Make It Personal

A couple years ago I gave a presentation called Getting your photos out of your computer (http://nvps.org/home/?p=291) and the points I made then are still valid today. Photographers these days take (and keep) thousands of photographs but only share them digitally. How sad!

With the holiday season approaching, you may want to create a special gift for a friend and/or family member. What better way than to include your images as part of that gift?

• Print and frame an image of a meaningful subject—a person, place, or thing that will resonate with the recipient.
• Create a calendar featuring 12 of your favorite images; some vendors even let you add special dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).
• Make a book to commemorate a birthday, graduation, sporting season, or other special event.
• Order personalized mugs, water bottles, magnets, mouse pads, tote bags, cell phone covers, mouse pads, playing cards, magnets, blankets, or luggage tags. The list of gifts is endless.
• For yourself, print or order photographic holiday cards.

The following is an updated list of resources I found on the web. I am sure there are more.

• Shutterfly: http://www.shutterfly.com/
• VistaPrint: http://www.vistaprint.com/
• The Banana Nana Shoppe: http://banananana.com/photo-tote-4-photo-personalized-brag-bag/
• Red River Paper: http://www.redrivercatalog.com/cardshop/index.htm
• Exposures: http://www.exposuresonline.com/ExposuresOnline/
• Costco: http://www.costcophotocenter.com/Shop
• Snapfish: http://www.snapfish.com/snapfish/photo-gifts
• Mpix: http://www.mpix.com/products/funstuff
• Prints on Tiles: http://www.printsontile.com/Home.html

Have fun with your images and get them out of your computer!

Georgette Grossman

The Ask Me a Question Table!

The Ask Me a Question Table will be each Tuesday from 7:00pm to 7:30pm before the meeting. Two of our more experienced photographers will be manning the table.

The Ask Me a Question Table will provide an easy way to get answers to your  "gotch photography questions" — simple or complex. If John and Glenn are unable to answer your question, they will point you in the direction of someone who can

Joy Brathwaite and Amy Dixon
Membership Co-Chairs

Monthly Program

November 4th: Robert Madden– The Photo Essay

The photo essay is being revived, thanks to online venues to post essays, create e-books and digitally printed books. Many professional photojournalists, due to a dramatically changed marketplace, have moved away from assignment photography to photo essays. 

Essays are not picture stories or collections of travel images. They can result in a book, but often a book is not the end goal. In essence a photo essay is a brief but serious consideration of a single subject.

Whether you're an amateur or professional, successful essays require that the photographer combine passion for his subject with significant intellectual and visual statements. 

Bob uses examples and anecdotes to give you insights into the art of weaving pictures together to communicate a powerful message to the viewer. In this class, Bob will present and discuss: 

• Classic photo essays
• Techniques used by essayists
• Pitfalls
• Modern photo essays and where to find them

He'll also discuss the deep satisfaction that can come from moving away from a "one-shot" image mentality toward the world of essays and will encourage his class to take these steps.

As a staff photographer for National Geographic magazine for over 15 years, Bob Madden produced the photographs for more than twenty stories (he wrote some, too), and for several National Geographic books. Travels across all seven continents exposed him to an extraordinary diversity of cultures and customs, from the Yanomamo Indians in the jungles of Venezuela, to street life in Brooklyn, N.Y., to the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay, the area Bob calls home. Bob has also been immersed in travel photography from another perspective: he served as Senior Assistant Editor and Director of Design at the National Geographic magazine and picture editor for National Geographic Kids magazine and National Geographic Books. His long list of awards and credits include: Magazine Photographer of the Year (twice); College Photographer of the Year; University of Wisconsin Distinguished Alumni Award; and design awards from the Society of Publication Designers, The New York Art Directors Club, and Communication Arts.

The Co-VPs for Programs for this year are Tami Stieger and Willa Siegel.

The line-up of speakers for this Society year is as follows:

Education & Training

November 11th: Anonymous Critque – Sandi Croan

Our E&T meeting for November 11 is an anonymous critique.  Anyone may submit digital images as an email attachment to  nvpsimagegallery@nvps.org .  The digital image must meet the same file size/image pixel width/height as for NVPS competition.  The image maker will not be identified unless that person chooses to do so during the judging. 

