Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!
Sherm Edwards and Tanya Riseman, Editors, Cable Release, at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
Contents
KEY EVENTS
The following scheduled events will be conducted online as Zoom teleconferences, except for the Field Trip. Look for announcements and invitations by e-mail, Meetup, and on the club’s Website.
- Feb 2 – Speaker (7:30 p.m.)
- Feb 9 – Competition – Yellow (7:30 p.m.)
- Feb 16 – Photo Forum (7:30 p.m.)
- Feb 23 – Board Meeting
- Feb 26 – Field Trip – Udvar-Hazy Center (10 a.m.)
2022-2023 Calendar
See here for this season’s calendar, which will be updated as information becomes available. It includes Speaker Night, Competition Night, Photo Forum, Board Meetings, and Field Trips.
If Montgomery County Schools close due to inclement weather, Silver Spring Camera Club meetings and outings will be canceled. See montgomeryschoolsmd.org for closure information during the work week. For Mon-Fri AFTER 5:00 pm & on the weekends, call 240-777-2710 or 311 from within Montgomery County. Sign up for text alerts: AlertMontgomery and choose both a local MCPS school and ‘Community Use of Public Facilities Alerts’. Note that this policy does not apply to online meetings!
For general information about the club, contact us at: info@ssccphotography.org
A list of the club officers and committee chairs, and their emails, is located here:
More information is available in the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC) Member Handbook:
SSCC-Member-Handbook-2022-2023
PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR THE MARCH CABLE RELEASE:
If you’d like to share an article, announcement, or Letter to the Editor about anything photographic please email them by February 24. Email items or questions to Tanya Riseman and Sherm Edwards at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
DEADLINE: BY FEBRUARY 24th TO cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
MEETING LOCATION
Up to now this year, we have been meeting virtually and this will continue for Speaker Night, Photo Forum, and Board meetings. As of now, with regard to competitions, we will decide how to meet on a month-by-month basis, guided by Montgomery County and the CDC. Any in-person meetings will be held at Northwood Presbyterian Church (https://www.northwoodchurch.com/), and KN95 masks will be required.
SPEAKER NIGHT WITH ALYCE BENDER – Magic of Macro
Thursday, Feb 2, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Focusing on the Small Things in Life
It’s not always about the grand landscape or the largest bull moose. Sometimes, we need to slow down and take a look at the beauty all around us in the details. With this class, we will explore the world at our feet, focusing on macro photography. Participants will learn about how to find scenes and subjects, composing images, special lighting considerations, creative and technical setting selections, and basic Lightroom post-processing techniques for macro images.
Alyce Bender is a nature photographer, writer, educator, and adventurer. Camera in hand since childhood, her fascination for photography developed into a career after serving in the U.S. Air Force. Her passion for wildlife and the natural environment compels her to connect others with nature through sharing both visual art and in-field experiences that promote conservation, creativity, and ethical photography.
She is a Tamron USA Ambassador, contributing writer and photographer for the Journal of Wildlife Photography, and a Nature First Texas Region Ambassador. Her work has been featured in group and solo gallery shows across the U.S. as well as in international publications from the U.K. to Japan. Bender leads photography tours and workshops in partnership with Wildside Nature Tours on location around the world to help beginner through advanced photographers explore and expand their personal vision and naturalist skills ethically. When not in the field, she offers a variety of educational programs both in person and virtually for photography organizations large and small.
You can see more of Bender’s work and upcoming tours at www.abenderphotography.com. For more information about presentations, please contact abenderphotography@gmail.com or 702-281-5326.
COMPETITION COLUMN
Our February topic is Yellow:
“Yellow Photography“ encompasses images where the color yellow is primarily what draws the attention of viewers to them. While yellow need not be the color of the subject of the image, the color must contribute significantly to what makes the image special.
Members may submit up to two images meeting this definition. The images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org by midnight (11:59 p.m.) on the day of the month’s Speaker Night. (One important detail – In order to participate in the competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.)
Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the year:
- March – Open
- April – On the Job
- May – Monochrome Photography
- June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)
Please refer to the website link for the definition of each topic.
ED PALASZYNSKI – JUDGE – FEBRUARY YELLOW COMPETITION
Thursday, Feb 9, 62023, at 7:30 p.m.
Ed’s journey has taken him onto many branches of his life tree. Rooted in science as a professional researcher, he branched out to teaching and academic administration. Along the way, his photography occupied a special place that finally blossomed in later years. He enjoys experiencing the scene to determine how the light will affect shapes, tones and textures. He has recently completed a series of images for a project called “Life Forms” to answer the question, “What Does Life Look Like?”
Ed’s images have appeared and placed in national juried shows that include the Circle Gallery in Annapolis, PhotoWorks, Washington Art Works, Delaplaine Arts Center and the Allegany Arts Council. He is a Gaithersburg Camera Club Grand Master and his images have been used for online and print publications.
Ed is past President of the Gaithersburg Camera Club and has served in several Board positions. He is a member of the Maryland Federation of Art, Nature First, NANPA and is a MPA Certified Judge. He has developed and taught numerous photography classes at Montgomery College and workshops for individuals and clients of Mac Business Solutions and Capital Photography.
You can visit his website at edpalphotography.photoshelter.com or contact him at ed@edpalphotography.com
PHOTO FORUM FEBRUARY 2023
Thursday, Feb 16, 2023, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Join us for discussion on topics including “What are your online sources for Photography Information, Education, and Inspiration?” Michael Koren will give a presentation on “Using a Phone Camera to Create Art“. We wrap up as usual with Photo Sharing. Send 1 or 2 of your images to share if you wish; this month’s theme is Open. (Read More)
FIELD TRIP – UDVAR-HAZY CENTER
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023 from 10 a.m. to noon
The National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center has hundreds of aircraft and spacecraft which are on display in two massive hangars. Includes a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, and the Space Shuttle Discovery. View aircraft flying in and out of Dulles International Airport from our Observation Tower. (Read more)
CLUB NEWS
BOARD MEETING
The SSCC Board met in December. Minutes from all meetings can be found in the board meeting minutes archives.
MPA NEWS
It’s a new year and the Maryland Photography Alliance (MPA) has many opportunities for you. There is a new spring contest with a theme of Black & White. MPA’s yearly conference “Odyssey of Light” takes place on the weekend of April 15 and 16, 2023. February’s “Artist Spotlights” is about “Artistic Flower & Garden Photography”. MPA is sponsoring two travel workshops, to Cuba and Banff & Lake Louise. Read more
ENTER OUR CLUB COMPETITION!
FEATURES
FREE AND DISCOUNTED PARKS PASSES
Cathy Faughnan would like to remind people of the great discounts that older people can receive for passes to state and federal park systems. In Maryland, the Golden Age Pass permits people 62 and older free admission after a one-time fee of $10 (https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/goldenage.aspx). The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes (https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm) are $20 annually for people 62 and older while 4th graders, people with permanent disabilities, and veterans can get passes for free.
CONFERENCES AND EXPOS
MEMBER ARTICLES
SLIDE DIGITIZING by Dave Powell
One of the things I like best about my mirrorless camera is how quickly and easily I can work on digitizing my slide library. (Read More)
COMPETITION RESULTS
OPEN – JANUARY 12
January’s competition was Open, for projected images only. Donna Brok was our judge. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the competition was held remotely using Zoom.
There were three categories judged: Advanced Projected (i.e., digital images), Novice Projected, and Beginner Projected. The Print categories are suspended until we start in-person meetings again. Awards are given for first, second, and third place, with the number of honorable mentions (HM) dependent on the total number of entries in the respective Advanced and Novice categories.
