Blue Planet Photography

After several years without a place to meet, I’m bringing back the Photographer’s Forum. The Photographer’s Forum is an opportunity for photographers to gather and discuss topics related to photography: technology, methodology, technique, business, workflow, equipment, art, exhibit opportunities, photography-related news and events, etc. Also, to receive feedback for works in progress or finished pieces. There are no dues, no agenda, no program, no harsh judgments, just a more-or-less open forum for socializing and becoming more involved in the art and business of photography. I will be the moderator and, when needed, prompter of topics. In the past there were long-time pros and beginners in attendance and this time around it won’t be any different. Photographers of all skill levels are welcome.

When I had space at the Basement Gallery in Boise, I held the first Photographer’s Forum which lasted a little over a year before I moved out of that space. Over the past couple years, especially after the PhotoCrawl has taken off, I’ve been looking for a suitable location to restart the Forum and the Caldwell Center for the Arts & Education has graciously allowed me to use their facility. The first Photographer’s Forum of 2010 will be on Thursday, January 28, from 7 - 9pm and will be held monthly on the 4th Thursday thereafter.

The Caldwell Center for the Arts & Education is at 603 Everett, in Caldwell, Idaho.

For the first gathering I’ll have a topic or two to discuss. I don’t know if there will be a digital projector available, but if you have prints please bring them. If you would like to show a slide or two (what are those?) let me know and I’ll have a projector available. Until we get some idea of participation, please limit the number of photos you wish to show and/or receive feedback on to a maximum of five (5). If you have a series or other program (slide show) that requires longer than 10 minutes, let me know and we’ll make arrangement for it.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I would also appreciate an RSVP if you plan to attend, especially for this first gathering so I know about how many to expect. Thanks and I hope to see you there.

From John Sexton’s newsletter:

ANSEL ADAMS MOON AND HALF DOME ENCORE NOVEMBER 28, 2009

I suspect that many readers of this newsletter are already aware of this news, but in case you are not I wanted to share with you that, on Saturday, November 28th, at 4:04 PM PST a celestial encore of Ansel’s iconic Moon and Half Dome image will occur in Yosemite. The moon will be a fraction of a degree north of where it was on December 28th, 1960 when Ansel made his well-known image.

Texas State University Astronomer, Donald W. Olson, and his team have studied a number of Ansel’s famous moon photographs, and worked out the exact dates the negatives were made. On November 28th the sun will be about 1.5 degrees off of its 1960 position, so the shadows, as well as the position of the moon, will be very similar… that is if the weather cooperates and the sun is out at that time! The Ansel Adams Gallery is presenting a special program focused on the making and printing of Moon and Half Dome on the afternoon of the 28th. You can check out the Ansel Adams Gallery web site for more information or call them at 209-372-4413. Here is a link to the page about the special program:
http://theanseladamsgallery.blogspot.com/2009/11/moon-and-half-dome-encore-november-28.html

I imagine if the weather is good there will be quite a crowd in the Ahwahnee Meadow. Since the moon is a tiny bit to the north of where it was when Ansel made his photograph, it will be necessary for photographers to position themselves a short distance to the south of Ansel’s 1960 camera position. In addition, it will be necessary for photographers to back up a bit further west from Half Dome, because trees have grown up and partly blocked the view from the precise spot where Ansel placed his tripod so many years ago. I think the best photograph will likely be of the crowd of photographers and tripods attempting to emulate Ansel’s photograph. I hope a few photographers are successful in making images that interpret this event with new and different eyes.

If you’re worried about where to set up your tripod, you can go to Donald Olson’s Texas State University web site and check out the aerial photograph with a suggested tripod location diagram. Amazing!! http://uweb.txstate.edu/%7Edo01/moonandhalfdomeencore.htm

For those that won’t be able to attend the event (like us), but want to experience some of the excitement, try checking out the Yosemite Association’s Ahwahnee Meadow web cam. If the weather cooperates, it should be an excellent view… complete with photographers! Here’s the link: http://www.yosemite.org/129/Web-Cam-View.htm

As an added bonus, the Gallery in Yosemite will host an opening reception for Alan Ross from 5:00 to 6:30 PM. This would be a great time to meet Alan and see his beautiful photographs, which are on display at the Gallery through January 3, 2010.

A great opportunity fell in my lap last week and I’ve been scrambling to get ready for it. I’m heading to Chumbe Island Coral Park this month through most of September to be a volunteer reef guide. This opportunity came about as the result of a friend calling me up and telling me a friend of his was going and the other guy he’d had signed up to go had to cancel, would I want to go? Initially, I said no because this kind of trip wasn’t in my budget. Then, after some thought, I decided it was an opportunity not to be passed up lightly. I did some research and thought I’d bring all my skills to bear on the project.

Part of that is a participatory project I’ve called Get a Piece of Zanzibar!



