Corey Hilz, well known nature and travel photographer, has graciously agreed to judge our landscape competition this month. While macro nature photography – especially with unusual techniques – is one of Corey’s specialties, his expansive landscapes are breathtaking. He brings a practiced eye to critiquing our competition and a serious approach.
A favorite judge for camera clubs, Corey last judged for us in October 2014 for our annual Nature competition. Some of you may know Corey by having participated in one of the many photo workshops he offers throughout the mid-Atlantic area and up and down the East Coast. Farther afield, Corey leads international photo tours to destinations such as China, Cuba, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. Besides field adventures, Corey also gives software training and photography classes, mainly in northern Virginia but also on line. For image processing, Corey teaches Lightroom, Photoshop, and Aperture. His other classes focus on particular photographic techniques such as composition, macro, or lighting and flash. He even offers one-on-one or specialized small group training.
In Corey’s own photography, he has found that the diversity in nature and in cultures around the world offers boundless opportunities for new images. Never content with straight narrative, he approaches his subjects with an artistic eye, always looking for a fresh perspective. While Corey has created an impressive library of images from his international travel, he declares that he often finds his most interesting subjects close to home.
Corey’s remarkable images can be seen in magazines, books, catalogues, and calendars. His work is also found in private collections and is exhibited in art galleries. Widely recognized as a Lensbaby expert, Corey wrote the first book dedicated to this exciting slant on photography: “Lensbaby: Bending your Perspective,” now in its second edition. He’s also written five other books, including two on digital workflow. You can find out more about Corey Hilz and his work on his web site: www.coreyhilz.com.
Before we look further at Henry’s enormous photographic accomplishments, let’s examine his role in SSCC. He served as our vice president from 2003-2005 and as our PSA representative from 2005-2008. Amazingly, Henry won the Photographer of the Year award eight times (advanced level) and was awarded the Master of Photography in 2004, when he had accumulated over 300 points in competitions. Henry also received our Len Tuchin Award for best in show of the year-end competition, the Joyce Bayley Award in the annual nature competition, and the club’s Service Award.
This evening we will have a special guest. Greg Holden will present a lecture discussing what types of subjects look good in black and white. Then, he will present “digital darkroom” processing, where he will demonstrate examples of converting a photo to B&W in both Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro. 
Let Cliff introduce himself to us first, in his own words: “As a photography major in a school of fine art, I was often asked to photograph artwork for other students…the painters, sculptors, and printmakers I knew. And I enjoyed a reputation for color accuracy, which I then parlayed into a small studio business upon graduation. Around the same time, I began working as a commercial picture framer and started collecting the tools I would need to produce my own work from start to finish. Roughly five years later, I was offered the opportunity to become a member of a gallery of like-minded photographers in an old munitions factory in Alexandria, Virginia. As a gallery member, my job was to install the monthly exhibitions. I purchased a full size utility van to move artwork.