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 Whirling Willow by Valerie Henschel. This image won the People’s Choice Award at the 2018 Clallam County Fair. Valerie is our featured Education Night speaker this week.

Valerie Henschel gets down and dirty to get the shots. Especially in the muddy tulip fields in Woodburn, Oregon, where for ten years she’s enjoyed a special relationship with the owners of Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. She camps at the farm to shoot 24/7, capturing the images at sunrise, daytime, sunset and night. If it’s dark, she crawls on her belly through the mud to illuminate the individual flowers with tiny LED lights.

Valerie joined OPCC in 1984 when it was called the Sequim-Dungeness Camera Club. Over the years, Valerie served in most of the officer positions, many of them more than once.

Her interest in photography started when a kid’s camera went with her to camp. She remembers the disappointment of seeing three tiny black spots instead of the image of whales she shot from the boat on the way to camp. She tried to create photos that kid’s cameras could not produce. When she wore out that camera, she was given another one.

In the early 1980’s, she got her hands on a “good” 35mm camera from Sears. She devoured books and magazines from the local library. Sitting in the dirt in the garden, books by her side, she learned how to control f-stops, depth of field and speed.

Valerie has been published in all the local Peninsula newspapers and travel guides, a WA state tourism guide, The Seattle times, The Bremerton Sun, The Wall Street Journal (2 pages) and Sunset Magazine. Individual images are featured in a number of books and school education materials.

For Valerie, photography is telling a story. The natural world is her studio, and she seeks locations, subjects of interest and the grand variety of light conditions to express the story. “Photography gets me outside,” says Valerie. “I will never get bored. There are too many stories to tell!”

She’s taught classes on how to use your camera, how to process images on the computer and printing. She generously shares her knowledge with OPCC members, and has presented at other clubs and large photographer gatherings. If you have questions about Lightroom, she’s the one to ask; she’s a certified Lightroom expert.

When Valerie found out she’d won the People’s Choice Award at the 2018 Clallam County Fair, her eyes sparkled and she grinned. “Whirling Willow” held a special place in her heart, and when she saw it touched other hearts too, it was a joyous moment. For a photographer that tells a story, what can be better than that?

Tulip Wave - Valerie Henschel — *Tulip Wave* - Valerie Henschel

Sea of Tulips - Valerie henschel — *Sea of Tulips* - Valerie henschel

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

“A photographer is like a cod, which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity.” ― George Bernard Shaw

IMPORTANT: Rescheduled Education Night This Thursday

Our next Education Night featuring OPCC member Valerie Henschel, originally scheduled for Thursday, September 16 is this Thursday, September 23 at 6:00 PM. Please use the “Valerie Henschel Presentation” Zoom Code from the OPCC website to access the rescheduled meeting.

OPCC Planning Continues for 2022 - New Competition and Membership Chairs Announced

Peggy McClure has volunteered to be the OPCC Competition Chair for 2022. Expect news from Peggy on the plan for 2022 internal OPCC competitions in the near future. Mary Swartz will take over OPCC Membership Chair duties from Peggy. A big thanks to both for stepping up to take on these volunteer roles.

The positions of 2022 OPCC Treasurer, Field Trip Chair, and Program Chair are still open.

The OPCC Board would also like to increase the number of members who can facilitate our Zoom meetings and assist any members who need some help with accessing our virtual meetings and classes.

If you would like volunteer as a Zoom facilitator or to serve on the board and be involved in determining the future of the club, please contact OPCC President Bruce Fryxell at opccpres@gmail.com.

NWCCC Competition and Fall Meeting News - Submission Deadlines are Coming Up October 1.

Submission deadlines for the NWCCC Fall Digital, Print, and Slideshow competitions are October 1.

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 Print Chair (Alan Moodie) in person - see instructions in the Coming Up This Week section below.

Visit the NWCCC website at nwcameraclubs.org for competition and conference details.

Save the Date - Black and White Camera Works Exhibit

OPCC Share Night Chair/Projectionist Susan White will join other featured photographers for an exhibit of black and white photography at Studio Bob in Port Angeles. The Artist Reception will be on Saturday, October 9 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM and Sunday October 10 from Noon - 3:00 PM. Let’s have another good exhibit turnout, this time to support Susan and her art.

COMING UP THIS WEEK

Monthly OPCC Board Meeting - Tuesday September 21, 6:30 - 8:00 PM

All OPCC members are welcome to attend as observers. Please use the Board Meeting Zoom Code from the Zoom Codes page of the OPCC website to access the meeting.

Education Night - Thursday September 23, 6:00 - 8:00 PM

OPCC member Valerie Henschel will present her postponed talk on “Basics of Evaluating an Image.” Valerie is noted for her thorough and constructive image evaluations - come learn how she approaches her reviews. Use the “Valerie Henschel Presentation” Zoom code from the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage (Click HERE) to access this meeting.

Drop Off Prints for Delivery to NWCCC Print Competition Coordinator by Monday, September 27

Prints for the Northwest Council of Camera Clubs (NWCCC) individual print competition must be received by NWCCC no later than October 1. OPCC NWCCC Representative Rebecca Hanson has volunteered to deliver prints from OPCC members to the NWCCC Print Coordinator (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. For more information contact Rebecca Hanson (rebahan@earthlink.net).

THE BASICS - Tips for Learning New Photography Skills

Rocky Nook Photography Books

Rocky Nook (www.rockynook.com) is a small, independent publishing company that was founded in 2006 with the goal of helping photographers of all levels improve their skills. They’ve recently advanced into other artistic and creative fields. They publish a wide variety of how-to and inspirational books, as well as useful camera guides designed to interpret and add to the content of the manual that came with your camera. They also offer free content, including articles, blogs, webinar recordings, and ebooks. Check out the Rocky Nook “Deal of the Week” at the bottom of the home page for sales. For example, Rooky Nook is currently (as of 9/18) running a 40% off sale on all titles using the code SUMMER21.

LOOK AND LISTEN

William Neill is an American landscape photographer who strives to convey the deep, spiritual beauty he sees and feels in nature. His photography has been widely published in books, magazines, and posters. Assignments and published credits include: National Geographic, Smithsonian, Natural History, National Wildlife, Conde Nast Traveler, Gentlemen’s Quarterly, Travel and Leisure, Wilderness, Sunset, Sierra, and Outside magazines. Since 1997, he’s been a regular columnist for Outdoor Photographer magazine. He lives in the Yosemite area.

Several featured members have mentioned William Neill as an influence in their Meet the Photographer bios. Here are links to two free webinars from the Rocky Nook website, featuring William Neill: click HERE for the “Solace of Nature” with William Neill and Harold Davis and HERE for “Thinking in Themes - Find your passion, develop depth, and edit tightly” with William Neill. For more information on the video topics check out his books Light on the Landscape (2020) and The Photographer’s Portfolio Development Workshop (coming in March 2022).

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.

Competitions

For more information visit the Competitions webpage on the OPCC website.

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 20 - 26