Volume 51 – No. 5.1	Founded 1965 – our 50th Year	January 2016
The Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society
Editor: Alan Goldstein – Email: editor" at "nvps.org
Table of Contents President's Message Monthly Program Education and Training Competition     December Competition Results Portfolio Forum Members' Gallery Field Trips Board of Directors NatureVisions Membership Announcements    Members News    Other Local News    Exhibition Opportunities    Workshop Offerings Want Ads Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs Editor Calendar 1/5 Monthly Program: Photographing the              Northwest by Alex Mody 1/9 Field Trip: U.S. Naval Academy and Annapolis 1/12 Education & Training: Working in Lightroom 1/19 Competition: Judging by Karen Messick 1/26 Forum: A Year of Travel – Logistics and Lessons Learned with Ginger Werz-Petricka  1/26 Members Gallery: Digital Images by Polly             Terriberry and Prints by Bill Corbett
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

“Winter is coming”

I can’t believe its January already! So far we’ve been spared the cold weather with unusually mild temperatures for December. We are nearing the half-way point in our NVPS season and NVPS is having another great year,thanks to the many dedicated volunteers who make this club great. We have had wonderful attendance at our meetings, and several judges have made flattering remarks about the high caliber of the images entered into competition.  

With an emphasis on education, all of our volunteers have put their time and energy into preparing informative presentations to help you take your photography skills to the next level. I am continually amazed at how hard each volunteer works to make sure you are getting the best information on a wide range of topics. Please remember to thank our members who give their time and knowledge so freely. If you have any suggestions to make the club even better, please email me at president@nvps.org.

As winter approaches the northern hemisphere and the nights get shorter and colder, my thoughts turn to the beauty of the ice and snow. The winter season has the magical ability to transform an otherwise mundane scene into something extraordinary in a few short hours. Some of us may have the inclination to hibernate in our houses, until warm weather returns. Others already know winter offers some wonderful opportunities and a different kind of light. I find that sunrises and sunsets are usually more spectacular with pink and red tones. Fog, mist and frost are more likely with the lowered temperatures. The stormy winter skies can create moody images. Snow and a blue sky can create a hopeful image. One tip I can offer is to remember to overexpose by 1 or 2 stops when your frame contains mostly snow.
Whether you are a “winter person” or not, there are lots of photo opportunities or projects for you to consider during the long winters night. Here are a few ideas I came up with to motivate you:

• Do a self-portrait and experiment with location, wardrobe, props, and lenses
• Do a still-life study of a household item, something from the garage or a holiday decoration
• Take a macro photograph of something “frosty”
• Learn to use flash or “off-camera” flash
• Capture water droplets splashing or a smoke plume rising
• Photograph winter wildlife in your backyard with the aid of a bird feeder
• Use a low aperture setting and photograph holiday lights to create a “bokeh” background
• Take a portrait with overcast skies and snow on the ground and use the snow as a natural reflector
• Try food photography
• Learn a new way to convert an image to Black & White
• Work on an “abstract” and submit it to Joe Miller’s abstract exhibit (due by Feb. 26, 2016)
• Photograph trees after an ice or snow storm
• Visit the local beach
• Browse and organize your old photos
• Archive your images onto DVD or another backup medium
• Create a collage
• Learn to use a reflector
• Take a photo with only candlelight
• Try HDR photography
• Create a photography calling card
• Try time-lapse photography
• Use your DLSR camera to take a video
• Take three images and create a triptych
• Work on a portfolio
• Take a series of panoramic images and stitch them together
• Create a slideshow (and add music)
• Go to a photography exhibition
• Try to replicate a “classic” photo
• Create a website (or change the theme on your existing website)
• Practice “Interior Architecture” photography (Architecture is the theme for our May 2016  Competition)
• Take a photography class
• Buy a new plug-in and learn to use it
• Capture snowflakes in your image and play with the shutter speed to make streaks or pinpoint flakes
• Make a photo book, calendar, mug, etc.
• Print an image, frame it, and hang it on your wall

Perhaps you can use this list to find something of interest to work onduring the winter.Remember to keep your camera bag packed and ready to go

Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year! I’ll see you in 2016!

