Category: Albums

Photos shared during UCSD PhIG monthly meetings

UCSD Photography Interest Group > Blog > Albums

15 Apr 2026 Themes Before/After; Clouds; Spring-Flowers: Norm

Posted on by jrwilkinson

Norm shared some wonderful Flower photos taken in a lightbox. These images generated a lot of interest and discussion on backgrounds and lighting. Photographing in a lightbox allows the photographer maximum control over background and lighting, light placement. It can be a wonderfully creative option versus photographing ourdoors under harsh sunlight.
Additionally, some photos were processed with the Orton Effect which combines a critically sharp layer with a diffused layer, creating a dreamy, soft focus effect.

18 Mar 2026 Themes Animals/Safari Park; Black&White; Macro/Bokeh: Jim

Posted on by jrwilkinson

Jim – took a recent daytrip to Sonny Bono Salton Sea Wildlife Refuge looking for burrowing owls and water fowl. No owls unfortunately, and the Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese aggregated on the farside of the ponds. So, to make the best of a long drive, he pivoted and focused on the great light at sunset and blue hour.
Jim joined the Safari Park meetup, practicing long lens and macro-with-flash photography.
A recent visitor to his backyard hummingbird feeder warranted a couple photos. He had never seen an iridescent orange Rufous Hummingbird before.
Lastly, he demonstrated the new “reflection removal” feature in Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop by removing the glare off the enclosure glass at the zoo.

Adobe Lightroom Reflection Removal Demo Photos:

18 Mar 2026 Themes Open Category: Sharon

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Sharon dug into her archives for an interesting photograph, a photogram – a technique of photography done without a camera. Photographers like Man Ray explored this form of photography thoroughly enough they dubbed his photos “Rayographs”. Placing physical objects directly on a sheet of photo paper (or film), exposing with light, then developing was a darkroom process done without a camera – creative fun! This might be interpreted as a “landscape” photogram.

18 Mar 2026 Themes Black&White; Macro/Bokeh; SD Fair: Cathy

Posted on by jrwilkinson

Cathy – is our most experienced SD Fair exhibitor, even participating in a panel at last year’s Fair after being awarded some ribbons. She is also great at finding appropriate titles for her photographs, an under-appreciated skill. Here are some contender for possible entry into this year’s competition, many for the black&white category. I’m sure she has plenty of others for consideration.

18 Mar 2026 Themes Animals/Safari Park; Black&White; SD Fair: Gary

Posted on by jrwilkinson

Gary has a few fantastic images he’s considering for entry into the SD Fair competition. A particular favorite is the “Boat Jetty on the Lake” with some amazing light in the background. He also shared some photos from his recent trip to AZ & the Grand Canyon where a sudden snowstorm interrupted his travel plans.
Gary participated in the Safari Park meetup and shared some of his favorites. The gorilla relaxing and lion snacking are excellent examples of catching amusing animal behavior that can elevate a zoo safari.
He is also considering submitting one of his favorite Dios de los Muertos portraits in this year’s fair.

21 Jan 2026 Theme Travel; Landscapes/Oceanscapes/King Tide: Cathy

Posted on by jrwilkinson

Cathy took a daytrip out to Anza-Borrego and captured the wildflower blooms from all the recent rains we’ve had. She arrived just after sunrise and got some great light and clouds. Cathy used the Clear Outside app (free; for iPhone & Android) to plan her photo outing, tracking the cloud coverage in the area.
Cathy brought three different setups to test and compare the results. She photographed with her full frame Canon R6II with 24-105mm f4 lens; her Canon Rebel SL3 with 90mm f2 macro lens; and her iPhone 15 Pro Max ultrawide.
Her other images were from King Low Tide of a starfish (they’ve made a recent recovery & their population is booming). Plus a long exposure at Wind-n-Sea surf shack, at sunrise. Photographing the Wind-n-Sea surf shack using long exposures at King Tide is an ongoing project for her.

21 Jan 2026 Theme Travel; Landscapes/Oceanscapes: Gary

Posted on by jrwilkinson

Gary has been re-processing some travel photos using Lightroom’s HDR feature to bring out more details and improve contast. His images show a definite improvement with better color and contrast. Gary’s favorite place to photograph is Yosemite, often visiting the national park a couple times a year. Climber’s, dwarfed on El Capitan, are a favorite subject to watch and photograph. The “John Muir trail up to Vernal Falls” image was reprocessed, a high contrast photo improved by using HDR. He also likes the illusion created by inverting a reflection photo when its clarity adds a twist to the image. A bald eagle collecting nest material was a lucky shoot-from-the-hip grab shot. Lastly, the vivid colors and chrome of an Australian steam locamotive were brought out using Lightroom’s HDR post-processing.