Cover Photo: Autumn Pond – by Larry Gold
Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!
Dennis Freeman, Editor, Cable Release, at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
Contents
KEY EVENTS
- Nov 1 – Speaker Night (7:30 p.m.)
- Nov 8 – Competition night: Open (7:30 p.m.)
- Nov 11 – Field Trip to College Park Aviation Museum (10:00 a.m.)
- Nov 15 – A Closer Focus meeting (7:30 p.m.) – cancelled due to weather!
- Nov 22 – Thanksgiving – no meeting
- Nov 29 – Board Meeting (7:30 p.m.)
If Montgomery County Schools close due to inclement weather, Silver Spring Camera Club meetings and outings will be cancelled. See montgomeryschoolsmd.org for closure information.
For general information about the club, contact us at: info@ssccphotography.org
A list of the club officers and committee chairs, and their emails, is located here: Officers and Committee Chairs
More information is available in the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC) Member Handbook: 2018-2019 Member Handbook
SSCC member submissions for the Cable Release should be directed to cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
© 2018 Silver Spring Camera Club and its contributors. Copyright Notice & Disclaimer Policy
MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
MEETING LOCATION
Silver Spring United Methodist Church
8900 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD
Click for details
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JIM AUERBACH TO SPEAK ON LAND OF ENCHANTMENT ON NOVEMBER 1
Jim Auerbach will speak to SSCC on the “Land of Enchantment” on Thursday, November 1.
Jim’s photographic work includes product photography for the Kennedy Center, pictures in a Library of Congress video, work as a conference photographer, and as a volunteer photographs for numerous non-profit organizations. (read more)
COMPETITION COLUMN
The competition on November 8 will be the Open theme:
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.
Please be mindful that electronic submissions for projected images must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on November 1, Speaker Night.
As a result of recent issues with our Yahoo account (ssccphotography@yahoo.com), we have switched to a new email account for uploading projected images to our monthly competitions. The new email address is: competition@ssccphotography.org ( read more here ).
(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 or the main SSCC website menu (under Competitions).
Here is the schedule for the rest of the season:
- November – Open
- December – Rural/Country
- January – Open
- February – Red
- March – Open
- April – Action/Motion
- 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.
MARTIN HEAVNER TO JUDGE OPEN COMPETITION – NOVEMBER 8
Frederick, Maryland resident Martin Heavner is an amateur photographer who has exhibited his work at the Maryland State House, Maryland Governor’s Mansion, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, and galleries throughout the region. In addition, his images have been published in magazines, calendars, and electronic greeting cards.
He enjoys photographing all subjects, but he favors landscapes, city-scapes, vintage cars, machinery, and abstracts of architectural and industrial scenes. (read more)
A CLOSER FOCUS – NOVEMBER 15
by Dave Powell
An opportunity to share ideas, images, questions, and inspirations
Tonight’s meeting is cancelled due to weather. Montgomery County Public Schools are closed, ergo, we are too. Same agenda below will apply for December’s meeting.
Half an hour will be an open forum discussing issues at hand. A half hour is devoted to presentations by members. And a half hour is set aside for member image reviews.
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 November we have a camera assignment that will change your life! We will also have a presentation, discussion topics, photo sharing, and at least one gear review:
- Camera Assignment: For most, you autofocus your camera by depressing your shutter-release button halfway, and proceed to take the picture by further pressure. If you press halfway, then want to re-compose your image, and you release the button in the process, you will have to re-focus, re-compose, etc. Wouldn’t it be better to focus once and forget about it? Most modern cameras allow you to move your focus function to another button. This is called “back button focus”, and allows focusing and shutter release to be independent – a big advantage. Figure out how to do this with your camera, and try it out! (check your camera’s manual and menu). We will discuss its advantages in the meeting. youtube.com – Canon example youtube.com – Nikon Example
- Picture assignment: Bring anything you would like to discuss. These can be photos for feedback, discussion of your post-processing, your compositions, examples of new ideas you have, etc.
- Ted Ringger has a 20 minute presentation of photos from his “State House Odyssey”. He has visited 48 of the 50 state capitol buildings.
- Dave will lead a discussion on developing presentations of your work. This isn’t just about picking your pictures, but involves how to make your points. This will include an assessment of the effectiveness of video (like we saw with September’s speaker).
- Dave will provide a primer on cloning techniques and tools.
- Book/Gear Reviews. Dave will review his new UPstrap. What do you want to review?
Future topics of A Closer Focus include: compositional strength, HDR, 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
NOVEMBER 11 FIELD TRIP TO COLLEGE PARK AVIATION MUSEUM
Photo 2012 by Paul Dee
On November 11, we will go to the College Park Aviation Museum. Join the Silver Spring Camera Club for an interesting visit to a local aviation museum, and the oldest continuously operating airport in the world. We’ve arranged a group tour, see details in the link. Should be lots of photo ops of historic airplanes. (read more)
CLUB NEWS
GET INVOLVED WITH THE SILVER SPRING CAMERA CLUB HONOR FUND!
