December 2011

For those who stayed around, the November competition lasted longer than usual.  I heard some comments that there were too many images. In fact, there were only 15 more than last year.  Below is a chart summarizing the number of entries from 2010 and 2011.

The surge is in prints for Oct and Nov.  I suspect that this was caused by people wanting critiques for Nature Visions in the Oct competition.  Also, since prints from Nature Visions were returned on Tuesday night, people were entering their returned prints. We may not have a problem.  Since the number of categories has been reduced the number of prints in each of the categories has increased. Digital entries remained constant.

Another point I would like to make.  Since we have been alternating between prints being judged first and digital being judged first, I have noticed people leaving at the break.  I presume that the people leaving have had their entries judged.  Competition is, in my opinion, a friendly way to feel a measure of satisfaction knowing your image was the best that evening, but it also should be a learning experience by using the critique to make better images.  By only staying for the first half, you are missing out.  Also, I think it is discourteous to your fellow members to leave and not show interest in their work.

On another note, NVPS is on Facebook.
To join, enter in the search box:  Northern Virginia Photographic Society
Then click on Like.

Bob Friedman President, NVPS

December 6th, 2011 - Program Night: Max Lyons

Night Photography

See additional details about Max Lyons, including links to various web links on the NVPS website: http://nvps.org/main/meetings/december_6th_2011_-_program_ni/

December 13th Workshop

If you would like to participate please send no more than two (2) images to dngovoni "at" verizon.net AND roger "at" thelancasters.us no later than Thursday, December 8, 2011. We will only be doing digital images for convenience. Please follow the club's image size outlined in the Digital Competition Guidelines on the website.

During the critiquing session, we will not identify you unless you choose to do so yourself. We very much would like the less advanced members to participate in this and will give preferential treatment to those individuals. This is a good opportunity to get feedback from two experts to help you advance your photographic skills.

Thank you,

Roger and Dennis -- Workshop Coordinators

Guidelines for Anonymous Critique Sessions

The purpose of doing these critiques is to help all photographers, but especially the less advanced photographers, to improve their compositional and technical skills. We specifically chose to make them "anonymous" so that less experienced photographers would feel comfortable in participating; knowing that the end result is to help them become more accomplished photographers. This end result is different from monthly competitions (which are somewhat anonymous) in that the focus is on improvement not judging. Thusly, more time will be spent by the critiquers in analyzing the photographs.

Specifically:

All photographs will be submitted digitally to the Workshop coordinators who will collate and select those for the critique session. Image sizes must conform to the current image sizes dictated by digital competitions (refer to NVPS web site under competition, "Digital Competition Guidelines").

Images should be categorized by the submitter based on accepted norms such as landscape/seascape, portrait, macro, etc. or other appropriated category commonly used. We are flexible here. A submitter may submit up to two (2) images. Because of time constraints, the workshop coordinators may select a subset of submitted images based on breadth of categories. Not all photographs may be critiqued. We have estimated that it may be possible to do 20-25 images per session. While only the workshop coordinators will know the submitters; you may identify yourself, if you wish. All images will be erased after the critiquing session.

January 10th Workshop

Jim Jenkins: Intro to Portable Flash - Effective Use of Speed Lights for Better Photography 

This will be a hands-on workshop for beginner and intermediate users alike. We will focus on a single flash unit as a creative tool to enhance your skills as a photographer shooting in daylight, indoors and at night. We will focus on using a single on-camera portable flash (speed light) and briefly introduce multiple flash units. Examples and demonstration will be provided as well as practical exercises that will be instructor lead in small groups. We will cover how to use bounce flash, light modifiers, flash modes, control exposure, color correction and more.

Bring your camera, flash and manuals for each. Optionally, some foam core sheets or mat sheet scraps (white and/or black) to use as reflectors/flags and a subject such as a small or medium size object you would like to photograph.

December 20th Competition - Judge Clarence Carvell

Tom Burden and Melanie Marts, co-VP's of Competition, are pleased to host Clarence Carvell as competition judge.  There is no theme for this month.  Please upload your digital images by the deadline, as per the current instructions on the club website.  Prints should be signed in by 7:15, so our judge can preview them.  You must be a paid member to compete.  You are invited to join Clarence for dinner at The Olive Garden Restaurant in Tyson's, at 5:30 p.m., on the 20th.

Mr. Carvell doesn't judge according to any specific criteria.  “If it is apparent the photographer saw something unique, the image gets higher marks than a perfectly exposed and printed image that says nothing”.  He also believes that “less is more”.

