Calls for Submissions

Trusz Gallery Calls for Exhibition Proposals: seeking proposals from visual artists for its 2009/2010 programming. Trusz Galley primarily focuses on traditional Photographic or photo-based work.

MAIN GALLERY: regular schedule of solo and group exhibitions in the main gallery including windows. We invite artists, collectives and curators to apply with new or existing exhibition proposals.

We are now programming our inaugural year and invite proposals for exhibition. Your proposal must include the following:

• Artist statement, bio and current CV
• No more than 10 images (CD, DVD or email only, jpeg at 150 dpi and no more than 800 pixels in the longest direction) of the work you intend to show or in the same aesthetic of the work planned to show.
• Corresponding image list
• Statement of Intent outlining your rationale for the subject matter you have chosen and your photographic vision. As well as, a potential hanging plan that coherently exhibits the work as it relates to each other.
• Technical requirements if any
• The dates you desire to have the exhibition, hanging requirements, selection of additional promotional services, S.A.S.E. if you wish to have your documentation returned to you, and a deposit cheque of $200.00 (to be cashed only if accepted).

Mail or email to:Programming Committee

Trusz Gallery349 Carlaw Avenue, Suite 305
Toronto, ON M6K 1L8 email: truszgallery@gmail.com

RAW - BPC member art shows

Come on out to support your fellow club members at the up coming RAW (Riverdale Art Walk).

What: Riverdale Art Walk (RAW) Anniversary: 11th
When: June 6th & 7th 11am to 6pm
Where: Riverside, Riverdale and Leslieville: Queen Street East from the DVP to Carlaw Ave. and Carlaw north to Dundas Street
What: A fine art exhibition featuring 100 artists exhibiting in Jimmie Simpson Park, retail spaces, studios and galleries

BPC Member:
Felicity Somerset - booth (#61)
Oscar wolfman - booth (#77) (for a really cute picture of Oscar - click here)
Rod Trider - booth (#49)

For more info on RAW - click here

Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year Contest

image by Toni Wallachy

Canadian Geographic, in partnership with the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada and Canada Post presents the Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year Contest.

You could winSubmit your best photos in one of our five wildlife categories and you could have them featured on genuine Canadian postage stamps, be part of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s traveling photographic exhibition which will tour the country at some of Canada’s finest museums and be published in Canadian Geographic. Plus over $13,000 in cash prizes to be won!

http://photoclub.canadiangeographic.ca/cg/Contests/wpy/default.aspx

Entry deadline: August 27, 2009

Waterfall Workshop - June 6th 2009, 8:00am

image by David Sweeney

Have you always wondered how other photographers get those milky shots of water? Wanted to try it for yourself, but need help. Or perhaps you love the power of the water, and want to capture the patterns produced by rushing water. Then this workshop / outing is for you! David Sweeney will guide members to several waterfall locations in the Hamilton and Dundas Valley area approx. 1 hour west of Toronto. We will spend some time at the first location going over some of the basics with regards to shooting water, the tools used to create these images, and other aspects such as safety, weather conditions, etc.

It is highly recommended that everyone attending owns a tripod, and brings it! We will use our tripods. It is also recommended to purchase a neutral density filter (ND-4 is perfect!). Either a screw on type filter, or a graduated ND filter such as the ones made by Cokin or Singh-Ray. If you do not have one, David has a couple of spare you can play with.

Itenerary for the day as follows:

8:00am - meet @ Starbucks in the Beach (Across from the running room)
9:15am - Approximate Arrival, Tiffany Falls (Hamilton), talk and demo to follow upon arrival, approx 20 minutes.
10:20am - Back to cars, drive to Washboard Falls with arrival approx 10:35am.
10:40am - talk about classifications of waterfalls - shoot @ washboard falls.
11:00am - Transport to Albion Falls
11:20am - Arrive @ Albion Falls - shoot to 12:30pm
12:30pm - Lunch.

1:00pm - transport to Waterdown Falls
1:30pm - Waterdown Falls, shoot until 2:15pm. Present additional falls as an option.
Approx end of workshop 2-3pm - TBD - based on a number of factors.

