Kate Woodward ~ Building Facade
Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!
Sherm Edwards and Tanya Riseman, Editors, 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 4 – Field Trip! Maryland Renaissance Festival (10 a.m.)
- Sept 7- Speaker Night (7:30 p.m. on Zoom)
- Sept 14 – Competition – Open (7:30 p.m. at Northwood Presbyterian Church)
- Sept 16 – Field Trip! Elk Neck State Park (10:00 a.m.)
- Sept 21 – Photo Forum (7:30 p.m. on Zoom)
- Sept 28 – Board Meeting- (7:30 p.m. on Zoom)
2023-2024 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.
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
A list of the club officers and committee chairs, and their emails, is located here:
More information is available in the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC) Member Handbook:
PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR THE OCTOBER CABLE RELEASE:
If you’d like to share an article, announcement, or Letter to the Editor about anything photographic please email them by September 24. This issue is a great opportunity for articles about summer projects and travel! Email items or questions to Tanya Riseman and Sherm Edwards at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
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 2023 – 2024 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 meeting in person on the second Thursday of each month during the 2023-2024 Club year, at Northwood Presbyterian Church. The in-person meetings will either be competition (if we have an in-person judge) or Photo Forum. Other Thursday meetings – Speaker Night on the first Thursday and either Photo Forum or Competition Night on the third Thursday, will be virtual, on Zoom. Please contact membership if you need assistance in joining us on Zoom.
I would like to introduce our board members. Dennis Freeman is returning as our Vice President, Bruce Schaefer is returning as Treasurer, and I am returning as President. We welcome Miriam Struck as Secretary. Our directors are Michael Koren, Bob Catlett, and Pete Morton.
Our current chair positions are as follows: Phil Boyer is Field Trip Chair, Norm Bernache is our Historian, Tanya Riseman and Sherm Edwards are Newsletter Editors, Will Rabinovich is running our website, Frank Gallagher is the Program Chair who finds our judges and speakers, and Lisa Auerbach, Marc Auerbach, and Andrew Rein are running Membership. The Competition Chair position is currently open.
We continue with the successful Photo Forum. David Blass, Pete Morton, Dennis Freeman, and Andrew Rein comprise the working group that plans the meetings. This program has a format with discussions, presentations, breakout rooms and photo critiques.
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.
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 Honigsberg
MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
MEETING LOCATION
For the 2023-2024 club year, the second Thursday meeting of each month will be in person, at Northwood Presbyterian Church (https://www.northwoodchurch.com/). Other meetings will be on Zoom. The in-person meeting will be Competition Night if the judge agrees, otherwise it will be Photo Forum and Competition Night will move to the third Thursday on Zoom.
BURKE SEIM – SPEAKER – THE STATE OF THE CAMERA INDUSTRY
Burke Seim
Burke Seim has been the president/owner of Service Photo, Inc., since 1991. During that time, Service Photo has navigated the transition of photography from film to digital, along with the constant competition from big box stores and online mega stores. And now, as cameras and lenses transition from SLR to mirrorless, Service Photo is helping photographers with their new gear along with trade-ins of their SLR gear. Service Photo has been the only brick-and-mortar camera store in Maryland for many years now. Burke will discuss what’s happening in the photo industry, and answer all of your questions.
COMPETITION COLUMN
Welcome to the 2023-2024 Silver Spring Camera Club season. As we try to understand what the upcoming season will look like, the one thing that is certain is that we have a great lineup of speakers and judges. To open our first competition on September 14, we are proud to have Roz Kleffman as our judge.
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 7. (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 – Macro/Closeup
- January – Open
- February – Industrial
- March – Open
- April – Intentional Camera Movement
- May – Monochrome Photography
- June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)
Please refer to the website link for the definition of each topic.
Note: A policy on the use of AI, particularly generative AI, is being developed. In the meantime, please be mindful of the Official Competition Rules and Awards r08-2023 The pertinent rules can be summarized as
- The photograph originates from a light-sensitive device (such as film or digital camera, as well as scanned film, enlarger, copier, or flatbed scanner, etc), (Section 1)
- The photograph is made by the entrant and any image editing, retouching, or manipulation of images must be done by the entrant. (Section IV)
- Respects others’ copyright. (Section 1)
ROZ KLEFFMAN – JUDGE – SEPTEMBER 14 OPEN COMPETITION
PHOTO FORUM
Thursday, Sept 15, 2022, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
“Photo Forum” is our monthly opportunity to share ideas, images, questions, and inspirations on a wide variety of photographic topics.
This is an online event. We will meet using Zoom – look for the meeting link in an email and via Meetup.
