Blogs

In the past the vbpc.org website has been more or less open to the public. Anyone could register and enjoy the website. However, starting April 5th you will have to be a VBPC member in good standing to enjoy all that the website and forum has to offer. Anyone else (i.e., the general public) will be able to view the website in a "read-only" mode. Non-members will be able to view most of the forum postings, and view the images in the gallery, and read most of the articles and pages on the rest of the site (including the newsletter). However, non-members will not be able to post anything to the forum, nor will they have a gallery of their own in which to post images. Non members also will not be able to read at all anything posted to any of the forums in the "Members Only" category. Current members of the site that are not members of the VBPC in good standing will have their accounts restricted starting on April 5th.

How do you become a member? It's very easy! Since this club is all about active participation by members, the best way is to join us at one of our membership meetings, usually on the first Tuesday of the month (more details here). If you would like to print out a membership application and snail-mail it in with your check for the membership dues (it's only $24 per year), then that works as well. Once you join, then you have full access to not only this website, but all of the fun and excitement of being a member of one of the largest photography clubs in Virginia!

We do hope that all of you that are current members, will continue to stay active in your membership. And those of you that are considering joining, but haven't yet--what are you waiting for? We sincerely hope that you will realize that we truly are the best photography club in the region, and well worth the membership!

Many people do not know this, but we actually do have a site on mySpace, the international social networking page.  We put the page up a while back, but have not really expanded on it much.  So, if you are on mySpace, please log into your page, then go to  http://www.myspace.com/vabeachphotoclub and request an add.  I will get you added asap!  If you would like to donate a photo or two, or are really creative with mySpace page design, please let me know--I would love to spice it up a bit over there!

Over the years, we have all heard the catch phrase, "You can't get to where you are going until you know where you have been." Cliche', perhaps, but pretty darned true. Photography is no different. In (most of) our lifetimes, we have seen photography evolve from black and white to color and now, to digital. A fascinating and exciting ride, and I am sure we have more excitement in store. Digital keeps getting better and better, and as we develop (no pun intended) our skills, we as artists become better. Click here to read more

Proper color management aligns an entire system of cameras, displays and printers to maintain consistent color across different color spaces. For consistent color throughout the photographic process, from capturing an image, to processing it, to final output as a print, a color managed system is essential. This guidebook provides users of Canon cameras and printers with an explanation of what color management is and how to set up a system easily and effectively. (The information contained in the book will be useful no matter what camera you use.)

The e-book can be downloaded by clicking here

Color Management is probably the least understood and most misunderstood aspect of digital photography. Canon was certainly gracious in providing this material to photographers free of charge, and we appreciate their efforts

Some time ago I was trying to find information about using my flash on full manual control; the goal being that I would have consistent output from the flash. However, during my research I found it very difficult to come across an easy explanation of how to manually use the flash.

Some would argue (and I would agree) that it would just be easier to meter the flash by remotely triggering it with a set of Pocket Wizards or eBay remote "poverty wizards". You simply adjust the output of the flash manually and meter it until you get what you want. While that is all well and good, I wanted to learn more about how the flash-to-subject-to-camera-settings worked in the whole scheme of things. That’s where guide numbers come into play.

Click here to download the rest of the article as a PDF document.

Here is a link to an incredible page of shots - sort of a Trash-The-Dress thing...DONE IN A CAVE!

http://www.flashflavor.com/2008/03/04/255/del-sol-trash-the-dress-bat-cave.html

After watching the video, I am OFFICIALLY impressed.....