In Focus: November 28 - December 11
Susan White - The Conductor
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 December 9.
NEWS
OPCC Year-End Meeting Update
The OPCC Year-End Meeting is coming up soon on Thursday December 1. OPCC Board members Dan McKenna, Suzanne Anaya, and Peg Hanson have been working overtime to make it an extravaganza! There will be a pre-meeting potluck for those whose choose to attend in person; a review of 2022 highlights and announcement of the 2022 WOW competition winner; and finally, some great door prizes for members attending either in person or via Zoom. Read on for more information and instructions.
Zoom participants please note: to accommodate the potluck event that starts at 7:00 PM, the online meeting presentation will begin at 7:30 PM.
Meeting Format
The Year-End Extravaganza meeting will be a Hybrid Meeting with in-person and Zoom options, but the format will be slightly different than our regular monthly Share Nights. We will start the presentation by recognizing our members who have received awards for images from various competitions throughout the year, including our very own WOW competition. If you have not already done so, please submit your prized image as you would normally submit the image for Member Share Night by no later than November 27th 2020. In addition, send Dan McKenna (danieljmmckenna@yahoo.com) a quick note indicating the image title, who or what competition recognized your work and the title of the award (e.g. 1st Place etc.).
The second part of the presentation will be a compilation of Share Night images submitted during the year. All members who have participated in Member Share will have at least one image displayed during this portion of the presentation and the presentation will loop for the balance of the eventing's festivities.
Potluck
There will be a potluck dinner for those attending in person. We will eat promptly at 7:00 PM so our program can start at 7:30. You are more than welcome to nibble through out the slide show.
Door Prizes!!!
Members attending in-person or via Zoom will be eligible to win some great door prizes. If you plan to attend the meeting in-person, please be sure to add your name to the member* roster near the door before you get seated. We will combine that list with the list of our online (Zoom) attendees and before the end of the meeting we will draw names for the following door prizes:
Two $25 Glazer’s Camera gift cards
One $100 KEH gift card along with a KEH t-shirt, sized to fit the winner, and some KEH “custom swag”
Other items not available to list at this time
Any donations from club members*
*Guests will not be included in the door prize drawing, other than members of the Olympia Camera Club.
**If you'd like to donate a door prize, please contact Peg Hanson at jpegprofiles@comcast.net in advance.
Swan Photography Concerns at Kirner Pond
The Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society (OPAS) has raised concerns about the impact of increasing numbers of photographers and cars at Kirner Pond in Sequim on the flight behavior of trumpeter swans that roost on the pond. Kirner Pond is located in a residential area and parking and photography is limited to the roadside - there is no off-road parking area for visitors to the pond.
OPAS recently reached out to an OPCC member with the following message: “…[OPAS} is concerned about the number of cars and photographers impacting the swan's flight path. Is there any way we can raise this awareness with the group, and find a way to reduce?” In addition to the concerns for the swans expressed by OPAS, there have been reports of hostile behavior directed at photographers by people living in the neighborhood, suggesting frustration with the current level of photographer activity.
While the photographers at Kirner Pond are a mix of OPCC members and non-members, a number of our members enjoy photographing swans and other birds at this location and some share their images from this location widely on social media. So it is in our own best interest to take a careful look at this situation, identify steps we can take to remedy any problems, and help educate non-members on ethical practices where possible.
Recommendations for Swan Photography at Kirner Pond
Do not park or photograph directly in the main swan flight path from the pond
Park and photograph on/from either side of the flight path
Park as far off the edge of the road as safely possible; avoid disruption of local car and foot traffic in the neighborhood
Respect private property in the area
If the area is or becomes crowded or congested, consider leaving
If photographer presence visibly influences the behavior of the swans, leaves the area.
Best Practices for Sharing Kirner Pond Swan Photos on Social Media
Social media posts have enormous potential to draw photographers to an area when a charismatic species (like trumpeter swans) is present, resulting in negative impacts on the animals and/or the locations where they’re found. Think red foxes on San Juan Island, eagles at Seabeck, and short-eared owls on the Sammish Flats. The following recommendations are based on social media practices for sensitive species, published by Seattle Audubon:
Do not tag or mention the location (e.g., Kirner Pond, Woodstock Rd.) in social media posts
Remove any imbedded location tagging from your photos
Consider delaying posts of photos and videos until the subjects have left the area (i.e., next Spring for swans)
Consider your reasons for posting photos and videos from a sensitive location; do they justify possible negative impacts on the animal, its surroundings, or the local residents if increased visitation results?
