Volume 50 – No. 7

Founded 1965 – our 49th Year

March 2015

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The Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society

Editor: Alan Goldstein – Email: editor" at "nvps.org

 
Table of Contents

President's Message
Ask Me A Question
Monthly Program
Education and Training
Competition
Portfolio
Forum
Members' Gallery
Field Trips
Board of Directors
Announcements
   Members News
   Exhibition Opportunities
   Workshop Offerings

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Editor

News You Can Use: 5 March – A full moon will rise over Washington in line with the monuments.

Calendar

3/3 Monthly Program: David Blecman – Glamour Portraits Using One Studio Light
3/10 Education & Training: Tuan Pham
3/17 Competition: Judging by Gabby Salazar
3/21 Field Trip: Return to Old Truck Graveyard
3/24 Members Gallery:
     Prints by Fran Bastress
     Digital Images by Kip Holdridge
3/24 Forum: Mike Whalen – A Retrospective of His Work
3/31
Education & Training: Chris Langford - How to Set-Up and Operate a Website for Photographers

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. (The more that you read, the more things you will know - Dr. Seuss )

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

Although we have not had any problems for many years, do remember to lock your car and place valuables out of sight, as we should in any public parking area. Come early and visit, but when the meeting starts, PLEASE take seats immediately and silence your cell phone, pager or any other device that might make noise and distract listeners or interrupt speakers.

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

Come onnnnnnn Spring…

It has been a cold winter but Spring will be here soon (I hope). Take this opportunity to plan your outside photographic adventures now. The following are a few places I have personally visited and photographed:

National Cherry Blossom Festival (The Tidal Basin, Washington, D.C.) This year the festival dates are March 20–April 12, 2015.(http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/)

Manassas National Battlefield Park (6511 Sudley Road, Manassas, Va.) Great battlefield and nature scenes. Usually the bluebells bloom by the old bridge in early April. (http://www.nps.gov/mana/naturescience/bluebells.htm)

Burnside Farms (new location = 4617 B Logmill Road, Haymarket, Va.) Mother Nature is in charge of when the flowers bloom, but springtime plantings include daffodils (mid/late March), tulips (early/mid‑April) and Dutch iris (May). (http://www.burnsidefarms.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/BurnsideFarms)

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court Vienna, Va.) Walking trails, lakes, gazebos, cherry trees, irises, peonies, native wildflowers, birds, butterflies, seasonal blooms and foliage. (http://www.nvrpa.org/park/meadowlark_botanical_gardens/)

Green Spring Gardens (4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, Va.) Wooded stream, valley with ponds, a native plant garden, a greenhouse filled with tropical plants. (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/)

Other local photo destinations are listed on the NVPS website (http://nvps.org/home/?page_id-140) Last but not least, NVPS is revisiting the Truck Graveyard located in Columbia, Va., for a field trip on March 21. Check out details elsewhere in this issue of Fotofax.

Hope to see you out and about capturing the beautiful scenes Mother Nature gives us this Spring!

Georgette Grossman

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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

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Monthly Program

March 3rd: David Blecman – Glamour Portraits Using
       One Studio Light

David Blecman, complete with live model, will be demonstrating how to create some gorgeous glamorous portraits with the use of just one studio light. If the only light you own is a speedlight for your camera, you'll be able to replicate what you will be shown here at this live demonstration. See David's images projected real time so that you can see the exact results instantly, with no post processing or computer manipulation. Learn how to create stunning images right from the camera.

David Blecman started his photographic career fresh out of high school in 1978, and before turning twenty, he was named Photo Editor of the county newspaper. After many years of shooting weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other family events, he started Positive Negatives in 1997, and concentrated more into the commercial photography arena. He is now an internationally recognized photographer and instructor.

He has since photographed projects for such clientele as Sears, Color Me Beautiful, JCPenney, Bath & Body Works, Foot Action, Kaybee Toys, Littman Jewelers, Seagrams Americas, Holiday Inn, Wyndham Hotels, Days Inn, Hilton Hotels, The White House, Black Market, Water Water Everywhere, Cornell University, etc.

