Hello Club,

Welcome to December! Holidays, Christmas, gifts, time with family and friends, and lots of photo opportunities for you this month. And of course the LCC Christmas party!

Need some Christmas photography ideas? Here's a few:

- VanDusen Garden Festival of Lights
- Bright Nights at Stanley Park
- Carol Ships Parade of Lights
- The Vancouver Christmas Market
- Woodward's Windows

All these ideas and more at http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2010/12/vancouver-christmas-events-2010/

Wishing you're the very best of the Christmas season,
Dennis & your Club Executive

Things to Know for December:

Competition Night

Our theme this month is Bugs, Butterflies and Insects. Remember to use the new, web-based image submission system for Competition and Development nights. It replaces the present email submission system and the naming utility.

The new system is designed to reduce errors and to help us have a smoother flow of images and titles on Competition Night. You can access it here:

http://www.langleycameraclub.com/evalWiz/

Remember that, due to the Christmas party, we will not have Development Night during December.

The Annual LCC Christmas Party!

You are invited to join us on December 15. There is a lot of fun planned for the evening, including some slide shows and the long awaited results of the photo hunt from last June. Here's what you need to know:

• bring a wrapped, gender neutral gift (approximate value $10).
• share a Christmas or winter picture of yourself or your family from your past. Look back into your family albums and pick a picture of you way back then. We should have lots of laughs when the images come up on the screen. Scan the picture and send it to billkellett@shaw.ca. If you don't have a scanner, bring in the original on December 8. Your picture will be returned at the party.
• bring a plate of snack food to share.
• this is a no-alcohol event.

Hot Deal on a Winter Jacket

Here's an offer you might want to take advantage of. Thanks to member James Lu, you have an opportunity to buy a Stormtech winter jacket. Here are the details:

This jacket retails for $293. You have an opportunity to purchase it for $100, tax included. 

You can see details about the jacket by going to the link below and going to page 53 of the catalogue. This is a great jacket: high tech material making it waterproof/breathable, zip-off hood, zip-out liner (the liner is actually a second jacket with pockets). 

http://www.stormtech.ca/flashcat/ST-CDN-Fall2010/index.html

The colours available are black/red, black/teal or black/orange. 

Thanks to James' generosity, you also have the option of adding reflective strips and our club logo on the left chest at no charge.

If you want one:

• you will only have one evening (December 8, this coming Wednesday) to decide.
• several sizes and all colors will be available to try on.
• please come early (6:45 - 7:30 pm) to try on and make your purchase. Remember, Wednesday is Competition Night, always busy, so do come early.
• pay with cash or cheques to Langley Camera Club
• Delivery of jackets on December 15, our Christmas party.

Thanks, James!

Congratulations Chris!

Chris Ogden submitted the photo entitled Boardwalk Bridge to a photo contest sponsored by Buildex Vancouver and earned an Honorable Mention. Congratulations, Chris! You can see other entries by looking here:

http://www.buildexvancouver.com/photo/index.htm

Executive Meeting

This is a reminder that the executive meets on the first Wednesday of every month. All LCC members are welcome to attend any executive meeting. Here is a brief summary of some of the discussion at last week's meeting.

• Welcome to Marion McCristall who has taken on the role of coordinating awards for the annual awards night in September.
• We continue to monitor the new projector. We have decided that club equipment such as the projector and color munki (which has been located) will not be loaned out but is only for club use.
• We have a membership phoning tree that is currently being updated. If we have weather or other unexpected situations forcing us to cancel or alter a meeting, you can expect a phone call. Please also check the website.
• LCC's Fiftieth Anniversary: Thanks to Kevin who initiated the idea of creating a book of images, showcasing our talents today and through the past 50 years. If you would like to work with Kevin on this project, which we hope to have completed by September 2011, please contact him at crazyalbertain@hotmail.com.
• Langleytoday.ca is a new website listing business and organizations in Langley. Our club is listed there under "Arts". The editor of the website, Mike Archer, would like to feature some of our pictures. As he says:
  • One of the major reasons for our success in the other communities we serve has been the quality of the 'Top Box' photos we use. Other than News or Feature Photos we like to rely on local photographers and artists to fill our Top Box.
  • We would love to regularly (say once a week) feature photos from club members and set up a special section under Arts/Culture where they would all be archived with a brief (or detailed) description of the photo and the photographer.
  • In Abbotsford our Top Box has most often been filled by the works of local artists (www.abbotsfordtoday.ca/?cat=972) but we would love to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the Langley Camera Club that can provide us with great cover photos and your photographers with internet coverage.
• If you would like to have your images displayed at this way, please let Dennis know. If we have enough photographers willing to have their images displayed here, I will let them know and we can set this up.
• FVI: planning is getting underway for the FVI 2011. Help wanted: a person to be coordinator of tickets sales is needed. If you can do this job, please contact Suzan Guest at sguest@shaw.ca.
• Pictures from Judy Daniels: A large number of prints were donated by Judy's family to the club. It was decided that some of these will be offered to club members for purchase. Funds raised from this will be used for charitable projects within the community. Volunteers are needed to help us organize the photos and prepare them for sale. Please contact Marlene at ensingm@hotmail.com.
  