PSA Interclub Competition - First Round Results for PID Color Category
From Witta Priester, OPCC PSA Representative.
The six-image OPCC team entry won the awards below. These are wonderful results for the first round of this competition.
Awardees:
"Feathers Flying" by Bruce Fryxell — Honorable Mention
"Long Winter" by Suzanne Anaya — Award
"The Runaway" by Lori Moilanen — Award
CONGRATULATIONS Bruce, Lori and Suzanne!!!!
The Northwest Council of Camera Clubs (NWCCC) - 2022 Fall Digital Salon Results
OPCC had an excellent showing in the NWCCC Fall Salons, including three “Best of Category” awards in the Digital Open Salon. Congratulations to both OPCC winners!
Peg Hanson
“The Finishing Touch” - Best of People
“Are We There Yet?” - Best of Wildlife
Sherrie Cerutti
“Cotton Candy Morning” - Best of Landscapes
Kevin Talbot - Port Angeles Fine Arts Center Makers Market
Congratulations to OPCC Member Kevin Talbot, who was accepted into the "Wintertide Makers Market" at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center and will offer photo note cards for sale. In addition, there will be lots of other art on display for sale. The commission on sales is the major annual fundraiser for the Center. Please consider supporting this worthwhile cause.
The link for the event is: Makers Market - Port Angeles Fine Arts Center (pafac.org). It runs from November 25 ("Black Friday") to December 18. Hours are the normal gallery hours which are Thursday to Sunday, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note that this is the venue for the OPCC December Meet-Up on December 13 (see below), and you could easily go early to browse the Makers Market before joining the OPCC Meet-Up.
Welcome to Our Newest Member
Please extend a warm welcome to our newest member: Brad Edwards from Sequim. We’re glad you’ve joined us!
EDUCATIONAL SPEAKER SERIES
The 2022 OPCC/OCC Speakers Series concluded On November 17 with Joseph Roybal speaking on Finding Your Flow: Compositional Elements and Balance Within the Frame. Click HERE to view the video of his presentation.
Be sure to visit the OPCC website for a preview of the 2023 OPCC/OCC Speakers Series (click HERE to visit the webpage now).
MEMBER SHARING
Next Member Share Night Meeting is Thursday December 1. Potluck starts at 7:00 PM. Online meeting starts at 7:30 PM.
The December 1 meeting will feature feature the results of the 2022 OPCC WOW competition, as well as the photos awarded in the NWCCC Fall Competition. In addition, we’ll highlight OPCC activities and successes in 2022 and provide a preview of plans for 2023.
We will again hold a hybrid event for this meeting. The in-person meeting will be at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sequim. See notes regarding the potluck dinner associated with this meeting above. Anyone not wanting to attend the in-person meeting at the church will still be able to participate via Zoom as usual.
Use the OPCC Member Share Night Zoom Code to access this meeting. Click HERE for the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage.
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
Portrait Field Trip Report
From OPCC Field Trip Chair Ellen Bogenschutz..
Keith and Kryz Ross played very gracious hosts to nine attendees at their wonderful studio, converted from a building previously used as a church. The OPCC Field Trip Leader was Sherrie Cerutti.
Keith gave a detailed demonstration and an introduction to studio lighting, both using independent stand-alone light boxes and speed-lights triggered by on camera flashes. So much information was relayed and examples performed that the two hours went by very quickly. Very practical tips were given for all participants to practice on their own and this could be a subject to re-visit as a workshop in the future if there is interest shown in it. This field trip just barely scratched the surface of the multilayered genre of photography that is portraiture. If this is a subject that Club Members would like more exposure to, we could start a discussion regarding an all day, hands on workshop to go deeper.
December Meet-Up
Put this event on your calendar for December! Get into the Holiday Spirit!
December Meet-Up at Wintertide Light Art Experience
Wintertide Light Art Experience - Visit Port Angeles Washington
Location: Port Angeles Fine Art Center, 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles
Date: December 13, 2022
Time: 5:00 PM
Meeting Spot: Meet at the stairs in the parking lot. Tripods are allowed.
COMPETITION/IMAGE EVALUATION
REMINDER - PSA Interclub Competition 2022 - 2023: 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