June Meeting- A Unique take on Abstract Photography by Mary Louise Ravese

Photographer Mary Louise Ravese has fine art photography in private, university and corporate collections in over 40 states and is exhibited nationally through art shows, galleries and shops. Her images have been used in calendars, magazines, books and websites including various projects with National Geographic Maps.

For over 20 years, Mary Louise has specialized in outdoor color photography from locations across the U.S., Europe and Japan. Her favorite subject matter includes country landscapes, nature close-ups, interesting architectural details and wildlife. She draws inspiration from a variety of visual arts to produce photographs often described as “painterly”.

Her photographs are about intriguing juxtapositions of vibrant colors, distinctive shapes, and unique textures. Through her photography Mary Louise aims to capture the essence of the natural world in color, form and spirit. She enjoys capturing fleeting moments of beauty or drama that might otherwise be lost. Her ambition is to incorporate the beauty of painting in the clarity of photography.

Her photographs are created using both film and digital equipment. In the digital world where software programs offer vast possibilities for altering reality, Mary Louise’s philosophy regarding her own work is that it is important to stay true to nature. She does not digitally manipulate her photographs to generate unrealistic images and instead takes the time and care to produce the best "in camera" images possible.

May Meeting: Frame Sale and Artomatic

We are going to ask everyone to step out of their comfort zone this month. To start the meeting we will have a frame sale. The Clique is the proud owner of about 70 16x20 black wood frames that we have used for past shows. Most will have wire hangers on the back but none will have any glass, just the frame. They are $5 each with an initial limit of 10 per person for May. First come first serve. Next, if there is interest we would like to have a 20 minute Q&A session on any photography questions you may have, for example how do I make a B&W image using Lightroom. The highlight of the evening will be a visit to Artomatic. If you are interested in photography you are interested in art and Artomatic is the premier art event I Frederick and only happens every couple of years. Artomatic is on Church street just a couple of blocks from the Delaplaine so we can all walk up and take in the show. Feel free to bring a camera and take some shots and we can view them at the June show and tell.

March Meeting - Photo Swap/Sale

As photographers we all collect various photo related items that need to be cleaned out from time to time. To that end, for the March meeting, we will be holding a Spring Cleaning Photo gear swap/sale event. So go through your closets and bring any bags, monopods, filters etc that you looking to part with and bring them to the meeting. These would be items that you willing to swap, sell at a modest price or give away. But don’t stop there if there is equipment you are no longer using or looking to upgrade fel free to bring it along and offer for sale. We are looking to advertise this event to other groups in the area to maximize the potential market. We already have two individuals who will be bringing collections of equipment for give away and for sale. Feel free to pass the information on to anyone you know who may be interested. More details to follow.

February Meeting - Burke Seim, Service Photo Supply Inc.

For over 50 years, Service Photo has been serving the photographic needs of the Baltimore and greater Maryland area. Burke will be speaking to us about how the photographic business has changed over the years and providing insights into the business of photography that all of us deal with but probably do not understand as well as we should. Gray market vs. US warranty, buy local or online, how do I get my camera repaired, how do I clean my sensor, where is the market going. All of this and more will be covered. The presentation works best as an interactive session so bring lots of questions.

January Meeting - Don Rosenberger - Abstracts

About Don:

I first picked up a camera in my teenage years, shooting mostly black and white film and doing my own darkroom work. My interests shifted to color film in my early twenties, then I did the unexpected, I quit photography. There were a variety of reasons for this decision, but when I look back I think I was lacking a certain maturity that was necessary to move forward in regard to the quality of my work. With the advent of Digital Photography I started shooting again with a passion that had been missing in earlier years. Today I am drawn to a variety of work, but I consider landscape photography to be the core of my interests. Being outside and often in remote locations gives me an appreciation for our natural world. It is my hope that my images bring others to that same level of appreciation.

Today I consider myself a professional amateur. The amateur aspect allows me to pursue photography with a passion that many with a 9 to 5 job lack and the professional aspect constantly pushes me to improve my craft. Even when shooting familiar subjects, I try to capture them in new and unique ways. I constantly feel a motivation to strive for that next level, regardless of how elusive that goal may be. I hope to be able to share that passion and drive with our clients at Road Runner Photography Tours.