David has also been hired to photograph such celebrities as President George W. Bush, Christina  Aguilera, Jimmy Buffett, Steely Dan, Moody Blues, Beyonce and Destiny’s Child, Celine Dion, Gene  Simmons and KISS, and numerous others.

He currently shoots for magazines, clothiers, fashion designers, and numerous other print and commercial accounts, as well as for models, actors, and their agencies.  He has been published  hundreds of times, and his specialties include, but is not limited to; child and adult models,  architectural, food, fashion, swimwear, location and studio work, products, headshots, etc. The Photographer’s Market, an international publication which advises photographers on how to  market their photography as well as business practices, did a feature write-up on David and  Positive Negatives in the 2001 edition.

David continues to speak at modeling and photography venues, teach at modeling agencies, and  continues to teach and mentor photographers, models, and makeup artists internationally, and  his 2010 training course in the Caribbean was filmed to become a 13-episode television series.

He also organizes exotic training events in the Caribbean , Bahamas, and Europe aboard luxury  cruise liners with on-board and location shooting and training, and is an advocate of helping  artists grow and protect their business and careers world-wide. David also helped in the planning and teaching of a photography training course for cancer patients at The St. Agnes Cancer  Institute in Baltimore, Md.

More recently, David is mentoring a group of over 500 amateur photographers, and is getting them exposure and recognition by having their work displayed and sold at a local framing shop and art gallery. His web site is at http://posneg.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:

DATE SPEAKER
April 7 NVPS 50th Anniversary Celebration
May 5 Brian Zwit

 

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Education & Training

March 10th: “A Gift of Beauty and Peace” with Tuan Pham

On  March 10 NVPS member Tuan Pham (and a graduate of many Joseph Miller, Freeman Patterson, and Minor White workshops and training) will present his latest reflection on Zen, Photography, and strengthening your capacity for visual discovery which he titles A Gift of Beauty and Peace. This presentation is for anyone with a camera, any camera, and an interest in the non-technical side of photography. The goal is use the camera to enhance the quality of life by strengthening the capacity for visual discovery and freedom of expression.

It is about 75 minutes in length and consists of two parts. Part one is an ancient hands-on exercise called Relaxed Attentiveness, recognized by modern science to foster a mind state known as the Zone in sport or Flow in positive psychology.

Part two is a PowerPoint presentation entitled The ABC of Visual Design, defines the task of the photographer which is to arrange visual elements into principles, like pictorial space, armature, rhythm, balance, etc… which in turn blend together to create artworks. About 30 images taken in and around the Washington metropolitan area will be used to show that you don’t have to travel long distances, climb mountains or wake up before sunrise to create photographs that make the heart sing.

Tuan Pham is a member of Northern Virginia Photographic Society and Joe Miller’s GRC (getting it right in the camera).  He trains in the tradition of Freeman Patterson and Zen Master/photographer John Daido Roshi, a student of Minor White.

Tuan likes to take pictures the easy way. His stylistic hallmarks are subjects cameras often overlook. He calls them “Photos of Nothing.”  He had five images in the recent 2014 Nature Visions Photo Expo, including one in the 2015 Travelling exhibition.

Retired from careers in banking and conflict resolution, Tuan now teaches Mindfulness Meditation and Photography as Zen Art at the Arlington Adult Education center, U.S. National Arboretum, Green Spring Gardens.  His next Photography as Zen Art workshop at Green Spring Gardens begins on March 28. For more information, contact zenttl02@gmail.com .



March 31st: How to Set-Up and Operate a Website for Photographers with Chris Langford

On Tuesday, March 31st, Chris Langford, an NVPS member since October 2013, will share his knowledge on simple user-friendly website services for photographers.  Chris will provide a review of the options available to photographers to create and maintain a beautiful website. He will also give an overview of some key concepts regarding websites, tips of what makes for a good one, why even have a website, how to associate an email with your website, what to look for when comparing website builder services, and much more.

In this digital age having a website is a great way to share your photos with friends, family, galleries, and potential clients.  The issues in the past that might have deterred many of us from creating a website (e.g., cost, time, and a lack of technical knowledge) are no longer a barrier.  There are many website builder options for either the technical and non-technical photographer that are not only easy to use and manage, but best of all, inexpensive.   Imagine a website that provides a one-stop solution to displaying, promoting, and selling prints!

