As one of the organisers of the NOSCG meetings, Andy Hewson volunteered to present about HDR: not because he feels he's an expert on it, but because he has had some success using it, can explain what it's about from a beginner's perspective, and hopefully give a few pointers for anyone interested in trying it out.

So, if you want to see how the picture below came about, have questions about HDR or have your own HDR photos to show or experiences to share, come along on the 16th April!


The HDR presentation is not planned to take up the whole evening, so everyone is encouraged to bring along their own photos (HDR or not!) to show to the group. As we'll have the projector and screen available feel free to bring along digital pics on a USB memory stick and we can project them.
Venue

The Duke of Wellington
36 Bugle Street
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 2AH

Telephone no. +44 (0)23 80339222

The Duke of Wellington is situated in the centre of Southampton, about a 20-minute walk from the railway station and located close to ample parking available at the nearby shopping centre. Visit their web site for more details.

Click here for map

PLEASE NOTE:

There is a £2 cover charge per person attending to cover the cost of the hire of the room.

If you are planning on attending please post a message replying to the thread about the meeting on the Nikon Owner Message Board to let us know and indicate if you are planning on eating at the pub on the night: Nikon Owner South Coast Group: April Meeting: HDR

Anyone who is going to order food, please arrive by 18:00 so that all orders and dining can be completed before the start of the presentation.

The seminar will be presented by one of the world's foremost Nikon experts, Simon Stafford, the technical editor of Nikon Owner magazine and best-selling author of numerous Magic Lantern Guides to the Nikon camera system.


Part one: Camera skills

• Understanding f/numbers & shutter speeds
• Learn how to optimise white balance and ISO
• Mastering camera menu settings
• JPEG versus RAW: the pros and cons of both
• How to achieve accurate exposures
• Understand how your camera’s metering system works
• Learn the benefits of digital histograms
• Improve your focus techniques with AF and manual focus

Part two: Shooting skills

• Learn good camera handling
• Camera support systems, tripods, monopods and alternatives
• Understanding and using depth-of-field
• Choosing and using filters
• Imaginative use of shutter speed
• Creative use of white balance

Part three: Beyond the camera

• Planning and visualising the picture
• Techniques of composition
• Transporting photographic equipment
• Tips for location shooting

Questions and Answers:
Please note that there will be ample opportunity to ask questions throughout the seminar.

Nikon Owner Subscription

If you are not already a subscriber to Nikon Owner, and would like to enrol on this course at the special price, you can apply for the standard, silver, or gold subscription to Nikon Owner below, by sending me, Gillian Greenwood (gillian.greenwood@graysofwestminster.com), an email with your full name, daytime mobile and landline. Alternatively, please call between 2.00 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday on 020 7828 8971 (or 020 7828 4925 if that line is busy) to speak to me or any of my colleagues.


Standard Annual Subscription - special price: £59

• 1-year Subscription to Nikon Owner
• 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• Nikon Owner magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly magazine that is 100% Nikon. Each issue delivers benchmark technical reviews of the very latest Nikon equipment, thought-provoking interviews and articles with world-class images
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Discounts on events and training sessions
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Silver Subscription - launch price: £129 (normal price: £179)

• 2-year Subscription to Nikon Owner
• 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
• Nikon Owner quarterly magazine as above
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Discounts on events and training sessions
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Gold subscription - launch price £349 (normal price £450)

• 5-year subscription to Nikon Owner
• 5-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• 2-year warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• Gold Priority waiting list for all new Nikon releases (top of the waiting list)
• A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
• Special offers to Gold subscribers throughout the period of subscription
• A signed copy of Grays of Westminster - In the Company of Legends, or if you have one already, a Nikon Magic Lantern Guide of your choice
• A Grays of Westminster umbrella (in store only)
• Nikon Owner quarterly magazine as above
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website which includes forum, message board, technical equipment reviews, events’ page and use of a photo gallery
• Gold subscription card
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 10% off Think Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Substantial discounts on training sessions organised by Grays of Westminster, including Mike Maloney’s Workshops , Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops, Simon Stafford’s Definitive Flash, Portraiture and Macro Training Sessions, Michael Eleftheriades’ panoramic and colour-calibration seminars and Chris Weston’s Photographic Courses.
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Andy Hewson and Adrian Cochrane of the Nikon Owner South Coast Group have arranged a special new workshop. From the early stages of becoming a Nikon owner and his switch to more serious DSLR photography, Bob Crowther inevitably gravitated into using the Capture program fairly extensively. This workshop aims to share some of that digital processing experience with the group … though he emphasises this is just as a typical user and not as some kind of aspiring wannabe expert!

