CLUB MEETINGS

  UPCOMING MEETING  
2024
December 3 - November meeting has been rescheduled to December 3rd.
Greg Versen will provide a slide presentation, Where I See God, demonstrating how one can use images to tell a story. His photos reflect his many travels in which he has taken photos for telling stories..

This months challenge is Autumn Colors.


SUMMARY OF PAST MEETINGS 
2024 
October 28 -  Larry Heine 1) Larry Heine provided a presentation on how he photographed swallows in flight using high speed preshooting as a pair of tree swallows passed each other going in and out of their nesting box.  2) Taking flower photos at the local arboretum.  The following links will take you to the presentation slides and movies:

September 23 - Results of the Special Summer Project.  For details, click on the "Scavenger Hunts" tab above.  Also, Larry provided two presentations  1) Water Drop Photos (CLICK HERE), 2) Shenandoah River State Park scenery (CLICK HERE), and 3) Sports Photography (CLICK HERE).  Joe gave a presentation on Sports Photography.
 
June 24 - Frank Doherty talked about his effort, settings, and equipment he uses when taking photographs of fireworks.  He provided two videos explaining fireworks photography.
To view his slide show with videos, CLICK HERE.

- Scott Jost, Professor of Art and Art Department Chair, Bridgewater College, teaches photography, videography, and multimedia storytelling. His discussed his focus on conservation photography in the form of macro photographs of native bees. His presentation covered the equipment, skills, techniques, and creative and aesthetic insights related to photographing bees and other insects.

- The monthly challenge was stairs.
 
Finally, Larry discussed the summer challenge.  Instead of the traditional summer scavenger hunt, the club has decided that members will be challenged to learn a new technique.  Each club member can select a topic, learn the technique, and attempt to take a photo(s) using the chosen technique, and to show the resulting photo(s) at our September meeting. 
 
To see the list,  CLICK HERE. 
 
Note:  When you visit the website for the particular technique, you'll see a Download box.  Don't click on it unless you want to join the Expert Photography web site.  Just scroll down to read the technique's instructions.  Also, try to avoid all the ads buried between the instructions.
 
May 27 -  CANCELED
April 22 - Update on finding the sweet spot for your camera lens extender.  To see the presentation, CLICK HERE.
Also, a presentation describing the RAW and JPEG digital formats (CLICK HERE to view presentation).
March 25 - Larry presented to topics for the meeting.  
1)  Pin Hole Photography.  He provided a slide show showing how to make a pin hole device and the resulting photos in using a pin hole.  To view the presentation, CLICK HERE.
2)  Cleaning and keep cleaned your camera sensor and lens.  CLICK HERE.
February 26:   The presentation on pin hole photography was postponed.  Joe Laughland provided a presentation on ways to take steady photos.  This included on how to find the sweet spot on your lens.  To see the slide show, CLICK HERE.
 
January 22: Staff Photographer for the Daily News-Record, Daniel Lin, gave a detailed presentation about his experiences and techniques as a professional photographer.  When photographing subjects, he asks them to continue doing their job or activity to give more context to the photo verses a posed photo.  He also discussed how he likes to use lighting to give contrast to the subject.  He also answered most of the questions presented to him.  Finally, he went through his camera bag to show what equipment he uses.  This has been a very informative presentation.  We had almost 20 members attend the meeting.
Here are observations made from the membership:
  • “Follow the light” - use light in creative ways to make a photo distinctive, not just to show a common subject. Several examples were backlighting or side lighting so subject was just an outline, backlighting a sports figure in action with a sunset-colored background, dark foreground with subject in lighted background.

    Use reflections creatively rather than try to avoid. Examples were reflections of the subject in a window, reflections of subject in mirror sunglasses, reflection of subjects in polished truck bumper.

  • Focus on faces. Show the raw emotion with the action - primarily with sports photos.
 

2023 
November 27 Larry Heine presented photos he took at Augusta Springs Wetlands in August of this year. To see the slide show, CLICK HERE.  Larry also gave a presentation on keeping your photos safe.  CLICK HERE  
 
October 23:  The meeting opened with viewing the monthly challenge of Man Vs Nature.  Interesting photos showing man’s interaction or conflict with nature.  We then viewed the What Is it and Where Is It photos.  
 
Then we had Professional photographer Bob Adamek answer technical and artistic questions that members submitted to him earlier this year.  Bob shared his technique of building trust with both musicians and the people in the audience so he can get good photographs from everyone.  When photographing inside, he tries to use a low ISO although new cameras have the ability to provide high ISO without getting too grainy.  He uses a wide aperture.  Tries to use a fast shutter in order to freeze the action.  In some instances, he’ll use a telephoto lens (500 to 700mm).  But in some cases, he’ll use a wider lens with lower mm, and crop the photo in order to compose on the subject.

He also discussed how he photographs wild life, ranging from deer to black bears.  His key to success is scanning for a subject but also being patient.

He always carries extra batteries.  He also brings several memory cards and formats the cards frequently using the camera’s formatting application.  He also shoots in manual in order to keep full control on all the settings.
 
Photographer John Woody and Bob put together an amazing one hour movie.  The film premiered on December 11, 2021, to a sold out theater in Harrisonburg, VA. It garnered awards in ten film festivals including the Paris Film Festival, Lift-off Global Network in London and winner of Best Feature Documentary at the World Film Carnival in Singapore!  To watch the movie, CLICK HERE and scroll to bottom of page.  To visit Bob Adamek's website, CLICK HERE.
September 25:   The first half of the meeting viewed the Summer's Scavenger Hunt photos.  We had over 50 photos submitted.  Then Larry gave a presentation on water marking digital image files and adding copyright information to the image metadata.  To view the presentation on copywriting, CLICK HERE.
June 26 - Monthly challenge was "Movement & Motion."  Meeting topic covered lens filters.
May 22 - Monthly challenge is Creative Use of Sunlight.  Larry gave a presentation on Artificial Intelligence software that can help adjust photos to look cleaner and sharper.  To see the entire slide show CLICK HERE.
April 24 - Larry Heine gave a presentation concerning the Boxwood Nature Center & Woodland Gardens, located in Lexington, VA. and its fenced garden areas (pollinator, native plants) and pond/wetland walking paths. He displayed photos of spring flowering plants, trees, and other interesting constructs located on the property.
He also discussed a list of questions for a professional paid photographer for one of our fall meetings.  Members will be canvassed for additional questions.  This month's challenge is Different Perspective.
 
March 27 - Meeting started with "What is it" and "Where is it."  Then Professional photographer Tom Brower of Tom Brower Photography critiqued members best photographs. He provided his perspective.  To view the critiqued photos,  CLICK HERE.
 
February 27 - We had two topics presented by Larry Heine.  The first is culling, a process of choosing the best images from a photo shoot.   To see the slide show, CLICK HERE.  The second topic concerned the different type of shutters in a camera and the results from using each kind.  To see slide show, CLICK HERE.  This Month's Challenge was Snow and Ice.
 

January 23 -  The following topics were covered at the meeting:
  • None of the attending members have ever filed a copyright for their photos.  Joe provided a quick overview on the need to file copyright to protect ownership.
  • Suggestion was made to take a photo of your business card or something listing your name and contact information so if you lose your camera or SD/Compact card, anyone finding your devices and viewing the photos will be able to contact you.
  • Viewed the What Is It and the Where Is It photos
  • Viewed the monthly challenge photos for Vibrant Colors.
  • Reviewed the survey results.  An email will be sent to members requesting input on alternate dates and locations for club meetings.  To see the survey, CLICK HERE.
  • Larry provided an informative presentation on adjusting a TV’s monitor with your laptop so that photos appear sharper and more color accurate.  Larry used a Spyder device to calibrate color in the monitor.  To see slide show, CLICK HERE.  To view the color spaces presentation, CLICK HERE.
 
2022
November 28 - Club member James Medley spoke on the subject of astrophotography.  He showed us fantastic photos of the stars and galaxies.  He demonstrated his telescope setup.

The Monthly Challenge was Emotion. 

October 24:  Frank Marshman presented original prints by noted photographers.  Many of these prints were created using earlier photographic processes.  Some photographers used extra large cameras.  Frank is the director of the Camera Heritage Museum in Stanton, which is the 2nd largest camera museum in the world.  


September 26 Results of the summer's Scavenger Hunt.  The October Challenge will be Stained Glass (but not church stain glass.)
 
June 27  Lynn Whitmore provided a detailed slide show of the “Flowers of Our County and Shenandoah National Park.”  She provided details on her techniques in capturing closeup and landscape photography. 
 
May 23  Don Attaima provided an informative explanation on “Infrared Photography.”
 
April 25   “Macro Photography” Laurence Heine
 
March 28  “Photographing Birds and Other Fast Moving Critters” by Linda Bradley.
 
