Volume 52 – No. 9	Founded 1965 – our 52th Year	May 2018
The Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society
Editor: Alan Goldstein – Email: editor" at "nvps.org
Table of Contents President's Message 2017-2018 Board Education and Training Competition     April Competition Results Forum Members' Gallery Field Trips Membership Announcements    Members News    Exhibition Opportunities    Workshop Offerings Want Ads Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs Editor Calendar 5/1 Monthly Program: Raw Workflow and           Plug-ins with John Barclay 5/8 Education & Training: Street Photography          with Bob Friedman 5/15 Competition: Judging by Greg Holden 5/19 Field Trip: National Arboretum,          Washington, D.C. 5/22 Forum: Cuba: Habana and Beyond           by Ginger Werz-Petricka 5/22 Members Gallery: Digital by Sam Schaen and                Marilyn Gaizband          Prints by Kacy Turner 5/29 Education & Training 2: Post Processing 2          with Mike Whalen Swap Meet
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 p.m. at the Dunn Loring Fire Station. The doors open at 6:45 p.m. for a "meet and greet" with meetings on non-competition nights beginning at 7:30 p.m. Note for Competition Nights only (Third Tuesday): Competition begins at 7:15p.m. All prints must be checked in no later than 7:30 p.m.  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

We are closing out our 2017-1018 meeting season, with five blockbuster meetings in May, featuring a rich array of presentations and educational activities, including our annual swap meet at our last meeting on May 29.

Our annual End of Year Banquet will be held on Thursday May 31, 2018

Join us to celebrate our club’s 2017–2018 accomplishments.
Come socialize and enjoy a meal with your fellow members. Bring your family and friends! That evening we will:

     • Present EOY competition awards and see beautiful digital and print images
     • Learn who won the Photographers of the Year for each category
     • Present your new 2018–2019 Board

When: Thursday May 31, 2018; Cocktail/social hour 6:00-7:00 PM,      Dinner 7:00 PM
Where: Waterford at Fair Oaks (located at the Northwest corner of      Fair Oaks Mall)
                                                                                  Address: 12025 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy, Fairfax, VA 2203

Tickets are only $38 each and you can pay with cash or check at any Tuesday meeting (preferred) or:
     • Mail payment to our Treasurer, Tom Brett (4216 Wynnwood Dr., Annandale, VA 22003)
     • Pay through PayPal http://nvps.org/home/?p=8591
The Payment deadline for $38 tickets is May 29, 2018; tickets are $40 at the door

Note: if any of your prints have won a first, second or third place, or honorable mention in any in this year’s monthly competitions, please bring your print(s) to the Club meetings starting April 24, so that they can be considered in the End of Year competition.
 
I also recommend that Club members attend An evening with Freeman Patterson, photographer and writer, to be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday May 3, 2018, at the Fairfax City Sherwood Center, 3740 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 2203. 

Mr. Patterson, a world-renowned photographer and teacher, will discuss the idea of “Creativity” as applied to photographic work.  His personal efforts range from documentary to impressionistic; resonating with themes inherent in the natural world. 

Bill Millhouser
2017-2018 NVPS President

Board of Directors

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

Monthly Program

May 8th: Work Flow and Plug-ins with John Barclay

John Barclay is an award wining freelance photographer based in Bucks County, Pa. He is a passionate photographer and enthusiastic workshop leader. He presents his inspirational programs to audiences around the world.

 John’s work has been published in a number of books and magazines and is treasured by a number of private collectors.  Recently, John was the recipient of an excellence award from B&W Magazine and was chosen by Dewitt Jones to participate in his www.healingimages.org program. You can see his work and view his workshop schedule at www.barclayphoto.com

A few examples of John's work:

The VP for Programs for 2017-2018 is Willa Siegel.

Education & Training

May 8th: Street Photography by Bob Friedman

Bob and Willa Friedman

As a teenager, Bob started his photography journey with a darkroom in his parent’s basement, which he inherited from his brother.  The first thing he did when we bought our house was to build a darkroom in the basement.

Willa first became involved in photography as an instructor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where she photographed wildlife in city parks for the NYC schools, and her images were published in a fourth grade text book. 

“If selling a few photos makes us pros, then we are pros,” Bob says.  “ Otherwise we are advanced amateurs.”

