Waverley Camera Club

David has asked me if I could put this plea for help onto the BLOG in the hope that someone can help him with a bit of Photoshop editing. If you think you think you can help, please contact David via this BLOG (make a comment) to find out how he wants them arranged.

A good friend of mine from Adelaide has asked me to complete the only full family photo he has.

The problem is it is missing the 4 people included in the other scans and he has set a challenge of having them (face or more) included in either one of the ‘group’ family photos.

This is well beyond my novice photoshop skills but I am really hoping one of our talented members might have a quick play around with it to get a semi-desirable result – it doesn’t have to be perfect.

In return for anyone willing to ‘give it a go’ I would be happy to owe a favour of equivalent time (or free use of any of my photo gear)

thanks, David.

Whilst on the outing on Sunday, it was discovered that one of the members had been sold a camera with twin lens kit by a well known electrical and furniture store and had been informed by an in store so called “camera expert” that they needed to purchase a polarising filter for each of the lenses. These had been sold using the ‘you must protect your lens’ trick to make you buy more things.

Now the more experienced of us know that these so called protective filters should have been UV filters and not polarisers but the person concerned, being a novice did not. They also didn’t know about what quality filters they were getting. This person has been taking shots with the polarisers on wondering why the viewfinder looked so dark when taking indoor and low light images. This isn’t their fault, it is poor sales tactics and bad advice and possibly a hint of the fact that they don’t care a hoot about the customer, only their money.

To help avoid this happening in future and just to give general advice as well. I’m sure that anyone who needs help with choosing their new investment can approach any of the committee for advice before they purchase the gear. We can’t tell you what to buy but can help with making your own decision and if we can’t help then I’m sure we’ll know someone who can.

If you do intend to buy some equipment from a high street store that doesn’t specialise in photography, I would take their advice with reservation. Their goal seems to get you to buy as much as possible instead of what you might actually need. I would recommend visiting a reputable camera store that comes recommended by someone you know. My favourites are Kirk’s Cameras in Ringwood (ask for Jason) and The Camera Exchange in Lonsdale Street(behind Michaels). There is also a camera store in Oakleigh which is owned and operated by a professional photographer, I’ve only been in once but he seemed very fair and gave honest advice. I’m sure that most of these will be at least as competitive if not better and will provide advice after you have spent your money.

It has also been suggested that the EBay store – Digital Rev is very reputable and can also be contacted by telephone if required.

I hope this has been of help to someone and it saves you some concerns in the future.

Just a quick reminder to you all that Tuesday 4th is cometition night and the judge will be Adrian Smith who has judged our Tabletop/Still Life Competition.

Sunday’s outing to Melbourne’s Arcades and Laneways was a huge success with 21 people attending. BLOG post to follow today.

It has been brought to my attention that my email, ‘what’s new on the BLOG today’ needs to have a link back to the main page because the links are taking you to individual news items and you are finding it hard to get back to the main page from there. Therefore, from now on, the email will contain a link back to ALL of the news items. I appreciate this feedback because without points like this, I can’t improve things for you the viewers. If anyone has anymore ideas or suggestions please let me know.

It has also been pointed out that the link to the BLOG from the main club web page isn’t clear enough so I’ll ask Alan to create some better and clearer links.

That’s all of the news for now so I’ll hopefully see you all on Tuesday night.

Dave Sumner

Craig Terry, Waverley Camera Club, July 2009

What is Geotagging?

• In a photographic context, geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification (location) metadata to photos. This data usually consists of GPS latitude and longitude coordinates, though it can also include altitude and place names
• Also known as Geocoding

Why Geotag your photos?

• Web Display – Google Earth, Panoramio
• Recording the image location
• Travel
• Documentation, eg Track Condition
• Commercial / Government, eg Asset Location- Real Estate

How to Geotag your photos

• Manually – Hand code or point/click on map (Panoramio, Google Earth…)
• Auto Geotag – Camera with built in or connected GPS Receiver
• Using GPS Log and software:
  -If you are carrying a GPS unit, your data logger will know where you were located in a specific moment in time.
  -By matching the timestamp of the photo with the GPS track point with the closest timestamp, you can geotag the photo.
  -Software will do this automatically.A dedicated logging GPS such as Sony or QStarz or Multipurpose Hand Held GPS is suitable for logging travel for Geotagging. It must have track logging, computer interface, and long battery life.

QStarz BT-Q1000 Travel Logging GPS

• Compact, Self Contained, 100,000 points
• 32 Hours claimed battery life per charge
• Manual Memorise Button
• Included software for Geotagging, Viewing track logs, save to Google Earth format etc
• Mains and Car charger, standard Mini USB Port
• Approx AU $150 (July 2009)

Synchronising Software

• BreezeBrowser Pro – Breeze Systems – http://www.breezesys.com/
• Works with Sony LOG files
• Jet Photo Studio - http://www.jetphotosoft.com/web/home/
• Software is included with QStarz Travel Recorder http://www.qstarz.com/

In the Field:

• Set your camera clock accurately!- Use GPS time if possible
• Record your track with GPS Receiver- Place in car or carry so that it has a clear view of the sky- Check regularly that it is on and is receiving a signal
• Download Track Log to PC
• Geotag your images
• Display on the Web

References:

• Geotagging Photos Powerpoint by Steve Johnson, GISP, CPSWQ Engineering Specialist, City of Orem, srjohnson@orem.org

Steve’s Sources:

• An ABC of geotagging photos on the Mac at bioneural.net,
  http://www.bioneural.net/2008/03/05/an-abc-of-geotagging-photos-on-the-mac/photos-on-the-mac/
• HOW TO GPS Tag Photos: Flickr, Mappr, Google Earth….
  http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2005/07/how_to_gps_tag.htmlhtml
• Panoramio’s Blog: Geocoding photos using any GPS
  http://www.panoramio.com/blog/gps-camera-geocoding-photos/photos/

Other web sites:

Google Earth: http://earth.google.com/

Panoramio: http://www.panoramio.com/

Martin Bailey has responded to me regarding the previous post below and as a consequence has started a forum on his very popular site to allow members to publicise their own clubs. You’ll notice that the top of the list is WCC, so thank you Martin for responding positively to my email and BLOG post. Here’s Martin’s Text from his reply:

Thanks very much for that introduction blog post to your camera club too. That was very nice of you. I hope your members find it useful. It certainly helps to spread the word.

I took a look at the sites you linked to. Thanks very much.

Regarding adding a link to your club’s page; you gave me an idea. I’ve started a Camera Club Links post. It is better for search engines to find this if it has its own topic post. I’ve added your club as the only post right now, but will solicit more clubs to add to the page from now. It should turn into a useful list if people get interested. Thanks for suggesting this!

Here’s a link to the new post:
http://www.martinbaileyphotography.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=3091

Cheers,
Martin.