Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!
Tanya Riseman and Sherm Edwards, Editors, Cable Release, at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
Contents
KEY EVENTS
The following summer scheduled events will be conducted online as Zoom teleconferences, except for the Field Trips. Look for announcements regarding which meetings will be in person in the new club season starting in September. Those announcements and invitations will be by e-mail, Meetup, and on the club’s Website.
- July 13 – Board Meeting
- July 16- Field Trip – Hare Krishna Palace and Grand Vue Park
- July 17- Field Trip – Moundsville WV Penitentiary NOTE: MONDAY
- July 20 – Photo Forum (7:30 p.m.)
- Aug 17 – Photo Forum (7:30 p.m.)
- Aug TBD – Board Meeting
- Sep 7 – Speaker
- Sep 14 – Competition: OPEN
- Sep 21 – Photo Forum
2022-2023 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. The 2023-2024 calendar will appear in the September Cable Release.
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
The 2022-2023 list of the club officers and committee chairs, and their emails, is located here: Officers and Committee Chairs. An updated list will be available in September.
More information is available in the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC) Member Handbook: SSCC-Member-Handbook-2022-2023
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 August 24. Email items or questions to Tanya Riseman and Sherm Edwards at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
DEADLINE: BY AUGUST 24th TO cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
MEETING LOCATION
This summer all meetings except field trips will be conducted virtually.
COMPETITION COLUMN
Competition topics for next year:
In addition to the usual Open, Nature and Monochrome categories, there will be three other competition topics next year:
- Macro/Close-up. The term “Macro/Close-up Photography” encompasses images made from close-up range, in which the subject of the photograph is very small or is a very small detail of a larger object.
- Intentional Camera Movement. The term “Intentional Camera Movement Photography,” or ICM, encompasses images in which the photographer has intentionally moved the camera while depressing the shutter, such that some aspect of the image indicates that movement.
- Industrial. The term “Industrial Photography” encompasses images that contain machinery, buildings, processes, equipment, and/or remnants thereof, that are or were involved in the manufacture of products.
Members may submit up to two images meeting each contest. The images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org by midnight (11:59 p.m.) on the day of the month’s Speaker Night. (One important detail – In order to participate in the competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.)
Please refer to the website link for the definition of the Open, Nature, and Monochrome topics. If you have any questions, feel free to contac the Competition Chair, at competition@ssccphotography.org.
JUDGE
MARY LOUISE RAVASES – JUDGE YEAR-END COMPETITION
Thursday, June 8, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. (Past event)
We were extremely privileged to have Mary Louise Ravese as our year-end competition judge. Mary Louise has specialized in outdoor photography for more than 25 years. She is a fine art photographer, photography teacher, speaker and workshop leader through her company, Bella Vista Photography. She studied photography through the University of California Berkeley and Santa Cruz extension programs as well as the Washington School of Photography. She is currently based in North Carolina.
PHOTO FORUM
Thursday, July 20, 2023, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Starting, we have two presentations this month: “Madeline Island Macro & Closeup Photography” by Dennis Freeman; and “Demonstration and Techniques for the new Photoshop (beta) Generative Fill” by Pete Morton. For our discussions, we have these hot topics:
- What’s on your mind, photographically?
- What summer projects are you pursuing?
- What about employing AI-generated content in the editing of your images?
- Want more AI-generated photography discussion/examples in future meetings?
This month’s image sharing theme will be Open.
FIELD TRIP
Field Trip to Moundsville July 16-17
On Sunday, we will visit the Palace of Gold, which is a giant Gold Palace, built for the Hare Krishna leader in 1973. Following that on Sunday, we will travel to Grand Vue Park to photograph views of the Ohio River.
On Monday, the destination is the Moundsville Prison, which is a massive stone structure fashioned in the castellated Gothic architectural style, adorned with turrets and battlements; looks like a castle. Built in 1866, closed 1995. We can tour and photograph everything.
RSVP to Leader! due to unusual day of week.
Leader: Phil Boyer
301-204-5549
philboyer60@gmail.com
Read more here.
CLUB NEWS
BOARD MEETING
The SSCC Board meet in May. The next meeting will be July 13, 2023. A meeting in August has not yet been scheduled. Minutes from all meetings can be found in the board meeting minutes archives when they have been finalized.
ELECTION RESULTS
ELECTED SLATE OF SSCC CANDIDATES FOR CLUB YEAR 2023 – 2024
On May 8th, the club elected our leadership for the upcoming year running from July 2023 through June 2024. The following slate of candidates will hold the seven elected positions:
- President: Catherine Honigsberg, incumbent
- Vice-president: Dennis Freeman, incumbent
- Secretary: Miriam Struck, Welcome!
