April 2, 2018 meeting notes

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Sixteen people attended the Dubuque Camera Club meeting on April 2, 2018. We were happy to say hello again to new member Julie Johnson. Remember, all tri-state area photography enthusiasts are welcome to attend our regular club meetings! We meet twice a month, September through May, at E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center in the Mines of Spain.

Club President Ron Tigges led a planning discussion for the 2018-19 season. The goal is to challenge both beginners and experienced photographers. “I’d like to see more hands-on interaction or workshops we could do as a group,” he said. “The club is for people to learn, to share, and to get feedback from others.”

Here’s the tentative meeting ideas we came up with for next season:

  • Macro night.
  • Creative night. “We’ll use the lab downstairs and make a mess down there,” said Ron.  It can be oil & water or anything using water. Look on the internet and bring your ideas.
  • Post-processing.  This would be similar to the presentation on Photoshop techniques that we enjoyed in January.
  • Night photography. This would be an offsite club night. We would meet somewhere else to take photos. Weather dependent.
  • 3 judging meetings. Our club has committed to judging the N4C competition three times next season: 
    • September 17, 2018 – Judging Digital Pictorial
    • February 2019 – Judging Digital Black and White
    • April 2019 – Judging Digital Travel

N4C competition. Remember, the resolution size for competition submissions has increased to 1920 pixels on the longest side. File size is still limited to no more than 500KB.  If a photo receives a first, second, third, or merit award, it must be retired. Photos receiving an honorable mention may be resubmitted.  A photo collage that tells a story (like a three-photo filmstrip) is acceptable in the Digital Journalism category; however, longest side is still limited to 1920px. 

In Digital Travel, add the state to your filename or it may be disqualified by whatever club is judging. Even obvious landmarks (like the Statue of Liberty) run the risk of being disqualified for not having a state in the filename, so always be sure to add the state to travel submissions. For more detailed information about the monthly competition, see the N4C website.

Absent members. Sadly, two of our most experienced photographers, DeWayne and Gary, have been dealing with health issues that prevent them from attending meetings. We hope they will both be feeling better and back with us soon!

Now that Lori B. is back from her luxurious Florida vacation, we hope to also be seeing her at meetings again soon. More female representation is needed to keep the boys in line!

Dubuque Museum of Art show. We have agreed to organize an exhibit for the Dubuque Museum of Art. This will be our sixth annual exhibit at the art museum. Ron met with the curator to discuss. The tentative theme revolves around the color red. Selective (de)saturation is fine.  We will be ordering  12″x18″ metal prints.

The show will run from Sept. 22 to Nov. 4, 2018. Prints need to be delivered to the museum the week prior to the show’s opening. Club members can submit as many images as they wish, keeping in mind that prints will run about $65 apiece. Our SmugMug website will be used for photos submitted to the show.  If he is available, General Bob Felderman has been appointed as committee leader for this exhibit.

Blufftops & Visions

Thanks go out to everyone who has been generously giving their time to the Blufftops & Visions planning sessions. What a lot of exciting ideas have been tossed around! There is so much to do!!! Some committee leaders have already been named, but there are still plenty of ways to get involved.

For instance, we will need an official event photographer for the Blufftops & Visions convention. This will allow us to showcase photos in a gallery at the end of the convention. Are you interested? Naturally, everyone who attends is welcome to take pictures.

  • When you post your pictures on social media, use this hashtag: #blufftopsandvisions 
  • We also have a hashtag for the club: #dubuquecameraclub

Attend the April 16 club meeting for a brief overview of Blufftops & Visions planning, and to find out ways you can get involved.

Upcoming Events

  • Next regular club meeting: Monday, April 16 @ 6:30 p.m. Judging digital black and white.
  • Blufftops & Visions Planning Sessions: Saturday, April 7 @ Convivium. Saturday, April 14 @ Mines of Spain.
  • N4C Spring Mini-Convention will be held May 4-6 in Panora, Iowa. Find more information on the N4C website. On Sunday, May 6, mini-con attendees will hear our plans for Blufftops & Visions. [Jennifer is looking for tourism-related photos for this presentation. Email her to discuss contributing your photos].
  • The Linn Area Photo Club’s annual photography workshop is on May 19, 2018. Visit their website for more details.
  • Dubuque Camera Club Annual Potluck Picnic: June 4, 2018
  • Blufftops & Visions: Sept. 13-14-15, 2018