Table of Contents
President's Message
Monthly Program
Workshops, Education, and Training
Competition
Images
Field Trips
Forum
Members' Gallery
Board of Directors
Announcements
Exhibition Opportunities
Events
Workshop Offerings Portfolios
Want Ads
Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs
Editor
![](http://www.nvps.org/main/images/fotofax/2009/calendar-sm.jpg) |
Calendar
11/29 |
Workshop: Scott Musson - Preparing
Your Images for Competition |
12/6 |
Monthly Program: Max Lyons - Night Photography |
12/10 |
Field Trip: Mormon Temple Festival of Lights |
12/13 |
Workshop: Sherwin Kaplan & Sandi Croan: Anonymous Critique Session |
12/20 |
Competition: Judge
- Clarence Carvell - Open topic
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12/27 |
Gallery - No Meeting/holiday break
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12/27 |
Forum: No Meeting/holiday break
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1/3 |
Program: Jonathan Newton - Sports Photography |
1/31 |
Swap Meet: Fifth Tuesday will be a Swap Meet!
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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, all 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 www.fcps.edu/news/emerg.htm
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December 2011
For those who stayed around, the November competition lasted longer than usual. I heard some comments that there were too many images. In fact, there were only 15 more than last year. Below is a chart summarizing the number of entries from 2010 and 2011.
The surge is in prints for Oct and Nov. I suspect that this was caused by people wanting critiques for Nature Visions in the Oct competition. Also, since prints from Nature Visions were returned on Tuesday night, people were entering their returned prints.
We may not have a problem. Since the number of categories has been reduced the number of prints in each of the categories has increased.
Digital entries remained constant.
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Sep-10 |
Sep-11 |
Oct-10 |
Oct-11 |
Nov-10 |
Nov-11 |
Prints |
89 |
65 |
63 |
81 |
77 |
92 |
Digital |
75 |
77 |
77 |
81 |
91 |
91 |
Total |
164 |
142 |
140 |
162 |
168 |
183 |
Another point I would like to make. Since we have been alternating between prints being judged first and digital being judged first, I have noticed people leaving at the break. I presume that the people leaving have had their entries judged. Competition is, in my opinion, a friendly way to feel a measure of satisfaction knowing your image was the best that evening, but it also should be a learning experience by using the critique to make better images. By only staying for the first half, you are missing out. Also, I think it is discourteous to your fellow members to leave and not show interest in their work.
On another note, NVPS is on Facebook.
To join, enter in the search box: Northern Virginia Photographic Society
Then click on Like.
Bob Friedman
President, NVPS
December 6th, 2011 - Program Night: Max Lyons
Night Photography
Returning to NVPS as our December Program speaker by popular demand, I'm happy to welcome back Max Lyons. Max is an outstanding photographer, as well as a software developer specializing in digital imaging software.
Max Lyons was born in Belgium and grew up in England and the United States. After completing graduate studies in Economics, Lyons worked briefly in Washington as a policy analyst before becoming interested in both photography and technology. Lyons' interest in creating photographs started in the mid 1990s with the advent of consumer-level digital photography. He was inspired by the freedom to experiment that this new technology allowed, and developed interests in both architectural and landscape photography.
By 2000, Lyons was becoming intrigued by the visual impact provided by very large photographic prints. He was influenced by the large format works of film photographers such as Andreas Gursky and Thomas Struth...two artists pushing the limits of large format photography. However, Lyons was also becoming frustrated with a serious limitation of digital photography -- its relatively low resolution, and inability to capture sharp, detailed, large images.
In early 2001, Lyons stumbled upon an innovative solution to the limited resolution of digital cameras, in the form of "stitched" images -- composite images created by joining together multiple images. Lyons realized that this technique could be used to create photographs with much greater clarity than any single digital or film image. Lyons embarked on a multi-year, and ongoing, effort to create a portfolio of incredibly detailed, high resolution images.
