Volume 43 - No. 9
Founded 1965 - our 43rd Year
May 2008
 
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The Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society
Editor: Sam Schaen - Email: Editor@NVPS.org

Inside

Monthly Program
Next Competition Judge
Competition Results
Digital Projection Competition
Field Trips
Members' Gallery
Forums
Workshops
Constitution and By-Laws Amendments
Rules of Competition Changes
Member News
Book Review
NVPS Board
Announcements
NOVACC Events
For Sale
Portrait

Note: You can click on the above links to go directly to the article; or you can scroll through the entire newsletter. You can also print the entire newsletter.

Monthly Program

May 6, 2008
Lloyd Wolf
Photographer, Author, Photography Educator, Exhibitor


Lloyd Wolf is an award-winning freelance photographer and educator whose work is in major public and private museum collections, and has appeared in The Washington Post Magazine, Ms., National Geographic Explorer, Mothering, The Forward, Elle, People, Vogue and many other publications.

He received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1980. His documentary projects include coverage of a prison drug-rehab clinic in Lorton Reformatory, Grandma's House - a program that cares for HIV-positive babies, the Moroccan Jewish community, the March of the Living in Poland, Holocaust survivor couples for Moment (which won a Simon Rockower award for excellence in Jewish journalism), and Operation Understanding (on Black-Jewish relations).

He is currently collaborating with storyteller Carol Grosman on “Jerusalem Stories,” a peace and reconciliation project for Israeli Jews and Palestinians, with noted local poet Sherri Shunfenthal on Circles Within Circles, and with Paula Endo on the Columbia Pike Documentary Project. A long term project, Washington's Other Monuments, on the homemade shrines erected on the city's streets to victims of murder and  violence, was recently featured in the Washington Post Magazine, NPR, and will be the subject of an upcoming documentary film. His books include Jewish Mothers: Strength Wisdom Compassion and Jewish Fathers: A Legacy of Love (with writer Paula Wolfson) and Facing the Wall. Americans at the Vietnam Memorial (with writer Duncan Spenser).


He has served as adjunct faculty at George Mason University, Shepherd College, and Northern Virginia Community College, taught photography to homeless youth in DC’s Streets To Skills program, and to immigrant teenagers in Arlington VA.


Mr Wolf will be presenting a program with examples from many of his personal and documentary projects, and will also discuss balancing his commercial and editorial work with his fine art and personal imagery.


Please join Lloyd Wolf for dinner at Tyson's Chili's at 6:00PM on 6 May and inform Tom Brett if you plan to attend the dinner.

Tom Brett
VP for Programs
703-642-1595
tombrettphoto@cox.net

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Message from the President

Scott Musson

The May 6th meeting is a very important meeting for the club as we will have 3 very important votes.  First we will be voting for the NVPS Board members for the 2008-2009 club year.  Second we’ll be voting on changes to the rules of competition and third we will be voting on amendments to the constitution of NVPS.

The nominations are in and were announced at the March 11th meeting for the 2008-2009 NVPS Board and were published in the April Fotofax.  No additional nominations have been received and the election will occur at the May 6th Program meeting and the election will be by a voice vote since no additional nominations have been made.  I would like to thank the nominating committee of Sam Schaen and Fred Chitty for bringing together a well qualified slate of candidates:

Board Nominations for 2008 -2009

President: Tom Brett
Co-VPs Competitions:  Sandi Croan & Matthew Schmidt
VP Programs:  Mary O'Neill
Treasurer: Fred Chitty
Secretary/Historian: Terri Klinkosz 

On April 13, 2008 the NVPS Board met to discuss business of the club.  A discussion of amendments to the competition rules consumed a significant portion of the meeting and this will result in our recommendation for modification to the rules to reduce the number of images from a maximum of 4 images per competition to a maximum of 3 per competition.  Over the last few years it has become a struggle to provide enough time during competitions to allow judges to provide quality commentary and from time to time the judges have been rushed to get through the large number of images.  This change is consistent with the least objectionable change indicated by the membership poll performed earlier this year. Our Vice-President of Competition, Amie Tannenbaum, will be bringing forward this amendment to the rules for vote by the membership during the May 6th program meeting. The text of the changes can be found later in this issue.

Finally there are amendments to the NVPS Constitution and By-Laws which I brought before the Board at the April 13th meeting to bring them up to date and in line with the way the club is currently being operated.  As changes have occurred in the club over the past years, these changes were not reflected in this important document which is the basis for many club activities. 

The changes to the Constitution and By-Laws include:

  1. Various grammatical changes have been made, some language has been made simpler and ambiguity in some statements has been removed
  2. We no longer have junior memberships but now have student memberships
  3. We no longer mail the newsletter, but now deliver it exclusively through the web and email
  4. A number of board members have been added to the structure of the club to support a variety of activities
  5. The VP of Competition is no longer responsible for the coordination of the End of Year Banquet
A copy of the Constitution & By-Laws showing the proposed changes can be found later in this newsletter.

On Tuesday May 6th we will have a vote on these changes which require a two-thirds majority of membership in attendance for the changes to be accepted. It is an important night to have your vote heard and shape the future of NVPS.

We’ll see you at the club!

