Two dozen CCC members and guests gathered at Wes Thompson’s garage to photograph his collection of antique cars, trucks and fire fighting equipment. The Club thanks Wes for his hospitality. We had a great time! You can see a few pics from the event on our Club Photos page.

The Club enjoyed a turnout of 15 members and 2 guests at our July 16^th Walk-About.
To see some of the pictures from that night, check out our Club Photos page.

Our final meeting of the season was attended by 40 members.

• Tere Deslippe presented A Year In Review in which we looked back on another successful season at the Chatham Camera Club. The highlights were:
– Our What I Shoot segment featured Jean DeBruyn, Bill Henry, Kathy Burke, Clark Warner, Barb Ferren, Wendy McDonald, Ric Aarsen, Herman Geithorn, Mike Blazek and Keith Blackwell.
– Featured workshops were : Macro And Close-Up Event, An Introduction To Tripods, and How I Shot This Picture.
– Skills That We Touched on included: the Histogram, Bracketing, Focus Points, Exposure Compensation and Demystifying Flash. Thanks to Nelson Harrison, Dave Noordhoff, Paul Schmoldt and Mike Blazek for your time and efforts.

– Our Guests Speakers were:
Wayne Fisher – Architecture & Minimalism. Fine Art B&W
Antony Chodus – Camera Canada
O.P.P. Forensic Photographer – Mark Lancaster
Chad Barry – The Telephoto Landscape: A different Perspective
Neil Ever-Osborne – Conservation/Nature Photographer

– A special thanks goes out to Jana Smith and Helen Heath for their dedication and commitment in handling our monthly Photo Challenges.

– If you could spare some time, we can really use your help on the Scheduling Committee. We just need you attend a couple of meetings and make a few phone calls. Contact Mary @mmcraig39@Hotmail.com or Tere @ slipp@ciaccess.com

• Club President Jim Pollock presented a slide show that explained the importance of our monthly photo challenges as a learning tool. He also informed us that we should only lighten, darken, sharpen, straighten, adjust the saturation and remove distractions to all of our challenge entries. The exception to these rules is the Open category, in which any adjustment, including adding elements, is allowed.

• CCC Photo Challenge managers Helen Heath and Jana Smith announced this season’s award winners:

SALON
1) Keith Blackwell + 6 HM + 2nd runner up-Photo of the Year
2) Jim Pollock + 4 HM + 1st runner up-Photo of the Year
3) Dave Noordhoff + 2 HM

ADVANCED
1) Linda Pepper + 6 HM + Photo of the Year
2) Tere Deslippe + 2 HM
3) Mary Craig + 2 HM

INTERMEDIATE
1) Jana Smith
2) Reagan Smolders
3) Bill Henry + 1 HM

NOVICE
1) Wendy McDonald + 1 HM
2) Jeff McDonald + 2 HM
3) Kathy Burke + Most Improved + 1 HM
Al Little – Highest scoring new member 2019

Photo of the Year 2019 – Linda Pepper – Frog in Pond

Photo of the Year 1st runner up 2019 – Jim Pollock – Mennonite Farmers

Photo of the Year 2nd runner up 2019 – Keith Blackwell – Pink Gerber Daisy

Honourable Mentions (for scores of 23 or better)

1 HM 2019 Butch Dompierre
1 HM 2019 Debby Venne
1 HM 2019 Janet Fraser
1 HM 2019 Jean DeBruyn
1 HM 2019 Rochella Mulhern
1 HM 2019 Martha Gillier

Photos of Award Recipients are on our Club Photos page.

• Club officers for the 2019 – 2020 season were announced as:
– President: Jim Pollock
– Vice-Presidents: Ric Aarssen
– Treasurer: Julie Fass
– Secretary: Barb Ferren
– Executive Assistants: Tere Deslippe and Mary Craig
– Competition Managers: Helen Heath and Jana Smith
– Welcoming Manager: Catherine Dawson
– Facebook Page Co-ordinator: Kathryn Parent
– Website co-ordinator: Jim Pollock

44 members attended our April 23^rd meeting.

• Ted Kloske of Henry’s Camera in Windsor will be running a Speedlight Basics course called Show Me The Light on June 2^nd in Chatham. Some of us have attended Ted’s programs in the past and we can guarantee that you will come away a much more knowledgeable photographer.

• Club President Jim Pollock reminded the membership that there will be Club executive positions open at the end of next season. The current executive will be stepping down, although they will still be available to help anyone interested in filling these positions. If you’d like to see The Chatham Camera Club continue, please consider helping out next year. We need folks to help plan our meetings, contact guest speakers, get the coffee ready, and run the meetings. If you have even a little time to spare, kindly let us know. We’d love to have your help.

• Ric Aarsen was featured in our What I Shoot segment, where he talked about his methods of taking some of his favourite photos. Thanks Ric! We loved your unique approach to this project.

• Competition manager Jana Smith showed us the entries from out final Photo Challenge of the season. The scores and final results with be revealed at our May 14^th meeting.

• Jana also announced the Photo Challenge categories for next season. In no particular order, they will be:

Macro
Long Exposure
Ruins/Crumbling Buildings
Perspective/Leading Lines
Windows/Doors
Open Black and White

• Mike Blazek and Keith Blackwell commented on some of the excellent prints that were brought in for display and discussion. Thanks to all of those who participated in this series over the course of the past season. We saw some wonderful images and we look forward to more next year.

• Mike Blazek presented an excellent tutorial called Demystifying Flash where he showed the group some on-camera flash basics. After Mike’s lesson, we broke up into small groups and tried out some of our new skills. Great job, Mike! We all took a giant step forward in our photography journey.

