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 Wheat and Sky by Tim O’Neill.

A few years ago, OPCC recognized Tim for his inspirational service to the club and its members. He downplayed this honor with a few humorous comments. Tim’s humble about his own photography, and likes to tell you how great your stuff is. When you mention his other awards, such as club Photographer of the Year, he says, “I got Photographer of the Year just because I was consistent, not because I was the best. What I like about the club is that you see a lot of people’s work that inspires you to get outside of your comfort zone. I don’t take myself or my work very seriously. I’m just out to enjoy myself and socialize with like-minded folks.”

Tim joined the club in 2006, after retiring from his dental practice in California. He’s been lending a helping hand to the club ever since. He’s given five portrait workshops, two classes on infrared photography, and an “out of the camera” workshop. He co-facilitated a focus-stacking class with his photog buddy Roy Kropp. In February 2021 he gave an Education Night presentation on Luminar AI. Recently, he gave an on-location portrait workshop for the club that was well-attended and appreciated.

Tim’s been serious about photography since 2002. He bought a Canon Powershot G2 with 4 Megapixels and left quickly for Page, AZ on his first photography-specific field trip. He’s been shooting continuously ever since. He gradually worked his way up to DSLRs, and most recently mirrorless cameras. He added infrared photography to his interests about 15 years ago, and almost always carries an IR camera in his kit.

Tim doesn’t follow or emulate other photographers. “I just kind of do what works. My style is evolutionary, not revolutionary. It’s always evolving.”

Tim’s a self-admitted software junky and has been using Photoshop since the beginning. He’s spent hundreds of dollars on the latest filters and plug-ins. He currently uses Nik Filters, On One, Topaz, and most recently, Luminar.

His photographic interests are based originally in landscapes, but he also likes photographing people doing things they enjoy. You may have seen him around town shooting concerts, sporting events, and themed events like the Port Townsend Steampunk festival. When a local singer needs a promo shot, Tim usually gets the call. You’ll see his photography on CD’s, in newspapers and promo material. “People spend lots of time preparing for a photo shoot,” says Tim. “When they make that kind of effort with their hair, makeup, clothing and jewelry, I work really hard to make them look good.” And he does.

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

“When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice.” ― Robert Frank

IMPORTANT: This Week’s Education Night Rescheduled

Our next Education Night featuring OPCC speaker Valerie Henschel, originally scheduled for Thursday, September 16 has been postponed until next week. The new meeting time is Thursday, September 23 at 6:00 PM. Please use the Education Night Zoom Code from the OPCC website to access the rescheduled meeting.

A message from OPCC President Bruce Fryxell - Planning is Underway for 2022

The OPCC board held a planning meeting on Saturday to begin outlining club activities for 2022 and to form a nominating committee for next year’s officer vacancies as required by OPCC Bylaws. Thanks to the OPCC board members who gave up part of their weekend to participate in this process and for the good humor and team spirit that was evident throughout the meeting.

As you are all aware, COVID issues are limiting what we can do in person, and some of the uncertainties make planning difficult. We will continue meeting via Zoom until it is safe to have in-person meetings. In the meantime, we will move ahead wherever possible. Here are highlights of activities under discussion for 2022:

·       Quarterly internal competitions with remote judging provided by the PSA Club Judging Service
·       High-quality external speakers for several of our Education Nights
·       Monthly Member Share Nights in non-competition months
·       A variety of fun and educational in-person monthly field trips
·       A new mentoring program for matching beginner-level OPCC photographers with more experienced members
·       Better outreach to new OPCC members

Details of these proposed activities will be announced as soon as the plans are finalized. We’re sure that our members will be as excited by next year's activities as we are.

We are also in the process of filling several vacancies on the board and have established a nominating committee. Our club is powered by volunteer energy. If you would like to serve on the board and be involved in determining the future of the club, please contact me at opccpres@gmail.com.

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

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.

Congratulations to Peg Hanson

A 12 x 12 photograph titled Sequim Demonstration Garden Artist by OPCC member Peg Hanson has been selected as this year’s featured artwork for the Soroptimist Gala Garden Show. During a recent trip to the Sequim Master Demonstration Garden, Peg came upon a local painter who fit beautifully into a photo. She then processed the photo in Photoshop and used digital editing tools to give it a painting appearance. For more information visit the Soroptimist Gala Garden Show website by clicking HERE. Congratulations to Peg on this well deserved honor.

