The November 21, 2016 meeting of the Dubuque Camera Club was attended by 14 club members. Our club judged the Digital Creative category of the N4C competition.

Serving as judges were José García, Jesse Green, and Kenneth Kiss. Thanks to a new TV that was recently purchased by the club, the judges were able to see finer details of the photos under consideration. The audience could still enjoy larger images on the projector screen.

Most of the images submitted to the Digital Creative category are manipulated using Photoshop or another image editing software. Next season, the category will get a new name: Digital Altered Reality. View the N4C winners galleries here.

Other Club News

Competition update. In 2017, the Dubuque Camera Club will pioneer a new technique for narrowing down images that are submitted by members to the N4C competition.

“I think it will work well, and it will give us accountability and trackability,” said club president Ron Tigges. Club members will be able to login to online galleries and vote on their favorite submissions. Images with the most votes will then be added to the competition.

“People who can’t come to club meetings can still submit and vote,” said Ron. Training on how to use the new system is planned for an upcoming meeting.

Possible guest speaker. We also hope to feature a guest speaker during an upcoming meeting. Details and a definite date are still being worked out. The guest speaker would be Scott Kelly.  He and his wife Kris operate S. Kelly Photography in Dubuque. Scott is involved with Professional Photographers of Iowa.

Contest winners. Dubuque Camera Club members Rich Bugalski and Becky Schivley Mather were recently recognized in the 2016 Mississippi River Photo Shootout. Their photos appear at the Confluence Gallery website.

Bald Eagle Photo Contest. Nature photographers may wish to enter the annual Bald Eagle Photo Contest sponsored by the Stewards of the Upper Mississippi River Refuge (SUMMR). Submissions are accepted through Dec. 2, 2016. Winning photos will be displayed at the Bald Eagle Watch in Clinton, Iowa. Find the complete rules on their website.

Club members are invited to bring a significant other or family members to the Holiday Potluck Dinner on Monday, December 5 at 6:00 p.m.

Holiday Dinner! Remember, the next meeting is our holiday potluck dinner. It will be held on Monday, December 5 at 6:00 p.m. at E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center in the Mines of Spain.

Note the 6:00 p.m. start time. Family members or significant others are welcome. The club will provide pulled/BBQ pork or Italian beef sandwiches.

Please RSVP to Ron or Jennifer with how many people you will be bringing.   A head count is important so the meat can be ordered in advance.

Members will be asked to bring a salad, veggie, dessert, appetizer, or non-alcoholic beverage as a potluck dish. If possible, in your RSVP, also include the type of dish you plan to bring. No other meeting in December.

To RSVP, send an email to info@digitaldubuque.com. Thank you!

Mississippi river sunrise by Dubuque Camera Club member Rich Bugalski.

Upcoming meeting schedule

December 5, 2016 — Returns only. No submissions — Christmas Party Potluck.

December 19, 2016 — No meeting. Happy Holidays!

January 2, 2017 — First club meeting of the New Year. Possible Guest Speaker. Submissions to the N4C photo contest are due by December 20. The club can submit double Digital Creative. No Black and White.

January 16, 2017 — Our club will judge the Digital Black and White category.

Dubuque Camera Club Meeting minutes

The November 7, 2016 meeting of the Dubuque Camera Club was attended by 21 people and led by club president Ron Tigges. The top item on the agenda was reviewing returns from last month and narrowing down our club’s submissions to the monthly N4C competition.

Discussion and announcements

The Dubuque Museum of Art wants us back for a show in 2017. It will probably work the same way as this year’s show: each club member can submit up to three photos, which will be juried by the art museum, with the goal of choosing at least one per member. While not set in concrete, it’s likely that the theme will involve human portraiture.

The idea was brought up of renting a studio or doing some sort of portrait workshop. Otherwise, as with the architecture themed show, club members who do not ordinarily take this type of photo will be at a disadvantage. Speak up during a meeting if you have ideas or would like to organize a portrait-related event for the club.

The 2017 Dubuque Bald Eagle Watch will be held on January 21, 2017 at the Grand River Center. The club decided to again this year have a table in the display area. There will be a TV with a slide show of club member nature photos. Volunteers are needed in the morning and afternoon to staff the table. It will involve chatting with the public about photography and encouraging people to join the Dubuque Camera Club. We may possibly update the club brochure.

A voice vote was taken to approve the club’s purchase of a new TV. It will be used by the judges during judging, which should be an improvement over judging photos that are displayed on a projector screen. We will be judging the digital creative category at the next meeting, on November 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Due to some changes in facility usage policies that are being made by the Iowa DNR, our meeting venue may need to change in the future. A couple of alternate venues in Dubuque were suggested. However, until a specific announcement is made, our meetings will continue to be held at the nature center.

Competition results

General Bob Felderman. First place, Digital Travel.

Ron went through the winners for October 2016 that appear on the N4C website. Although the caliber of competition is high, our club made a good showing.

• Digital Travel — 1st place winner. In a field of 102 entries from 23 clubs, General Bob Felderman earned first place with his long exposure photo of the San Diego city skyline and marina during a Padre game. Congratulations, Bob!
• Digital Black and White — 2nd place. In a field of 115 entries, Gary Fagan earned second place with his black and white portrait of a bearded man, titled “My Buddy.” Congratulations, Gary! 
• Digital Creative — 3rd place. In a field of 92 entries, José García earned third place with his Spanish seascape, titled “Rocks.” Congratulations, José!

Honorable Mentions and Merit Awards were also earned in October 2016 by the following Dubuque Camera Club photographers:

Rich Bugalski
Gary Fagan
José García
Kevin McTeague
Cindy Simon
David Smethers
Ronald Tigges

Good work everyone! Thanks to all who submitted!

Upcoming meeting schedule

November 21, 2016 — Our club will judge the Digital Creative category.
December 5, 2016 — Returns only. No submissions — Christmas Party Potluck.
December 19, 2016 — No meeting. Happy Holidays!