Run time: 1:14:13

In this presentation, Matt Dietrerich discusses astrophotography in National Parks. He covers recommended camera gear, settings, and planning tips to ensure you are well equipped to capture the experience of being under a dark sky.

Run time:  1:10:54

Join Pete and learn how to get out at night and make your own beautiful and unique Landscape Astrophotographs. Topics will include how to select locations and times that will result in good images; personal safety while in the field after dark; what equipment to use and how to set it up; composition considerations; and some post-production tips. There will be at least one case study tying all this together. If you have ever marveled at the quiet beauty of the night sky, this is your chance to begin – or improve -- making memories of those experiences.   

Run time:  1:41:59

Birds are in many ways a photographer’s dream with their exquisite plumage and beautiful eyes. Combining this beauty with feeding, courtship and social/antisocial behavior as well as flight provides enormous photographic opportunities. However, there are difficulties; birds are often small, are in constant motion and are usually not willing models. Based on a number of years of experience, this presentation addresses many of the challenges that need to be overcome in order to obtain bird photographs that illustrate interesting behavior while simultaneously being technically acceptable/excellent photographs. The seemingly simple yet fundamental photographic elements of focus and exposure can in fact be very challenging; interesting behavior is often over in a fraction of a second so focus and exposure must be correct the first time. When using long lenses, getting a rapidly moving bird in the frame and keeping it in the frame requires practice, knowledge, technique and luck; furthermore, capturing a pleasing composition adds another layer of difficulty. A once in a lifetime observation must be captured and captured correctly when it occurs.

The presentation discusses lessons learned trying to capture ordinary and extraordinary behavior. The subjects covered include light quality; use of on-camera flash; studio-style flash setups; backyard photography; approaches to exposure and focusing; capturing feeding, aggression and reflections; techniques to improve the success of flight photography. The presentation concludes with a discussion of equipment selection and camera/lens settings followed by some favorite photographs.     

Run time:  1:01:21

There is a limitlessness to the Sky. When we look up at the clouds in the massive vastness of the sky, we observe formations, moving clouds or clouds that appear to have faces, shapes and patterns in them. The Drama of the Clouds is a big part of Nature’s character. Nature’s best reward to us photographers are the infinite opportunities for photographing sunrises, sunsets and sun rays piercing through the clouds, creating striking imagery. But, think of these images without clouds? Without clouds, landscapes or sunrise/sets can be dull and dreary, making us cut out the sky and lay emphasis on foreground elements instead. On the contrary, witnessing the puffy, bulbous, stormy clouds lit up in myriad manners, can make the scene appear more colourful, alive and dramatic.

The goal of this webinar is to get you thinking about how you can look up more and capture the skyscapes and understand few nuances of this genre. Hema’s presentation will cover the following topics with illustrations: 1) Weather Conditions 2) Usage of Right Filters 3) Exposure Length 4) Use of light correctly 5) Composition and 6) general tip on post-processing. She will also share two rare phenomenon's she witnessed in the Himalayas that occurred amidst the clouds.   

Run time:  1:23:09

This program will teach us ways to look more deeply into our prized photographs in order to articulate the story and artistic vision behind them. The presentation helps us to understand the motivation, meaning, or metaphor that our photography to speak about our experience on both sides of the camera lens. 

The presenter draws from the study of literature to help us explore the plot, characters, setting, mood, and theme of our photographic endeavors. Her slide presentation is filled with examples of photographs that depict these elements as well as emotion, gesture, symbol, and more. 

The program teaches viewers the concepts and vocabulary needed to contemplate and articulate ideas about their photographic art on a deeper level. 

After taking a look at the visual elements used to build an image, her presentation moves into the elements of story: plot, character, setting, point of view, mood, theme before encouraging participants to look for emotional content, metaphor, gesture, significance and more subtle aspects like symbolism, archetype and universality. 

Every photograph has something to say and this presentation seeks to unlock the treasures and poetry that reside within our favorite images.   

Run time:  1:43:02

Evaluating Photographic Images: Principles and Practice with Stephen Burgstahler Description “Great photographers do not automatically make great judges.” “We are all judges, even if we are only judging the judge.” Through learning to properly evaluate photographic images, a photographer can greatly improve their own personal photography and in so doing, move closer to refining their craft and voice. In his presentation “Evaluating Photographic Images,” Stephen will be sharing practical tips and tested advice on such topics as: -What to look for when evaluating an image -Breaking/going beyond “rules” effectively -The need for proper self-critique -Striving for one’s own style -Healthy versus unhealthy club competition -Identifying the message of an image (what does the image communicate?). "

Run time:  1:26:01 

Join Jackie Kramer as she takes us on a journey through her digital garden where she will share a variety of techniques to bring out the character in floral subjects. She will offer examples showing how to reflect the personality of a flower and how to shoot straightforward macro images with selective focus, shoot-throughs, abstracts, multiples, textures, and more. Hear her rationale as it applies to decisions in the field pertaining to the selection of the subject, background, approach, composition, lighting, exposure, and depth of field. You will leave with a desire to put some of these ideas into action as you create your own unique images.

Run time:1:15:22

Flowers are beautiful and almost always available, making them popular subjects for photographers and painters. This program focuses on creative flower photography that goes beyond capturing accurate flower pictures. We’ll see how to take advantage of interesting and beautiful shapes, textures, and colors to create original art. The program covers creative seeing and image making, from capture to post processing, including subject selection and composition, gear, lighting and light modifiers, and ideas and techniques for unique and personally-expressive flower photography.

