irelandART's April Newsletter
April 2012 Issue 02Tutorial of the Month
Where once a month we will showcase an in-depth art tutorial.DanielGeesen's
Understanding ISO
Beginners' Tutorial
If you're new to photography, you might be wondering what ISO is, and what difference it makes to your photos.
ISO numbers are a gauge of film or sensor sensitivity. The higher the number, the more sensitive your camera's digital sensor is to light. This can be useful if you are shooting a moving subject, or shooting handheld. However, those high ISO numbers come with a high cost... the higher ISO you use, the more noise (digital) or grain (film) your photo will have. Yuck!
Here is a demonstration of what effect your ISO choice will have on your photo:
Here is a 1:1 full pixel crop so you can see the noise caused by high ISO more clearly.
These images were shot on my Canon 550D, which actually performs with remarkably low noise for ISO 1600 and below, as compared to my old Canon 350D. But nonetheless, I always shoot with the lowest ISO possible. I only ever venture above this setting when I really need the light and can't open my aperture any wider or afford to use a slower shutter speed.
There are a few film purists out there who actually like the grittiness of old ISO 1600 film in certain types of photos... But there aren't many of us shooting on film, and I've yet to meet someone who claims to like digital camera noise! Of course there are times and places where noise is less noticeable, such as the night sky (my example photos may have been a bad choice for this reason) since the noise is easily camouflaged as distant stars, and indeed high ISOs are popular among astrophotographers (for the obvious reason of being more sensitive to light)
I hope there are a few of you out there who are still new enough to photography to have found this tutorial helpful. I realize it's not really a tutorial in the strictest sense of the word, since I'm describing something more than detailing the process of how to do something... but if anyone is reading this and is unsure how to change your camera's ISO, please comment below with your camera make and model and I will give you detailed instructions for taking control of your ISO.
If you want to follow along, feel free to do so by taking the same photograph at different ISO speeds and uploading them to the irelandART Community Gallery
To request or submit a tutorial, send a note to irelandART or DanielGeesen
Tip of the Month
Where once a month we will provide a quick tip for bettering your photography or traditional art.
DanielGeesen's
Get Yourself a Tripod!
There are a myriad of camera accessories to tantalize, titillate, and bankrupt us aspiring photographers. But if you can only have one camera accessory, make it a tripod!
I can't stress this tip enough.
There is no other camera accessory that will offer you a more versatile way to improve your photography. The effects of other accessories can often be mimicked or emulated in post-processing, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a tripodify filter that will deblur your blurry handheld landscape! (Although, I did hear a rumor that the folks at Adobe are working on a sophisticated deblur filter for Photoshop CS6 or later... but that's another story!)
If you're buying a tripod for the first time, it will open you up to the world of HDR photography, night photography, blurred water, infinite depth of field...shooting landscapes the way landscapes want you to shoot them!
Any tripod is better than no tripod, and you can find a tripod dirt cheap if you look around. But you can pick up a pretty darn decent tripod that should last you many happy years for around €50. I bought the Velbon tripod pictured here from Halls Cameras on Talbot St. and it was good buy, it's €49.95, and a good balance between lightness and sturdiness for photographers on the go.
To submit a helpful hint, send a note to irelandART or DanielGeesen
Deviation of the Month
"Peoples' Choice" favourites of the last month, as chosen by you in our group polls!
by 
Nefarious069Opinions
Once a month we pay a visit to a random handful of our members and ask them their opinion about something that's on our minds.This month we asked:
What is your favorite genre of traditional art? And why?
clockfaces"my favourite genre of traditional art is figurative, i choose to paint figures myself and i look for figures in abstract art, like in a novel, when you try to understand the characters in the book, as you try to understand the figures in a painting, and therefore its the desire to be invited into the painting by the mystery of the figure that i find so appealing."
i-am-mighty"In traditional art I prefer the basics. Watercolour and ink, black usually but if Im feeling woodsy I might mix in some warm brown.