The Friedmans have taken courses and workshops at Photoworks at Glen Echo, and with Freeman Patterson and André Gallant in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Canada. They have also had extensive courses in Photoshop. The Friedmans have been members of NVPS for many years.

Their subjects are varied, but Bob does street photography and Willa finds reflections everywhere.  Both use Fuji cameras with various lenses.

Their work is currently on display at the Art League in the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria.  They each have an image in the permanent collection of the Joseph Miller Center for Photographic Arts and have had images published in the Northern Virginia Review and District Lines.

They have multiple images in the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and have prints on display in various professional offices in the Metro DC area.

“Our current job is retirement – it doesn't pay very well but it is a lot more fun then the “W” word,” Bob says.

The Program

Wikipedia says “ Street photography is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places”. We have been doing that for a number of years.  The key word in the definition is: “public”; it need not be on the street.

Our presentation will explain what you can do legally in public spaces, as told by lawyers and court decisions. You do have the right to photograph in public places.

The “decisive moment”  will be explored  as shown by Henri Cartier-Bresson and other photographers, famous, not so famous, and us! It’s not always what it seems.

Also, getting over the reluctance to take street photos or fear of getting  punched in the face will be discussed including safe and friendly places for street photography. There are interesting places where you can practice street photography, sometimes even with the  cooperation of your subjects.

May 29th: Post Processing II with Mike Whalen

This session will be a live demonstration of several post-processing techniques mentioned in Mike’s presentation on February 18. Part 2 will demonstrate several of Lightroom’s powerful development tools including the Adjustment Brush and Transform tools. Removing annoying distractions with Photoshop’s powerful photo editing ​tools​ will also be demonstrated.

As a teen, Mike Whalen learned a few photography basics from his father, a photographer and artist. In 2002, he became interested in photography and purchased his first digital camera - a Kodak "point-and-shoot". However, it wasn’t until 2006, when he purchased a basic Canon DSLR, that he began to see the potential of this “new” technology.

In 2009, Mike joined NVPS. Here, he met many talented people, happy to share their photographic knowledge. This was another turning point. At NVPS, he served on many board positions including President in 2013. From competing in many NVPS competitions, he received numerous annual awards including, “Photographer-of-the-Year”, “Color-Print-of-the-Year” and “Image-of-the-Year” at various times. In recent years, he also scored three cover shots on the Spring editions of Washington Gardener Magazine.

He has also won “People’s Choice” award in 2016 for his photo, Charleston Plantation at the annual Nature Visions photo expo. Mike donates his time regularly, as a pet photographer for the Fairfax County Animal Shelter and, volunteers as an event photographer for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s annual race-walk.

His inspiration comes from seeing the great works of his peers and images on popular photo websites.  He thanks you for inviting him to speak and hopes you enjoy the presentation.

The Education and Training Coordinator for 2017-2018 is Ron Taylor.

Competition

May 15th: Judging by Greg Holden

Note: There is no theme for the May competition. It is traditionally an “Oldies Night” which means that in addition to no theme, the two-year limit on the capture time is waived.

Greg Holden is a photographer from Rockville, Md., who uses his photography to share with others how he sees the world.

Greg is an avid hiker and while most of his photos are from visits to National Parks, but some of his best photos are from outings closer to home.  While Greg has enjoyed photographing many beautiful sunrises and grand landscapes, he finds that the little scenes often overlooked by others are the ones that fuel his creativity. Greg is always looking beyond the obvious and photographing the things that others might not even notice like an acorn sprouting, the patterns made by rust and faded paint on an old automobile, or patterns in the windblown sand of a local beach. 

Greg enjoys teaching others and sharing his passion for photography and speaks and judges at clubs throughout the Maryland/Virginia area.  He also teaches classes through Capital Photography Center (capitalphotographycenter.com).

You can see Greg’s work on his website www.imagesunderfoot.comand follow him on Instagram @imagesunderfoot

End-of-Year Banquet Judge

Corey Hilz will be the End-of-Year Banquet judge . Collection of winning images (First, Second, Third, and Honorable Mention) will be collected beginning Tuesday, 24 April.)

Corey is a professional photographer specializing in nature and travel photography. He approaches subjects with an artistic eye, looking for a fresh perspective. Corey is a published author and his work is seen in magazines, books and calendars, as well as in art galleries.

