Ritzpix Network Newsletter

MARCH-APRIL 2011 THE NETWORK 1

RITZ&WOLF CAMERA&IMAGE

INSPIRATIONPHOTOS FOR MOTIVATION

SPECIAL OFFER

Onlyfor RITZPIX NETWORK MEMBERS

RITZ TIPSSPRING PHOTOS

SHARE, DISPLAY, SAVETHE FATE OF YOUR PHOTOS

RITZ UNIVERSITYMeets Photo Patrol

PHOTO PROJECTSLETTERSEVERYWHERE

PARTING SHOT

MARCH-APRIL 2011 ISSUE 3

2 THE NETWORK MARCH-APRIL 2011




is issue is dedicated to all who braved the brutal winter. We know that you are tired of the cold, tired of looking at barren trees, and the boring walls of the indoors. Well folks, the end is near! Spring is upon us. Flowers are blooming, birds are returning, and the grass is turning from yellow to green. It’s time to get out and explore what the season brings and we want to help you capture it all on camera.

To do that, we have stocked this issue with basic tips on ways to ready your camera for Spring moments. We know that you will be taking long walks again, admiring the scenery, and attending an outdoor celebration or two. We hope to guide you on how to capture moments on your walkabout.

is issue is not just about capturing new moments. We have taken the time to address a serious issue – the loss of family photos. Most of us store old pictures, negatives, and videotapes, in places like attics and basements. We urge you to read the article on page 6 to learn how you may be damaging those memories to the point of no return.

Lastly, we have provided a photo project section to inspire new ways to use photographs. Memories live on when they become an active part of your life. e project described on page 17 will definitely breathe new life into your memories.

So turn the page and follow the road to a renewed approach to capturing your life.

A MESSAGE FROM DAVID RITZ AND STEVE LAMASTRA

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INSPIRATION

an eye for an eyeby TORI BUCK-VICKERSbarboursville, west virginia

actionby JANELLE RIGLERannapolis, maryland





my little brotherby RACHEL BODYtomball, texas

the love of fallby SHELLY BAKERswansea, massachusettsNOV/DEC $100WINNER

my macyby HEATHER JONEScicero, indiana

honeyby DIANE MALANEY

chapel hill, north carolina





“Make no mistake; the longer

you leave your analog memories

where they are, the faster they will

deteriorate.”





The shi began many years ago.

As your collections of memories outgrew the living room, they were moved to less conspicuous surroundings -

your basement, garage, attic, or public storage facility. Over the years, hundreds of photographs, stacks of videotape, and thousands of slides have been relegated to those out of the way places. You know that you need to do something with them. ere’s no rush because they’re safely tucked away. ey’ll be there when you need them, right? Wrong.

People across the nation have begun to learn the unexpected fate of leaving their memories in those out of the way places for years and decades. ey are encountering videotapes that aren’t playable, film negatives that are completely faded, and photographs that are deteriorated beyond recognition. ese are horrors where there is no return. How does this happen? How can your memories avoid this fate?

To answer those questions, one must examine the conditions that make your garage, attic, basement, or public facility a dangerous place for memories in all formats. According to the Northeast Document Conservation Center (www.nedcc.org), a leading conservatory for the preservation of documents, those places are havens for heat, humidity, dust, and fluctuating conditions— the main causes of photo, film, and video deterioration.

Could your attic, garage, and basement be

destroying your memories?

PHOTO FATE





PRINTS are highly vulnerable to fungus growth which causes surface damage. Prints in shoeboxes are like bad apples - one contaminated print can ruin the rest. This is especially bad if you do not have negatives for some of those prints.

SLIDES & NEGATIVESare the formats most tucked away since cameras went digital. However, they are the formats that carry the most history of our lives. Heat and humidly can make that history literally disappear.

VIDEOTAPEhas a very short shelf-life of up to 15 years in the best circum-stances. Transferring fragile videotape to a digital format such as DVD is the only way to ensure that those memories will be around for the future.

MOVIE REELS are just long spools of film, which means they do not have any special resistance to fading. But the real problem is viewing the obsolete formats. Have it transferred to DVD before the means to transfer them cease to exist.

Here is how each of those conditions will affect your memories:

HEAT

Heat is a mighty destroyer. e NEDCC asserts that the rate of deterioration doubles with each 10°F increase in temperature. Polyester basefilm of videotapes will warp, stretch, and deform, making playback impossible and pigments in film negatives, slides, and movie reels fade — fast.