The SSCC Honor Fund was established to award grants for photography projects to benefit the community. Projects may be educational in nature, have a goal of providing photos or photo services to those who cannot afford them, or other ideas. The Honor Fund Committee is accepting applications for a grant to carry out one of these projects.
You can participate in this process in one (or more) of three ways:
• Apply for a grant (see the .pdf instruction and application form by following the link below).
• Volunteer to serve on the Honor Fund Committee. We will meet in late November to review the applications and award a grant. Please note that if you will be applying for a grant we ask that you not serve on the committee and vice versa. To volunteer please contact David Blass at davidablass@gmail.com
• Donate to the Honor Fund. This can be done in any amount, and may be done to honor an individual or achievement, in memory of a friend or loved one, or just to support this process. Send or give your check to:
Bruce Schaefer, Club Treasurer
℅ Silver Spring Camera Club
P.O. Box 2375
Wheaton, MD 20902-0471
Applications for grants must be received by the committee by November 15. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision by December 1.
MEMBER SNAPSHOTS
Our new member, Karen Finkelman, has already competed, and we look forward to seeing many more entries from her. We all welcome Karen to our group. Here, she tells us a bit about herself:
Hello, my name is Karen Finkelman and I live in Gaithersburg. I first learned of the camera club through a photography class that Michael Koren was teaching at Montgomery College. Although, there are clubs closer to home, SSCC seemed like a good fit with plenty of field trips and learning opportunities.
I’ve been an amateur photographer for about 15 years, mainly taking vacation photos and practicing on my two uncooperative cats. However, within the past two years, I’ve taken a more dedicated interest in learning the craft. In many ways, photography has become an extension of my meditation practice. With camera in hand, I find my mind becomes more focused and there is a heightened awareness of light, lines, color, people and movement that perhaps I would have been oblivious to under other circumstances.
I tend to gravitate towards nature and landscapes, but I also enjoy street photography and some abstracts. My goal is to outgrow my Canon 77D and learn how to create more interesting images. Also, delving into the world of Lightroom and Photoshop is another form of creativity that I would like to explore. I currently use Snapseed on my tablet.
I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and taking part in the club’s activities.
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We would like to welcome Gary Houseknecht to the Silver Spring Camera Club. As he tells us below he is a former local camera club member who has decided to join us.
Hi, I “dabbled” for a long time, but got really interested in photography from being a member of the NIH camera club many years ago. I learned lots from their competition judges – who they encouraged to give a lot of criticism. Right now, I need to hook up with somebody who can show me how to export images from Apple’s Aperture photo-editing program in a form that will appear at normal viewing size when projected. The last time I entered images they appeared at about 14 x 20 inches in the center of the huge screen.
We welcome Gary to the club and steer him to A Closer Focus, the third Thursday of each month, a time when many members find solutions to concerns and new ways of working with photography [ed: and also our SSCC Google Group, see article below]. We also look forward to viewing his images.
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We warmly welcome Maude Svensson to SSCC, and look forward to viewing her photography as well as benefiting from her help with her new position as Silver Spring Camera Club Secretary. Thank you, Maude!
Hej! I just joined the SSCC after having considered it for almost 6 months. I was inspired to join already last spring at the Kite Festival on the Mall in D.C. My husband Lars and I had signed up for a Meet-Up which was organized by Mike from SSCC. He talked so warmly about the Club, its members, activities and he answered all questions brilliantly, so I thought it seemed to be a good idea to join.
I am originally from Sweden (think IKEA, meatballs, Hej!, Hej då!, etc.), but Lars and I have been living in Bethesda for almost 10 years. That is the longest time I have ever lived in one place – and that goes for my husband too. When I stopped working some years ago, I could finally spend time doing things I had been longing to do for years, and photographing was one of those priorities. Other keen interests are family history research, gardening, hiking and travelling. Now when I have the time, it is more a matter of maybe not always having the necessary resources….photography can be quite expensive…..
I currently own a mirrorless Sony A7 Mark II. I do not have many lenses, but the one I enjoy the most is a super wide angle 15mm Laowa prime lens. It is extremely nice particularly for landscape and travel photography. But the more I am using it, the more useful in also other areas I find it. I might prefer landscape and travel photography, but there are also so many other subjects and interests I would like to shoot. For years, I have had an idea about a particular photo I would like to shoot from the Baltic Sea where we have our summer house on a tiny island. I would like to show the beauty of the sea and the landscape, but also being able to communicate some dark and scary feelings of a mystical kind of nature. I am not there yet, but hopefully I will be some day – maybe I can learn from other SSCC members? Contrasts and feelings are high on the list of what I would like to develop in my photography, as well as photos with a sense of humor and unexpected meetings. Other issues I would like to learn more about are working with Lightroom and Photoshop. Although I have used Lightroom for some time, there is so much more I need to understand.
