The Dubuque Camera Club meeting on February 18, 2019, was attended by 19 people. Our club judged 112 photos from other clubs in the Digital Black and White category of the monthly N4C competition. Bob Felderman, Andreas Exner, and Kevin McTague served as judges. Ron Tigges, Ken Kiss, and Cara Pusateri also helped with the judging process.

Using N4C competition rules, photos are judged on the basis of Technique, Composition, and Interest, with a maximum score of 5 from each judge, in each area. The hypothetical perfect photo would score 45 like this:

In the B&W category, duo-tone or sepia images are fine. Images that are sized at 1920x1080px will fill up a widescreen monitor with a 16:9 aspect ratio. To learn more about N4C rules, visit the competition page on the N4C website.

How to enhance a photo’s composition

It was very clear from the photos we looked at during judging that a photographer should always crop to enhance the composition. When judges are looking at over 100 photos, those that are composed carelessly are passed over. The choices that you make while cropping can make or break an image.

For instance, look at the edges of your photo. Are tree branches framing the subject in a good way, or will the viewer perceive them as protruding obnoxiously into the composition? If so, crop out or erase the offending items. One option is to use the Spot Removal Tool in Lightroom.

When you crop, consider symmetry and leading lines. (Remember, there’s more than one kind of symmetry.) In Lightroom, when you are cropping an image, press the letter O on your keyboard to cycle between crop overlay grids (rule of thirds, golden spiral, etc.) This will help you to enhance your image’s composition for the best effect. Click here to learn more about how to do this in Adobe Lightroom Classic.

When you are selecting among your images, remember that no matter how cute or adorable that snapshot of your pet or farm animal is, it’s still a snapshot. Likewise, an interesting subject that is portrayed from a poor angle will not stand up in competition. Be very cautious about putting the horizon line smack dab in the exact center of your picture. And don’t over-sharpen or over-process!

The best photos result when a photographer takes the time to be thoughtful about how the subject is portrayed. And don’t give up! Sometimes, the likes or dislikes of individual judges make all the difference. For example, an all-male judging panel, because of their idiosyncratic likes and dislikes, may utterly dismiss an exquisite and well-lit flower, yet irrationally give fives to a naked lady hood ornament!!! (This is a hypothetical example, of course… Just saying.)

The club took an intermission at or around the 62nd photo so that Ron could thumb-wrestle with projection technology. He was able to untangle the problem so that judging could continue. Thanks to everyone who attended the meeting!

Upcoming meetings

► On Sunday, March 3rd at 1:00 p.m., club member Andreas Exner will give his presentation on Storytelling in Wildlife Photography. This presentation was rescheduled from an earlier date due to weather. Learn more here.

► The next Dubuque Camera Club meeting will be on Monday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m. Send in your N4C submissions by or before the meeting. Specifics are in past emails to club members. Because we judged this month, our club can submit double B&W in March. The club is planning to discuss mirrorless cameras. These innovative new cameras are an alternative to DSLR. If you have an interest or expertise in this topic, please contact club president Ronald Tigges and/or plan to attend this club meeting!

► At the meeting on Monday, March 18, we will enjoy a presentation from Henry Matthiessen III about the Magic of the Histogram. The public is invited. Learn more here.

Finding Your Light

The Des Moines Camera Club will host the 2019 N4C convention, Finding Your Light, from Sept. 19-21. The event will be held at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel, located at 1800 50th St. in West Des Moines, Iowa 50266.

Keynote speakers will be Don Komarechka and David Thoreson. Click here to learn more about them.

For more details and registration materials, visit the Des Moines Camera Club website.  You can also follow the Finding Your Light page on Facebook.

Other photography news

• DSO concert photos. In other news, a few club members have had their original digital photos used in a photography slideshow during a Dubuque Symphony Orchestra concert this year. (Congrats!)

• DAWG. The Dubuque Area Writers Guild is accepting black and white photos for its annual anthology, which will be released at DubuqueFest in May. Submit by email by April 1st. More info here.

