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Discover 7 Secrets to Better Vacation Photography

Changing camera angles and take an ordinary pose and transform it to an extraordinary one.
Changing camera angles and take an ordinary pose and transform it to an extraordinary one. These photos are from the presentation: “7 Secrets to Better Vacation Photography”

I'm really excited to be asked to show how to take better vacation photos at the May 20th meeting of the North Ridgeville Arts Council. I will be presenting “Discover 7 Secrets to Better Vacation Photography.” The information can be used to improve vacation photography, pictures of friends and family, sporting events and more.

Topics to be covered include: how to choose a camera, creative composition from unusual camera angles, use of natural light and electronic flash, how to help people look their best, enhancing photos after they're taken, saving and preserving picture files to guard against loss from a computer crash, different ways to display photographs for maximum enjoyment and more.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

The meeting is on Monday, May 20th at 7 p.m. at North Ridgeville Library,35700 Bainbridge Rd, North Ridgeville.

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Phantastic phfurry Phil is at it again

 

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Punxsutawney Phil is about to do his annual prognostication (OK, prediction) on how much longer we have to deal with cold, snowy, winter weather. After Clevelanders got socked with a rough morning commute to work in near white-out conditions and many schools canceled classes – spring can't come soon enough! …

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Our unusual artwork accepted for exhibition at prestigious Westlake-Westshore Arts Council show

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Golden Gate Bridge viewed from Alcatraz by Mark Madere of SpectraLight Photography of North Ridgeville
Golden Gate Bridge viewed from Alcatraz. See this image larger or order it online at http://bit.ly/spec-goldengatebridge-1

WOW! I just found out that three unique pieces were selected from my digital art collection for exhibit at the prestigious 13th Annual Community of Fine Arts Show presented by the Westlake-Westshore Arts Council. The juried art show runs from August 6 – 18 at the Westlake Porter Library at 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake.

Red Buggy at Grand Pacific Junction in Olmsted Falls by Mark Madere of SpectraLight Photography
Red Buggy at Grand Pacific Junction in Olmsted Falls. See this image larger or order it online at http://bit.ly/spec-buggy

My entries include a fog-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge taken from Alcatraz, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island appearing as if it were taken in a by-gone era and a unique rendering of a horseless buggy at Grand Pacific Junction in Olmsted Falls.

Over the past three years, I've developed a proprietary digital process to meld photographs into faux paintings. I’ve always wanted to create beautiful images of landscapes and unusual architecture. Unfortunately, I never did well in art class as a child. I had an idea of what good composition was but just couldn’t draw a stick figure to save my life! I then fell in love with photography and was finally able to capture amazing scenes with a camera where an artist brush failed me. However, my images still looked like pictures. The digital process I now use has elevated my photographs to look like the paintings that I sought since I was a little boy.

Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island by Mark Madere of SpectraLight Photography of North Ridgeville
Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island. See this image larger or order it online at http://bit.ly/spec-GrandHotel-1

I also discovered a really cool, unique way to “print” my art. Instead of standard photographic paper, I have them embedded into aluminum panels. There’s nothing as captivating as a photo that shines on aluminum with a bright, clear, glossy base with brilliant color that pops. Two of my pieces in the show will be presented on these panels.

See more of my work and order prints for your home or business or give as gifts at www.mark-madere.artistwebsites.com.

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A dilemma for the ages – what to get Dad on Father’s Day?

Fathers Day gift idea - a hand made book from Blurb
Fathers Day gift idea – a hand made book from Blurb

So what do you give to the guy who has everything on Father's Day? Ahh, a dilemma for the ages. Most dads don't wait for a special occasion to get their “toys.” If they want it now – they get it now.

Fortunately, a San Francisco based company has come to the rescue. Blurb.com provides the resources to create a personalized book with your own snapshots that look as good as one you’d get in a book store.

What dad with a heart wouldn’t appreciate a hard cover book with photos of his children and stories of their experiences with dad? Dad’s the guy. The hero. The rock star. The guy who fixed it all. Photos from then. Photos from now. Make him a book that will make him proud.

Even though it may be too late to have the book delivered by Father’s Day – you can always tell him in a card that “a very special gift that you’ll treasure for a lifetime is in the works and that you’ll be getting it soon. I promise it will be worth the wait.”

