What are your photographic New Year's Resolutions?

It is the beginning of a New Year and time to take stock of how photography fits into your life. Are you learning what you need to make you a better photographer? Are you becoming more skilled in the digital darkroom? Are there new subjects you want to explore? Now is the time to make some “photographic” resolutions. My resolutions include:

1. Getting more “right” in the camera
   • Capturing scenes from a variety of angles…
     working the subject
   • Manually exposing, especially for tricky shots (such as white on white): http://learnmyshot.com/how-to-photograph-white-still-life-on-white-background/)
2. Playing with the back button technique (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PN9R0D3pF0)
3. Getting creative: http://digital-photography-school.com/15-project-ideas-to-spark-your-creativity/
4. Making more time to shoot!

Georgette Grossman

The Ask Me a Question Table!

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

The Ask Me a Question Table provides an easy way to get answers to your  "gotcha photography questions" — simple or complex. If the folks 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

January 6th: Alex Mody – Pacific Northwest Landscapes

Come join us for Alex Mody's presentation of "Landscape Images of the Pacific Northwest." He will be sharing images mostly from the mountains, coastlines, rain forests, and waterfalls of the PNW region. Alex will be speaking about both the creative and technical methods he used to make them.

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, has written numerous articles for NatureScapes.net, and offers both private and full-group landscape and nature photography workshops. Alex, just 24 years old, lives in damp and beautiful Olympia, Washington, where he attends The Evergreen State College.  His web site is at http://www.alexmody.com/

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

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

Education & Training

January 13th: Printing with Bob and Willa Friedman

The 13 January Session will be given by Bob & Willa Friedman.  The topic is printing your own photographs at home with impressive results.  Bob and Willa have both served as Presidents of NVPS and are award winning photographers. As a bonus, Red River has generously provided sample packs for free distribution.  They will be given out on a first come, first served basis until supplies run out.

The schedule of Education and Training presentations for the remainder of this season is as follows:

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

Competition

January 20th: Judging by Marti Belcher

There is no theme for January's Competition Night, January 20th, and the normal two-year time limitation is waived.

NVPS would like to welcome Marti Belcher as our judge for the January competition. The January competition is an “Oldies Night”. Normally, submitted images must be recently taken within the last two years, but for this month’s competition, there is no time limit.

From Marti Belcher's web site:

Life is a journey, a continuum of everyday events and ordinary people, all of which make for an extraordinary lifetime of experiences.

My photography is simple and straightforward. I have a passionate interest and curiosity about people, world cultures and ideas. These are the forces that dominate my personal life and my photography. Actually I draw no distinction between my work and my personal life: they are one and the same.

I am an adventurer, a lover of color, culture and the bewitching. My path often takes me to Asia. It is a long way from a dairy farm in New York State but the dairy farm was a good place to start the journey. I learned to appreciate the every day events and the emotions that make us human. Today I photograph ordinary people and ordinary situations all over the planet Earth.

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

Competition Themes for 2015

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

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 or 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.

December Competition Results

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

Digital - Class 1 
1st Place – Alan Goldstein, Standing Guard
2nd Place – Robert Granger Benson, Apple Trio
3rd Place – Geoffrey Parker, Shy Curiosity
HM – Alan Goldstein, Love At First Sight
HM – Karen L. Read, Lone Fishermen On The Keys
HM – M. Paula Neumann, Moon Setting Over the Tetons
HM – Wendy Xu, Eagle

Digital - Class 2 
1st Place – Bill Von Holle, Amboseli Sunset
2nd Place – Jamie Kiechlin, Snowy Egrets Dancing
3rd Place – Thomas Pratuch, Eyes Have It
HM – Georgette Grossman, Minute To Win It
HM – Yue Xu Sunrise, At Convict Lake

Digital - Class 3 
1st Place – Mike Whalen, Lake Volta Fishermen
2nd Place – Emi Wallace, San Geronimo Church Mirror Montage
3rd Place – Amie Tannenbaum, Slippery Slope
HM – Ceasar D. Sharper, Cherry Blossom Sunrise
HM – Kip Holdridge, Trans-Allegheny Clock Tower
HM – Susan Phillips, DC Under Construction 14

Color Prints - Class1 
1st Place – Granger Benson, Hirshhorn Courtyard
2nd Place – Geoffrey Parker, Rasta Baby
3rd Place – Paula Neumann, Morning Dew

Color Prints - Class 2 
1st Place – Georgette Grossman, Retired
2nd Place – Yue Xu, Sunrise Botany Bay
3rd Place – Ginger Werz-Petricka, Dreaming of Africa

Color Prints - Class 3 
1st Place – Jay Heiser, Shop Scale
2nd Place – Bob Friedman, Sahara Sunset
3rd Place – Mike Whalen, Window Walker
HM – Tami Steiger, Morning Glory

