The 2017 NatureVisions was another huge success. The speakers were interesting, informative and entertaining. The vendors offered special deals on equipment, tours, classes, etc. There were hands-on workshops available. And it was a good chance to socialize with other photographers and friends.

As usual, the NVPS members won several awards:
 - Stan Bysshe and Dennis Govoni were part of a three-way tie for Best in Birds
 - Mark Chen won Best in Flora
 - Judy Guenther won The People’s Choice Award and Second Place in Photo Art
 - Kacy Turner won The People’s Choice Award in Nature

Congratulations to all of the award winners and all the Club members who had their images displayed.  

Special thanks to Roger Lancaster, who as this year’s NatureVisions President, made sure everything ran smoothly, and to Rebecca Colegrove, who managed social media works for this year’s event. Also thank you to everyone who volunteered to work at NatureVisions.

Georgette Grossman gave a great presentation to the club on November 14 on printing cards and calendars. See the “member’s resources” section on the NVPS website for links to her presentation and technical guidance. Encouraged by a similar presentation Georgette gave several years ago, I started printing my own holiday and other types of cards. I found that holiday decorations and ornaments can be a great subject matter for lighthearted holiday cards, as shown above.  I encourage everyone to take advantage of Georgette’s presentation and go point some calendars and calendars this holiday season.

Happy holidays to all as we look forward to ringing the New Year.

Bill Millhouser
2017-2018 NVPS President

Board of Directors

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

Monthly Program

December 5th: Sports Photography with Jonathan Newton

Jonathan Newton is entering his 31st season as a professional photographer.  He joined the staff of The Washington Post in summer 2000.

He started out at the Nashville Banner in 1986. After a little more than a year at the Banner, he moved to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he spent 10 years shooting assignments that included the Atlanta Braves. He joined the St. Petersburg Times in 1998 when the town landed an expansion baseball team.

A Louisville native and the youngest of eight children, Jonathan worked many jobs after high school, including apple picker in Canada, kitchen cleaner at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, aluminum siding installer, liquor store clerk, pot washer at a Jewish deli, fish fryer, house painter and busboy. It was as a student at Jefferson Community College that he got his first taste of newspapers, shooting pictures for the weekly student publication. With $300 saved from his busboy job, he went to a downtown Louisville pawnshop and bought his first professional camera equipment.

Jonathan has covered almost every major sporting event in the world: the Olympics in 1996, 2008 and 2016; the Kirkwall Ba in Scotland, in 2007; four World Series; six National League Championships; six NCAA Final Fours;; the Preakness; several heavyweight title bouts in Las Vegas; college football championships; the Super Bowl; and countless high school sporting events.

Jonathan’s awards include the Morris Berman NPPA Citation; White House News Photographers Association awards; Baseball Hall of Fame photo contest; first place in the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors sports competition; and three-time Georgia Photographer of the Year.

Examples of Jonathan's work:

Monthly Programs for 2017-2018

The VP for Programs for 2017-2018 is Willa Siegel.

Education & Training

December 12th: Anonymous Critique with
                      Mike Whalen and Kevin Egan

Take this opportunity to get feedback on your images without needing to enter a competition. Send in images you are thinking of entering into competition, images you are experimenting on with new software, or images that may need just a little help.  Remain anonymous, or enter into the discussion if you want, this is all about your growth as a photographer.

You can submit up to three images. We will review as many as time allows. You will not be identified unless you choose to make comments or ask questions about your images. We will need your submissions by 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 9.  
Please submit your images to nvpsimagegallery@nvps.org, sized the same as for competition with a maximum of 1400 pixels wide and 1050 pixels high (vertical shots have the same 1050 pixel height requirement), sRGB workspace. We recommend your jpeg images be 127 pixels per inch (PPI sometimes called dots per inch or DPI) or less (e.g., 127, 96 or 72 PPI) for best results with the projection program.

Name your images #_title, where number is 1, 2, or 3 and anything you want for a title. For example, “1_Red House on Green Prairie”. Putting the number first will allow us to sort the images so that at least one image from every photographer is critiqued.