Right now, Blurb is offering a special discount of 15% off ANY book until June 30, 2012(and it doesn’t even have to be for Father’s Day). Why not check it out right now?

Have you ever wanted a high quality, hard cover book of your personal photos? Have you already created one? Did you give it as a gift? How did the recipient like it? Please comment.

A dilemma for the ages – what to get Dad on Father’s Day? Read More »

Ever eat 800 different kinds of cereal?

The Great American Cereal Book by Marty Gitlin
This is the cover of The Great American Cereal Book by Marty Gitlin

Marty Gitlin of North Olmsted hasn’t actually tried the 800+ cereal brands in his newly published – The Great American Cereal Book – but he has eaten his fair share of them.

Whether it’s Alpha Bits, Fruit Loops or Cocoa Crispies; Gitlin enjoys eating, collecting and researching each one.

Gitlin, 55, grew up in South Euclid in the sixties where he developed a passion for trying at least one bowl of every cereal that came out on the market.

At age eight, a new cereal called Banana Wackies came out. Gitlin says it was like Lucky Charms – only banana-flavored. “I knew I was going to hate it,” he said. “I didn’t like banana-flavored anything as a kid. I was in a quandary but I made my mom get it anyway.”

From that point forward, Gitlin tried almost every brand that hit the market through his teenage years.

Gitlin stocks about 40 boxes of cereal in his house at all times. He arranges them by his favorites with his “first team” on the top shelf. “I’ll only move one up to the first team if I like it a lot,” he said.

Gitlin typically eats about 10 or more bowls of cereal a week – one every day for breakfast and sometimes one in the evening.

The Great American Cereal Book shares a lot of information and trivia about the 800+ cereal brands that have hit American shelves over the years.

Gitlin said he wanted to make his book a fun read. “I wanted it to be colorful and alive and funny.” It looks like an actual cereal box with “nutrition information” on the spine. It covers 800 cereal brands with 350 photos of box covers, memorabilia and ads. Some of the brands date back more than 100 years.

Each brand includes information as to when the cereal was “first poured” and a “milked until” date along with any slogans that were used to market the product.

Gitlin started gathering information for the book in 2002 – researching such cereal giants as General Mills, Post and Kellogg. He found facts that even diehard cereal lovers wouldn’t know. For example, one out of every 11 cereal products purchased in America is a Cheerios product or derivative.

The book has turned out to be extremely successful. It has been featured in the Readers Digest, Time, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Oprah.com.

The Great American Cereal Book has ranked No. 1 on Amazon’s Americana category and rose into the 400s on their overall book sales list.

So next time you’re sitting down at the breakfast table to enjoy your favorite cereal – have a copy of The Great American Cereal Book by your side to pass the time away.

So what's your favorite cereal and why? Please click the comment link to the right of this article's title.

Ever eat 800 different kinds of cereal? Read More »

Top 10 reasons why I decided to shave my head

St. Baldrick's Foundation, Mark Madere, Glenn Barton
Mark Madere and Glenn Barton after getting their heads shaved at a St. Baldrick's Foundation charity fundraiser at University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

Top 10 reasons why I decided to shave my head:

10. My co-worker – Glenn Barton – said he was going to shave his head for the St. Baldrick's cancer fund raiser and I thought it would be cool if we confused our co-workers with the same new “hair” style. (Photo at left)

9. I hate “bed-head” in the morning. (Photo below)

St. Baldrick's fundraiser, Mark Madere, bed head8. The Mocha Monkey said he would if I would. (Photo below)

St. Baldrick's Foundation, cancer research,t University Hospitals, Case Medical Center7. I thought I saw some grey hair coming in and thought this was easier than plucking them individually. (Sorry – no photo with this one. You don't need to see what those nasty grey hairs looked like!)

