Canyonland by Renee Schaefer

Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!

Dennis Freeman & Sherm Edwards, Editors, Cable Release, at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
 

KEY EVENTS

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 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’.

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:  2019-2020 Member Handbook

SSCC member submissions for the Cable Release should be directed to cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.

© 2019 Silver Spring Camera Club and its contributors. Copyright Notice & Disclaimer Policy

PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR THE DECEMBER CABLE RELEASE:

E.G. ARTICLES, AWARDS, EXHIBITIONS, LINKS, REVIEWS, …   

DEADLINE: BY NOV 24th TO  cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.

MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS

MEETING LOCATION

Silver Spring United Methodist Church
8900 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD
Click for details

NOV 7th SPEAKER NIGHT– CITYSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH STEVE ROSENBACH

We are very pleased to welcome Steve Rosenbach as our November speaker. Steve will be sharing his love of architecture and cityscape photography, which is also our themed competition subject for January, 2020.

In his presentation, Steve will talk about the equipment you need, how to find great locations, what to look for, and when to photograph. (Read More)

COMPETITION COLUMN

For the competitions season, please refer to the website link for the definition of each topic.

Here’s the schedule for the season:

  • November – Open
  • December – Reflections
  • January – Cityscapes
  • February – Shadows
  • March – Open
  • April – Open
  • May – Monochrome Photography
  • June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)

Our November 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.

Please be mindful that electronic submissions for projected images must be received no later than 11:59 pm, November 7th.  The images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org (One important detail – In order to participate in the competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.)

To learn the nitty gritty about the competitions, please refer to the Competition Rules and the Members Handbook, both of which are accessible from the SSCC website. Of course, if you have any questions about the competitions, please feel free to contact me at competition@ssccphotography.org   

DUANE HEATON – JUDGE – NOV 14 OPEN COMPETITION

Duane Heaton was born and raised in Mattawan, Michigan and feels fortunate to have attended a high school that had a photography program. Duane loves photography. He feels that this profession allows him to not only create art, but to create relationships with people who value that art or who are interested in becoming photographic artists themselves. (Read More)

A CLOSER FOCUS – NOV 21  

– by David W. Powell

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

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.  

  • Breakout Session: Image Optimization & Problem Solving with Lightroom or Photoshop. Preferably, bring in your own laptop with Lightroom or Photoshop and some digital images that you want to fix. If you can’t bring in a laptop with Lightroom or Photoshop, just bring in a thumbdrive with your images and we’ll use one of the other laptops there. Several experts will assist you in making adjustments and corrections so that you can learn how to do this yourself!
  • Presentation: Frank Gallagher will give a demonstration on how to calibrate your computer/laptop monitor so that your photos project and print as you see them.   
  • Picture assignment:  Bring in any of your prints or laptop/tablet digital images for display on our table in back. We will share, discuss, and critique.
  • Discussion: Any topics that you’d like to explore.
  • Book/Gear Reviews:  What book/gear/software have you experienced that you’d like to review?  

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Future topics of A Closer Focus might 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 23 FIELD TRIP TO SUMMIT POINT RACEWAY – CANCELLED!!!

This Field Trip is Cancelled Due to Poor Weather Forecasted.

On Saturday, November 23 SSCC will go to Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia to photograph the Vintage Racing Group Annual Turkey Bowl – a series of car races with vintage (60s—70’s) race cars on a hot rod track. (Read More)

Carpool:

We have a new carpool location that avoids possible towing at the previous location, and makes it easier for potential Meetup attendees to come. It is at the Forest Glen Metro lot.

CLUB NEWS

MEMBERSHIP

OCTOBER 5 FIELD TRIP TO CATOCTIN FURNACE AND COVERED BRIDGES OF FREDERICK CO.

On October 5 the club made a field trip to Catoctin Furnace (near Thurmont, MD) and the covered bridges of Frederick County. Ilona Linnoila provided several images to share:

Field Trip to Catoctin Furnace and Covered Bridges

Image 1 of 6

by Ilona Linnoila

OCTOBER 19 FIELD TRIP TO THE ROCKVILLE ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW

On October 19 the club attended the Rockville Antique & Classic Car Show to photograph more than 550 antique and classic cars on the grounds of the Glenview Mansion. Andrew Rein provided a sweet shot to share:

by Andrew Rein

BOARD MEETINGS

The SSCC Board met on September 26 and then on October 24.  The next board meeting will be in January. The minutes are in the following links:

JIM AUERBACH PASSES

SSCC member Jim Auerbach passed away peacefully at home on October 7, 2019, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his beloved wife of 35 years, Marge Auerbach. (Read more)

FEATURES

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ALFRED EISENSTAEDT EXHIBIT AT HILLWOOD MUSEUM

Reviewed by Maude Svensson

Do not miss the ongoing through January 12 Alfred Eisenstaedt photography exhibition at the Hillwood Estate, Adirondack house. Fifty of the finest compositions of a master of black and white photography are displayed.

