Contributed by Pamela Brandt

The April 18 meeting was attended by only 13 club members.  We were going to be an even dozen but then Laura Schuster came in late as the lucky number.  Shhh, don’t tell her.

The top item on the agenda was judging the Pictorial category of the N4C competition.  Ron Tigges launched the tedious process as quickly as possible, trying in vain to fend off preliminary questions.

Three courageous people — Lori Burrows, Kenneth Kiss, and Kevin McTague — stepped forward to act as unwillingly judges.

Cara Pusateri and Eleanor Schueller operated the technology, while Lois Pancratz provided encouragement.

Wayne Beecher pitched in with constructive criticism at appropriate moments. His keynote speech of the evening: “That hurts my eyes.”

New member Chris Ross brought in her new Canon and shared a few of her recent architectural photos to a few disruptive individuals in the back row who were asked to move away from the judging area.

Gretchen Lee was the only serious photographer in the crowd. She was contemplating the best use of her secret stash of DSLR lenses and wondering if we were all for real.

Somebody snuck out early and didn’t get their name in the minutes. It’s also possible I just forgot to count myself.

With 132 images, active judging lasted until 8:45 p.m., which is far, far, far too far past bedtime on a Monday night for those who declined to join the fun.

Lori made it through the whole ordeal even though the humpback whale in her smartphone kept texting.

I’m not sure which images won, but I think there’s a general consensus that over-sharpening is an undesirable technique, and if you must photograph a sunset, at least crop out the culvert in the foreground. Other, more professional photographers may have other thoughts.

DAWG Gallery

Dubuque Area Writers Guild 2016 Gallery anthology

Congratulations to Laura Schuster, Bob Felderman, and Ron Tigges for having photos selected for the Dubuque Area Writers Guild annual anthology, Gallery. The cover photo is from club member Mark Dierker. Pamela Brandt also had a fictional story selected for inclusion.

The release party and reading is scheduled during the DubuqueFest kickoff on Friday, May 20 at 6 p.m. at the Dubuque Museum of Art.

Social Media Means You Too

If you are one of those social media holdouts without a Facebook account, you are missing out! In the Dubuque Camera Club Facebook group, you can see photos from camera club members and enjoy ongoing discussion about photography and club activities.

Yes, everything you’ve heard about Facebook has a grainy element of truth to it, sort of like a Lightroom preset. Believe it or not (if you can stop yourself from being sucked into the time-wasting social media vortex), Facebook is also a wonderful venue for photo sharing and for passing along useful and interesting community information.

Members only discussion group of the Dubuque Camera Club on Facebook

Public page of the Dubuque Camera Club on Facebook

Next Meeting

Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. Be sure to have your N4C submissions emailed to Cara before the meeting. See your member folder for instructions on how to do this. There will be no judging at the next meeting, just submissions and returns, so all you ostriches can safely come on out.

Anybody who wants to enter the Dubuque Museum of Art show needs to have their pictures emailed to Ron by May 16. Sooner would be even better. Be aware that there is no financial sponsor yet so each print chosen (up to two per member) will cost about $60.  If you can recommend a financial sponsor, please speak up pronto. Thank you!

Contributed by Pamela Brandt

Dubuque architecture… from a new perspective. An upcoming exhibit by the Dubuque Camera Club at the Dubuque Museum of Art.

Club members have been photographing local architecture for the upcoming exhibition at the Dubuque Museum of Art. During the April 4 meeting, we looked at the black and white photos submitted so far.

Each club member may submit up to four shots for consideration. Museum staff will make the final selection, and up to two images per member may be selected.

We’ll be going with metal prints, which cost about $60 each. At this point, the cost is to be paid by the member, although financial sponsorship is still a possibility.

A couple of changes:  The images should be only black and white, no sepia. They should portray locations that are inside the Dubuque city limits. Also, the final deadline to get your images turned in has moved up a couple weeks to the May 16th meeting.

Club President Ron Tigges said, “Pick your favorite four images, and send the images to me. If you send them at print resolution, you won’t have to send a second copy later. Send the highest resolution possible.”  He suggested 200-300 dpi.