The judge is our own (and very experienced) photographer Sandi Croan.  She will provide a critique with possible improvements for each image submitted if possible.  Members are asked to only submit one image if they are level 2 or 3 and no more than two if they are level 1.  Submissions must be made by November 7 so Sandi can review and plan her comments for the 11th.  While anyone may submit however many they choose,  we can not promise that all submissions from any one person will be reviewed because of time constraints.

So this is a chance to obtain great advice about your images without the "Darn I didn't get a prize!" feeling and expensive workshop costs.

Sandi's biography:

Sandi Croan is an independent photographer from Centreville who has been living in Northern Virginia since 1978. She specializes in landscape, nature, and travel photography with an eye for capturing the unique and creating fine art for homes and offices.

Sandi has won numerous competitions and awards for her fine art photographs. She has been awarded Photographer of the Year and Print of the Year numerous times as well as Versatile Photographer of the Year by Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS) and won both Best in Show and 2nd Place at the juried Meadowlark Photo Expo in Vienna, VA. Her images have been selected to be put on permanent display at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and the Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts. She has been juried into numerous art shows including; the prestigious VisArts of Rockville Exhibitions, Fairfax County Council of the Arts Show (Unlocked), and The Fraser Gallery International Photography Exhibition as well as many others. Sandi was a featured artist in Elan Magazine, and her photograph “Blue Lagoon” was on the cover. She has also had photographs published in other local and national magazines.

Sandi has sold many of her photographs to private, corporate and government clients, and does shows for businesses and other local events. In addition, Sandi has recently/or currently is displaying her art at Broadway Gallery, The Blue Iguana restaurant in Fairfax, Meadowlark Gardens, Cub Run Recreation Center, Trummers on Main Street Restaurant, and the Fairfax County Government Center.

Sandi has been an active member of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS) since 2004 and has served in a variety of board positions. She served as President of NVPS for two terms from 2009-2011.  She also is a speaker and serves as a judge for area photographic clubs, competitions and exhibitions. Sandi will also be presenting some of her prints during the Member's Gallery on October 28. (See below)

You can see a sample of Sandi’s work on www.sandicroanphotography.com.

The schedule of Education and Training presentations for this season are as follows:

The Education and Training Coordinator for this year is Tom Pratuch.

Competition

There is no theme for November's Competition Night, November 18th.

Corey Hilz is a professional photographer specializing in nature and travel photography. He finds the diversity in nature and cultures around the world offer boundless opportunities for new images. Corey approaches his subjects with an artistic eye, looking for a fresh perspective. He goes beyond the documentary image to show a unique perspective using color, shape and line. He strives to share the beauty of a destination you have never seen and provide a new perspective on a familiar subject. While Corey has collected diverse images from extensive travel, he also finds some of the most interesting subjects close to home.

Corey is a published author and his work is seen in magazines, books, calendars and catalogues. His photographs are also seen in exhibits and his prints are found in private collections. Corey has written six books, including two books on digital workflow and the first book dedicated to Lensbaby.

Corey has a passion for sharing his knowledge. He helps others improve their photography through group and private instruction. Corey's instruction enables photographers to improve their photographs technically and artistically. He leads workshops to locations in the United States and abroad, plus offers photography classes and software training. 

The Co-VPs for Competition for this year are Jamie Kiechlin and Beth Morris.

Competition Themes for 2014 – 2015

Here are the Competition Themes and the dates for the remaining themed competitions.

Oldies - January 20, 2015

Still-Life - February 17, 2015

For this theme, a still-life is defined as an artistic arrangement or collection of non-moving inanimate objects, either natural or man-made. The arrangement can be arranged by the photographer or someone else such as in a store-front window of flower bouquet. Please, no architectural subjects such as buildings or bridges, people, landscapes or moving objects for this theme. The still-life must be the main subject of the image.

Street Photography - May 19, 2015 

For this theme “street photography” is defined as a photograph featuring 1) the human condition or 2) the relationship or interaction between people and their surroundings. A street photo example could be a candid, semi-candid or spontaneous (but not staged) photo of a person (or persons) in a public, private or open place doing something other than posing for you to take their picture.