To fully appreciate quite why Capture NX2 offers so much to the Nikon owner, it's necessary to retrace some fundamental DSLR principles and their relevance in our drive towards creating better pictures. The workshop will start with an overview comparing relative merits of JPEG and RAW (NEF) file formats and their relevance to in-camera processing, as well as to subsequent edits in the digital darkroom to adjust colour, tone, luminosity and resolution.

The relationship between Capture NX2 and Adobe's Photoshop (or equivalents such as Elements or PaintShop Pro) will also be compared, particularly where the technologies of these programs overlap and where they don't. While there are inevitable overlaps, Bob uses Capture NX2 mainly to adjust image quality and Photoshop for more serious subsequent graphic adjustments.

Exploring these factors will clarify why the unique, non-destructive nature inherent in Capture's process is such a massive advantage for the Nikon photographer wanting to get the best from his image.

To hope to fit all of this into a couple of hours is just a bit on the ambitious side! Depending on how everything progresses, we've also planned to return to the subject at a future NOSCG meeting to complete anything unfinished. This will allow a further opportunity to deal with any complex Q&As that weren't answered first time around and especially for members to present their own favourite Capture tweaks to the group. More about that later.

Venue


The Duke of Wellington
36 Bugle Street
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 2AH

Telephone no. +44 (0)23 80339222

The Duke of Wellington is situated in the centre of Southampton, about a 20-minute walk from the railway station and located close to ample parking available at the nearby shopping centre. Visit their web site for more details.

Click here for map

PLEASE NOTE:

There is a £2 cover charge per person attending to cover the cost of the hire of the room.

If you are planning on attending please post a message replying to the thread about the meeting on the Nikon Owner Message Board to let us know and indicate if you are planning on eating at the pub on the night:

Nikon Owner South Coast Group: March Meeting: Capture NX2

Anyone who is going to order food, please arrive by 18:00 so that all orders and dining can be completed before the start of the workshop.

Kind regards,

Gillian Greenwood
Features Editor and Events & Training Coordinator

Think Tank Camera Bags

We are delighted to be able to offer to our Nikon Owner Gold subscribers* a special 15% discount on any Think Tank product purchased at Grays of Westminster for a limited time period. Think Tank provides camera bag solutions for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Their products are born from the collaborative effort of photographers and product designers and together they have created inventive and effective solutions for all photographic situations, with enormous attention to detail. Our offer, which is available between March 1st and March 14th, allows you to start planning all your photographic trips this year using the best camera bags to suit your specific camera and lens' requirements.


Chris Weston's Mastering DSLR Photography Seminar, Saturday, 5th March, 2011, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Oxford.

As a result of exceptional demand, a small number of additional places have just been made available at Chris Weston’s Mastering Digital SLR Photography seminar on Saturday. If you are a Nikon Owner subscriber you will be able to take advantage of your Nikon Owner subscription and receive a £25 discount on the normal seminar fee (RRP £75.00).

Book now for just £50!

Over the past three years, more than 400 people have attended Chris Weston’s uniquely informative, inspiring and entertaining Mastering Digital SLR Photography seminars, experiencing what has been described as “the best ever one-day session devoted to photography”.

Covering an extensive range of expert skills, advice and technique tips, Chris shares his many years’ experience on how to shoot like a pro, get the most from your DSLR camera, and take photographs you will be proud of time and again.

Catering for all knowledge levels and unsurpassed in its ability to make you a better photographer, this seminar will prove to be, to quote a previous Nikon Owner delegate: “the most beneficial day you’ll spend not taking pictures.”


