Co – Vice Presidents of Competition Mike Kane and Mike Whalen are pleased to welcome judge Victoria Restrepo for the club’s February 19, 2013 monthly club competition. About Victoria Restrepo:

Victoria is an accomplished professional photographer as well as an artist, with over 30 years of experience; she specializes in fine art, nature and travel photography. She studied fine arts in Colombia and photography at The New England School of Photography, in Boston. She has worked as a Commercial Photographer and as a photography and Photoshop teacher.

She was born in Colombia, South America, a magical place where mountains, gigantic rivers, desserts and rainforests run into the oceans. This fierce nature and the vibrant colors from her native Country are always present in her work. She works with light, her imagination and her own memories creating imaginary still lifes and landscapes, mixing photography, painting, and digital art.

Photography has always been around her. Her grandfather, her great-grandfather and her great-great-grandfather were some of the earliest photographers in South America and the Caribbean. The smell of the photographic chemicals, and the magical darkness of her family lab marked her life forever.

Victoria speaks at camera clubs, judges photographic competitions, and has an art studio for children. You can find out more about Victoria and her fine work at: http://www.vrestrepo.com/

You are invited to join judge Victoria Restrepo for dinner at Chili’s in Tyson’s Corner at 5:30 PM on Tuesday February 19, 2013. If you would like to join us please RSVP to Mike Kane (michaelaustinkanephoto ‘at’ gmail.com) by 5:30 PM on Monday, February 18th.

There is no theme for February’s competition.

Competition Reminders:

• For February’s competition there is no theme.
• All images (prints or digital) must have been captured within two years of the monthly competition date.
• Only club members are permitted to enter monthly competitions.
• Please upload your digital images by the deadline of 6:00 PM on Sunday, February 17, 2013, as per the current instructions on the club website:
http://nvps.org/main/meetings/competition/ .

• Prints must be signed in by 7:15 PM on Tuesday, February 19th so our judge has time to adequately preview each print.
• For prints entries please be sure include the name of the maker, the title of the print and the Class/Category in which it is being entered on the back of the print or mount entered. Also, you must include an arrow indicating “this edge up”. Neither the name of the maker nor the title of the print may appear on the face of the print or mount.
• Please review the NVPS Rules of Competition which can be found here:
http://nvps.org/main/about/rules-of-competition/  

Editor's note: We like to share competition winning images on the website and include a representative winner from each category in the monthly newsletter, but we cannot do this unless the photographer specifically grants permission. When you win a ribbon in the competition, please remember to grant permission. See the note in the following section for details.

January Competition Results

The full January competition results can be found at: http://nvps.org/home/?p=3310

Some of the winning images from January

Advanced Prints - 2nd Place Willa Friedman Newington Landmark Novice Digital 1st Place Benita Mayo Lone Silhouette Novice Prints - 1st Place Benita Mayo Adobe

Advanced Digital - 1st Place Rosemary Smith Fallen Acorn Monochrome Prints - Honorable Mention Willa Friedman Storage Tank Abstract

Clicking on any of the images above will display a larger version of the image.

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.  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 Title
Image Category (digital, color print, monochrome print)
Award Received (1st, 2nd, 3rd, HM)
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 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.

February 26th: Brian J. Zwit — Finding the Creativity Within You

Photographers have been told for generations that it is the person behind the camera that makes a great image, not the camera. Bookstores have a large selection of books and magazines about cameras, tools and techniques, but fewer selections of books about the people behind the camera or sitting at the computer. While the tools of our trade are important and can ultimately break or make an image, the importance of the non-tangibles in making great image is too often completely ignored or at least not emphasized enough.

Brian J Zwit has been photographing the natural world for close to 40 years. While teaching photography in the classroom and field, Brian has observed hundreds of photographers as they apply their skills and creativity. He has concluded, first, everyone is creative (even if they don't think so) and, second, everyone can learn to be more creative.

The title of Brian's presentation is Finding the Creativity Within You. He will explore what creativity is, how we exercise creativity when taking an image, and how we can all be more creative. Brian promises we will walk away with some concrete exercises for improving our own creativity and increasing confidence in our abilities to help create great images.

The pursuit of nature takes Brian all over the country but his favorite areas of the country to photograph are the west, mid-Atlantic, and northeast. His love of hiking and backpacking takes him far beyond populated areas, into settings which few people visit. His images are in private residences and corporate offices and have appeared in regional magazines and corporate brochures and other materials.

Brian is also recognized for his teaching skills and has taught workshops and classes for Blue Ridge Photography Workshops and camera clubs for over five years. He has college degrees in chemical engineering, law, and photography and extensive training in HTML, PHP, JavaScript, and other computer technologies and applications. 

