Bob Crum

Photo by Bob Crum
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I should know better but... sometimes even I miscalculate. You'll see.

I received an email from Sespe Creek Mermaid Chantel telling me that she was swimming in from Hawaii and appearing at the Ventura Harbor Village on the 11th. Beautiful as ever and I could tell from the unmistakable aroma of her breath that she enjoyed a lunch of sardines and anchovies. Indeed.

In line were dozens of children waiting to chat with Mermaid Chantel. The Village put her in cramped quarters severely limiting a shooting position. My miscalculation? I had the 18-135mm STM lens on the camera because, please note, I planned to shoot video later. But for such close quarters, the 16-300mm lens would have been better. The difference between 16 & 18mm at the wide-angle end in such situations is often significant.

Though I had my camera bag, a great photo op was happening right then and there upon my arrival. I was ready to shoot but no time to change lenses. Rule #47: A photo op never waits for a photographer! Get some photos any way possible or go home. Going home not an option.

Did you know that mermaids are such fashionistas... seaweed-green tails are 'in' this year along with lovely tops of Tahiti beach sea shells. Very interesting.

Back to business. You now know that I have just five zoom lenses. They also work very well for all my beloved outdoor photography. To enhance landscape and nature photography, I often use a screw-on polarizing filter to reduce glare and/or enhance color. On occasion, for creative affects, I also use neutral density (ND) filters of varying strengths... screw-on types as well as slide-in 4” X 6” NDs in a Lee holder. You are listening, I hope.

Here's another mistake I made once. Not all lenses are suited for outdoor photography. Bought a zoom lens whereby the front element turned when zooming. Mount a circular polarizing filter and every time you adjust the zoom to adjust for composition, you have to readjust the filter. #Frustrating. Immediately sold that clunker.

Another issue is that all of my lenses require a different size screw-on filter. #Expensive! One size fits all is the cheap alternative. My Tokina ultra-wide 11-16mm lens requires the largest size filter of 77mm. So, all my screw-on filters are 77mm. For the lenses that require smaller filter sizes, I bought cheap step-down, or if you prefer, step-up rings. Thus, for about $32.00 for four adapter rings I can use all of my 77mm filters on ALL of my lenses saving me hundreds of dollars. I like frugal... not to mention the extra money with which to... ahem... wine and dine mermaids.

As you might imagine, mermaids need a minimum amount of water to frolic in. Lacking a snow pack on Ojai's Topa Topa Mountains (again!), there's no chance of a spring melt sufficiently filling Sespe creek. So, the infamous Sespe Creek mermaids can't return to Fillmore this spring. So sad! Wait... what if..... hmmm... I might have a plan. Stay tuned.

Ariel fans, take note. You know, Ariel, the mermaid princess who makes a bargain with an unscrupulous sea-witch in order to meet a human prince on land. Well, not Ariel herself but a look alike will appear this Saturday, 3/18, 1-4 PM at the Ventura Harbor Village. Very cool!

Happy photoing.

Email comments, suggestions or questions to bob@fillmoregazette.com

The Board of Trustees recognized the Fillmore Lions Club for their support of students, staff, and the district community. The Fillmore Lions Club was chartered almost 90 years ago in August 1927. During the last five years
they have averaged over $8,000 per year in monetary donations to directly benefit our students. Some of the activities the Lions Club has supported are; Band, Drama, Art Show, Athletic Booster, Student Speaker Contest, Peace Poster Contest, College Scholarships, Elementary PTA, Leo Club, Mock Trial and others. The Lions Club has donated over one-third of their spending budget the last five years to school activities.
Thank you Fillmore Lions Club!

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced on March 2, 2017 that David Joseph Wirsing of Ventura pleaded guilty to conspiracy to impede enforcement by Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) Official, a felony offense.

Wirsing was the former transportation manager for Santa Clara Waste Water Company (“SCWWC”) located at 815 Mission
Rock Road in Santa Paula. He was indicted for his role in events leading up to an explosion that occurred on November 18, 2014, at the SCWWC facility. In July 2014, Wirsing and others at SCWWC negotiated a lease for an off-site storage yard located near Palm Avenue in Santa Paula. Wirsing’s indictment and guilty plea reflect his role in moving chemicals from the SCWWC plant to this offsite storage yard just prior to CUPA officials arriving to conduct inspections.

Wirsing is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:00 a.m. on August 28, 2017. It is expected that Wirsing will be placed on formal probation and face a maximum of 365 days in local custody.

