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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017
45 Day Budget Presentation 2017-2018 FUSD School Calendar Dual Enrollment Ventura College Approve Tentative Agreement Between Fillmore Unified Teachers Association and Fillmore Unified School District Personnel Recommendations |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017
 Friday, July 28th at approximately 6:40pm, a two vehicle crash occurred on Highway 126 east of Fillmore near Cavin Road. Santa Paula and Ventura County firefighters closed down part of the highway to extract one person who was trapped in their vehicle. Four people were sent to the hospital, with injuries ranging from minor to major. Photo Courtesy of Fillmore Fire Department. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017
 On Friday, July 28th Fillmore Fire Foundation received a donation of $2,500 from Matt Petersen and his staff from the American Water Company. Photo Courtesy of Fillmore Fire Department. Enlarge Photo |
 Photo of the Week: "Frontier Gun Fighters ride into Piru" by Bob Crum. Photo data: ISO 400, 16-300mm lens @18mm, f/10 @1/100 seconds. Enlarge Photo By Bob Crum — Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017
County Fair Redux
Hopefully last week I got you excited about photographing the County Fair. Thousands... and counting... of photo ops! I created a Fillmore Photographer’s group on Facebook. It's a closed group for members only. However, because the Fair is such a grand opportunity for photographers at all levels, I'm inviting Fillmore and Piru readers to send me up to three of your best Fair photos taken this year. If merited, I'll post your image(s). Email only jpegs sized no larger than 10” on the long side. Think about your photos telling a story. People at a Fair can be great subjects if your photo shows them engaged in an activity. A wide angle shot of the whole booth is not exciting. Get close. Let’s see the kid tossing the ping pong ball into bowls of goldfish. A youngster's first bite of cotton candy is a good subject... shoot a closeup from afar with a telephoto lens. Everything around the kid is just clutter and adds nothing to the photo's story. If it's someone throwing something, ping pong ball, ring or whatever, shoot a stop action shot or with slow shutter speeds to create blur indicating movement. Be sure to hold the camera steady! Got it? On bright sunny days, daytime shooting can be exasperating. Select your position with respect to where the sun is... preferably behind you if possible. Night photography is no cake walk either. The best carnival shots can be had during a special time of day. Remember my description of the “golden hour”... that one hour just before sunset or one hour right after sunrise? Carnivals have their own 'golden hour'. A carnival reveals it's surreal delights right after sundown but before darkness. Note that it's paramount to scout your shots before hand because the window of opportunity is short... only 30 to 45 minutes. The magnificent carny lights turning on won't create havoc with the camera exposure meter during this interval. You have to scout and mark your spots ahead of time and shoot fast. Take a few shots at each location and remember to focus! No matter the subject take a lot of shots. Deleting later at home costs nothing. For rides, experiment with shutter speeds. Pan (track) the shot to create background blur with the subject in focus. Or fix the focus on one spot and let the slow shutter speed blur the movement. Ride lights constantly change which is another reason to take a lot of shots. Don't just take a snapshot and move on. Create a photograph. Take your first shot in “Auto” mode then switch to Av or Tv or even 'manual' mode to capture creatively. You can do this! As stated last week, night photos are best shot with a tripod but not absolutely necessary. Use a railing, or whatever is handy to perch and steady the camera. A monopod works fine! Don't forget the fireworks behind the Ferris Wheel at 10 pm. As much fun as it is to shoot a Fair, be aware. Obviously not a good idea to leave your camera on the tripod while you fetch an irresistible funnel cake. Also, I keep a lens shade on my lens which protects the lens front element. Just sayin'. The few photos that accompany this week’s column are of the Frontier Gun Fighters who performed at Piru last Saturday. These gunslingers... bad guys, lawmen and a shotgun toting lady, perform outrageously humorous skits that are a hoot. Happy photoing. Send comments, suggestions, questions and up to three of your best Fair photos to bob@fillmoregazette.com |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, July 26th, 2017
 Sunday afternoon at 12:51p.m., firefighters responded to a reported brush fire near the intersection of Torrey and Howe Roads. When crews arrived nearly an acre of land had caught fire. Fire crews were able to knock it down and no structures were damaged. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, July 26th, 2017
The Caltrans proposed Highway 126 four roundabout project between Fillmore and Santa Paula has been discontinued, according to the VCTC May 12 meeting minutes, “The SR 126 safety project is no longer on the list of programmed projects.” Fillmore and Santa Paula along with the County of Ventura opposed the $62 million project. One of the big concerns was the roundabouts would slow emergency services response times. A roundabout is an intersection where traffic travels around a central island in a counterclockwise direction. Vehicles entering or exiting the roundabout must yield to vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians. Caltrans believes roundabouts slow traffic and significantly reduce collisions and injuries. In a letter sent out by Carrie Bowen, Caltrans’ Director for Ventura and Los Angeles counties, it read, "Caltrans has decided to discontinue work on the proposed project," which also called for building a concrete median barrier on the highway, the agency wrote in a letter last month to the county and the two cities. The letter also stated that the agency agreed with the county and the cities that safety improvements that were installed on the highway in 2012 "have been successful at significantly reducing accidents." Those measures included rumble strips — corrugated pavement strips across the