The Dubuque Camera Club virtual meeting on Monday, August 17, 2020 was attended remotely by a lucky 13 people. Bob Felderman hosted the meeting via Zoom. Ron and Jennifer couldn’t attend, so Bob and Pamela facilitated discussion.
Club members were asked to share photography-related news and information. Almost everyone in attendance had something to share. Thanks to everyone who contributed to make this virtual meeting a success! A few highlights are below. The video of the entire meeting is available for a limited time in the club’s private Facebook group.
Henry Matthiesson started out the evening by sharing his photos of the Neowise comet. He sold a triptych print, yay! He also gave the club an update on his video project with filmmaker Dean Wellman. Their film is now titled, “Riding the Light: One Artist’s Journey.” In addition to video footage, the film contains 140+ of Henry’s photos from the duo’s trip to the desert Southwest.
You can watch a movie trailer on Youtube. A pay-per-view streaming video release is planned for Oct. 1. Their long-term goal is to enter 2021 film festivals. Stephonie Schmitz is handling marketing, and a little birdie told me that Ron Tigges was involved in filming a recent interview. To stay current, follow Thoughts from the Road on Facebook.
Also at tonight’s virtual meeting: Iowa State Rep. Chuck Isenhart took a short breather from his “Campaign for the Common Good” to talk about butterflies, birds, and owls, and to share a few photos. A Dubuquer and a club member, his priorities include conservation, climate, energy, clean water, and local foods — these are ideals that many of us share… and we like his butterfly pictures, too!
Lori Burrows said a few words about sunflowers. This year, a sunflower field was located in rural Asbury. The blooms have faded now, but while the glory lasted, the field was incredibly popular with photographers. Learning about this local opportunity was exciting — especially since severe storms have sadly destroyed other sunflower fields in the region. The farm has used several of Lori’s photos in their marketing materials.
Jigsaw puzzles were the topic for club member Stephonie Schmitz. She shared her experience ordering custom puzzles from her original photos. She’s tried a bunch of different online puzzle printers, trying to find the best quality for the best price. Thirteen of her puzzles have sold already, with part of the proceeds toward Give Back to Nature Million Tree Project. Just think — trees are being planted due to people enjoying photography and doing jigsaw puzzles!
Kevin McTague shared a kudo he received recently as a volunteer. He’s been putting his energy into monitoring bluebird houses at Swiss Valley. The Friends of the Dubuque County Conservation Board has recognized him with the 2020 “Friend of the Year” award. Great job, Kevin!!!
Pamela mentioned her newest moonlighting adventure, writing for a magazine published by photographer Mark Hirsch. Sadly, the recent severe storms totally destroyed the Bur Oak tree that was the subject of That Tree. He’s now putting his creative energy into a monthly print magazine called Neighbors of South Dubuque. If you are a Dubuquer living south of Dodge St and see an issue in your mailbox, you are eligible to contribute! We’ll be looking for photos and recipes in the future. Submission information is inside the magazine.
Instagram was another topic during the meeting. A number of our club photographers post to that social media site. It was suggested that a directory of club members with website or social media accounts be added to the club website. Stay tuned to see if something like that happens.
Thanks to everyone else at the virtual meeting who shared their photography-related news and information! We appreciate your creativity and all the good information!
Next virtual club meeting on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY. In a departure from previous years, the club WILL be meeting on the Monday that is Labor Day, on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. This is the first meeting of the official N4C season, so everyone’s dues will be due! Note that this meeting will be virtual. N4C contest submissions will also be due before the meeting. Watch your email for more information.