Education and Training Programs for 2017-2018

The Education and Training Coordinator for 2017-2018 is Ron Taylor.

Competition

December 19th: Judging by Denise Silva

Denise Silva was the featured photographer in the July/August 2015 Photoshop User Magazine,  “Who’s Who in the KelbyOne Community article.” Additionally, Denise was recognized as one of the Top 200 Women Photographers Who Inspire by Nature Photo Guides and has had multiple articles published in Extraordinary Vision (EV) Magazine. 

Denise finds every aspect of photography rewarding. From in-camera composition to post-processing, photography is meditative, creative, and challenging. Her passion is to capture images, from landscapes to urban decay and to share her experiences and knowledge with fellow photographers. 

To this end, she and Don Rosenberger started Road Runner Photography Tours. James Norman has recently joined the team! 

They look forward to sharing their passion for photography with you and know that their tours will not only take you to great places, but also give you an opportunity to build your network of photography friends while enhancing your photography skills through experience and knowledge sharing in a supportive environment. 

There is no better place to learn and develop your skills than in the field! 

Competition Themes for 2017-2018

Note: The Board reaffirmed that there will be themed competitions per program year, but there will be no theme competitions in the months of January or February. 

About the December theme: Faceless Self Portrait – In this theme we are looking for you to be creative and express your identity by taking a photo of yourself without your face.  The key to this theme is showing the viewer something about your character or personality through your image.  It can be a headshot that doesn’t expose your face or it can be different parts of your body that don’t include the head or face.  But the subject of the image has to be you, and it should tell a story about you.

Question:Is an image that captures my shadow considered a "portrait"?

Answer: Based on our theme description, your image can include your shadow, but it must also include part of your actual self.  Examples of “yourself” may be a direct photo of you or parts of you, your silhouette or your reflection.  A shadow, by itself, would not be considered a faceless self-portrait.

The theme for the remainder of this 2017-2018 season is:

• The American Experience –Americans at Work - March 2018:
  For this month's themed contest, show us your best photos of Americans at Work. This may be of a single person, or multiple people, at work. The person or persons and the work being performed must both be clearly evident in the photo. Let’s showcase Americans at Work by demonstrating their emotions, determination, strength and pride!

Competition Themes for 2018-2019

• Geometry:
  Images where the predominant elements are geometric shapes — circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, etc. The compositional elements may be specific [subject-based], such as a wall with a door and doorknob and windows, or implied [design-based], where the photographer searches for designs, such as rectangles, circles, etc. without concern for the names of the objects. For example, subject-based could consider a scene with land, ocean and sky, whereas, design-based could see the same scene as three rectangles of different tones and sizes.
•  Reflections:
  Images which include reflections in water, buildings, mirrors, glass or any other reflective material.
•  Trains, Planes, Automobiles, and Trucks:
  Images of these subjects can be of new or old ones—ones in mint condition or in a state of ruin. Photos can be of the entire vehicle or parts, such as hood ornaments. Subjects can be in motion or at rest.

Competition Judges for 2017-2018

November Competition Results

Digital - Class 1
1st Place – Paula Neumann – Melting Glacier
2nd Place – Len Johnson – Cormorant Fisherman Sunset
3rd Place – Kevin Linde – Late Braking

Digital – Class 2
1st Place – David Crooks – Swimming Deer
2nd Place – Laurie Kuyk – Purple Haze
3rd Place – Kathryn Mohrman – Camel Shadows
Honorable Mention – Ron Petricka – Before the Thaw

Digital – Class 3
1st Place – Lynn Cates – Fall Stream
2nd Place – Gayle Dennis – Deutschland Countryside
3rd Place – Kevin Egan – Attack of the Pac Men
Honorable Mention – Judy McGuire – New Bedford Boat Reflection
Honorable Mention – Kieu-Hanh Vu – Catch Me If You Can

Color Prints – Class 1
1st Place – Joan Barker – The Lily
2nd Place – Len Johnson – Ring Juggler

