Bob Crum

Another fantabulous May Festival is in the books! Photos were shot on Saturday. Better weather brought out the whole town. And from kiddies to grannies, hundreds danced to great music in front of city hall.

The event is an excellent opportunity to practice conscious awareness. However, the moment I witnessed it, my subconscious being aware of being consciously aware invoked confusion. So I just stopped thinking about being consciously aware, and instantly instinct took over. The result: 858 photos from which to select 40 or so. About average when encountering a cornucopia of photo ops.

One problem: Phonetographers! They seem to be multiplying logarithmically—19,483 phonetographers in 2017, 195,259 last year, 1,382,690 this year. An epidemic of ginormous proportions!

If only I got a dollar for every kid who approached me begging: “Hey mister, take my photo”! “Can't, your mother told me not to” usually works. If it doesn't, I threaten to seize their cellphone. That always works because a teenager can't live five minutes without texting!

Carnival photo ops are incredibly challenging. Consider a scene of people in partial shade waiting for deep-fried Twinkies and a game booth with bright lights in the frame. If I expose for the bright lights, people in the shadows are underexposed. If I expose for the people, the bright lights are bright blobs. Wait! My Canon 7DMKII gives me exposure metering mode options. Pressing the WB button gives me the following options: “Evaluative metering”, “Partial metering”, “Spot metering” or “Center-weighted average metering.” In the scene described, I selected center-weighted average metering. Bingo! Still, the exposure is seldom perfect, or what I'd like. However, back home I can tweak the exposure with Lightroom. Ah, the wonders of technology, and strawberry margaritas.

Rides all move at various speeds providing exciting options. At a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second, the result would be a fine but a static photo. However, if I reduce the shutter speed to perhaps 1/20th of a second, the ride will be blurred which is perfect for illustrating motion. Hold on! A slower shutter speed increases the light wreaking exposure havoc. OK, I'll simply decrease the aperture size accordingly. Y'all remember the exposure triangle of ISO, shutter speed and aperture, right? Ah yes, when I can float ISO, mash buttons and twirl camera dials to create a photo, I'm ecstatic! And happy to be legally allowed to have so much fun!

Carnival's formidable challenges make photoing interesting. Never a dull moment. Given the technology of present-day cameras, photographers can create most any photo their mind envisions. However, even advanced cameras can do only so much in “P” mode. “P” means “program” not “professional.” It should be evident that to execute various photographic options, (here it comes) one has to know how to operate their camera effectively. It takes time and determination to master the camera but quite rewarding. Though painless, I'm becoming convinced that this learning curve deters many from relishing the jubilation of creating photos. Photography is about creativity. Turn cellphone on, frame image, push camera button... what's creative about that? Yes, I know many phonetographers are as fond of photography as I am of pickled pigs feet. But it's my job to keep teasing. Furthermore, my toes tingle every time a phonetographer buys a real camera.

Photo of the week: The carnival midway and a sunstar. I enjoy creating sunstars in photos when appropriate. The sunstar was created in camera, not with an add-on in post-processing.

Send comments, questions or suggestions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

A fifteen year old Piru juvenile was arrested after Fillmore detectives tied him to graffiti vandalisms that occurred at the Fillmore High School and at a county park in Piru.

The Fillmore Investigations Bureau concluded a 3 month investigation into the tagger who had been committing vandalisms at the Fillmore High School as well as throughout the town of Piru during the spring of 2019. The markings caused over $1600.00 in property damage to Fillmore High School and county parks of Piru.

Detectives worked in conjunction with the Fillmore School Resource Officer to collect intelligence in order to identify the vandal. Once identified, investigators sought a search warrant for the juvenile’s residence. During the service of the search warrant, investigators uncovered additional evidence linking the suspect to additional graffiti vandalisms.

The juvenile was booked at the Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard for PC 594(b)(1)/ Graffiti Vandalism.

Prepared by: Deputy Cameron Knox
Approved by: Captain Eric Tennessen

Submitted by Coach Cindy Blatt

Six Varsity Girls participated in the CIF-SS Div 4 swimming championships prelims on May 1 in Riverside, CA. For the first time in FHS Swim Team history two relays teams qualified for the prelims. The 200 yd. Medley Relay (Kat Furness, Yazmeen Gonzalez, Erin Berrington and Zoe Avila) swam to a 28th place finish out of 35 teams. Their time of 2:09.59 was three seconds faster than their qualifying time and is a new school record. The 200 yd. Freestyle Relay (Yazmeen Gonzalez, Karen Trujillo, Natalie Couse, Zoe Avila) placed 35th with an excellent time of 2:01.05. The 400 yd. Freestyle Relay was 1st alternate and did not make it into the meet.

Katrionna Furness qualified for finals on Friday, May 3rd. She swam a lifetime best in the 100 yd. Freestyle with a 53.73 placing 4th with a new school record. Kat also swam the 100 yd. Backstroke, placing 5th with a 1:00.78, several tenths faster than her prelim time.