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.

October Competition Results

The full list of competition results is available on the NVPS web site at http://nvps.org

Digital

Class 1
1st-Geoffrey Adam Parker, Let Me Try!
2nd-Colena Turner, Aldie Mill Water Wheel
3rd- Willa Siegel, Suspended Droplet
HM-Amy Dixon, Frisbee
HM-Robert Granger Benson, Tipsy Martini
HM- Robert Granger Benson, Morning Tide!
HM- Wendy Xu, Water Dew

Class 2
1st- Karol Murray, Tempest
2nd- Claudia Copeland, Daisies in Drops
3rd- Kevin Egan, Reflections at Dusk
HM- Ken Gregory Barnett, Ricketts Glen Sideshow
HM -Susan Lynn McPherson, Charleston Sunset

Class 3
1st- Kieu-Hanh Vu, War Wounded Soldiers
2nd- Ed Ruggiero, The Drop
3rd- Stan M Bysshe, Caribbean Reef Squid
HM- Tami Stieger, Connect the Dots
HM- Ceasar D Sharper, Lake Crescent Sunset
HM- Curtis Allen Gibbens, Wet Scaup

Prints

Class 1

1st Place - Robert Granger Benson - Cape Breton Sunset
2nd Place - Yvonne Jarrett - Geyser Flowing
3rd Place - Andrew Savino - Christine Falls

Class 2

1st Place - George Lafko - Lanterman Falls
2nd Place - Sue McPherson - Autumn Falls
3rd Place - Georgette Grossman - Shower Droplets

Class 3

1st Place - Fran Bastress - Reflection with Lily Pads
2nd Place - Minnie Gallman - Reflection
3rd Place - Dennis Govoni - Surf Patterns
HM - Bill Corbett - Start of Autumn

Monochrome

1st Place - Kevin Egan - Below Dark Hallow
2nd Place - Ginger Werz-Petricka - Reflections of Annapolis
3rd Place - Mike Whalen - Discarded
HM - Tami Stieger - Collide
HM - Bill Corbett - Big Splash

Some winning images from October:

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.

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 FotoFax.  If you have not provided permission before that deadline, another winning entry may be used.

Portfolio Project is underway

Welcome to everyone who has signed up for this year’s Portfolio Project.  And for those of you who are thinking about participating, no worries, there is time to join us.  To refresh your memory, we have added a link to the presentation we did to introduce Portfolio a few weeks ago, or you can pick up a flyer and handout during the regular meeting.

You might be asking yourself, why take the time from my busy schedule to do a portfolio?  I say, think of this as a way to explore a subject that interests you, or to stretch yourself by approaching something new.   Are you preparing for a solo show, or want the material to sell that idea to a gallery or other venue?  Use the project as a way to develop your skills and have a product to show.  Besides, though this is not about competition with other people, it is a good way to create show worthy images for the future.

And as an added value you will have two opportunities for feedback on your work.  This is such a good learning experience that I am sure you will enjoy the project and benefit from the exercise.
Looking forward to seeing your creativity at work!

Ginger and Ceasar
The following is from a presentation on the portfolio project. You can also download this presentation by clicking on this link: Portfolio Handout 9-30-14

This year’s co-chairs for the project are Ginger Werz-Petricka and Ceasar Sharper.

Forum

November 25th: "Aurora Borealis, Alaska and Iceland" with      Jim Norman

Jim Norman will provide an illustrated introduction to the aurora borealis — the northern lights — and how to photograph them.  The presentation will provide background on what causes these dancing lights, the best times and place to photograph them, the equipment you will need, field techniques, and basic processing in Lightroom.  

The Forum Coordinator for this year is Susan Phillips.

Members Gallery

November 25, 2014 - Prints from Ceasar Sharper and Digital Presentation from John Eppler

On November 25, Ceasar Sharper will present his prints and John Eppler will present his digital images for November's Members Gallery.

Ceasar Sharper's photographic journey began when he took a photography course in college.  That was a very long time ago when he began to learn the fundamentals of focus, exposure and composition.  Unfortunately, the development of his photography skills stalled upon his graduation from college and commissioning into the Armed Forces.