Jamie Kiechlin
NVPS President

“Photography is a love affair with life.” ~ Burk Uzzle, 1938

Monthly Program

January 5th: Photographing the Northwest with Alex Mody

Come join us for Alex Mody's presentation of stunning nature photographs of the mountains, coastlines, temperate rainforests, waterfalls, and seasonal ephemera of Northwestern North America. Alex will be speaking about both the creative and technical methods he employed to create them.  Alex, the 2009 Windland Smith Rice Youth Photographer of the Year, lives in damp and beautiful Olympia, Washington. 

His images, exclusively landscape and wildlife, have been featured in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Nature’s Best Photography Magazine, N-Photo Magazine, and many other publications around the world.

In his spare time, Alex is also a metal musician, craft beer fanatic, and enthusiastic dog lover. You can see more of Alex’s photography on his web site at http://www.alexmody.com/

Examples of Alex's work:

Monthly programs for 2015-2016:

The VP for Programs for this year Willa Siegel.

Education & Training

January 12th: Working in Lightroom

Our speaker January 12, will be Eliot Cohen who will be happy to help everyone with their questions about working in Lightroom’s Library, Develop and Print modules.  Eliot is one of the areas best-known photographers and educators. Many of our members have studied with him, traveled with him and participated in his critique groups.

Early in his career Eliot led the photography program at Northern Virginia Community College into the digital era.  He was honored with the college’s highest award for his teaching excellence.  Eliot was also an adjunct professor at the Corcoran College of Art where he helped to raise awareness of digital capture and editing.

Eliot travels extensively in the U.S. and internationally. His photography is centered on the beautiful and dramatic landscape environments he encounters. You can see examples of his work in the galleries at http://www.eliotcohen.com. His workshops are very popular and completely full for next year. Locations include Patagonia, Iceland, Greenland, the Dolomites and Venice among others. Information can be found in the workshops pages.

Eliot works individually with those who want instruction tailored to their needs, as well as through his class organization Washington Photo Focus. For those who are new to Lightroom, or who wish to learn it in an organized manner, he will teach classes on January 23 and Feb 20. You can find the class description here.

For our conversation, please submit your questions to education@nvps.org by January 8. Eliot will be happy to respond to them. For the sake of the group it would be best if the questions are general in nature. For our conversation, Eliot won’t be able to look at individual drives or computers. That can be arranged separately with him.

Examples of Eliot's work:

The Education and Training Coordinator for this year is Ginger Werz-Petricka.

Competition

January 19th: Judging by Karen L. Messick

There is no theme for January's Competition.

Karen is an award-winning photographer. She has been capturing images for the last 18 years. Her sense for design, color, composition and placement of subject elements is striking. The patterns in her nature close ups are refreshing and energizing. In addition to traditional photography she has embraced imaging with high dynamic range software, and artistic adaptations of her images with plug-in software.

Karen has led photo workshops in Baltimore, Delaware, New Mexico, Virginia, Spain, France, and Ireland. She has lectured on composition and design during “Photo Week” in Washington, D.C., and for Nature Vision’s Photo Expo in Virginia.

Karen has participated in photographic workshops and excursions with professional nature photographers, John and Barbara Gerlach in Northern Michigan and Yellowstone as well as workshops sponsored by The Rocky Mountain school of Photography, with Doug Johnson and Tim Cooper in Glacier National Park. In addition, she has attended photographic seminars by The Nikon School, Rod Plank, Brenda Tharp, Moose Peterson, Tony Sweet, Rick Sammons and John Sexton.

Karen has written instructional articles and had portfolio pieces published in iPhoneLife Magazine and Nature Photographer Magazine. Currently she is a field contributor for Nature Photographer Magazine and on line for the iPhone Photography School.

Karen teaches “Intro to digital photography” and “iPhone Photography” at Johns Hopkins University, in the Odyssey Program.
Karen leads her own workshops and has conducted workshops and lectures for Penn Camera, Horizon Photography Workshops and Capital Photography Center.

She currently has images on Display at Baas Fine Art Gallery in Seattle and More Than Fine Framing in Ruxton, Md.
Her work has been on display at:
The “Olympic River Festival” Olympic Peninsula, Washington State 2000
The “Towson Art Festival” Towson, Maryland 2001
The “Baltimore Gallery” Baltimore, Maryland 2003
Borders Book Store, Towson, Maryland 2007
Liganore Vineyards, Mt. Airy, Maryland 2007
Seaford Museum, Delaware 2008
Baltimore Museum of Art “Looking Through The Lens” 2008
Valley Frame and Fine Art, Cockeysville, Maryland 2008-2011
Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth, Delaware 2005-2009
Baas Art Gallery, Seattle Washington 2011-2012
Her images are held in the photography collections of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus.

