Volume 48 - No. 1.1
Founded 1965 - our 47th Year
September 2012
The Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society
Editor: Dan Ward - Email: editor@nvps.org
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Table of Contents

President's Message
Monthly Program
Education and Training
Competition
   Competition Image Use

   This Year's Themes
Forum
Members' Gallery
Fieldtrips
Board of Directors

   Treasurer's Report
Portfolio Project
Announcements
   Members News
   Exhibition Opportunities
   Events
   Workshop Offerings

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Editor

Calendar

9/4
Monthly Program: Steve Beltz - Crime Scene Photography
9/11
Education & Training: Sandi Croan Common Flaws
9/15
Field Trip: Maryland Renaissance Festival
9/18
Competition: Judge - Joshua Taylor. This competition does not have a theme.
9/25
Forum - Paul Simmons - Elements of Visual Design
Gallery Prints- Ken Barnett - Bike Trails
Gallery Digital - Jeff Hancock - Planes, Helicopters, and Aerial Photography
9/29
Field Trip: Green Spring Gardens Park
10/2
Monthly Program: Check the website for details
10/5-10/7
Field Trip Fall National Skirmish Matches near Winchester

Note: You can click on the above links to go directly to the article; or you can scroll through the entire newsletter. You can also print the entire newsletter.

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

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

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

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

President's Message

September 2012

Welcome back. I hope you had a good summer and have enough interesting new photos for a year of competition. If you are new to the club, or new to photography, this year we've planned some things especially for you. Thanks to Education and Training co-chairs, Dennis Govoni and Roger Lancaster, the first presentation will explain what competition judges look for in photos. The common flaws will be pointed out. Sandi Croan's presentation will help prepare novice photographers for club competition. And remember, competition is totally anonymous. Nobody knows whose picture is being shown until you win.

For those who think they have heard everything, Tom Burden has something different for the first Program which is the first meeting of the new year. The speaker will be Steve Beltz on crime scene photography.

And the first field trip will be to the Maryland Renaissance Festival; a place I've wanted to go for years and never have. Thanks to Bill Vanderpool and Charles Rusnak for coming up with something new.

Self Improvement Series

Willa Siegel and Bob Friedman are repeating the self-improvement project run by Paul Simmons about six years ago. We were new to photography then and found it was so valuable and so much fun that it is worth repeating. And if you are not new to photography, and even if you participated in the project six years ago, it will still be worth doing. They are using Freeman Patterson's book, Photographing the World Around You as a guide. The book isn't readily available, so if you would like to purchase it, email Bob Friedman. He will have Freeman ship the books from Canada. (See more details in the Fieldtrips section below.)

"What I did this summer" gallery is on the website. It is fun to see the interesting things everyone has done--all around the world and even close to home. So go ahead and share your favorite image taken between June 15 and September 3.

As you can see, the board members have been working all summer to make this an exciting year and deserve our thanks. But we still need a volunteer to make coffee at the meetings. Please, someone?

I just received a note from the President of the Camera Club of Richmond who is very excited to announce a one day presentation that they are having on September 15 featuring Harold Davis of California. He is making a special appearance on his way to a workshop in New York sponsored by B & H. There is more information on this presentation in the Events section further down in this issue of FotoFax.

Willa

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Now is the time for all good NVPS members to renew your NVPS membership!
http://nvps.org/main/about/membership-information/



Monthly Program

September 4th, 2012 - Steve Beltz: Crime Scene Photography


For the kickoff of the 2012-13 Program Year, NVPS is pleased to welcome Steve Beltz, who will present a program on crime scene and surveillance photography. In this presentation, the attendees will receive an overview of crime scene and surveillance photography and the tools used by detectives and other professionals in this field. The talk will also include an overview of what exactly an "audio/video" analyst does and the skills needed to work in this specialized area.

Steve Beltz has been involved in photography for over 30 years. He put his skills to good use while he was employed for the Washington State Patrol as a Detective Sergeant. Steve spent many years examining and documenting numerous types of serious crimes as well as being involved in surveillance photography of various criminal entities. Crime scenes and surveillance photography represent special challenges for photographers to include low light, poor weather and cramped spaces.

In the Virginia area, Steve has worked at the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Defense and specialized in computer, audio and video forensics where he uses his computer and photography skills to enhance video, photo and audio files. Steve has taught photography to all levels of government and has a strong foundation in the use of Photoshop CS6.

Steve will be joining us for dinner at Chili's at 5:30 prior to the Program, so if you'd like to attend the dinner, please rsvp to tomburden" at "me.com.

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Education & Training

September 11th - Sandi Croan - Analyzing Your Photos For Common Flaws

Join Sandi Croan for an evening of analyzing photographs that don't quite make the grade but can be improved with some magic through software. We have all taken photos that we wished could be re-taken, but that's not possible. These photos fall into the gray area of not to be tossed out, but by some clever post-processing can be restored to life.

