I am still amazed that the Club can fill the calendar with interesting and informative programs week in and week out through out the season. This is due entirely to our Club members who volunteer their time to plan and implement the weekly meetings and field trips, and support the website and the Fotofax newsletter. As the Club president I got to see first hand all the effort that went it making the entire season such a great success. I thank all of the board members and volunteers listed below for all of their tireless work to make NVPS the great institution that it is. Kevin Egan served as our most recent past President, Ron Taylor as Education and Training Coordinator, Roger Lancaster as Exhibits Coordinator (Nature Visions) for the third year in a row, Jim McDermott as Field Trips Coordinator, Laurie Kuyk as Member’s Gallery Coordinator, Kirk Johnson as Member’s Forum Coordinator, Kacy Turner as Membership Coordinator, Alan Goldstein as Fotofax editor and NVACC Representative for the fourth year in a row, David Crooks as Website Manager, Dale Nelson as Facilities Manager for the fifth year in a row, Brian Payne supporting the Membership Database for the third year in a row, Chuck Campbell was the lead in developing our new Mentoring program, and Mike Whalen, Bob Friedman, Willa Friedman, and Georgette Grossman served as Special Board Members who provided invaluable insight and perspective on the operation of the Club. Our Key Non-Board Member Volunteers were: Jeff Hancock with Digital Projection for the eighth year in a row, Steve Steiner with Field Trips, Judy Graham with Membership, Colena Turner with the Ask Me A Question Table, Scott Musson provided support for the website for the ninth year in a row, Sid Stone and Brian Payne helped on the Tech Team, Kieulan Nguyen, Georgette Grossman, Willa Friedman, and Ginger Werz-Petrika managed the Portfolio Project, and Rebecca Colegrove assisted with Nature Visions. I offer special thanks to Mike Whalen who was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for his wide-ranging support to the Club and it’s individual members. Thanks Mike! I also give my best wishes to Stan Bysshe, next year’s president, and all of the 2018-2019 board members; the Club is well positioned to become even stronger next year. Although the NVPS is on summer hiatus, I urge each of you to get out and shoot this summer, keeping in mind the competition themes for the next two years (see below) Please share your experiences and photos on the NVPS Face book page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NVPSPhoto/). And keep an eye out for an announcement about our upcoming summer field trip to Kenilworth Gardens (usually occurring sometime in July). It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as your President this year Bill Millhouser
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
September 4th: TBA The VP for Programs for 2018-2019 is Willa Siegel. September 11th: TBA The Education and Training Coordinator for 2018-2019 is Eva Lanyi. September 18th: TBA The Co-VPs Competition for 2018-2019 are Kevin Egan and Ron Taylor (competitions@nvps.org) Competition Themes for 2018-2019 The American Experience: Americans at Work: 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! Special Note: Those images that were within the standard two-year time limit in March 2018 remain eligible for this competition even if that two-year time limit has expired at the time of this themed competition. 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 & doorknob & 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. Trains, Planes, Automobiles, and Trucks: Images of these subjects can be of new or old trains, planes, automobiles, or trucks – from mint condition to a state of ruin. Images can be of the entire vehicle or isolated parts, such as hood ornaments. Subjects can be in motion or at rest. NVPS Competition Themes for 2019-2020 Night Photos: An image taken after sunset and before sunrise. The night presents an interesting set of photographic opportunities. Places active with human activity, such as city streets, country fairs, fireworks, and etc., come alive at night. But even quiet and lonely places – cemeteries, back alleys, and moon-lit shorelines – can surprise you with what they have to offer. The absence of daylight at night will force us to ensure that we capture sufficient light by increasing the length of our exposures, by adding light (flash or light painting), or by increasing the sensitivity (ISO) of our sensors. However, be careful to maintain the feeling of darkness in the image, i.e., don’t let a too-long exposure turn your scene into daytime. Wherever you may be headed, grab your tripod, a wireless or cabled shutter release, and a friend (for assistance, company, and safety), and have fun shooting in the dark. Low Perspective: Placing the camera low to the ground. The idea is to change our normal shooting perspective by shooting images with our cameras close to the ground. This will provide a great opportunity for creative shots. Common objects can appear completely different when taken from a low perspective and can provide new compositional opportunities. Get close and shoot up. Back up and include foreground and foreground objects. Get your tripod close to the ground, or free yourself from your tripod and get down low to the ground with your camera. Through Rain, Snow, Sleet or Hail: Get outside with your camera in bad weather! Be sure to protect your equipment well as you venture out in bad weather to capture images in Rain, Snow, Sleet or Hail! For those less adventurous, the image may be captured from inside a building or vehicle, etc. However, falling rain, snow, sleet or hail must be a clearly visible and important part of the image.
