November 1^st Meeting
Tips for Improving your Photography by Ken Knezick

By Leonard Cichowski

November’s program promises to be one of importance to everyone wishing to make good on their promise, to themselves, to become more proficient in their hobby of underwater photography.  This program will be of equal interest to both film and digital photographers.  Our great friend and HUPS member from Island Dreams Travel, Ken Knezick, will share tips and insights on how to increase your success rate as an underwater photographer.  Ken will bring to the table his 25 years of experience as a trip leader and underwater photographer and the numerous successes and failures he has seen by hundreds of others in their quest for the perfect underwater image.  And as you all know, Ken always puts on a great show.  I promise, you will walk away having learned something.

Last month’s meeting featured Burt Jones and Raja Ampat.  Man, what a show!  Burt, while in the Houston area for DEMA, obliged to give us a sample of what to expect on the HUPS sponsored trip on the Kararu, April 25-May 11, 2005.  What I saw and heard was Fish, Fish everywhere! Fish to be photographed and fish not needed in the photograph.

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November 1^st Meeting from previous column

And if that wasn’t enough, "Master Critter Finder" Larry Smith showed up for the meeting.  But we very much missed seeing Maurine.  Burt wove his magic through fantastic images and masterful dialogue that imparted the beauty of the area, as only he can do.  Larry Smith, from a competing boat in the area, concurred with all of Burt’s testaments on Raja Ampat.  I hope you were able to see the program on this world-class destination and will be able to partake in such a wonderful trip.

Remember, elections (Club and National) are also happening during the time of the November meeting.  So get out there and vote for the candidate of your choice.  This is what makes us so different from the rest of the world. . . and many of those places we visit.  We have the freedom to speak our minds and one of the best ways to speak it, is to vote.

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

1st Place Digital – Ken Knezick ©2004

President's Message
Growing & Evolving Digitally with HUPS

One consistently fascinating thing about HUPS has been watching it grow over the years since I joined.  Yes, we’ve added a lot of members and the number of people coming to meetings has more than doubled, but there’s a lot more to it than that.  The whole digital thing has been even more complicated and interesting than any of us could have thought 3-4 years ago.  I would venture a guess that a big majority of the new equipment being bought by HUPS members is being directed toward digital imaging in one form or the other.

When you really get down to thinking about it, this is all pretty natural and predictable.  For instance, 10 years ago, how many of us would have thought that the Internet would evolve as rapidly as it has and how much we rely on it for commerce and communication?  The Internet is really here now and even with all of the annoyances, with viruses, spam, spy-ware and other abuses of the system, it’s not likely to go away.  The same can be said about digital imaging technology.  The advantages are way too compelling to ignore even if you’ve spent mult-thousands of dollars getting your underwater film equipment just right.

HUPS is now hunkered down trying to make the most of the opportunities this presents for our members without having a "melt down" in the process.  Year one (2003), we offered quarterly digital contests and year two (2004) we increased it to every other month.  Now we’re looking squarely into 2005 and it looks like we have to evolve one more time to accommodate change.  Last month, we were finally able to judge the September digital contest (Fish Faces) and the response was overwhelming.  At least it was for me since our regular digital contest guru, James Wiseman, was out in the Gulf repairing hurricane damage to rigs, and I attempted to get it organized.  If you were at the October meeting you will understand what I mean when I say "attempted."  Part of the difficulty was the number of entries we received – 38.  With that many entries, it’s inevitable we would end up with a lot of winners: 3 tied for 1st, 1 for 2nd, and 3 for 3rd place. . . and it was inevitable that it would press us for time during the meeting.  This is probably just the tip of the iceberg and a glimpse into the future.

Some of the growing pains that this is creating are:

(1) We can easily run out of time at meetings trying to get everything done.  Managing time at our meetings just means being more organized and starting a few minutes earlier.  This is probably achievable but makes me nervous each time we have to do the digital contest.

(2) Managing the file acquisition of e-mail entries is complicated by the size of the files and availability of someone like James to stay on top of everything. Pat Miller is looking into getting changes made to our Internet hosting account so we can e-mail files to HUPS.ORG and where we can have access by more than one member.  This will solve a lot of problems but it will take some effort.  Stay tuned.

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President's Message from previous column

(3) Differentiating between advanced and novice entrants.  Like our slide contests, I think that we will need to start dividing the contest into advanced and novice categories.  It only makes sense and will be much fairer to everyone.  A decision on this will be made soon and everyone will be told about our plans.

(4) Do we go with monthly digital contests or not?  Judging from the number of digital entries we’re seeing each contest, it’s hard not to conclude that we need to go monthly.  Again, stay tuned.

(5) Getting the proper equipment to run the contest.  OKkay, now here’s something that we have solved.  HUPS opened up the check book and we now have a beautiful new InFocus LP540 digital projector.  We can use it for digital contests and any digital presentations instead of borrowing the equipment.  This is a BIG step forward for HUPS.

As you can see, we have come a long way, but we still have a lot of things to do to smooth out our operations.  I am confident that this will happen soon and we will all be better for the experience.  Bear with us as our new set of officers, board members, and chairpersons pull it all together for 2005.  I promise that it will be a good trip.

