Volume 49 – No. 5

Founded 1965 – our 48th Year

January 2014

The Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society

Editor: Dan Ward –Email: editor" at "nvps.org

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Table of Contents

President's Message
Monthly Program
Education and Training
Competition
   Competition Results

   Competition Image Use
Forum
Members' Gallery
Fieldtrips
Board of Directors

Portfolio Project
Announcements
   Members News
   Exhibition Opportunities
   Events
   Workshop Offerings

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Editor

Calendar

12/31

Fifth Tuesday – HOLIDAY no meeting
01/07

Monthly Program: Alex Mody – Landscape Images of the Northwest
01/11

Field Trip: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
01/14

Education & Training John Naman & Jeff Hancock – Abstracts Workshop
01/21

Competition: Jim Steele – Out of Place
01/28

Forum – Portfolio Review (see details below)
Gallery Prints – Willa Friedman
Gallery Digital – Beth Morris – Southwest USA
02/04

Monthly Program: Jeff Mauritzen –TBD

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.

To protect our members from email spam, personal email addresses in this newsletter have "@" replaced with " at " Please remember to substitute the "@" when attempting to contact any of the people.

All meetings for the club year will start at 7:30 PM at the Dunn Loring Fire Station. The doors will open at 6:45 PM for a "meet and greet."

Remember to lock your car and place valuables out of sight. Please remember to take seats immediately when the meeting starts and to silence cell phones.

Please check the website and FotoFax for the club's policy on weather closings. Check WTOP www.wtop.com or Fairfax County School systems web site for closings. You can also sign up for emails or cell phone alerts: http://www.fcps.edu/news/emerg.shtml

President's Message

January 2014 – New Year's Message

Now that the New Year is upon us, and our will-power is at an all-time high, it is appropriate to recommend a few suggestions that might improve our photographic skills this year. Here is a collection of resolutions that make sense to me and I hope you find them useful as well.

1) Set goals for yourself: The best way to get things done is to have a plan. A good place to start is to write down a list of things you want to accomplish for the year. Examples might be to plan to purchase a new lens; learn how to take portraits or do HDR; organize your images on your hard drive; or travel to a highly photogenic location. Review your list often and revise it when necessary. Check off each item when you finish it, then move on to the next. Be diligent and stick to your plan and you will be amazed what you can accomplish. Go find that pencil and paper!

2) Know your gear well and master the equipment you already own: Let’s face it, today’s cameras are sophisticated optical and electronic devices. In order to get the most from your camera you will want to understand its functions. Start by reading the manual with camera in hand and practice with each button, control or menu item. You can also search the internet, watch YouTube videos, consider trying a training video subscription such as Lynda.com for a few months, buy a field guide for your camera if one is available, or take a photography course or workshop. (A number of workshops, given by friends of NVPS, are listed in the monthly FotoFax newsletter.) Fortunately, today we have lots of great tools within easy reach to learn about our gear. Understand and take control of your equipment.

3) Learn something new: If you are an artsy person, learn something technical like image software, off-camera lighting, or a post-processing technique. If you are a techie, learn something about art, visual design, composition and what makes a compelling image. You may even take an art class. Make a conscious effort to change the way you do things. For example –if you always show your work in color, then try processing to black and white, or vice versa. Instead of polishing something you already know, work harder on an area where you might be lacking. Learn to make your own prints or create a photo website. If you are stuck in a rut, learning a new technique will help you get out of it. If you are used to shooting in “Auto” mode, move to manual or aperture priority mode. And if you process your images in JPEG, consider switching to RAW capture. (You throw away about one-third of the image information when you save your images in JPEG.) The point is that there will always be something new to learn.

4) Get out and take more pictures: One thing is true, the more pictures you take, the more winners/keepers you will have. Carry your camera with you when you go out and be ready to capture that rare moment. Train your eye to see like an artist and always look for interesting subjects or compositions to shoot. Look for bright colors, people with character, or something unusual or different. Get in close. This usually makes for a better photo. Also, plan to get up early to catch the best light. Don’t shy away from bad weather or cloudy days, sometimes these conditions will surprisingly give the best results. Take more field trips, or weekend getaways with a change of scenery. Create opportunities to take more pictures of interesting subjects. Travel if you can, but also take advantage of free local stuff like parks, zoos and street shooting. Good photo ops can be found almost anywhere.