 

Scott Musson
NVPS President
smusson@mindspring.com
703-278-2828

 

“The best place to photograph is where ever you are” – Freeman Patterson
“The best camera you can ever have is the one you have with you” – Unknown

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Competitions

May 20, 2008
Mollie Isaacs
Open Competition

The judge for the May 20th "Open" competition will be MOLLIE ISAACS, an Outer Banks-based professional photographer who specializes in portraits of children and families, artistic renditions of fine homes, and scenic and nature photography. Formerly based in Northern Virginia, she now makes the Outer Banks her permanent home.

She has studied with Ansel Adams, Joyce Tenneson, and others. She has photographed many famous faces including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, actress Meryl Streep, actor Gary Busey, former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, and many other notables and dignitaries.

She has won the "Oscar" of photography, the coveted Kodak Gallery Award, eleven times. Several of her award-winning photographs have been exhibited at Epcot Center in Disney World, and her work is in the Permanent Collection of the International Photography Hall of Fame.


She  is the author and photographer of the coffee table book, "The Whalehead Club -- A  Legacy Preserved", a compilation of photographs of the historic Outer Banks hunt club and landmark.


She is accredited by the Professional Photographers of America as a nationally qualified judge for photographic competitions, and presents programs at professional photographers' seminars and conferences. She works for clients nationwide, and is a graduate of the College of William and Mary. 


Please note that Mollie has indicated that she would love to dine with members of NVPS before the competition meeting.

For Sale by Judge

Mollie Isaacs will be selling memory cards at the May Competition Meeting. The cards are unused SanDisk Extreme III Compact Flash cards, still in original packaging. The cards were bought from B&H photo for a 3-week vacation (since she was not able to bring a laptop or other downloading device). She has 15 4 GB cards she will sell for $59.95 (she originally paid $86.95) and one 16 GB card whe will sell for $199.95 (She originally paid $299.95).

End of Year Competition

The Competition Team would like to remind ALL NVPS members that any image having received an award at competitions throughout this 2007-2008 camera club year is eligible to be entered into the End-of-Year competition. Except for the April 29th meeting, we will be present EVERY TUESDAY from now until the conclusion of the May 20th competition in order to collect and box up those winning entries. No further entries will be accepted once the May competition meeting is over. Check-in sheets will be provided for members to sign-in their images; a carousel tray will be available for film slides; digital slides are already on file and only need to be "signed in" on the checklist. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of the Annual Awards Ceremony at the End-of-Year Banquet coming up on Friday, June 6. 

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April Competition Images

Archive Door

Novice Monochrome
National Archive Door
Timber Gooding

Building Detail

Enhanced Image
Building Detail
Laura Howell

Aruba Skyline

Novice Digitally Projected
Aruba Skyline
Gayle Dennis

Frosty Red Sign

Advanced Digitally Projected
Frosty Red Sign
Wayne Wolfersberger

 

Comet

Novice Color
Comet
Oleg Volons

The above images won 1st place in their respective categories in the December Competition. A larger version can be seen by clicking on each image.

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Month Competition Results

Award Photographer Title
Novice Monochrome
1st Timber Gooding National Archive Door
2nd Jeff Suhanick West Falls Church Parking Garage
Advanced Monochrome
1st Phillip Moore Building and Brick Wall
2nd Susan Breen Canal Living 2
3rd Minnie Gallman Stainless
HM Laura Howell Brick Walkway
Novice Color
1st Oleg Volons Comet
2nd Anna Gomez Down Under
3rd Michelle Atkinson Big Dog Lineup #1
HM Bill Von Holle Golden Spirals
HM Pat Lonergan Sea Lions
HM Tmber Gooding Pipeline
Advanced Color
1st Scott Musson Luxor
2nd Susan Breen Malta’s Boat
3rd Bill Prosser Cement Block Statue
HM Sandi Croan White Steps
HM Bill Prosser Nebraska Sunflowers
HM Ed Ruggiero Fan
Advanced Slides
1st Amie Tannenbaum N.E.C.C.C.
2nd Judy McGuire Many Glacier Sunrise
3rd Amie Tannenbaum Colors and Shapes
HM Jean Feighery Circles and Lines
Enhanced Prints
1st Laura Howell Building Detail
2nd Sandi Croan Monastery
3rd Laura Howell Inner Harbor
Novice Digitally Projected
1st Gayle Dennis Aruba Skyline
2nd Jim Carlson Scottsdale Library
3rd John A. Moore Front Door Ft. Matanzas
HM Jitesh Batra Remember
HM Oleg Volons The Shoe
HM Vivian Luu Mormon Temple
HM Vivian Luu Shapes
Advanced Digitally Projected
1st Wayne Wolfersberger Frosty Red Sign
2nd Ed Ruggiero Star Light
3rd Seiji Kuniyoshi Balancing Interior
HM Afsar Husain Toolshed
HM Ed Ruggiero Columns
HM Judy McGuire Shadows on Bricks

Amie Tannenbaum VP Competitions
717-398-9705
miladyamie@aol.com

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Digital Projection Competition
Resizing Images for the Club Projector

Over the past couple of months we have had several club members who had difficulty resizing their images for competition, so I thought that it was time again to provide a summary of why and how to resize images.

The “why” is pretty simple.  PowerPoint is the application that we use for competition judging projects slides at 1024x768 pixels, which is the maximum native resolution of our projector.  If your image is not the correct size, then it will be scaled by PowerPoint to fit the projector resolution.  PowerPoint uses a fast scaling algorithm, which is excellent for presentations, but can ruin a projected photograph.  During the scaling process, it is possible to loose shadow detail and sharpness, so unless you are projecting an abstract with a soft focus or little detail, your photograph will probably suffer significantly and be rejected by the judge.  At the very least it will not be a very accurate depiction of what you intended to show.

