Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!
Sherm Edwards and Tanya Riseman, Editors, Cable Release, at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
KEY EVENTS
The following scheduled events will be conducted online as Zoom teleconferences, except for the Field Trip. Look for announcements and invitations by e-mail, Meetup, and on the club’s Website.
- April 7 – Speaker Night (7:30 p.m.)
- April 9 – Field Trip! – Annmarie Sculpture Gardens, Solomons MD (10:30 a.m.)
- April 14 – Competition – Patterns or Geometric Forms (7:30 p.m.)
- April 21 – Photo Forum (7:30 p.m.)
- April 28 – Board Meeting- (7:30 p.m.)
If Montgomery County Schools close due to inclement weather, Silver Spring Camera Club meetings and outings will be canceled. See montgomeryschoolsmd.org for closure information during the work week. For Mon-Fri AFTER 5:00 pm & on the weekends, call 240-777-2710 or 311 from within Montgomery County. Sign up for text alerts: AlertMontgomery and choose both a local MCPS school and ‘Community Use of Public Facilities Alerts’. Note that this policy does not apply to online meetings!
For general information about the club, contact us at: info@ssccphotography.org
A list of the club officers and committee chairs, and their emails, is located here: Officers and Committee Chairs
More information is available in the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC) Member Handbook:
PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR THE MAY CABLE RELEASE:
e.g., articles, awards. exhibitions, links, reviews, and letters to the editor, such as appreciation of other members’ articles, photos, contributions to the Club. Let’s reach out to each other as we remain physically separated by the pandemic.
DEADLINE: BY APRIL 24th TO cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
MEETING LOCATION
All meetings will be online by Zoom teleconference until further notice. We are hopeful of being able to meet in person in the next Club year.
SPEAKER NIGHT WITH NIC STOVER – TECHNIQUE, VISION AND PROCESSING OF LANDSCAPE SCENES
Nic Stover is a California-based professional photographer. He was raised in the high mountains of Western Colorado, where the available mass media were a single magazine subscription (National Geographic) and five TV channels. The only shows his family watched regularly were Nature on PBS and the Tour de France. This environment is where his love for adventure, the outdoors, and travel took shape. (Read more.)
COMPETITION COLUMN
Our April topic is Patterns or Geometric Forms.
Patterns or Geometric Forms Photography encompasses images that contain distinctive patterns (e.g., repetitions, reflections, numeric sequences, prisms) or geometric forms (e.g., circles, squares, triangles) within the image.
Members may submit up to two images meeting this definition. The images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org by midnight on Thursday, April 7. (One important detail – In order to participate in the competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.)
Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the year:
- May – Monochrome Photography
- June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)
Please refer to the website link for the definition of each topic.
LEWIS KATZ – JUDGE – APRIL 14 PATTERNS OR GEOMETRIC FORMS COMPETITION
Photography has been part of Lewis Katz’s life from a young age. An early memory is his dad looking down through the viewfinder of his twin-lens reflex camera. He soon graduated to a Konica rangefinder that was constantly by his side. Lewis vividly remembers the slide shows of family vacations, as well as more private moments shared by his parents. His first camera was the Olympus Pen F half-frame beauty, and he soon moved through the full line of Olympus OM models. Fast forward to the digital cameras and images of today. Lewis still shoots Olympus, but has added a Nikon to the bag.
Emotive displays were not commonplace in Lewis’s home growing up. The camera and the image became an outlet for suppressed feelings as well as for artistic expression. Many years after college, Lewis lived in southern York County Pennsylvania amid its rural beauty. Although he had been out west as a teenager, it was here that he truly discovered landscape photography.
After moving to Baltimore in 2001, he discovered and joined the Baltimore Camera Club. Lewis was quickly in awe of and humbled by the talent, and more importantly he found the companionship of fellow members so important to him to this day. The Baltimore Camera Club remains an integral part of his photography life. Lewis has been honored by the Club and has received many awards from their competitions. Teaching photography is another essential component of his photography life, as he loves sharing his passion. Lewis currently teaches for the Johns Hopkins Odyssey program, for the Capital Photography Center of DC, and for private students. Lewis lives for those “aha!” moments that only teaching can provide.
PHOTO FORUM
Thursday, April 21, 2022, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
“Photo Forum” is our monthly opportunity to share ideas, images, questions, and inspirations on a wide variety of photographic topics.
This is an online event. We will meet using Zoom – look for the meeting link in an email and via Meetup.
Open Forum Discussions:
- What’s on your mind?
- What did you get out of our Speaker Night – Nic Stover, “Technique, Vision and the Processing of Landscape Scenes?” Do you want to apply anything from his talk to your photography?
- Every year we have nine Competitions. These are Nature, Monochrome, Open, and three that change from year to year. Tell us about three Competition Themes you’d like to see in next year’s program and we will bring them to the board for final selection!
Presentation:
- David Blass will present and show us live how to use Layers in Photoshop. ( Maude used Layers to create her compelling “Fall Leaves” winner in this month’s competition!)
Image Sharing:
We will have member image sharing. This month will be an Open theme – send any images you want! e.g. if you would like feedback on something you’ve submitted to previous contests, help on something you’re working on, etc.