I have a little watercolour set, about the size of a cigarette case that has a home in my pocket and I carry a water pen so I can use it anywhere I damn well pleasey.
With the ink I like to use very soft washes and build them up, it takes hours and hours but the effect is magnificent, and of course just plain ol black ink with a brush is great fun to splash about."
The-Nanette-O"I enjoy expressionism as an art form and think it ties in more with how I personally create art. But I like the history and ideals behind art nouvou more then I enjoy the art that was created during that period."
To suggest question and followup question for us to ask next month, send a note to irelandART or DanielGeesen
Featured Artist
Every month we choose one member who stands out as superbly talented at their medium, and we showcase them hereThis month the top honour goes to:
Justin Russell
JWR77What do we know about Justin? He lives in Dublin and his favourite style of art is surrealism!
To suggest a member for the honour, send a note to irelandART or DanielGeesen
Culture Highlight
Once a month we will highlight a different aspect of Irish culture. Topics covers will range from mythology, to history, to modern culture!Newgrange, a passage-tomb located in Meath, Ireland, is older than the pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge! During the winter solstace a narrow beam of light penetrates the tomb, entering through the roof-box over the entrance, illuminating the entire chamber for a period of only 17 minutes!
To submit your own article, or suggest a topic to cover, send a note to irelandART or DanielGeesen
Contests and Competitions
Upcoming contests and competitions both within and outside of irelandARTSaint Patrick's Day Art Contest!
The Admin votes have been tallied, and the result is in:
The winner of our St. Patrick's Day Art Contest and the
500 dA points is 
M-M-X Martin for his photograph:
Congratulations, Martin! And thanks to all of our other participants for their entries! It was a very close vote. The runners up are:
:thumb288334281:
:thumb263549310:
To notify us of a contest or competition, send a note to irelandART or DanielGeesen
Events Calendar
irelandART's picks for events happening this month across the country!Úll
When: 27-29 April
Where: Dublin
What: A conference for iOS/OSX/mobile web developers and designers. Visit ull.ie to find out more.
To notify us of an event, send a note to irelandART or DanielGeesen
iA Birthdays
Because we all need a bit of attention, once in a while!
beastvince April 1
leelee2489 April 2
Malicious-Magician April 2
12KathyLees12 April 3
ganchroi April 4
alligatorgarguy April 4
Lavenderwitch April 4
Cyril-Helnwein April 5
Dorian-Gray7 April 7
lauchanf22 April 8
Akiiakane April 10
Harry-the-Direwolf April 11
Julie1226 April 13
LovelySilversky April 13
DanC94 April 14
CloserToTheEdge89 April 14
Lolita-La-Lapin April 15
GlenMcA April 18
ainoani April 18
AnimaTigris April 20
December-Apples April 20
Hmurik April 20
dark-princess-alice April 21
Evathemortal April 23
boscabheag April 25
Bangpup April 25
desertrose2011 April 26
FamiAlhashemi April 26
Afina79 April 28If we missed you or someone you know in irelandART, leave a comment and we will add you to our birthday database and the newsletter!
New Contributors
There have been some changes to irelandART Admin, and we have welcomed on board two new contributors. This should help expedite the submission approval process and stop any of your submissions from expiring!
onesh0t
The very talented Przemek Czaicki! Here are some examples of Przemeks photography, I'm sure you may recognize them from our featured folder!
:thumb280529879: :thumb271556681: :thumb254976213: :thumb263692076:
herzeleid31
Our new resident literary expert, originally hailing from Ireland but currently studying abroad.
:thumb244518745: :thumb197521240: :thumb157529336: :thumb176170026:
Comic Relief
Just because.by
ukapala
To contribute a comic strip or humorous photo, send a note to irelandART or DanielGeesen with a link to the image.
Congratulations
To our very own
markbrmb who welcomed his firstborn into the world this month! Well done Mammy and Daddy, and welcome baby Reuben!
