Waterman’s Workbench – Catherine Honigsberg

Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!

Dennis Freeman & Sherm Edwards, Editors, Cable Release, at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
 


KEY EVENTS


If Montgomery County Schools close due to inclement weather, Silver Spring Camera Club meetings and outings will be cancelled.  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’.


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:  Officers and Committee Chairs

More information is available in the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC) Member Handbook:  2019-2020 Member Handbook

SSCC member submissions for the Cable Release should be directed to cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.

© 2019 Silver Spring Camera Club and its contributors. Copyright Notice & Disclaimer Policy


PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR THE NOVEMBER CABLE RELEASE:

E.G. ARTICLES, AWARDS, EXHIBITIONS, LINKS, REVIEWS, …   

DEADLINE: BY OCT 24th TO  cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.



MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS


MEETING LOCATION

Silver Spring United Methodist Church
8900 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD
Click for details


SPEAKER ON OCT 3 – DON ROSENBERGER TO PRESENT: RUST AND RUINS

At 6:30 p.m., one hour before our regular meeting, SSCC will have a social hour! The SSCC Board will treat you to snacks and drinks while you socialize and catch up!

We are very pleased to have Don Rosenberger return as our guest speaker. Many photographers hold a certain fascination with decay and ruination. Perhaps they are drawn to the abstract qualities of a corrosive surface or find beauty within the walls of a crumbling building. Today, urban exploration is a very popular activity, but it can be difficult to do it legally.  Don will explore the risks and pitfalls of this type of photography as well as discuss how you can safely and legally add this type of photography to your portfolio. He will also explore why photographers are drawn to decrepitude and how to shoot this type of environment to get the results you desire . (Read More)


COMPETITION COLUMN

For the competitions season, please refer to the website link for the definition of each topic.

Here’s the schedule for the season:

  • October – Nature Photography
  • November – Open
  • December – Reflections
  • January – Cityscapes
  • February – Shadows
  • March – Open
  • April – Open
  • May – Monochrome Photography
  • June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)

Our October topic is Nature Photography:

Acceptable entries are photographs that portray various aspects of natural plant and animal life; that illustrate the natural features of land, sea, and sky; or that reveal natural phenomena. No image in this competition may show human intervention. Domestic plants (e.g., in a botanical garden) or animals (including zoo animals) may be included as long as they do not show any human intervention (e.g., collars or ear tags, gates, walls, paths, signage).

Please be mindful that electronic submissions for projected images must be received no later than 11:59 pm, October 3rd.  The images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org (One important detail – In order to participate in the competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.)

To learn the nitty gritty about the competitions, please refer to the Competition Rules and the Members Handbook, both of which are accessible from the SSCC website. Of course, if you have any questions about the competitions, please feel free to contact me at competition@ssccphotography.org   


SARAH HOOD SALOMON TO JUDGE THE NATURE COMPETITION – OCT 10

Sarah Hood Salomon is a fine art photographer whose work explores the emotional aspects of the world around her. Her photography often focuses on people who are alone, whether they are solitary figures, or those in a crowd who are lost within their own thoughts. (Read More)


A CLOSER FOCUS – OCT 17  

– by David W. Powell

An opportunity to share ideas, images, questions, and inspirations

Half an hour will be an open forum discussing issues at hand.  A half hour is devoted to presentations by members.  And a half hour is set aside for member image reviews. 

This is always a great evening of sharing and learning. What topics would you like to explore?  Topics are very wide ranging, such as photo book reviews, an aspect of your own photography that you’d like to share, reviews or discussion of gallery shows, photo gear, software, etc.  Or bring a gadget to share.  

  • Presentation: David Blass will present “Arctic Adventure,  Exploring Svalbard Norway”.
  • Picture assignment:  Bring in your Nature Photography photos (e.g. you can include the ones you submitted to the October Nature competition for further feedback). If you’d prefer to talk about something else bring in some other photos you’d like to share and discuss.
  • Discussion: Any topics that you’d like to explore.
  • Book/Gear Reviews:  Andrew Rein will review his new Lumix FZ-1000 mirrorless camera. Dave Powell will review two books on ‘expanding your vision’. What book/gear/software have you experienced that you’d like to review?  