- Treasurer: Bruce Schaefer, incumbent
- Director: Bob Catlett, incumbent
- Director: Pete Morton, incumbent
- Director: Michael Koren, incumbent
MPA NEWS
Each year the Maryland Photography Alliance, MPA, sponsors a contest. Many of us look forward to getting the themes, considering ideas, then entering. We offer a contribution to the two organizations sponsored by this contest but how many have learned how that money is used? This month I hope you will take a few minutes to learn about MPA’ recipients, Flashes of Hope and The Maryland Food Bank. Then I hope you will go back to the MPA website, choose your theme, make a donation, and start your creative juices flowing.
This year’s contest opens in September and the themes are:
- Wildlife – images from nature of any living, non-human animal or animals
- Architecture – images of buildings, whole or in detail with a focus on the architectural aspect of the subject
- Sports – images of any human or non-human subject or subjects performing a recognizable sport
- MD after Dark – images of any “widely-recognized” place in Maryland as seen after sunset and before sunrise.
FREE “Artist Spotlight” Webinar on Sports Photography
Mark your calendars for 7:00 PM on Monday, July 10, and register for Ron Wyatt’s presentation “A Journey through the World of Sports Photography.” Ron has photographed the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, and 2 Olympics. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned photographer, this is a don’t-miss presentation. Register today for this FREE webinar at www.mdphotoalliance.org/artistspotlight. This presentation will be recorded.
Lisa Auerbach, MPA Liaison
CLUB DUES
It’s that time of the year. Dues for the 2023-2024 club year are being accepted now through the end of September for returning members. New members are welcome to join anytime. Sign up online at https://www.ssccphotography.org/online-membership-form/. The dues are $50 for individuals, $80 per family, and students $35.
MAY PICNIC PHOTOS
SSCC Spring Picnic – Saturday, May 13, 2023
We came – we noshed – we enjoyed!
Saturday morning arrived as predicted: chilly, overcast, threatening rain. But as noon approached, 22 brave souls descended on the Georgian Forest shelter in Aspen Hill for our 5th picnic there since the pandemic began.
It was a smallish group but by far the most animated. Evidence of this was that almost no one ever sat down, even to eat. For over 3 hours, people moved around from group to group, comparing notes, exchanging stories, catching up.
And the outcome was a solid consensus that we want to get back to meeting in person. In fact, just 2 days before, the covid pandemic was declared over. So we have the official green light, folks.
FEATURES
Member Spotlights
The SSCC membership runs from beginning photographer to professional. Every member has a story to tell. Each month the Cable Release will shine the spotlight on some of our members. Edited by Marc Auerbach (Read More)
Joseph Miller Abstract Show 2023
David Terao received a special merit award in the 13th annual Joseph Miller abstract photography exhibit with this stunning smoke image Parrot, submitted before this year’s wildfire season.
This is an abstract smoke image colorized in Photoshop using brush tool in the color blend mode.
MPA Black and White Contest 2023
Four of our members, Thomas Allen, David Blass, Beth Koller, and David Terao, received Honorable Mentions at the Maryland Photography Alliance’s 2023 Black and White competition. Well done!
CONFERENCES AND EXPOS
MEMBER ARTICLES
Photos from Cresson Sanitorium and the BIGGEST Train U-turn
By Bruce Schaefer
With decrepit buildings, Cresson Sanitorium and Prison was similar to the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philly, much visited by camera clubs. Beyond that, not much in common. Cresson is surrounded by woods, is spread over 30 buildings, served most of its life as a TB sanitorium. Where Eastern State is built like a fortress, Cresson has a Tudor-style HQ building.
Next day we drove out to the site of the biggest U-turn in railroad-dom. Several trains passed by for us; no one successfully captured the essence of the big bend. This pano is an attempt.
To read more and see lots of pictures, go here.
Magic of Alaska
By Ilona Linnoila
This is a short essay of a photography camp by Lisa Langell, called ‘Magic of Alaska’. It took place at the end of this May on Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and was action-packed. We had breakfast at 4.30, 5.30, or 6.30 a.m. depending on the day, and dinner around 7 or 8 p.m. It was light throughout the night. This was a fun albeit demanding trip where I learned a lot. Lisa Langell is an excellent photographer, coach, sharp birder, and superb organizer.