February 28 - Rocktown Camera Club met on February 28 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 725 S. High Street.  Meeting started with viewing member photos that meet the monthly challenge of “Good Old Days.”  Joe Laughland then presented a slide show explaining when to use the different available camera focusing settings.  This was followed by Greg Versen, a.k.a. “The Professah” on WMRA’s Saturday night Blues Valley, who described his experiences in photographing blues musicians on stage, such as BB King.  CLICK HERE. 
 
January 24 -  We viewed the photos made by members who walked downtown and photographed public art items on display.  Results of photographing the "Walk Downtown-Harrisonburg." CLICK HERE. 
Joe Laughland provided information regarding tripods.
  • First, you have a choice of between buying a Pan/Tilt Head (for videography and photography) or a Ball-Head (photography only).  To save money, you can buy one basic tripod and then buy both type of heads.
  • Another choice is the clamp devices used when extending the legs.  Twist lock requires time and effort effort.  Flip locks less time.  
  • Tripods usually consist of either aluminum (cheaper but heavier) or carbon fiber (more expensive but lighter) materials.

2021

November 22  Photographer member Linda Bradley presented “Photographing Birds and Other Fast Moving Critters.”    CLICK HERE to see her slide show.  She invested a lot of time in outlining the different approaches to photographing moving critters.  Those in attendance greatly appreciate the information. 

Members also viewed the monthly challenge of "Music."  

Our two members (Linda and Lynn) who arrange for programs will be stepping down at the end of June 2022.  We would like one or more members to step forward to arrange for programs starting with our September 2022 meeting.  Send your acknowledgement to the club email.

Special thanks to Linda and Lynn who have been arranging meetings for many years. 

October 25   We finished reviewing all of the “Summer Scavenger Hunt photos.  Then, we viewed photos submittd for the monthly challenge, "Sport."  Finally, Photographer Laurence Heine gave a very detailed and informative presentation concerning  “Light and Flash” as it relates to photography.  If you wish to view his slide show, CLICK HERE.

September 27  We held our first in-person meeting since the pandemic.  Everyone wore a mask.   We viewed items 1 through 10 of the “Summer Scavenger.” We also watched a video concerning  "Exposure Settings." We had a nice open discussion concerning how we use these settings for different types of photos.  The monthly challenge: “My Most Memorable Photo”

June 28 - Zoom Program:

Photographer Jeff Reilley gave a presentation on Night Photography.  Jeff explained the type of equipment and camera settings to use for different types of night time photography.  To see his presentation slide show, CLICK HERE.

The Monthly Challenge, entitled “Our Amazing Planet” offered members various ways to represent our planet through photography.  

Members were provided with guidelines for the annual Summer Scavenger Hunt.  Twenty categories have been offered.  Members may submit one photograph per category but do not have to submit for every category.

It is hoped that our next meeting on September 27th will be in person.  Members will be advised through emails and on the club’s web site.

May 24 (Zoom Meeting) - Professional Photographer Ellen Martin shared information concerning 'Platinum/Palladium Photography’ process that makes photographic prints by a monochrome printing process involving platinum.  We had almost twenty members attending and a number of questions about the process.  Ellen has sent us the following links for members to review and understand this process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFTNjXUficc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxU4lXBq3hU
https://www.bostick-sullivan.com/cart/49
https://www.christopherjames-studio.com/build/materials
https://blackheartpress.tumblr.com/post

If you have additional questions, you can contact her through her website:  
https://www.ellenmartinphotography.com

In other news, we were advised of the Bath County Art Show which includes photography, as well as other forms of art.  For details, visit the following site:
https://www.bathcountyarts.org/art-show-registration

We then viewed a variety of photos for the monthly challenge of “Pastels.”  Finally, we viewed the club member photos posted on the Arts Council of the Valley’s web site.

Next meeting will be June 28th with a presentation on Night Photography by Jeff Reilley.  The Monthly Challenge will be, “Our Amazing Planet.”  Members will then be given the list for Summer Scavenger Hunt.

April 26 Zoom Meeting:

Allen Showalter of King Photo broke down his presentation into several parts.
Part 1:  Protecting the photo prints we already have:  First, remove prints from photo albums that used stick backs or plastic covers.  The paper usually were acidic and will eat away at the photo paper.  Buy photo albums that use acid free paper.  Buy the self-adhesive photo corners, Acid-Free, Archival Quality for fastening photos.

Never use glue or tape to fasten photos to paper.
Use a stencil pencil to write on the back of the photos.
For storage, buy acid free boxes.  Do not buy boxes made of recycle paper or clear plastic boxes.  
When handling old photos, wear gloves or at least wash hands.

Part 2:  Displaying Photos:  For large photos in a frame, use acid free board on the back.  Use a matt to keep photo off the glass.  Use a dust cover on the back of the frame.

Part 3:  Digital photos:   Digital devices run a significant risk of being inaccessible in the future as technology moves on. They also eventually break.  Allen suggested moving our photos to solid state devices, such as, usb and sd cards.   It’s best to print your best photos.  Home printers are usually not good enough unless they provide 6 or more different colors.  Also, you need to use acid free professional paper.  Professionals use archival ink and paper.  When having someone print your photos, see if they use professional Indigo Printers.

After Allen’s presentation, we viewed the monthly challenge photos, “flowers.”  

Members are advised that Club photos will be shown on the Arts Council web site www.valleyarts.org/current-exhibition May 3-28 entitled, “Rocktown Camera Club, a virtual exhibition.”

May’s monthly challenge will be Pastels.

Members were reminded of the VECCA 2021 Photography Show May 14-July 9.  Details and applications is on our web site in the “Photo Exhibits” tab.

March 22 Zoom Meeting:
Photographer Frank Doherty gave an insight into “Flower Photography” from both the technical and composition point-of-view.  He shared some of his favorite sites for photographing flowers.  Here are some of the subjects he covered: equipment, composition ideas, timing, depth of field, perspective, framing, macro, golden spiral, and software enhancements.

Members viewed the Monthly Challenge of “Cold Things” where members submitted photos from snow scenes and other “cold” subjects.  Next months challenge will be “flowers.”

Frank Doherty will research the possibility of a club visit to Monticello in April when the flowers will be blooming.

February 22 - Zoom meeting.  Contact Club's email to be put on list for ID and password.

  • Finish viewing the Scavenger Hunt photos from last summer.
  • View this month’s Challenge photos - "What you do to fill the time."
  • Discussion on the Arts Council's Photo Exhibit of member photos - Updated guidelins
  • A presentation on cameras’ Aspect Ratio settings and how it impacts your photos. CLICK HERE.
  • Results of membership survey CLICK HERE.
  • Spring Program Review – possible field trip?
 
January 25 -  Joe Laughland gave a presentation on Back Button Focusing.  He explained the advantages of using the back button to focus and how to program the camera so that the shutter button will no longer focus the lens.  To view his slides, CLICK HERE.


The meeting then showed the "Where" and "What" photos.  Then Linda Bailey discussed the Arts Council project where camera club members can display photos at an exhibit to be held on line.  Details can be found on our main web page.  We then viewd Scavenger Hunt photos.
Finally, next monthly challenge will be:  What you do to fill the time.
2020
February 24:  Program was "History of Photography" and  “What’s New in Photo Equipment” by Gary Stiteler from Glens Fair Price Store - the only photography store (cameras, film, accessories, etc.) in Harrisonburg.


01/27/2020:  Iceland, a land of Nature's wonders, presented by Lynn Whitmore.  She show ed and discussed how she got the photos she took on her trip to Iceland.  Because of technical difficulties in connecting to the Internet our monthly challenge will carry over to next month's meeting.

2019
November 25: Professional photographer Howard Zehr presented"From Prisoners to Pickups - photos and stories from and about photo books."  He described how he obtained prisoners (sentenced to life) cooperation in photographing them and telling their stories.  He also included his book on surviving victims to crime.  Finally, he discussed his techniques in photographing auto pickups. 
 For information about Mr. Zehr, visit http://www.howardzehr.com. 
Afterwards, we finished showing the remaining scavenger hunt photos. 
Joe Laughland announced that the JMU's Lifelong Living Institute (LLI) will hold a photography class beginning February 3rd at 1:30 p.m.  Participants need to belong to LLI.  Class fee is $35.  The five week class (every Monday afternoon) instructs on basic photography.  Attendees should bring their camera that has the "M" manual setting.  The class includes practicing with the different basic camera settings. Class will be held at Sunnyside Retirement Community.
October 28:  Club meeting started with information concerning next Spring’s club photo exhibit.  Details will be uploaded to website shortly.  We then received a presentation by Joe Laughland showing the common photo settings available in different software packages.  Joe reviewed Apple’s “Preview”, Google’s online application, “Photos”, and two free open-source software packages, Darktable (https://www.darktable.org) and Raw Therapee (https://rawtherapee.com).  The most common settings include exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, saturation, and  sharpness.  Members were also shown how saturation can be used to convert a color photo to a gray scale (black&white).  Joe showed how to zoom into a photo to see the effects of sharping a photo to ensure it’s not too much.  A copy of the slide show is available HERE.

