August 2020 

From the Board

Greetings, fellow Camera Club members.  I wish I had more news to report about the opening of the club, but I don’t.  GVR has not offered any indication of when the clubs with dedicated spaces could open and it continues to be the wise thing to restrict our activities out in the community. 

In the meantime, you can take photos of your activities during this crazy time and I will put them together in a slideshow to be shown whenever we’re back together to enjoy a Showtime.  See later in the newsletter about the Scavenger Hunt for more information on how you can get them to me.

Stay safe and healthy and I hope to see you when the club reopens.

Linda Gregory, Interim President

Photo of the Month

The August Photo of the Month is by Leslie DeGrassi titled Lafayette, CO Sunflowers. Congratulations, Leslie, it brightens our day!

The Photo of the Month is chosen from the Photo of the Day series published on Facebook from the 26th of the previous month to the 25th of last month. Keep sending the best of your work to Judith Pollard at jmp7741@gmail.com.

The Camera Club has been closed for what seems like an inordinate amount of time. Club sponsored photographic educational opportunities have been all but put on hold by the COVID-19 Pandemic and members haven’t been able to participate in Camera Club Classes or enjoy the group support of other Club activities. A couple of Camera Club Special Interest Groups have managed to meet regulatory during the summer, but in general the Club’s offerings have been greatly curtailed. However, there are still some alternative educational opportunities for Club Members.

You Tube has become a great repository for photographic and video skill videos. You can access You Tube on your browser, Smart TV, Fire TV or many of the other digital streaming devices. Do a You Tube search using “Photography” as a key word and hundreds of videos will appear.  Check out the following links to a few good ones I’ve found:

Davis Media Photoshop and GIMP editing classes.

iPhone Photography A great video for taking better photographs with your phone.

Photographic Tricks  Ten amazing ways to have fun with your camera.

There are also a few places where formal online classes are available. Udemy is an excellent free choice.

The Camera Club encourages everyone to hone their skills during this stay at home time, and we’ll keep everyone posted on future educational events at the Club.

Gene Komaromi, Educational Chair

Call for Photos

Let’s have some fun!  While you’re dealing with the pandemic, I hope you’re documenting your activities, whether it’s getting out to do some birding or enjoying nature, staying in your house with your significant other or pet, or simply enjoying your home and surroundings.  These activities, or lack thereof, could make a terrific slideshow.  So how about contributing to the Stuck at Home Slideshow I’d like to put together for the next Showtime, whenever that is.

This is what you need to do.  Select photos that represent the theme and make sure they are large enough to show well on our large screen at Desert Hills.  They should be about 1M or bigger.  I’m sure a lot of you are taking photos with your cell phone, but I’ve learned that sometimes the files aren’t large enough to show well.  How do you know how big they are?  If you put them on the computer, you can hover your mouse over them and the size will show along with the date the photo was taken. 

Then change the file name--usually a number like IMG654--to your name first and the title of the photo.  How do you do that?  If they’re on the computer, you can click on the file name to turn it blue, then type in the requested information.  It would then look like “Linda Gregory-Birds bathing.”

You should send them to me at lsgregaz@gmail.com by August 31 at 5pm.   Then I’ll put them together in a slideshow for the next Showtime.

By the way, short videos are accepted, too.  They add a lot to a slideshow with mostly still images.

I look forward to seeing what you’ve all been up to during this very crazy time.

Linda Gregory, Scavenger Hunt Facilitator

This Month's Club Activities

The Camera Club remains closed and in-person club activities remain suspended in accordance with the latest government and GVR guidelines regarding the still evolving Covid-19 pandemic. We value the health and safety of all our members and encourage you to stay safe and sensible during these trying times.

Please check the club calendar at http://dev.gvcameraclub.org for the latest information on future club activities.

Field Trip Review of the Month

Tucson Windows and Doors

I think our most beloved field trip of all time is Tucson Windows and Doors. Carl Spafeld was the originator of this trip. He designed it to cover neighborhoods in Tucson with picturesque architecture. More recently, Wally Watson does a wonderful job leading it. Now the tour area is the neighborhood around the convention center called Barrio Viejo, meaning Old Neighborhood. Historically, the 19th century homes there were homes to prominent families and the neighborhood had a street life as found in old Mexico. However, it began as a free zone, meaning no police, and working people lived there when the railroad was being built. After the railroad, the town grew by leaps and bounds.

