• Dave Noordhoff showed the group a new feature in Adobe Photoshop where we can use the Remove tool to eliminate distractions such as people and wires from a photograph. As usual, Dave’s clear and concise explanation made it easy for us casual users of post processing to understand so that we can put these methods in to practical use. Thanks Dave! Your presentation was awesome!

For a review of Dave’s lesson, check out this YouTube video

• Club members were treated to a slideshow that was created by our former President, the late Paul Schmoldt. The presentation included several shots that Paul took around South-Western Ontario while traveling with his Camera Club friends.

• Entries from our January Photo Challenge were reviewed. The top scoring shots have been added to our Club Photos page. You can see Jeff and Wendy’s YouTube video below for all of the entries and their scores.

• We had a brief look at some member’s photos in our monthly “Show And Tell” feature. We encourage everyone to bring in a few of their favourite shots that you wish to share with the group in a non-judging format.

• Mike spoke about the photos that were brought in for our print display. Thanks to everyone who contributed. Your next chance to show us a print will be on Tuesday, February 24^th at our live meeting at Grace Christian Reformed Church at 7PM.

• Our next meeting will be a ZOOM meeting on February 10^th at 7 PM when guest speaker Peter Baumgarten will discuss Landscape Photography.

“I’m not interested in shooting new things. I am interested to see things new.” – Ernst Haas

• Our guest speaker for the evening was Susan Magnano, who spoke to the club, via ZOOM, about her Light Painting techniques.

The Chatham Camera Club extends its sincere thanks to Susan for her excellent tutorial. Based on the many thoughtful questions and enthusiastic comments she received, it’s clear that our members are eager to put her techniques into practice as they work toward creating high-quality images of their own.

• Our next meeting will be a “live” meeting at Grace Christian Reformed Church on Tuesday, January 27^th at 7 Pm when Dave Noordhoff will present Lightroom Adaptive Presets and other tips and tricks.
This meeting will also feature the results of our January Photo Challenge as well as Print Night. Bring in a printed photo of any size, any subject for display and discussion

“Never forget that all the great photographs in history were made with more primitive camera equipment than you currently own.” – Brooks Jensen

9 Tips for Beautiful Landscape Architecture Photography

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