Retzer Nature Center
Camera Club
August 2016 Newsletter
August Meeting – Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016, 7:00 PM
At this month’s meeting we will be selecting images to represent our club in the annual PSA Wisconsin PSA Showcase. This is an annual competition between seventeen clubs in Wisconsin. Each club submits seven images which are then judged by all participating clubs to determine the winning clubs and top individual images. We will be selecting seven images to represent our club. We are asking each member to submit one of their best images. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Images can be of any subject – nature, portraits, sporting events, people, buildings, still life, etc. Any subject is allowed.
2. Digital manipulation is allowed. You can do anything you want to your image, but keep in mind that others will be judging your image. Sometimes the more wild enhancements don’t judge very well.
3. Each member may submit one image.
4. Images should represent your best work.
Your image should meet the following requirements:
1. JPEG format.
2. Sized to no greater than 1024 pixels on the horizontal side and 768 pixels on the vertical side.
3. 100 ppi.
4. File size no larger than 800KB.
If you have trouble sizing your image, don’t let that stop you! Send it in and if it is selected, we will work on getting it correctly sized.
We look forward to seeing your great images!
Following the selection of our club’s seven images, we will spend some time using the member images to discuss what makes a good image. Look forward to a night of viewing some of our member’s best images.
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.
For image sharing this month we are asking members to submit several images the Wildflower Shoot at Retzer on July 20th. If you were at the shoot, please send up to five of your images to share.
Please email your images to Rick Vollbrecht (Rvollb@wi.rr.com) by Tuesday, August 2nd. This will help to streamline theprocess of viewing member images. We look forward to seeing your images.
2016 Club Programs:
Our 2016 programs and meeting dates are listed below:
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
Program Chair Elizabeth Whitcomb will be having a meeting to begin looking at programs for 2017. If you have ideas for programs, or would be willing to participate in the developing a schedule for next year, please contact Elizabeth.
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, has scheduled a number of outings for this year. Please consider attending as many outings as possible. The more people attending, the more fun and the more you will learn! 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.
We have the following outing scheduled for the remainder of the year:
August 5 – Night shoot at Retzer – 9:00 PM
August 10 - Downtown Milwaukee at Night (Rain date – August 11)
August 13 – Frame Park Flowers – Start at 8:00AM
August 20 - Wausau Kayak Races (Midwest Freestyle Championships)
August 28 - Milwaukee Concours d'Elegance car show
September 17-18 - Doors Open Milwaukee October 15-16 - Open House Chicago
The following are additional outings for which we have not yet set dates:
Summer – Starved Rock in Illinois
Summer - Chicago Botanic Garden
Summer - Wind Point Lighthouse Tower Climb and Tour
Fall - Milwaukee County Zoo
Fall - Tiffany Bridge and Beckman Mill near Beloit
Fall - Barns and Rural Landscapes of Manitowoc County
Photographing Retzer Nature Center:
Caryl Sedushak has organized a group of club members who meet periodically to shoot at Retzer. In addition to getting some great images, we will be putting up a display of some of the images as well as providing them to Retzer to use in their educational programs. If you are interested in joining the group, please see Caryl, or call her at 262-349-4592.
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:
Focus Stacking Workshop – Saturday, August 20th, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Sponsored by the Urban Ecology Center Photo Club, this workshop will show you how to take several photos at different focus points and blend them into a single image with increased depth of field. For more information, go to the Photo Club web site: www.uecpc.org
Birds of Prey Photography Workshop – Saturday, September 24th, 9:00 AM – Noon. Sponsored by WACCO, this workshop at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center will give you an opportunity to photograph up to 14 birds including Bald Eagle, Snowy Owl, and Great Horned Owl in a posed outside setting. For additional information go to the WACCO website: www.wicameraclubs.org
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:
Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office – Deadline October 7th. The contest is looking for photos of historic Wisconsin places including buildings, barns, historic sites, mounds, parks, etc. For more information go to www.wisconsinhistory.org/photocontest
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
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
Friends of Retzer Nature Center: www.FriendsofRetzer.org
Club Organization:
Our club officers are:
PresidentRick Vollbrecht
Vice PresidentTom Wright
TreasurerJim Edlhuber
Program ChairElizabeth Whitcomb
Outings ChairRandy Scherkenbach
Members should feel free to contact the officers with any questions and suggestions they may have for the club.
Club dues for the 2016 club year are:
Individual - $15.00
Couple / Family - $25.00
Student (16-25) - $10.00
Please see our Treasurer, Jim Edlhuber, to pay your dues if you have not yet paid.
