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 submissions for the next newsletter is Friday September 30.

NEWS

OPCC Members Win Awards at the Washington State Fair

Congratulations to OPCC members Mary Swartz and Suzanne Anaya for their awards in the Northwest International Exhibition of Photography at the Washington State Fair. Mary won Judge’s Choice in the Large Print Monochrome Division for her abstract black and white print of water reflections (previously a newsletter cover photo). Suzanne received the Judge's Choice award in the Authentic Wildlife Projected Division for her digital image of a brown pelican (our newsletter cover photo this week). This exhibition, established in 1937, has received recognition by the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and is well regarded internationally. Although shown for only 20 days, the exhibition is said to be viewed by a million or more people from the greater Puget Sound area.

Congratulations also to OPCC members Sally Harris and Dana Martell, who each had multiple acceptances in the Cascadia Photographers Exhibition for Washington State residents.

OPCC Website Receives PSA Award

The OPCC Website, managed by Lori Moilanen, received an Honorable Mention award in the small club category of the 2022 Photographic Society of America (PSA) Website Competition. This is the first time OPCC has participated in this international competition and the current version of our website was less than a year old when submitted for evaluation. Thanks to all who have contributed to the success of our club website - this is a great result for us.

It’s Not Too Late - Act NOW to Prepare Your Prints for the NWCCC Fall Conference November (Deadline October 1)

From Witta Priester.

Printing your photos is an important step in improving your photographic skills. The Clallam County Fair, the Puyallup State Fair and the NWCCC Print Salon are three great places to share your prints locally. The OPCC also plans to have a print exhibition at the Sequim Museum this winter and another one next summer.

The entry deadline for the NWCCC Print Salon is October 1. It is not too late to send off your photos for printing and still meet the deadline.

There are many options for printing photos, and having looked at several of the on-line options, I believe the least expensive place to get a print is the Costco Photocenter. https://www.costcophotocenter.com. Their turnaround time to your mailbox is invariably less than a week. In my experience, the print quality is vey good and the prints have a long life. Just one caveat: if you are trying to print a photo with bright reds, or colors that are at the edge of or out-of RGB gamut, (like neon green), the prints may disappoint. For those colors, you may want to first test the image by printing a small version and seeing if the print colors are acceptable to you. If they are not to your liking, then there are other types of prints, such as Giclee prints from an inset printer.

As an alternative to Costco, Dan McKenna will print member's images for $10 ea (l6" x 20") or less for smaller prints as long as you can provide him with a unsharpened TIFF file that has been sized to the actual print you want. He will print on a variety of archival Hahnemuhle papers (matte, museum etching, baryta or lustre) using personalized print profiles so full color gamut prints are created. Black and White prints are also done with linearization so pure black to paper white shades are created and shadows are fully developed. Turnaround time is approximately 24 to 48 hrs. depending on workload. You can then go to Michaels Art Supply store in Sequim for precut mat boards to complete your piece.

Please see the Competition section below for additional information on the NWCCC Fall Conference and submitting prints or digital photos for the Fall Conference Competitions.

Get Ready For the OPCC Portfolio Workshop - William Neill Zoom Webinar and Book Launch on Thursday September 15 at 11:00 AM (Free But You Need To Register)

OPCC Members Lori Moilanen and Marian Bodart are putting the finishing touches on an OPCC Portfolio Workshop based on the new book The Photographer's Portfolio Development Workshop by noted landscape photographer William Neill. Interested OPCC members now have the opportunity to attend a free webinar and book launch sponsored by the publisher Rocky Nook, featuring William Neill demonstrating the key points of his method. This should be an excellent introduction to the use of his book in our club workshop. Here’s the webinar description:

“Curating Your Photographs For Creative Expression: During this presentation, William Neill will advocate for photographers to develop their editing skills to best communicate their creative point of view. He will give examples in his own photography, using Lightroom Collections to illustrate his process. Thematic portfolios give you a way to focus your own efforts, and for your viewers to see through your eyes. The main examples here will be images from a new book Neill is creating called, "Yosemite: Sanctuary in Stone," using mostly intimate scenes taken over the past 45 years. With these images, Neill will demonstrate lessons and techniques from his newly published book, "The Photographer's Portfolio Development Workshop" (2022, Rocky Nook, Inc.). Using Lightroom, or LR screenshots, he will show how he visualizes groups or subsets of images like when picking out the best waterfall or dogwood photos. He will also demonstrate how he thinks about balancing aspects like seasons, lighting, or weather conditions.”