“We are very proud of all the girls”, stated Coach Cindy Blatt. “They swam well in a very competitive Div 4 meet. Kat is a senior and will be missed. She has shown our other swimmers how to compete at a higher level.”

How about a little history of the Fillmore High Alumni Dinner. In the early 1900's the annual dinner meetings were held on the High School Campus, with individual class meetings being held in separate class rooms. The dinners, which usually consisted of pit barbecue, were prepared by various groups, including Albert (Dutch) Bartels '26, and his crew, and Ed Burson and his group. Dinner attendees sat at tables on benches made from citrus picking boxes and 1x12's. The dinners were held on the old tennis courts, which is where the high school cafeteria is located now. After 1951, Dinners were held between the current Gym and the Cafeteria, and on the High school quad, and eventually, at the Memorial Building, where the meals were prepared by The Fillmore Club, headed by K.B. Rogers and Ron Godfrey '62. Eventually, as it grew in numbers, it was moved to the City Park. Dinners returned to the Memorial Building (it's current location); but this time, out on the lawn area to accommodate everyone wishing to attend. You can pay for your reservations online at www.fillmorehighalumni.com (Click on Events), or you can go to Patterson Hardware (open 7 days a week) and pay in person.

A parent spoke at last night’s school board meeting about the issue of fight that has been taking place at Fillmore Middle School.

Board meeting highlights for the Fillmore Unified School District

Award Bid for Gymnasium Roofing Restoration at Fillmore High School
The Governing Board awarded the bid as follows:
Project #: 2019-25
Project Description: Gymnasium Roofing Restoration at Fillmore High School
Bid Date: April 24, 2019
Bid Results: Lowest Qualified Bidder: Western States Roofing, Inc.
Bid Amount: $378,000.00

Award Bid for Science Building Window Replacement at Fillmore High School
The Governing Board awarded the bid as follows:
Project #: 2019-026
Project Description: Window Replacement at Fillmore High School Science Building
Bid Date: April 24, 2019
Bid Results: Lowest Qualified Bidder: Bodagger Builders
Bid Amount: $412,425.00

Personnel Recommendations
The Governing Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, retirements, and leaves.

Bob Crum

Last week I was intensively and arduously involved in the inaugural Art and Photography Exhibition. Sponsored by Fillmore's Arts Commission, the exciting art show was presented in city hall's council chamber. Fifteen artists and four photographers presented their artwork. Most visitors were surprised and delighted to see a wide variety of art and photos.

The artist reception was a smashing success. So many from the community attended, enjoying the opportunity to meet the artists and photographers and discuss their artwork, if so inclined. Some art was purchased.

The majority of visitors, with the People's Choice ballots in hand, took voting for their 1st, 2nd and 3rd favorite works of art and photographs seriously, reviewing the art two or three times before voting. Over 180 visitors cast People's Choice ballots.

As you'll note in another space or the website, my photo of the Fillmore & Western steam engine nighttime photo won People's Choice first place. My photo of the dazzling poppies that I featured here as the photo of the week a month ago won second place. Winning two awards out of three is a great honor. Furthermore, a collector purchased the print of my train photo.

Photography, i.e., fine art photography, was woefully underrepresented. Only four photographers participated. So depressing. I'd like to see a much larger contingency of photographers exhibiting in next year's show. I have to believe that there are many photographers in Fillmore. To be included in next year’s show, send me an email today!

At the art show, I learned that many would-be photographers simply haven't learned about photography. I'm not surprised. Somewhere in the deep recesses of my subconscious mind, a place deep in my brain, I sensed that I knew the reason the masses abandoned photography in exchange for phonetography, but I couldn't articulate my synopsis till now. Most phonetographers are lazy! While a would-be musician, or would-be golfer, knows that lessons and practice manifest a piano player or golfer, the majority of phonetographers avoid learning photography. After all, lessons and practice steal Facebook time. So much easier to whip out the cellphone, snap a photo and slap it up on Facebook or Instagram. But that's a snapshot, not a photo! Even while acknowledging photography's advantages, phonetographers effectuate a simile of Newton's First Law: Things not bothered to learn remain unlearned. The universal truth: Photography knowledge cannot be learned by osmosis!

Many would-be photographers I talked with at the art show universally agreed that they would participate in a photography group (club) for education & fun. However, as previously stated, I don't have a projector necessary for critiquing photos. Does anyone know anyone from whom I can borrow a projector one evening a month? Or where I might obtain a projector for a modest cost? Or just send me a check for $650. Just a thought!

One refrain I hear repeatedly is how do I find so much variety to photograph? Seriously? Remember my commentary about conscious awareness? It's as simple of being aware and learning to see as a photographer. Even phonetographers can learn this, I think.

One day I saw a unique and interesting accumulation of clouds over the backcountry north of Fillmore. Camera in hand, I drove up Goodenough Road looking for the best location to shoot from without overhead power lines in the frame. It took considerable moving around to find the best place from where to shoot that showed the avocado grove in the foreground, the mountains, and clouds. Location determines perspective for best composition. Happy photoing.

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net