Sometimes I hate Murphy and his law , you know, the one that says, "if something can go wrong it will go wrong." That's how I felt with this past meetup event. " So what went wrong?" you ask. For starters, the nice field of tall grass had very recently been mowed by the city. All those wonderful insects I had photographed on my previous visit no longer had a home to play in. Instead, our group faced a vast open space that any remaining small critter could spot us coming from a mile away. And don't get me started on the weather. Rain that was supposed to stop early the previous day ended up going on into the night. While rain isn't that big an issue, since it tends to bring the insects out in the morning for some sunbathing and drying out, it did make for some sloshy walking around. Not much fun. The only thing we found were the various species of birds.

It all started with a grand idea. Set up a large scale photo shoot with multiple stations, multiple models and a variety of lights for members to use and experience. Invite qualified members to showcase their talents manning the stations and, heavy sigh, hope for the best. It took months of planning, hours of late nights and the coordination of many people but, I have to admit, it was all well worth the planning. Everyone who put in their effort helped to make this first big event a roaring success. All the stops were pulled and everyone came through far beyond expectations. Far beyond expectations.

I love street photography. Getting out into the streets, looking for that unique image that captures a moment, tells a story or gives us an insight into the human spirit can be very challenging. Add to that the need to be quick with the camera and you have the makings of a wonderful photographic event. This past weekend we had the good fortune to be in the presence of a knowledgeable and successful NYC photographer, Mr. Steve Hill. Our group received a first class tour of Hell's Kitchen with someone who has a unique insight into the neighborhood and it's many denizens. Along with the tour came a large dose of photography tricks and tips, suggestions and plenty of inspiration.

Saturday turned out to be a great day for a meet up. On the schedule was a repeat performance of last year's multiplicity event, a fun project that stretches the imagination, pushes editing techniques and forces the photographer to multitask in a unique way. We held the event in my home town of Shelton in an area referred to by locals as the slab , a large plot of land converted to public use that originally held factory buildings. The area offers many photographic backgrounds including so urban decay, a war memorial and a seldom used train trestle. We had a great turnout of photographers who were teamed up into pairs to work together. Props were brought in, creativity was unleashed and fun was had. The end results can be seen in the meet up photo album, Multiplicity Self-Portrait . Check them out.

A new year is upon us and our photo group is entering its third year. We have seen a great and steady growth in membership throughout this past year and we have also seen a shift in meet ups. We are stepping away from " let's go to such-and-such and take pictures " to " let's get together and learn something ". As it was mentioned to me on several occasions, there are plenty of groups that get together to take pictures of activities. There are not a lot of people doing what I do--that's teach photography. We started this year on a great foot. Three workshops were posted and all have booked up. Our first one has just finished with a 100% turnout rate (always a good sign) and the following workshops look to follow suit. If you were interested in one of the posted workshops but were unable to get in, don't worry, we'll be doing them again throughout the year. Our first meet up of the year was a workshop on studio lighting. Rather, it was a ...

In the past I have mentioned that in order to go from a snap shooter to a good photographer you have to edit your images with some kind of photo editor. While some may argue if you work at getting it right in the camera you won't need to 'photo shop'* the image. I disagree. All images will benefit from some type of correcting whether it is to increase saturation on an otherwise dull image or boost up the black levels to make an image pop. Making these corrections elevates an image from a snapshot to a photo. (Well, not the only thing...) If you want to go from a mediocre photographer to a good photographer you will take your editing to the next level. That means spending a little more time with the software to tweak the image to a level that regular camera users don't bother with. While it is time consuming--specially if you are not fluent with the editors--the results are worth it and if you are aspiring to go pro it is a necessity. But, if you are looking to...

Last year I had the opportunity to view photos taken at Providence's Roger Williams Zoo. In particular the eagles they have on display there. I love eagles. I draw them all the time as they are a perpetual favorite tattoo theme. I knew then, as I looked at all the wonderful photos, that it was a place I had to visit. And so we did. As with the previous couple of weekends, it threatened to rain. I kept a close eye on the weather in Providence and took a gamble that it would hold off until at least closing time. Well, it almost did. Unfortunately it was damp and threatening enough to scare off almost everyone that signed up to go.

There is a mystical allure connected with fire. Something about it attracts us to it. It mesmerizes and dares us to challenge it. It can't be fully controlled but it doesn't stop us from trying to do so. Ultimately you will get burned by it. It's unavoidable. When the opportunity to create a meet up with performers who routinely challenge fire came my way, I had to jump at it. Photographing fire adds another layer of challenge to the whole control issue yet there is a safety in knowing there is some separation between us, as photographer, and the heat of the flames.

