(also available as a PDF after this link)
Hello Club,
Welcome to the 2011 - 2012 season! Your club executive has met all ready and we are excited to begin a new year with you. The big change to remind you about is
7:00 PM!
All meetings this season will begin at the new time.
Some highlights of the coming season to look forward to ...
- Our first guest presenter of the year will talk about Street Photography. That's good news because our theme for the FVI in May is, guess what? Street Photography!
- Awards Night is coming! Mark Wednesday, October 19 on your calendar. This year, the theme of this special evening will celebrate our 50th year.
- A great selection of themes for the season, beginning with "People at Work".
- A CAPA Judging Course, right here, at the Community Hall, on March 10, 2012.
- Great learning opportunities with outings.
Keep On Shooting,
Dennis Ducklow
Newsletter Editor
& Past Prez
Bill Kellett, LCC President
Thanks to Bill for taking the time to share a little history and current news, allowing us to get to know our new prez a little better.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I started with the Langley Camera Club 6 years ago and joined the executive in my first full season as the Promotions Chair. I also helped with the FVI. I've been the club's Vice President for the past 3 years.
I am honoured to be following the past presidents I have worked with; Dennis D, Russ D and Don M, all of whom have done the heavy lifting of getting the current edition of our 50 year old club to where it is today.
I am the Vice President of Sales for Westmill Industries in Aldergrove. We supply parts, equipment & technology worldwide to the plywood industry. Sales & marketing has been my profession for 25 years.
What made you get into photography?
My interest is very organic as my father, Ron, was the proprietor of three camera stores & photo studios, known as Kellett Photo. At about age 6, Dad gave me an old Kodak 120 bellows camera. At age 12 I started helping out behind the camera counter, and this gave me additional access to all sorts of gear and equipment. At age 14 I started in the portrait studio 'apprenticing' under dad's tutelage. In my 20's, I changed professions and photography became my hobby.
What sort of photography do you mainly do?
I enjoy many styles, genres and techniques. There is such a variety of disciplines, and I am enticed to work them all from time to time. I am partial to time lapse, abstract, close-up & infrared photography.
What gear are you using?
Nikon D300 is usually on my tripod mounted with a 35mm prime lens, in my bag is a 12-24mm & 18-200mm. Polarizer filters for all, & graduated neutral density and a small reflector. I also love taking photos with my iPhone!
What's your favourite lens and why?
My current favourite lens is my Nikon 35mm f1.8 . The freedom on concentrating on the real life perspective of the image is very enjoyable. Sometimes with a zoom lens I lose the essence of the subject because I get lost in the distraction of 'What is the ideal focal length?'
Tell us about the favourite photograph you have made.
My favourite photo is usually the one I just printed, but I think that's true for most of us. Narrowing it down a bit, my all-time fav' is Glacier Trek for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is a memory of a fabulous holiday, 2nd I took the picture with a basic point 'n shoot camera and the picture is a good reminder for me that photography is not about the name, price or size of the gear. Finally, folks that I greatly respect, enjoy the image as much as I do.
Who is your favourite photographer?
This changes for me, probably for the same reasons as the variety of photographic disciplines I explore ~ I like them all. Currently it is Nick Brandt. Nick Brandt's photographs of African animals are gorgeous and memorable. It's a vision of Africa that meets the expectations of my own imagination of what Africa & it`s wildlife is all about. Here's your opportunity to stand on the camera bag (soap box).I am very fortunate to be the Langley Camera Club president with such a strong and motivated executive. Success comes in many forms and our executive is unified in one thing: We want LCC to be the best camera club there is, whether it be our education & instruction activities, quality of images in outside salons & competitions or good times & camaraderie in the club or on an outing. The vibrant membership is our fuel!
I hope you all use this season to either submit your first image to Competition Night or Development Night, or join us on an outing for the first time or present a slide or digital slide show of your photography or a holiday. This is my first year as President; let's make this your first year of trying something at LCC you haven't done before.
Thanks, Bill!
About the Club
Important Stuff to Know
Exposing Ourselves for Fifty Years!
Yes, it was 1961 when a few photographers gathered in Langley to organize the Langley Camera Club. We've grown from a handful to over 100 members, held meetings in dozens of different locations over the years, and helped each other learn to use the ever changing technology that has come our way. We've got a lot to celebrate!
Our annual Awards Night, to be held on October 19th, will take on a 60s theme, taking us back to our 1961 roots. Planning and decorations are ongoing and here's how you can get ready:
- Find a picture from the 60s you can bring. A Print or slide would be great.
- Plan to dress like they did in the 60s. Elvis, anyone?
- Bring old cameras to put on display.
And don't forget, the Awards Night is mainly an event to celebrate the accomplishments and efforts of our members who entered competitions last year. It will be a great evening.
On the topic of Awards, Competitions for this year's Annual Awards begin on Wednesday, September 14. Take a moment to check the website to read the criteria for each award.