Whether you have built your own website from scratch or have zero experience in website design, everyone will gain some valuable information at this presentation.  Chris says he is by no means an expert in this field, but through his day job, has learned about these options from a communication/public relations perspective.  As such, his presentation will use terms that everyone will be able to understand.  So in other words, no experience required to get something out of this presentation.

About Chris Langford

Chris Langford got into photography in 2012 after his wife bought an entry level DSLR to take better photos of their son.  As they quickly learned, a nice camera does not equal great photos.  Out of frustration and fascination, Chris began educating himself on the art of photography… with a little help from his OCD.  After a lot of practice and experimentation, and the great resources and expertise within NVPS, his images soon gained the attention of friends and family members who asked if he could do photos for them, and from there it grew into a side business.

Though Chris has yet to specialize in a particular style of photography, he leans more toward portraiture.  Chris has done work for personal trainers, families, couples, businesses (headshots), and even real-estate agents.  To see his work, you can visit his website at www.chrislangfordphotography.com, which is hosted by Squarespace.com.

Here are a few examples of his photography:

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

Date Subject Presenter
14 April Nature Vision John Quigley/Roger Lancaster
12 May Portfolio Project - final Ginger Werz-Petricka/Caesar Sharper

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

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Competition

March 17th: Judging by Gabby Salazar

The theme for March's Competition night is “Still Life,” moved from February.


NVPS would like to welcome Gabby Slazar as our judge for the March competition.

Gabby Salazar is currently the President of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). In 2004, she was named BBC Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year and she is now a full-time nature and conservation photographer.

Gabby returned in June of 2011 from a 10 month project in Peru funded by a Fulbright Grant and a National Geographic Young Explorers Grant. She worked with the Amazon Conservation Association (www.amazonconservation.org) to document the creation of the Manu-Tambopata Conservation Corridor. Gabby worked at over 15 sites along the corridor to document community based, government based, and foreign conservation efforts. Her project blog is www.roadtoamazonia.com.

In September of 2008, Gabby was recognized by Glamour Magazine as one of the Top 10 College Women in the United States for her work with children, photography and the environment. Gabby graduated from Brown University in 2009 with a degree in Science and Society.

Gabby is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Photography, a National Geographic Young Explorer Grantee, and a member of the Emerging League of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). In 2014, she had a 30-image exhibit in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian; her work has also been displayed in the International Photography Hall of Fame.

Gabby worked for five years with Nature’s Best Photography to found a student magazine, promoting photography as a way to connect kids with nature. She continues to teach photography to children and teenagers around the world. Her work can be seen at www.gabbysalazar.com.

Jamie Kiechlin
Beth Morris

Co-VPs Competition – competitions@nvps.org

Competition Themes for 2015

Here is the Competition Theme and the date for the remaining themed competition.

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.

February Competition Results

February's Competition with the theme "Still Life" was postponed until the 17th of this month (March). The full list of competition results is available on the NVPS web site at http://nvps.org

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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Portfolio Project Update

Hi Everyone!  We had some good news and bad news in January.  The bad news was that we were snowed out for the preliminary review.  The good news is that the reviewers gave us a thoughtful written review with well considered comments so all was not lost.
Portfolio is a project where feedback is very helpful.  Face it, when it comes to our own work sometimes we can’t always identify the strongest images, or break away from one we specifically like, even when that image may not be the best fit for the subject or the rest of the group.  Please check out the progress of the other participants and make a comment, give kudos, offer helpful advice.  Let’s make this a group effort.
Now that the review is behind us you may want to re-think your concept, edit the Artist Statement, subtract and add images.  Keep working, keep refining, keep creating more images, and keep whittling down to your best.

Then it will be time to think about the form of your final presentation in May.  You can do a book, prints, slide presentation on a laptop, poster…Check out Scott Musson’s excellent presentation on Photo Books and Calendars that was originally presented at the club on 3/30/2010 at:   http://nvps.org/main/f_stop/docs/PhotoBooksCalendars.pdf.

Upload deadline to participate in the final review will be April 30th.  The final review will be on May 12 with Brian Zwit.  Be sure to check out Brian’s website at http://schoolofcreativephotography.com/brian-j-zwit/ .
 
