Cover Photo: “Two Fishermen” by Bob Peters

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.
 


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.

 


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

_________________________________________________

BRIAN ZWIT TO SPEAK ON NIGHT AND NIGHT SKY PHOTOGRAPHY ON  OCTOBER 4

Our speaker, Brian Zwit, is a nature and outdoor photographer based in northern Virginia. 

On October 4, Brian will introduce us to night and star photography, explain how to use your camera at night, what to photograph and when, and how to post-process so that you can get amazing night images.    (read more)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


COMPETITION COLUMN

The competition on October 11 will be the Nature theme:

Acceptable entries are photographs that portray various aspects of natural plant and animal life; that illustrate the natural features of land, sea, and sky; or that reveal natural phenomena.  No image in this competition may show human intervention. Domestic plants (e.g., in a botanical garden) or animals (including zoo animals) may be included as long as they do not show any human intervention (e.g., collars or ear tags, gates, walls, paths, signage).

Please be mindful that electronic submissions for projected images must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on October 4, Speaker Night.

As a result of recent and on-going issues with our Yahoo account (ssccphotography@yahoo.com), we are switching 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:

  • October                  – Nature Photography
  • 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.

 


 

WAYNE WOLFERSBERGER TO JUDGE NATURE COMPETITION – OCTOBER 11

Wayne Wolfersberger returns as our judge for the Nature competition on October 11.

Wayne is an ecologist-naturalist, educator, and photographer by professional education and passion, garnering special respect for his nature photography – very fitting for our competition theme!   (read more)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


 

AUTUMN SOCIAL / A CLOSER FOCUS – OCTOBER 18

by Dave Powell

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

————————————————————————————————

At 6:30 p.m., one hour before our regular meeting, SSCC will have a social hour!  The SSCC Board will treat you to snacks and drinks while you socialize and catch up!

————————————————————————————————-

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 October we will have presentations, photo sharing, and at least one gear review:

  • Picture assignment:  Bring several of your nature photos.  These can include the ones you submitted for this month’s Nature competition, or any others (Dolly Sods workshop, etc.).  The judge may have given you some critiques, but Dave and others can  provide alternative feedback this evening.  
  • Bring in any other photos you would like to share for feedback.
  • Dave Powell will provide a primer on Lightroom cloning techniques and tools. 
  • Bob Greenberg will present a talk: “On The Road Again – RV’ing Across America”.

It covers four cross-country trips in our RV over the last five and half years covering 35,000 miles in 47 of the continental 48 states. We had no specific itinerary and
let spontaneity and adventure be our guide. I was able to capture images of many interesting people and places that I hope will prove entertaining.

  • 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

 


 

OCTOBER 20 FIELD TRIP TO ROCKVILLE ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW

On October 20, we will go to the Rockville Antique & Classic Car Show to photograph more than 550 antique and classic cars on the grounds of the Glenview Mansion.    (read more)  

    


OCTOBER 28 FIELD TRIP TO NATIONAL COLONIAL FARM AT PISCATAWAY PARK

On October 28 SSCC members will go to the National Colonial Farm at Piscataway Park in Accokeek, MD, a working colonial farm with costumed guides, animals, and 18th Century agriculture – perfect for the Rural competition in December!  (read more)

 

 


CLUB NEWS


 

 

 


MEMBER SNAPSHOT

Kirstin Gulling is a new member.  In order to help club members get to know Kirstin, we asked her to respond to several questions about herself and her interests in photography. Here she describes her photographic interests, sources of inspiration, and challenges:

“Hi – My name is Kirstin Gulling, and I live in northern Silver Spring, with my wife, five children, and various animals (including sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, dogs, and cats).  After a stressful winter due to family illness, I decided I needed a creative outlet.  I dug out our old digital SLR (Canon Rebel) and started learning how to use it.  We bought it when our kids were young, but I never got past leaving it on the fully automatic setting.  Later, when our phones took better and better pictures, and were far more convenient to carry around with young kids, we packed away the relatively heavy equipment.

I’m finding my favorite subjects are living, and probably my family.  I enjoy playing around with the settings and trying to figure out how to take and compose pictures.  I want to learn more, and wanted to meet some people with whom I could share this hobby.

I entered a few pictures in the county fair this year and won a few ribbons for them.  I heard some people talking about a camera club, so I looked up camera clubs.  This one works with my very busy schedule of kids’ activities, is pretty close to where I live, and seems like a good group of people.”

