Uncle Dick's Workshop - Friday 13

Every Friday at 10:00AM - we will be bringing you the sort of cutting-edge expertise that leaves ragged bits and sore fingers - Uncle Dick's Workshop. The advice is free - free from good sense in most instances....It really cranks up around the first of April.
 

Q:      Why do old wedding photographers become embittered and savage creatures, snarling defiance to an uncaring world?

A:      It is the nature of love. Brides do that to you.

Q:      Why do some religions forbid us to take pictures inside their places of worship?

A:      They are afraid that their Deity may smite them - or be caught changing clothes – or insist on posing with lightning bolts and cherubs. Or they are just ashamed of the wallpaper.

Q:      How can I prevent my lenses from getting condensation in them when the camera is out in the open for hours taking pictures of star trails?

A:      Do it in the middle of a warm day.

Q:      If memory cards are so small and so cheap, why do manufacturers not include at least 16 Gb internal memory in all their cameras in addition to a slot for a removable card?

A:      You ask questions of frightening sensibility and I am ashamed not to be able to give you a good answer.

Q:      If solid state memory chips are so small and cheap, why do I not put all my completed data upon them instead of trusting it to a hard drive that will grind to a halt in three years?

A:      Stop asking these questions.

Havago Winners

It’s good being a senior – you get all the good stuff*. Like getting to go out to Burswood Park in the middle of the week and play with all the other seniors – and you get a chance to take great images.

Havalook at the Havago Day images that won the photographic prizes.:

The square dancers photo was taken by Leonard Stewart – it won first prize in the competition and the Seniors Recreation Council will use it promoting next year’s event. Mr. Stewart has an appointment with us here at the shop because his prize was a $ 300 voucher from Camera Electronic. I’ll bet he has a great time. 

The kayaking photo was taken by David Pitcher and the Council will also be using it for promotion next year – and David gets a $ 150 in-store voucher from Camera Electronic. We’ll look forward to meeting him when we re-open in the new year. ( We’re back on the 6^th of January.)

The archery enthusiasts also looked good – a picture of them taken by Leonard Stewart got an honourable mention. We hope to see many of these images in the advertising material for future Havago Days – and Camera Electronic hopes that it can help our seniors next year too. 

*You also get the fun of bad veins and baldness, so get ready, children....

Uncle Dick's Workshop - Friday 12

Every Friday at 10:00AM - we will be bringing you the sort of cutting-edge expertise that leaves ragged bits and sore fingers - Uncle Dick's Workshop. The advice is free - free from good sense in most instances....It really cranks up around the first of April.
 

Q:      I have decided to sell my collection of ten 1970’s entry-level 35mm cameras to finance acquisition of a medium-format DSLR. Will I need to add to the trade-in or will there be money coming back?

A:      Are you sure you wouldn’t rather wait until the Halina company release their own medium format DSLR? I mean, brand loyalty and all that?

Q:      Why would you get a fish-eye lens for your DSLR?

A:      Just for the halibut....

Q:      I want a fisheye telephoto zoom wideangle macro for my compact camera – I see you don’t have any. Why not?

A:      We are forbidden them under the Geneva Convention, along with quadrifoil bayonets. I regret it deeply, particularly now that you have asked.

Q:      I want to be an artist, not just a photographer. How should I go about it?

A:      I should concentrate upon personal appearance first, with an emphasis upon outlandish dress and a really bad haircut. By all means have yourself tattooed if you can stand it, but in any case cultivate the sort of appearance that excites. It does not matter whether the emotion you engender is pity or disgust – the real point is to deflect attention from your images until someone is fool enough to buy one. THEN you can shave and bathe.

Q:      Why does it take so long for goods to come from the eastern states when I can get every toy I ever want from America in under a day?

A:      Because the people who are transporting your items from the eastern states are Australians like you. Got ya thinking there, didn’t I. Don’t worry, you can still poke fun at Americans when you are in the bar, but you’re gonna be waiting for that box of bits from Brisbane while you do it.

Bribe Us

This is the time of year when thoughts naturally turn to morality and good behaviour, and we here at Camera Electronic wish to do our part to see that it is encouraged. 

A long-time customer has just dropped a Christmas basket full of chocolates here for the enjoyment of the staff. Of course this is bribery in an attempt to sway us in his favour – and it will succeed brilliantly. There is no better way to engage our attention than chocolate, or beer, or those big ham and salad rolls you used to get at school canteens.

This is a scientific method that ensures you will get whatever you order before anyone else and that it will work perfectly first time. Your car will never stop on the side of the freeway and you will be given a seat on the lifeboat. Your brother-in-law will admire you and the ATO will send your tax demands to South America and then forget about them. All this for a basket of treats. 

Can you afford to doubt me? Better play safe – the shops are open late and there is still time to bring us something good....   