Read more and see lots of pictures here.
Sunflowers at McKee-Beshers
By Dennis Freeman
Every year, around mid- to late-July, thousands of sunflowers bloom at the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area near Poolesville MD. It is flower photography heaven! See here for practical details.
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.
COMPETITION RESULTS
COMPETITION MONOCHROME
Thursday, May 11, 2023. 7:30 PM
May’s competition topic was Monochrome, for projected images only. Matthew Mahlstedt was our judge. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the competition was held remotely using Zoom.
There were two categories judged: Advanced Projected (i.e., digital images) and Novice Projected. There were no submissions in the Beginner Projected category. The Print categories are suspended until we start in-person meetings again. 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 and Novice categories.
ADVANCED PROJECTED
1st David Terao – Lines and Silhouette
2nd Koller Dune_- Sunrise
3rd Bob Catlett – Sunflower and Butterfly
HM David Blass – Desolate
HM Lisa Auerbach – Sketching My Gal
HM Larry Gold – Small Leaves on Big Leaves
HM Kate Woodward – Building Facade
Beth Koller - Dune Sunrise
This image was taken in Death Valley in December 2022. The weather was erratic. Recent rain had wiped out some roads. When we there we experienced rain, a rainbow, and a sandstorm. I was trying to improve my wide angle photography and get everything sharp from front to back. I had both a D500 (APS sensor) and a D800 (full frame sensor) and was trying to use whichever captured the scenery and the rapidly changing skies the best-without getting too much sand in either camera. I had to be careful to not get my feet in the image. The two best early morning images were taken almost at the same spot, but at 90 degrees from one another. The skies were initially overcast, but with moody clouds. This permitted capture of great detail in the mountains as well as in the dunes. The image in the other direction was all about the sky and how the light radiated through the clouds as the sun was starting to climb over the distant peaks. I cropped a bit from the left to make sure that the triangle of sand in the lower left directed one into the dunes in the middle of the image and then towards the sky. Both images were good in both color and monochrome.
NOVICE PROJECTED
1st Anne Golfer – East Wing
2nd Diane Sanders – Bromeliad
3rd Will Rabinovich – Circle of life
HM Marc Auerbach – Fisheyes
Diane Sanders - Bromeliad
I took this photo of the bromeliad during our club outing to the US Botanical Gardens. While I loved the orchid exhibit, the elegance of the bromeliad appealed to me. Its gray-green tones were easily rendered in monochrome. I left the ferns at the bottom of the image to ground it. Nikon D810, Nikkor 60mm 2.8 micro.
YEAR-END AWARDS CEREMONY
Thursday, June 8, 2023. 7:30 PM
We held our Year-End Competition and Celebration on June 8 via Zoom. The event began with a social half-hour with breakout rooms. David Blass provided the Zoom hosting and image presentations. Our presenters were Catherine Honigsberg, Pete Morton. David Blass, Frank Gallagher, and chief organizer Dennis Freeman.
President Catherine Honigsberg gave the opening remarks, thanking members for their contributions throughout the past year.
Len Tuchin Award for Best in Show
The Len Tuchin Best in Show Award is selected by our judge for the best image from the winners of the Novice and Advanced projected category. Len Tuchin joined the SSCC in 1966 and was active in the club for 19 years. He served in several club positions, including Monochrome Program Chairman, Vice President, President and Board Director. Len also served the club as its auctioneer extraordinaire for what used to be the club’s annual equipment auction. He became SSCC Master of Photography in 1978 and ended his career with 705 points – the highest on record for any SSCC member.
The 2022 Len Tuchin Best in Show Award was presented to:
Karen Finkelman for her image Window Shopping
Joyce Bayley Award for Best in Show, Nature
The Joyce Bayley Award is presented for the “Best of Show” during the October Nature competition as determined by the Judge. This award was named to honor Joyce Bayley after her death in 1997. She joined SSCC in 1981 and was known for her beautiful nature photographs and the prize peonies she developed. She was an active contributor to the club and served as President.
The winner of the Joyce Bayley Award for October 2021 is:
Steven Harvey for his image Nit Picking
STAR Awards
The Photographic Excellence, or STAR, awards are based on the total number of points a member accumulates in competition. A STAR is awarded for each 35 points earned.
- 1 STAR (35+) Larry Brauer
- 2 STARS (70+) Pete Morton
Photographers of the Year
Photographer of the Year is awarded for Novice Projected, Advanced Projected, and normally Novice Prints, and Advanced Prints. We had no prints in 2022-2023, so we just have the two Projected awards.