There are numerous ways in which club members use to resize their images, but I will describe the most common that I have seen.  The first is simply setting the image size, the second is by using the crop tool.  Both methods can yield an image that is within the limits of competition and either may work for you.

First, regardless of which method that you use, you should start with the best copy of the image that you have.  I typically save my processed RAW images as TIFF files, either at full capture resolution or cropped minimally to make the horizon level.  My TIFF master file is where I always start this process.To resize an image using Photoshop's Image Size function:

Open the image.
Select Image, Image Size...
A dialog will open showing the current image size.

Resize Dialog

 

If you are resizing a landscape format image, simply set the Width to 1024

If you are resizing a portrait format image, simply set the Height to 768.

Make sure that Bicubic is the selected resampling method. If you prefer not to handle resizing and sharpening as separate functions, you can choose Bicubic Sharper, which will automatically apply sharpening to the resized image. Press the OK button.

To resize an image using the crop tool:

Select the Crop Tool (see image to right).

crop tool

Set the image size constraints:

crop tool input

For a landscape format image with an arbitrary height, put 1024 in the Width field and leave the Height field blank.

For a portrait format image with an arbitrary width, put 768 in the Height field and leave the Width field blank.

Click and hold in one corner and then drag toward the opposite corner.  You can adjust the size and placement of the “box” containing the image that will be displayed.

Press the Enter key to complete the crop.

With both methods, the image generally still needs to be sharpened.  Sharpening helps to increase the amount of contrast, but can create “halos” if applied too generously.

If you are using an application other than Photoshop to resize your images and you are having difficulty, please feel free to email or call me.

Competition Upload

Images for Digital Competitions must be uploaded by 6 PM on the Sunday preceding the competition. The upload location is: http://nvps.org/dc/. Help for uploading can be found at: http://nvps.org/main//misc/digital-competition-info/ .

Matthew G. Schmidt
http://www.loreleistudios.com
703.975.6342
mgs@loreleistudios.com

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NVPS End-of-Year Banquet

This year's End-of-Year banquet will be held on Friday, June 6th at the Westpark Hotel in Tyson's Corner at the intersection of Rt. 7 and Westpark Drive. Cocktails at 6. Buffet dinner at 7. Price is $35 per person in advance ($40 at the door). Send or hand your check to Fred Chitty, Treasurer. Make out the check to NVPS. See all the best of the best photos, see the best-of-the-year photographs, door prizes, good food, and good friends.

Fred Chitty
9593 Larkview Ct.
Fairfax Station, VA 22039

Field Trips

VA Gold Cup Steeplechase Races
Great Meadows, Plains, VA

May 3, 2008

Please come enjoy the 83rd running of the world famous Virginia Gold Cup steeplechase race, Saturday, May 3, 2008 at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia! The Virginia Gold Cup is a grand spring tradition as well as a fixture on the social calendar. Details were in the April FotoFax.

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Sign-up Information

You can sign up at a club meeting, by e-mailing me at tek7@cox.net or by calling me at (703) 938-6391 most evenings.  Although email is preferred, if urgent call my blackberry (day) or cell (eves) at (571) 201-0497 and (571) 217-1010 respectively.

Teresa Klinkosz
Field Trips Coordinator
703-938-6391 (H)
(571) 201-0497(Day Cell)
(571) 217-1010 (Eve. Cell)
Preferred: tek7@cox.net

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Forums

May 27, 2008
People Photography Through the Years
Fred Chitty

An NVPS member since 1995, Fred Chitty first became interested in photography in his 8th grade shop drafting class, where he constructed and used a "pin hole" camera. Watching the image come up in a tray of developer was the magic that captured his interest. During college, he worked part time at the campus photo lab, which provided great experience and a solid technical background, both in the "wet" darkroom and behind the camera, using everything from 35 mm to 4x5 view cameras. The "preferred" field camera of his boss was the 4x5 "speed" Graphflex. A great bonus to the job included a small group session with Ansel Adams. Today he is amazed to reflect upon the fact that in 1968, when 35mm film "SLR" cameras were the new rage (e.g. Pentex Spotmatic), his boss, a former Kodak research chemist who worked on Kodachrome slide film development, predicted that digital imaging would replace film in Fred's lifetime.

Fred has been a serious amateur photographer, on and off, over the past 25 years. His choice of camera, darkroom equipment and subject matter have been eclectic as he has sought out new learning experiences over the years. Macro techniques and flash lighting are two areas he is happy to provide subject matter advice. While he currently shoots both 35 mm film and digital with Nikon equipment, he still considers himself a beginner with Adobe Photoshop.

The May Forum presentation--People Photography Through the Years--will showcase Fred's favorite people portraits, and Fred will discuss techniques for improving portrait photography using both single and multiple portable flash units. Use of simple, relatively inexpensive, fill reflectors, umbrellas, diffusors will also be covered in this presentation, as will the use of flash to color backgrounds.