The Nikon Australia Volunteer Programme - FotoFreo

FotoFreo is a not for profit organization which relies on a large number of dedicated volunteers. In fact, without the help of the volunteers the Festival would not be as successful as it is now widely recognised to be. In recognition of this contribution by the FotoFreo Volunteers, Nikon Australia specifically supports the FotoFreo Volunteer Programme in a number of ways.  In addition to the core volunteers who compose the organizational committee, a large number of volunteers are required to help with the running of the Festival activities in a range of capacities, as outlined below. 

Technical assistance

• Exhibition assistants: assisting with the bump in and bump out of the exhibitions and involving undertaking condition reports, hanging exhibitions and adjusting lighting.
• Audiovisual technician: assisting with the technical set up of conferences, seminar projections and any events where audiovisual equipment is required.
• “Runners”: taking deliveries of good and carrying general errands.

General administration

• Administrative assistants: assisting with the day to day running of the festival by staffing phones, taking deliveries of goods, answering and directing inquiries.
• Media assistants: writing media releases and preparing documentation for exhibitions and other festival events.
• Travel and accommodation coordinator: assisting guests with bookings of tickets and collecting all information related to guests’ stay (arrival and departure day and time, accommodation, etc.) and coordinating with the Airport Contact guide.
• Airport contact guide: assisting with collecting and delivering visiting photographers and speakers from the airport.

Protocol service – Non-art functions

• Event attendants: assisting at various events such as openings, the conference, seminars, projections, lecture series, floor talks and workshops. This work would involve meeting and directing people as they enter, issuing badges, tickets, assist with running raffles, counting attendees, preparing and serving food and tidying up.
• Bar operations: serving wine, beer or soft drinks; collecting, washing and cleaning glasses; setting up, packing up and tidying up, handling cash from sales if the bar is licensed.

Protocol service – Art functions

• Venue “captains”: supervising venue attendants and liaising with the Volunteers Coordinator for any issue, as well as undertaking the same duties as venue attendants.
• Venue attendants: opening and closing the venue; keeping a watch on the exhibitions; counting the number of visitors; handing out catalogues; conducting surveys; advising or providing visitors information about the exhibition, the Festival and other venues.
• Tour guides (if tours are arranged): acting as a guide on the bus and walking tours by providing background information on the exhibitions and the photographers.

Requirements for a Volunteer

FotoFreo is a fun, but professional, Festival and as a consequence, volunteers should be of a like mind. We hope our volunteers will enjoy the experience and want to participate as a volunteer in future Festivals. To participate in the Nikon Australia programme, volunteers must:

• Have good communication skills, be enthusiastic and willing to help
• Have means of transport or be close to reliable public transport
• Have a mobile phone, a reliable contact number and an email address
• Be familiar with FotoFreo and all its events
• Have a knowledge of photography or an interest in photography
• Be prepared to work a minimum of three hours at any one time or at an event
• Be of presentable appearance and prepared to wear the funky FotoFreo T-shirt at all times when on duty
• Be prepared to sign the “Volunteers Letter of Understanding” (see attached).

Rewards

In exchange for your time and energy, volunteers will be given the following rewards:

• A FotoFreo 2012 T-shirt 
• Free admission to the audio visual projections
• Invitations to a range of insider events such as the Sponsors, Partners and Participants reception
• Free tickets to the Incite Speakers Programme
• Discounts from selected retail stores and service providers (to be arranged)
• Personalised certificate of acknowledgement and appreciation
• Volunteers that commit to or donate 20 hours of time will be given a free ticket to participate in one of the paid FotoFreo workshops
• Be in the running for a number of prizes donated by Nikon Australia and other sponsors (details to be posted as soon as they are finalised) to be decided on the basis of the total amount of time provided by each volunteer.

To become a FotoFreo 2012 Volunteer, apply now.

WA Life Photographic Competition - FotoFreo

FotoFreo is pleased to announce the inaugural WA Life photographic competition.WA Life is expected to become a regular event in future festivals.
The sponsors of this event include Nikon Australia, Epson and Team Digital.

The theme of the competition is to capture some aspect of life in Western Australia – living in WA; at work in WA; our leisure time in WA, etc.
For FotoFreo 2012 there will be a prize pool valued at $10,000 and the First Prize will be $5,000 cash. Other prizes will include the Runner Up and a Popular Choice.

The WA Life competition is open to all photographers - professionals, students and enthusiasts (the Entrants).
Employees and the immediate families of the judges, promoters, printers, suppliers, providers and agencies associated with the competition are ineligible.  Unless FotoFreo Volunteers are any of the above, they are eligible to participate in the competition.

There will be an entry fee of $50 per photographer and up to three (3) images may be submitted.