Open Forum Discussions:
- What’s on your mind, photographically?
- Which online Facebook photography groups do you like and belong to?
- Suggestions for future Speaker topics? (will pass to Frank Gallagher)
- Future Photo Forum directions?
- Likes
- Suggestions
- Changes / Additions
Presentations:
- “Flash Photography, from on-Camera to Studio” – by Dennis Freeman & Pete Morton
- “Steep your Photos in Select and Dramatic Colors” – by Tanya Riseman
- We are looking for volunteers to present for this and future months. Contact Dennis ( dennisfreeman4510@msn.com ) with your idea.
Image Sharing:
- Send up to 2 images you would like to share and get feedback on. Use a “1” or “2” in the titles. We will do all of the #1’s first, then the #2’s. If your two images are to be compared with each other use a “1a” and “1b”. We will spend more time on the #1’s. We may not spend as much time on the #2’s. If you are submitting images to Photo Forum for the first time tell us!
- Your jpg images can be up to 1 MB size each. (please use our digital Competition specs: www.ssccphotography.org/competitions/digital-entry-specifications-r08-2023/ ) .
- If your prefer, include “Share Only” in your title to indicate that you’d like to just share and talk about your image, and are not asking for suggested critiques and processing suggestions. To get the default critiques and suggestions do nothing!
This month’s theme will be Open. Send your images to Dennis Freeman before 5:00 p.m., WEDNESDAY, Sept 20. (dennisfreeman4510@msn.com).
This is expected to be a great evening of sharing and learning. What topics would you like to explore? Topics can be wide-ranging, such as photo book reviews, an aspect of your own photography that you’d like to share, reviews or discussion of shows, photo gear, software, etc.
Please join us for a fun and educational evening!
FIELD TRIP — MARYLAND RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
Date & Time: Monday, September 4 (Labor Day) at 10.00
Location: Address 1921 Crownsville Rd, Annapolis. Meet at Front Gate.
Leader’s phone number—301-204-5549
**Carpool** See here for the carpool location at Forest Glen Metro Station.
Overview: Make believe 15th Century village fair, with King/Queen, hundreds of people in period costumes, games, entertainment, jousting, and general merriment.
Bring: Tripod, walking shoes, and appetite (lots of food and drink).
Leader: Phil Boyer –301-204-5549, philboyer60@gmail.com
Directions
Get on I-495 E in Silver Spring wherever you are
6 mi
US-50 E to Anne Arundel County.
20 m
Take exit 16 for MD-424/Davidsonville Rd toward Davidsonville/Crofton.
0.5 mi
Keep left at the fork, follow signs for MD-424 N
456 ft
Take Rossback Rd, Rutland Rd and MD-450 E to your destination
FIELD TRIP — ELK NECK STATE PARK
Date & Time: Saturday, September 16, at 10.00. Meet at Visitor Center.
Location: 4395 Turkey Point Rd., North East, MD 21901
Carpool: Meet at Glenmont Metro—Must contact Leader in advance.
Overview: State park along Chesapeake Bay in northeastern Maryland. Nature In all its glory!! Also, Turkey Point Lighthouse, which is located on huge cliffs, views of the bay, marshlands and two rivers—Elk Neck and Northeast.
To Bring: Tripod, walking shoes, and binoculars might be useful.
Leader: Phil Boyer – 301-204-5549, philboyer60@gmail.com
Lunch: TBD
Directions: Use GPS (recommended) or I-95 North to Bay View Md [past Susquehanna river]. Go right on Rte 272, follow south to the end.
CLUB NEWS
JULY FIELD TRIP TO PALACE OF GOLD AND WEST VIRGINIA PENITENTIARY
Who knew that Moundsville WV held such photo-worthy treasures? Five SSCC members made the 5-hour trek to Moundsville July 14 and 15.
“A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) is widely regarded as the foremost Vedic scholar, translator, and teacher of the modern era. He is also the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. . . . In 1973 devotees decided to build a home for Srila Prabhupada, where he could write his books and enjoy the clean country air,” which became the Palace of Gold.
The Penitentiary is “an imposing stone structure fashioned in the castellated Gothic architectural style (adorned with turrets and battlements, like a castle),” according to the facility’s Website. These days, it is a tourist attraction for “historical and paranormal” tours.
MEMBERSHIP
A new year of photography is coming soon, and membership wants to help you prepare for all that awaits us.