5) Network –associate with other photographers: Make an effort this year to collaborate with others who share your passion for photography. Go on photo shoots with a friend or group; take field trips with your club; talk to others about photo opportunities or nearby locations, gear choices and techniques. Ask other photographers (and non-photographers, too) to critique your work. Learn from others while giving back some of your own experience. Come to meetings regularly, participate and be sociable. The paybacks will be great, your skill will improve and you might even make a few new friends. It’s a win-win!

6) Find inspiration: The easiest way to get inspired is to look at the work of other good (or great) photographers. These might be the published works of classic and well-known artists, or even the images of people in the local photo club. Today, great photos can be found in many places and there are talented artists all around us. When you find a picture that moves you, ask yourself “what is it that you like about the image?” Is it the colors, lighting, the composition, clarity, people’s expressions, location or something nostalgic? Once you can identify the pleasing characteristics, try to duplicate the effect with your own equipment. It will never be exact but you may come close or come up with something even better or more unique than the original. The internet is ripe with great photo sites. For example, see photo.net, 500px.com or even the NVPS photo gallery (on the NVPS website).

7) Show and share your work: Get your images off the hard drive or out of the closet and get them seen. Whether this is on the Internet, hanging in a gallery, printed and hung on the wall, sitting on the coffee table in a photobook, or published in a magazine, doesn’t really matter. Get your work out there for people to see and remember to always show your very best work.

8) Practice, experiment and have fun: Like anything else, the more you practice the better your skills become. Be creative and push the envelope. Experiment. Use a tripod when trying to get the sharpest image possible. Thanks to the digital age, there is no appreciable cost for taking many pictures, so go for it. Nothing is worse than finding a great subject, but later realizing that the one shot you took was out of focus. Take many shots, and keep just the best one. Photography should be an enjoyable experience. Don’t get bogged down carrying too much equipment. Travel light but don’t forget to pack essentials like memory cards, filters and batteries. Have fun and have a great year.

Happy New Year to all NVPS members and here’s wishing that 2014 is your most productive year yet!

Mike Whalen

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Monthly Program

January 7th: Alex Mody – Landscape Images of the Northwest

An emerging talent in nature photography, Alex Mody – winner of the Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice International 2009 Youth Photographer of the Year Award, specializes in landscape photography. Alex’s nature images have been featured in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Nature’s Best Photography Magazine, Elan Magazine, N-Photo Magazine, as well as on a number of websites including Discovery Channel.com and MSNBC.com. In addition, Alex offers fine art photo prints for sale on his website, listed below. He has written numerous articles for NatureScapes.net, and offers both private and full-group landscape and nature photography workshops. Alex, just 22 years old, lives in damp and beautiful Olympia, Washington, where he attends The Evergreen State College. His website is at: http://www.alexmody.com

This presentation will feature images from the mountains, coastlines, rain forests, and waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest region. Alex will be speaking about both the creative and technical methods he used to make them.

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Education & Training

January 14th: John Naman & Jeff Hancock – Abstracts Workshop


NVPS Abstracts Workshop: Ideas and techniques for creating abstract photos

After the snow cancellation of December's Education & Training meeting, this program was rescheduled for January. The meeting will feature presentations by NVPS members Jeff Hancock and John Naman accompanied by renowned abstract artist Joe Miller.

This NVPS Abstracts Workshop is intended to demonstrate some ideas and techniques for creating abstract photos in your own home. Bring your camera! Use a cell phone up to a DSLR with close-up. We will make several tabletop setups to unleash your creativity, experiment, and have some photographic fun! This workshop ties to a popular survey topic: Composition and Creativity. The workshop is scheduled to help members prepare images to submit to the 4th Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit in March 2014 (See more details about the Exhibit in the Exhibition Opportunities section, later in the newsletter.)

John Naman photos@jnaman.com is an award-winning technical photographer with a focus on close-up, architecture and abstract photography. He also has a creative side that he employs in exploring the possibilities of light, texture, form, and unusual subjects. John was the Northern Virginia Photographic Advanced Digital Photographer of the Year (2011-2012). He has twice earned awards in the annual juried Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit.

