On Tuesday September 15th, we will kick off our first competition of the 2009-2010 season with Mary Louise Ravese as our judge. Prior to the competition, I would encourage everyone to review the competition rules posted on the NVPS website under "Competitions".  At this site, you will find information regarding eligibility requirements, number of images, types of images, deadlines and instructions for uploading images, etc.  Although not yet documented in the competition rules,  please note that HDR (High Dynamic Range) rendered composite images should be submitted in the "Enhanced Prints" or "Digitally Projected Images" categories.  Also, please recall that the image capture date will need to be included on the image sign-in sheet.  

There is no specific theme for the September Competition.  The first themed competition of the season will be "Opposites" and will be held in November.  The 2009 - 2010 Competition Themes are posted in the "Competitions" section of the NVPS website.

For the September competition, please plan to join Mary Louise for dinner at Chili's at 5:45 prior to the competition. Mary Louise Ravese specializes in nature and travel photography from locations across the United States, Europe and Japan. Her favorite subject matter includes country landscapes, nature close-ups, architectural details and wildlife. She draws inspiration from a variety of visual arts to produce photographs often described as "painterly".   Her ambition is to incorporate the beauty of painting in the clarity of photography.  Mary Louise's fine art photography is in private, university and corporate collections in over 29 states and is exhibited nationally through art shows, galleries and shops. Her images have been used in calendars, magazines, books and websites including various projects with National Geographic maps. 

Mary Louise is founder and owner of Bella Vista Photography ( www.BellaVistaPhotography.com ) in Waterford, VA. She is a member of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), the American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP), and the Equine Photographers Network (EPN). She studied photography through the University of California Berkeley and Santa Cruz extension programs.

Mary Louise also enjoys teaching on a wide range of topics related to nature photography. She leads classes and field workshops in the Mid Atlantic region and a variety of photogenic locations across the US and abroad. 

Gerry Abbott

Co-VP Competition

gerry.abbott@nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospamcox.net

Brian Payne 

Co-VP Competition

BPayne45@nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospamyahoo.com