Monochrome 
1st Place – Tami Steiger, Before the Storm
2nd Place – Minnie Gallman, Handwriting On the Wall
3rd Place – Ginger Werz-Petricka, Old Bulldog
HM – Georgette Grossman, Miller's Pond
HM – Bill Corbett, Scruffy Heron

First Place images from December:

Class 1 Digital - 1st Place Alan Goldstein Standing Guard	Class 3 Digital - 1st Place Mike Whalen Lake Volta Fishermen
Class 2 Digital - 1st Place Bill Von Holle Amboseli Sunset
Class 1 Print – 1st Place Granger Benson Hirshhorn Courtyard	Class 2 Print – 1st Place Georgette Grossman Retired
Class 3 Print – 1st Place Jay Heiser Shop Scale	Monochrome Print – 1st Place Tami Steiger Before the Storm

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 Update

Wow, can you believe it's January and a new year already?  I don't know about you but the last few months just got away from me.

Remember that we have the preliminary review for the Portfolio project on January 27.  It's time to make sure you have your folder in the gallery and to start uploading your images.  Remember to start with the Artist Statement to lay the basis of your premise for your concept.

We are going to cut off the upload of new images on January 20th to allow me to get the presentation ready for the review and to give Mike, Scott and Jim time to look at your folders and formulate their comments and suggestions.

This is by no means your last chance to upload.  After this review you will be able to add images, change images, do whatever you want to do to strengthen your concept.  The review will be an excellent time to hear constructive ideas on how to strengthen your presentation.

If you have questions on the steps up to now please contact me at ginger.petricka@gmail.com or look over the information posted earlier on how to obtain a gallery folder and how to write an artist statement.

Portfolio is such a great opportunity to showcase a concept in an open forum without it being in competition with anyone else and to get feedback from other experienced and talented photographers. 

I look forward to seeing your images!

Ginger

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

Members Gallery

January 27, 2015 - Prints from Melanie Marts and Digital Presentation from Judy McGuire

On January 27, Melanie Marts will present her prints and Judy McGuire will present her digital images for January's Members Gallery.

Melanie Marts. Melanie has been a Gemologist and independent jewelry appraiser for the past 20 years. She joined NVPS in 2007. She is one of many who used disposable film cameras to take family photos in the 1980s, and they weren't very good pictures. She started out with a Polaroid camera in the early 1990s to take pictures of the jewelry she appraised, because that was the easiest. Her first digital camera was an Olympus point-and-shoot, which had all of 1.2 megapixels, and those pictures weren't great either. Her next camera was a 7.1 megapixel Olympus, and that was when she realized she could take pictures of other stuff in addition to jewelry and family.

Using Georgia O'Keefe as her inspiration, she started out taking pictures of flowers in her backyard. In 2006, she acquired her first SLR camera, a Nikon D80, and never looked back. She currently is using a Nikon D300, with a 24 - 120 mm f4 lens as her main lens.

In 2011 she graduated from the Washington School of Photography's professional photography program. Melanie takes pictures of just about anything if it looks interesting to her, using various techniques and processing to achieve her vision. She still loves to take pictures of flowers, and Georgia O'Keefe is still her inspiration. An example of Melanie's photos:

Spring in Bull Run	Oaks and Azaleas
Chincoteague Sunrise

Judy McGuire became interested in photography and travel when she was 10 and took her first road trip to the western states with her family and her Kodak Brownie camera.  She took snapshots documenting family, travels and pets for many years before getting a Nikon SLR for slide photography. In 2007, she switched to digital and now shoots with a Nikon D7000.

Judy is most interested in travel and nature photography and loves to photograph anywhere, searching out back roads as well as obvious sites. She enjoys giving slide shows for various groups and makes calendars and note cards with her photographs. Her work has been juried into Nature Visions and the Joseph Miller Abstract Exhibit, and published in  Virginia Wildlife Magazine. 

In 2001, Judy saw former member Luella Murri on one of the first Photographers of Northern Virginia programs. She phoned Luella after the show for NVPS information and became a member shortly afterwards. Since then, Judy has enjoyed learning about all aspects of photography from the club's activities.  

Judy's show will feature photos of varied subjects taken within the last two years. A number of locations will be spotlighted, many of them in our general area. Here are exaples of Judy's work:

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

Field Trips

January 24: Luray Caverns, Luray, Va.
Saturday morning 8:30 - 10:30 No late comers. 

The price for entry to this private tour of the caverns is $50/person and will be paid when we arrive at the Cavern.
It is a 2 hour private tour.

The two hour tour will start at 8:30AM (YOU CANNOT BE LATE) and we will have a guide. You can use tripods and flash. The temperature should be around 65° underground. After the tour we can photograph antique cars or take a side trip to a frozen water falls on the trip back.

