May 2024

From the President... 

Meet Your New President

I am excited about being your president. My interest in photography and travel started with the gift of a small Instamatic camera. I joined the high school yearbook as their photographer and had my own black & white darkroom. I bought my first SLR when I was nineteen.

I am an Aerospace Engineer and worked 5 years in the Navy as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer on the USS Coral Sea aircraft carrier. From there was employed by General Dynamics in San Diego and remained with the Naval Reserve. Hughes Aircraft in Tucson acquired GD in 1992 and transferred me to Tucson. I retired from the Navy as a Captain. I retired from my engineering career with 35 years between GD, Hughes, and Raytheon.

I have been married to Sandra Raliegh for ‘not long enough’ 22 years and have two adult sons from a previous marriage.

After retirement in 2019, we moved to Green Valley with GVR’s activities in mind. I really enjoy the field trips, the Special Interest Groups and helping monitor the club. My wife and I travel as much as possible, both across the USA and adventures overseas.

I look forward to representing the club and meeting all of you. We have a great board of directors and wonderful volunteers that make this club work and enjoyable. I’d like your help to set goals for our future. Think about things you’d like to see improved or added.

Kirk Hively, President

Summer Hours

This month starts Summer Hours for the Photography Club, 9:00 am to Noon, Monday through Friday.

The schedule for SIG meetings that have met in the afternoon will change to a morning schedule during the summer. Be sure to check the club calendar for the latest on these changes

File Transfer Apps

They're FREE!

Now that I’ve got your attention... Why pay for what we can get for free, right? We’re retired for the most part and we’re trying to keep our dollars. We have places to go, people to see, things to do and we need our bucks! None of us knows when our Golden Ticket is going to be punched. Even so, we would still like to share our stories and experiences with family and friends. Luckily, sending them your photos and videos has never been easier.

There are two free apps I use that have worked fine, except they do limit how many times you can send in one day. For the most part that isn’t a big issue. Send to those most important on day one and send to the rest on subsequent days. If you have a big list, lucky you!

WeTransfer is a great file transfer app and it works like a charm. It allows you to send up to 2GB of information. You can access it at https://wetransfer.com/.

Filemail is another great app. It allows you to send up to 5 GB. That is rarely necessary, but sometimes those family vacation videos get pretty long. They’re memories and that’s all our families want to see, especially fifty years from now when we’re long gone. Our future generations will probably have a chip implanted in their brain that brings up whatever they want. Not sure that’s so lucky! Anyway, you can find Filemail at https://www.filemail.com/.

Speaking of future generations viewing our videos, make them interesting. You want your viewers wanting more. It’s a concept developed by story tellers since the beginning of time. If you’re interested in developing that concept, please join us on Monday mornings at 10:00 am with our fellow colleagues at our Multimedia SIG for help with your video. From technical issues to storytelling, we gently suggest alternatives, and more if you want us to dish it up. It’s your choice.

Todd Taylor, Multimedia SIG Co-Host

In Case You Missed It

Photography Club members attending this year's dinner social event on April 8th were treated to a special after dinner presentation. Kevin May put together a beautifully produced video chronicling Danny Valenzuela's 485 mile walk on the Camino de Santiago across Spain from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago, Spain. Narrated by Danny himself, the video features a treasured collection of the many photographs he took on his 32 day trek.

If you were unable to attend the April event or just want to see it again. Kevin has uploaded the video to the Club's YouTube page here. The countryside is spectacular and Danny's storytelling is introspective and captivating. We are fortunate to have Danny share his adventure with us. -ed

Photo of the Month

The May Photo of the Month is by Darrell Rude, titled Sunday Night Dinner.

Darrell recalls, "Kermit was in the right place at the wrong time! The photo of the Great Blue Heron was taken at Canoa Ranch. It was approximately 5:00-5:30 when I arrived. The heron had just gotten the frog as I approached the lake. I just started shooting. I used a Nikon Z7II with 400mm lens at f5.6, 1/2000 sec., ISO 450."

Congratulations, Darrell!

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 summer again, and many club photographers think that it’s time for a photographic summer vacation. Don’t waste the summer days. Use this time to shoot photographs and have some new learning experiences.

The On Assignment Special Interest Group has compiled a list of items to shoot this summer that will be shared and commented on in the fall. Here are a few topics that SIG members have decided to use for photographic inspiration this summer. I suggest joining them in shooting some inspiring photographs you can share next fall. The SIG is planning to meet on the first and third Thursday of each month next fall at 1:00 pm.

Something Silver

Hands

Charming

Food

Reflections

Footprints

A Celebration

Makes You Smile

Saturday Afternoon

Refllections

Dreamy

Purple

Abandoned

Something Old

Black and White

Three of a Kind

Music

An Entrance

Road Less Traveled

Patterns

Colorful

The results of the survey that was published in the last newsletter presented the Club with a few surprises.

1. 63% of Club members use phones as their primary source of photography.
2. Phone operating systems are about evenly split between Apple and Android.
3. 99% of Club Members do some post-processing using various editors.
4. Members responded with a resounding “Maybe” on attending a Big Winter Class.

