FIRST:    Click on the TGO Photo Club page in the left column – I want you to see what two of our club members do with their photo knowledge and fine equipment – WOW – I can not say enough about their wonderful images.

SECOND:   As you swing thru life, your photo is good, if it is the photo you want.  I hope our Photo Club helps you learn to know what you want and helps you practice to get it more often.  Well, it is not only the Photo Club that helps you.  The helper is you. Oh my, read on to see what I mean by that confusing statement.  

Generally, you only have seconds to know what you want before snapping the shutter. Therefore everything you do in those seconds must be automatic.  You do not have time to stop, think, and analyze.

The club will focus on helping you to automatically declare the subject of the photograph, capture the light that gives the feeling you want, and compose the image that controls the eyes of the viewer.

It does not matter weather you are snapping a cell phone photo or setting up an expensive camera on a tripod with a bag of filters and lenses, the quality of your photo depends on subject, light, and composition. 

AUTOMATIC – Snapping a photo must be like answering the phone – It must be automatic.  Automatically pick the subject, compose the photo, and use light & color for effect.

When you bring photos to the meeting to share, please come prepared to tell the group how you picked the subject, composed the image, and/or selected the light.  The subsequent shared discussion is bound to be enlightening to us all.  

Please view this part of our meetings as very important.  The club will have some  lectures, but we adults, also, learn by listening to each other. Then, we can go home, try it, and return to the next meeting and share what we tried.  That is how you can help make that part of our meetings a very successful fun learning events.

See what I meant, it is not only the Photo Club that helps you. The helper is you.

I am a cell phone photographer – But you know, I must know the principles of good photography better than a photographer with expensive lens and a tripod – why? ’cause I do not have time to think – using the elements of a good photograph must be automatic.

Here are some of my cell phone photos that explain why I like the cell phone:

The cell phone lets me enjoy people I meet. This hand belongs to a receptionist at one of my doctors – we discussed her love of jewelry,  She was so proud to show off her hand and have me photograph it.  Taking the photo really add to our fun meeting and I will give her a copy of it when I next go to that office. .  

The cell phone lets me record things I see on my bike rides. Is the subject obvious? How are the four corners – are they different? Did I use the rule of thirds? – All this was automatic and on my cell which also allows me to talk with my family up north as I ride and to also measure the number of miles I ride! Hard to do all that with a larger camera.

Waiting to be put under prior to my heart procedure – think this is a selfie.  Not sure I thought of the elements of a good photograph, but I did automatically use the rule of thirds, 

Think the nurse took this one just before taking my glasses and cell phone away as I was going under. – hard to get shots like this with a larger camera while waiting for the chemical to totally knock me out!

As you swing thru life – take time to do two things – 1.  photograph fun things you see each day and 2.  learn to AUTOMATICALLY apply the elements of a good photograph that you think are important to you!