P H O T O N E W S
March 2008

Special Events You Won't Want to Miss...

IN THIS ISSUE:
February Activities....Special Article...What's Ahead....Member Notices.... About Our Club....Parting Shot

Visit our club web site — www.WoodlandsPhoto.org for the latest in activity, images, galleries, and other things of interest to those who love photography.

Photo at the top: Phil Shryock won the mini contest this month with this beautiful "Valley" photograph, was taken just outside of Grenoble, France in the French Alps. He arrived on Sunday for his business trip and decided to go out into the mountains.  It was in November and very little snow with flowers still in bloom.  The farther he drove up into the mountains, the more beautiful the countryside. Congratulations Phil, you did an excellent job!

February Activities
At our regular meeting in February, Kathy Adams Clark made an amazing, flowing and informative presentation on "Advanced Nature Photography". We were very delighted with her pictures and tips on how to take those wonderful shots. Thank you, Kathy for sharing your photography knowledge.

We also had a success, with our WPC T-shirts, is you have not ordered yours, please contact us at info@woodlandsphoto.org

NEW MEMBERS CORNER: We welcome Erin Brown, John O'Brien, David Putney, and Robert Wall and Deborah Wilson as new members to Woodlands Photography Club.

Special thanks go to Melinda Culpon, Pam Moore and, Cecilia García for supplying snacks, cookies and drinks for our February meeting.

Field Trips -

Houston Studio Glass -- the glass blowing at
http://houstonstudioglass.com We took pictures of the process. It took 45 minutes to get things set up, then they blew glass and created a piece. They went over some finished pieces & explained the other processes of grinding, etching & caving some of the pieces. It was an excellent and educational photo opportunity.

North Lake Conroe, with Jerry Walls, target birds: bald eagle, osprey, White pelican, wood & other ducks, belted kingfisher, woodpeckers, etc. What an adventure!

Lake Houston Park "Off the Beaten Path Photo Safari" we visited places in the wilderness park to take pictures of beautiful scenic areas and/or wildlife found in the park. Lots of fun!

PHOTO TIPS: FLASH

The flash built into a camera is very small and its range is limited to no more than about 10 to 15 feet. When shooting pictures at a graduation ceremony, sporting event, concert or other indoor location where the action is clearly beyond the range of your built-in flash, turn it off. The flash-off mode is usually marked with a lightning bolt with a diagonal slash going through it. Now the camera will set the exposure and white balance on the ambient light, instead of giving you an underexposed flash shot.

A common situation that another flash mode will help is when you want to take a picture of a friend in a restaurant or other dimly lit location. Regular flash will leave the background dark, while properly exposing the subject. Instead, use the slow sync mode that selects a slow shutter speed so there is some detail in the background, while firing the flash for good foreground exposure.(Extracted by C García)

MONTHLY MEETING

Monday, March 10-- 6:30 - 9 P.M.

PROGRAM: Ted Washington, former official photographer for The Woodlands, will present "Night Photography". Come and learn from the masters how to take beautiful night shots.

MINI CONTEST: REFLECTIONS Bring any two REFLECTIONS photos for the mini-contest.

SLIDE SHOW: Bring couple of your recent best images, if you want to share for the slide show or email Jim Kelly 5-8 of your favorite photos that you would like to share at the meeting

FIELD TRIPS

Saturday, March 1st, from 9 AM to 1 PM -- The Lone Star Flight Museum is bringing a selection of vintage World War II planes for a special display. More info

Saturday, March 29, from 2-6 PM --The Museum of the American G.I. will sponsor a WWII Battle Reenactment. The site is on Hwy 6 just before getting into Bryan College Station More info and sign in

SPRING 2008 PHOTO CONTEST is on the way be prepared with your photos. check the rules and categories. Keep shooting!

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

March 3 through 22 -- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at Reliant Stadium, 1 Reliant Park Houston, TX. This three-week showcase of Texas traditions boasts the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, thrilling rodeo action, superstar concerts, and family fun. More info http://www.hlrs.com

March 8 -- Buffalo Bayou Regatta Test your endurance in Texas’ largest kayak and canoe race! Whether you paddle competitively or just for fun, the Buffalo Bayou Regatta is a great way to see Houston from a whole new angle. More info

MONTHLY MEETING

Monday, April 14-- 6:30 - 9 P.M.

SPEAKER: Matthew White, Sports Photography, please, join us to learn how to take action pictures. Guests are welcome. Take a look at Matthew's photography here

MINI CONTEST: PETS Bring any two PETS photos for the mini-contest.

SLIDE SHOW: Bring couple of your recent best images, if you want to share for the slide show or email Jim Kelly 5-8 of your favorite photos that you would like to share at the meeting

SPRING 2008 PHOTO CONTEST is almost here, be ready with your photos. Check the rules and categories. Keep working!