Send up to three images. Your jpg images can be up to 1 MB size each. Send your images to Dennis Freeman before 5:00 p.m., WEDNESDAY, April 20 (dennisfreeman4510@msn.com).
This is expected to be a great evening of sharing and learning. What topics would you like to explore? Topics can be wide ranging, such as photo book reviews, an aspect of your own photography that you’d like to share, reviews or discussion of shows, photo gear, software, etc.
Please join us for a fun and educational evening!
FIELD TRIP – ANNMARIE SCULPTURE GARDEN
Date and time: Saturday, April 9, meet at 10:30 a.m.
Rain Date: Sunday, April 10.
Where: Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, 13470 Dowell Road, Solomons, MD 20688. Check out the Website.
What: Annmarie is a 30 Acre Sculpture Garden on Solomon’s Island. According to the website: “These diverse pieces are fully integrated into the natural setting of the Garden and provide the opportunity to develop an appreciation for the seasonal changes inherent in outdoor art. Collectively, these diverse works allow visitors to explore the ever-changing shapes and shadows of the forest and the art it shelters.“ There is also an indoor exhibit, but the outdoor art and woods are the best photo option.
Fees: Suggested Donation $5 or more.
Photo Guidelines from the Garden: “We do not place restrictions on photographs taken during a normal visit to Annmarie. As long as you have paid the regular admission fees for all members of your group, you are welcome to explore the grounds and take photographs for personal use. We do ask that you respect the privacy of other guests and do not take photographs of guests not in your group.”
Lunch: Ruddy Duck Brewery and Grill, 13200 Dowell Road, Dowell MD.
Important note: RSVP to Trip Leader Karen Finkelman (kfinmd@gmail.com) so she can make lunch reservations.
DIRECTIONS: From Washington DC (about 60 minute drive): Take Route 4 South, Exit 11 off Capital Beltway (to Prince Frederick). Continue on 4 South, following signs to Solomons. Left on Dowell Road at Hilton Garden Inn and Rudy Duck. Garden is less than 1/4 mile on left. Here’s a map.
CLUB NEWS
The SSCC Board met on March 24, 2022. Minutes from the February meeting may be found here. March’s minutes will appear in the April Cable Release.
SPRING PICNIC
Forget COVID: Spring Fever Hits SSCC Saturday, May 21!
Remember our picnic last October? We braved the pandemic to meet face to face al fresco in a neighborhood park. That fall gathering was made all the sweeter by the 1.5 years of house arrest we’d all experienced since our last meetup.
So we’re doing it again in May. Our spring social will happen Saturday, May 21, at Georgian Forest Local Park – same park as last time, between Aspen Hill and Glendale in Silver Spring.
More details will come out next month, but TODAY – block off that day and plan to arrive around noonish. We have 17 NEW members we’re anxious to meet, and 77 past members who have been missing in action – and missed.
For now:
- SSCC Spring Get-together
- SATURDAY, May 21; noon – 4:00 pm
- Georgian Forest Local Park
- 2720 Silverdale Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20906
PHOTOGRAPHERS’ WORDS OF WISDOM
Larry Brauer suggested including in the CR a quote or two from this site: https://photographylife.com.
“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” ~ Ansel Adams
FEATURES
MPA’s “ODYSSEY OF LIGHT” WEBINAR – LESS THAN 30 DAYS TO GO
The Maryland Photography Alliance’s (MPA) “Odyssey of Light” Webinar is the biggest event of the year. Our club is a member of MPA and there is special discounted pricing. In fact, Club members’ net cost is $0.
MPA spent over two years to get two of the best photography speakers. Here are a few reasons you should attend:
- 2 Internationally Respected Speakers
- Ami Vitale and Bob Krist
- Both National Geographic Photographers
- Ami is a Nikon Ambassador
- Bob is a Sony Artisan of Imagery
- 2 Inspiring Presentations
- Authentic Travel Photography
- The Art of Visual Storytelling
- Presentations will be Recorded
- Over $1,600 in Raffle Prizes
- Net Cost for MPA Members – $0
- Pay $15
- Get a $15 Nations Photo Lab Gift Card
- Club members see e-mail blast for password
“Odyssey of Light” will take place on Saturday, April 16, 2022, from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM EDT
For more information and to register go to www.mdphotoalliance.org/odyssey
Questions: mpa@mdphotoalliance.org
Sponsored by: Awake the Light, Calibrite, Canon, Capital Photography Center, EMS Photo Adventures, Hahnemühle, Les Picker Fine Art Photography, Nations Photo Lab, Nikon, Pro Master, Service Photo, Sony, Tamron, and Think Tank.
BLACK AND WHITE CONVERSION SOFTWARE WEBINARS: ADOBE LIGHTROOM AND NIK SILVER EFEX PRO 3
Lewis Katz, our April judge and a speaker earlier season, is offering a low-cost webinar on the new Nik software and its application to black and white photography. Learn more.
CONFERENCES AND EXPOS
2022 PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA PHOTO FESTIVAL
Club members have enjoyed this conference over the years and come back with some terrific images. Learn more here.
