The offices of Findapic have moved to a new location.

An email has been sent to all members informing them of the new address and phone number, but that does not guarantee delivery, so all photographers who send photos by post should be aware that the address for delivery is now as follows;

Findapic Ltd

150 Rosewill Valley Rd

RD 4

Timaru 7974

Ph: 03 688 7475

Unfortunately after running the bi-monthly photo competitions for the last three years we have now decided to close the competition, mainly due to a lack of support.

Originally the competition was set up so that we could help showcase our photographers skills, often entering photos that may not have been for sale, but did fit a particular theme.

Generally we had at least 12 photos entered in each competition, and in one particularly popular competition we received over 1600 votes, and our various winners took home Findapic Caps and Findapic Photographer’s Vests, so congratulations to them.

We are sorry to see the competition go, and may still run special competitions from time to time, but there is quite a bit of work involved in setting the competitions up, and monitoring them and when we no longer receive entries, we have assumed that people currently have better things to do with their time, or more pressing things, and as we can relate to this too, we would finally like to thank all entrants during the last three years and now move on with other endeavours.

I have recently updated the tutorials page and added two really useful tools that allow users of Windows XP and Vista to be able to right-click and select a number of image files and resize them using standard settings, or by using their own custom settings.

The XP tool uses the same program that resizes emails for you when you want to send them, but now you don’t have to email yourself!

These tools are great for the amateur photographer who wants to add aphotos to facebook, o even to their own albums and of course are quite suitable for Findapic too.

Hi everyone

Sorry about the delay getting this newsletter out to you. I have been a lot busier than I ever expected with a new wee girl to look after. Charlotte has a bib that says “I might be small but I’m the boss” well I can tell you that this is definitely right.

Welcome:

Welcome to all of our new photographers. We look forward to seeing all your photos for sale. Don’t forget to ask us if you have any questions, it’s the best way to learn.

Winter’s well under way:

With winter well and truly here it is time to think of different ways to make money. We are constantly being told that we are in a recession so new ways to bring in that extra income are needed. For those of you who would like to try some new ideas how about contacting any events organisers in your area and seeing what they have coming up, you may like to attend the mountain bike races or other events they have. You can take the photos, hand out your shortcut address on a slip of paper and upload the photos to the site, this is a good fun way to earn those extra dollars.

Another thought would be to go to your local Ski Field when it opens and take some nice photos of couples, families and groups of friends give them the shortcut address and upload your photos that night. You will find this is a good way to get to tourists and people love photos of themselves having fun with the lovely scenery in the background.

Photo Competition:

Since having Charlotte I have been slack with the newsletter hence the photo competition has lapsed. We are looking to running the photo competition every three months onstead of every two. The current competition is a collection of the past winners photos so you can all go and vote for your very favourite photo. The next Competition will start on August the 1st  and the theme will be “Laughter” so email us your photos before the start of August to be in to win.

Photography Tip: Candid Photography

 Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than technique. Your subject’s focus is not on the camera, but on their current task. So we’re not talking about the photo albums full of people looking at the camera and smiling here! Your subjects are un-posed and the shots are unplanned.

Candid photos are usually simple photos without a lot of technical equipment or any time taken setting up the shot. Thus they capture some wonderful slices of life!

Here are some tips for taking candid photos: •

• Take your camera everywhere you go! Keep alert for candid situations – they can be found everywhere. 
• It’s rare to get a second chance with candid photography. When you see an opportunity, grab it! •
• Don’t use complicated lighting techniques for taking your candid shots. Concentrate on the simple and use your camera’s automatic features. Technical problems don’t matter so much if you have a great candid photo. Most technical problems (like if the image is too dark or too light) can be fixed on your computer. 
• The best candid photographers blend into the background, so don’t be too obvious. Do what everyone else is doing so you fit in with the situation. Then when you see a good candid moment, bring your camera up to your eye. 
• You don’t always need to take the shot with your camera at eye level. Support your camera on your waist when taking the photo. Some luck or experience is needed here to get the framing right. 
• Use your zoom lens to it’s fullest extent so you can keep away from the action while taking your shot. A telephoto lens is essential if you’re going to be a fair distance away.
• Never take photos of people’s backs. Nothing is more boring than a group of people with all backs turned to the camera. It just doesn’t work. 
• Try converting the image to black and white to get that extra punch and emotion. 
• People ‘doing things’ make the best candid photos. Sports players, trades people, farmers and accountants are all excellent examples of subjects with things to do. 
• Try to capture the essence of the person’s task. For example, you might capture a plumber concentrating on fixing a leaky pipe.
• If you’re in a public place, it’s usually okay to photograph people. If they object, however, you need to stop. If you’re not sure, it never hurts to ask permission beforehand. Your subject may want to pose, so explain what you saw them doing and ask them to continue as if you weren’t there. 
• Experiment! Sometimes the artistic expression of a candid photo can be limited by you, the photographer. Try different angles, places and scenes. Look at candid photos created by others (they can be found in lots of magazines) for inspiration.

Candid photography is a great way to add some artistic flair to your photos without spending a lot of time with the technical aspects of photography. David Peterson has a great love of photography and loves to share his knowledge with the world! He has created a series of free tips at http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com to help digital photography users everywhere take better photos.

 Good luck with your candid photography – happy shooting

Newsletter:

If there is anything you would like us to cover just send Jeanna an email at admin and we will endeavour to include it in the following edition.

As some of our regulars may have noticed, we have been a bit slack updating the blog and news items this year, but we like to think it is because we have been so busy or otherwise occupied, but Jeanna has an even better excuse after the following article appeared on the Fairfax Stuff website recently.

NAPPY BRAIN: Research has shown there is a reason for Timaru woman Jeanna McDonald having a few forgetful moments during her pregnancy with daughter Charlotte, now three months.

It’s true – nappy brain does exist.

A new study has revealed absentmindedness in pregnant women may not just be a popular stereotype but rather a scientific fact.

Timaru woman Jeanna McDonald welcomed the new research yesterday, admitting to a few forgetful moments during her pregnancy with daughter Charlotte, now three months.

“I had heaps. I probably can’t remember them,” she said with a laugh.

“Quite often I’ll go into town and come back only doing half of what I intended to do.

“Although, actually, I find it a very convenient excuse. People don’t expect too much of you when you’re pregnant.”

The photographer said she was never too good at remembering things anyway so she ensures she has a good diary system and uses lots of Post-it notes.

“I’ve probably been more forgetful since Charlotte was born than during pregnancy because there’s so much more to do,” she said.

Timaru mother-of-two Imke Swallow also experienced forgetfulness during her pregnancies. Her daughter Jemma is now eight months and son Jozef is almost three years old.

She said it wasn’t so much an event that she forgot, but words that were on the tip of her tongue.

“It tended to be more the odd word or midway through a sentence you would lose track, and think, what was I talking about?”

Mrs Swallow said she had read that you never got full brain power back after being pregnant so interim forgetfulness didn’t seem quite as bad.

The study, which was presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists annual scientific meeting in Auckland last weekend, found memory and attention were compromised in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Stereotypical forgetfulness in pregnant woman had not been widely analysed with objective neuropsychological tests, spokeswoman for the organisation, Lenore Ellett, said.

Tests were carried out on 30 women in the first trimester, 30 women in the third trimester and 30 non-pregnant women, Dr Ellett said.

December 20, 2008

June 1, 2008

May 11, 2008

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