I like to teach and “bring people along” to locations I’ve visited through slide show presentations, writing, and my photography. I’m always trying to integrate my wildlife biology background into the photography work I do, and here’s a perfect opportunity to combine all of those things into a vicarious experience for anyone.

I’ve put together 4 options for people to participate in this adventure. These options are relatively inexpensive and you get some cool stuff:

$50 - at least 4 postcards handwritten by me and postmarked from Zanzibar. Who knows what the postcards will be of or what I’ll write….
$75 - One (1) signed 8×12 photographic print of my choice
$100 - at least 4 handwritten postcards and one (1) signed 8×12 photographic print of my choice
$125 - at least 4 handwritten postcards, one (1) signed 8×12 photographic print of my choice, and a surprise (I don’t even know what it will be)

There’s more information on my website and a special page created for this project. It’s called Get a Piece of Zanzibar and all the information (well, a lot of information) is there as well as the links to sign up to get your stuff.

Just be quick, the deadline for signing up is August 28.

Today’s children (and adults) are being lured away from the outdoors by technology and, to some extent, over-endulged fear. Less exposure to the outdoors, unstructured play and use of their own imagination and sitting for hours in front of a computer screen, game console or television, is being shown to result in greater instances of physical & emotional illnesses, attention difficulties, diminished use of the senses, and alienation from nature. If you haven’t read it, check out “Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder” by Richard Louv.

I’m involved in a non-profit, multi-agency and private cooperative called Be Outside Idaho, and have been developing a project for several months to bring attention to the issue of nature-deficit disorder (not a medical term, but one used to describe the condition) in Idaho and the region. I could use your help to make the project a success.

The project consists of creating 10 - 12 fine art photographs representing concepts and issues described in Richard Louv’s book. These photographs will be mounted and framed for gallery exhibition and each will be printed at 16×24 in limited edition of 50 each. Posters, licensing, and other products created following completion of the project will be used to help raise funds for Be Outside Idaho and the programs and products this organization is creating.

You can contribute as little as $1. Contributions of $10 and up receive prints, limited edition prints, card sets, and/or a special edition book about the project. I hope to complete shooting by the end of September or October and have the prints ready for exhibition in early 2010. For more information and to contribute, click on the graphic below. The funding period for this project is 90 days, ending August 29.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you!

On Thursday, March 19, 6 - 9pm at the Egyptian Theatre in Boise, the first Ignite Boise will descend upon our fair (?) city. What is Ignite Boise, you ask? Well, stripped from the www.igniteboise.com website is this description:

“Ignite Boise is a 3 hour-ish idea feeding frenzy that brings together artists, geeks, entrepreneurs, academics, government officials, and others to share their ideas in fast-paced, bite-sized presentations. It’s a great opportunity to meet smart, interesting people (if we do say so ourselves) and maybe even learn something.”

These bite-sized presentations are 5 minutes and 20 slides long. The slides automatically change every 15 seconds to keep things moving along.

I’ll be one of the presenters. The title is “The Electronic Afterlife: Digital Immortality?” and will be about

Recent events with Facebook and the control of electronic content by social networking sites and others and talks of “digital life diaries” to record every
aspect of your life for posterity. What will be the “leave behinds” of the digital society? Future generations will no longer be lucky enough to exhume a dusty old trunk of
documents left behind in a musty attic. Where does this digital history reside? How long does it survive? What digital history is being lost down the rabbit hold of the digital
trash can? Who controls our digital history? What are the privacy issues? Who pays for the storage?

Admission to the event is free, with ticket holders allowed in between 5 - 5:30, everyone else between 5:30 - 6:00. The event starts at 6:00pm.

Hope to see you there!

March 14 - 15

Boise, Idaho

$175.00

Register

Mike Shipman will conduct a fine art figure workshop on March 14 - 15 for serious, intermediate photographers. He will cover studio equipment and lighting, props, finding and retaining models, model releases, posing, lighting, and more. Participants will shoot with at least 2 female models over the two day workshop. Workshop is limited to 10.

I’ll be conducting an outdoor figure photography workshop in June. I’m working out a location and will have it posted on my website (and here) once that is finalized.

On February 25, 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge at Lake Lowell in southwest Idaho. The refuge surrounds Lake Lowell, habitat for Canada geese, bufflehead, goldeneye, mallard, pintail, western grebe, bald eagle, red tailed hawk, northern harrier, American kestrel, Cooper’s hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, hummingbirds, pelicans, cormorants, badger, mule deer, coyote, and many more plants, insects, reptiles and amphibians.

On February 25, 2009, Deer Flat NWR is hosting an open house from 1:00pm - 4:00pm at the Visitor Center, 13751 Upper Embankment Rd, Nampa ID 83686. For more information contact the refuge at 208-467-9278.

A larger, formal celebration will be held on June 6.