Mentoring Members
For the past few years, the club has had a Liaison Member program, where a new member is matched with an experienced member to learn about the club. The executive would like to strengthen this program by organizing occasional outings for photographers to work together as mentors and new members. If you are an experienced member and would like to sign up as a mentor, please email Susanne Brown <susannebrown@shaw.ca>. We will assign 1-3 new members to you.
Member-to-Member
This is a reminder that we have a special section on our website for members to promote their business. Simply send an email to Dennis (doubleexposure@me.com) to have your business card listed for free. To take a look at the members already signed up, go here.
John Goldsmith on Street Photography
Our new coordinator of Program Night is Sheena Wilkie and she has, very cleverly, found a photographer who will share ideas on street photography on September 28. This is, of course, the theme for the FVI this year.
John Goldsmith is a professional documentary photographer based in Vancouver BC. His work has been widely published in both commercial and editorial venues. He has a diverse clientele that includes individuals, non-profits, corporations, and governmental agencies. His artwork has been internationally recognized and is held in private collections. Goldsmith is listed among many fine street photographers, both past and present, at the Home of Street Photography, In-Public, and is a founding member of the strange.rs collective and a contributor for Street Reverb Magazine. Learn more about John Goldsmith here.
Membership Dues
A new season also means the bank account is pretty low. It's time to pay your annual dues of $50 per member or $75 per family. Please take care of this on a Wednesday night this month. Members who have not paid their dues will not be eligible to submit images after October 1.
Thanks!
Outside Competitions
The Outside Competitions structure has been under review by the LCC Executive. With much deliberation and strategy, a clear and easily understood structure has been agreed upon at the September 2011 exec meeting. These guidelines have been created to achieve the following:
- encourage more members to participate
- simplify the selection process
- increase the transparency of the process
The Executive will continue to monitor the Outside Competitions process and will review the program in November. Please see the guidelines on the next page.
Outside Competitions Guidelines
- Call for Entries: The coordinator of the Outside Competitions will announce the competitions, criteria, and deadlines for club selection well in advance of deadline. 1A. Only one image per member to be submitted per competition.
- Images will be only accepted for the selection process if they meet the required criteria:
- formatted according to the rules for submission (e.g. jpeg dimensions for projected, specific sizes and matting for prints, and follow the theme when required). - Only images submitted by members for an outside competition are considered for selection of the club entry. In the event there are not enough images to complete the entry for said competition, LCC will not participate in that competition.
- Selection Process: The coordinator will assemble a committee of members to attend the selection meeting to choose the club entry. The committee members are notified well in advance of the place and time for the selection process.
- selection committee members will ensure themselves of an optimum viewing location; face the screen or print in such a way as to see the image at the best angle and in the best light.
- makers' names are not revealed during the selection process.
- contributing image makers in attendance at the selection process will not comment on their own images.
- Points earned towards the Judy Daniels Award as follows:
One image is selected from each contributing maker and they will receive 5 points.(If an image is not "short listed to the final 16" the maker will only receive 5 points)
A short list of 16 images will be chosen and each maker will receive 10 points instead of 5 points. (If an image is not selected for the competition the maker will only receive 10 points)
The number of images needed for the club entry is chosen from the short list, (usually 6 or 10 images are required depending on the competition.) Each of these images will receive points equal to the score from judging at the competition rather than 10 or 5 points. - All contributors to said competition will be informed of their status 5 points , 10 points or selected to competition (points earned to be announced upon results of competition).
- Final selection of images for the competition will be emailed to LCC membership.
- A record is kept of images that are selected for CAPA competitions to eliminate duplication in future competitions. (CAPA does not permit images to be used in more than one competition).
- When the results are received for each outside competition, an email will be sent to all club members announcing them.
- An Outside Competitions Score Sheet will be sent to all club members on a regular basis so that they can see their standing.
Treasure-Book: Great Books, Locally, at a Discount
Treasure-Book is a Langley company that prints and binds books for photographers. They have done great work for a few of our members this summer and can do the same for you. As well, LCC members can save 15%.
Dave Cristofoli used them to publish a book of a wedding he shot for some friends. He writes, "Everything was very professional and very classy. I am currently putting together a book of my photography. Kind of like a portfolio I guess but highlighting my 24 Vancouver heritage building photos and also including my best colour photos.
Thanks again for finding this wonderful and friendly book-making company. I really think that is it a photographer's dream. Now I know what I will get most of my family for Christmas!"
My own experience was just as positive. I created four copies of a very special book for a family this summer and wanted to be sure the colours came out just right. They printed one copy and invited me up to their facility to see it. It was just what I hoped for and then they printed and bound the remaining three.
To create your own book, download their software and get busy. The software provides templates if you want them or you can be totally creative and do your own thing. When you're finished, you can share the book online before finalizing. You also download a proof as a final check. You can choose from a variety of sizes and covers.
Check them out at Treasure-Book.com. When you order a book, use 'photoclub15' as the code to save 15%. This code is for LCC members only.