Jeff Hancock will perform a live demonstration showing techniques used to perform in camera abstracts.  Zooming, swirls, and panning will be performed while the camera is connected to the projector, so the results will be shown instantly.  

Jeff Hancock has been an SLR photographer for 26 years. His initial training was from a photojournalist.  Jeff has been on the staff at the newspapers of Hawaii’s Punahou School and Duke University.  In addition to photojournalism, he’s been active in a wide variety of genres.  His photographs of the Berlin Wall (before the fall) were exhibited at Duke shortly after the wall came down.  He photographed sailboats for sale to Maryland’s Governor’s cup crew.  He’s been the official photographer for Lindsay Cadillac’s Track events at Summit Point Motorsports. He is currently a contract photographer for Gadsby’s Tavern http://alexandriava.gov/GadsbysTavern, a museum built in 1785 that host historical figures and guests in period garb for galas and other events.

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Competition

January 21st: Competition – Judge Jim Steele – Out of Place

Susan Phillips and Beth Morris, Co-VPs of Competition are pleased to welcome back Jim Steele with the competition theme Out of Place.

James Steele is a photographer in the tradition of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.  Working primarily in medium and large format, his "scapes" of land, sea, and body represent the finest in traditional and digital photographic imagery.

Jim says "I love work that has a sense of light. Great photographs have a depth and luminosity that makes them come off the paper. Regardless of the subject, that is what I try to achieve in my work. Photography is a combination of vision, craft, and editing. As photographers, we take far more photographs than will ever reach the walls. One of the great strengths of the photographic medium is the freedom to explore a subject much as a painter might create sketches. How we select the images on which to work is a very personal journey. Sometimes it takes years for me to understand or explore the possibilities of an image. Since craft is the language of the arts, I started to study craft in order to better explore and convey my personal vision."

Jim has studied with Cole Weston, George Tice, Joyce Tenneson, Christopher James, Carson Graves, and Martha Casanave. In our DC area his work can be seen in Studio #343 in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria. He maintains a photo blog at: http://jamesdsteele.blogspot.com

Jim has taught workshops and photography courses at the Art League School in Alexandria, the Smithsonian, Visarts, Photoworks, Inc, at Glen Echo Park and has guest lectured at Georgetown University.  He has also taught numerous workshops in digital printing.

Editor's note: We like to share competition winning images on the website and include a representative winner from each category in the monthly newsletter, but we cannot do this unless the photographer specifically grants permission. When you win a ribbon in the competition, please remember to grant permission. See the note in the following section for details.

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December Competition Results

The full results from each month's competition can be reviewed on the NVPS website at: http://nvps.org/home/?cat=7

Some winning images from December:





Class 1 Prints – 2nd Place
Kevin Egan
Domes at Dusk

Class 3 Prints – 1st Place
Sandi Croan
Fields of Grain

Class 2 Prints – 2nd Place
John Singley
Skeleton Trees

Class 1 Digital – 1st Place
Kevin Egan
Two Guys from Abu Dhabi

Class 2 Digital – 1st Place
Tami Stieger
King of New York

Class 3 Digital – 2nd Place
Fran Bastress
Canyon Vista

Monochrome Print – 1st Place
Mike Whalen
Rustic Church with Gate

Clicking on any of the images above will display a larger version of the image. These were the highest-level winners in each category who provided permission to use their image this month.

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Competition Image Use

The NVPS Website has a gallery of past Competition 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.  Images are not posted 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" at "nvps.org and provide the following information:

Your name
Image Category
(digital, color print, monochrome print)
Image Class
(1, 2, or 3)
Competition Date


Digital Winners: When you upload your image for the competition, you can check the box to grant permission for it to be posted if it wins.  

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 Friday following competition, your image will be forwarded to the editor for inclusion in FotoFaxIf you have not provided permission before that deadline, another winning entry may be used.

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Forum

January 28th: Portfolio Review

The meeting of January 28, 2014 will be devoted to review of portfolios with feedback from Willa Friedman, Tom Brett, and Matthew Schmidt. Have your photos uploaded by January 17 and let Ken or Ginger (nvpsportproj" at "gmail.com) know if you want your photos to be reviewed on Jan 28. You must opt in to the review process.

