Wildflowers will be the theme for March meeting

Retzer Nature Center

Camera Club

March 2016 Newsletter

March Meeting – Wednesday, March 2, 2016, 7:00 PM 

As the days get longer and the temperatures rise, many of us begin to think of Spring wildflowers.  For our program this month, Jim Edlhuber and Rick Vollbrecht will share their knowledge on wildflower photography.  The program will cover equipment and techniques for getting some of those great shots.  Jim and Rick will also share some locations that have wonderful wildflower shooting opportunities.  There will also be some examples of images Jim and Rick have captured.

Member Image Sharing:

Members are 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.  In order to give everyone a chance to share their images during the year, we will select several individuals who will be featured at each meeting.  Other individuals may also provide images which will be shared as time permits

The following members will be featured this month: Jerry and Jan Tackes, Kevin Thomas, Paul Underwood, and Rick Vollbrecht

Please email your images to Rick Vollbrecht    ( Rvollb@wi.rr.com ) by Tuesday, February 29th. This will help to streamline the process of viewing member images. We look forward to seeing your images.

Club Organization:

Our new club officers are:

            President                      Rick Vollbrecht

            Vice President              Tom Wright

            Treasurer                     Jim Edlhuber

            Program Chair              Elizabeth Whitcomb

            Outings Chair              Randy Scherkenbach

Thanks to these members for stepping forward and assuming their respective positions.  Members should feel free to contact the officers with any questions and suggestions they may have for the club.

Club dues are now due for the 2016 club year.  Dues are:

            Individual - $15.00

            Couple / Family - $25.00

            Student (16-25) - $10.00

Please see our Treasurer, Jim Edlhuber, to pay your dues as soon as possible.

2016 Club Programs:

Our Program Chairperson, Elizabeth Whitcomb, met recently with a number of members to review program topic suggestions.  Thanks to the members who offered suggestions for programs.  If you have any topics you would like to see presented at future meetings, please let Elizabeth know.

Our 2016 programs and meeting dates are listed below: 

           

April 6, 2016 – Waterfall photography and photographing in the Smokey Mountains and    surrounding area presented by Jeff Klug.

May 4, 2016 – Wildlife photography presented by Tom Wright

June 1, 2016 – Seeing in Black & White presented by Carl Hartt

July 6, 2016 – Macro shooting and focus stacking presented by Bob Wickland

August 3, 2016 – Selecting images for the PSA WI Club Showcase

September 7, 2016 – Zoo photography presented by Bob Wickland

October 5, 2016 – Image correction and enhancement presented by Tom Wright.  Members will receive images in advance and given an opportunity to show how they would improve them.

November 2, 2016 – Table-top hands on shooting opportunity

December 7, 2016 – Holiday Party with spouses invited.  Review of Scavenger Hunt images.  Member “Best of 2016” show

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.  Our Outings Chairperson, Randy Scherkenbach, is working on some outings for this year.  Sure to return are our popular wildflower shoot at Retzer and the downtown Milwaukee at night shoot.  If you have some ideas of where you would like to see us go, please let Randy know.  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.

Photo Scavenger Hunt:

Our Photo Scavenger Hunt has become a popular annual event which we will be doing again this year.  Photo scavenger hunts are a fun and challenging way to get your imagination and creative juices flowing! The rules are simple:

1.    Capture one image of each topic.

2.    Be creative - think of a unique way to express the topic. 

3.    Images should be taken between now and December 1st.  We will review them at our December meeting

4.    Have fun!

Thanks to Jill Arth for providing us with these topics for our 2016 Scavenger Hunt:

1. Music
2. Happiness
3. Flavor
4. Wind
5. America
6. Backlit
7. Geometric
8. Contrast
9. Sparkle
10. Texture

Future Events of Interest:

 

If you are aware of any events of general interest, please let us know so we can share them with the club.

Photo Contests and Exhibits:

WACCO Spring Competition – Saturday, May 7, 2016.  Members may enter images in a number of categories.  Please go to the WACCO web site ( www.wicameraclubs.org ) for more information and entry forms. 

If you are aware of any photo contests, please forward the information to Rick Vollbrecht at Rvollb@wi.rr.com

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 those 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.

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

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/