The full list of competition results is available on the NVPS web site at http://nvps.org 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. Digital - Class 1 Digital – Class 2 Digital – Class 3 Color Prints – Class 1 Color Prints – Class 2 Color Prints – Class 3 Monochrome Prints – Class 1 Monochrome Prints – Class 2 Monochrome Prints – Class 3 First Place images from May: Additional winning images are available for viewing at http://nvps.org/gallery/v/competitions/2017-2018+Competition+Winners/
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. Our End-of-Year Banquet was once again a wonderful celebration for all the talented photographers in NVPS. Congratulations to our members who received awards throughout the club competition year and thus qualified for the End of Year judging. The images displayed at the banquet attest to the amazing and varied photographic abilities among our members. Those who received EOY image awards and awards for their body of work over the course of the year should indeed be proud of their accomplishments. On behalf of the club, we would like to thank Corey Hilz for his time and talent in judging the EOY images. His continued support of NVPS is greatly appreciated. The strong quality of images presented made for a difficult task. Each year the success of the banquet is due to the behind the scenes volunteer work of many members. Thanks go to Dale Nelson and Tana Ebbole for working with the Waterford; Jeff Hancock and Mike Whalen for their audio visual expertise; Ed Funk who yearly makes sure all the trophies are ready; Alan Goldstein for his event photojournalism, and those members who helped with the set up: Kevin Eagan, Ron Taylor, Brian Payne, Frank Napoli, John Quigley and Paula Neumann. Special thanks to Kacy Turner who seamlessly handled the event organization in the absence of Georgette Grossman. (Of course Georgette left explicit instructions to help get all the programs, certificates etc. organized.) Finally thanks to Bill Millhouser and Judy Graham for their tutelage in helping us not only with the banquet but throughout the competition year. Nothing in our club occurs without the help of volunteers. Running the monthly competitions is no exception. The announcements and Sunday night image organization are thanks to Scott Musson, David Crooks and Mike Whalen. Frank Napoli arrives early to the fire hall to be sure everything is ready and Jeff Hancock along Steve Glintz, Alan Tolk and Sid Stone keep us straight with all things digital and technical. Brian Payne keeps our membership roster up to date and he along with his band of image handlers, Melanie Marts, Ron Taylor, Alan Goldstein, Bob Friedman always just show up and help. And of course, thanks to Bill Millhouser for his steady and ever-present helpful hand throughout the year. The themes are posted for next year, the ribbons and spreadsheets have been passed to Kevin Egan and Ron Taylor, so all that is left is to wish everyone a happy and productive summer. It’s a great time of year to try something new and to expand your photographic talents. See you in September. Chuck Campbell, Co-VP of Competitions for 2016-2017 End of Year Judge – Corey Hilz
Corey is a professional photographer specializing in nature and travel photography. He approaches subjects with an artistic eye, looking for a fresh perspective. Corey is a published author and his work is seen in magazines, books and calendars, as well as in art galleries. Corey was our February 2016 judge, and our October 2015 Education and Training speaker. He regularly offers software workshops as well as photo workshops and international tours. Spring/summer photo workshop locations include Longwood Gardens, the National Zoo, Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. His international destinations include Cuba, Ireland, Czech Republic and Morocco. Corey is a published author and his work is seen in magazines, books, calendars and catalogues. His photographs are also seen in exhibits and his prints are found in private collections. Corey has written six books, including two books on digital workflow and the first book dedicated to Lensbaby. Corey has a passion for sharing his knowledge. He helps others improve their photography through group and private instruction. Corey's instruction enables photographers to improve their photographs technically and artistically. Find out more on Corey's website: http://www.coreyhilz.com/ End of Year Results – 2018 Photographers of the Year Versatile Photographers of the Year Class 1 ……………………………………………………. Len Johnson Images of the Year
Kevin Egan Wins the Ollie Fife Award ![]() Kevin Egan is presented with the 2018 Ollie Fife award at the End-of-the-Year Banquet by last year's recipient Willa Siegel. The award was for his image Splashdown. Oliver E. “Ollie Fife” Pfeiffer, FPSA, was born April 2, 1912, in Middleton, Mass. He died June 14, 1996, in Alexandria, Virginia. Ollie was a Fellow of the Photographic Society of America and active in many of its activities, among which he was Photojournalism Division News Editor for many years, wrote numerous articles and lectured and presented programs at PSA meetings and conventions. He was a member of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society and other area camera clubs in and for which he conducted programs and judged photographic competitions. For more information on Ollie, see the May 2015 issue of FotoFax. The Ollie Fife Award was instituted by NVPS in September 1996. At that time it was awarded for the Best Slide Image of the year. Beginning in 2010-2011 it was renamed the Ollie Fife Image of the Year. The End-of-Year Banquet judge selects the winner from all images that qualify for that year’s end-of-year competition. The award is a trophy once owned by Ollie Fife and donated in his name by his daughter Pat Salamone. Winners of the award have been:
Ollie Fife Image of the Year
Eleven members were promoted to the next higher class due to the number of points they obtained during monthly competitions. These are: From Class 1 to Class 2 - Len Johnson, Joan Barker, John Olsen, My-Linh Tran, and Paula Neumann. From Class 2 to Class 3 -Willa Siegel, David L. Crooks, Eva Lanyi, Laurie Kuyk, Ron Taylor, and Jim McDermott. Congratulations. Mike Whalen Awarded the Distinguished Service Award ![]() President Bill Millhouser presents the Distinguished Service Award to Mike Whalen at the Society's End-of-Year Banquet. Mike Whalen was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by Society President Bill Millhouser at the End-of-Year Banquet 31 May. The Distinguished Service Award was created in 2010 to honor volunteers who make significant contributions in service to NVPS. Granting the award is optional and at the discretion of the president. The NVPS is run by, and thrives on the efforts of its volunteers.
Earning the Distinguished Service Award requires sustained commitment beyond that normally expected in the performance of NVPS duties while acting in an elected or appointed position. In serving in these positions, Mike has shown a strong and unwavering commitment to serve the Society as a whole, as well as our individual members. Mike has provided significant advancement of the members’ photographic skills through his image processing training sessions, anonymous critiques, and assistance to individual members both at Society meetings, and in one-on-one mentoring in private sessions. Finally, Mike donates his time regularly, as a pet photographer for the Fairfax County Animal Shelter and, volunteers as an event photographer for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s annual race-walk. As a teen, Mike learned a few photography basics from his father, a photographer and artist. In 2002, Mike became interested in photography and purchased his first digital camera - a Kodak “point-and-shoot”. However, it wasn’t until 2006, when he purchased a basic Canon DSLR, that he began to see the potential of this “new” technology. In 2009, Mike joined NVPS. Here, he met many talented people, happy to share their photographic knowledge. This was another turning point. At NVPS, he served on many board positions including President in 2013. From competing in many NVPS competitions, he received numerous annual awards including, “Photographer-of-the-Year”, “Color-Print-of-the-Year” and “Image-of-the-Year” at various times. In recent years, he also scored three cover shots on the Spring editions of Washington Gardener Magazine. He has also won “People’s Choice” award in 2016 for his photo, Charleston Plantation at the annual Nature Visions photo expo. NVPS Past Presidents at the 2017-2018 End-of-Year Banquet ![]() Past Presidents of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society stand for a portrait at the Society's End-of-Year Banquet. From left, Kevin Egan (2016-2017), Tom Brett (2008-2009), Bill Millhouser (2017-2018), Mike Whalen (2013-2014), Bob Friedman (2011-2012), Willa Friedman (2012-2013), Craig Wineman (1989-1990), Ed Funk (1991-1992), Jim Steele (1976-1977), Georgette Grossman (2014-2015) and Fred Siskind (1988-1989). Past Presidents of NVPS
More images from the 2017-2018 End-of-Year Banquet
The Chair for the Portfolio Project for 2018-2019 is Ginger Werz-Petricka. September 26th: TBA The Forum Coordinator for 2018-2019 is Kirk Johnson. September 26th: TBA The Member's Gallery Coordinator for this 2018-2019 is Judy Graham. Field Trips — TBA The Field Trips Coordinator for 2018-2019 is Jim McDermott Join Us for Nature Visions 2018 As we finish off the photo club year and enter into summer, a reminder from Nature Visions that the uploading of images for consideration in the photo exhibit at the expo begins August 13. You will find instructions and other information on the Nature Visions website at www.naturevsions.org. Every image that is submitted is subject to a panel review prior to judging to ensure that all rules for the image are being followed . If you submit an image between August 13 and Sept. 14 which is turned down in the review, you will have an opportunity to resubmit. However, photographers who submit between Sept. 14 and Sept. 21 and have the image rejected will not have the opportunity to resubmit. The final deadline for uploading images is Sept. 21. Judging of images takes place from Sept. 25 to Oct. 7. The announcement of images accepted for the exhibit will be made Oct. 12. If your image is accepted, you will have until Oct. 27 to prepare your image for display (printing and matting.) The expo itself will be held once more at the George Mason University Hylton Center in Manassas from Nov. 2 through 4, 2018. For more information or if you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact Roger Lancaster at roger@thelancasters.us. So now go out and get those great summer shots – and submit your best ones to Nature Visions! Best, Membership information for the 2018-2019 Society Year There are a few good reasons to pay your NVPS dues earlier rather than later! All Nature Visions submissions (Nature and Fine Art) are digital submissions. To be eligible to enter images you must be a club member in good standing, i.e., be current in your membership dues. To make sure you qualify, Roger Lancaster will compare our list of paid members against the submissions he receives. So please pay your dues before you submit to Nature Visions. In past years we have given members who compete in monthly competitions a grace period to pay their dues. For those competing in the September 2017 competition, the grace period will end October 1. Please note that awards/points received in the September competition will be removed for members who have not paid their dues by October 1.
