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The FCC Annual Summer Picnic

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Sunday, August 12, 2018

11 am to 2 pm

Surreybrooke

8610 Baltimore National Pike

Middletown, MD 21769

You and your family are invited to join us for a day of flower photography, exploring beautiful gardens and greenhouses, and a meal with friends and club members. On Sunday, August 12, the garden center at Surreybrooke will open at 10:30 for our annual picnic. Feel free to bring tripods and cameras to capture the beauty at Surreybrooke. The Lark Pavilion is ours from 11 am to 2 pm. We will eat around noon.

The club will provide cups, ice, utensils, plates, and napkins. You should bring a dish to share. Please indicate on the RSVP what you will bring, so that others may see and avoid duplication.

Please RSVP by August 9.(Through the Evite) This event will happen rain or shine.

If you are unsure how to get to Surreybrooke, the entrance is located on Rt. 40 going west toward Hagerstown. The most accurate information is found on the Surreybrooke website; GPS directions are not reliable and you will end up at the wrong place. http://www.surreybrooke.com/contact.html.

July Meeting Photowalk Assignment

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Photo walks are popular, and small towns offer many familiar things to photograph, such as window displays and patterns in brick sidewalks, but also some things that are unique to each town: a monument, a fountain, a cannon, and more.

At the July meeting, Cam Miller will share some highlights from her 18 months of photo walking, followed by photos from members.

Between now and the July meeting, your assignment is to take a walk in your town -- or a town you are visiting -- or one that is near you -- and do a photo walk: Hagerstown, Gettysburg, Frederick, New Market, Sharpsburg, Martinsburg, Gaithersburg, Sykesville -- you get the idea.

Take a walk, photograph details (ivy on the side of a building, reflections, wall murals, oddities, texture, fountains, people sitting outside, fire stations, benches, doors, fences, flowers, etc.) and edit them down to five or six photos that you will show at the meeting. Don't tell us where you walked -- include things that might be unique to that town, but that don't name the town. Let us guess where you were! This is a great opportunity to experiment with black and white, street photography, macro shots, and more. Many of us will walk in the same towns, and it will be fun to see how different photographers find different things to photograph in the same locations.

Bring 5-7 edited photos to the meeting on a flash drive. Save them as JPGS with a resolution of 72. If you are unsure how to save at this resolution, just save them as they are and bring them to the meeting. We'll take care of making any needed conversions.

So grab your camera, get out there, and take a walk in a town. We look forward to figuring out where you were!

June Meeting - Wayne Wolfersberger

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Photography in Our National Parks

There are 419 National Park Sites across our land. How can we enjoy a wonderful photographical experiences in them taking advantage of their natural features, wildlife, historical features and so much more? We will explore some local sites and many far away including the world’s first national park, Yellowstone. Safety for the site, its wildlife and visitors will be included as well as what sets them apart from the rest of our 87% public lands.

May Meeting - Photography in Law Enforcement, by Allen Hafner

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Documentation of crime scenes and evidence is vital to an investigation and the subsequent court proceedings. The ultimate goal is to take the crime scene to the courtroom in order for a jury to better understand what occurred. This is done with detailed notes and sketches, supplemented with photos. This presentation will provide a brief history of law enforcement use of photography, from early film cameras to modern digital equipment. Along the way we’ll discuss how to document evidence with various techniques such as lens selection, painting with light, aerial photos, 3D mapping, and infrared. Al will also explain why post processing is generally not permitted and the exceptions when it can be used.

Al is a retired Howard County Police Officer, currently working as a civilian Forensic Specialist for HCPD. He is both a Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst and a Certified Latent Print Examiner. A hobbyist photographer since his teens, Al took those early skills into investigative work. He often used his own gear to shoot better quality photos of accidents and crime scenes. This led to specialized training at the FBI Laboratory and the former Kodak Law Enforcement Program.

During his 45 years in law enforcement Al has worked with many different cameras and film formats. This included dark room work to provide the best possible images for presentation in court testimony. With the technological changes to digital equipment, Al has been able to apply old school film techniques to the digital world. As a hobbyist, Al has won awards in various local contests and was also a finalist in the Smithsonian’s Air & Space photo contest. His professional work is usually not seen outside the courtroom, but some images have been published in a variety of training manuals.