Other News

Outside Comps (Projected)

Just a note to let you all know the club website has been updated with information about upcoming competitions.  So check there for updates … we will do our best to keep it up to date.

You can view the page by going to the website, clicking on the "Image evaluations" heading and then selecting "outside competitions.  Or you can go directly there:  http://www.langleycameraclub.com/competitions.html

Glenn & Tena
Projected Competitions

Photo Life Magazine Subscriptions

We totaled 49 subscriptions from our club! Most of them were new subscriptions, a few renewals. The club receives two subscriptions for the library. The list of members has been sent off and hopefully, you will receive your first magazine with the next issue, February/March.

Sad News

Brian and Cindy Bury, of Brian Bury Photography, are well known to many of our members. We were shocked and saddened to hear that Cindy, a past member of the club, passed away suddenly last Wednesday. A card, expressing our deepest sympathy, has been sent to the family on behalf of the Langley Camera Club. Arrangements for a service have not yet been announced.

Of Interest to Photographers

Travelling to Kuwait?

Three ministries in Kuwait have banned the public use of DSLRs, on the streets and in malls, for anyone who isn't a journalist. Kuwait's Ministry of Information, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Finance have joined forces to bring about the ban, although smaller digital cameras and camera phones are exempt.
There's little or no word from the Kuwaiti government on why it has taken such drastic action, and the Kuwait Times says that the move has baffled the Kuwaiti youth and local artists. Many wonder what to do with their expensive cameras now that they can't use them in public, and are bemused as to why such laws have been implemented. Tourists will also be affected, and must be aware of the law if they travel to Kuwait.

Street Photography is Not a Crime!

by Brian Martin

Not sure if I mentioned this or not, but I've been there (http://www.adorama.com/alc/blogarticle/12801 ), only worse (in my first-hand opinion) ... at the Cloverdale Rodeo this summer I had two RCMP officers and four security guards encircle me, accusing me of being a pedophile, it was a weird event.  I was shooting with my 120 degree panorama camera but was accused of taking picture of children by a guy and his girlfriend (neither had children of their own, but apparently saw me taking pictures of children so one reported me while the other one tailed me until the police showed up).  Anyway, after about an hour of trying to intimidate me into surrendering my film the RCMP officer in charge cleared me and said it was obvious that I had been falsely accused of something I didn't do ... nonetheless I was asked to leave and was promptly escorted not only to the gate, but out of the grounds all together, and asked to never come back.  And there is not a whole lot you can do about it when it happens, because apparently once somebody accuses you of being a pedophile child photographer it is up to you to prove you are innocent (this guy had a digital camera, I was using film so could not show anybody my images).  The world has certainly changed over the past 35 years of my street shooting, an amazing difference really.

Princess Louisa Inlet Photo Tour

with Ian Cook

Rockwater Secret Cove Resort on the Sunshine Coast is offering a two day photography retreat, including a voyage up to Princess Louisa Inlet. For more information, go to http://www.rockwatersecretcoveresort.com/site/retreats-and-workshops/ian-cook-photography-retreat.html . Notice the last line: partners at no extra cost.

Inspiration Page

The cover image at the right would be a very ugly colour photo. According to the maker, author Harold Davis, it was taken at a parking lot in the fog. The light source was a few mercury vapour lamps that give off an unflattering yellow-greenish glow. But, when converted to black and white, the photo jumped to life.

I have made it a personal project to develop my own ability to see in black and white and make some effective conversions. I've got a long way to go. But this book has been a big help. I'm learning to look for images with high contrast and anticipate what might be an effective BW print.

I've found this author very helpful. You can see more of his work here:

http://photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=4789438

I have another one of his books. It's called Creative Night: Digital Photography Tips & Techniques. It's full of ideas for our FVI theme of Night. Highly recommended.

Simply Amazing Photos

Take a look at 47 photos that were submitted to National Geographic for a photo contest.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/11/national_geographics_photograp.html

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does, the better.  Andre Gide

To promote and advance photography as an art form… (LCC Handbook)

Click here for the PDF