Color Prints – Class 2
1st Place – Don Smith – Noble Light
2nd Place – Eva Lanyi – Sunrise Lilypads
3rd Place – Ron Taylor – Angry Bird

Color Prints – Class 3
1st Place – Fran Bastress – View From a Smoky’s Overlook
2nd Place – Judy Guenther – The Smoker
3rd Place – Bill Vanderpool – Zebra Crossing
Honorable Mention – Kevin Egan – Glass Never Rusts

Monochrome Prints – Class 1
No Awards

Monochrome Prints – Class 2
No Awards

Monochrome Prints – Class 3
1st Place – Stan Bysshe – Sunflower Study
2nd Place – Bill Corbett – One Handed Grab
3rd Place – Ed Ruggiero – Shear Wind Bars

First Place Winners

Digital Class 1 Paula Neumann Melting Glacier	Digital Class 3 Lynn Cates Fall Stream
Digital Class 2 David Crooks Swimming Deer
Color Print Class 1 Joan Barker The Lily	Color Print Class 3 Fran Bastress View From A Smoky's Overlook
Color Print Class 2 Don Smith Nubble Light
Monochrome Class 3 Stan Bysshe Sunflower Study

The Co-VPs Competition for 2017-2018 are Stan Bysshe and Chuck Campbell (competitions@nvps.org)

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.  Images are not posted 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 editor "at" nvps.org and provide the following information:

Your name
Image Category (digital, color print, monochrome print)
Image Class (1, 2, or 3)
Competition Date

Digital Winners: When you upload your image for the competition, you can check the box to grant permission for it to be posted if it wins.  

Print Winners: send a digital version of your print, sized as if it were for digital competition.

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.

Forum

December 26th: (No Forum due to Christmas Holiday)

The Forum Coordinator for 2017-2018 is Kirk Johnson.

Upcoming Forum Presentations:

      * This Forum will be structured as Education and Training due to the subject matter.

Members Gallery

December 26th: (No Forum due to Christmas Holiday)

The Member's Gallery Coordinator for this 2016-2017 is Laurie Kuyk.

Field Trips

December 9th: Washington, D.C., by Night

We’re going to try our luck with the weather with a field trip to Washington, D.C., at night. Tripods and/or high-ISO shooting!

Night photography in a city presents the challenges of capturing long exposures, dealing with different light sources (and color temperatures), and being ready for whatever weather may come our way. Possible shooting locations include the Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington Monuments; the Chinatown Arch (drag the shutter for steaming headlights and taillights); the Supreme Court; the FDR and MLK Memorials; and the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.  Please note that tripod use is not allowed in every location listed here.

We’ll meet at the Dunn Loring Fire Station at 4:00 p.m. and carpool into the District. (Sunset on December 9 is at 4:46 p.m., with civil twilight ending at 5:15 and nautical twilight ending at 5:49.  Moonrise is at 11:43 p.m.) We’ll make the plans for what locations to visit when we meet based on how many photographers are on the trip, what their interests are, and (above all) what the weather is. (Having the group split up for different destinations would be possible.) We’ll tentatively plan to have dinner together by 7:30 or 8:00, probably in Chinatown.

Please email us for questions and to let us know that you will be going: field-trips@nvps.org

Field Trip Coordinators for 2017-2018 are Jim and Jerri McDermott

Membership

2017-2018 Membership Dues

We now have NVPS business cards for you to hand out. Stop by the membership table and pick some up to keep in your camera bag! They are FREE for you to spread the word about our club.  Be sure to write your name on the back of the cards that you hand out; let’s see who brings in the most prospects!

Remember, in order to participate in the monthly competitions your membership dues must be current. The grace period has expired.

