In Focus: August 23 - 29
Small Gestures - Gail Kimmitt
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 Small Gestures by Gail Kimmitt. It’s one she took in 2010 in Bhutan...it remains one of her favorites, not because it is the best, but because it was one of the first times she had a feeling that maybe she was starting to get somewhere with photography. She loves the mother's hands cradling her baby's feet and the very hard to read expression on the boy's face..
Gail joined OPCC in 2016. She’s really enjoyed the meetings, seeing other member's photos, and says the educational programs have been great. And she’s so grateful to all those who work so hard to make the club better and better. She’s enjoyed volunteering at the county fair photo exhibit and hopes that event resumes next year. She usually spends a fair amount of time in Seattle, helping to care for hergrandchildren. Now that they’ll be in school (hopefully) full time, she hopes to be at home more and able to participate in club activities more often.
Photography has been a long-time interest for Gail. In grammar school she took a camera on all class trips, which were usually to historical sites (she grew up in New Jersey), and photographed every statue and plaque. Her Dad was an avid photographer and probably her early inspiration. She has boxes of his slides that need to be sorted.
Gail shoots with a Nikon 750 and a Fuji XT2. She’s getting ready to retire the Nikon as it's just too heavy...and ready to invest in a couple of Fuji lenses and a second Fuji body. She likes to shoot a wide variety of subjects. If the light is beautiful, she thinks you can shoot almost anything. A real turning point years ago in her photography was the realization that it's almost all about the light.
A couple of photographers that have been very influential for Gail are Gary Tepfer and David Duchemin. She’s spent several week-long camping trips in Canyon De Chelly in Arizona with Gary...and trips to Kenya and India with David, as well as taking several of his online courses. She says he's a wonderful teacher. Other photographers she admires are Guy Tal, Fan Ho and Michael Kenna...as well as many members of OPCC.
For a while, now Gail’s focus has been to improve her editing in Lightroom and learn to print. She bought a used printer from a club member a few years ago, and it served her well in getting started. she’s excited to have just unpacked a new Epson P700 printer, and the first couple of prints have been very satisfying. She wants to continue with both of these ventures, maybe even expanding into Photoshop a bit. She took an online printing course from Robert Rodriguez which she said was excellent. She still goes back to many of the video lessons - highly recommended! Gail’s hoping to do a photo trip to Joshua Tree National Park in January.
Gail Kimmitt
Simply - Gail Kimmitt
Rocky Coast - Gail Kimmitt
Super Low Tide - Gail Kimmitt
Kenya Profile - Gail Kimmitt
WEBSITE QUICK LINKS
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Share Night Image Submission Instructions
Education Night Videos and Handouts
NEWS
Quote of the Week
“Learning to see is not about having open eyes; it’s about having an open mind.” – David DuChemin
New OPCC Photo Competition Announced – Autumn WOW!
OPCC is hosting a new internal photo competition open to all members. The objectives of this competition are simple…have fun and create a photo that will knock the judges’ socks off!
Here’s a sneak peek at the contest format. Additional details will be posted on the OPCC Website next week and included in an upcoming In Focus newsletter. In the meantime, here’s some basic information to get you started.
Competition Rules:
1. Photos must be taken between September 1 and October 31, 2021.
2. Photos can be of any subject.
3. Composite images are allowed, but all elements must be the member’s work and taken in the same September – October timeframe. Please note that generic sky replacements (e.g., using skies provided in Photoshop or Luminar AI) and use of commercial textures are therefore not allowed.
4. Creative editing is allowed and encouraged, but the image must include only photo(s) taken by the member. Use of stock/royalty-free photos to create derivative art is therefore not allowed.
5. Judging will be based solely on the WOW FACTOR of the image.
6. Winners will be announced at the OPCC Dec. 2 End of the Year meeting.
Stay tuned for additional details on image submission, judging, and awards!
Sharon Tenenbaum Presentation Video
Just a heads up that the inspiring talk given by Sharon Tenenbaum for last Thursday’s Education Night was recorded, but there will be a delay posting it to the OPCC website. We’ll notify members when it’s available.