See additional details about Max Lyons, including links to various web links on the NVPS website: http://nvps.org/main/meetings/december_6th_2011_-_program_ni/
Workshops, Education, and Training |
December 13th Workshop
Sherwin Kaplan & Sandi Croan: Anonymous Critique Session
If you would like to participate please send no more than two (2) images to dngovoni "at" verizon.net AND roger "at" thelancasters.us no later than Thursday, December 8, 2011. We will only be doing digital images for convenience. Please follow the club's image size outlined in the Digital Competition Guidelines on the website.
During the critiquing session, we will not identify you unless you choose to do so yourself. We very much would like the less advanced members to participate in this and will give preferential treatment to those individuals. This is a good opportunity to get feedback from two experts to help you advance your photographic skills.
Thank you,
Roger and Dennis -- Workshop Coordinators
Guidelines for Anonymous Critique Sessions
The purpose of doing these critiques is to help all photographers, but especially the less advanced photographers, to improve their compositional and technical skills. We specifically chose to make them "anonymous" so that less experienced photographers would feel comfortable in participating; knowing that the end result is to help them become more accomplished photographers. This end result is different from monthly competitions (which are somewhat anonymous) in that the focus is on improvement not judging. Thusly, more time will be spent by the critiquers in analyzing the photographs.
Specifically:
All photographs will be submitted digitally to the Workshop coordinators who will collate and select those for the critique session. Image sizes must conform to the current image sizes dictated by digital competitions (refer to NVPS web site under competition, "Digital Competition Guidelines").
Images should be categorized by the submitter based on accepted norms such as landscape/seascape, portrait, macro, etc. or other appropriated category commonly used. We are flexible here. A submitter may submit up to two (2) images. Because of time constraints, the workshop coordinators may select a subset of submitted images based on breadth of categories. Not all photographs may be critiqued. We have estimated that it may be possible to do 20-25 images per session. While only the workshop coordinators will know the submitters; you may identify yourself, if you wish. All images will be erased after the critiquing session.
January 10th Workshop
Jim Jenkins: Intro to Portable Flash - Effective Use of Speed Lights for Better Photography
This will be a hands-on workshop for beginner and intermediate users alike. We will focus on a single flash unit as a creative tool to enhance your skills as a photographer shooting in daylight, indoors and at night. We will focus on using a single on-camera portable flash (speed light) and briefly introduce multiple flash units. Examples and demonstration will be provided as well as practical exercises that will be instructor lead in small groups. We will cover how to use bounce flash, light modifiers, flash modes, control exposure, color correction and more.
Bring your camera, flash and manuals for each. Optionally, some foam core sheets or mat sheet scraps (white and/or black) to use as reflectors/flags and a subject such as a small or medium size object you would like to photograph.
December 20th Competition - Judge Clarence Carvell
Tom Burden and Melanie Marts, co-VP's of Competition, are pleased to host Clarence Carvell as competition judge. There is no theme for this month. Please upload your digital images by the deadline, as per the current instructions on the club website. Prints should be signed in by 7:15, so our judge can preview them. You must be a paid member to compete. You are invited to join Clarence for dinner at The Olive Garden Restaurant in Tyson's, at 5:30 p.m., on the 20th.
Mr. Carvell doesn't judge according to any specific criteria. “If it is apparent the photographer saw something unique, the image gets higher marks than a perfectly exposed and printed image that says nothing”. He also believes that “less is more”.
For Clarence, photography began as a solution to a mid-life crisis, discovered quite by accident. As a result, he went back to college, and eventually became a full time hobbyist. He has taught at the college level, published 11 books, 3 of which are still in print, and has images displayed internationally. He worked as a staff writer/photographer for the Civil War News for 8 years. He is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop, and currently is teaching Photoshop to a group of NASA engineers. As often as possible, Clarence shoots for stock, and has thousands of images with Canstock, Getty, and iStock Images.