If you haven’t signed up for the project this year there is still time.  You can sign up between now and April 15 by following these steps:

1.   Get registered as a gallery user by going to http://nvps.org/gallery/main.php and clicking on register (upper right hand corner). Follow the directions on the screen to get yourself a login and password. If you are already a registered user of the gallery then you start at step two.

2.   Send your gallery user name (not your password) to portfolio-gallery@nvps.org  and request Portfolio Project participation.

3.   You will receive an email confirming creation of your album at which point you will be able to upload pictures as well as comment on other member's pictures.

Please say hi to Ceasar and me at the meetings, we’d love to see you!

Ginger and Ceasar

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

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Forum

March 24th: Ten Photographic Techniques That Are
         Worth Learning with Mike Whalen

Former NVPS president and award winning photographer, Mike Whalen, will share ten in-camera and post-processing techniques he has learned over the years which he believes can produce compelling images. Simple techniques such as making sharp images to more advanced subjects (such as multi-layering in Photoshop) will be described. Lots of photo examples will be included with brief explanations of how and where the results were obtained. The final examples will include some of Mike’s favorite subjects:  people from various countries and cultures doing what they do best - being themselves. His presentation will include the following topics:

  • How to Take Tack-Sharp Images
  • The Creative Use of Blur
  • The Exciting Miniature World of Macro and Close-Up Photography
  • “Color” as a Compositional Element
  • Shooting Night Photography
  • Unique Opportunities Created by Weather
  • A Cornucopia of Post-Processing Effects, Before and After Examples
  • Aging Photos (in the computer)
  • HDR and Tone Mapping –Produce Dramatic and Gritty  Effects
  • Timing, People and Street Photography – Being Ready to Capture the Moment
  • BIO
    Mike is a former engineer who has been learning the art-of-photography for the last 9 years.As a teen, he learned a few SLR camera tips from his father, a graphic artist. However, it wasn’t until 2006 (when he purchased his first digital SLR camera), that he became fully engaged.

    Mike has served numerous positions since joining NVPS in 2009, including his current job as Co-Coordinator of Field-Trips, and past positions as President, Co-VP of Competitions, and Assistant Webmaster. He has received several NVPS annual awards including, Photographer-of-the-Year, Color Print of the Year and the Ollie-Fife Award for Image of the Year.
    He loves to photograph all kinds of subjects in both color and black & white, and he is comfortable with the entire photographic process from composition, exposure, post-processing, printing and framing. His inspiration comes from seeing the great works of his peers as well as those shown on popular photographic websites. 

    Examples of Mike's photography:

     

    Forum Presentations for 2014-2015
    Date Presenter Subject
    April 28 Beth Morris Trip to Scotland
    May 26 Dan Ward Astro Photography

    The Forum Coordinator for this year is Susan Phillips.

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    Members Gallery

    March 24 - Prints by Fran Bastress and Digital Images by             Kip Holdridge

    On March 24, Fran Bastress will present her prints and Kip Holdridge will present his digital images for the Members Gallery.

    Fran Bastress. Fran has been involved in photography for decades as a hobbyist but, like many NVPS members, had a hiatus while tending to family and career.  

    She initially became engrossed after buying a secondhand Hasselblad and taking a photography course in Boston, where she developed her darkroom skills.  Her walls are covered with the black and white pictures she took during her years in New England, and some themes in those photos continue in her work today: the natural world and landscapes that incorporate water and things related to the sea.  These interests attracted her in recent years to Canada’s Atlantic Provinces, including New Brunswick where she took the Andre Gallant/Freeman Patterson’s photography workshop.  Fran credits it with heightening her ability to see the world around her.

    It was an Annie Leibovitz exhibit in 2006 that prompted Fran to reengage in photography and enter the digital age.  She shelved her old Canon Rebel, bought a 30D, and took courses from Eliot Cohen.  She recently moved from a Canon 7D to a 5D Mark III. She does her own printing and matting and has participated in workshops and tours.  But now, she and her husband do extensive research and networking to create their own photography tours.  With extended family in Vermont and Phoenix, they’ve traveled repeatedly to the Northeast and Southwest, but during 2015 they plan to focus on the Northwest.