Maybe they contain just minor flaws and so Sandi will attempt to resurrect these photos with some clever approaches. Sandi will be primarily using Adobe's Lightroom on a handful of selected photos. Please join us for what will be an interesting evening with one of our more renowned photographers.

Sandi Croan bio

Sandi began her photography journey seriously in 2003 by taking Wayne Wolfenberger's Photography 101 and 102 through Fairfax County Adult Rec. At Wayne's recommendation, she joined NVPS in March of 2004 and has been inspired, grown tremendously and met many wonderful people.

Sandi has won numerous competitions and awards for her fine art photographs. In 2008, she was awarded Photographer of the Year and Print of the Year by the Northern Virginia Photographic Society and she won both Best in Show and 2nd Place at the juried Meadowlark Photo Expo in Vienna, VA. Her images have been selected to be put on permanent display at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and the Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts. She has been juried into numerous art shows including; the prestigious VisArts of Rockville Exhibitions, Fairfax County Council of the Arts Show (Unlocked), and The Fraser Gallery International Photography Exhibition. Sandi was a featured artist in Elan Magazine, and her photograph “Blue Lagoon” was on the cover. She has also had photographs published in other local and national magazines.

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

Sandi has been an active member of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS) since 2004 and has served in a variety of board positions. She served as President of NVPS for two terms from 2009-2011, the only president in the history of the club to have served two terms. She also is a speaker and serves as a judge for area photographic clubs, competitions and exhibitions.

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

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Competition

September 18th - Competition - Judge Joshua Taylor

Co – VP’s of Competition Mike Whalen and Mike Kane welcome back all club members from a summer of fun and happy photography with the first competition of the New Year on Tuesday September 18, 2013. Please be sure to review the competition guidelines on the NVPS website (http://nvps.org/main/about/rules-of-competition/).

Digital images must be uploaded by 6:00PM the Sunday before (Sept. 16) the competition.  Prints must be signed in by 7:15, so our judge can preview them.  You must be a fully paid member to compete.  You are invited to join Josh for dinner at Chili's Restaurant, at 5:30 p.m. on the 18th. If you would like to join us please RSVP to Mike Kane (michaelaustinkanephoto ”at” gmail.com) by 5:30 PM on Monday September 17.  Mr. Taylor has graciously provided the following biography. Join us in welcoming Judge Josh Taylor.

Joshua Taylor bio

Josh is a successful and accomplished professional photographer, with over 30 years of experience, presenting workshops at the Smithsonian National Orchid show, Longwood Gardens, U.S. National Arboretum, Brookside Gardens, etc, to name just a few, with emphasis on the success of the participants.  In addition to this, he teaches Canon camera equipment, speaks at camera and garden clubs, judges photographic competitions, and exhibits his images in gallery shows.

Josh's passion for the craft of photography is his inspiration, and his compelling images of architecture, garden and other outdoor subjects convey this passion.  He hopes his images will inspire, captivate, and teach others to experience his joy and love of photography.  Through his photographic vision and personal style, the ordinary becomes the extraordinary.  Josh wants the viewer to see that a "good" photograph doesn't just happen; rather, it is made by the photographer.

"It's an honor to say that I've judged photographic competitions at all of the camera clubs in the Metro area.  Some camera clubs have invited me back year after year, even though their rules state otherwise.  Also, I've judged photo competitions online, national media competitions, and was one of last year's judges for Nature Visions competition."

Josh's website is http://joshuataylorphotography.com/.

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

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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.  This is not done 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@nvps.org and provide the following information:

Your name
Image Category
(digital, color print, monochrome print)
Image Class
– for those categories with classes (Advanced or Novice)
Competition Date

Digital Winners: just provide consent for posting your image

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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Competition Themes

NVPS Themed Competition Dates for 2012-2013
There will be 3 themed competitions during the NVPS 2012-2013 club year. Their dates are given below. Please note that first themed competition (Bridges) will be October 16, 2012. 
* Bridges  -  October 16, 2012

* The Sun is your Friend  -  January 15, 2013

    1. The image must be taken at least two hours after Sunrise and at least two hours before Sunset
    2. The image must be taken at least two hours after Sunrise and at least two hours before Sunset
    3. The image must portray that the sun is shining and not obscured. e.g. there are shadows.
    4. The intent of this theme is to take a photo in hard light.
    5. Light that comes from a single, point source, such as the Sun, and falls directly on the subject from one direction, without being reflected off another surface, is known as hard light. It generally casts dark shadows and produces high contrast pictures with deep blacks and bright highlights. The shadows also generally have a very distinct or hard edge, so that the outline of the object closely reflects the shape of the shadow.

* A Different Point of View  -  April 16, 2013
Look up, look down, look behind the subject (Look at the subject from the top, the bottom, the back--in a nontraditional way.)