Wear a sweatshirt. The cavern is warm and humid. Be sure to bring your Spudz to wipe condensation off lens, (Bob will sell you one for $10, two for $20). Bob and Mike advise that you not change lenses. There is too much humidity. A 28-70mm, full frame lens is adequate. 

Luray Caverns,  101 Cave Hill Rd, Luray, VA 22835 or 970 US HWY 211 West, Luray, VA 22835
web address: http://luraycaverns.com/
Directions:
I-66 west to exit  13, Linden, VA-79
Turn left at end of ramp
Turn right onto Rt 55
Turn left on Rt 340 in Front Royal
Turn on Rt 55
Turn right on Cave Hill Rd
Caverns are on your left.

Mike and Bob
Field Trip Coordinators

Board of Directors

The following is the 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

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.

2015 George W. Glennie Nature Photography Competition

This is a notice seeking interest in members participating in the 2015 George W. Glennie Nature Photography Competition. This is a digital competition only.

The competition is sponsored by the Merrimack Valley Camera Club in North Andover, MA. The competition attracts entries worldwide and last year almost 100 clubs participated. The Glennie is a club competition and each club may submit no more than 10 images with no more than two images by each maker. A complete description of the competition, competition rules and competition categories can be found on the Merrimack Valley Camera Club web site at http://mvcameraclub.org/comp-interclub/comp-interclub-01-glennie.htm

Assuming there is sufficient interest, in January I will post guidelines for our club competition to select the 10 images for Glennie. A qualified, non NVPS member will judge the images and make the selection. The judge's decision is final. Please be aware the Glennie rules require strict adherence to the PSA definition of nature photography and the judge for the club competition will be instructed to apply this definition to his selections. The PSA definition is on the Glennie website.

Please note the club submission date to Glennie is February 4, therefore to allow time for judging I must have your images by January 26.

If you are interested please let me know by e-mail at jhquigley@msn.com. I will also have a signup sheet at our meetings beginning in January.

John Quigley 
NVPS Exhibit Coordinator
jhquigley@msn.com

North America Nature Photography Assn. (NANPA) Summit

February 19 – 22, 2015, in San Diego, Calif. - The North American Nature Photography Association holds summits that focus on learning and networking for amateur and professional photographers. Several seminars are offered with professional photographers, such as, Frans Lanting, Dewitt Jones, Nevada Wier, Flip Nicklin, Steve Winter and many more. You will have to opportunity to meet legendary photographers, learn new techniques, improve your business practices and support nature conservancy all at the same time. There are schedule photo walks in the chaparral and the San Diego Zoo. For more information go to: http://www.naturephotographysummit.com

ArtSpace Herndon 2015 Fine Art Photography Competition

ArtSpace Herndon invites  photographers from Virginia, DC, Maryland, and West Virginia to  participate in the /2015 Fine Art Photography Competition. The competition is open to fine art photographers aged 18 or older working  in any medium (digital or analog, color or monochrome), and using any printing technique. Fine Art Photography of any subject is welcome; 
there is no required theme for entries.

Finalists for the Competition  will make up the 2015 Fine Art Photography Exhibition at ArtSpace  Herndon in the Nelson J. and Katherine Friant Post Gallery. The exhibit  will run from February 24 through March 22, 2015. Finalists will be
notified via email. $800 in cash prizes will be awarded at the judge’s discretion.

Entry deadline is January 20, 2015, at 2 p.m.Visit The ArtSpace Herdon web site for details.The competition’s judge is Carla Steckley.

Bryan Peterson is coming to Baltimore!

A popular speaker at NatureVisions this year, award winning photographer, contributing magazine editor, and book author Bryan Peterson will be giving an all-day seminar on the Art of Seeing on Sunday, February 8, 2015, at the Doubletree Hotel  Baltimore BWI Airport. This seminar, presented by the Creative Photography Society, will be the only seminar given by Bryan in Maryland, Pennsylvania, D.C., or Delaware during 2015.  For more information or to register: http://CreativePhotographySociety.com. The registration fee is $99. For further information, see Info@CreativePhotographySociety.co

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/

Ginger Werz-Petricka

Ginger Werz-Petricka was one of the featured photographers for the month of December at the Washington School of Photography, located at 12276 Wilkins Ave., Rockville, Md.  Her images are in the hallway just to the right of the reception desk.  The show kicked off with a reception on December 5 from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M.

John Eppler

John Eppler has an image of a blue poppy taken at Longwood Gardens has been selected for publication in the North American Nature Photography Association’s Currents Magazine 2015 Showcase Edition.

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.

Exhibition Opportunities

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/

NVPS Photography Exhibit, March 1 to May 31

Start to think about the exhibit to be held in the office of Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross from March 1 to May 31. The office 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.    There will be a sign up sheet at meetings until we have the number of images we need.  This show will not be juried – I will accept the first 25 to 30 images listed.  It will be necessary to have a limit of one framed photo per person.

