Next meeting will be June 11th at 7pm at the Presbyterian Church in downtown Bowling Green (corner of State & 10th streets).

Grab some snacks, this is a long one. But it’s important, so jump in.

Vice President Tommy Hatcher took over the meeting this month for Janet, who was in England, taking many pictures, I’m sure. I think maybe a new challenge one month could be pictures taken while on vacation.

The meeting began with a slide presentation from Team Hatcher and put together by Howard Margolis. The title was In My Solitude. The variety of pictures were interesting showing perfectly how one topic can mean so many different things to different people.

Chris Gadbois is holding a class on Digital Asset Management this Saturday, the 18th at the Alive Center. It’s about setting up a workflow for your photos. Bring laptops if possible.

Jerry Rose has a class on Photoshop Elements at 5:30 on the 23rd of May at the Public Library.

We have a guest speaker next month, Barbara Markel-Thomas from The Gallery on the Square in Franklin. And on that note, if any of the members know someone who would be a good speaker for the club, please get in touch with Alan Reeves, who is the program director. This could be a gallery person, a photographer, teacher, framer, etc. Alan’s email is alanreeves@reevesfirst.com

Thanks to Gretchen Gilkey for the idea and implementation of her samples project. She asked members to bring in examples of items they’d gotten from different companies so we could all look and make comparison and maybe spend out money a little more carefully, with new knowledge. There were quite a lot of examples and it was a great idea and a big help.

Marsha Holm has items on display at the Stonehaven Gallery at Barren River Lodge.

The idea was put forth to drop the monthly challenge, leave the open category, and show pictures from each new group that is set up soon. After much discussion, it was decided that people liked both those challenges and want them to stay, so the decision was made to leave both challenges in each month as well as the pictures from each group. Our challenge topic for next month is Nature. Go with it. Try to think outside the box just a little…the opportunities here are vast. I might add that the next challenge will be Birds/Critters and since the time limit is 60 days you could be thinking and shooting for that, too, in these spring days.

What group, you ask.

There were people who were not into the current team concept, which was started to try and change things up, give members a chance to work more closely together with other members and learn more in the process. That seemed to be a common thread that was heard by many board members; that members felt they didn’t know enough to participate in outings or challenges because they just weren’t good enough Pshaw! I say. None of us are so exalted that we can’t learn from others, but a lot of folks feel better if they’re in a small group so they can ask questions without feeling “dumb” in front of the whole club.

Let me just say that I don’t think there is anyone in the club who feels like they are so great or so perfect that they can’t both share what they know and learn from others. There are things that some of us are not interested in that have been offered and some that haven’t been offered that we’d like to see. Thus, our new direction.

In that vein, we are revamping the team ideas in this manner. There will be groups. These groups will be formed by members with common interests. You decide which, and how many groups you want to be a part of, how long you want to stay in that group, how much you want to participate, etc. This way, you are not obliged to any group or activity, but have the option of many.

What are the groups, you ask.

I don’t know. That will come from the membership…and it will come to me. Send me your ideas for a group that you would like to see, be part of, and if you would feel qualified to lead said group. We are not going to put out the groups or the leaders. You are. It will take five people to form a group and that group will decide between them who the leader is going to be. The groups will meet and either work together, shoot together, plan outings, etc. Whatever that group needs. You can join one group, or many. It will depend on your free time. The leaders of the group will be responsible for getting some kind of very short program ready for the meetings, a few(2-5) pictures to talk about and show what your group has been doing. Those shows will make up our future meetings. We believe that members like to see other people’s pictures, get ideas, copy them or not, and share what they’ve learned. The longer presentations will be the club challenges and speakers, etc.

This way everyone should be able to fit into a group that hits their interest and maybe we’ll see more people willing to jump in and show their work, giving us all something to learn.

Now, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to tell me in an email what groups you’d like to see offered to the club. I will compile the list so that we can see how many there are, how many might want to be in them, who might want to lead them, and so on. the group idea can be very specific or more broad. By the next meeting we should be able to form groups and get started. So, I’ll be waiting to hear from you. Some possibilities are:

Fine Art/ Black and White/ Manipulated
Lightroom and Bridge
Photoshop/Elements
Studio Lighting
Studio Portraiture
Night Shooting
Nature –both Macro and Scenic
Model Shooting, outdoor
Railroad shooting
Photo Analysis
Animals
Archtitecture

Are there more ideas? Let me know. This is your chance to make this group work for you.

