♦♦♦ 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.
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
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.
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.]
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 Meeting
Agenda
1st Monday
Submissions due/Submissions & Returns
3rd Monday
Judging/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 Date
Category
Can’t Submit
Submit Double (16 per club)
September 16, 2019
Nature (DN)
No DN in Sept.
Double in Oct.
February 17, 2020
Pictorial (DP)
No DP in Feb.
Double in Jan.
May 18, 2020
Travel (DT)
No DT in May
Double in April
Our club will judge Digital Travel at the meeting on Monday, April 15th @ 6:30 p.m.
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.
About 45 people attended the Dubuque Camera Club meeting on March 18, 2019. What a nice crowd!
Dubuque Camera Club meeting on March 18, 2019. Histogram Magic presentation by Henry Mattheissen III. Photo by Amy Laskye.
Our speaker for the evening was Henry Matthiessen III, from Stoned Art Studio in rural Galena. He shared a few of his original photos during a three-part presentation:
The Magic of the Histogram
Black Rock Desert: A Photo Study of Nothing
A Day in the Driftless Region
We learned helpful tips about stretching out the tonality of an image, and heard about the perils of photo expeditions to the desert! More than one person in the audience was spied taking notes (F/9, 1/125, ISO 100).
The storm chasers present were intrigued by Henry’s panoramic images of cloud formations. Not only does he bring out the dramatic range of an image by using his camera’s built-in histogram, he also emphasizes the sky by using a two-stop graduated neutral density filter. These techniques result in some nice pictures!
Thanks to Henry for sharing his photography expertise during tonight’s meeting!
N4C stuff
Panoramic Print Competition. The N4C will be judging panoramic prints during the upcoming spring mini-con in Indianola on May 3-5. If you would like to enter (one entry is allowed per person), contact Ron or Jennifer. They will be taking print entries to the event (prints must be of a size to fit in their vehicle).
N4C rules for Panorama Print Annual Contest: 1. A Panorama print is considered to be a photographic print with an aspect ratio greater than 2:1 with no square inch limitation. 2. Open contest, any subject, mode or process, color or Black & White, one entry per member.
Photo essays and Video essays will also be shown during the mini-con. Our club has never(?) entered either one of these annual competitions before, so if you want to be an innovator, please step up. These two categories are submitted digitally. Complete rules are in the February N4C bulletin.Deadline is March 31.
If you would like to go to the mini-con, you must mail your registration by April 17. Complete info is on the N4C website. Be sure to read the Feb. and March N4C bulletins on their website because they also contain pertinent info.
Member news & other stuff…
If you read 365ink magazine, you may have noticed they have begun to use a social media hashtag to gather image submissions for their regular photo page. If you have taken local event photos that you want to bring to their attention, when you post them to Facebook or Instagram, use the hashtag #my365ink.
On the other hand, if you get a hankering to submit a photo to appear in the Telegraph-Herald (they run a lot of backyard bird photos), here is the link to Pix & Flix.
Club member Jesse Green has invested in a mirrorless camera and is starting to take pictures. The camera’s monitor is a pleasure to look at! In addition to showing off his new toy at the meeting, Jesse has posted several images to the club’s Facebook group.
Club member José Garcia is making an awesome leap in his photography career! Some of his photos will appear in an upcoming issue of Photography Masterclass magazine. On Instagram, he has been noticed five times (so far) by the official Canon USA Instagram account. This has led to an opportunity to be part of the new Canon USA Ambassador program. He will travel to other midwestern cities to lead workshops on portraits, astro-photography, landscapes, and off-camera flash portraits. Congratulations, José!
Online photo sharing (via Flickr) also led to an opportunity for club member Pamela Brandt. She was asked to contribute images to a commemorative book of photos and essays that will celebrate the first hundred years of Iowa State Parks, 1920-2020. The book will be available at the end of the year, with proceeds going to state parks projects.
We recently learned that Andreas Exner, who gave a presentation on Storytelling in Wildlife Photography a few weeks ago, was mentioned in the Feb. 2019 issue of the Belltower, the student newspaper at the University of Dubuque. The complete issue is here.
A photo from club member Debbie Denlinger appeared under “Write the Caption” in the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald on Sunday, March 31 (p. 21A). What a cute image, Debbie!
The April-May 2019 issue of Our Iowa magazine contains a photo by club member Robert Felderman. It is also up for an award. You can vote by sending an email to hotline@OurIowaMagazine.com and letting them know that PHOTO NUMBER FOUR is your top choice!
“Taps at Sundown,” by Robert Felderman, in the April-May 2019 issue of Our Iowa magazine.
Do you have photography-related news or events to share here? Please let Pamela know! After all, “None of us is more than all of us”!
Upcoming meetings
April 1, 6:30 p.m. — Club meeting. N4C submissions are due before the meeting. No Travel submissions this month.
April 15, 6:30 p.m. — Club meeting. Our club will judge Digital Travel (DT). We will have refreshments! Please attend!
May 3-5 — N4C mini-con at Wesley Woods, Indianola, IA. More info here. Contact Ron or Jennifer if you want to submit panoramic prints.
May 6 — Club meeting. N4C submissions due. We can submit double DT.
May 20 — Club meeting. Presentation or workshop, TBD.
June 3rd, 6:00 p.m. — Annual picnic. Open to club members only. Last meeting of the regular N4C season. “Reflection” submissions are due.
FIND MORE INFORMATION about upcoming photography-related events on the EVENTS PAGE.
