• 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 23rd 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 26th 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 23rd 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 9th 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.
• 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.
• Barb Ferren was the featured photographer in our monthly demonstration of What I Shoot, which showcased some of her best work. Thanks, Barb! Your show was excellent!
• Paul Schmoldt presented a tutorial on How To Use Exposure Bracketing. After the instructions, those who brought their camera to the meeting had a chance to try out bracketing with the assistance of some of the senior members acting as mentors. For review, take a look at this website by Photomatix that shows how to set up AEB on your brand of camera.
• Dave Noordhoff spoke to us about Exposure Compensation, after which we broke up into groups to try our hand at keeping black subjects dark and white subjects bright. Several of our newer members expressed how much they enjoyed both presentations.
• Another fine assortment of prints was brought in for viewing by our members. Because of scheduling conflicts, your next opportunity to participate in the Print Display will be March 26th. Remember, any size photo, any subject, is more than welcome.
• Our next meeting will be held on February 26th and will feature OPP Forensic Officer, Mark Lancaster, who will present Part Two of what his job entails and how he goes about accomplishing his photographic duties. Mark’s first visit proved to be fascinating and we can hardly wait to see what he has in store for us this time.
Don’t think that you will ever reach a day when you can say, “Ah, now I’m perfect. All my photographs will be flawless from here on out.” That day will never come.
For another take on How To Use Exposure Compensation, take a look at this YouTube video.
44 members braved the inclement weather to attended our January 22nd meeting.
• In an effort to update The Club’s e-mail address list, CCC Photo Challenge manager Jana Smith addressed the membership to find out who received her latest message. If you are not on our e-mail list and want to be, kindly let Jana know at ccc.picsubmissions@gmail.com
• Club member Nelson Harrison presented a tutorial called Demystifying The Histogram in which he explained how to access and evaluate your camera’s histogram. Well done Nelson. We always enjoy your presentations. For a review, have a look at this article about How To Read And Use Histograms.
• Clarke Warner was featured in our What I Shoot segment and showed us an impressive collection of photos that he has taken using his many years of experience and accumulated knowledge. Thanks Clarke! We loved your show.
Clarke Warner
• A good selection of prints was on display, including two beautiful canvas wraps produced by Keith Blackwell, as well as several other fine images. Due to a scheduling conflict with a guest speaker, the next print display will be at our February 12th meeting.
• Photographs from our January CCC Photo Challenge were reviewed with Wendy McDonald (23.5 pts), Jeff McDonald (23 pts), and Debby Venne (22 pts), receiving the highest number of points in the Novice Division’s Harvest category. Top scores in the Intermediate, Senior and Salon groups In The Rain images went to Tere Deslippe ( 24.5 pts), Butch Dompierre ( 24.5 pts), and Keith Blackwell (two scores of 23.5 pts). A great effort was put forth by everyone who entered and we appreciate your participation.
• Our next meeting on February 12th will include How To Use Exposure Bracketing by Paul Schmoldt, What I Shoot by Barb Ferren and Exposure Compensation by Dave Noordhoff. After Dave’s demonstration we will break up into groups and try our hand at keeping black subjects dark and white subjects bright, so BRING YOUR CAMERA to this meeting if you want to follow along.
“I’m not a technical photographer. (People ask me) ‘What camera are you using?’ If that’s what you’re thinking about, you’re not taking pictures.” – Annie Leibovitz
For a review of How To Read A Histogram, check out this YouTube video.
• Our first get-together of 2019 featured our initial Bring Your Camera To The Meeting event. Several stations were set up for our members and guests to try their skills at macro and up-close photography. Water drops, oil-in-water, bubbles on waxed glass and other stationary objects were set up around our meeting room for novices, advanced shooters and everyone in-between to take turns photographing them. Special thanks to Tere and Mary, along with Carson, Ric and Jim, for their time and efforts in making this evening a success. Pictures of some of the evening’s activities can be found on our Club Photos page.
• Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 22th, 2019 when Nelson Harrison will present Demystifying The Histogram. Don’t be shy. Bring your camera to this meeting if you want to learn about histograms.
• Clark Warner will be featured in What I Shoot.
• Our CCC Photo Challenge will have the Novice group showing their Harvest pictures while the Intermediate, Senior and Salon members will have their In The Rain photos reviewed.
All the technique in the world doesn’t compensate for the inability to notice.
• 52 members and 4 guests attended our December 11th meeting.
• The evening featured our annual Buy/Sell Night, where members offered their surplus photo equipment for sale. Several quality items changed hands and more are available on our Buy & Sell page.
• Herman Giethoorn shared his expertise on How To Photograph Christmas Lights, where he offered some excellent pointers on how to capture the holiday season’s decorations. Thanks Herman. Your efforts are much appreciated.
• We viewed a video in which Phil Steele talked about the importance of Using a lens hood to prevent lens flare and increase contrast in our photos. If you don’t have a hood for your lenses, Amazon.ca is a good place to get one.
• Keith Blackwell and Mike Blazek shared how they went about capturing their beautiful Abstract Nature photos in Algonquin Park last Fall. Their Nikon D850 cameras allow them to blend multiple exposures and moving the lens while taking the shot generates interesting abstracts. The results look like these:
Nice job, gentlemen! We all enjoyed your lesson.
• Two more quick videos rounded out our night. The first was called Remember The EGG, where Joe Edelman demonstrated the effect that moving your light source has on how a shadow falls in our photographs.
In preparation for photographing friends and relatives over the holiday season, we watched a tutorial in which Mark Wallace showed us how to Avoid Flash Reflections in Eyeglasses. Remember, if you can’t move your light source like Mark did, you could have your subject turn their head or tilt their glasses slightly to increase the angle of reflection.
• Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 8th, 2019 when we will have our first Bring Your Camera To The Meeting event. We’ll have several stations set up for members to practice macro and close-up photography, including water drops, flowers, and other interesting objects. If you have a tripod, a flash, and a cable release, we invite you to bring them, however, you do not need any of these or a macro lens for this exercise. This is a great opportunity to gain some hands-on experience for novice and advanced shooters alike.
• Our Christmas breakfast will be held at The Satellite Restaurant, 145 King St. West in Chatham at 9 A.M. You are more than welcome to bring a guest. Come on out and visit with your Camera Club friends and hopefully meet some new ones.
• Remember: Our monthly Photo Challenge pics need to be submitted by midnight, Sunday, January 13th. The Novice group are presenting Harvest photos and the Intermediate, Advanced and Salon members will be showing their In The Rain pictures.
Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.
