Former Chatham Camera Club president Tom Townsend passed away on January 8, 2026, at the age of 84.

A passionate nature photographer, Tom played a key role in guiding the club into the digital era, sharing his extensive knowledge of computers, software, and photography with fellow members. He will be fondly remembered for his generosity, expertise, and dedication to the club. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.

• Our featured photography lesson for this meeting was presented by Karl Taylor via a YouTube video. In it, Karl demonstrated how different lenses and varying distances from camera to subject will affect our portraits. You can review this tutorial in the video below.

• Club President Mary Craig read a brief tribute to our late friend, Paul Schmoldt, in which she described his many attributes and his long service to the Chatham Camera Club.

• Those in attendance were treated to a slideshow that featured photos of Club members, both past and present. It was great to see some familiar faces again. You can see a few pics from the evening on our Club Photos page.

• Our next meeting will be via ZOOM on January 13th, 2026 at 7PM when Susan Magnano will speak to us about Light Painting. Julie Faas will send out a ZOOM link in advance. If you are not a member or haven’t been receiving CCC e-mails, contact Julie at: cccmembershipdues@gmail.com

“Photography has no rules. It is not a sport. It is the result that counts, no matter how it is achieved.” – Bill Brandt

With profound sadness, we have been informed that former Club President Paul Schmoldt passed away on Friday, November 28, 2025.

Born in Denmark and emigrating to Canada in 1971, Paul was fluent in four languages and was well known throughout the CCC for his quick wit and zany sense of humour. As Competition Manager, he took on the significant responsibility of co-ordinating judging for both our Club and CAPA photo competitions. He also created several exceptional slide shows that showcased Camera Club outings and our year-end highlights.

At the conclusion of his presidency, Paul was awarded Honourary Lifetime Membership. A skilled and dedicated photographer, he was always generous with his time, eagerly sharing his knowledge of photographic techniques and software with others.

Paul was not only a mentor, but also a cherished friend to many within our Club. He will be fondly remembered and deeply missed.

• Club member Keith Blackwell delivered an engaging tutorial on architectural photography, with a primary focus on indoor shooting. He demonstrated how different lenses and focal lengths can dramatically change the look of a scene, and emphasized the importance of taking your time and carefully aligning vertical and horizontal lines for the best results. For outdoor photography, he highlighted the need to watch for and eliminate distracting background elements. Keith also brought several of his own cameras and lenses to show the tools he uses to achieve his images. The Club extends its thanks to Keith for an excellent and informative presentation.

For more on the subject, check out this YouTube video

• Jeff and Wendy reviewed the results of our November Photo Challenge that included several outstanding images. You can see the top scoring shots on our Club Photos page.

• Club member Jonathan Beavas was our featured photographer in this month’s What I Shoot presentation, where he shared his delightful collection of street scenes, night photography, sunrises and sunsets, night skies, and dramatic cloud formations. Well done, Jonathan — we thoroughly enjoyed your presentation!

• We viewed a collection of digital images that were brought in for our Show And Tell segment. As always, we saw some excellent photos and we encourage more members to show us some of their favourite work. Size your images to no more than 2100 px wide and 1575 px tall and put them on a flash drive. We’ll take care of the rest.

• Mike Blazek and Keith Blackwell reviewed some of the images from this month’s print display. Your next opportunity to show us some of your printed work will be at our January 27^th meeting.

• Our next get together will be at Grace Church on December 9^th at 7 PM when we will celebrate the Chatham Camera Club’s 90^th anniversary. The meeting will feature a lesson on how different camera lenses will affect your portraits.

“Photograph the world as it is. Nothing is more interesting than reality.” – Mary Ellen Mark

The Chatham Camera Club hosted our second workshop of the season, with Mike and Keith demonstrating studio strobe set-ups and Jim teaching us about on-camera flash. During these demonstrations we learned about some of the technical aspects of both of these topics as well as receiving hands-on instruction. More of this kind of event will take place later this season. Photos from the evening can be seen on our Club Photos page. For a different perspective on flash photography, check out the YouTube videos below.

Our next meeting will be a live event at Grace Church on November 25^th at 7 PM when club member Keith Blackwell will present a tutorial on how to photograph architecture. Dave Noordhoff will discuss using Topaz software and Photo AI. The results from our November Photo Challenge will be shown, along with our monthly Print Night. If you have a print of any size, any subject that you’d like to share, please bring it in.
 

