Let's Jump Into Spring!!

Photojournalist Clothing now Available!

Our next meetup will be more social and sharing. We will have barbecue hamburgers and hot dogs and time for interaction and networking.

I have ordered American Press Association clothing, from hats to shirts to light jackets, in every size range, for members in all sizes.

They are due to arrive prior to our May meetup. If you're interested they will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.

It will give you more credibility and recognition to have these clothing items at events that you are covering, it sets you apart from the crowd and facilitates entrance to events you're covering.

Hope to see you at our next meetup: MAy 21st at 6:30 p.m. Bring a friend or loved one and share an evening with us.

THIS WILL BE OUR FINAL MEETUP TILL FALL!!

Refreshments and hors d'oeuvre will be served.
Fee $10

If your interest are photography, journalism and building a credible resumé for your talents then this is the place to be. We are a group of devoted individuals sharing and caring our gifts and talents.

Our next meetup will be devoted to Green Screen Photography, bring your camera and we will take photos of ourselves and superimpose them on a digital backdrop for your personal collection. If you are like most photographers, you have pictures of everyone but yourself, here's a chance to have a professional portrait done in our in-home studio. We will each have a chance to shoot others as well as be photographed ourselves during this meetup. If we have too many in attendance to achieve this, we will dedicate our next meetup to accomplish it. We should be able to do everyone in the two hours time slot.

Thanks to one of our members for the suggestion for this meetup.

Improving your Photographic Skills

Most photographers "shoot from the hip" so to speak and spend little or no time mastering the essentials of good composition. They use the camera like a gun site, aiming at the center of their interest instead of creating a visual piece of art. Some photographers are instinctively talented and artistic in their work, others can learn from the masters.

We will be covering the following topics:

*Use of the Golden Mean in the composition of your photos.
*Use of implied lines to hold your picture together; ie. the vertical and the horizontal, diagonal and the curve, the circle and the pyramid, the radii, the cross and the rectangle.
*Value of colors:Warm or cold, weak or strong, quiet and moody, bright and strong.
*Staying clear of balance in photography, it can dull the senses.
*Strive to have only one "center of interest" in a shot.

If time permits we will cover some of these points as well.

Center of interest
Subject placement
Simplicity
Viewpoint and camera angle
Balance
Shapes and lines
Pattern
Volume
Lighting
Texture
Tone
Contrast
Framing
Foreground
Background
Perspective

Hope to see you at our next meetup: February 19th at 7:00 p.m.

Refreshments and hors d'oeuvre will be served.
Fee $10

Dear APA Meetup members,

Members Note: Be sure and note the change to 7 p.m. as well as the day change to Wednesday and date change.

Thanks to all of you who made our past meetup such a special event.

Our October meetup will be on using green screens in photography to expand your portrait possibilities and further your talent. If you've ever been on a TV news set you've seen green screens used. It's a liberating technique for photographers who want to have the freedom to use digitized backdrops, or your own choosing, instead of having to invest heavily in backdrops and props.

Our next meetup on Wedneday, October 29th at 7:00 p.m.

This meetup will be teaching green screen photography for portrait photography in addition to posing techniques for "glamour photography".

We will be demonstrating computer programs that permit the quick removal of "green screens" and the ability to put foregrounds, or backgrounds into an image.
This will be a hands on session, so bring your cameras and lets learn and have fun.

See you on the 29th,
Refreshments provided
$10.00 fee, credit cards and PayPal accepted

Ron Watson

Hello All!

Thanks for coming to the last meet up! I hope you all learned a lot about journalistic writing... Special thanks to all who got involved, the warmth and comrade of the group was most enjoyable.

Important note: This next meeting will be on April 30th and this will be a Wednesday night so as not to conflict with other meetups this next month. Bring your cameras with you for the next meeting.

This next meeting I plan on focusing on how to make money as a journalist. What defines a photojournalist, Webster's Dictionary says: "a journalist who presents news stories mainly through photographs. Actually, a photojournalist is any photographer who tells a story with his pictures. The studio photographer who captures the expression and emotions of his client is a photojournalist, as indeed is the New York Times photographer who covers the daily news. Telling a story with pictures is what photojournalism is all about. I had the fortunate experience at a photography meeting in Worcester to meet a delightful lady who chronicles the stories and lives of farmers in the New England area with such extraordinary talent and insights into their lives and homes. She captures the historical record and the character of these remarkable individuals which might otherwise be lost to posterity; this is photojournalism at it's best.

In addition Bernie Savoie will be giving some simple tricks to enhance your photo quality while on a shoot, he's a graduate of the Hallmark School of Photography (one of our stellar photojournalists) and a master photographer. Be sure and bring your cameras with you for this meeting.

I look forward to seeing everyone again!