April 21, 2020
Safaris in Tanzania - by Tom Savage
My wife and I have been on safaris in Tanzania four times. Twice in February, once in May, and once in September. In February, we saw the Great Migration of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles have their babies in the south of the Serengeti, and in September, we saw the migration in the north of the Serengeti were they crossed and re-crossed the Mara river where crocodiles can get them. In May, we saw the migration and a large number of big cats in the middle of the Serengeti. Just my wife and I were on the first three safaris, but the last time was in February 2018 when we took 13 members of the Cowtown CC and 4 from Oklahoma CC with us. This show has a mix of images from all four safaris plus at the end a short video created by Ron Shue, one of the Cowtown CC members, about the 2018 trip. I will also give some tips for what to do and not do on safari plus some suggestions about camera equipment.
About Tom Savage, APSA, MPSA2
I have been involved with photography in one form or another since 7th grade when my uncle gave me a cheap Japanese copy of a Roleiflex camera, and I spent the next summer at a friend’s ranch in southern California photographing movie companies filming western TV series like Wild Bill Hickok, the Cisco Kid, and Annie Oakley.
However, I didn't really get serious with photography as a hobby until 1983 when I joined the Lockheed Martin (then General Dynamics) Recreation Association Camera Club. I am also a member of the Fort Worth Camera Club and the Photographic Society of America (PSA). My favorite photography subjects are nature and sports because I like to photograph action. I photograph lots of rodeos, and have photographed in Tanzania 4 times, Zambia 4 times, and Alaska 9 times.
Since 2004 in both Nature and Photojouralism International Exhibitions, I have won 33 Best of Show medals and 104 other medals in 11 different countries. I won Best of Show in the Heard Museum’s Nature Photography Contest 3 times, Dewitt County, TX Contest 4 time, Victoria, TX Contest 3 times, and Gonzales County, TX Contest once. I have had three images published in Cowboys & Indians Magazine. In 2006, one of my images was “Most Honored” in Nature’s Best Photography Magazine and displayed in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. during most of 2007. Also in 2007, I won the Grand Prize in Robin Pope Safari’s photography contest and was awarded a free safari in Zambia. In 2008 one of my digital images was the Photographic Society of America's Nature Image of the Year. In 2009 I placed 2nd in PSA’s Photojournalism Projected Images in North America Who’s Who listing. In 2016, one of my prints was the Photographic Society of America's Nature Print of the Year.
Rescheduled for July 2020 - From Photographic Tourist to Explorer by Alan Whiteside
Alan believes people tend to photograph in one of two modes: either as a tourist or an explorer. Neither mode is “right,” and it’s OK to switch back and forth—as long as it’s a conscious decision. When thinking about his own images, he considers images made in explorer mode to be more compelling—meaning they convey something he thought or felt when he was making them—or they’re worth more than just a quick glance before being filed away.
But being a photographic explorer takes effort and thought. In this presentation, Alan will address some of the factors that contribute to a successful image, as well as the thought process that led to images he considers successful.
Photography Biography:
In the mid-1970s, I cashed in some savings bonds my parents bought when I was a baby to buy a Minolta SRT-101 SLR and set about making horrific photos—sometimes both slides and negatives from the same roll of film (yes, that was a thing). In addition to trying to capture some idea or mood, I found I was drawn to shapes, colors, and textures, but I had no idea of how to compose a successful image. I got frustrated and basically quit photographing.
Sometime in the late 1990s, after upgrading to a more advanced film camera and lenses, I began reading and thinking about how to improve my photos. I discovered, among other amazing things, that f/5.6 rarely provided the depth of field I wanted. I learned more about composition—still pretty basic concepts, however—and gradually discovered that capturing “postcard” views still left me unfulfilled.
About 10 years ago, my reading and research led me to the idea that planning what you wanted the photo to be produced stronger images. What a notion! Current digital cameras allow me to overcome many technical issues I had faced earlier—like insufficient depth of field—and my best photos (at least in my estimation) have come when I consider the full range of factors that contribute to successful images prior to pressing the shutter.
2020 Programs (Second Meeting of the Month)
January – Member Slideshow – "Texas" (not Metroplex)
February – Jeremy Woodhouse
March - Cancelled due to Corvid 19 (moved to July)
April - Tom Savage
May - Nikola Olic
June - Adam Jones
July - Alan Whiteside
History of prior programs HERE