It was a dark and starry night.  Although the moon was just past full, it would not rise above the horizon until almost midnight.  In the darkness, sporadic firefly flashes were being drowned out by a group of amateur photographers wielding spot lights in a “Painting with Light” experiment.  The photographers were the members of Associated Photographers of Lake Oconee (APLO) which is a local amateur photo club.  The subjects were a covered bridge on the Jackie and Doug Askew farm on Highway 278 and a beautifully restored 1961 Corvette owned by Barney Ross.

“Painting with Light” is a photographic technique where a subject is posed in total darkness and then parts of the subject are selectively illuminated for emphasis.  Using this technique either one photograph with a long exposure is taken where a light source is moved around the subject or each part of the subject is illuminated and photographed separately and then all the separate images are combined into one.  In the combined photograph, the selective parts appear highlighted and emphasized whereas with a photograph done with overall illumination the subject would most likely be seen as a “whole”.

Several club members met recently at the Askew farm to experiment with this technique.  Very early in the evening while the sun was high in the sky they warmed up their cameras shooting pictures of the red barn, old trucks, even themselves.  An hour or so before sunset, they gathered at the back of the farm to set up their cameras and tripods, position their lights and stage the subjects.  The covered bridge on the Askew farm was the perfect background and the Corvette convertible volunteered by Barney Ross was a great subject.  Jackie Askew was present as a spectator and she was treated to a Chinese fire drill as club members struggled to figure out where to set up their tripods and spotlights before it became too dark to see anything.  Finally about 10:00 PM, the stage was set and the shooting began.

It was close to midnight while the members were packing up their equipment when everyone was startled by an apparition in the darkness.  A strange ghost-like creature was seen streaking through the site.  One member captured the creature in a photograph.  Antonio calmed everyone down saying that he has seen this creature before and it was harmless.  Antonio explained that the spirit had apparently followed him home after one of his recent trips to Bolivia.  In Bolivia this creature appears quite frequently and is a part of local lore.  Among local Bolivian Indians this mythological creature is call a Kusillo.APLO is a local photo club for amateur photographers who are serious about having fun and interested in learning how to take better photographs.  Monthly meetings are held on the third Thursday at The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton.  Meetings are informal and usually include a speaker.  At each meeting a subject is assigned for photographing during the following month.  During the meetings member photographs are shown on a screen for discussion.  It is a learning experience that is entertaining at the same time.  Periodic field trips are organized for fun and to improve photography skills.  In addition to learning, the meetings and field trips provide the opportunity for social interaction with people sharing a common interest in photography.If you are a shutterbug at heart, you would enjoy this group. Check out their website: http://apol.directra.com/rog/view/538. If you have questions about the club, you can contact them using the club’s email address: APLO2010@aol.com.