See everyone at the November 1st meeting.  Don’t forget to email your digital contest entries to James Wiseman AND Dennis Deavenport for "A Night of Stars," which we interpret as meaning anything that is in the Starfish Family.

HUPS Shootout 2005
A Return to Cozumel

Last meeting we announced that HUPS was going to return to Cozumel in 2005 for our annual Shootout.  Because of the superb job done by Scuba Club in 2003, we decided to go back there with our group.  Unless something changes, here are the details that we have so far from Island Dreams:

Dates: July 16-23, 2005 (Saturday – Saturday)
Airfare: about $350 round trip from Houston on Continental Airlines
Accommodations: 7-nights, meals & taxes included - waiting for final confirmation but it will probably be less than $840 per person
Diving: 5 days of 2-tank boat dives and unlimited shore diving

We passed around a list in October and had 26 people sign up saying they would be interested in making the trip.  This is great.  I’m sure that we can handle this many or more.

A Night of Stars

I am referring to the November HUPS meeting, but no, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston won’t be there.  I am talking about another type of star.  The topic for the November slide contest is "Stars."  If you have favorite images of sea stars, brittle stars, feather stars (a.k.a. crinoids) or basket stars, be sure to enter them in the contest.  So if you got ‘em bring ‘em.  This month we have digital and slide contests.  Digital entries need to be emailed to Dennis Deavenport AND James Wiseman.  For complete contest rules refer to the contest page.  You can’t win if you don’t enter.

Monthly Contest Winners
October 2004 - Silhouettes

Renewal Time

Well, my how time flies!  We are coming to the close of another image-making year.  As most of you know, HUPS is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the close family we have all become.  We pride ourselves on the images and camaraderie we all have created.  We are all looking forward to a joyful and creative 2005.  With that, I would like to take a moment to remind everyone that 2005 dues are now due.  Please bring them to the November meeting.  Dues are $30.00 for and individual membership and $35.00 for a family membership.  Please make checks payable to HUPS.  It seems that year after year we are collecting dues for months into the New Year.  Please, let’s try to get them paid before the New Year as it makes things easier on everyone.  You all should have been e-mailed an updated info sheet.  Please update your info and staple your dues check to it.  I will be collecting them at the November meeting.

Let’s Dive!
Chuck

UpComing Meetings & Events

November 1, 2004 – HUPS Meeting
   Improving your Photography by Ken Knezick
November 6, 2004 – HUPS Workshop
   Composition by Mary Lou and Jackie Reid
December 6, 2004 – HUPS Christmas Party
April 25 - May 11, 2005 - HUPS Irian Jaya trip
   for info contact Dennis Deavenport

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

Two Ikelite SubStrobe 200 (orange) with batteries, quick charger and 2 diffusers -- $750. All work great and one just serviced by Ikelite

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.

3rd Place Digital – Loretta Freshour ©2004

Still Shooting Film? Think About a Scanner
By Pat Miller

Are you still shooting a camera that uses film?  Feel like a dinosaur?  Like some other photographers I know, I feel like I have invested a little too much money in my film cameras and lenses and housing and ports to abandon them all.  I'm not ready yet to start all over spending money like crazy to put together a new digital set-up, when like computers, the next model of digital camera hitting the market in a month or two could threaten to make today's start-of-the-art obsolete.

But boy!  I love digital.  Working on pictures on my computer gives me control over stuff like color correction, sharpening, cropping, printing, even (gasp!) composition, that was never possible for me post production with film.

So I am slowly slipping to the dark side: I still shoot film, but I bought a nice film scanner.  I scan the slides I like into my computer, and then I use my image editing software to have my way with them.  I am keeping an eye on digital photography developments, and sooner or later I intend to buy more of it.  But for now I am happy to keep shooting, and I continue to work with and learn more about digital photography.

Film scanners have come way down in price recently.  I bought a Konica Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 35mm film scanner, which is currently available starting at about $600.  Other good scanners include the Canon CanoScan and the Nikon Coolscan product lines.

Here are a few specs on the DiMAGE: It scans 35mm film only, film strips (6 shots per strip) or mounted 35mm slides; it's dynamic range is given as 4.8 which means it can handle a wide range of contrast from light to dark; it outputs 8-bit or 16-bit color per channel (three channels: Red, Green & Blue); it can perform up to 16 times oversampling for smooth images; and it includes Digital ICE (Image Correction Enhancement) for reducing dust and scratches.  It scans up to 5400 dpi (dots per inch), and it's maximum scanning dimensions are 24.61mm by 36.69mm (0.969 by 1.44 inches) for a maximum image size of 5,232 by 7,800 pixels.  I've scanned mounted slides and gotten images as large as about 4,860 by 7,240 pixels – that’s over 33 megapixels!  The file size of an uncompressed TIF file (Tagged Image File format) is over 100 megabytes!  Who needs a lousy 4 or 5 or 8 megapixel digital camera?