HUMIDITYHumid conditions cause the absorption

of moisture, which promotes fungus growth, hydrolysis, and insect activity. Conversely, very dry conditions cause all formats to become brittle, allowing photos to curl and crack and videotapes and movie film to snap when played.

DUSTDust is made up of debris, skin flakes, and

other particulates that are full of contaminates that can alter the surface of all archival formats. e longer it sits, the more it eats away at your memories.

FLUCTUATING CONDITIONSConstant changes in temperature and

humidity cause additional structural damage, such as cracking of emulsions and warping of photographic supports.

It is evident that common areas for storing memories are aggressively wiping them out of existence. However, it also important to understand that even the most controlled environment cannot stop the deterioration process— it just slows it down. e best thing to do is transfer all of your stored photographs, negatives, slides, videotape, and movie reels to a digital archive. Every RITZ&WOLF can preserve (and in some cases enhance) almost any format into an ageless digital archive that won’t fade, can be reproduced into a myriad of display possibilities, and can be easily shared with family for generations to come.

Make no mistake; the longer you leave your analog memories where they are, the faster they will deteriorate. Don’t leave your memories to an awful fate. For more information about how to preserve your memories, visit www.scanmanphoto.com.

GET OUT!





SPRING IS HERE!is is the time of year when the season gives us a reason to get outside. Flowers are budding, wild life is stirring, fields are teaming with sports leagues loosening up from months of hibernation, and communities are moving celebrations from the convention hall to pavilion. It’s time to get your camera ready to explore the renewed beauty and activity.

Turn the page and get ready to...





SPRING IS HERE!





CATCH THE RIGHT LIGHTOn sunny days, the best time to capture a flower’s beauty is in the morning or late aernoon hours when the light is warm and low. Cloudy days are ideal because the white clouds help to soen deep shadows.

GETTING THE DETAILSWe want our cameras to capture the unique and intricate details of the flowers we see. However, no matter how sophisticated your camera is, it is not likely to capture those details on the automatic setting. If you have a camera that does not have priority modes (P, A, Av, S, Tv, or M), then the obvious choice is your close-up mode, symbolized by the flower icon. On automatic, your camera can’t adjust for objects that are very close to the lens. Your close-up mode tells your camera to adjust the lens elements to allow focusing at a very close distance.

You can do the same thing for most interchangeable lens cameras. However, to get the most control over your flower shots, use the aperture priority mode (A, Av). You can lose critical sharpness and detail if your camera is left to decide what to capture. With aperture priority, you can decide how much detail will standout from the background and/or how sharp the edges of your photo will be. The higher the f-number, the sharper the edges and background will be. The lower the number, the more that specific detail will stand out against a softer background.

FLOWERSNo matter how many Springs you have experienced, there is always something special about capturing the beauty of the first flowers of the season. Whether the flower is in your backyard or in an arboretum, here are some tips that will help you capture the flowers that strike your fancy.





For interchangeable lens cameras, it’s important to have a lens that has macro capabilities. According to SIGMA, a worldwide leader in lens technology, “a macro lens is one which will focus on a subject close enough to render it ‘life-size’ on the image plane in your camera.” Not all lenses have this capability, so it is important to look for the word “macro” or the flower symbol on your lens. Many standard and multipurpose zoom lenses will indicate the minimum focusing distance (how close you can get) for macro shooting and may contain a macro lock to keep all lens elements at the best position for capturing intricate details.

USE YOUR FLASHNo matter what camera you are using, a flash is a must when photographing flowers. It helps showcase details isolated by your close-up settings and eliminates blur from handheld shakes. Nevertheless, be sure to reduce the power of your built-in flash TO –1.3 to –1.7 so that you do not blowout the images (look for the +/- symbol). Wireless flashes are even better, allowing for greater fill at the angle and distance that works best.





SPORTSSports in the spring is an opportunity to actively practice capturing the unpredictable. Athletes are honing their cra and teams participate in scrimmages for the ultimate preparation for regular season. You and your camera will have a wonderful time finding ways to photograph these spectacular moments.

To do this, it is more effective to look for the story than overly concern yourself with settings. Follow particular members of a team from start to finish. Capture them taking gear out their bags, conversing with fellow players, and even taking a rest between plays. If you do this, it will be easier for you to capture moments like this...





CELEBRATIONS

As opposed to the other scenarios, festivals and celebrations are largely unpredictable. You do not know what you are going to see and when it is going to happen. St. Patrick’s Day parades, Easter Egg Roll events, Music Festivals, and other celebrations are chock full of unpredictable moments. Even the best photographers play “point and shoot” in those situations. Use program mode (P) if your camera gives you that option. Program mode opens up all the possibilities your camera offers so that you can make quick adjustments at the spur of the moment.