Membership dues for the 2017-2018 year are as follows:

There are three forms of payment. Checks and cash are preferred by NVPS:

• Check: make out your check to NVPS. Complete and print out the Membership Application (http://nvps.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/NVPS_application_2015-2016.pdf). Please either mail both to our Treasurer, Tom Brett, 4216WynnwoodDr, Annandale, VA 22003 or bring your membership application and check to a meeting.
• Cash:Complete and print out the Membership Application (NVPS Membership Application 2017-2018 ) with your current information and pay our Membership Coordinators (Kacy Turner or Judy Graham) or our Treasurer (Tom Brett) at any future meeting.
• PayPal: use the link on our website: http://nvps.org/home/?page_id=114. Please note that NVPS must pay a fee for this method of payment!

Questions, please email membership at membership@nvps.org.
We look forward to seeing you at upcoming club meetings and events!

Stay Connected with NVPS

Email: If you are not already receiving NVPS emails, there are two ways you can sign up to join the list. Click on the following link and sign up by entering your name and email address. Click on join the list. http://nvps.org/home/?page_id=31. Or you may stop by the Membership desk at the next meeting and they will be happy to assist you. It's important to note, you will receive an "opt-in" email from nvps.org. If you do not receive it, check your spam folder. Please respond to this email within 72 hours or the verification link will expire.

Facebook: If you are on Facebook, please join the NVPS private group. Search on Northern Virginia Photographic Society Social Group and request to join. Members post everything from their photos to interesting articles on photography to requests for recommendations. You will find the group informative and fun!

Kacy Turner
Membership Coordinator

Announcements

Notice: The information about workshops and events not sponsored by or affiliated with NVPS are provided as an informational courtesy to Members. Individuals should review the detailed rules and conditions for contests and gallery shows to determine what impact entering an image has on the photographer's rights and ownership of the submitted images. Review the descriptions of workshops to see whether participation in a particular workshop would actually meet your 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' News:

Kathryn Mohrman

Kathryn Mohrman won the “Audience Choice” award November 12 at PhotoSlam, part of FotoweekDC. It was a two-stage competition: first we looked at thematic collections of images from 35 photographers, then the 10 highest scorers moved to Round 2 where one photo from each of the 10 was scored.

Kathryn's first round images were people from Cuba (you can see examples at jadeforestphotography.smugmug.com) and the second round audience choice was from Yunnan Province in Southwest China, image to the left.

Tuan Pham

Tuan Pham will be presenting at Osher Lifelong Learning Camera Club, located at 4210 Roberts Road in Fairfax on Friday, December 8th, at 9:30 a.m.  The title is Seeing Beauty Where You Are. Guests are welcome; admission and parking are free.
Tuan will share his approach to photography, drawing from teachings on the art of seeing and from his own experience as an amateur photographer and mindfulness practitioner. If breathing is a matter of life and death, then seeing and listening could be a choice between delight and doom. 

The audience will learn three simple ways to create space in their daily lives for beauty to appear, namely, (1) Coming home to the senses, (2) Clearing out the proverbial haystack, and (3) Seeing through multiple eyes.  Tuan will use his own photographs to show that one needs not travel long distances, climb mountains, or wake up before sunrise to experience beauty.

Tuan Pham is a grandfather of twelve, a member of NVPS since 2005, and GRC (Get in right in the camera) hosted by Joe Miller about half of that time. He keeps two cameras within reach most of the time.

Georgette Grossman

Georgette Grossman had her image, What Am I?, juried into the themed exhibition (Doubts) this November at the Art League Gallery, 105 North Union St., Alexandria. The show was juried by Jason Gubbiotti. It will be on display November 7–December 3, 2017. In addition her image, Wild Tulips, was sold from the unframed Gallery 75.

The Art League Gallery holds monthly juried exhibits and special exhibits including solo artists, student shows, and the Patrons' Show. Exhibits are free and open to the public. All artists can become members and submit work to our monthly exhibits, juried by noted fine art professionals from throughout the Washington area and beyond.

What Am I?

Wild Tulips

Judy Guenther

Judy Guenther received an honorable mention for her photo Leg Up  at the November Art League juried show themed as Doubt.  Judy was one of seven NVPS members juried in.  Other members were Willa Friedman, Georgette Grossman, Wayne Guenther, Lee Halvorsen, Kathryn Mohrman, and Willa Siegel.