PLEASE PACK A LUNCH! We will eat in the park.

For Sale: Flashtrax XT

For sale by David Sweeney, BPC member.

FLASHTRAX XT by Smartdisk 40gig HD. Portable photo harddrive storage unit / viewing screen. Will also record audio/video, or can be used to play audio/video. I have used this unit as my main backup device for road-trips or week long trips away from home. Its a great alternative to a laptop. The Flashtrax XT has a CF Card slot only. It comes with the charger, battery, a spare battery. I recommend getting the 1040 pelican case to keep it safe from a drop. I am asking $200.00 - if you are interested, contact me at lxdesign@rogers.com

A New Direction For Visual Arts Ontario

Over the past year Visual Arts Ontario has been undergoing a comprehensive strategic planning process. Culminating in a summit in Toronto at the end of January, our goal was to determine whether we were meeting the needs of our members and fostering the careers of artists in Ontario in the most effective way possible.
What our members, other artists and colleagues involved in our strategic planning process have told us was that artists need a place to collaborate and connect throughout a career often practiced in isolation. In contrast to our current model of delivering publications and workshops, artists need to both give and receive feedback, support and advice. An artist in Tobermory no longer needs someone from Toronto to send her a print booklet on how to photograph art. That resource is easily found online. What is lacking is a wide net that connects her quickly and inexpensively, to a photographer, a supplier, a confidant, a mentor, a distant gallery with a proposal call that closes in a few days, a piece of sound career advice, or perhaps just to another artist who happens to live around the corner. That net is the new VAO.

The Board's vision for the future of VAO is of an open, collaborative online hub for Ontario artists: a vibrant destination for artists and art-interested people to connect, build a tribe, and foster a resource-rich community. While foraging for that perfect morsel of advice or support, members can also plug into other networks based on geographic area, media or career aspirations.

There is much work to be done for VAO to take this leap forward. We are maintaining relationships with current funding partners, involving them in our transition strategy and ensuring that we have their support. We will work hard to secure additional funding partners who will support a new business model for VAO. We will continue to be available to our members, implementing a transition plan to help them and the organization define and embrace a new model. A strategy to ensure we meet service commitments to members is clearly laid out on our website along with our Strategic Report.

This is a time of great adventure for Visual Arts Ontario and we thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to keeping you informed of our strategy as we move forward. To continue receiving further updates from Visual Arts Ontario visit our website and sign up to our free e-mailing list.

If you have any comments or feedback for the Board at this time please do not hesitate to call.

Visual Arts Ontario
215 Spadina Ave, Suite 225
Toronto, Ontario M5T 2C7
www.vao.org
info@vao.org
416.591.8883

Upcoming Beach Photo Club Exhibitions

June 2009: Beach Side Grill, 1922 Queen Street East

August 2009: The Beacher Cafe, 2162 Queen Street East

Oct. 13 - Nov. 16, 2009: Papermill Gallery at Todmorden Mills

July 19 - Aug. 16, 2010: Papermill Gallery at Todmorden Mills

Photo Tip 5 -- Take More, And Erase Your Shots

Informative info from a mini course on digital secrets by David Peterson. A new tip was sent every day for three weeks, also many bonus tips followed after that. The link to getting the course is: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ A book Digital Photo Secrets can also be purchased either as an e-book or a hard copy at: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/bookc/?0 Hope you enjoy!


Take More, And Erase Your Shots

Digital Photography Secret 5
by David Peterson


The ability to erase your photos is one of the major advantages of a digital camera. You'd be mad not to use this to the fullest extent!

Take MANY more shots than you think you need, and then erase those that aren't right.
Every half an hour, go back through your most recent photos erase any that don't make the grade, or you have better versions of.

Because you'll be erasing often you can just keep the 'best of the best'. Erasing often also ensures you don't need a large memory card, as it will not be storing your not-so-perfect images.

If you're always pressed for time, you can either invest in a larger memory card, or copy your images to another storage device like a laptop or card storage unit until a later point.

This is also a huge tip when photographing groups. With such a large number of people, there always seems to be someone blinking, or looking the other way. Having a large number of shots means you can pick the best of them to keep.