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Forum


Sept 25th - Paul Simmons - Elements of Visual Design

The presentation will show images from participants in the "Self Improvement Project" led by Paul Simmons in 2006. Bob Friedman is leading a new version of this project and was going to the presenter until he realized that Tuesday is the night before Yom Kippur and Bob cannot be at the meeting. Paul Simmons will do the presentation. The first photo shoot in this self improvement series, "lines", will be in Green Spring Gardens Park, Alexandria at 9:00am on Saturday, Sept 29th.

-Bob Friedman

Paul Simmons bio

My interest in photography began as a college student. One of my student jobs involved processing film and making black and white prints for the Engineering Department. It occurred to me one day that with my new skills and a fully equipped professional darkroom at my disposal, I ought to have a camera. Epiphanies like this come to people who spend their lives in the dark. So I purchased a Nikkormat camera, a case of Plus-X film, and began photographing the world around me. I did enough of it that I could visualize my surroundings in B&W. However, over the years this ability has eroded, as my interests turned to color photography.

Then it happened; one day I awoke and found myself married with a growing family. I had precious little time, money, or energy left for photography. My camera languished on the shelf for decades, being dusted off only for vacations, birthdays, and Christmas. I’m not complaining. If I had to do it again, I would not change a thing.

Today my favorite photographic subjects are my six grandchildren followed closely by flowers and birds – beautiful, colorful, wonderful subjects. Several years ago it dawned on me that my job, as an engineer, was actually interfering with my picture taking activities (Can you imagine that?) so I retired.

Many thanks to NVPS members for twelve years of friendship and for the only photographic training I’ve received. I must admit, I do occasionally read a book about photography so the blame does not rest solely upon NVPS.

Early on in my photographic endeavors, I used Nikon film cameras and shot almost anything that was foolish enough to get in front of my lens. After a few years photographing like that, I purchased a 4 x5 view camera and shot B & W landscapes exclusively. For guidance, I studied Ansel Adams' six books on photography. I now use to Canon digital cameras with lenses ranging from 12mm to 800mm.

Paul Simmons

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Members Gallery

Sept 25th - Prints - Ken Barnett


Ken Barnett retired in January of 2011 with the intention of pursuing (among other things) photography as a serious hobby. To that end, he joined NVPS last Fall. His images for the Member's Gallery/Prints are ones taken from various bike trails in Northern Virginia.

Sept 25th - Digital - Jeff Hancock


A part time photographer since 1987, Jeff Hancock is the Digital Competition coordinator for NVPS. He enjoys many types of photography including abstracts and event photography. His digital gallery will feature planes, helicopters, and aerial photography. Additional examples of his work can be seen at: http://hancockphoto.smugmug.com/

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Field Trips

Self Improvement Field Trips

It you are planning on participating in the self improvement field trips and you wish to purchase Freeman Patterson's book, Photographing The World Around You, please email Bob Friedman (r.friedman.1@alumni.nyu.edu).  The cost is about $23 plus postage.  I will order the book after the first meeting (September 4th.)

September 15th — Maryland Renaissance Festival

The Maryland Renaissance Festival will be our first field trip offering for the year on Saturday, September 15th. Tripods allowed. Wenches, royalty, jousting, fried turkey legs, great portraits! Lots of folks in crazy costumes (or crazy folks in costumes)!

Those who want to meet there could meet at the fountain just inside the entrance, at 10:30. There is a $17 entry fee, ($15 for Seniors, age 62+.) Rates increase by $5 on the following weekend.

Additional Information:

1821 Crownsville Road,
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-266-7304 or 800-296-7304

http://www.rennfest.com


September 29th — Green Spring Gardens Park

The first photo shoot in this self improvement series, "Lines", will be in Green Spring Gardens Park, Alexandria at 9:00am on Saturday, Sept 29th. Watch for more details on the website and at September club meetings.

October 5th - 7th — Fall National Skirmish Matches

The North-South Skirmish Association (N-SSA) is holding its Fall National Matches near Winchester, VA, the first weekend in October.  Hundreds of individual shooters and teams will compete using original or exact reproduction vintage weapons.  The team matches will be held in uniform and N-SSA members will be firing rapid fire at breakable targets at various ranges.  This is not a reenactment.  There is no staged battle and no one (hopefully) falls down “dead”.  Rather this is firearms competition with rifled muskets, breech loading carbines and revolvers.

Fort Shenandoah is located about eight miles North of Winchester off Route 522, towards Berkeley Springs, WV.  This is an opportunity to photograph N-SSA members in authentic uniforms and there is also a civilian dress competition.  On Saturday afternoon there will be full sized canon matches at 200 yards! (For additional information about N-SSA, see their website at: http://www.n-ssa.org/)

A “sutlers row” provides many items for sale and food is available on the grounds.  Admittance is limited to guests of N-SSA members.  Tripods are allowed, but guests are not allowed forward of the observation line.  Many shooters are open to allowing individual photographs and photography during matches is allowed.