highway that cause noise and shaking when driven over to warn motorists to slow down — speed reduction signs and radar speed feedback signs, the letter notes. The county's and the cities' "primary concern regarding the roundabouts is that they would reduce emergency response times by delaying emergency services, including police, fire and ambulance," John Zaragoza, chairman of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, wrote in a Feb. 14 letter to Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. The Santa Paula and Fillmore city councils also formally opposed the roundabouts and wrote their own letters of protest to Caltrans, which held public workshops on the project in both cities in early 2016. The Ventura County Transportation Commission took no position on the project. And thus, the thoroughfare can no longer be called "Blood Alley," Gherardi wrote in a letter to The Star in March 2016. Fillmore City Manager Dave Rowlands said he too welcomed Caltrans' decision. “We were pleased to hear Caltrans is not pursuing roundabouts at this time along the 126 corridor," he said. Caltrans will continue to monitor the Highway 126 corridor, Bowen's letter states. "If further work is warranted, we would initiate a new project and explore additional alternatives that minimize the impacts to the community as much as possible," the letter states. "As always, Caltrans would seek input from local stakeholders throughout the process." |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, July 26th, 2017
 On Wednesday, July 19th Nova Self Storage owner Larry Layne presented a $250 donation to the Fillmore High School Cross Country team. They had heard about the teams trip through a letter to the editor that had been published in the Fillmore Gazette by teammate Vanessa Avlia, and reached out to donate to the team. The check will go toward sthe teams upcoming Mammoth Lake 8 day trip. Where the team will train like the professional runners and create strong bonds with thier teammates. Photo courtesy of Bob Crum. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, July 26th, 2017
Sunday afternoon, around 2:50 p.m., a brush fire broke out near Camino Del Rio and Highway 126 east of Piru. The fire was located neat the bottom of the Santa Clara River and reported to burn about an acre. Crews were able to put it out by 3:25p.m. No structures were damaged and the cause of the fire is unknown. |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, July 26th, 2017
 Wednesday, July 20th at approximately 10:22pm a drunk driver in a red Dodge Dakota pick up truck crashed into the Center for Family Health sign on the corner of Ventura and B Street. Enlarge Photo |
 Photo of the Week: "Ventura County Fair 2016 Midway" by Bob Crum. Photo data: ISO 200, 16mm, f/4.0 at 1/20th second. Enlarge Photo By Bob Crum — Wednesday, July 26th, 2017
Cameras up!
Charge the batteries! Format and load the flash memory card! The Ventura County Fair opens August 2, 2017. Oh what fun! This year's theme: “Rooted in Tradition”. In between my obligatory editorial photos, get out of my way! Day and night, so many photo ops all over the Fair!!! A photographic fun house! But sad to say... no mermaids. Enter the Fairgrounds and you're on Main Street. Look at all the food vendors, from turkey legs to funnel cakes. I fast a month before just so I can feast at the Fair. BTW, capturing candid shots of folks getting their oh-so-scrumptious treats is often interesting. Food vendor's booths alone offer multiple photo ops. Wait! How are you going to shoot those candid photos? Remember: “P” mode is not allowed! Do I want shallow or deep depth-of-field? I'll switch to aperture mode to control the depth-of-field by opening or closing the aperture. Got it? As you prowl Main Street, you'll encounter strolling entertainers. Now I'll switch to Tv mode, shutter priority, and shoot at least 1/250th of a second because there's likely to be a lot of movement and I don't want blur for these shots. Also, a higher faster shutter speed will help compensate for my hand-held camera shaking. Further down Main Street is Uncle Leo's barn with various farm animals. This venue never fails to delight. However, low light can be problematic so switch to manual mode The Judge William P. Clark Livestock Center is just a little further down Main Street. Later on the livestock barn will swell with animals raised by the youth of 4-H, Grange and Future Farmers of America (FFA). More interesting photo ops. Are you getting the picture... so to speak? The midway offers many opportunities for creative photos. The roller coaster for one example, shoot in Tv (shutter priority) mode. Increase the shutter speed to 1/250th of a second or faster for stop-action photos. Decrease the shutter speed to 1/20th of a second to create blur to represent a speedy ride. Pan - follow the ride - and shoot at the desired time. Note that we are choosing how we wish to “create” a photograph. We're not just taking snapshots!!! Right? In every instance it's important to F.A.R.T first! (refer to last week’s column for details) Survey the ride... decide how to shoot it as you see it in your mind... and program the camera accordingly. Think composition, and frame your shot accordingly! The creative aspect is what makes photography such a captivating endeavor that snap-shot phonetographers are not likely to experience. Just sayin'. Night time photography can be frustrating. The bright lights play havoc with the camera's exposure meter. Get intimate with exposure compensation. Take a test shot... chimp... and adjust for proper exposure. Hint, a tripod makes night shooting less frustrating. But don't be afraid to shoot many photos adjusting your camera settings as you shoot. Back at home, it costs nothing to delete all the crap. Getting crap simply means that I took a test shot and made needed adjustments to get the... ahem... perfectly exposed photo. (Another secret revealed... at no extra charge!) Main Street, exhibitions, the midway rides and games, entertainment, farm animals, food... there's something for everybody! Oh, and the last weekend... the Rodeo! Always “exciting” photo ops!!! See fillmoregazette.com for inspiration and ideas for photographing the Fair. Go! Be creative! Most of all, ENJOY! See you there! Happy photoing! Send comments, questions or suggestions to bob@fillmoregazette.com |
