New site for May photo shoot announced

The May photo shoot for the Van Wert Area Photography Club has changed due to new information supplied by Larry Webb. An eight-page flyer indicates that, on May 18, we will have the opportunity to record a historical event. At 12:30 p.m. that day, the Van Wert County Regional Airport will become the Walter Hinton Airfield.

Hinton was raised on a farm in Tully Township in 1888 and in 1919 was one of the two pilots in a six-man crew who made the first transatlantic flight in a NC-4 flying boat. The pamphlet lists several of his aviation accomplishments and awards as well as a full schedule of the day’s events and photos of some of the aviation attractions that will be there that day. Admission and parking are free.  Anyone wishing their own copy of the brochure can get it at the airport or the VW Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, 136 E. Main St. here in Van Wert. Watch for more details closer to the event.

Also last week in an attempt to compare the advantages of a standard lens to the limitations of the wide-angle and telephoto lenses, it may have appeared that I was downgrading those lenses. That was not my intention.

The wide-angle, often an 18-35mm zoom, has the widest and greatest depth of field. That makes it the best suited for landscapes, because you can include something of interest in the foreground and the background remains in sharp focus. It is also an advantage in shooting large groups, or groups in tight quarters.

The telephoto lens is sometimes a 70-200mm zoom lens. Its advantage is to bring the subject up close. Randy Shellenbarger and Mike Taylor have posted outstanding photos of birds of prey and water birds in amazing detail on their Facebook pages. Just be aware of how the background appears behind the subject.