• Our final meeting of the season featured our Annual Awards Night.

Winners of this season’s Photo Challenge by division are:

Novice

– 1st Place – Barb Dawson (three Honorable Mentions)

– 2nd Place – Jonathan Beauvais

Intermediate

– 1st Place – Stacy Arnold (four Honorable Mentions)

– 2nd Place – Janice Mayuk (two Honorable Mentions)

– 3rd Place – Debby Venne

Advanced

– 1st Place – Dave Richards (seven Honorable Mentions)

– 2nd Place – Wendy McDonald (three Honorable Mentions)

– 3rd Place – Jeff McDonald (two Honorable Mentions)

– Honorable Mentions – Barb Ferren (1) Kim Charron (1),
   Cindy Taleski (1), Martha Gillier (2)

Salon

– 1st Place – Linda Pepper (seven Honorable Mentions)

– 2nd Place – Mary Craig (two Honorable Mentions)

– 3rd Place – Jim Pollock (four Honorable Mentions)

Best Picture Of The Year as chosen by the Windsor Camera Club
awarded to Jim Pollock for “Together Forever”

You can see Jeff and Wendy’s Photo Challenge Review in the YouTube video below

• A huge “Thank You” goes out to a number of people whose efforts make the Chatham Camera Club the special group that it is:

– to our Executive for organizing this year’s meetings and guest speakers.
– to Jeff and Wendy McDonald for their excellent job running our Photo Challenges.
– to Kim Charron for making coffee and snacks for our break time.
– to Mike and Keith for reviewing our photos on Print Night.
– to Dave Noordhoff for his outstanding photo and software lessons.
– to Jonathan Beauvais for his continued tech support.
– to Mary Craig for her time and dedication as Club President.
– to everyone who helped out in some small way when called upon.

• Jonathan Beauvais introduced use to Darktable, the free alternative to Photoshop and Lightroom in which you can organize, edit, export and print your photo library. In his tutorial Jonathan talked about which file formats are supported, how to crop, rotate, retouch, denoise, adjust white balance, add watermarks and framing.

.- you can download Darktable for free at https://www.darktable.org/

– for an introduction to the Darktable workflow, see the YouTube video below.

• Jeff and Wendy showed us the entries to our April Photo Challenge, “Storytelling”. The scores will be revealed at our next meeting.

• Julie Faas was our featured photographer in What I Shoot, where she displayed her top notch skills in capturing flowers, travel, boats on the St. Clair River and fun and fantasy photos. Well done Julie! You pictures and editing skills are second to none!

• Mike and Keith reviewed the many prints that were brought in for display and discussion. This was easily the best print night that we’ve had all season, with several of our members showing us some of their most interesting photos. Keep up the good work everyone! We’ll do it again next season.

• Our final meeting of the season will be held on May 12th at Grace Christian Reformed Church 255 Tweedsmuir Ave West, Chatham at 7 PM when we will feature our annual Awards Night.

“I like to photograph anyone before they know what their best angles are.” – Ellen Von Unwerth

• If you would like to join us, come out to any meeting. The first two are free so you can see if we’re a good fit.

• Our featured presenter was our own Dave Noordhoff, who showed us Part II of his Tips And Tricks for Lightroom, Photoshop and Adobe Camera RAW.

Dave showed us:
– how to cull photos quickly in Lightroom
– the power of masking to make adjustments
– reflection removal in Photoshop
– generative expansion of an image
– distraction removal

As always, Dave’s clear and concise teaching methods made it easy for us to understand these amazing post-processing methods. Thanks Dave! You were spot-on again!

• The Chatham Camera Club will be photographing the 2026 Grace Christian Reformed Church soccer camp on August 10, 11 and 12.

Children entering grades 3-6 in September will meet at Chatham Christian School (on Keil Drive), while children entering SK – grade 2 will meet at Grace Christian Reform Church on Tweedsmuir. The children will be divided into teams of 6 to 8. We will be asked to shoot action photos of the participants being instructed on soccer skills, practising those skills and the teams playing scrimmages against one another. We will also be asked to take posed photos of the teams and candid portraits of individual participants and groups. We might also be asked to take two overall group photos of the participants at each of the venues.