While I consider camera gear to be important, it is only a tool that you use to achieve an end. In the field I might be shooting next to you with only an iPhone, but that might be the tool I choose to achieve my creative vision. As David DuChemin said “gear is good, vision is better”. I might make suggestions for equipment that will help you achieve a specific effect, but I do not believe that expensive cameras are necessary for quality work.

November Meeting - Denise Silva

Creative Long Exposures

In this presentation Denise will show examples of the various types of long exposure techniques. She will discuss the best conditions to take advantage of long exposures. She will also show what gear you will need and will explore why you might want to give this very creative form of expression a try!!

October Meeting - Richard Batch

Richard Batch was 15 when he got his first real camera, a Yashica Mat-LM. Having only 12 shots per roll taught him to think before shooting. El Greco led him to learn about zone focusing and relating subject to environment. After receiving his degree from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, he landed a job as the staff photographer for The Northern Virginia Sun. He also shot for Dossier Magazine, two theatres in DC and freelanced.

Wet darkroom printing work became much easier when he ran film/developer/paper calibrations to produce negatives, which allowed the full range of zones to be printed without any additional work. On the digital side, more testing of papers, printers, film scanners and techniques in Photoshop helped him work toward the production of the fine digital B&W print. Photojournalism and portraiture are his passions.

September Speaker - Peter Foiles

Photographing Death Valley, Southern Utah and the Palouse or How Mirrorless Cameras Saved Your Intrepid President’s Life.

Peter Foiles will share images from his recent photo trips to Death Valley, Southern Utah and the Palouse Peter will also provide tips and information on where to stay and what to see so that you can plan your own visits to these beautiful areas. As many of you know, Peter is a proponent of mirrorless camera systems and will have the camera kit he used for these trips and his experiences on how it performed.

August 2015 Speaker

Challenge from Brady Wilks

Brady will return to critique your challenge images.

Bring 2 or 3 examples to the August meeting

Step out of your comfort zone #1

• Photograph a subject you’ve never tried before.
• Consider how your photographic style affects your approach of a new subject

Step out of your comfort zone #2

• Choose an alternative photographic process.
• Consider how the transformation of your image informs the content and intent of your work...is it just a novelty?

May 2015 Meeting - Brady Wilks

Brady Wilks will have a presentation on why we make art and provide a critique of member photos. Please bring 2 images for him to critique. He will also have an assignment (digital friendly) related to alternative processing and will return later this year to critique how we have completed the assignment. http://www.bradywilks.com

April 2015 Meeting - Jennifer Finley, the Artist Angle

Jennifer Finley of the Artist Angle will join us at our April meeting to discuss and demonstrate the matting and framing of photographs.

Jennifer was born and raised near Baltimore, MD, but has resided in the Frederick area for the last thirty years.

As the owner of Angles Professional Full Service Framing, Jennifer has framed paintings, photographs, books, albums and memorabilia of all types. In addition to framing, she also provides consulting services for creative presentations including framing material, matting recommendations, layouts, mounting solutions, wall locations and arranegments.

Jennifer is also a partner in the Artist Angle, an online gallery and marketing resource business for local artists.

To find out more about Jennifer or the Artist Angle, please visit their website.

March 2015 Meeting - D.B. Stovall, Large Format Photographer

D. B. Stovall will discuss his extensive collection of large format images. The images span from 1974-1983 and from 2006 to the present. Although some of these images were made in the 1974-1983 timeframe, Stovall started making images again in late 2006.

Large format, usually 4x5, is used for complete image control. The use of large format techniques also complements Stovall’s vision, as it provides a “slower way of seeing” that is particularly appropriate for these subjects. The medium is primarily color transparency, either Ektachrome E100VS or Fuji Velvia for the large format.

D. B. Stovall was born and raised in the Washington, D. C. area. His initial postsecondary education was in photography, and he graduated from RIT in the mid 1970s. He currently is a retired electrical engineer and will provide an introduction to the basics of color management as part of his presentation.

To find out more about D.B. Stovall, visit his website.