July 2024

From the President... 

The Arizona heat is definitely here now and I’m looking forward to our summer monsoon season.  I hope all of you are having great summer adventures.

I monitored at the club a couple times in June and definitely noticed that it is a lot quieter during our summer months.  Some of the Special Interest Groups are meeting and a few members are printing photographs. We need your photos to display at the club and at our displays at the GVR centers.  Show off some of your favorite photos and get them printed and framed for display! 

For the photo lab we are upgrading Topaz Gigapixel and Photo AI to the latest versions. Gigapixel 7 enhances photos to a larger file size which then provides higher resolution for printing. This may be more important for those taking cell phone photos and want to create a large print. Photo AI 3 sharpens an entire image with enhanced denoise on the photo.  Please stop in the lab to try these versions and let us know your impressions.

Kirk Hively, President

Keep Our Facebook Page in Mind

Whether you're on vacation or just enjoying the Arizona summer, be sure to remember to send me your favorite photos so I can post them on the Club's Facebook page. 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 July Photo of the Month is by Dave Erickson, a spectacular shot of a Tricolored Heron.

Dave recalls, "I was walking along a sidewalk near the marina in Costa Rica when I saw this heron standing on the shoreline rocks waiting for a fish to swim by. I liked the heron's reflection on the water, as well as the reflection of the green foliage from above. Finding the right angle and composing the shot only took a few minutes. Luckily, I had with me my Canon 5D Mark IV camera with a Tamron 150-600mm telephoto lens attached. The camera settings were ISO 2,500 - 600mm - f7.1 - 1,000 sec. I did not have my tripod with me, so I used a guardrail to steady the camera. I edited the photo in Lightroom, Photoshop, and Topaz. Costa Rica was great---lots of wildlife to photograph."

Congratulations, Dave!

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

It’s summertime and the living is easy. The Photography Club is planning late fall and winter activities and should have some definite information to share early in September.

Right now, I'm laid back, feet in the water, sitting on the sand when I should have my camera in hand. So, I’m going to practice what I preach; I’m going to take some time to do a little photography and I encourage you to do the same. Get that camera or phone out and shoot away.  I’ll try to arrange a “Show and Tell” session in the fall where participants can share their “What I Photographed During the Summer” results.

I also have one summer learning experience to suggest. Spend a little time on the repository of all knowledge, YouTube. Search for some photographic topic that piques your interest, watch it, and hopefully learn something new. Try some topics like portraits, composite photography, or landscape photography.

Gene Komaromi, Education Chair

Library News

Celebrate America in July!

This month’s Photography Club Library display features books which focus on traveling and photographing the United States.

In the group is John Fielder's Colorado’s Hidden Valleys donated by Green Valley-Sahuarita Genealogy Library.

Former club member Dean Chaussee helped replenish our Arizona Highways slot on the magazine rack, so check out what is there. The magazines are free and have lots of ideas for photographing our state.

Enjoy the holiday and the upcoming monsoons.

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

Keep Shooting for Next Season

Greetings to all,

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer, staying cool and talking lots of photos and making videos for next year’s SHOWTIME.

Those of us still here in Green Valley are keeping cool from the 100+ degree temperatures by gathering at the club with our Multi Media SIG and having fun. For those of you not here, we Zoom the SIG on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. This allows us to help you any way we can to make better videos. You're welcome to join in on the fun.

See you in the fall.

Todd Taylor, Showtime Host

Travelogue

Closed for the Season

Paul McCreary, Travelogue Coordinator

Speaker Series

Closed for the Season

Kim Holmes, Speaker Series Coordinator

Field Trips

Planning for Next Season

I hope you are having as much fun traveling and seeing family and friends this summer as we are!

I have received several new ideas for future field trips. Keep those ideas coming! Our next Field Trip Committee meeting will be in the latter part of August to set up next season’s October through May calendar. I will announce the date in the August newsletter.

I haven’t forgotten our summer field trips, so watch for an eBlast shortly.

As always, If you have any questions, ideas for future trips or want to participate in our Field Trip activities, please contact me,

Have a safe and happy summer! See you soon!

 Monica E. Parker, Field Trip Facilitator

Photo Opportunities

Sahuarita Stars & Stripes

• Jul 4, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm – Free
• Anamax Park, 17501 South Camino De Las Quintas, Sahuarita, AZ
• Find more information here.

Hummingbird Banding at the San Pedro House

• Jul 6, 13, 20 & 24, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Free
• San Pedro House Visitor Center, 9800 East Highway 90, Sierra Vista, AZ
• Find more information here.

Mainly Murals Walking Tour

• Jul 8, 8:00 am to 10:00 am – $30, registration required
• Presidio San Agustin Museum, 196 North Court Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Turquoise Trail Walking Tour

• Jul 13, 7:30 am to 10:00 am – $30, registration required
• Presidio San Agustin Museum, 196 North Court Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Night Wings

• Jul 13 & 27, 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm – $10
• Pima Air and Space Museum, 6000 East Valencia Road, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Sunset Historical Film Tours

• Jul 13, 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm – $20, Reservations required
• Mescal Movie Set, 1538 North Mescal Road, Benson, AZ
• Find more information here.

• Jul 14, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm – Pay what you wish, reservations required
• Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, 140 North Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Vigilante Sunday

• Jul 14 & 28, 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm – Free
• Downtown Tombstone, 311 East Allen Street, Tombstone AZ
• Find more information here and here.

Barrio Viejo (Old Neighborhood) Walking Tour

• Jul 15, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm – $30, registration required
• El Tiradito Wishing Shrine, 418 South Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Kartchner Caverns Photo Tour

• Jul 20, 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm - $125, Registration required
• Kartchner Caverns State Park, 9 miles South of Benson on Hwy 90.
• Find more information here.

Public Art & Murals Walking Tour

• Jul 27, 8:00 am to 10:00 am – $30, registration required
• Presidio San Agustin Museum, 196 North Court Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

National Day of the Cowboy

• Jul 27, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm – Free
• Empire Ranch, East Empire Ranch Road, Sonoita, AZ
• Find more information here.

15th Annual Garlic Festival

• Jul 27 & 28, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm – $10 parking pass
• Triangle T Guest Ranch, 4190 Dragoon Road, Dragoon, AZ
• Find more information here.

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

Wildlife Photography 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

There are no listings this month.

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