Highlights

• Optimise your camera’s menu settings
• Learn better use of white balance and ISO
• Exposed: the truth about JPEG vs. RAW
• Discover the secret to accurate exposures
• Dispelled: the digital exposure myth
• Get the most from your camera’s light meter
• Understand digital histograms
• Master stops, f/numbers & shutter speeds
• Improve AF and focus performance
• Learn best-practice for camera handling
• The art of omission: the secret to successful composition
• Revealed: the techniques and settings behind successful photographs

About Chris Weston

Chris Weston is one of the UK’s most knowledgeable digital photographers and a recognised expert tutor, known for his ability to reach all levels of photographer from novice to advanced user. He has been a Nikon user since the age of 10 and is a distinguished contributor to Nikon Owner magazine. He writes regularly for the photographic press, including Practical Photography and Outdoor Photography, and has authored 30 books.



Please note that the last available time to book will be Friday, 4th March, at midday

Alternatively, please call Chris on 01305 831752

(International callers please dial +44 1305 831752).

If you are not already a subscriber to Nikon Owner, and would like to enrol on this course at the special price, you can apply for the standard, silver, or gold subscription to Nikon Owner below, by sending me, Gillian Greenwood, an email with your full name, daytime mobile and landline. Alternatively, please call between 2.00 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday on 020 7828 8971 (or 020 7828 4925 if that line is busy) to speak to me or any of my colleagues.

Gold subscription - launch price £349 (normal price £450)

• 5-year subscription to Nikon Owner
• 5-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• Gold Priority waiting list for all new Nikon releases (top of the waiting list)
• A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
• Special offers to Gold subscribers throughout the period of subscription
• A signed copy of Grays of Westminster - In the Company of Legends, or if you have one already, a Nikon Magic Lantern Guide of your choice
• A Grays of Westminster umbrella
• Nikon Owner magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly magazine that is 100% Nikon. Each issue delivers benchmark technical reviews of the very latest Nikon equipment, thought-provoking interviews and articles with world-class images.
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website which includes forum, message board, technical equipment reviews, events page and use of a photo gallery
• Gold subscription card
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Substantial discounts on training sessions organised by Grays of Westminster, including Mike Maloney’s House of Lords Photographic Workshop, Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops, Simon Stafford’s Definitive Flash, Portraiture and Macro Training Sessions, Michael Eleftheriades’ panoramic and colour-calibration seminars and Chris Weston’s Photographic Courses
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Silver Subscription - launch price: £129 (normal price: £179)

• 2-year Subscription to Nikon Owner
• 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
• Nikon Owner quarterly magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly
• magazine as above
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Discounts on training sessions
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Standard Annual Subscription - special price: £59

• 1-year Subscription to the Nikon Owner
• 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• Nikon Owner quarterly magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly
• magazine as above
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Discounts on events and training sessions
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

1st March 2011: Nikon UK today announces a new spring promotion entitling customers to claim £40/€50 cashback when purchasing the Nikon D3100 digital SLR from 1st March - 4th May 2011 (inclusive).

The promotion is available to customers in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Claims must be received by 5th June 2011. Full terms and conditions and information about how to claim the cashback can be found at www.nikon.co.uk/cashback.

The Nikon D3100 is the most easy-to-use D-SLR to date, offering a range of high performance features that are designed to make taking quality images fun and easy. The camera’s Guide mode offers step-by-step instructions for changing camera settings that helps improve photography skills whilst capturing perfect images.

The D3100 is Nikon’s first DSLR to offer full HD movie mode which can be accessed at the click of a button so users can switch between shooting stills and movie with ease. And, with an HDMI port the D3100 can be connected to the TV to relive special moments with friends and family.

Simon Iddon, Nikon’s enthusiast product manager, comments: “We’re pleased to introduce a new cashback offer on the award winning D3100; with spring around the corner and the upcoming bank holidays, now is the perfect time to invest in a digital SLR that will allow you to capture high quality images you’ll want to treasure.”

Offer subject to availability.

Following on from Michael Eleftheriades' very popular Definitive Panoramic Seminar (October 2010), Grays of Westminster is delighted to announce the Definitive Practical Panoramic Workshop on Saturday, February 26th, 2011. Whilst the first seminar provided a general overview, the second workshop will go through the practical processes in detail and is aimed at all photographers who are interested in improving their practical skills in shooting panoramas.

Photographers are welcome to bring their own laptops (either Mac or PC) so they can follow the tutorials. A list of recommended software and demo files will be sent via email to all attendees a week before the workshop. As a minimum requirement, attendees should have a recent copy of Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements installed.



