Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!
Sherm Edwards, Editor, Cable Release, at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
Contents
KEY EVENTS
The following scheduled events will be conducted online as Zoom teleconferences, except for the Field Trip. Look for announcements and invitations by e-mail, Meetup, and on the club’s Website.
- Sept 3 – Speaker Night (7:30 p.m.)
- Sept 10 – Competition — Open (7:30 p.m.)
- Sept 17 – Closer Focus (7:30 p.m.)
- Sept. 19 – Field Trip! – Robinson Nature Center
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’. Note that this policy does not apply to online meetings!
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: 2020-2021 Member Handbook
© 2020 Silver Spring Camera Club and its contributors. Copyright Notice & Disclaimer Policy
PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR THE OCTOBER CABLE RELEASE:
E.G. ARTICLES, AWARDS, EXHIBITIONS, LINKS, REVIEWS, …
DEADLINE: BY SEPTEMBER 24th TO cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
From our President
Welcome Back!
I hope everyone enjoyed their summer and is ready to participate in our 2020 – 2021 club year. The board and chair positions have been working hard this summer to ensure we have a well-planned and full agenda. Please look in the Cable Release and on our website for updated information. Our updated handbook will help guide you through the year as well. We will be hosting our Thursday Meetings via Zoom until further notice. Please contact membership if you need assistance in joining us on Zoom.
I would like to introduce our board members. Dennis Freeman is our new Vice President, Bruce Schaefer is returning as Treasurer, and I am returning as President. Our directors are Michael Koren, Bob Catlett, and Pete Morton. The position of Secretary is open.
Our current chair positions are as follows: Larry Gold as Competition Chair, Phil Boyer as Field Trip Chair, Norm Bernache is our Historian, Sherm Edwards as Newsletter Editor, Mark Paster is running our website, Renee Schaefer is the Program Chair and is finding our judges, Karen Finkelman is assisting Renee in finding the speakers, and Lisa Auerbach, Marc Auerbach and Andrew Rein are running Membership. We have added the Workshop/Closer Focus back as a chair position with David Powell.
I want to thank all those who participate and volunteer to make this a successful group. We are looking for more help this year. Please consider volunteering some time to help the chair positions and Executive Council.
We added more new members at the end of last year and look forward to meeting new people with our gatherings posted on Meetup. If you are not a member of Meetup, please reach out and we can get you signed up to help let you know what we are doing each week. We are enjoying good turnouts for our various meetings. Karen Finkelman is running our Facebook, so please let her know if you have anything to post.
We have a list of field trips ready, speakers and judges lined up, and competition topics available. Get ready for another exciting year. I look forward to seeing everyone again over the next few weeks!
Catherine
MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
MEETING LOCATION
September meetings will be online by Zoom teleconference.Silver Spring United Methodist Church
8900 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD
Click for details
Speaker Night via Zoom Videoconference September 3rd – Irene Sacilotto – A Passion for Wildlife, the Stories Behind the Images
We are very pleased to announce Irene Sacilotto, a professional wildlife photographer and environmental scientist, as our opening season speaker. For over 35 years, Irene has shared her photographic experiences and love of nature with thousands of individuals through more than 300 photo classes, workshops, lectures and tours in the U.S. and abroad. Her passion for wildlife has taken her to Kenya, Iceland, Newfoundland, the Falkland Islands, Patagonia and the Brazilian Pantanal. (Read more)
COMPETITION COLUMN
Welcome to the start of our new, exciting, but unique camera club season. We start this season in pretty much the same way as we ended the last. The pandemic still looms large so our meetings including competition night will be brought into our homes via zoom. We do have an entire new list of competition themes and a new group of judges to critique our images. We are very excited by all that this season has to offer, including our first judge of the season, Matthew Mahlstedt.
Our September 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. The images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org by midnight on Thursday, September 3. (One important detail – In order to participate in the competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.)
Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the year:
- October – Nature Photography
- November – Open
- December – Selective Focus
- January – Open
- February – Abstract
- March – Open
- April – Decay
- May – Monochrome Photography
- June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)
Please refer to the website link for the definition of each topic.
MATTHEW MAHLSTEDT – JUDGE – SEPTEMBER 10 OPEN COMPETITION
Matthew Mahlstedt is a photographer based in Baltimore MD with the simple business name of That Baltimore Photographer. He grew up just outside of Annapolis in the small town of Odenton. He learned there the basics of photography, including darkroom techniques, from his mother, an amateur photographer herself.