Corey was our February 2016 judge, and our October 2015 Education and Training speaker.

He regularly offers software workshops as well as photo workshops and international tours. Spring/summer photo workshop locations include Longwood Gardens, the National Zoo, Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. His international destinations include Cuba, Ireland, Czech Republic and Morocco.

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.   Find out more on Corey's website: http://www.coreyhilz.com/

Competition Themes for 2018-2019

• Geometry:
  Images where the predominant elements are geometric shapes — circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, etc. The compositional elements may be specific [subject-based], such as a wall with a door and doorknob and windows, or implied [design-based], where the photographer searches for designs, such as rectangles, circles, etc. without concern for the names of the objects. For example, subject-based could consider a scene with land, ocean and sky, whereas, design-based could see the same scene as three rectangles of different tones and sizes.
•  Reflections:
  Images which include reflections in water, buildings, mirrors, glass or any other reflective material.
•  Trains, Planes, Automobiles, and Trucks:
  Images of these subjects can be of new or old ones—ones in mint condition or in a state of ruin. Photos can be of the entire vehicle or parts, such as hood ornaments. Subjects can be in motion or at rest.

April Competition Results

Digital - Class 1
1st Place – Kirk Johnson – Sunset at the IB Pier
2nd Place – Lester Miyaoka - Koi

Digital – Class 2
1st Place – Willa Siegel – Encircled
2nd Place – Kathryn Mohrman – Burmese Spear Fishing
3rd Place – Eva Lanyi – Klamath River Sunrise

Digital – Class 3
1st Place – Alan Goldstein – Fish for Breakfast
2nd Place – Kieu-Hanh Vu – Attention to Details
3rd Place – Kevin Egan – Preparing to Land

Color Prints – Class 1
1st Place – Joan Barker - Whirlwind
2nd Place – My-Linh Tran – Oystercatcher Feeding Chick

Color Prints – Class 2
1st Place – Laurie Kuyk – Perched
2nd Place – Jerri McDermott – Tail Lights

Color Prints – Class 3
1st Place – Alan Goldstein – Hey Ladies!!
2nd Place – Stan Bysshe – She Means Business
3rd Place – Fran Bastress – Yellowstone Geyser Vista

Monochrome Prints – Class 1
1st Place – Len Johnson – Tree Stump Creature

Monochrome Prints – Class 2
No Awards

Monochrome Prints – Class 3
1st Place – Kevin Egan – Silent Ivories
2nd Place – Bill Corbett – Pelican in Motion

First Place Winners

Class 1 Digital Kirk Johnson Sunset at the IB Pier	Class 2 Digital Willa Siegel Encircled
	Class 3 Digital Alan Goldstein Fish for Breakfast
Class 1 Color Print Joan Barker Whirlwind	Class 2 Color Print Laurie Kuyk Perched
Class 3 Color Print Alan Goldstein Hey Ladies!!
Class 1 Monochrome Len Johnson Tree Stump Creature	Class 3 Monochrome Kevin Egan Silent Ivories

The Co-VPs Competition for 2017-2018 are Stan Bysshe and Chuck Campbell (competitions@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 editor "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.

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.

Forum

May 22nd: Cuba: Habana and Beyond with
            Ginger Werz-Petrika

Ginger Werz-Petricka has been a member of NVPS since 2009 and has been involved with both Members Gallery and Education and Training, but, her main interest is the Portfolio Project, where she interned with Bill Prosser and Bill Corbett. 

Her first SLR was a Minolta SR-T-101 that saw her through college photography classes and up to the early days of digital.  Her first DSLR was a Canon and she has been using the 6D for the last few years.  Just recently she added an Olympus E-M1 Mark II to her gear and on the Cuba trip has found that the lighter weight and smaller size of the mirrorless is perfect for travel.

Ginger prefers not to be labeled as a particular type of photographer, i.e landscape, bird, street, etc., preferring to explore a wide variety of subjects, including landscape, night, architecture, macro, street, abstract, still-life, travel, etc. and most recently the figure.  She is drawn to pattern, shape, texture and strong contrast in particular, and is now leaning more and more back to her black and white beginnings.

For Cuba: Habana and Beyond, we will see images from Gingers recent trip to Cuba with Roadrunner Tours and Cuba Photo Tours.  Through eight days, six provinces and three cities the interesting and varied landscape of Cuba and its people was revealed.  Cuba is not the simplest destination for an American, but it is both surprising and welcoming; and well worth a visit.

