WHAT MAKES A<br />WINNING IMAGE?

What Makes A Winning Image SIG

Leaders: Kathryn Harris, Deb Payette, Paul Hammesfahr and Jim Cotter

Primary focus of What Makes A Winning Image (WMAWI) is to help members evaluate and improve their own images.

Membership in each group is limited to 15 people.  Meetings will be held on Zoom.

WMAWI Advanced Refinement will meet the 2nd Friday of each month from 10am-12pm. Led by Kathryn Harris kathrynph@aol.com

WMAWI Evaluation will meet the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10am-12pm. Led by Deb Payette debpayette@gmail.com

WMAWI Foundational will meet the 2nd Thursday of each month from 10am-12pm. Led by Jim Cotter jimc2309@yahoo.com

WMAWI Post Processing of RAW and Finished images for Photographers - (Optional group for ONLY members of the WMAWI Foundational and Evaluation) - 3rd Thursday, starting October 20, 2022.  Times  (AM or PM) TBD with Foundational and Evaluation members.  Led by Paul Hammesfahr alkchemer@aol.com

To join, please contact leader of that group.   There are 4 separate groups:

WMAWI Foundational

If you are new to competition or just want to improve your images, WMAWI Foundational will begin to develop your skills. This group is mostly directed to members assigned to competing in Level 1. Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare and submit an image into a monthly competition will be shown. The only prerequisite is having a camera or smartphone to take pictures and a desire to learn.

During the year, this group will cover camera basics: shooting modes, exposure triangle, depth of field, RAW vs.JPEG, and lens selection. We will also discuss some principles of composition such as; What is the subject?, Where does the eye go?, What kind of depth is created?, Is the image balanced? and more. Finally, basic post-processing using Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw will be presented including: photo organization, cropping, lightening/darkening, reducing noise, sharpening and creating a vignette. Each month different topics will be discussed, and exercises presented for the members to work on between meetings. Finally, members will have the opportunity to submit images for the group to discuss and critique. By the end of the year, you should have more confidence in your photographic skills and be comfortable submitting your images into club competitions.

WMAWI Evaluation

Ready to move from the fundamentals of photography and focus on improving your images through peer evaluation/critiquing? In this group, each month you will be asked submit a photo for evaluation/critiquing by other members of the group. The original photo along with an edited version should be submitted before the meeting. Additionally, we will be evaluating/critiquing other club member photos from the previous competition. And to ensure a wider audience can participate in peer evaluation/critiquing, at each of our meetings a Competition Judge who is a club member will attend to give their input.  Each session will give you more “tools” to add to your photography “toolbox.”

The only prerequisites is completing WMAWI Foundational or having a good understanding of what is covered in Foundational.

WMAWI Advanced Refinement (Filled, Waiting List Only)

For members that are more experienced and confident photographers who are looking to refine their craft and get feedback on their work from experienced peers.

WMAWI Post Processing of RAW and Finished images for Photographers. Optional group ONLY for WMAWI Foundational and Evaluation members who wish to learn more about Post Processing using  Adobe Camera RAW/Lightroom Develop Module, as well as a basic introduction to Photoshop.

Photoshop (and Lightroom) has evolved significantly in the past year and a half.  The addition of masks to Adobe Camera RAW/Lightroom Develop Module, continues to create new opportunities for editing RAW images.  A basic working knowledge of Photoshop for Photographers will take you into the next realm of editing the finished JPEG images. These 1 to 2  hour working sessions will provide opportunities to explore, understand, and practice updated features that will enhance your understanding of the post processing workflow for your RAW and JPEG images.

  1. Adobe Camera RAW/Lightroom Develop Module
  2. General Overview and Comparison of RAW editing.
  3. New “Masks” Options for editing RAW Images:
    1. Select Subject, Select Sky, Brush
    2. Linear Gradient, Radial Gradient
    3. Color Range, Luminance Range
  4. What the heck are Mask modifiers? When and how to use:
    1. Intersect with other Mask modifiers
    2. Invert selections
    3. Range Masks
  5. Presets for LR and ACR RAW editing.
  6. Photoshop For Photographers
  7. General Overview and why Photoshop should be in your photography editing toolbox.
  8. How Photoshop For Photography Works (Essential Operations):
    1. Layers, Masks, Adjustments, Blend Modes, etc.
  9. The Essential Tools within Photoshop:
    1. Dodge (Burn & Sponge), Clone, Healing, Crop
    2. Targeted Adjustments
    3. Saving Photoshop edits
    4. Workflow Options
  10. Now you are finished—how (and why) do you “save” your work?