Now on to the upcoming shows. I am going to just copy Janet’s post and add some new names that we’ve gotten and ask if anyone would like to add to any of the three shows that are still open. Check this out…

 June 2013: B&J Gallery – Bowling Green, KY THIS ONE IS CLOSED.
o Sunny 16 Members’ Exhibition
o Deadline for framing by B&J Gallery is May 20
o B&J Gallery is offering a MEMBER’S ONLY 50% discount if you are participating in this gallery exhibition
o Delivery/Install date: Friday, May 24
o Pick-up details TBD
o Included in the June 7 Gallery Hop
o Artwork will be of local flare including, but not limited to regional barn and other scenics, regional landmarks and macros. Make it EXTRAORDINARY!
o There are a lot of Fountain Square pieces out there, ours will have to be totally EXTRAORDINARY to stop a viewer in their tracks.
o Framed no larger than 16×24 (slightly smaller would be ideal)
o Limited to 25 spots – First come-first serve. Let me know ASAP via email or message if you would like to participate
o A 20% commission will be charged on all pieces sold
o Participants: GRETCHEN GILKEY, CHRIS GADBOIS, LARRY BURNHAM, JULIE BARRICK, SHEILA REEVES, TOMMY HATCHER, SHEILA LUNTY, HOWARD MARGOLIS, THERESA SMITH, JENNY MOREHEAD, RIC FEDERICO, VALERIE POWELL, DOUGLAS HUMPHREY, DONN MIERTL, ALISON HOUK, GEORGE ZAKRZEWSKI, TONY WYCIHOWSKI, MIKE DOWELL, ERIN DENNY, KEITH BRIDGMAN and AMY ELLIS

 August 2013: Porter Cafe, WCPL – Bowling Green, KY THIS ONE IS OPEN.(Meaning there is room for more photos from members.)
o Sunny 16 Members’ Exhibition
o Delivery/Pick-up details TBD
o Limited to 25 spots – First come-first serve. Let me know ASAP
o Artwork is artist choice
o Framed no larger than 16×24 (slightly smaller would be ideal)
o No commission on sold artwork
o Participants: MELANIE HENDERSON, GRETCHEN GILKEY, CHRIS GADBOIS, LARRY BURNHAM, JULIE BARRICK, HOWARD MARGOLIS, JENNY MOREHEAD, DOUGLAS HUMPHREY, DONN MIERTL, TONY WYCIHOWSKI, TOMMY HATCHER, HACK McCAULEY , SHANNON HICKEY, ALISON HOUK, and AMY ELLIS

 August 2013: The Presbyterian Church Gallery – Bowling Green, KY THIS ONE IS OPEN.
o Sunny 16 Members’ Exhibition
o Delivery/Pick-up details TBD
o Included in the August 9 Gallery Hop
o Artwork is artist choice
o Framed no larger than 20×30
o No commission on sold artwork
o Participants: GRETCHEN GILKEY, LARRY BURNHAM, JULIE BARRICK, CHEREE FEDERICO, HOWARD MARGOLIS, JENNY MOREHEAD, RIC FEDERICO, VALERIE POWELL, DONN MIERTL, ALAN REEVES, CHRIS GADBOIS, THERESA SMITH, SHEILA REEVES, DOUGLAS HUMPHREY, TONY WYCIHOWSKI, TOMMY HATCHER, HACK McCAULEY, AMY ELLIS, ALISON HOUK, SHANNON HICKEY, MIKE INGRAM, and JANET YOUNG

 August 5 – September 20, 2013: SKyPAC Houchens Gallery – Bowling Green, KY THIS ONE IS OPEN.
o Sunny 16 Members’ Exhibition
o Exhibit Title: “Array of Life”
 It takes all kinds to make the world go ‘round…different nationalities, the abled to the disabled, the less fortunate to the rich, the happy to the sad, our animals…you catch my drift. We’re looking for a very powerful show. Not just technically sound photographs, but ones that tell a story, evoke emotion and leave our viewers with a feeling of “WOW”.
o Delivery/Pick-up details TBD
o Included in the August 9 Gallery Hop
o I will need to have an Artist Statement, Artist Biography, Digital Print of your Works being submitted to exhibition, and signed liability releases from each participant (I will provide to you later)
o Please let me know as soon as you decide to participate and we can work on photo selection together
o We are putting our ABSOLUTE best foot forward on this exhibition
o Artwork will be gallery framed, and also include canvas or metal
o Displayed no larger than 20×30″
o A 40% commission will be charged on all pieces sold
o Participants: MELANIE HENDERSON, GRETCHEN GILKEY, LARRY BURNHAM, CHEREE FEDERICO, HOWARD MARGOLIS, JENNY MOREHEAD, VALERIE POWELL, DONN MIERTL, MIKE INGRAM, THERESA SMITH, CHRIS GADBOIS, GEORGE ZAKRZEWSKI, DOUGLAS HUMPHREY, SHEILA REEVES, ALISON HOUK, TONY WYCIHOWSKI, TOMMY HATCHER, BILL DOW, ERIN DENNY, KEITH BRIDGMAN, JULIE BARRICK, HACK McCAULEY, BILL HARRIGAN, ALAN REEVES, AMY ELLIS, RIC FEDERICO, MIKE INGRAM, and JANET YOUNG

What do you all think? Good direction for the club? Good ideas? Can you find an interest group or two or more, a challenge you want to participate in, or a show you want to contribute to as a member?

What did I forget?