Welcome, Kirstin, we look forward to seeing your images!

 


 BOARD MEETING

The SSCC Board met on August 30.  The minutes are in the following link:

August 30 Board Meeting

 


SSCC CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS REVISION AND VOTE

The Club will vote on the following proposed amendments to the Constitution on our October 11 Competition Night.  It is provided at the following link:

Proposed Amendments to SSCC Constitution and By-Laws

 This document was saved with “track changes” turned on to assist you in your review.  If you are a SSCC Club member, wish to vote to accept or not-accept these changes, and cannot attend the meeting, please submit your name and vote to President@ssccphotography.org by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10 to be included by proxy. 

  


CANDIDATE FOR SSCC CLUB SECRETARY

While we voted for, and filled, all of our Executive Board positions last season, our Secretary position became open again before the beginning of this season.   These things happen!  We now need to fill this position, which requires publishing a candidate (or candidates) before a meeting when we can schedule a vote.  

Fortunately, we have a candidate that would like to fill this role for us!  She is new member Maude Svensson, whom many of you met at a recent meeting.  We plan to put Maude to your vote as our new Secretary on our Competition Night meeting on October 11.    

As above, if you cannot attend the meeting, please submit your name and vote to President@ssccphotography.org by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10 to be included by proxy. 

 


SEPTEMBER 3 FIELD TRIP TO THE MARYLAND RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

On Labor Day, Monday, September 3, SSCC members went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.  There were lots of attendees in character, jousting, shoppes, archery, jugglers, street entertainment, stage productions, cleavage, roasted turkey legs, drinking, and general bacchanalia.

Bob Catlett, Bruce Schaefer, Renee Schaefer, Lisa Auerbach, and Dennis Freeman provided photos from the event:

Maryland Renaissance Festival

Image 14 of 25

Photo by Dennis Freeman

 


PREVIEW OF THIS SEASON’S FIELD TRIPS

 
The following table summarizes this camera-year’s planned field trips.  Details on meetup times, leaders, etc will be published in that month’s Cable Release and Meetup announcements.

DATEWHEREDESCRIPTION
Oct 20Rockville Antique & Classic Car Show>550 antique/classic cars displayed on the grounds of Glenview Mansion.
Oct 23National Colonial Farm at Piscataway Park3400 Bryan Point Rd Accokeek Md. -Perfect for Rural competition
Nov 11College Park Aviation MuseumAirport dates to Wilbur Wright in 1909. Historic and reproduction aircraft.
Dec 8 (p.m.)Brookside Gardens Garden of Lights Walk through >one million LED lights handwoven into original works depicting animals, flowers, and other natural elements. $30/car.
Jan 13 (Sunday)Union Station, D.C.Good photos both inside and out. Good in cold or bad weather.
Feb 9Montpelier Mansion Historic Site, Laurel, MD Historic house & gardens. $4-5 docent guided tours
Mar 3Ann Marie Sculpture Garden, Solomons Island, MD

1/4 mile walking path through the woods past sculpture, including >30 works on loan from the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art.
Mar 23Emmitsburg Antique Mall, near Thurmont, MDLots of unique things to photograph from figurines, mannequins, tools etc. Good for closeup work and still life.
Apr 13York, PA: York: Haines Shoe House & Weightlifting Hall of FameTour house built like a shoe! Then on to self-guided tour of history of strength sports.
May 19Soleado Lavender Farm, Dickerson, MDWorking lavender farm

 


FEATURES


INSIDE THE FACILITY WHERE KODAK BRINGS FILM TO LIFE

Welcome back, Ektachrome!   popsci.com/inside-kodak-factory-photos

 


DOLLY SODS WORKSHOP WITH BERNARD CHEN – CANCELLED

“A Love for Life” © copyright by Bernard Chen

Bernard Chen was our speaker on September 6, and presented many stunning photographs and videos from Dolly Sods, West Virginia. 

While we broadcast his message regarding an opportunity to attend a October 5-9 workshop there, timed to match predicted peak fall color, he has been forced to cancel due to time constraints and scheduling.  He promises that if anyone goes next weekend, you may run into him there.  For a leg up on planning your own trip, read Dennis Freeman’s article on “Dolly Sods Scouting Expedition”, below.

For inquiries regarding future workshops, contact him at   Info@bernardchen.com

 


MPA STREET PHOTOGRAPHY SEMINAR

The Maryland Photography Alliance (MPA) is proud to present a seminar on “Classic Street Photography: What the Masters Can Teach Us“.