    Fran has been an NVPS member since 2010 and is grateful for all the information and encouragement she has acquired from the club, and she credits it with reigniting her passion for photography.  She serves on the board as secretary/historian and is participating in the Portfolio Project.  Last year she was awarded print of the Year (Class 3) for her Monk in Bhutan Doorway.

    Many of the prints on display are ones that placed in NVPS competitions, as well as those juried into other exhibits: ArtSpace Herndon, Nature Visions, including their traveling exhibits, and Joe Miller’s Abstract Exhibit.  Later this year Fran has a solo exhibit scheduled.  She’s recently updated her website and suggests visiting it to see the photo slideshows with musical accompaniments: www.visionsbyfran.net


    Kip Holdridge


    The Great American Horse Drive

    In a small town in Northwest Colorado, history and traditional endure in one of the largest annual horse drives in the country. A herd numbering over 400 strong, one of the largest in Colorado, is driven from their winter range to a ranch through 60 miles of countryside over two days. Kip’s presentation will chronicle several years of the horse drive, including the herd, riders, and working cowboys and cowgirls in action. The presentation will also feature Northwest Colorado’s other equine attraction, the majestic wild horses of Sandwash Basin.

    Kip Holdridge learned “the basics” of photography at a young age. At 6 years old, his mother taught him the mechanics of using an SLR camera and the rules of composition. After a childhood behind the lens, Kip and photography slowly grew apart as after school activities took up more of his time. After finishing college and starting a career, he found his way back to photography with a little nudging from his mother. He purchased his first DSLR in early 2008 and joined NVPS in the spring of 2009. Kip was the recipient of the NVPS “Photographer of the Year” and “Image of the Year” awards in the Novice Unrestricted Digitally Projected Images category for the 2010-2011 competition year and the “Photographer of the Year” award in the Advanced Digitally Projected Images category for the 2012-2013 year.

    Kip’s photography can be seen online at http://www.flickr.com/krhphotography

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

    Gallery Date Digital Presenter Print Presenter
    April 28 Kieu-Hahn Vu Willa Siegel
    May 26 Patricia Deege Roger Lancaster


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    Field Trips

    March 21st: Return to the Truck Graveyard, Columbia, Va.

    The March 21 (Saturday) field trip will be at the “Truck Graveyard” located in Columbia VA. Acres of abandoned old trucks provide great opportunities for close-up, still life, HDR, abstract photography and more. The estimated drive is 2.5 hours from Northern VA to Columbia, VA (situated half-way between Richmond and Charlottesville). This field trip will begin at the truck graveyard at 9:30 AM and should wrap up about 12:30 PM.  

    Please sign up: Sign-up sheets will be provided at NVPS meetings, or you can email field-trips@nvps.org with your name, email address and cell phone number. Also indicate if you would like to be a car-pool driver (or passenger). Additional information will be provided to those who sign up.

    Note: There is a $20 cash fee per person that will be collected on site and provided to the property owner.

    Mike and Bob
    Field Trip Coordinators

    Date Location
    April 15-19 (Tentative) Overnight to New York City
    May Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, Pa. 

    New York Field TripApril 15-19

    Because of the long lead time needed, we're posting this information on the proposed field trip to New York City in April. For planning purposes we would like to know how many members are interested in this field trip. 

    For logistic purposes we are limiting this trip to ten.

    Here are some details: The hotel is in Secaucus, N.J., a 15-minute bus ride to Manhattan.  The nightly rate is about $150/room.  Currently we have 10 rooms reserved.  The only rooms available have a king size bed and a pull out bed.

    There will be a lot of walking and taking the subway.  Lots of food, pizza, Chinese, Italian and of course a deli. 

    Night photography in Times Square is planned as well as night photography of the N.Y. skyline. Locations planned:
                                    Rockefeller Center
                                    High Line
                                    Brooklyn Bridge
                                    Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
    Lastly, we plan to go to the adult candy store, B&H

    Some costs other then the hotel room:
    $8/day for round trip bus to Manhattan ($3.60 for seniors)
    $5 to $10/day for subway.
    Food is not cheap except for pizza.  Two slices plus a soda for $5.