We schedule about 4 of these trips every year. The varied seasons allow for different seasonal flowers and yard decorations. Some of the trips are in the morning and some in the afternoon, offering different lighting.

Many club members have enjoyed the Tucson Windows and Doors trip and even take it again. You might see something with your artistic eye that you missed before. You might meet somebody new or learn a new photographic view. Sometimes there are Plein Air Painters or unique personalities on the street. Members have often been invited inside some of the different houses and you might learn more of the interesting history of the area. I have over 1800 pictures on my computer from the many times I have taken this trip.

Here are links to a few interesting historic sites in the area:

Elysian Grove/Carrillo Gardens

El Tradito

El Carmen Theater

And here is a link to some of my pictures from this field trip (unedited unfortunately). 

The City of Tucson has more than 30 neighborhoods on the National Register of Historical Sites here. Perhaps you would like to lead a field trip to photograph some of these areas.

Enjoy!

Sue Rock, Field Trip Facilitator

Special Interest Groups are fun and informative. Any member of the Camera Club is welcome to attend any of the SIGs. No need to sign up, just come on in.

When the Club reopens from the current closures, the SIGs will be meeting as listed below. Not all SIG's meet during the Summer months. Some are meeting on-line during the closures.

• Multimedia SIG - Gene Komaromi, moderator.
• Kino room - Mondays @ 9:30 am - Summer meetings are on-line. Send email to genek6@gmail.com to get on the mailing list.
• Learn what it’s all about. Bring your video project to share for comments & suggestions.

• B&W SIG - Wendell Werner, moderator.
• Ansel Adams room - Mondays @ 9:30 am
• Who knew black and white could be so complicated?

• Studio and Fine Art Photography SIG - Sandy Ostroff, moderator.
• Kino room - Monday's @ 1:30 pm - Summer meetings are on-line. Send email to gvrphotoartsig@gmail.com to get on the mailing list.
• Explore new techniques and broaden your skills.

• Hit me with Your Best Shot SIG - Jerry Marrion, moderator.
• Kino room - Tuesdays at 9:30 am
• Bring five examples of your best efforts to show.

• Photoshop/Lightroom SIG - Al Crawford, Moderator.
• Wednesdays @ 9:30 am
• Study techniques found in Photoshop CS and Lightroom that are not found in other photo processing tools.

• Field Trip SIG - Sue Rock, moderator.
• Ansel Adams room - Wednesdays @ 4:00 pm starting in October 2020
• Plan, arrange, guide and advertise field trips.

• Photoshop Elements SIG - Linda Gregory, moderator.
• Kino room - Thursdays @ 9:30-11:00 am
• Learn how to use the magic of Photoshop Elements post processing on your photos.

• Birds SIG - Mike McMinn, moderator.
• Kino room - Thursdays @ 1:30 pm
• Celebrate and share your best shots of our feathered friends.

Monitor Notes

Help us provide all the benefits the Club offers to its members by volunteering as a monitor. As you take advantage of the Club's activities and its extensive digital processing equipment, consider sharing the effort in providing these services by volunteering as a monitor.

Monitors typically check in club members, answer the phone, and welcome those seeking information about the Club. You are not expected to know how to use the equipment. Training takes about an hour.

Contact: gvrcameramonitors@gmail.com for more information.

Green Valley Recreation Camera Club

The GVR Camera Club was established in the early 1970’s as one of many Green Valley Recreation organizations to serve its members and our community. Our main interest is photography, both still and video imaging. The Club has grown into one of the largest camera clubs in the country with over 750 active members.

The Club is located on the 2nd floor of the west wing at the Santa Rita Springs GVR Recreation Center. You may contact us at:

PO Box 1423, Green Valley, AZ 85622 or GreenValleyCameraClub@wildapricot.org 

Neil Wicai, Newsletter Editor - neilwicai@gmail.com - 575-224-1238