– Club President Cindy Taleski introduced our featured presenter, Keith Blackwell, who spoke to The Club about his specialty, portrait photography.

Keith began by showing us some of his more recent work, an impressive collection of personal and corporate portraits that he made in his own studio. He then touched briefly on his past work experience as a company photographer for Kellogg’s in London. Street photography is another area where Keith excels and we were treated to some of his finest photos. In summery, he reminded us that the basic things needed to succeed in this field are: a model, posing your subject in an interesting way, creating dramatic lighting, and the ability to engage your subjects to put them at ease.

Keith’s fellow Club members thank him for his well planned and superbly executed presentation, and we look forward to learning more in the near future.

– Tere Deslippe gave us an update on this year’s nominations for Club executives. So far, the existing directors have indicated that they are willing to say on for one more season, with the exception of Vice-President Pat Beaton, who will be stepping down at the end of the year. As of now, Mary Craig will allow her name to stand for the position. If you, or someone you know would like to ensure the continued existence of The Chatham Camera Club by becoming a club executive, kindly let Tere know at ccc.picsubmissions@gmail.com

– Wendy McDonald was our featured photographer in What I Shoot, where she showed us her superb images of birds, people, travel, architecture and travel. Thanks Wendy! It was great to see your show.

“It’s not enough to just own a camera. Everyone owns a camera. To be a photographer, you must understand, appreciate, and harness the power you hold!” – Mark Denman

RAW vs JPEG images: what’s the difference?

Club Treasurer Julie Fass introduced our guest speaker, Chris Ogonek from Nikon Canada who spoke to us via ZOOM about Pet Photography.

Chris talked about the advantages of photographing pets with a camera instead of a cell phone. Being able to set a quick shutter speed was a major concern. He also told us how to make the pet more comfortable during a photo session and the value of a treat reward. Chris went on to tell us what camera settings he prefers and how to effectively use flash when photographing pets indoors.

The Chatham Camera Club wishes to thank Chris for his Pet Photography tutorial. It will come in handy for many of our members.

• Our next get-together will be a live meeting on April 25^th at Evangel Community Church, 76 Sandys St. Chatham at 7PM

– Keith Blackwell will talk about Portrait Photography
– Wendy McDonald will be our featured photographer in What I Shoot
– We will review our April Photo Challenge Results
– Our Print Displays will be reviewed

“A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective.” – Irving Penn

How to Overcome Photo Envy
and Become a Better Photographer

• David Barr spoke to The Club about his Magic Brook Observatory.

David told us about how he started out with a small bird blind before building his current set-up. He then showed his photos of dozens of different birds, many of which we seldom if ever see. Along with his outstanding bird pictures, David also included images of insects, flowers and wildlife. Club members were left in awe of his talent and determination in capturing his impressive collection. Thank you David. You have inspired many of us to improve our bird and nature photos.

• Butch Dompierre was our featured photographer in the What I Shoot segment, where he demonstrated his ability to capture beautiful photos of spectacular sunsets, birds, insects, flowers and horses. Butch, you show was excellent! Thanks for sharing your time and your talent. You can see Butch’s show in the YouTube video below.

• Entries from our March Photo Challenge were reviewed with Christine Thomas (23,5 and 23 pts), Barb Dawson ( 23.5 pts), Rochella Mulhern (23 pts) and Janis Mayuk (23 pts), getting the highest marks for the Novice Division’s Minimalism category. Top scores in the Intermediate, Senior and Salon groups for White On White went to Linda Pepper ( 25 and 23 pts), Tere Deslippe (24.5 and 24 pts), and Mary Craig (24 and 22.5 pts). Thanks to all who submitted their photos. Your efforts are truly appreciated. You can see all of the top scoring photos on our CLUB PHOTOS page. All of the entries for the March Photo Challenge can be viewed on the YouTube video below.

• Mike and Keith reviewed some of the prints that were brought in for display and discussion. As usual, we saw some excellent work from several of our members.

• Our next meeting will be held via ZOOM on April 11^th at 7 PM when our guest speaker will be a representative from Nikon Canada who will talk about pet photography.

“If the light is great in front of you, you should turn around and see what it is doing behind you.” – Jay Maisel

Club Treasurer Julie Fass introduced our guest speaker, Mike Moats.

Mike gave a presentation to The Club via ZOOM about The Properly Equipped Macro Photographer. He explained what macro lenses are available for DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras and informed us how different focal lengths affect our working range. He also gave us a rundown of what equipment and accessories he keeps in his camera bag. Mike went on to explain how he uses narrow apertures like f/22 and f/32 to achieve the large depth of field he requires for his macro photos. Using out of focus photos as backgrounds is another one of his favourite techniques.
The Chatham Camera Club wishes to thank Mike for sharing his time and his knowledge about the challenging area of macro photography. As soon as the warm weather comes, we’ll be sure to put his methods into practice.

For more on the subject, be sure to check out his web page on
Your Guide To Macro Photography Equipment.

