In Focus: July 26 - August 1
Manarola Italy - by Susan White
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
This week’s cover photo is by Susan White and features the town of Manarola in the Cinque Terra region of Italy.
Susan joined the club in June of 2019, after finding the OPCC website online while searching for photography clubs in the area. She noticed there was a meeting coming up and decided to check it out. She really wanted to find people to connect with in her new location on the planet. She moved to Sequim with her wife Emma Amiad on June 10th of 2019, after living on Vashon Island for 32 years.
Susan has been been involved in photography off and on most her life. She wanted to take it more seriously starting in 2015, so she bought a new camera and booked a trip to Italy with a company called, “Photography Workshop Adventures”. Her guide was Roman Martin and she learned so much from him. In the evening he showed her the art of processing images in Lightroom. The three other photographers on this trip all had Fujifilm xt10’s. For many years she had a Nikon D40. But for this adventure she moved up to Nikon D7100. By the end of the trip, she wanted to dump her Nikon and switch to Fuji. She did and she’s never regretted it!
For three years in a row, Susan attended a landscape photography workshop in Yellowstone. All three trips were held at the end of January in the dead of winter. This was a pretty intense workshop experience photographing the Lamar Buffalo Ranch, Lamar Valley and surrounding area and Mammoth Hot Springs. Some days were 30 degrees below zero.
The group photographed in the morning, evening and at night. Most of the days were spent in the classroom at the ranch. The workshop leaders/teachers were Terry Donnelly, Mary Liz Austin and Tom Kirkendall. Tom introduced Susan to Lensbaby, Pinhole photography, and stepping outside of the box. She’ll never forget Tom’s most important photography tip: “When you find yourself in a line of photographers at a photo shoot, get out of line!”. She credits Tom with motivating her learn to see something different and to find her own way to express her art. Teachers Terry Donnelly and Mary Liz Austin helped with technical assistance and advice on composition. Susan also attended an Arizona Highways Photoscapes workshop with Suzanne Mathia.
Susan says she was very surprised by her second second place finish for Photographer of the Year in OPCC’s 2020 competition. She currently has a few photos entered in the NWCCC 2021 Traveling Digital Salon. Other than that, she’s never entered photos in a competition.
Susan’s plan for 2021 is to photograph as much of the Olympic Peninsula as she can. Landscape photography has always been her first love. She enjoys finding interesting subjects, compositions and abstract photography. She also wants to learn how to photograph the Milky Way and get better at sunset and sunrise photography.
Susan wasted no time in volunteering for OPCC after joining. She has previously served as OPCC Membership Chair and is currently the Member Share Night Chair and club projectionist.
Hurricane Ridge - Susan White
Susan on the Trail
Susan White
Marhut Sepia - Susan White
Pebble Creek Abstract - Susan White
WEBSITE QUICK LINKS
Looking For A Frequently-Used Location On The OPCC Website? Click on the Quick Links Below!
PUBLIC
MEMBERS ONLY
Share Night Image Submission Instructions
Education Night Videos and Handouts
NEWS
Quote of the Week
“Everybody now has a camera, whether it is a professional instrument or just part of a phone. Landscape photography is a pastime enjoyed by more and more. Getting it right is not an issue. It is difficult to make a mistake with the sophisticated technology we now have. Making a personal and creative image is a far greater challenge. – Michael Kenna
A Message from OPCC President Bruce Fryxell on OPCC Website Management
In case you missed the email message on this topic…
I am pleased to announce that, effective immediately, OPCC is transitioning its website management practices according to the plan created in late 2020 when development of the new club website began. Lori Moilanen will now be managing the content of the OPCC website in her role as Communication Chair and will be the first point of contact for all web-related requests and questions. Please send material you would like posted on the website to Lori (opcc4mail@gmail.com). Please allow at least 72 hours to process your requests.
OPCC Committee Chairs (e.g., for Field Trips, Education, and Member Share Nights) have the option to directly post content on their respective website pages provided they notify Lori when changes are made.
Colleen Bittner will still be available for specialized website troubleshooting and structural changes but asks that all such requests be made through Lori. Lori will forward any requests that require Colleen’s skilled attention. Per Colleen’s request, she does NOT want to be routinely copied on website-related emails.
