In Focus: November 1 - 14
This twice monthly list of OPCC events, reminders, and news is compiled by Lori Moilanen. Please send information on upcoming events, news items, and corrections to opcc4mail@gmail.com. This newsletter is currently published twice monthly on Sunday evenings in advance of our first and third Thursday meetings. The deadline for new submissions for the next newsletter is Friday November 12.
MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER
With Sally M. Harris
Norman Hunter approaches photography from a mixed perspective. He wants a beautiful photo that conveys a lot of information about the scene or subject; a mix of the artistic and scientific.
Norman started photographing flowers and landscapes thirty years ago with a Canon SLR and slide film. He progressed to digital, and now uses an Olympus system with wide angle, telephoto, and macro lenses. He also uses a Canon EOSR with macro, telephoto, and general-purpose lenses. His main subject is flora. For a given plant species, he shoots both macro and habitat to aid in its identification and environment.
“Photography is a long-term interest,” says Norman. He’s photographed over 1000 different species of plants while living in the Southwest, and now wants to document Northwest flora.
Following his move to Sequim in 2016 from New Mexico, he’s been busy with part time work. He’s now getting back into nature photography with thoughts on plant, bird, weather, and geology photos. He recently began recording time-lapse weather photos from his great view on Bell Hill looking north.
Norman grew up in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1950s. He graduated from Mississippi State University in Electrical Engineering in 1964 and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico as a new employee at Sandia National Laboratories. From 1964 to 2003, he lived in New Mexico and worked at both Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories.
“While engineering has been my career, I have strong interests in natural history and the outdoors,” says Norman. “I’ve been on hundreds of hiking and backpacking journeys in the Southwest and a few trips on the Olympic Peninsula. I climbed all the fourteen-thousand-foot peaks in Colorado and Mt. Rainier."
Norman’s been a member of OPCC for four months. He learned about the club from his wife, Earlene, who saw a reference to the club on the internet. He finds the club fantastic, and plans to be more active as time goes on.
WEBSITE QUICK LINKS
Looking For A Frequently-Used Location On The OPCC Website? Click on the Quick Links Below!
PUBLIC
MEMBERS ONLY
Share Night Image Submission Instructions
Education Night Videos and Handouts
NEWS
Quote of the Week
“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” - Paul Caponigro
Reminder - November 4 Share Night Live Image Review with Special Guest Rod Barbee. Thursday November 4 at 6:00 PM via Zoom.
Join special guest Rod Barbee for a workshop-style critique session that will offer suggestions for improving your images. This includes compositional and lighting choices, as well as tips on post processing in Lightroom.
Rod Barbee is a professional photographer, writer, and instructor from Port Ludlow WA. He's been a regular contributor to Outdoor Photographer magazine and other publications.
Throughout the year, Rod leads and co-leads photo workshops across the country. He has taught with such well known photographers as David Middleton, Cliff Zenor, David Muench, Jack Dykinga, John Barclay and Don Mammoser. A gifted and enthusiastic field instructor, he likes nothing more than sharing his knowledge and ideas.
For more information visit the Share Night event page by clicking HERE. Use the OPCC Member Share Night Zoom Code to access this meeting.
Submit Your Images for the Autumn WOW!!! Competition by November 11
The shooting period for the first annual OPCC WOW!!! photo competition has ended. Now it’s time to submit your images. Submission deadline for your photos is November 11, 2021. A maximum of 2 photos may be submitted by each OPCC member. For competition rules and full details on sizing, naming, and submitting your photos visit the OPCC Competition webpage by clicking HERE. For questions contact OPCC Competition Chair Peggy McClure (opcc.competition@gmail.com).