The awards are given for the most points earned for that level & category during the club year. Inter-club competition points given this club year to David Blass, Thomas Allen, Beth Koller, and Sherm Edwards were added to their SSCC competition points for these calculations.
If a member moves from the Novice level to Advanced during the club year they may be considered only for an Advanced Photographer of the Year award. The points are calculated as all points earned at the Advanced level plus one half of all points earned in the Novice level of the same category in that club year.
2022-2023 Photographer of the Year for Novice Projected goes to
Stephen Harvey with 22 points
2022-2023 Photographer of the Year for Advanced Projected goes to
Karen Finkelman with 23 points
Milestone Awards
Milestone Awards are given to individuals who have been members of SSCC for 5, 10, 15, 20 and higher multiples of five years. This year the following members have milestone anniversaries:
- 5 years: Maude Svensson
- 5 years: Jacob Abernathy
- 5 years: Michael Hickey
- 5 years: Ilona Linnoila
- 5 years: Karen Finkelman
- 5 years: Jeri Roth
- 5 years: BJ Freeman
- 10 years: Bruce Schaefer
- 10 years: Renee Schaefer
- 10 years: Phil Boyer
- 10 years: Douglas Isokait
- 10 years: Kim Morganstern
Service Award
The Service Award is nominated and voted on by the Executive Council for the member who we feel contributed the most during the club year.
And the winner of the 2022-2023 Service Award is David Blass.
He runs and overseas the production of club competitions and receives all the entries, and also prepping the judge a week before putting that person through a dry run and, if asked, sending them all the entries to view beforehand. It is not a small commitment of time. It requires a lot of preparation, and David is meticulous about preparations.
He organizes gratis Photoshop classes, trips to Huntley Meadows and is involved in Photo Forum with presentations.
YEAR END COMPETITION
We were extremely privileged to have Mary Louise Ravese as our End of Year judge. Winners of the End of Year competitions for Novice and Advanced Projected images were selected by our judge several weeks before the event. Club members were invited to submit up to 5 images that they previously entered in a Projected competition during the season. We had Honorable Mentions plus First, Second and Third place for both Novice and Advanced levels
ADVANCED PROJECTED, END OF THE YEAR COMPETITION
- 1st Karen Finkelman – Window Shopping
- 2nd Maude Svensson – Rowing Boat
- 3rd Larry Gold – Yellow Stigma
- HM Maude Svensson – Fisherman’s Boat
- HM David Blass – Jumping to Warp Speed
- HM Karen Finkelman – The Yellow Boat
- HM Wendy Kates – Dahlia Details
- HM Kate Woodward- Interior, The Reach (Kennedy Center)
- HM Beth Koller – Follow Me
- HM Beth Koller – Tailor Made
Karen Finkelman - Window Shopping
I love exploring the different neighborhoods of NYC. This image is a reflection of a building on Greene St. in SOHO. It is an example of one of the many historical cast-iron architectural facades that were built during the 1800's and line both sides of the cobblestone street. I was drawn to the contrast this image presented of old NYC mirrored in the window of a high-end modern retail store. As an aside the address of the building, 114 Greene St., (I flipped the reflected address in Photoshop) is home to Louis Vuitton on street level. A fourth floor condo in the 1882 historic building listed for $7,995,000.
NOVICE PROJECTED, END OF THE YEAR COMPETITION
- 1st Anne Golfer – East Wing
- 2nd Diane Sanders – Bromeliad
- 3rd Will Rabinovich – Circle of Life
- HM Anne Golfer – Falling Leaves
- HM Will Rabinovich – The Vessel Abstract
- HM Marc Auerbach – Window Reflection
Anne Golfer - East Wing
1st Anne Golfer East Wing This photo of the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, was shot in high sunlight, midday, using an iPhone 13Pro. I was mesmerized by the 2-dimensional appearance of the 3-dimensional building on the right, as well as its shadow on the building on the left. I experimented with the original color photo by using various tones of white, black, and gray, and ultimately decided upon this monochrome version.
COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Needed: Someone to author the Classes and Workshop List for the 2023-2024 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.
Many local vendors and country-wide experts have resumed classes and workshops, both in person and virtually. The following online course providers are just the tip of the iceberg:
- Coursera
- KelbyOne
- LinkedIn Learning free through Montgomery County Libraries (formally Lynda.com)
- Photographic Society of America (PSA)
Please let us know of other online and in-person opportunities you discover by emailing us at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
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
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
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