In Focus: May 2023
Peggy McClure - “Early Morning at the RR Bridge”
An excellent example of Vanishing Point, one of this month’s special Share Night topics.
This e-newsletter contains OPCC events, reminders, and news and will be published on the first Sunday of each month. Please contact opcc4news@gmail.com to make contributions to the Newsletter. Except in unusual situations, contributions are due at noon on the Friday before publication.
The operation of The Olympic Peaks Camera Club is totally reliant upon volunteers. Due to recent resignations, many of our current volunteers are performing multiple duties and are overworked. In order for us to continue to provide the services and events you have come to expect, WE NEED YOUR HELP. Any sort of assistance is most welcome. To find out our most pressing current needs and to volunteer to help, check out the new Volunteer Page on our website by clicking HERE.
Welcome to New OPCC Members
Please extend a warm welcome to our newest member, John Acklen of Sequim. Welcome to OPCC!
NEWS
PSA Interclub Competition
The final results for the Color Division of the PSA Interclub Competition have been announced. Congratulations to OPCC for finishing second in Group F. Thanks to all the participants who submitted their wonderful images. As a result of our success, we will be moved up into Group E for next year’s competition. Also, congratulations to Lori Moilanen and Suzanne Anaya, who earned Merit Awards, and Judith Lilly, who received an Honorable Mention. The results for the Monochrome Division should be announced shortly.
Clallam County Fair
From Lewis Bennett and Peggy McClure:
OPCC will once again run the Photography Barn at the Clallam County Fair this year. Lewis Bennett, a long time club member, has stepped up and is coordinating the Club’s efforts. The Fair runs from Thursday, Aug 17th through Sunday, Aug 20. Photo intake will be on Sunday, Aug 13, between noon and 6 p.m., and Monday, Aug 14, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Photo hanging and judging will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug 15 and 16.
For this to be a success, We need people from our club to volunteer for three-hour shifts for photo intake, photo hanging, and monitoring of the exhibit. It is not hard work. If we get enough volunteers, the workload for each person should be pretty low. Without people helping, the Photo Barn at the Fair cannot continue!
There will soon be a signup sheet on our website to make volunteering very easy. Otherwise, you can contact Lewis directly by email at lewiswbennett1@gmail.com. You can also call or text him at (832) 830-2958.
Thanks in advance for your support and help!
More information on how to submit photos, competition categories, etc. will be coming in future Newsletters and on our website.
NWCCC Networking Conference
From OPCC NWCCC Representative Stephen Shoff:
The Northwest Council of Camera Clubs (NWCCC) held a Zoom-based networking event on Saturday, May 22. The event consisted of four panel discussions across four aspects of camera club management and experiences. OPCC leadership played a significant role in both leading and participating in the discussions.
The participating panelists shared experiences and risk management suggestions about such things as Zoom meeting code management and zoom bomber eviction; website and newsletter management; concern over how to identify speaker and fieldtrip topics of interest; and even mundane discussions such as the need for and cost of liability insurance.
NWCCC has posted the zoom recordings of the panel discussions on their website. You can view the recordings by clicking HERE.
OPCC was ably represented by Bruce Fryxell, Dan McKenna, Peggy McClure, and Kevin Talbot. They each were able to speak clearly and concisely on each of the topics and by contrast demonstrated how well our club is managed.
I’d like to thank each of them for their contributions and for being willing to devote a full day to this event.
Inbox Overload
From Kevin Talbot:
Some members have requested fewer calendar reminder emails to help reduce "inbox overload." Over the next few weeks, all regular recurring club meetings/events will be revised to send you a SINGLE reminder one day before the meeting/event. Going forward, most new events will also be setup to send only a single reminder the day before the event. An exception will be made for Field Trips and Competition Voting where we will have reminders one week and one day before those events as they need a bit more advance notice to be aware of.
To keep these visible on your computer calendar, there are ways to create a "calendar subscription" to the club's "Hunt's calendar" from many calendar systems (Outlook, gmail, Yahoo, etc.). This ensures your personal calendar automatically shows all club calendar events. Please click HERE for more details on how to do this if you are interested. If you need help, please contact Kevin Talbot, our club VP and calendar administrator, at vp4opcc@gmail.com.
Executive Committee Meeting
The next meeting of our Executive Committee will be held on Thursday, May 25 via Zoom. All members are encouraged to attend to learn what is going on behind the scenes or to express your concerns.
Hurricane Ridge Update
From Kevin Talbot:
The road to Hurricane Ridge has been closed down at the main gate at Heart O' the Hills ranger station since late March for a major renovation of the day lodge facilities at Hurricane Ridge. The road and lodge will reopen for Memorial Day weekend. See the NPS site for more information at https://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm.
SPEAKER SERIES
Nate Chapell - Bird and Wildlife Photography in Europe - Thursday May 18 at 7:00 PM
Spring into the summer travel season on May 18th by tuning into Nate Chappell’s talk about wildlife photography in Europe. Nate will show his images (and images from his colleague Jure Novak) of birds and wildlife photographed throughout Europe. Nate has been leading photo workshops and tours through his company Trogon Photo Tours since 2007. He has photographed over 3,000 bird species on a total of six continents. Nate will provide information about how bird photography is done from hides in Europe, as well as information on raptor and bird photography from many locations throughout Europe.
Use the OPCC Education Night Zoom Code to access this meeting. Click HERE for the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage.