For a review, check out this YouTube video on Speedlight Basics

• Our final meeting of the season will take place on May 14^th when our annual Photo Challenge Awards will be announced. Those finishing first, second or third in their division will be presented with a certificate. Awards for high scoring photos and Photo Of The Year will also be handed out.

Beauty can be seen in all things. Seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.

• 54 members attended our meeting.

• President Jim Pollock introduced our guest speaker, Neil Ever Osborne, who spoke to us about how he uses photography to promote awareness of environmental issues. His short film presentation encouraged us all to respect nature when we go out to photograph birds and wildlife. A question and answer period cleared up some of the challenges that Neil faces in his never-ending quest to advocate for real conservation outcomes. The Chatham Camera Club wishes to thank Neil for his entertaining and enlightening presentation.

Neil Ever Osborne

• Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 23^rd when Mike Blazek will present Demystifying Flash. Members are encouraged to bring their cameras and flash units to this meeting. If you do not yet own a flash, some will be on hand for you to use.

• Ric Aarsen will be featured in What I Shoot.

• We will have our final Print Display of the season, so if you have a print you’d like to share, any size, any subject, we’d love to see it.

• CCC Photo Challenge images will be reviewed.
– Novice – Interesting furniture
– Intermediate, Advanced, Salon – Open

Cameras don’t take great pictures any more than typewriters write great novels.

Jared Polin explains The Secret “MATH” of Photography

We regret to announce that former Chatham Camera Club member Fred Schaller has passed away in his 81st year. For over ten years Fred served as Treasurer of The Club and is remembered for keeping track of our records with an adding machine and paper and pencil. Although he seldom entered photo competitions, Fred rarely missed a meeting until stepping away in 2012 due to health reasons. He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

44 members and 1 guest attended our March 26^th meeting.

• Club members were reminded that the current executive will be entering their second and final terms in office next September. Anyone interested in stepping into one of these roles should consider speaking up now so that they can be mentored for a full season before taking over. Remember: This is your club. It can’t function without everyone helping out.

• Wendy McDonald was our featured photographer in What I Shoot. Those in attendance were entertained by Wendy’s excellent work that included nature, birds, landscape, insects and architecture. Thanks, Wendy. We loved your show!

• Entries from our February CCC Photo Challenge were reviewed with Rochella Mulhern (22.5 pts), Jeff McDonald (22 pts), and Kim Charron ( 21.5 pts), getting top marks for the Novice Division’s In The Rain category. High scores in the Intermediate, Senior and Salon groups for their Framed By Nature shots went to Keith Blackwell (24 pts), Mary Craig (24 pts), and Linda Pepper (23.5 pts).

The results from the March Photo Challenge showed Rochella Mulhern (23 pts), Laura Jasper (22.5 pts) and Julie Fass (22 pts) leading the way in the Novice group’s Framed By Nature category. Keith Blackwell (23.5 pts), Jim Pollock (22.5 pts) and Mary Craig (22 pts) achieved the most points in the Intermediate, Advance and Salon members.
Thanks to everyone who entered. Your imagination is inspiring.

• Several of us brought in prints for display and discussion. Our final print display of the season will be on April 23^rd and we would love to see one of your favourite prints, any size, any subject.

• Dave Noordhoff presented another one of his excellent tutorials, this time about Focus Points. What they are and how to use them. Dave explained the difference in Auto Focus Points and how to access them in several different Canon and Nikon models. Thank you, Dave. Well done as always.

• Our next meeting will be held on April 9^th and will feature conservation photojournalist Neil Ever Osborne. We’ve been looking foreward to this presentation all season, as it’s bound to be both educational and motivational.

• Reminder: Photo Challenge pics for April 23rd are to be submitted by midnight, Sunday, April 14. The Novice challenge is Interesting Furniture and the Intermediate, Advanced and Salon groups will compete in the Open category.

Canon has produced the EOS line of cameras for many years. EOS is not an acronym. “Eos” is the mythical Greek goddess of dawn who rises into the sky each morning to light up the world.

How to Understand Reflected Versus Incident Light.

46 members attended our March 12^th meeting.

• Images from our February CCC Photo Challenge were reviewed, but unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the final scores were not available.

• Our guest speaker this evening was former CCC member and long-time friend,
Chad Barry who presented The Telephoto Landscape – A Different Perspective.

Chad showed us how framing a shot with a telephoto lens can dramatically change the perspective of the photo. In his summary, he left us with these four important tips:
* Keep it simple
* Shoot vertical and horizontal
* Look for slopes, contrast and texture
* Try focal lengths outside of your favourite

For more, check out Chad’s Five Tips To Start Taking Better Photos.

• Our next meeting will feature our own Dave Noordhoff, who will speak to us about how to get the most out of our camera’s focus points.

• Wendy McDonald will be featured in What I Shoot.

• We will have our monthly Print Display Review, and invite everyone to bring in a print of any size, any subject for display and discussion.

• The results of our March Photo Challenge will be revealed, with the Novice group showing their Framed By Nature photos and the Intermediate, Advanced and Salon members showing their Interesting Furniture shots.

• Reminder: Photo Challenge pics for March 26th are to be submitted by midnight, Sunday March 17th

Forget about camera specs, for they are mostly unimportant. The only three things you need to consider when taking a photograph is subject, light and composition.

For more on how telephoto lenses affect perspective, have a look at
Why you Need a Telephoto Zoom Lens for Landscape Photography.

Bonus Tip!
There are two rules for success:
1 – Never reveal everything you know.
2 –