The juror was Jason Gubbiotti, a graduate of the Corcoran Gallery, who lives and works just outside of Paris. The show is different because artists were asked to provide a statement as to the representation of "doubt"  in their image. Patrons will be able to decide whether to reveal the description or not in the gallery.

Judy also had two photos accepted by Anchala Studios (a literary publication) for their periodical themed  The Collection: Flash Fiction for Flash Memory  which focuses on capturing the spirit of the human condition. The two photos that will be included are titled Her Eyes and What’s Out There?   

Her Eyes	What's Out There

Judy was also selected as the featured photographer for The Vignette Review’s Autumn Issue 10, Vol. 3, a Chicago-based quarterly literary periodical. Judy has 14 of her fall foliage images paired with short stories in the Fall publication.  The web site of the publication is at  http://www.thevignettereview.org/?issuem_issue=autumn-issue-10-vol-3

Expositions/Competitions

Arts Herndon

ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to enter in its 9th Annual Fine Art Photography Competition. The competition is open to fine art photographers aged 18 or older working in any medium (digital or analog, color or monochrome), and using any printing technique. Fine Art Photography of any subject is welcome; there is no required theme for entries. The deadline for entries is Friday, January 5, 2018.

Photoworks Gallery: "Coffee and Critique " Show

One Sunday morning each month, photo enthusiasts of all sorts meet at Photoworks Gallery to share their work. Fueled by bagels and coffee, they join in lively conversation led by a Photoworks faculty member. Each participant, whether beginner or pro, has an opportunity to spread out prints on one of the big tables and receive thoughtful feedback and helpful suggestions. The popular, free event is a great way to meet others who are passionate about photography.

Opening December 8, Coffee and Critique - Open Shutter highlights work by C&C members - some who have participated for years and others who are new to the group. A reception will be held on Sunday, December 10, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the exhibit runs through January 15. Photographs exhibited range from bold portraits, to luminous landscapes, and textured minimalist images.

The artists exhibiting work in the show include: Bob Friedman, Willa Friedman, Kathryn Mohrman, Steve Greenberg, Beth Altman, David Mosher, David Scherbel, Val Makepeace, Julie Miller, Jim Palmer, Catiana Garcia-Kilroy, Louise Sabol, Susan Green, Diane Charnov, and Sandy Sugawara.

About Photoworks
Forty years ago, in a derelict building hidden among the abandoned amusement park rides of Glen Echo Park, four young photographers founded Photoworks with little more than a shared passion for the daily work of seeing, shooting, and printing images of lasting beauty and artistic integrity.  The day-to-day collaboration, creative dialogue, and informal mentoring that led those artists to successful careers as fine art and commercial photographers established the values of experimentation and collegiality that define Photoworks today.  Offering a diverse combination of educational programs, gallery exhibitions, and community initiatives, Photoworks is a vibrant and unique resource for student and professional photographers - an arts community in the very best sense of the word.

Photoworks offers photography classes for all ages. The gallery is open to the public Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1pm to 7pm. Visit http://glenechophotoworks.org/ for more information.

Exhibition Opportunities

Announcements of workshops, exhibitions or contests are provided for information purposes only. There is no actual or implied endorsement by the Northern Virginia Photographic Society.

Eighth Annual Joseph Miller Abstract Photography Exhibit

May 5 – May 28, 2018

The Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts takes great pride in announcing its eighth annual juried abstract exhibit. ALL interested photographers are invited to submit entries for this much anticipated spring event. Submissions to the First Annual JM Abstract Exhibit were limited to local NVACC-related clubs; however, over the years, because of the influence these exhibits have had in encouraging and promoting abstract photography and due to their reputation, recent JM Abstract Exhibits have been attracting entries from national as well as international photographic artists.

The Joseph Miller Center will begin accepting entries for the upcoming Eighth Annual Exhibit on Saturday, December 23, 2017.

The deadline for submissions will be Friday, February 23, 2018.
 
A detailed prospectus containing all relevant information regarding the exhibit can be found on the Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs website at nvacc.org