MEMBER ARTICLES
Editor’s note: It can take considerable effort (and maybe some courage) to put together an article for the Cable Release. If you find something in an article that inspires, intrigues, or informs you, let the author know if you can. You can also send your reactions in a “Letter to the (CR) Editor.” Send to cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
Capturing the Art of Graffiti
Writers, Artists, Muralists, and Street Artists through My Lens
By Sheryl Adams
One of my main passions is to shoot concert photography. However, due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic over the past two years, entertainment venues were closed. I returned to another inspiration, the streets, alleys and other places capturing through my lens graffiti, murals and street art. (Read more)
COMPETITION RESULTS
OPEN COMPETITION – MARCH 10, 2021
February’s competition was Open, for projected images only. Ed Palaszynski was our judge. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the competition was held remotely over Zoom.
Two categories were judged: Advanced Projected (i.e. digital images) and Novice Projected. No Beginner Projected images were submitted. The Print categories are suspended until we start in-person meetings again. Awards are given for first, second, and third place, and multiple honorable mentions (HM) – the number of awards depends on the total number of entries in the category.
See an image that speaks to you? Let the photographer know next chance you have!
ADVANCED PROJECTED
1st Place: Kate Woodward ~ Sun-like Tranquility
2nd Place: David Blass ~ Tempranillo
3rd Place: Sheryl Adamas ~ Spectators
HM: Bob Catlett ~ Kayak
HM: Kent Mason ~ At the Edge of the Bay
Kent Mason ~ The Edge of the Bay
Edisto island''s Botany Bay in the South Carolina low country is a popular photographic destination and one that I find quite unique because of the significant erosion along the water's edge. The skeletons' of trees have ended up in the bay as a result of wave action and hurricanes. This image was taken at first light with a 1.3 second exposure at F 5, ISO 200, with the 24 mm lens on Olympus camera.
NOVICE PROJECTED
1st Place: Maude Svensson ~ Homesick
2nd Place: Larry Brauer ~ Feelin‘ Curvy
3rd Place: Jim Riley ~ Aspens Spirit
HM: Kim Keller ~ Lucky Bird
HM: Maude Svensson ~ Fall Leaves
Maude Svensson ~ Homesick
Having lived most of my life far away from my hometown and family in Sweden, I still have recurrent feelings of nostalgia and a loss of familiar places and faces. These feelings can be triggered by anything and anytime – a certain smell, a taste, or a color that goes straight to my heart. I tried to capture this feeling in this photograph that is a triple exposure. The two main images are of my husband Lars' face and the bistro "Under the Chestnut Tree" in the Old Town (Gamla Stan), Stockholm, Sweden. The third image is of the bark of a tree, just to add colors and structures.
COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Needed: Someone to author the Classes and Workshop List for the 2021-2022 Cable Release club year. Please let Catherine [ president@ssccphotography.org ] know if you might be interested. This is an opportunity to inspire the learning of club members. In the meantime, we will show some online sources.
New! Here is a list of all the 2021-2022 judges and speakers along with courses and workshops they offer.
Thanks to Joe Willmore from the Shutterbug Excursions Meetup group for this list:
- CreativeLive: (not local but very popular and when I reached out for resources, several of our previous presenters mentioned this). https://www.creativelive.com
- Capital Photography Center: With both virtual and in-person classes, this is a popular resource locally. https://capitalphotographycenter.com
- Art League (located in the Torpedo Factory): Both in-person and virtual classes. https://www.theartleague.org/classes/
- Arts of Great Falls (I’m a photography instructor here): Both in-person and virtual classes. https://greatfallsart.org/school-of-art/
These online course providers are listed in every issue:
- Coursera
- KelbyOne
- Lydna.com is now LinkedIn Learning. For free access through the Montgomery County public libraries, see here.
- Photographic Society of America (PSA)
Also offering free webinars—on photography printing—is Moab Paper. See: https://www.moabpaper.com/moab-tv?rq=tv I have never taken one of Moab’s webinars, but Moab is a main producer of artistic photo papers. Other vendors are offering free webinars, but they tend not to give advance notice, so the ones I have located are offered only in April.
Please let us know of other online opportunities you discover by emailing us at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org. Especially welcome would be reviews of courses or workshops you have attended.
CALLS FOR ENTRY
by Dennis Freeman
The following offers a number of competitions for your consideration this month. Some of these sources having standing calls for entry, and others are one-time calls. Some offer cash and prizes, and others don’t.
See the full Calls for Entry article here. (Read More)
Highlighted Entry: Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Annual Photography Contest. (Read More)
EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
WASHINGTON POST
Here is a link to the online Washington Post’s lists of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia photography-related exhibits and museums. The various photography-related exhibits appear in different parts of the online paper, making a simple search or link unreliable. You can search within:
Photography section: Photography
Going Out Guide: Going Out Guide
Art Section: Art
Take a look at what our sister camera club, the NIH Camera Club, has going on. Here is a link to their site. There you can find their newsletter, the Cameraderie: nihcameraclub.com
© 2022 Silver Spring Camera Club and its contributors.