Author: Matthew G. Schmidt

  • Simply Beautiful Photographs: A National Geographic Traveler Seminar

    NatGeo Traveler is doing a full-day photography seminar titled “Simply Beautiful Photograhs” at National Geographic Society on October 6th.

    Simply Beautiful Photographs

    Your photographs can be artistic creations and you’ll learn the secrets to making the most appealing photographs possible. Renowned photographers Annie Griffiths and Dan Westergren take you on a visual journey and share their perspectives on what creates beauty in a photograph. They’ll cover how to use color, light, composition, and—most important—how to see your subjects with a different eye.

    Dates & Locations

    October 6, 2013
    9:00AM - 4:00PM
    National Geographic Society • Washington DC

    Cost: $195

    Register here: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngtseminars/seminars/simply-beautiful-photographs.html

    Topics Covered

    Composition and Light

    Explore two of the most basic elements needed to create any beautiful image. You’ll see the importance of defining your subjects; incorporating shapes, colors, and textures; and using lighting techniques to vary and influence a photo.

    Vision and Voice

    How do you choose the content for your images? Learn how to express something personal through your images and create your own artistic voice. Great subject matter often comes from seeing something that others don’t within a familiar setting and then capturing it in your photo.

    The Power of Moment

    Great photographs convey information, ideas, and emotion. Learn how to sharpen your skill for finding and capturing decisive moments that will reflect what’s truly special about the places, people, and experiences you witness.

    Learning to See

    Train your eyes to look for photos that tell a story. Discover the visual, intellectual, and intuitive elements that go into making stunning photographs. Explore how travel photography styles have changed and what makes certain photos leave a lasting impression.

    The Art of Taking Pictures

    Color is the most significant element in composition. It commands the viewer’s eye and influences the feel of a picture. Discover how to work with color, contrasts, and balance, so you can make the most aesthetically appealing images possible.

    Still have questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page or email: info AT ngtravelerseminars DOT com

  • Stay & Shoot Overnight at a C&O Canal Lockhouse This Fall

    Canal Quarters Interior by Chris Hanessian
    Canal Quarters Interior by Chris Hanessian

    The C&O Canal has always offered photographers some of Washington, DC’s, best nature and historic structure subjects. This Fall/Winter rediscover this photographer’s playground from evening through morning with an overnight stay in one of the Canal Quarters lockhouses.

    Magnificently refurbished with the help of the C&O Canal’s nonprofit partner, the C&O Canal Trust, the six lockhouses dot the towpath from right outside Georgetown to 110 miles out in Washington County and are furnished to evoke different eras in the canal’s history – its construction in the 1830s, the Civil War, the turn of the century, and up through the 1950s.

    Capture history, architecture and nature while being immersed in a true Washington experience. Canal Quarters is now booking dates through August 2014 for weekdays and weekends. Fees for staying in the houses range from $100-$150 per night and each can accommodate up to eight people. Visit www.CanalQuarters.org to learn more and reserve a night in Washington, DC, history.

    From Leigh Kessler of the C&O Canal Trust.

  • Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Light The Night Walk

    To all of you photographers out there, here is an opportunity to develop your skills and provide a valuable service in the process.

    The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Light The Night Walk is the nation’s night to pay tribute and bring help and hope to millions of people touched by cancer. Light The Night Walk funds lifesaving research and support for people battling cancer. Friends, families and co-workers form fundraising teams and millions of consumers help by donating at retail outlets. These efforts culminate in inspirational, memorable evening walks in over two hundred communities each fall across North America. National Capital Area Chapter has three walks in the DC Metro Area:

    Northern Virginia will be held on October 5, 2013 at Reston Town Center from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

    Montgomery County will be held October 12, 2013 at Rockville Town Square from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

    Washington, DC Walk will be held on October 19, 2013 at Freedom Plaza from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

    We are currently looking for photographers of all skill levels to come out and capture the true spirit of Light The Night. For your talents, time, and copies of the photos you would be compensated with marketing incentives, recognition, and photo credit on all photos that are used. Light The Night is a visually stimulating and memorable walk that will give you the opportunity to show case your talents. The time commitment would be from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and potential photographs requested could be team photos, general walk photos, photos of top participants, and walk site.

    For more information please contact Emily at Emily.Seeger AT lls DOT org or by phone at 703.399.2924. Our events would not be possible without the support of our local communities, I thank you in advance for your time.

  • Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory

    MEDIA RELEASE Multiple Exposures Gallery

    Henderson & Keating Exhibit AnnouncementThe Torpedo Factory Art Center

    105 N. Union Street
    Alexandria, VA
    703-683-2205
    www.multipleexposuresgallery.com

    “Daily Differences” by Colleen Henderson
    “Street Portraits” by Karen Keating

    September 3 – October 13, 2013

    Reception:

    Sunday, September 8, 2-4pm

    Fine art photographers, Colleen Henderson and Karen Keating will present new work in their two-person exhibit at Multiple Exposures Gallery.

    Skeleton Tree by Coleen HendersonColleen’s images are from an ongoing body of work from her “shot of the day” series started in 2008 after attending a contemplative photo class.  The challenges of seeing and being present changed the nature of her shooting and image capture. In addition to framed photographs, Colleen will be exhibiting a limited edition of hand bound artist books.

     

     

     

     

     

    Palermo Chair by Karen KeatingKaren has long used the street as her stage for observing people, often in other countries.  Previous portfolios are from Honduras, Bulgaria, Africa, and most intensely Cuba.  A trip to Sicily during Easter week 2012 and the start of a new project in Key West are the locations for her continuing attraction to street portraits and the observation of daily life.  Watching and waiting for the visual gift is both her challenge and reward.  Her “Cuba: Watching and Waiting” book will be available.

     

    Gallery Hours:

    Daily 10am – 6pm; Thursdays, 11am-9pm

    Contact:

    Karen Keating, kwkeating AT comcast DOT net ;
    Colleen Henderson, colleen AT colleenhenderson DOT com

  • AWSome Call For Art!

    Amazon Web Services logoA Fantastic Opportunity for Metro Washington artists! ArtSpace Herndon is proud to announce that they have been chosen by Amazon Web Services and Gale Waldron, Fine Arts Consultant, to create an exhibition of art.  The exhibit will be installed for  Amazon Web Services’  August 26, 2013 reception, celebrating the grand opening of Amazon’s new offices in the Monument IV building on Worldgate Drive in Herndon.

    The call for art is now open.  You are encouraged to submit art of all media, styles, and subject matter.  Amazon Web Services will purchase art from the exhibit to install in their officesfour at the Monument IV building.  The deadline for submission is August 9, 2013.

    For complete details on how to submit art for the exhibit, visit www.artspaceherndon.com and select “Calls for Art” on the menu bar.

  • Artful August in the Villiage at Leesburg

    Loudoun Arts Council logoArtists living in Virginia (Clarke, Loudoun, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick and Prince William Counties), Maryland (Frederick County) and West Virginia (Jefferson County) are invited to submit artwork for the Village at Leesburg’s “Artful August” Juried Art Show.

    Two dimensional artwork in the following categories: acrylic painting, collage, ink or charcoal drawing, oil painting, pastels, photography, printmaking, watercolors, and mixed media (which is only comprised from any of these previous listed genres) are eligible for entry. Adult artists can submit up to 5 entries, High school artists can submit one entry. The independent jury panel will select artwork from both adult and high school artist division entries for display at the “Artful August” Show on August 14 – 18, 2013 at Village at Leesburg.

    The jury panel consists of three art industry professionals from outside the call area.  This jury panel will select adult division winners to receive the following awards: $1,000 Best of Show, $500 1st Prize, $400 2nd Prize, $300 3rd Prize, and 14 $200 Honorable Mention Prizes, for a grand total of $5,000 in prizes awarded. The Jury will select three high school artists to each receive a $500 scholarship with a matching donation to the student’s high school art department.  Award winners will be announced during a VIP Preview Reception on August 13th.

    Artwork to be juried must be delivered to the show site (1603 Village Market Blvd, Unit 100, Leesburg, VA 20175) on August 3rd, 2013 between 11am and 4pm. For expedited check in on August 3rd, artists can submit their paperwork in advance by July 15th.

    Download detailed show information & application materials at: http://www.villageatleesburg.com/info/artfulaugust

    Please submit questions via email to Mara Bauserman at mara.bauserman AT villageatleesburg DOT com.

  • New Work at Nature Visions

    New Work at Nature Visions

    Nature Visions 2013 LogoI’ve been away from the site for a while, but hope to be back to posting on a semi-regular basis.  The last few weeks my vocation has been taking up an inordinate amount of my time, and I accepted a volunteer role as the primary webmaster for the Nature Visions Mid Atlantic Photo Expo, a local nature photography exhibit that attracts hundreds of entries each year.

    Updating the website was quite a bit of work, there are 13 presenters and 21 presentations that required updated pages/posts, tons of linkages to other websites and a tremendous number of functional fixes.  The theme that is being used is quite dated and created menus based on the page hierarchy, which meant the only posts were related to the blog.

