• 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:
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Club Treasurer Julie Fass introduced our guest speaker, Wayne Fisher.

Wayne started his presentation by showing a video about the history of photography, and a second one about photo pioneer Ansel Adams. After telling us about his own personal photo journey, Wayne showed us his impressive collection of black and white, architectural photos and some of the techniques and thought processes he uses to capture them.

The Chatham Camera Club wishes to thank Wayne for his excellent presentation which will surely inspire us to explore this fascinating genre of photography.

• Our next meeting will be another ZOOM meeting on January 10^th 2023 when James Cowie of PhotoTrekkers.com will speak to us about Travel Photography.

“Seeing is not enough. You have to feel what you photograph.” – Andre Kertesz

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• Our old friend Antony Chodas from Camera Canada in London talked about What’s New In Photo Equipment.

Antony reminded Canon shooters that there are now five different lens mounts that fit their DSLR cameras as well as their mirrorless lineup. He also told us what Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Fuji and Godox are up to these days. If you are in the market for new camera equipment, check out CameraCanada.com and use the promo code VIP2022 for a camera club discount.

• This month’s featured photographer in What I Shoot was long-time Club member Mike Blazek. Mike’s show included his impressive photos of skies, macro, antique cars, abstracts and people. Thanks Mike! We loved your presentation.

• Entries from our November CCC Photo Competition were shown with Ulrike Kruger scoring 24.5 points, Rochella Mulhern with 24 and 23 points, and Janis Mayuk with 23.5 points, in the Novice Division’s Flowers category. High scores in the Intermediate, Senior and Salon groups went to Linda Pepper with 26 and 25 points, Jana Smith with 25.5 points and Barb Ferren with 25 points for their Symmetry photos. These two categories produced some of the highest scores in recent memory. Well done, everyone! You can see some of the top scoring photos on our Club Photos page.

• We reviewed a few of the excellent prints that were brought in for display and discussion. Keep up the good work everyone. Your photos were inspiring. Your next opportunity to participate in the Print Show will be on January 24^th, 2023.

• Our next meeting will via ZOOM on December 13^th, when Fine Art Photographer Wayne Fisher will speak to us about Architecture and Minimalism.

“It’s all so simple – no one believes me … you strike a pose, then you light it. Then you clown around and get some action in the expressions. Then, you shoot.” – George Hurrell

Prime Lenses: Everything You Need to Know.

• Meeting host Julie Faas introduced our guest speaker, Kathy Karn.

Kathy is a visual story teller, photographer, conservationist, and author of The Wisdom Of Elephants, a large, coffee table, photo memoir book about her encounters with Elephants. She spoke to The Club about her experiences photographing wildlife in Africa, which included fascinating photos of lions, kangaroos, and the geography of Kenya.
We want to thank Kathy for her fascinating presentation. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us.

• Our next meeting will be a LIVE meeting at Evangel Community Church, 76 Sandys St. Chatham on November 22^nd 2022.

– Antony Chodas from Camera Canada in London will bring us up to date on What’s New In Photo Equipment.

– Mike Blazek will be featured in What I Shoot.

– We will review our November Photo Challenge results.

– All members are invited to bring a photo print of any subject, any size for display and discussion.

– If you have photo related equipment that you would like to sell, bring it in. We’d love to have a look at it.

“Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt

• Club member Dave Noordhoff spoke to The Club about Lightroom’s new features.

• Brian Marchand was featured in our What I Shoot segment, where he showed us his scenic, architecture, nature, travel and automotive photos. Thanks Brian. We enjoyed your show.

• Entries from our October CCC Photo Competition were reviewed with Rochella Mulhern (2x 23.5 pts) and Kim Charron (22 pts), getting high scores in the Novice Division’s Photographer’s Choice, Black And White category. In the Flowers category the Intermediate group was led by Penny Rintoul (22.5 pts) and Catherine Dawson (2x 22 pts). Cathie Wright (23.5 and 23 pts) and Martha Gilliar had top marks in the Senior Division and Jim Pollock (25.5 and 24 pts), Tere Deslippe (2x 24.5 pts), and Linda Pepper (23.5pts) attained the high scores in the Salon group. Thank you and congratulations to all who entered. We saw many entries that can only be described as outstanding! You can see the top scoring photos on our Club Photos page. To view all of this month’s entries, check out the YouTube video below.