February 26th: Prints — Jan Ponder — Encaustics

Jan Ponder has been a member of NVPS for almost 8 years. Taking part in competitions, fieldtrips, exhibits and portfolio projects. Photography has brought a creative balance to her life. Taking images of nature and using the lens baby and infrared to make things more artistic. Having never been in a dark room she is now expanding her photography with encaustics.

The word encaustics means to burn. It is an ancient art of painting with hot wax. This technique was used in the Fayum mummy portraits in Egypt from around 100-300AD.
Jan’s method for using encaustics with photography is to print the photo on canvas, Japanese rice papers or other absorbent grounds. Adhere the image to a firm substrate such as birch plywood and paint on layers of wax (combination of bees wax and damar resin) to add texture and give it a luminous appearance, sometimes incorporating tinted waxes and colored paint sticks. Trees are one of her favorite subjects. A competent exhaust system is a must for this type of art.

She has taken encaustic workshops in Santa Fe, two in New York and the Torpedo Factory. She also attended the Encaustic Conference in Provincetown MA. In the past year she has shown her work at the Torpedo factory exhibits and Bin Room, Art in City Hall and Gallery West. To check out her work go to her web site. www.janponderphotography.com
 

February 26th: Digital — Judy McGuire

Judy McGuire became interested in photography and travel when she was 10 and took her first road trip to the western states with her family and her Kodak Brownie camera. She took snapshots documenting family, travels and pets for many years before getting a Nikon SLR for slide photography. In 2007, she switched to digital and now shoots with a Nikon 7000.

Judy is most interested in travel and nature photography and loves to photograph anywhere, searching out back roads as well as obvious sites. She enjoys giving slide shows for various groups and makes calendars and note cards with her photographs. Her work has been juried into Nature Visions and the Joseph Miller Abstract Exhibit, and has been published in Virginia Wildlife Magazine.

In 2001, Judy saw Luella Murri on one of the first Photographers of Northern Virginia programs. She phoned Luella after the show for NVPS information and became a member shortly afterwards. Since then, Judy has enjoyed learning about all aspects of photography from the club's activities.

Judy's show will feature photos of varied subjects taken within the last two years. A number of locations will be spotlighted, many of them in our general area.

A full list of all current Board members and their contact information can be found at http://nvps.org/home/?page_id=23

Our 2012 - 2013 program year board officers are:

Notice: Workshop and contest announcements of events not sponsored by or affiliated with NVPS are provided as a courtesy to Members. Members 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.

Members' Resources:

Do you need help with a photography problem, but don’t know who to ask? The Members’ Resource Program is here for you. Have you ever been asked “How do you do that?” If so, then consider sharing your knowledge with other club members.

The Members’ Resource area of the club web site http://nvps.org/home/?cat=17contains a growing set of presentations and ‘how to’ documents created by club members. It contains the Members’ Resource List, which provides the names and email addresses of club members who have volunteered to help club members looking for help on specific technology and technique topics.

Members News for Michael Austin Kane

ArtSpace Herndon has a new show featuring the work of two local photographers, Catherine Powers and NVPS member/Competition co-VP, Michael Austin Kane. Michael's exhibit is called "Hopeful Calm & Beginnings" and focuses on nature as well as feelings of calm and new opportunity. Catherine's exhibit is an exploration of US Highway 17.

Michael said the images in this exhibit represent visual discoveries that provided him with a sense of contentment, excitement and a desire to uncover more. The exhibits opened Wednesday, January 23rd and runs through Sunday, Feb. 24. An artists' reception will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, February 1. The gallery and the reception are free and open to the public. Visit www.ArtSpaceHerndon.com for gallery hours and more information. 

Exhibition Opportunities

Third Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit

Entries will be accepted starting December 29, 2012. The deadline for submission of entries will be February 27, 2013. As in the two previous Annual Abstract Exhibits, the Third Annual Abstract Exhibit will be an outstanding example of photography as art and should not be missed by serious photographers.

Further information, including a definition of abstract as well as a calendar of important dates can be found on the NVACC.org website. Click on Abstract Exhibit. A calendar of events and prospectus are available on the NVACC website under the ABSTRACT EXHIBIT menu item: http://www.nvacc.org/Abstract_Exhibit.html

ArtSpace Herdon 2013 Fine Arts Competition

ArtSpace Herndon welcomes area photographers to participate in their 2013 ArtSpace Herndon Fine Art Photography Competition. The entry deadline is March 8, 2013. Full details are at:

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e6rqda9yd600bf4b&llr=uhpd6pcab


2013 George W. Glennie Nature Photography Competition

This is a notice seeking interest in members participating in the 2013 George W. Glennie Nature Photography Competition. This is a digital only competition, sponsored by the Merrimack Valley Camera Club in North Andover, MA.