FIELD TRIPS

Saturday, April 12 from 8 AM - 1 PM -- Zoo Field trip, just for WPC members. Exceptional photo opportunity to photograph the animals in a special guided tour. More info and sign in

Saturday, April 19 from 9 AM - 4 PM -- Portrait Workshop & Picnic at Shadowbend Park. All day practice, hand on portrait photos, with 3-4 stations and models ready. Just for WPC Members limited room. More info and sign in

Sunday, April 27 from 8 AM-2 PM -- Exotic game ranches and wolves refuge, JUST for WPC Members. More info and sign in

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

April 4-5 -- Featherfest in Galveston with Kathy Adams Clark. That’s April 4th and 5th in the morning. She has a program first and then we go out to shoot birds until noon. Featherfest provides transportation from the Strand to the shooting location.

April 5-6 -- Annual Japan Festival This annual event in Hermann Park’s beautiful Japanese Garden draws more than 20,000 people. The Japan Festival celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Japan with two stages showcasing music, traditional and folk dance and martial arts, as well as demonstrations of Ikebana flower arrangement, tea ceremony, origami and bonsai. More info

April 23-27 -- Acadien International Festival of Louisiana in Lafayette LA. 3 hrs from The Woodlands, celebrating the French cultural heritage of southern Louisiana – primarily a combination of French, African, Caribbean and Hispanic influences. The largest outdoor, FREE Francophone event in the U.S., the Festival places special emphasis on highlighting the connections between Acadiana and the Francophone world. More info
http://www.festivalinternational.com/site47.php

April 25-27 -- The Grand Prix of Houston will roar back to JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park on April 25 - 27th, 2008, and will once again feature a thrilling double-header weekend with the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) on Saturday and Champ Car World Series on Sunday more info

MAY

Saturday, May 10 -- 1-3 PM SPRING 2008 PHOTO SHOW & COMPETITION Set up Time to submit your pictures for the Spring Contest at the South Branch Library in The Woodlands. Please notice the time 1 PM until 3 PM. Late entries cannot be accepted. We need volunteers, please sign in for the set up exhibit

MONTHLY MEETING

Monday, May 12-- 6:30 - 9 P.M.

PROGRAM: Spring 2008 Photo Show and Competition Award Ceremony and Photographic Critique.

MINI CONTEST: NO Mini Contest .

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

May 3rd --Houston Dragon Boat Festival. Becoming an internationally popular sport, dragon boat racing has hit the waters of downtown Houston! more info http://www.buffalobayou.org/dragonboat.html

May 10 -- Houston Art Car Parade at Orange Show More info at http://www.orangeshow.org Click this link for Volunteer photographers needed

May 17 -- Pasadena Strawberry Festival more info http://www.strawberryfest.org/

May 17-18 -- Annual Houston Highland Games & Celtic Festival
Enjoy the sights & sounds of Scotland. Events include men's athletic competitions, highland dancing competitions, solo bagpipe & drumming, pipe band competitions & children's games. Enjoy shopping with Celtic vendors, sampling Scottish foods and exploring genealogy, Gaelic and Robert Burns through workshops. Houston Farm & Ranch Club, Bear Creek Park, Houston, TX
more info meldouglass@yahoo.com

.

PHOTO INFO

Visit WPC resources to ask our Consulting Photographers
Basic Photography · Digital Photography · Matting & Framing · Nikon Capture · PC Questions · Photoshop · Underwater Photography · Website Design

LOCAL EXHIBITS: Seeing the work of other artists and photographers can give new insights and ideas for our own work. Check out the following local exhibits:

March throughout all month - Lightcatchers exhibit "Illuminations" at Bank of America in Downtown. Some WPC members belong to this interesting Lightcatchers group, among them Janice and Nolan Braud, Dot Mullinax, and former WPC President George Carlson. Congratulations, you did an excellent job!
Also, the Lightcatchers will have a small exhibit at the Barbara Bush Library in Klein during the month of March.

March - For Several Months -"Window Shopping on Main Street, 1920-1930," uses historic photography from the Story Sloane Collection to give visitors a glimpse of downtown's heyday as a shopping destination. http://www.ghpa.org/windows2.html

March 8 through April 20 -- Habitat 7 - Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao
at HCP. Four of the earliest major civilizations were formed in river valleys. The fertile lands provided surpluses of food that allowed for the growth of populations more info www.hcponline.org

March 8 through April 20 -- Houston Chinese Photographic Society. An exhibition of landscapes by the members of the Houston Chinese Photographic more info at www.hcponline.org

CLASSES, CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS:

March 1-3 -- American Color Imaging Seminar in IOWA. More details 800-728-2722 www.acilab.com

March 15 -- National Geographic Traveler Photo Seminar from Sta. Fe Workshops; one full day seminar. More information or call (505) 983-1400

