November 2024

From the President... 

Greetings, everyone.

Welcome back to our seasonal visitors and compliments to the Arizonans who endured the hot summer here.

Sandy and I are back in Tucson a bit earlier than expected.  Hurricane Helene devastated the Smoky Mountains which was to be our last scheduled area to explore.  One of my goals for this trip was to photograph fall color.  That didn’t work so well on this trip. We saw hints of color as we traveled through Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, New York, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina, but that was about it. The colors were just starting to change. I think we were still several weeks too early for the big show. I guess that just means we need to plan another trip to explore the areas.

Our final stop was at Marion, North Carolina which is within 100 miles of Asheville, NC.  There were signs of the hurricane’s impact even there.  Along the highways downed trees were just cleared enough for traffic to move.  The bigger issue seemed to be with the flooding along rivers and low areas. My heart goes out to those who were affected there.

I’m glad to see that our Arizona temperatures might be starting to be return to cooler fall weather.  The club has an exciting season coming up. Speaker Series and Showtime kick off this month.  We’d like to showcase your photography skills – we need videos for Showtime and Travelogue and printed photos to display at the club and GVR centers. 

I’m looking for ideas on what the members would like from your club and welcome your suggestions.

Kirk Hively, President

El Tour de Tucson

Photographers & Aid Station Volunteers Needed

Although not directly a Photography Club related activity, many of our members are cyclists as well as photographers and may have interest in helping photograph the event and volunteer at an Aid Station for this exciting annual event.

El Tour de Tucson, one of the country's largest cycle races, will take place on Saturday, November 23rd. The Century (102-mile) route will take an estimated 3,000 cyclists through Green Valley and Sahuarita. An Aid Station will be set up on Mission Road (across from the electrical sub-station) to provide the cyclists with food, water, a potty stop, and lots of encouragement. We set up the Aid Station around 7:00 am, close/take down the Aid Station around 3:00 pm, and take care of thousands of cyclists in between. Check out this YouTube video from last year’s event to learn more about what the Aid Station does to support El Tour de Tucson.

If you are interested in volunteering or have questions about the Aid Station, please contact Tom Parker or Joanie Rogucki. Don’t forget to provide your shirt size – volunteers will be provided with an El Tour de Tucson volunteer t–shirt.

Co-captains, Tom Parker from the GVR Photography Club and Joanie Rogucki from the GVR Cycling Club, will be hosting a meeting of Aid Station #7 volunteers at the GVR Photography Club located in the Recreation Village of Santa Rita Springs, 921 West Via Rio Fuerte in Green Valley on Wednesday, November 20th at 1:00 pm.

This year, the aid station is honoring Tom Wilsted. Tom passed away in April 2024, leaving a legacy that supports everything cycling, including advocating for safe cycling, organizing bike drives and writing newsletters filled with biking topics, as well as providing education to the community who welcomed him as his passion for cycling was renewed. He will be remembered as someone who always gave to others selflessly and humbly, whether

writing newsletters for the Posada Peddlers and GVR Cycling Club, organizing bike drives for local charities, volunteering within La Posada, developing the Safe Streets for All Alliance, a bicycle advocacy group, or helping his wife, Mary, reach the dishes on the top shelf. Tom will be missed.

Keep Our Facebook Page in Mind

There are many upcoming cultural event photo opportunities in November and December.

Please remember the Photography Club's Facebook page for fall photos. Be sure to send me your favorite photos so I can post them in Facebook. Those photos are also where I get to choose the Photo of the Month featured  in the newsletter each month. Your photo could be chosen next!

Sue Ready, Facebook Coordinator

Photo of the Month

The November Photo of the Month is by Denise O'Brien LeCount, a great example of what can be done with photo to painting software to create a fun and spirited rodeo photo.

Denise explains her process, "I used a Canon R6 mirrorless camera with 100-400 mm lens at the 109th Sonoita Rodeo. The young women is the current Miss Sonoita  Rodeo Queen. For editing, I use Photoshop and Dynamic Auto Painter (DAP), which is available in our computer lab. After general processing, I select and desaturate the background so that the color and main focus is on the subject. Then I use DAP to create the style. Lastly I layer the original with the DAP version to bring out details. I purposely avoid putting too much detail on the face for privacy reasons."

Congratulations, Denise!

The Photo of the Month is chosen from new and archived photos submitted to Sue Ready, the Club's Facebook Coordinator. Keep sending the best of your work to Sue at suready@yahoo.com so we may continue to showcase the refined capabilities of GVR Photography Club members. Photos should be submitted in .jpg format and please include its title and location. -ed

We’ve reviewed the results from the survey that was posted in last month’s newsletter. There were a few unexpected outcomes. The greatest demand for educational activities was in editing and enhancing photographs. Multimedia was second, followed by photo printing, using phones as cameras, and scanning slides and prints. We thank all the members who participated in the survey, providing the club with a possible blueprint for winter educational activities.

We’re considering hosting a series of workshops this winter that would focus on the interests emphasized in the survey. Watch future newsletters for details as “Winter Workshops” develop. Oh, yes, we’re also searching for members to facilitate some of the above-mentioned activities. Drop me an email if you can help us.

The special interest groups at the GVR Photography Club are our most powerful educational asset. Check the club’s online calendar and explore some of the SIGs.

The GVR Photography Club also has some educational as well as entertaining videos on YouTube. Visit the club’s channel here.

Gene Komaromi, Education Chair

Library News

A new addition to the Photography Club Library highlights the work of Tucson Chicano photographer Louis Carlos Bernal.