ADVANCED PROJECTED
1st Place: Wendy Kates ~ Logan Circle Impressions
2nd Place: Kim Keller ~ December 24
3rd Place: Maude Svensson ~ Fisherman’s Boat
HM: Sherm Edwards ~ Rounding the Bend
HM: Kent Mason ~ Up
HM: Michael Tran ~ Quiet Time
Wendy Kates ~ Logan Circle Impressions
This image is part of a series I am working on in which I am creating impressionistic images of DC neighborhoods. I altered this image in Photoshop, using Filter>Blur>Motion Blur. I retained some of the details of the architecture with a gradient layer mask. The original image was made with a Canon EOS R, using the RF24-105mm f/4 lens, at f/8, 31mm, 1/320s, ISO 100.
NOVICE PROJECTED
1st Place: Steve Harvey ~ The Gaze
2nd Place: Larry Bauer ~ Round and Round
Steven Harvey ~ The Gaze
I captured this photo of an arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) during a trip to Iceland this past summer. The fox was an inhabitant of the Arctic Fox Center (https://www.westfjords.is/en/service/the-arctic-fox-center) in Sudavik, a small fishing village located in Iceland's Westfjords region, about 20 km from Isafordjur, the region's county seat. This adult fox and one juvenile were kept in an enclosure outside the center. They were by turns hiding, pacing the perimeter of their enclosure, and chasing, wrestling, and playing with one another. I was shooting through a chain-link fence, so I got as close as possible and used a wide f-stop to blur the fence while getting a sharp image of the foxes. I spent about 1 1/2 or 2 hours shooting the foxes, sitting or crouching as low to the ground as possible to capture a perspective at their level. This was one of several evocative images from the session. According to the Center, arctic foxes have the densest fur of any mammal, an adaptation that enables them to withstand temperatures as low as -70 C.
BEGINNER PROJECTED
HM: Carmen Petruzzi ~ Foggy Tunnel
HM: Carmen Petruzzi ~ Kayaker
Carmen Petruzzi ~ Foggy Tunnel
I woke to a foggy morning and ran to the Capital Crescent Trail. The fog was disappearing rapidly but I was able to grab a photo of two people walking through the tunnel where the trail goes under MacArthur Blvd. near the Maryland/DC border. I tried to capture the eerie feeling of the scene. (Canon 90D, f/2, 1/125 sec, ISO 160)
COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Needed: Someone to author the Classes and Workshop List for the 2022-2023 Cable Release club year. Please let Catherine [ president@ssccphotography.org ] know if you might be interested. This is an opportunity to inspire the learning of club members. In the meantime, we will show some online sources.
One vendor typically included in the Photography Courses/Class List has announced a few online classes: See Capital Photography Center: https://online.capitalphotographycenter.com/collections?category=courses . The rest either have suspended courses or are communicating to registrants by email.
The online course providers typically listed in The Cable Release are obviously still operating—
- Coursera
- KelbyOne
- LinkedIn Learning free through Montgomery County Libraries (formally Lynda.com)
- Photographic Society of America (PSA)
Also offering free webinars—on photography printing—is Moab Paper. See: https://www.moabpaper.com/moab-tv?rq=tv I have never taken one of Moab’s webinars, but Moab is a major producer of artistic photo papers. Other vendors are offering free webinars, but they tend not to give advance notice, so the ones I have located are offered only in April.
Please let us know of other online opportunities you discover by emailing us at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
CALLS FOR ENTRY
by Dennis Freeman
The following offers a number of competitions for your consideration this month. Some of these sources have standing calls for entry, and others are one-time calls. Some offer cash and prizes, and others don’t.
See the full Calls for Entry article here.
EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
WASHINGTON POST
Here is a link to the online Washington Post’s lists of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia photography-related exhibits and museums. The various photography-related exhibits appear in different parts of the online paper, making a simple search or link unreliable. You can search within:
Photography section: Photography
Going Out Guide: Going Out Guide
Art Section: Art
Take a look at what our sister camera club, the NIH Camera Club, has going on. Here is a link to their site. There you can find their newsletter, the Cameraderie: nihcameraclub.com
© 2023 Silver Spring Camera Club and its contributors.
Copyright Notice, Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and External Link Disclaimer