Next time : Sick of the wait between when you press the shutter and when the shot is taken? This secret will eliminate this!

To Review Yesterday's secret, click here.

Want to jump start your photographic genius? Get all the secrets in my course immediately, plus over 100 more techniques, tips and secrets and more than 125 full color images in my "Digital Photo Secrets" book.

© 2007. www.Digital-Photo-Secrets.com. All Rights Reserved.Email:info@digital-photo-secrets.com

Photo Tip 4 -- Photographing Children

Informative info from a mini course on digital secrets by David Peterson. A new tip was sent every day for three weeks, also many bonus tips followed after that. The link to getting the course is: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ A book Digital Photo Secrets can also be purchased either as an e-book or a hard copy at: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/bookc/?0 Hope you enjoy!

Photographing Children

Digital Photography Secret 4

by David Peterson

Children make a wonderful subject. Here are some tips for ensuring photos of children are even more memorable.

Meet them eye-to-eye

Bring yourself down to the child.s level . even if you need to crouch down. This will give your shots a 'kids eye view' and won't distort their image (as taking the shot from above does).

Capture natural expressions

While posed shots are great, often better results can be gained by capturing an image when their thoughts are preoccupied with something else . eg while at play. You.ll capture their faces enjoying the moment rather than thinking about the camera.

Familiarity ensures success

Children who have grown up having their photo taken will be a lot less likely to freeze or show off in front of a camera. Start early and make photo taking a part of every day out.

Children grow up quicklyRecord their growth from toddler to child to young adult by taking a family photo every year around the same time . either the first day of school, or during spring events.

Next Time : A technique for ensuring that with every group of photos you take, you'll always have a couple of great ones.

To Review Yesterday's secret, click here.

Want to jump start your photographic genius? Get all the secrets in my course immediately, plus over 100 more techniques, tips and secrets and more than 125 full color images in my "Digital Photo Secrets" book.

© 2007. www.Digital-Photo-Secrets.com. All Rights Reserved.Email:info@digital-photo-secrets.com

Photo Tip 3 -- Place Your Subject Off-center

Informative info from a mini course on digital secrets by David Peterson. A new tip was sent every day for three weeks, also many bonus tips followed after that. The link to getting the course is: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ A book Digital Photo Secrets can also be purchased either as an e-book or a hard copy at: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/bookc/?0 Hope you enjoy!

Place your subject off-center

Digital Photography Secret 3
by David Peterson

Rather than placing your main subject in the middle of the screen, place it to one side and ensure something interesting is in the background that fills the remainder of the image.

This can be specially effective if the background has the same theme. For example, if photographing a child opening a Christmas present, frame them to one side and have the Christmas Tree with unopened presents filling the rest of the image.

There are a few guidelines that can help you place your subject in the frame.

The Rule of Thirds

One of the most popular rules in photography is the "Rule of Thirds". It is a simple rule that can add dynamism to your photos. Simply, divide the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. When composing your shot, place important elements either along these lines, or where the lines intersect - NOT at the centre of the frame.

For example, place a subject's eyes where the top line is, or place your subject on the place in the image where two of these lines intersect.

It's a very simple rule to follow and will result in a nicely balanced, easy on the eye picture. It also helps get rid of the 'tiny subject and large amount of space' tendency because you need to position items relative to the edges of the frame.

Having said this, the Rule of Thirds is also one of the rules you'll want to break often! This is fine - the Rule of Thirds is more of a guideline and sometimes you will find a better image when you break the rule.

Next time : Some tricks to get winning shots involving one of the most troublesome subjects - children! To Review Yesterday's secret, click here.

Want to jump start your photographic genius? Get all the secrets in my course immediately, plus over 100 more techniques, tips and secrets and more than 125 full color images in my "Digital Photo Secrets" book.

© 2007. www.Digital-Photo-Secrets.com. All Rights Reserved.Email:info@digital-photo-secrets.com

Photo Tip 2 -- Use Optical Rather Than Digital Zoom

Informative info from a mini course on digital secrets by David Peterson. A new tip was sent every day for three weeks, also many bonus tips followed after that. The link to getting the course is: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ A book Digital Photo Secrets can also be purchased either as an e-book or a hard copy at: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/bookc/?0 Hope you enjoy!