Mary O'Neill
Forums Coordinator
703-548-8669
mary.m.o'neill@gsk.com

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Members' Gallery

May 27, 2008

Charles Kirksey - Digital Projection

Charles is originally from Clovis, New Mexico. He served in the U. S. Navy as a communications officer for three years from 1968-1971. He resides with his wife and son in Oakton, Virginia. He is now a practicing family dentist in Fairfax, Virginia. In the orthodontic and cosmetic portion of his practice, he makes many clinical photographic progress records of patients on a daily basis. In the mid-nineties he developed an interest in scuba-diving and underwater photography. For several years he specialized in photographing the undersea life at a number of "wall-diving" sites in the Caribbean.

John Naman - Prints

John became interested in photography and the lens as a child. In high school, he became immersed in the B&W darkroom and eventually became the lead photographer for the yearbook. In 2002, John began experimenting with digital color photography. More recently, he returned to black-and-white work. Over the past few years, about half the photos explore the beauty of flowers and nature, while the other half explore light, form, and unusual subjects. After moving to Virginia, John joined NVPS in November 2007 and has been competing as a novice.

Luella Murri
Members Gallery
703-256-5290
luellamurri@aol.com

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Workshops

May 13, 2008
Portfolio Project
Sherwin Kaplan

The May 13th Workshop meeting will be dedicated to concluding the Portfolio Project.  At the beginning during an informal session the printed portfolios will be displayed on the tables for everyone to review and discuss with the photographers.  Once the formal session begins, all portfolio photographers will be given an opportunity to make a few comments regarding their Artist's Statements and images. All portfolio images then will be projected for the group.  Sherwin Kaplan, our judge, will discuss his judging process.  He will conclude by presenting several “Best Portfolio of 2008” awards. This meeting should be fun for both portfolio participants and others who did not participate this year. We hope our club and members will be encouraged to repeat this project next program year. As usual, this workshop will be at Dunn Loring Fire Station starting at 7:30 PM. If you have questions contact Paul Simmons or Bill Prosser.

If you have questions you may contact us by email or phone:

Workshop Coordinators:

Minnie Gallman
703-356-0856
pggallman@verizon.net
Bill Prosser
703.821.2670
ProsserWM@aol.com
Paul Simmons
703-912-4862
pwsimmons@msn.com

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Proposed Changes to the
Constitution and By-laws

CONSTITUTION

Northern Virginia Photographic Society

Article I.  Name

The organization shall be known as The the Northern Virginia Photographic Society.

Article II.  Aims

The aims of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society shall be the enjoyment, mastery, and furtherance of photography through cooperation, effort, and good fellowship.

The Society is not operated for profit, and no part of its income will inurebe to the benefit of any individual member.

Article III.  Meetings

Regular meetings of the Society will be held as decided by the membership. Special meetings may be scheduled as desired by the members.  All official meetings of the Society may, at the discretion of the presiding officer,: be .conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order.

Article IV.  Membership

Any person interested in photography may become a regular member upon payment of dues.  Junior Student memberships are available to any person under 18 years of agewho is a full time student. Members living at the same address and receiving only one newsletter are eligible for family membership.

The membership of any person may be terminated by action of the Executive Board when sufficient reason exists.  That person shall have the right to appeal, in which case, the action of the Executive Board may be reversed by a two-thirds majority of the general membership present and voting at any regular meeting.  Notice of such an appeal will be provided to all members through the newsletter or by direct mailingemail notification prior to the meeting.

Article V.  Officers

The following officers shall be elected by the members:

1.     President

2.     Vice President for Programs

3.     Vice President for Competition

4.     Treasurer

5.     Secretary/Historian

Article VI.  Appointed Members of the Executive Board

The President shall appoint the following Board members: responsible for conducting the following activities of the Society.

 

Editor of the Newsletter

Exhibits Coordinator

Equipment Manager

Field Trips Coordinator

Meadowlark Representative

Membership Coordinator

Meeting Facilities Coordinator

Member's Gallery Coordinator

NOVACC GWCCC Representative

Photographer's Forum Coordinator

PSA Representative

Workshops, Education & Training Coordinator

Website Manager

 

Article VII.  Special Committees

The President may appoint special committees as required and discharge them when they have completed their assignments.

Article VIII.  Executive Board

The management of the Society shall be directed by the Executive Board composed of the officers and appointed Board members enumerated in Articles V and VI and the immediate past president ex-officio.  The Executive Board shall meet as often as necessary, but no less than twice a year, to transact the business of the Society.  A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

All club members are entitled to attend and to speak, at Executive Board-meetings, but only Board members vote on decisions before the Board.

Article IX.  Amendments

Amendments to the Constitution and/or the By-Laws may be proposed by any member to the Executive Board and, if approved, may be incorporated into the Constitution and/or By-laws.  A two-thirds majority of the general membership present and voting at any official meeting will ratify an amendment to the Constitution; a majority of the general membership present at any official meeting will ratify an amendment to the By-Laws.

Any proposed amendment approved by the Executive Board shall be published in the Society newsletter prior to a vote by the general membership.

BY-LAWS

Article I.  Dues

The dues shall be established by the Executive Board and become effective upon approval by a majority of the general membership present and voting at any official meeting.  Anyone joining the Society after January 31 of a membership year shall pay half of the annual dues.  The membership year shall run from

September 1 through August 31.

