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 November 11.

NEWS

Take Note! The WOW Competition NOVEMBER 11 Submission Deadline is fast approaching

From OPCC Competition Chair Peggy McClure.

Calling all members! Submit your two favorite photos of the year by November 11 for the Second Annual WOW Competiton.

A quick review. This is a just-for-fun competition. The photos will be displayed anonymously online for voting. Members will vote on which is their favorite WOW photo. The winners (top 3 vote getters) are decided by the votes they receive from their fellow members.

This year we decided to make any photo taken from January 1, 2022 to November 10, 2022 eligible for the competition. Give us your best photo of the year so fellow club members may see your work. Everyone has at least one photo they are to proud show and if you have two, submit both of them! It is an OPEN competition so your photo may be of subject you want, but all the components of the photo must be your work. CLICK HERE to see the complete set of instructions.

There is no detailed scoring for this competition. Members simply vote for their favorite WOW photo. To keep it simple, you are allowed one vote and you can’t vote for your own photo. The winning photos will by announced at the December 7 meeting and featured on the OPCC website.

Upload your photos using the Competition Evaluation Dropbox link. Click HERE for the OPCC Upload webpage. Name your photos WOW_Image Title.jpg and use the same sizing standard we use for Member Share Night (1920 on the longest edge). For questions contact Competition Chair Peggy McClure at opcc.competition@gmail.com.

Sally Harris Photo is Front Page News

Congratulations to Sally Harris! Her photo Gill Netting at Sunrise, our newsletter cover photo this issue, made the front page of the Sequim Gazette last week. Her photo beautifully captured the drama of our smoke-associated blood-red sunrise and sunsets last week before the rains arrived. Click on the thumbnail of the Sequim Gazette front page to enlarge.

Great Turnout for Portfolio Development Workshop

A total of 16 members registered for the OPCC Portfolio Development Workshop that kicked off on October 27. Thanks to all who signed up. Watch for portfolios created during the workshop to be posted on the OPCC website in early 2023.

Reminder - The Northwest Council of Camera Clubs (NWCCC) 2022 Fall Conference on November 12

Click on the conference poster to view an enlarged version.

The afternoon events include:

2 Keynote addresses by Kristi Odom, internationally acclaimed Photographer, Nikon Ambassador, Follow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and motivational speaker
Open Print Salon display
Awards presentations for the Open Print Salon, Open Digital Salon and Digital Slideshow competitions

For more info on the Conference and to sign up: https://nwcameraclubs.org. Cost is $60.

The registration fee also includes online education the week following the in-person meeting.

This conference provides us, as OPCC members, an opportunity to reconnect and expand our horizons in the regional photographic community. Please contact Stephen Shoff if you’d like to arrange ride-sharing to the in-person meeting in Woodinville:

Stephen Shoff
360-504-3439 (leave message if I don't pick up)
sshoff.cp@gmail.com

EDUCATIONAL SPEAKER SERIES

Ian Plant “Visual Design Techniques for Making Stunning Photos” Video Posted

Click HERE to view a recording of the October 20 presentation by professional photographer Ian Plant. Ian shared some of his favorite photos from around the world, as well as some of his top composition techniques for making compelling photographs that get noticed. This inspiring presentation was designed to give photographers a better understanding of visual design principles.

Ian also shared a link for his free e-book 20 Essential Tips for Taking Better Photos. Click HERE to download the e-book.

MEMBER SHARING

Next Member Share Night Meeting is Thursday November 3 at 7:00 PM.

The November 3 meeting will feature sharing and discussion of OPCC members’ photos. The deadline for submitting Member Share Night photos is Sunday October 30 at 11:00 PM. The optional special theme for the meeting is Fall Colors/Waterfalls.

We will again hold a hybrid event for this 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.

For more information or questions about OPCC Member Share/Competition Night, consult the website or contact OPCC Member Share Night Chair Dan McKenna (opccphotos@gmail.com).

FIELD TRIPS, WORKSHOPS, & MEET-UPS

Quinault Waterfalls and Fall Colors Field Trip Report

From Field Trip Leader Marian Bodart.