Tony Sweet - “Compelling Composition: Creating Visual Pathways”

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The Central Maryland Photographers' Guild (CMPG) is pleased to announce a very special event! Renowned professional photographer and Nikon Legend Behind the Lens,

Tony Sweet will be speaking on Friday, June 1, 2018

“Compelling Composition: Creating Visual Pathways”

There is nothing more important than clean, direct, compelling composition. Through numerous image examples, various compositional techniques will be illustrated and discussed. From the basics of composition to more creative ideas, Tony’s presentation is intended to fine tune the vision and jump start the creativity of the attendees. Whether you are just starting out, or are a seasoned pro, this is a program not to be missed!

6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Chapelgate Christian Academy, Marriottsville, MD

Tickets are $20 with advance online registration, or $25 at the door (cash only, please). Doors will open at 6:30 PM, with light refreshments. The program begins at 7:00 PM. A Q&A session will follow Tony’s presentation. http://www.cmpg.photography/event-2891474

April Meeting - Cam Miller Digital Photo Painting

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Digital Photo Painting

Even if you can't draw or paint, you can create a digital painting from one of your own photos using iPad apps and software plugins. At the April 11 meeting, Cam Miller will show us how to take a photo and give it the look of a watercolor or an oil painting without wetting a brush. She will also show us how to take the "painted" photo one step farther by using layers and masks in Photoshop to bring back important detail that may have been lost in the painting process. The meeting is at 7 pm at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center in downtown Frederick.

Field Trip to Light and Creativity 2018

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Members are invited to carpool together to the 2018 Light and Creativity Workshop sponsored by the Harrisburg Camera Club. This is the 8th year for the event, which will be held on Saturday, April 7, from 8 am to 5 pm. The $80 ticket price includes lunch, and a $50 gift card to Nations Photo Lab.

We will meet at the food court end of Wegman's in Frederick at 6:30 am. We should be returning to Wegmans by 6:30 pm. RSVP to Cam Miller at cam.miller@comcast.net. Please indicate if you wish to ride with others or are willing to drive others. It will take approximately 80 minutes to get there.

Only 200 attendees will be admitted to this event, and it is already half full. Here is a link to more information, including the speakers, the vendors, the lunch menu, and more. http://www.lightandcreativity.org/

To register, you can either mail in a check, as noted on the registration page, or pay by credit card at the bottom of the registration page. Tickets are non-refundable, but they are transferrable, in the event that you are not able to attend after all. Early registration is encouraged.

I hope to see some club members attend this big photography gathering!

March 14th Meeting Critique - Marc Weinberg

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Start thinking about what photos you want to have reviewed at our March meeting. Photographer Marc Weinberg will be doing a critique of member work. Some people like to bring work that reflects a new technique they have tried (studio lighting, black & white, or infrared, for example). Others bring photos they want to learn how to improve. Some will be showing work for the first time, and want to know what an independent reviewer thinks of it. The choice is yours. If you are considering submitting some work to our juried summer show, this critique is a good opportunity to show some pieces you might enter for the show.

Marc will discuss each photo so that the entire group will learn from his comments and suggestions.

For this critique, prepare five photos for review. Depending on the number of photos we receive, we may limit each person to the first three, and if there is time, move on to the remaining images.

Images must be submitted in jpg format with a minimum of 1200 and a maximum of 2400 pixels in the longest dimension. It is recommended that the files be in the sRGB color space. Please number your photos in order of preference with LastName#1, i.e. Smith#1.jpg, Smith#2.jpg, etc. Save them in a folder with your name on a flash drive to be given to John at the beginning of the meeting.

Here is more information about Marc:

Marc Weinberg started taking photos with a Brownie box camera when he was 8 years old in 1956. In February 2008, he thankfully retired from his career as a government lawyer. Since then, he has been able to dedicate himself to his long held passion for photography. Marc jumped on the digital bandwagon in 1998. While photographic tools have changed, photography hasn’t. It’s still what's behind the viewfinder that counts most -- the photographer’s unique eye and vision and knowledge of camera operations and light. Marc teaches digital photography at Frederick Community College and Shepherd University, and he has led workshops at the Griffin Arts Center, and the Rehoboth Arts League, in Rehoboth Beach, DE. He is a resident artist at the Griffin and has a studio there. In addition to his fine art work, he provides photography services in Frederick, MD. And, he has been a regular contributing photographer for area magazines. In addition to TAG, his work has been showcased in several galleries in Frederick, MD, including the Griffin Arts Center, Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, The Frederick Arts Council, McGuire Fine Arts & Framing, Lafayette Gallery, Frederick Community College, and the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. His work also has shown in Carlisle, PA, at The Garden Gallery, Haverstick Gallery & Studios, and the Carlisle Arts Learning Center. His work is in private collections and on permanent display at PNC's headquarters building in Baltimore.

