Author Archives: Pamela

May 6, 2019 — Meeting Notes

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The Dubuque Camera Club meeting on May 6, 2019 was attended by 18 people. Below are a few things that were discussed…

Ron and Jennifer enjoyed their trip to Wesley Woods for the N4C mini-con.
♦ Ron was awarded third place in panoramic prints. [Good job, Ron!]
♦ Jennifer has joined the N4C board of directors! [Yayyyy! Feet stomping on the bleachers! Cheerleaders doing stunts! Pep band playing!]

Jennifer and Ron Tigges

At the next club meeting on May 20th, we will hear more about what happened at the N4C mini-con. In the meantime, Ron leaked a few secrets [SHHHH, don’t tell our new board member!]:

  • Our club may possibly judge the next N4C Photo Essay competition.
  • The description of some of the N4C competition categories will be changing. If you have been following along, you already know that some parts are unclear, or just plain unhelpful. Change is good!
  • The DA (digitally altered) category was heavily discussed, so we may see some clarification of the expectations for that category.
  • The DJ (digital journalism) category, now judged with a 15-point scoring system, will soon get an alternate scoring system.
  • The comments that club members receive on competition photos were also discussed. Everyone knows HOW HELPFUL THEY ARE.
  • Video may be added as a category in the future. Ron gave the example of the recent Julien Dubuque International Film Festival. Some films were shot using the exact same cameras that club members are now using to create still images.
  • Ribbons will be handled differently for monthly competition winners. Cara now has a big packet of ribbons that she can hand out right away.
  • The postage costs and hassle of prints needs to be streamlined. That’s why our club stopped competing with prints several years ago. But the N4C point system is still skewed toward clubs that do do prints [Yes, that was do-do]. Because of this bias, it has not been possible for digital-only clubs to earn “club of the year” or “member of the year.” With a voice on the board, our club can now advocate for change.
  • The N4C signed a contract, so Wesley Woods will be the location of the spring mini-con for the next 5 years.
  • Remember that the Des Moines Camera Club is hosting the big annual N4C convention this fall. Here’s a link to the “Finding Your Light” registration page.
  • We are still getting positive feedback about Blufftops & Visions. Visitors especially enjoyed the Millwork & Models photo shoot! [Yayyy us!! We are so awesome!]
  • Remember to attend the next club meeting on May 20th. In addition to Photo Critique Night, Jennifer and Ron will share even more information about various N4C do-do. Be there!

Submissions and Returns

“Bouquet of Fireworks over People and Mississippi River” by Bob Felderman, 3rd place, Digital Pictorial, April 2019

The club also looked at the competition returns for April 2019. Congratulations to the following awesome Dubuque Camera Club photographers!

  • Robert Felderman, 3rd place, Digital Pictorial, “Bouquet of Fireworks”
  • Karen Durrant, Merit award
  • Cara Pusateri, Merit award
  • Cory Huntington, Merit award
  • Kevin McTague, Honorable mention

The Digital Journalism returns for March 2019 have still not been received. Cara will share them when/if she gets them.

The club also reviewed the submissions for May. Note that May was the last chance to submit your photos to the N4C competition this season. The 2019/2020 season will start again in September. The next submissions are due before our first regular meeting of the new season, on TUESDAY Sept. 3rd, 2019 (the Tuesday after Labor Day).

Other club news

If you have purchased new photography gear and want to show it off to club members, you can do that at any meeting. It doesn’t have to be part of the official agenda. Also, we plan to clarify the rules for our private Facebook group. Only club members are allowed to post items for sale there, which is one of the benefits of club membership.

Another benefit of membership in the Dubuque Camera Club is being able to participate in club exhibits. Reflections, the club’s 7th consecutive exhibit at the Dubuque Museum of Art, is scheduled for September 21 to November 10, 2019. Initial submissions are due before the potluck picnic on Monday June 3rd. Only club members in good standing may participate. (I.e. your dues should be paid up-to-date.) Watch your email for exhibit details. Find more Reflections information here.

SUMMER PLANS: Even though our last “official” meeting for the season is on June 3rd, we plan to meet informally this summer. Ron wants to do light painting. This is a night-time long exposure technique. During the same photoshoot, people could also do star trails or other long exposure subjects. Photographer Roger Feldhans displayed his light painting work at Wesley Woods. Details of any summer photo shoots will be discussed at upcoming meetings and/or emailed to club members.

What club members have been doing…

Lori Burrows has taken a breather from her cross-country travels. She’s been posting some terrific images from Florida and New Orleans. Recently, she was spotted doing volunteer photography for a women’s shelter. What a great way to give back to the community!