• Twin Cities opp. A group of photography clubs in the Twin Cities sponsors an annual “Spring Break” event with a full day of photography tips and presentations. It will be held on March 30, 2019, with registration due in advance. More info here.

• Nature field trips. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin sponsors a LOT of field trips throughout the year, some of them within a reasonable driving distance from Dubuque. In 2019, three field trips are specifically for photography — although you can probably take pictures on all of them. They also sponsor an annual photo contest which is limited to photos taken during these field trips. You must be a member of the organization to register (membership is $25). See their 2019 Field Trip Guidebook.

• N4C Mini-con. In addition to the big annual fall convention which our club hosted last year (Blufftops & Visions), the N4C organizes an annual mini-convention. It will be held May 3-5, 2019 in rural Indianola, Iowa. You must register by April 17. More info on the events page.

The Dubuque Camera Club meeting on February 4, 2019 was attended by 21 people. Club president Ronald Tigges shared final numbers from the Blufftops & Visions convention that we hosted here in Dubuque in September 2018.

Blufftops & Visions was attended by 130 people from 11 states. One-third of the registrations were digital transactions. Our club pioneered the use of online registrations for the annual N4C convention. The three most popular events were opening night (attended by 73 people), the Millwork & Models photo shoot (70 participants), and the American Lady river cruise (78 participants).

After remitting the required 25% of the financial proceeds from Blufftops & Visions to the N4C board, we have a positive bank balance to potentially spend on something that club members would like to see, try, or do.

Here are some suggestions that were mentioned at the meeting:

• Bring in a speaker. For instance, bring back one of the keynote speakers from Blufftops & Visions to lead a night photo shoot this summer. Horseshoe Mound was suggested as a potential location. We would need to collaborate with JDCF.
• Subsidize the cost of prints for club exhibits. Provide a subsidy to club members who have a print selected for our upcoming exhibit at the Dubuque Museum of Art. [NOTE: We need to select a theme for this exhibit. Long exposures is a tentative theme that was suggested at the meeting.]
• Purchase photography equipment that can be shared between club members. An image sensor cleaner was suggested. Other ideas…?

If you have thoughts on these ideas or other suggestions for the use of club funds, contact Ron or bring it up at a future meeting.

Imaging USA outbrief from General Bob

As the highlight of the evening, Dubuque Camera Club member Robert Felderman of General Bob Photography gave a recap of this year’s national PPA convention, Imaging USA, which he and his wife, Nancy, attended in Atlanta in January.

It was a massive event, with over 10,000 attendees, over 2,000 trade show booths, and countless classes and workshops. Photo critiques, awards programs, and parties with endless buffets!

General Bob shared a slideshow of smartphone pictures that he captured in the trade show area, or during the convention. Much information at Imaging USA was pertinent to the business side of photography. Hot trends in the world of professional photography include flat studio lighting and mirrorless cameras. Metal and acrylic prints are also popular.

The badges worn by convention participants showed their areas of expertise, and some individual wore badges that almost reached the floor! Noteworthy photographers that were present included Peter Hurley, who gives classes for KelbyOne, and who was at the convention to present for Canon. In addition to the scheduled classes, there were many impromptu photography presentations or equipment demonstrations at the vendor booths.

“A good 25% of the people I talked to only knew how to shoot in automatic… at this professional photography convention!” — General Bob

Trade show vendors included Canon Professional Services (CPS), Tamron, American Color Imaging (ACI) from Cedar Falls, Iowa, and many more. There were wares for sale from vendors who specialize in printing or display, backdrops, studio equipment, or other photography-related areas. Lots of eye candy from a couple of international photo contests. One software maker claimed to have the secret to fix any blurry image. And the line to purchase gear for taking baby pictures was extremely long!

In January 2020 the national PPA convention will be held in Nashville, Tennessee. Convention registration (in the $300 range) is free if you are a PPA member. Thank you, General Bob, for this outstanding outbrief of Imaging USA!

N4C returns

At tonight’s club meeting, we also went over returns from the January 2019 N4C competition. Our club took home several merit awards and honorable mentions. Congratulations to the following photographers!

