Not on the email list? Sign up here.

Membership

The first meeting of the season for the Dubuque Camera Club was attended by 20 current members and 4 visitors. Treasurer DeWayne Beecher reports that the club had around 50 total members last season, and it looks like our membership will be about the same this year.

Annual dues are only $20, and they are due now. If you can’t make it to a meeting, another option is to mail in the membership form.

Paying members are eligible to submit photos to the monthly N4C competition and to participate in exhibits and other events. Members also receive the official Dubuque Camera Club patch to sew on a jacket or camera bag.

There will be an update to the contact information in the membership folder. If you would prefer to be unlisted, you may contact DeWayne or Eleanor.

Camera Club News

Club president Ron Tigges said there’s been a lot of positive feedback about our exhibit at the Dubuque Museum of Art. People enjoy the metal prints. The last day of the exhibit is Sunday, September 25, so see it while you can! For those who have pictures in the exhibit, they may be picked up on Tuesday, September 27.

The topic of post-processing was briefly discussed, and with very intense feelings by several people. Be aware that it is acceptable to use Photoshop or plugins to alter photos that are submitted to the Creative and Pictorial categories only. Cara shared a good example of a Venice gondola scene with a sky from Cascade, Iowa.

Ron discussed the monthly competition: the different contest categories, what photos can be entered in each N4C category, how the file naming works, what happens if there are more or less than our club limit of 8 entries per category, and so on. If you have any questions, ask, or check the official N4C website for complete rules.

The annual N4C convention is coming up in Fargo, ND. All photos that have earned 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or honorable mention in a monthly contest are entered in the final competition. Last year, our club had 4 medal winners. We may have more this year, thanks to the awesomely talented photographers in our club!

General Bob Felderman shared his impressions of the 2016 Iowa State Fair photography contest. Out of 3800 entries, only 500 were chosen for display. He noticed that many showed evidence of extensive post-processing, and most were from the Des Moines area (probably because you have to deliver actual prints).

Only one Dubuquer was represented: club member Ken Kiss, with a photo of a fox. If you’re interested, next year’s theme is “What’s Up.” Other photo subjects may also be entered in a variety of categories. More information is on the Iowa State Fair website.

Area events

• Photographer Mark Hirsch will lead a free smartphone workshop at the Peosta campus of Northeast Iowa Community College on September 18. The event runs from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. This is part of the annual “Nature Trek” in the Outdoor Learning Lab, which is a prairie/wetland area that is being established next to Hwy 20.
• Photographer Steve Gassman will lead a Wisconsin landscape excursion workshop for the Everything Photography store on September 17. They will carpool to Pewits Nest near Baraboo, Mid-Continent Train Museum in North Freedom and the old Hyde’s Mill near Ridgeway, Wisconsin. Contact Nate or Sean at Everything Photography for more info.
• Steve Gassman is also leading a “Painting with Light” class on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 22. This is a UW-Platteville continuing education enrichment class. Cost is $35, and as of two weeks ago, Steve said were still openings. Registration info here.

Next Meeting

Next Dubuque Camera Club meeting: Monday, September 19 at 6:30 p.m.

Agenda: Small group workshops discussing Lightroom techniques. If you have a laptop with Lightroom, you may bring it along. Bring your camera and/or new photography gear if you want to show off . $20 annual dues are due now if you didn’t pay at the first meeting. You can also mail them in.  New members are welcome to join us at any time.

Club Picnic

Contributed by Pamela Brandt

Ron, Laura, and Jennifer at the club picnic.
©2016 General Bob Photography

About 30 people attended the Dubuque Camera Club picnic on June 6, 2016.  We enjoyed a terrific variety of good food – thanks to everybody who contributed to the potluck. Ron and Laura handled the grilling of burgers and brats, and Jennifer did a great job organizing this successful event.

This picnic marked the end of the N4C season. Our next official meeting will happen on the Tuesday after Labor Day (September 6), and the $20 annual dues will be payable then. However, there will be a couple informal  get-togethers over the summer.

Club president Ron Tigges summed up the club’s current status: “We’re doing really well. We just had another three honorable mentions in the N4C competition,” he said.

Mississippi River Photo Shootout

“Autumn Barge Traffic” by club president Ronald Tigges won the River Commerce Purchase Award in the Mississippi River Photo Shootout. The photos were exhibited at the Jacoby Arts Center and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Great Rivers Museum in Alton, Illinois from April 20 through June 19. You can also view the photos on their website.

Dubuque Museum of Art exhibit

Opening reception for our exhibit at the Dubuque Museum of Art is tentatively scheduled for Friday, August 5. This will be a good opportunity to take your friends and family to see the exhibit.  The theme is Dubuque Architecture from a New Perspective, and the exhibit will be in the balcony gallery until October 23.

Night photography

There was some discussion of night photography ideas. Lori pointed out that a smartphone app can tell you what direction to look in the sky for the Milky Way. Ron suggested doing night photography during a new moon, in a location that is high up and far from city lights, possibly at Balltown.