It is not necessary for your portfolio to be near completion but at the least it needs to include your artists statement and some photos reflecting your theme. In case you have more than 15 images please be aware that only the first 15 images and artist statement will be reviewed. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to get constructive feedback and get encouragement in your own growth as a photographer.

Ginger Werz-Petricka and Ken Barnett

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Members Gallery

January 28th: Prints – Willa Friedman

Former NVPS President and always-active member Willa Friedman will present her prints at the January 28th meeting.

Willa discovered photography right after college when she was an instructor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. She was given a choice of several summer projects including cleaning small animal cages, filing old forms or sorting owl pellets. One choice was photographing wildlife in city parks. She chose the photography because her husband, Bob, knew about such things. She was handed an SLR camera and light meter. Over the following weekend, her husband taught her enough that the result was published!

As Willa approached retirement, she drifted back into photography. She took several workshops, including one with Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant in Canada and also studied Photoshop with Eliot Cohen. She has most recently taken courses at Photoworks with Karen Keating and John Borstel. Willa shoots digitally with Nikon equipment and makes her own prints using an Epson Pigment Photographic printer.

January 28th: Digital – Beth Morris – Southwest USA

Beth Morris is a professional photographer specializing in both travel and nature photography, however, she believes that a great image can be taken anywhere and always strives to give a unique perspective to what she sees.

She has been interested in photography since her grandmother gave her a Kodak Instamatic camera in 1982. At the age of 12, she knew that photography was going to be more than just a hobby. Much to the dismay of her family, she halted their vacation by lying in the middle of a street in New York City, taking a straight up shot of the World Trade Center. Beth would not get up until she had the image she wanted and the family just had to wait.

In 2008, along with her partner Rob Skerman, she founded Morris Skerman Photography. While they offer workshops to multiple locations, their primary loves are the southwest coast of England and the southwest United States. The duo has created a successful formula for workshops that combine history, creativity, fun, and technical support with the goal that every photographer will be inspired by their experiences with them.

In addition to the workshops, Beth's images can be found on postcards that sell along the south coast of England, as well as on several stock imaging sites. She speaks at numerous camera clubs each year and she has also recently been contracted to do marketing work for a pub company in England.

In addition to her active membership in NVPS, Beth is also a member of the Weymouth Camera Club (WCC) in Weymouth, England.

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Field Trips

January 11th: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia

In January, we will visit Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, in West Virginia. Harpers Ferry is located where the Shenandoah River flows into the Potomac River below the Maryland Heights. At this river juncture, Harpers Ferry's meticulously restored pre-Civil War structures maintained by the National Park Service are tailor made for photographers. Across the Potomac from lower town, the C&O Canal National Historical Park follows the Potomac stretching185 miles from Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD. Adding the railroad tracks and bridges, this is a very unique park for photography.

Meeting Location and Time
We will meet at the Harper’s Ferry NHP Visitor’s Center at 9:00am
– The physical address of the Park Visitor’s Center is 171 Shoreline Drive, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
– GPS coordinates are: N39 19.007 –W77 45.381

Signups and Carpooling

Due to the holidays, there will only be one club meeting before this field trip so we will begin the signups online. If you are interested in participating in this field trip, please send an email to the address at the end of this article and let us know if you are driving yourself, if you need a ride, or if you can drive others. The carpool location will be the Dunn Loring Firestation or other locations determined by the carpool drivers. As the drive is a little over an hour from Dunn Loring to Harper’s Ferry, carpoolers should anticipate meeting at the Fire Station by 7:45am.

Park Entrance Fee
– Park passes may be purchased at the fee collection entrance station daily.
– Vehicle Pass –$10.00 per single, private vehicle
– Individual Pass –$5.00 per person arriving on foot or bicycle
– The National Park Service participates in the Interagency Pass Program.
– From the Visitor’s Center you will have the option of taking a shuttle bus to Lower Town or hiking the 1.6 mile trail.

