2017 Central Florida Fall Arts and Crafts Events

Written by Nathan Wertheimer

Orlando, FL – The Fall season of art and crafts shows has already begun. Central Florida has some great art shows around. These shows are a great way to met the artist and get to know personally before you buy one or more of his or her works of art. All of these art shows are free to browse with no obligation to buy any of their artwork. Most of the artists make their living selling their works of art. Help support your local fine arts community.

Before going to one of these art shows it is recommended to plan your day right. Start by checking out the website of the art show you’re visiting. They will have important information such as available parking areas, artists, map of event, and vendors.

Once arriving at any numbers of art shows, Saturday’s are one of the best days to buy work of art early because the artist is showcasing their best work on display for the judges. While your looking around, you might spot a judging committee walking around too by visiting all the artists’ booths with their work. These judges have been hand picked by the art show committee. Many of these judges have an art background in education, gallery owners, and art career.

Here are some tips on looking for artwork at any art show. Before buying any artwork you must extremely love the artists work. There are no returns if you don’t like it. Most of the artwork is one of a kind, which is rare to find reproductions at an art show. There are small works of art that are reproductions such as postcards, photos, and prints. Many of the works range from $5.00 and the up thousands of dollars. When purchasing works of art most professional artist take credit cards. Just look for the credit logos hanging around the artist’s cash register.

Here is a list art show with dates and websites:

Artlando 2017 at Loch Haven Park in Orlando, September 30, 2017.
http://artlando.com/

Winter Park Autumn Art Festival, October 14 & 15, 2017.
http://winterpark.org/events-programs/winter-park-autumn-art-festival/

Winter Springs Artober Fest, October 21 & 22, 2017.
http://www.wsfota.org/

Mount Dora Craft Fair, Downtown Mt. Dora, October 28 & 29, 2017
https://mountdoracraftfair.com/

Fall Fiesta in the Park at Lake Eola, November 4 & 5, 2017
www.fiestainthepark.com/

Halifax Art Festival, River Front Park, Daytona, November 4 & 5, 2017
http://halifaxartfestival.com/

Art Underneath the Stars – Maitland, November 10-12, 2017.
http://www.maitlandrotaryartfestival.com/

Deland Fall Festival of the Arts, November 18 & 19, 2017
http://delandfallfestival.com/

Winter Park Village Thanksgiving Weekend Craft Festival, TBA (Possibly on Thanksgiving Weekend of 2017)
http://www.artfestival.com/festivals/winter-park-village-florida-craft-festival

Photo Tip Series – Photographing 4th of July Fireworks

Written by Nathan Wertheimer

The next Photo Tip Series I will be writing about is photographing 4^th of July Fireworks. This is one day out of the year that we celebrate our independence in America. Many people love to view theses colorful fireworks in the sky and why not capture the memories through your photos.

First, check your local listings to see who has a large fireworks display. In Central Florida we have quite a few. I recommend checking one of these fireworks display at either Fireworks at the Fountain at Lake Eola Park, Kissimmee Lake Front Fireworks, Star Spangled Sanford, and Altamonte’s Red Hot & Boom – at Cranes Roost Park. Please pack your patience because of traffic and parks will be very crowded at many of these venues.

Next, check and clean your camera gear the day before attending a fireworks events. One needs to have their gear in top shape with freshly charged batteries and along with extra flash disk cards with you. These are some of the items to bring to a fireworks display such as a backpack with one SLR Camera, wide angle lens such as a 18-50mm lens or a 28-300mm lens, cable release, tripod, (3) orange cones, umbrellas/poncho, few cold bottled drinks, a snack, and a folding chair. Then your all set.

Plan to arrive early to one of these many 4^th of July Fireworks displays. It is recommended to arrive 3-4 hours before the event takes place. Try to stay cool and dry before the fireworks are launched into the sky. Once at the event location plan and scope out the best area the fireworks will be launched from. Some places I have photographed from are top decks of parking garages close to the venue, a high-rise apartment building balcony, a building’s roof top, on the dock of the lake (sometimes not permitted), on the edge of the lake. The goal is to come up with a creative way to capture the fireworks. Once you find a great place camp out until the event starts. Bring someone to do while waiting around such as a tablet, book, and or a video game.

