For our January 23 2018 CCC photo competition, “Rack The Lens”,
be sure to read this tutorial on
How to Take Photos with the Zoom Blur Effect

Zoom lenses are for more than just for “getting closer.” Check out this article on
How to Use Your Zoom Lens as a Compositional Aid

Before you buy anything else, be sure to read this article on
5 Pieces of Photography Gear to Consider as Your First Upgrade

Our final meeting of the season was attended by 63 members and 1 guest.

• Club President Carson Plant reminded us of several photo-ops that will be available this summer, including RM Auto Restoration’s Cars and Coffee, The Fleetwood Country Cruise-In, The Windsor Camera Club’s model shoot, Seven Ponds in Michigan and our own model shoot. We’ll list these and more on our Meeting Schedule page.

• Carson also appealed to Club members to step into some vacant roles, including Assistant Competition Manager, Welcoming Manager, and Alternate Web Co-Ordinator.

• Tere Deslippe presented a slideshow that featured photos taken by Club members at a recent outing to McLean’s Auto Wreckers and Hilton Conservation Area. Great job Tere! The show was awesome.

• The results from this season’s Chatham Camera Club Photo Competition were announced with the following results.

Honourable Mentions (for scores of 23 or better)

Carson Plant – 1
Mike Blazek – 1
Catharine Dawson – 1
Larry Kearns – 1
Margaret DeClerk – 1
Wendy McDonald – 1
Martha Gillier – 2
Jeff McDonald – 2
Harry Arneill – 2
Pat Beaton – 2
Reagan Smolders – 2
Jana Smith – 3

Novice Division
3rd place – Mary Craig (1 Honourable Mention)
2nd place – Bill Henry (1 Honourable Mention)
1st place – Ric Aarssen (2 Honourable Mentions)

Intermediate Division
2nd place – tie – Kellie Watson (1 Honourable Mention)
2nd place – tie – Butch Dompierre (1 Honourable Mention)
1st place – David Barr (3 Honourable Mentions)

Advanced Division
3rd place – Tere Deslippe (2 Honourable Mentions)
2nd place – Linda Pepper (5 Honourable Mentions)
1st place – John St. Pierre (3 Honourable Mentions)

Salon Council
3rd place – Dave Noordhoff (6 Honourable Mentions)
2nd place – Keith Blackwell (3 Honourable Mentions)
1st place – Jim Pollock (7 Honourable Mentions)

Most Improved Photographer (according to last year’s vs this year’s scores)
Margaret DeClerk

Best Photo Of The Year
Gavin Stuart – (Trees)

Thanks to all who participated in the photo competitions this year. We hope it was a valuable learning experience and one which helped you grow as a photographer.

Pictures of the Awards Presentations and the Top Scoring Shots from our April 25th meeting are now available on our Club Photos page.

• Club officers for the 2017 – 2018 season were announced as:
– President: Carson Plant
– Vice-Presidents: Tere Deslippe and Gavin Stuart
– Treasurer: Reagan Smolders
– Secretary: Barb Ferren
– Executive Assistants: Shannon L’Ecuyer, Mary Craig and Jim Pollock
– Competition Manager: Gavin Stuart
– Welcoming Manager: Dave Noordhoff
– Facebook Page Co-ordinator: Kathryn Parent
– Web Co-ordinator: Jim Pollock

While a better camera and lens might give you bigger images that can be blown up and used in a larger size, it’s the quality of the composition, lighting, and creativity that matter more. Even the most basic camera is capable of capturing amazing looking photos that will wow people. But a mundane or poor photo will still be a poor photo even with the most expensive camera equipment.

Exposure Lock

For perfect exposure in difficult lighting, be sure to learn this valuable technique.

What is it and how to use it

Our final featured photographer of this season is Debby Venne.

To learn more about Debby and her photographic journey so far, have a look at our Photo In Focus page.

60 members and 1 guest attended our April 25^th meeting.

• President Carson Plant presented a slideshow assembled by Chris Pidgeon that highlighted our recent trip to The Canadian Raptor Conservancy. Thanks Chris. Great job!

• Our guest speaker was OPP Forensic Officer, Mark Lancaster, who explained what his job entails and how he goes about accomplishing his duties. The techniques used for documenting a motor vehicle collision, how to light a night scene with flash using rear curtain synch and how infrared photos can reveal hidden evidence, were all subjects that were both informative and fascinating to our members. The Chatham Camera Club would like to thank Constable Lancaster for his thoroughly entertaining presentation and we look forward to having him back again.

• Competition photos from the Novice’s From Afar entries and the Intermediate, Advanced and Salon member’s Open submissions were reviewed with many high marks being attained. Keith Blackwell’s “Girl Behind A Prism” shot was the highlight of the event, gaining a score of 26.

• Several members brought in prints for display and although time did not permit any discussion, we enjoyed viewing them just the same.

• Our final meeting of the season will be held on May 9^th when we will present our annual Photo Competitions Awards. We’d like to encourage everyone to attend as those who will receive a citation deserve your support.

No elections are needed this year as the executive have all agreed to remain for next season. However, The Club is in need of a Competition Assistant willing to take over from Gavin if he decides to step aside next year. We also need a Welcoming Manager and a back-up Web Co-ordinator. If you are interested in any of these positions, kindly let Carson know.

Enjoy photography and keep your expectations reasonable. Putting pressure on yourself to create world-class photos can sometimes stifle your creative energy.

Advanced Shooting Modes:

What They Are and When to Use Them

57 members attended our April 11^th meeting.

• President Carson Plant opened the evening with this quote by Ansel Adams:
“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.”

• Our guest speaker for the evening was the always informative and entertaining Anthony Chodas from Camera Canada who showed us the latest and greatest in photo gear, including compact cameras, all-in-one cameras, action cameras, mirrorless cameras, SLRs, lenses, drones and printers. The Chatham Camera Club wishes to thank Anthony for his time and effort, and we look forward to seeing him again in the near future. We’d also like to encourage anyone who is in the market for new photo equipment to visit Anthony at the Forest City Image Centre, 217 Dundas Street (at Clarence St.) London or Camera Canada, 301 Oxford Street West, London.

• Our featured presenter in What I Shoot was Margaret DeClerk, who showed us an excellent slideshow of some of her best work. Thanks Margaret. That was great!

• Carson Plant announced that our first Walk-About of the year will be held on Saturday, April 22^nd when we will have the opportunity to visit McLeans Auto Wreckers, 12584 Fourth Line, Nassagaweya, Rockwood, ON. We will meet at the church at 7:30 A.M. and car pool to the location. You are free to go on your own, but Carson has a waiver that we must sign before entry. For a look at what photo-ops are available, have a look at this Flicker page.

• Our next meeting will be held on April 25^th when our featured presenter will be OPP Forensic Officer Mark Lancaster.

– Chris Pidgeon will present a brief slideshow highlighting our recent trip to The Canadian Raptor Conservancy

– Competition photos from the Novice’s From Afar entries and the Intermediate, Advanced and Salon member’s Open submissions will be reviewed.

– Don’t forget to bring in one of your favourite prints for display and discussion. We’d all love to see what you’ve been shooting!

Be cautious of “available light” photography. When using that method, the light controls you instead of you controlling the light.

How to Avoid Blurry Photos by
Choosing the Right Autofocus Mode

Our featured photographer for April is John St. Pierre.

John is one of the most accomplished and respected members of The Chatham Camera Club. To see why, have a look at our Photo In Focus page.