In Focus: April 18 - May 1
Photo Credit: Ed Hartman - City Skyline
From the OPCC Long Exposure Workshop
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 Wednesday April 29.
NEWS
Message from the OPCC President Bruce Fryxell Regarding In-Person Meetings
I would like to make all of our members aware that the OPCC Executive Committee has begun planning to resume in-person meetings for our first-Thursday Member Share Nights. Education Night talks will continue to be held by Zoom for the foreseeable future.
We have been investigating St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sequim as the possible location of our future meetings. The site poses some challenges for showing photos, since the room is very bright and there are no window coverings. However, we did a dry run using a large-screen television and believe that the image quality will be suitable for our needs. We have also decided that we will attempt these as hybrid meetings so that members not yet wanting to meet in person can still participate via Zoom. We are still working out some logistical details with the church. Since Easter is a very busy time of year for the church and certain church committee approvals are needed, we probably won’t be able to have everything worked out in time for the May Member Share Night meeting. We also decided that it was too risky to have our first in-person meeting for the June Competition Night with an external speaker until we make sure that everything is working smoothly. As a result, we are currently aiming to have our first in-person hybrid meeting in July.
However, we don’t want to wait until July for our members to start interacting in person. While we are trying to get the technical details of our in-person Member Share Nights ironed out, we are planning to hold a series of in-person get togethers at different locations around the area with various activities planned. It is likely that there will be some combination of indoor and outdoor venues. Nothing is finalized yet, but we are aiming to have our first get together on Saturday, May 14. Watch for future announcements coming soon. We will, of course, also continue to have in-person interactions during our Field Trips.
As always, please send any comments or suggestions you have to me at opccpres@gmail.com.
Judy Larimore to Exhibit at the Blackbird Coffeehouse
OPCC member Judy Larimore will be exhibiting 20 photos and paintings at the Blackbird Coffeehouse in Port Angeles for the month of May . The theme will be beautiful places across the country, including New England, Baja, Big Sur, the Monterey Peninsula, Yosemite, Utah, the Olympic Peninsula and others. The Blackbird Coffeehouse is located at 336 E. Eighth Street, Port Angeles (http://www.theblackbirdcoffeehouse.com/).
Judy Larimore - Point Lobos
View New Content Added to the Seattle Field Trip Gallery
Be sure to visit or revisit the gallery for the Seattle Street Photography and Long Exposure field trip held in March to view newly uploaded images from Peggy Hanson, Matt Mahowald, and Ed Hartman, as well as the images previously uploaded by Dan McKenna, Ellen Bogenschutz, and Suzanne Anaya. Great work by our members!
EDUCATIONAL SPEAKER SERIES
Two Upcoming Interactive Presentations on Viewing & Evaluating Photographs
This month we’re treated to two interactive presentations on judging and evaluating photographs. Whether you’re a competition-oriented photographer or not, there’s sure to be some valuable information in these programs to inspire and improve your work. And since both sessions are designed to be interactive, you can try your hand at constructively critiquing some photos as well.
Mike Jensen - OPCC Education Night Speaker
Arik Gorban - Olympia Camera Club Speaker
OPCC Education Night: Mike Jensen - What The Judges Look For In Your Photographs. Thursday, April 21 - 7:00 PM via Zoom
People say that judging art is so subjective and part of that is true, but you can give yourself an edge by knowing what the judges look for in photography competitions and exhibitions. We’ll take a look at the components of a photograph and how Mike begins to break down an image: The Basics, Qualities of Winning Images, Role of the Judge/Jury. For a detailed outline of this talk and Mike’s bio statement click HERE.
This is an interactive program. Participants will be asked to help evaluate images and state why they think they are good or not.
Use the OPCC Education Night Zoom Code to access this meeting. Click HERE to access the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage.
OCC Guest Speaker: Guest Speaker: Arik Gorban - Judging Photographs. Tuesday April 26 - 6:00 PM via Zoom (NOTE EARLY START TIME)
This is an interactive program on evaluating photographs. It starts with a presentation on key considerations when making an image and the elements of a good photograph, followed by an interactive review and critique of a few images. The objective of this session is to help you take a critical look at your own work, as well as the work of other photographers. The discussion intends to provide you with tools, not rules, for making better photographs. The discussion covers a broader range of photography styles than the limited set of aesthetic criteria that is common to camera club judging. For more information on this talk and presenter click HERE.
Use the Olympia Camera Club Zoom Code to access this meeting. Click HERE to access the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage.
MEMBER SHARING
Deadline for Submitting Photos for May Member Share Night - Sunday May 1 at 11:00 PM
Submit your General (any topic) or Special Theme (Spring/Blooms/Botanicals) images by the deadline above using the OPCC Member Share Night Dropbox link.
For more information or questions about OPCC Member Share Night, contact Member Share Night Chair Dan McKenna (opccphotos@gmail.com).
Reminder on Photo Submissions for Member Share Night and Competitions
Remember - if you have a personal Dropbox account please be sure to logout of it before you upload your photos. When you click on “Upload” for your photos you should be prompted to enter your Name and Email address. If you do not see those prompts you are still logged into your personal Dropbox account. Cancel the upload, logout of your account and repeat the upload process. For questions or more information contact Peggy McClure (opcc.competition@gmail.com).