Eisenstaedt’s most well-known photograph is probably a sailor happily embracing and kissing a nurse on the V-J Day celebration at Times Square in 1945. But almost 40 years as a professional photographer with LIFE magazine rendered him 90 covers and many more publications. (Read More)

SANDY SPRING MUSEUM PROGRAM

Sandy Spring Museum has a program on January 17, 6:30-8:00 p.m. that you may be interested in, History Happy Hour: Wire Guys and Shooters – The Best of Sports Journalism. 

Writer Steve Ginsburg (a wire guy) and photographer Mark Goldman (a shooter) will regale attendees with anecdotes about covering the world of sports, from the pressures of being a “wire guy” – the journalists who write the stories that get fed to thousands of newspapers and broadcasters through the world – to the challenge of “shooters” – those who take the jaw-dropping images during the most crucial moments of a big game.

https://www.sandyspringmuseum.org/event/history-…­

TWO SSCC MEMBERS WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN AN EXHIBITION AT THE KISH GALLERY IN COLUMBIA, MD

Silver Spring Camera Club members Dave Mullen and Charles Bowers are participating in an exhibition at the Kish Gallery in Columbia from Oct 24 to Dec 14.

MARYLAND PHOTOGRAPHY ALLIANCE GALLERY EXHIBIT

The Maryland Photography Alliance (MPA), a consortium of 18 member clubs, recently held its 3rd annual competition, and SSCC member’s  work was well represented among the top photos.  212 photographers submitted 409 entries in 4 categories:  Abstract, Black & White, Maryland Architecture, and Still Life. 

The MPA 3rd Annual Photography Contest winners and highly rated images will be on display at:

The Activity Center at Bohrer Park
506 S. Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg,

from November 1, 2019 until January 20, 2020. 

There will be an Opening Reception on Saturday, November 9, from 2:00 – 4:00.

(Read More)

CONFERENCES AND EXPOS

NATURE VISIONS 2019

November 1–3, 2019
Hylton Performing Arts Center, George Mason University, Manassas VA

Nature Visions Photography Expo is an annual event and 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.  This year, the Friday session will feature two guest speakers.  Ralph Lee Hopkins of National Geographic will speak Friday morning.  The afternoon will feature a return visit from Cole Thompson. The Saturday night speaker will be Amy Gulick. There will be over 300 winning nature photographs on display plus an exhibit of over 125 Fine Art photographs. There will be over twenty local and national vendors selling all manner of photographic supplies and equipment.

The Expo features several distinct types of training:

  • All Day Friday Seminar (included if you buy a 3-day Merchant Hall pass).
  • One-hour Lectures (included if you buy a Merchant Hall pass, also available separately). Including one by our own Michael Koren!
  • Multiple hands-on workshops for macro/flower and bird photography (purchased separately).
  • 90-minute Lectures on a wide range of photography topics (purchased separately).
  • Keynote Address (included in the multi-day passes; also available separately).
  • Two 90-minute FREE sessions of Lightroom instruction (registration required).
  • Multiple FREE one-hour sessions for the beginning photographer (registration required).
  • 20-minute Photographic Portfolio Review sessions (registration required).

 For more information, and to register, go to NatureVisions.org

Don’t dilly dally – the best workshops and photo shoots sell out fast.

MEMBER ARTICLES

KERNELS OF KOREN – THE PICTURE

Very likely you have seen in the news the PICTURE. You know, the picture taken during a meeting between Speaker Pelosi and President Trump at the White House. Much has already been said about the quality of the picture, including equating it to a masterpiece reminiscent of a Renaissance painting. Aside from the visual quality of the picture there are other photographic items to consider. (Read More)

SHAKE, SQUIGGLE, AND ZOOM… TWIST AND SHOUT
PAINTING WITH FIRE

– By David W. Powell

Shooting Fireworks has been a regular outing for me for the last 50 years. These images were all handheld. A tripod is way too constrictive for me and doesn’t allow for much freedom of movement. Shutter speed doesn’t determine exposure; it does determine the length of the streaks. (Read More)

BEST TRAVEL CAMERA? MINI REVIEW OF PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-FZ1000

– By Andrew Rein

I used a Panasonic FZ200 ultra zoom for many years of travel and liked the 24x, 25-600mm equivalent F2.8 lens, but the tiny 1/2.3″ (~ 6.16 x 4.62 mm) sensor size made low light pictures problematic.