Here are some testimonials on Leo’s past seminars:

“I have been leading photo workshops and running major photo events for more than a decade …. No one has performed more brilliantly – and consistently – than Leo Howard Lubow. Leo brings to the table real depth of knowledge, passion, wisdom, and thoughtful preparation that is unsurpassed.” Steve Gottlieb, Director, Horizon Photo Workshops.

“These are among the best evaluations I have ever seen for Odyssey. Well done! Thanks so much for sharing your skill, knowledge and passion, and for your obvious thorough preparation!” Janet S. Roberts, Program Coordinator, Odyssey Program, Johns Hopkins University (referencing Spring 2018 evaluations for Classic Street Photography:  What the Masters Can Teach Us).

The date of this 1-Day Seminar is Saturday, October 13, 2018.

The price of the seminar is $125, however MPA members will only pay $99 by using our club promotion code – SSCC

For more information and to register visit mdphotoalliance.org/leo
This seminar is almost 50% Sold Out……Seating is limited, so act today!!!

 


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

Some workshops are starting to sell out, so don’t dilly dally. 

 


KERNELS OF KOREN

I’ve found that when I’m taking pictures for fun my favorite genre is Street Photography.  I found inspiration regarding the right expression, gesture, and emotion within a street photograph in an unlikely place.  In the halls of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam I had a chance to see in person masters of Golden Age Dutch painting.  ( read more )

 


MARYLAND PHOTOGRAPHY ALLIANCE – 2ND ANNUAL CONTEST

The Maryland Photography Alliance is a group of 16 clubs working together to enhance our enjoyment of photography.

The Maryland Photography Alliance (MPA) just announced its 2nd Annual Photography Contest and we hope you will participate. There is no charge to enter. There are $700 in prizes through the sponsor Nations Photo Lab. Photographers of the top images will be invited to display and sell their images at a gallery show during January, February and March at the Maryland State House of Delegates.

For more information and to enter the contest – MDPhotoAlliance.org/contest

  • You must be a Member of at least one MPA club to be eligible to participate
  • You can enter no more than two 2 images
  • You can enter your 2 images in multiple categories, or you can enter both of your images in the same category. The categories are:
    • Landscape
    • Street
    • Iconic Maryland
    • Open
  • If you belong to more than one MPA club, you can designate each image to different clubs
  • Winners will be determined by a panel of 3 judgesIf you have any questions or issues, contact: MPA@MDPhotoAlliance.orgPlease consider entering this competition. Silver Spring Camera Club has many great photographers, and this is a chance for all of us to win prizes, get recognition and showcase our work.

The deadline for submission is October 14!

This photo contest with MPA is considered an inter-club competition because SSCC members are competing against other Maryland camera clubs.
So, if your picture is selected as a winner you will earn points toward the SSCC Photographer of the Year award as follows:

  • 1st place – 7 points
  • 2nd place – 5 points
  • 3rd place – 3 points
  • HM – 2 points  

 


PHOTOPLUS CONFERENCE & EXPO 2018

 

Oct. 25 – Oct. 27, 2018
Javits Convention Center, New York City

PhotoPlus Expo is the largest photography and imaging show in North America. Nearly 20,000 professional photographers, photography enthusiasts, videographers, students and educators from around the world attend the conference and expo. PhotoPlus features over 100 educational seminars, workshops, Photo Walks and Master Classes, and over 200 exhibitors and brands displaying thousands of the latest products and services for you to touch, try and compare.

http://www.photoplusexpo.com/

 


MEMBER ARTICLES


PHOTOGRAPHING A MOMENT IN TIME: THE ROMAN RUINS OF HADRIAN’S WALL, (NORTHUMBERLAND UK) 122 AD – BY PHIL BOYER

Less than fifty years after Christ, the Roman army, and Roman civilization, ruled Great Britain. Only the barbarians (in what is now Scotland) were beyond Roman rule.  …  The Roman emperor Hadrian, after visiting the frontier in 122 AD, ordered a wall to be built across the entire island.  (read more)

 


BOOK AND PODCAST REVIEWS – BY STEPHANIE BANKS

Our shelves are probably filled with how-to books on photography or anthologies of famous photographers’ images.   Less often we encounter books where photography is a literary device, or sit down with a collection of essays devoted to an intensive study of photography, its meaning and value.    (read more

 