Her web site is at www.karenlmessickphotography.com

The Co-VPs Competition for 2015-2016 are Tami Stieger and Kevin Egan (competitions@nvps.org)

Competition Themes for 2015-2016

Note: The Board reaffirmed that there will be three themed competitions per program year, but there will be no theme competitions in the months of December, January, and February.  

The themes for the remaining 2015 – 2016 season are:

• Creativity - March 15, 2016
  This theme is meant to push the boundaries of your creativity through use of in-camera and or computer processing techniques. Examples being, multiple exposures, zooming and camera manipulation, panning, layering with textures, lighting techniques, digital painting, anything goes! A time to show off your processing techniques.
• Architecture - May 17, 2016
  Images of man- made structures including bridges, buildings, alone or collectively; parts of buildings such as arches, columns, ceilings, cupolas, stairways etc. Architectural structures within a landscape environment also accepted, such as a pergola or gazebo.

Competition Themes for 2016-2017

The themes for 2016–2017 are:

• Love
  We turn our attention to one of the most valuable virtues; an international language and possibly the strongest of all feelings…Love! It is an invitation to explore the path of love as an emotion, an attraction, an attachment… in all its forms! Some sample images might include: a lovers’ embrace, a passion you love, an X drawn in vapor trails, a goodbye, a friendship, etc.
• Drag the shutter
  Show us your best shutter drag. Whether capturing motion in waves or panning cars zooming by, we want to see you get creative with this topic. Slow down your shutter speed to show a sense of motion or action.
• Colors
  Life is a stream of color. Red, blue, yellow, and a billion pigments in between… For this theme we ask you to show us color-inspired photographs. Scenes, details, narratives or moods. Subtle tones or Technicolor daydreams, color must be a primary component of your image.

December Competition Results

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

Digital - Class 1
1st – Yen Nguyen – SF Bay Bridge at Night
2nd – Nicol Hockett – Studio Joy
3rd – Ron Petricka – Sossusvlei Dune
HM – Andrew Savino – Rush Hour
HM – Joan Barker – Woodland Reverie
HM – Phyllis Kimmel – Meadowlark Flower Burst
HM – Ron Taylor – Black and White
HM – Willa Siegel – Calla Twirl
HM – Yen Nguyen – Sundown at Palouse Falls

Digital – Class 2
1st – Alan Goldstein – The Harbor
2nd – Benita Mayo – Left Behind
3rd – Granger Benson – Flower Study
HM – Claudia Copeland – White Poinsettia
HM – David Heagy – Walk in the New Brunswick Bog

Digital – Class 3
1st – John Naman – Rocket Launch Over the Hill
2nd – Wayne Guenther – Czech Breeze
3rd – Stan Bysshe – Young Tern
HM – Amie Tannenbaum – Wings of Cobalt and Crimson
HM – Kevin Egan – Say Hello to My Little Friend

Monochrome Prints
1st – Beth Morris – Chair and Window
2nd – Colena Turner – Eighty-Eight
3rd – Bill Millhouser – Steam Train Revival
HM – Georgette Grossman – Agave in B&W
HM – Ginger Werz-Petricka – The Harpist
HM – Lea Schlosser - Contemplative

Color Prints – Class 1
1st – Bill Millhouser – Window on the Past
2nd – Melannie Egan – Days Gone By

Color Prints – Class 2
1st – Alan Goldstein – The Old Guard
2nd– Mark Chen – Country Road
3rd – Tom Pratuch – Who, Me?

Color Prints – Class 3
1st – Stan Bysshe - Incoming
2nd – Wayne Guenther – Three of a Kind
3rd – Fran Bastress – Oregon Dunes
HM – Beth Morris – Green Frog

First Place images from December:

Additional winning images are available for viewing at http://nvps.org/gallery/v/competitions/2015-2016_Competition_Winners/

Class 1 Digital - 1st Place Yen Nguyen San Francisco Bay Bridge at Night
Class 2 Digital - 1st Place Alan Goldstein The Harbor
Class 3 Digital - 1st Place John Naman Rocket Launch Over the Hill	Class 1 Prints - 1st Place Bill Millhouser Window on the Past
	Class 2 Prints - 1st Place Alan Goldstein The Old Guiard
Class 3 Prints - 1st Place Stan Bysshe Incoming

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.

