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.
Contents
KEY EVENTS
The following scheduled events will be conducted online as Zoom teleconferences, except for the Competition and Field Trip. Look for announcements and invitations by e-mail, Meetup, and on the club’s Website.
- January 2 – Speaker Night: Dawn Wilson (7:30 on Zoom)
- January 9 – Competition: Open (7:30 p.m. at Northwood Presbyterian Church)
- January 16 – Photo Forum (7:30 on Zoom)
- January 23 – Board Meeting (7:30 on Zoom)
- January 26 – Field Trip: Ellis Island, New York City
2024-2025 Calendar
See here for this season’s calendar, which will be updated as information becomes available. It includes Speaker Night, Competition Night, Photo Forum, Board Meetings, and Field Trips.
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.or
A list of the club officers and committee chairs, and their emails, is located here:
More information is available in the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC) Member Handbook: SSCC-Member-Handbook-2024-2025.
PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR THE NEXT CABLE RELEASE:
If you’d like to share an article, announcement, or Letter to the Editor about anything photographic please email them by January 24. Email items or questions to Sherm Edwards and Tanya Riseman at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
DEADLINE: BY January 24th TO cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
MEETING LOCATION
For the 2024-2025 club year, the second Thursday meeting of each month will be in person, at Northwood Presbyterian Church (https://www.northwoodchurch.com/). The address is 1200 University Blvd., West, Silver Spring, Other meetings will be on Zoom. The in-person meeting will be Competition Night if the judge agrees, otherwise it will be Photo Forum and Competition Night will move to the third Thursday on Zoom.
SPEAKER NIGHT — Dawn Wilson — My Life as a Nature Photographer: Wildlife, Travel, Books, Workshops and Galleries
Thursday, January 2, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Dawn Wilson has been taking photographs and has been around animals ever since she was a kid. A move to Colorado in 2002 from New Jersey, however, is what really inspired her to focus her work on photographing the beautiful wildlife and scenery of the Rocky Mountains.
A full-time photographer and writer, she specializes in photographing and telling the stories of wildlife in the Rocky Mountains and Alaska. She travels extensively visiting remote locations looking for wildlife to tell their stories, raise awareness about wildlife habitat conservation, and write about many of these destinations in magazine articles.
She’s published two books, has more than 600 bylines for writing and photography in numerous magazines, books and calendars, including Outdoor Photographer, Colorado Outdoors, Colorado Life, Wyoming Wildlife, Colorado Outdoors, National Geographic Digital, Motorhome, and Alaska magazine, and her photographs are in galleries and collections throughout North America,.
In 2016, Dawn finished a 15-month adventure on the road traveling full time in an RV to document, photograph, and write about the wildlife of North America. Now, she’s settled back in Estes Park, Colorado, working on numerous writing and photography assignments, leading workshops, guiding in Rocky Mountain National Park, and updating her gallery content for art buyers.
In addition to her photography business, she also served on the Board of Directors for North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), including two terms as the organization’s president, and have volunteered for NANPA’s marketing committee where she managed the NANPA Twitter page for several years. She volunteers as a Master Naturalist with the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas and is a member of the Share the View International Nature Photo Contest administrative team.
COMPETITION COLUMN
Our January topic is Open:
In open competitions, free rein is given to the choices the photographer makes in the creation of the submitted image. Images of any and all subjects or themes, created using any photographic or post- processing methods or techniques, are acceptable. The images are evaluated based upon the judge’s general assessment of their creativity, emotional and/or intellectual impact, aesthetic beauty, uniqueness of subject, and technical skill. The judge need not assign any specific weight to any single attribute of the image.
Members may submit up to two images meeting this definition for the Projected competition. Look here for details on Projected submissions. Projected images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org by midnight (11:59 p.m.) on the day of the month’s Speaker Night.
Remember:
- Send projected image submissions to competition@ssccphotography.org
- Format: JPEG, 1000 KB (max)
- File Name: Level~Maker’s Name~Image Title.jpg Example: Advanced~Tom Jones~Washington Landscape.jpg . The tilde “~” character separates the 3 subfields of the file name
- Level: Novice, Intermediate, or Advanced (see below); capitalization not required.
- Maker’s Name: spaces allowed. Please use the same name throughout the year to aid record keeping.
Members may also submit up to two images meeting the definition for the Print competition. Look here (Section IV) for details on submissions. A label template for Print submissions may be found here.
One important detail – In order to participate in either competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.
As you may have heard, the Club has changed the competition levels starting in September 2024. The new levels are Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced. To see a list of all 2023-2024 Club members with their tentative competition level assignments, separately for Projected and Print, click here. For details on what this change means for you, click here.
Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the year:
- February – Found Abstract
- March – Open
- April – Abandoned
- May – Monochrome
- June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)
JUDGE MARK NELSON – OPEN
Thursday, January 9, 2025, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Mark Nelson has been an avid amateur photographer since high school. Photography was a great outlet during the stress of graduate school, and a regular companion on his travels for work and pleasure over the last 40 years. He has actively supported his passion as an officer of Tidewater Camera Club over the last 5 years.
PHOTO FORUM
Thursday, January 16, 2024, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Join us for discussion on topics including: What’s on your mind, photographically? Opinions, Observations, Questions, Exhibits, Reviews, etc.
January’s planned presentations:
- “Luminosity Masking” – Dennis Freeman
- “Reflection Removal in Adobe Camera Raw” – Tanya Riseman
- We are soliciting additional presenters. Contact Dennis ( dennisfreeman4510@msn.com ) if you’d like to present something!
- Look for updates to be announced.
You may send up to 2 images you would like get feedback on or just share. This month’s theme will be “Your Worst Photos!”
If you’d prefer to submit something else, submit those!
Did you have something go wrong in trying to get a good image? e.g. Composition? Wrong settings? Camera shake? Processing? Submit your disappointments to share and get feedback! We can brainstorm. This should be educational and fun!
JANUARY FIELD TRIP — NEW YORK CITY, INCLUDING ELLIS ISLAND
Leaders: Lisa Auerbach (info@ssccphotography.org) and Sherm Edwards (cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.)
What: There is a photography tour for $200 that lasts 3 hours, and is the only way to bring tripods or lighting into the hospital (Photography Tours). Alternatively, there’s a 1.5-hour, $55 “Hard Hat Tour” of the hospital. Ferries to Ellis Island leave from the tip of Manhattan or New Jersey and include a stop at Liberty Island. Additional possibilities in lower Manhattan might include Wall Street and other NYC architecture, and the Brooklyn Bridge, which has a pedestrian walkway with spectacular views.
When: Weekend of January 25 and 26. Some of us will leave on Saturday morning, stay at the hotel, then meet at Ellis Island at 11:00 on Sunday for the tour. Alternatively, you can choose the 1.5 hour tour and set your reservation for 12:30. Then we can all meet at on Ellis Island at 2:00. From there we can go to the Statue of Liberty.
Where: The main planned event is Ellis Island, but it would be a shame to travel to NYC and not take advantage of other attractions, individually or with other members.
Travel and Lodging: Transportation possibilities to NYC can include Amtrak, leaving from BWI station, Union Station, or New Carrollton; Vamoose Bus, leaving from Bethesda; or by car. There are many possibilities for hotels if you wish to stay over in New York. Our choice for this field trip is in Columbus Circle, 6Columbus. Book your room soon to secure a good price.
To Photograph: Besides Ellis Island and lower Manhattan, NYC has infinite photographic possibilities — people, architecture, rivers and harbor, parks . . .
Questions? Call or email one of the Trip Leaders.
Meals: Again, the possibilities are infinite
To Bring: For the $200 tour, Tripod/Mono Pod, flash and/or other lighting. No tripods or lighting on the $55 tour. It will likely be cold inside the hospital, so dress warmly.
Share your images from the trip: With the SSCC Facebook Group, on Meetup, and/or send to cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org for inclusion in the next month’s Cable Release.
CLUB NEWS
MPA NEWS YOU CAN USE
Adventures in Light Workshops
There are exciting new workshops that will be taking place in Maryland, New Jersey, Africa, Thailand, and Panama. MPA recommends you consider these photography workshops with MPA’s trusted outside partners. The first two workshops that will take place are going to sell out fast so act quickly if interested.
Winter at the Beach – Ocean City and Assateague Island – February 15-16
Pine Barrens in New Jersey – May 31 – June 1
Information on all workshops can be found at https://www.mdphotoalliance.org/workshops.
Artist Spotlight – The Webinar
January 16 – 7:00 PM ET
Mindful Photography: Seeing in a Different Light
Guest presenter Charles Needle is back for his third appearance on Artist Spotlight. Charles will discuss how to approach any subject with a fresh set of eyes so you will be able to see on a much deeper level. Registration is FREE at https://www.mdphotoalliance.org/charles-needle-artist-spotlight-1
Artist Spotlight – The Podcast
Documentary Photographer Zoe Larson
Join podcast host Mitch Stringer as he talks with Florida based photographer Zoe Larson about her start in photography and recently published feature photo essay on the Mudmen of Papua New Guinea. Listen or download this NEW podcast at https://www.mdphotoalliance.org/artistspotlightpodcast.
ADDITIONAL NEWSLETTER EDITOR WANTED
Consider being a Cable Release editor. Contact Tanya or Sherm at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
* Collecting projected and print images and captions and putting them in photo galleries. These galleries appear in both the newsletter and on the club’s web homepage.
