Photo by Bob Baikauskas
Lincoln Hills
Photography Club
Rudi Franke spins his artistic talents to create new website logo.
As part of the evolutionary development of the new Lincoln Hills Photography Club website, special attention was given to having a new logo created. The goal was to retain the spirited personality of the previous logo and provide for a more efficient format. The target was a horizontal layout that would reduce the vertical height of the "page headers", thereby providing more space for news and other content on the pages when they are displayed in the browser.
Working in collaboration with Bob Baikauskas who received guidance from Rhonda Campbell on the header layout; Rudi tackled the challenge with enthusiasm and his own special brand of humor.
You'll recognize some of the characters from the old logo but will also be introduced to some new ones... do you see yourself in any of them?
You'll also likely see this new logo in our emails and other communications.
The new logo was rendered specifically for our new website and underwent a few revisions to get the scaling and proportions correct. One of the effects, that was sought after, was to create the illusion that the characters were leaning over the black baseline where the website navigation menu would reside. Rudi did the final rendering in pen and ink, and Bob used Photoshop and layers to add the colorization. Rhonda was instrumental in formulating the overall header horizontal layout.
Finkleman Presentation well received at January 13th General Meeting.
Story by Vicki White
Joeseph Finkleman's January General Meeting Presentation was well received by Club Members. Truman Holtzclaw, who arranged for Joe to present to the Club, have been friends ever since the two met at a Viewpoint Gallery 10 years ago.
Joe developed his interest in photography at the advanced age of four. Sold his first picture at age 12 for five cents - after that experience he knew he would be a commercial photographer. He has been showing his photos since the 60’s.
His most critical question, when photographing is, “At what point do you decide 'nope it's not a pic, or yes it's a pic'. This is the edge is where he likes to work and he says it's an exciting place. His presentation was laced with humor and lots of practical advice.
Proving that it’s never too late to start something new - Finkleman started teaching Landscape photography only two years ago. He showed several “practice” pictures that he took in the Hebrides as he developed his new landscape photography skills. Many of them looked like black and white photos until you noticed the subtle juxtaposition of pastel color and black and white (desaturated color). This look was achieved by the way he processes the picture - they were muted - because of the actual scene, and not desaturated using photo editing software.
Joe gave a brief synopsis of his processing methodology which by design is mean't to keep processing steps to a minimum. He first adjusts color temperature and makes any necessary noise reduction. He then checks to make sure image is not clipped. Joe then converts the image int a Photoshop as a Smart Object and uses NIK Silver Effects to adjust the middle tones bring out the middles tone details very strongly. Finally he uses Photoshop's Saturation and Vibrancy sliders to finish the photo. Whole process takes about 12 to 20 minutes. He says "Nothing over one hour".
His finished product is not your standard Landscape but is quite beautiful. The images engage with their softness and muted tones. Others engage you with emphasized strong detail (i.e., bringing out rock patterns that contrast with strong linear lines tracing mountain edges) all under soft, subdued clouds.
During the presentation he offered the audience some of his Photography tips.
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Sky is as much a design element as a mountain.
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If it's not cross-lit or backlit, it's not worth taking. (Must have an overwhelming reason for front lighting.)
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Don't hesitate to use fill-flash to bring up the color.
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Being disciplined in your exposure eliminates many problems down the line (Take the time to get it right in the camera)
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The image should look like "A Piece of Art" rather than a photo.
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Punch is important in a print most times.
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Pictures should be exciting in terms of visual stimulation.
When asked what lenses he takes on trips, he answered that he uses only three - a normal 55-mm Manual focus lens, a 20-mm wide angle lens, and a 300-mm telephoto lens. He also explained that he shoots at f4 or f5.6 and rarely crops a photo.
For more information about Joe and his approach to photography you can read the Presentation Preview article that was posted last month on the website. It's directly below. You can also view addtional examples of Joe’s work at:
and
Read more about Joe Finkleman below:
Joseph Finkleman will be Guest Speaker for January 13th General Meeting
Story by Vicki White
Joseph Finkleman, photographer, artist, painter, poet, playwright, is coming to the Kilaga Springs Presentation Hall, Wednesday, January 13. This man of many talents and interests will be speaking to us about the “Urge to Document” at our first General Meeting of 2016.
When I asked Mr. Finkleman for a sneak peak at his topic he responded with:
“This presentation is a taste of my numerous portfolios. Most of the images were made in the last six years. I have been using a digital camera for the last six and a half years. Up until then I was strictly a film guy.
“During my presentation, you will see that I like to ask open ended questions concerning what we as artists do. Also I like to offer my own notions about about what makes a successful image.
“I would always hope that seeing my work allows people to interact with it. As opposed to having someone say ‘Gosh that's purty’ or ‘What an interesting group of images’ or ‘You certainly photograph a lot of different things’. I very much think that the act of any one persons vision and that vision spoken in their particular voice allows us all to see the world differently and perhaps even speak of the world differently. So the synopsis is just that, art does something. If I have successfully made any art, then it will do something.”
Just who is Joseph Finkleman you might ask? Born in Hollywood, he has a BFA and an MFA in sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute. Twenty years as a professional photographer only partly describes his eclectic career. He characterizes himself as a serious artist and does both photography and watercolors.
Finkleman started his commercial photography career at age twelve. For many years he was a full time commercial photographer. He has taught photography and animation intermittently for the past thirty-five years.
In his own words he states: “It is as a photographer that I get to look at one central question: why do we make pictures? This isn't a casual question, nor is it a simple one. For me, it is a fascination with what constitutes a picture and what does not. We make pictures when we look up at a cloud, or inspect a textured wall; we make pictures out of nothing, and that fascinates me.” An inspiring question for all of us.
He has also written a novel, several short stories, plays, and a great deal of poetry. Joe often performs two-voice poetry with his wife Susan. They combine their poetic efforts with music for a truly unique experience. He recently added an opera (You Know Who), performed at the Sacramento State campus, to his list of accomplishments.
On his website at www.visionsandviews.com, Joe explains that he shoots black and white photos of the overlooked in life - overpainted walls, cracked pavements, shadows - and then often uses hand coloring with both pencils and watercolors to bring alive the stories they evoke. None of his photographs are manipulated in any way except for hand coloring.
Much more of his art can be found at www.josephfinkleman.com. It’s hard to believe much of his work started as a photograph, so gifted is his transformation through watercolors. Everything from Nature, to Cultural Oddities, to Visual Fiction can be found here. Samples of his poetry are also available on the websites.