We then viewed last month's challenge of "following."  We finished the meeting with Linda showing more photos from the summer’s photo scavenger hunt.
 
September 23:  Meeting first showed the "what is it" and "where is it."  This was followed by showing member photos taken at Silver Lake.  Then we viewed this summer's Scavenger Hunt from item 1 to 5.  Items 6 through 20 will be shown next month.  Monthly challenge will be "followings" and "Black and Orange."  The last item discussed at the meeting was the Club's photo exhibit next spring.  Details regarding size and type of file will be provided to members once we have it established.
 
June 15 - Members met on Saturday, June 15th, at Silver Lake Mill. The weathers was perfect in the mid 60s, partially cloudy, and no wind.  Visit "Photo Session" to see examples of photos taken by members.

May 27: Members shared their photos of "Outdoor Markets" (CLICK HERE).  Jeff showed how to use a computer to connect remotely with a camera for taking photographs of wild life in your backyard.  The club has again been approved for a photo show at the Valley Arts Center in May 2020.  Members are requested to submit theme ideas.

April 22:  The meeting showed a video on photographing farmer markets.  Members shared locations of various farmers' markets.  Photographing farmer markets is May’s photo challenge.  Members than viewed various member photos of chimneys.

Members agreed to have a show 'n tell for the May meeting of photos taken at the aperture priority and shutter priority workshops, and farmers' market photos.   Jeff will provide a presentation on tethering the camera with the computer for remote photography.

Members talked about a field trip to Silver Lake to replace the June evening meeting.  People agreed but preferring a Saturday morning.  A tentative date of June 15th is being considered.  Members will be advised by email once the date is set.
March 25:  Monthly challenge was Americana - photos representing America.  Club held a Shutter Priority Workshop.  Members attempted to capture moving objects.  A short presentation described settings for capturing moving objects.  Photos below show members taking photos of swinging objects.  The next two photos show a slow and faster shutter speed.



February 25:  The monthly challenge was pet photos.  This was followed with a workshop on setting your aperture for difference types of shots.  We had three tables set up with props to allow members to take four different scenarios to practice setting your aperture.   To see the slide show, CLICK HERE.
Here is an example of short depth of field in which the foreground and background are out of focus.  To see other examples, CLICK HERE.

 January 28: Monthly challenge was "Surprise" or "Young/Old."  A video on pet photography from Joal Sartore, a National Geographic photographer was presented  (with permission from National Geographic).
2018

November 26:  Displayed photos for the "what is it" and "where is it."  Then showed photos of "white on white." 
Our guest speaker, Professional Photographer Don Attaima, presented techniques for taking photos of "water falling."  Don has spent time in the Skyline park hiking to various waterfalls.  He discussed the following topics:
  • Type of equipment
  • Be careful walking the various terrains
  • The best light situations
  • Time of day
  • White balance
  • Strongly suggested using the "manual" setting in order to have full control of the shot.
  • Recommended using aperture around F 8 although other apertures may apply depending on the scene.
  • Shutter speed depends on if you want the water to be sharp (fast speed) or softened (slow speed).
  • Highly recommended using a polarizing filter that rotates.
  • Provided a chart describing the various waterfalls, trail distance, and level of difficulty when walking the trail.
Don then answered various questions on technique and composition.
October 22:  Meeting displayed the last of the summer’s scavenger hunt photos; followed by the “what is it” and “where is it” photos.  The monthly challenge photo “from behind” were displayed.  Joe Laughland then provided a presentation of photography related Internet sites.  Joe also included ways to protect photos when uploading to the Internet. The meeting finished by discussing future programs and activities for the club.
Here are links to those sites and the presentation.
Presentation
Interesting web sites for  Photographers & How to upload to the web.  CLICK HERE 
Photography Sites
Camera Labs - Click Here
Chelsea and Tony - Click Here Video Channel Click Here
Digital Photography School - Click Here
Camera Store - Click Here Video Channel Click Here
Light Stalking - Click Here
Fstoppers - Click Here
Art of Photography - Click Here Video Channel Click Here 
Picture Correct - Click Here 
Kai W - Click Here
Jared Polin - Click Here
B & H - Click Here
Adorama - Click Here
Photography Life - Click Here 
Magazine Sites
Amateur Photographer - Click Here
Digital Photography Review - Click Here
Digital Photo - Click Here
Digital Photographer - Click Here
Popular Photography - Click Here

September:  Club held a dessert Social to celebrate a new season of photography.  This was followed with a presentation of the Scavenger Hunt photos taken this summer. 
August:   Club held its first photo exhibit at the Smith House Galleries, 311 S. Main Street, in downtown Harrisonburg.  Exhibit started August 3rd and will run the entire month of August.  Try to visit during August.   For details, CLICK HERE.
To view photos taken on August 3rd showing participants and photos at the exhibit, CLICK HERE.
June 25: June meeting was held at the Robert Good Photography Studio.  Patti Good started off with background on the business.  She then demonstrated the lighting and camera equipment used for doing portrait photography.  We then got a tour of her post-processing equipment.  She then showed us the various rooms used for different types of groups and photography, including a tour of the yard area.  The Rocktown Camera Club thanks Patti for her hospitality and sharing in her love of photography.
For background on Good Photography, CLICK HERE.


May 28: Several members showed their HDR photos and explained how they did it.  The Monthly Challenge of "Fences" was shown.  Bill Painter is stepping down as meeting leader.  We need a volunteer to take over his responsibilities which are:  Open the meetings and collect donations.  If interested, email us.
April 23: Meeting started with our guest speaker, professional photographer Scott Jost, presented his topic, "Shenandoah Valley Apples."  Scott is an Associate Professor of Art at Bridgewater College, Virginia.  He provided strategies for selling photos.  Scott provided a handout describes various items to consider (CLICK HERE.)
We then had Donna Holden discuss the “how to” create your own mats for photos.  She provided a hand out (CLICK HERE).
Because the program was long, we did not get to the Monthly Challenge so we're changing that schedule.  Visit the Monthly Challenge to see an update.
Vicki Heitsch updated members regarding the Rocktown Camera Club Photo Exhibit in August at the Arts Council Exhibit.  For details, CLICK HERE.
March 26: Held Part 2 of "How do you do that?" showing different software packages to merge bracketed photos into one photo with a wider dynamic range.  We disclosed the "where is it" and "what is it" photos.  For a list of software for HDR / bracketing, go to the "photo tips" and scroll down to list of software with links.  To see the slide show, CLICK HERE.
February 26: "How do you do that?" Part 1: Using your camera to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) images.  The following links are the presentations:
CLICK HERE - Preparing for an HDR photo shot.
CLICK HERE - HDR - setting up the camera.
It is hoped that members will try bracketing to get a wider range of correct exposure.  We also hope members will try HDR photos for our May 28th meeting.  
January 22:   
Details about the upcoming photo exhibit in August 2018.  
The monthly challenge was “Makes Me Smile." Click Here
Several members brought Christmas gift camera stuff to demonstrate at the meeting. 
  • A Manfrotto Befree One Alu Ball Head Kit Black tripod. For details, CLICK HERE.
  • A Peak Design camera strap.  For details, CLICK HERE.
  • Promote GPS - For details, CLICK HERE. 
  • Spyder 5Pro - Advanced Monitor Calibration device.  For details, CLICK HERE.
  • ReTrak Selfie Multi Lens Kit - Wide angle and telephoto lenses for smart phones.  For details, CLICK HERE.
2017
November 27:  Lynn Whitmore presented a series of slides showing the different flowers available for photographers at the Arboretum and Shenandoah National Park.  She discussed her techniques and approaches when photographing plants.  Attendees discussed the technique in obtaining a wider dynamic range.  A process in which three or more photos are taken at different exposures and then combined in order to lighten the dark parts and darkent the bright parts.  It is called Bracketing.  Here is a video that explains bracketing. (CLICK HERE) 
The monthly challenge photos were shown, followed by the "where is it" and "what is it" photos were shown. 
Finally, Vicki Heitsch has volunteered to be project manager of the Club's photo exhibit to be held in August 2018 at the historic Smith House in downtown Harrisonburg.  Further details will be provided at our January 2018 club meeting.
 