NWCCC Print Competition and Fall Meeting News

Our Northwest Council of Camera Clubs (NWCCC) liaison Rebecca Hanson has shared some new information related to the upcoming NWCCC 2021 print competition and the in-person meeting location for the 2021 NWCCC Fall Meeting:

Prints for the NWCCC individual print competition must be received by October 1. Rebecca has volunteered to deliver prints from OPCC members to the NWCCC representative (Alan Moodie) in person.

If members wish to have Rebecca deliver their prints, they can drop them off at her her house by September 27. She will be taking the prints to Alan Moodie in Edmonds on September 28. Please provide protection for your prints, as Rebecca does not have the case for transporting them. Rebecca's house address is 1508 E. Sequim Bay Road.

In additional NWCCC Conference news, an in-person meeting including a live print salon is still planned for Saturday November 13, from 1:00 - 5:00 PM. The meeting location will be the One Life Community Church at 3524 Northeast 95th Street, Seattle 98115. Organizers have asked that attendees carpool due to limited parking availability. Additional details are posted on the NWCCC website at nwcameraclubs.org.

Topic for Steve Gettle Education Night Presentation on October 21 Announced

The topic for Steve’s upcoming talk will be Building an Image, his most popular presentation. Here’s what Steve has to say about this presentation: “Most great images are not spontaneous. They are more often well thought out and carefully crafted, taking into consideration such things as what you choose to include in the frame, lighting, the background, your chosen perspective and many other elements. In this talk, Steve goes through his entire process. From seeing and identifying the image to choosing the message, and the step by step progression of building the final composition.” For more information on Steve’s talk visit the OPCC event page by clicking HERE. For more information on Steve visit his website by clicking HERE.

COMING UP THIS WEEK

September 16 Education Night is RESCHEDULED

Note: There’s no Education Night meeting this week. The September 16 Education Night meeting featuring Valerie Henschel has been rescheduled to September 23 at 6:00 PM.

NWCCC Traveling Digital Salon September Round Voting

The deadline for voting in the September Round of the NWCCC Traveling Digital Salon is September 15. The email with voting instructions was sent out on September 1. If you did not receive that email and have checked your spam folder, email opcc4mail@gmail.com for a resend of the voting information.

WOW!!!

Fall colors are coming on and the salmon are jumping in the Sol Duc River. Time to get out there and shoot some WOW!!! photos.

THE BASICS - Tips for Learning New Photography Skills

Need help learning about photography? Wondering how to improve or learn photo-related software skills? Kelly Hagood, Lori Moilanen, and Witta Priester are all fans of Lynda.com/LinkedIn.com online courses that can be accessed for free if you have a NOLS library card. Here’s a great write-up about it from Witta:

Our local NOLS library provides FREE access to some wonderful beginner classes in photography and also in Photoshop. https://www.nols.org/linkedin-learning/ Normally these classes require a paid subscription, but all YOU need is a library card.

Here's a link to the photography-related classes.
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/search?keywords=photography&upsellOrderOrigin=lynda_redirect_learning&trk=learning-serp_learning-search-bar_search-submit

Here's a link to the Photoshop training options.
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/search?keywords=photoshop+&upsellOrderOrigin=lynda_redirect_learning&trk=learning-serp_learning-search-bar_search-submit

Do check it out! This is a great resource at a perfect price.

LOOK AND LISTEN

In her Meet the Photographer bio a couple of weeks ago, OPCC member Gail Kimmitt mentioned David du Chemin as a photographer who has influenced her work. If you’re not familiar with du Chemin, he’s a self-described world & humanitarian assignment photographer, former comedian, best-selling author, adventurer, digital publisher, podcaster, and international workshop leader. He’s currently based just northwest of us on Vancouver Island. du Chemin is all about creativity and vision…gear and technique, not so much. Visit his website to listen to a thoughtful podcast, sign up for his newsletter, or download an awkwardly titled free ebook. If you’re up for some possible provocation, read or listen to his piece titled Clubs, Competitions, and Critiques by clicking HERE. Do you agree or disagree with his comments in that piece?

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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