It Takes a Village - Thanks to Our Volunteers
Sally Harris, a guest editor for the past two weeks, has volunteered to take over the weekly Meet the Photographer newsletter feature starting with the August 30 issue. Ellen Bogenschutz, Susan White, Peggy McClure, Lori Moilanen and Witta Priester have volunteered to either help with or advise on the new OPCC Autumn WOW Photo Competition. Ellen Bogenschutz, Dan McKenna, Bruce Fryxell, and Lori Moilanen led field trips in August. Dan McKenna assisted other OPCC members in preparing prints for an upcoming private (non-OPCC) exhibit. Peggy Hanson assisted with publicity for this week’s Education Night speaker. Lewis Bennett and Peggy Hanson have recently stood in as the Zoom Maestro’s for our Member Share Night and Education Night meetings, respectively. Thanks to all for their help!
Save The Date For An OPCC Member Exhibition at the Sequim Museum
OPCC members Ellen Bogenschutz, Bruce Fryxell, Dan McKenna, and Peggy McClure will be presenting an exhibit entitled "Here, There, and Everywhere: 4 Artists' Photographic Journeys From Their Backyards to the Four Corners of the World" at the Judith Tozzer Art Gallery in the Sequim Museum and Arts Building from September 1 through September 30. The museum is located at 544 N Sequim Avenue in Sequim and is open Wednesday to Saturday from 11 to 4 PM. An opening reception with live music will be held in conjunction with First Friday on September 3 from 5 to 8 PM.
Although this is a private (i.e., non-OPCC) event, all of the artists are active OPCC members and volunteers. It would be great to have a good turnout of OPCC members at the opening.
More Abstract Port Townsend Field Trip Images!
Here are a few more images from the recent OPCC field trip to the Kinzie Bunker at Fort Worden and the Port Townsend Boat Haven Marina. Thanks to all of the participants who’ve shared their field trip images.
Mary Swartz
Peggy McClure
Peggy Hanson
Peggy Hanson
Peggy Hanson
Mary Swartz
Visiting Photographer Would Like to Connect With OPCC Members
New Jersey photographer Lori Abrams has reached out to OPCC members via the OPCC website contact form. She would love to meet other photographers for her first trip to the Olympic Peninsula the weekend of September 25, following a juried master class with Sam Abell at the Pacific Northwest Art School on Whidbey Island. She says any direction or advice OPCC members can provide would be helpful. You can view her website and bio by clicking HERE. If you’d like to connect with Lori Abrams, her phone number is 973-830-7151 and her email is LoriAbramsPhoto@gmail.com.
COMING UP THIS WEEK
Image Submission Deadline for September Member Share Night - Thursday August 26 at 11:00 PM
The special theme for our September 2 Member Share Night Meeting is Abstract Photography. Members may submit up to a combined total of three (3) photos. for Share Night in the category(s) of their choice. For more information on Member Share Night use the “Share Night Explained” button on the Member Share Night page of the OPCC website. For instructions on naming, sizing, and submitting your photos use the “How to Resize Photos” and “How to Submit Photos” buttons. You can visit the Member Share Night page by clicking HERE. For questions contact OPCC Share Night Chair Susan White (opccphotos@gmail.com).
LOOK AND LISTEN
Sharon Tenenbaum’s Education Night presentation last week left us with lots of food for thought. Here are a couple of resources that might be explored.
Sharon mentioned LensWorkmagazine (www.lenswork.com) during her talk. LensWork and its publisher Brooks Jensen (www.brooksjensenarts.com) will be familiar to OPCC members who attended the 2020 Northwest Council of Camera Club’s (NWCCC) virtual annual meeting last November where Jensen was a featured speaker. LensWorkis an award-winning bimonthly photography publication, available in print or digital format, about photographs (rather than than the technical aspects like cameras or post processing software). It includes articles, interviews, and portfolios devoted to images and the creative process. The premise of LensWork is that photography is more than mere craft - photography is, or can be, a way of life. A variety of podcasts, videos, and monographs are also available at the Lenswork website.
Sharon’s post-processing workflow for her architectural images makes extensive use of Photoshop gradients to enhance her images. Click HERE for a link to a video tutorial by Blake Rudis on the use of the Reflected Gradient Tool to edit landscape, wildlife, and portrait photographs. Thanks to OPCC Print Chair Dan McKenna for this recommendation.
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.
Education Events
For more information visit the Education Events webpage on the OPCC Website. For questions or to suggest a speaker, contact OPCC President Bruce Fryxell at opccpres@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.