For Clarence, photography began as a solution to a mid-life crisis, discovered quite by accident.  As a result, he went back to college, and eventually became a full time hobbyist.  He has taught at the college level, published 11 books, 3 of which are still in print, and has images displayed internationally.  He worked as a staff writer/photographer for the Civil War News for 8 years.  He is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop, and currently is teaching Photoshop to a group of NASA engineers.  As often as possible, Clarence shoots for stock, and has thousands of images with Canstock, Getty, and iStock Images.

View one of his books at www.Amazon.com : Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Another collection, The National Road series can be seen at: http://www.nationalroad.us/index.htm .

November Competition Results

The full November competition results can be found at: http://nvps.org/main/meetings/competition/competition_results/november_15th_2011_-_results_o/

Some of the winning images from November

Clicking on any of the images above will display a larger version of the image.

Competition Images

The NVPS Website has a gallery of past winning images at http://nvps.org/gallery/v/competitions/. If your image placed first, second, third or received an honorable mention in a club competition, it is eligible for this gallery.  This is not done automatically; you must specifically provide consent for your image to be included in the gallery.

To have your winning image included in the gallery, email competitionwinners@nvps.org and provide the following information:

Your name
Image Category (digital, color print, monochrome print)
Image Class – for those categories with classes (Advanced or Novice)
Competition Date

Digital Winners: just provide consent for posting your image

Print Winners: send a digital version of your print, sized as if it were for digital competition (smaller is ok, but not too small).

The Fotofax newsletter is usually finalized during the weekend immediately following the monthly club competitions.  If your image is a first place winner and you send it in before the weekend after competition, your image will be forwarded to the editor for inclusion in Fotofax.  If you have not provided permission before that deadline, your image will NOT be included and another winning entry may be used for that category in Fotofax.

December 10: Mormon Temple Festival of Lights

The Washington, DC Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, also known as the Mormon Temple, is open to all during the Christmas season. This impressive church and its surrounding grounds shine brightly with more than 450,000 sparkling Christmas lights. Each night, a different local musical group performs a live concert in a state-of-the-art theater. We will meet at the Fire Hall at 5:30 pm, returning about 8:30.   Of course, folks can drive to the location on their own.  The address is:

9900 Stoneybrook Drive
Kensington, Maryland 20895-3199

The Temple’s website is: http://lds.org/church/temples/washington-dc?lang=eng
And it contains a link for specific driving directions.

Prints

There will not be a NVPS Meeting on December 27th

Digital Presentation

There will not be a NVPS Meeting on December 27th

A list of current Board members and their contact information can be found at nvps.org/main/about/board-members.

Our board members are:

Notice: Workshop and contest announcements of events not sponsored by or affiliated with NVPS are provided as a courtesy to Members. Individuals should review the detailed contest rules and conditions to determine what impact entering images has on rights and ownership of the submitted images. Review the descriptions of workshop to whether participation in a workshop would actually meet personal learning goals. NVPS attempts to screen events for legitimacy and quality, however NVPS does not recommend these events and cannot assume responsibility for their ultimate quality. We recommend due diligence and encourage you to share your experience with other club members.

Exhibition Opportunities

NVPS Winter Holiday Gallery

What did you do during the Winter Holiday?  A new gallery has been set up to share a holiday photo with club members.  Rules are simple.  Photograph has to be taken from Thanksgiving Day to New Years Day, this year.  Only post one photo.

Gallery Info:  
http://nvps.org/gallery/v/winterholiday/

This is a gallery of images from NVPS members showing what they did on their Winter Holiday between Thanksgiving and New Year. Upload (or email to nvpsimagegallery@nvps.org)  ONE image per person, additional photos will be removed.

Name the Photo "Your Name.jpg" and enter the "What you did" in the caption field. If you need help, with uploading our image, you must be a registered user of the photo gallery, if you need additional help please email nvpsimagegallery@nvps.org. For security reasons you will not be able to make corrections or delete images.  Just email us if you would like to change something.

Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Charles and Pat Bress have a collection of jazz photos in the Smithsonian's permanent collection. Chuck was recently notified that some of their photos were installed for viewing, November through February 29, 2012, as part of a new exhibit at the Archives Center entrance of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Congratulations to Chuck and Pat!