The FotoFax newsletter is usually finalized during the weekend immediately following the monthly club competitions.  If your image is a first place winner and you send it in before the Friday following competition, your image will be forwarded to the editor for inclusion in FotoFax.  If you have not provided permission before that deadline, another winning entry may be used.

Portfolio Project

It is not too late to join the Portfolio Project.  If you aren't sure about it, there is plenty of information on the club website at http://nvps.org/home/?cat=14 to help you make your decision.

If you are already signed up, please start uploading to the website.  If you haven't gotten registered to use the website, here are the instructions:

(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.  Remember the images need to be posted in the Portfolio Gallery, not in your personal folder on the Members Gallery site.

Ginger and I will give you encouragement and suggestions as you progress.

The first review of the portfolios will be held on March 29 — the fifth Tuesday in March so that we'll have the program.  Plan on being there.  We are not going to do a formal critique where we tell you our opinion as if its the final word.  There will be a more informal give and take.  You will be able to participate, tell us what you think, ask questions or even disagree.  This project can be challenging but we're all in it for fun as well as learning.

Willa Friedman 

Co-chairs for the Portfolio Project for 2015-2016 are Willa Friedman and Ceasar Sharper.

Forum

January 26th: A Year of Travel – Logistics and Lessons
         Learned with Ginger Werz-Petricka 

Ginger Werz-Petricka has been a member of NVPS since 2009 and over the years has been involved with Members Gallery, the Portfolio Project and most recently Education and Training.  She came back to photography after a long hiatus as a creative outlet and as self-defense from the daily grind of work.  2015 was a banner year not only for experiencing a lot of travel, but for finally retiring in August.  For the time being there is more travel in the works and lots of photography.

2015 started with a January workshop “Serrenissimo: Venice in Winter” with Frank van Riper and Judy Goodman.  There were out-of-town workshops in February, April and May, Mexico in June, Germany and Africa in September and a road trip from Las Vegas to Colorado Springs in November.  For the Forum Ginger will show images from these trips and talk about the logistics of balancing vacation and spouse time with photography.

Over the last couple of years Ginger has had images in the Nature Visions Exhibit, the Joe Miller Abstract Exhibit, the Horizon Photo Workshops Alumni Exhibit, and the Washington School of Photography among others.

Examples of Ginger's work:

Presenters for the remainder of the 2015-2016 Society year are:

The Forum Coordinator for 2015-2016 is Beth Morris.

Members Gallery

January 26th: Digital Images by Polly Terriberry and
                         Prints by Bill Corbett

When Polly Terriberry quit work in 2000, she decided she wanted to pursue photography as a retirement hobby.  She found NVPS and dragged her husband, Tim, along for moral support.  Both Polly and Tim have been members ever since although Tim does not take photos!  He is still lending lots of support though!  Polly had taken snap shots for a long time, but she wanted to go beyond snap shots and learn more about photography.  What better way to reach that goal than to join a camera club?

Although Polly considers herself an amateur photographer, she does sell her images on Shutterstock.com.  She calls herself  a “paid” hobbyist.  Polly takes photos for the sheer enjoyment of it but one day while staring at the rows of photo albums on their bookshelves, she realized that taking photos to be stuffed in a photo album rarely to be looked at later seemed like a waste.  That's when she became a Shutterstock photographer.  At least some people might find some uses for her photos.

Polly's has many favorite subjects such as lighthouses, cats, macro, landscapes, and flowers to name a few but her favorite subjects are lighthouses and cats.  Perhaps she enjoys lighthouses because her father was a lighthouse keeper for a short while.  She has dreams of trips whose sole purpose is photographing lighthouses.  Tim and Polly made one such trip in California and even spent the night at Montara Lighthouse.  Cats became a favorite subject by accident when a little, pregnant, long-haired black cat found her way to their cabin in the mountains of North Carolina one summer.  One thing led to another and they became cat fosters for the SPCA here in Virginia.  Cats have been in their lives ever since.

Polly started out with Nikon equipment in 2000, switched to Minolta equipment then switched back to Nikon, and recently treated herself to a Panasonic GH4.  She finds the older she gets the heavier the equipment seems to be.  Like a lot of retirees, she decided to “downsize.”

Polly's photographic goals are what they have always been, to see the world through the lens and enjoy the view.  Her show will present a collection of a few of her favorite subjects: barns, flowers, heart-shaped objects, infrared, landscapes, lighthouses, pets and wildlife.

