News of the
Camera Club of Richmond

AUGUST 2009

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COMING UP...

The meetings on September 9^th and October 14^th will both be evaluation sessions. There is no assigned topic for the September meeting, so you may enter up to four photos of any kind or subject. "AGRICULTURE"  is the assigned topic for the October meeting, so you've got ten weeks to come up with suitably related pictures. As always, you may submit just one  picture in the assigned category; however, in addition you may enter up to four  other photos of any kind on any subject.  Digital entries may be submitted through Saturday evening, September 5^th, for the September session, and through Saturday evening, October 10^th, for the October session. See the “Evaluations” page on this website for details.  

A FEW WORDS FROM OUR PRESIDENT

August is usually a wonderful month in the summer to get out and take some interesting photos.  There are usually many activities taking place around town and the James River and county parks provide interesting vistas of the river and opportunity to engage with nature.  Check out the August calendar to see the scheduled photo walks for this month.

            The trip to the Richmond Zoo was fun for those who attended.  I counted at least thirteen members in attendance, but there may have been more since everyone was walking about and doing much of their own thing.  I am not real keen on photographing animals in captivity, but there were many fun photos that could be taken at some of the enclosures.  If you have never been to the zoo, you might want to go.  It is quite nice for the size of our community.

            Under normal circumstance, I would be leading some photo walks during this time of the year.  But my health issues have prevented that.  I hope that when some stability returns to my life that I will be able to resume those walks..  For me, that is what membership in the club is all about…the opportunity to get out with friends and make some nice photographs in the process.

            In September, I will be asking for three members to volunteer to serve on the nominating committee to select a slate of officers for next year.  It is good for the club to have newer members become involved with club activities.  We have a few new members serving on the board this year and they have contributed greatly to the new direction in which the club is moving.  So when I ask for volunteers, I hope to see some members step forward for this task.  It really is not a difficult committee on which to serve!

            Have a great August, get out and take some photos, and enjoy yourself!

            --Greg Pels

ZOO SHOOT, JULY 25^th

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, perfect for a day at the Zoo with a camera or two. A dozen or so faithful members showed up in Moseley to take advantage of a beautiful day and a great opportunity to snap a few pics of animals we don't usually get a chance to see. It was my first time to the Richmond Metro Zoo, as it was for some others, and we weren't disappointed. For a relatively small park, they have a pretty good selection of animals, all of whom appeared to be healthy and active. They have a surprising(?) number of native North American specimens, including elk, antelope, and American bison, and the usual cast of foreign characters such as giraffes, rhinos and, of course, monkeys. Australia was represented by a gang of kangaroos, while a clutch of penguins waved the flag for Antarctica. I wonder what they think of temps in the 80's and 90's in Virginia compared to their native habitat! As the heat of the day increased, the residents were inclined to seek shelter from the sun in their sheds and pens, and with brow dripping sweat, I opted to do likewise. I'm looking forward to the next photo op; see you there!

I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE... Anybody? Hello?

To keep the Newsletter portion of the CCR website alive and interesting, we need your input. Do you have a special interest related to photography? Have you bought or built some nifty gadget to improve your picture taking? Developed some esoteric technique to capture your subject? Experimented with a fantastic new camera? We’d like to hear about it and share it with the rest of the membership. Submit a brief write-up and we’ll see about putting in “the next issue” of Southern Exposure. E:mail it to publications@cameraclubofrichmond.com

BEST-SELLING CAMERAS AS OF 31 JULY 2009 (for what it's worth...)

JULY EVALUATION PHOTOS (in no particular order)

EVOLUTION OF A PHOTOGRAPHER
Look familiar?

WORKSHOPS, CLASSES, SEMINARS, CONTESTS AND WHAT-HAVE-YOU

Joseph Rossbach Photography:

One Day Workshops 

(Catching up with the) NEW MEMBERS -- WELCOME!    (Even up, Canon vs Nikon!)

HOW TO TAKE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES OF YOUR GARDEN

PRINCE GEORGE Mark Ragland waited patiently for a butterfly to perch on top of a purple coneflower before pressing the shutter button on his camera. With a "snap," he captured the perfect image -- a close-up shot taken on a slightly overcast morning after an evening rain.

"In the early morning and late afternoon, the sun is at an angle and you get really deep shadows that add more interest," Ragland said. "Direct sunlight can be so intense that it fades everything out."

Ragland, a home-based employee of Diebold self-service and security company, is a self-taught garden photography expert. He has held seminars for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Maymont and the Old Dominion Herb Society and presented slide shows of his images for numerous area garden clubs and other groups. He directs his talks at the "point-and-shoot" crowd -- no knowledge of aperture or shutter speed necessary.

"A lot of people think if you don't own a really expensive camera, you can't take good pictures," said Ragland, who uses a Nikon D80. "They think it's the expensive camera that takes the great picture, but it's you that takes the good picture." To prove his point, he shares ahh-inspiring images that he took with a $15 Kodak.

For inspiration, Ragland simply steps outside his door. Ragland, his partner, Scott Norton, and three cats share a home on six lusciously landscaped acres in a heavily wooded country setting in Prince George County. Two acres are dedicated to gardens -- a kitchen garden, formal herb garden, water garden, tranquility garden, cottage garden, a "cat" garden, even a tea garden planted with herbs and camellia sinensis, a plant whose leaves and buds he uses to make tea.

"I always tell people not to expect every picture to be great," Ragland said. "Professionals take thousands of pictures and may only get a few they love. Sometimes you just get lucky, but it pays to know the basics so you get the shot as well as you can."

What follows are Ragland's best tips for preserving your gardens with a camera:

Don't expect every picture to be great. Take many shots to get the one you want. Shoot the same location at different times of the year, in different seasons and in different weather conditions. Ragland said the best resource on the subject is the book that came with the camera.       by Julie Young
                                                                      Blatantly and unashamedly stolen from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Friday 10 July 2009

Y'ALL COME!

HOW TO FIND US

The Science Museum of Virginia is located at 2500 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, in the historic Broad Street Station
designed by renowned architect John Russell Pope. It is easily reached via Interstate 95 and Interstate 64.

Driving directions

From the north or west
Take I-95 South or I-64 East to Richmond (I-95 and I-64 run together through Richmond). From I-95, take the Boulevard exit (#78), bear right onto Boulevard. Take Boulevard to West Broad Street (US 250) (4th traffic light). Turn left onto West Broad Street and go two blocks. The Science Museum is on your left.

From the south or east
Take I-95 North or I-64 West to Richmond (I-95 and I-64 run together through Richmond). From I-95, take the Boulevard exit (#78) and bear left onto Hermitage Rd. Take Hermitage south for 1.3 miles to West Broad Street (US 250). Turn right onto West Broad St. and go one-half mile. The Science Museum is on your right.

We’ll be looking for you Wednesday night!

 W.T. DUCK, by Aaron Johnson