• Casey Klein
• Ken Kiss
• Eleanor Schueller
• Kevin McTague
• David Smethers
• Cory Huntington
• Robert Felderman

Next Meeting: Judging B&W

Our club will judge the Digital Black and White category of the N4C competition at the next meeting on Monday, February 18 at 6:30 p.m. Three experienced club members will be needed as judges. You should have been a club member for at least 6 months to volunteer as a judge.

“It is a night where we get to look at a LOT of pictures. I always think it’s a pretty fun night.” — John L.

Black and White photos are judged on the basis of Technique, Composition, and Interest. Audience members will have a lot of images to look at, so be sure to attend! See the N4C Winners Galleries for past winners in the Black and White category.

“It’s so helpful to come and watch this, and the photos are amazing.” — Casey K.

The Dubuque Camera Club meeting on January 21, 2019, was attended by 15 people. We welcomed two first-time attendees, Beth, who is interested in portrait photography, and Debbie, who claims to be a hobbyist.

I wasn’t sure what that word meant so I checked the dictionary. A “hobby” is when somebody pursues an activity or interest for pleasure or relaxation and not as a job. Probably quite a few of us in the club could identify with that.

Yet many club members have also exhibited or sold prints. Several of us have taken senior pictures or have even photographed weddings. A few have operated photo studios. To tell you the truth, I’m not really clear where the boundary is, between amateur hobbyists and everybody else.

Intense creativity and talent comes out of both amateur and  professional photographers. In fact, people have been quibbling for a long time over the difference between them.

One of the most popular nature photo contests in the country, the Audubon Photography Awards, nails down the difference with an exact number. According to their 2019 rules, if you earn over $5,000 per calendar year with your photography, you are a professional. If you earn $4,999.99 or less, you are an amateur. (This is Audubon’s definition — the IRS is an entirely different bird).

Some of us have a ways to go before being eligible to compete as a professional. But speaking as a photographer that is still learning, who knows what the future may hold…? Maybe we should think of this difference between amateur hobbyist and professional as reflecting a spectrum of skills and experience. After all, continuing to learn helps to keep photography fun.

One of the advantages of being part of the Dubuque Camera Club is that it gives more technically skilled and experienced photographers the opportunity to share with other enthusiasts. (Shhhh, don’t tell them, but every teacher knows that teaching a subject is the best way to learn it thoroughly yourself.)

During the flash photography workshop at tonight’s meeting, Andreas Exner set up his tripod and gear, and discussed how he uses flash with a long lens in the field. Club president Ron Tigges tagteamed Greg Nauman to demonstrate magnetic diffusers and various other gadgetry for light modification. Much discussion ensued between attendees about technique, gear, and the secrets of taking excellent pictures by manipulating the lighting.

Thanks to everyone who contributed or attended tonight’s photography workshop!

Upcoming schedule

♦ Next meeting: Monday, February 4, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. General Bob Felderman will give an outbrief on this year’s national PPA convention, ImagingUSA.
We will also go over submissions and returns. N4C competition submissions are due before the meeting. No Black & White submissions, because we will be judging that category at the following meeting.

♦ Monday, February 18. Our club will judge the Digital Black and White category of the N4C competition. Three volunteer judges will be dragged to the front of the room, kicking and screaming (joking!). Those who attend with more convincing alibis will be able to look at the photos from the safety of the audience (and make it home before their bedtime!… only partially joking!).

♦ Saturday, February 23, @ 1:30 p.m. Bereavement Photography Training at Mercy Hospital in Dubuque (6th floor conference room). In this two-hour training session, sponsored by the Iowa chapter of the Star Legacy Foundation, you can learn how to help grieving families. Volunteer photographers must be able to come to the hospital within two hours of an infant death or pregnancy loss. RSVP on their Facebook event. Be aware that this opportunity is not suitable for everyone.

