Our speaker, Mike Marvins, was a treasurer. He shared some of his gorgeous photos of Texas, his journey and love of where he lives and what he does with his camera.
Having grown up in Texas he has a lot of memories going back to summer camp in the Kerrville area so he really knows this area. The slide show featured photos that he used in the two books that he has for sale “The Texas Hill Country, A Photographic Adventure” and Texas’ Big Bend, A Photographic Adventure”. Both can be purchased on Amazon. For those who bought on Tuesday, he graciously autographed them!
Mike talked about his method of photography and his default settings along with some post-processing tips. He always exposes them for the lightest section of the scene, usually the sky. He does this because it is easier to bring up the shadows than to bring pull down the highlights. If your histogram is totally to the right, you have blown out your pixels and will never get them back. His favorite lens is a zoom lens. He stated they get a bad rep but he keeps his on the camera and does not need to change lenses in the field which can result in a sensor cleaning for $100 or more. He likes the zoom for the same reason that I do, you have choices with composition. You can get a fairly wide view or zoom to the action or subject. I personally use my 28-300mm for most of my travel photography and even photographing the Wings over Houston air show.
He shared stores of his wife driving him around and yelling stop when the scene is something that he has to capture. His wife is very adept at impromptu parking. In his slideshow The Texas Hill Country he talked about the Edwards Plateau and the beauty found there. The road “Twisted Sisters” is the most dangerous drive in Texas. The link below is an article about location and information about the roads.
The Edwards Plateau is mostly limestone and all the rainfall percolates to the underground streams that feed some of the most beautiful streams in Texas. Because these streams have a rock bottom they are clear and on a sunny day will have that beautiful blue sky reflection.
Another piece of advice from Mike, always have your camera with you and ready for that spontaneous shot. He explained that when doing workshops sometimes you pull over for a very short time. Participants that have huge bags of camera gear are still trying to figure out what lens to use still getting the tripod out and he’s telling everyone back to the cars. He doesn’t fool around so some may totally miss the shot. That is another habit of mine as my husband was quick to point out, my camera is always with me and I don’t keep a lens cap on so I am always ready for action.
Pam Walton talked with Mike after the meeting and asked if he would do a workshop for the club. He was very receptive to doing one, probably in the fall and will get back to us with dates so this would be a fall out-of-town trip. More information to come.
Mike was also very kind to let us post his two slide shows which members only can view in our resource section. These are mostly photos with some screenshots of post-process with before and after shots. Also, many famous quotes that he likes. It was a well attended and well-received presentation. Thank you, Connie Emerson, for arranging Mike and we’ll look forward to listening to Kathy Adams Clark in March. Another fantastic speaker.
You can also follow Mike on Facebook: Mike Marvins Photography
Below is one of Mike’s quotes from his slideshow:
Visual Ideas combined with technique, combined with personal interpretation, equals a photograph. Each must hold its own or the thing collapses.
Ansel Adams
Travel with Lou Vest, an avid photographer as he shares photos and stories from his years as a ship’s captain and pilot on the Houston ship channel. Lou will describe the port, what pilots do, and entertain you with amusing anecdotes about ships and sailors.
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