October 23, 2017:

ITEM 1: Alan Showalter of King Photo presented “Restoring Old Photographs.”  Alan showed how to use PhotoShop to restore or alter photos.  He first provided several tips:
Use histogram for guidance.
Don’t over saturate photo
Don’t over sharpen

He described the different PhotoShop tools he uses when removing unwanted problems from a photo.  He also showed how to insert a person from one photo into another photo.
Alan also provided a brief description of the photo services provided by King Photo.  They can develop film, print photos from negatives or digital images.  For those without PhotoShop experience, King Photo can restore photos.  They also can digitize movie film, VHS, and maybe other formats.  For more information on King Photo, CLICK HERE.   https://www.king1hourphoto.com
 
ITEM 2:  We viewed the remaining photos taken for this summer’s scavenger hunt.
ITEM 3:  We guessed at the “what is it” and “where is it” photos.
ITEM 4:  The Art Counsel has a monthly presentation at the Smith House displaying paintings and photographs from various groups.  A suggestion was made for the Camera Club to submit club photos made for the scavenger hunt.  Alan Showalter volunteered to print our photos at no cost.  Members will be responsible for framing and matting (required for submission). 
Joe will send an email requesting members to indicate their interest in submitting photo(s).  The program committee will decide how we’ll decide on selecting the best of the best for display at the Smith House.
September 25: We had nice desserts to start off the meeting to celebrate another year of club photography. Photos from the scavenger hunt were viewed and discussed. Because we had so many submissions, we'll complete the review at the next meeting.  We also viewed the "What is it?" and the "Where is it?" photos.
Here are links to the 2017 Scavenger Hunt:
  1. Horse and buggy - CLICK HERE
  2. Tire Swing - CLICK HERE
  3. Food photography-breakfast - CLICK HERE
  4. Person on the street - CLICK HERE
  5. Bird enjoying a bath - CLICK HERE
  6. Object (sharply pictured) with background in motion - CLICK HERE
  7. Chocolate - CLICK HERE
  8. Black and white - CLICK HERE
  9. Photo using negative space - CLICK HERE
  10. Object starting with the letter "V" - CLICK HERE
  11. Shadows - CLICK HERE
  12. Kids playing, sleeping, etc. - CLICK HERE
  13. Something you made - CLICK HERE
  14. Bubbles - CLICK HERE
  15. Beyond reach - CLICK HERE
  16. Livestock - CLICK HERE
  17. Ice Cream - CLICK HERE
  18. A yellow Flower - CLICK HERE
  19. Clothes drying on a line - CLICK HERE
  20. Pareidolia - Seeing a face or object in something else, e.g., the shape of a dog in a cloud. - CLICK HERE
June 26  “Storing and Sharing Your Photos” presented by Joe Laughland.  To see the PDF presentation, CLICK HERE.  Monthly Challenge for June - "Back Alleys."  We also have a new "where is it" and "what is it" photos.
May 22 Photo Sharing Night”  Members brought photos from the March 27th photo workshop.  Some really great photos were viewed and discussed.  Several showed techniques using software. To see examples of photos taken at the March 2017 meeting's workshop, CLICK HERE.
Monthly Challenge for May, "Wee Things" was viewed.  CLICK HERE
Joe recently had his Canon serviced and repaired under warranty.  The lens would not focus.  Gary of Glen's Fair Price store (Canon dealer), suggested that Joe send both his lens and camera.  Why?  Because Canon would service both under warranty.  As it turns out, Canon fixed the lens but also found a problem with the auto focus on the camera and fixed it too.  So, when sending a Canon camera in for warranty work, send both camera and lens.
April 24  Members were reminded that they can submit photos for the "where is it" and "what is it."  We then showed the monthly challenge photos of "Unforgettable Faces."

Steve Van Vickle, Kline May Realty, brought his drone aircraft and sample photos taken by the aircraft for different assignments.  There is too much detail to go into this report but members had a lot of questions concerning the camera, FAA restrictions, and legal aspects of photographing from the air.


March 27  “Being Creative in Lighting Your Own Photos”  Photo Workshop!  We set up tables with themed items for members to photograph.  Provided a great opportunity to experiment with lighting of different kinds of objects.  Here are a few photos of the event:




Here is a link to photos taken at the workshop - CLICK HERE.  
February 27 
Linda showed a 35 minute video of “Using Light for Great Photos” by Joel Santore from Great Courses. She received permission from the owner to show this to the club. We also showed the monthly challenge of "bottles."
January 23
Photographer Diane Lepkowski shared her experiences and tips for some of the unique challenges of photographing wild birds.  With a life-long interest in photography, nature, and birding, Diane became a serious birder in 2009.   She enjoys photographing both to study birds and to share her birding passion with others.   Diane has offered birding presentations for organizations including the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, Massanutten Regional Library and Rockingham Bird Club.
Her presentation included topics on what to bring, the type of equipment she uses (Canon 7D, lenses: 400mm and a 100-400 zoom), likes to use aperture priority, decision to walk to bird or wait for bird to come to your location, birding ethics, learning the behavior of birds, and suggested field guides on birds.  She then showed a variety of bird photos, including the settings she used to get the photos. 
2016

November 28   
  • “Everything You Wanted to Know about Basic Photography But Were Afraid to Ask” by Joe Laughland.  For members who usually don't use the "M" (manual) setting but would like to.
  • This month's photo challenge was “Back lighting.”   To see examples, CLICK HERE.
  • Members best photos from the Macro Photo workshop from October's meeting. To see examples, CLICK HERE. 
  • Photos of the full moon, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE:  Joe Laughland has created a video covering the topics on his presentation on basic Photography.  It is just over 19 minutes.  CLICK HERE.
October 24:  This meeting held a workshop for macro photography, lead by professional photographer Don Aittama, entitled "Macro Photography - Getting Up Close!"  Don brought several flowers and light stands to allow members to practice macro photography after he provided an overview of macro photography.
Members are asked to submit their best photo for uploading to club website and for review at the next meeting.
Here is a photo of a flower and of the group.

September 26:  Members shared their photos for the 2016 Scavenger Hunt for the following topics:  
1. a bouquet of flowers
2. a fish
3. a person walking a dog
4. a covered bridge
5. an old-fashioned Coke sign
6 . someone 'plugged in' to social media
7. a ticket booth
8. a natural body of water
9. a merry-go-round or carousel
10. an antique car - 50 years or older.
11. a tent
12. people eating outside
13. a rocking chair
14. a pineapple-real or otherwise
15. a hand-real or otherwise

June 27Don Aittama provided information concerning the submission of photos for the Rockingham County Fair Photography Contest.  Last year the contest had over 800 entries.  Because of the exceptional photos from last year, there will be more ribbons given this year.  Don also needs helpers on August 14.  Even if you can only volunteer an hour or so, he needs your help.  Contact Don at donaphoto@aol.com.
For information on the context CLICK HERE for the Senior Division, and CLICK HERE for the Junior Division.

Greg Versen presented “History of Western State Hospital in Photographs.”  The earlier structures were built beginning in 1828 with several buildings listed on the National Registry. His photos showed the different architectural styles, such as the wonderful spiral staircases, the chapel, the earlier exterior designs compared to the later designs, the confinement cells, and the grave yard with 3,000 graves, most of them unmarked.
We then guessed the current “where is it” photo.  The photo was taken looking straight up through the glass top of the new Harrisonburg city hall entrance.

Members shared their photos showing action or still images.  We had a variety of photos in each category.

Finally, there is a photography equipment yard sale on Saturday, July 2 at 10 a.m. at 205 Monument Avenue, Harrisonburg.  Research suggests that the seller is Tommy Thompson, a former photography instructor at JMU and photographer for the DNR.  For his background, CLICK HERE.

May 23
  • This meeting provided an opportunity to show photos regarding "street photography" and "Circles". 
  • At the June meeting, Don Aittam will discuss the photo contest at the county fair.  He also needs help on August 14th from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. to set up the photos for display and on the afternoon of August 21st. to prepare the photos for pickup by the contestants.  If you can help, please let Don know. He is holding a meeting at the County Fair building on June 6th at 7 p.m.
  • In other news, Lynn discussed our 2016 Scavenger Hunt.  Photos should be taken between May 23 – September 26 of this year.  Here is the list of topics to be photographed.
1.   Bouquet of flowers
2.   A fish
3.   Person walking a dog
4.   Covered bridge
5.   Old-fashioned Coke sign
6 .  Someone 'plugged in' to social media
7.   Ticket booth
8.   A natural body of water
9.   Merry-go-round or carousel
10. Antique car - 50 years or older.
11. A tent
12. People eating outside
13. Rocking chair
14. Pineapple-real or otherwise
15. A hand-real or otherwise
 