I would very much like to contribute to work in SSCC committees, preferably on Field Trips but I would be willing to help with practical or administrative work in any committee.
Looking forward to participating in SSCC and thank you for accepting me as a member.
SSCC GOOGLE GROUP
What’s Google Groups you ask? We use Google Groups as an online forum to ask questions, post comments, announce photographic opportunities and a bunch of other things. Joining is easy, but you must be a member of the Club.
To sign up send an email to web@ssccphotography.org with your name and email address. You will then get an invite via email to join the group. It’s also easy to adjust your settings so can get a daily digest of posts or you can choose to get each post as they come in. Join today and start participating!
BOARD MEETING
The SSCC Board met on September 27. The minutes are in the following link:
VOTING RESULTS ON OCTOBER 6, 2018
SSCC Secretary: At the Speaker Night, the nomination committee representative, Bruce Schaefer, announced Maude Svensson for the slate for Secretary, and asked for any other nominations for the position of Secretary. No one offered a nomination. The attendees voted unanimously for Maude Svensson as Secretary.
SSCC Constitution and By-Laws Revisions: There was a motion to vote in the proposed changes to the Constitution and By-Laws revisions that were posted in the Cable Release. A vote was taken, and the majority of members present passed the proposed revisions.
OCTOBER 20 FIELD TRIP TO ROCKVILLE ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW
On October 20, several members attended the Rockville Antique & Classic Car Show where more than 550 antique and classic cars were arrayed on the grounds of the Glenview Mansion.
Sherm Edwards and David Terao provide some of their photos:
FEATURES
HORIZON PHOTOGRAPHY SUMMIT – NOV 2-4
National Geographic magazine has set the standard for extraordinary photography for more than a century. Bob Madden, who gives a presentation on travel photography at the Horizon Summit, and also leads a Summit workshop on Friday, Nov. 2, is a significant part of that magazine’s legendary history. Bob was a staff photographer for over 15 years, producing more than twenty stories, plus several Geographic books. He also served as the magazine’s Senior Assistant Editor and Director of Design. Bob’s won so many major awards they can’t be listed in this limited space.
Experience Bob in person at the Summit. He’s just one of the 16 exceptional photographers who are part of the event. It’s Nov. 2,3,4 in Newark, DE horizonworkshops.com
WEEKEND SCHEDULE AND PORTFOLIO REVIEW SCHEDULE ARE NOW POSTED
Steve Gottlieb www.horizonworkshops.com 603.305.8282
NATURE VISIONS EXPO
Nature Visions 2018: November 2 – 4, 2018
Hylton Performing Arts Center, George Mason University, Manassas VA
Nature Visions Photography Expo is the premier photography expo in the Mid-Atlantic region. It is composed of a juried exhibit of nature photography, lectures and classes on all aspects of photography, raptor and parrot photo shoots, vendors, a Friday all-day seminar by renowned photographer Thomas Heaton, and a Saturday keynote address by Cole Thompson.
Over 300 winning nature photographs on display plus an exhibit of over 125 Fine Art photographs. Over twenty vendors selling all manner of photographic supplies and equipment. Training (many are separately purchased) include an all day seminar, 60 and 90 minute lectures, free sessions for beginners, hands-on workshops, keynote address, Lightroom instruction, and 20-minute portfolio reviews.
For more information, and to register, go to NatureVisions.org
CALL FOR ENTRIES: NINTH ANNUAL JOSEPH MILLER ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT
May 4 – May 27, 2019
The Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts once again takes great pride in announcing its NINTH ANNUAL juried abstract exhibit. ALL interested photographers are invited to submit entries for this much anticipated spring event. Over the years, because of the influence these exhibits have had in encouraging and promoting abstract photography and due to their reputation, recent JM Abstract Exhibits have been attracting entries from international as well as national photographic artists. Whereas submissions to the First Annual JM Abstract Exhibit had been limited to local NVACC-related clubs, many current participants come from photographic groups outside the Greater Washington / Northern Virginia area or are non-affiliated / independent photographic artists.
SSCC photographers have done well in past Joseph Miller abstract exhibits – see prior year’s galleries here: Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit galleries
The Joseph Miller Center will begin accepting entries for the upcoming Eighth Annual Exhibit on Saturday, December 22, 2018. The deadline for submissions will be Saturday, February 23, 2019.