Perseid meteor showers will be August 12-13.  The Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation will be hosting a Perseid Meteor Shower event at Horseshoe Mound Preserve, just outside Galena.

Contributed by Pamela Brandt

Twenty people attended the May 16, 2016 meeting. Our club judged the Travel category of the N4C competition. Thank you to our volunteer judges: Bob Felderman, Rich Bugalski, and Lois Pancratz.

Photos were judged for Technique, Composition, and Interest, with a maximum of 45 points awarded (5/5/5 from each judge).

There were 89 photos to judge, and the meeting lasted until about 8:20 p.m., or about 1 hour and 50 minutes. That is just over one minute per photo,  including the opening chitchat and our preliminary look through the submissions.  (At the prior meeting we judged 132 photos, and the meeting lasted two hours and 15 minutes).

Comments from the judges about the judging process:

“I’ve done it before – I enjoy it,” said Bob.

“It’s always a good learning experience,” said Rich.

“Men don’t like flowers and they don’t like fluff,” said Lois. “It’s good to have a mix of genders.”

“Some of the photos looked so similar,” added Bob. “Everybody shoots that. For Travel, you should look for something unique.”

Other News and Updates

Photo book. There has been some discussion of creating a photo book in connection with the Dubuque Museum of Art exhibition. By now, everybody should have submitted their photos for consideration.

July 3rd fireworks. Some Camera Club members will be gathering at the big airshow and fireworks in Dubuque on Sunday, July 3. This is a good opportunity to take high speed photos of airplanes, or timed exposures of the fireworks. If you are interested in joining this group, John Leicht is the contact person.

Summer meeting ideas:

• A night photography sessions led by Ron Tigges.
• Bellevue butterfly gardens.
• Dubuque Arboretum (Music in the Gardens on Sunday evenings).

If you are interested in any of these events – or if you would like to host others — send an email to Ron or add a post to our Facebook group.

Important: If you have not yet submitted an RSVP for the picnic, do it now! Let Jennifer know how many people you’ll be bringing and/or log in to Volunteer Spot to sign up for a dish to bring. The picnic is on Monday, June 6. The club will provide brats and burgers — you bring the rest!

Contributed by Pamela Brandt

The first order of business at the May 2 meeting of the Dubuque Camera Club was to go through submissions and returns for the monthly N4C photo competition. The meeting was attended by 16 people.

We also looked at the Pictorial photos that our club judged during the last meeting.  “I got three notes back from three different clubs,” said Cara. “They liked our comments.”

Interestingly, out of the 14 photos rated highest by our judges, there were five landscapes, three human figures, and three hummingbirds.

Upcoming Competitions

We briefly went through the submissions received by the time of the meeting. This was our  final chance to submit until the N4C year starts up again next fall. There is no N4C competition during the summer months.

In future competitions, always use .JPG filename extension (not .JPEG).  In the Journalism category, it’s very important to use a descriptive file name. “Make sure you say something in the title that leads to the photo,” said club president Ron Tigges. There is a 256 character limit, which could be an entire sentence.

One of the most interesting submissions was a trio of young foxes by Ken Kiss. He took the photo in the company of a renowned wildlife photographer from our area, Herb Lange, now retired. Mr. Lange has been featured in many news stories, so Google him if you want to see his photos or read about his long career.

N4C Convention

The 2016 60th Annual N4C Photography Convention will be held in Fargo, North Dakota, September 29 to October 1. It is hosted by the Fargo-Moorhead Camera Club. Here is the convention webpage

According to the N4C rules, “At the end of the contest season all photographs awarded First, Second, Third, or Honorable Mention will be eligible for the Council annual competition.”  Merit winners are not eligible.

Dubuque Museum of Art Show

Email your 2:3 black and white photos for the Dubuque Museum of Art show to Ron Tigges before the next meeting (May 16). You can submit four, and the museum curator will pick up to two from each member. Be prepared to pay $60 per print unless a financial sponsor comes forward. Opening night for the exhibit is scheduled for Friday, August 5.

• Here’s more details about submitting images to the show.

May 2 meeting | Photo by Bob Felderman

Upcoming Meetings

Monday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. We will judge the Travel category.

Monday, June 6. Club picnic. Grilling will start at 6:00 p.m. with dinner at 6:30. Jennifer sent out an RSVP, so please look for it in your email and respond. Officers will be (re-)elected.

The club will provide brats and burgers. The rest of the food is up to you! Bring kids and family! (Be sure to put the number of people you’re bringing on the RSVP so they know how much food to grill).

Summer meetings. Over the summer, the club will probably meet 2-3 times. Ron would like to organize a night photography session.  More details forthcoming. Attend the next meeting to contribute ideas!

Other Opportunities

Dubuque County Fair, July 26-31. Deadline: July 12.
Iowa State Fair,  August 11-21, 2016. Photography Theme class “Fog.”