April 25:
The meeting items: 
  • Our next meeting will have Brandy Somer giving a presentation on "Using Blogs to Share Your Photography."
  • Photographer Jeff Reilley reminded members of the open photography show in the valley. For details, click onto our “Photo News and Events” and scroll down to the information.
  • Linda informed members of the upcoming Classic and Antique Car Show being held at Sunnyside Retirement Community on May 15 (Rain date May 22) from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This presents members an opportunity to photograph the curves and styles of classic cars.
Here is an example of a creative car photo.The possibilities are endless.
  • Our guest speaker Gary Freeburg presented “Alone in the Alaska Wilderness – with Camera.”  Gary as a young photographer had the honor of knowing such photographers as Ansel Adams, Oliver Gagliani, and John Schultz.  His one and a half hour presentation contained too much great stuff to rewrite here.  It is one of those “you should have been here” presentations.  Gary showed numerous photos of Alaskan volcano areas, why he framed the photos, the type of settings he uses, and the stories that went with each photo.
His primary camera is a Nikon D800 with a 50mm prime lenses.  When in the backcountry of Alaska by yourself for a week or more, you carry just what you need.  As much as he liked film cameras, he has embraced digital technology.  He shoots in color and converts to gray scale.  Because of the vast scenery, he uses a higher aperture to ensure everything is in focus.  He does not crop his final photo prints but captures what he wants at the time he takes the photo.
For more information on Gary, CLICK HERE. 
  • We ran out of time so next meeting will have both this month’s challenge (street photography) and next month’s challenge (circles).  You can bring both to the next meeting.
March 28:  
ITEM:  Fine Art Photographer Amber Kresgy presented “Making Lemonade from Lemons: Creating Great Photos from Difficult Surroundings." She provided a history of her transition from landscape photography through various stages of photography, e.g., still life, macro, studio, outdoor floral, event and abandoned (old cars and buildings).  She likes using a short depth of field to focus the viewer's attention to what she feels is most important in the picture.  To get an idea of her photography, CLICK HERE. 


ITEM:  Photographer Jeff Reilley has informed us of information about an up coming open photography show in the valley (under the auspices of the Valley Educational Center for the Creative Arts-VECCA and 7 East Gallery).  The following link will take you to several documents detailing the photography contests and exhibits.
CLICK HERE to read documentation.
CLICK HERE to visit VECCA.
Also, Photographer Jeff Reilley will be presenting "Landscape and Architectural" photographs in color on exhibit.  A Reception will be held on Saturday, April 2 from 1-4 pm with Wine & lite fare offered.  7 East Gallery,123 S. Main St. Woodstock, VA.
Open Photography Contest: May 13-July 8.  Contact Jeff Reilley at 540-740-9200 or email: jlreilley@shentel.net.   Mail form to Jeff Reilley, 1914 River Rd., New Market, VA 22844.  Details:  Adult: up to 4 entries, $5 per entry; Student (ages 8-18) up to 3 entries w/no entry fee.  CLICK HERE for entry form.
ITEM:  Members are reminded that Gary Stiteler from Glens Fair Price Store is trying to conduct another Canon Workshop.  If interested, contact Gary to get your name on a list of interested persons.  Call 540-434-8272, email at glensfairprice@aol.com or visit the store at 227 North Main St., Harrisonburg. Once a date is set, you'll be notified.
February 22
Item 1:  Laughland provided the following information:  Changes to the web page have made the front page simpler.   Links to the different topic pages have been adding to the update list.  He then discussed the opportunity for street photography at the American Heart Association’s project HeartChase on April 23.
Item 2:  Members discussed the “Where is it?” photos:  The Nash sign is in Strasburg, and the Bucket is in Staunton.
Item 3:  Members were reminded of the Arboretum’s monthly photography contest.  For further details, CLICK HERE.
Item 4:  We then viewed Black and White and Out of the Box photos.
Item 5:  Guest speaker and photographer Gary Stiteler from Glens Fair Price Store discussed the care and maintenance of your camera equipment.
  •  To clean camera parts, use q-tip and ammonia.
  • View finder - use canned air or an air bulb
  • Beach sand can seriously damage the camera.  Keep camera in a bag until your ready to take photos.  Clean tripod immediately after using in a beach environment.  Sand can hurt and freeze tripod legs.
  • Don’t clean DSLR mirror with q-tip or cloth - may scratch mirror.  Don’t worry about specks on mirror because it does not affect photo.  And don’t use canned air because propellant can damage camera.
  • If cleaning sensor - be careful.  Use a CCD Sensor pen.  Always turn off camera before cleaning sensor because of potential static discharge.
  • Check removable len (DSLRs) to make sure it fits tightly.  If loose, it could be the rings needing tightened.  Use a very fine phillips head screw driver.  Cleaning the lens rings can also help.
  • Use lens tissue to clean lens.  Gary provided attendees free lens tissue packs.  Recommends using ROR Optical Lens Cleaner fluid but put on tissue - not directly on lens.
  • Put on a UV lens filter to protect lens.  Also, buy the inexpensive UV filter because there is very little difference between expensive and inexpensive UV filters.
  • Rain can hurt camera.   If it gets wet, dry off with cloth and use hair dryer.
  • Gary demonstrated several new products - LED Light Box from Savage and a remote flash from PRS Studio which is much less expensive than the camera’s named brand units.
  • Glens Everything Store has lenses for rent. To see a list of available lens and the rental cost, CLICK HERE.  For more details, call 540-434-8272 or email at glensfairprice@aol.com or visit the store at 227 North Main St., Harrisonburg, VA  22802.
  • Gary will be arranging for another Canon Photography Workshop.
  • Glens Fair Price Store is celebrating its 75th anniversary in being in business.
January 25 - Meeting cancelled because of snow.

2015
November 23 - Joe Laughland presented a slide show regarding Action Photography.  The first part described how to prepare the camera settings before leaving home.  Second part discussed what to do when arriving at the event to identify where the best place to be to photograph the action.  The last part covered different camera settings for different types of actions.  The slide show is available for viewing by CLICKING HERE.  A check list of camera settings will be inserted in the "Photo Tips" section.
The club then viewed a variety of photos concerning "rain" and "friends."  Visit the "Monthly Challenge" section to view those photos.
Finally, the "where is it" photo was identified as being the back side of the building on Court Square that houses the art supplies store.
January's challenge will be "out of the box" - you can interpret this anyway you want.
Remember - There is no meeting in December.
October 26 - Certified professional photographer Don Aittama gave a great presentation on “Basic Photography Tips and the Dos and Don’ts of Preparing for Photo Competitions.”  Don brought copies of his award winning prints.


  • He first discussed the 12 elements for photo competitions.  Rather than detailing his discussion here, view the following document that outlines his presentation.  Click Here.

  • Don then discussed the importance of printing on professional paper.  He does not print his own photos but uses several services, e.g., Richmond Professional Camera and Adorama.  Don suggested that if members are printing their own photos, that they use Fuji Archive Paper or Kodak's Professional print paper.  Make sure the paper is excellent quality.  Cheap paper and cheap processing will result in photos that will deteriorate quickly.

  • He also discussed the advantages of using the RAW digital format because everytime you save a jpg file, it compresses it more and more, and thus, reducing the quality of the photo.  Whereas, RAW is a non-destructive format to the photo.

  • Finally, he discussed the topic of touching up a photo which from his perspective is from an artistic point-of-view.  Whereas, others prefer that the photo is a journalistic untouched photo representing the actual scene or event as it was.

We had one of the largest turnout for this meeting, almost 30 people, including several new members.
We ran out of time so this month’s challenge of photos of rain will be covered at the next meeting.September 28
Nine members provided photos in response to the Scavenger Hunt. Not everyone got every item and some people found different items for each category. Members said they enjoyed the challenge and suggest we do this again next year. Search included the following:
  1. Tombstone with a date before 1800
  2. Indian Head penny
  3. Old gas pump with round glass top
  4. Bronze turkey
  5. farm folk art
  6. butterfly
  7. Purple cow
  8. LOVE photo (it's a sign)
  9. Long horned cow
  10. Apple water tank
Several members provided photos of "clocks" for this month's challenge.   Photos of clocks can be seen here =  CLICK HERE. 

June 22
  • Linda Bradley presented, “Photographing Southwest England – Somerset and Cornwall.”  She described how see looks for textures, angles, shadows, and other elements when taking photographs.
  • Members displayed the monthly challenge, "A Single Color."   To see member photos, CLICK HERE.  
  • Four members who took Lynn Whitmore's "Pixels to Paper” Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) class showed off their greeting cards.  The class showed how to measure and place photos on the front of cards.
  • For this summer, members will be asked to conduct a scavenger hunt for 10 items.  See above for details.
  • Canon will hold two classes this summer on photography.  For details, scroll down to "Photo News and Events."  For details and registration form, CLICK HERE.
May 25 -  

  • Meeting focused on members' photos of trees, plants, and animals.  We spent 1 1/2 hours of sharing photos and discussing techniques for achieving extraordinary scenes. 
    To view flowers and animals,  Click Here.  To see the Monthly Challenge, "Trees." Click Here.
  • The club will hold a field trip to Skyline Drive on Saturday, June 20th, late afternoon.  If you are interested, please send an e-mail to rocktowncameraclub@gmail.com to get on a temporary mailing list for additional details.
April 27 -  
  • Frank Marshman provided an informative presentation on the history of photography.  The following link provides some of Frank’s information (Click Here).  Frank is the director of the Camera Heritage Museum in Stanton, which is the 2nd largest camera museum in the world.  Members are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to the museum.  Frank noted that 1.8 billion photos are uploaded per day.  Museum address is 1 West Beverley St, Staunton, VA.  For directions, Click Here.
  • Our May photo discussion will be on Flora and Fauna.  
  • The May field trip to Skyline Drive has been postponed until June.  Details will be posted when available.
  • A scavenger hunt will be a summer project.  A list of items to photograph will be posted.  Photos must be made after the start date of the hunt.  Results will be posted for the September meeting.
  • Because of the overwhelming response to this month's Challenge, we're going to restrict submissions to 3 photos per member.  