Examples of Polly's work:

Bill Corbett picked up the camera again about ten years ago to take advantage of the digital darkroom.  A generalist photographer in college, nowadays he enjoys action, nature and travel photography.  Birds and family are his most frequent subjects. 

Bill has been an NVPS member for about five years and before that was a member of the McLean Photo Club.

Bill uses Nikon equipment.  He is a former U.S. diplomat and trade negotiator, and has been active in organizing Nature Visions.

Presenters for the remainder of the 2015-2016 Society year are:

The Member's Gallery Coordinator for this 2015-2016 is Ron Taylor.

Examples of Bill's work:

Field Trips January 9th: U.S. Naval Academy and Annapolis, Md.

Field Trip to the U.S. Naval Academy and Annapolis.  Our plan is to meet at the Starbucks on Dock Street at 7 a.m. Parking on city streets is metered (two hours maximum) and parking of private vehicles on Academy grounds is next to impossible. That said, it is recommended that you park at the Noah Hillman Parking Garage at 150 Gorman Street. This is the closest to the Academy and anything else you may wish to photograph. Rates are (2-3 hours $8; 3-4 hours ($11; 4-5 hours $16.)

Since sunrise is at 7:24, you may wish to try to capture it from the eastern end of Dock Street.   We will meet again outside the Starbucks at 8:30 and walk over to Gate 1 of the Academy where we can enter through the Visitor's Center.   There is plenty to photograph. 

The scenic Naval Academy campus is known as the Yard. With its combination of early 20th-century and modern buildings, the Naval Academy is a blend of tradition and state-of-the-art technology.  Throughout the Yard, monuments commemorate the bravery and heroism that are an inherent part of the academy's heritage. Buildings and walkways are named for Naval Academy graduates who have contributed to naval history and their nation. The Naval Academy also is the final resting place of Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones, whose words, “I have not yet begun to fight,” have inspired generations of naval officers. His crypt is located beneath the Academy Chapel. A National Historic Site, the Naval Academy hosts more than one million tourists every year from all over the United States and around the world.  As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Naval Academy students attend the Academy for four years, graduating with Bachelor of Science degrees and then commissioning as Ensigns in the Navy or Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Naval Academy graduates serve at least five years in the Navy or Marine Corps. Buildings open to the public are shown on the map that you can download from http://www.nvps.org/main/images/fotofax/2016/01/USNAMap2013.pdf. 

While the entire city of Annapolis is photogenic, there is also the William Paca House and Gardens. The William Paca House is an 18th-century Georgian mansion. William Paca was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and a three-term Governor of Maryland. The house is located at 186 Prince George St.

Note: To facilitate sign-ups, please download this fillable .PDF to your desktop, fill it out on your computer, save it using your name as the file name, and attach it to an e-mail and send it to field-trips@nvps.org

Field trips planned for the remainder of the program year (subject to change):

Field Trip Coordinators for 2015-2016 are Bill Millhouser and Alan Goldstein

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

Membership

2015-2016 Membership Dues:

We’ve had several new members join since the beginning of the club year this past September! Thanks to all who have spread the word about NVPS and the wonderful benefits of membership. The cost of membership is a great value when you consider the education, programs, competitions and field trips!

Remember, in order to participate in the monthly competitions and to attend NVPS organized field trips your membership dues must be current.

Membership dues for the 2015-2016 year are as follows:

 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 (http://nvps.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/NVPS_application_2015-2016.pdf) with your current information and pay our Membership Coordinators (Judy Graham or Paula Neumann) or our Treasurer (Tom Brett) at any 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!

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.

Sixth Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit
May 7 through May 30, 2016

The Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts takes great pride in announcing its Sixth Annual juried abstract exhibit. All interested photographers are invited to submit entries for this much anticipated spring event.

Submissions to the First Annual JM Abstract Exhibit were limited to local NVACC-related clubs; however, over the years, because of the influence these exhibits have had in encouraging and promoting abstract photography and due to their reputation, recent JM Abstract Exhibits have been attracting entries from national as well as international photographic artists.

The Joseph Miller Center will begin accepting entries for the upcoming Sixth Annual Exhibit on Saturday, December 26, 2015. The deadline for submissions will be Friday, February 26, 2016.

A detailed prospectus containing all relevant information regarding the exhibit can be found on the Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs website at www.NVACC.org.