There is something about the history and architecture of Boston that is appealing and not just on a photographic level. Thinking back on my high school history classes it is a humbling experience to know that our modern American history had a major turning point on the very same streets and buildings that we visit today. Diane and I have been to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market many times in the past. Nevertheless, I always seem to find something new and interesting to look at and explore. That is one reason I enjoy returning to Boston on these types of day trips. Saturday's journey to Boston proved to be quite enjoyable even with the threat of rain. Fortunately it eventually held off and created the most perfect light for a photo expedition.

Erin, our disgruntled stalker First I want to thank everyone who came out this Sunday for the workshop on the Waterbury green. I know it was a really hot day and I'm sure some of you would rather have been sitting indoors in a nice air conditioned space. I also want to welcome those newest members whose first time experience with the group was this week end. As nutty as it was with our 'stalker' I can honestly state this is not how our workshops typically progress. Usually they are much milder but with as much fun. As you saw, we have a great bunch of members who are more than willing to share and who really strive to make everyone's experience a pleasant one. Hopefully everyone walked away with a better understanding of how a camera meters a scene and how you can manipulate it to fine tune your exposure. Understanding how a camera sees light is a tough concept to grasp and not one that you will pick up in one or two workshops. However, you will ...

In the past, if I wanted to present a new technique or concept that I wasn't too sure of I would head out with my camera to iron out the wrinkles. I would then have the confidence when presenting information that I knew what the heck I was talking about. But as I have pointed out so many times, it's more fun shooting with others than by yourself. So for the latest workshop I decided to try a different approach. Instead of learning the technique ahead of time, we would learn the technique together . Let me tell you, we had a blast. Although this post isn't about what we did I do want to share a few words about how we did it.

Here they are, big boobs! Yesterday Diane, her friend, Dolores, and I went to Coney Island with the Mid-CT Photography Meetup Group for the 30th annual Mermaid Festival. Sue Fenton was our hostess and did a marvelous job in organizing the meet up. Having seen photos from the previous year's event I knew I did not want to miss thie event this year and I''m so happy I went. The event was threatened with bad weather in the days leading up to Saturday. With a nasty thunderstorm just the night before. As it turned out, the day was clear and the sun was out. In full force. Not the greatest for a photographer as it makes for some very contrasty images. Not to mention the burned skin. But the best thing about the event wasn't the crazy costumed participants, the sexy cop (I'll tell you about him later) or the throng of people. It was Massimo, Sanjeev, Marla, Sue and all the other members who came out to share in all that craziness.

Stephen, Warren, Vicki and Greg socialize during a break With the wacky weather we have had recently it has really played havoc with the local flora. The beautiful lawns of yellow have been threaten with everything from early warm weather, frost, rain, snow... in other words, typical New England weather. Daffodils by nature have a short bloom time and the uncooperative weather had caused the timetable to shift so off kilter that the planned scheduled date had to be moved up in order not to miss the flowers in full bloom. With all that it ended up being a great day, if not a touch overcast and a bit chilly.

The thing with 'Murphy's Law' is that it is bound to mess with your plans. When I originally scheduled this workshop on using your camera's built-in light meter I was hoping for some of the worst lighting nature could give us. What better way to learn to adjust our techniques to extreme lighting conditions than to actually be in those conditions... Well, it seemed that Mother Nature was not going to cooperate with our plans. What was supposed to be a nice weekend quickly changed into a nasty, wet and chilly day. While it was not pleasant to work in what really ruined it for me as the instructor was that we ended up having some of the most beautiful light any portrait photographer could ever hope for. Wouldn't you know it!

Sunday we met at the small and quaint Booth Memorial Park in Stratford. It's a great little park off the beaten track a stone's throw from the famed Sikorsky factory. The purpose of the meet up was to take a series of images that would later be assembled into a single image to create multiple clones of ourselves. As with most of our meet ups, we went from serious photographer mode into a silly, joke cracking, carefree and fun time.

Another event has passed us with rebounding success. Thanks to Pat who coordinated this with the cemetery association, we ended up with an educational tour of the grounds and a new understanding of some of the symbols found there. As an artist, whether it is drawing, crafting, photography or any other form, I think a wonderful side effect of creating art is the knowledge gained while doing research. This event did not disappoint in that regard. Aside from a knowledgeable tour guide, we ended up with a beautiful day. Although a bit muggy at times, over all it was great. Fortunately for us all, the rains held off. If you are ever in the area of New Haven, CT and can take the time to walk the grounds I would highly recommend it. It is amazing how much history there is in a cemetery. Take advantage of the free tours and afterwards head out into the city. Yale University is right outside the cemetery gates and that in itself is worthy of a day trip.

This past Sunday a few members from our meet up group had a fun day at Bent of the River Audubon Center in South Britain . Although the turnout was not large, the few who did attend had nothing but great things to say about the meet up. While it was a bit hot, the day actually turned out to be really nice and we all enjoyed the time there.