Lastly, we have a job opening. Is any club member familiar with the PhotoPills app?  We’ve had requests for information on this Astro Photo program. Contact me if you have any expertise in PhotoPills.

Gene Komaromi, Education Chair

Library News

Thank you to those who returned library books before leaving for the summer. It is important to keep our collection of nice books in circulation for all Photography Club members to enjoy.

When visiting the Club, don’t forget to browse the magazines in the rack. They are free and do not have to be retuned. Keep or pass them on to another interested reader.

Enjoy the transition into our lovely Southern Arizona summer!

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

So Long and Safe Travels

♫ - Reprise from April's SHOWTIME - ♫

See you in December,

See you when our break is through,

Here we are saying good bye to our theater,

Nothing is neater,

Than when you return,

Take some photos,

Make some videos,

Of your travels near and far,

I will show them,

Next season,

And welcome back all you stars.

Now you're singing it too…

Thank you all for welcoming me as the new host for SHOWTIME this past season. I hope you enjoyed my short introductions about the History of Cinema and other presentations. I will continue to enlighten us with some interesting episodes in Season 2 this December.

I also want to thank the many contributors of material this past season. Without you there wouldn’t be a SHOWTIME, you are the ones who make the show great. I look forward to showing your videos next season.

As a side note for our regular producers, you can email me your videos at gvrpcshowtime@gmail.com throughout our 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

Super Venues - Serious Fun

There will be no Field Trip Committee meetings in May, June, or July. Our next committee meeting will be sometime in the late August, early September timeframe. We will be scheduling a couple of field trips during our summer months for those of us who are “year-rounders.”

I will ask you to give some thought to where you would like to go next season and feel free to 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, we cannot, at this time, schedule trips across the border as a club.

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

Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum

• Sundays thru May,1:00 to 4:00 pm – $5
• 975 North Miller Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

San Pedro River Walk

• Tuesdays & Fridays (except 5/31), Tue:6:30 to 9:30 am, Fri:6:00 to 9:00 am – $20
• Casa de San Pedro Bed and Breakfast, 8933 South Yell Lane, Hereford, AZ
• Find more information here.

Butterfly Magic

• Ongoing daily thru May, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm – included with garden admission
• Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 North Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Pima Air and Space Museum

• Ongoing daily thru May, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm – Ticket prices vary
• 6000 East Valencia Road, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea!

• Ongoing thru Jun, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm – included with garden admission
• Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 North Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

A Western Experience at Old Tucson

• May 2-5 & 11-12,10:30 am to 5:00 pm – $39
• Old Tucson, 201 Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

First Thursday at the Tucson Museum of Art

• May 2, 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.

Fiesta de Garibaldi

• May 4, 10:00 am to 10:00 pm - $25
• Jacome Plaza, 101 North Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Hummingbird Banding at the San Pedro House

• May 4, 11, 18 & 25, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Free
• San Pedro House Visitor Center, 9800 East Highway 90, Sierra Vista, AZ
• Find more information here.

Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Festival & Asian Market

• May 11, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm – Free
• Tucson Mall, 4500 North Oracle Road, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Barrio Viejo Walking Tour

• May 11, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm – $30, registration required
• El Tiradito Wishing Shrine, 418 South Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Second Sundaze at the Tucson Museum of Art

• May 12, 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

• May 12 & 26, 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm – Free
• Downtown Tombstone, 311 East Allen Street, Tombstone AZ
• Find more information here.

Willcox Wine Festival

• May 17-19, Fri 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Sat & Sun 11:00 am to 5:00 pm – Fees vary
• 157 North Railroad Avenue, Willcox, AZ
• Find more information here.

San Ysidro Festival

• May 18, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm – free (donations accepted)
• Mission Garden, 946 West Mission Lane, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

Annual Mariachi Festival and Wine Tasting

• May 18, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm - $20.00 per vehicle
• Patagonia Lake State Park, 400 Patagonia Lake Road, Nogales, AZ
• Find more information here.

Public Art and Murals Walking Tour

• May 25, 8:00 am to 10:00 am – $30, registration required
• Presidio San Agustin Museum, 196 North Court Avenue, Tucson, AZ
• Find more information here.

7th Annual Wine, Beer & Spirits Fest

• May 25, 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Free to enter the event venue
• Veterans Memorial Park, 3105 East Fry Boulevard, Sierra Vista, AZ
• Find more information here.

Wyatt Earp Days

• May 25-26, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm – Free
• Downtown Tombstone, 311 East Allen Street, Tombstone 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

For Sale

Nikon AF-S Nikor 200-400mm, f/4 Lens

• Price: $100
• Contact Sam Schaen at sam.schaen@gmail.com or 703-402-0929

Nikon D610 DSLR Camera

• Includes batteries and charger
• Price: Free
• Contact Sam Schaen at sam.schaen@gmail.com or 703-402-0929

Nikon D750 DSLR Camera

• Includes batteries and charger
• Some wear & tear
• Cracked plastic protective window to control panel display, but works OK
• Price: Free
• Contact Sam Schaen at sam.schaen@gmail.com or 703-402-0929

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