June 2024

From the President... 

Summer in Arizona is almost upon us. For those of us still in Arizona we should be hitting triple digits soon.  I hope all your summer adventures are cooler and well underway.  My personal summer adventures have already started.

My wife, Sandy, and I did a fascinating two-week RV trip in May through Monument Valley in  Arizona, Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and the Gila Cliff Dwellings and Catwalk near Silver City, New Mexico.  And we're planning a weeklong back country RV trip to Alpine, Arizona in June.

Then to close out the summer we plan to start a big 3-month adventure across the Midwest, hoping to catch fall color in the Smoky Mountains in September / October.  Any ideas you would like to provide us? 

I look forward to hearing about your adventures, seeing new photographs hanging in the club along with interesting travelogs later this year. 

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 June Photo of the Month is by Jack Sharrock, a terrific shot of a broad-billed hummingbird.

Jack comments, "In my photograph, a colorful broad-billed hummingbird is drinking from an equally colorful Lady Slipper flower. A bright blue Arizona sky completes the composition. The photo was shot on the patio of our house on Paseo Del Canto before we moved to La Posada.

"My shutter speed was 1/2500 second to freeze the image of the bird. I caught the wings as they stopped at the top of their backswing. Hummers beat their wings at 60-80 beats per second. My camera is capable of shooting 20 frames per second so hopefully at least one of those frames catches the wings as they stop at the top of their swing. That was the case for this picture. I hope you enjoy seeing the hummer having lunch."

Congratulations, Jack!

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

Summer is here, many members have retreated north and Photography Club activities have gone on hold. Even so, wherever you spend your summer, you can still satisfy your interest in becoming a better photographer by taking advantage of some on-line activity.

If you’re looking for a good basic photography class, there are several online on the Udemy website. They offer some excellent classes. One of my favorites is the one on basic Android and iPhone photography, which you can find here.

Creative Live has some excellent courses that use sound pedagogical techniques. They are more expensive than the Udemy classes, but have greater depth. At specific times you can watch the “Live” classes for free.

YouTube is another repository of photographic instruction. You may have to wade through multiple videos to find instructional gold, but it’s worth the effort. Just search on a photographic topic and start watching.

Don’t let your photographic educational interests lay dormant during the summer. Find alternative learning experiences online to stay involved and learn a new trick or two.

Gene Komaromi, Education Chair

Library News

Most of the usual Photography Club events and SIGS are on vacation for the summer and the facility is open fewer hours. But the Library is open whenever the facility is!

We often see “Good Reads for Summer” in the newspaper or magazines and I can say that we have plenty of good reads on our shelves. This might be a good time to check out a book for three weeks and prepare for one of the current SIGS or one that will be resuming in the fall. If you haven’t checked our titles for a while, stop in and see what we have.

Enjoy the summer with a good book!

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,

I’m off shooting more photos and videos to bring to you in December. I hope you are too! Get out there, take photos and make videos.

Need help? Whether you’re in Green Valley or not, you can join our Multi Media Special Interest Group the second and fourth Monday of each month at our club or via Zoom. If not that, you can also check us out on the Clubs YouTube channel for replays of our SIG.

Remember, you can email me your videos at gvrpcshowtime@gmail.com throughout our summer break. That way I can build a catalog of videos for next year. I would also encourage those who enjoy SHOWTIME, but have never submitted, to take advantage of the many SIG’s our club offers to enhance or learn new skills and submit videos/slideshows to me. It’s all in fun.

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

Let's Plan for Next Season

As we start our summer activities, I hope everyone is safe and settled in wherever they wish to be!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record...

I ask you to give some thought to where you would like to go next season and please pass on those ideas to me. My hope is to continue adding new places to our new schedule. We are currently checking out not only day trips but overnighters as well. Unfortunately, at this time we cannot schedule trips across the border as a club.

That being said, for those of us diehard heat lovers, watch for some “cooler” indoor trips in the July through September time frame.

Our next Field Trip Committee meeting will be in August. The date to be announced later.

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

Mainly Murals Walking Tour

• Jun 1, 8:00 am to 10:00 am – $30, registration required
• Presidio San Agustin Museum, 196 North Court Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Hummingbird Banding at the San Pedro House

• Jun 1 & 29, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Free
• San Pedro House Visitor Center, 9800 East Highway 90, Sierra Vista, AZ
• Find more information here.

First Thursday at the Tucson Museum of Art

• Jun 6, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm – Pay what you wish, reservations required
• Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, 140 North Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Turquoise Trail Guided Walking Tours

• Jun 9, 7:30 am to 10:00 am – $30, registration required
• Presidio San Agustin Museum, 196 North Court Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Second Sundaze at the Tucson Museum of Art

• Jun 9, 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

• Jun 9 & 23, 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm – Free
• Downtown Tombstone, 311 East Allen Street, Tombstone AZ
• Find more information here.

Barrio Viejo (Old Neighborhood) Walking Tour

• Jun 9 & 23, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm – $30, registration required
• El Tiradito Wishing Shrine, 418 South Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here and here.

Ted DeGrazia’s Birthday

• Jun 14, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. - Free
• DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Museum, 6300 North Swan, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

7th Annual White Mountains Balloon Festival

• Jun 21-23, Early morning and late afternoon/evening events – Free
• Mountain Meadows Recreation Complex, 1101 S Woodland Rd, Lakeside, AZ
• Find more information here.

Public Art & Murals

• Jun 22, 8:00 am to 10:00 am – $30, registration required
• Presidio San Agustin Museum, 196 North Court Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Bull Riding in Tombstone

• Jun 22, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, pre-show at 6:00 pm - $15
• Shoot-Out Arena, 316 South 3rd Street, Tombstone, AZ
• Find more information here.

Murals and More of the 4th Avenue District

• Jun 23, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm – $30, registration required
• Corbett’s, 340 North 6th Avenue, Tucson, 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