“One doesn’t stop seeing. One doesn’t stop framing. It doesn’t turn off and on. It’s on all the time.” – Annie Leibovitz

Jim Pollock started our meeting off by showing us a slideshow about “Why Enter The Photo Challenges”, where he explained that the reason we have the challenges is to get us shooting out of our comfort zone and photograph subjects that we wouldn’t normally shoot. The camera we own is not a factor in the quality of pictures we can produce and the scores are merely someone else’s opinion. We hope that our members will consider submitting some of their favourite shots this year.

Dave Noordhoff showed us YouTube videos that explained how to make better sky selections, straighten lines and resize adjustment brushes.

Better Sky Selections

How to straighten buildings in Photoshop and Lightroom

David Barr spoke about the late Ric McArthur. Ric was a long time member of the Chatham Camera Club and an enthusiastic nature photographer who lived in Rondeau Park. We viewed a series of some of Ric’s best work that he put together in a slideshow just weeks before he passed away. His talent and patience shone through in a collection of pictures featuring birds, bugs, snakes, turtles and insects. It was a fitting tribute to our dear friend.

We reviewed the entries from our October Photo Challenge: Nature.

The top scoring shots can be seen on our Club Photos page.
Congratulations to Linda Pepper, who scored a 28.5, the highest score in recent memory.

Mike Blazek and Dave Noordhoff discussed several of the prints that were brought in. Your next opportunity to display some of your printed work will be at our November 25^th meeting.

Our next meeting will be at Grace Church on November 11^th at 7 PM when club members Keith Blackwell, Mike Blazek and Jim Pollock will lead us through a flash workshop. Both studio strobes and on-camera flash will be discussed and demonstrated. Bring you camera to the meeting.

“In the end, photography is just an excuse to get to know the world.” – Graciela Iturbide

• The Chatham Camera Club held an engaging and educational workshop focused on macro and refraction photography. The session explored creative techniques for capturing close-up images that reveal fine detail and the fascinating effects of light passing through glass, water droplets, and other transparent materials. The evening began with Dave Noordhoff giving us a brief overview of the different photo-ops that were set up around the room and tips on how to shoot them. Members learned about optimal lighting setups, depth of field management, and the importance of using tripods for precision focusing. The second portion of the workshop highlighted refraction photography and learning how to create striking images using water droplets or glass spheres to refract and distort subjects in artistic ways. Participants had the opportunity to experiment hands-on with setups provided by the club, using flowers, printed patterns, and colored backgrounds as subjects. Throughout the session, members shared tips, compared results, and discussed post-processing techniques. Thanks to all who participated.

You can see some of the highlights of the evening on our Club Photos page.

• Before the meeting, The Club received the news that longtime member Ric McArthur had passed away at the age of 78.
  
  Ric had been an active member and audited our financial records for many years. He was a passionate bird photographer whose lens captured the beauty and freedom of the natural world. With patience and a keen eye, Ric spent countless hours in his bird blind at his home in Rondeau Park, producing stunning images that highlighted the unique magic of dozens of species. He will be fondly remembered by his family, friends, and all who were touched by his artistry and love for nature.

• Our next gathering will be a live meeting at Grace Church on October 28^th at 7 PM when club member Dave Noordhoff will discuss editing photos. Jim Pollock will present a slideshow about the benefits of entering our photo challenges. The results from our October Photo Challenge will be shown, along with our monthly Print Night. If you can, please bring in a print of any size, any subject for display and discussion.

“Always shoot it now. It won’t be the same when you go back.” – Jay Maisel

• To kick off the Chatham Camera Club’s 90th season, President Mary Craig welcomed twenty-nine members and three guests. The event marked our initial gathering at our new meeting place, Grace Christian Reformed Church.

• Vice-President Dave Noordhoff discussed some minor changes to the CCC constitution. The amendments were approved by a show of hands.

• We watched a YouTube video of Club Secretary Julie Faas, who went over The Club’s finances. All is well.

• Jeff and Wendy McDonald reminded us of this season’s photo challenges.

~ October – Nature (to be submitted by October 18^th)
~ November – Humans (to be submitted by November 15^th)
~ January – Different Point Of View (to be submitted by January 17^th)
~ February – Architecture (to submitted by February 14^th)
~ March – Refraction (to be submitted by March 14^th)
~ April – Story Telling (to be submitted by April 18^th)

E-mail reminders will be sent out in advance of the due dates

• In preparation for our Refraction Workshop on October 14^th, we watched a B+H YouTube video on how to achieve the technique.

• Mike and Keith discussed some of the prints that were brought in for display, with many of them receiving high praise. Our next print display will be held on October 28^th. If you have a printed photograph that you’d like to share, any size, any subject, please bring it in. We’d love to see it.

• Our next meeting will be a workshop on Refraction on October 14^th.
Bring Your Camera!

“Unless you photograph what you love, you are not going to make good art.” – Sally Mann