James Frank will talk about The Art of Photography – Learning to See. He will discuss his journey about learning to see as a photographer and visual artist, including watersheds in understanding the process and what makes photography unique as an art form.

James Frank is an interpreter of nature and a creator of simple and dynamic images. His photographs display a thoughtful understanding of the nuances of light and atmosphere and their effect upon tone, color and the expression of a subject. Practicing keen observation of our natural world, he combines an extraordinary eye for design with patience and determination when making photographs. For more than 35 years, Frank has lived near Rocky Mountain National Park, photographing the unique beauty of this wild place in all its moods and seasons.

Frank’s photographs have been published world-wide in numerous books and magazines. His commercial credits include such clients as DuPont, L.L. Bean, and American Express. Nature and landscape photographs of his work are displayed for sale at his gallery, Aspen and Evergreen, in Estes Park, Colorado. He and his wife, Tamara, are the gallery owners. Earthwood Gallery on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder also displays his fine art prints. Frank’s publishing company, Our Natural Heritage Publishing, now publishes his books and annual scenic calendar of Rocky Mountain National Park, released each spring.

Five books about Colorado places have been published featuring the photographs of James Frank. Magic in the Mountains: Estes Park, Colorado, was published by Our Natural Heritage Publishing and is a regional best-seller. Three previous titles – James Frank’s Colorado, A Portrait of Rocky Mountain National Park, and A Portrait of Pikes Peak Country, quickly became Colorado best-sellers upon their releases.

Frank’s calendar, books and fine art prints are available on-line at JamesFrank.com and in many bookstores along Colorado’s Front Range and Estes Park.

For the last twenty-plus years or so, I’ve taught ancient Greek and Roman history at a university in Denver. From that long perspective, there’s not much new under the sun. But I also take photographs—-and I’m as passionate about those as I am the ancient Romans. My company, Wild Basin Photography and Gallery, is located in the North Boulder Art District. My portfolio is filled with images of Boulder, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain West. But it also includes images from Rome, Florence and Northern New Mexico (Santa Fe, Abiquiu, and Ghost Ranch—-Georgia O’Keefe’s landscape).
For me, the best thing about photography is being out taking photographs. You are immediately surrounded by a pulsing, 360-degree-multi-sensory environment. The art of photography is reducing this mind’s- eye sensory experience into an aesthetically pleasing, two-dimensional image by blending technology with deliberate, intentional, and personal artistic seeing.
So on many levels, the process of making photographs is more complicated than it appears. The beauty and/or interest of a scene pulls the photographer in; but memorable photographs come from within the photographer—quite literally from the inside out as a kind of self-portraiture. This transcends the personal style a photographer may have and becomes the first level of “meaning” a photograph may have.
In this presentation, we will look at a series of images and raise some of the many issues related to this artistic and personal side of the photographic process.
Lastly, the next best thing to taking photographs is to talk about them. This should be an interesting evening and I invite you to join the discussion!

Dear FPC Friends,
         This is your friendly Program Chair asking for your contributions to the September 11 Member Slide Show meeting.  We plan to devote the entire September meeting to in-house artists by offering each volunteer member a 10 minute slot to present recent work to the club.
        The format is simple: short introduction, 5 minute slide show, short time for Q & A.  This is your chance to show and discuss your recent work, themed work or best of 2014 (or any other connected set of photos) It is always exciting to see the variety of artistic approaches represented by our folks.
       I’m counting on 9 or 10 club members to respond to this request so that I can reserve your 10 minute slots. I have a feeling they will go fast, so first come, first serve; so far 7 people have said they will give presentations.  Please send an email to [email protected] very soon to reserve your time slot.  
      Thanks for being willing to share your creativity and skills with FPC members.
      Hope you are having a terrific summer,
      Ginger Zukowski
      Program Chair

Jon Van de Grift will give a presentation on, “Weathering the Storm: The Challenges of Photography in Extreme Places.” This presentation will include new photographs from his 2013 field season, a preview of his upcoming work, and a question and answer session for photographers seeking advice on how to cope with the elements.

Jon’s Bio:

Jon Van de Grift is an extreme weather photographer based in Boulder, Colorado. His photographs have been published worldwide in nearly every medium. What makes Jon’s photographs unique is his uncommon approach and lofty perspective. Beyond the typical documentary snapshots of storms, Jon makes true fine art of some of the most dangerous weather on Earth. His platform of choice is a mountain summit and when that’s not available, he uses an aircraft. He is one of only a few fine art aerial photographers in the world. When he’s not behind the camera, he’s in front of the chalkboard teaching earth and atmospheric science at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Please visit WeatherChrome.com to learn more about Jon and see his work. You can also watch for him on “Dispatches” on Outside Television.