Hiking from the Visitor’s Center to Lower Town
Moderate hike due to one steep section, 1.6 miles one-way, 45 minutes. This scenic trail starts at the tree line south of the Visitor Center, at the back of the main parking lot. Hikers travel down a steep ravine with 97 stone steps, passing by intermittent waterfalls. At the base of the ravine, the trail crosses Shoreline Drive: Be careful! Cars and buses use this road. Keep dogs and children off the pavement. The trail parallels the road, passing by healthy wetlands, where hikers may see herons, wood ducks, Canada geese, turtles and occasionally a beaver or muskrat. Passing the River Access parking lot, the trail merges with Shenandoah Street, bordering the Hall and Virginius islands trail systems. Hikers will see the ruins of the Shenandoah Pulp Mill and a remnant of the Shenandoah Canal.
– Shuttle bus service begins at 9:00am when the parks opens with the last shuttle bus departing Lower Town at 5:15pm.

For those interested in a longer hiking for a spectacular view of Harper’s Ferry
The Maryland Heights Trail offers hikers the opportunity to see many aspects of Harpers Ferry NHP on one walk: spectacular scenery, geology, Civil War and transportation history. From the Information Center in Lower Town, turn right to merge with the Appalachian Trail at the dead end of Shenandoah Street. Cross the footbridge over the Potomac River. Turn left (upstream) on the C & O Canal Towpath.

The trail stays on the towpath for 0.3 miles, and then crosses a footbridge over the canal bed to Harpers Ferry Road. Be careful! Watch for traffic. Directly across the road is the Maryland Heights trailhead. The first bend on this green-blazed trail offers a nice view of the Potomac. Go straight at the first intersection to a see the 1862 Naval Battery, then return to the green-blazed trail and turn right. At the next two intersections stay straight on the red-blazed Overlook Cliff Trail. About 0.3 miles turn right for a narrow, rocky descent 0.5 miles to the cliffs overlooking Harpers Ferry. Backtrack to the first intersection with the blue-blazed Stone Fort Trail. Hike one mile uphill past Civil War artillery batteries and through boulders to the Civil War Stone Fort. The trail curves out of the Stone Fort past breastworks and descends steeply over one mile back to the green-blazed trail. Turn right and backtrack to the C & O Canal Towpath. Difficult (steep and rocky in places), 4.5 or 6.5 miles round trip, 3 to 4 hours.

Harper’s Ferry phone app

The Harpers Ferry Historic Town Foundation created a smartphone app "Visit Harpers Ferry and Bolivar" for Apple iOS and Google Android devices. It is available for FREE on the iTunes and Google stores. This app will give you constantly updated information about accommodations, restaurants, shopping, recreational and entertainment opportunities, historical and cultural sites, and events.

If you would like to sign up for this trip or have any questions, please contact Chuck Campbell or Tom Pratuch, the field trip coordinators at field-trip@nvps.org.

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Board of Directors

A full list of all current Board members and their contact information can be found at: http://nvps.org/home/?page_id=23

Elected Board
President – Mike Whalen president" at "nvps.org
Co-VP Programs – Jamie Kiechlin jkiechlin" at "asce.org
Co-VP Programs – Willa Siegel willas4111" at "aol.com
VP Operations – Brian Payne bpayne45" at "yahoo.com
Co-VP Competition – Susan Phillips competition" at "nvps.org
Co-VP Competition – Beth Morris tenfrwrd" at "verizon.net
Treasurer – Tom Brett tombrettphoto" at "cox.net
Secretary/Historian – Georgette Grossman ggrossman" at "cox.net

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Portfolio

See the Portfolio information in the January 28th Forum Meeting details listed above.

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Announcements

Notice: The information about workshops and events not sponsored by or affiliated with NVPS are provided as an informational courtesy to Members. Individuals should review the detailed rules and conditions for contests and gallery shows to determine what impact entering an image has on the photographer's rights and ownership of the submitted images. Review the descriptions of workshops to see whether participation in a particular workshop would actually meet your 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.

Members' Resources:

Do you need help with a photography problem, but don't know who to ask? The Members' Resource Program is here for you. Have you ever been asked "How do you do that?" If so, then consider sharing your knowledge with other club members.

The Members' Resource area of the club web site http://nvps.org/main/members_resource/ contains a growing set of presentations and "how to" documents created by club members. It contains the Members' Resource List, which provides the names and email addresses of club members who have volunteered to help club members looking for help on specific technology and technique topics.