Dubuque Camera Club member Lori Burrows using her photography skills as a community volunteer.

Andreas Exner recently teamed up with Kevin McTague for a nature photo shoot from a backyard bird blind. You don’t have to travel far to get great nature photos, especially during spring migration! He posted some of the bird photos on his blog.

Laura Schuster ‘s work will be in the inaugural show at the new Homestead Studio and Gallery in rural Bellevue. Laura will also be at the Corkless wine festival art fair in Galena on June 22.

Henry Matthiessen III is moving his Stoned Art Studio & Gallery to 1800 Central Ave., with a tentative opening date of August 1. In the meantime the gallery is open by chance or appointment. He will also be at various regional art fairs this summer, including Millwork Night Market.

Bob Felderman‘s images are featured in the May 2 issue of 365ink magazine, accompanying the 2019 Dubuquefest section. General Bob’s photos are also being used to promote our Reflections exhibit.

Photos by Jose Garcia in the latest issue.

Jose Garcia has several photos in Issue #77 of Photography Masterclass magazine, including the cover image.

In his new role as Canon ambassador, Jose will be leading a two-day workshop on June 21-22 at Photo Pro in Cedar Rapids. Topics will be off-camera flash for portraits, with a second workshop about using natural light. A selection of Jose’s photos will also be on display in the store.

Coincidentally, while searching for information about Jose’s event on the PhotoPro website, I noticed a familiar face on their Facebook page. Take a look:

Dubuque Camera Club member Gary Fagan, captured at Photo Pro in Cedar Rapids

Upcoming meetings

  • Monday, May 20 @ 6:30 p.m. — Critique Night. [Click here for more information about Critique Night] Email 1-3 photos to Ken as soon as possible, with “Critique Night Submission” as the subject of your email. We will hear more about the recent N4C mini-con at Wesley Woods.
  • Monday, June 3rd @ 6:00 p.m. — Potluck Picnic. Note 6:00 start time. Bring a dish to share, along with your loved ones. The club will probably(?) provide burgers/brats as in previous years. (Re-)election of officers. And don’t forget: REFLECTIONS submissions are due! [Click here for Reflections guidelines.]
  • Summer Photo Shoots and/or presenters — Day/time and details TBD.
  • TUESDAY, Sept. 3, 3019 @ 6:30 p.m. — First regular meeting of the 2019/20 season. This meeting is on a Tuesday due to Labor Day.

Protect your photos from theft!

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♦♦♦ Are you one of the estimated 70% of photographers that has had your work stolen or used without permission? ♦♦♦

The Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) has been introduced in both the House and Senate. The Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is supporting this bill. Contact your congressional representatives to let them know how important this is to you as a creator and small business owner.

Contact Congress Now!

Your voice CAN make a difference.

Tri-state photographers: Contact your congressional representatives and tell them to support the CASE Act. To learn more, visit PPA at
http://www.ppa.com/smallclaims

April 15, 2019 — Meeting notes

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The Dubuque Camera Club meeting on April 15, 2019 was attended by 20 people. In addition to club members, we welcomed two guests, Lorna and Mike.

Top priority of the evening was judging the Digital Travel category of the N4C competition. There were 93 images from other clubs.

Greg Nauman, Kevin McTeague, and Andreas Exner volunteered their time as judges. The judging procedure was facilitated by Ron Tigges, Cara Pusateri, and Ken Kiss. Jennifer Tigges prepared the snacks (Thank you!).

Winning images will be posted in the winners’ galleries of the N4C website.

What is Travel Photography? Travel implies going to some place other than one’s customary environment, and travel photography suggests the photographic depiction of that new environment or the means used to get there. Be sure to state the name of the locale where the picture was made in the title of the digital image or print. If the location is in the U.S., list the state in the title; if foreign, list the country in the title. There is no definition of how far away that environment must be to qualify as travel or how different that new environment must be. However, the judges will generally award prizes to those photographs that depict more exotic and unfamiliar places, even though such places are home to someone. Good photographic technique and particularly the ability to convey the feeling and flavor of the place visited will help your photo be a winner. Try to emphasize the character that makes the place unique from other places. [Source: N4C rules]

Upcoming club events

  • Monday, May 6th @ 6:30 p.m. — Club meeting. Send in your N4C submissions. We can submit double travel (DT). This will be your final opportunity to compete until next fall.
  • Monday, May 20th @ 6:30 p.m. — Critique night. Club members only, email 1-3 JPGs to Ken Kiss, with Critique night submission as the subject of your email. Images must be received ASAP before the meeting. Click here for critique night guidelines.
  • Monday, June 3rd @ 6:00 p.m. — Potluck Picnic. Open to club members and family members/significant others only. Plan to bring a dish to share. Watch your email for potluck details and an RSVP form. IMPORTANT: Reflections submissions are due before the picnic. Click here for Reflections guidelines.
Club members: Send in your Reflections submission(s) before the Potluck Picnic. See your email for details.