DOLLY SODS SCOUTING EXPEDITION – BY DENNIS FREEMAN

After the great presentation by Bernard Chen to SSCC on September 6, Pete Morton and I decided that we would go to Dolly Sods, West Virginia on a scouting expedition – one of Bernard’s favorite photo locations.  This was to be a simple one day out-and-back with a few hours of exploring there with our cameras.  From this experience we hoped to be able to better plan a successful return trip over a longer stay, perhaps when the leaves change! (read more)

 


COMPETITION WINNERS


 

OPEN COMPETITION – SEPTEMBER 13

September’s competition was in the Open category.  Mike Thomas was our judge that evening.  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:                      David Terao                      – Bowing Ballerina
  • 2nd Place:                    Bob Peters                        – Nichole
  • 3rd Place:                     Bob Peters                        – Two Fishermen
  • Honorable Mention    Oliver (Pete) Morton       – The Other Side
  • Honorable Mention    Larry Gold                        – Fotoatelier Seidel

Advanced Print ~ David Terao ~ Bowing Ballerina

Image 1 of 4

I took this photo at Don Becker's Ballet Photography Workshop using two strobe lights in softboxes. Taken with a Canon 5D Mk III and 24-105mm f/4 lens.

 

NOVICE PRINTS

  • 1st Place:                      Lisa Auerbach                  – Salty Old Cowhand
  • 2nd Place:                    Kay Carkhuff                    –  Deserted
  • 3rd Place:                     Renee Schaefer               –  Princess

Novice Print ~ Lisa Auerbach ~ Salty Old Cowhand

Image 1 of 3

The Gulf States Camera Club Council a group under the umbrella of PSA, sponsored a conference in Ft. Worth, TX. There was a rodeo, a cattle roundup, and cowboys. This was one of the cowboys who posed for the conference attendees. While I liked the image in color, I also thought the texture of the man’s face lent itself to monochrome.

 

ADVANCED PROJECTED

  • 1st Place:                      My Phuong Nguyen        –  Snaefellsnes Peninsula Waterfall
  • 2nd Place:                    Michael Tran                     –  Iceland Hot Steam
  • 3rd Place:                     Beth Koller                        –  Oh My
  • Honorable Mention:   Sherm Edwards               –  Night in Bodie
  • Honorable Mention:   David Terao                     –  The Palouse

Advanced Projected ~ My Phuong Nguyen ~ Snæfellsnes Peninsula Waterfall

Image 1 of 5

Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall is the most popular waterfall in Iceland. It is located near Mount Kirkjufell on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. This waterfall is beautifully scenic because of its location against a good background of the mountain; it comes with good lighting from the midnight sun in the summer. People said it is more stunning when it comes to midwinter. I was there in the summer with a group of 4 people, drove there in the afternoon and saw many people everywhere. We decided to comeback at midnight which might have fewer people. It was true, I walked up by myself because my group said the sky was clear at that time. After I reached the top of the waterfall, clouds started coming quickly. My group recognized it and they grabbed tripods and got to the top quickly. I shot it but I waited and kept waiting for it to get more cloudy and colorful. Finally I got what I wanted. Canon 5D Mark IV, Exposure 0.8sec; f/22; ISO 100

 

NOVICE PROJECTED

  • 1st Place:                      Karen Finkelman             –  Scorched Beauty
  • 2nd Place:                     Sue Green                        –  Bacon Photo Bomb
  • 3rd Place:                     Dennis Freeman             –   Light Flows
  • Honorable Mention:   James Ragucci                  –  Katrina’s Ghost
  • Honorable Mention:   Laurel Sharf                      –  Perfect for Red’s Nap
  • Honorable Mention:   Sue Green                         –  Burning Man Denizens

Novice Projected ~ Karen Finkelman ~ Scorched Beauty

Image 1 of 6

The red sand dunes at Sossusvlei was a highlight of a recent trip to Namibia. I was spellbound by the stark beauty of the ancient trees and the five million year old sand dunes. Taken with a Canon 77D, Tamron 18-400mm lens @ 40mm, f/9, 1/640s ISO 100.

 


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:

  1. Classes 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!     

See the full column here: ( read more )

 


DEEP DIVE INTO THE ARCHIVES

This month, we provide the October 1974 issue of the Cable Release for a view of our club’s past.  Included are several interesting articles and a book review!

44 YEARS AGO

(OPEN HERE

 


WHERE IS AN OPPOSABLE THUMB WHEN YOU NEED IT?

Normally we’d have a Quote of the Month here.  This is better:

Courtesy BNQT.com

 


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