Our first featured photographer of 2017 is Kellie Watson.

To learn more about her photographic journey, check out our Photo In Focus page.

50 members and 1 guest took part in our Light Painting workshop hosted by Mike Blazek and Carson Plant. Carson started the evening off by explaining how to use the work stations provided, while Mike discussed the proper settings to be used. (ISO 100, f-16, 30 second exposure) The rest of the night was spent helping each other with camera settings and taking photos using the described light painting technique. The meeting was our first “hands-on” session of the season, and by all accounts, was extremely enjoyed by all who participated.

You can see some more photos of our seminar on our Club Photos page.

We want to thank Carson and Mike for setting up this tutorial and for leading us in one of the most fun meetings in recent memory. Also a special thanks to Patricia, Mary and Tere for our break-time snacks.

• Our next meeting will be held on January 10^th when our in-house presenters will be:

– Carson Plant: Photoshop Post Process / Workflow Demo
– Chad Barry: Lightroom Post Process / Workflow Demo
– Dave Noordhoff: What I Considered When I Took These Landscape Images
– Paul Schmoldt – FastStone Demo: Batch resizing of Images and Creating a slideshow

A well-developed photographic style is like a fingerprint – unique to the photographer. Develop your style by using your own judgment and taste, not by consulting others.

What is a Stop? – The Common Currency of Exposure Explained

December’s featured photographer is the late Frank Vadovic.

Have a look at some of his outstanding work on our Photo In Focus page.

64 members and 2 guests attended our November 22^nd meeting.

• Chris Jorgensen paid tribute to the late Frank Vadovic by reminding us of his kindness and willingness to help others. After hearing a couple of amusing stories about Frank, we saw a brief slide-show of pictures of him at various photo outings followed by a moment of silence.

• Chad Barry and Keith Blackwell explained How And When To Use Mirror Lock-up, a method of raising your camera’s mirror to avoid camera shake caused by mirror slap. Several of our more experienced members helped those who had never used this feature before.

– The Novice’s Black And White entries were reviewed, with Margaret DeClerk (23 pts), Mary Ellen Plouffe (22 pts) and Rick Aarssen (two marks of 22 pts), attaining the top scores.

– The Intermediate, Advanced and Salon members were judged on their Clouds shots with Reagan Smolders (24 pts), Jim Pollock (24 pts), and Dave Noordhoff (23 pts) leading the way. For their Waves pictures, Tere Deslippe (23 pts), Mike Blazek (23 pts), David Barr (23 pts) and Dave Noordhoff (23 pts) got the most points.

– In the second contest, the Novices were judged on their Clouds images with Pat Beaton (24 pts), Jana Smith (23 pts), Bill Henry (21 pts) and Mary Craig (21 pts) scoring the highest. For the group’s Waves shots, high scores were given to Pat Beaton (23 pts), Bill Henry (21 pts), Mary Craig (21 pts) and Jacqueline Gruska (21 pts).

– The three other divisions were graded on their entries in the Angular category, with Carson Plant (23 pts), Keith Blackwell (23 pts) and Paul Schmoldt (22 pts) achieving the highest results.

Some of the evening’s best photos can be reviewed on our Club Photos page.

Our next Photo Competition will be reviewed on January 24^th, 2017 when the Novices will show their Angular pictures and the Intermediate, Advanced and Salon members will display their entries in the Trees category. Competition photos are to be submitted to Gavin Stuart at: gcstuart@mnsi.net by Midnight, Sunday, January 15th

• Many of our members brought in their prints for display and discussion. If you’d like to join the fun, your next opportunity will be on January 24^th, 2017.

• Our next meeting will be held on December 13^th when Carson Plant and Mike Blazek will lead a workshop on Light Painting. Bring your camera, tripod, remote trigger and an LED flashlight to this meeting and learn this fascinating technique. We’ll have some of these items on-hand if you need one.

• Just a quick reminder to check out our Buy / Sell page to find out what equipment other Club members are looking to purchase or no longer have a need for.

Photography is no more about cameras than mathematics is about calculators.

Check out this excellent article on
8 Things That Could Get You in Trouble in Photography

We regret to announce the passing of Club member, Frank Vadovic.

Frank was not only a well liked and much respected part of our group, he was a dear friend to many of us who will be fondly remembered and sadly missed.

Retired from Navistar and a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, Frank also formerly belonged to The Chatham Metal Detecting Club where he served as Newsletter Editor.
As a valued member in The Chatham Camera Club, Frank produced a long string of high quality images that were always admired by his peers. He put together several excellent slideshows at our year end meetings that recapped the highlights of that season. Well versed in all types of photography, Frank was a regular participant in Club photo competitions and was always ready to help out at our functions in any way he could. He was also part of an informal group within The Club known as The Viewfinders, who got together for photo outings during the week.

Frank will always be recalled as a generous, kind-hearted man with a great sense of humour. Always willing to give his time and share his knowledge, Frank’s passing leaves a giant hole in The Club and in our hearts.

A season high 64 members and 3 guests attended our November 8^th meeting.

• Our guest speaker was award winning landscape photographer and author Don Komarechka who presented “The Universe At Our Feet”.

Don revealed some of the methods he uses to capture his amazing images of insects and snowflakes by using a macro lens, extension tubes, a ring flash, a tripod, a spray bottle, and a lot of patience. In place of this equipment, we could also use close-up filters, a reversal adaptor or a long telephoto lens.

His advice for emulating his outstanding compositions included:
– Tell a story
– Find lines, shapes and colours
– Avoid all distractions
– Get close to your subject
– Concentrate on the “fascination factor”
– Rotate your images to find the most pleasing orientation

To learn more about this intriguing style of photography, check out Don’s book,
Sky Crystals: Unraveling The Mysteries Of Snowflakes, available at SkyCrystals.ca.

The Chatham Camera Club thanks Don for his extremely enjoyable tutorial. We learned a lot and had a great time doing it!

• Our next meeting will be held on November 22^nd when Chad Barry and Keith Blackwell will explain How And When To Use Mirror Lock-up. Bring your camera to the meeting if you want to learn this simple but effective method.

The more ridiculous you look while taking a photo, the better that photo will probably be.

Have a look at Don Kormarechka’s discussion on photo stacking.

November’s featured photographer is Herman Giethoorn.

For a brief profile of one of The Club’s longest serving members, see our
Photo In Focus page.

54 members and 4 guests attended our October 25^th meeting.

• Representatives from the Chatham-Kent Public Library explained how we can use apps called Zinio and Flipster to access digital magazines, download movies and take free on-line courses.

• Les McCracken was the featured presenter in What I Shoot, where he entertained the crowd with his stories on why and how he goes about capturing his excellent images. Thanks Les. It’s always a pleasure to hear you speak.

• Several of the large number of prints that were brought in were discussed and admired. The next scheduled print display is November 22^nd and we encourage everyone to show us what you’re been shooting.

• Our next meeting will be held on November 8^th when our guest speaker, Don Komarechka, will present The Universe At Our Feet.

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.