Bernal was born into a family with little means in Douglas, Arizona. His father was a miner and his mother worked as a maid. When Louis was ready for school the family moved to Phoenix to ensure a better education for him and it was in his adolescence that he decided he wanted to be a photographer of his Chicano culture — he wanted to make art of the lives of his community, not document it.

He was personable and those in the Barrio opened their doors to him. “They trusted me,” he said. After earning an M.F.A. from Arizona State, Bernal taught photography at Pima Community College. Tragically, while riding his bike to the school, he was hit by a car and was in a coma for four years, dying on his 58th birthday in 1993. An art gallery at the College was named in his honor.

A special exhibit of Bernal’s work at University of Arizona Center for Creative Photograph opened September 14, 2024 and runs until March 15, 2025.

Becky McCreary, Librarian

This Month's Club Activities

Jump to SIGs

Jump to Travelogue

Jump to Field Trips

Jump to Photo Ops

Jump to Showtime

Jump to Speaker Series

Check the Club Calendar for the latest information on all club activities. Photography Club members are also welcome and encouraged to attend the Club’s monthly Board of Directors meetings. Check the Club Calendar for the date of the meeting and attend in-person at the Club, or remotely by registering using this link. The Board is always interested in comments and new ideas from the members.

Need help with your digital camera, smartphone camera, slide/print scanning, photo printing or a photo editing software application? Photography Club Volunteer Helpers are available to help. Log in to the Club’s website. Click on the three bars at the far right of the home page menu bar and select Volunteer Helpers. Once you've found a helper, scroll down to see their contact email listed. Help is just a few clicks away.

Showtime

Starting December 2nd

Only a little more than a month before SHOWTIME 25!!!

GOT VIDEOS?

GOT SLIDESHOWS?

You can use the free WE TRANSFER or FILE MAIL apps to send to

GVRPCSHOWTIME@gmail.com

If you need help our Multi Media SIG meets every Monday morning @ 10

Todd Taylor, Showtime Host

Travelogue

Tuesday, 11/12 at 6:30 pm

Paul McCreary, Travelogue Coordinator

Speaker Series

Monday, 11/18 at 3:00 pm

Linda Gregory

and

Patty Ferguson

Africa Tour

Kim Holmes, Speaker Series Coordinator

Field Trips

Planning for Next Season

Now that everyone is slowly making their way back to Green Valley for the winter we have announced our first offering of field trips. There are many new locales along with our most popular trips, so please go to the Field Trips page on our website to check out the venues and sign up. If the trip is already full, please sign up anyway. This is the only way we know whether to schedule an added trip to that location. Another reason to always sign up is if someone cancels (even on the morning of the trip), you will be called to see if you are able to attend. You will also be offered the opportunity to register for the new trip before it is opened to all.

As I said in the August newsletter, I really need your help. Last year's success was due to an unbelievably small, but very dedicated group of trip leaders. To continue with our record number of trips, we need members to step up and volunteer to lead our field trips. Most, if not all, of the trips have already been conducted in the past, so it s just a matter of picking the date, contacting the venue, and enjoying the day.

Our next Field Trip Committee meeting will take place at 2:00 pm on November 6th at the Arizona Family Restaurant. Feel free to join us and help make this the best field trip season ever!

As always, for questions or comments, email me at mparker582@aol.com or text (618) 304-1164.

 Monica E. Parker, Field Trip Facilitator

Photo Opportunities

We are always looking for recommendations for future photo opportunities. Please feel free to contact me If you have suggestions for upcoming events of interest.

Tom Parker, Photo Op Coordinator

Special Interest Groups are fun and educational. Any member of the Photography Club is welcome to attend any of the SIGs.

Click on any of the links listed to get more information on each one.

Multimedia SIG
Black and White SIG

Studio and Fine Art SIG

On Assignment SIG

Photoshop/Lightroom SIG

Canon R Series SIG

Photoshop Elements SIG

Monitor Notes

Monitors typically welcome and check in club members, answer the phone, and inform those seeking information about the Club. We are all indebted to the dedicated team of monitors who volunteer to keep the Photography Club open. Many thanks to all of you.

We are always looking for additional monitors. Help us provide all the benefits the Club offers to its members. 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.  You are not expected to know how to use the equipment. Training takes about three hours.

Contact: gvrcameramonitors@gmail.com for more information.

Photography Items

Wanted

or

For Sale

For Sale

Canon PixmaPro-100 Printer

8 ink dye-based system, Prints 13”x 19” photos

I have printed about a dozen photos with this unit with great outcomes

Price: $100 or B.O.

Contact Larry Wolf at towolf@msn.com or 520-591-8985

All items:

• May be placed only by current, past or families of past members.
  
• Must be for used photography related equipment.
  
• Must include your name, or the name of the past member, and contact information.
• Should be submitted to neilwicai@gmail.com.
• Must be placed by the 25th of the month prior to the month of listing.
• Will run for one month, but may be resubmitted up to three times to be listed again.

GVR Photography Club

The GVR Photography Club is one of the largest photography clubs in the U.S. with over 600 active members. Regardless of your skill level, you'll have fun honing your skills in taking, editing, and presenting photos and videos. Share your photographic passion with others. Take FREE courses and join our Special Interest Groups to get the most from your digital camera, smartphone, action camera, or drone. Learn the ins and outs of post-processing software. Use our state-of-the-art equipment to digitize and edit photos, slides, and videos. Go on Club Field Trips to practice your photographic skills. Exhibit your photos/videos at our Showtime and Travelogue events. Come make friends and photographs!

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  gvrphotographyclub@gmail.com. 

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