• Our next meeting will be a live meeting at Evangel Community Church, 76 Sandys St. Chatham at 7PM
– David Barr will tell us about his Magic Brook Observatory
– What I Shoot by Butch Dompierre
– February Photo Challenge Results
– Print Display (bring in a print for display and discussion)

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

Seven Fascinating Photography Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

• Dave Noordhoff spoke us about the new Nerual Filters in Adobe Photoshop.

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

• Cindy Taleski was our featured photographer in What I Shoot.

She not only showed us some of her excellent work, but presented it in a unique and entertaining way using a slide show program called Canva, which is available at
www.Canva.com/create/slideshows/
You can see Cincy’s slide show on the YouTube page below.

• Entries from our February CCC Photo Challenge were reviewed with Ulrike Kruger (24 pts and 22 pts), Barb Dawson (23 pts and 23 pts), and Stacy Arnold (22.5 pts), achieving high scores for the Novice Division’s Seeing Red category. Top marks in the Intermediate, Senior and Salon groups went to Jim Pollock (24.5 pts and 23 pts), Jana Smith (22.5 pts) and Cindy Taleski (22 pts). High fives to all to submitted their photos. They were awesome! You can see the top scoring shots on our Club Photos page.

• Mike and Keith discussed some of the prints that our members brought to the meeting. Several of them were outstanding.
Jim brought in a photo that featured a fish-eye effect, but was not shot with a fish-eye lens. To learn how to do this quickly in Photoshop, see the YouTube video below.

• New items have been added to our Buy/Sell page.

• Our next meeting will be held via ZOOM on March 14^th at 7 PM when guest speaker Mike Moats will speak about The Properly Equipped Macro Photographer.

“It’s not when you press the shutter, but why you press the shutter.” – Mary Ellen Mark

Minimalist Photography: A Comprehensive Guide

Club Treasurer Julie Fass introduced our guest speaker, Cheryl Belczak who spoke to us via ZOOM about Photographing White Backgrounds.

Cheryl showed us her impressive collection of flowers and other objects photographed on white backgrounds. She explained how she set these photos up and some of her post-processing techniques. The Chatham Camera Club wishes to thank Cheryl for her interesting talk. We’re sure it will help many of our members prepare for our “White on White” photo challenge.

For some tips on how to do a basic, at home, white on white photo, check out this YouTube video

• Our next meeting will be a live meeting at Evangel Community Church, 76 Sandys St. Chatham at 7PM
– Dave Noordhoff will teach us about Photoshop Filters
– Our What I Shoot segment will feature Cindy Taleski
– The February Photo Challenge results will be reviewed
– We will have our monthly Print Display (bring in a print for display and discussion)

“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.”
– Ansel Adams

12 Steps To Become a Good Photographer

• Dave Noordhoff spoke to The Club about a new program from Topaz called Topaz AI, and how it has some advantages over using their individual products, Denoise, Sharpen and Gigapixel. For a detailed look at Dave’s lesson, you can see it HERE

Or, check out this video.

• Carson Plant was featured in What I Shoot. The club was treated to his excellent car and truck photos, which showed off Carson’s post-processing skills. Well done, Carson! Your show was awesome!

• Entries from our January photo challenge were reviewed. The Novice Division saw Barb Dawson (24 pts), Kim Charron (24 pts) and Ulrike Kruger (24 pts) get top marks for their “Symmetry” images. The Intermediate, Advanced and Salon groups had high scores for “Seeing Red” go to Tere Deslippe (25 pts), Jana Smith (25 pts), Linda Pepper (24.5 pts), and Jim Pollock – (24.5 and 24 pts). You can see these excellent photos on our Club Photos page.

• Mike and Keith examined a few of the outstanding prints that were on display. Congratulations to all who participated. Your work just keeps getting better and better.

• Our next meeting will be held via ZOOM on February 14^th at 7 PM when guest speaker Cheryl Belczak will teach us about Photographing White Backgrounds.

“It is part of the photographer’s job to see more intensely than most people do.” – Bill Brandt

Club Treasurer Julie Faas introduced our guest speaker, James Cowie of PhotoTrekkers.com .

James started by showing his fascinating photos from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. In the second half of his presentation, he gave us some valuable tips on planning a photo trip, which included selecting your gear and how to pack it for safe traveling.

The Chatham Camera Club sends out a special thank-you to James for sharing his time and his travel experience.

• Our next meeting will be a LIVE meeting at Evangel Community Church, 76 Sandys St. Chatham, on Tuesday, January 24^th at 7PM
– Dave Noordhoff will bring us up to speed on the latest developments at Topaz Labs.
– Carson Plant will be featured in What I Shoot
– We will revue our January Photo Challenge results
– All members and guests are invited to bring in a photo print of any size, any subject, for display and discussion

“The more curious we are, the more creative we become.” – David DuChemin

Essential Travel Photography Gear:
5 Must-Have Items