* Lightly editing items provided by others, like club event announcements and articles.
* Summarizing some items.
* Some writing for items that editors add themselves.
BOARD MEETING
The SSCC Board last meet on October 30. The next meeting is on January 23rd. Minutes from all meetings can be found in the board meeting minutes archives when they have been finalized.
FEATURES
WINTER PHOTO CHALLENGE: “WORDS AND IMAGES”
The animals are taking center stage for this year’s Words and Images.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
In our club SSCC, the membership runs from beginner to professional. Every member has a story to tell. Each month the Cable Release will shine the spotlight on one or more of our members. Read their spotlight biographies here.
Edited by Marc Auerbach.
CONFERENCES AND EXPOS
MEMBER ARTICLES
COMPETITION RESULTS
HUMOROUS COMPETITION – December 12, 2024
December’s competition was Humorous for projected and print images. Ron Peiffer was our judge. This topic presented a real challenge for Ron, as it would have for any judge trying to balance the humor an image conveyed with the image’s technical and aesthetic merit.
Awards are generally given for first, second, and third place, with the number of honorable mentions (HM) dependent on the total number of entries in the respective Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice levels. In December, the Intermediate and Advanced Print competitions were combined, due to the small numbers of entries.
ADVANCED PROJECTED
1st Place: David Blass ~ You Can’t Do That
2nd Place: Lisa Auerbach ~ In the Spirit of Rockwell
3rd Place: Larry Gold ~ Bird Nest
HM: Renee Schaefer ~ What’s in the Bag?
David Blass ~ You Can't Do That
This is a composite of three images shot without moving the camera. The background remained unchanged, while I changed my clothes for each shot. Combining them in Photoshop involved combining the 3 layers to show the unique part of each image. Part of the humor in this shot will be appreciated if you look at each player's cards.
INTERMEDIATE PROJECTED
1st Place: Larry Brauer ~ You Scratch My Back . . .
2nd Place: Ilona Linnoila ~ Newt Crossing
3rd Place: Diane Sanders ~ Who’s Calling?
Larry Brauer ~ You Scratch My Back . . .
Last March, we had visited the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, a nature preserve in Delray Beach, Florida. While there, I took many photos of wood storks and snowy egrets. The park has a three-quarter mile boardwalk with several gazebos and benches along the way. When we stopped at one of these gazebos, I noticed this couple sitting on one of the nearby benches engaged in this personal and loving activity. I quickly picked up my camera and grabbed this "decisive moment."
NOVICE PROJECTED
1st Place: Jim Riley ~ Surviving DQ
2nd Place: Gerry Woods ~ Marlboro Man
3rd Place: Kent Morris ~ After Walking a Mile
Jim Riley ~ Surviving DQ
'Surviving DQ' was taken with my cell phone from my car window into the Dairy Queen through the drive-up window. DQ must be a stress center in Martinsburg WV. I laugh that this signage was allowed to be seen by the public; upon my next visit I anticipate the 'Bang Head Here' will be gone, possibly replaced by the FU note from the fired employee. *Humor For All - Live A Funny Life*
INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED PRINTS (COMBINED)
1st Place: Thomas Allen ~ Santa Claus is Coning to Town
2nd Place: Sherm Edwards ~ Generation Gap
3rd Place: Beth Koller ~ The Show Must Go On
HM: Renee Schaefer ~ What are We Looking At?
Thomas Allen ~ Santa Claus is Coming to Town
This shot was taken in my sister's backyard at a family Christmas party a few years back. It had snowed the night before, and, well, the storm (probably all of 2") was too much for Santa. Seeing this poor Santa prostrate in the shallow snow was at once humorous and sad, and certainly ironic!. The shot was taken with my Phone 6s at the time.
NOVICE PRINTS
1st Place: Bruce Schaefer – Hot Chick
Bruce Schaefer ~ Hot Chick
COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
by Karen Finkelman
The following list describes various photography classes and workshops in the Maryland, Northern Virginia, Washington DC area. Specific workshop offerings may be held in the classroom, in-field, online or via Zoom. Please see individual classes for the instruction format.
The list is organized into three categories:
- Classes and Workshops in the Washington DC area
- Online Courses
- Multi-Day Photography Workshops Within & Beyond the DMV
Please feel free to recommend any classes or workshops you have taken. Email the Cable Release Editors at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org and we will forward the recommendations.
Note: Inclusion in this list is not an endorsement of the provider or a particular course/workshop.
CALLS FOR ENTRY
by Dennis Freeman
The following offers a number of competitions for your consideration this month. Some of these sources have 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.
EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
By Karen Finkelman.
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
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