Hi Members,

There is not much to report this month. It is summer and it looks like most members are relaxing in the sun or watching the World Cup on television.

I have the feeling that the average age of the members on Phodia is higher than on other sites, if wisdom comes with age then this might be the reason for the relaxing mood on Phodia.

The holidays will start soon and this will also affect the activity on the site, I wish everyone a splendid holiday and I hope we will be part of the joy and beauty you encounter by showing us the best of your shots here on Phodia.

gr. Rob :-)

Phodia3

Work is still in progress and I have almost finished the core functionality.

There will be some new features on P3.

The upload will not be limited by width or height. There will be a zooming function where you will be able to zoom a picture. By default the pictures will be shown with the longest side of 1000px, when the longest side is longer a zoom slider will appear and you can zoom into the picture to its original size.

Translation: comments made by another can be translated into a preferred language.

I am not sure when I will be finishing P3, hopefully within 3 weeks, it depends on my other workload and how much it will take to finish it.

greetings Theo!!!

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Hi Lenie, welcome and thanks for doing this interview for us.

Lenie:Well it is not a question but you are welcome...in fact, I was very surprised that you asked me for an interview and I thought, who would want to read an interview about me (ha-ha)! I do know, however, each person is unique. I have been taking photographs for only a short time and I don't really a have great deal of experience in this area.

Other than that, I think this is also a little scary..

In the past as a teenager I always blundered tremendously when speaking at school engagements, or later, if I had to say something in front of an audience, I would have a black-out. One of the worst things that ever happened to me was when I was working at the opening of a shopping mall/theatre and had to use a microphone ��.. well, also a black-out and as red as a cooked crayfish. Now I can laugh about it but at that time I wished I had been able to disappear..

• • Jenipher:I can promise you Lenie I won�t ask any questions that may cause you to turn red or to have a blackout :)
  • Q:So, how long have you been a member of Phodia.
  • Lenie:Since April 2009. Rob who I then knew as Maincoon on Zoom invited me here to Phodia.
• Q: And are you enjoying here.
• Lenie:Yes,I like it here very much. I find it a lot of fun at Phodia. For example, all the interesting people from different countries, with the most beautiful photos about their environment, other landscapes, other animals and birds. But also the level here is relatively higher than that of the other photo site. I think it is very good for me, helps me to improve my photography, I so gladly want to learn.
• Q:Do you find your photography has improved through a medium like Phodia.
• Lenie:Absolutely, although I still have my own style. Sometimes I am stubborn about it and maybe a nag but sweet though, is not it? (ha-ha). No really...I have already learnt a lot in the past three years, last week for example I got a lot of tips here. But especially in the first year. When you start with photograph you really learn how to look a things in a different way ... for example, how to determine a composition. Photography brings you so much closer to nature. It makes me see the world more beautifully than I did before.

• Q: As someone whose native language is not English, do you find it very difficult here in Phodia as an english based internet site?
• Lenie:It takes more time to express yourself with looking for translations and what I find a little bit difficult is the technical English and also talking about the feelings in photography. Sometimes when I translate a text it is so clinical. Do you understand what I explain?

• Q:Lenie I find you manage the language very well. Do you have any advice for members who may being having problems with the language.
• Lenie:When I am looking at a film which is in English, first I listen to the English then later I look at the subtitles... and I use the translation tool in Phodia which is a fine one, I also look in Google, Bing and AltaVista Babel translation tools and I have my dictionary.
• Q:What is your favourite kind of photography.
• Lenie:Birds, flowers, nostalgic photos from the time of my grandmother, old buildings, landscapes, harbour views and I want to learn a lot more. Later on I want to try to shoot portraits but that is difficult I guess. I am not so mobile a part of the year. I would like to travel a lot and see a lot of the world; that is a dream but it stays yet a dream.
• Q:Are you one of those people who can leave their camera at home when they go out, or like me, someone who always has a camera with them �.just in case that one magic shot comes along.
• Lenie:90% of the time I take the camera with me but when I go shopping or to the market with Mike I do not take the camera with me.
• Q:Would you describe your photography as a passion or a hobby.
• Lenie:It�s awful but I have to admit it is become a passion��. and I am happy about it!!! Photography brought me such a comfort and helped me to overcome a very difficult time in my life and it is so nice to have already met such friendly people and I am looking forward to meeting more friendly people.
• Q:: You recently showed a couple of photos from Mike. Does he share your hobby.
• Lenie: Mike had photographed in the past, in the analogue time, but he has forgotten a lot as it was very long ago. Now he has other hobbies. But you never say never again . He is my biggest fan and gives good, strict criticism. Sometimes after I ask him, I do not place the photograph because of his criticism. He is �the end editor� (wisecrack joke).

• Q:Any chance we will see more of Mike here at Phodia, maybe as a member.
• Lenie: Don�t count on it but you never know :) He was very happy with all your comments.
• Q:: Lenie, I must admit that I am a fan of your Red Robin photos :) How long did it take you to train the little robin to come so close to you.
• Lenie: If you look at my last robins photos there are months of training preceding them. We even had an audition with a circus but they immediately rejected me :)))))

All joking aside, there are branches all around but the robin spends more time on my table in the winter.

I miss him you know. There is a lot of time involved, months. And mostly I use oatmeal... and each time, I place it on the table cm for cm a little closer. And I show myself a lot to him so he can get use to me and the idea..............

Places to Visit

by Manu

Berlin, the green city.