Examples of Ginger's Cuba photography:

The Forum Coordinator for 2017-2018 is Kirk Johnson.

Members Gallery

May 22nd: Digital by Sam Schaen and Marilyn Gaizband
                    Prints by Kacy Turner

Sam Schaen and Marilyn Gaizband

Sam Schaen and Marilyn Gaizband were members of NVPS from September 2003 until 2017. They bought a home in Green Valley, Ariz., and spend their winters there.

The pair consider themselves serious amateur photographers. They met in 1983 and celebrated their 32nd anniversary in April. Marilyn became seriously interested in photography when her sister gave her a Nikkormat camera for her 30th birthday.

Marilyn taught Sam photography, including black & white darkroom processing shortly after they met. Sam, in return, taught Marilyn about computers. Both are now retired. They currently use Nikon D750 bodies and share a variety of Nikon lenses from wide angle (16-35mm) to telephoto (2000mm-400mm).

The couple is most interested in nature photography and bird photography in particular. They enjoy travelling around the world in pursuit of their hobby. Some favorite U.S. locations include Bombay Hook in Delaware, wetlands on the east coast of Florida, Bosque del Apache in New Mexico, and Blackwater Refuge in Cambridge, Md. They have photographed in a number of countries, including Kenya, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Scotland, the Falkland Islands, Antarctica, Spitsbergen. Their next big trip is to China in 2019.

Cuba
The images in their Members’ Gallery are from their trip to Cuba in March 2017. The tour was led by former NVPS member and frequent speaker, Corey Hilz, and a Cuban native who formerly was a history professor. The trip began and ended in Havana with stops in Vinales, Playa Largo (Bay of Pigs), Cienfuegos, and Trinidad. Outside of Havana, the group stayed in Casitas — essentially Bed and Breakfasts. Many Cuban families put extensions on their homes specifically to attract tourists. Cuba is a country of interesting contrasts. One can see a young women in a mini-skirt with a cell phone next to someone driving a horse-drawn cart. There are historic buildings as well as buildings desperately needing repair. And of course, there are the 1950s American Cars.

Examples of Sam and Marilyn’s Cuba photography:

Kacy Turner

Kacy Turner has always had a love of creativity from producing stained glass panels to oil painting so her interest in photography was a natural progression. In the summer of 2014 Kacy bought her brother-in-law’s Canon 40-D camera. With very little technical knowledge but a whole lot of passion she began to recognize and appreciate photography as an art form and caught the competition bug right away.

Kacy joined the NVPS in November of 2016 and for the next six months in a row she entered all of the categories and won seven different awards. She earned two more awards when her prints were chosen by the End of Year Banquet judge. Kacy went on to win Class 1 Digital Photographer of the Year. This past November she entered the 2017 Nature Vision’s Expo competition and won the People’s Choice Award as well. Today she shoots with a Canon 6D Mark 2 and has learned a lot about post-processing using lynda.com classes. Photoshop is her favorite editing software.

You may all know Kacy as the smiling greeting Member’s Coordinator who sits at the name-tag table as you come in. Tonight you will get to see what she loves to photograph. Almost everything she photographs has a heartbeat. Kacy loves animals and big cats are her favorites!

Her philosophy is the same as most zoo’s these days and she uses her photos to educate people about the importance of conservation. She hopes people will fall in love with these animals close to home and then support animals in the wild. Her lifelong goal is to visit every zoo and animal sanctuary across the United States, all in good time.
Enjoy viewing her domestic wild collection!

Examples of Kacy’s work:

The Member's Gallery Coordinator for this 2016-2017 is Laurie Kuyk.

Field Trips

May 19th: National Arboretum

Our final field trip of the 2017-18 club calendar will be May 19 to the National Arboretum, located at 3501 New York Ave., N.E. We’ll meet at the visitor center at 8:30 a.m. — the Arboretum opens at 8 a.m. 

While the insane weather this year prevents any forecast about what, if anything, will be in bloom, the Arboretum offers a stunning array of attractions for photography. Bonsai, Asian collections, azaleas, the old Capitol columns, herb and ornamental gardens all provide opportunities for creative photography. (The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum opens at 10 a.m.) Please note that federal regulations require fees and permits for any commercial photography.

