October 2021

From the Board...

The weather is changing. This means you will have an opportunity to hone your skills and try new ideas to capture great images of the changing seasons. Recent storms in Green Valley have provided dramatic conditions in which to capture the wonders of fantastic cloud formations, lightning shows, bursts of wildflowers and butterfly invasions.  Early and late Fall is an ideal time to get creative and shoot landscapes with Autumn colors.

So how do you prepare yourself to capture those magic moments? At the Camera Club, of course. Classes will be starting soon, and field trips are already scheduled. Taking classes, participating in Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and going on field trips offer great opportunities to capture some great shots of wildlife, flowers, and birds; not to mention those normally empty streams and washes that are flowing with water. Once you’ve taken those great photos, learn how to enhance them and make them unique by attending the Photoshop or Lightroom sessions. It’s amazing how a good photo can be made to look great.

Check the calendar on our website to see which activities can help you sharpen your skills. Other than the field trips, you can participate live or via Zoom. We are here to help, take advantage of it. Let’s see your best efforts on our Showtime sessions or in the Travelogue presentations.

I’ll be seeing you in person or on video as your Camera Club continues to bring you new opportunities.  Stay well and keep shooting on film or digitally.

Danny Valenzuela, Interim President

Photo of the Month

The October Photo of the Month is a striking piece of photo art by Gene Komaromi, taking us into one of the great songs of our times. Revisit the Eagles preforming this classic at the 1998 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Well done, Gene. Thanks for the trip back. ed.

The Photo of the Month is chosen from the Photo of the Day series published on the Club's Facebook page 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.

Photographer Appreciation Month

What would our lives be like without photographers capturing world, national, local, and personal events so that we have a record of the time? While browsing family albums, we should stop and say “thank you” to the person behind the camera who made the album possible.

October is Photographer Appreciation Month and it reminds us to thank those who have made our lives more meaningful though their hobby, profession, or art.

In celebration of the month, there is a new display of books about photographers on the book shelves at the Camera Club library. Included are Ansel Adams, Annie Leibovitz, William Mortensen, Edward Weston, and more. Check out one or more and get inspired!

Find more on the Club's Library here.

Becky McCreary, Librarian

Education and improvement of our photographic skills have always been key parts of what the GVR Camera Club has been about. We’re starting to schedule classes for the Fall and Winter cycle for our members. As always, more instructors mean more classes and we need some volunteers to be instructors.

Your Camera Club needs you!

Do you have a skill that you could share with other Club members? You don’t have to be an educator, you don’t even need to be an expert. Just volunteer and we’ll provide you with the training, and hopefully the confidence to share your skill.

If you have interest drop me a note and join the team.

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 here for the latest information on all club activities.

Travelogues Needed

Although we are in fact on summer break, It's never too early to ask members to keep the next season of Travelogue in mind. Presentations can be comprised of stills and/or video in any combination with a length of between 10 and 20 minutes. We all would like to see what you want to share.

If you have a Travelogue to present for the season starting in November, please contact me here, or call me at (970) 596-1505.

Paul McCreary, Travelogue Moderator

Field Trips

2021/2022 Season

We are pleased and excited to announce 22 new field trips for the upcoming 2021/2022 season, and it's starting this month with the Tohono Chul Tour trip! We expect registrations to fill up fast. Find more information and register for one or more of the field trips here or with the links in one of our Field Trip e-blasts.

Bird/Nature Trips

11/09/21 – Madera Canyon
12/07/21 – Tubac / Santa Gertrudis Lane / Tumacacori
12/14/21 – Kennedy Park / Santa Cruz Overlook
01/11/22 – Whitewater Draw for Sandhill Cranes by bus
01/29/22 – Sweetwater Wetlands / Columbus Park
02/08/22 – El Rio Preserve (Marana)
02/22/22 – Lakeside Park / Lincoln Park / Atterbury Wash
03/08/22 – Paton Center for Hummingbirds
03/22/22 – Tubac Bridge / Anza Trail / Hawk Watch
04/05/22 – Madera Canyon Santa Rita Lodge for Hummingbirds

Tucson Windows and Doors Trips

11/09/21-\

01/11/22-| This is a walking tour of several blocks. You will be exploring the

02/09/22-| area on either side of the Tucson Convention Center, a favorite

03/08/22-| area for both artists and photographers. Always a fun trip.

04/12/22-/

Special Interest and Outright Fun Trips

10/23/21 – Tohono Chul

11/04/21 – Streetcar Art

11/06/21 – Tucson Celtic Festival and Highland Games

11/10/21 – Gammons Gulch Movie Set and Museum

02/12/22 – Presidio San Augustin de Tucson and Mission Garden

03/15/22 – Bisbee by Bus

03/19/22 – Equine Voices Horse Sanctuary and Rescue

October Photo Opportunities

Rex Allen Days

• October 1-3 
• Multiple venues and numerous events -  Wilcox, Arizona
• Find more information here.

Art in the Park

• October 2-3 - 9:00 am-5:00 pm - Free.
• Veterans Memorial Park,  Sierra Vista, Arizona
• Find more information here.

Quarter Horse Show

• October 9-10 - Gate opens at 8:00 am
• Sonoita Fairgrounds - Sonoita, Arizona
• Find more information here.

Sky Islands Fall Artisan Market (Patagonia Fall Festival)

• October 9-10 - Saturday 9:00 am-5:00 pm - Sunday 10:00 am-4:00 pm - Free
• Patagonia Town Park, Patagonia, Arizona
• Find more information here.

