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.

The December meeting is the culminating competition for 2013 for the Flatirons Photo Club. We are grateful to the following past presenters for their time and willingness to judge this event: Karen Divine, Dan Ballard and Mark Alison. There will be no guest presentation due to the expected volume of member entries. For specifics about entries, click Year-End-Competition on the club home page. Members are asked to bring a treat/snack to share with the group.

Our November meeting is three weeks (November 14), so we still have time to create photographs for the special topic, wabi-sabi. The following is Russ Dohrmann’s explanation of wabi-sabi.

Wabi-sabi is the Japanese esthetic of finding beauty in imperfection, of accepting the natural cycles of growth, decay, and death.

Examples of the “wabi” concept can be found in rustic beauty, age, simplicity, stillness either man-made or natural, or an object with a unique one of a kind flaw.

The concept of “sabi” is represented by objects which are irregular, imperfect or broken, unpretentious or ambiguous.

Design elements of “wabi-sabi” photographs can include cracks and crevices, stains and spots, texture (either inherent or added), or frayed edges.

Frequent materials of “wabi-sabi” images are aged wood, crumpled or man-made paper, patina that comes with age, grungy surfaces, rust, warped or antique glass.

Wabi-sabi photographic subjects can be found at flea markets, cities with an ancient heritage, ghost towns or deserted areas, or junk yards.

Wabi-sabi is a quiet art in which we learn to embrace liver spots, frayed edges, decay, and the march of time.

References:

Wabi-sabi for Artsts, Poets, and Philosophers – book, Normal Koren,1994.

Wabi-sabi, PhotoLife Magazine, Richard Martin, Nov. 2007.

Wabi-sabi, Wikipedia Discussion.

Flatirons Photo Club Presentation, Thursday November 14th

Charles Steinberg M.D. is an HIV/AIDS specialist from Boulder Colorado. After being in practice 30 years, Charles began teaching physicians and nurses how to treat HIV/AIDS internationally. Charles has done medical consulting and training in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Nepal, Mexico, Peru, Honduras, Romania and the Ukraine. He has spent most of the last 10 years in East Africa, and a month each year for 3 years doing similar work in Myanmar (Burma).
Charles is also a professional photographer, who teaches photography and is wildly published. He uses his images in his medical teaching to bring in the “human” aspects of medical care. He is the photographer for his wife’s poverty eradication project in Uganda, BeadforLife. His images fill the BeadforLife website (www.beadforlife.org) with potent colorful images from Uganda, and his work can also be seen at charlessteinbergphotography.com

Our 2013 FPC Member Show has been rescheduled from last month to Thursday, October 10. We will meet in the hall that we have been using for the previous several months. The presentation will be an exciting evening providing a glimpse into the various approaches that our members display to photography. Each of 10 members will have 10 minutes to present a slide show of their recent work and answer a few questions. We look forward to the following presentations:
Here is the list of member presenters who are having slide shows in September:
•Russ & Gail Dohrmann
•Maria Rosa Fuste
•Dan Joder
•Jim Downes
•Cary Wolfson (probably)
•Dana Bove
•Bruce Henderson
•Thomas Walsh
. Peter Baudurian