Camera Owners of the Bay Area

Two months ago, we had a “>presentation on Canon Professional Services (CPS). Well, it looks like new submissions are not being accepted, as Canon has announced massive changes to the CPS program. Read all about the details here, or the short summary below.

There will be a tiered service plan for CPS members: Silver, Gold, and Platinum:

CPS Silver level membership will be offered free-of-charge to qualifying photographers. This level of membership includes a welcome kit, access to the CPS phone hotline and a 20 percent discount on repairs[i]. For professional photographers requiring a higher level of Canon support, CPS Gold level membership additionally includes access to loan equipment for a two-week trial period and an expedited three-day turnaround on service items.[ii] Along with a 30 percent service discount, CPS Gold level membership includes two free Check & Clean vouchers. CPS Gold level membership will have an annual fee of $100*.

The CPS Platinum membership level will include priority access to loan equipment for two-week trial periods, 60 percent discount on repairs[iii], expedited two-day turnaround on equipment service and backup equipment loans if service is longer than two days.[iv] CPS Platinum level membership will have an annual fee of $500*.

The October meeting for the Camera Owners of the Bay Area (COBA) user group will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 2008, in Cordura Hall 100 at Stanford University from 7:30-10:00 pm.

Photokina Wrapup

Photokina 2008 is happening right now in Cologne, Germany. We’ll have a recap of the most exciting news from the event in our annual biennial conference recap.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

We’re hoping to have Jim Rose from Canon USA on-hand to demonstrate the new offerings from Canon, including the exciting EOS 5D Mark II with its 1080p video capabilities. Last month, we spoke about the convergence of still photography and videography. The 5D Mark II, along with the recently-released Nikon D90, are ushering a the era of convergence faster than we may have anticipated.

If you haven’t seen it already, check out the Reverie video by noted photographer Vincent Laforet. Shot using the 5D Mark II, the video demonstrates what use to cost ten of thousands of dollars is now possible with a $2700 camera!

Political Photography

Mona T. Brooks will be on hand to talk about political photography her recent trip to Denver, Colorado, where she was a photographer at the Democratic National Convention. Mona will discuss the following topics:

1. How I got started and what I’ve done the passed 5 years
   • school
   • experience
   • publications and clients
2. My Passion
   • A school assignment got me interested in photographing women in politics
   • How I got to be Obama’s fundraiser photographer in the Bay Area
3. Networking
   • My business relies on word-of-mouth
   • A stranger helped me a job as a Democratic National Convention (DNC) photographer
4. Documenting “A week in a life of a DNCC CEO”
   • The access I got was a documentary photographer’s dream
5. What’s next
   • How I plan to market myself
   • Keep doing what I love

Mona T. Brooks quit corporate America in 2003 and started a new career in photograpy.  She graduated from the Academy of Art University in December 2006 with a BFA in Documentary Photography.  She’s been in 29 issues of San Francisco Magazine since November 2005 and been published internationally in Le Monde, Europa, Augenzeuge, and UK’s Intersection Magazine.  Her clients range from Obama for America to Nokia and Microsoft. You can currently see her images on MUNI buses for ads of Park Merced Apartments.  Her website is http://www.monabrooks.com and she can be found 24/7 on Facebook.

Monthly Assignment: CHOICE

We all have a choice coming up this November, so the October, 2008, monthly assignment will be CHOICE. You can choose Red, Blue, Canon or Nikon, but please choose to bring a new photo for this month’s contest!

The winner will get a free Pro Account on SmugMug for a year!

COBA finally has a presence on Facebook. Sign up and join the new COBA group!

Tentative meeting topics are political photography and Photokina wrapup. The contest for October will be CHOICE.

Here are the slides from Edward Casati’s presentation on Windows Home Server.

The September meeting for the Camera Owners of the Bay Area (COBA) user group will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, in Cordura Hall 100 at Stanford University from 7:30-10:00 pm.

Windows Home Server (WHS)

Edward Casati of Unbound Photography (www.UnboundPhoto.com) has recently switched to using Windows Home Server (WHS) as his main ‘bulk’ file storage.

