Category Archives: nature

January Speaker: Bob Catlett

This season, we’ll be trying some new approaches to Speaker’s Night. Of course we’ll still have our roster of pros who address various kinds of photography (e.g., food, black & white, nature, etc.). But we start the club year with a special treat: a look at the work of SSCC’s Bob Catlett, in his own words. He’ll not only show us examples of his work, but he’ll also explain his techniques for creating such images. Bob has been a member of SSCC since 1982, just about longer than any other current member. And over these 30+ years, Bob has grown to be one of the finest of the club’s photographers.

Bob CatlettWhen he was still in high school, Bob discovered photography and bought a contact printer for 620 film. That was the beginning. His first 35mm camera was a Vivitar; his next was a Pentax Spotmatic. Today, Bob shoots Nikon and has enough bodies, lenses, filters, lighting equipment, and accessories – not to mention computers and back-up storage devices – to fill a couple of large closets.

For formal training, Bob took some photography classes at Montgomery College after finishing his college studies in criminal law at Howard University and American University. But he probably learned just as much about photography from examining the landscapes of Ansel Adams, the vegetable images of Edward Weston, and the flowers of Robert Mapplethorpe.

What are Bob’s favorite subjects? From what we’ve seen of his work in club competitions, his first love is nature – anything from wide open expanses of landscapes to jewel-like detail of macro shots of flowers. He especially enjoys the constant changes in nature subjects, seasonal changes and changes in the light and shadows depending on the time of day. But Bob is almost as happy in a studio environment and has spent a lot of time experimenting with figure studies. As outgoing as Bob is, it’s no surprise that he also enjoys photographing people, capturing just the right expression that reveals a person’s essence.

Along with Bob’s career, first with the Metropolitan Police Force and then the Federal Reserve Bank, he found time to serve SSCC. He was treasurer for eight years, vice-president for two years, and field trip chairman for well over 10 years. Now, Bob serves the club as a director and uses his long experience with SSCC to advise the officers and committee chairmen of our board.

One of Bob Catlett’s golden characteristics is his unfailing generosity with information and willingness to help other photographers, no matter what their level. Thank you, Bob!

November Speaker: Zolt Levay Wows with Hubble Space Images

Did you ever peer at the night sky and wonder what it would look like if we could really see it – closely and clearly? Well, that’s what our November speaker brings us:  views of space as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

zolt-levayA  fine nature photographer in  his  own  right,  Zolt  Levay  is Imaging Group Lead in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. He studied astronomy  at  Indiana  University  in  Bloomington  and  Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. He then worked on several space  science  missions  at  NASA’s  Goddard  Space  Flight Center  before  joining  STScI  in  1983  to  develop  science analysis software.

Since 1993, Zolt has been a member of the News Team in STScI’s  Office  of  Public  Outreach.  His  responsibility? Transforming Hubble Space Telescope data into aesthetically attractive images and graphics to illustrate Hubble’s science discoveries  (http://hubblesite.org).  Zolt  leads  the  Hubble Heritage Project (http://heritage.stsci.edu), which is a team of astronomers at STScI whose goal is to establish a repository of the visually finest Hubble imagery.

It’s hard to imagine that Zolt has any spare time, but when he does, he enjoys exploring and photographing wherever and whenever he can. His Flickr site shows the beauty and breadth of his images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zoltlevay

Note: Zolt Levay speaks to us this month thanks to a tip from SSCC member Elise Shurie

October 8 Competition: “Nature” Judge Mary Louise Ravese

For our annual Nature competition, we’re lucky to have Mary Louise Ravese as our judge. Mary Louise is no stranger to SSCC, having been both judge and speaker numerous times. A fine artist in her own right, Mary Louise brings an unusual clarity and articulate perception to her judging. Everyone learns from her critiques.

mary-louise-raveseFounder and owner of Bella Vista Photography in Waterford, VA, Mary Louise specializes in fine art nature and travel photography from locations across the US and in Europe and Japan. Her favorite subject matter includes country landscapes, nature close-ups, architectural details, and wildlife. She draws inspiration from a variety of visual arts to produce photographs often described as “painterly.”

In fact, Mary Louise’s artistic intention is to incorporate the beauty of painting in the clarity of photography. Her images are recognizable for their intriguing juxtaposition of vibrant colors, distinctive shapes, and unique textures. Specifically, she aims to capture the essence of the natural world in color. With a goal of staying true to nature, Mary Louise emphasizes producing the best “in camera” images possible, rather than depending on digital manipulation.

Mary Louise’s fine art photography is in private, university, and corporate collections in over 30 states and is exhibited nationally through art shows, galleries, and shops. Her images have been used in calendars, magazines, books, and websites including various projects with National Geographic maps.

Noted as a popular speaker and competition judge for photography clubs in the Mid Atlantic, Mary Louise excels at explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand way. She also enjoys teaching on a wide range of topics related to nature, travel, and creative photography. She leads classes and field workshops in the Mid Atlantic region and at a variety of locations in the US and abroad.

Mary Louise studied photography through the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Cruz extension programs, the Washington School of Photography, and with such noted photographers as Barbara Brundege, Mark Citret, and Harold “Doc” Edgerton. She is a member of the North American Nature Photography Association, the American Society of Picture Professionals, the Equine Photographer’s Network, and the Loudoun Arts Council.

You can explore Mary Louise’s images and learn more about her work and her workshops at www.BellaVistaPhotography.com.