Taking Your Photography to the Next Level

Come to this great workshop to learn how to take your photography to the next level! This is great for anyone who is aspiring to get their work "out there." 

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP VIII - Taking your photography to the next level

Saturday, March 16, 2013

10:00  A.M. to 12:30 p.m. with Nick Palmieri

Workshop 8 is a geared to those photographers who want to bring their skills to the next level. The program begins by reviewing the value of competition photography, and how the skills used to create winning images can greatly improve your own creative photography. We examine the philosophy of competition, how to capture the images, how to process the images, and finally how to manipulate the images in order to make them stand out. We conclude by discussing how to use image critiques to improve your own photography and how to understand when processing stops and manipulation begins. The programs is geared to photographers at all levels.

Cost: $12 NJ Audubon members $25 nonmembers

Pileated Woodpeckers at Scherman Hoffman

 

  Male Pileated Woodpecker by Stephanie Punnett, Program Director

Female Pileated Woodpecker,  photo from NJ Audubon Collection

Male Pileated Woodpecker by Stephanie Punnett, Program Director

For the past few days, a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers has been actively drilling holes into a large Sassafras tree located at the New Jersey Audubon’s Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary. Within the holes, the woodpeckers find carpenter ants and other food sources.

The pair consists of both a male and a female. The easiest way to distinguish between the genders is to look at the red feathers on the bird’s head. For males, they have a red crest at the back of the head as well as a red forehead. There is also a red streak that runs from the bill towards the back of the head and is commonly called the male’s “moustache.” Females only have the red crest at the back of the head.

Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest species of woodpecker in New Jersey and can be found in the state year-round. If the pair is drilling in the tree at the Sanctuary, they can’t be missed. The Sassafras is located on the right side of the driveway, right before the gate. They are most active in the early morning, but have been seen at other times too. Many birders and wildlife photographers have been frequenting the Sanctuary to observe and photograph the Pileated Woodpeckers.

The Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary is located at 11 Hardscrabble Road in Bernardsville. For more information about the Pileated Woodpeckers, please call 908-766-5787. More pictures of the bird can be found at the Scherman Hoffman Facebook page. To learn more about Scherman Hoffman visit www.njaudubon.org/centers/scherman.

Bag It Screening at the Sanctuary

The Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary in Bernardsville will host a screening of the environmental documentary Bag It, followed by a discussion lead by Lindsey Kayman and Bainy Suri, Esq. of the New Jersey Environmental Lobby. The event will take place on Sunday, March 10 at 2pm.  

Bag It follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he takes a closer look at America’s cultural love affair with plastic, particularly plastic bags. Although his quest starts out small, Berrier soon learns that the problems with single-use plastic bags extend past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health. 

The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for about twelve minutes each. This single-use mentality has led to the formation of a floating island of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Texas.

The film explores these issues and identifies how daily reliance on plastic threatens not only waterways and marine life, but human health, too. Two of the most common plastic additives are endocrine disruptors, which have been shown to link to cancer, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorder, obesity and infertility. 

After the film, Kayman and Suri will speak about the state’s efforts to lessen and eliminate plastic bag use. They are both involved with Sustainable Princeton’s BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) Project, an initiative that encourages people to eliminate single-use plastic and paper bags while shopping. 

Suri is the Director of Strategic Alliances with the Bloomberg BNA. She is a Princeton local and is involved with many different organizations, including various environmental groups and initiatives. Suri serves as the Volunteer Special Events Coordinator for Sustainable Princeton, Board Member for the Princeton Environmental Film Festival, and is a member of the New Jersey Environmental Lobby. 

Kayman is the Director of Environmental Health and Safety at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is also a member of Sustainable Princeton and is a Board Member and Membership Chair at the NJEL. 

Bag It has received awards from 12 environmental film festivals and over 500 community screenings of the film have played since January of 2011.

This event is co-sponsored by New Jersey Audubon, New Jersey Environmental Lobby, and the Environmental Education Fund. It is free and open to the public.