The Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It is hard for me to believe that 10 years have passed since we all worried about whether our computers would explode when the date changed from 1999 to 2000 (Y2K). Harder still to wrap my head around is how much photography has changed since then. For some, the changes have been very difficult and not necessarily welcomed. For others, the advent of digital has opened all kinds of new doors as well as creating a groundswell of interest. Clearly, membership in photo clubs has grown significantly as more and more people are buying digital cameras, taking classes and workshops, learning software programs, etc. The advent of digital has also created much discussion and ethical dilemmas concerning the question “what is a photograph?”

Ask ten people what they would consider a photograph and what, if any limits should be placed on manipulation and you will get ten different answers. When does a photograph stop being a photograph? Just look at the different judges and speakers we have had and you can see the variation in personal tastes and interpretations. Like politics or religion, I don’t think there are right or wrong answers in this photography debate. As individuals, we decide our own interpretation, our own styles and our own personal vision.

For me, I respect and am fascinated with all genres of photography from film/darkroom, monochrome/color, different effects from lenses (fisheye, lensbaby), computer manipulation with software and plug-ins, printing on different mediums (paper, wood, metal) etc. I love the “art” of photography and the ability to be creative or to simply document a scene or moment in time. To me, these are very exciting times. I also think that these are times when tolerance, open-mindedness and respect of differing opinions are paramount.  

As a club, NVPS has an obligation to try to meet the needs of its members. This is not an easy task given the diversity of ages, skill levels, and personal visions. We have seen a huge increase in all things digital; and that increase constantly challenges us to reassess our equipment, competition rules, programs, workshops/education and training, etc.

I've been thoroughly pleased with the Board and our many volunteers this year. They've all been doing a terrific job that has made mine so much easier. Thank you, thank you, thank you!  The Board will be having its mid-year meeting at the end of January. We will be discussing what we will be doing for the rest of the year, rules changes, purchases needed, etc. If you have any suggestions please talk to the appropriate Board member or to me.

We will also be starting to look at the leadership and volunteers for 2010-2011. Please consider letting me know in person at one of the meetings or via email if you are interested in volunteering now or next year.
.
I wish you and yours a happy, healthy New Year.

Sandi Croan
NVPS President
Pashli@aol.com

Back to Top

Critique
Sandi Croan and Tom Brett
January 12, 2010

On January 12th, 2010, the Workshop, Education and Training co-chairs will be hosting a Critique Night.  Critique Night is generally done as support for themed competitions. The next themed competition will be held in January and the theme will be “Flash”.  All paid members are welcome to submit images, in digital, slides or prints.  The images can be anything that you would like to have critiqued; but we encourage you to consider submitting images that were taken with flash.   For new members, please note, this is not a competition, no prizes will be awarded, it is meant to be a constructive learning experience.

For this particular critique, there will be two judges: Sandi Croan and Tom Brett.  To give the “critquers” adequate time to discuss individual images there will be a limit of three images per person.  

For those who are submitting prints, there will be a table set up in the back of the meeting room, with signs labeled 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice.  Please divide up your images at the signs.  The ones will be shown first, then the twos, then the threes.  For digital submissions, please label them with your 1 - last name, then 2 - last name, or 3 - last name, example 1- Marts, 2 - Marts, 3 - Marts.  Size your images for competition, and send them to Ed Ruggiero, eruggiero@cox.net, no later than Sunday, January10th.  As with the prints, all the ones will be shown first, then the twos, and if time permits, the threes.

This is meant to be a fun and positive learning experience, so please come and join in!  Submit your images!  If you are a new member and haven’t competed yet, this is your chance to show your images!  Looking forward to seeing you!

Any questions, please email Ed Ruggiero, eruggiero@cox.net, or Melanie Marts, jasmarts@cox.net.

.Melanie Marts
jasmarts@cox.net

Ed Ruggiero
eruggiero@cox.net

Back to Top

Competition Judge
Themed Competition: Flash
Mary Ann Setton
January 19th, 2010

On Tuesday January 19th, 2010, we will hold our fifth competition for the 2009/10 club year with Mary Ann Setton as our judge. This will be the second themed competition of the season. The theme will be Flash, which is defined as images where flash on or off camera is the principal light source   The 2009 - 2010 Competition Themes are posted in the Competitions section of the NVPS website.

Mary Ann Setton is both a Past President and Past Competition Vice-president for NVPS.  While an active member, she earned various competition ribbons including five Prints of the Year and Photographer of the Year, in both 2005 and 2006, in the category of Enhanced Prints.  She has also won ribbons in the Vienna Photography Shows including Best in Show in 2001 and was presented with a prestigious Equal Award at the Art League of Alexandria’s gallery at the Torpedo Factory where she also maintained a bin for two years.  
 
She is a graduate of the Washington School of Photography and has augmented that training with many photography and Adobe Photoshop courses including the famed Freeman Patterson’s Photography and Visual Design Workshop in 2007.   She has experience as a program presenter, teacher, critique leader, and competition judge and completed Joe Miller’s Seminar on Judging in 2006.
 