Introduction to Better Photography
The Township of Langley will be offering an introductory photography course in Fort Langley beginning on Thursday, October 13. The eight week course, which also includes two Saturday morning outings, will be taught by our past president and retired educator, Dennis Ducklow. The course topics will include all the basics of operating a digital SLR as well as creating effective landscape and people photos. You are welcome to share this info with others who are starting out in photography. More info and registration details are here.
Canada Wins 4-Nation Competition!
Not only did Canada win this prestigious event between Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada but LCC also had a number of entries that scored very well. Congratulations to the following members:
Marion McCristall (two entries), Paul Sharpe, Jim Hatch, Fran Glazer, Joy Gerow and Sheena Wilkie.
What You Did This Summer!
Geoff May
Rode his motorcycle across Canada and took photos all along the way. He also blogged his trip so you can see photos and stories here: http://geoffsride.blogspot.com/
Geoff adds: I will see you in September when the next season starts and hopefully a better photographer. Since I joined the club I have had a great time and have been inspired and also have learned so much you are all a great bunch of guys and gals.
Dave Cristofoli
Dave has a display of his photography at Frames West Gallery in Murrayville. He also sold a 48x48 print of the Hotel Europe. Awesome, Dave!
He also photographed his first wedding (for some friends) and created a book at Treasure-Book.com. Dave writes, "It turned out FANTASTIC! Lucie and I wrapped it up and brought it to our friends. When they opened it their eyes almost popped out of their heads. They call it their "brag book" and they have ordered 8 copies for their family.
Anita O'Connor
Did lots of photography this summer. One place was the Richmond Summer Nights Market. She invites you to go there and vote for your favourite image. www.summernightmarket.com
Karen Reynolds
Made a dog calendar to raise funds for "LAPS" – Langley Animal Protection Society.
Last year they sold 50 calendars and donated $250 to LAPS. In the 1st week of sales this year, she sold 40 copies. "The Puppies of Walnut Grove" is made up of pictures she has taken throughout the year. If anyone would like a copy, please email Karen at kreynolds@shaw.ca. The cost is $18 each and it's for a good cause.
Marion McCristall
Well, it may not be summer but very soon, Marion will be going on the Best of Kenya Safari. She'll be one of only six participants so it should be an amazing opportunity. They will stay in tented camps and be able to hear the animals roaming around camp at night and, of course, in the distance.
More info at www.davidrogers.co.za
Barbara White
Decided to make use of some of the photos languishing on her hard drive, so she started a new website over the summer. Barbara combined graphic art with photos to design business cards, greeting cards, iPad cases and other gift items. Check out some of her work here.
Irene Theriau
Travelled with her daughter to Paris and London for two weeks and had a wonderful time. She took around 2,000 photos, maybe a few more. This is one of the funnier photos, hope you have a chuckle.
Rob Hopkins
Rob did lots of amazing summer travel and can't wait for the club to start again so he can share more of his images. This image of him is in Tampa, Florida, where he and Candice have a daughter and family. The night at the Tropicana Field was dedicated to "Striking out ALS" and was a memorial to Lou Gehrig and a fundraiser for the cause
Five Personal Photo Project Starters
By Scott Bourne
From PhotoFocus.com
Summer is winding down, Fall will be here soon, school is starting up and there are 1000 reasons NOT to use your camera. You're busy, etc. But when you find yourself in that situation it's a cue to get off your duff and go shoot. Here are five personal photo projects that you can use as a starting point to go make killer images.
1. Get out of your comfort zone
No matter where you live, chances are it's no more than an hour (or less) to the next town. Spend a day there. Go on a photo walk. Document this "new" town that you live next to as if you were shooting for a travel magazine. Tell a story about the neighboring town with your camera.
Please read the rest of this article here:
http://photofocus.com/2011/08/27/five-personal-photo-project-starters/
FOYER ART CALL FOR ENTRIES
The Langley Centennial Museum is excited to be offering its Foyer Art Program again, and is inviting artists to submit photographs of recent artwork, in any medium, for consideration in the Foyer Art 2011/2012 Program. The program intends to provide artists with the opportunity to exhibit their artwork. Although preference will be given to local artists, the program is open to artists from across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Exhibition space is available in the Langley Centennial Museum, and the small space available can accommodate between three and ten pieces of artwork, depending on the size of the pieces. The sites are best suited to exhibit two-dimensional artwork, although three-dimensional work may be considered.
"It's a great opportunity for artists, particularly new artists, to get some exposure in the community, but to also get some insight into the exhibiting process," says the museum's curator, Kobi Christian.
The museum plans to display the artists' works in two month time slots. Christian encourages them to come by the museum for an entry form, or to download one from the museum's website at langleymuseum.org, by following the heading "Exhibit" to "Foyer Art."
The submission deadline for applications is October 21st, 2011. For more information, please contact curator Kobi Christian at 604.532.3536 or kchristian@tol.ca.
Visit Darts Hill Garden
Darts Hill Garden is an amazing garden in south Surrey and a great photographic destination. It's only open on certain days so you have to plan ahead. They will be having an open house on September 24 and October 22. For more information, go here.