IN Focus · Upcoming Schedule May 2012 Monday, May 21 -6 to 9 pm Year End Banquet at the Silver...

IN Focus Newsletter | - 10

Inside This Issue Club Members Win Top Honors

From the President

Jeanne Garrett to Display Images

A Year in Retrospect

Board Members to Return Next Season

May Competition Results

Quick Clicks

Study Groups Continue

Staying in Touch

Upcoming Schedule May 2012 Monday, May 21 -6 to 9 pm Year End Banquet at the Silver Stallion Restaurant 1275 Lee Street, Des Plaines, IL 60018. The program will be the best of member's pictures from the past year. June 2012 Sunday, June 24 - All day - Chicago Pride Parade. Details to be announced at a later date. Watch our web site at DesPlainesCameraClub.com for future club news

Cowboy - image by Jane Ballengee

Club Members Win Top Honors

The Des Plaines Camera Club is proud to recognize two club members who each won CACCA's Image of the Year in their respective categories. Jane Ballengee's image, Cowboy earned the honor in the digital projected image class. " I think mine was just that wonderful lucky shot with advice from my study group. I have been taking pictures for 10 - 15 years but always on auto. I didn’t really start changing and using all the power of the digital cameras till I joined the DPCC. "

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Des Plaines Camera Club � Des Plaines, IL � May 2012 IN Focus


DES PLAINES CAMERA CLUB

President…..Tom Mulick

Vice President….Dave Waycie Treasurer….Irene Szilagyi Publicity… Theresa Hart

Recording Secretary…Kay Michaely Program Director…Tom Mulick

IN Focus Editor…Sue Lindell Contributors….Bill Bishoff,

Bob Erickson CONTACT EDITOR: [email protected]

Tom Mulick, DPCC President

From the President: The Des Plaines Camera Club, for the past several years has been redirected to a club where you can learn to be a better photographer through educational programs and communication. It's very gratifying to see so many members continuing to grow and into photographers who have developed skills that have given them awards and honorable mentions for their works. Over the course of our meeting from September to March we have had many opportunities to learn to become better photographers.

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Club winners continued

Jane joined the DPCC three years ago and gives a lot of credit to everyone in the club, but particularly Jerry Hug and Tom Mulick for challenging her to advance her skills by trying new things, and helping her learn the technical aspects of her camera. "I had joined a camera club in Florida with hopes of learning and meeting folks with similar interests. They didn’t actually fulfill my hopes but I thought I would try here at home and found DPCC." Jane still remembers her first DPCC photo op, a night shoot to Buckingham Fountain. Says Jane, "Meeting folks through the club, going out on learning experiences with Jeanne Garrett and Theresa Hart, seeing how Sue Lindell has progressed in capturing and creating beautiful and unique pictures, have added to my enjoyment by sharing their knowledge." When asked if winning such a prestigious award will change her approach to her photography, Jane tells us, "As for changing my approach, I’m not sure I have one and it actually is scary since now I will have higher expectations for myself with my pictures!"

Jerry Hug took CACCA's top honor in Monochrome Print of the Year with his picture Covered Bridge . Jerry has a long association with photography in the Chicago area, and has been a member of the DPCC for over 25 years, and has served as president during the 2008 - 2009 as well as 2009 - 2010 seasons. He is also associated to other clubs in the area, The Clearing Folk School in Wisconsin, and is known for his "iPhonography". Jerry explains, "This is only the second time that I have won Monochrome print of the year at CACCA. Sometimes I have had good winning prints (according to print judges) and I never submitted them for the Final End of the Year Competitions. Many of my personal favorite images I never enter into competitions because they do not fit the usual competition mode but are artistic expressions that I like".

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From the President continued:

From presentation by noted photography experts to bring your camera meetings. The goal of the club has been to help members keep up with the ever changing world of digital photography.

A new form of photography was introduced by Jerry Hug. Phoneograpy is now a term that is common and continues to grow in popularity. It's expected that the quality and ease of your cell phone camera will continue to grow as new advances are made.