FIELD TRIPS, WORKSHOPS, & MEET-UPS
OPCC April Field Trip - Visit a PNW Garden!
The promise of warmer weather is just over the horizon and humans and nature both are anticipating it’s arrival. Buds and blossoms are popping out everywhere and what could be a better subject for photography?
Join your fellow Club Members for a meet-up at a PNW garden to explore the multi-acre wooded location for wonderful botanical photography. The location is approximately a 50 minute drive from downtown Sequim. For detailed location information visit the Field Trip webpage by clicking HERE.
Ellen Bogenschutz - Pink Bud
Olympia Camera Club Field Trip to Bottle Beach on April 29
Bruce Livingston of the Olympia Camera Club (OCC) is planning a day trip from Olympia to Bottle Beach State Park to view the annual shorebird migration along the Washington coast. Bottle Beach is an approximately 3 -4 hour trip from downtown Sequim depending on the route chosen. OPCC members who wish to join the OCC field trip may want to reserve overnight lodging in advance.
Please RSVP to Bruce Livingston (recyclist48@gmail.com) if you plan to attend.
Here is the description provided to the Olympia Camera Club by Bruce Livingston:
Each spring, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop to rest and feed along Washington’s coast and the Grays Harbor estuary during their northward migration. This year, the Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival is not going to be held on a specific weekend, but rather they have suggested the peak dates for optimal viewing between April 24th and May 6th 2022. On Friday, April 29th I will lead a Field Trip to Bottle Beach to photograph shorebirds. The trick to photographing shorebirds is to be there and ready to photograph on an incoming tide. The high tide for April 29th is 1:27 PM, so if we are there by 2 - 2 1/2 hours before high tide, we will be in prime-time for photography. Bottle Beach is a Washington State Park, and a Discover Pass is required to park there. There is a pit-style toilet near the parking lot, and the walk to the beach is less than 1/4 mile.
In order to insure that we arrive 2 - 2 1/2 hours before the high tide, we will leave at 10:00 am from the Mud Bay Park and Ride on Madrona Beach Drive just past the Shipwreck Cafe. The drive to Bottle Beach is approximately an hour and 15 minutes.
Equipment to bring to this field trip is a camera with a telephoto lens (100-400 mm zoom or longer is ideal), a tripod, monopod or low-mount system (like a Platypod) and be prepared for variable weather. Dress in layers and be prepared for rain - however if you check the weather before we leave, you will be better prepared. Also, boots that are suitable for shallow water are preferable.
Photo Credit: Lori Moilanen
Time to Start Thinking About Bird Action Photography
If you’re a bird photographer, it’s time to start thinking about tuning up your action photography skills and gear for our May field trip - photographing bald eagles feasting on midshipman fish at the Big Beef Creek estuary near Seabeck WA. Although the details are still being sorted out for date and time, you won’t want to miss this workshop hosted by award-winning photographer Bonnie Block from Kingston WA. Thanks to Suzanne Anaya for recruiting Bonnie for the field trip and a pre-trip Education Night talk to get everyone prepared.
Watch the newsletter and website for details. For questions or suggestions contact OPCC Field Trip Chair Ellen Bogenschutz (fieldtrips4opcc@gmail.com).
COMPETITION/IMAGE EVALUATION
OPCC Spring Competition Evaluation
When: June 2, 2022
Time: Zoom Meeting 7:00 PM (Use the Member Share Night Zoom Code. Click HERE to access the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage.)
Submission Deadline: May 19, 2022
The deadline for the Spring Competition is just a month away. While we have had some cold weather there are still lots of opportunities to get shots of Spring in all its glory including the snow. Looking forward to a great meeting in June.
To see how this goes, you can view the recording of the March 3 Winter Competition Evaluations in the Member Share Night Archive on the OPCC website by clicking HERE. View the judges’ Scoresheet for that night by clicking HERE.
Information and tools for OPCC competitions are located on the “Competition” webpage in the Members Only section of the website (click HERE to visit the Competition webpage). For more information contact OPCC Competition Chair Peggy McClure (opcc.competition@gmail.com).
External Competition Updates - Comedy Wildlife Competition is OPEN for submissions
Started in 2015 as a photographic competition it has grown into a global competition seen by millions of people each year. It is a free competition open to photographers at every level and celebrates the hilarity of our natural world. The competition aims to encourage sustainability for our wildlife friends. We generally don’t go out looking for comedic shots of wildlife but every once and awhile it just appears before.
Like other contests even if you don’t enter you can get inspiration from the winners and in this case a chuckle and a smile from viewing the winners. Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards :: Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards - Conservation through Competition
If You’re Aware of Competitions That Might Interest OPCC Members…
If you are aware of any competitions you think members might be interested in please contact Competition Chair Peggy McClure at opcc.competition@gmail.com. Peggy will gather the details and when appropriate we will publish information in the Newsletter and on the Website.
Information on a select list of external competitions (curated by Peggy McClure) can be found on the Competition webpage of the OPCC Website in the Members Only section.