There are many articles out there on how to photograph 4^th of July Fireworks displays. This is not an exact science because of many factors. These factors are the location, the amount of light the fireworks give off, the ISO setting, Shutter speed, and aperture. Here are some brief guidelines. First always have the camera on a tripod for long exposure images such as for fireworks display. Stay free and clear not to shake the tripod. One will use a cable release, which is a must to capture the long exposure photos. Place orange cones around the tripod to keep people way so they don’t knock into it. If there is a lot of wind put your backpack underneath the tripod hanging to weigh it down.

Once you’re all set-up, closer to the time of the fireworks being launch, take some test shoots. This is a trial and error type of photography. Be aware that the fireworks may put out a bunch of light. Not as bright as the daytime. Make sure you compose your field of view ahead of time. Some setting to photograph are the aperture between F8 – F16 and shutter speed will vary on the setting of blub – 1/100. Many other articles will try to get you the exact settings but this is not accurate because there are many factors. Each location is going to be different.

During the fireworks display, one may have to shift the camera to the direction of the fireworks. It will be too late to change locations. Just make the best of it. Plus, adjust both the aperture and shutter speed on the camera. Other things to look for is the wind direction because if you’re very close to the fireworks launch area they’re maybe some heavy smoke in your direction. The fireworks may look dull through the smoke.

After the fireworks is the fun part by making sure one has everything like your tripod, camera, backpack, etc. One does not want to leave anything behind. Now everyone will be walking back to your vehicle to leave and sitting in heavy traffic for a while. Just wait 1 hour to 2 hours before leaving. It is a good idea to bring a laptop with you then you can start color correcting the photos to be published on your social media accounts right away. Many people like instant action of today’s fun events.

Most people will work on post-production color correcting photos at home. It does matter how you color correcting your photos from either Photoshop, Light Room, or any other so photo touch up software. After color correction share your photos on your social media accounts. People love to view great photos of the holiday. One will need to post just a few as soon as one can. The longer you hold off to publish the photos fewer people will want to view your holiday photos.

I wish everyone happy photography to you. Thank you for reading this Photo Tip Series and check back again for some more Photography Tips Series in the near future. If you like this article, then like it on our Otownfun WordPress account. For more great events and places please check us out at www.otownfun.com .

Note: All written content and images are copy righted by either by the person and or company who wrote and photograph published for this article. Any questions please contact Otownfunnow@gmail.com .

 

Casselberry Art House Review

Written by Nathan Wertheimer

Casselberry is a small town in Seminole County, which is Northeast of Downtown Orlando. The Art House is owned and managed by the City of Casselberry. What makes the Art House unique is the art exhibits, art classes, lectures, and much more.

The Art House is easy to get to. They are located at 127 Quail Pond right near Casselberry City Hall off of State Highway 17-92. Just look for the colorful art deco style house. There is plenty of free parking nearby. They are open Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm.

There is a lot of history behind the Art House. The city opened the Art House in 2002. With the 2,500 square feet of space, the city wanted to use the space for many functions. The house is nestled in a quiet, park-like setting on Lake Concord, the Casselberry Art House continues to provide a wonderful opportunity for residents, Central Florida businesses and other organizations to enjoy and appreciate art.

Throughout the year the Art House has many different types of art exhibits. Many of the art exhibits are from professionals to amateur artists. These art exhibits are free to view. Some art exhibits have 80 – 100 pieces on the wall along with sculpture works as well.

One can even take an art class for fifty dollars for a six-week class. This is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to be an artist and learning the craft of creating a masterpiece. The Art House offers oil paining, watercolor painting, drawing, and much more. To register for a class go to https://apm.activecommunities.com/casselberryparksandrec/Home

For more information on the Casselberry Art House go to http://www.casselberry.org/index.aspx?NID=338 . If you like this article, then like it on our Otownfun WordPress account. For more great events and places please check us out at www.otownfun.com .

Note: All written content and images are copy righted by either by the person and or company who wrote and photograph published for this article. Any questions please contact Otownfunnow@gmail.com .

 

 

Featured Photo of the Month – May

Photo taken by Nathan Wertheimer, Photojournalist

​This photo was taken at 2017 Florida Music Festival & Conference in Orlando. The guitarist featured in this photo was from the band Chase The Jaguar at Wall Street Plaza. I photograph this individual from the left side of the stage. There was not any luck in taking this photo, but some time and patience when the guitarist moved into the right position.  As it turned out, a gust of wind blew his hair back coming from the front of the stage at the right moment. One will notice the dramatic lights positioned in front and back of the stage hitting the guitarist just right. This is one of my favorite photos from this year’s Florida Music Festival.