Members' News:

Our members routinely receive photo awards and recognition and have images in shows. As FotoFax only comes out monthly, the best place to look for current events is on the website at :

http://nvps.org/main/member_news/

Member News for Bob Friedman

Bob Friedman has published an article about the Lonaconing Silk Mill in the PSA Journal, published by the Photographic Society of America. Members can access the article in the December issue here:
http://www.psa-photo.org/index.php?psa-journal-overview

For those who are not a PSA member, Bob has also posted his article on his website: http://www.bobfriedmanphotography.com/SilkMill.pdf
Congratulations, Bob!

Member News for Benita Mayo and Ginger Werz-Petricka

Current NVPS members Benita Mayo and Ginger Werz-Petricka will exhibit five of 39 images submitted at the WSP exhibit titled “Celebration of Color.” Photos will hang in the WSP Gallery for the month of January 2014. The opening reception will be on Friday, January 3 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm and is free and open to the public. Washington School of Photography is located at 12276 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD. More information can be found at the WSP website

Member News for Dan Ward

Congratulations to Dan Ward, whose image, Diversity Dragon, was selected by the MITRE Corporation as the November image for their 2014 Diversity and Inclusion calendar. The calendar is provided to over 7,000 MITRE employees. Dan's image was from his 2013 NVPS portfolio project.

Member News for Tuan Pham

Congratulations to Tuan Pham for his upcoming public presentation Beauty of Things Insubstantial, Insignificant and Untouchable, which will be held at the US National Arboretum on February 8th.

A 5-Saturday workshop will follow in the Spring, also at the National Arboretum. The workshop will be called In Search of Artistic Personality. In both events, Tuan says he will share the wonder and joy of visual discovery, and review the teachings of Ancient Masters on Wise Attention. Tuan suggests anyone with a camera, even a phone camera, can enjoy the lessons which are applicable in seeing nature as well as human nature. He invites us to share this news with friends.

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Exhibition Opportunities

4th Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit

Last year, the 3rd Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit had 489 entries from 117 photographers including some from two foreign countries. Attendees have compared this show with the best work ever seen at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. This year's exhibit is scheduled for May 2 -25, 2014. Details are available on the NVACC website at: http://nvacc.org/home/abstract-exhibit/

Entries will be accepted between December 28, 2013 and February 26, 2014. A $25 entry fee is required to submit up to three (3) images for jurying, and with a supplemental fee of $25, up to three (3) additional images can be paid. No more than six (6) images will be accepted per photographer. See the NVACC link for full details.

2014 Juried Photography Exhibition at the Verizon Gallery

The Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center will be partnering with the NOVA Annandale Student Arts Club and Porch View Studios to present The 2014 Juried Photography Exhibition at the Verizon Gallery February 24th,through March 24th. Peggy Ferric, Professor at George Mason University, will be the juror.

Details are available at:
http://nvps.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Juried-Photo-Exhibit-Brochure-Binder-mim.pdf

Important Dates & Eligibility:
The 2014 Photography Exhibition is open to all photographers residing in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. Any Photographic technique and process is eligible except video. Work must have been completed with the past two years.

· December 8th, 2013 through January 28th, 2014 –On-line entry
· January 31, 2014 –Email notification of jury results
· February 23, 2014 –Receiving 10AM – 12 Noon
· February 24, 2014 –Exhibit Opens
· March 1, 2014 –Lightroom Overview with Eliot Cohen in the Ernst Center Forum 1:00 – 5:00PM
· March 1, 2014 –Reception & Presentation of Awards 5:30PM – 7:30PM
· March 24, 2014 -Exhibit Closes
· March 26, 2014 -Pick-up unsold work 5:00 – 8:00PM

Prizes:
Cash prizes will be awarded for Best in Show ($500), Second Place ($300) and two (2) Honorable Mention awards of $125 each in vendor merchandise.

Fees:
You may submit up to three (3) digital images of your original work for a non-refundable entry fee of $30, which must be paid during the digital entry process.

