• 40 members, including 1 new one, attended our February 11^th meeting.

• President Jim Pollock introduced our guest speaker, Juraj Dolanjski.

Juraj’s topic this evening was Designing A Photograph, in which he explained that successful photos are not accidents. There is a creative process that is used in the design of such a photograph, in camera. Careful planning, proper exposure, interesting framing and even the weather, all play a vital role in the success or failure of a photograph. The Chatham Camera Club would like to thank Juraj for making the trip from Ancaster to Chatham. Several of our members commented on how much they learned from his presentation.

• Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 25^th when we’ll have some fun with our Do It Yourself Show And Tell, where we’ll have several of our members show us their home made flash modifiers and other gadgets and gizmos that can improve our photos and save us money. If you have something that you’ve made or a quick tip you’d like to share, let us know before the meeting and we’ll fit you in. After the presentation, we will have some time to try out some home made flash modifiers, so bring your camera and a flash to the meeting. If you do not have a flash, we’ll have a couple that you can borrow.

• Patty Arsenault will be our featured presenter in What I Shoot.

• We are asking everyone to bring in a favourite print for display and discussion. Any size or subject matter will do. If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine.

• We will review the submissions to our February Photo Challenge.
Novice – Windows / Doors
( Interesting images of windows and doors, either in combination or individually)
Intermediate, Advanced, Salon – Long Exposure
(Slow shutter photography involving long duration shutter speed to sharply capture the stationary elements of an image, while blurring, smearing or obscuring the moving elements. The long exposure could be either during daylight or night.
All entries are to be submitted by Sunday, February 16^th 11:59 PM

The subject of the picture is always more important than the picture.

The Ultimate Guide to Photography Terms – a Glossary of Common Words and Phrases

41 members and 3 guests attended our January 28^th meeting.

• Dave Noordhoff presented a tutorial on memory cards.

Dave explained what all those numbers and letters on a memory card mean.
For a review, check out this article on Memory card symbols explained – how to understand the info on your new card

• Chris Jorgensen’s photographs were featured in our monthly presentation of
What I Shoot.

Chris’ collection of rodeo, nature, landscape and model photos showed us how much fun a diversified portfolio can be. Thanks Chris! We loved your show. It was one of the best in recent memory.

• Entries from January’s CCC Photo Challenge were reviewed with Bruce Huttson (24.5 pts), Debbie Venne (23.5 pts), and Erica Spotton (2 x 23 pts), getting top marks for the Novice Division’s Crumbling Buildings and Ruins category. High scores in the Intermediate, Senior and Salon groups for their Doors And Windows shots went to Linda Pepper (23 pts), Mike Blazek (23 pts) Dave Noordhoff (23.5 pts), and Jim Pollock (24 pts). Thanks to all who entered. We hope you had fun tracking these photo-ops down. The top scoring shots can be found on our Club Photos page.

• Mike Blazek and Keith Blackwell reviewed some of the prints that were brought in for viewing and discussion. Our next print display will be held on February 25^th and we encourage everyone to show us what they’ve been shooting.

• Our next meeting will be on February 11^th and will feature eleven star master photographer Juraj Dolanjski who will speak to us about Designing A Photograph. This should prove to be a very interesting and informative meeting. Don’t miss it!

Every time someone tells me how sharp my photos are, I assume that it isn’t a very interesting photograph. If it were, they would have more to say.

8 Tips to Minimize Memory Card Problems

• 35 members, along with 3 new ones and 1 guest, attended our first meeting of 2020.

• President Jim Pollock introduced our guest speaker, Richard Beland, who spoke to The Club about Orchestrating The Big Shoot.

Richard’s informative and thoroughly entertaining presentation started off by listing the attributes needed to be a successful, full-time photographer. They included: – Relentless pursuit, Motivation, a daily drive for creative production, Minimal fear, Egocentricity, and Love. Richard went on to speak about production values, his process in setting up a photo shoot, the different styles of lighting he uses, and how he employs The Rule Of Thirds, leading lines and The Golden Triangle to arrange his subjects. Included in his show were many of his outstanding photographs of some of the world’s biggest music stars. The Chatham Camera Club thanks Richard for his outstanding show and for making the drive from Sarnia to Chatham. Plans for his return are already being discussed.
Richard made reference to The Inverse Square Law.
Watch this YouTube video for a review of how that works.

• Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 28^th when our own Dave Noordhoff will teach us all about memory cards.
– Chris Jorgensen will be featured in What I Shoot.
– We will review our January Photo Challenge submissions which are to be submitted by Sunday, January 19th at midnight.
The Novice topic is Crumbling Buildings and Ruins
Intermediate, Advanced, and Salon are submitting Windows and Doors.
– You are invited to bring a print of any size, any subject for display and discussion.

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” – Ansel Adams

6 Reasons You Should Hang Out With Other Photographers

• 42 members and 4 guests attended our December 10th meeting.

• The Club held its annual Buy/Sell night, where many pieces of photo equipment changed hands. Thanks to all of those who participated.

• Our other featured event of the evening involved our members bringing their cameras to the meeting and using provided props to learn about achieving a soft, blurry background. A special thanks goes out to Tere Deslippe and Mary Craig for putting this evening together. Their hard work and dedication makes our club stronger and their efforts are truly appreciated. Photos from the meeting can be found on our
Club Photos Page.

For a review of some techniques you can use to achieve an out-of-focus background, take a look at this YouTube video.

• Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 14^th when music photographer Richard Belland will be our guest speaker. Richard’s topic for this evening will be Orchestrating The Big Shoot.

• January Photo Challenge entries are to be submitted by January 19th by 11:59 PM
Novice – Crumbling Buildings and Ruins (The remains of a building, typically an old one, that has suffered damage or disintegration)
Intermediate, Advanced, Salon – Windows and Doors ( Interesting images of windows and doors, either in combination or individually)

The word “image” comes from the word “imagination.”
It doesn’t come from “lens sharpness” or “noise levels.”

How to Create a Delicious Blurry Bokeh Background in 4 Easy Steps

45 members and 1 guest attended our November 26^th meeting.

• The Club thanked Herman Giethoorn for making new name tags for us all.

• Enough members showed an interest in attending a Christmas breakfast. Arrangements will be made.

• Carson Plant explained when and how to use extension tubes.

You can review the lesson in this YouTube video

• Jim Pollock spoke about an easy way to whiten a subject’s teeth in Photoshop or Lightroom.

• Bill Godfrey was our featured presenter in What I Shoot

Bill showed a slideshow of his birds, nature, scenic and people photographs. Thanks Bill! Your photos were excellent!

• Entries from November’s CCC Photo Competition were reviewed with Bruce Hutson (23 and 22 pts), Jeff Dease (22 pts), and Pat Beaton (22 pts), getting the highest scores the Novice Division’s Perspective / Leading Lines category. Top marks in the Intermediate, Senior and Salon groups for Crumbling Buildings And Ruins went to Linda Pepper (24 and 23 pts), Tere Deslippe (23.5 pts), and Keith Blackwell (22.5pts). You can review the top scoring shots of the night on our Club Photos page.

• Dave Noordhoff and Keith Blackwell reviewed some of the prints that our members brought in. If you’d like to join in the fun, our next print display will be held on January 28^th. Remember, any size print, any subject is more than welcome.

• Our next meeting will be on December 10th when we will have two featured events.
– The first is our annual Buy/Sell night where you can bring in any surplus photo equipment to sell or trade. If you’re in the market for something, it might not be a bad idea to bring some cash along.
– We are also featuring a Bring-Your-Camera-To-The-Meeting event where will be able to learn about how to control Depth Of Field with several stations set up around the meeting room.

An expert at anything was once a beginner.

Be sure to check out Gavin Hoey’s lesson on How To Create Great Bokeh.

• 44 members, including two new ones, and 1 guest, attended our November 12^th meeting.

• President Jim Pollock introduced our guest speaker, Alayne Brisson of Ingersoll, Ontario.

Alayne spoke to The Club about Long Exposure Photography and a bit about Macro Photography. During her presentation, she talked about neutral density filters and how to use them, as well as the variety of equipment she employs to capture her marvelous macro photographs. The Chatham Camera Club extends a sincere thank-you to Alayne for making the trip from Ingersoll to Chatham, especially considering the current winter weather.