    Please email us answers to the following questions:

    1.  Are you planning to come on the trip?
    2.  Do you want to share a room?
    3.  Do you have any limitations on walking.  There will be lots of it.

    Bob and Mike     field-trips@nvps.org

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    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

    Elected Board
    President Georgette Grossman president" at "nvps.org
    Co-VP Programs Tami Stieger programs" at "nvps.org
    Co-VP Programs Willa Siegel programs" at "nvps.org
    VP Operations Kevin Egan operations" at "nvps.org
    Co-VP Competition Jamie Kiechlin competition" at "nvps.org
    Co-VP Competition Beth Morris competition" at "nvps.org
    Treasurer Tom Brett treasurer" at "nvps.org
    Secretary/Historian Fran Bastress secretary" at "nvps.org

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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.

    The Annual NBCC Photo Essay Program

    Members of NVPS and their guests are invited to attend the North Bethesda Camera Club  (NBCC)  Photo Essay 2015 presentation Sunday, March 8, from 3 to 5 pm.  The presentation is held in the auditorium of the Rosborough Center at Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, Md.   NBCC has been presenting these photo essay shows every March for nearly 30 years.  The shows have grown in quality and audience size and are now held in a large auditorium.   The program is intended to showcase the participants' photography and to entertain members, their families and friends, and members of other local camera clubs. Additional information can be found on the NVPS web site at http://nvps.org/home/files/PhotoEssay2015BrochurePDF.pdf

     

    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 will be the guest speaker at the Washington School of Photography Camera Club on March 18th.  She will be presenting "Venice in January" including information and images from her trips to Venice in January 2014 and 2015.  The program starts at 7:30 at 12276 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Md.

    Bob and Willa Friedman

    Bob and Willa Friedman have had work juried into the Photoworks Gallery and Photography School's 2015 show, My Little Town: A Photography Exhibition about Washington, D.C.,  Juried by award-winning photographer, Peter Garfield (The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Washingtonian), this exhibition showcases the neighborhoods and local stomping grounds of Washington, D.C., providing a glimpse into the more intimate and personal side of our nation's capital.  The exhibition runs through April 12, 2015.  Photoworks is located in historic Glen Echo Park, Md.

    ArtSpace Herdon juries in NVPS Members

    Six NVPS members were juried in to the Fine Art Photography Competition at the ArtSpace Herdon. They are Fran Bastress, Patricia Deege, Bob Friedman, Georgette Grossman, David Heagy, and Benita Mayo. Also juried in was judge Roy Sewall. Each year, ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from Virginia, D.C., Maryland, and West Virginia to participate in a 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. ArtSpace Herndon is operated by the Herndon Foundation for the Cultural Arts.

    Members Images Submitted to George W. Glennie Nature Exhibit

    The NVPS images selected for the George W. Glennie Nature Exhibit are now available for viewing on the club website, both as a slide show on the main page of the website and in the gallery at http://nvps.org/gallery/v/exhibits/Glennie2015.. This is a digital competition. Clubs are invited to submit up to 10 images in numerous categories. Annually more than 100 clubs worldwide participate in this exhibit.  Additional information about this completion can be found at the Merrimack Valley Camera Club website  http://mvcameraclub.org/comp-interclub/comp-interclub-01-glennie.htm. This year's submission includes images from Ceasar Sharper (2), Sandi Croan (2), Fred Siskind (2) and one each from Yue Xu, Stan Bysshe, Barry Sperling and Bill Corbett.  Please take a look at your fellow club members' work.
     
    John Quigley
    Coordinator

    Kirk Johnson

    On February 18, one of Member Kirk Johnson’s photographs, titled Next Stop...South Capitol was selected as Photo of the Day for the Shutterbug.com  website.

    The article accompanying the photo says:

    Today’s Shutterbug Photo of the Day is this ghostly, futuristic shot of the DC Metro by Kirk Johnson.  Johnson actually shot this with his Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone, proving that you don’t always need a traditional camera to get a cool looking image.

    "A quiet afternoon (before the afternoon rush hour) at the South Capitol metro train stop in Washington DC,” Johnson writes about the photo. “Took a series of photographs of this commuter train as it was coming out of the tunnel. I loved the way the light scattered, dancing across the walls, ceiling, and tiled floor. The picture has an almost eerie, foreboding feel to it.”