The webinar is free, but you must register to receive the Zoom link. Click HERE to register.

2023 Clallam County Fair Photography Exhibition Committee Formed

OPCC has a long history of organizing the photography exhibition at the Clallam County Fair. The club did not organize the 2022 photo exhibit as the fair returned after a two-year hiatus due to COVID, due to some some understandable communication challenges. Fortunately, several community-spirited OPCC members still stepped up to help out, including Lewis Bennet, Witta Priester, Dana Martell, Sally Harris, Suzanne Anaya, and Mary Swartz. Many thanks to Lewis Bennett and Sally Harris, who have volunteered to form an OPCC committee to ensure that the 2023 Clallam County Fair photo exhibition is well organized and publicized. If you’d like to get involved with the 2023 Clallam County Fair effort, please contact OPCC President Bruce Fryxell (opccpres@gmail.com).

September Edition of PSA Washington State Newsletter

The September edition of the PSA Washington State Newsletter is now available. The newsletter includes information on regional events, photo news, links to gear reviews. and other interesting information. Click HERE to view or download.

Our Newest Member

Please extend a warm welcome to our newest member Judith Lilly, who’s in the process of moving to Sequim from Graham WA. Nevertheless, she’s wasted no time getting involved, having just submitted some of her work for consideration as part of the OPCC PSA Interclub Competition entry. Judith, we’re glad to have you with us!

Great Response for Submission of PSA Interclub Competition Candidate Images

OPCC Competition Chair Peggy McClure reports that 43 images were submitted for consideration as part of the PSA Interclub Competition entry. As previously explained, OPCC will compete as a club by submitting six images per round for three rounds of competition. External judges will help determine the final OPCC entry of 18 images - see the Competition Evaluation section below for more information.

EDUCATIONAL SPEAKER SERIES

Molly Isaacs Speaks on Thursday September 15 at 7:00 PM Via Zoom

Our Guest Educator this month is Mollie Isaacs, speaking on Rediscover Your Creative Core. Great images come from more than just tripping the shutter at the right time. Regardless of what you enjoy photographing, this webinar will help you be more creative in your approaches. You will come away with easy yet powerful techniques to take your photography to a higher level.

View more information on Mollie and her presentation by clicking HERE.

Use the OPCC Education Night Zoom Code to access this meeting.

Video of August Guest Speaker Presentation Posted

The video of Nico Carver’s informative and well-organized astrophotography talk “Astrophotography Without A Telescope” is now posted on the OPCC website. Click HERE to visit the recoded presentations webpage.

MEMBER SHARING

Next Member Share Night Meeting is Thursday October 6 at 7:00 PM.

The October 6 meeting will be a Competition Evaluation meeting. This meeting will feature review and discussion of an external PSA judge’s evaluation of images submitted by OPCC members.

We will again hold a hybrid event for the October 6 meeting. The in-person meeting will be at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sequim. Anyone not wanting to attend the in-person meeting at the church will still be able to participate via Zoom as usual.

The deadline for submitting photos for this competition evaluation night (up to two photos/member) is September 19. For more information or questions about OPCC Member Share/Competition Night, consult the website or contact OPCC Competition Chair Peggy McClure (opcc.competition@gmail.com).

FIELD TRIPS, WORKSHOPS, & MEET-UPS

Sequim Air Affaire Meet Up - Trip Report

From Meet-Up Host Dan McKenna: Approximately 8 OPCC members attended this year's Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire & Sequim Valley Fly-In. The event provided an opportunity for members to practice photographing both planes in the air as well as on the ground. The event featured vintage planes, helicopters, classic cars, a hot air balloon, as well as a paraglider.

Special thanks to Sally Harris who did her homework and informed us on how best to capture planes in flight so the propeller was blurred properly.