The subject matter will be loosely limited to Fairfax County and may not have recognizable people.

There are additional opportunities to hang photos coming up; watch for announcements as we get closer to the dates.

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 until 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). 

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. Steve Gottlieb – Horizon Photography Summit Sixteen leading professional photographers will lead 30 classes at the Third Annual Horizon Photography Summit the weekend of February 28 and March 1 in Wilmington, Del. Classes cover a wide range of photographic subjects: Nature, Travel, Photoshop, Flash, Weddings, Sports, Printing, Photo Books, iPhone Apps, Creativity…and much more. On Friday, February 27 (the day before the weekend Summit), workshops in Location Lighting, Lightroom and more will be held in nearby Chesapeake City, Md. Location: Arsht Hall, University of Delaware, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington, Del. Dates: February 27, 28 and March 1 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) Admission: Register by 1/31/15: $160 (Sat or Sun); $280 (both days) Register after 1/31/15: $180 (Sat or Sun) $320 (both days) 10% Discount if four or more NVPS club members attend. Free Parking. Check website for lodging information. Website: http://horizonworkshops.com/summit/ Related Site: http://horizonworkshops.com/ Jim Steele Jim Steele was our judge for the September 16 Competition Night and provided the portfolio critique in our May 2014 meeting. He does individual coaching, tutoring and custom printing support. His work can be seen in Studio #343 in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria or on his web site, http://www.photographybysteele.com/. He can be reached in his gallery in the Torpedo Factory or via his fascinating blog at: http://jamesdsteele.blogspot.com/ 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 Sue Bloom Sue Bloom is scheduled as our April 2014 judge and has the following upcoming workshops scheduled: French River Cruise – Oct 12 - 25 – Contact Sue for availability details. See her website for additional information and events: www.suebloom.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. Learn more at: http://www.virginiaphotosafari.com Jennifer (JJ) Fearrington Jennifer Fearrington conducted a sensor cleaning workshop in our 2nd E&T Meeting in April 2014. JJ was the sensor cleaning tech at Penn and Calumet Camera stores for a number of years and is also a professional photographer who does individual photographic instruction as well as providing professional sensor cleaning services. Learn more at: http://jenniferphoenixphoto.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 November 2014 judge and was our March 2014 Education and Training speaker. He regularly holds workshops on Lightroom, Photoshop and Aperture as well as hosting photo tours. His schedule of upcoming workshops and tours is listed at: 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 Missy Loewe Missy Loewe was our judge in May 2013. She is the Director of the Washington School of Photography (WSP) and would like NVPS members to be aware of various upcoming workshops, which can be found by looking at: http://washingtonartworks.com/ Karen L. Messick Karen L. Messick was our May 2014 speaker and talked about Impressionism in Photography. She conducts occasional workshops and offers personal tutoring and in the field training on a variety of subjects at an hourly rate of $40.00. More details are available on her website at: www.karenlmessickphotography.com Karen is also a regular instructor for the Capital Photography Center, where she hosts fieldtrips and workshops on iPhone photography. http://capitalphotographycenter.com Victoria Restrepo Victoria Restrepo was our judge in February 2013. She has an interesting blog and conducts a variety of workshops including a very cool summer photography workshop for kids in late July. Future workshops and learning events are listed on her website at: http://photography.victoriarestrepo.com/portfolio/photography-workshops/ Roy Sewall Roy Sewell was our May 2013 Portfolio Critiquer and is scheduled as our December 2014 Competition judge. 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 Joshua Taylor, Jr. Joshua Taylor is a past NVPS president and was our October 2014 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 Alexander "Sasha" Vasiljev Sasha Vasiljev was our March 2013 NVPS program speaker. His company, Nature and Photo Tours, offers a number of educational and travel tour opportunities:  http://naturephotographytours.com Wayne Wolfersberger Wayne Wolfersberger is a NVPS member, past President, and was our September 2014 Forum speaker. He teaches a number of Nature Photography Classes available through Fairfax County Parks and other locations. See his web site: http://www.waynewolfersberger.com/ Want Ads For Sale Free camera accessories Former NVPS member Erwin Siegel is offering the following items free: a monopod, a background cloth for portraits, a light stand, a small flashgun for film cameras, a large flashgun for film cameras (voltage is different), a camera strap, and a photo reflector with carrying bag. Contact Erwin A. Siegel, 5840 Cameron Run Terrace #903, Alexandria, VA 22303. home: 703-960-6726 cell: 703-407-0408, email: ErwinEAS@verizon.net (1) 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 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 Editor's Notes A picture is worth 1,000 words: Newsletter Editor Alan Goldstein Copyright 2015 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.