    The settings on Johnson’s Samsung S3 were: aperture priority, average metering, 1/15 sec shutter speed; f/2.6 aperture; ISO 800, 3.7 mm focal length. Post processing was done using both Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Topaz Black & White Effects.

    If you want to enter Shutterbug Photo of the Day, post an image in the Shutterbug Photo of the Day Gallery and include your real name and some background on the image (how and where it was shot; the story behind the image; gear and settings used etc.) in the description field to qualify.

    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.

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    Exhibition Opportunities

    The Hylton Center's Second Annual Juried Exhibition

    The Hylton Center is hosting its Second Annual Juried Exhibition to celebrate the region's vibrant visual arts community. A distinguished panel of judges will jury submissions and choose the top entries to be exhibited in the Hylton Center's Buchanan Partners Art Gallery from May 17-June 28, 2015. Along with the honor of being chosen to exhibit, the following awards will be announced at a reception on Thursday, June 11. Award recipients will receive a certificate, a cash prize, and the winner of "Best of Show" will have an opportunity to exhibit their work in a solo show in the Buchanan Partners Art Gallery during the 2015-2016 season. Submissions are due between February 1, 2015 - April 1, 2015. For more information, see http://www.hyltoncenter.org/gallery/juried.html

    NVPS Photography Exhibit, March 31 to May 31

    Think about the exhibit to be held in the office of Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross from March 31 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

    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/

     

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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.

    Mary Louise Ravese — Workshops

    Mary Louise Ravese was our speaker in April 2014 and offers the following workshops:

    For the Intermediate to Advanced Photographer:

         Orchids & Blue Poppies Flower Photography Workshop: March 13 – 15
    Location: Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA
    While not much is blooming outdoors, the famous garden conservatories of Longwood Gardens are bursting with colorful photo opportunities. During this weekend workshop we will photograph the rare Himalayan blue poppy display and annual orchid extravaganza. Learn traditional and creative flower photography techniques and receive supportive feedback.

    For more information and online registration visit: http://www.bellavistaphotography.com/classes-lessons#OBP

    For the Novice to Advanced Photographer:

         “Photographing Tuscany in the Spring” Photography Workshop: May 14- 24
    Location: Tuscany, Italy
    Early Registration Discount if registered by March 14th
    (6 months to pay via PayPal Credit for qualifying applicants)

    Join me in a 10-night small group workshop (limited to 6 participants) photographing some of the most picturesque areas of Tuscany, Italy. This workshop itinerary offers the quintessential Tuscan country experience. We will explore the hillside vineyards and castles of the Chianti wine district and the village of San Gimignano. Then it's on to the rural countryside of the Val d'Orcia area which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It offers lush green rolling hillsides, frequently dotted with fields of red poppies at this time of year. Picturesque winding country roads lined with cypress trees, vineyards and olive groves with views of medieval hilltop villages in the background and quaint street scenes in historic villages await. Abbeys and monasteries offer unique architecture shooting options as well. We wrap up our trip with two nights in world-renowned Florence. Fine tune your current skills and expand your techniques by learning how to create striking painterly & realistic high dynamic range (HDR) images.

    For more information and online registration visit: http://www.bellavistaphotography.com/classes-lessons#PTS

    Jim Steele

    Jim Steele was our judge for the September 2014 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/

    Mollie Isaacs

    Mollie Isaacs was our Program Speaker in December 2014. She is offering seven tours/workshops for 2015. Details and descriptions are on her web site at www.awakethelight.com.

    Sue Bloom

    Sue Bloom was our April 2014 judge. She offers the following for 2015: April 11- Digital Painting, Glen Echo's PhotoWorks in Glen Echo, Md.; April 19 - Digital Collage, also at Glen Echo's PhotoWorks; June 29 - July 3 - Digital Painting mornings at Common Ground, Westminster, Md.; July 26 - August 1 - Digital Collage and Painting at the Maine Media Workshop. She is also offering a photo tour of Italy in January 2016. For details, she her web site at www.suebloom.com .