We are also pleased to announce that 360Precision has donated two Atome heads for this event, worth over £200 each. The Atome is a lightweight and compact head which is ideally suited to hiking, travel or back-packing. The draw for the two Atomes will take place at the end of the workshop.

This panoramic workshop will be held in central London, at Fitzroy House, 37 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 6DX.

The cost of the session will be £155 with a special price of £95 if you are a current Nikon Owner subscriber. To book, please email your full name, daytime mobile and landline to Gillian Greenwood at: gillian.greenwood@graysofwestminster.co.uk or call between 12.00 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday on 020 7828 4925 - for International calls telephone + 44 (0)20 7828 4925 - and ask to speak to Gillian Greenwood or Katrin Ruckert. There are limited places available, so please book as soon as you are able to, in order to avoid disappointment.

Panoramic Workshop Agenda

The aim of the workshop is to give attendees first-hand experience in setting up their equipment, shooting successfully in demanding environments, and guidance in the post production and final output of panoramic files for the web and mobile devices.

Part 1: The General Principles

• Panoramic theory & principles
• Selecting the right camera and lenses
• Finding the lens nodal point
• How to set the exposure
• White Balance Tools

Part 2: Shooting Planar Panoramas

• Benefits & How To Shoot
• Using Tilt & Shift lenses

Part 3: Shooting Cylindrical Panoramas

• Benefits & How To Shoot
• Image processing
• Stitching using Photoshop and more advanced tools
• Photographing in public spaces (dealing with movement)
• Printing Considerations

Part 4: Shooting Spherical Panoramas

• Benefits & How To Shoot
• Stitching using advanced tools
• Creating the illusion (capping the nadir)
• Creating photospheres
• Publishing on the web (virtual tours)
• Playback on portable devices

Part 5: Panorama showcase

• Examples of recent work, including panoramas from Japan, Thailand and Cambodia.

About Michael Eleftheriades

A Nikon Owner subscriber since 2002, Michael is an architect and photographer who fuses his particular passion for architecture, virtual reality, computer graphics and photography in the creation of large-scale panoramic imagery.

Michael had been photographing virtual reality scenes using Nikon film cameras since 1986, and subsequently moved into digital usage and implementation with the launch of Nikon's Coolpix range in 1998.

He has exhibited his photographs at three exhibitions in London and lectured on panoramic creation to wide acclaim in the UK, Europe and the United States. When not photographing, Michael directs the efforts of Media Synthesis, a media development and consultancy company established in 1993, and is responsible for virtual reality tours and interactive exhibits at many of the UK's leading museums, including the Maritime and Natural History Museums.

Michael has recently created the virtual tour for Grays of Westminster and has been the Nikon Owner London Group coordinator for the last two years.

Comments from the attendees of his Panoramic Seminars at Nikon UK

Thank you for a informative and enjoyable evening. I have been an architectural photographer for twenty something years and your seminar has enlightened me on how to offer clients alternative marketing, display and web site design possibilities. I will be very interested in attending any future workshops that you and Nikon might offer - C.B. & K. M.

I really enjoyed the talk you gave, and was fascinated by the capability of both the software and pano heads. When I got home that night, I told my wife that I had seen true magic! Those are powerful tools, and you have personally done some amazing things with them - J. W.

I was lucky enough to attend both your recent seminars at Nikon House. It's an interest I have had for a long time and I found your seminar most interesting and informative - M. H.

I just wanted to thank you for the two seminars that I attended, I found both seminars very informative and inspiring. Both seminars were very well presented - K. P.

I should like to let you know, how much I enjoyed the talk by Mike Eleftheriades - I found it most inspirational - T. J.
Fast, but a great deal to cover. Excellent friendly manner, presentation by a master of his art - E. C.

Fantastic, a real eye opener! Excellent! - S. H.

Absolutely fascinating - R. J. S.

Travelling to Fitzroy House
the nearest underground station is Warren Street, but please do make sure that it is open – it is occasionally closed on a Saturday – if so, Goodge Street station is a good option.