View one of his books at www.Amazon.com : Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Another collection, The National Road series can be seen at: http://www.nationalroad.us/index.htm .
November Competition Results
The full November competition results can be found at: http://nvps.org/main/meetings/competition/competition_results/november_15th_2011_-_results_o/
Some of the winning images from November
![](http://nvps.org/main/images/fotofax/2011/12/Susan Phillips-Heavenly Assateague Island_sm.jpg)
Advanced
Color Digital - 1st Place
Susan Phillips
Heavenly Assateague Island
![](http://nvps.org/main/images/fotofax/2011/12/Dale Nelson-Hanging With Mom_sm.jpg)
Advanced
Color Print - 1st Place
Dale Nelson Hanging with Mom
![](http://nvps.org/main/images/fotofax/2011/12/Jamie Kiechlin-Elakala Falls_sm.jpg)
Novice
Digital- 2nd Place
Jamie Kiechlin
Elakala Falls
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![](http://nvps.org/main/images/fotofax/2011/12/Mike Whalen - In Brugges_sm.jpg)
Monochrome
- 2nd Place
Mike Whalen
In Brugges
![](http://nvps.org/main/images/fotofax/Too Bad.jpg)
Novice
Color Print
None of the winners in this category gave permission to use their images in FotoFax this month. |
Clicking on any of the images above will display a larger version of the image.
Competition Images
The NVPS Website has a gallery of past 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 weekend after competition,
your image will be forwarded to the editor for inclusion in Fotofax.
If you have not provided permission before that deadline, your image will NOT
be included and another winning entry may be used for that category
in Fotofax.
December 10:
Mormon Temple Festival of Lights
The
Washington, DC Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, also known as the
Mormon Temple, is open to all during the Christmas season. This impressive
church and its surrounding grounds shine brightly with more than 450,000
sparkling Christmas lights. Each night, a different local musical group
performs a live concert in a state-of-the-art theater. We will meet at the
Fire Hall at 5:30 pm, returning about 8:30. Of course, folks can
drive to the location on their own. The address is:
9900 Stoneybrook Drive
Kensington, Maryland 20895-3199
The Temple’s website is: http://lds.org/church/temples/washington-dc?lang=eng
And it contains a link for specific driving directions.
There will not be a NVPS Meeting on December 27th
Prints
There will not be a NVPS Meeting on December 27th
Digital Presentation
There will not be a NVPS Meeting on December 27th
A list of current Board members and their contact information can be found at nvps.org/main/about/board-members.
Our board members are:
President:
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Bob Friedman
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Vice President for Programs:
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Mary O'Neil
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Vice Presidents for Competition:
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Tom Burden
Melanie Marts
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Vice President for Operations:
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Sam Schaen
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Treasurer:
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Tom Brett
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Secretary / Historian:
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Georgette
Grossman
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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.
Exhibition Opportunities
NVPS Winter Holiday Gallery
What did you do during the Winter Holiday? A new gallery has been set up to share a holiday photo with club members. Rules are simple. Photograph has to be taken from Thanksgiving Day to New Years Day, this year. Only post one photo.
Gallery Info:
http://nvps.org/gallery/v/winterholiday/
This is a gallery of images from NVPS members showing what they did on their Winter Holiday between Thanksgiving and New Year. Upload (or email to nvpsimagegallery@nvps.org) ONE image per person, additional photos will be removed.
Name the Photo "Your Name.jpg" and enter the "What you did" in the caption field. If you need help, with uploading our image, you must be a registered user of the photo gallery, if you need additional help please email nvpsimagegallery@nvps.org. For security reasons you will not be able to make corrections or delete images. Just email us if you would like to change something.
Events
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Charles and Pat Bress have a collection of jazz photos in the Smithsonian's
permanent collection. Chuck was recently notified that some of their photos were installed for viewing, November through February 29, 2012, as part of a new exhibit at the Archives Center entrance of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Congratulations to Chuck and Pat!