6. Women just LOVE bald guys. (Photo below)

5. Have you seen my hair in the wind? No Fabio look-alike here. (Photo below)

4. I shaved my head 8 years ago and really dug the look.

3. My wife threatened to divorce me if I ever shaved my head again. (OK – she gets half the bills in the settlement.)Mark Madere, St. Baldrick's fund raiser, University Hospitals of Cleveland

2. The money is going for a great cause – cancer research – so how could I say “no.”

Fabio, Mark Madere, St. Baldrick's1. I know that everyone who has followed this post would like to contribute to the cause. I, and future cancer survivors, THANK YOU. Please donate here: http://bit.ly/spec-bald

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Here's your chance to help!

I've answered the call to help a great cause! I had my head shaved to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer, but more importantly, to raise money to find cures. You can help. The good news is that you don't have to get your head shaved to support cancer research!

Please support me with a donation to the St. Baldrick's Foundation. This volunteer-driven charity funds more childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U. S. government.

Your gift will give hope to infants, children, teens and young adults fighting childhood cancers. So when I ask for your support, I'm really asking you to support these kids.

Thank you!

Click the link to make a donation online, or donate by phone or mail. http://bit.ly/spec-bald

Do you feel that cancer research is important? Please share this article with your family and friends on Facebook, Twitter or any other way you communicate via the Internet.

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John Glenn – I don’t remember his record setting orbital flight

John Glenn looks through a device used in astronaut training on August 17, 1961.
John Glenn looks through a device used in astronaut training on August 17, 1961. (Photo by NASA)

The date was February 20, 1962. Ohio native John Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the earth. I was a toddler, not quite three years old, probably staring out a window as snowflakes gently fell around my home in the Western Pennsylvania town of Du Bois. I had no clue that a historical event was unfolding – one that would captivate my imagination of space travel and someday living on the moon.

I had a poster with colorful illustrations of all the planets, I built model replicas of the Saturn V rocket and the Lunar Lander – complete with legs that extended as it came to rest on my own imaginary moon.

I remember the Apollo 13 flight that put three Americans in dire straights. If not for the creativity of those brave astronauts and Mission Control using “ball-and-twine” like solutions that only MacGyver himself would have marveled at – they would have perished. I stayed glued to the TV – watching the drama unfold when I was suppose to be heading off to school.

I remember the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster in 1986 – when the first school teacher to fly in space lost her life along with six other astronauts – just 73 seconds into the flight. And then there was Columbia – the shuttle that broke apart as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003. I was in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania photographing the world famous Punxsutawney Phil festivities when I was shocked by the news.

But probably my all-time favorite memory of the NASA space program came when I was in Orlando with my family enjoying Disney World on October 30, 1998. As we were exiting the park, we heard a loud roar off in the distance as Space Shuttle Discovery took flight from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island. There was a large plume of rocket engine exhaust marking the location of lift-off that made chills run through my spine. On that flight was the oldest human to ever fly in space – none other than astronaut and then Ohio Senator John Glenn – all of 77 years old. And that record still stands today.

Although I never became an astronaut – I've lived vicariously through the lives and legends of our very own American heroes.

So what is YOUR favorite memory of the NASA space program? Please share your thoughts by clicking the comment link at the top of this article.

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Monkey invasion at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital stalls

A Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital patient with the first name of Za'Nyha holds a monkey she received while in the hospital.
A Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital patient with the first name of Za'Nyha holds a monkey she received while in the hospital.

The nursing staff at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital is hoping for an invasion of cute, cuddly mocha monkeys – just in time for Christmas!

That’s because I hoped to provide each child patient who is spending their Christmas at Rainbow a free monkey to brighten their stay. Unfortunately, I may not have enough monkeys to go around.

“Monkey Mayhem” – my initiative to raise enough money for a monkey for each of the 200+ plus Rainbow patients on Christmas day has reached the half-way point – BUT time is running out. I need to place an order with the supplier by Friday to have them in time for Christmas.

Anyone can donate to the cause at MochaMonkey.NET. There is an option to purchase a monkey for yourself for $9.95 ($6 goes to Rainbow) or purchase a monkey for a patient for $9.95 and I'll deliver the monkey to Rainbow AND make a $6 donation.

Just skip a beverage or two at your favorite coffee shop and support a great cause this Christmas season.

Monkey on IV pole at Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital
Monkey on IV pole at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital

Marilyn McGrath, director of the Children’s Miracle Network at Rainbow, is pleased about this cause. “As a UH employee, Mark has come up with these adorable monkeys, which when attached to the child’s IV pole or bed will help take their mind off their stay.”