March 23 - This meeting focused on the monthly challenge, "Simplicity."  Six members submitted a total of 26 photos exemplifying what they considered as simplicity.  This was followed by examples from James Madison Students from Corinne Diop's photo class.  It was a nice experience having these young adults share their photo experiences.  One student demonstrated night shots in fog.  Another of a goose with the background overexposed.  One student demonstrated his photos of stars and night sky.  Hopefully, we can have JMU students visit us again. 

February 23 Meeting
Meeting notes:
Joe Laughland provided the following information:
  • Informed members of the update list at the top of the web site.
  • Briefed members about the American Heart Association's HeartChase program and the need for some volunteer photographers for April 18th in the morning.
  • Demonstrated a new camera strap.  Details can be seen in the Gadget section of the web site.
  • Provided a 40 minute presentation on the subject of "Light."  This included an overview of what light is, in terms of Kelvins.  Then a review of the features most cameras have in controlling light.  And then a description of managing light on the subject.  A link will be added to the presentation.
The program then viewed photos for the January and February challenges, Opposites and Abandoned.  Click on the links below the Monthly Challenge section of the web site.
Two members brought in photography books.  One book had photos of Detroit and its abandoned buildings.  The other book was a recipe book created by member Beverly using services of King Photography on Rt. 33.
Finally, the meeting ended with small group discussions.  Several members helped another member find the "live-view" option in her camera.January meeting canceled because of snow.
 

2014 
No meeting in December
Nov 24 2014 Meeting

  • Before the meeting, several club members met with Rebecca Sprague from the Refugee Resettlement Program.  She needs assistance in helping 3 foreign high school students who will have DSLRs to document their lives in America.  Tentatively, we’ll meet in January with the students twice a month.  Details will be worked out over the next month or two.

  • Next month’s challenge will be “Opposites.”  You can submit more than one photo but each photo must demonstrate “opposites.”

  • “Where is it” photo was “A Dream Come True” playground on Neff avenue.

  • Guest speaker Corinne Diop showed examples from various photographers in documenting family.  One photographer took pictures of his family over a 20+ period of time.  Another took a selfie for 12 years.  Other photos showed a key box, man at a desk, and paperwork - all demonstrating a point in time in a person’s history.  Some photos only showed part of a person which raised the viewer’s imagination about what the real story being revealed.

  • Members also inquired of Corinne concerning release forms when photographing people on the street - an issue which can be very mirky.   Corinne concluded by suggesting that photographers need to print the best photos because of the precariousness of digital/electronic medium.  She suggested having photos printed in books using self-publishing services, such as blurb.com.  It has a calculator under the Format and Pricing Tab to provide an estimate of the cost for a photo book.

  • There will be no meeting in December so may you all have a wonderful holiday.

  • And remember, Frank Marshman will be our guest speaker in January.  He’ll share some of his knowledge on the history of cameras.  This will be an excellent presentation based on what Frank talked to us on our visit to the camera museum in November.

  • November 4 - Linda Bradley gave a lunch time workshop on using cell phone cameras.  Over 30 people showed up - almost ran out of room.  To see Linda's slides, CLICK HERE.
  • November 1 - WOW !  What a great tour we got from Frank Marshman of the Camera Heritage Museum in Staunton.  Visiting this museum is a must for all photographers and should be supported by all camera clubs.

Museum has over 2,000 of its 7,000+ cameras on display.  The museum started 4 years ago and is a priceless gem.  They are hoping to find a larger facility in the near future.  At the rate they are collecting cameras, they will soon be the largest vintage camera collection in the world - that's not an exaggeration.

Do you have an old vintage camera you would like to find a home?  The museum would be interested.

There were 19th century cameras, spy cameras, a camera that was aboard a Japanese plane that took pictures of the attack at Pearl Harbor, a very large, early sports telephoto (1920s) camera that could zoom in on 1st base, early stereo cameras, and lots more.  I can only say, WOW.  

Here are the 12 club members who took the tour.
This is one part of the museum. 
To see pictures of the different displays and unique cameras, CLICK HERE. 

For more details on the type of cameras in the museum, visit the museum's web side by Clicking Here.
October 27 Meeting
  • Meeting began with answering the question, "Where is it?" photo.  It was disclosed that the photo shows a grave containing five of the ten children of Thomas and Anna Moses (aka Grandma Moses, the artist) in the Laurel Hill Baptist Church cemetery in Verona.
  • We then viewed the photo submissions for the monthly challenge, "hands and feet."  Had some interesting comments about the photos and their content.

  • Our guest speaker, professional photographer Scott Jost, presented his topic, "Shenandoah Valley Apples."  Scott is an Associate Professor of Art at Bridgewater College, Virginia.  He provided an overview of his photography experiences and noted that he was not a casual photographer but focused on projects of a specific topic or subject.

He provided an interesting approach of taking panoramic photos of a scene and then putting them side-by-side.  This broke the scene into several panels with a dividing line between each photo.  This would draw a viewers attention to different essential parts of the photo.  It is a very effective technique.  If you visit his web site, CLICK HERE, you'll see examples.  

In most cases, he uses manual settings to gain full control of the photo.  He suggested that when taking photos of far off scenes, to set the focus for infinite and then back off slightly to ensure that the foreground stays in focus too.  

He showed examples of how he uses Lightroom to adjust photos to bring out details or soften or lower bright spots.


His presentation was really informative and increased members knowledge of photography.  For those who missed the program, well, you missed a great program.

  • Members were reminded of the November 1 tour of the camera museum - details below.
  • Next month's Challenge is "incredible edible." 
  • Linda discussed the wonderful experience of attending a Road Scholar photography session.  Details are provided in the Photo News and Events Section below.
  • One last item - volunteers to work with 3 foreign students who have been provided DSLRs to document their lives in America.  They need mentors to help them understand and use their cameras.  Email the club if you are interested.
SEPTEMBER 22 MEETING 
  • The meeting opened with "Where is it?" The photo location is 26 W. Bruce St., Harrisonburg. The Thomas Harrison House is a historic limestone home built in 1750.
  • This Month's Challenge was for photos on the subject of "apples."  We had 16 submissions and they can be viewed by Clicking Here.
  • The main event was Professional photographer Pat Jarrett talking about exposure.   He brought a number of examples where he used reflective light (a white door), spot metering, using manual bracketing (taking a series of photos with various exposure settings),  and selecting subjects in relationship to the sun light.  It was interesting to note that he uses the basics of photography - shutter, aperture, and white balance with some adjustment to ISO with less reliance on the fancy settings contained within the camera.  His techniques could easily be used in point and shoot cameras.  And in fact, some of examples were photos where he used a point and shoot camera. His presentation was inspiring for all members in attendance.  You can visit his web site to see his photos - CLICK HERE.  
  • Finally, a reminder that next month's challenge will be "hands and feet."
AUGUST 25 MEETING
  • Lynn Whitmore presented her "Taking Winning Pictures" program that she gave at the Arboretum"summer lunch programs."  She discussed how and why she took the pictures to provide members ideas for photographing plants and animals.  She also promoted the opportunities available at the Arboretum.
  • Joe Laughland talked about remote timers for cameras.  He first explained that most cameras already have the ability to take limited time-lapse photos.  The remote timer provides the added feature of scheduling photos over longer periods of time.  To see his presentation notes, CLICK HERE.  To see a short video concerning the Vello ShutterBoss remote device produced by B&H Photo, CLICK HERE. NOTE:  This is not an endorsement of either ShutterBoss or B&H Photo.
  • The club is starting the Photo Challenges beginning in September where members are asked to take and bring in a photo related to the topic.  September's topic is "Apples."  It is not mandatory to bring a photo to the meetings but provides a challenging and fun project.  If possible, submit the photos prior to the meeting to rocktowncameraclub@gmail.com.  It is OK if it is a large file but if you know how to reduce file size, that would be good too.
  • Last item concerned the new "where is it" feature.  A photo of a local location will be published on this site.  Members are asked to guess where or what it is.  Use the "contact form" at the top of the right column on this web site to submit your guess.
JULY 28 MEETING

The meeting opened with a discussion on future projects and activities for the club.  Tentative future Schedule - CLICK HERE.  It was decided that we need to survey the membership to determine the needs of the club members.  So, a survey will be sent by e-mail to help identify exactly what the club members would want.  A draft of the survey is being worked on.  To view a draft of the survey,  CLICK HERE  Caution - this is not the official survey.
  •  It was decided that meetings would start at 7:30 p.m. and that starting next year, no meetings will be held July or August.
  •  One idea was to have a scavenger hunt where members would receive a list of items (10 to 15 items) to search and photograph.  Members would have a year to complete the list.
  • It was suggested that each member attending a meeting might donate $1 to compensate the Church for using their facilities.  This voluntary action would start in August.
  • One of the ideas is a photo challenge.  For September, members are asked to photo something related to the word "Apple."  It could be the fruit, the computer, or whatever Apple theme you can come up with.
  • Joe will create a presentation on how to use Google's Picasa Application for uploading and viewing photos.
(07/09/2014)  Club member, Lynn Whitmore, gave a presention, “Taking Winning Pictures” at the JMU Arboretum on Wednesday, July 9th.  She displayed a number of her award winning photos and discussed her photography techniques.