Directions: Follow I-395 north over the 14th Street Bridge. Follow signs until the freeway ends at New York Avenue. Turn right onto New York Avenue and follow New York Avenue east to the intersection of Bladensburg Road. Turn right (south) onto Bladensburg Road and go four blocks to R Street. Make a left on R Street and continue two blocks to the Arboretum gates.

Please email us for questions and to let us know that you will be going: field-trips@nvps.org

Field Trip Coordinators for 2017-2018 are Jim and Gerri McDermott

Membership

2018 Membership Dues

We now have NVPS business cards for you to hand out. Stop by the membership table and pick some up to keep in your camera bag! They are FREE for you to spread the word about our club.  Be sure to write your name on the back of the cards that you hand out; let’s see who brings in the most prospects!

Remember, in order to participate in the monthly competitions your membership dues must be current.

Membership dues are at half-price for the remainder of the 2018 Society year (until 1 May 2018):

There are three forms of payment. Checks and cash are preferred by NVPS:

• Check: make out your check to NVPS. Complete and print out the Membership Application (http://nvps.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/NVPS_application_2015-2016.pdf). Please either mail both to our Treasurer, Tom Brett, 4216WynnwoodDr, Annandale, VA 22003 or bring your membership application and check to a meeting.
• Cash: Complete and print out the Membership Application (NVPS Membership Application 2017-2018 ) with your current information and pay our Membership Coordinators (Kacy Turner or Judy Graham) or our Treasurer (Tom Brett) at any future meeting.
• PayPal: use the link on our website: http://nvps.org/home/?page_id=114. Please note that NVPS must pay a fee for this method of payment!

Questions, please email membership at membership@nvps.org.
We look forward to seeing you at upcoming club meetings and events!

Stay Connected with NVPS

Email: If you are not already receiving NVPS emails, there are two ways you can sign up to join the list. Click on the following link and sign up by entering your name and email address. Click on join the list. http://nvps.org/home/?page_id=31. Or you may stop by the Membership desk at the next meeting and they will be happy to assist you. It's important to note, you will receive an "opt-in" email from nvps.org. If you do not receive it, check your spam folder. Please respond to this email within 72 hours or the verification link will expire.

Facebook: If you are on Facebook, please join the NVPS private group. Search on Northern Virginia Photographic Society Social Group and request to join. Members post everything from their photos to interesting articles on photography to requests for recommendations. You will find the group informative and fun!

Kacy Turner
Membership Coordinator

Announcements

Notice: The information about workshops and events not sponsored by or affiliated with NVPS are provided as an informational courtesy to Members. Individuals should review the detailed rules and conditions for contests and gallery shows to determine what impact entering an image has on the photographer's rights and ownership of the submitted images. Review the descriptions of workshops to see whether participation in a particular workshop would actually meet your personal learning goals. NVPS attempts to screen events for legitimacy and quality; however NVPS does not recommend these events and cannot assume responsibility for their ultimate quality. We recommend due diligence and encourage you to share your experience with other club members.

Members' News:

Wayne Wolfersberger

Wayne Wolfersberger served as Judge at the Loudoun County Camera Club competition recently as in May, he will present Flower Photography to a Frederick county garden club. During May and June, Wayne will lead a six-day photo tour to Yellowstone. He will also present a program to OLLI on Sunrise and Sunset Photography, and will present a program on Photography in Our National Parks for a Frederick Camera Club.

Competitions

None this month.

Exhibition Opportunities

Announcements of workshops, exhibitions or contests are provided for information purposes only. There is no actual or implied endorsement by the Northern Virginia Photographic Society.

Thu, May 3, 7:30 p.m. The Call To Creativity. The Sherwood Center presents a Freeman Patterson Lecture in association with Osher Life Long Learning Center. Mr. Patterson, a world-renowned photographer and teacher, will discuss the idea of “Creativity” as applied to photographic work.  His personal efforts range from documentary to impressionistic; resonating with themes inherent in the natural world.  Freeman will begin his presentation with a talk about the nature of creativity and ways to nurture and develop the creativity with which we are all born.  He includes stories of people who have used their creativity under great difficulty to benefit others and follows with a series of photographs (with commentary) that illustrate his main points and reveal how both the symbols in our dreams and the symbols in our art tell our life story.