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Photojournalist Nathan Wertheimer will showcase his photos at Casselberry City Hall

Photo courtesy from icflorida.com by Nathan Wertheimer

“Photography is more than just art.” – Nathan Wertheimer, 2017

(Seminole County – May 24, 2017) Casselberry City Hall is having another quarterly art exhibit featuring Photojournalist Nathan Wertheimer along with a few other artists on May 29, on view until July 27, 2017. The Casselberry City Hall art exhibit is open during regular business hours Monday thru Thursday. Wertheimer was previously invited back in 2015 will once again invited to participate in this year’s art exhibit in Casselberry. He will feature his 24-framed color 8×10 photographs of cars and various music concerts. This art exhibit is theme around the Rock N Blues Concert and Car Show, which is being held on May 29, 2017, from 5pm – 9pm, at Lake Concord Park. Come meet Wertheimer at this event.

There will be a mixture of color photographs showcasing Wertheimer’s work on the walls at Casselberry City Hall. Viewers will see some local music concerts along with car show photos too. Here are a few samples of some of Wertheimer’s music concerts photographs from Vince Neil, The Blues Traveler, Craig Chaquico, and much more. These photos will bring the viewer closer to the music stage filled with energy and excitement. Besides music concerts there will be hot rods, classic cars, and vintage cars photos from various car shows from around Central Florida area. Some of the featured car shows sample photos are of the Batmobile®, VW Bugs, c1967 Blue Chevy Nova Custom, and much more.

Photo courtesy from icflorida.com by Nathan Wertheimer

About Wertheimer
Wertheimer has always had a passion for photography. As a kid, he was always looking through pages of magazines, books, and newspapers, and he was captivated by the wonderful world of photography.

Wertheimer very first camera was a Kodak Disc 3100, given to him on his birthday. From that point forward, he always had a camera with him. In high school, he was a yearbook photographer, capturing the great photo moments at his institution. Those photos still live on.

After high school, he attended Seminole Community College, which is now Seminole State College. One of his first college courses he chose was PGY Photo 1. That class expanded his knowledge and skills and knew he wanted to learn more. While in college, he became a freelance photojournalist for the college newspaper covering many fun, college-related events.

After he graduated Seminole State College, he transferred to Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, to work on his B.A Degree in Graphic Design, with a minor in Fine Arts and Illustration. While at Flagler, he was a staff photojournalist for the college newspaper covering sporting events to special features. After he graduated from Flagler College, he went into the commercial art field to hone his skills as a designer. With some of my free time, he did a home study program from Penn Foster Career School and graduated with a Career Diploma in Photography.

His drive in photography did not stop there. Once he transitioned from being a graphic designer to becoming a school portrait photographer for a while. Then he got his big break by working as a photographer and designer. After leaving the design field for a while, he still had the itch to continue his personal photography at various events throughout Central Florida.

While doing his personal photography, he was noticed by one of the staff members of WFTV Channel 9 and icFlorida.com for his wonderful images. From then on he has been a freelance photojournalist for icFlorida.com. Plus, he own and manages otownfun.com since 2015.

One will never know where he’ll show up next in the Central Florida area. Just look for the guy with two DSLR cameras on a shoulder harness, wearing a fanny pack, kneepads, and a bonnie hat, and that’s likely him on assignment. Look for more of his photos on www.icflorida.com and www.otownfun.com ,

One fun fact about Wertheimer is that he has a distant relative, Alford Wertheimer (born Nov. 16, 1929 & died on Dec. 19, 2014); he was a famous photojournalist for his work in concert photography. He also photographed numerous celebrities throughout his life. One of Senior Wertheimer’s famous photos he captured was of singer Elvis Presley. Younger Wertheimer also would wants to become a great photographer and follow in his footsteps.

“The camera is only a tool. One must have a great eye for capturing the moments! My work will live on through my photographs.” – Nathan Wertheimer.

For more information contact Nathan Wertheimer directly at otownfunnow@gmail.com
If you like this article, then like it on our Otownfun WordPress account. For more great events and places please check us out at www.otownfun.com .