Tuba Christmas - Dec 7th

Looking for an unusual holiday event? Every year, tuba players from all over the world converge in various locations to perform holiday music in a way you probably have seldom, if ever, heard it. There are multiple locations in the DC area and the number of participants varies widely. One of the largest events is held at the Kennedy Center. (There's nothing quite like the sound of Jingle Bells played on 40+ tubas!) A tuba ensemble can make for interesting photos with all the brass and silver reflective surface areas. For a complete listing of area performances, see the home site: http://www.tubachristmas.com/

WASHINGTON DC TUBA CHRISTMAS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7 - TIME: 6:00 pm
LOCATION: Kennedy Center - Grand Foyer - Millennium Stage

Swap Meet - Jan 31st

January has five Tuesdays and the Board decided to use the fifth Tuesday as a Swap Meet. Bring in those un-used photography related treasures and sell them or trade them for someone else's available treasures. Only current club members can bring in items to sell or trade, but anyone can buy. Items MUST be photography related.

Happy Holidays! Workshop Offerings Photoworks Photoworks in Glen Echo Park offers a variety of photography classes & workshops for adults and children, taught by many familiar names, including former speakers at NVPS. For schedule details, check their website class listings at: http://www.glenechophotoworks.org/ Penn Camera Penn Camera would like to offer NVPS members a $20 discount on select classes on a regular basis in the future. The next one will be Studio Lighting for Portraiture taught by Vincent Ricardel on December 4th. Details are at: Please contact Marie Joabar, Education Programs Manager at Penn Camera for details and the discount price. Email: penntraining "at" penncamera.com Full class list: http://penncamera.wildapricot.org Wayne Wolfersberger Wayne Wolfersberger (NVPS member and past President) will be teaching many classes for his thirteenth year with Fairfax County’s Adult and Community Education - ACE. Anyone can sign up (Fairfax residency not required). Courses are designed for beginners, intermediate and advanced skills in photography which includes Outdoor (Nature) classes, flower and garden classes, as well as well as classroom table top shooting for composition and creativity. Several classes include weekend field trips. See http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/index.shtml and then go to Art – studio art for details or http://www.waynewolfersberger.com/ Roy Sewall One-on-one Coaching: This coaching is intended for novice and intermediate photographers. Coaching sessions are tailored to an individual's specific needs, and the scope is flexible. Representative topics are: how to operate a digital SLR, equipment selection, photo critique in a private setting, on-computer demonstration of photo improvements, and field technique. Roy was the November 15th judge, judged an NVPS competition in October 2009 and presented a program in November 2010. Contact Roy via phone at 301-530-6720 or email at roy "at" sewallinc.com or his website: http://www.roysewallphotography.com/ Nikhil Bahl Photography Workshops Responding to a request for proposals, Nikhil Bahl has plans to offer three workshops to NVPS members at a reduced rate. Nikhil gave an NVPS Forum program in April 2011. The three workshops are: 1.  MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY BOOTCAMP, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA Dates and Schedule: April 21-22, 2012 The workshop will start with a presentation at 12pm on Saturday, April 21, followed by a critique session. We will go into the gardens for an evening field session. On Sunday, April 22 Nikhil will start with a field session at sunrise.  In the afternoon, Nikhil will provide post-processing techniques and tips followed by an evening field session. Tuition: $190 -- Regular fee would be $225. A $35 discount will be offered to all NVPS members. Participants are responsible for travel, hotel, food and other incidentals are not included as part of the workshop fee. 2.  FLORIDA AVIAN PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP, Titusville and St. Augustine Dates and Schedule: May 5-10, 2012 There will be field work every morning and evening during the workshop and classroom sessions in the afternoons in Titusville. The afternoon of May 8 will see the group travel from Titusville to St. Augustine (less than 2 hours away). Tuition: $545 -- Regular fee would be $645. A $100 discount will be offered to all NVPS members. Participants are responsible for travel, hotel, food and other incidentals are not included as part of the workshop fee. 3.  CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP Dates and Schedule: November 16-18, 2012 The workshop will start with an orientation on Friday, November 16 and end after a critique session Sunday, November 18 at 1pm. There will be field work every morning and evening during the workshop. There will also be classroom sessions in the afternoons. Tuition: $375 -- Regular fee would be $425. A $50 discount will be offered to all NVPS members. Participants are responsible for travel, hotel, food and other incidentals are not included as part of the workshop fee. If you are interested in any of these offerings, please contact Nikhil at: www.NikhilBahl.com www.facebook.com/nikhil.bahl.photography Awake the Light Photo Tours and Workshops Mollie Isaacs and Mary Lindhjem Join two well-known professional photographers on their exciting and educational photo tours. For 2011 they are offering trips to Alaska's Denali National Park and Katmai National Park, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley in Arizona, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia National Park in Maine. All tours include extensive photographic opportunities in the field, as well as personal one-on-one assistance and classroom instruction. Mollie and Mary gave a NVPS Programs in October 2010. Mollie Isaacs and Mary Lindhjem http://www.awakethelight.com/ 757-773-0194 awakethelight "at" cox.net Josh Taylor, Jr. Fall workshops, classes, and lectures are posted at archiphotoworkshops.com. Please take a look and hopefully, you will find something of interest, including Canon camera classes. Josh is an NVPS member and most recently presented a workshop in March 2010 and was our September 2011 Competition judge. jtaylorj "at" verizon.net archiphotoworkshops.com Mike Moats Mike was our November Program Speaker on the topic of Macro Photography. He is conducting a Macro Boot Camp in our area on May 18th, 19th, 20th, 2012. The cost is $149. It will be held at the Hampton Inn & Suites, at 22700 Holiday Park Drive in Sterling (Near Dulles/Washington Airport.) For more details, check the events listing on Mike's website: www.tinylandscapes.com Portfolio Prospective Portfolio Project Participants We will have an opportunity Jan. 31, 2012 (the fifth Tuesday in Jan.) to have an informal portfolio critique; if there are enough of you interested. A swap meet scheduled for the early part of the meeting and we can have a critique, starting around 8:15 or so. If you believe you will have a start on your portfolio and would like feedback on your work, please let me know of your willingness to participate by Nov. 28. If there are enough people interested, more details will be forthcoming in Dec. or early January. If you have questions don't hesitate to contact me, Bill Prosser (prosserwm "at" aol.com). Want Ads For Sale Nikon 80-400mm F4-5-6 VR AF Lens in excellent condition.  Includes case, mount and hood for $1,150. Please contact Susan Breen via susanbbb "at" gmail.com. Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs (NVACC) The Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs (NVACC) is an informal entity started in 1997 by Joseph Miller with the assistance of Dave Carter and Ed Funk. Its purpose is to promote communication and cooperation among area camera clubs. NVACC is made up of Member Clubs and Associated Member Clubs. NVACC publishes a monthly Calendar of Virginia Member Club Events that can be found at www.nvacc.org/Calendar.html. .NVACC has published a Field Trips Guide Book for Photographers, which provides information about nearby areas that camera clubs might wish to visit www.nvacc.org/Field%20trips%20Guidebook/NVACCPublications.html . Editor's Note November was a great month for NVPS in area photo events. Our club was extremely well represented with members of the club providing 29% of the images selected juried into the Nature Visions 2011 show. Susan Phillips' image White Peacock Display was awarded Best in Show honors and Tom Brett's Single Beach Grass was third runner-up. NVPS members also dominated the juried show, FotoWeekDC 2011 Capturing Nature in Photography show at Meadowlark. In the Meadowlark show, Patricia Deege captured 1st Place in the Other Location category and 3rd Place in the Meadowlark category. Roger Lancaster, Pat Longergan and Marilyn Gaizband captured honorable mentions. Other members were also in the show, with NVPS capturing half of the spaces in the show. Some employees are active in photography exhibits where they work, and two members captured one-fifth of the images juried into the MITRE Corporation's private show at their Atrium Gallery in McLean. There are some excellent photo clubs in the DC metro area and the success of NVPS members does not mean the other clubs are not equally talented, but as in sporting events, we have dominated the current season! Ribbons, points and the recognition of getting in a show are all nice, but the real point of our monthly competition is the coaching we get on how to capture better images. If you are one of the members who have not yet gotten into submitting images, this month offers several great opportunities to get better prepared. This newsletter comes out just before Scott Musson's Nov 29th workshop about preparing your work for competition. The December 13th workshop offers an Anonymous Critique session, where shyer members can have images critiqued by two experienced judges without anyone knowing whose images they were. This offers a painless way to stretch and grow your skill. Thanks again to those who have taken time to give me comments and suggestions for the newsletter. Constructive criticism helps us improve. All requests and submissions should be sent to editor@nvps.org . If I don't see you at a December club meeting, Happy Holidays! Editor, Dan Ward Copyright 2011 by the Northern Virginia Photographic Society and its Contributors. The contents of this FotoFax are copyrighted. No material herein may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the Editor or the material’s specific contributor. All photographs are copyrighted by the photographers who have granted permission for NVPS to use their image in FotoFax and/or on the NVPS website, but otherwise retain all rights to their image.