Find more upcoming photography-related events on the Events Page.

April 1, 2019 club meeting

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The Dubuque Camera Club meeting on April Fool’s Day was attended by 17 people. No jokes were played. Instead, we enjoyed some compelling discussion, planned a few upcoming club activities, and looked at a bunch of interesting photos.

Much discussion happened regarding how to obtain prints for the club’s Reflections exhibit this fall, our 7th annual exhibit at the Dubuque Museum of Art. Click here to read about Reflections guidelines.

Click here to read the guidelines for the club’s Reflections exhibit.

March winners

During the meeting, we looked at returns from last month’s N4C competition, as well as submissions to the April competition. The following club members were recognized during the N4C competition in March 2019:

  • Jaime Gordo-Perez — merit award
  • Cory Huntington — merit award, honorable mention
  • Ken Kiss — merit award, honorable mention
  • Kevin McTague — merit award, honorable mention
  • Becky Mather — 3rd place in Digital Travel
Congratulations to Dubuque Camera Club member Becky Mather for winning 3rd place in Digital Travel with her photo of “Canyonlands of Utah.”

Protecting your photos. During tonight’s meeting, General Bob handed out notices that were created by PPA to help photographers protect their intellectual property. Here is a link to a helpful Copyright FAQ on the PPA website. Because the federal government charges a fee to register individual images for copyright, the expense of copyrighting multiple photos quickly becomes an obstacle. PPA is trying to change policy and be an advocate for photographers. Here’s the copyright section of their website. [Note that some parts are accessible only to PPA members. See below for related information from Petapixel.]

A Comprehensive Guide to Protecting Your Photos Online

Art opportunity. Ron showed some photos of the Radio Building that was recently purchased by art museum supporters, and talked about the Flash Happening art event that will be held inside the building during this year’s Dubuquefest (May 17-19, 2019). Artists are currently being lined up to create temporary installations. Afterwards, the building will be demolished. Contact Ron for more details.

Panorama competition. If you want to enter the N4C panorama print competition, you can bring your print to the next club meeting on Monday, April 15. They should be mounted on foam board (?). There are no size or subject limits. Aspect ratio must be greater than 2:1. Ron will make sure the prints reach the Wesley Woods min-con on May 3-5. (See the March 18 meeting notes for more info about this competition).

Brainstorming club activities. The club held a short brainstorming session to discuss next season’s activities. We definitely want to host more speakers/presentations. Those we had this year were interesting and worthwhile. A few names of potential future speakers were brought up. Club members were also enthusiastic about hosting photo shoots during the summer. We could have a night shoot (Milky Way, etc.). Potential locations were brought up. It could be a learning session for people who are not familiar with this type of photography. Probably, someone in the club would need to step up as organizer. Stay tuned for more details.

Photo Critique Night on May 20. The club decided that the second meeting in May will be a photo critique night. Members can submit 1-3 images and receive constructive feedback from others. It’s OK for these photos to be potential Reflections submissions. Photoshopped images are OK too, or anything else you might want feedback on.

General Bob offered to share helpful information about giving critiques. He is taking photography classes and has photo critique guidelines to share. Ken volunteered to put the photos in the club’s Smugmug gallery. Email images to him before the meeting, and make it clear that they are for Critique Night. More details will be discussed at the next couple of meetings, and a reminder will be emailed to members.

Next season’s judging dates

During the 2019-2020 N4C season, our club will judge the monthly competition three times. Judging will happen during our second meeting of the month (i.e. on the 3rd Monday). Submissions are due by or before the first meeting of the month (i.e. the 1st Monday).

Monthly MeetingAgenda
1st MondaySubmissions due/Submissions & Returns
3rd MondayJudging/Workshop/Presentation

Remember, on the months that we judge a category, our club cannot submit competition photos to that particular category. The following month, the club can submit double photos to that category. (Double means up to 16 photos in that category. The club usually submits 8 photos per category. Only one entry per photographer is allowed per category.)

Because May is the final competition of the N4C season, when we judge in May, double submissions are accepted the previous month, in April. (The N4C season runs from Sept. to May, so there are no entries in June.) Confused? Me too. You may want to look at the N4C rules.