There are mixed results with our "study groups", which was a new project introduced this past year. I'll work to make it a better program.

As I and the other board members of the club continue for another term, we ask for member input as to what they want to learn and see in the next year. What photography subjects interest you? How can we help you become a better photographer?

As we have our final meeting and go on our summer break, I would hope members put into practice what has been learned and come back in September with some stunning award winning photographs.

Above all, have fun with photography.

Tom Mulick, President Des Plaines Camera Club

Club winners continued

Covered Bridge - image by Jerry Hug

Jeanne Garrett to Display Images

Club member Jeanne Garrett will have a showing of her work at the Arlington Heights Senior Center starting May 7. The show consists of a collection of 14 images, all of which had been selected for use in the Daily Herald newspaper. Jeanne strongly believes in sharing her images whenever she can. "In the past, I made a photo quilt for my daughter using various pictures of her life. So, this leads me to look for opportunities to share photos wherever I see a chance to do so. So, it isn't unusual for me, when I see an opportunity in a local paper to submit pictures when I have something I feel is interesting. There is no pattern to my submission; it just has to be something interesting to me. " Jeanne originally studied photography at Barat College, eventually becoming Deputy Director of the Region for the Regan/Bush campaign. The position allowed her to photograph various dignitaries as they visited Illinois, including Ronald Regan and H.W. Bush. Her photography interest was then put on hold while she pursued a corporate career. It wasn't until her retirement before she was able to begin learning the new technology of digital photography.

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Jeanne Garrett continued

Eye to Eye - image by Jeanne Garrett

She then began creating special themed cards for friends and family, which would feature pictures of a particular interest or had special meaning for the recipient. "Needless to say," Jeanne tells us, "I am always looking for my perfect Christmas card image. I already have next year's selected!" Jeanne found her first "view request" for images in 2009. From there she has successfully submitted images to the Daily Herald and the BBC web page, among others. She suggests, before submitting images, you review previous issues or web pages to get an idea for the style of images most often selected. "Be aware of who you are submitting to" says Jeanne. "Then after submission I usually forget about them". Above all else, Jeanne is a strong advocate for showing your work, questioning, "Why take them if you're not going to show them"? Jeanne's work can be seen on her web page, www.jeannegarrettphotography.com

A Year in Retrospect

(Editor's Note: Bob Erickson joined the DPCC last season. Soon after, he was asked to become a contributor to InFocus to write about his experiences as a new photographer in a camera club. His talent as a writer, and his desire to learn about his camera and photography have made him a wonderful addition to the Des Plaines Camera Club InFocus Newsletter. ) Sue Lindell asked me to write an article for the May newsletter, where I would reflect on my first year as a member of the Des Plaines Camera Club. She asked: “What had I learned? What did I like? Would I be back?” I struggled a bit, as I tried to put my experiences into words, but here is my attempt as I look back over the year. I learned:

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Retrospect continued

Bob Erickson - image by Bill Bishoff

• that people join clubs / organizations for variety reasons. One obvious reason to join

the Des Plaines Camera Club is a love of photography. However, aside from that, I joined to specifically learn how to better use my camera to capture images that interest me. I discovered that there is much more to photography than just pointing & shooting (which is pretty much all I knew at the beginning) and I think that holds true for many who own and use digital cameras. Today’s digital SLRs have a ‘full auto’ mode, which takes all the responsibility for the camera’s settings. Unfortunately, that is not usually the best choice for getting a great image. Depending on the circumstances and conditions, aperture preferred or shutter preferred may be called for; for others, manual is the best choice. Knowing when to use each is part of my learning curve.

• that finding programs for each meeting that challenge seasoned photographers and don’t overwhelm ‘neophytes’ (like me) is quite demanding. The officers of this club did a wonderful job this year.

• that capturing an image is only part of the process. Not knowing much (if anything) about Elements, Photoshop or even Lightroom, meant that I did not know I could ‘fix’ many images that were ‘not quite right’.