Note: All written content and images are copy righted by either by the person and or company who wrote and photograph published for this article. Any questions please contact Otownfunnow@gmail.com .

Photo Tip Series – Photographing a Memorial Day Parade

Written by Nathan Wertheimer

The next Photo Tip Series I will be writing about is Memorial Day parade photography. There are many Memorial Day parades throughout the United States each year in the month of May. Check your local listings to find one in your area. In Central Florida, we have a few Memorial Day parades in Orlando, Sanford, and Kissimmee. Come out and support our veterans and remember the fallen that have died for our country.

Don’t forget to check your personal photo gear the day before a Memorial Day Parade. It is recommended to charge your camera batteries that are ready to go. Some amateur photographers are wondering what type of lenses to bring? I suggest bring an assortment of lenses with you to the parade. One can choose to bring from 18-55mm lens, 55-200mm, and or a 70-300mm lens that will work. If you have an all-around general-purpose lens such as the 28-300mm lens this will work because one will not have to change lenses during the parade. Make sure your camera and lenses are clean. Plus, bring a Speedlight flash for moments in the shade.

While at home one must pre-plan photographing a parade. Here is what to look for. One must anticipate where the sun is positioned in the sky this depends on the time of day. Most of the time the sun will almost peak overhead. One should not to be shooting facing the sun. This will cause people and vehicle to look dark with the background over lit. Overcast days are great to capturing a parade. Next, try finding a great spot to view the parade from the sidewalk curb. Don’t forget to bring a folding chair or blanket to sit on.

Plan to arrive early on the day of the Memorial Day parade to photograph some of the set-up preparation before the parade. Plus, you’ll find a great parking space too. This is the time to great some great portraits of the participants on these wonderful floats, military vehicles, and much more while they set up. Most parade participants are usually waiting around before the parade starts. This is a great opportunity to get these shots. One will not be able to capture everything in a parade. Take this moment to get the close up shots of people, military vehicles, and floats, in the staging area. Once the parade is over many people, military vehicle, and floats, will disperse and head for home leaving you no chance of taking photos of subjects.

During the parade, one will capture a lot of images. One will want to take a variety of shoots such as wide angles of the floats and background together, get some tight shoots of people having a great time. It is ok to put your camera on auto mode if your not comfortable with shooting fast. Your shutter speed should not be low but in the 500 – 1000 + will work. A low shutter speed will have people and vehicle blurred. I recommend keeping the auto focus on because it is hard to manual focus during the parade. The f-stop range will be f6.3 – f8. Some photographers like to photograph f2.8 – f4 that has an out of focus backgrounds with their subject. The depth of field will be short on the person and or vehicle if using a low f-stop. Another thing to consider is the ISO with the lighting conditions. You may want to adjust accordingly. Another thing to keep in mind is the pace of the parade. This depends on the pedestrian walking along with the moving vehicles. At times, I have seen floats tailgate each other, which is not a good thing. It is not wise to jump out into the street to get a photo in action. This could injury someone else and or to yourself.

One may notice some photojournalists taking photos in the middle of the street on the parade route. As a photojournalist, we are given the courtesy to allow getting the shoots what we need to cover this parade while on assignment. Please allow us to do our work. Law Enforcement is working a parade and is watching for unauthorized people stopping the flow of the parade. Law Enforcement may even ask you to leave if you are causing a problem or scene, which will end your day of fun.

In past years of a parade, anything can happen. I have seen a vehicle stalling with smoking underneath the hood while trying to move down the parade route. Eventually, the driver had to move the vehicle off the parade route and let the parade continue. This is a great photo moment when anything can happen. If something doesn’t look right, say something to Law Enforcement. Always keep your safety in mind.

At the Sanford Memorial Day Parade, this event is one of the larger events in Central Florida. I photograph this parade almost every year. What is neat about this parade is that the parade route goes through 1^st Street in the middle of the Downtown area. Sanford’s parade route starts on east 1^st Street by Fort Mellon Park and moves west on 1^st Street to Park avenue then takes a right down on Park Avenue down to the Riverfront Park Memorial area. At the end of the parade route, Sanford has another event following the parade called the Sanford Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony. Everyone is welcome to attend this event. One may even get a chance to see the Tuskegee Airman. Which are only a few left living. After the ceremony anyone is able to meet and greet the many dignitaries on hand.