Judging DateCategoryCan’t SubmitSubmit Double (16 per club)
September 16, 2019Nature (DN)No DN in Sept.Double in Oct.
February 17, 2020Pictorial (DP)No DP in Feb.Double in Jan.
May 18, 2020Travel (DT)No DT in MayDouble in April

Our club will judge Digital Travel at the meeting on Monday, April 15th @ 6:30 p.m.

Reflections guidelines

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Submission deadline extended to Monday, June 17th, 2019.

Photography by members of the Dubuque Camera Club will be on display this fall during the club’s 7th consecutive exhibit at the Dubuque Museum of Art in downtown Dubuque. The exhibit is scheduled to be on display from September 21 to November 10, 2019. Open to current club members only. Participating in club exhibits is one of the perks of Dubuque Camera Club membership.

Questions to ask yourself when choosing an image for the Reflections exhibit:
  • 1. Does it fit the Reflections theme?
  • 2. Will it meet minimum specs for printing?
  • 3. Are you willing to pay for a print? (The club will subsidize 50% of the cost of one print per member)
  • 4. After the show ends, what will you do with your print?

Reflections theme. Use your creativity when responding to the theme. For instance, it’s OK to submit a portrait of somebody pondering a deep thought, because that is a “reflection.” Also think of mirrors, bodies of water, refraction, shadows, and windows at night. Think about what sort of image you would like to have hanging on your wall, because you will get the print back after the show ends.

Image dimensions & printing specs. We will again be ordering 12-inch by 18-inch metal prints. Crop to 2:3 or 3:2 and export the highest quality possible. Here’s the ideal size in pixels: 3000×4500. If your end result is not that big, do not upsize. Orientation can be either landscape or portrait. Submit JPGs only (use RGB). Try to use 200 dpi or greater but you probably should not resample. No watermarks on final images. Remember, unlike N4C submissions, there are no strict upper limits on file size. If these guidelines sound confusing, just do your best! If there are any issues with your image, there will be time for you to submit a new version.

Filename. Use your member number in the filename, along with the title of the image. Do not put your name in the filename. We are doing it this way, with blind submissions, because the art museum needs to curate/choose the images anonymously. If you only want one image in the exhibit, the member number will help the museum to choose one image per club member.

Submission Specs:
  • Your image must fit the Reflections theme. You must be a club member to participate in the exhibit. Dimensions: 2:3 or 3:2 (portrait or landscape). To be printed on aluminum at 12-inches x 18-inches. Send in JPG only (RGB). Try to have the longest side be a minimum of 3600px, but do NOT upsize. (Good: 3600×2400 Better: 4500×3000). It’s OK to submit up to five preliminary images. No watermarks on final image.

Deadline: Reflections submissions deadline has been extended to Monday, June 17th, 2019. Submissions will be posted in the club’s Smugmug gallery. You can email them to Ken. Use your member number in the filename. Use“Reflections submission” as the subject of your email. You can also submit by using the submission form. (Club members, check your email for the link).

Inclusion. Participating in club exhibits is one of the perks of Dubuque Camera Club membership. The exhibit is limited to club members in good standing ONLY. There will not be a call for artists and it is not open to the public. To participate, your club dues need to be paid for the current season AND, ideally, you need to pay your dues punctually in September when the new N4C season starts.

Cost. We hope to have (at least) one print chosen by each member who wishes to participate. They will be printed on metal, with estimated cost in the range of $50-80. Each participating photographer will need to decide how many prints they are willing to pay for, and whether they would be open to having multiple prints in the show. (There will be from 12 to 22 total prints chosen for the show.) The club will give each participating club member a financial subsidy of 50% of the cost of one print per club member. Those who have more than one print in the show will need to pay the full cost of the second (or third) print. We’re ordering as a group, and payment will be requested in advance, with exact details to be sent out by email.

Timeline. We will preview submissions during our June 3rd picnic (Submissions deadline has been extended to Monday, June 17th). Image selection will be made by museum staff this summer. (ONLY SEND IN PICTURES THAT YOU LIKE!) After selections are made, we will ask for final images. Payment will be due from participating club members, and then prints will be ordered as a group.

Paperwork. We will ask for biographical information (or a brief artist’s statement) for a brochure. Probably around 50 words per photographer. The museum will also need you to fill out an Incoming Loan Agreement.

These details may change as we move forward. For that reason, if you would like to participate in this year’s DuMA exhibit, it’s important for you to attend meetings and read your club emails.

Here is a Reflections timeline