Camera Club gets ‘Night Time’ pointers

By Rex Dolby

The Wassenberg Camera Club met Thursday, June23, at the Wassenberg Art Center in Van Wert.  Since Night Time is one of the categories for the Wassenberg’s Annual Photography Exhibit, President Jodi Hattery prepared a program on the subject.

Jodi provided a handout on shooting Fireworks, the Moon, and Stars.  Her slide show included some great images to illustrate what could be done.  Some tips on shooting fireworks included: use a lens opening of f/8-f16, shutter speed should reflect whether you want to capture of the motion of the burst or freeze it, set the ISO on 100, use a tripod, and position yourself so the wind blows the smoke away from you to obtain sharper images.

When shooting the moon, try a lens opening of f/11, an ISO of 100, and a shutter speed from 1/125-1/250. Try to underexpose the picture to avoid burning out the details and use a daylight color balance setting because you’re working with reflected sunlight.

When shooting the stars, determine whether the shot is to capture the sky as you see it, or to lock the shutter open to record star tracks.  If it is the latter, use an ISO of 200 – 800, and 15-30 minutes for the exposure.  Center the camera on the North Star. It will appear stationary, while all the other stars will create concentric circles around it.  Get as far away as possible from city lights and farm security lights to get the greatest contrast of star shine and night sky.

All photographers should be aware that Russell Reynolds, who is the 2010 Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp winner, will be conducting a photo workshop at the Maria Stein Relic Shrine, 2291 St. Johns Rd. in Maria Stein, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, August 6.  The $25 fee includes a light lunch at the Shrine and you should register by Thursday, August 4, by calling the Shrine at 419.925.4532.

The Wassenberg Camera Club’s next meeting will be Thursday, July 14, at 7 p.m. at the Wassenberg Art Center, 643 S. Washington St., Van Wert, Ohio.  Leading Lines will be the competition theme that evening.