Our 2022-2023 season starts September 1st with speaker night. Frank Gallagher is busy contacting speakers and judges for our meetings. The Photo Forum team will educate and entertain us with a variety of topics on the third Thursday of each month. Phil Boyer has planned field trips that present photographic opportunities. Sherm Edwards and Tanya Riseman continue to produce the very informative Cable Release, which can be found on the Silver Spring Camera Club website https://www.ssccphotography.org/ (see NEWSLETTERS at top of the page). With the success of our previous outdoor socials, Renee and Bruce Schaefer have once again agreed to plan another one this fall. More information will follow.
We welcome you to grow your photography skills and friendships by joining our Zoom meetings and committees. If interested in helping out, we are happy to connect you with the committee chairs who will explain a bit more about their responsibilities. This is an excellent way to become part of the inner workings of our club.
Starting this September, we will meet virtually for most meetings, with one in-person meeting a month on the second Tuesday. Meetings will be held at Northwood Presbyterian Church (https://www.northwoodchurch.com/), and KN95 masks will be required.
Current yearly membership dues are $50 for individuals and $80 for families. Dues must be paid no later than the 2nd Thursday in September and before entering any SSCC competition. The online application https://www.ssccphotography.org/online-membership-form/ can be used to help you renew.
Hopefully, we’ll soon be together in person. Until then, keep shooting, as often as you can. We look forward to seeing the world through your lens.
Lisa Auerbach
Marc Auerbach
Andrew Rein
Membership Chairs
PROGRAMS
An exciting year is shaping up ahead of us! We’ll continue to use Zoom to bring in great speakers from all over the country, but we’ll also start meeting in person for competition nights, at least through the end of the calendar year! In 2024, there will be some in-person and a few online competition nights. As a result, some of the monthly Photo Forum meetings will be in person. Check the Cable Release for the latest information. We’ve missed the face-to-face interactions and we’ve missed print competitions. I’m looking forward to the return of both and to another year of interesting topics, speakers, competitions, Photo Forums and, most of all, camaraderie!
Frank Gallagher, Programs Chair
HANDBOOK IS UPDATED
PHOTOGRAPHY SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The Photographic Society of America (PSA), founded in 1934, is a worldwide organization providing abundant resources for photographers, from the novice to the professional. PSA offers online learning, webinars, study groups, competitions, mentors, and consultants. Membership is in over 80 countries, 5,000 members, 460 Camera Clubs, and 11 Chapters across the United States. The Silver Spring Camera Club has been a member of the PSA since the club was founded in 1950. Our club also has several individual PSA members.
A tremendous number of resources are available to individual PSA members. These include:
- Online courses (i.e., Street Photography, History of Photography, Introduction to Photoshop, Portrait Photography, Image Evaluation),
- Evaluation of your images by expert photographers,
- Personal mentors for a wide variety of photography topics (e.g., Black & White, Macro, Portrait, Cell Phone, Visual Storytelling),
- Over 100 study groups on different aspects of photography,
- Competitions (PSA and International competitions),
- Photographic travel opportunities and guidance,
- Monthly PSA Journal,
- Annual Festivals in picturesque locations with tours available (this year the festival is in Williamsburg, Virginia),
- And much, much more!
People who want to advance their photographic skills are encouraged to investigate the PSA. You will find that the members are friendly, welcoming, and eager to discuss all aspects of photography. The PSA website is https://psa-photo.org/. All of the resources mentioned above are included in the cost of membership, which is available for $65 a year.
Pete Morton, PSA Representative
MARYLAND PHOTOGRAPHY ALLIANCE
Anyone who is a member of SSCC is automatically a member of Maryland Photography Alliance. There are several new opportunities approaching for MPA members. I hope you will take a moment to read them.
MPA’s 7th Annual Photo Contest
Get ready to submit up to four images in this year’s exciting contest starting September 1. There is $2,100 in prizes, three judges and a “live” awards ceremony on Sunday, October 29. Plus, award-wining images will receive an invitation to exhibit in two gallery shows in 2024, including the State of Maryland House of Delegates. All MPA Members can submit their first two images for FREE, so contact your MPA cub for your club’s code. For more information on the contest go to www.mdphotoalliance.org/2023-photo-contest
Contact Lisa at membership@ssccphotography.org for codes.
Interested in Becoming an MPA Certified Judge?
The deadline for MPA to receive your name is August 31. Your club has all of the information and requirements. You must be recommended by your club’s leadership for MPA to consider you, so don’t delay if interested.