Robin Kent Speaks at the Vienna Photographic Society

Vienna Photographic Society presents Robin Kent who will speak on night photography on Wednesday, January 6th at 7:30 p.m. The program will be presented at the Oakton Elementary School Auditorium, room 123, 3000 Chain Bridge Road in Oakton. The program is free and open to public.

Robin Kent is a fine arts photographer best known for his landscape images of Washington, D.C., and, more recently, unique locations such as the high altitude monarch preserves in central Mexico, night photography of the Milky Way in remote areas of Yosemite National Park, and the frozen landscapes of the Antarctic Peninsula.  His photographs are in the collections of major corporations, local business organizations, and individual collectors.  His training has included landscape photography from the late Galen Rowell, founder of Mountain Light Photography, advanced printing techniques from Mac Holbert, a co-founder of Nash Editions, and fine arts photography at NOVA and the Smithsonian Institution.  He is president of Great Falls Studios, a consortium of more than 100 artists in Great Falls.  He is represented by Art Matters in Glen Echo, Maryland and by   Artists Circle Fine Art in North Potomac, Md.  More of his work can be seen at his website, www.photographybykent.com.               

Members' News:

Benita Mayo

Benita Mayo was presented with the 10th Annual Black and White Spider Awards Nominee.   Her works were nominees in the Fine Art, Portrait, and Still Life categories.   Annual Black And White Spider Awards is an international award honoring black & white photography. The nominees and winners were honored during the Photo Show Webcast on Saturday, November 21, 2015.   "It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 7,686 entries we received this year," said Basil O'Brien, the awards Creative Director.  Spider Fellows included 505 coveted title awards and 943 nominees in 31 categories.

Benita's works:

Portrait Nominee - Fisherman	Fine Art Nominee - Burial Ground
	Still Life Nominee - Left Behind

Willa Friedman

Willa Friedman has had three images accepted for publication in DC Lines, the annual publication of Politics and Prose. Willa's images: 

Georgette Grossman and the Friedmans

Georgette Grossman, Bob Friedman and Willa Friedman have each had an image accepted for publication in the Northern Virginia Review. The Northern Virginia Review presents outstanding original fiction, poetry, essays, fine art and photography from the Mid-Atlantic region and the faculty, staff, and alumni of Northern Virginia Community College. A reception will be held at the Ernst Center on the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College on March 24, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Now in its 30th year, the Review was originally founded to showcase the talents of Northern Virginia Community College’s faculty. In 2006, they expanded submissions and now publish the best work of noted and emerging regional writers and artists.

Georgette's, Bob's, and Willa's images:

Bob Friedman - Manhattan	Georgette Grossman - Dahlia Droplet
Willa Friedman - Rainbow House

Exhibition Opportunities

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

Upcoming January Exhibits - UPDATE

I have a full line-up of prints for the Unitarian Universalist Church exhibit in Reston on January 5th. Thanks to all who signed up! Please remember your prints must be properly matted and framed for exhibition, preferably white mats and black frames. They must have wire on the back for hanging. I will collect $10 per person, some of which will go to the church, and the rest will go to the reception. Also I will have standard release forms to be signed. We will be hanging prints from 10 am to noon on the 5th. If three to four people can stay and help out, that would be great. If a print is sold, the church gets 20%.

If you can't bring your prints on the 5th because you are working, etc, please make arrangements for another exhibitor to drop off your prints, or you can bring them to my house next week sometime, just email or text me.

The reception will be held in the Church Sanctuary on Sunday, January 17th, 2016 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. We can set up at 1:30 pm. More info on that later.

So far I have 34 prints signed up for The Frame Factory exhibit in Vienna on January 15th. I have room for about 16 more images, so if you are considering signing up, don't delay. Fill out the online form and email it to me. The venue is offering discounted framing to our club, please note this is for discontinued framing, quantities are limited, and the discount does not include the mat or backing. The show will be hung on the 20th, but the prints must be available as of the 15th. If you want the Frame Factory to frame your prints, please allow at least a week of lead time. Framing requirements are the same as the Reston exhibit. I will collect $10 per person, etc. If a print is sold, the venue gets 40%, so price your work accordingly.
A reception will be held on Sunday, January 31st, in the afternoon. More info on that later.

Thank you to everyone who is participating, and looking forward to seeing your work displayed on the walls! I hope you all have a very nice holiday.

Melanie Marts

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/