The December 5, 2016 meeting of the Dubuque Camera Club was a holiday potluck dinner. It was attended by 30 people, including family members. The food was excellent!
Thanks to everyone who helped to decorate, brought food, or helped to clear the room after the party ended. Jennifer Tigges did a superb job as event organizer. Many hands make light work!
Important news
Starting in January 2017, the N4C photo contest submissions from our club will be chosen by online voting.
The top item on the discussion agenda after our delicious holiday dinner was the new procedure for narrowing down the submissions to the monthly N4C competition. The club will be moving to an online voting system.
“It’s going to be a learning curve for people,” said club president Ron Tigges. “Even if you’re not here at a meeting, you still have a voice.”
Benefits of the new online voting system:
- Fairness.
- Even people who can’t attend a meeting can still vote.
- An archive of past submissions.
The next meeting, on January 2, 2017, will feature a tutorial on how to use the new system. Members will log in to the club’s new SmugMug account and use their member number to vote on five images per category. If you want to vote for your own submission, that’s fine. Be aware that the first month is a pilot, so details may change.
Send your contest submissions to Cara, just like we’ve done in the past. She will upload the photos, add up the votes and select any tie-breakers. Ken Kiss will be assisting her. To ensure time for voting, the submission deadline for next month is moving up to December 20.
In January, our club can submit double (16 total entries) in the Digital Creative category. If you saw the entries during judging in November, you’ll know what they’re looking for. Please be aware that this category is heavily manipulated in post-processing.
“We get 16 entries in Digital Creative, so open your Photoshop and have fun with it,” said Ron.
Congratulations to our November winners!
- Lori Burrows, “Pier to No Where,” Third Place, Digital Black and White.
- Rich Bugalski, “Morning Lake Reflections,” honorable mention, Digital Pictorial.
- David Smethers, “Splash of Color,” honorable mention, Digital Pictorial.
- Becky Mather, “Harvest is Done,” honorable mention, Digital Pictorial.
- Kevin McTague, “John Hopkins Glacier, Alaska,” honorable mention, Digital Travel.
Merit award winners include: Lori Burrows, Gary Fagan, José García, David Smethers, and Ron Tigges.
[Please note that not all results were available when these minutes were written].
Great job to everyone who entered!
Door Prize Shout Out!!!
Door prizes for our holiday party were generously provided by Sean MacDonald of Everything Photography Store with the assistance of Nate Roling.
The store is located at 90 Main Street. Not only are they an authorized Canon dealer (with occasional used gear available), but there is a really nice portrait studio in the back of the store that can be rented by the hour.
The store also sponsors workshops, such as the upcoming Macro Photography workshop led by Southwest Wisconsin photographer Stephen Gassman on December 17. Contact Sean or Nate for details.
Upcoming Photography Events
Bald Eagle Watch
The Dubuque Audubon Society will host the annual Bald Eagle Watch at the Grand River Center in the Port of Dubuque on Saturday, January 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Dubuque Camera Club will staff an exhibit table during the event. Volunteers are needed. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Jennifer Tigges.
- Learn more at the Dubuque Audubon website.
Owl Photo Contest
As mentioned in an earlier email, the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota is sponsoring an Owl Photography contest. Entries are due by Feb. 1, 2017. $10 entry fee per image will be used to support the Owl Center. Must be JPG format, 8” x 10” and 300 dpi.
Ten finalists will be displayed at the International Festival of Owls, March 3-5, 2017. Find complete rules at the Festival of Owls website.
Do you need a nametag?
Nametags are helpful during meetings as we get to know each other. If you need one or need a replacement, please contact Cara Pusateri.
The next meeting will be on Monday, January 2, 2017 at 6:30 p.m.Come to the meeting to find out how to use the new online voting system for determining which photos are entered in the N4C competition.
IMPORTANT: Contest submissions are due by December 20, 2016. The deadline was moved up in order to give everyone time to view and vote on the entries using the new system.
We can submit double in the Digital Creative category (16 photos total for the club). NO Black and White submissions this month because we will judge that category at the following meeting.