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Future topics of A Closer Focus might include: compositional strength, HDR, or anything else photographic you want to bring to the table. This is an opportunity for you to provide input to the SSCC experience.

If you would like to be on the agenda, please email me at: 
davidwesleypowell@gmail.com


OCTOBER 5 FIELD TRIP TO CATOCTIN FURNACE AND COVERED BRIDGES OF FREDERICK CO.

Catoctin Furnace
Loy’s Station Covered Bridge

On Saturday, October 5, we will go to Catoctin Furnace and the covered bridges of Frederick County.   (Read More)


OCTOBER 19 FIELD TRIP TO ROCKVILLE ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW

On Saturday, October 19, we will go to the Rockville Antique & Classic Car Show to photograph more than 550 antique and classic cars on the grounds of the Glenview Mansion.  (Read More)


CLUB NEWS


MEMBERSHIP


BOARD MEETING

The SSCC Board met on August 22.  The minutes are in the following link:


SEPTEMBER FIELD TRIP TO MARYLAND RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

On Labor Day, Monday, September 2, SSCC members went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville.  There were lots of attendees in character, jousting, shoppes, archery, jugglers, street entertainment, stage productions, cleavage, roasted turkey legs, drinking, and general bacchanalia.

David Terao, Bruce Schaefer, Renee Schaefer, Martin Gold, Sherm Edwards, and Dennis Freeman provided photos from the event:

Maryland Renaissance Festival, Sept 2, 2019

Image 1 of 33

Bruce Schaefer


FEATURES


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OPENING THE DOOR TO BALTIMORE – FORWARDED BY KAY CARKHUFF

The Baltimore Architecture Foundations annual Doors Open Baltimore on Oct 5 and 6 will give architecture buffs and the just plain curious unprecedented access to unique and architecturally significant buildings throughout the city, including some typically not open or free to the public.

On Open House Day, October 5, more than 50 buildings will be available for visitors to tour on their own, from historic buildings such as the George Peabody Library and the Baltimore Basilica to modern high-rises.

Those interested in a deeper dive can register for the Oct 6 expert-led insider tours of buildings, including the recently renovated Enoch Pratt Library Central Branch.

Visit Baltimore’s most interesting spaces and places during a weekend of architectural adventure! Free admission to 50+ buildings. Rain or shine!

Register and more information here: https://www.doorsopenbaltimore.org/


FALL COLORS 2019

Wondering when to go to Shenandoah or Dolly Sods for peak colors? Or Colorado, Tennessee, or anywhere else in the Continental US? How about a tool that predicts the 2019 color map by week? Click on the link below the Oct 5 example:

Example for Oct 5

DANGER BE DAMNED, GET THE SHOT – PROVIDED BY BRUCE SCHAEFER

This picture was taken by a National Geographic photographer. She dreamed about it and planned it out for months. What she and her group finally did to capture this moment is nothing short of heroic. [PS – the climber in the photo is also a woman.]

Read the story here and be amazed:

Nat Geo Article


MARYLAND PHOTOGRAPHY ALLIANCE MEMBER CLUB NEWS

See what other regional camera clubs are up to in October in news from the Maryland Photography Alliance:  (Read More)


SSCC MEMBERS’ IMAGES TO BE ON DISPLAY AT THE MPA GALLERY EXHIBIT

The Maryland Photography Alliance (MPA), a consortium of 18 member clubs, recently held its 3rd annual competition, and SSCC member’s  work was well represented among the top photos.  212 photographers submitted 409 entries in 4 categories:  Abstract, Black & White, Maryland Architecture, and Still Life.  There will be a gallery show In November (details included) highlighting the winners and other images that were highly rated. (Read More)


ROBERT FRANK TRIBUTE – PROVIDED BY BRUCE SCHAEFER

Robert Frank, the Swiss-born photographer who reshaped the medium of 20th-century documentary imagery, died September 9 at 94, 60 years after the American publication of his most famous book, “The Americans”. Looking once again through this dispassionate but unsettling survey of mid-century American consumerism, displacement and alienation — made during a two-year road trip across the country — will send shivers down your spine.