He had outgrown his ReadyNAS and decided to build his own WHS with some extra hardware that he had. He’s been pleased with its performance, and his presentation will cover the following topics:

• What to look for in mass storage: Expandability, Non-proprietary storage format, Room for growth, Remote access, flexibility.
• Brief comparison of other alternatives
• Standard features of WHS
• Hardware options
• Remote Access capabilities

Convergence: Videography and Photography

Is the convergence of video and still photography just around the corner? The newly announced Nikon D90 DSLR features a built-in 720p HDTV movie mode, and the upcoming Red Scarlet is a digital videocamera that captures 5MP images at 24fps (with burst modes going to 180fps).

In the future, will we all be using video cameras that take still photos or still cameras that can take video?

We’ll take a look at the current slate of cameras, make predictions, and debate what lies ahead for videography and photography.

Shutterbudd Monthly Contest: Life in the Bay

This month’s contest comes to you via Shutterbudd. The company is hosting a few local art displays in the San Francisco Bay Area and they’re looking for submissions from photographers such as yourself! The theme for this show will be “Life In the Bay” since they are located in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be showing the art in local businesses. They’d like to see images that really reflect the feeling of the Bay Area and of living in and around San Francisco. They are asking for stunning black and white images that evoke any number of emotions and are immediately recognizable as having been taken in the Bay Area.

For the very first show, they’ve chosen two lovely local businesses in Mountain View, California: Sweet Corner and zpizza, both located on bustling Castro Street. They have both expressed an interest in giving back to the artistic community and hosting beautiful art in their spaces, and this is a great chance for everyone to win!

For details, please check out http://www.shutterbudd.com/theshow.

NOTE: For this contest, you can use any prior photo you’ve taken in the past. It doesn’t have to have been taken in the past month.

Location

Cordura Hall 100
210 Panama Street
Stanford, CA 94309

Cordura Hall is on the corner of Campus Drive and Panama Street. Park in the lot across the street. Cordura 100 is next to the courtyard between Ventura Hall and Cordura Hall.

The August meeting for the Camera Owners of the Bay Area (COBA) user group will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2008, in Cordura Hall 100 at Stanford University from 7:30-10:00 pm.

Art Shows

There are two upcoming art shows where COBA members can submit their photos.

1. ShutterBudd is hosting a few local art displays in the San Francisco Bay Area and they’re looking for submissions from photographers such as yourself! The theme for this show will be “Life In the Bay” since they are located in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be showing the art in local businesses. They’d like to see images that really reflect the feeling of the Bay Area and of living in and around San Francisco. They are asking for stunning black and white images that evoke any number of emotions and are immediately recognizable as having been taken in the Bay Area.

   For our very first show, they’ve chosen two lovely local businesses in Mountain View, California: Sweet Corner and zpizza, both located on bustling Castro Street. They have both expressed an interest in giving back to the artistic community and hosting beautiful art in their spaces, and this is a great chance for everyone to win!

   For details, please check out http://www.shutterbudd.com/theshow.

2. Sam is organizing a photography show and sale on Saturday, August 23. He’s thinking to have about ten, 10×10 booths in this location. Although it will be outdoors the area is covered so tents won’t be needed. This is a high traffic area, and with some advertising, the traffic can increase even more.

   For more information, contact Sam at: FLSTCSAM (at) aol.com

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

With the release of Lightroom 2, does a photographer need to have regular Adobe Photoshop in her or her software arsenal anymore? Is Lightrooom good enough to be used as the sole photo processing and editing application?

Chris Pedersen and Mark Jaremko will present their case and highlight what’s new in Lightroom 2, including:

• Touch-up capabilities
• Gradient editing
• Workflow improvements
• Storing your photos across multiple hard drives

Canon Professional Services Signup

Canon has a great program called Canon Professional Services (CPS) that is available to full-time professional photographers. From the membership application:

CPS has been established to enable Canon U.S.A., Inc. to offer professional photographers expedited repair service as well as short term equipment loans for evaluation prior to purchase. CPS also offers access to nation wide network of Professional Market Representatives for information and discounted repairs.