The competition will be open to receive entries on Monday, 12th of December.  Entries will close at 8.00 pm Western Australian time on Sunday, 29th of January, 2012

Initially the images will be required to be submitted electronically, via the FotoFreo website, as low resolution images with a maximum of no more than 1200 pixels on either side. Entries may be colour or black and white.

Each image submitted must have a short title of not more than15 words.

From the entries a panel of judges will select fifty images to be exhibited. These selected images will be the Finalists and from which the prize winners will be nominated. Finalists will be notified by email no later than Friday, 10th of February, 2012.

Finalists will be required to submit high resolution images of the selected photographs by Wednesday,15th of February. The high resolution images submitted, which will be used to print the WA Life exhibition, are required to be print ready files with the largest edge size of  2000 x 3000 pixels.

The actual ‘exhibition’ will consist of one or more photographs placed in a number of shop windows throughout the Fremantle CBD. The exhibition will be supported by a map of the area showing the location of the businesses displaying the images – so the City of Fremantle becomes the venue for the exhibition and viewers will have to walk around Fremantle to see the photographs.

Selection Panel and Judges: The images short listed for exhibition, the Finalists, will be chosen by a selection panel and who will include:

                                     Tony Hewitt, photographer
                                     Felicity Johnston, curator, gallery owner and FotoFreo Inc. Board member
                                     Andrew Tyndall, picture editor for The West Australian
                                     Karin Calvert Borshoff, STM editorial editor
                                     Milton Harris, art collector

All judging to determine the Finalist and the winner of the First Prize and Runner Up will be done online.  The winner and runner up will be selected no later than one week before the start of the festival, that is, one week before the exhibition images go on public display.

The People's Choice will be by a ballot conducted at the end of the first week of the festival. Ballot papers will be available from the venues and online.

The announcement of the winners will be made at a special function to be held at the Moores Building on the evening of Sunday, 25th of March. Finalists' images will be on display from the 16^th of March, 2012 for the full period of the festival.

PRIZES

          Winner     -     $5,000 cash + Certificate

          Runner Up     -     Nikon camera + Certificate

          Popular Choice     -     Camera equipment + Certificate

To complete your Entry Form CLICK HERE.

To pay your Entry Fee CLICK HERE.

Open for Business

If you plan to run out of cameras and lenses and paper and ink and tripods between Thursday this week and Christmas....and then need to rush into a professional photographic dealer to save yourself...well guess what.

You’re going to have to rush in to 230 Stirling Street – we’ll be open all the way until 3:00 on Christmas Eve and we’ll be able to help.

Everybody else will be closed down and presumably off wassailing – we’re going to postpone ours until the end of the 24^th – SO MAKE IT WORTH OUR TIME –COME AND SPEND MONEY!

Now that’s the Christmas spirit, Tiny Tim.

Having a Bash

The Nikon Workshop held at the Perth Convention Centre with Jasin Boland was a smash hit – not least because of the stunt work done out in the grassy courtyard in the afternoon. Jasin had organised three professional stunt people to enact a Hollywood scene for the workshop participants and they got a chance to try their skills with their own cameras – just like Jasin does on film sets.

The stunt people were good – they talked the action through for the spectators and let them plan for what was about to happen. And in true professional style they were able to practise and repeat it until it looked perfect for the cameras.

Jasin, Nikon Australia, and Camera Electronic have awarded two prizes for the images from this day:

For Best Stunt Picture – Katherine Dowling receives a $ 100 gift voucher from Camera Electronic.

For Best Picture Of The Day – Jodie Radusin receives a Nikon Coolpix AW100 camera from Nikon.

 

And Jasin? What does Jasin get? The admiration of all concerned – I’m not sure if we envy him the difficulties of his job but we do applaud his artistry and achievement and thank him for a great day.

Season's Greetings

Camera Electronic will be closed over the holiday period. We will be closing 24 December at 3pm and will reopen on the 6 January 2012.

For Heaven’s Sake – Keep Still!

Well, it might not work on the kids at Christmas – red cordial being what it is – but at least your pictures can be steady. We’ve got a new batch of Velbon tripods at a super-cheap price so that you never need to be without support again.

Oh, I know we all try to get away with it – propping the camera up on a stack of books to get into the family shot ourselves or attempting to make a cairn of stones to position it for a picture of the beach at sunset. Hah. You should see what a digital camera looks like when it has pitched face down into the sand in the twilight....and if past experience is anything to go by some of you will....Our repair department can help but don’t try to tell us you don’t know how it happened.

Better plan. Buy a Velbon CX 440 with the PH 446Q panoramic head and the case and do it right. They’re only $ 49 complete so buy two and keep one in the boot of the car all the time. Use it to save your digital still camera from disaster. Start using it for your video shots and let your viewers see a smooth professional pan. Come in until 3:00 on Christmas Eve  - or see us when we get back on January 6^th.