Entry Procedure:
Only digital entries are accepted. Your image must be a JPG (.jpg) 1280 pixels on the longest side at 72 dpi. Submit your application on-line at:
https://client.smarterentry.com/PorchViewStudio

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Events

Macro Workshop

Note the January Macro and Close up workshop offered by member Joseph Miller and listed in the Workshop Offerings below.

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Workshop Offerings

Speakers and competition judges for NVPS are offered the opportunity to have notices about up-coming tours and workshops in FotoFax for two years after the date of their NVPS program.

Nikhil Bahl Photography Workshops

Nikhil Bahl was our December 2012 presenter and has spoken at the club numerous times in the past. He offers a variety of workshops and coaching events. For more details with his latest workshop updates, visit: www.NikhilBahl.com

Sam D'Amico

Sam D'Amico was our judge for April 2013. He asked that we post this information: "Thank you to all who extended their hospitality and made me feel welcome. If you're interested here's a post on my website that was inspired by our meeting:" http://samdamico.com/different-point-view/

See Sam's website for more information about his services: Sam D'Amico Photography  Original Photography and Excellent Photography Instruction. Classes held in Washington DC and Online – Introduction To Photography classes start monthly

Alan DeFelice

Alan DeFelice was our October 2013 judge. He is a professional photographer who has done raptor photo workshops at Nature Visions. For several years Alan has been a partner with Virginia Digital Photo Safaris.
http://www.virginiaphotosafari.com

Steve Gottlieb

Steve Gottlieb was our November 2012 judge. He is Director of Horizon Photography Workshops where he and other instructors offer workshops, mostly on weekends, all year round.
http://www.horizonworkshops.com/

David Heagy

David Heagy is a NVPS club member and was the Digital Gallery presenter in November 2012. The Travel Photography Satisfaction class will show novice and experienced photographers how to increase their satisfaction with their travel photos, handle a variety of situations, protect their images and equipment, and use photography to plan their trips. His schedule of classes and more information are at: http://imageryx.com/.

Corey Hilz

Corey Hilz was our speaker for the April 2013 program and is scheduled as our December 2013 judge. He regularly holds workshops on Lightroom, Photoshop and Aperture as well as hosting photo tours. See his website for the current schedule: http://www.coreyhilz.com/

Don Johnson

Don Johnson was our speaker for the October 2013 program. He specializes in zoo photography and does guest lecture at photo clubs throughout the area. He sells his zoo/animal photos on his website and has done workshops at Nature Visions. See his website for details: www.sunspotimages.com

Adam Jones

Adam Jones was our Program speaker in September 2013. He is a popular and respected workshop instructor and lecturer. Adam teaches photography workshops around the world helping students reach their full potential in the exciting world of digital photography. He has taught for Canon, Popular Photography & Imaging, and Maine Photographic Workshops.

Adam is noted for his enthusiastic down to earth approach and his ability to communicate effectively with all skill levels. A listing of his current workshops can be found here on his website:
http://www.adamjonesphoto.com/photo_tours_workshops.html

Joseph Miller

Joseph Miller is an active coach, mentor and long time NVPS member. He is offering a Macro and Close up Photography Workshop on January 25th and February 22nd.

Macro photography opens a new and exciting visual world and allows us to capture images not seen by the naked eye. There is much confusion about what is macro and this workshop will discuss what is macro and what is not, and how to capture macro images.

As in all my workshops, there will be two sessions. The first session will discuss what is macro, the equipment needed to achieve macro, and examples of macro images will be shown. Individual assignments will be given to each participant to produce 10 images for presentation and discussion at the second session.

The first session (Program) will be Saturday, January 25, 2014, from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. The second session (Presentation) will be Saturday, February 22, 2014, from 2:00pm –5:00pm. Both sessions will be held in the Joseph Miller Center For The Photographic Arts, 4811 Catharpin Road, Gainesville, VA 20155. The cost for the two sessions is $50. For further information contact Joseph Miller, furnfoto" at "aol.com.