After retiring as a colonel in the Air Force, he began to dabble into digital photography.  He purchased by first bridge camera in 2005 and a digital single lens reflex in 2008.  He made the commitment to grow beyond the basics and improve his skills after seeing the juried in photographs at the 2009 Nature Photography Expo at Meadowlark.  Those outstanding photographs provided the inspiration he needed and caused him to search a club to support his renewed interest in photography.

He attributes much of his photography improvement to his membership in NVPS.  He learned a lot from the critiques of all competition entries over the first eight months of competition; he even waited until May 2010 before he felt he knew enough to submit his first completion entry where he earned a Third Place in Black & White prints.  The following club year he applied the insight and acquired skills which resulted in his being awarded the 2011 Versatile Photographer of the Year in the Novice Category.  

While Ceasar photographs several of the different types of photography, his passion is wildlife and landscapes.  The photographs he selected for Members Gallery include his Juried in Prints from Nature Visions and the NVPS End of Year award winners.  

Since 2011 he has been an active member in NVPS.  He participated in the Portfolio Project and provided a Members Gallery presentation on Civil War Reenactments.  Currently Ceasar is the Co-Chair for the Portfolio Project and a Nikon shooter.

John Eppler has been a member of NVPS for a couple years.  He initially came to a meeting over two years ago to visit and decided that when the time was right and he had retired he would join.  In the first year of competition he was promoted from Class 1 to Class 2.

John has been taking photos most of his life, with Kodak box cameras, but did not get serious until 1972 when a friend loaned him a 35mm SLR for his driving trip west.  He took many wonderful pictures.  A picture from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison hangs on his living room wall.  John photographed with Minolta cameras for several years, developing and printing transparencies, but in 2003, he finally came “out of the closet” and bought his first digital camera.

John considers himself an advanced amateur, only because he does not sell enough images to earn a living at it.  He has a website to show his images (http://johnepplerphoto.com), but has sold only a few.  John is a member of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) and has been a co-organizer for Unexpected Treasure Meetup.  He will be the organizer for the new Northern Virginia NANPA Nature Photography Meetup.

Most of the classes John has taken have been informal seminars and workshops with Kelby, NANPA, George Lepp or Nature Visions.  He regularly views webinars on several topics on Lightroom, Photoshop and general photography topics.  John has been an intense reader of photography magazines for years, including Petersen’s Photographic, Outdoor Photographer, Popular Photography, Natures Best and Nature Photographer.

For a couple of years, John shot commercial photography for sports teams, mainly to develop a consistent method that gets repeatable results.  So to speak, he was developing discipline for taking portraits and group shots.  He found it was very boring, but educational.  John's primary love is wildlife and landscape.  He is so impressed with animal behavior and the beauty of our parks and wild places.  National Wildlife Refuges are his favorite places to photograph.

John has two Canon 7Ds with a wide assortment of lenses, but his favorite lens is his 500mm f4 (Big Mama).  His favorite gadget is CamRanger and motorized head. They allow him to setup the camera and remotely operate from his tablet.
John is semi-retired and works on-call for Honeywell.  He is also contracted to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to perform quality assessments on satellite programs. This allows him to travel and take side trips for photography.  John is married to Barbara Eppler, also a member of NVPS.  He has two daughters, a step-daughter and six grandchildren.
John and Barbara are preparing to RV full time within the next year. The plan is to spend a couple of years touring the country, then volunteering in parks and refuges as campground hosts or manning visitor centers. This will allow John to spend more time in the parks and wild places he loves to photograph.

The Member's Gallery Coordinator for this year is Colena Turner. Presentations schedued for this season are:

Field Trips

November 8: To the Waterside Woolen Mill, Woodbury, Pa.

Note:  A second field-trip to the woolen mill has been scheduled for Saturday, November 22. Send email to field-trips@nvps.org or contact Bill Millhouser if you are interested in attending this trip. Attendance will be limited to the first 14 people who sign up.

History: The Waterside Woolen Mill is one of the oldest operating woolen mills in the USA.  The mill was built on land deeded by the heirs of William Penn to Abraham Oberholtzer in 1785.  In 1806 John Snider purchased the land and erected a mill on the banks of Yellow Creek.