For more, check out this YouTube video on Long Exposure Photography Guide and Tips

• We watched a short video about The 25 Most Dangerous Photographs Ever Taken, which showed pictures of daredevils and adventure seekers taking extraordinary risks.

• Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 26^th when our own Carson Plant will teach us about extension tubes.

• Jim Pollock will show us a quick way to whiten teeth in post processing.

• Black And White Photography specialist Bill Godfrey will be featured in What I Shoot,

• We will review our November Photo Challenge submissions.
(to be submitted by November 17th 11:59 PM)
Novice – Perspective / Leading Lines
(the appearance of viewed objects with regard to their relative position and/or distance from the viewer; often has a vanishing point in the image)
Intermediate, Advanced, Salon – Crumbling Buildings And Ruins
(The remains of a building, typically an old one, that has suffered damage or disintegration)

• You are invited to bring a print of any size, any subject for display and discussion.

The camera’s only job is to get out of the way of making photographs.

Lenses 101 – An Introduction to Camera Lenses

47 members and one new member attended our October 22^nd meeting.

• Our guest speaker this evening was Ted Kloske from Henry’s camera store in Windsor.

Ted showed the membership the advantages and disadvantages of using a continuous light set-up. The Club wishes to thank Ted for his informative presentation and for making the trip to Chatham. As always, we learned a lot!

Here is a brief explanation of continuous lighting vs flashes and strobes.

• Glen Spooner was featured in our What I Shoot segment, where he showed us some of his favourite photos of birds, time lapse, astronomy and a wide variety of other subjects.

Thanks Glen! We all enjoyed your show.

• Entries from our first CCC Photo Challenge of the season were reviewed, with Bruce Hutson ( 24.5 pts), Barb Delanghe (22.5 pts), and Roberto Haveroth (22.5pts), getting top marks for the Novice Division’s Open category. High scores in the Intermediate, Senior and Salon groups went to Linda Pepper (24.5 pts), Mary Craig ( 23.5 pts), Jana Smith ( 23.5 pts) and Jim Pollock (23.5 pts) in the Perspective / Leading Lines challenge. Thanks to all who participated. Your images were excellent!

Here is the top scoring shot of the night by Bruce Hutson in the Open category.

The highest scoring images from the CCC October Photo Challenge can be seen on our Club Photos page.

• Keith Blackwell and Dave Noordhoff reviewed some of the fine prints that were brought in for display, with several positive comments being made. Our next print display will be held on November 26^th and we would love to see some of your work, any size, any subject.

• Our next meeting will be in three weeks, on November 12^th, when Alayne Brisson of Ingersoll, Ontario will teach us about Long Exposure photography and A Bit Of Macro. Both of these subjects are on this year’s Photo Challenge list.

Don’t worry about your failures.
Worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.

How Cropping in Post-Production Can Improve Composition

• 53 members and 4 guests attended our meeting.

• President Jim Pollock introduced our guest speaker, Sherry Butts, who presented a tutorial on How To Get The Most Out Of Macro Photography.

Sherry showed us her wonderful collection of Macro shots of flowers, insects, water drops and other objects that seem to take on new life when photographed up close. The Chatham Camera Club would like to thank Sherry for her wonderful presentation. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended.

For those interested in Macro photography, check out this Tutorial

• The Club was treated to a slide show of some of Paul Schmodt’s favourite pictures.

Paul, a former President of the CCC, showed us what experience and technical knowledge can do for our photography. Thanks Paul. Your show was great!

• Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 22^nd when Ted Kloske from Henry’s in Windsor will speak to us about the advantages of continuous lighting.
– Glen Spooner will be featured in What I Shoot.
– We will review our October Photo Challenge submissions.
(to be submitted by October 13th by 11:59 PM)
Novice – Open (anything goes)
Intermediate, Advanced, Salon – Perspective / Leading Lines (the appearance of viewed objects with regard to their relative position and/or distance from the viewer; often has a vanishing point in the image)
– You are invited to bring a print of any size, any subject for display and discussion.

You are responsible for every part of your image,
even the parts you’re not interested in.

8 Tips to Avoid Becoming one of ‘Those’ Photographers