Joseph Rossbach

Joseph Rossbach was our speaker in February 2012. He does one-day workshops, educational photo tours, individual coaching and other learning events. Details are available at: http://www.josephrossbach.com/photography-tours-workshops/

Roy Sewall

Roy Sewell was our May 2013 Portfolio Critiquer. He offers one-on-one coaching for novice and intermediate photographers, tailored to an individual's specific needs. See more at: http://www.roysewallphotography.com/iWeb/Home.html

Alan Sislen

Alan Sislen was our November 2013 speaker. He specializes in color, black and white and infrared landscape photography. Alan provides individual instruction, classes and workshops on a wide variety of topics. See more at: http://alansislenphotography.com/index.php

James Steele

James Steele is scheduled as our competition judge in January 2014. He does individual coaching, tutoring and custom printing support. He can be reached at his gallery in the Torpedo Factory or via his blog at: http://jamesdsteele.blogspot.com/

Joshua Taylor, Jr.

Joshua Taylor is a past NVPS president and was our September 2013 Competition judge. His goal in photography is to help you create, capture and refine your vision. Josh is offering fall photography workshops and classes, including Canon camera classes. For a complete listing and registration, visit his website: joshuataylorphotography.com

Frank Van Riper

Frank Van Riper was our March 2013 judge. In addition to teaching at Photoworks, he offers a variety of acclaimed workshops in great locations. Frank and his wife, Judith Goodman, lead sold-out photography workshops in Italy, Maine and Washington DC. They invite you to join them for low-key, hands-on instruction in some of the world's most beautiful settings. See their website for the current opportunities: http://gvrphoto.com/wp/?page_id=82

Alexander "Sasha" Vasiljev

Sasha Vasiljev was our March 2013 NVPS program speaker. His company, NATURE & PHOTO TOURS offers a number of photo tours:  http://naturephotographytours.com

Wayne Wolfersberger

Wayne Wolfersberger is a NVPS member, past President, and was our October 2013 Digital Members Gallery speaker. He teaches a number of classes with the Fairfax County Park Authority. The 2014 calendar schedule should be available soon via Wayne's website at: http://www.waynewolfersberger.com/

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Want Ads

For Sale

Nikon D7000

Used very little. Under 10,000 shutters. In pristine condition, just like new for $600. Also selling AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300 mm F 3/5-5.6 ED VR Lens for $700.
Call Susan B. 703.999.6412

Canon 1Ds Mark III

Camera body; low shutter count (around 30,000 out of rated 300,000). Excellent condition with no external marks. Included are all the accessories and original box. Also includes a free L-bracket ($180.00 value) for Arca-Swiss style clamps. Asking $2500.00.
Contact Dennis Govoni at: dngovoni" at "verizon.net

Bronica Etrsi

Medium format film camera with two lenses (normal and wide-angle).
Contact Erwin A. Siegel, for details and pricing, or make offer. All in mint condition.
Erwin A. Siegel, ex NVPS Editor and member.
home: 703-960-6726
cell: 703-407-0408
email: ErwinEAS" at "verizon.net

Spudz Microfiber in Flip Pouch

The club has a supply of Spudz.  Great for cleaning your lens and camera. These are a large size, 10x10 inches, and are emblazoned with the club logo!  Don't be fooled by other cheaper models.  These are in the flip pouch. I will be selling them at club meetings for the amazing price of $10/each or $20 for two.
Bob Friedman

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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 calendar of area member club events that can be found at http://www.nvacc.org/Calendars.html

NVACC has a free, downloadable series of 25 guidebooks for photographers, which provide information about nearby areas that camera clubs might wish to visit. See their booklets at:
http://www.nvacc.org/Booklets.html

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Editor's Note

At a recent club meeting, another member asked why I no longer participate in competitions. Currently, my job requires a very early start time, so I need to leave early. Competition nights tend to run late. I believe it would be disrespectful to ask someone to provide a critique of my work and then leave before they provided it. I am missing out on the competitions, but I do still participate in the portfolio projects.

Welcome to 2014. It is the end of one year and the beginning of another. We lost some good members last year, both to personal tragedy and relocation. We also gained some new members. We will miss those who left us –they gave a lot to the club. Welcome to our newer members. Please get involved –we need and look forward to your participation. NPVS is only as good as we, the members, make it.

As a reminder, if you have embedded copyright notices in your camera, it is time up update the year.

As always, if you encounter any problems reading FotoFax, please let me know.

Newsletter Editor, Dan Ward

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Copyright 2014 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 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.