Article II.  Elections

Election of officers shall be held annually.  The President shall appoint a nominating committee.  The committee will prepare a single roster of proposed officers by mid-March and obtain the agreement of the nominees to serve if elected. The list of nominees will be announced at the second regular club meeting in March. Any additional nominations must be made by the second regular club meeting in April, in writing, to the Chairperson of the nominating committee. Such nominations may be made and seconded by any club members other than the candidate. The candidate must notify the chairperson of the nominating committee, in writing, of his/her willingness to accept the nomination and serve if elected. The nominating committee shall then notify all members, in writingthe newsletter, of the nominees for each office.

The chairperson of the nominating committee shall present the roster of candidates at the first regular club meeting in May. Election will be by voice vote when there are no additional nominations or by written ballot when additional nominations have been made.

Vacancies in the elected club offices shall be filled by the President subject to approval by the Executive Board. Vacancy of the President’s office shall be filled on a temporary basis by the Vice President for Programs, or if the Vice President for Programs is unable or unwilling to serve, shall be filled by the Vice-President for Competitions. The Acting President shall convene a special meeting of the Executive Board within 30 days for the purpose of electing a successor President to complete the term. Selection of a successor President shall be by majority vote of the Executive Board.

Article III. Duties of Officers

Duties of the President shall be to preside at all Society functions and Executive Board meetings, to appoint Executive Board members as enumerated in Article VI of the Constitution, and generally to supervise and keep in touch with all activities of the Society.

Duties of the Vice President for Programs shall be to develop and supervise programs designed to further the aims of the Society, and to assume the duties of the President in the President's absence, except that, in the absence of the President for a pProgram meeting, the duties of the President shall be assumed by the Vice President for Competitions.

Duties of the Vice President for Competitions shall be to obtain judges for monthly and end-of-year competitions, to manage and keep records of these competitions, to plan the judging and awards at the annual end-of-year banquet, and to assume the duties of the President in the President's absence for a program Program meeting.

Duties of the Treasurer shall be to maintain records and custody of club funds and dues, to disburse funds for the Society's expenses and maintain records thereof, to prepare periodic fiscal reports, and to prepare a report of anticipated expenses.

Duties of the Secretary/Historian shall be to record the minutes of all Executive Board meetings, to maintain a record of all decisions made at general membership meetings, to conduct the correspondence of the Society that does not fall to other Board members, and to maintain a written historical record of the activities of the Society.

The term for all elected officers begins at the termination of the end-of-the-year banquet and runs until the end of the banquet the following year.

Any elected officers who fail to discharge their duties can be removed from office by a majority vote of Board members at a regular or specially convened Board meeting.  The removed officer can appeal the decision of the Board to an appeals committee composed, if possible, of three past presidents willing to serve and not involved in the initial decision.  In the event that three past presidents cannot be found and persuaded to serve, former members of the Executive Board, if they are willing to serve and were not involved in the initial decision, may be appointed to an appeals committee.  Such appeals committees are appointed by the Executive Board and their decision is final.

Article IV.  Duties of Appointed Board Members

The responsibilities of the appointed Board members shall be determined by the Executive Board.  Appointed Board members shall prepare periodic reports of their activities as requested for presentation to the Executive Board and/or to the general membership at regular club meetings.  Appointed Board members serve at the will of the President, and may be removed by the President in the event that they fail to discharge their duties.

The term for all appointed Board members begins at the termination of the end-of-the-year banquet and runs until the end of the banquet the following year.

Article V.  Duties of Committees

The responsibilities of the committees shall be determined by the President.

Special committee chairpersons shall prepare periodic reports of committee activities for presentation to the Executive Board and/or to the general membership at regular club meetings.

Article VI.  Rules of Competition

Changes in the rules of competition and the format of competition will be decided by a majority vote of the general membership present and voting. Proposed changes shall not be voted on at the meeting during which they are proposed and shall be published in the club newsletter prior to being voted on.

Article VII.  Definition of a Quorum

A quorum of the general membership for the purpose of voting on Society business shall consist of not less than one-third of the entire membership. The Secretary/Historian shall determine if a quorum is present whenever a question arises requiring a vote.

 

 

Constitutional amendments of 04/07/2008

 

Proposed Changes to the
Rules of Competition

At the April 12th Board meeting, the Board agreed to put three motions before the general membership. Any approved changes become effective for the 2008-2009 club year.

Motion #1 limiting total number of entries

The NVPS Board voted to amend Part I, Paragraph C, Eligibility, sentence #2 of the current Rules of Competition. This is consistent with the least objectionable change indicated by the majority of the membership in this year's poll.

Current language:

"Each member may submit up to two (2) entries per competition in any Class/Category in which they are eligible but may enter no more than four (4) in any one monthly competition."

Proposed language:

"The total number of images each member may enter in any one monthly competition is limited to three (3); no more than two (2) of these entries may be submitted in any single Class/Category in which they are eligible."

Rationale:

Due to an ever-increasing membership and related rise in the numbers of competition entries, the NVPS Board seeks to preserve the integrity of the competition experience by insuring that adequate time be available for helpful comments and careful decision-making during the judging process.

Motion #2 re: Over-submissions

The NVPS Board recommends the following addition to Part IV, Paragraph C Questions of Eligibility and Disqualification:

"Any member who submits more than the maximum allowed total entries in any one monthly competition will forfeit ALL points for that month."

Rationale:

This amendment was proposed to clarify what should be done in the event a member submits more images than permitted in a competition.

Motion #3 re Time-Dated entries

The NVPS Board recommends that Part I, Paragraph D Subject Matter be amended so that ALL competitions are time-dated.