“Look at the composition,” he said. “If you’ve got a good image with sharp, hard lines and high contrast, send it in.” Remember, the images should be at 2:3 (portrait or landscape). The exhibit opening is scheduled for August 5. Check our Facebook group for a link to the SmugMug gallery and up-to-date discussions.

N4C returns/submissions

We went over the returns from the March 2016 N4C competition. These photos earned special recognition:

We also went over the entries received thus far for the April competition.  As of the night of the meeting, only the Nature category was full. Be sure to follow the instructions in your folder and send in your contest images by the first meeting of the month.

Next meeting, we’ll be judging the Pictorial category. Because are judging, we can enter double Travel in April and double Pictorial in May. Double entries means 16 images per category for the club, while the normal limit is 8.

Model releases

A question was asked about whether you need signed model releases for images that contain people that are entered in the N4C contest. The answer is no, you do not, since these photos are not being put to commercial use (i.e. they are not being sold on the N4C website).

Bob Felderman pointed out that if the image is of a band onstage, sometimes the venue puts limits on photographers. For instance, they may forbid flash, or only allow photography during the first few songs of the set. A photographer may get into trouble for violating the venue’s rules.

Ron pointed out that if you take pictures of people in a public place, as in “street” photography, you generally do not need a model release. However, when individuals are identifiable, it is courtesy to name them in the caption.  When you’re taking photos as a media representative for a specific publication, you would follow the rules for editorial use.

Nametags

Those of us lost souls who have misplaced our nametag – and the new members who need one to wear during meetings – should contact DeWayne or Eleanor to have a new nametag printed.

Winners Gallery

If you had a winning photo in any of the prior N4C competitions, please add it to the appropriate album in our Facebook Group. Click here to view past winners on the N4C website.

Upcoming press

Bob shared that 365ink would be willing to work with us to create a spread featuring Camera Club images in an upcoming issue of the newspaper. No details or publication date yet.

Nik collection

The Google Nik Collection is now free software. Until recently, it was $150. Ron suggested that everybody should check it out. Several of his photos displayed during the meeting were edited in Nik. Download it here:

www.google.com/nikcollection 

Upcoming meetings:

April 18: Pictorial judging (Need 3 judges that have been in the club at least 1 year)

May 2: Returns/Submissions (double Pictorial entries). RSVP for picnic.

May 16: Travel judging. Need to have organizers for picnic.

June 6: Picnic.

Contributed by Pamela Brandt

The March 7 meeting was attended by 22 club members and guests.

Dubuque Museum of Art exhibit: Dubuque Architecture From a New Perspective

Jennifer Tigges met with the curator of the Dubuque Museum of Art to develop guidelines for this year’s show. This will be the Dubuque Camera Club’s fourth consecutive year to exhibit. The theme is “Dubuque Architecture From a New Perspective.”

“It’s architecture, but they don’t want to see a straight-on shot of a building,” Jennifer said. “Maybe it’s an archway, or a doorway.” She handed out printed guidelines during the meeting and posted a few sample images on Facebook that may be used for ideas.

Dubuque Camera Club meeting, March 7, 2016 | Photo by Bob Felderman

N4C contest returns and submissions

Most of the meeting was focused on going over returns and submissions for the N4C photo contest. Comments are now optional, which will save time when we judge, although it is nice to get some feedback from others.

Our club has been doing extremely well in the monthly contests. Those awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Honorable Mention are eligible for the annual Council competition at the end of the year (the club year runs from September through May).

The Dubuque Camera Club currently has 45 members, which Ron pointed out is near the historic high membership level. This club has been in existence since the 1940s. It’s a big advantage to be able to use E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center at the Mines of Spain for meetings, and a portion of our dues supports this venue. Previously, the club met in members’ homes or in a bank.

N4C rules limit the club to 8 submissions per contest category on non-judging months (16 submissions on an alternate month when a category is judged). Which means that – if more than 8 entries are submitted in a category – we need to develop a process to narrow them down.

