Author Archives: Dan Sisken

Nov. 22: Field Trip to National Shrine and Franciscan Monastery

We will visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Mount St. Sepulchre Franciscan Monastery on November 22. We will meet at the National Shrine (400 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, D.C. 20017) at 10:00 a.m. Here are a few rules to consider at the National Shrine: The Crypt Church area is off limits Nov 22 because of an event. Tripods are permitted. We cannot photograph people. Stay in all public areas. Photos may NOT be displayed, posted online, exhibited in galleries, published, or sold unless approved by the National Shrine which, we have been assured, is not likely. Photographers will need to give way to guided tours if he/she is set up in the path of the tour. Parking is free.

We have an appointment at the Franciscan Monastery (1400 Quincy St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20017) at 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. to photograph inside. They only ask that we send some of the photos for their use – which they will credit to the photographer. They also request that we not use the images for commercial use. The gardens are also supposed to be very nice but they may not be very lovely they at the end of November. Parking is free.

We are on the calendar at both places. Contact Beth Echols (beth.echols@gmail.com) if you need additional details.

Nov. 20: Education Night – Gadgets and Gifts

This November Education Night will be our
annual Gadgets and Gifts program. There’s
always something new and interesting
introduced by the manufactures or seen at
Photo Plus Expo that is touted as the must have
item to make your photography better, easier
or more profitable. Additionally, if you have
something that you feel is the perfect gadget or
gift for a photographer; bring it to the meeting
to share with us as to why you like it.
Bring notepads to the meeting to fill out your
wish list to leave around the house or office as
Holiday gift ideas. You don’t want to be the one
that receives a Yankee Candle gift card because
your family or friends had no idea what to get
you!

Nov. 6: Guest Speaker Dan Scenna Talks about Photographing Bands

This month’s speaker offers us an inside look at performing musicians. Dan Scenna has been concentrating his efforts in a year-long study of local musicians. He is the “house photographer” at Blue Sky Tavern in New Market, Maryland. Since January, 2014, Dan has photographed the open mic and bands booked at the Blue Sky every single week. His presentation to SSCC is the result of that work.

Dan is an award-winning photographer and educator, based in Frederick, Maryland. His work includes portraiture, abstract, macro/close up photography, still life studies, and fine art. On the education side of his profession, he teaches classes and conducts workshops on a variety of photography subjects. In fact, his workshops on studio and location figure fine art and portraiture have produced many contest winners for his students.

Though skilled in many aspects of the field, Dan’s first photographic love is black and white. The ability to show form and texture, using directional light on the subject, is his favorite method. He enjoys being able to use the same basic techniques across different genres to produce emotional and thought-provoking responses from the viewer, regardless of subject matter.

October 2: Guest Speaker Sasha Vasiljev

Over the last few years, Sasha Vasiljev has put in an annual appearance at SSCC, either as speaker or judge. Many of us still remember his extraordinary images and the stories of his treks in Nepal and the Himalayas. The portraits of people he encountered on those adventures were as memorable as his breathtaking landscapes. Those portraits were on exhibit last year at the Watergate Gallery downtown, where Sasha regularly exhibits. In that welcoming space, we’ve also seen Sasha’s delicate seascapes, his evocative images of the cloud forests of Ecuador, as well as a series of finely crafted still lifes that frame views from his home in Washington’s tallest building.

sasha-vasiljevWhat magical places will Sasha introduce us to in his presentation this month? You’ll have to come to the October 2 meeting to find out! By way of background, Sasha is not only an award-winning photographer but is also codirector of Nature & Photography Tours, LLC (www.NaturePhotographyTours.com), which is a boutique tour company specializing in nature, culture, and photography eco-travel. As an educator, he is on the faculty of The Washington School of Photography and Washington Studio School.

In Sasha’s own education, he first concentrated on fine art but ultimately received his degree in biology with a major in botany. He went on to curate major tropical orchid collections in his native Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. While living in Moscow, he had the opportunity to study photography under the mentorship of distinguished Russian landscape photographer, Boris Mashkov.

Since moving to the US over a decade ago, Sasha’s work has been exhibited in galleries and acquired by many private collections internationally. He is honored by having several of his images in the permanent collection at the Embassy of the Republic of Costa Rica in Washington, DC. His work has also been exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and has been published in numerous magazines, such as Nature’s Best Photography Magazine, Fine Gardening, Washingtonian, Orchids Magazine, and Ecuador Infinito Magazine.

In 2015, Sasha plans eco-photo tours to Ecuador in March and August, to Cost Rica in June, to Nepal in April and September, and more prosaically, to Maine in June. See http://naturephotographytours.com/ for all the details. In addition to these tours, Sasha also offers numerous workshops locally as well as private instruction. The workshops cover such topics as headshots and portraits, editing with Lightroom, and two levels of photography basics. For complete workshop descriptions and registration information, go to: http://alexandervasiljev.com.