This weekly 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 weekly on Sunday evenings. The deadline for new submissions for the following week is Friday at midnight.

MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER

The cover photo this week is “Tumbleweed” by OPCC Superstar Volunteer Ardythe Wendt. It was taken in Cottonwood AZ. Ardythe describes it as the “picture that changed everything”, as explained below.

Ardythe moved to Sequim from Yellowstone in December 2010 and joined OPCC in February 2011. Since then she has served as OPCC Projection Chair., Web Chair., Field Trip Chair, Vice President and President in addition to heading up the Photography Barn at the Clallam County Fair for 6 years representing OPCC. She is currently the OPCC Program Chair. She has made many friends though her much-enjoyed involvement in the club and has loved watching all the members grow as they shared images throughout the years.

Photography was not always a passion for Ardythe. But good photography - not the kind most often represented by family members at the dreaded lets watch home movies or look at the slides from our last trip type of photography - was an interest. A dream was to eventually be able to take pictures that people actually liked to look at. That journey began in 2001 shortly after getting a Sony Mavika 1.3 meg digital camera that didn’t have a memory card but stored data on a CD. She could get about 8 pictures on a CD and had LOTS of CDs. The idea of having no film to purchase, getting to see an image right away to see if an on-the-spot re-take was necessary, and the ability to download it on her computer and print it out at home made picture taking easy and fun. One day while walking around home (Cottonwood AZ at the time), she saw a tumbleweed with beautiful tiny pink flowers and decided to see if she could take a picture of it. When she looked at that picture on the computer screen and saw detail in the flower that she could not see with her eye, she was hooked. The move to Yellowstone sealed the deal - photography became a passion, eventually enabling her to move up from a job in the reservations office to working in the Sales and Marketing Department. Once there, she brought her new department up to date with a complete digital image file for use by tour companies and the concessionaire’s website. Approximately 99% of the images were provided by Ardythe and they were viewed by millions. During that time another dream was realized - that of learning Photoshop so she could “play” with images and make them the best she knew how at any given time. Learning Photoshop became a part of her formal job description, so she was sent to classes and could use work time for any available online instruction.

Currently Ardythe enjoys the benefits of owning a Nikon D500, a huge improvement over what she started out with. Today she admits that while she LOVES taking pictures, the technical aspect of taking them does not really interest her as much as it should. She just wants to get a picture and then see what she can do with it in post processing. She loves the creative challenge of taking a picture or pictures and coming up with something totally different. As far as a photography genre is concerned, nature is Ardythe’s inspiration. A special interest is looking for heart-shaped things in the natural world . Ardythe enjoys sharing her images on Facebook and at meetings.

Crystal Geyser by Ardythe Wendt - Published in Sunset Magazine — *Crystal Geyser* by Ardythe Wendt - Published in Sunset Magazine

NEWS

Quote of the Week

“The camera sees more than the eye, so why not make use of it?” – Edward Weston

Remembering OPCC President Jonas Benjamins

By now most OPCC members have learned about OPCC President Jonas Benjamins’ passing on Friday April 30 via email or social media. Needless to say, many OPCC members are still feeling stunned by this news. Coincidentally, Jonas was scheduled to be the featured photographer in next week’s newsletter and was looking forward to sharing his story. Instead, we will use next week’s newsletter to share a remembrance of Jonas and his passion for photography, as well as his commitment to OPCC. If you have an anecdote, photo, or experience with Jonas that you’d like to include, please send this information to opcc4mail@gmail.com by the end of the day on Friday May 7.

In addition, OPCC Share Chair Susan White will include a remembrance collection of Jonas and his images in the upcoming meeting on Thursday May 6 at 6:00 PM via Zoom.

Northwest Council of Camera Clubs (NWCCC) 2021 Traveling Digital Salon

Watch for an email this week with instructions on voting for Round 3 of the NWCCC Traveling Digital Salon. This month we vote on photos from the Mt. Baker Camera Club. OPCC NWCCC Liaison Rebecca Hanson and OPCC Competition Chair Suzanne Anaya strongly encourage all OPCC members to vote in this Interclub competition. Remember, OPCC has an entry in this salon. It’s easy to vote - just three simple steps.

New Month, New Special Theme

The new special theme is Creative Blur: Motion Blur, Panning, Intention Camera Movement, and More. Shoot in May and submit your photos by Thursday May 27 for projection at the June 3 Member Share Night. This theme invites you to use various techniques to add an artistic sense of movement, or alternatively a painterly effect, to a still photograph. Click HERE to visit the Member Share Night webpage, which includes examples for inspiration and a video showing techniques that could be used to capture Olympic Peninsula motion blur seascapes. For questions, contact Share Chair Susan White (opccphotos@gmail.com).

The May Edition of the Photographic Society of America (PSA) Washington State Membership Newsletter is Now Available

Click HERE to view and/or download.

COMING UP THIS WEEK

May Member Share Night is Thursday May 6 at 6:00 PM via Zoom

The Special Theme for the May meeting is Macro Photography. The “Your Photo My Way” photo this month is Thomas Hightower’s old homestead image which can be viewed by clicking HERE.

To access the meeting, visit the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage by clicking HERE.

Matt Kloskowski Free “Making Great Bird Photos” Webinar (External Event) on May 5.

mattk-birding-3.87d35a3ecfc32c7741be2b1d18a40f65.jpg

Program Chair Ardythe Wendt has scheduled a free webinar opportunity for the club. View webinar and registration details by clicking HERE.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES

Member Share Night - Monthly Themes and More

CLICK ON THE IMAGE OR THEME TITLE BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. For questions, contact Share Night/Projection Chair Susan White at opccphotos@gmail.com.

In Focus: May 3 - May 9