    I found code that allowed me to add the PHP code necessary to integrate the WordPress 3.x menus, which caused a Z-index issue that had the menu displaying below galleries and sliders on certain pages.  After I got that fixed for every browser to which I had easy access, someone else experienced the issue running a 64-bit version of Chrome (or at least Chrome running on a 64-bit version of Windows 7).

    Also on the agenda was creating pages with lists of things like presenters and presentations.  Fortunately I found WP List Posts Shortcode that creates lists of posts by Category, and Posts by Tag that creates lists of posts by Tag(s).  These two plugins allowed me to simply categorize and tag presentations and presenter information, updating the relevant pages automatically.  I also stumbled upon an RSS feed plugin called RSS Multi Importer that allows us to import posts from the presenters’ RSS feeds and add them to the presenter’s page automatically.  Together I believe that these plugins make the site appear more professional, which is not bad for a non-profit organization.

    Ultimately this is all part of my goal of paying to back to a community that has provided so much to me without reservation.

  • New Abstract Photography Exhibit – Photoworks

    New Abstract Photography Exhibit – Photoworks

    Dear Camera Clubs:

    Below please find information about our upcoming exhibit, Perspectives: A Photography Exhibition by Dennis O’Keefe and Sarah Hood Salomon. We are trying to get the word out about this exciting new photography show. Anything you can do to let your members know about the exhibit would be much appreciated. PLEASE NOTE: June 14th is the night of the reception, as well as “ART WALK IN THE PARK” — featuring artist demonstrations and open studio throughout Glen Echo Park — should be a great time!

    Thanks,

    Lisa Murphy
    Photoworks Gallery and Photography School
    Glen Echo Park, MD


    PHOTOWORKS GALLERY
    MEDIA RELEASE FOR NEW PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT

    Contact: Lisa Murphy, murphymail5 AT comcast DOT net or Gayle Rothschild, gaylesue AT me DOT com

    Perspectives: A Photography Exhibition by Dennis O’Keefe and Sarah Hood Salomon
    June 14 – July 22

    Exhibition Dates: June 14 – July 22
    Reception and Gallery Talk: Friday, June 14, 6:30 – 8:30 PM*
    Artists: Sarah Hood Salomon, sarahsally AT verizon DOT net and Dennis O’Keefe, dok6100 AT aol DOT com

    *PLEASE NOTE: June 14th is also “ART WALK IN THE PARK” featuring artist demonstrations and open studio throughout Glen Echo Park, http://www.glenechopark.org/art-walk-park

    Gallery Hours: Saturdays, 1-4 PM and Sundays, 1-8 PM (and anytime there is a class in the photography school)
    Gallery Appointments Available: Contact Photoworks, gaylesue AT me DOT com or kwkeating AT comcast DOT net
    Cost: FREE to the public

    Photoworks Gallery and Photography School @ Glen Echo Park
    7300 MacArthur Boulevard
    Glen Echo, MD
    www.glenechophotoworks.org

    Photoworks Gallery and Photography School in historic Glen Echo Park is pleased to present Perspectives: A Photography Exhibition by Dennis O’Keefe and Sarah Hood Salomon. Abstract art and photography intersect in this exciting new show.


    Perspectives by Sarah Hood Salomon
    Perspectives by Sarah Hood Salomon

     

    Sarah Hood Salomon utilizes camera motion and slow shutter speeds in order to compress transitional qualities of light into one image. By moving the camera while the shutter is open, light is formed into specific ‘brush strokes,’ and familiar objects are abstracted to textures, shapes, lines and colors. She presents a subject that no longer exists within a single instant, but moves through a confluence of several moments.

     

     


    Perspectives by Dennis O'Keefe
    Perspectives by Dennis O’Keefe

    Dennis O’Keefe’s images showcase the multi-colored hues and textures of the beaches of California. He writes, “From a distance, this California beach looked like any other — beautiful, but familiar. Actually walking the beach however, provided a bit of a surprise. The sand was multi-colored — blue-black, mixed with light grey and flecks of something like pale red and amber. Apparently the result of differential erosion from nearby cliffs, the sand was a show unto itself. Each ebb and flow of the waves erased the palette and created a new image. Particularly interesting was the effect that pebbles, shells and kelp detritus had on the resulting ‘canvas’ — colors and patterns were amplified on the seaward side of the obstruction, which contrasted starkly with the lee side colors. The resulting patterns often resembled birds in flight or inter-lacing leaves and fronds. It was particularly absorbing to rush from one pattern to the next, trying (often times in vain) to frame the image before it was erased forever.