DeWayne pointed out that more participation means we have a thriving club. “I want to take a minute to thank everybody for submitting and creating the problem we now have,” he said.

Lois Pancratz said that real-world photography is juried, so it makes sense to evaluate the photos before we send them to the contest.

Ron said he wanted to emphasize that winnowing down images can be a way for the more experienced photographers to mentor those who are still learning. “The club can pick what we think is best,”  he said. This is an opportunity to share constructive information with new members.

By a consensus of those present, it was decided that photos submitted to previous months’ contests will be removed so that new photos can compete.

Because we will be judging the Pictorial category on April 18 and the Travel category on May 16, we can enter double, or 16 photos, for both  Pictorial and Travel in April. (Zero entries for any category the month we judge it.) Email your submissions to Cara before the April 4 meeting.

Be sure to follow the instructions that are listed in the club folder or “book.” If you don’t have it yet, paying members can pick up a book from DeWayne Beecher during a meeting. The information contained is very helpful when it comes to re-sizing or naming photos, or selecting a contest category.

Upcoming meetings

Drones are a hot topic in the news, and can be controversial. We plan to cover them in an upcoming meeting or seminar. A presentation by a drone videographer is tentatively scheduled for an upcoming meeting. Details forthcoming.

Next meeting: Monday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Other news

Several club members attended Ty Smedes’ presentation at Swiss Valley. He was also recently in Clinton, Iowa. Because we live in a major migration flyway, bird and eagle photography is very pertinent here.

Club member Ken Kiss won first place in the Dubuque County Conservation Board Moments in Nature photo contest. His winning photo of a juvenile Great Horned Owl appears on the cover of the March 2016 issue of Julien’s Journal.

Some members submitted to the farming-themed photo contest sponsored by the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Selected photos will appear inFarming Today, to come out with the newspaper on Saturday, March 26.

The Julien Dubuque Film Festival will be held on April 21-24. This festival is highly recommended if you enjoy videography.

On Saturday, April 23, the Linn Area Photography Club in Cedar Rapids is hosting “Spend a day with Moose Peterson, wildlife photographer and Nikon Ambassador.” Cost is $25. To learn more or to register, visit linnareaphotoclub.org.

Contributed by Pamela Brandt

At the February 15 meeting, Dewayne Beecher showed off the new informative booklet that is available to all Dubuque Camera Club members. It contains club member contact info, photography terminology, and N4C info. It also walks you step-by-step through the monthly contest submission process, from choosing a category to resizing and naming your photo.

“If you like the shot, enter it,” said Dewayne.  “We need more entries.” Even though we have over 40 paying club members, sometimes we do not submit the maximum number of entries per category. The club can submit 8 photos in every category (16 when we have judged a category).

Photo by Mike Burley. (c) 2016. All rights reserved.

Guest speaker Mike Burley

We enjoyed an excellent and informative presentation from professional photojournalist Mike Burley from the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.

He earned a B.A. in Visual Journalism and has  worked as a professional photographer since 2003. Before coming to Dubuque, he served as an assistant to a Sports Illustrated photographer, and also worked for news media in Topeka, Honolulu, and Chicago.

Burley shared a slide show of his photos, talking about technique and story behind each image. He also talked about the job of being a photojournalist, how he gets his photos, and his workflow. “My forte is probably portraiture,” he said. Because altering photos is unethical in the news world, he does very limited post-processing. This includes using levels, dodging and burning, and cropping. Photoshop “actions” speed up his photo editing.

He said that patience is one of the necessary qualities for a photojournalist, since most shots are “found moments,” not posed. His goal is “trying to spend the most time at the assignment that you think will yield the best pictures.”  

Thank you, Mike Burley, for a compelling presentation!

Upcoming events:

We’ve been invited back to exhibit at the Dubuque Museum of Art this summer. Jennifer will have an update at the March meetings.

During the May 16 meeting, we will be judging the Travel category. This means that in April the club will be able to submit double, or 16 photos in Travel. Remember, Black and White can be entered every month. See the N4C competition rules for details.