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 cover photo is "The Crew” by Gary Prince. Gary’s photography began in the warzone with a Yashica TL Electro-X he’d purchased on base in 1970.

The cover photo, The Crew, is of the Fire Support Base Lynch in the Republic of Viet Nam. Gary joined the Army at age seventeen, took advanced training to become a sergeant, and was transferred to Viet Nam. At just eighteen years old, Gary was in charge of a 155mm Howitzer (that’s not a camera lens) and a gun crew of ten men. After eleven months eating canned potatoes in both Viet Nam and Cambodia, he went home to California. When his mom picked him up at the LA Airport at midnight, she asked him what he wanted to eat. He said, “I want some of those fresh hash browns that you make!”

When Gary re-entered civilian life, his photographic interest took a twenty-year pause. Then, in the late 1990’s, he jumped into photography during the awkward dawn of the digital camera. His first digital camera used a floppy disk.

Gary had a 33-year career with the Moreno Valley School district. He worked as a computer programmer, manager of technical services, and taught Photoshop at night at the community college.

In 2016, Gary joined OPCC. He enjoys photographing landscapes, nature, people, places, night skies, sunrises and sunsets, and lately, birds. A new arrival to his suet feeder is a Pileated Woodpecker and he’s exploring the idea of using bird photo props. He also uses a drone to capture aerial shots.

“Photography gets me outside to enjoy nature. Without it, I might be a couch potato!” says Gary. His outstanding images have been recognized at OPCC year-end awards ceremonies.

Photographers that influence his work are Rick Sammon, Joe McNally, Moose Peterson, Chase Jarvis and Scott Kelby.

Gary has many Nikon DSLR cameras, including a D100 he had converted in 2006 to take infrared images. He uses a GoPro and the built-in camera on his Mavic Pro Drone and has plans to replace his Nikon Z7 with the upcoming Z9. He enjoys sharing his passion for photography with his kids and grandchildren. When one of them shows a keen interest, he’s been known to gift them with a camera.

Gary says his motto is to improve and discover within his art of photography.

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

“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” — Imogen Cunningham

Portrait Photography Field Trip Report

Seven OPCC members attended the excellent outdoor portrait photography workshop organized by OPCC member Tim O’Neill on Monday, August 30. The setting was beautiful, Selah (our model) was very photogenic and posed with professional skill, and the cloud-filtered afternoon light was lovely. It was a great opportunity to learn and practice portrait skills. Many thanks to Tim for leading this 5-star outing. Let’s hope Tim will organize additional portrait field trips in the future.

New OPCC Photo Contest – Autumn WOW!!! - Is Under Way

You were given a sneak peek of the rules last week. The final rules are now posted on the WOW event webpage and can be accessed by clicking HERE. Although there’s some fine print, the rules are pretty simple…take a photo that will knock the judges’ socks off. Winners will be decided by a vote of the membership on the images that wowed them most. Read the rules and then decide how you will wow your fellow members.

Cascadia Photographic Exhibition Results Announced

The results for the Cascadia Photographic Exhibition at the Washington State Fair were posted this past weekend. Congratulations to OPCC members Lewis Bennett, Marian Bodart, Sally Harris, and Dana Martell on acceptance of images for this juried exhibition. Additional congratulations to Sally Harris for Judges Choice awards for two of her images.

PSA Washington State Newsletter

The September edition of the PSA Washington State Newsletter is now available. Click HERE to view or download.

Reminders: New Month - New Special Theme and Voting is Underway in the September Round of the NWCCC 2021 Traveling Digital Salon

Just a quick reminder that we have a new special them as of September 1: Pet Portraits. Shoot now (or edit those dog show field trip images) and share your work at the October 7 Member Share Night.

Also, we’re off to a good start on the latest round of balloting, but could use more votes. The links for voting were sent out in an email on September 1. If you didn’t receive the email and have checked your spam folder, please email Lori Moilanen at opcc4mail@gmail.com to receive the voting links.

New Port Townsend Photo Exhibit - National Geographic Photographer Bill Curtsinger

Pioneering undersea photographer Bill Curtsinger shows images taken over three decades of work for National Geographic in a new exhibit at Northwind Arts in Port Townsend..

The exhibit runs from September 2 – October 31, 2021, at the Northwind Art Grover Gallery, 236 Taylor Street, Port Townsend. The gallery is open every day, 12-5.

Bill Curtsinger grew up in southern New Jersey and attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and Arizona State University in Tempe. A self-taught photographer, Curtsinger was a member of the elite Navy Photo Unit, Atlantic Fleet Combat Camera Group during the Vietnam War.

Specializing in underwater and natural history subjects, he has photographed thirty-three articles, (six cover stories) for National Geographic Magazine. His photo stories have also appeared in Smithsonian, Outside, Time, Newsweek, Life, Audubon, Natural History, and other publications worldwide.

Curtsinger has photographed a number of books, including Wake of the Whale, an exhibit format series book published by David Brower, the dean of the modern American environmental movement. Other titles include The Pine Barrens of New Jersey, Monk Seal Hideaway, Under Antarctic Ice, and and a series of children's books on plankton called Sea Soup. Extreme Nature: Images from the World’s Edge, a 400-page retrospective of his work was published in 2005 in nine languages and in eleven countries.

His image of a sea turtle hatchling was selected to appear on the cover of the National Geographic 100 Best Pictures collector's edition, and six of his photos were featured in National Geographic 100 Best Wildlife Pictures.

Bill lives in Port Townsend, Washington with his wife Sue Ohlson. They are the owners of Sunrise Coffee Company.

For more information and to view a selection of images, click HERE.

COMING UP THIS WEEK

Rather amazingly, there are no general OPCC meetings or deadlines this week. Time to get out there and shoot some pet portraits or WOW!!! photos.

LOOK AND LISTEN

Just in case you need some inspiration for your bird photography efforts, the results of the sixth annual Bird Photographer of the Year competition were announced this past week. This is currently the most prestigious bird photography competition in the world, with more than 22,000 international entries for the 2021 edition. View the winning and highly commended images in all categories by clicking HERE.

Blocked - Alejandro Prieto Overall Winner and 2021 Bird Photographer of the Year — *Blocked* - Alejandro Prieto
Overall Winner and 2021 Bird Photographer of the Year

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.

In Focus: September 6 - 12