    David Luria

    David Luria was our speaker in May 2013. He reports that there are only two times of year when access to the inside of the Cathedral, the golden hour, the rise of a full moon, and civil twilight all coincide! One of those times is on Tuesday afternoon/evening, February 3, and so he has designed a photo safari around it!   He will be teaching a workshop on architectural photography at this special time. If you are interested,  come join him by registering at http://washingtonphotosafari.com/calendar/event/02/03/15/15084 

    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 is the Forum presenter for this month. 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 offers Lightroom workshops (February 7 and March 14), as well as photo workshops and international tours. He's giving a free photo critique webinar on February 4. Photo workshop locations include Charleston, S.C., and St. Michaels, Md. His international destinations include Cuba, Ireland, Czech Republic and Morocco. Full schedule of events 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

    Roy Sewall

    Roy Sewell was our May 2013 Portfolio Critiquer and our judge for competition in June and December 2014. 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/

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    Help

    Legal Services of Northern Virginia seeks help

    My name is Raquel Bonilla and I am the Director of Grants Management and Special Projects for the Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV). I am writing to ask if one, or more, of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society members would be interested in helping us with a project.

    LSNV is the law firm for people who cannot afford a lawyer. LSNV provides free, high-quality legal advocacy and information for elderly, disabled, and low-income individuals and families who face the loss of a critical need, such as personal safety, income, housing, medical benefits, education, or family stability. In all, we handled more than 5,500 cases last year, which directly benefitted more than 13,500 people in Northern Virginia. The work we do is enormously important, and is a life line for thousands of people who have nowhere else to turn. 

    But we could use some help in telling our story.

    Northern Virginia is one of the most affluent parts of the entire country. In fact, on the 2014 Forbes magazine list of the 10 richest counties in the US, five are located in Northern Virginia. However, there is a significant number of Northern Virginians who live in poverty. The latest U.S. Census indicates that out of a total population of about 2.7 million, 200,794 people in Northern Virginia live below the poverty line. We would like to tell the stories of some of these people. 2015 is our 35th Anniversary, and LSNV is going to be launching a year-long campaign to highlight the phenomenon of poverty amidst plenty, and our work. 

    Portraits of our clients (or people who could be our clients) would do much to help bring our story to life. We would show the photographs at our Annual Gala October 3rd and might also collect them into a picture book and display them on our website and/or on social media. Photographers of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society would retain the copyrights for any photographs we use and would receive credit wherever the photographs are published. We do not have the resources in house to do a project like this, and I was wondering what I have described might be of interest to one of the photography members? If any of the members are looking for a project and are interested I would be happy to meet with them to discuss this idea in greater detail. Sadly we cannot offer salaries, but, we might be able to provide a small stipend to defray certain costs. 

    Thank you for considering this request and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached at 703-778-6803 or rbonilla@lsnv.org

    Raquel Bonilla
    Director of Grants Management & Special Projects
    Legal Services of Northern Virginia
    4080 Chain Bridge Road, 1st Floor
    Fairfax, Virginia 22030
    Direct: (703) 778-6803
    Fax: (571) 386-0632

    For Sale

    South African Photo Safari for Two

    This South African Photo Safari for two, valued at $ 5,950, is being offered by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia at their annual silent auction fund raiser in cooperation with Zulu Nyala Group. It can be purchased prior to the auction (March 28, 2015) for $3,500. The package includes: six days and six nights accommodation for two people at your choice of three venues: Zulu Nyala Game Lodge, Heritage Safari Lodge or Hemingway-style Tented Safari Camp. All meals, with gourmet breakfasts and buffet dinners. two game viewing activities per day on Zulu Nyala Game Reserve in open Land Rovers with an experienced ranger. A personal ranger that will assist you in arranging your activities during your stay at Zulu Nyala. But the package does not include: airfares, transfers, side trips, drinks, telephone calls, laundry and gratuities. This trip is valid for two years from the auction date. Please see NVPS member Ken Barnett at a meeting or write to him at treas.soa.va@gmail.com for further details. Also visit www.ZuluNyala.com

    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. See 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 Notes

    Please note that the deadline for each month's FotoFax is the Friday following Tuesday of Competition Night.

    Newsletter Editor Alan Goldstein

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    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.