Matthew has over a decade of professional experience and a lifetime of personal shooting. As a member of the Baltimore Camera Club, he grew frustrated seeing photographs dismissed for being “too pink” when they were actually infrared images, or when a judge referred to a film scan as an “effect.” When the Maryland Photography Alliance announced they would be training judges, Matthew jumped at the opportunity to provide a better caliber of judging.
A CLOSER FOCUS – September 17
– by David W. Powell
An opportunity to share ideas, images, questions, and inspirations. The September meeting will be by Zoom videoconference. Look for an invitation in an e-mail from the Club or a Meetup announcement.
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.
- Presentations, which may include breakout sessions:
- “Using Darktable” – Tanya Reisman will talk about this open-source alternative to Lightroom.
- “Sharpen AI” – Sherm Edwards will talk about this tool in the Topaz suite.
- Picture assignment subject: (1) Send in an out-of-the camera jpg and a jpg of the final processed product; be prepared to discuss your workflow. (2) Submit an animated GIF, as discussed by David Blass at the July Closer Focus. Send your images to Dave Powell before the meeting (davidwesleypowell at gmail.com).
- Discussion: Selective Focus.
- 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 at gmail.com
SEPTEMBER FIELD TRIP — ROBINSON NATURE CENTER
On Saturday, September 19, we will have a covid-aware Field Trip to the Robinson Nature Center, 6692 Cedar Lane, Columbia, Maryland, led by Phil Boyer. Take a virtual tour of the Nature Center. Meet there at 9:00 a.m. Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on site, socially distanced. Contact: philboyer60@gmail.com.
Directions
Robinson Nature Center
6692 Cedar Lane Columbia Md
1. Turn onto Colesville Rd/US-29 N. Continue to follow US-29 N.
Then 13.79 miles
2. Merge onto MD-32 W via EXIT 16B toward Clarksville.
Then 1.28 miles
3. Take the Cedar Lane exit, EXIT 17, toward Sanner Road.
Then 0.23 miles
4. Turn right onto Cedar Ln.to the park
See below under CLUB NEWS – FIELD TRIPS for SSCC’s rules for safe field tripping during the pandemic.
CLUB NEWS
MEMBERSHIP
Now that summer is almost over, we wanted to remind you about renewing your membership. Renee Schaefer and Karen Finkelman are busy contacting speakers and judges for our meetings. Dave Powell and his team will continue to educate and entertain us with Closer Focus meetings on the third Thursday of each month. Phil Boyer Is planning field trips that will be safe, socially distant, and as always, filled with photographic opportunities. Sherm Edwards, our new editor, will present the Cable Release.
We welcome you to grow your photography skills and friendships by joining our Zoom meetings. Even with social distancing there are ways to get involved. If you’re interested in helping out, we are happy to connect you with the committee chair who will explain a bit more about their responsibilities.
As of now we will keep meeting virtually via Zoom. Our first competition will be held in September and your membership must be renewed in order to submit an image. Print the online application and mail it with your check for $45 to Bruce Schaefer. The address is on the form. We realize that recent world events have put a financial strain on many of our friends and neighbors. If you are unable to join SSCC because of a financial reason, please contact the membership committee. Your continuing participation is important.
Hopefully, we’ll soon be together in person. Until then, keep shooting, as often as you can.
Lisa Auerbach
Marc Auerbach
Andrew Rein
PROGRAMS
Welcome to the start of our new, exciting, but unique camera club season. We start this season in pretty much the same way as we ended the last. The pandemic still looms large so our meetings including competition night will be brought into our homes via zoom. We do have an entire new list of competition themes and a new group of judges to critique our images. We are very excited by all that this season has to offer.
Renee Schaefer
Karen Finkelman
| MONTH | SPEAKER | JUDGE | TOPIC/THEME |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | Irene Sacilotto | Wildlife | |
| Matthew Mahlstedt | Open | ||
| October | Harold Ross | Sculpting with Light | |
| Ron Ames | Nature | ||
| November | Glenn Thompson | Waterways and Wildlife | |
| Andrew Hoff | Open | ||
| December | Lynford Morton | Silencing Your Inner Critic | |
| Ed Palaszynski | Selective Focus | ||
| January | Doug Johnson | TBA | |
| Sharon Prislipsky | Open | ||
| February | Janet Jeffers | Abstract Photography | |
| Cynthia Keith | Abstract | ||
| March | Harold Clark | From Good to Great | |
| TBA | Open | ||
| April | John Milleker | Modern and Historical Darkroom Photography | |
| Jim Lockard | Decay | ||
| May | TBA | TBA | |
| Bill Dusterwald | Monochrome |
FIELD TRIPS
Each month, the Club typically organizes at least one field trip for members to shoot together. This is a great opportunity to learn from other members and shake yourself out of a photographic rut, a no-pressure opportunity to experiment with your photography and enjoy the company of fellow club members. When possible, field trips end with a group lunch.