Eligibility for CPS members requires evidence of your professional status. More information can be found here:

If you’re a working photographer, you can sign up for CPS. Download the form, assemble your tearsheets, business cards, letterhead, press credentials, etc. and let’s get you signed up to CPS. I’ve had this form sitting on my desk for years now, and it’s time for me to send it in too!

SmugMug Monthly Assignment: ANGLE

The winner will get a free 1-year Pro account subscription on SmugMug for having the best photo of the group! Only new photographs taken from the previous meeting date to the next
meeting date will be accepted.

The July meeting for the Camera Owners of the Bay Area (COBA) user group will be held on Wednesday, July 9, 2008, in Cordura Hall 100 at Stanford University from 7:30-10:00 pm.

Agenda

19:00-19:30: Sign-in and mingling period
19:30-20:30: AutoMate Robotic Camera Mount
20:30-21:30: Camera Insurance
21:30-22:00: Monthly Assignment: SUMMER

Auto-Mate

Don French from The Gadget Works will demonstrate AutoMate, a programmable robotic camera mount that you can control from your cellphone or PDA. The AutoMate features:

• A programmable robotic camera platform, ideal for making gigapixel panoramas
• A programmable electronic shutter release with full and half-press control
• A programmable intervalometer for making time-lapse movies and panoramas
• A programmable self-timer
• A remote control for operating the robot and activating the shutter release
• Two input lines for sensing external trigger events and running custom programs
• An output line for operating an external device
• A custom program editor
• A database of user settings and custom programs

Camera Insurance

So, you’ve got all this expensive camera equipment. What happens if something gets lost of stolen? COBA members will present and discuss the various types of camera insurance you can get, the pros and cons of getting separate insurance or a rider on your existing policy, and what to do when the unfortunate occurs. If you’ve ever wondered about protecting your photographic assets, you’ll want to be at the meeting!

SmugMug Monthly Assignment: SUMMER

Summer is here and ready for this month’s SmugMug Monthly Assignment. The winner will get a free 1-year Pro account subscription on SmugMug for having the best photo of the group!

Only new photographs taken from the previous meeting date to the next meeting date will be accepted.

Sorry for the late meeting announcement. I just returned from a three-week trip to Southern California and the East Coast for my documentary project.

The June meeting for the Camera Owners of the Bay Area (COBA) user group will be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, in Cordura Hall 100 at Stanford University from 7:30-10:00 pm.

Agenda

19:00-19:30: Sign-in and mingling period
19:30-20:15: Backing Up Your Photos
20:15-21:00: Custom Functions and Presets
21:00-21:30: Monthly Assignment: FLASH

Backing Up Your Photos

Everyone knows that they should backup their photos, but how many actually follow through with a regular backup strategy? Backing up your photographs doesn’t have to be an ordeal. This presentation will cover several techniques to safeguard your photos, including:

1. Backing up to multiple locations when importing photos
2. Synchronizing changes across your backups
3. Storing your photos online
4. Using offsite backups
5. Recovering from a disk failure

If you have a memorable backup story (or nightmare), be prepared to tell it to the group!

Custom Functions and Presets

Custom functions can help you get the most out of your camera. From using the quick dial control to select your autofocus point or switching autofocus to the * button, there’s plenty of ways to make a camera work the way you want it to. Everyone has their favorite presets and custom functions, and it’s time to share them with the rest of the group.

SmugMug Monthly Assignment: FLASH

The winner will get a free 1-year Pro account subscription on SmugMug for having the best photo of the group!

Only new photographs taken from the previous meeting date to the next will be accepted.

Location

Cordura Hall 100
210 Panama Street
Stanford, CA 94309

Cordura Hall is on the corner of Campus Drive and Panama Street. Park in the lot across the street. Cordura 100 is next to the courtyard between Ventura Hall and Cordura Hall.

Following the great presentation by Gary Cruz on portable strobe photography, the monthly assignment for June will be FLASH!