NVPS members interested in attending anytime during the weekend of October 5 – 7 should sign up on the provided sheets at a meeting or e-mail Bill Vanderpool at vander90" at "aol.com .   Directions and an approximate schedule will be returned via e-mail.  The ranges are about 1 ½ hours West. NVPS members should make their own arrangements for carpooling.  You might want to bring ear plugs!


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Board of Directors

A full list of all current Board members and their contact information can be found at nvps.org/main/about/board-members

Our 2012-2013 program year board officers are:

  President:

 Willa Friedman

  Vice President for Programs:

 Tom Burden

  Vice Presidents for Competition:

 Mike Whalen
 Mike Kane

  Vice President for Operations:

 Jim Norman

  Treasurer:

 Tom Brett

  Secretary / Historian:

 Georgette Grossman



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Treasurer's Report

NVPS annual dues will remain unchanged: $45 for individual and $65 for a family membership. You may pay your dues by check [to "NVPS"] or cash can be given to Beth Morris [our Membership chair] at an NVPS meeting, or through PayPal, by way of the NVPS website. You must be a paid-up NVPS member to enter images in the October Competition.

During the last NVPS club year, Board members stayed very close to the budget and our income exceeded budgeted expenses.

The main recurring expenses included $5,265 for meeting hall rental [an increase of $390]; $1,582 for Competitions [judge honoraria & meals, ribbons & trophies]; $844 for End of Year banquet subsidy; $694 for Programs [speaker honoraria & meals], $250 for insurance; $215 for Web & host server [for 2 years]; $163 for field trips and $273 for membership, Treasurer's checks & misc.

Capital Reserve equipment replacement expenses were $3,695 for the digital projector [Canon Mark II at $2,250], laptop, calibration tool, mouse, case, cables, etc., which were used throughout the last club year.

The current bank account balance is $8,245, which is higher than one year ago by $1,240. The balance will grow as dues are paid in September and October.

Thank you, Tom Brett, Treasurer

Portfolio Project

The Portfolio Project is a nine month project starting in September and running through May 2013. All club members of all skill levels are encouraged to participate in this project. A Portfolio may include some images already taken, but primarily new images taken over the program year. The goal is to conceive a theme, craft an artist statement, capture the images and the present them as a portfolio.

The participant's goal is to create a portfolio of their best images, primarily collected between June 2012 and May 2013, exemplifying the objectives of the theme described in their Artist's Statement. These should be images one would be proud to share with others for years to come.

The beginning stages of the project entail picking a theme or concept and writing an Artist's Statement explaining what he or she is trying to accomplish with the project. For more details visit the website:
http://nvps.org/main/meetings/portfolio/nvps_portfolio_project_artists/.

In the beginning stages, some members may work on several themes, eventually refining to one subject over others. If you follow this model, it is helpful to draft an Artist Statement for all potential portfolio themes.

The NVPS web-site contains numerous articles and examples in the "Portfolio Project" link:
http://nvps.org/main/meetings/portfolio/

This year's coordinators are Ginger Werz-Petricka (vze39dgt" at "verizon.net) and Ken Barnett (ken.barnett" at "gmail.com). If you have questions or need help with your portfolio, feel free to contact us at portfolio@nvps.org. Need inspiration? Be sure and visit the Photo Gallery and see the truly impressive portfolio projects from years past.

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Announcements

Notice: Workshop and contest announcements of events not sponsored by or affiliated with NVPS are provided as a courtesy to Members. Individuals should review the detailed contest rules and conditions to determine what impact entering images has on rights and ownership of the submitted images. Review the descriptions of workshop to whether participation in a workshop would actually meet personal learning goals. NVPS attempts to screen events for legitimacy and quality, however NVPS does not recommend these events and cannot assume responsibility for their ultimate quality. We recommend due diligence and encourage you to share your experience with other club members.

Members' Resources:

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

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

Members' News:

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

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

Member News for Patricia Deege

Congratulations to Patricia Deege, long-time member of NVPS. The League of Reston Artists and the Vienna Photographic Society will display images of nature with all its infinite colors, textures and moods in an exhibition of Fine Art Nature Photography.

Location: The Long Gallery, United States Geological Survey, (USGS)
2201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 22192
Dates: September 4 to 29, 2012
Reception: Friday, September 14th, 5:00 to 6:30 pm.
Please reply to pdeege" at "verizon.net or 703-255-1426

USGS Regular Building Hours: 8:30 to 5:00 p.m. daily Monday to Friday
The reception is free, but you will need a photo ID to enter the building.