March 26 --SEMINAR Photoshop® CS3 for Photographers Tour, Coming to Austin Convention Center, 500 East Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX 78701. Experience the excitement of the Adobe® Photoshop® Seminar Tour and learning Photoshop® CS3 from one of the World's most respected Photoshop® experts and best-selling author, Ben Willmore. More info

April 2-4 -- Photoshop World Conference & Expo, Orange County Convention Center. Orlando, Florida More info 800-738-8513 or visit their website

April 12-13 -- Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival, crafts & photography more info www.woodlandsartsfestival.com

March 28-30 -- Bayou City Art Festival, Award-winning juried arts and entertainment festival that transforms Memorial Park into a festival outdoor art gallery. More info http://www.bayoucityartfestival.com/

HCP and LLU are offering photo classes on regular basis, take a look at our calendar

SPECIAL REQUEST
Joe Cusack, a member of The Woodlands Photography Club, teaches middle school students about photography and is requesting the donation of non-functioning cameras and camera lens. He would like to use these broken cameras to show the students different parts of a camera during his lecture. Email Joe Cusack if you can help.

CLASSIFIED ADS

BOOKS
1) Unused, new work book for $10.00:The Artist's Marketing and Action Plan Workbook (Paperback) by Jonathan Talbot, Geoffrey Howard ( $16.95 on Amazon.com) If you are interested please email Barbara at pix-shooter@att.net

CAMERA EQUIPMENT

1) Nikon D70 with the D70S software upgrades, the battery charger with two batteries, excellent condition for $350. And, a Sigma 20-40 2.8 wide angle Lens, Nikon compatible for $250, with Lens hood and lens case   also excellent condition. Inquiries Bobby Green at (832)651-0091
or email address eliteimages@msn.com

2) Nikon Lenses and Sony Alpha System for Sale Cesar Vargas is selling his well cared equipment. Sony Alpha Syst with 3 lenses. One of them is the 18-200mm. If you are interested in please contact him at 713 822 8453. You can see this equipment at http://www.phototimeblog.blogspot.com/

4) CANON EOS 1N RS - professional 35mm film camera. This is the rare one built with a pellicle mirror which means that there is no blackout during exposure since light travels through the mirror to the film and the mirror does not need to flip up during the exposure. This allows the camera to have an incredibly fast shooting rate of 10 frames per second when set on continuous high, great for sports and action shots. This camera is no lightweight since the body and motor drive are built as one unit. Camera body is in great shape but is missing the rubber eyecup. This camera sold new for $2700.00. It has been a great camera but I don't use it now that I have my digital bodies. Best offer gets it but I would like to get $250. Contact Jim Stoner 936-273-4388

5) CANON EOS 1D-Mark 2, professional Digital SLR. This camera is a great one for sports shooting, portraits, weddings, nature etc. and is in excellent shape. It's 1.3 crop factor will allow wider angle shooting with your lenses than most DSLR's. A fast shooting speed of 8.5 fps made it the fastest DSLR for the past 3 years. With 8 megapixels I have made 30x40" prints with no problem. Will sell for $2300. Contact Jim Stoner at 936-273-4388.

STUDIO FOR RENT Clark Lara has a full studio with Norman Lights, High Key white wall, as well as 3 different muslins. No props you would have to supply your own. SPECIAL PRICE $50 an hour. The high key is great for everything from product shots to high fashion.

PHOTO WORKSHOP Ecuador, Ireland, Costa Rica, North Carolina or Big Bend Photo Workshop Adventure with Kathy Adams Clark. She is a professional nature photographer. More info at Strabo Tours 607-756-8676 www.phototc.com

CAMERA CLUBS:

The Woodlands United Methodist Church Camera Club TWUMC for all skill levels gathers the first Monday of every month, except holidays from 7 PM to 8:30 PM at 2200 Lake Woodlands Dr. More info

The 1960 Digital Photography Special Interest Group meets the first Thursday every month at the Cypress Creek Christian Church on 6823 Cypresswood Drive, a diverse group of photographers seeking to improve photography skills with a motto of “members helping members” More info

The Kingwood Photo Club gathers photographers, who share a love for the capture, preservation and sharing of God's creations through
photography. Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every month at the Kingwood United Methodist Church, 6:30 pm. More information

HELP US SHOOT OUR ACTIVITIES

We need club members who have digital cameras to volunteer to document our field trips and special events. Our friends Nolan Braud, Susan Long and Cesar Vargas have been providing digital images of our meeting presenters and other activities but could use some help.  If you are willing to help, please e-mail to our newsletter editor.

YOUR GALLERY AWAITS YOU

Each member of our club gets a free online gallery of your favorite images. For details on how to get yours set up, contact Nolan Braud (njbraud@hotmail.com) or read the procedures

WE WANT YOUR IDEAS!

Help us continue to have the most interesting and informative activities by sharing your ideas for the best experiences you've had. E-mail your ideas for each activity below to the club officer in charge of that activity:

Presentations - Autumn Teesdale
Other Activities - Pam Moore
Web Site, Newsletter - editor