Contributed by Pamela Brandt

The April 18 meeting was attended by only 13 club members.  We were going to be an even dozen but then Laura Schuster came in late as the lucky number.  Shhh, don’t tell her.

The top item on the agenda was judging the Pictorial category of the N4C competition.  Ron Tigges launched the tedious process as quickly as possible, trying in vain to fend off preliminary questions.

Three courageous people — Lori Burrows, Kenneth Kiss, and Kevin McTague — stepped forward to act as unwillingly judges.

Cara Pusateri and Eleanor Schueller operated the technology, while Lois Pancratz provided encouragement.

Wayne Beecher pitched in with constructive criticism at appropriate moments. His keynote speech of the evening: “That hurts my eyes.”

New member Chris Ross brought in her new Canon and shared a few of her recent architectural photos to a few disruptive individuals in the back row who were asked to move away from the judging area.

Gretchen Lee was the only serious photographer in the crowd. She was contemplating the best use of her secret stash of DSLR lenses and wondering if we were all for real.

Somebody snuck out early and didn’t get their name in the minutes. It’s also possible I just forgot to count myself.

With 132 images, active judging lasted until 8:45 p.m., which is far, far, far too far past bedtime on a Monday night for those who declined to join the fun.

Lori made it through the whole ordeal even though the humpback whale in her smartphone kept texting.

I’m not sure which images won, but I think there’s a general consensus that over-sharpening is an undesirable technique, and if you must photograph a sunset, at least crop out the culvert in the foreground. Other, more professional photographers may have other thoughts.

DAWG Gallery

Dubuque Area Writers Guild 2016 Gallery anthology

Congratulations to Laura Schuster, Bob Felderman, and Ron Tigges for having photos selected for the Dubuque Area Writers Guild annual anthology, Gallery. The cover photo is from club member Mark Dierker. Pamela Brandt also had a fictional story selected for inclusion.

The release party and reading is scheduled during the DubuqueFest kickoff on Friday, May 20 at 6 p.m. at the Dubuque Museum of Art.

Social Media Means You Too

If you are one of those social media holdouts without a Facebook account, you are missing out! In the Dubuque Camera Club Facebook group, you can see photos from camera club members and enjoy ongoing discussion about photography and club activities.

Yes, everything you’ve heard about Facebook has a grainy element of truth to it, sort of like a Lightroom preset. Believe it or not (if you can stop yourself from being sucked into the time-wasting social media vortex), Facebook is also a wonderful venue for photo sharing and for passing along useful and interesting community information.

Members only discussion group of the Dubuque Camera Club on Facebook

Public page of the Dubuque Camera Club on Facebook

Next Meeting

Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. Be sure to have your N4C submissions emailed to Cara before the meeting. See your member folder for instructions on how to do this. There will be no judging at the next meeting, just submissions and returns, so all you ostriches can safely come on out.

Anybody who wants to enter the Dubuque Museum of Art show needs to have their pictures emailed to Ron by May 16. Sooner would be even better. Be aware that there is no financial sponsor yet so each print chosen (up to two per member) will cost about $60.  If you can recommend a financial sponsor, please speak up pronto. Thank you!