February 21st Meeting- Robert Fawcett, Capturing The Night Sky & Milky Way

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Capturing The Night Sky & Milky Way: A visual presentation of images captured in Maryland and other parts of the United States.

At the February 21 meeting, photographer Robert Fawcett will cover the “what, when, where and how” to capture the night sky and Milky Way Galaxy. Through the series of images presented, the following will be covered:

  • What? Everything related to camera equipment and what’s necessary or recommended for capturing the night sky (Nightscaping); Gear needed - camera and lens, tripod, and remote shutter; and Lighting - for advanced shooting various types of light sources for Low Level Lighting (LLL).

  • When? Planning, which is the most important part of nightscaping, using very basic apps, maps and other tools to get "that shot.” Where to find the Dark Sky and other factors that guarantee a successful night time outing.

  • Where? Finding and locating dark sky with various apps for Milky Way positioning.

  • How? Back to the camera again for the basics of shutter speed, aperture and ISO. How to see in the dark for proper focus and composition.

Throughout the discussion recommendations for post-processing will be touched on as well.

Robert’s work can be seen at his website: https://robert-fawcett.pixels.com/

January Meeting - June Jarkey - Stock Photography

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Want to learn about stock photography, in particular, microstock photography? Want to learn the pros and cons of trying to make money in this market? Microstock companies evolved out of the internet/digital age and have grown into an industry where images, vectors, video, and now music are available to buyers. Come and learn about the process of editing, submitting, and selling photos at agencies that offer millions of images to potential buyers.

Information covered will be from the perspective of a landscape/nature photographer who has “dabbled” in microstock for the past 6 years. Learn more about this industry and decide if selling your photos via microstock is right for you.

December Holiday Party

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In lieu of our December meeting, we will be having our annual holiday gathering. Please join us and bring your spouse or partner for the evening.

We invite you to add to the delicious buffet by bringing your favorite side dish or dessert to share. Please be mindful of food allergies and label your dish accordingly. We will be providing a main course along with non-alcoholic refreshments; however, you are invited to bring wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages if you'd prefer.

We will also be doing the photo swap again this year! If you are interested in participating, bring a wrapped matted photo suitable for framing. This always brings lots of fun and laughter and legal theft!

Again this year, we are having a special presentation brought to us by YOU! Our presentation this year will be a series set to music of your 5 Best Shots of the Year. If you are interested in participating in the show, go through your pictures from 2017 and pick your top 5. Send them to Peter Foiles: pfoiles@mac.com. (1200 pixels on the long side is sufficient). Please include your name in a watermark on the photo so everyone knows who took the photo. The presentation will play during our holiday party as an homage to all our talented members! All entries MUST be sent to Peter by 12/6/17.

Photos for the Member Show

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November is a busy time for the Camera Clique! You need information about our Member show, and we want to reach as many members as possible, especially if you are unable to come to the next meeting on November 8.

All members in good standing are invited to submit up to three framed photographs for the annual member show, which will hang at the Delaplaine during December. The images must be suitable for family viewing, as well as framed and wired in a manner that is acceptable for gallery showing. Please make sure that frames and mats are clean and that it has sturdy wiring in the back for hanging. Sawtooth hangers are not acceptable.

For each photo you submit, please label it on the back on a separate, taped card with your contact information and the title and price (unless it is NSF). Also, please indicate your preference for order of hanging: #1, #2, or #3. We will hang all #1's, unless for some reason it is not deemed acceptable, and try to get all #2's as well, depending on how many we receive.

Please send this same information in an email to Cam Miller (cam.miller@comcast.net) who will be using the info to create wall labels and a price list for the show. Name, email, phone number, Image #1 title and price, Image #2 title and price, and (if applicable) Image #3 title and price. {Note: The Delaplaine will retain a 30% commission on pieces sold, unless you are a member of the Delaplaine, for whom they will retain 20%, so price accordingly.} Please send this information to Cam no later than November 22.