STORY OVER SETTINGS In these situations, camera settings are not as important as the story. Just as in spring sports, it is not always about the main event. e best moments are unscripted and candid. Stand back and zoom in on what is happening so that you and your camera are not a distraction. Also, look for still life that is a part of what you are involved in and capture it. e smallest details oen tell the biggest stories.

If you have an interchangeable lens camera, it can be tempting to bring every lens in your arsenal. Switching lenses could cause you to miss a moment. is is where multipurpose lenses, like the Sigma 18-200mm or the Tamron 18-270, really shine. ey will allow you to capture the whole story of an event without having to switch lenses.

Okay. You may be wondering when it is a good time to use auto. Well, this may be it.

WILDLIFE





Just like flowers, it’s best to capture photos of wildlife in the morning hours when they are stirring, looking for their morning meals. is is also another instance where auto alone won’t do, especially since many animals and insects will not stay put for very long. Utilize your continuous setting so that your camera will capture several frames per second and increase your chances of capturing a great moment when the encounter is brief.

Most animals and insects are not going to let you get very close, so the level of your telephoto capabilities will determine the type of photos you can capture. Engage the macro/close-up functions of your telephoto lens to isolate crisp detail of your wildlife subject. Use aperture priority, if you have it, to determine the sharpness of your background. Also, to minimize sounds that will alert wildlife to your presence, turn off all sounds from your camera. at “beep-beep” auto-focus confirmation may scare your subject away.

Want to learn more? register for a photo class

near you!

Over the next few months Ritz Camera University will become part of The Photo Patrol. Photo Patrol is a customized Education program that offers One-on-One Training, Group Seminars and of course our Free Photography Classes. Tickets to attend a series of In-Store classes have been included with every camera purchase. More than 180 class locations throughout the country have combined to conduct thousands of classes annually. To keep pace with ever-changing technology, we have launched updates to our course selections so that we can continue to deliver what you need to capture life as you see it.

class updates

for 2011

ritz university news

visit www.ritzcamerauniversity.com to obtain the latest class schedules





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Digital Imaging Basics Success with digital cameras begins with an understanding of the fundamentals. First, some camera operation basics that are universal to all types of cameras and using automatic exposure modes. Then, the importance of aspect ratio to print sizes, understanding image size in pixels, JPEG image compression qualities, print resolution, file formats, and file size. All are important factors that affect the display quality, editing possibilities, and storage aspects of the digital image.

Photography 101 Got the basics of digital images? Start taking better pictures! Learn the key principles that will improve your photography skills, no matter what type of camera you use. Including: camera handling technique, creative lens use, focusing tips, artistic compositional elements, and some tips on using the built-in flash.

Save, Display, ShareFor many digital camera owners, learning the methods to archive and then access your digital images is just as important as camera operation. Also discover the exciting new ways available to display digital images and the other options and possibilities to share your life’s memories

Understanding ExposureUnlock the full potential of your camera by understanding the “out of automatic” exposure modes. By learning how to adjust the Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO you can change the creative properties of your image! Then, learn how your camera’s light metering system works and how the light metering overrides can improve exposure.





PHOTO PROJECTS





Each issue we feature photographs that we hope will inspire you to pick up your camera and capture the life around you. e folks here at THE NETWORK found some inspiration that is around us everyday— LETTERS! We see letters everywhere. In subways. In parks. On buses. On signs. ere are very few places where you cannot find something that looks like a letter. ese are photo opportunities that are easy to take advantage of, no matter what type of camera you have with you.

Look for letters of your name during special trips to places like museums, amusement parks, and aquariums. Capture letter forms when you are out in nature or taking a walk. For example, a simple set of branches on a tree could be interpreted as a “Y” or a “W”. Whip out the camera at the places you frequent like restaurants, grocery stores, and malls.

CAPTURE YOUR NAME WHEREVER YOU GO!So what do you do next? Make prints of each of the letters and post them on your wall or door. Make a collage with the letters of your photographed letters. e possibilities are endless.

Although you may start photographing letters of your name or the name of someone you love, you may find yourself capturing letters of sorts. Use them to title a book that you build about a place you visited. If you have a young child in your life, create a customized alphabet book. Is

the inspiration beginning to hit?

Whatever you do is up to you. e main thing is to go out and do something that gets you to look at your life and your camera in a different way. is project should get you going, but the direction you take is all yours. All we ask is that you point and shoot.

by SUNNY SINATRA virginia beach, virginia



parting shot

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