Mary Ann and her husband had a part-time photography and video business and a studio in their home for several years before moving to the Shenandoah Valley area near Winchester in 2007.  Since her move, Mary Ann has organized a Photography Club in her active-adult community and continues to teach, judge, mentor and present variations of her Digital Magic program.  Her love of digital photo art is still her primary focus and she had an exhibit of her work in October.
 
Please join our judge, Mary Ann Setton for our pre-competition dinner at Chili's at 5:45 on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010. Please RSVP to Gerry at gerry.abbott@cox.net . Hope to see you there.
.

Chili's Bar and Grille

8051 Leesburg Pike
Vienna, VA
703-734-9512

From I-495/CAPITAL BELTWAY

1: Take the VA-7 W/LEESBURG PIKE exit number 47B-A toward TYSONS CORNER
2: Merge onto LEESBURG PIKE/VA-7 W toward TYSONS CORNER and move to left lane
   You will see Chili's almost immediately on the left.

3: Take a left at the first light "Fashion Square" (Tiffany's will be on the left and Tyson's
   Corner Shopping Center will be on the right) and an immediate left onto service road in
   front of Tiffany's, take your first right into Chili's parking lot.

Back to Top

Gerry Abbott
Co-VP Competition
gerry.abbott@cox.net

Brian Payne
Co-VP Competition
BPayne45@yahoo.com

Field Trips

Tuan Pham became involved in photography very late in life. He bought his first SLR, a Nikon D-70, when he was approaching 70 years of age.

In 2005 he joined NVPS and has learned a great deal from the club, particularly from club members Joe Miller, Corey Hilz, Ed Funk, and Paul Simmons. He has also advanced his knowledge by attending workshops taught by Freeman Patterson, Andre Gallant, and Tony Sweet.

Tuan has earned many club’s ribbons including Novice Digital Image of the Year (2008) and Novice Digital Projection Photographer of the Year (2009). His first image was juried into Meadowlark Annual Exhibition in 2008. In May 2009 Tuan was promoted from Novice to Advanced in the Digital Projection category and developed a self-study workshop called Contemplative Photography: Seeing with Renewed Clarity—an embodiment of Eastern contemplation and Western arts, and a manifestation of the art of mindful seeing and mindful-living. His goal is to create pleasing images with a good balance of seeing, feeling, and thinking

Tuan’s photography plan is threefold: (1) to document the growth of his twelve grand children, (2) to use the camera to learn to see without a camera, and (3) to teach a workshop in contemplative photography.

In 1995 Tuan took an early retirement from international banking and began a part-time career in conflict resolution. He has continued in this career and also teaches a workshop in Buddhist contemplation to tame disturbed emotions.

Wayne Wolfersberger

During the month of December, Wayne Wolfersberger gave a program for the North Bethesda Camera Club

Wayne currently has 18 images on exhibit at the Herndon Art Space which is located just several blocks from the Town Center and is next to the Herndon Library. They will be there into January. Some of them are new images from Yellowstone. For directions and hours refer to the web site: http://www.artspaceherndon.com/index.php

Wayne Wolfersberger has a "Highly Honored photograph in the Zoos and Aquariums category of the current Nature's Best Magazine's Windland Smith Rice International Awards. For this prestigious competition, Nature's Best receives thousands of entires from around the world. Wayne's image was made at the National Zoo in Washington DC. and is of a student looking at the Giant Pacific Octapus.

Wayne Wolfersberger
wayne.wolfersberger@gmail.com

Back to Top

Shrove Tuesday Dinner and Art Exhibition

Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church, 3241 Brush Drive, Falls Church, Virginia 22042, will hold an art show in conjunction with the Shrove Tuesday Dinner on February 16, 2010. All artists in the area are invited to participate in the exhibit, which will be open during the dinner.  Art work may be delivered to Saint Patrick's on Sunday, February 14th, between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.  Artwork submitted by adults must be framed.  Artwork ubmitted by children (12 years of age and under) must be matted or framed. The number of entries is limited to three for adults and one for children.  Fees:  Adults will be charged a fee of $3.00 for each piece of art submitted;  children will be charged a fee of $1.00 for each piece.  A 20% commission will be charged for artwork sold.  For any further information, please call the church at 703-532-5656.

Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church
3241 Brush Drive
Falls Church, Virginia 22042
703-532-5656.
Submitted by Carolyn & Stephen Gawarecki

This Land Is Your Land—Scenes from Across America
Tom Bilone

Starting December 29, 2009 and continuing through February 28, 2010 Tom Billone will be presenting This Land Is Your Land—Scenes From Across America at:

Green Spring Gardens Horticulture Center4603 Green Spring RoadAlexandria, VA 22312

Telephone: 703-642-5173

 

Show Hours are Mon-Sat 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m

Sunday 12 Noon - 4:30 p.m.

Closed New Year's Day

 

Photographer's Receiption - Sunday January 10, 2010
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

 

Points of Departure
VisArts and Canon Explorers of Light