• The Elements class that was given in January was very helpful, although the adage still holds true that ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it’. There is so much to learn with any of these programs, that being able to use it properly requires a skill set that is easily lost (at least by me), if I don’t put it into use on a regular basis. I will most likely take the class again, to re-learn everything I have not used on a regular basis.

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Retrospect continued

• that being able to use my camera and process the images that I capture requires a

time commitment that too often (for me) gets short-changed. That it is just the way it is; I want to devote more time to photography, but have to be content with what time is available to me week to week.

• that some people really enjoy the competition; I’m guessing I might join that group eventually, once I feel more confident in how to best capture an image, as well as in making improvements afterward. This year, I entered only DPI competitions, mainly to assess how well my images fit the criteria of a ‘good’ photography.

• that making new friends (as a stranger in a group of ‘regulars’) can be difficult when you are not sure of all the ‘lingo’ or expectations that are a baseline for most members and when you are not exactly an extrovert.

The things I enjoyed or liked include:

• ‘bring your camera’ nights…a time to see how lighting and camera settings create the desired effect, as well as a time to ask questions, when the results were not as expected.

• classes, like the Elements class, where I could get ‘hands-on’ training and receive help from experienced members during the ‘in class’ exercises.

• shared experiences, when members participated in photo shoot opportunities for our community or went on field trips (I was not able to participate this year in any of the field trips; I hope to change that in the future).

• understanding (gradually) what constitutes a great image: the combination of factors that make an image ‘pop’ and / or evoke an emotion, make a statement. The need to consider all areas of the image, from the foreground to mid-area to background and how they work together to draw your eye to the center of interest.

• participation in one of the ‘study groups’, where I was given helpful suggestions, words of support and I was encouraged to comment on the impact of another’s image, even when I felt I did not have the technical expertise to make suggestions.

Finally, “Will I be back?” The answer is: “Most definitely!” I (obviously) have a lot more to learn and I realize now that I do not have to try to be like any other photographer; I can (and should) learn to take interesting images that appeal to me, capture a memory or make a statement just for the enjoyment of it, then use whatever tools are at my disposal to correct any flaws. This, for me, is the nature of photography in the digital era. Hope to see you next year (or also at the year-end banquet).

~Bob Erickson


DPCC Board Members to Return Next Season

Our DPCC board has generously agreed to continue their service to the club next season. Tom Mulick says, " I'm happy to serve another year as president and program chair of the Des Plaines Camera Club. As I see it the club is about the members and I would like to fill the needs and wants of you in the coming year. The president part is easy. Programming is more difficult and it would be helpful if I got some feedback from members as to what they would like. Since I first joined the club years ago, I felt it should be a club where members of all levels of experience can grow and learn as photographers and have fun doing it". Club secretary Kay Michaely echoes the need for active participation. "We keep up with the times while not forgetting those that are not as advanced as others. The photos get better and better. There are advancing techniques that members are willing to share. In the future, I would like to see everyone participate. There is so much to do and so few willing to take on the tasks. We have a wealth of knowledge within the Club. I encourage all the members to help, be it a lecture, set up for meetings and events or what ever is needed to make our Club run smoothly and grow". Vice President Dave Waycie would like to help cultivate the camaraderie found in a successful club. He tells us, "I found doing photography in a vacuum a little unsatisfying. I really appreciate participating in a community of amateur photographers who are willing to help and encourage one another as we all try to become better at our "art." Des Plaines Camera Club has met that need". Irene Szilagyi adds, "I believe it is a good club, but to keep it going we need younger members ( I mean, younger than me)". Past president Jerry Hug supports maintaining study groups in the new season, declaring, "I hope we continue our Study Groups and that more club members give it a try". Other active club members deserving special recognition include Bill Bishoff and Bob Erickson for their regular contributions to the InFocus Newsletter, Theresa Hart and Jane Ballengee for publicity, Wes Keil for his representation at CACCA competitions along with John Kraft; Greg Pickle for SmugMug upkeep and Scott Striker for assistance in club competition.