Member News for Fred Siskind

Congratulations to Fred. A photo of a frog that he made earlier this summer at Huntley Meadows Park was selected as Picture of the Week for the Nature's Best Photography web site. It was posted from July 19-25. Fred noted that it is actually a stack of 5 photos to achieve improved depth of field.

Members News for Ginger Werz-Petricka

This July, Ginger had three images featured in the First Annual Lubec Photoworkshops Exhibition in Lubec, Maine. She also has four images in the Power of Color IV Show running August 8th to September 2nd at Gallery West in Old Town Alexandria.

Member News for Claire Carroll

Claire is not only an active photographer member of NVPS; she is also a performing actress and was featured in three different productions during the summer. She was in The Hub Theatre’s production of Charles Mee’s play, Big Love at the John Swayze Theatre in Fairfax, in a production of a new play called The House Halfway as part of the Source Festival at the Source Theatre in Washington and in a solo performance of a show she wrote, called Beef Encounter, as part of the Capital Fringe Festival. More details about Claire's work can be seen on her website: http://www.clairelouisecarroll.com/

Member News for Dan Ward

Dan created a photo-poetry collection called Plane of Life with the poet, Dr. Catherine Sweeney Burton. The collection was featured in the Atrium Gallery in McLean in 2010. The collection is now featured in a show in Vincenzo's Restaurant in Winston-Salem, NC from August through October. Images from the show can be seen at: http://www.danlward.com/plane/

Member News for Judy Graham

Judy Graham does occasional work as a photo tour guide in Arizona. Some of her photos were selected for Gateway to Canyon Country, a magazine published by News Media Corporation three times a year and distributed around Page, Arizona. It is distributed in the Lake Powell region of northern AZ/southern UT and picked up by tourists from all over the world.

Judy says "Even though I'm an East Coast girl and have lived here all my life, I love the red rock country and all the beautiful formations. Four of my photos were published in the summer issue, including the front cover of the magazine - a photo of the world famous formation, The Wave. The Wave is part of the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness and has only been seen by a relatively small number of people. Due to environmental concerns, only 20 visitors are permitted each day and those lucky individuals are selected by a very competitive lottery process.

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Exhibition Opportunities

Nature Visions - November 9th - 11th, 2012

Images Due by October 16th

Nature Visions 2012 will be held November 9 - 11, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on the Prince William Campus, George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia. The Expo is a three day event showcasing the photographic work of Northern Virginia's wildlife photographers. The centerpiece of the Expo is a display of approximately three hundred images that have been selected by a panel of jurors.

The Expo also offers two full days of lectures and workshops by noted photographers. The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia will offer photographers a hands-on chance to photograph hawks, owls, and other raptors in a natural setting just outside the Hylton Center. In addition, numerous vendors will be on hand to display the latest in photographic equipment and technology.

The Expo kicks off on Friday, November 9 with a full day seminar conducted by Seth Resnick. Seth is considered one of the 30 most influential photographers of the decade and is one of 78 photographers worldwide named as a "Canon Explorer of Light" photographer. Seth will also give the keynote address on Saturday afternoon. Lectures will be held all day Saturday and Sunday.

NVPS will collect images beginning with the first meeting on Tuesday, September 4 and will continue collecting through our October 16th meeting. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS FOR LATE ENTRIES. The judging will be on Sunday October 21 and a list of juried entries will be posted as soon as possible (no later than the meeting on October 23).

Images must be in compliance with instructions and specifications in the EXHIBITOR'S GUIDANCE and all entries will be accepted on the condition that the photographer will perform at least on volunteer task for the Expo. The guidance is posted on the NVPS website under "Exhibits." Additional information concerning registration, hours of operation, lectures and workshops, etc., is posted on the NatureVisions website at http://www.naturevisions.org.

Questions may be addressed to John Quigley, NVPS NatureVisions Rep at jhquigley" at "msn.com or in person at any of the regular meetings.

NVPS Summer Gallery

The new gallery for summer photos is now up on the website. Please share one photo taken between June 15 and Sept. 3. Include your name and location.

Instructions
Gallery: What Did You Do This Summer (2012)?
URL: http://nvps.org/gallery/v/wdydts/

• Upload only one photo, additional photos will be removed
• Very important name your photo "Your Name.jpg" (ex: Joe Smith.jpg)
• In the caption field in the upload dialog enter what you did and where.
• Image should follow competition guidelines be no larger than 1400 pixels wide and no larger than 1050 pixels wide.

You must be a registered user of the photo gallery, if you forgot your password, click "login" and then the "recover password page" link. If you would like to register, click "login" and then "register" on the left hand side.

If you would like us to upload your photo for you, just send your photo to nvpsimagegallery "at" nvps.org, along with your name the text of "What you did this summer".

If you make a mistake, please email us and we can help you out.