• Keith and Mike appraised some of the printed photos that were brought to our meeting, with several of them receiving high compliments.

• Now that live meetings have returned, we are pleased to restart highlighting some of the many talented members of our club. This month’s Featured Photographer is Cathie Wright.

Cathie shared a brief biography and some examples of her work for our Photo In Focus page.

• Our next meeting will be held via ZOOM on November 8^th, 2022 when our guest speaker will be Kathy Karn, who will share her experience in photographing elephants in Africa.

“The only thing that gets in the way of a really good photograph is the camera.” – Norman Parkinson

The Ten Best Lighroom Alternatives (Free and Paid)

• Meeting host Julie Faas introduced our guest speaker, Cheryl Belczak

Cheryl spoke to The Club about how she goes about creating her beautiful flower images, both in the field and in the studio. Some of her techniques included using a tripod for inside work, shooting in Manual Mode for complete control over the exposure, and using a dedicated macro lens paired with extension tubes to get close enough. She also explained her use of Photoshop layers to achieve her desired blend of subject and background.

The Chatham Camera Club would like to thank Cheryl for her wonderful presentation.

For a review of some of Cheryl’s work, check out her YouTube video

• Our next meeting will be a LIVE meeting at Evangel Community Church, 76 Sandys St. Chatham on October 25^th 2022.
– Dave Noordhoff will demonstrate Lightroom’s new features.
– Brian Marchand will be featured in What I Shoot.
– We will review our October Photo Challenge results.
– All members are invited to bring a photo print of any subject, any size for display and discussion.
– If you have photo related equipment that you would like to sell, bring it in. We’d love to have a look at it.

“A photographer’s work is given shape and style by his personal vision. It is not simply technique, but the way he looks at life and the world around him.” – Pete Turner

9 Tips for Gorgeous Fall Photography

We kicked off The Chatham Camera Club’s 88^th season with a live meeting at Evangel Community Church, 76 Sandys St. Chatham. 42 members and guests were in attendance.

• Our President, Cindy Taleski gave us an introduction to this season’s schedule, which will include photo challenges, guest speakers and instructional nights.

• Ric McArthur presented his Auditor’s report on The Club’s finances. Thanks to our treasurer Julie Faas, we are in good shape.

• Tere Deslippe went over the outstanding Photo Challenge categories and guidelines that she came up with for this season. Thank you Tere. You have certainly provided us with some excellent photo possibilities. If you would like to enter this season’s Photo Challenge, check out the instructions in our CCC Challenge Standards, Guidelines and Procedures handbook 2022-23 season RV1

• Dave and Keith reviewed the nearly two dozen prints that were brought in for display and discussion. If you would like to participate, your next chance will be on Tuesday, October 25^th. We’d love to see some of your work. Any size, any subject is more than welcome.

• Several members brought in some of their used equipment for sale for our Buy/Sell event. If you have photographic equipment for sale, you can bring it to any meeting this season.

• Club members were treated to a slide show of The Club’s activities over the past summer. Photos from Retro-Fest, Joy’s Garden, and our instructional night at Maple Leaf cemetery, showed off some of the solid photographic talent we have in this group. A special thanks to Linda Pepper for putting this show together.

• Entries for our first Photo Challenge of the season are due by Saturday, October 15^th at 10 PM. You can find a reminder on the requirements for entering on our Photo Challenge Instructions page.

• Our next meeting will be held via ZOOM on October 11^th, 2022 at 7PM when our guest speaker will be Cheryl Belczak. She will present a tutorial on Botanical Photography.

If you are out there shooting, things will happen for you. If you’re not out there, you’ll only hear about it.

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