Ari Larson from the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce presented the Greenfield Care Center of Fillmore their chamber
membership plaque. Greenfield will be offering Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training in the near future. They are situated at 118 B St. in Fillmore. For more information contact: Business Development Manager-Sandra Smith 805.524.5250

Fillmore Civic Pride and Theresa Reese partnered to donate a nice wood bench for the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley (Fillmore site) to complete the large Ventura County Garden Club plant and garden donation. “The kids are doing a great job keeping the plants healthy. With the addition of the bench, they will be able to further enjoy the pretty garden,” stated Ari Larson Board President of the BGC of SCV. For more information on the Boys & Girls Club of SCV (serving the areas of Fillmore, Piru and Santa Paula) call 805.525.7910. For information on Fillmore Civic Pride or the VC Garden Club call 805.794.7590.

Bob Crum

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As I go lightly into lenses, a caveat: There is not much here of interest this week if your camera is a point-and-shoot type with a fixed lens. But if I've got you so excited about photography that you're ready to step up to a dSLR interchangeable lens camera, pour some tea and let me entertain you!

There are essentially five types: Standard zoom, super telephoto, wide angle, macro and prime. Also various levels of quality within each class.

Prime lenses have a fixed focal length. Because they don't have moving parts they generally produce higher quality photos. But primes are not always the best choice. You, or the subject, has to move in order to fill the frame meaning your feet do the zooming. That's not quite doable while shooting a mountain goat from a cliff edge.

There are standard zooms and super telephoto zooms. Standard zooms like a 24-70mm are considered walk around lenses. Super zooms range from 55-200 and 150-600mm. I have photos of mermaids on Venus shot with a super zoom. But I digress. Note that I would not own a telephoto zoom lens that didn't have image stabilization (IS).

A popular lens category is wide angle. The smaller the number for focal length, the wider, i.e., 15mm is super wide. Any wider is considered a fish-eye lens. Macro lenses discussed another time.

I own only five lenses which are: Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, Tamron SP 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD, Tamron 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD and a Tokina ultra wide AT-X 116 PRO DX, 11-16 F2.8. All have IS except the Tokina. I use my Tokina lens a lot for landscapes. The 18-135 works well for my Sespe Creek mermaid boudoir photography.

Good as they are, I don't own a prime lens. Because of the challenges of photojournalism, i.e., nothing is within my control except my camera, I have to have the flexibility of zoom lenses. Lenses are tools and your specific needs (and budget) should dictate the best lens for the job.

Canon and Nikon are the lens behemoths but there are many great third party lenses. Tamron, Sigma and Tokina produce quality lenses of great value and often fill a void left by the big two.

Budget wise, a general rule is when funds are tight buy the best quality lens you can afford. A quality lens will generally outlast 2 or 3 camera upgrades. However, my lens collection does not include of top-of-the line lenses. Call me frugal if you will, but I'm about value. If a lens is reasonably well built, produces quality images and reasonably affordable, it has a place in my camera bag.

When not sure about one lens vs another, rent them first. When I shoot an air show, I rent a Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II. A great lens that costs $2,200.00. A tad too much to spend for a lens I use only 4-5 times a year. Rent to try then buy it if you like it.

Also, research before you buy. There are many reputable websites that test photography gear. After checking a few websites, you'll know whether or not the questionable lens will fulfill your expectations and needs. BTW, all lens have some distortion of some type. Most times not noticeable so don't obsess about it.

When you buy a new lens, please don't buy and use a cheap "UV" protective filter. It will not only degrade your photos, they're useless for digital cameras. Secret: I have “clear” glass protective filters on all of my lenses.
Happy photoing!

Email comments, suggestions or questions to: bob@fillmoregazette.com

Hello all FHS Alumni.
Many classes are having a class reunion this year. Just to mention a few, we have the class of ’67 (50th), ’72, ’77, ’82, ’87, ’92, and ’97. If you’re in any of these classes, or even if you’re not, please email the Alumni Association and give us your current mailing address. Some classes are mailing out flyers containing specific information about their class reunion and if you haven’t updated your mailing address, you won’t receive the information. Email the Alumni Association at staff@fillmorehighalumni.com including your name as you were known in high school, and your class year.
Thank You,
Mark Ortega,
FHS Alumni President

The cause of the Sunday morning fire at the Christian Evangelical Church has been determined to be accidental. The pre-dawn fire started near its heating unit and quickly set the steeple in flames. The steeple and bell crashed directly down into the main body of the church. The church itself was a total loss.