Subscribe to Nikon Owner and receive £60 discount off the course

Nikon Owner Magazine and Interactive Website is considered by many to be the world’s number 1 user group for Nikon owners. It was initially founded with the purpose of assisting Nikon users to make full use of the Nikon equipment they own, to give advice on a wide spectrum of photographic queries and problems, and at the same time to offer ideas to bring about an increase in photographic skills. Subscription to Nikon Owner magazine and interactive website provides a bridge between theory and practical, technical knowledge and accomplishment. As a subscriber to this group, you will receive an array of offers and assistance, as well as the unique photographic publication, Nikon Owner Magazine.

Nikon Owner standard subscription benefits include:

• Private user name and password to subscribers-only website which includes a lively forum, message board, technical equipment reviews, events’ page and use of a photo gallery.
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline: free technical consultation and support from Simon Stafford who is widely recognized as one of the top Nikon experts in the UK; you will be able to benefit from his formidable knowledge and have all your technical questions fully answered by email. This service is exclusive to Nikon Owner subscribers.
• FREE 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster within your year of subscription.
• FREE 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster within your year of subscription.
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster.
• Special trips: past visits have included a two-week trip to Japan and a personal tour of the Nikon factory, a visit to Nikon Thailand, Angkor Watt, Cambodia.
• Substantial discounts on events and training sessions such as Mike Maloney’s House of Lords Photographic Workshop, Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops, Chris Weston’s Photographic Courses, Simon Stafford’s Definitive Flash, Portraiture and Macro Seminars.
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK.
• A range of complimentary meetings and outings organized by local Nikon Owner Groups.

The cost of a standard annual subscription to Nikon Owner is currently at the special price of £59. (Quote ME2 59 when you email.)

Mike Eleftheriades our Nikon Owner London Group Coordinator is very pleased to invite you to the next Nikon Owner (London Group) evening "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for Photographers", which will be held on Friday, February 18th at the Hellenic Centre Boardroom. The event is kindly sponsored by Adobe, who have also provided a full copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 for our draw.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is one of the best and most popular solutions for non-destructive image editing, searching and organising images and enables the creation of elegant print layouts, slide shows and web galleries from within a fast and intuitive application. Version 3 added speed improvements, the ability to deal with bigger image libraries and better noise reduction techniques for improving images taken at higher ISO's.

The aim of the evening is to demonstrate how to simplify your photographic workflow using Adobe Lightroom. The seminar will provide a thorough introduction to Adobe Lightroom 3, including organising and cataloguing your images, editing and developing your shots, outputting to print, slideshow and to websites. Throughout the session Debbie Jones will highlight useful tips, tricks and shortcuts to help you spend less time in front of a computer and more time behind the camera!

Debbie Jones, a commercial photographer who specialises in food photography. After 10 years vendor experience in the photographic industry, Debbie set up her own business and shares her personal insight of how you can adapt Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to support your own personal workflow. Debbie is an accredited photographer by the BIPP and an Adobe Certified Expert in Lightroom. She regularly freelances for Adobe, speaking at various seminars and events around the UK about Lightroom as well as providing one-to-one training for other photographers. Space is limited to 50 seats, so please book your places early to avoid disappointment.

Venue Details

Hellenic Centre Boardroom, situated on the first floor, from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, on Friday, February 18th 2011.

Presentations start at 7.00pm, main presentation starts at 7.30pm.

Address:

The Hellenic Centre
16-18 Paddington Street
Marylebone
London W1U 5AS
Location Information:

Paddington Street runs from Baker Street to Marylebone High Street. The nearest underground station to The Hellenic Centre is Baker Street (Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith and City, Jubilee and Metropolitan Lines). The closest bus routes are: 2, 13, 30, 74, 82, 113, 139, 159 and 274. Parking is available at Masterpark in Chiltern Street. Parking restrictions are in effect until 6.30pm. Note that the Centre is within the Congestion Zone (ends at 6.00pm).

The last word...

As on previous occasions, we would be grateful for a £5 contribution per person to cover the costs of the room. For those wishing to socialise for longer, there's dinner afterwards at one of the local restaurants. We look forward to seeing you on February 18th; please indicate your attendance by replying to this invitation on the Nikon Owner Message Board.

We look forward to seeing you on the night.

Kind regards,

Gillian Greenwood
Features Editor/Events Coordinator