Parade – Hoboken, NJ

But the book was ultimately acclaimed as one of the most important photographic projects of the 20th century, a radical personalization of the documentary impulse into something haunted, bleakly poetic and daringly unsentimental.

Wash Post article

Democratic National Convention – Chicago, 1956

CONFERENCES AND EXPOS


PHOTOPLUS CONFERENCE & EXPO 2019

Oct. 24– Oct. 26, 2019
Javits Convention Center, New York City

PhotoPlus Expo is the largest photography and imaging show in North America. Nearly 20,000 professional photographers, photography enthusiasts, videographers, students and educators from around the world attend the conference and expo. PhotoPlus features over 100 educational seminars, workshops, Photo Walks and Master Classes, and over 200 exhibitors and brands displaying thousands of the latest products and services for you to touch, try and compare.


NATURE VISIONS 2019

November 1–3, 2019
Hylton Performing Arts Center, George Mason University, Manassas VA

Nature Visions Photography Expo is an annual event and is the premier photography expo in the Mid-Atlantic region. It is composed of a juried exhibit of nature photography, lectures and classes on all aspects of photography.  This year, the Friday session will feature two guest speakers.  Ralph Lee Hopkins of National Geographic will speak Friday morning.  The afternoon will feature a return visit from Cole Thompson. The Saturday night speaker will be Amy Gulick. There will be over 300 winning nature photographs on display plus an exhibit of over 125 Fine Art photographs. There will be over twenty local and national vendors selling all manner of photographic supplies and equipment.

The Expo features several distinct types of training:

  • All Day Friday Seminar (included if you buy a 3-day Merchant Hall pass).
  • One-hour Lectures (included if you buy a Merchant Hall pass, also available separately). Including one by our own Michael Koren!
  • Multiple hands-on workshops for macro/flower and bird photography (purchased separately).
  • 90-minute Lectures on a wide range of photography topics (purchased separately).
  • Keynote Address (included in the multi-day passes; also available separately).
  • Two 90-minute FREE sessions of Lightroom instruction (registration required).
  • Multiple FREE one-hour sessions for the beginning photographer (registration required).
  • 20-minute Photographic Portfolio Review sessions (registration required).

 For more information, and to register, go to NatureVisions.org

Don’t dilly dally – the best workshops and photo shoots sell out fast.


MEMBER ARTICLES


78°N, 30°F. MY SUMMER VACATION IN THE ARCTIC – BY DAVID BLASS

Taking a warm weather vacation in the winter is pretty common for my wife, Karen, and I.  This summer, we did the reverse, and left sweltering Washington for a trip above the Arctic Circle.  We saw places that were unique (in our experience), stark, beautiful, remote, spectacular,  potentially dangerous and always fascinating. (Read More)


DO THE COLORS OF YOUR IMAGES GO WRONG? – BY DAVID TERAO

Have you ever noticed that images you submitted to our club’s projected-image competitions were off color, or maybe your winning image that was published in the Cable Release looked muddy and muted?   (Read More)


KERNELS OF KOREN

Paris France, as part of the EU, has a relatively new law on the books that protects the processing of personally identifiable information of all EU citizens with steep fines that could be as much as a 20 MILLION EURO!  This law was approved in April 2016 with enforcement beginning May 2018. (Read More)


UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: FACE TO FACE PHOTOGRAPHY

– By David W. Powell

For me, establishing personal contact with your potential subject is key. I walk right up and raise my camera as if to ask, “is this OK?” Depending on the response, I proceed. I have been refused only a few times in the 55 years I’ve been doing this. I am selective of whom I approach though. Attractive people usually enjoy attention from a professional appearing and acting photographer. Act your part. (Read More)


COMPETITION RESULTS


OPEN COMPETITION – SEPTEMBER 12

September’s competition was in the Open category – anything goes!  Sandi Croan was our judge that evening. 

There were four main categories: Advanced Prints, Novice Prints, Advanced Projected (i.e. digital images), and Novice Projected.  Awards are given for first, second, and third place, and multiple honorable mentions (HM) – the number of awards depends on the total number of entries in the category.     

