2026 July Photo Share Recap
Eric Loehwing | Published on 7/6/2026
July 6 Photo Share Recap
Below are the photos we discussed at the July 6th zoom meeting.
Agnes
The shot on the left was taken in Texas, where Agnes and her husband helped their daughter with baby care for 3 months. Agnes had a second photo in which the 3 kids were all under water, but we all agreed that the one with the face showing was better. Karen commented on how nicely the camera froze the water. The photo on the right was taken here on Long Island of another of Agnes’s 7 grandchildren. She shot with a Lensbaby Sweet 22, which she explained is an actual lens (not a filter). She then lightened the image somewhat from the original.
Alan
Alan took the shot on the left during a safari in India. He explained that the guides were very alert to find animal photo opportunities, and the owlets in the tree were no accident. Our one suggestion was to crop the image such that the birds would be more conspicuous. Alan said the photo on the right was taken in a restaurant in Krakow, Poland that specialized in Jewish European cuisine. He called our attention to the 1930s wallpaper. They were playing Jewish Klesmer music. He explained how he was lucky to pick the right f-stop to get the full depth of field from the silverware in the foreground to the accordion player in the back. We also liked the balanced lighting from the bright lamp to frontal lighting from the ceiling.
Art
Art explained that he shot the seagull on the left at the Bluff. He converted the shot to B&W in part due to the fog. We felt the 2nd bird makes the shot, but there was disagreement over the 3rd pole and whether it added to or detracted from the total image. Some felt a group of three is good and the third pole adds to the perpendicular feeling, but it could also be argued that a better crop would be just the two birds. As for the color shot, it was taken with a D5600, 18-200mm lens, F/8 at 1250 sec. Art said it was a single shot, not burst mode, and we marveled that he got such a good pose and the perfect angle. Janina added that the clouds added much to the image.
Dorothy
Both Dorothy’s shots were taken in 2010 in Quito, Peru, with a Canon Powershot, both examples of street photography. In the photo on the left Dorothy cropped out the second person sitting on the left, which accounts for the tilt of the building. The shot of the musicians was taken during the same trip at the same time and place. A bit of exposure compensation was suggested, but we admired the angle she used to get the full story.
Eric
The photo on the left was taken during a Garden Conservancy Open Days visit to an estate in the Hamptons. George named the flower an Allium. Most felt that more background blur would improve the image, and George suggested using Food Mode for a short DOF. Unfortunately, unlike the Samsung Galaxy, the iPhone has only Portrait Mode. We also debated moving the Allium more to the center to deemphasize the background clutter. As for Eric’s self-portrait, he explained that the crop eliminated his droopy left eye, and the high-key made his large nose less prominent. Nevertheless, Alan and Dorothy both felt the face should be more centered, while Art suggested more definition on the left to reveal the left side of the face. Art also suggested pure white, adding that high-key was often more difficult than low-key.
George
George explained that he took the mushrooms shot at dusk with his cellphone on the side of his driveway. The colors were in part due to some colored lights. He shot it in Food Mode with his Samsung Galaxy. Speaking of Food Mode, George went on to explain that he often shot food photos in restaurants that he posted on the Google Local Guide, but he was currently on level 9 and Google only started paying when one reached level 12. The bluejay was shot in a neighbor’s driveway with a Panasonic FZ200 that George won in a drawing. He shot a 3-shot bracket with a 600mm focal length, F/2.8, 1/500 sec., -.7 EV. We liked the sharp focus of the bluejay against the blurred background.
Janina
Janina shot the bird at 5:30am at Short Beach, where she often goes to walk her dog. She assured us that this bird was indeed in the original image. We liked the composition, with the bird a nice balance against the counterweight of the branches. We puzzled over the very small white area underneath the bird, and Art suggested it might have happened when Janina was editing in Lightroom and the mask missed that little area. As for the deer, we liked very much the color and facial expression of the deer. Eric asked if the image should be cropped to emphasize the deer more, but Janina explained that the shrubbery was intentional to tell the story of the deer’s habitat, and there was general agreement.
Karen
Both Karen’s shots were taken in Aruba during a vacation about 3 years ago. She described them as “vacation shots”, documenting good memories. In studying the composition of the waves shot we liked the balance of the large rocks, the contrast of the water (beautiful color) and the DOF. Was the wind farm (upper left) a subject to focus on? Not so sure. Everyone loved, loved the photo of the four girls on the right, all granddaughters of Karen, and some now in middle school. Great story. Would she have taken the photo if they were strangers? Probably not.