Well, I need a digital camera – eventually.  On the down side, I still have the limitations that digital cameras have overcome.  For example, I am limited to a maximum of 36 exposures with film on a dive, and I can’t review them instantly for immediate corrections.

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Think About a Scanner from previous column

Also, to get the most out of a scanner like this, one needs a pretty high-powered computer, decent image editing software, and some computer knowledge and practice in getting all the pieces to work together – HUPS workshops such as those by Dennis Deavenport and James Wiseman are a good place to start.
http://www.netbetter.net

Tips for Scanning Kodachrome Slides
By Jesse Cancelmo

I have nearly finished a year-long effort to digitize my 35mm stock transparencies.  If you are like me and have some old "Kodachrome" type transparencies to scan, this scanning tip may be helpful.

In using my Nikon Coolscan 5000, I found that scanning Kodachromes with the default color settings produce images with a blue cast.  One solution is to scan with the default settings and color correct in Photoshop.  But I found a much better approach.  I re-set the color interface values from the scanner default settings of 1.0 as follows:

   Red: 1.20
   Green: 0.90
   Blue: 0.75

Even though these values produced spot-on color balance for my Kodachromes, I suggest you use these as a starting point and tweak to find best results.

Also, be sure to turn the ICE (Image Correction and Enhancement) "off."  The "etched" emulsion of Kodachrome slides causes the ICE to over-react and degrade the scan.  You'll notice much faster scan time with the ICE off!

If you want to learn more about scanning Kodachrome slides, do a Google search on the internet.

Jesse Cancelmo Photography http://www.cancelmophoto.com

3rd Place Digital – Ted McKelvey ©2004

DEA News
By Joe Nicklo, Director of Educational Activities

On November 6, 2004, Mary Lou Reid with her assistant and husband Jackie will give a workshop on "Composition."  It is the last workshop scheduled for this year.  We already have 34 members signed up for this workshop.  Mary Lou has been putting a lot of work into this and it should be great.  The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, November 6, 2004, at Cornerstone Mortgage, 1177 West Loop South, and will run from 9:30 AM through 12:30 PM.  Parking is at the rear of the building.  Mary Lou suggests all attendees bring a few slides or digital images for a critique session.

Again, I stress the importance of this workshop.  You may own the best equipment money can buy; you may know all there is to know about that equipment; you may be financially blessed permitting you to visit any dive site in the world; however, if you have not mastered composition, you will never be more than a mediocre photographer.  Composition is the most important element in the entire formula.  Attend this workshop and learn from Mary Lou what she has spent years developing on this subject.  Mary Lou and Jackie are two of HUPS' finest photographers who enjoy sharing and encouraging others to develop their skills.

See You there...

We Have a New Digital Projector!!!

After a lot of planning and discussion, the board of directors agreed that we needed to purchase a digital projector.  The need has been mushrooming for the past 2 years as we started up our digital contest and the increasingly frequent use for monthly programs.  Even though I was bullish from the beginning regarding moving forward digitally, I have to admit that the rapidity of the change has surprised me.  Right now, we seem to be using a digital projector on a monthly basis during our meetings, we’ve needed projectors for workshops, and we have had a number of HUPS members give digital presentations to outside organizations in the past 12 months.  Begging and borrowing a projector for all of these events has been a big problem and an imposition.

Well, that has all changed.  HUPS now has purchased high resolution (XGA, 1024 x 768) InFocus projector and a replacement bulb.  The unit is fairly light (less than 6 pounds) and compact, puts out 1700 lumens, and has a lot of nice, nifty bells and whistles.

I want to thank the Bureks for taking the time and effort to help me research the seemingly infinite options and helping make the decision on what was important and what wasn’t.  Stop by and look at our new acquisition at the next HUPS meeting.

Irian Jaya on the Kararu
April 25 – May 11, 2005

HUPS is sponsoring this dive expedition for 14 members next spring.  The trip, worked up in conjunction with Island Dreams, Kararu Dive Voyages, and Burt Jones & Maurine Shimlock will be to the remote islands off the western coast of Irian Jaya, considered by many to be the most awesome, pristine diving in the world.  The trip will be guided by professional photographers Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock.  Not only will participants be able to tap into their expertise regarding the unique critters that are certain to be encountered but they will provide helpful guidance on underwater photographic techniques and how to best utilize your equipment.

Price: $4875 per person
Contact Dennis Deavenport

2005 Elections and Member of the Year
By Dennis Deavenport

As we do each year in October, we had or nominations for officers and board members for 2005.  The list of nominees is as follows:

One of the first business items in the November meeting will be to hold the election and finalize our leadership for 2005.

Also, we don’t want to overlook getting nominations for Member of the Year.  Anyone (other than President and Vice President) is eligible to be nominated.  Nominations must be turned into me or Leonard Cichowski in writing prior to or during the November meeting.  Look over the people in HUPS that have made significant contributions to our organization during 2004 and in prior years and tell us why you think your nominee deserves this distinction.  If you prefer to e-mail your nomination letter to me or Leonard, please do, but you might want to bring a copy with you to the meeting.

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!