Tombstone Helldorado Days

• October 15-17 - 10:00 am-4:00 pm
• Downtown Tombstone, Arizona
• Find more information here.

Living History Day - Families Preparing for dia de los Muertos Day

• October 16 - 10:00 am-2:00 pm

• Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum - 196 N. Court Ave. Tucson, AZ

• Find more information here.
  

Tucson Classics Car Show

• October 16 - 10:00 am-4:00 pm
• The Gregory School - 3231 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson, Arizona
• Find more information here.

Wilcox Wine Country Fall Festival

• October 16-17 - 11:00 am-5:00 pm - $35.00
• Railroad Park - 157 N. Railroad Avenue, Wilcox, Arizona
• Find more information here.

Patty Ferguson, Photo Op Coordinator

Showtime

Starting in December

Camera Club SHOWTIME will be coming soon to a theater near you starting in December. Unlike last season when it was all virtual, this season it will actually be real at the Desert Hills auditorium . And possibly, they might be hybrid presentations, also streamed live, as many of us have gotten used to enjoying SHOWTIME from afar.

There will be a one-time schedule change for the month of December.  We will be meeting on the second Monday, December 13th, instead of the first Monday as we usually do.

And remember, in order to have a successful SHOWTIME this season, or any SHOWTIME at all, we need your programs to show.  As of right now there are zero programs in the queue for the December event.  Yes, the well is dry.  So get to work. Take your photos from your favorite field trip and make them into a slide show. Show us how you spent your summer, anything at all will do. We need about eight or so programs. I know you can do it. Contact me here if you have a program for SHOWTIME.

Chuck Hill, Showtime Coordinator

Speaker Series

Starting in November

Speaker Series will start in November this year, the third Thursday, on 11/18/21. We are planning hybrid presentations, both in person and on line via Zoom. We welcome all to join us, but if you can't, you will still be able to enjoy the presentation remotely. Kevin May will be our speaker in November. More on his presentation next month.

Happy Trails till then,

Holly Chorba, Speaker Series Coordinator

Special Interest Groups are fun and informative. Any member of the Camera Club is welcome to attend any of the SIGs. Not all are meeting during the summer break. Details below.

• Multimedia SIG - Grace Pitzer, moderator.
• Learn what it’s all about. Bring your video project to share for comments & suggestions.
  
• Second and Forth Mondays @ 10:00 am - Meetings are online via Zoom. Register here on the GVR website to join and get the Zoom link to attend.

• Black and White SIG - Wendell Werner, moderator.
• Members bring their images to examine the special qualities of monochrome photography and share editing techniques in composition and lighting.
• Tuesdays @ 1:30 pm - Meetings are online via Zoom every other Tuesday for the summer. Register here on the GVR website to join and get the Zoom link to attend.

• Studio and Fine Art Photography SIG - Sandy Ostroff, moderator.
• Explore new techniques and broaden your skills.
  
• Monday's @ 1:30 pm - Meetings are online via Zoom. Register here on the GVR website to join and get the Zoom link to attend.

• Hit me with Your Best Shot SIG - Pat Caniff, moderator.
• Bring five examples of your best efforts to show.
  
• Thursdays at 1:00 pm - Meetings suspended until further notice.

• Photoshop/Lightroom SIG - Al Crawford, Moderator.
• Study techniques found in Photoshop CS and Lightroom that are not found in other photo processing tools.
• Wednesdays @ 9:30 am - Meetings are online via Zoom. Register here on the GVR website to join and get the Zoom link to attend.

• Field Trip SIG - Sue Rock, moderator.
• Plan, arrange, guide and advertise field trips.
• Wednesdays @ 4:00 pm - Not meeting during the summer break.

• Photoshop Elements SIG - Linda Gregory, moderator.
• Learn how to use Photoshop Elements post processing on your photos.
• Thursdays @ 9:30-11:00 am - Meetings are online via Zoom. Register here on the GVR website to join and get the Zoom link to attend. Participants have the option to send a few photos to Linda in an email for processing here. Submit at least one day prior to the SIG. Put "Elements SIG" in the subject line and describe what you want improved. 

• Bird Photography SIG - Mike McMinn, moderator.
• Improve your bird photography skills and share your best shots.
• Wednesdays @ 1:30 pm - Meetings are online via Zoom. Register here on the GVR website to join and get the Zoom link to attend.

• Rebel Rousers SIG - Al Crawford, Moderator.
• Share your interest in Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras.
• Fridays @ 9:30 am - Meetings are online via Zoom. Register here on the GVR website to join and get the Zoom link to attend.

Camera Club Library

The Camera Club library shelves are full of photography related books for members to borrow. Subjects include tips and techniques, software, photographers, black & white photos, lighting, studio photography, IPhone techniques, landscape and wildlife shots, and many, many more.

Books may be checked out for three (3) weeks and renewed another three weeks if no one is waiting for the book.  We also have older magazines to enjoy. Stop by and browse the shelves!

Also, if you have books that were checked out before we closed for Covid-19, please return them to the library. Please contact me if you have questions.

Becky McCreary, Librarian

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 welcome and check in club members, answer the phone, and inform those seeking information about the Club. You are not expected to know how to use the equipment. Training takes about an hour. Review our Monitor training video here.

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 gvrcameraclub@gmail.com. 

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