Willa Friedman - President NVPS

Delaplaine Visual Arts Center - 2012 Juried Photography Exhibit

The Delaplaine Visual Arts Center in Frederick, MD is hosting a major Photography exhibit.
At the link below, click on National Juried Photography Exhibit. Submission Deadline: October 1, 2012
http://www.delaplaine.org/exhibits/exhibit-opportunities/

The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center is located in historic downtown Frederick, Maryland. The 2012 Juried Photography Exhibit runs November 3-25, 2012. All photographs, black & white, color, non-silver, computer-manipulated are eligible.
Juror: Will Stapp, founding Curator of Photographs, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Awards: Best in Show $1,000
First Place: $500
Second Place $250
Third Place: $125

Friends of Huntley Meadows Park - 2012 Photo Contest

The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park Photo Contest is a nature-themed photography contest for the benefit of Huntley Meadows Park.  All photos must be taken at the Park. Contestants must submit photos between November 4, 2012 and November 17, 2012.  No late entries will be accepted.

A panel of judges will select photos from the pool of contest entries. The selected photos will be exhibited at the Huntley Meadows Park Visitor Center from December 9, 2012 to February 28, 2013. All photos may be used by the Park for promotional or fundraising purposes. An entry fee of $5.00 must accompany each photograph.  Each photographer may submit up to 4 photos. There will be a separate category for entrants of high school age or younger. There will be no entry fee for these participants.

The complete entry rules and entry form are currently available at the Huntley Meadows Visitor Center.


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Events


Brookside Gardens-Wings of Fancy - closes Sept 16th

If you have not visited this year, Dennis Govoni highly recommends visiting before Wings of Fancy ends on September 16th. The Brookside Gardens butterfly conservatory has hundreds of butterflies and moths from around the world. Tripods not allowed except on very special occasions and not during regular visiting hours. Many plants offer a variety of photo settings.



Dennis Govoni
Friends for Life


The conservatory opens at 10AM and is well worth the $6.00 fee. Dennis warns that it can get very warm and humid inside the conservatory, so bring plenty of water. For more details, see:

http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/

Harold Davis - Craft & Vision in Digital Photography

The Camera Club of Richmond is hosting a one-day workshop by Harold Davis. Harold is the author of over 15 books on photography techniques and is particularly known for his High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques, night photography and unique flower/macro techniques. The workshop costs $72 and is being held in the Byrd Theatre in Richmond on Saturday, Sept 15th. For more details and registration info, see this website: http://www.meetup.com/Harold-Davis/events/68854842/

Photographer's Sabbatical: Escape to the Mountains - Sept 28th

Escape to the Mountains occurs on September 28th. Take I 66 west to, I 81 south to Strasburg, VA exit 296 take Route 55 and 48 west to Moorefield.


The event location is in Moorefield, WV at the South Branch Inn & Conference Center located at the corner of US 48 & US 220. The instructors belong to the Hampshire Arts Council, The Allegheny Arts Council, the Lost River Artisan's Co-op, etc. More details are posted on the NVPS website at:

http://nvps.org/main/upcoming/september_28th_2012_-_photogra/

Seminars on Camera Club Judging

Competitions are among the most popular activities at camera clubs, and with the help of a competent judge, these events can be educational not only for the competitors but also for the audience. The Northern Virginia Association of Camera Clubs (NVACC) is offering a series of Seminars on Camera Club Judging – not just for those interested in becoming camera club judges, but also for those who do not want to become a judge but want to know more about the nuances and subtleties of camera club competitions.

A five hour Seminar on Camera Club Judging will be offered on multiple Saturdays in the fall of 2012 from 1:00pm to 6:00pm at the Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts. Attendance is limited to 12 participants per session. The fee is $50.

The seminar dates are:

Judging Seminar I Saturday October 20
Judging Seminar II Saturday October 27
Judging Seminar III Saturday November 10
Judging Seminar IV Saturday December 1

For full details and registration info, see: http://nvacc.org/Home.html

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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.

Photoworks

Photoworks in Glen Echo Park offers a variety of photography classes & workshops for adults and children, taught by many familiar names, including several former speakers at NVPS. The Fall schedule is out and can be seen at:

http://register.glenechopark.org/class/classctlgindex.aspx

James Steele

Jim provided our 2012 Portfolio Critique and was our competition judge in May 2012. He is conducting a Fine Art Digital Black and White Printing one day workshop at Photoworks on November 10th and again on February 23rd:

http://register.glenechopark.org/class/classsectIndex.aspx?ctlgID=41&numberID=13-1-06-009-07&typeID=2&class=18024

Jim also does individual coaching and tutoring and can be reached at his gallery in the Torpedo Factory or via his blog at: http://jamesdsteele.blogspot.com/

Wayne Wolfersberger

Wayne Wolfersberger (NVPS member and past President) will be teaching five classes this year with the Fairfax County Park Authority. This includes two Basic SLR classes (one starting on Sep 24th & the other starting on Nov 13th (each with five sessions); a Nature Photo class that starts on Oct 11th with six sessions including two Saturday AM field trips; a Waterfall and Flowing Waters class in Oct (Mainly a field trip) Oct 27th in the morning; and a class on Composition, Creativity and the Camera starting on Nov 12th with shooting sessions in the classroom (four sessions.)