Professional Photographers Association (PPA) Seminar
MPA Members have been offered discounted pricing for an exciting local workshop titled Animal Metamorphosis on October 17th and 18th. Judy Reinford will show how to take images and turn them into beautiful works of art from vacation, zoo, nature, and client shots. Don’t miss out! Limited in-person tickets available to this Maryland PPA event. Zoom tickets are also offered. Early Bird pricing in effect through September 6. Find out more and register with registration code MPA2KF9 at https://bit.ly/MPA_Animal_Metamorphosis. PPA is also offering a Beginners Digital Painting class. For more information on this one go to https://marylandppa.com/event-5354126
Save the Date
MPA’s next FREE “Artist Spotlight” webinar will take place on Wednesday, September 20, at 7:00 PM. Professional photographer Robert Rodriguez Jr. will be presenting “Learning From the Masters of the Hudson River School.” Robert will discuss the many benefits of studying how the Hudson River School of painters used light and the language of composition. This presentation will improve your landscape photography. Registration begins next week at www.mdphotoalliance.org/artistspotlight
Podcasting
Stay tuned for announcements on MPA’s new podcasting series. MPA has incredible interviews already lined up. The first podcast will be released in October.
Questions? Contact MPA at mpa@mdphotoalliance.org
Lisa Auerbach
MPA Representative
SSCC Membership Committee
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 2023-2024 season, the Club is continuing its traditions: We have scheduled outdoor and spacious indoor Field Trips for the Fall of 2023, kicking off with the Maryland Renaissance Festival in September. In late September and October, we will choose two of four exciting Outdoor trips: Elk Neck State Park, St,. Mary’s River State Park, Calvert Cliffs, and the Sassafras Natural Resource Area. In November, we visit the Udar-Hazy Smithsonian Air and Space Museum before doing a Christmas Light Trip in December. For the remainder of the season (January-May) and into the summer, we have a number of proposed locations, both inside and outside, which include trips to Pittsburgh and the Reading WWII Air Show. A list will be published in December.
Masks are optional on field trips.
Phil Boyer
BOARD MEETINGS
The SSCC Board met on July 27. Minutes from this meeting may be found in the board meeting minutes archives .
THE GEORGE DEBUCHANANNE COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT FUND
The Silver Spring Camera Club comprises a diverse group of individuals passionately dedicated to the pursuit of photographic excellence. We believe that photography, like many art forms, can be a means of serving a purpose greater than self-expression for the artist. To this end, the Board of Directors has established the George DeBuchananne Community Service Project Fund. The Fund honors George DeBuchananne, an avid photographer and club member who was a great proponent of community service.
The purpose of the George DeBuchananne Community Service Project Fund is to financially support a photography project that advances a community-related cause. A project may be proposed by a Club member, by another photographer sponsored by a Club member, or by a community organization sponsored by a Club member.
See here for more information and a grant application form.
We Want You!
FEATURES
Member Spotlights
In our club SSCC, the membership runs from beginner to professional. Every member has a story to tell. Each month the CABLE RELEASE will shine the spotlight on some of our members. Read their spotlight biographies here.
Edited by Marc Auerbach.
Maurice Belanger
Ilona Linnolia
Gerry Woods
Member Websites
A list of member websites can be found on the club’s webpage. You can add your website to this list by contacting web@ssccphotography.org
CONFERENCES AND EXPOS
MEMBER ARTICLES
Once a year the eyes of the world fall upon Frederick MD when the guys – and not a few gals – come out to race their hi-wheelers. These are bikes with a BIG wheel in the front and little bitty one behind, also called Penny Farthings in some quarters. Like England.
Some riders came to compete and win; it was billed, after all, as a race. They sped around the track in spandex. Others came just to have fun, and dressed the part: old timey hats, knickers, gaudy socks, outrageous beards and hairdos. They were the people we applauded and photographed.
See the full article here.
COMPETITION RESULTS
MONOCHROME COMPETITION – MAY 11
See the July Cable Release.
END OF THE YEAR COMPETITION FOR 2022-2023 – JUNE 8, 2022
See the July Cable Release.
END OF THE YEAR AWARDS FOR 2022-2023 – JUNE 8, 2022
See the July Cable Release.
COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
by Karen Fink
elman
The following list describes various photography classes and workshops in the Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington DC area. Specific workshop offerings may be held in the classroom, in-field, online or via Zoom. Please see individual classes for the instruction format.
The list is organized into three categories: (1) Classes and Workshops in the Washington DC area; (2) Online Courses; and (3) Multi-Day Photography Workshops Within & Beyond the DMV. Click on the links to see the courses and workshops in each category.
Please feel free to recommend any classes or workshops you have taken for the Cable Release. Email me at info@ssccphotography.org or cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org
Note: Inclusion in this list is not an endorsement of the provider or a particular course/workshop.
P.S. Special thank you to Kate Woodward for laying down the foundation for a majority of these listings!
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
WASHINGTON POST
Here are links 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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