The mill shut down in the 1960s but was reactivated in 1990 to manufacture traditional Pennsylvania wool blankets.  The equipment used in the mill dates from the latter 1800s to the early 1900s.  It includes several Compton& Knowles Looms dating from the 1870s.  The mill consists of a large three story building with attic.

Directions: The mill’s address is 0.4 miles past 2526 Woodbury Pike, Loysburg, PA 16659. From the Capital Beltway, take i270 to Frederick, MD; i70 to Breezewood, PA; Rt 30 West (5-6 miles); Rt 26N (6-7 miles); Rt 36N  (6 miles); Mill is on the right.

Driving time from the firehouse should be less than 2½ hours from the Dunn Loring Fire House. We will have access to the mill from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; however, a later arrival is fine. (We will plan to arrive by 10:00 AM).

Cost:  The cost of this field trip is $67.50 per person. Payment will be cash only and accepted on entry. Exact change is appreciated.

Tour details: The mill is completely operational and you will see partially completed cloth/blankets in the looms.   The machines will not be operating during the field trip due to safety considerations.   We will be able to explore and photograph all parts of the mill including the old mill race.

There is a bathroom in the mill and restaurants are close-by for lunch. The mill is not heated so dress accordingly for this time of year.

More information and example images: 
www.creatinggreatphotos.com/waterside-woolen-mill-pennsylvania-november-23-2013/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Waterside-Woolen-Mill/550470568371686

Google Images: click here to see Google Images of the Mill

Board of Directors

Chuck Campbell has had to resign from the Board as Co-VP of Competition. Jamie Kiechlin  has accepted the position. The following is an updated list of our elected officers for program year 2014-2015. A full list of all current NVPS Board members and their club contact information can be found at: http://nvps.org/home/?page_id=23

NatureVisions

2014 NatureVisions Nature and Fine Arts Exhibits 
 
Twenty-nine, NVPS members had 99 images juried for the thirteenth annual NatureVisions Nature Photo Expo exhibit. In addition, twenty-eight members had 36 images juried for the Fine Arts exhibit.
 
In the Nature exhibit Stanley Bysshe led with eight images juried followed by Sandi Croan with seven, Marilyn Gaizband with six and Susan Phillips, Sam Schaen Ceasar Sharper, Dennis Govoni and Claire Carroll with five; and Fran Bastress, Kevin Eagan, Curtis Gibbens, Jim Norman, Tuan Pham, Willa Siegel, and Ginger Werz-Petricka with four. Members could submit up to ten images for the Nature exhibit. More than 1,100 images were submitted
 
In the Fine Arts exhibit Claudia Copeland, Georgette Grossman, Kip Holdridge, Mike Whalen, Robert Skerman, Susan Phillips, and Tom Brett had two images each juried. Members could submit two images for the Fine Arts exhibit. over 250 images were submitted for judging

For the first time images were submitted digitally and judged on line by a 3 panel judge for he Nature exhibit and a single judge for the Fine Arts exhibit. Mollie Isaacs, Mary Louise Revese, and Alan Defelice were the Nature judges and Jim Steele judged the Fine Arts.

 NatureVisions 2014 will be held at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, George Mason University, Prince William Campus, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Virginia, November 14 -16.  Award winning nature photographer and author, Rick Sammon will be this year's Expo keynote speaker. Rick will also conduct a one day seminar on Friday, November 14, the opening day of the Expo.
 
By poplar demand Julieanne Kost, Principal Digital Imaging Evangelist for Adobe Systems, will  return to the Expo and give two free presentations on Sunday, November 16. Admission to the exhibit is free but there is a charge for workshops and most lectures.A full schedule of events can be found on the NatureVisions web site at www.naturevisions.org.  There will be many vendors with the latest in photographic equipment and accessories available for viewing and sale.
 
Submitted by:
John Quigley
NatureVisions Rep

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.

Volunteers Requested for Natures Best

Natures Best Photography will be hosting their annual gala for the presentation of the Windland Smith Rice International Awards on Thursday, November 13th, and need volunteers from local camera clubs to help out at the event.

