TWO SPEAKERS ON FEBRUARY 1ST!

 We will have two co-speakers on February 1.  Are you interested in Washington D.C., whether day or night?  Are you interested in night photography, in D.C. or elsewhere?  We’ve got you covered! 

Tom Wachs

Tom Wachs will be a co-Speaker on February 1, with the subject “Washington D.C. and More”.   Please join us as Tom presents his images of Washington, D.C.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about photographing many of the sites in our own area.   (read more)

Gary Silverstein

Gary Silverstein will be our other co-Speaker, with the subject “Night Photography”.  During his presentation, Gary will discuss techniques for taking night photos, and explain why you should leave the comfort of your warm, dry home to take pictures on the next rainy/snowy/foggy evening. (read more)

Gary’s handouts from the presentation may be found here:  Night-Show-Handouts-Gary-Silverstein.pdf

COMPETITION COLUMN

The competition on February 8 will be on the Anything Washington D.C. theme:

The term “Anything Washington D.C.” encompasses images whose subjects are located within the geographic confines of the District of Columbia.  Although an image need not contain an obvious or explicit reference to a commonly recognizable subject that is unique to Washington (such as an architectural landmark or political event); the image should endeavor to inform the viewer, either directly or contextually, about some part or aspect of Washington that contributes to making Washington, Washington.

Please be mindful that electronic submissions for projected images must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on February 1st, Speaker Night. The images should be emailed to: SSCCphotography@yahoo.com. (One important detail – In order to participate in the competition, you must have paid the club’s annual dues before the competition.)

To learn the nitty gritty about the competitions, and for the definition of each of the competition topics, please refer to the Member Handbook and/or 2017-18 Competition Topic Definitions (both of which are accessible from the SSCC website):

• February                 – Anything Washington D.C.
• March                     – Open
• April                        – Architecture Photography
• May                         – Monochrome Photography
• June                         – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)

As always, if you have any questions about the competitions, please feel free to contact Larry Gold at competition@ssccphotography.org.

 JEAN-PIERRE PLÉ TO BE OUR FEBRUARY 8 JUDGE 

Jean-Pierre’s interest in photography goes back to the 1970’s in conjunction with his desire to record a solo crossing of the United States by bicycle.  Influenced by Galen Rowell, his camera has since been an essential part of his gear whether sea kayaking in Alaska, trekking in Patagonia, or backpacking in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest.  (read more)

Jean-Pierre provided us with a reference list of photography books, and other creativity-related resources that he values:  JP-Photo-Resources.pdf

A CLOSER FOCUS  (FEBRUARY 15)

An opportunity to share ideas, images, questions, and inspirations

For the February 15 meeting please bring in a couple of your images from your work – a recent field trip or any picture you are proud of or have questions about.  We will spend about half an hour sharing.

Half an hour will be an open forum discussing issues at hand.  There will also be half an hour for 10 minute presentations by members. This is always a great evening of sharing and learning. What topics would you like to explore?  Topics are very wide ranging, such as photo book reviews, an aspect of your own photography that you’d like to share, reviews or discussion of gallery shows, photo gear, software, etc.  Or bring a gadget to share.

For February we will include the following:

• Last month David Terao covered a remarkable new feature in Lightroom Classic called “Auto”.  It is in the Develop module, under the block that begins with Exposure.   In February we will continue showing the features of the new Photoshop CC 2018 and Lightroom Classic.  
• Tanya Riseman will complete her presentation of the Three Legs of Exposure.  She presented ISO in December, and Aperture in January (with a memorable use of spaghetti to illustrate light rays).  She will cover Shutter Speed this month.  Links to her two previous presentations follow:
  • ISO presentation
  • Aperture presentation

Future topics might include: compositional strength, HDR, abstract images, or anything else photographic you want to bring to the table. This is an opportunity for you to provide input to the SSCC experience.

If you would like to be on the agenda, please email me at: 
davidwesleypowell@gmail.com

FEBRUARY 17 FIELD TRIP: BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE & FRANCISCAN MONASTERY

On Saturday, February 17 join the club for a two-fer! 

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception by AgnosticPreachersKid

Franciscan Monastery by Farragutful

First we will have a tour of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, located in Washington, D.C. The shrine is the largest Catholic church in the United States and North America, and one of the ten largest churches in the world.

Then we will tour the Franciscan Monastery, a complex in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast. It includes gardens, replicas of various shrines throughout Israel, a replica of the catacombs in Rome, an archive, a library, as well as bones of Saint Benignus.

 (read more)

♦ CLUB NEWS ♦

SSCC MEMBER SNAPSHOTS:   

 Lisa and Marc Auerbach moved to the Washington area recently from Houston, Texas, in order to live closer to their daughter and her family.  Both of them kindly described their backgrounds and their interests for our New Member Snapshot column. (read more)

BOARD MEETING

The SSCC Board did not meet in December.  The January 25 board meeting notes will be in next month’s Cable Release.

 

JANUARY 14 FIELD TRIP TO EASTERN MARKET

It was cold for this trip, so cold only three brave souls attended. But for us it was a fun time and not too cold.  We got a free street parking spot only 1.5 blocks from the market.  The sun was shining, and the cold had one benefit, it kept the crowds down.  The market was as colorful and interesting as I remember it.  We walked up and down the market capturing sights, including animal parts for sale that I don’t see at my local Giant.  After we had our fill of snapping we headed over to a little French cafe and had a relaxing and satisfying lunch. Not a bad way to spend a few hours.

– Andrew Rein

Eastern Market

Image 1 of 12

Andrew Rein

 

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MARK RATNER PASSES

On Friday, January 5, 2018, Mark Ratner passed away.  Mark and his Life Partner, Genie Sachs, were long-time members of SSCC.  Mark leaves behind Genie, children Deborah (Ratner aka Helzer) and Andrew, and grandchildren Sylvia and Simon. 

 

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♦ FEATURES ♦

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KERNELS OF KOREN

This month Michael provides us with an approach to determine what ISO settings provide an acceptable noise level to us in our own cameras. 

Digital noise is not just the byproduct of a social media news feed.  It’s also the byproduct of shooting pictures at a high ISO…   (read more)