Tuba Christmas - Dec 7th
Looking for an unusual holiday event? Every year, tuba players from all over the world converge in various locations to perform holiday music in a way you probably have seldom, if ever, heard it. There are multiple locations in the DC area and the number of participants varies widely. One of the largest events is held at the Kennedy Center. (There's nothing quite like the sound of Jingle Bells played on 40+ tubas!) A tuba ensemble can make for interesting photos with all the brass and silver reflective surface areas. For a complete listing of area performances, see the home site: http://www.tubachristmas.com/
WASHINGTON DC TUBA CHRISTMAS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7 - TIME: 6:00 pm
LOCATION: Kennedy Center - Grand Foyer - Millennium Stage
Swap Meet - Jan 31st
January has five Tuesdays and the Board decided to use the fifth Tuesday as a Swap Meet.
Bring in those un-used photography related treasures and sell them or trade them for someone else's available treasures. Only current club members can bring in items to sell or trade, but anyone can buy. Items MUST be photography related.
![](http://nvps.org/main/images/fotofax/2011/12/Tuba Christmas.jpg)
Happy Holidays!
Photoworks
Photoworks in Glen Echo Park offers a variety of
photography classes & workshops for adults and children, taught by many
familiar names, including former speakers at NVPS. For schedule details,
check their website class listings at: http://www.glenechophotoworks.org/
Penn Camera
Penn Camera would like to offer NVPS members a $20 discount on select classes on a regular basis in the future. The next one will be Studio Lighting for Portraiture taught by Vincent Ricardel on December 4th. Details are at:
Please contact Marie Joabar,
Education Programs Manager
at Penn Camera for details and the discount price.
Email: penntraining "at" penncamera.com
Full class list:
http://penncamera.wildapricot.org
Wayne Wolfersberger
Wayne Wolfersberger (NVPS member and past President) will
be teaching many classes for his thirteenth year with Fairfax County’s Adult
and Community Education - ACE. Anyone can sign up (Fairfax residency not
required). Courses are designed for beginners, intermediate and advanced
skills in photography which includes Outdoor (Nature) classes, flower and
garden classes, as well as well as classroom table top shooting for
composition and creativity. Several classes include weekend field trips. See http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/index.shtml and then go
to Art – studio art for details or http://www.waynewolfersberger.com/
Roy Sewall
One-on-one Coaching: This coaching is intended for novice
and intermediate photographers. Coaching sessions are tailored to an
individual's specific needs, and the scope is flexible. 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. Roy was the November 15th judge, judged an NVPS competition in October 2009 and presented a
program in November 2010.
Contact Roy via phone at 301-530-6720 or
email at roy "at" sewallinc.com or his website:
http://www.roysewallphotography.com/
Nikhil Bahl Photography Workshops
Responding to a request for proposals, Nikhil Bahl has plans to offer three workshops to NVPS members at a reduced rate. Nikhil gave an NVPS Forum program in April 2011. The three workshops are:
1. MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY BOOTCAMP, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA
Dates and Schedule: April 21-22, 2012
The workshop will start with a presentation at 12pm on Saturday, April 21, followed by a critique session. We will go into the gardens for an evening field session. On Sunday, April 22 Nikhil will start with a field session at sunrise. In the afternoon, Nikhil will provide post-processing techniques and tips followed by an evening field session.
Tuition: $190 -- Regular fee would be $225. A $35 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.
2. FLORIDA AVIAN PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP, Titusville and St. Augustine
Dates and Schedule: May 5-10, 2012
There will be field work every morning and evening during the workshop and classroom sessions in the afternoons in Titusville. The afternoon of May 8 will see the group travel from Titusville to St. Augustine (less than 2 hours away).
Tuition: $545 -- Regular fee would be $645. A $100 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.
3. CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Dates and Schedule: 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.