All current board members and newsletter editor may be reached through our web site, http://desplainescameraclub.com/

on the "contact us" page.

The Des Plaines Camera Club is a proud member of the Chicago Area Camera Club Association and Photgraphic Society of America

http://desplainescameraclub.com/


Ballerina in Profile - image by Theresa Hart

May Competition Results

The DPCC projected image of the month award for May belongs to Theresa Hart for her beautiful image, Ballerina in Profile. Theresa has shown tremendous growth and skill development in her ability to render artistic composition and exceptional tone development in her images. Her passion for portrait photography is clearly evident in this month's chosen image. The image was taken with a Canon 7D camera, f-6.7, 1/125, ISO 400.

Charlie - image by John Kowalyk

Print of the month for May is Charlie, by John Kowalyck. This image was taken at the Telluride Mushroom Festival in 2010. It was taken with a Nikon D200, 18-200 mm Nikon lens, ISO 200 , F5.6 at 1/320 seconds and focal length 50mm.


Quick Clicks

Phonography exhibit opening - images submitted by Sharon and John Peterson

Left to Right: Bring you Camera Night, Fall Fest, Des Plaines Night Shoot, Lighthouse Sunrise Shoot

images submitted by Bill Bishoff, Sue Lindell, Tom Mulick


Study Groups to Continue Over Summer Break The DPCC will continue with study groups over the summer in it’s ongoing commitment of helping photographers learn from each other and grow. The initial Study Group idea came from the PSA Members Study Groups started by Barbara Miller, APSA. The groups consist of 6 people, and are set up to allow them private access to a gallery set up through the DPCC web site and SmugMug. Club member Greg Pickle coordinates the galleries and once a month, each person within their group sends an image to the gallery. The image maker also includes a description or request for specific feedback. Other group members then add their own comments to help the image creator see their own work more objectively. Jerry Hug, leader of Study Group 1, tells us, “I have gotten messages and exchanges from every member about how they like being in the group and how even after the first month of sharing and making suggestions on each others images how they have gotten insights about their image that they alone may not have seen or even thought about. Feed back (critique) about our images is one of the most important ways to grow as photographers.” Jane Ballengee, winner of CACCA's 2012 Digital Projected Image of the Year award is a member of a study group, and credits the feedback she got for editing her image into an award winning portrait. DPCC Vice President Dave Waycie is the coordinator of this club activity and the one to talk to if you would like to be a Study Group leader or if you have questions about the Study Group system. Dave says, “From what I've heard, being the group leader is not a daunting task -- it just involves a little organizing. If you do not want to lead a study group, but would like to become a member of one of these groups, let me know that as well.” There are currently three active groups, Study Group 1, lead by Jerry Hug; Study Group 2, Lead by Tom Mulick and Study Group 3 lead by Joe Rackoczy. Plans for a fourth group are underway, contact Dave at [email protected] if you are interested.

Great Ways To Stay In Touch

Keep up with Des Plaines Camera Clubs information on our web site over the summer break.The site offers many pages of club information, galleries of assignment images, competition and group events and photo ops. You can find links to the PSA and CACCA and contact information of club officers. Back issues of the InFocus newsletter may be found there also. http://desplainescameraclub.com/

The Des Plaines Camera Club maintains a Yahoo group which allows members a great way to keep in touch and pass along information directly to members. Once you join the group you will have access to your camera club any time you wish. Have a question? Post it on our Yahoo Group page http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/desplainescameraclub/ . Want to invite club members to go with you on a spontaneous photo op? Post it on our Yahoo Group page! Would you like to peruse the wonderful "Photo Tips" that were sent out they are all there, in our groups "Message List" and "Message History" area, organized by date. Our Yahoo group currently boasts over 80 members, why not join us?

http://desplainescameraclub.com/

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/desplainescameraclub/

IN Focus · Upcoming Schedule May 2012 Monday, May 21 -6 to 9 pm Year End Banquet at the Silver...

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