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

With Sally M. Harris

This week’s featured photograph is Oregon Sunset Covid Escape 2019 by Lewis Bennett. Lewis was notified last week that this image received the 2021 NW International Exhibition of Photography, Best of Human Interest award at the Washington State Fair. Big congratulations to Lewis on this accomplishment!

Lewis Bennett was the first one on both sides of his family tree to graduate from college. With the encouragement of his parents, his high school art teacher and guidance counselor, he got accepted at Baylor University to study Art Education. When some of his relatives heard he was painting, their standard comment was, “painting houses is a great profession.”

Lewis credits his professors for teaching him how to express creativity. His ceramics teacher said, “You should always take the opportunity to learn something because you never know if you will need that skill one day!” Lewis became an art teacher for elementary, middle and high school children in Texas and Alaska. He returned to Texas to finish teaching art until retirement.

For most of his career, Lewis used photographs only as a basis for his paintings and drawings. After moving to Port Angeles, his husband George Suhr encouraged him to delve full time into digital photography. George, his number one fan, researched the best computer, printer, software and camera gear to help him with this new direction.

Lewis joined OPCC in 2016 after meeting members Colleen Bittner and Rebecca Hanson. He soon volunteered to serve as Competition Chair for three years. It’s not a job for the faint of heart, and members were grateful for his dedication to the position. Lewis says he’s learned a lot from fellow club members over the years.

Lewis brings something unique to our club. His award-winning images create a visual experience to tell a story, combining art and photography in profound and colorful ways. Here’s what he says about it…

“When I was teaching art, I loved to take disparate images and somehow fit them together to make a new environment or world. I also care deeply about the environment, humanity and human rights. I love odd angles and expressive colors. All of these appear in my photographs. I want to tell a story using color, texture, different angles, architecture, nature and landscapes in which I try to relate relationships between people, culture, and interactions between people and nature whether good, indifferent, or disastrous.”

His photographic awards include: 2021- NW International Exhibition of Photography, Best of Human Interest for Oregon Sunset Covid Escape, 2019 - Clallam County Fair- People’s Choice Award, 2018 - NWCCC, Judge’s Choice, 2nd Award, and Creative Award for EMP Space Needle Reflection, and Creative Award and Judge’s Choice for Trump’s Cage Border Children.

Lewis’s camera of choice is his Nikon D750.

WEBSITE QUICK LINKS

Looking For A Frequently-Used Location On The OPCC Website? Click on the Quick Links Below!

PUBLIC

Home Page and Club Calendar

MEMBERS ONLY

Zoom Codes

Class Videos & Handouts

Share Night Image Submission Instructions

Education Night Videos and Handouts

Field Trips - Main Page

Board Members and Their Contact Information

Membership List

NEWS

Quote of the Week

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” – Pablo Picasso

Message from OPCC President Bruce Fryxell

I am sorry to announce that Ardythe Wendt has resigned as Program Chair and has also decided to leave the club. I want to thank her for her many years of dedicated service to OPCC. We will miss her and hope that someday she will decide to join the club again. We are looking for a volunteer to replace her as Program Chair. Please contact me (opccpres@gmail.com) if you have any ideas.

New OPCC Photo Contest – Autumn WOW!!! - Starts This Week

See “COMING UP THIS WEEK” section below for more information.

New Member Share Night and Education Night Speakers Added to Schedule

Past OPCC President Valerie Henschel will be our Education Night speaker on Thursday, September 21. Valerie is known for her constructive and thorough approach to image evaluation and judging. The topic of her presentation will be “The Basics of Image Evaluation”.

Our Education Night speaker for Thursday October 21 will be pro nature and wildlife photographer Steve Gettle. You can view his bio by visiting the event page for his talk by clicking HERE and more about Steve by visiting his website by clicking HERE.

We’re pleased to announce that Port Ludlow-based pro nature and landscape photographer Rod Barbee will be a guest “Live Editor” for the Thursday November 4 Member Share Night meeting. To learn more about Rod visit his website by clicking HERE.

Please Welcome Our Newest Member

OPCC extends a warm welcome to our newest member Patricia Warner. We look forward to meeting you!

You Be the Judge - NWCCC 2021 Traveling Salon August Voting Results

In August, OPCC members voted on 22 images from the Tacoma Photographic Society. Thumbnails of the images receiving the most votes are shown below. Are your picks there? To view uncropped versions of all 22 images from the Tacoma Photographic Society click HERE.

COMING UP THIS WEEK

Portrait Photography Field Trip - Monday August 30 from 3:00 - 5:00 PM

OPCC member Tim O’Neill has kindly secured a beautiful location (4343 Sequim Dungeness Way) and model for an afternoon portrait session. This is a great opportunity to learn or practice portrait photography. The workshop will be in the afternoon to take advantage of natural light. You are welcome to bring portable flashes, reflectors, etc., but it is not necessary or required. Please contact Tim if you will attend since parking is limited. You can reach him at 714-655-7765 (please leave a message and mention OPCC) or at woodwkrtim@gmail.com.

OPCC Autumn WOW!!! Photo Contest begins Wednesday September 1

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 on image submission and judging will be shared soon. In the meantime, get ready to start your WOW!!! image quest on September 1. 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. Winners will be selected by OPCC member voting and 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!

WOW!!!

September Member Share Night - Thursday September 2 at 6:00 PM

The special theme for our September 2 Member Share Night Meeting is Abstract Photography. For questions contact OPCC Share Night Chair Susan White (opccphotos@gmail.com).

Opening Reception for Here, There, and Everywhere Photography Exhibit - Friday September 3 from 5:00-8:00 PM

The opening reception for the photography 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 will be held in conjunction with First Friday on September 3 from 5 to 8 PM. 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. This exhibit features OPCC members and active volunteers Ellen Bogenschutz, Bruce Fryxell, Dan McKenna, and Peggy McClure. Although this is a private (i.e., non-OPCC) event, all of the artists are active OPCC volunteers and are responsible for several recent OPCC activities. It would be great to have a good turnout of OPCC members at the opening. The museum is located at 544 N Sequim Avenue in Sequim.

LOOK AND LISTEN

Don Komarechka, the Canadian “Mad Scientist of Macrophotography” has just published a new Kickstarter crowd-sourced book titled Macro Photography: The Universe at our Feet. The mission of the author is “…to cover every challenge that a macro photographer might encounter, from beginner problems like focus and motion blur, to more complex issues with magnification and diffraction, lighting and composition, and so much more.”

Well written and organized, with 350 pages of detailed information, the book goes a long way towards the author’s goal. While you might or might not be a fan of some of his subject material and artistic choices, this book provides a technical toolbox to jumpstart the journey towards your own personal macro style. You can get a sense of the book’s contents and organization if you visit Komarechka’s Kickstarter page by clicking HERE.

The hardcover version is available for $62.99 (currently with free expedited shipping) from B and H Photo where it’s a #1 bestseller. The book is also available in Kindle format, but there have been some negative reviews of the Kindle version related to a fixed small text size.

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.

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