There are three forms of payment. Checks and cash are preferred by NVPS:
Questions, please email membership at membership@nvps.org. 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! Laurie Kuyk 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. Exhibition/Contest Opportunities Announcements of exhibitions or contests are provided for information purposes only. There is no actual or implied endorsement by the Northern Virginia Photographic Society. The Northern Virginia Review National Geographic Young Early Career Grant Early Career Grants are designed to offer less experienced individuals an opportunity to lead a project.
Grants are typically funded for between $5,000 and US $10,000. For more information, please see https://www.nationalgeographic.org/grants/eligibility 16th Annual Smithsonian.com Photo Contest
The 16th Annual Photo Contest is now open for submissions. 1. Natural World: Animals, plants and landscapes; geological or climatological features; and scientific processes and endeavors. To be eligible for any category, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant since January 1, 2016. Exhibitions The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying American Workers National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F Streets NW, Washington, D.C. “The Sweat of Their Face” combines art and social history with representations of American laborers across genres and centuries of art. Artists such as Winslow Homer, Dorothea Lange, Elizabeth Catlett and Lewis Hine depict laborers throughout the changing landscape of America; from child and slave laborers to miners, railway and steel workers, to the modern gradual disappearance of the worker. Approximately 75 objects in all media (including video) highlight a point of connection between the artists and their predominately anonymous subjects. Diane Arbus: A Box of Ten Photographs Smithsonian, 8th and F Streets N.W., Washington, D.C. In late 1969, Diane Arbus began to work on a portfolio. At the time of her death in 1971, she had completed the printing for eight known sets of A box of ten photographs, of a planned edition of fifty, only four of which she sold during her lifetime. Two were purchased by photographer Richard Avedon; another by artist Jasper Johns. A fourth was purchased by Bea Feitler, art director at Harper's Bazaar, for whom Arbus added an eleventh photograph. Lincoln's Contemporaries National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW, Washington, D C. Who were Abraham Lincoln’s contemporaries? They included many fascinating people beyond the politicians and military leaders of the Civil War. This exhibition features Mathew Brady’s portraits of twenty celebrities — from showman P.T. Barnum and inventor Samuel Morse to musician Teresa Carreño and clergyman Henry Ward Beecher—who reflect the diversity of American intellectual and cultural life during Lincoln’s presidency. Daguerreotypes: Five Decades of Collecting National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW, Washington, D.C. The 2018 installation of the Daguerreian Gallery celebrates the National Portrait Gallery's golden anniversary by highlighting fifty years of daguerreotype collecting by the museum. Included will be portraits of such iconic figures as activist and reformer Dorothea Dix, entrepreneur and showman P. T. Barnum with Tom Thumb, Seneca Chief Governor Blacksnake, U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry, and artist Alfred Waud. This exhibition is curated by Portrait Gallery Senior Curator of Photographs, Ann Shumard. Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940–1950 National Gallery of Art, 4th and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. During the 1940s American photographer Gordon Parks (1912–2006) grew from a self-taught photographer making portraits and documenting everyday life in Saint Paul and Chicago to a visionary professional shooting for Ebony, Vogue, Fortune, and Life. For the first time, the formative decade of Parks’ 60-year career is the focus of an exhibition, which brings together 120 photographs and ephemera — including magazines, books, letters, and family pictures. The exhibition will illustrate how Parks’ early experiences at the Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information, and Standard Oil (New Jersey) as well as his close relationships with Roy Stryker, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and Ralph Ellison, helped shape his groundbreaking style. A fully illustrated catalog, with extensive new research and previously unpublished images, will accompany the exhibition.
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