P H O T O N E W S
December 2008

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

IN THIS ISSUE:
November 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: Glenn Siegert, won the mini contest with this breath taking image at Yellowstone Park, with a Nikon D80 and 18-135 zoom lens.  It snowed about 8 inches the night before and this photo was taken after the snow quit falling the next morning.  The bridge crosses a small river that runs just beside Old Faithful Geyser. Beautiful image, congratulations Glenn.

NEW MEMBERS CORNER: Patrick Abshire, Philip R Brooks and
Elwyn Finkerry, WPC welcomes you and hope that you find it to be a place where you can learn and grow in your hobby. 

Special Thanks go to Jeff and Jackie Rohling, for supplying the snacks and refreshments for our last meeting.

Helicopter - aerial photo tour - These tours have been very exciting and different kind of photo adventure. Let us know if you want to be schedule in one of our flights. More info

PHOTO TIPS:
Christmas Pictures by Pam Moore
Take time to get properly prepared. Well before everyone gets settled down to the event of opening the gifts, set your camera on your tripod and get the meter set to get the best lighting. Check your f-stop, shutter speed, ISO and decide if you are using onboard flash or an auxiliary flash. Make sure you have selected a safe place for your tripod so that the kids don't trip over it in their excitement. Take a few test shots. Get grandma to pose so that you can see if the light is right for faces. If you use a high enough f-stop, you will get more in focus and not need to worry about where your camera is focusing during the actual picture taking. Now, hook up your remote system and sit back to wait for the action. Snap away at will and join the fun as the kiddos open gifts in all the excitement. You can snap as may as you like and feel secure that most will be great action shots that you will also be included in. The beauty of the digital world is in taking as many as you like, throwing out some and keeping the very best. Be a part of the images this year, let your camera work for you. Merry Christmas to all.

TEACHING KIDS ABOUT CAMERAS and PHOTOGRAPHY
(by Susan Long)
Don't we all remember our first camera and the excitement of shooting just everything that seemed worthy of click click click??? Well, now that Christmas shopping is upon us, perhaps some of the youngsters in our lives ( our own little ones, nieces, nephews, grandkiddos, etc ) will be blessed to get their very first camera this holiday. There are many considerations about which equipment to purchase based on their ages and there is a brief section on this in the links below.
Soooooooooo, once they have their first camera in hand, there are special ways to go about teaching and encouraging the little ones of all ages to become inspired artists behind the lens. Obviously there are different approaches for teaching different ages - everything from how to hold the camera, reviewing their images with them, finding a focal point, camera settings, etc. etc. Hopefully you will find the following articles useful in helping grow the next photographer extraordinaire. Have fun and enjoy the moments – we all know they pass way too fast.
Here are a few links of good reading on the subject :
http://photojojo.com/content/guides/teaching-photography-to-children/
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/13-lessons-to-teach-your-child-about-digital-photography/
http://photocritic.org/teaching-photography-to-children/
http://www.teachkidshow.com/teach-your-child-how-to-take-good-pictures/

MONTHLY MEETING
Monday, December 8-- 6:30 - 9 P.M. --

WPC will welcome our 2009 Board Officers

We’re having our Christmas Party and ask all members to bring a dessert, a salad, or a casserole to share.
SPECIAL SLIDE SHOW: Debbie Alamilla presentation on underwater photography.
We will play a game that has become a little bit of a tradition with our December meeting. The game of ‘ What is it? ‘ … where a cropped photograph is projected onto the screen and members are asked to guess what it is. Then the whole image is opened up so we can see the ‘answer’ …… it has been a great hit in years past. Please come join the fun.
Time to renew your 2009 membership.

MINI CONTEST: CLOCKS Bring any two images containing CLOCKS for the mini-contest.

SLIDE SHOW: Please, email up to 5 of your favorite recent images that you would like to share at the meeting to Jim Kelly. Let's see all those wonderful images from all over around.

FIELD TRIP
December 6 - 4:30 PM-- Waterway starting at the parking lot in the Library on Lake Robbins and Grogan's Mill, we will just meander in the Town Green Park and up along the waterway to see all the lights and activities that may be going on. Sign in

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES:

December 5 - Mayor's Holiday Celebration December 5, fireworks and lighting of Christmas tree. 901
Bagby, houstontx.gov

December 6 & 20- Buffalo Bayou Christmas Cruises - www.buffalobayou.org

December 6 - Winter Wonderland photo Op every weekend in December. aquariumrestaurants.com

December 6-7 - 35th. annual Dickens on the Strand festival. Taking their cue from the characters of 'A Christmas Carol', hundreds of performers dressed in authentic Victorian attire mingle with the holiday crowd. Even Scrooge would be happy with six stages providing continuous entertainment and wandering minstrels singing on every corner. Three parades. 2100 Strand St., Galveston, TX 77550, ph 409 763 5326

December 12-13 - Heritage Society's Annual CandleLight Tour www.heritagesociety.org

December 14 - Chevron Jingle Bell Run, for the athletic www.jinglebellrunonline.org

Through January 3, 2009 - Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens photo opportunity Festival of Lights! The holiday magic will glisten with more than a million lights and dozens of festive scenes. (800) 582-4673; www.moodygardens.com

MONTHLY MEETING
Monday, January 12-- 6:30 - 9 P.M.