For the 2021 season, the Club is continuing its tradition while trying to adjust for life under COVID. The Club has scheduled four outdoor Field Trips for the Fall of 2020: the Robinson Nature Center, Dawn on the Potomac; Cunningham Falls State Park. For the remainder of the season (January-May) the Club has a number of proposed locations, both inside and outside. In order to consider the ongoing impact of COVID, no decision on additional trips will be made before November. In order to ensure the safety of members, the following COVID Rules have been implemented for all Field Trips:
- Club will not arrange CarPools
- RSVP Required to Leader–Mandatory 15 people
- MASK WEARING AT ALL TIMES IS STRICTLY MANDATORY
- Appropriate Social Distancing is required
- Hand Sanitizer will be provided; use is strongly encouraged.
- Participants Must Complete Online COVID Checklist prior to trip; any COVID Symptoms precludes Attendance;
- Field Trip Leader has sole discretion over safety Precautions
- PRACTICE SAFE BEHAVIOR
- Participants must sign COVID Waiver of Liability (e.g, if you get COVID, you won’t hold club liable)
Phil Boyer
2020 MARYLAND PHOTOGRAPHY ALLIANCE’S PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS
by Karen Finkelman
In June, the Maryland Photography Alliance announced the winners of their 4th Annual Photography competition. This year, 377 images were entered among 4 categories; Cityscape, Maryland Flag, Nighttime and Dramatic Weather. Once again, SSCC members were broadly recognized in both top winning categories and gallery selections. The original gallery show was scheduled to take place at the Columbus Art Center. However, due to COVID restrictions, the show is currently slated to be held in the Maryland State House of Delegates in January 2021.
Congratulations to all of our SSCC members who were recognized for their photographic excellence and creativity.
Here are the SSCC members’ award winning entries:
Photographer Award Category Image Title
David Blass 2nd Place Nighttime Desert Stars
Wendy Kates Honorable Mention Cityscape A Town With a View
David Terao Honorable Mention Nighttime Milk Way Panorama
The following SSCC members were invited to display their images in the upcoming exhibit. Their images also received high accolades, but no awards were given.
Photographer Category Image Title
Sherm Edwards Nighttime Lofoten Aurora
James Ragucci Nighttime Westminster Light Trails
Andrew Rein Cityscape High Rise Flags
David Terao Cityscape Along the Chicago River
Kate Woodward Cityscape Window World
*Michael Koren Cityscape Above the Fray
*Entered under Photographers of the Washington/Baltimore Metro Area group.
David Blass~Desert Stars
This was taken in a park near Phoenix in January. It’s a composite of two images; one at sunset focused on the foreground, and one a few hours later focused on the stars. While I was on site, neither the enormous number of stars nor the varied colors over the horizon were apparent to me. They are seen because the star shot was exposed for 25 seconds, so I captured the cumulative light from that period.
BOARD MEETINGS
The SSCC Board met on April 30, May 28, and July 30. Minutes from these meetings are at the following links:
April 30 Board Meeting
May 28 Board Meeting
July 30 Board Meeting
FEATURES
THE POWER OF CONTRAST – FREE WEBINAR WITH LISA LANGELL, TAMRON PRO AMBASSADOR
On Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 7:30 p.m., the Hot Springs Village Camera Club invites you to a free webinar hosted by Lisa Langell on The Power of Contrast. Note: You must pre-register using this link to attend the webinar: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-visual-power-of-contrast-hot-springs-village-silver-spring-tickets-113841633390
Lisa is a full-time, award winning photographer whose work has appeared in prestigious publications including the cover of Outdoor Photographer magazine, Arizona Highways, Ranger Rick, art galleries and more. Read more . . .
CONFERENCES AND EXPOS
2020 PSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE – CANCELED
The Photographic Society of America’s annual conference previously scheduled between Sept. 29 – Oct. 3, 2020 in Colorado Springs has been CANCELED due to the pandemic.