In nearly every corner of Berlin you can find a green oasis. Every suburb has a many parks where you can go jogging, or simply relax. In most parks you may spot a red squirrel and in some areas you will also find small animal parks.

Unfortunately the attached link on Parks in Berlin is only available in german, but here you will find many photos of the parks in and around Berlin with maps showing how to get there. One quarter of the land mass of Berlin is covered by either forest or water. The 70 lakes surrounding Berlin are connected by a maze of canals and the Spree River. They say there are more bridges here in Berlin than there are in Venice :)

For those interested in architecture Berlin has a lot to offer, from historic buildings, dating back many hundreds of years, to modern architecture which can be found throughout the city. Urban Development

Berlin has many museums, theatres, discos, and cinemas. The many restaurants cater to all taste �from the Berliner�s favourite �.. the currywurst, found in almost every kiosk to the international cuisine and 5 star restaurants. Much loved in Berlin are the sidewalk cafes and restaurants where you can sit enjoy your coffee or meal and simply watch the busy world go by.

Berlin has two Zoos,one in the middle of the city and one in the outer suburbs, together they make up the largest number of animal species found in city zoos.

Here in Berlin you don�t need a car as the public transport system is very good . With the trains, underground, buses, trams and ferries you will find all parts of the city and surrounding areas are easily accessible.

I hope I have been able to create a little interest for my city and if you should decide to visit Berlin, I would be more than happy to be tourist guide for you.

The Photo Link Reference Library

Photographers

In association with our Places to Visit this month featuring Berlin I thought would include this link to Contemporary German Photographers . Here you will find a large choice of photographers to browse through. One of my favourites being Delia Keller.

It is a very interesting site with links to many different styles of photograpy, books, interviews and blogs. Something good to browse through on a rainy day.

For those of you who enjoy landscapes, then check this site out that Lenie sent in. I for one am really impressed with Robert Alderliefste especially his landscapes in pastels. Most of his works stems from the Netherlands but his work also includes landscapes from England and France. I think it is well worth a looking at his site

For those of you who would like to test yourselves and enter a competition then this is a site for you sent in by Rob. There are many diferent catorgories to choose from and some of the competitions run until nxt year. Good luck to all who decide to enter.

The links in his article are all in Dutch but I found using Google Chrome I had no problems translating them.

The Newsletter Desk

Hi Members,

This is my last Newsletter for a while and I hope to be back onboard with the November issue. Lawson is also out of action at the moment due to bad back problems and is unable to sit at his computer. Consequently there will be no August Newsletter.

best wishes

Jenipher

Sharpness

by Colonel Arbuthnot

It was in Rangoon where I was stationed at the 7th Light Cavalry, we had a large black stallion, a beautiful animal, fast and he had a temper, he was called Sharp. I was thinking about this horse as I was preparing for this month article for the newsletter. This month I will be talking about sharpness.

Resolution and acutance

When we talk about sharpness we mean the clarity of detail in a photo. When handled correctly post-processing techniques can improve your sharpness a lot. How sharp your picture will be depends on your camera equipment, magnify factor and viewing distance. There are two fundamental factors which will have an effect on your sharpness, acutance and resolution.

Acutance describes how quickly image information transitions at an edge, and so high acutance results in sharp transitions and detail with clearly defined borders.

Resolution describes the camera's ability to distinguish between closely spaced elements of detail, such as the two sets of lines shown above.

When you use a digital camera the resolution is limited by your sensor, acutance depends on the quality of your lens and the way you handle the post processing. You cannot gain a higher resolution in your post processing but you can get a higher acutance when using for instance an unsharp mask in PhotoShop.

High resolution low acutance

High resolution high acutance

Low resolution high acutance

Photos require both high acutance and resolution to be perceived as critically sharp. The following example is designed to give you a feel for how each influences your image:

Noise

Sharpness also depends on other factors which influence our perception of resolution and acutance. Image noise (or film grain) is usually detrimental to an image, however small amounts can actually increase the appearance of sharpness.

Although both images have not been sharpened, the image to the left appears softer and less detailed. Image noise can be both very fine and have a very high acutance-- tricking the eye into thinking sharp detail is present.

Other considerations

Sharpness also depends on viewing distance. Images which are designed to be viewed from further away, such as posters or billboards, may have much lower resolution than fine art prints in a gallery, but yet both may be perceived as sharp because of your viewing distance. Keep this property in mind when sharpening your image, as the optimal type of your sharpening may not necessarily be what looks best on your screen.

Sharpness is also significantly affected by your camera technique. Even small amounts of camera shake can dramatically reduce the sharpness of an image. Proper shutter speeds, use of a sturdy camera tripod and mirror lock-up can also significantly impact the sharpness of your prints.

And Sharp, well he got older and older and even lost part of his temper. When we left Rangoon he was sold to a local butcher who promised us he would give Sharp a nice and relaxing pensioner time.

Monthly Theme

The June Monthly Theme was won by Archie with his 'As Suggested' with an average of 7.0

Congratulations Archie on your win.

Manu's entry 'Coloured clouds at Sunset' followed closely and took out second place with an average of 6.9

Chuckie's entry 'Super Sunset' took out third place with an average of 6.8

As you can see it was a close competition in June and also pleasing to see so many entries. Well done to all who entered.

This month's Theme is 'Birthday Cards' and the top three entries will be used as birthday greetings cards when Phodia3 is launched.So let's see how ceative you can all be and we are looking forward to receiving lots of entries.