December Meeting Info.

Retzer Nature Center
Camera Club
December 2013 Newsletter
December Meeting – Wednesday December 4, 2013, 7:00 PM
Program: Scavenger Hunt Image Review
For most of this year members have been challenged to capture images for the Scavenger Hunt. At the December meeting we will get a chance to see how successful and creative our members were! A number of members have submitted their images and from what I have seen so far, we do have some creative and imaginative photographers. If you have not yet submitted your images, please so now. Even if you have not been able to get all twelve images, we would still like to see what you did capture. So email your images to Rick Vollbrecht now. Remember to name your images “01-Cars”, “02-Fence” etc, so that they will display in the proper order.
In case you don’t have the Scavenger Hunt image list handy, here it is one more time:
Scavenger Hunt Topics
1. Car(s)
2. Fence
3. Funny
4. Hands
5. Kitchen item
6. Old
7. Self-portrait
8. Smooth
9. Storefront
10. Tall
11. Texture
12. Wildcard - what is it?
Used Equipment Sale: Do you have old photography equipment that you no longer use and is collecting dust? Don’t we all? At our December meeting we are offering you an opportunity to bring it along and see if anyone else can use it. We will have a table where you can display any equipment you would like to sell and see if anyone else can use it. Please put your name on the gear so members know who to contact. If you wish, you may also list a price. This can be a good opportunity to find a new home for some of your old but still usable gear.
Member Image Sharing:
Members are also encouraged to submit several (up to five) images to share with the club for gentle critique. This is a great way to get suggestions for improving your images and developing your photographic skills. We would like to encourage members to submit images for sharing in advance by email to Rick Vollbrecht at Rvollb@wi.rr.com. This will help to streamline the process of viewing member images. We look forward to seeing your images. In order to give everyone a chance to share their images during the year, we have decided to provide a schedule listing individuals who will be given priority at each meeting. Other individuals may also provide images which will be shared as time permits
The following members should provide images to share at the December 4th meeting:
Kevin Thomas, Rick Vollbrecht, Elizabeth Whitcomb
2014 Club Programs:
We are still looking for more suggestions for our 2014 program topics. This is your chance to suggest topics you would like to have us discuss during the year. Please get you ideas to Rick Vollbrecht as soon as possible.
January 1, 2014 – Happy New Year! No Meeting
February 5, 2014 – Judging Wisconsin PSA Showcase
March 5, 2014 – Portrait Photography – Posing and shooting portraits presented by professional photographer Noelle Youakim.
April 2, 2014 – TBA
May 7, 2014 – TBA
June 4, 2014 – TBA
July 2, 2014 – TBA
August 6, 2014 – TBA
September 3, 2014 – TBA
October 1, 2014 – TBA
November 5, 2014 – TBA
December 3, 2014 – TBA
Field Trips:
Photo field trips are a great way for us to share our common enjoyment of photography, learn some new techniques and share in camaraderie while getting to know our fellow club members. Frank Remfrey has agreed to again coordinate some field trips for the club.
At this time we do not have any further scheduled field trips.
We could use some volunteers to coordinate future trips. If you are interested please let Frank know. If you have some additional ideas of where you would like to see us go, please let Frank know (FRemfrey@wi.rr.com). Better yet, why not offer to coordinate a field trip. It's not hard - find a place you would like to go, pick a date and we can announce it to the club.
Future Events of Interest:
March 22, 2014 (Saturday) – WACCO Nature Photography Seminar with Joe LeFevre.
This seminar will be at the Midway Hotel, Brookfield from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Joe is a landscape photographer from upstate New York. His program will cover making dynamic landscape images from conception to capture to computer optimization. Visit the WACCO websitewww.wicameraclubs.org for more information.
Photo Ops:
As a club, our members have a wide variety of subjects that we enjoy photographing. This newsletter can serve as an excellent way to share various photo opportunities with club members. If you know of interesting subjects or events that may interest other club members, please forward them to Rick Vollbrecht so they can be included in future newsletters. If you are interested in having others join you, that information can also be included. It is fun to shoot with a group!
CP Railway Holiday Train in Hartland – December 4th 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM
Here is a chance to photograph the CP Railway train decorated with holiday lights as it makes a stop in Hartland. For more information, visit the City of Hartland web site at: http://hartlandchamber.chambermaster.com/Events/details/holiday-train-visit-for-food-pantry-donations-2013-132771
Chicago Botanic Garden Wonderland Express – November 29th–January 5th
An amazing holiday display featuring a garden scale model railroad running through a miniature replica of Chicago landmarks made from all natural materials. The display features 750,000 lights and indoor “snow”. This is a great display to get you in the holiday spirit. For more information and to purchase tickets (strongly recommended) visit their website:
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/wonderland?utm_source=Chicago+Botanic+Garden&utm_campaign=1c10abac38-Wonderland_11_26_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f8c61d87c3-1c10abac38-42324757
Photography Classes:
A variety of non-credit, reasonably priced classes on photography and Photoshop are available at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) and UW Waukesha. Check their web sites for more information.
WCTC: www.wctc.edu
UW Waukesha: www.waukesha.uwc.edu
Art’s Cameras Plus has an extensive list of classes covering everything from camera basics to photographing in a variety of situations and use of Photoshop Elements. Check out their web site: www.Artscameras.com
If you are aware of other photography classes or seminars, please forward the information to Rick Vollbrecht
Photo Contests and Exhibits:
UW Washington County “Give Us Your Best Shot” Photo Contest
Open to Wisconsin amatuer photographers. Deadline is January 5th, 2014. Winning photos will be on display during their Festival of the Arts on Saturday Aprils 5, 2014. For more information visit their web site: http://washington.uwc.edu/news/releases/2014-photo-contest-deadline-jan-5-2014
If you are aware of other photo contests, please forward the information to Rick Vollbrecht at Rvollb@wi.rr.com
Websites of Interest:
Retzer Camera Club blog: www.RetzerCameraClub.blogspot.com
WACCO (Wisconsin Area Camera Clubs Organization): www.wicameraclubs.org
PSA (Photographic Association of America): www.PSA-photo.org
PSA Wisconsin: www.PSA.wisconsin.org
Friends of Retzer Nature Center: www.FriendsofRetzer.org
Jim Edlhuber’s blog: http://www.windowtowildlife.com/