♦ Sunday, February 24 @ 1:00 p.m. Sunday, March 3rd @ 1:00 p.m. Dubuque Camera Club member Andreas Exner will repeat his presentation on Storytelling in Wildlife Photography.  In case that rare person in a million is tired of looking at his awesome pictures (yeah, right!), Andreas has promised to replace a few with different pictures that are similarly awesome. If you missed this presentation last year, here’s your chance! Location: E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center, Mines of Spain. Free and open to the public. NOTE: This program was rescheduled for March 3rd due to weather.

♦ Monday, March 4 @ 6:30 p.m. Club meeting. N4C submissions are due before the meeting. We can submit double black and white.

♦ Other learning opportunities.   UW-Platteville Continuing Education has some interesting photography classes coming up. Photography classes are listed on their website under enrichment. There is a charge for tuition and some classes are held at other locations. Click here to learn more.

♦ Just announced:  Monday, March 18 @ 6:30 p.m. “The Magic of the Histogram”.  Henry Matthiessen III from Stoned Art Studio in northwest Illinois will take you on a visual journey to Black Rock Desert. He will also share original images taken here in the Driftless Area, along with tips and techniques that you can apply to your own photography. Free and open to the public.

The first Dubuque Camera Club meeting of the New Year was held on Monday, January 7, 2019. It was attended by 21 people. We were delighted to welcome several new members from the Galena area. Thanks for coming, Marie, Karen, Tim, Richard, Celeste, and Henry. We hope to see you again soon!

Remember, if you are not yet receiving club emails, but wish to, give your email address to Pamela or to another club officer during a meeting. We use email to communicate, and to send out detailed reminders of upcoming events. If you are interested in joining the club, please know that one perk of membership is being able to submit your photos to the monthly N4C competition. Click here for a membership application.

At tonight’s meeting, after everybody in attendance introduced themselves, club president Ron Tigges gave a quick overview of how our club works. We meet twice a month in an N4C season that runs from September through May, with activities planned throughout the year, based on the interest of participating photographers. As a club, we’ve participated in photo shoots, workshops and presentations.

Our club has been featured in an annual exhibit at the Dubuque Museum of Art for the past six years. We have also exhibited at the Carnegie-Stout Public Library for Art@Your Library, and have been part of Dubuque Main Street’s Fall Into Art, as well as the Dubuque Bald Eagle Watch, which is sponsored by the Dubuque Audubon Society. [This year’s Eagle Watch will be held on January 19th.] 

In September 2018 the Dubuque Camera Club hosted around 120 visitors to Dubuque for the 62nd annual N4C convention, Blufftops & Visions. If you would like to see Blufftops & Visions event photos, visit this gallery.

Our club belongs to the N4C, a group of 37 midwestern photography clubs. We compete in the following six digital categories:

• DA – Altered Reality (was Digital Creative) [For your Photoshopped creations, the wilder the better].
• DN – Nature [No “hand of man” or commonly cultivated plants].
• DJ – Journalism  [Judged using different criteria].
• DT – Travel [Must have the city/state or specific location in the filename].
• DB – Black and White  [Sepia or duo-tone is OK].
• DP – Pictorial  [A catchall category for appealing photos that don’t fit elsewhere].

A competition photo should be no more than 1920 pixels on its longest side. For the best appearance, Ron suggests sizing your photos at 1920×1080, which is a 16:9 aspect ratio for widescreen displays. However, it is acceptable to submit a square photo that is 1920x1920px. File size is limited to 750KB.

To learn more about specific guidelines for N4C submissions, visit their web page.  If you are looking for a step-by-step tutorial for how to export your submissions in Lightroom, click here for a five-minute video.  If you want to know what filename to use for your competition images, click here. You can also find hints on our competition page.

Know your club member number, because it is yours forever, even if you disappear for a looongg stretch of time, such as to Florida or into the mountains (or shopping in Galena?). You must have your club dues paid up-to-date to be eligible to submit ($20 annually). Here is a link to our Smugmug site where you can see past club submissions.