For registration information, go to:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes/

Select Fine Arts and Crafts , search on Keyword Photography and Age Adult, or check Wayne's website:

http://www.waynewolfersberger.com/

Tony Sweet

Tony was our September 2011 speaker. Tony is a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens, a charter member of Team Nik, a Lensbaby Guru, and a Bogen mentor. He offers a wide variety of workshops and individual coaching services and has an active blog and newsletter. See his website for more details and information:

http://tonysweet.com/workshops/

Roy Sewall

Roy was the November 2011 judge and presented a program in November 2010. He offers one-on-one coaching for novice and intermediate photographers, tailored to an individual's specific needs. Representative topics are: how to operate a digital SLR, equipment selection, photo critique in a private setting, on-computer demonstration of photo improvements, and field technique. See his recently updated website for more details and information about upcoming workshops or to sign up for his newsletter:

http://www.roysewallphotography.com/iWeb/Home.html

Nikhil Bahl Photography Workshops

Responding to a request for proposals, Nikhil Bahl has offered three workshops to NVPS members at a reduced rate. Nikhil gave an NVPS Forum program in April 2011. The last of the three workshops is:

CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

Date: November 16-18, 2012

The workshop will start with an orientation on Friday, November 16 and end after a critique session Sunday, November 18 at 1pm. There will be field work every morning and evening during the workshop. There will also be classroom sessions in the afternoons.

Tuition: $375 -- Regular fee would be $425. A $50 discount will be offered to all NVPS members. Participants are responsible for travel, hotel, food and other incidentals are not included as part of the workshop fee.

For more details on this or any of his other offerings, please contact Nikhil at:

www.NikhilBahl.com

Awake the Light Photo Tours and Workshops
Mollie Isaacs and Mary Lindhjem

Join two well-known professional photographers on their exciting and educational photo tours. For 2012 they are offering trips to Alaska's Denali National Park and Katmai National Park, Yellowstone National Parks, Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley in Arizona, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia National Park in Maine. All tours include extensive photographic opportunities in the field, as well as personal one-on-one assistance and classroom instruction. Mollie and Mary gave a NVPS Programs in October 2010. See their website for more information on their workshops and tours.

Mollie Isaacs and Mary Lindhjem
http://www.awakethelight.com/ or http://awakethelight.blogspot.com/
757-773-0194
awakethelight "at" cox.net

Ian Plant

Ian has been a regular speaker and judge for NVPS. He has a joint digital nature photography workshop with Joseph Rossbach at Tysons Corner on September 8th for $125. Details are at:

http://www.ianplant.com/workshops_seminar.htm?utm_source=July+2012&utm_campaign=Monthly+Newsletter&utm_medium=email


Other Ian Plant workshops and tours are listed at: http://www.ianplant.com/workshops.htm

Joshua Taylor, Jr.

Josh Taylor is offering fall photography workshops and classes, including Canon camera classes. For a complete listing and registration, visit his new website: 
joshuataylorphotography.com

Josh is an NVPS member and a past president. His goal in photography is to help you create, capture and refine your vision. He most recently presented a workshop in March 2010, was our September 2011 judge, and is scheduled as our September 2012 Competition judge.

Joseph Rossbach

Joe was our speaker in February. In addition to the September 8th joint workshop with Ian Plant, listed above, he has several tour events listed for the next few months, including the Grand Tetons and a Valley of Fire tour. Details are at:

http://www.josephrossbach.com/photography-tours-workshops/



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Want Ads

For Sale

PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

Mollie Isaacs and Mary Lindhjem of Awake The Light Photo Tours and Workshops are doing some housecleaning, and they have the following items available for sale. All items have been well cared-for.

For questions or more information, contact Mary Lindhjem at awakethelight@cox.net

ARCA-SWISS MONOBALL B1 BALLHEAD - Single pan, aspherical ball mechanism, includes heavy duty quick release plate for camera body. Good condition. Works well. Has some cosmetic surface scratches. $225 includes ballhead, and heavy duty plate. Shipping additional.

CANON 40D DIGITAL BODY. $575.00. Very well cared for, and is in mint condition. 10.5 megapixels.

EPSON 4000 INKJET PRINTER with paper & spools. $500.00.  Prints up to 17” wide. Includes RIP and dongle. Mint condition. Like new, and has had very little usage. Uses both roll and cut sheet paper.  Built in automatic paper trimmer.