Please contact amanda@naturesbestphotography.com if you are interested in volunteering to help them. She would be happy to provide more details about the volunteer duties to anyone who is interested.

Amanda Barker
Editorial and Operations Manager
Nature's Best Photography
amanda@naturesbestphotography.com
1877 Metro Center Drive, Suite C
Reston, Virginia 20190
Office Phone: 703-467-9783 or 703-467-9784
Office Fax: 703-467-9785

www.facebook.com/naturesbestphotography.org
www.naturesbestphotography.com

Photoworks Master Lecture Series

November 1 - 15, 2014, 1-2 PM
Join four master photographers as they talk about their work and their passion for the telling image:

Saturday, Nov 1, 1-2 pm:    James Steele: The Eloquent Black and White Landscape
Saturday, Nov 8, 1-2 pm:    Frank Herrera: The West Virginia Crosses: My Guggenheim Adventure
Saturday, Nov 15, 1-2 pm:  Karen Keating: Snapshots of Photo History--Process & Personalities

$15 advance ticket purchase
$20 @ the door

Four veteran photographers—all of them award-winning, internationally acclaimed and brimming with experience and great stories—will inaugurate the Photoworks Master Lecture series next month at Glen Echo Park in partnership with 2014 FOTOWEEK DC, a celebration of photography in the Metropolitan Region.  The four photographers are long-time instructors at Photoworks, who among them have decades of teaching and real world experience to share.

Tickets to the events are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.  Space is limited and first-come, first-served.  The four lectures will be held on four consecutive Saturdays, from 1-2 PM, in the newly-restored Annex building next to Glen Echo’s historic Spanish Ballroom. RSVP for the Photoworks Masters Lecture Series by sending an email to photoworks.gallery@gmail.com.  We'll send you a confirmation email, with instructions for payment.

James Steele
Acclaimed landscape photographer James Steele’s arresting black and white landscapes have been compared to those of the late masters Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. Working primarily in medium and large format, Steele's "scapes" of land, sea--and the human body--represent the finest in traditional and digital photographic imagery. Jim, who will lecture on November 1, has studied with Cole Weston, George Tice, Joyce Tenneson <http://www.tenneson.com/> , Christopher James <http://www.christopherjames-studio.com/index.html> , Carson Graves, and Martha Casanave <http://www.marthacasanave.com/> . Besides teaching at Photoworks, Jim has taught at the Art League School in Alexandria, Va., at the Smithsonian, as well as at VISARTS. His work can be seen in studio #343 at the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Old Town.

Frank "Tico" Herrera
The most senior of the speakers in the Photoworks Master Lecture Series, Frank ‘Tico’ Herrera has been teaching at Glen Echo since Photoworks began more than 40 years ago.  An unsurpassed black and white darkroom printer, in 1985 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to document clusters of Roman crosses that were being erected all over West Virginia by a millionaire businessman as part of a religious mission called “Cast Thy Bread.” This effort, as well as Tico’s large format, black and white photos, generated both news and controversy. Besides showing “lots of pictures” and telling "lots of stories" during his appearance on November 8, Tico will discuss “the effect(s) on the vernacular landscape by the introduction of dogma-laden symbols and vice-versa.”

Karen Keating
Rounding out the Master Lecture Series on November 15th will be Karen Keating, an acclaimed documentary photographer and author.  Keating, who also is the Director of Photoworks, as well an award-winning 25-year darkroom photography teacher at Washington’s Field School, will present “Snapshots of Photo History--Process & Personalities.”  The lecture will cover the highlights of photography’s 175 years:  from early processes, to important personalities like 'Father of Photography' Alfred Stieglitz, to Farm Security  Administration (FSA) photographers of the Great Depression, to war photographers from the Civil War to the present. Karen also will discuss the digital revolution in photography as well as the fascinating cross-fertilization that occurs when old and new technologies mix.

Photoworks Photography School and Gallery is a true community of artists and students -- devoted to the art of both film and digital photography.  Celebrating over 40 years of photography in the arts enclave of Glen Echo Park, MD, Photoworks is a creative force for visual arts in Montgomery County, and was recently honored as an Outstanding Partner in the Arts at Glen Echo's 2014 Gala In the Park.

