a shot taken on a recent dive trip to the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary aboard the Gulf Diving boat M/C Fling. A section near the right side is highlighted and blown up to 100% for closer inspection.

Sample photo taken with the Nikkor 105mm behind a flat port

The following photograph (100% crop from the highlighted section) shows the results of shooting a Nikkor 105mm macro lens through a Sea and Sea acrylic macro port.  This photograph is an unsharpened 100% crop straight after processing through ACR:

Uncorrected crop taken from the JPEG showing chromatic aberration

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Chromatic Aberration from previous page

When the RAW file is opened in Photoshop CS, the ACR dialog box pops up. If the user clicks on the Lens tab, the CA correction sliders are accessible.

Adobe Photoshop ACR2.2 Plugin Dialog – showing the Lens tab and B/Y CA set at +100

In this case, the right side of the lines in the photo shows a blue fringe.  This effect will vary depending upon the lens and port used, but it’s easily detectable and now, using ACR, it’s easily correctable.  Based on the fact that the fringe is blue, I used the Blue/Yellow correction (B/Y) to bring the fringe back where it belongs – in line with the coral polyp tentacles.

Corrected 100% Crop showing the sharper lines with most of the blue chromatic aberration removed

The finished product, while not perfect (it still needs sharpening, etc.) is a great demonstration of the power of the software.  Not only is CA correction useful for macro, shooting through a flat port, but it can also be used with wide angle lenses and dome ports.

DEA News
By Joe Nicklo, Director of Educational Activities

We will be conducting our next photography workshop, "Enhancing Digital Images" on September 18, 2004, beginning at 1:00 PM sharp.  Location: Cornerstone Mortgage, 1177 West Loop South, parking at the rear of the building.

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DEA News from previous column

Dennis Deavenport did this wonderful workshop last fall and we had a record number of members attend.  Those of you who heard about it asked that we consider having Dennis repeat it.  This is an education packed three to four hour performance by a wonderful teacher.  Personally, I think he missed his calling.  He should have been a teacher rather than a chemist.  Due to space limitations, we can only seat 35 attendees.  We still have some space available.  Sign up now with Joe Nicklo.

On November 6, 2004, we will conduct our last photography workshop for this year.  Everybody should attend this one.  Mary Lou Reid will give us a workshop on "composition."  You might have learned all there is to know about photography equipment and how to use it.  But, if you have not yet mastered composition, all of it is for naught.  Composition determines whether a photo is so-so or whether it is a contest winner.  Although some people think good composition is instinctive and is limited to those who are artistic, it can be learned with a little effort and a good teacher.  There is no one better to teach this subject than Mary Lou, a consistent winner of the HUPS advanced photographer photo contest.  Mary Lou is an excellent photographer who has honed her skills by diving often in many exotic locations around the world.  She told me she has persuaded Jackie to assist her with this workshop.  WOW!  With this duo, you can bet there will be a tremendous amount of knowledge revealed.  Time and place of this big one to be announced at a future date.

Now for the complaint: Some members (no names) have checked out materials from the HUPS library and have failed to return them.  Please be aware without your cooperation this "fledgling" library cannot fly and will eventually fail.  All materials checked out should be returned by the next monthly meeting.

Advanced 1st Place – Jackie Reid ©2004

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!