If you are interested in any of these offerings, please contact Nikhil at:
www.NikhilBahl.com
www.facebook.com/nikhil.bahl.photography
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 2011 they are offering trips to
Alaska's Denali National Park and Katmai National Park, Zion and Bryce Canyon
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.
Mollie
Isaacs and Mary Lindhjem
http://www.awakethelight.com/
757-773-0194
awakethelight "at" cox.net
Josh Taylor, Jr.
Fall workshops, classes, and lectures are posted at archiphotoworkshops.com. Please
take a look and hopefully, you will find something of interest, including
Canon camera classes. Josh is an NVPS member and most recently presented a
workshop in March 2010 and was our September 2011 Competition judge.
jtaylorj "at" verizon.net
archiphotoworkshops.com
Mike Moats
Mike was our November Program Speaker on the topic of Macro Photography. He is conducting a
Macro Boot Camp in our area on May 18th, 19th, 20th, 2012. The cost is $149. It will be held at the Hampton Inn & Suites, at
22700 Holiday Park Drive in
Sterling (Near Dulles/Washington Airport.)
For more details, check the events listing on Mike's website: www.tinylandscapes.com
Prospective Portfolio Project Participants
We will have an opportunity Jan. 31, 2012 (the fifth Tuesday in Jan.) to have an informal portfolio critique; if there are enough of you interested. A swap meet scheduled for the early part of the meeting and we can have a critique, starting around 8:15 or so.
If you believe you will have a start on your portfolio and would like feedback on your work, please let me know of your willingness to participate by Nov. 28. If there are enough people interested, more details will be forthcoming in Dec. or early January. If you have questions don't hesitate to contact me, Bill Prosser (prosserwm "at" aol.com).
For Sale
Nikon 80-400mm F4-5-6 VR AF Lens in excellent condition. Includes case, mount and hood for $1,150. Please contact Susan Breen via susanbbb "at" gmail.com.
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 monthly Calendar of Virginia Member Club Events that can be found at www.nvacc.org/Calendar.html.
.NVACC has published a Field Trips Guide Book for Photographers, which provides information about nearby areas that camera clubs might wish to visit www.nvacc.org/Field%20trips%20Guidebook/NVACCPublications.html .
November was a great month for NVPS in area photo events. Our club was extremely well represented with members of the club providing 29% of the images selected juried into the Nature Visions 2011 show. Susan Phillips' image White Peacock Display was awarded Best in Show honors and Tom Brett's Single Beach Grass was third runner-up.
NVPS members also dominated the juried show, FotoWeekDC 2011 Capturing Nature in Photography show at Meadowlark. In the Meadowlark show, Patricia Deege captured 1st Place in the Other Location category and 3rd Place in the Meadowlark category. Roger Lancaster, Pat Longergan and Marilyn Gaizband captured honorable mentions. Other members were also in the show, with NVPS capturing half of the spaces in the show.
Some employees are active in photography exhibits where they work, and two members captured one-fifth of the images juried into the MITRE Corporation's private show at their Atrium Gallery in McLean.
There are some excellent photo clubs in the DC metro area and the success of NVPS members does not mean the other clubs are not equally talented, but as in sporting events, we have dominated the current season!
Ribbons, points and the recognition of getting in a show are all nice, but the real point of our monthly competition is the coaching we get on how to capture better images. If you are one of the members who have not yet gotten into submitting images, this month offers several great opportunities to get better prepared.
This newsletter comes out just before Scott Musson's Nov 29th workshop about preparing your work for competition. The December 13th workshop offers an Anonymous Critique session, where shyer members can have images critiqued by two experienced judges without anyone knowing whose images they were. This offers a painless way to stretch and grow your skill.
Thanks again to those who have taken time to give me comments and suggestions for the newsletter. Constructive criticism helps us improve. All requests and submissions should be sent to editor@nvps.org . If I don't see you at a December club meeting, Happy Holidays!
Editor, Dan Ward
Copyright 2011 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. |
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