For more information about Photoworks, please visit www.glenechophotoworks.org or follow us on facebook at glenechophotoworks.

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/

Fred Siskind

Fred Siskind  had a photo of a parasitized tobacco hornworm in the 2014 GRIT Guide to Homestead DIY Projects.  GRIT publishes magazines focused on rural America.

Jan Ponder

Member Jan Ponder's photo encaustics are being displayed at the Fairfax County Government Center, 6507 Columbia Pike. The display is by the supervisors offices and will be shown September through November 30. Photo encaustic is the process of combining a photograph with encaustic medium and paint. More importantly, though, is the manner in which the encaustic medium actually transforms a photograph, the paper it’s printed on and the interaction with backlight.

David Heagy

Member David Heagy was selected by American Automobile Association Travel to lead a 10-day eastern Caribbean Photography Cruise from March 3 to 13, 2015, aboard the Grandeur of the Seas leaving from Baltimore, Md. If you are interested, contact David at: 703-790-2600.

Exhibition Opportunities

Figure It Out! DC National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery invites artists all over America to investigate the contemporary art of the portrait for the third Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, to be held in 2014. The competition and resulting exhibition will celebrate excellence and innovation, with a strong focus on the variety of portrait media used by artists today. The National Portrait Gallery welcomes single figures, groups, or self-portraits, created in any visual arts medium. The competition is named for Virginia Outwin Boochever (1920–2005), a former Portrait Gallery volunteer whose generous gift has endowed this program. Entries are only accepted electronically, through Café.org/WESTAF, accessed via the National Portrait Gallery's web site, portraitcompetition.si.edu, from September 1 until November 30, 2011.

Entry to the competition — and submission of JPEG images — is be available online through Café.org/WESTAF for a nonrefundable registration fee of $35. Artists who wished to submit time-based media (video, film, digital or web-based work) find instructions for entry on the competition web site. Artists have the option to submit a statement about their work, their particular entry, and/or the circumstances of the creation of the portrait. Dimensions and medium information are also requested. 

The first round of jurying will be done online through Café.org/WESTAF. Judges will identify the semifinalists, whose works will be transported to Washington, D.C., at the Portrait Gallery's expense. The final selection of winners and other exhibitors will be made from those original semifinalist portraits. All works transported to Washington, whether chosen for the exhibition or not, will be returned to the artists at the Portrait Gallery's expense. The public will have an opportunity to vote for its favorite work among the finalists through the People's Choice Award.

Please read the detailed rules for this year's competition if you would like further information.

Washington School of Photography (WSP)

Located within WSP, the Washington Gallery of Photography hosts monthly gallery shows, open to the public, and consisting of work from mid-Atlantic Photographers. They hold regular gallery receptions, hosted on the first Friday of each month. See details on their calendar at: http://www.washingtonschoolofphotography.com/

Mason District Supervisor's Office Photography Exhibit

The office of Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross has offered NVPS their walls to show our work.  The supervisor likes to have art on the walls in the center which is on Columbia Pike in Annandale.  It isn't a very large space, and we can hang about three dozen pictures.  We have the area from approximately March 1 through May 31, 2015.  Supervisor Gross likes images of the local area.  So, there is still time to photographic some great places in  Fairfax County.  More information will follow as we work out the details. — Willa Friedman, Coordinator of Exhibits Other than Nature Visions

Fifth Annual Joseph Miller Juried Abstract Photography Exhibit

Entries for the Fifth Annual Joseph Miller Juried Abstract Photography Exhibit will be accepted starting December 27, 2014, and the deadline for submission of entries is February 25, 2015. If the four previous Joseph Miller Annual Juried Abstract Photograhy Exhibits are any gauge, this fifth exhibit will show examples of outstanding abstract photographs and should not be missed by serious photographers and anyone interested in art.

Further information, including a definition of abstract photography and a calendar of important dates can be found on the www.NVACC.org website. Click on Abstract Exhibit. 

Last year there were 421 entries received from 101 photographers in four states and South Africa and 116 were in the exhibit. Several hundred folks visited the exhibit. All the comments were positive and praised the quality and variety of the images in the exhibit. Sales exceeded expectations and one image was sold twice (two different buyers).