OPCC September Field Trip - Port Angeles Architecture and Nightscapes

Leader and contact person: Ellen Bogenschutz

Port Angeles, as a working port city has wonderful opportunities for light reflections in the bay, lit up wharf details, and vintage store fronts and neon signage. Silhouettes against the colored sky as the sun sets could also offer inspiration. We will visit various sites that offer these particular images and discuss the best ways to capture them with our cameras. If anyone has input on unique locations with in the areas listed below, please share that information.

Date: Saturday, September 17th

Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Meeting Place: Waterfront to the West of Black Ball Ferry Terminal

Suggested Equipment:

A lens with a wide aperture to absorb as much light as possible
Tripod
Cable release
Warm clothing and comfortable walking shoes
A creative. open mind

Planned Route: We will be walking from the waterfront up to Front Street and up to 1st. Street between Oak Street and Lincoln Sreet

Preparation:

Watch this informative website: 9 night photography techniques to capture detailed scenes with limited lighting (canva.com)

Additional Information:

This field trip WILL be weather dependent! If it’s raining or very windy it will be scratched, all other weather we shall endure!

*** An email will be sent out to confirm whether or not the field trip is happening. Please monitor your email 24 hours in advance of the event. ***

COMPETITION/IMAGE EVALUATION

The Northwest Council of Camera Clubs - 2022 Convention and Print Exhibition (TIME SENSITIVE)

The OPCC is one of 18 camera clubs that belong to the Northwest Council of Camera Clubs. The NWCCC holds an annual photographic convention, which this year will be held on November 12 (live in Woodinville, and also on-line) with Kristi Odom as the Keynote speaker.

The convention includes a judged print exhibition as well as an open digital competition (more on this later). Sorry for the short notice, but prints must be in the NWCCC’s Print Director’s (PD) hands in Edmonds by October 1. You can enter up to six prints, with a maximum of three (3) Color and three (3) Monochrome prints. Entries are free. Details on print entry requirements and the entry form are available on the NWCCC website: https://nwcameraclubs.org

You can mail your prints directly to the PD, or get them to Dan McKenna (our print chair) before September 28. Dan has agreed to get them to the PD in Edmonds. Dan’s email address is danieljmmckenna@yahoo.com

The convention is a great educational event, as well as an opportunity to share your work. Attending live convention will also let you connect with other local photographers and see their work.

PSA Interclub Competition

PSA Interclub Competition submissions have been forwarded to the judges for consideration. Leah Gray, an awarding winning photographer who is a certified PSA judge and a member of the Victoria Camera Club, is the first judge. The second judge is Mike Jensen who you may remember was one of our speakers this year and whose topic was “What are judges looking for?”. If you would like to view our member submissions, click HERE to view the PSA Competition webpage, then look for “View Images Submitted By Members” to view a slide show of all of the submitted images. The slideshow should be posted by Tuesday September 13.

Reminder - OPCC October Competition Evaluation Submissions Due September 19

October Competition Evaluation submissions are due by September 19. Remember this is a great chance to have your images reviewed by a professional judge. The entries and the Member Share Night review on October 6 are all anonymous so you don’t have to worry about being embarrassed if you don’t receive a perfect score. It is amazing how much you can learn about your photography skills and how you can improve your photographs when you get unbiased input from other photographers. Please join in - they are fun evenings. For more information contact OPCC Competition Chair Peggy McClure (opcc.competition@gmail.com).

Outdoor Photographer Nature’s Colors Photo Contest

Outdoor Photographer has opened their Nature’s Colors Photo Contest the entry deadline is November 15th so plenty of time to take those autumn photos. First place is a $1,000 cash prize plus dozens of other prizes one of three courses from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy and publication in an issue of the Outdoor Photographer. CLICK HERE for the details on entry.

International Garden Photographer of the Year

The International Garden Photographer of the Year competition will accept entries through October 31 in 17 different categories, like Abstract Views, Beautiful Gardens and Breathing Spaces. This is one of the most prestigious contests around and even if you don’t enter it is a great place to get inspirations. CLICK HERE for detailed information Enter now – International Garden Photographer of the Year (igpoty.com).

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.

In Focus: September 12 - October 2