MEMBER ARTICLES
COMPETITION RESULTS
MONOCHROME COMPETITION – MAY 14
May’s competition was was for Monochrome projected images only. Merry Plocki was our judge that evening. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the competition was held remotely using the Zoom tool.
There were only two main categories: Advanced Projected (i.e. digital images), and Novice Projected. The two Print categories are suspended until we start in-person meetings again. 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 PROJECTED
- 1st: Wendy Kates – Oculus Reimagined
- 2nd: David Terao – U.S. Institute of Peace
- 3rd: Wendy Kates – Cityscape in the Time of Quarantine
- HM: David Terao – Scott’s Portrait
- HM: Kate Woodward – Skyscraper Medley
Advanced~David Terao~US Institute of Peace
This abstract architectural image was taken from inside the U.S. Institute of Peace. Although it might look like a fish-eye lens distortion or post-processing manipulation, the curving lines are natural. I used a 17mm Canon tilt-shift lens on a tripod looking straight up and took three images while shifting the lens from left to right, thus, keeping a natural perspective. Exposure was 1/50 sec @ f/8.0 and ISO 100.
NOVICE PROJECTED
- 1st: Bruce Schaefer – Rabbit Hole
- 2nd: Lisa Auerbach – Beauty Hub
- 3rd: Ilona Linnoila – Shopping Shoes at Beverly Center, Los Angeles
- HM: Cheryle Galloway – Silence
- HM: Maude Svensson – Madagascar Woman
Novice~Bruce Schaefer~Rabbit Hole
END OF THE YEAR COMPETITION FOR 2019-2020: JUNE 11, 2020
The End of the Year Competition winners represent the independent judging of member-selected projected from monthly club competitions in the 2019-2020 season, in two categories: Advanced Projected 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. Two special awards are usually given as well: the Len Tuchin Award for Best in Show, and the Joyce Bayley Award for Best in Show, Nature.
This year there were no Print competitions after February, and no prints were judged in the End of Year Competition, because of the pandemic. The 2019-2020 Len Tuchin Award will be selected from the winners of the Novice Projected and Advanced Projected competitions, and announced in September.
Photographers of the Year are awarded in the categories of Advanced Prints, Novice Prints, Advanced Projected, and Novice Projected for the members that earn the most points during the year in those categories.
Star Awards for Photographic Excellence are given to members that earn multiples of 35 points. This year we have Star Awards from one star through four stars.
For members that achieve 200, 400, or 800 points earned in competition, the designation of Master, Grand Master, and Hall of Fame is awarded, respectively.
A Service Award is given to the member receiving the most board votes recognizing service to the club during the year.
There is also a recognition to members with five or more years of club membership, the Milestone Award.
YEAR-END COMPETITION WINNERS
NOVICE PROJECTED
- 1st: Dennis Freeman – Silver Miner
- 2nd: James Ragucci – Snug
- 3rD: Jennifer Anglin – The End
- HM: Anne Golfer – Three Tulips
- HM: Scott Shoreman – Contemplation
- HM: Lisa Auerbach – Last of the Nectar
- HM: Marc Auerbach – Cold Day Outer Banks
ADVANCED PROJECTED
- 1st: Wendy Kates – Cityscape in the Time of Quarantine
- 2nd: Wendy Kates – Oculus Reimagined
- 3rd: David Terao – Milky Way Panorama
- HM: Matt Hnatov – N-space
- HM: Matt Hnatov – Storm Approach, Nighttime in Nebraska
- HM: Michael Tran – Lonely Rock
- HM: Karen Finkelman – The Music Room
- HM: Beth Koller – The Deck V2
- HM: David Blass – Graceful Agave
COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Needed: Someone to author the Classes and Workshop List for the 2020-2021 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.
One vendor typically included in the Photography Courses/Class List has announced a few online classes: See Capital Photography Center: https://online.capitalphotographycenter.com/collections?category=courses . The rest either have suspended courses or are communicating to registrants by email.
The online course providers typically listed in The Cable Release are obviously still operating—
Also offering free webinars—on photography printing—is Moab Paper. See: https://www.moabpaper.com/moab-tv?rq=tv I have never taken one of Moab’s webinars, but Moab is a main producer of artistic photo papers. Other vendors are offering free webinars, but they tend not to give advance notice, so the ones I have located are offered only in April.
Please let us know of other online 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 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
by Bruce Schaefer
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! This month, given restrictions on gatherings, it features some selected sites for the armchair adventurer!
See the full column here: (Read More)
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