Field Trip Report - An Autumnal Walk Along the Morse Creek Trestle Trail
All-Weather Ellen Bogenschutz, our incoming 2022 Field Trip Chair, promised to lead a field trip for fall color photography along the Morse Creek Trestle section of the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) come rain or shine. Fortunately the rain held off and participants were able to capture photos of fall color, the creek bed under the trestle bridge, the canopy of large leaf maples along the trail to the Port Angeles Harbor shore line, and a variety of shots at the beach. View a selection of images in the field trip gallery by clicking HERE.
In Memoriam: OPCC Member George Suhr
George Suhr, husband of OPCC member Lewis Bennett, passed away on October 19 from metastatic cancer. Lewis credits George with encouraging him to take up digital photography. George loved travel, and Lewis has shared some lovely images with the club from their worldwide travels together. Our thoughts are with Lewis at this difficult time.
November Education Night Speaker Announced
Sequim wildlife and nature hotographer Cindy Fullwiler will speak on the topic of Fine Tuning Your Wildlife/Nature Photography on Thursday November 18 at 6:00 PM via Zoom.
Great photographs are more about the photographer than what's in the camera bag. In this talk, Cindy will share tips for how to take stunning nature images on a moderate budget without expensive gear. She’ll also share her field strategies, plus where to find birds and wildlife as well as best seasons to photograph them. Visit the event webpage for full details by clicking HERE.
COMING UP THIS WEEK AND NEXT
Member Share Night Live Image Review with Special Guest Rod Barbee. Thursday November 4 at 6:00 PM via Zoom.
For more information visit the Share Night event page by clicking HERE. Use the OPCC Member Share Night Zoom Code to access this meeting. The Zoom code is available on the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage.
Deadline for Submitting OPCC Autumn WOW!!! Competition Photos. November 11 at 11:00 PM.
For competition rules and full details on sizing, naming, and submitting your photos visit the OPCC Competition webpage by clicking HERE.
THE BASICS - Tips for Learning New Photography Skills
Understanding Digital Camera Shooting Modes
The last issue of In Focus addressed the “Exposure Triangle”, an analogy frequently used to describe the interrelationship among aperture, shutter speed, and sensitivity (ISO) when determining the proper exposure for an image. This time, the topic is Digital Camera Modes or “Shooting Modes", which refer to the options on your camera for controlling these parameters. Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras offer the choice of a fully automatic mode and a fully manual mode, as well as aperture and shutter priority modes for situations when you want your camera to do part of the work. More advanced cameras may include programmable custom modes that photographers can tailor to a specific photography, such as portraits, landscapes, or birds in flight. Some cameras offer preset modes that allow you to easily select an artistic style of photography. For more information on shooting modes, start with this beginner’s guide from the Digital Photography School by clicking HERE to visit their website.
LOOK AND LISTEN
Here are some indoor and/or armchair photography-related activities for those damp Fall days when you just don’t feel like putting on the rain gear.
More Inspiring Photography from Another International Contest
The prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, now in its 58th year, has recently inspired a number of independent specialty Photographer of the Year competitions. OPCC Competition Chair Peggy McClure has shared information on the results of the 2021 Close-Up Photographer of the Year (COPOTY) competition. To view the 2021 Winners and see some amazing photos, click to view The Top 100 — Close-up Photographer of the Year. When viewing the winning photos be sure to click on the image as it will give you the camera and settings and often a description of how the photo was taken.
The website is cupoty.com and they are currently running a two of a kind challenge, and will soon be announcing the 2022 contest.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES
Visit the OPCC Website for more information on these events.
Member Share Night
For more information visit the Member Share Night page on the OPCC website. For questions, contact Share Night/Projection Chair Susan White at opccphotos@gmail.com.
Education Events
For more information visit the Education Events webpage on the OPCC Website. For questions or to suggest a speaker, contact OPCC President Bruce Fryxell at opccpres@gmail.com.
Competitions
For more information visit the Competitions webpage on the OPCC website.
Field Trips
For more information visit the Field Trips page on the OPCC website. For general questions contact Field Trips Chair Sandy Woods at fieldtrips4opcc@gmail.com.