 
 Harmony Harvest Farm Project
(06/23/2014) 12 club members met at the Harmony Harvest Farm, a cut flower farm specializing in over 100 different varieties of flowers.   The owners welcomed the club to take photos of wild flowers and any other part of the farm with the request that we would share our best shots with them for their web site.
Attached is a link to club member photos: CLICK HERE

To visit their web site, CLICK HERE.
Here are two members photographing.  First is on his stomach to get up close and personal to the flowers.  The second member is taking a photo of a bird that is sitting at the end of the fence.


MAY 26 - ARBORETUM PROJECT
Members met at the Arboretum at 7 p.m. May 26th, to take pictures of various scenes around the lake and in the woods.  Members are encouraged to bring their best pictures to the July meeting.  Members may also submit one of their favorites to the website.
Here are members getting ready to walk the Arboretum, looking for that perfect shot.

APRIL 28 MEETING 
Meeting began with members showing contemplative photos.  Photos included a star field over the Grand Canyon, coast line photos, flowers, etc.  Spent time discussing the photo impressions received by members and the techniques used to create the images.

Meeting then turned to the topic of club officers.  Phil Miller and Bill Painter will serve as co-presidents to preside over meetings and to coordinate overall club activities.  Linda Bradley and Lynn Whitmore will co-chair the vice president position with the responsibility to fill in for the president when needed and to plan programs for the meetings.  Joe Laughland will serve as secretary/ webmaster/ and media chair.  So now everyone can come to the meetings without the fear of being drafted into an officer position:)


Finally, the meeting discussed upcoming meetings and events.  See Upcoming Meetings below for details
MARCH 24 MEETING
Howard Zehr, photographer/author of four photography books, spoke on his recent book, "The Little Book of Contemplative Photography." This is where you take a different view point and approach to photography.  Rather than shoot or capture a scene, you receive or collaborate a picture.  What is the scene giving or revealing to you, not what you are capturing.  It provided an interesting and different way of thinking about photography.
He also had us perform an exercise by which we closed our eyes, then opened and closed them quickly, and then described what we saw.  It was very interesting to see what we saw in just a flash moment.
Howard provided a handout, CLICK HERE.
To learn more about Howard, visit his website - Click Here.

The meeting also discussed the need to formalize the club by having a President, Vice President (Program Chair), Treasurer, and Secretary.  Joe Laughland will fill the spot for Secretary.  This will be one of the topics at the next meeting. 
FEBRUARY 24 MEETING
  • The club is making arrangements with Harmony Harvest Farm in Weyers Cave area to go down in June to take pictures of wild flowers as a group project.  For background of the location, Click Here.
  • Arboretum Project:  The Arboretum will contact the club in March to further discuss a project where members will take pictures on a frequent, scheduled basis.  Members will be advised when further developments occur.
  • For members wanting information on taking pictures with camera phones, Linda Bradley will be giving a class at the Gilkerson Center on March 18th under the auspices of the Life Long Learning Institute.
  • Joe Laughland presented some ideas for managing photo files in the computer.  Information will be placed on the web site soon.
  • Members took turns sharing their photos of winter and other scenes.  Members discussed how and why they took the pictures.  One member showed how she made greeting card using one of her pictures.
JANUARY 27 MEETING
Here is a picture of our new location.


Meeting started with our camera workshop.  Two members had camera problems.  

First Camera - A point-and-shoot that had been dropped and was making noises.  Recommendation was for member to contact Frank Marshman, a.k.a. Camera Wiz.
Known for his work on Bronicas and many other camera makes, Frank works from home repairing cameras.  Provides excellent service at reasonable cost.  Frank can be contacted by the following:
Phone: 540-867-9671   Email: camerawiz@msn.com
Address for shipping: 1495 Needmore Lane, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802  
Second Camera - Several pictures on her SD card would not display and suggested that the SD card may be corrupted.  She has reformatted the card within the camera that she uses but continues to have several pictures not available.  We inserted another SD card and took several pictures without problems.  Club suggested that she no use this particular SD card.  If problem occurs with another SD card, then the problem is the camera.  Consensus was that it was the SD card.
Arboretum Project:  The club has been asked to join the Arboretum in a project of taking a picture once a day.  Members felt that we do not have enough members to take a picture each day but we might have enough members to take turns taking a picture every Monday.  This project will be further discussed with the Arboretum.
Guest speaker - Allen Litten, former photojournalist for the Daily News Record (DNR), provided a photo history of his work with the DNR. His photos were also a history of the Harrisonburg area reflecting changes that have taken place over the years as old buildings were replaced with new buildings.  As a volunteer fireman, he also captured a number of spectacular fires. If you would like to see a video interview of Allen, CLICK HERE. 
2013
NOVEMBER 18 MEETING
Members met at the WMRA Radio Station to hear member Greg Versen's gallery talk at WMRA from 6:30 to about 8:00 PM.  It was a very informative presentation.  Greg provided a stat sheet indicating the camera settings for each picture.  His pictures will be available for viewing at WMRA until January 13, 2014.  To see examples of Greg's photos, CLICK HERE. 

OCTOBER 28 MEETING
The meeting focused on pictures of people.  Members brought in photos showing people’s emotions.  Pictures included grandkids, halloween, and portraits.  A common topic during the evening was the use of flash and other lighting when taking pictures of people.  It has been suggested we dedicate an evening to discuss flash photography.Members were advised that the club will relocate to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 725 S. High Street, Harrisonburg.  Meetings will officially start at 7:30 p.m. but we will have technical workshops starting at 7:00 p.m. to help members who have technical questions about their specific cameras.

 SEPTEMBER 23 MEETING
Meeting highlighted members' summer photos of birds, the moon, Glacier National Park, blossoming flowers, a bike in a field, man drinking beverage, icebergs in Iceland, and many other great photos.  
Members discussed a technique in taking photos from a moving vehicle by setting a fixed shutter speed and leaving other settings on automatic.  Another member shared a technique of using black paper behind a flower to make the flower stand out. 
Attendees discussed relocating club meetings to downtown Harrisonburg to accommodate growing membership.  Club emphasized that membership is open to all levels of photography.

JULY 22 MEETING  
This meeting began with Bill Painter giving a presentation on how to control the exposure in a picture by using there "P" mode on the camera,  set the metering mode to spot meter, and put it on light or dark parts of the subject.  He also explained how the camera handles light using either the shutter speed or the aperature to guide the amount of light to enter the camera.  Bill covered the basic settings in point-and-shoot cameras starting with the fully automatic mode and then discussing the program mode which most cameras have.  Program mode allows to camera to handle most of the adjustments but allows the photographer some flexibility in the basic settings.  
Then Bill opened up the meeting to general questions and answers.  The more experienced photographers worked one-on-one with members with the basic point-and-shoot cameras.  It was noted that most basic cameras still have some flexibility similar to the more expensive DSLR cameras.
JUNE 24 MEETING
This meeting discussed photography and applications for cell phone or tablet cameras which either give interesting effects to pictures or give the phone or tablet camera a lot more capabilities - make it like a point and shoot or almost like a DSLR.
Linda Bradley demonstrated this topic at the meeting. The following is a handout she provided.