On Thursday, May 8, Flatirons Photo Club President, Thomas Walsh, will give a presentation on the basics of videography. The talk will cover equipment, shooting, and post-processing. Software to be discussed will include Photoshop, iMovie, and Final Cut Pro as well as other major programs that can be used to create a finalized video. While the talk will include several points discussed by Thomas in his presentation to the Photographic Frontiers Study Group last January, it will cover additional matters regarding effective videography and will include two of Thomas’ videos.

This month John Weller will give a presentation based on his recent publication, The Last Ocean: Antarctica’s Ross Sea Project: Saving the Most Pristine Ecosystem on Earth.

John’s Bio: John Weller is a critically acclaimed photographer, writer and filmmaker based in Boulder, Colorado. Nature photography has been his passion since childhood, and after graduation from Stanford University with a degree in Economics, John began pursuing media full time. John’s first book of photography and essays, Great Sand Dunes National Park: Between Light and Shadow won national and international attention and engendered a greater appreciation for the delicate dune ecosystem. For the last ten years, John has worked on conserving the Ross Sea, Antarctica, a region deemed to be the last pristine marine ecosystem on Earth. John has made four photography trips to the Ross Sea, compiling a vast library of photographs along the way, all of which have been used in the international fight to protect the Ross Sea. John’s new book, The Last Ocean, offers a rare glimpse into life at the edge of the world – from Emperor and Adelie penguins to silverfish, seals and minke whales – Weller takes the reader on an unprecedented journey above and below the ocean surface. The Last Ocean is more than stunningly beautiful photography. It is a story central to our own: our struggle to sustain a population in a changing climate and with exponentially increasing pressures on world resources.

Summary of issue: The Ross Sea is under attack – unsustainable fishing is already spreading observable ripples of depletion through the entire system. But we still have a chance to act before it is too late. And we must. The Ross Sea story is not just that of a fish, or of the incredible creatures that live at the edge of the world. It is our story – the story of our struggle to become sustainable.

On the book (with links to press): Since its release, the book has received rave reviews in the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/books/review/southern-light-and-the-last-ocean.html?_r=1&), The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/national/health-science/the-last-ocean/2013/12/05/53ee3cc0-5e05-11e3-bc56-c6ca94801fac_gallery.html#item0), Outside Magazine (http://www.outsideonline.com/photo-galleries/adventure-travel/antarctica/The-Last-Ocean.html), Scientific American (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/book-review-the-last-ocean/) and many others. He was recently featured on NPR’s national program, Science Friday (http://www.sciencefriday.com/guests/john-weller-.html#page/full-width-list/1).
“The Last Ocean uses images as the hook to pull us more deeply into the science, lore and heroic history of [Antarctica]. The world is a careless place. We fish far from home. We pollute in ways we cannot see, hear or feel. This book will open your eyes, first to the beauty of a world that lies beyond your sight. And more important, to the possibility of sustaining that far-off world that, in turn, sustains us.” – The New York Times

We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. My goal is to share the beauty of Colorado by drawing viewers into my images. I do this through the use of a technique known as photomerging. Some of my merged pictures consist of hundreds of individual photographs seamlessly quilted into a single panorama. The resulting prints are large and highly detailed. Another key advantage of this technique is that it permits me to achieve extreme depth of field by using multiple focus settings.The result can provide the feeling of being in the image.

My presentation covers the evolution of panoramic photography, how I merge multiple images, what I do with them with the resulting photos and where this photographic technique fits into the future of digital photography.

Rich Wolf 2/2014

With the advent of digital photography, many of us can master the craft of photography. Unfortunately, with the attention on the mastering the technical details, the artistry can get lost or in most cases is never developed. What’s much harder, is developing ones own vision or as I call it learning to see. A good technical background in service of rendering ones vision is what makes a great photographer. I’ll be talking about seeing and becoming in touch with ones own vision.

I’ve been taking photographs for over 30 years. I started out as a street shooter in New York City. When I graduated college I went into advertising and fashion photography for a short time. Now I live in Boulder and do abstract and nature photos.

http://www.timelesslight.com

In Mark’s presentation “Ultimate Composition” he will show us the age-old secrets of finding that beautiful angle, framing, and composition to take your art to the next level. Mark has been using this technique in his work for his entire professional career and it’s proven true every time.