Our volunteer photographers are: Jeff, Butch, Linda, Mary, Clarke and Kim.

• Our next meeting will be a live event at Grace Christian Reformed Church, 255 Tweedsmuir Ave West, Chatham on April 28^th at 7 PM.

– Jonathan Beauvais will introduce Darktable , the free alternative to Photoshop and Lightroom.

– Julie Faas will be the featured presenter in What I Shoot

– The results of our April Photo Challenge, “Storytelling” will be revealed.

– We will again have our monthly feature Show And Tell, which will give everyone a chance to show any digital photos you want to share in a non-competitive environment.

– Bring in a printed photo of any size, any subject for display and discussion

“What I like about photographs is that they caputre a moment that is gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” – Karl Lagerfeld

If you would like to join us, come out to any meeting. The first two are free so you can check us out. Memberships are pro-rated for the remainder of the season.

• This evening’s meeting centered on club members showing “The Things I Can’t Live Without.” Whatever gadget, gizmo or piece of photo equipment that we count on to help us get a desired result was fair game. Nearly half of those in attendance stepped forward and showed the group some of their “go-to” devices, including: a kneeling pad, camera phone tripod, photo vest, rain pouch, collapsible stool, lens pen, bird call, rechargeable batteries, hard shell camera case, polarized filters, picture frames, self-made business cards, and a light painting orb. The evening was a huge success and a special thank you goes out to all who participated. We will do this again in the future!

• The results from our March Photo Challenge, “Refraction” were shown, with several high quality photos getting well-deserved praise. You can view all of the entries in the YouTube video below and see the top scoring shots on our Club Photos page.

• Kim Charron was highlighted in our monthly feature What I Shoot, where she showed us some of her excellent travel photos. Well done, Kim! We were thrilled to see beautiful pictures.

• Mike and Keith led a discussion on some of the prints that were brought in for display. We encourage all of our members to take part in this exercise at the April 28^th meeting.

• Our next get-together will be a live meeting at Grace Christian Reformed Church, 255 Tweedsmuir Ave. West on April 14^th at 7:00 p.m. Club member Dave Noordhoff will present part two of his lessons on Light Room, Photoshop and Adobe Camera Raw.

“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” – Henry Thoreau

• If you would like to join us, come out to any meeting. The first two are free so you can check us out. Memberships are pro-rated for the remainder of the season.

• Our guest speaker for the evening was Dennis Ducklow of DoubleExposure.ca, who presented an engaging talk titled Propel Your Photography with Projects: Understanding the Power of Projects to Deepen Your Photography.

Dennis discussed how photographers can use projects to strengthen their creative vision, outlining approaches such as short-term, long-term, and simultaneous projects. He explained how projects can be built around themes including locations, objects, people, mood, technique, and many other ideas. He also shared examples from several of his own personal projects, illustrating how sustained focus on a theme can help photographers grow and refine their work.

The Chatham Camera Club would like to thank Dennis for generously sharing his time, experience, and wonderful images with us. With the summer months fast approaching, we’re inspired and eager to begin a few photography projects of our own.

• Our next meeting will be a live event at Grace Christian Reformed Church, 255 Tweedsmuir Ave West, Chatham at 7 PM.

– The theme for this get-together will be “The Camera Things I Can’t Live Without.”
This meeting depends entirely on our member’s participation. We ask everyone to share a bit of their photography knowledge, whether it be a certain piece of equipment, a post processing technique, or an interesting place to photograph. If you are able, please prepare a short presentation and be ready to share it with the rest of us. Remember, you’re among friends here, so don’t be shy about speaking in front of the group.

– Kim Charron will be the featured presenter in What I Shoot

– The results of our March Photo Challenge, “Refraction” will be revealed.