Current language:

"Subject matter, theme, and artistic presentation are the choice of the photographer. However three of the monthly competitions will have an assigned topic or theme and a time constraint. The time limit will be that an image must have been captured, or in the case of Enhanced Prints created, within two years of the competition date."

Proposed language:

"Subject matter, theme, and artistic presentation are the choice of the photographer. However three of the monthly competitions will have an assigned topic or theme and all competitions will have a time constraint. All elements of competition entries must have been captured within two years of the monthly competition date." [Remainder of the paragraph is unchanged.]

Rationale:

The Board felt that new work should be encouraged by extending time limits to all competitions.

Member News

Photographers of Northern Virginia

Repeat programs of Photographers of Northern Virginia are now being shown on a regular basis on Fairfax Public Access Channel 30 every Monday at 3:30 p.m. and every Friday at 3 p.m. They will no longer be shown on Channel 10.

The May schedule is as follows:

 
Apr 28 & May 2 Judy Karpinski
May 5 & 9 Scott Musson & Emi Wallace
May 12 & 16 LaVera Murray
May 19 & 23 Cristina Campbell
May 26 & 30 Jan Ponder

The schedule can also be found on the NVPS website (http://nvps.org/main/upcoming/tv_program_photographers_of_no/).

Recovering

Long time NVPS member, Fred Siskind, is at home recovering from surgery. For members who would like to send him a card or a note, Fred's address is 6523 Dryden Drive, McLean, VA 22l0l; e-mail fsiskind@verizon.net.

Luella Murri
Host
703-256-5290
luellamurri@aol.com

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Book Review

The Photograph: Composition and Color Design
Harold Mante
Reviewed by Ed Knepley

If you've attended all of Joe's programs and read all of Freeman's books and are still looking for more on the topic of Visual Design, I'd like to recommend -
 
The Photograph: Composition and Color Design by Harold Mante
 
This book was just released in English this month and is a great supplement to Joe & Freeman's teachings. The author sings the same song but uses a different arrangement. The hardcover book contains hundreds of images to illustrate points but, new to me, it also contains hundreds of diagrams which are the author's starting point for each topic. The photos are used to illustrate the teaching points after these points are made through the diagrams. This approach, at least to a retired engineer, was easy to grasp and provided additional insights to the specifics and details of visual design. Many of the same points, as covered in Freeman's books, only became clear(er) to me while standing on Freeman's porch and hearing him repeat them and illustrate them with a real camera, subject and viewfinder - I'm dense, maybe.
 
The book and a review can be found at

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933952261

A lot of insight to the book can be found in the single review (as of 3/31/08) written by the man who translated this book from its original German.
 
Give it a try. Well worth the $32.97.

Ed Knepley

 

NVPS Executive Board 2007-2008

Can be found at the NVPS Web Site: http://nvps.org/main//about/board-members/

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Member News

Digital Infrared Exhibition
Susan Meyers

Susan is exhibiting her Digital Infrared images in the Multiple Exposures Gallery in the Torpedo Factory during the month of May. She uses a converted Canon G5. All of her photos were taken between one block and 100 miles (Blackwater Wildlife Refuge) of her home.

 

Announcements

Events

Multiple Exposures Gallery
Torpedo Factory, Studio #312
May 25, June 22 - 10:30-Noon

Opportunity to have a set of new images, photos you have questions about, a project or portfolio critiqued by members of the Multiple Exposures Gallery. Free, open to the public, no reservation needed.

Susan Meyers
703-683-2205

LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph
Charlottesville, VA
June 12-14, 2008

Last year Charlottesville, Virginia hosted the first annual LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph.  We transformed the historic downtown Charlottesville into a "living image" with world-class photography exhibitions, outdoor projections, master presentations, film screenings, and special events.  This coming June 12-14, we will do it all over again with an all-new lineup of photographers, including our three featured artists: Mary Ellen Mark, Joel-Peter Witkin, and James Nachtwey.  Full details including a slideshow from last year can be found on our website: http://www.look3.org



New in 2008 are the LOOK3 Workshops and Project Critique Sessions.  Photographers of all skill levels will find invaluable instruction and experience by enrolling in classes taught by renowned photographers David Alan Harvey, William Albert Allard, Eugene Richards and Lynn Johnson. The shooting workshops will be intense 5-day courses (June 7-12) in which students will craft a body of work from start to finish during the week, learn to work under a deadline, edit and sequence their images, and develop and refine their skills as a shooter.  



Andrew Owen


Festival of the Photograph
Andrew Owen
Operations Manager
P.O. Box 1541
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.977.FOTP (3687)

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Photographic Society of America
Portland Meeting

August 31 - September 6 2008

 
In March, I told about the PSA Conference tours, but the details of the programs had not been released. Now they have, and here are a few instructional programs that caught my eye: “Rust, Rubbish and Reflections–finding unusual compositions in unlikely places,” “Studio Portraiture–Mysteries Revealed,” “Mylar Magic (Workshop),” “Nemo and Friends” (how to do underwater macro photography!), “Digital Black and White Photography,” “A 101 Tutorial on HDR (High Dynamic Range),” “F8 and Be There: Strategies for Being in the Right Place at the Right Time.”  PSA Meeting

Then there are a range of shows, including award winning essays in the Color Projected Image Division (used to be the Color Slide Div.) and the Nature Division, a variety of programs in the Photo Travel Division and the Photojournalism Division’s Photo Story winners.  All the Divisions will be showing winners and accepted works from their sections of the 2008 PSA International Exhibition.