NOTE: NEW LOCATON MEETING Community Center on Lake Robbins and Grogan's Mill, next building to the library.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS FOR 2009

We welcome our new Photo Club board members for 2009. They will participate in planning and organizing club activities for this year. At our regular club meeting the board officers will present 2009 events plan.

SPECIAL SLIDE SHOW: Janice Braud will present her beautiful pictures combined with music and poem, you will enjoy it, is a great way of putting together your images.

TIPS & TRICKS -- members can bring any tips or tricks they would like to share... cool photo techniques, gadgets they have created, things that have made life easier, etc.

Time to pay your 2009 membership.

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

MINI MEMBER SLIDE SHOW: Email up to 5 of your images to Jim Kelly to share with the group. We have 15 minutes to share members pictures.

FIELD TRIPS

Saturday, January 17, 2009 from 10 AM to 4 PM -- 1940 Air Terminal Museum just for WPC members, great photo opportunity, $10 fee which includes lunch, tour, static exhibits, the museum, and control tower access to shoot the Houston skyline. More info and sign in

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES:

Through January 3, 2009 - Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens photo opportunity Festival of Lights! The holiday magic will glisten with more than a million lights and dozens of festive scenes. (800) 582-4673; www.moodygardens.com

FEBRUARY

MONTHLY MEETING
Monday, February 9-- 6:30 - 9 P.M.

NOTE: NEW LOCATON MEETING Community Center on Lake Robbins and Grogan's Mill, next building to the library.

SPEAKER: KATHY ADAMS CLARK, “Writing & Photographing a Book Project”. Kathy Adams Clark nationwide known nature photographer will honor us with her special presentation. Do not miss it!

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

MINI MEMBER SLIDE SHOW: Email up to 5 of your images to Jim Kelly to share with the group. We have 15 minutes to share members pictures.

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PHOTO INFO

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

Dec 6 through Dec 31 - De Santos Gallery Photo Exhibit TEMPO, photographs by Lorena Guillen Vashetti www.desantosgallery.com

Through January 10-- FOTOFEST exhibit HCP VIEWFINDER -New Images by Texas Artists, November 6, 2008 - January 10, 2009, curated by Arturo Palacios Founder and Director, Art Palace, Austin
Risa Puleo Assistant Curator of American and Contemporary Art, Blanton Museum of Art, Austin MORE INFO


CLASSES, CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS:

February 28-March 1st-- RMSP Photo Seminar weekend. Rocky Mountain School of Photography is excited to return to Fort Worth! Get the latest photography instruction at an RMSP Weekend that’s appropriate for both the digital and film photographer. More info at https://www.rmsp.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) Canon 20D with 18-55 EFs lens kit.  I still have the box, software, etc.  I have had it on warranty for 3 years and have sent it in for cleaning/checkup for only $400.  Contact Brian Sallee

2) Leica M7 Rangefinder with Leica lenses: 24 mm lens 2.8, 35 mm lens 2.0, 50 mm lens 2.0, 75 mm lens 1.4, Leica motordrive. All equipment is approximately 2 years old and in mint condition. All for $8,499.95 Contact Don Griffin 281 221 2688 2) Nikonous V underwater camera with: 35 mm Nikon lens, 15 mm Nikon lens and 15 mm viewfinder (Magnificent lens for underwater), Nikon close up macro outfit for reefs and smaller tropical fish, SB 103 Nikon flash, Pelikan hard carrying case. All gear was used about 5 times, all for $2,499.95. Contact Don Griffin 281 221 2688 3) Leica V-Lux 1 digital camera w/ Leica all-weather case, 35-420 mm zoom lens, Built in flash, Auto focus with manual override + anti-shake, Large fold-down display + viewfinder display, Record sound, sunshade, battery charger, software, etc. I am the only owner, camera is about one year old. Will sell for $649.95. Contact Don Griffin 281 221 2688 4) For Sale Arax 60 MLU kit including sport viewfinder; metered prism viewfinder; 80mm 2.8 Arax lens, 120mm MC Vega lens; 65mm 3.5 MC Mir lens; various Bronica, Hoya, Tiffen filters; Underwater Kinetics hard case. Camera and lenses were brought back from Ukraine. All equipment (except filters) has never been used. Incredible inexpensive way to get into 120 6x6 photography. Arax is a small Ukrainian company that buys hand-picked parts from Arsenal (the manufacturers of the infamous Kiev cameras) modifies them and hand assembles what the Kiev 60 should have been. For more information on the company and the camera, see: www.araxphoto.com PRICE REDUCED - Asking $400 for everything. Contact Bob at robertholler@sbcglobal.net

3) Bogen 3021 tripod with a 3D head  anyone interested? Price it at $110. Contact Jim Stoner 936-273-4388

4) 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

5) EPSON 1280 printer $200.00. The 1280 prints up to 13x19 paper which you probably already know comes with an extra ink cartridge for it. Contact  Jim Kelly

6) 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

7) 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. JUST REDUCED will sell for $2000. 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.

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