On October 15th a group of intrepid of OPCC photographers (Marian Bodart, Dana Martell, Matt Mahowald, Ed Hartman, Bruce Fryxell, and Lori Moilanen) gathered at Lake Quinault and spent the morning photographing along the South Shore Road of the Lake Quinault Rain Forest Loop Drive. We were joined by a visiting dignitary, the President of the Island Photo Club from Whidbey Island. The group gathered in the Lake Quinault Lodge, then started photographing in earnest at Merriman Falls. Although the rain forest was dry from the unusually arid summer, the falls were elegant and approachable. Several members of the group scrambled for higher ground and upper fall images, while others stayed earthbound and shot intimate portraits of the cascades. Throughout the morning, we visited an alder grove, found opportunities for still water and abstract shots, photographed Bunch Falls and Canning Creek, and spent time capturing beautiful autumn reflections along the Quinault river. We were even lucky enough to spot an American Dipper, or two, along the river! The trip concluded with a pizza stop in Amanda Park.

Reminder - Autumnal Color Meet-Up

When: Watch for Announcement

Where: Judy Larimore’s Home, see Field Trip Page in the Member’s Only section for her address (click HERE).

Time: To be determined

Judy Larimore has spent the twenty years that she’s lived on her property planting an arboretum so she could imitate the beautiful colors of New England’s Fall. Now she’s happy to share them with us.

She also has a very photogenic horse and her horse’s best friend in the form of a goat. A colorful flower garden also surrounds her home. Be ready for various forms of photography at this outing.

November Field Trip Announcement - Portraits: Studio and Outdoors

From Field Trip Chair Ellen Bogenschutz.

Date: Saturday, November 19, 2022

Time: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Location: Please visit the Field trip webpage for location and directions (Click HERE)

Our theme and photographic technique for November is Portraits: Studio and Outdoors. To facilitate this, the Olympic Peaks Camera Club has been invited to the home/studio of Keith and Kryz Ross, of Keith’s Frame of Mind. This unique home, which was once a church, has been converted into a beautiful state of the art studio and gallery.

The studio is a filled with high-quality lights, backdrops, and props for any style of portrait photography. If the weather permits, we can step outside for some outdoors portraits. So, make sure to bring your flash and portable lighting equipment to get the full experience.

We will go over the fundamentals of studio lighting, placement of lights, camera settings, lens choice, and posing your subject for the right mood. Keith’s beautiful wife Kryz will be our model.

Bring your camera and creative ideas for this opportunity.

A big thanks to OPCC member Sherrie Cerrutti for hosting this Field Trip and making all the arrangements!

COMPETITION/IMAGE EVALUATION

PSA Interclub Competition 2022 - 2023: Update and Opportunity to Submit New Images

From OPCC Competition Chair Peggy McClure

When we began entering the photos for the first round of the Interclub Competition, we discovered that PSA had split the competition into new categories of color and monochrome. Because monochrome images generally don’t do well in color competitions, we decided to actually divide our images and enter both the color and monochrome divisions. We have enough images to submit to the first round for both competitions without asking for additional images. The first-round images have been posted on the website (click HERE) and are ready to submit to PSA for judging.

To repeat, there are now actually two competitions: PID* Color and PID Monochrome. Therefore, we need additional images for Rounds 2 and 3 for both color and monochrome. Each member may enter 4 new images (2 color, 2 monochrome) for a total of 4 images. Submissions for the second and third rounds will need to be uploaded to the PSA Interclub Competition Dropbox by Sunday, January 8, 2023. We will again use external judges to evaluate and score the images to select the images to be entered.

NOTE: If you have already submitted images and they were one of the Finalists for the Open Competition, they will automatically be included in the images for rounds 2 and 3. You may still enter 4 new images. Additionally, if you have already submitted a PSA Release form you will not be required to submit another one.

Because we did not enter last year, our Club is in the F group, which is the lowest group. Our images will be competing with images from 22 other clubs. Submissions for the first-round closes on November 15 and we should see the results two to three weeks later. The results will be announced in the newsletter and posted to the website. If you would like more information on how the judging is done and the scoring system, the information has been posted to our website under the PSA Interclub Competition in the section titled PSA Judging and Scoring.

Hopefully the above explanation is clear but if you any questions, concerns or comments please contact Peggy McClure, OPCC Competition Chair at opcc.competition@gmail.com or by phone 714 403-3523.

*PID = Pictorial Image Division

October Competition Evaluation

The entries for the October Competition Evaluations were reviewed during Member Share Night on October 6. Entries are anonymous but during the meeting members often take ownership go their submitted images to talk about how they made the image or why they might disagree or agree with the external judge. Be sure to view the video on the website of the October meeting and see how much fun we have and how much you may learn. We will be continuing with these external evaluations in 2023.

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: October 31 - November 13