The OPCC website is an essential tool for communication with members and outreach to the community. I would like to thank Colleen and Lori for their hard work in creating and maintaining the new OPCC website within a very short timeframe, at no financial cost to the club other than technology subscription fees. Going forward, we will be actively looking at ways to improve the OPCC website experience based on member feedback, within the limitations imposed by Squarespace (our website host).
Please feel free to contact me (opccpres@gmail.com) with any questions or suggestions.
Topaz Studio 2 Course - Video of Class 4 Now Available, Plus Continuing Activities
OPCC member Bob Selby’s four-session class on Topaz Studio 2 wrapped up last week. The video from the Week 4 class is available directly by clicking HERE. A link has also been added to the Class Videos and Handouts page of the OPCC website, accessible by clicking HERE.
Although the class is over, a Topaz Studio 2 study group has been formed that will feature ongoing meetings for sharing and discussion of images edited with this software. The first study group meeting is scheduled for Wednesday August 4 at 9:00 AM via Zoom. This study group is open to all interested OPCC members. Information on scheduled meetings will be posted in the In Focus Newsletter and the OPCC interactive calendar. The Zoom link will be available on the OPCC website Zoom Codes page.
Contact Bob (rlselby@yahoo.com) for more information.
NWCCC Announces Fall 2021 Individual Competitions
The Northwest Council of Camera Clubs (NWCCC) has posted the rules and entry forms for the 2021 Open Digital Salon and the 2021 Open Print Salon on their website, accessible by clicking HERE. No details about the Fall NWCCC Meeting have been posted as of yet, but OPCC NWCCC representative Rebecca Hanson reports that it may include some in-person events if COVID guidelines permit.
The deadline for entries is October 1, 2021 for both the digital and print salons. For questions contact Rebecca Hanson (rebahan@earthlink.net).
Competition Chair Needed
We are sorry to announce that Suzanne Anaya has resigned as Competition Chair due to time constraints. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Suzanne for her past service as Competition Chair and her continued service as Club Secretary.
The position of Competition Chair is now open, and we are looking for volunteers to fill it. As the position is currently structured, the Competition Chair oversees any external competitions in which the club decides to participate, such as the NWCCC Traveling Digital Salon and the PSA Interclub Competition.
Although we are not currently conducting internal competitions, many members have expressed an interest in resuming them. We are currently considering a fun competition in the Fall of 2021 and resuming regular competition nights in alternate months in 2022. The OPCC Board is currently considering the best way to organize volunteers to support this goal. One suggestion is to create an OPCC Competition Committee to share the work load (e.g., finding judges, determining special themes, collecting and forwarding submissions, tracking results, etc.) among multiple people. Anyone considering volunteering is welcome to participate in these discussions.
If OPCC internal competitions are to resume, we will need a volunteer(s) to serve as the Competition Chair or as a Competition Committee member. To volunteer or request more information, contact OPCC President Bruce Fryxell (opccpres@gmail.com).
New Month - New Special Theme for Member Share Night
The Special Theme for shooting in August and sharing at the September 2 meeting is “Abstract Photography”. For more information and a helpful tutorial on abstract photography click HERE. For questions contact OPCC Member Share Night Chair Susan White at opccphotos@gmail.com.
COMING UP THIS WEEK
Deadline for Submitting Images for August 5 Member Share Night - Thursday July 29 at 11:00 PM
Don’t forget to submit your images for the August 5 Member Share Night. The monthly Special Theme is Astrophotography. For information on how to name and format images for Member Share Night submission visit the Member Share Night page on the OPCC website by clicking HERE. For questions contact OPCC Member Share Night Chair Susan White at opccphotos@gmail.com.
Hurricane Ridge Dog Show Field Trip - Saturday July 31 at 9:30 AM. Carrie Blake Park
Get a jumpstart on October’s special theme of “Pet Portrait Photography” by participating in this field trip to photograph the Hurricane Ridge Kennel Club dog show at Carrie Blake Park. Field Trip Leader is Ellen Bogenschutz. Visit the Field Trips page of the OPCC website for full details by clicking HERE.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES
Visit the OPCC Website for more information on these events.
Member Share Night - Monthly Themes and More
For more information visit the Member Share Night page on the OPCC website. For questions, contact Share Night/Projection Chair Susan White at opccphotos@gmail.com.
Field Trips
For more information visit the Field Trips page on the OPCC website. For general questions contact Field Trips Chair Sandy Woods at fieldtrips4opcc@gmail.com.