TENBA Transport LONG LENS CASE.  $90.00.  Like-new with no signs of wear. Holds either a 500mm or 600mm lens. Water resistant padded nylon, shoulder strap & handgrip. 2 accessory pockets hold camera body.

PHOTOFLEX CB-XTREME CAMERA BAG.  $40.00.  In very good condition, clean and not worn. Holds 4 lenses & 1 camera body. Hip belt or shoulder bag.

PACSAFE BACKPACK PROTECTOR. Small.  $45.00.  Excellent condition, never used.  Locking cage system covers a backpack and protects it from tampering or theft. Included cable locks it to fence, pole, etc. Carry pouch included.

OP TECH CHEST STABILIZING STRAP. $10.00.  Neoprene and nylon, attaches to your camera neck strap to hold camera securely to your body.

STROBOFRAME QUICKFLIP.  $25.00.  Holds flash head above camera.

PEAK ANASTIGMAT 7X LOUPE.  $95.00.  Focusable magnifier with clear lower barrel for illumination.

________________________________________________________________________

For questions or more information on the items below, contact Mollie Isaacs at awakethelight@cox.net 

EPSON 7600 STYLUS PRO INKJET PRINTER.  $900 + $1000 worth of ink and roll paper for a total price of $1900.   In excellent condition.  Makes prints up to 24 inches wide.  Includes the printer stand, all cords, owner’s manual, new draining cartridge, new maintenance cartridge, full roll of Epson Textured Art Paper, full roll of Epson Canvas Paper, full roll of Epson Premium Lustre Paper, partial roll of Epson Premium Glossy Paper, two brand new Epson ink cartridges and 7 partly used Epson ink cartridges.

CANON GPS RECEIVER GP-E2.  $270.  Brand new, in unopened box.  Just introduced by Canon, but was purchased by mistake. Rugged and lightweight, it records full GPS information on photo files when photographing, including longitude, latitude, elevation, direction, and universal coordinated time. Compatible with Canon cameras including the 7D, 5D Mark III, and 1D-X.  It is also a standalone GPS logger, with on-board electronic compass. 

CANON 30D DIGITAL CAMERA BODY.  $295.00  Very good condition.  8.2 megapixels.  Includes battery charger and battery.

CANON 20D DIGITAL CAMERA BODY.  $245.00.  Very good condition.  8.2 megapixels. Includes owner's manual, battery charger and battery.


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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

This Fall, NVACC is hosting a seminar on camera club judging for those who want to become qualified to judge camera club competitions or just want to learn more about what judges look for in competition. More details are listed under the Events section earlier in this newsletter.

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

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Editor's Note

Welcome to our 2012-13 Program Year and the first newsletter of our 48th year as a club. I regret not having images in this edition, but there were no summer competitions and we had a lot of material items to cover at the beginning of the year. Thanks to Dennis Govoni for allowing me to use his butterfly image.

I hope you were able to take a lot of great images during the summer and we will see examples of that work soon.

Have you been to the Camera Heritage Museum in Staunton, Virginia? I came across it during a business trip early in 2011 and have been back twice. Several other club members have also praised the location. It is a fascinating place, run by Mr. David Schwartz, with over 2,000 cameras and accessories and over 1,800 antique and historical images. The museum was David's camera store and while he still does prints and sells some modern equipment, it is now mostly about the museum. See one of the last images taken of Robert E. Lee, an original Karsh image of Walt Disney, the camera that took photographs of the Reagan assassination attempt, and hundreds of early imaging devices. See more details on their website:

http://www.cameraheritagemuseum.com/

Staunton was the largest city west of the Blue Ridge during early US history and is an interesting community. The Woodrow Wilson birthplace and presidential museum is there, along with his 1919 Pierce-Arrow limo. The Trinity Episcopal Church has 12 Tiffany stained glass windows that are incredible.

Staunton is near the intersection of I-66 and I-81 and is about a two hour drive from the DC area. (The locals pronounce it STAN-TON - the U is silent.) BlackFriar's Playhouse is the home of the American Shakespeare Center where they say they perform Shakespeare under the original staging conditions (with the lights on.)

The local Farmers Market is held on Wednesday and Saturday and has a wide and colorful variety of local fruits, vegetables, meat from local Mennonite farms, homemade soaps and honeys.

Hearts In Atlantis was partially filmed in Staunton and the "Blue House" is near a beautiful overlook on Sears Hills. The "Sunspots Art Studio" has regular glass blowing demonstrations and photography is welcomed. Staunton is a nice community to visit, should you find yourself in the area.

Comments, requests and submissions are solicited and welcomed. They should be sent to editor@nvps.org or given to me at a regular meeting. I test each issue of the newsletter using Internet Explorer, Safari and Google Chrome to ensure the layout and embedded links work correctly. If you encounter a problem reading FotoFax on your system, please let me know.

Newsletter Editor, Dan Ward

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Copyright 2012 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 specific 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.