When traveling I want to minimize weight since some airlines restrict the weight of carry on bags. I also like the idea of not having to change lenses when I want to go from wide angle to a tele more than 300mm. When I heard about the Panasonic FZ1000 “Point and Shoot” in 2014, with a much bigger 1 inch sensor, I thought it might be a good compromise camera to use for travel. (Read More)

COMPETITION RESULTS

NATURE COMPETITION – OCTOBER 10

October’s competition was Nature Photography.  Sarah Hood Salomon was our judge that evening. 

There were 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 (HM) – the number of awards depends on the total number of entries in the category.     

ADVANCED PRINTS

  • 1st:    Kate Woodward – Dancing in Water
  • 2nd:   Robert Peters – Sunrise @ Joshua Tree
  • 3rd:   David Terao – The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  • HM:   My Phong Nguyen – White Gift to Lake Moriane
  • HM:   Wendy Kates – “Oh, No!!”

Advanced Print ~ Kate Woodward ~ Dancing in Water

Image 1 of 4

I took this photograph when walking with a friend around Burke Lake, in Fairfax County. I have a particular interest in water and water reflections, and I was amazed how the the plants seemed to be literally dancing in the lake. In post-processing, I saturated the colors a bit and created a central focus of light, while making sure I retained the pastel and quiet color palette that had attracted me to the scene. [Canon Power Shot G12, 30.5 mm (full frame lens equivalent: 140mm), 1/320 sec. at f/5.6, ISO 250.]

NOVICE PRINTS

  • 1st:    Renee Schaefer – Canyonland
  • 2nd:   Matthew Hnatov – Kits at Rest
  • 3rd:    Matthew Hnatov – Bullfrog at Home
  • HM: Lisa Auerbach – Spider Alert
  • HM: Karen Finkelman – Tree Tresses

Novice Print ~ Matt Hnatov ~ Kits at Rest

Image 2 of 5

I took this picture a few years ago but never really processed it. I have another shot from the day on my wall. My neighborhood has these small park lands that weave through the area, usually following drainage streams. I spotted these little guys right around the corner in one of these parks one day on my way back from work. I hurried home to get my camera, but they were gone when I got back. So, I decided to keep my "backup" camera (an old Sony a55) in my car "just in case". It was also the camera for which I had my longest lens (300mm, 450mm in 35mm equivalence). I spotted these two a couple of days later wrestling around. They completely ignored me and I slowly crept closer, shooting all the time. Finally, I guess I got close enough that they stopped and looked at me for a split second when I got this shot of them. Then, they were back to wresting. The sun was already behind the trees so my shutter speed was too slow with such a long lens to stop their frantic play without pushing my ISO too high (old camera, not too good at higher ISO). After a while I decided to not move any closer in case momma was around someplace. (The a55 is now also long gone.)

ADVANCED PROJECTED

  • 1st:      Beth Koller – Rippled
  • 2nd:   Doug Finstad – Soldiers with White Legs
  • 3rd:    David Terao – Bug Buffet
  • HM:    Michael Tran – Lonely Rock
  • HM:    Michael Tran – Piping Plover

Advanced Projected ~ Beth Koller ~ Rippled

Image 1 of 5

This image was taken in Death Valley in March. The area had had 0.8 inch of rain a few days before our trip and just gutted the roads and wiped out mineral deposits. Several days of inclement weather, clouds and wind, impeded Milky Way shooting. This constricted the number of photo venues. Oh, and did I mention that it was Spring break! It was crowded. So when it came to the dunes I walked to one end and decided to focus on patterns and to use a wide angle to try to get everything sharp from front to back. Tilting the camera transformed the shadow area into a dynamic geometric form in the image.

NOVICE PROJECTED

  • 1st:    Lisa Auerbach – Herring Gull
  • 2nd:   Ilona Linnoila – White Bugs Swimming on the Surface
  • 3rd:    Renee Schaefer – What’s the Scoop
  • HM:    Jacob Abernathy – Simien Mountains
  • HM:    James Ragucci – Snug

Novice Projected ~ Lisa Auerbach ~ Herring Gull

Image 1 of 5

I was on a beach in Maine. The Plover was hopping on the rocks, preening, and enjoying his time. I fired off a few shots and liked this one. I particularly like the rocks on which he is standing. The afternoon sun helped me capture the highlights on his face and eye. Canon 70D; ISO 500; Tamron 16mm-300mm at 251mm; f/7.1; 1/500 s; spot metering; tripod mounted.

COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS

PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

The Photography Courses and Workshops list includes sample photography courses and workshops from a variety of providers in four categories:

  1. Courses and workshops in the D.C. area
  2. Online courses
  3. Multi-day photography trips to places within and beyond the United States.
  4. 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!     And some selected sites for the armchair adventurer!

See the full column here: (Read More )

PHOTOGRAPHIC HUMOR OF THE MONTH

Courtesy of 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

NIH Camera Club