ADVANCED PRINTS

  • 1st:    Pete Morton – Crown of Water
  • 2nd:   Larry Gold – Boardwalk
  • 3rd:   Pete Morton – Taste of Vintage Flower
  • HM:   Larry Gold – Pentimento
  • HM:   David Terao – Leaf Skeleton

Advanced-Print-Pete-Morton-Crown-of-Water

Image 1 of 5

This image was made using a table top set up in my basement. Dennis Freeman and I did a great deal of experimenting with a device named Pluto that triggers water drops and the camera. It was amazing to see all of the different water patterns that result. I used colored gels on my flashes to get the colored portions of the crown. Food coloring was used for the water that was in the basin. Finally, a great deal of work was needed in Photoshop to eliminate the rim of the bowl used for the basin.

NOVICE PRINTS

  • 1st:    Karen Finkelman – Old Shoes
  • 2nd:   Renee Schaefer – Through the Bubble
  • 3rd:   Catherine Honigsberg – Weathered Wood
  • HM: Catherine Honigsberg – Waterman’s Workbench

Novice Print ~ Karen Finkelman ~ Old Shoes

Image 1 of 4

This image was taken in Havana, Cuba. Our group was graciously invited into a private home when she spotted us taking photographs in the street. Her home was a virtual museum with brightly colored stucco walls that were decorated with old fashioned irons, trivets, antique wall clocks and few Backstreet Boy cassette tapes. It was a fascinating glimpse into the life of the more well-heeled Cubans. However, it was the old shoes I spotted resting against a wall in a corner of the living room which made it feel like a home to me. Canon 77D, Tamron 18-400mm lens @35mm, f/8; 1/25s; ISO 400.

ADVANCED PROJECTED

  • 1st:     Bob Catlett – Porch Post
  • 2nd:   Karen Finkelman – Track Lighting
  • 3rd:    Karen Finkelman – Ellis Island
  • HM:    Beth Koller – Dappled

Advanced Projected ~ Bob Catlett ~ Porch Post

Image 1 of 4

Image taken with a Nikon D-7200, a DX camera, converted to infra-red. With a 18-140 lens at 18mm, f/11, @ 160 of a second, hand held in a 3 shot bracket. This image is a +1 exposure . Processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.

NOVICE PROJECTED

  • 1st:    Renee Schaefer – Cowboy Boots
  • 2nd:   Dan Gottlieb – Kenilworth Butterfly
  • 3rd:    Dennis Freeman – What Flower Depression Looks Like
  • HM:    Renee Schaefer – Boats
  • HM:    Dennis Freeman – OBX Sand Bath

Novice Projected ~ Renee Schaefer ~ Cowboy Boots

Image 1 of 5

A fun summer event for us is to pack up a picnic and drive out to Great Meadows in Virginia to enjoy an evening of arena polo. To be honest, I rarely watch any polo, but the people watching is always fun. From ladies with big hats to men with big cigars, it is always a photo op. On this evening, we attended the polo match with another couple from our camera club. I was standing near the announcers booth when I noticed a rider was visiting his family and friends between chukkas (quarters). I took several pictures of this interesting looking man dressed in full jockey regalia, but eventually singled in on this well worn boots. I liked the image that I made with the worn out boots and leading lines of the boardwalk.


COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS


PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

The Photography Courses and Workshops list includes sample photography courses and workshops from a variety of providers in four categories:

  1. Courses and workshops in the D.C. area
  2. Online courses
  3. Multi-day photography trips to places within and beyond the United States.
  4. Photography conferences in nearby states

Some of these begin or require registration early in the month. Please provide reviews of courses that you have taken!   (Read More)


CALLS FOR ENTRY

The following offers a number of competitions for your consideration this month. Some of these sources having 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. (Read More)


EXHIBITS AND EVENTS

The following link is a column that lists a number of photography-related exhibits and events occurring now, or soon, in the extended Washington D.C. area.   These include gallery exhibits, museum exhibits, college exhibits, special events, and sometimes exhibits or events to photograph yourself!     And some selected sites for the armchair adventurer!

See the full column here: (Read More )


PHOTOGRAPHIC WISDOM OF THE MONTH

Courtesy of Karen Finkelman


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

NIH Camera Club