For more about the conference, go to http://www.psa-photo.org/.  Take time to look at the slide show.  Then find the logo for the conference (shown above) and click on “Conference Details.”

Tom Hady
PSA Representative for NVPS
thady@worldnet.att.net

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Exhibition Opportunities

National Wildlife Federation Contest

NWF invites you to submit your favorite nature images to their 2008 Photo Contest. Cash prizes totaling $18,000 plus camera equipment and other gifts will be awarded to the winners in three separate divisions: professional, amateur and youth. The grand prize winner will receive $5,000. Plus, a portfolio of award-winning entries will be published in the 2008 December/January issue of the magazine.

The deadline for all submissions: July 1, 2008. For more details about the categories, how to submit your photos and other information, read the official rules at: http://www.nwf.org/photozone.

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Workshops and Tours

Mountain Trail Photography Workshops
Ian Plant

June 13-15 Roan Highlands Experience
Jerry Greer
July 11-13 Rocky Fork and the Highlands
Jerry Greer
July 18-20 Great Falls & Potomac River Gorge
Joseph Rossbach
Sept 5-7 St. Michaels & Chesapeake Bay
Joseph Rossbach
Oct 2-6 Colorado Autumn Colors
George Stocking

Oct 10-14 West Virginia Highlands Autumn
Joseph Rossbach
Oct 17-19 Colors on the Parkway
Richard Bernabe
Oct 17-19 Intro to Nature Photography - 1
Jim Clark
Oct 24-26 Intro to Nature Photography - 2
Jim Clark
Oct 24-26 Shenandoah Fall Foliage
Ian Plant
Oct 31-Nov 2 Autumn Along Mather Gorge
Joseph Rossbach
Nov 14-16 Outer Banks Landscapes
Richard Bernabe
Nov 21-23 Wonderful Winter Wildlife
Ian Plant

Mountain Trail Photography was launched by Ian Plant (did NVPS presentation on Chesapeake Bay). More information can be found at http://www.mtphotoworkshops.com.

Ian J. Plant
Mountain Trail Press
5926 Nicotine Trail
Lorton, Virginia 22079
Phone: (703) 652-0839
Fax: (703) 349-1075
www.mountaintrailpress.com
www.ipphotography.com

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Black & White Reproduction Seminar
David Saffir
May 13, 2008

Join Mac Business Solutions and the internationally-recognized photographer, author and printmaker David Saffir (www.davidsaffir.com) for this hands-on intensive workshop where you will learn the ins and outs of accurate BW reproduction. Price is $99. For more information, go to http://www.mbsdirect.com/product.php?productid=17580

Mac Business Solutions, Inc.
Phone: 301-590-2555
Fax: 301-590-8142
URL: www.mbsdirect.com

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Bill Folsom

May 11 Posing Techniques
May 18 Wedding Photography
May 23-26 Memorial Weekend Workshop
(with Corey Hilz, Joseph Rossbach, Mark DiLallo in addition to Bill)
June 7 Better People Pictures
June 8 Photographic Equipment
June 21 Art & Science of Butterfly Photography

Classes are held at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

Bill Folsom
http://www.wfolsom.com/LESSONS/classes.html
571-213-8696
wbfolsom@verizon.net

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Nature Photography Workshops

Christine Bowles will be offering 3 nature photography workshops this spring in Howard County, MD.

May 17 Macro Photography
June 14 Backyard and Trail Standard

Christine Bowles
http://www.ckbphotography.com
410-719-9656

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Tours for Photographers Ltd.

June 22 - July 6 Northern Vietnam

Nicholas Reuss ARPS
Tours for Photographers Ltd.
http://www.toursforphotographers.com/tours.html

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Josh Taylor's Workshop Schedule

May 3 - 24 Flower and Garden Photography (U.S. Botanic Garden)
http://www.usbg.gov/education/events/index.cfm
June 5-26 Capture Washington with Your Digital Camera
http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/search.aspx?keyword=Photography
June 7-14 Butterflies and Gardens
http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/brookside
June 20-22

Butterflies and Flowers (with Corey Hilz)
Brookside Gardens

June 27-July 12 Nature and the Great Outdoors
Gulf Branch Nature Center

More information can be found at http://www.archiphotoworkshops.com

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Corey Hilz’s 2008 Location Workshop Schedule

June 5-8 St. Michael’s, Maryland
September 18-21 Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
October 9-12 Fall Foliage in West Virginia

Corey Hilz’s 2008 Local Class and Workshop Schedule

May 4 Photographic Equipment
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
May 24-25 Garden Photography Workshop
Gainesville, VA
May 23-26 Nature Photography Workshop
Vienna, VA
May 31 Lighting the Subject
June 1

Art of Composition
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

June 14 Introduction to Photoshop Elements
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
June 15 Introduction to Digital Photography
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
June 20-22 Brookside Gardens Workshop
June 21 & 28 Huntley Meadows Workshop
June 28 Aperture, Shutter Speed & Exposure
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
June 29 Creative Composition Techniques
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
July 14-18 Teen Photography Workshop
Alexandria, VA

Details about each workshop (and photo galleries) can be found at www.CoreyHilz.com in the “Instruction” section. Feel free to contact Corey with any questions:

corey@coreyhilz.com
703.473.4618

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2008 VA Safaris

May 2-4 Smoky Mt National Park (3 day)
Jun 21 Shenandoah National Park (1 day)
Jul 19 Lilypons Gardens (1/2 day)
Aug 2 Meadowlark Gardens Summer shoot (1/2 day)
Sep (mid) Outer Banks Lighthouses, NC (3 day)
Oct 24-26 Delaware Water Gap ( 3 day)
Nov 14-16 Chincoteague, Va ( 3 day)
Dec 13 Bombay Hook, DE (1/2 day)

10% discount for repeat participants 10% discount for camera club members To sign up for a Va Photo Safari go to www.vasafaris.com.