John Quigley, as the NVPS coordinator for this event, will accept images for this competition until midnight Sunday, February 24. E-mail the images appropriately sized according to the instructions below to jhquigley" at"msn.com. Each member may submit a maximum of 2 images. Information concerning categories, image preparation and judging is contained in the following excerpt taken from the Glennie website. Please be aware images will be strictly judged in accordance with the PSA definition of nature photography cited below. John will have the ten club images selected from among those submitted by a non NVPS judge of his choice. The judge's decision will be final.

The competition attracts entries worldwide and last year almost 100 clubs participated. The Glennie is a club competition and each club may submit no more than 10 images, with no more than two images by each maker. A complete description of the competition, competition rules and competition categories can be found on the Merrimack Valley Camera Club web site.
http://mvcameraclub.org/comp-interclub/comp-interclub-01-glennie.htm


ASCE 2014 Calendar Photo Competition

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is sponsoring a calendar photo competition. They are looking for striking original photos of bridges, taken in the U.S. or abroad, that highlight design and engineering achievements of civil engineers.

ASCE will recognize 13 winners and 25 finalists from a variety of categories with prizes of up to $500 in some categories.
http://ascelibrary.org/page/ascebridgescontestcategories

Winning photos are eligible for inclusion in ASCE’s 2014 Bridges Calendar. Cash prizes will be awarded to winning photos. If you love bridges, we want your photos! Anyone over 18 years of age can enter. Follow these steps to enter the contest, which opened on January 14, 2013, and closes on March 31, 2013: Full details are at:
http://ascelibrary.org/page/2013ascebridgesphotocontestrules