Alison Houk
Secretary
Sunny 16 Camera Club

We have three new members: Bill Pfohl, Jessica Martin and Amber Bellak. Welcome!

Four of our members participated in the “Women in the Arts” juried exhibit at the Medical Center.  Participating were Sheila Reeves, Marsha Holm, Cheree Federico and Janet Young.  Congratulations to Sheila and Cheree for winning Merit Awards.  Their winning photographs are now on display at the Women’s Center.

Team Bridgman gave their slide presentation.  Their topics for the photos were Wind and Jumping Light. Very interesting variety of pictures using light in different ways for dramatic effect.

Hack McCauley gave a presentation from Dry Fork Gorge where he, Barry Freas and Keith Bridgman traveled for a field trip. Their pictures were full of textures, movement and the subtleties of color.

An upcoming field trip is planned to Lexington on April 26-27. Some are traveling up for the last day of racing on Friday and others are going up after work. The plan is to shoot sunrise at Keeneland, possible morning workouts on the track, horses in the barn area and breakfast at the Track Kitchen.  After that, we’ll travel to the Lexington Cemetery which is reportedly beautiful.  There are other opportunities which are listed here:

Suggested Routes for Lexington Photography Outing:
I.  Keeneland

Lexington Cemetery

Equus Run Vineyards (Midway, KY)

Salato Wildlife Center (Frankfort, KY)

II.  Keeneland

Lexington Cemetery

Kentucky Horse Park

Historic Downtown Georgetown

III.  Keeneland

Lexington Cemetery

Raven Run Nature Sanctuary

Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill (Harrodsburg, KY)

IV.  Keeneland

Lexington Cemetery

Wild Turkey Distillery (Lawrenceburg, KY)

In preparation for our “Illustrative Photography” challenge category due May 5, a short presentation was given to elaborate.  We will be looking for a composition that tells a story or evokes an emotion.  You may put a caption on it, or not, and several members can assist with this editing process.

There followed a panel discussion on photo analysis.  Photos were displayed and discussed by the panel and members from the club. Examples of use of light, depth of field, rule of thirds, light and shadow, symmetry, zoom, crop and textures all discussed.

The Challenge pictures were displayed and discussed. “Sky” was the category. There were many gorgeous pictures at different times of day, light and dark, moonlight and bright skies. The open category had very varied and interesting techniques, and backgrounds.

In summary, it was a very informative night with, we hope, a lot of sharing and learning involved.

Marsha Holm has photographs at the Stonehaven Gallery at Barren River State Resort Park through May 9.

There is a workshop on Photoshop Elements on Thursday, the 25th, from 5:30-7:30 at the main branch conference room of the WC Public Library.

Alison Houk
Secretary
Sunny 16 Camera Club

Janet began the meeting by discussing the current exhibit taking place at the WKU Kentucky Museum. The U.S Bank “Celebration of the Arts” is going on now through April 6. Several members are exhibiting in this show.

Another notable show coming up in April is the Medical Center’s “Women in the Arts”. For women participants only and one not to be missed.

The Shooting Stars team presented their show on Love. The title was “The Language of Love”. Eleven members of the team participated and the pictures were lovely in several categories that all fell under…love.

Janet Young announced the next monthly challenge category, “Sky or Skies”. The challenge photos must be posted by March 31 and capture time frame is February 3 – March 31. There is no capture time frame on the Open Category.

Our main program was on Photographing the Night Sky. Janet began the program, by talking about the equipment needed for such a task. Necessities include a sturdy tripod, wireless or cable shutter release (or use your camera’s timer), wide-angle lens (in manual mode) and lens hood. Take care in knowing your surroundings so that your camera is secure when left unattended. Even the slightest brush-up against the tripod leg can cause movement in a long exposure.

Before speaking on the Night Sky, Keith Bridgman gave us a bonus, by speaking on how to photograph the sky at different times and pushing the white balance Kelvin temperature up to create a dramatic feel. His night sky presentation was very interesting and informative complete with example photographs and
technical information.

Donn Miertl discussed the 3rd Saturday meeting at the Alive Center, where the March 16 topic was the Exposure Triangle. Members were “exposed” to Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO and White Balance.

The March challenge category was “People and Portraits” and was presented along with a question/answer/discussion session. These photographs can be viewed on our website.

Janet presented information about our members’ exhibition at SKyPAC. This takes place in August as part of the August Gallery Hop. The title is “Array of Life”. She gave many examples of the varied kinds of photos that can be included in the show. People and animals will be our main subjects. All kinds, showing emotion, cultures, old and young, models, people in the work force, etc…

Janet is in the process of signing members up for our 2013 member exhibitions. The schedule includes B&J Gallery in June, Porter Café (WCPL) in August, The Presbyterian Church Gallery, as part of the Gallery Hop in August and SkYPAC also part of the August Gallery Hop.

Teams met during the last minutes of the meeting to discuss their plans, photos and have bonding time.

Alison

Alison Houk
Secretary