Prints (Virtually): Mandala – From Ordinary to Extraordinary with Kirk Johnson

Kirk Johnson is an seasoned photographer who has been taking digital photos for the past decade.  A Nikon shooter, Kirk is interested in a variety of subjects to include wildlife (in November 2019 he did a photo shoot in South Africa and Zimbabwe), architecture, street and urban, portrait, black-and-white, floral and abstract.  Kirk uses an array of post-processing tools to create his final product including Photoshop CS6, Topaz Studio, Photomatix, and PortraitPro.

A proud member of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS), Kirk has been recognized internationally, nationally, and locally with a variety of photographic awards including: 2019 Annual Photography Award (APA) – Honorable Mention for Wildlife category, 2017 International Fine Arts Photography Award (FAPA) – Nominee Award for Abstract photography; the 2014 Great American Country  (GAC) – Hunt for Americana Photo Contest – United States Southern Region Finalist; and numerous NVPS monthly and end-of-year competition awards.  Additionally, his photographs have appeared in Outdoor Photography.com, Bliss Magazine, twice in Shutterbug.com “Photo of the Day,” and inside the Willing Warriors Retreat at Bull Run (Reflecting Pond and Lincoln Memorial), and in the 2020 Burke and Herbert Calendar – for the month of August (Jefferson Memorial).  You can see some of Kirk’s photo creations on www.kirkjohnsonphotography.squarespace.com.

Kirk, a retired Naval officer, lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife, Leslie.  Currently, he works in Washington, D.C as a Staff Director for the federal government.

Tonight, Kirk will be presenting some of his (virtual) prints of Photo Mandalas; taking ordinary photographs and using Photoshop to create mandala-like images.

Digital: Street Photography: a patchwork of day-to-day images from around the world with Ilenia Alvarez

Ilenia has been attracted to photography from an early age. She started with an old Minolta camera that belonged to her aunt. She would usually be the designated photographer during family trips, reason why she may not appear in a lot of the family photos. Ilenia got her first Canon DSLR camera in 2011 (which she will pass on to her eight-year old niece); but, it is not until later in 2016, that Ilenia became more interested in improving her photography technical skills.

Ilenia enjoys landscape, night and long-exposure photography however travel photography and street photography are the dearest to her heart. The digital collection for this member’s gallery includes some of her favorite photos taken during her travels in Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East but mainly in Asia, from 2012 through 2019. Considering the current limitations for travel, Ilenia has recently purchased a macro lens, and she plans to experiment macro photography with various subjects at home.

Ilenia joined NVPS in 2018. In the 2019-2020 club year, Ilenia was awarded Digital Photographer of the Year in the Novice category.

You are welcome to check more of Ilenia’s photography here: www.ilenia-photography.com/