Use Optical rather than Digital Zoom

Digital Photography Secret 2
by David Peterson

Cameras are marketed with both an Optical Zoom and Digital Zoom capability.

If you've used a film camera, you'll be used to optical zoom. Optical zoom uses the lens of the camera (the optics) to bring the subject closer. Digital zoom uses clever software to digitally enlarge a portion of the image - thus simulating optical zoom.

So, which is better? Definitely Optical zoom. Here's why.

Digital zoom is not really 'zoom' in the strictest definition of the term. Digital zoom just enlarges the image. Eg it takes a portion of the image and enlarges it back to full size. You lose quality because of the enlargement process so photos that have been taken with digital zoom won't look as good as those without.

You can perform the same result using image editing software on your computer. In fact, it can be better to crop and enlarge using your image software in your computer as you can decide exactly what part of the image to enlarge, and how much to enlarge by.

So when taking shots, use optical zoom only. If you need to zoom in further, use your editing software to select the best part of the image to keep. Ensure your camera warns you when it's switching to digital zoom from optical zoom, or use your settings to disable digital zoom entirely.
Why is clarity important? The more clarity you have in your image, the larger the printed size can be without the image appearing fuzzy, or blocky. If you want to keep clarity in your images, use the optical zoom whenever possible, and avoid the digital zoom.

How do you use Optical Zoom? When you zoom in using your camera, it will use Optical zoom first and then use Digital zoom. You can usually set your camera to notify you when it starts to use the Digital zoom, or tell it to not use digital zoom at all. Consult your manual for details.
Next time : A little known secret, used all the time by professionals, that result in a pleasing, nicely balanced photo.

To Review Yesterday's secret, click here.

Want to jump start your photographic genius? Get all the secrets in my course immediately, plus over 100 more techniques, tips and secrets and more than 125 full color images in my "Digital Photo Secrets" book.

© 2007. www.Digital-Photo-Secrets.com. All Rights Reserved.Email:info@digital-photo-secrets.com

Photo Tip 1 -- Move In Closer

Informative info from a mini course on digital secrets by David Peterson. A new tip was sent every day for three weeks, also many bonus tips followed after that. The link to getting the course is: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ A book Digital Photo Secrets can also be purchased either as an e-book or a hard copy at: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/bookc/?0 Hope you enjoy!


Move In Closer

Digital Photography Secret 1
by David Peterson

Almost any shot will look better if you take two or three steps closer to your subject. Filling the frame entirely with your subject will make a terrific difference to your photos.

Alternatively, instead of moving closer, use the Optical or Digital Zoom of your camera to get a close up shot. (Preferably Optical zoom - I'll tell you why tomorrow)

When taking shots of family and friends, most people place the subject's full body in the frame, or place head and arms in the shot. Instead, fill the frame with your subject's FACE only - particularly if they are smiling or are in a moment of reflection.

Why does this work? With less clutter in the image, there's less to draw the eye away from the main subject of your photo. Also, human faces (particularly children's faces) are something we all feel pleasure looking at.

If you can't get close enough when you're taking the shot, you can zoom in later using photo editing software - crop out everything except the subject's face and see what a difference it makes.

When using the viewfinder for close shots, be careful of Parallax. Because the viewfinder is not at the same position as the camera's lens, centering the subject in the viewfinder may mean it is not centered for the lens resulting in an off-center final picture. Most digital cameras now come with an inbuilt LCD screen. You can eliminate this problem by using the LCD - which shows you what the lens sees - rather than the viewfinder.

Next time : A secret to help you move closer without sacrificing picture quality.

Want to jump start your photographic genius? Get all the secrets in my course immediately, plus over 100 more techniques, tips and secrets and more than 125 full color images in my "Digital Photo Secrets" book.

© 2007. www.Digital-Photo-Secrets.com. All Rights Reserved.Email:info@digital-photo-secrets.com