Photos may be dropped off at the November 8 meeting, at the Delaplaine on Sunday, November 19 from 1-3 pm, or at the Hanging Party at the Delaplaine on Tuesday, November 28, at 6:30. We always need volunteers to help hang the show, so if you can stick around to help, we'd love to have you!

This show is an opportunity to showcase the talent we have in our club. The opening reception is Saturday, December 2, from 3-5 pm.

Any followup details and reminders about the member show will be in the club forum, so be sure to check it regularly. We look forward to a great show of our best work!

November Meeting - Personal Projects

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Photographers choose to do personal projects for a variety of reasons. Some seek new inspiration; others want to explore a theme or step outside their comfort zones; yet others find personal projects to be a type of therapy, a way to deal with personal struggles or challenges. Whatever the motivation, a personal project may be just what you are looking for to spark your creativity or to give you new inspiration. At the November meeting, you will hear an overview of various types of personal projects, how to find or create them, and how to keep yourself motivated. A panel of several club members will share their personal projects with us and answer your questions.

October Field Trip

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Cam Miller will be leading a fall field trip through the Audrey Carroll Audubon Sanctuary near Mt. Airy on Saturday, October 14.

We'll meet at 9:30 am in the parking lot of Linganore High School, which is much easier to find than the sanctuary itself. The address is 12013 Old Annapolis Rd, Frederick, MD. We can carpool over, or I will lead you to the sanctuary and show you where to park.

The sanctuary at this time of year offers plenty of opportunity for using a macro lens: dried milkweed pods and thistle exploding with seeds, dried goldenrod and grasses, lichen on fence posts, red berries and leaves, and perhaps webs. There is even a old, abandoned dairy as well as a pond. Cam will be giving some tips for using a macro lens or taking closeups with a point-and-shoot (often my preferred method of doing closeups).

If you prefer instead to look for wildlife (deer, rabbits, ground hogs, birds, etc.), bring a longer lens.

Bring water, a selection of lenses, your tripod or monopod (if desired), and wear long pants and comfortable footwear for walking through grass. Binoculars are always handy, too!

If you'd like to go to lunch afterwards, meet at the sanctuary parking area at 11:30, and we'll head for Milo's in New Market.

Currently there is no rain date, so please RSVP if you know you will be coming, by sending an email to Cam at cam.miller@comcast.net. If the field trip is going to be cancelled, she will email you as soon as she has made the decision, as well as post the cancellation in the club forum. But let's hope for good weather!

October Meeting: Social Media For Photographers

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John Casper will be presenting "Social Media For Photographers" at the October 11 club meeting. Here is a description of his talk

Whether you are new to photography or an experienced shooter, this month’s meeting will have something for you. The world is online, and as photographers and artists we are proud of our work and want to show it off. Aside from having a website, social media is the best way to get maximum exposure. We'll answer questions about which types/apps may best meet your needs as a photographer. Is it Facebook? Instagram or Twitter? Tumblr or SnapChat ? The list goes on. We will also demystify the process of posting an image you took with your camera to social media by demonstrating how to size it and upload it, including how to gain followers by using “keywords” and “tagging." Lastly, we will do a real time post so you can see the immediate results of posting to social media.

If there are specific questions you would like to see addressed in this discussion, feel free to post them here, and John will try to include them in his talk.

September Meeting - Tom Fretz

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Have you been considering a photography trip, but aren't sure how to choose one to fit your needs? Tom Fretz has taken many such trips. At the September meeting, he will discuss why we take photo trips, and what to consider in making your decision. He'll include information about what to expect, and give an overview of some of his many trips. Tom will finish with a critique of two of his recent photo trips, discussing who lead the trips and why the leaders made a difference, along with a few photos of the tour. You can see Tom's work at his website: http://tomfretzphotos.zenfolio.com/.

August Meeting

Infrared Photography and the Solar Eclipse, Peter Foiles

I will start my presentation with a quick discussion on how to safely view and photograph the August 21st solar eclipse. The bulk of the presentation will be on infrared photography. I will touch on infrared film but most of the talk will be on digital infrared photography, in particular using cameras that have had their IR filters removed. What wavelength to use, lens hotspots, how to process IR files and more will be covered. I will have a small collection of infrared converted cameras available some of which I could be convinced to part with if anyone is interested.