– We will again have our monthly feature Show And Tell, which will give everyone a chance to show any digital photos you want to share in a non-competitive environment.

– Bring in a printed photo of any size, any subject for display and discussion

“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.” – Ernst Haas

If you would like to join us, come out to any meeting. The first two are free so you can check us out. Memberships are pro-rated for the remainder of the season.

• Dave Richards delivered an engaging presentation on Travel Photography, explaining how he selects equipment that allows him to travel light without sacrificing image quality. He shared striking examples that demonstrated how careful attention to timing and location can elevate a photograph from good to exceptional. Dave also highlighted the importance of thoughtful post-processing and precise cropping to bring his images to their full potential. The Club extends its sincere thanks to Dave for an informative and inspiring tutorial, offering valuable insight into the often challenging world of Travel Photography.

• The results from our February Photo Challenge, “Architecture” were revealed. You can view all of the entries in the YouTube video below and see the top scoring shots on our Club Photos page.

• Jeff McDonald treated us to an entertaining slideshow featuring photographs he captured at various regional car shows. His images highlighted striking details such as elegant hood ornaments, unique door handles, polished hubcaps, gleaming chrome trim, and other distinctive automotive features. Thanks, Jeff — we thoroughly enjoyed your presentation!

• Mike Blazek led a thoughtful review of the printed images submitted for display. As always, Club members demonstrated their talent for capturing distinctive photographs that spark interest and lively conversation.

• Our next meeting will be held via Zoom on March 10^th at 7:00 p.m. Our guest speaker will be Dennis Ducklow of DoubleExposure.ca, presenting “Propel Your Photography with Projects: Understanding the Power of Projects to Deepen Your Photography.” Members are welcome to watch the Zoom session from home or gather at Grace Christian Reformed Church at 7:00 p.m., where we will view the presentation together.

“Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and the mind are the true lens of the camera.” – Yousuf Karsh

• If you would like to join us, come out to any meeting. The first two are free so you can check us out. Memberships are pro-rated for the remainder of the season.

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Herman Giethoorn on February 14.

Herman was a cherished and dedicated member of the Chatham Camera Club for many years, and his presence will be deeply missed. He had a true passion for Nature photography, a genre in which he consistently excelled. Through his keen eye, patience, and deep appreciation for the natural world, Herman created images that inspired admiration and respect from fellow members and audiences alike.

Beyond his remarkable talent behind the lens, Herman was generous with his time and knowledge. We could always count on him to share his expertise through the many lessons, workshops, and tutorials he presented over the years. 

Herman’s contributions to the club extended far beyond his photographs. He fostered a spirit of learning, camaraderie, and encouragement that enriched our entire community. His legacy will live on in the skills he helped others develop, the inspiration he provided, and the many friendships he formed.

He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

• Our guest speaker for the evening was Peter Baumgarten, who spoke to us, via ZOOM, about Landscape Photography.

Peter revealed, point-by-point, about the methods that he uses to capture his beautiful landscape photos on and around Manitoulin Island. He explained the thought process he uses and the decisions he makes before pressing the shutter button. His three main points were:
– Be Prepared
– Understanding the light
– Composition is everything

During Peter’s presentation he showed the club some of the remote and inspiring locations that are available in his neck of the woods, and how he uses the Golden Hour and the Blue Hour to bring out the best in each area. The Club thanks Peter for sharing his time and talents. He has given us some inspiration to get out and shoot even in the harsh winter conditions that we have been experiencing this year.

• Our next meeting will be a “live” meeting at Grace Christian Reformed Church on Tuesday, February 24^th at 7 Pm.

– Dave Richards will share his advice on Travel Photography.
– Jeff McDonald will be our featured photographer in What I Shoot.
– The results of our February Photo Challenge will be revealed.
– Our monthly feature Show And Tell will give you a chance to show any digital photos you want to share.
– Bring in a printed photo of any size, any subject for display and discussion

Trading up cameras without trading up craft is like swapping pens to improve handwriting. Ink isn’t the issue.