Post Memorial Day Parade photo processing is a challenge. One must decide what to color correct. Not all the photos you took will turn out great. I suggest posting your best photos of the Memorial Day Parade on your social media accounts. Some people will like them and post comments too.

I wish everyone happy photography to you. Thank you for reading this Photo Tip Series and check back again for some more Photography Tips Series in the future. If you like this article, then like it on our Otownfun WordPress account. For more great events and places please check us out at www.otownfun.com .

Note: All written content and images are copy righted by either by the person and or company who wrote and photograph published for this article. Any questions please contact Otownfunnow@gmail.com .

 

Photo Tip Series – Photographing Car Shows

Written by Nathan Wertheimer

The next Photo Tip Series I will be writing about is car shows photography. Car shows photography is an easy experience. Most of the cars are parked objects in a car show. What makes a car show exciting is the variety of photograph techniques one can use.

First, check your local listing for a car show. Most car shows are on the weekends and on some holidays too. In the area I live in there is usually a weekly a car show on the weekends. Check out www.cruisinorlando.com . You’ll want to photograph on a clear day or night. Check your local weather forecast. Some car shows may be cancelled due to inclement weather. Most car shows are free for attendees. While people who display their vehicle pays a fee.

What types of equipment should one bring? I suggest bring a variety of lenses. One will need a wide angle to get the three- quarter turn of the vehicle. A telephoto lens is great for abstract with out of focus backgrounds and vehicle ornaments. Some of my favorite lenses to bring to a car show is a 12-24mm wide-angle lens, a 24-70mm telephoto lens, and 70-300mm lens. If you just have just one lens you’ll be fine. Just make the most out of your lens or lenses. No, one should not need to bring the big fancy lenses to a car show. One does not need them to take great images. For nighttime car photography I recommend bring a sturdy tripod and cable release and or remote. This helps stabilize the camera long exposures. If you don’t have a cable release, don’t won’t worry one can use the 30-second timer in the camera menu. Another item to bring is some kneepads so one get down and dirty on the hot pavement.

Once you are at the car show, walk around and see if a vehicle catches your eye. One will notice that some vehicles are well kept and others are just a piece of junk. It does not matter what you photograph. There are no rules in photography. Just go for it. One never knows what images one capture and review at the end of the day.

I find photographing car and trucks arriving to a car show is quite fun. One never knows what will show up for a show. Many car owners love having their car photograph with them inside the vehicle while driving. The average person does not take these types of photos. To accomplish this task, one will be photographing at a high shutter speed. One will have to find a spot to position one’s self where the vehicles look their best while driving onto the car show property. Don’t forget to account for background in your photo too. Other things to take into account your photo are daytime lighting and background distractions.

If I spot a car and or truck I like, I take multi-angles of a vehicle. I recommend taking a variety of shots that include a bird’s eye shots, ground up shots, and normal standing shots. Also, bracket your shots on the one vehicle. You might be wondering what bracket is. It means taking various f-stops and shutter speeds of the same angle of the subject matter. When one gets home one will be able select the best one’s out to print or share on the web.

When coming across a vehicle with it’s hood open, never touch anyone’s vehicle without permission. Ask the owner of the vehicle if they would be so kind to place the hood in the down position so you can take a photo of it. I tend not to photograph a vehicle with the hood left open in the up position. It does not look normal in a photo unless it is in an auto garage being worked on.

Interior car photography is a challenge because it is sometimes dark. To get around some of the lighting issues either use a flash and or bump your ISO at a high film speed. Just reminder the higher the ISO the more grain you’ll get in your photos. To reduce the grain, put your camera on a tripod and photograph with a very low shutter speed and low ISO.

A car show promoter frowns upon anyone wanted sell their car show photos. Unless you have permission to sell your car show photos from that event I would recommend not doing it. The car show event promoter could ban one from his or her event. It is ok to post your great car show photos on your social media accounts. This is what helps the car show promoter help attract new vehicle owners and attendees to future car shows

I wish everyone happy photography to you. Thank you for reading this Photo Tip Series and check back again for some more Photography Tips Series in the future. If you like this article, then like it on our Otownfun WordPress account. For more great events and places please check us out at www.otownfun.com .

Note: All written content and images are copy righted by either by the person and or company who wrote and photograph published for this article. Any questions please contact Otownfunnow@gmail.com .