Submissions are due before our first meeting each month. [If you would like to submit to the next competition, the deadline is February 4, 2019]. With the exception of Nature and Black and White, which are sent to Ken Kiss, send your submissions by email to Cara Pusateri. (Confused? Read club emails or follow our Facebook group.)

This just in…

One question raised at the meeting was whether we will be exhibiting at the Dubuque Museum of Art in 2019. The answer is YES!!!  However, in order to make this show into a reality, we will need volunteers to help and assist. First, as a club, we need to decide on a theme.  This is very important because a theme will guide and focus the whole exhibit.

In addition, someone needs to assist with the many organizing details, such as accepting submissions, facilitating curation, getting prints made, collecting payment, delivering, and taking down the show. We will be discussing these ideas at future meetings.

Weekly Photo Challenge

The Black Hills Photography Club has been drumming up participation in their Facebook group by posting weekly photo challenges. In addition, Petapixel recently posted a list of 52 photo challenges for the new year. At the meeting, we took a vote on doing the same type of activity in the Dubuque Camera Club’s Facebook group. There was a lot of interest from club members, so look for future opportunities to participate in similar photo challenges!

Upcoming club events

• Thursday, January 10 @6:00 p.m. Wild Bird Photography. Presentation by Ron Tigges, Ken Kiss, and Kevin McTeague. More info here.
• Saturday, January 19, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dubuque Bald Eagle Watch at the Grand River Center. More info here.
• Monday, January 21 @6:30 p.m. Club meeting.
  The agenda will be a flash/lighting workshop, so bring your gear.  Contact Ron if you have questions.
• Monday, Feb. 4 @6:30 p.m. Club meeting. Submissions are due before the meeting. No Black and White submissions.
• Monday, Feb. 18 @6:30 p.m. Club meeting. Our club will judge the Digital Black and White category of the N4C competition.
  Three “volunteer” club members will be needed as judges. There are always a lot of terrific photos for audience members to enjoy and learn from, so be sure to attend!
• Sunday, Feb. 24 @1:00 p.m. Storytelling in Wildlife Photography. Club member Andreas Exner will share his presentation again. If you missed it in November, here’s your chance to enjoy his many lovely nature images and photography tips.

Other photography events & contests

♦ Broad Ideas submission deadline: Feb 8th. Women are so often talked down or overlooked in groups, especially in the realm of photography, where the loudest voice and the snazziest expensive equipment prevails. You can tell your story in a special exhibit at The Galena Center for the Arts. Last year, two of our club members participated. You can enter up to three pieces of artwork (i.e. prints). No cost to enter. Visit the Broad Ideas website to learn more.

♦ Bereavement Photography Training.  The Iowa Chapter of Star Legacy Foundation is building a volunteer base made up of photographers willing to come to the hospital and take photographs when a family has lost an infant. They will be offering a training on Feb. 23rd. Learn more from their event on Facebook.

♦ DuMA Biennial. Deadline: March 14, 2019.  If you are ready to enter your prints in a juried show, consider the Dubuque Museum of Art Biennial. There is a charge to enter. More info on the museum website.

♦ Audubon Photography Awards. If you’re sitting on some world-class bird photos and are ready to compete with the big boys for serious cash prizes, consider entering the National Audubon Society’s competition. The birds must have been photographed ethically. Deadline: April 8, 2019. More info on their website.

♦ N4C Mini-Con, May 3-5, 2019, in rural Indianola. In addition to the big annual convention, the N4C also sponsors a “mini” convention. In 2019 it will be held in a natural area called Wesley Woods, located south of Des Moines. Dorm rooms will be available onsite, or you can camp or stay at a hotel. Mark it on your calendar and watch the N4C website or bulletin for more details TBA.

♦ Wildflower photography/videography. If you like nature photography and would like to know more about native wildflowers, you will enjoy a current exhibit in the Galena Center for the Arts. Richard Pearce carried a full-size scanner into the woods and prairies in order to capture the details of midwestern native plants in bloom. As a result, his prints are exquisite. Recommended for nature photographers who wish to learn more about wildflowers in our area. Click here for more about Richard Pearce.