Speaker Series Survey
Thanks to Kevin Talbot for sending out this survey and tabulating the results, and also thanks to our 28 members who responded. We will use this list in coordination with our partners at Olympia Camera Club to begin lining up speakers for next year. Of the 16 suggested topics for our 2024 Speaker Series, those that scored “strong interest” from at least half of the responses were:
Landscape
Lightroom: Intermediate to Advanced
Macrophotography
Sunset and Sunrise
Travel
MEMBER SHARING / EXTERNAL EVALUATION NIGHTS
JUNE EXTERNAL EVALUATION NIGHT
From Peggy McClure:
The next member share night on Thursday, June 1 is an External Evaluation Night. This is an opportunity for you to submit a maximum of two (2) images that will be evaluated and scored as if they were in a competition. Even more important than the scores are the comments provided by the judge on how you might improve your photos. All submissions to the judge and viewing during Member Share Night are anonymous. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of having your images critiqued, you do not have to identify yourself as the image maker.
For External Evaluation Nights, the submission deadline is earlier than for normal Share Nights. In order for the judge to have time to review the photos, pictures must be received by Saturday, May 20 at 11:55 PM.
Here are some things to think about when submitting an image for evaluation and listening to the discussion:
Leave your ego at the door. Appreciate all comments whether positive or negative for the effort put into it.
Remember that an image critique is based on the viewer’s experiences and opinions, which may differ from yours.
Evaluations should not be taken personally. Don’t think it is a statement of your overall skill or ability.
To benefit from the Member Share Night, actively participate by commenting on other’s photos. You do not have to be an expert to share your view of the photo. Ask questions to expand your knowledge, and remember constructive feedback is helpful.
The four points above are from Nature Photographers Network, the Art of the Image Critiques. You can find the full article on the website www.naturephotographers.network.
The meeting will be a hybrid event, with the in-person meeting at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sequim. Anyone not wanting to attend the in-person meeting at the church will still be able to participate via Zoom as usual. Use the OPCC Member Share Night Zoom Code to access this meeting. Click HERE for the OPCC Zoom Codes webpage.
For more information or questions about OPCC External Evaluation Nights, consult the website or contact Competition Chair Peggy McClure (opcccompetition@gmail.com).
JULY SHARE NIGHT
In July, we return our our normal Share Night Format on Thursday, July 6. The special topic for July is “Two of a Kind”. For questions, contact OPCC Member Share Night Chair Dan McKenna at opccphotos@gmail.com.
FIELD TRIPS, WORKSHOPS, & MEET-UPS
Photographing Eagles and Herons at Seabeck
This is a repeat of our very successful field trip from last year. Join Suzanne Anaya and award-winning photographer Bonnie Block to photograph Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons feasting on midshipman fish at the Big Beef Creek estuary near Seabeck, WA. Participants should arrive at 8 AM or earlier on Thursday, May 18. This time was selected for optimal tide conditions. If this time doesn’t work for you, tide conditions will be optimal again during the first few days of June, but we are not planning an organized activity then. Parking is limited, so carpooling is advised. Tripods are optional, but you will need a long telephoto lens.
Watch the field trip page of the website for additional details. For questions, contact the OPCC Field Trip Chair (fieldtrips4opcc@gmail.com). Photos from last year’s Field Trip can be found HERE.
Toad Frenzy
The toad photography Field Trip at Gail Kimmett’s pond was cancelled due to uncooperative toads. They did not show up until April 28, the day that Gail was planning to leave town for 10 days. We will try again next year.
OPCC Picnic
Mark your calendars for August 26 for our annual club picnic. Thanks to Mary Swartz for reserving the picnic shelter at Salt Creek for the event. More details will be provided later this summer.
Mat Cutting Workshop
We had a turnout of nine members for the mat cutting workshop on April 15 at the Solana Community Clubhouse. Thanks to Dan McKenna for leading the workshop, bringing his mat cutting equipment, and providing excellent instruction on how to cut mats and attach prints to them.
Additional Photo Opportunities
Sequim Irrigation Festival
The Sequim Irrigation Festival, the oldest continuing festival in Washington state, takes place during the month of May, and there are abundant photographic opportunities. The Grand Finale weekend is Friday May 12 - Saturday May 13. Some of the most notable events include the Grand Parade, a Classic Auto Show, a Truck and Tractor Pull, and a Logging Show. More information and a complete schedule of events can be found HERE. Photos from last year’s Field Trip can be found HERE.
COMPETITION/IMAGE EVALUATION
NWCCC Travelling Image Salon
Be sure to vote for the next round of the NWCCC Traveling Image Salon. This month we are voting on entries from the Seattle Photographic Society. The links have been updated on our OPCC website for viewing and voting for this month’s gallery. To vote for your favorite images, click HERE or go to https://www.olympicpeakscameraclub.org/competition-nwccctis.
Gallery Exhibition Opportunities
Sequim Museum and Arts (June Exhibit)
For those members that signed up to exhibit prints, detailed information and a schedule will be sent out in early May. The hanging date for all images is Tuesday May 30. Before we hang the images, we need some help from each participant:
About a week before the hanging date, we will need information for each print you wish to exhibit so that standardized labels can be printed.
Exhibitors must deliver their artwork to the museum on May 30, or arrange for someone else to deliver it.
A small committee will hang the pictures.
Currently, 13 members are planning to participate.
We have allocated a five-foot wide space to each exhibitor.
The exception to this is that three participants will be allocated a three-foot wide by seven-foot tall free-standing panel with space on both sides (six feet wide total).
Each participant can decide how many photos will fit in the allotted space depending on the photo sizes, but we ask you to be careful to avoid overcrowding.
From past experience, two rows of images is probably the maximum that will look good. Also, keep in mind that you will need to allow room for label cards and space between your photos and those of your neighbor.
This process will be repeated in June for the July exhibit. We are planning to use new pictures for the second exhibit month.
Thanks to Suzanne Anaya for making the $100 donation to the museum for the July exhibit.
If you have any questions, contact opccpres@gmail.com.