A detailed prospectus containing all relevant information regarding the
exhibit can be found on the Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs
nvacc.org/home/abstract-exhibit/
NOVEMBER IS BALD EAGLE MONTH AT CONOWINGO DAM
The upcoming weeks are high time for bald eagles fishing below Conowingo Dam in Maryland. The following link is an excellent primer on where to go, what gear to bring, and where to set up. A-Visitors-Guide-to-the-Bald-Eagles-at-Conowingo-Dam/
Conowingo Dam Bald Eagle, 2017 – by Dennis Freeman
MEMBER ARTICLES
KERNELS OF KOREN
Film is dead, long live film.
Many people predicted the death of all forms of film photography as soon as the realization hit that Kodak declared bankruptcy in 2012. However, … ( read more )
CAPTURING BIRDS IN FLIGHT USING HIGH-SPEED FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY, MY SUMMER 2018 PROJECT – BY DAVID BLASS
The seed of this project was planted last year at Nature Visions. I attended a talk by Steve Gettle called “Frozen Moments”, in which he talked about various techniques for high-speed photography. I was completely hooked, and knew at that moment that I had to try one of his techniques. ( read more )
LEARNING TO SEE IN BLACK & WHITE – BY GREG HOLDEN
Way back in 2016 SSCC member Greg Holden delivered a presentation on “Learning to See in Black & White”.
Some subjects look better in black & white than in color, but picking those subjects and applying techniques to bring out their best impact isn’t always easy. We include Greg’s presentation notes here as a very worthwhile overview: ( read more )
Ballerina – by David Terao
COMPETITION WINNERS
OPEN COMPETITION – OCTOBER 11
The topic for the October competition, as always, was Nature. Wayne Wolfersberger returned as our judge that evening. The Joyce Bayley Award is presented to the “Best of Show” as determined by the judge.
There are four main categories: Advanced Prints, Novice Prints, Advanced Projected (i.e. digital images), and Novice Projected. Awards are given for first, second, and third place, and multiple honorable mentions – the number of awards depends on the total number of entries in the category.
ADVANCED PRINTS
- 1st Place: Larry Gold – Autumn Pond
- 2nd Place: David Terao – Dandelion Antennae
- 3rd Place: David Blass – Adult Starling in Flight
- Honorable Mention Sherm Edwards – U. P. Morning
NOVICE PRINTS
- 1st Place: Dennis Freeman – Ohiopyle Autumn
- 2nd Place Catherine Honigsberg – Captivating
- 3rd Place: Kay Carkhuff – Cuttlefish Hello
Novice Print ~ Dennis Freeman ~ Ohiopyle Autumn
ADVANCED PROJECTED
- 1st Place: Larry Gold – Sand, Rock, Person
- 2nd Place: Bob Greenberg – Smoky Morning at Crater Lake
- 3rd Place: Larry Gold – Fall Reeds
- Honorable Mention: David Terao – Mushroom
- Honorable Mention: My Phuong Nguyen – Fire Sky
Advanced ~ Larry Gold ~ Sand, Rock, Person
NOVICE PROJECTED
- 1st Place: Kay Carkuff – Zebra Face
- 2nd Place: Karen Finkelman – Namibian Sunset
- 3rd Place: Lisa Auerbach – Welcome to my Web
- Honorable Mention: Lisa Auerbach – Bird in Flight
- Honorable Mention: Mark Paster – Flower on Black
- Honorable Mention: Elise Shurie – Ruby Throat Nectaring
Novice ~ Kay Carkhuff ~ Zebra Face
JOYCE BAYLEY AWARD FOR BEST IN SHOW:
Larry Gold – Autumn Pond
Autumn Pond by Larry Gold
CLASSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
The Classes/Workshops list includes sample photography courses and workshops from a variety of providers in four categories:
- Classes and workshops in the D.C. area
- Online courses
- Multi-day photography trips to places within and beyond the United States.
- Photography Conferences in Nearby States
Some of these begin or require registration early in the month. Please provide reviews of courses that you have taken! (read more)
CALLS FOR ENTRY
The following offers a number of competitions for your consideration this month. Some of these sources having 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. (read more)
EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
The following link is a column that lists a number of photography-related exhibits and events occurring now, or soon, in the extended Washington D.C. area. These include gallery exhibits, museum exhibits, college exhibits, special events, and sometimes exhibits or events to photograph yourself!
See the full column here: ( read more )
Nikon International Small World Competition
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good.” – Anonymous
“EARTH TO SILVER SPRING CAMERA CLUB, …”
Sony’s new travel camera: 24-720mm zoom. 18.2 Mpixels. 4K video. In your pocket. Match that, micro 4/3s!
(approaching Derek Zoolander’s cell phone in size)
Cyber-shot HX99 Travel Camera with 24-720mm Zoom Lens
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