Run time: 50:53

This is a pre-recorded webinar on the history of photography that was created to celebrate World Photography Day - 2020. There is a second webinar of a PowerPoint presentation that was converted to a video that augments the webinar - there is no sound associated with that second video.  

Run time: 1:06:34 (Part one), 1:20:52 (Part two)

This is a two part Webinar series.

Part one: 
In this first program Rick Cloran, HonFPSA, GMPSA, HonNEC will explore the rules for nature images in the context of the PSA-FIAP definition governing nature competitions, his thoughts on how to approach evaluating nature images and how a judge may approach commenting on nature images. Rick will touch on the key aspects of a successful competitive nature image and what separates them from an otherwise good nature image. Each of the key aspects is covered in short, easily remembered points. These points are then reinforced with multiple examples using images that have and have not been successful at local, inter-club and international exhibition levels.

Part two:
In this second program Rick Cloran, HonFPSA, GMPSA, HonNEC will explore the key aspects of a successful competitive nature image and what separates it from an otherwise good nature image. Each of the key aspects is covered in short, easily remembered points. These posts are then reinforced with multiple examples using images that have and have not been successful at local, inter club and international exhibition levels.

Run time:  1:16:32

In this webinar, Dr. Kah-Wai Lin will tell you four pro tips in crafting better images in landscape photography: how to use the lights to create emotion; how to use long exposure to create dynamism; how to use the perspective of vision to create visual impact; and how to use composition to create a story.

Jump in with both fins as NAUI SCUBA instructor and award-winning underwater photographer Dalton Hamm leads you on a deeper dive into underwater photography. Dalton will show you a range of styles, from close-up macro images to sweeping, wide-angle underwater shooting, even teaching you how to nail the highly-coveted split shot!

With the perspective of U.S.C.G. licensed boat captain, he’ll reinforce some safety tips and environmental responsibilities. He’ll also cover gear, lighting, and how to enhance your photos with Lightroom and Photoshop to perfect your underwater masterpiece.   

Run time: 59:08

Join professional landscape photographer Nic Stover for this session to talk about an area of photography that is hard to quantify, takes some time to discover, but is part of the process. “The Power to Create, giving ourselves the permission, we need to embrace the creative process.”

This presentation will help you to look at your work and your creative process in completely different ways than ever before. You will see how you need to give yourself permission to go deeper into your creative self to explore a wider range of what you and your work represent.

Run time: 1:35:18

This program presents the visual exploration of stones and crystals through macro photography as illustrated through the theme of Imaginary Realms. Starting with a discussion on mineralogy, George Fellner describes the initial spark for this journey and the criteria for the implementation of this Earth source material. The description of camera and lighting equipment, along with the photo shoot setup illustrates multiple technical considerations.

Through the visual display of images, he discusses the ongoing evolvement of this unique form of abstract imagery. Influential art movements including Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism are noted. In particular, the revelations involving points of departure include messages from history, mythology, geology, astronomy, biology, and other themes. In turn, this defines the associative relationships of the images with meaningful messages. Consequently, the creative process results in Imaginary Realms, evoking ancient and future fantasies, as well as planetary and cosmic-scapes, traversing space, time, and dimension. Ultimately, the intent is to stimulate the imagination of both the photographer, as well as the observer.

This presentation includes case studies, photographic and post-processing techniques including focus stacking, and lighting strategies.

Run time:  1:25:18

As a renowned international photo tour leader, William Yu will share his years of travel experience and practical tips of photography in this presentation from places around the globe. William will show you how it takes skills, knowledge, and experience to take better and memorable images when traveling, telling the story of places, culture, and people. William will share with you tons of tips and tricks for different aspects of travel photography, from gear choices to image composition, from technical to creative, from planning to execution.

Run time: 1:03:57

This program explores the beauty of imperfect and/or unconventional subjects. As nature photographers we often seek out the flowers, leaves and such that are perfect, with no blemishes or defects.

This program highlights subjects that are not perfect, such as flowers that have character, double headed flowers, decaying fall leaves, the deformed coneflower that stands out as flawed and hence different and beautiful, rust as it creates abstract patterns amidst the decay, etc. We will also explore the concept of slowing down and appreciating the beauty of everyday life, things that might be overlooked.

As purveyors of rust and decay we appreciate the perseverance and beauty of “life after humans” as cars and equipment falls apart and succumbs to oxidation and decay. Wabi-Sabi teaches us to find beauty in everyday life. It is a kind of anti-aesthetic, an alternative to the dominating discriminatory ideas we hold about beauty. “Wabi means a beauty of elegant imperfection. Sabi means aloneness. Together, they suggest the beauty of ‘the withered, weathered, tarnished, scarred, intimate, coarse, earthly, evanescent, tentative, ephemeral.’ ~ Crispin Sartwell, Six Names of Beauty. It is a way of honoring that everything is impermanent, and we are always in a state of both becoming and falling away. It is used to describe a particular philosophy that beauty can be found in the old, the everyday, the imperfect. Wabi Sabi applies to more than nature and the seasons of change and decay, but it also to the “Life after Humans” arena or UrbEx (urban exploration). As a side note, the term Wabi Sabi can also be part of the social movement of embracing imperfection of your physical traits as a human being, especially with respect to self-perception and celebrating imperfection in a society that encourages people to be perfect and pressures people to be flawless.