2020-09-15 Conceptual SIG meeting notes

We met online using ZOOM 6:00pm-7:30pm

The goal of our Conceptual SIG is to help each other to create fine art from our photography.

Attendees
Mike Barry
Mike Dunnets
Rich Ernst
Dave Fahrney
Linda Fellion
Jim Fellion
Kai Frawg
Michael Hohol
David Johnson
Vern Kellie
Jim Limburg
Paul Marcoux
Ed Ogle
James Sayre
Albert Wang
Ann Yang

Other Conceptual SIG members
Tim Canney
Jill Mott
Judy Myers

I have added this meeting's attendees to the membership list for the Conceptual SIG. Please send me an email if you want to be added to or removed from this list and I will take care of it.

We listed techniques that we want to learn how to use to make fine art from our pictures.
Some of the topics were:
color grading
flood software to add water and reflections
converting images to abstract watercolors
frequency separation
making selections
compositing
composition
overlays
filters
dodge and burn
edge effects
layer effects and blend modes
typography
custom brushes
disintegration/dispersion/shatter effects

We also discussed projects that we are interested in.
Some of the interests that we discussed were:
pictographs
recombining images to create fantasy worlds
travel images
architectural images
realistic images with slight tweaking

We are using a variety of software.
Club members are using:
Photoshop
Photoshop Elements
Lightroom
NIK
Topaz
Capture One
Pixel Maker
Benz luminosity panel
Tony Kyper luminosity panel
Photomorphisys
Adobe Camera Raw

We briefly discussed sources for resources and training.
Citrasolv - create your own abstract textures
5DayDeal.com - training with a variety of instructors
DesignCuts.com - textures, objects
AnnaAspnesDesigns.com - training, textures, objects
f64academy.com - training with Blake Rudis
MyPhotoArtisticLife.com - training with Sebastian Michaels
CreativeLive.com - training with a variety of instructors
Nucly.com - training with Rikard Rodin
Please send me links to resources and training, I will put them on the club website.

We each showed images that we considered to be fine art and what we liked about them.

We discussed color grading briefly
Color Grading changes the mood of an image, it's part of your artistic expression.
We looked at the effects of specific colors.
We briefly discussed Photoshop tools that can be used for color grading:
Color Balance
Channel Mixer
Curves (for each color channel)
Selective Color
Hue Saturation Lightness
Solid Color with color (or soft light) blend mode
Gradient Maps (based on luminosity)
Gradient Fill (based on location with linear or radial...)
Color Lookup Tables
We can discuss color grading in more detail including demonstrating how to use techniques in a future meeting.

Agenda for our next Conceptual SIG meeting 10/20/2020 at 6:00pm
1. The main topic will be "Edge Effects, Borders and Vignettes"
Please research on your own so we can all discuss "Using Edge Effects, Borders and Vignettes" at the meeting (optional)
2. We will pick a topic for the next meeting
3. We will discuss current projects
Show a project that you are working on (optional)
Ask for constructive criticism (optional)
If you don't have time to research the topic, or you don't have any project that you want to show or have critiqued, that is OK, you can just attend the meeting and participate when you want.

I will send out the Meeting ID, passcode, and meeting link when we have scheduled the meeting, which will be about a week before the meeting date.

Email Mike, info@fcdcc.com, when you find mistakes, missing information or if you have suggestions for the website and I will try to address the issues.