Workshop Offerings Speakers and competition judges for NVPS are offered the opportunity to have notices about up-coming tours and workshops in FotoFax for two years after the date of their NVPS program. NVPS members are also welcomed to list their workshops. Photoworks Photoworks in Glen Echo Park offers a variety of photography classes & workshops for adults and children, taught by many familiar names, including several former speakers at NVPS. The Fall/Winter schedule is out and can be seen at: http://www.glenechopark.org/node/1 Corey Hilz Corey was the workshop leader for our December 2012 session and is a regular judge and speaker in the Northern Virginia area. He regularly holds workshops on Lightroom, Photoshop and Aperture as well as hosting photo tours. See his website for the current schedule: http://www.coreyhilz.com/instruction/workshops.html James Steele Jim provided our 2012 Portfolio Critique and was our competition judge in May 2012. He does individual coaching and tutoring and can be reached at his gallery in the Torpedo Factory or via his blog at: http://jamesdsteele.blogspot.com/ Wayne Wolfersberger Wayne Wolfersberger (NVPS member and past President) teaches a number of classes with the Fairfax County Park Authority. The 2013 calendar schedule is available via Wayne's website at: http://www.waynewolfersberger.com/ Steve Gottlieb Steve was our November 2012 judge. He is Director of Horizon Photography Workshops where he and other instructors offer workshops, mostly on weekends, all year around. See: http://www.horizonworkshops.com/ . Steve also offers one-day, $99 workshops for camera club members on "Flash Magic" and "Creative Vision." See: http://www.horizonworkshops.com/groups.html Three 2013 events of special note: 1. Horizon "Summit" Feb. 23-24 in Wilmington, DE. More than a dozen leading photographers and academics will present multiple classes. (You can register for either one or both days.) The Summit is held in conjunction with the Wilmington International Exhibition of Photography. See: http://www.horizonworkshops.com/summit/ 2. Steve created a one-day Flash Magic workshop targeted for NVPS members on March 30, 2013 at 513 West Broad St., Falls Church. The fee is $114 per person ($99 fee plus $15 space rental.) If Steve does not get then minimum of ten needed for the workshop from NVPS, he will open up the workshop to others. For details and to register: http://www.horizonworkshops.com/workshops.html?cr=209 3. California Dreaming, a six day workshop led by Steve Gottlieb that explores wild areas of Southern California, Apr 29-May 5. See: http://www.horizonworkshops.com/workshops.html?cr=199 Tony Sweet Tony was our September 2011 speaker. Tony is a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens, a charter member of Team Nik, a Lensbaby Guru, and a Bogen mentor. He offers a wide variety of location and software training workshops, as well as individual coaching services. Tony also has an active blog and newsletter. See his website for more details and information: http://tonysweet.com/workshops/ Roy Sewall Roy was the November 2011 judge and presented a program in November 2010. He offers one-on-one coaching for novice and intermediate photographers, tailored to an individual's specific needs. 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. See his recently updated website for more details and information about upcoming workshops or to sign up for his newsletter: http://www.roysewallphotography.com/iWeb/Home.html Nikhil Bahl Photography Workshops Nikhil was our December 2012 presenter and has spoken at the club numerous times in the past. He offers a variety of workshops and coaching events. For more details with his latest workshop updates, visit: www.NikhilBahl.com Ian Plant Ian has been a regular speaker and judge for NVPS and was our April 2011 speaker. Ian Plant workshops and tours are listed at: http://www.ianplant.com/workshops.htm Ian has a new FREE ebook, 20 Indispensable Photo Tips. Download a copy by signing up on his Dreamscape blog: http://www.ianplant.com/blog/author/admin/ Also check Ian's website for his eBooks, including his recent release, Visual Flow: Mastering the Art of Composition. http://www.ianplant.com Ian Plant and Joe Rossbach have a joint photo-bootcamp at Chincoteague on February 9-10. http://www.josephrossbach.com/chincoteague-photo-bootcamp/ Joshua Taylor, Jr. Josh Taylor is a past NVPS president and was our September 2012 Competition judge. His goal in photography is to help you create, capture and refine your vision. Josh is offering fall photography workshops and classes, including Canon camera classes. For a complete listing and registration, visit his website:  joshuataylorphotography.com Joseph Rossbach Joe was our speaker in February 2012. He has several tour events listed for the next few months, including the Grand Tetons and a Valley of Fire tour. Rossbach details are at: http://www.josephrossbach.com/photography-tours-workshops/ Ian Plant and Joe Rossbach have a joint photo-bootcamp at Chincoteague on February 9-10. http://www.josephrossbach.com/chincoteague-photo-bootcamp/ Alexander Vasiljev Costa Rica South: "Off the Beaten Path" February 16-24, 2013 Sasha is scheduled as the NVPS program speaker in March 2013. His company, NATURE & PHOTO TOURS would like to offer 15% OFF the total price (double occupancy) to the members of the NVPS and their partners. This discount covers approximately 80% of the international roundtrip airfare (DC to San Jose, Costa Rica) More information about the tour and the detailed itinerary is here http://naturephotographytours.com/costa-rica-south-photo-tour.html David Heagy Travel Photography Satisfaction David Heagy is a NVPS club member and was the Digital Gallery presenter in November 2012. The Travel Photography Satisfaction class will show novice and experienced photographers how to increase their satisfaction with their travel photos, handle a variety of situations, protect their images and equipment, and use photography to plan their trips. The schedule of classes and more information are at: http://imageryx.com/. Want Ads For Sale We have no ads for this month. Did you lose a roll of $100 bills held together with a rubber band during the January swap meet. If so, we found the rubber band! 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 calendar of area member club events that can be found at http://www.nvacc.org/Calendars.html This Fall, NVACC is hosting a seminar on camera club judging for those who want to become qualified to judge camera club competitions or just want to learn more about what judges look for in competition. More details are listed under the Events section earlier in this newsletter. NVACC has a free, downloadable series of 25 guide books for photographers, which provide information about nearby areas that camera clubs might wish to visit. See their booklets at: http://www.nvacc.org/Booklets.html Editor's Note Have you seen Ian Plant's new FREE eBook, 20 Indispensable Photo Tips? If not, the details on how to get your copy are on his blog. The link is available in Ian's workshop listing earlier in the newsletter. Ian has crafted a nice set of photography tips and presented them in a very enjoyable format. Ian's work represents the state of the art in media for photo books. His recent books look great on my iPad and computers. And the electronic books are there whenever you want to reference them. It truly is a brave new world. Most serious photographers share a fantasy about creating their own photo book. Remember the movie, Bridges of Madison County? Even the National Geographic photographer played by Clint Eastwood talked about making his own photo book but suggested no one would buy it. The sad reality is that 99% of all photography books just do not sell enough to return their costs. Publishers consider these books to be "vanity press." Publishers say these are more about the ego of the author and are sales dead ends. If you want to publish your own book, there are many publishers willing to help you out, but only in a way where their profitability is guaranteed. At fees ranging from $3,000 TO $30,000 and up, publishers will help photo/authors pull together a magnificent book and deliver the copies to their address. At that point, the author is on his own. Sadly, I know two people who have hundreds of copies of their wonderful books, sitting in boxes in their garage. (How many photo books did you buy over the past few years?) eBooks and books on demand offer a way to get there. Georgette Grossman's November presentation included a number of publishing alternatives and they are listed within the copy of her presentation store in the Members Resources section of the NVPS website: http://nvps.org/home/?cat=17 So what is your experience? I created three photo books over the past six years and eventually self-published using Blurb. AMACOM published my most recent technical/business book, a collection of articles on strategic workforce planning. It is selling globally in both electronic and hard copy versions with good promotion on Amazon and in stores. As an author, the difference is remarkable. In the words of Billy Pilgrim, "So it goes..." Comments, requests and submissions are solicited and welcomed. They should be sent to editor@nvps.org or given to me at a regular meeting. I test each issue of the newsletter using Internet Explorer, Safari and Google Chrome to ensure the layout and embedded links work correctly. If you encounter a problem reading FotoFax on your system, please let me know. Newsletter Editor, Dan Ward Copyright 2013 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.