After Linda's presentation, several members provided sample shots of their photography, including indoor shots of shadows and silhouettes from sun light through windows; taking photos of stars at night; and a shot of the moon from the other night.
Another member brought in a picture that had been mounted on canvas using services from Costco.  Linda also suggested that members visit www.canvasonsale.com when wanting to print pictures on canvas.
MAY 27 MEETING
This meeting provided members the opportunity to bring in pictures or gadgets that members wanted to share with the club.
  • One member brought in a nice telephoto of a woodpecker, taken about 6' away from the subject.  Subject was in focus with the background out of focus.  Another member brought photos of flowers and showed effort to bring out colors using software.
  • Member brought in a nice Tamrac shoulder camera bag that had sufficient compartments to store her purse stuff and leave her purse at home.  Bag contained several lenses, the camera, and her accessories.  To see Tamrac's line of camera bags, CLICK HERE.  To see the shoulder bag types, CLICK HERE.
  • Joe showed off his belt clip that holds a camera to your waist.  For more details and a video showing the holster in action, CLICK HERE.    
  • Linda showed pictures taken on an iPhone that were adjusted using software on her iPhone.
  • Another member provided a web site location where you can buy camera manuals.  CLICK HERE to visit this web site, manualsink.com.  You can download the manual for around $5, get a CD for $10, or a printed manual from $20 or $70 for a laminated manual.
  • Linda also showed some laminated reference guides.  One guide can be purchased for $20 or less at Amazon,  CLICK HERE.  To see other cards, CLICK HERE. 
  • There was a brief discussion about photography vests and the advantages of having sufficient pockets to hold lenses, lens caps, flash, etc.  B&H Photo carries a line of vests - CLICK HERE.
APRIL 22 MEETING
Animal photography (taking photos of animals - not animals taking photos) was the main topic.  Member Tom Hester presented a really nice presentation on animal photography.  He provide pictures of various animals, e.g., peacock, monk seal, sheep, fish, etc.  He explained how and why he took the pictures and background stories about the pictures.  

He also had samples of people with animals.  Included in the discussion was photo techniques, e.g, taking closeups, focusing on the animals eyes (unless there is a reason to focus on another part of the picture), when to use shutter priority vs aperture priority, cropping photos, etc.

Other Members brought their best animal photos to share with the club.  The following photo was from Joe Laughland.
Tom passed around copies of Virginia Wildlife Magazine which had pictures of animals, including the camera settings used to take the pictures.  For more details on this magazine, Click Here.

Here are some links to other photo tips on photographing animals:
Click 1
Click 2
Click 3 (videos-wild life)
Click 4 (video - taking pics of pets)

FEBRUARY 25 MEETING
Phil Miller brought his camera to demonstrate techniques for taking macro (closeup) pictures.  He was wired up to the laptop which connected to the overhead projector so members could see the results in real time.  It was a very interesting and informative presentation.

Phil provide the following suggestions to creating a macro shot:
  • Use a tripod
  • Lock up the mirror (SLR cameras)
  • Turn off image stabilization
  • Pay attention to lighting
  • Manually focus on what you want to see
  • Set the camera’s metering to a single point
  • Crop macro images nice and tight,
  • Notice if you are in the reflection when shooting reflective materials.  You may not want yourself in the picture - causing a distraction.
  • Use a close-up attachment (a flat, filter-like lens that mounts to the front of your normal lens).  It allows you to focus more closely.
Phil used Lightroom 4 to show how to finalize the macro picture. This led to a discussion on software for adjusting photos.  It was agreed that future topics will include demonstrations of various software, e.g., Photoshop, Lightroom, Gimp, Apple’s Preview, etc.
Members brought in wonderful examples of their own macro photographs.
The next meeting will discuss animal photography (taking photos of animals - not animals taking photos).

JANUARY 28 MEETING  
  • Members and guests brought examples of their black and white photos.  Linda Bradley provided segments fro a video on black and white photography.  
  • Members then broke up into groups to discuss specific topics and in some cases, assist members with technical questions for their specific camera.
2012
NOVEMBER 26 MEETING  
  • Members and guests brought examples of recently taken photos.  
  • Joe Laughland, the creator of the club's website, provided an on-line tour of its features and content.  He showed links to sites that provide valuable instruction on photography. 
OCTOBER 22 MEETING 
  • Meeting started with Joe Laughland showing several time lapsed photos that he took of vehicles and water.  He explained why he used the settings for each picture.
  • Greg Verson talked about self-publishing photos into family albums and the type of companies he used for these albums.
  • Gail Napora has self-published since 2006, eventually e-publishing a mystery novel in 2011.  Her real passion is matching images to text. She has learned enough Adobe InDesign and Kindle to be able to present her Butterfly Way book as an e-book (click here) for access on any reader or computer.  She discussed how to create an e-book for those interested in publishing their photos.
SEPTEMBER 24 MEETING 
  • Greg Versen provided an informative explanation on exposure, including the use of a gray card to improve depth and white balance in your images.
  • Because of technical difficulties, members and guests were not able to show their efforts at time lapse photography.  Therefore, at the next meeting, members are invited to bring either a one-minute movie made from photos, or up to five images on a flash drive that demonstrate the use of a long (up to 30 second) shutter speed (time-lapsed technique that can eliminate vehicles if you are photographing an architectural building).
  • The rest of the meeting was open discussion.  One topic was what kind of camera to upgrade from a simple point-and-shot camera.
AUGUST 27 MEETING  
  •  Members shared pictures that told or prompted a story.  There were floats in a rose parade, a horse stopped at the edge of a corn field by the unseen electric fence, a bear in a tree, and many images of children with their delightful ways. Viewing and discussing these images took almost an hour. 
  • Afterward, Joe Laughland shared a movie made from pictures of the renovation of a century old schoolhouse. He demonstrated the software used to make each photo seem more like a videotaped event. The link to find the low-cost software LQGRAPHIC's software "Photo-To-Movie,"  CLICK HERE to visit the web site.  For an example of a Photo-to-Movie, CLICK HERE.
  • The meeting concluded with general discussion on the type of camera settings to use when taking night pictures. Someone mentioned "intervalometer" devices that can control the number of pictures to be taken over a period of time.  A short article is included in the Gadget Corner.
JULY MEETING:  Members shared more than fifty of their own landscape images taken here in the Valley and across the country.
  • Greg Versen shared both color and black and white images of the midwest,with several stunning scenes that featured cloud formations.
  • Donna Williams had images that highlighted the local area, with a couple taken right out her window to capture our dramatic mountains.
  • Richard and Pam Wilkins shared images taken from a raft and from the hills in the midwest.
  • Joe Laughland shared landscape images of Upper Canadian Village.
  • Tom Hester shared images that he 'stitched' together to create panaromic views of Hawaii. 
Several other members shared images as well.
  • Bev Silver brought her camera and stereo viewers used to take three-dimensional photographs back in the 50's.  Her grandfather had given her the camera and she shared many of the images she took, allowing everyone to see the 3-D pictures.  She also shared the pictures after they had been digitized by our local King Photo.
  • Phil Miller brought the equipment he uses with software to calibrate his computer monitor and discussed the value of calibrating your monitor on a regular basis.
     Members sat at tables for the meeting and shared ideas and experiences. The format was a success and will be continued at the next meeting.
      The leadership team formalized responsibilities. Bill Painter will continue to liaison with Sunnyside Communities as our host location.  Joe Laughland will continue to maintain the website that uses the club name and provides a wealth of information to anyone interested in photography, as well as summaries of meetings.  Tom Hester (and maybe others) will act as Program Coordinators, facilitating meetings and ensuring that topic speakers are planned several months in advance. Gail Napora will continue to maintain the contact list and do the monthly Club Notes.
      There are no dues at this time for the club which is open to photographers of all stages, ages 17 to 107. The next meeting is Monday, August 27, from 7 until 8:30 pm at the Highlands Building at Sunnyside Communities on Massanetta Springs Road.  The meeting will start with sharing of member's images on the topic of pictures that tell or prompt a story. Members can bring 1-5 pictures on a flash drive for digital display, or bring printed images. Members will sit at tables to allow for small group discussion around topics such as camera settings, accessories and gadgets portraits, and composition.  We will have a brief presentation on creating movies using your images.  For more information, please contact Bill Painter Bill wlpainter@comcast.net or Linda Bradley bradlelm@jmu.edu or phone Gail Napora 540-901-9297.
JUNEMEETING
 Linda Bradley gave us more tips for land-scape photography.  She has provided a Slide Show with ideas she discussed at the meeting.  Click Here 
MAY MEETING
 We held a workshop style meeting to take pictures in the Sunnyside garden.  Club members went outside and photographed plants.  Afterwards, we returned to the Blue Ridge Room to view the results.   Each member selected their best photos and explained how they took the picture.  Discussions included the camera settings and what results we were each trying to obtain.
APRIL MEETING
 Fran Fervrier, professional photographer, gave club members a tour of her black and white portrait photographs that are located at WMRA studios in Harrisonburg.  She discussed both composition and techniques for portrait photography.  To view her talent, visit her web site: CLICK HERE.
MARCH MEETING
 Greg Versen,  amateur photographer, discussed his approach to black and white photography.  He brought several examples of his work to demonstrate several different techniques.  Greg is also known as "The Professah" on WMRA 90.7 where he plays the best blues music on Blues Valley Saturday nights 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

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