Another great way to help is to post a link back to this blog post from your Facebook page and encourage your family and friends to help. Copy and paste this link:

http://spectralight.com/myblog/2011/12/14/monkey-invasion-at-rainbow-babies-and-childrens-hospital-stalls

But hurry! I need to place my order for the monkeys by Friday, Dec. 16th to guarantee Christmas delivery.

For more on this story, read the Cleveland.com article and the WEWS Channel 5 News post.

Monkey invasion at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital stalls Read More »

7 well dressed photographers attack royal wedding on bikes

Hugo Burnand and his team of wedding photographers
Hugo Burnand and his team of wedding photographers as they bike to Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding (Photo by Matt Writtle. See more of Matt's photography at http://www.mattwrittle.com)

If you thought the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton was a media circus; the photographer asked to cover it for the “royals” contributed to that image.

On the morning of April 29, 2011, London-based photographer Hugo Burnand and his well-trained team of seven assistants (all on bicycles) rode through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace. They zigzagged through thousands of people who had gathered to witness Prince William marry Kate Middleton. “Cycling over was exhilarating,” Burnand recalled.

Days earlier, Burnand and his team created the couple’s official wedding portraits in the Throne Room in Buckingham Palace. “We had backup equipment for our backups,” he said. Even though he had experience photographing the 2005 wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, the pressure was intense.

On the day of the wedding, Burnand had exactly 28 minutes to photograph the bridal couple before they made their balcony appearance. He claims he wasn’t stressed. “I was very well prepared,” he said, thanks to following the military adage of the seven P's – “Proper planning and preparation prevents piss-poor performance.”

It took 32 hours to prepare for the 28 minute shoot. “We rehearsed everything, including what to do if things didn’t go according to plan. I said my prayers before hand and every single prayer was answered.”

Photographer Hugo Burnand's favorite wedding photo: Prince William and Kate Middleton surrounded by the children.
Photographer Hugo Burnand's favorite wedding photo: Prince William and Kate Middleton surrounded by the children. (Photo: Hugo Burnand/Clarence House)

One of Burnand's favorite photos is of Prince William and Kate surrounded by the children. “Every individual in that picture shows their real character. I knew what I wanted so there was photographic direction, but you can’t direct that kind of spontaneity and naturalness,” stated Burnard.

For couples wishing to get the best professional photos that they'll truly cherish – consider hiring a professional who has received extensive training in wedding photography. Look at their portfolio and ask for references (and check those references.) A great resource of professional photographers is the Professional Photographers of America. Find a photographer in your area here.

So what unusual photography moment do you remember about your wedding? Please share it here with a comment.

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Get a GREAT Freebie at Falls Day in the Park this Sunday

FREE uniquely shaped, limited edition post card of the waterfall at Olmsted Falls. Read the article to see how you can get one!
FREE uniquely shaped, limited edition post card of the waterfall at Olmsted Falls. Read the article to see how you can get one!

Do you like free food, rock music and give aways? Then get ready for a fun afternoon at Falls Day in the Park this Sunday – Oct. 2nd – from 1 – 4 p.m. at East River Park on Lewis Road in Olmsted Falls.

There will be free hot dogs, chili, brats, donuts, apple cider and more from local civic groups and businesses. A rock band will provide free entertainment while you enjoy local arts and crafts vendors and more.  It’s a great time to reconnect with old friends from the Olmsted area.

SpectraLight Photography will be showing off and selling “Picturesque Olmsted Falls – Gazebos, Waterfalls, a Covered Bridge and More – Oh My!” Believed to be the first book of it’s kind in Northeast Ohio, it contains nearly 50 photographs that look similar to paintings created with watercolor, oils, canvas and other “Old Masters” techniques.

To launch the book, we are giving away a uniquely shaped, limited edition post card of the scene chosen for the book cover. A sample of the card is shown above. If you can’t make it to Falls Day in the Park, you can get a free post card by sending a self-addressed, long (business size) envelope to: Free Olmsted Falls Post Card, c/o SpectraLight Photography, 8367 Burlington Drive, North Ridgeville, OH, 44039.

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