November 18 2014 – Special Program
The Arboretum graciously offered MAPS members the opportunity to photograph the Illumination exhibit on Nov. 18. Even though it was a record cold night, more than 80 MAPS members came to learn about night photography from MAPS member and Vice President, Chuck Hunnicutt, and then went out in to the very cold night to shoot the beautiful lights. In return for shooting in this private session, the Arboretum will collect a set of images from us that they can use for their publications and displays. Chuck was prepared with a slide presentation that included settings and histograms that un-complicated night photography. It was a great start to the evening. Thanks, Chuck!
November 2014
Featured a presentation by Jack Shouba entitled “Gardens of the Desert: An Introduction to Illinois Prairie.” Called “the most beautiful country imaginable” by French explorer Louis Jolliet, and “gardens of the desert” by poet William Cullen Bryant, the Illinois prairie is all but gone and the word prairie has lost its meaning. In this program, Jack looked at prairie plants and their adaptations, prairie animals, and the role of fire. He discussed places that still contain scraps of prairie, and considered why and how we must save these precious remnants. Many of us know Jack. He is a teacher, photographer, and botanist. A retired biology teacher, he has taught Local Flora, Tree Identification, and other natural history and photography classes at the Morton Arboretum for over twenty years. His photos have been published in Chicago Wilderness magazine and are used by conservation organizations such as Save the Prairie Society, the Conservation Foundation, and Campton Township. His presentation also showed great humor which was well enjoyed. Please click on images below to enlarge:
October 13, 2014
We hope all attending enjoyed a presentation by Tony Reynes on “50 Ways I Have Helped My Images”. Tony was recently featured as a speaker at the Out of Chicago seminar. He is president of his own commercial photography company and is the past president of the 70-member (Chicago Botanic) Garden Photographic Society. In addition, Tony leads local composition workshops and lectures on Photoshop and travel photography. Tony reviewed important but possibly overlooked steps covering preparation, Shooting and Post-processing of images. Tony’s natural presentation style and humor added to the enjoyability of his discussion. Thanks Tony!
September 8, 2014
MAPS member Arnold Koenig presented a program titled “Why Am I Always Looking Up?” He gave information about where to find birds locally and how to photograph them. Arnold has been a naturalist all of his life and had been photographing nature for over 40 years. He has won several awards at CACCA. This was certainly an informative and entertaining meeting. What was really special was that so many of Arnold’s stunning images were photographed so nearby! Thank you Arnold for your presentation (as well as your 600mm lens!). Great job.
August 11, 2014
Alan Cox discussed his thoughts on the most important issues in capturing images, and then detail the treatment of them in post processing. He also demonstrated a sight he had devised, to greatly assist in capturing birds in flight. Alan is the current competition chair and past president of the Schaumburg Area Photographic Society. He is a member of the Photographic Society of America and is the current Vice Chair of the local chapter. Alan was kind enough to also do our Show & Tell. Both events were greatly received by the attending members. Please click below to view Alan’s presentation:
AlanCox-MAPS Presentation-2014-08-11
July 14, 2014
MAPS Peer Image Critique – July 14
We hope you enjoyed our image critique session conducted by three of our able MAPS members – Christine Foley, Cora Jacobs, and David Schooley – supported by our in-house geek, Bob Duke and our narrator and program director, Chuck Hunnicutt. Each image had an accompanying “intent statement,” and our panelists commented on how well the image meets its intent as well as its composition and technical aspects. Additionally, the submitter was allowed to interject directly if warranted. The critiquers really did their preparation which included time-saving alternate slides resulting in very favorable opinions after the session concluded. Thanks!
June 9, 2014
Our June meeting included a special presentation by Chris Aquino – Top 10 Most Influential Movies… Chris presented his top 10 most influential photographic movies that inspired his artistic vision for still photography. Many but not all submissions were from the film noir era where the director and cinematographer filmed high contrast chiaroscuro clips to educe specific emotions (fear, suspense) to draw in the viewer. The films demonstrated many different perspectives and angles and each was right for the director’s vision… no one rule applied.
Chris then followed with a slide presentation using these film stills along with famous paintings from Hopper and Wyeth as an inspiration for his own photography. It was a stunning display of beautiful images. Thanks Chris!
May 12, 2014
We’re grateful for a special presentation by Will Clay titled: “Not Many – the 50 most meaningful images I have taken”. Henri Cartier-Bresson said how many images have we taken that people want to see over and over again? Not many! And that is the title of Will’s presentation – Not Many… The images were stunning and the program concluded with a raffle of Will’s favorite photograph. Thanks Will!
April 14, 2014
Tonight we enjoyed a special presentation by Hank Erdmann titled “Door County – Bayshore to Lakeshore”. Hank took us on a photographic journey through Door County’s rich state parks and picturesque towns and villages that are located up and down both sides of the peninsula. The many scenic lighthouses and waterfront locations were included as well completing the picture, so to speak, of all that Door County has to offer. Thank you Hank for your lovely travelogue.
March 10, 2014
At tonight’s program, our own Fred Drury treated us to an introduction to HDR, ETTR and the principles of dynamic range. HDR (high dynamic range) is a technique requiring at least two and usually more photos taken at different EVs to cover the whole light gamut. Combining these images can result in a photo that has the best balance of light, dark and in-between shadows such that all aspects of the image are visible with the least amount of noise (grain). With multiple shots, a tripod is a must and the subject must be still. Thanks, Fred, for your beautiful test photos and your explanation of this popular technique. Please reference Fred’s notes from his presentation: HDR Program Notes~Fred Drury
February 10, 2014
Tonight we were treated to a three-part presentation by Chris Smith a contributor to outofchicago.com – The Chicago Photography Experience. Chris presented his favorite places to shoot in Chicago and related photo advice. His images were in black & white as well as color, many taken in the late evening or early morning hours. Chris’ sense of humor and natural presentation style were well received and engendered many questions. Thanks Chris!
January 13, 2014
Those attending the January meeting were treated to a novel aspect of image capturing presented by Tina Leto titled: “Weeds:Alley, Garden and Prairie”. Tina reviewed the pre-photographic history of creative people trying to invent some method of recording objects without drawing them. Early attempts were labeled “photograms” and used available natural materials to create these images.
Part two of Tina’s presentation provided a live look at the digital equivalent of photograms by using a flatbed scanner to scan various weeds into beautiful digital images. In addition, Tina also provided several framed examples to give a better idea of a final outcome and possibly encourage members to try this technique and she did this with great élan and humor. Thanks Tina!