Jack Nevitt & Alan DeFelice
http://www.vasafaris.com

 

 

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NOVACC Events

Loudoun Photography Club
Contact: Mary Austin-Keller or Joe Ellis at loudounphotoclub@cox.net
Website:
www.loudounphotoclub.com
Yahoo group: 
LoudounPhotographyClub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Meetings are held on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays at 7:00 pm at theCascades Library (aka Eastern Regional Library) or as indicated.

 

Manassas Warrenton Camera Club
Contact: Gene Wells (703) 330-5835 or ewellsjr@verizon.net
Website: www.mwcc-photo.org .
Meetings: Held on the 1st and 3rd Thur. at 7:30 pm, Manassas City Hall, Old Town Manassas, or as indicated.

McLean Photography Club
Contact: Bruce Copping at (703) 725-9331 or bcopping@gmail.com
Website: www.mcleanphoto.org
.
Meetings:  Held on the 2nd Wed. at 7:30 pm (meet & greet at 7:15 pm), at the McLean Community Center, or as indicated.
Program:    Competition, guest judge Charles Neenan
Competition:
  May 14, 7:30 p.m. at the McLean Community Center


Reston Photographic Society
Contact:
Ellis Rosenberg at 703-855-4008 or erosenberg@cox.net
Website:
www.leagueofrestonartists.org
Meetings
:  Held the 3rd Monday of the month 7:30-9:30 pm at the Reston Community Center – Lake Anna

Program:    On Monday May 19th at RCC Lake Anne at 7:30 we will have Paul Simmons giving a presentation on producing digital slide shows using PRO Show Gold. Anyone who has tried to or wants to learn the basics of slide show creations will benefit greatly from this presentation.


Vienna Photographic Society
Contact
: Mary Jane Fish at (703) 281-9743 or fishsfotos@aol.com  or Warren Standley at (540) 635-6721 or editor@vps-va.org .
Website: www.vps-va.org
Meetings:  Held on the 1st and 3rd Wed. at 7:30 pm in the main lecture hall of the Thoreau Middle School, 2505 Cedar Lane, Vienna, VA.
Program:    Wed. (5/7) @ 7:30pm
. Charles Neenan will present "Morphing the Mundane into Something Less Boring"
Competition:   Wed. (5/21) @ 7:30pm…
Field Trip: Sat. (5/??) @ 6:00am, … for more information, contact Martin Fish (fishmp@aol.com or cell phone 703-969-8907) or Terry Goplerud (terrygoplerud@yahoo.com
).

Self-Improvement Outing: Sat. (5/10) @ 8:00am… Green Springs Park… topic is “Dominance”.

 

 

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For Sale Items

Cullmann #2722 Magic 2 Tripod. This tripod is very compact and is lightweight for hiking or backpacking. B&H sells new for $134.95 plus $14.95 for mounting plate. Will sell both for $45.00.
Hoya 77mm UV filter, ultra-thin, multi coated. Never used; ordered by mistake. B&H sells new for $52.50. Will sell for $20.00
Canon 540EZ Speedlite, excellent condition. B&H recently offered five of these for sale used at prices ranging from $129 to $169. Will sell mine for $75.00. Call or send a note and I'll bring to an NVPS meeting. Contact Chuck Cecil, 703-504-6956 cecilimages@comcast.net

Epson 2200 Printer - $450 This printer is only for sale because I upgraded to Leopard and it won’t talk.  It is called “Epson Stylus Photo 2200”, and is in very good condition complete with all software, manual and paper roller feed.  I also have 10-12 printer cartridges and approximately 4-5 boxes of Epson papers, 13”x19” to go with it.  For the cartridges and papers add on another $200 and you’ve got a deal. 
Tamaron Lens for Nikon - $200 This is a AF Aspherical XR Di II LD (IF) 18-200 mm, 1: 3.5 – 6.3 Macro, 62mmA14 Lens. I also have the UV filter, Nikon CP-12 Polarizer, 3 Close up Filters (+1, +2, +4), Conkin graduating filter and mount and the lens hood included. Teri Klinkosz, Cell: 571.217.1010; Email: tek7@cox.net

 

Nikon Coolpix P4: features 8.1 effective megapixels of image resolution and delivers professional-quality imaging power to the average consumer. The high-quality 3.5x Zoom- Nikkor lens has a focal range equivalent to that of a 36-126mm lens in 35mm format and the large and bright 2.5-inch LCD makes for easy viewing in all conditions. The camera is compact and lightweight, measuring just 3.6 x 2.4 x 1.2 inches and weighing less than six ounces. In like new condition. $105 and it is yours. Contact Andy Klein at 703 395 2804 or at andrew-klein@cox.net