    Sarah Hood Salomon is a photographer and writer living in Bethesda, MD. Dennis O’Keefe specializes in the photography of intimate landscapes and lives in North Potomac, MD with his wife and family.

  • Formal Photography Education

    Photography Degree LogoI was recently contacted by Photography Degree, a comprehensive collection of colleges and universities offering accredited degree programs in photography, so I thought that I would write something quick up for their website here.

    Photography Degree provides a wonderful directory that can be filtered to assist you in finding the degree program that fits your needs.  You can quickly filter by online versus brick and mortar, state, type of degree, and field of study to narrow your search down to appropriate schools.

    You can also find information on building your portfolio, finding a job, learning what classes you’ll take and what you will do on the job.  You’ll learn what to focus on to improve your photography, what the average pay is, and what the job outlook is for your chosen career field.

    All for free!

    Check out their website at: http://www.photographydegree.com

  • Photographers’ Field Day at Meadowlark

    Photographers’ Field Day

    Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

    Saturday, June 1, 2013
    Gates open 5:30 a.m.
    Admission Fee is $5 per person until 10:00 a.m.
    After 10:00, regular admission fees and discounts apply.

    Come early to Meadowlark to catch that lovely first light. Garden gates open before sunrise so you can get your best shots. Participate in one of our class offerings, or walk the gardens in search of your own unique subjects. Three classes will be offered:  “Cool Creatures Photo Ops,” “Capturing Insects Through Your Camera,” and “What’s in Bloom.”

    Cool Creatures Photo Ops

    9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
    Meet in the Log Cabin

    Photographers and nature enthusiasts of all ages will be able to enjoy a unique photo opportunity with some native creatures of Northern Virginia. Join Roving Park Naturalist David Garcia and some of his naturalist friends at the Log Cabin, where they will display some local reptiles and amphibians for everyone to take pictures and learn of their special lifestyles. Free with paid admission to the Gardens. Reservations at 703.255.3631 x 0.

    Photography Class:  ‘Capturing Insects Through Your Camera’

    Date:  June 1, 2013
    Time:  9:00 am to noon
    Location:  Meadowlark Botanical Gardens – meet at Visitor Center
    Instructor:  Bill Johnson of Bill Johnson Nature Stock Photography
    Class Size: Limit of 25 participants
    Class Fee: $60 payable to Bill Johnson Nature Stock Photography
    Entrance Fee of $5 also applies (payable to Meadowlark Botanical 
    Gardens upon arrival at the Gardens)
    Enroll in Class: Send an email to billjohnson AT usinternet DOT com

    How do insect photographers get those amazing shots?!  In this class, I’ll be doing ‘hands-on’ insect photography with the class participants.  I’ll be talking about the equipment that I use and showing people the various ways that I use it to create the images that I get.

    The class will be mostly outdoors (weather dependent) where we’ll all meet in a group and proceed to walk around the gardens doing a ‘bug hunt’ and attempting to photograph what we run into.  I’ll show ways to be successful at it, things I’ve found that work and those that don’t work. Throughout the class I will encourage people to ask questions, and I will do the best to answer them.

    Class participants can bring cameras if they want to.   If they don’t have a camera, that’s OK too. I’ll show them about how some cameras are limited in what they can do, as opposed to camera systems that can get amazing results. My hope is that everyone will come away from this experience with a whole new view and respect for insects.

    I will end the class by bringing everyone into my photo exhibit to show them results of what we had just been doing in the field.  I will answer any questions people might have about how a certain photo was taken, etc.

    At the end, I will have some handouts of articles I’ve written about insect photography for everyone to take home. A select group of images from the show will be available for purchase as notecards in the gift shop.

    Bill Johnson owns his own Stock Photography business in the Minneapolis area and has been published in over 800 publications.  He writes the column ‘Insect ID’ for Horticulture magazine and currently has the photo exhibit ‘Insect Pollinators – Beyond the Honey Bee,’ which is being shown at Meadowlark  Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia.

    What’s In Bloom

    10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

    Education Specialist Patricia Dietly will lead a discovery tour of Meadowlark to see what’s in bloom. The tour is helpful to photographers who want to identify their botanical subjects, but everyone is welcome to come along. No reservations necessary. Meet in the Visitor Center.

    If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

    Patricia K. Dietly
    Education Specialist
    703.255.3631 x106 office
    814.450.3113 cell
    703.255.2392 fax
    Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
    9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court
    Vienna, Virginia 22182


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