September 2017 Meeting Reminder

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Just a quick reminder that our first meeting of the year is this Thursday, 9/21 at 7 pm in the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I am collecting photos from our members for our “What Did I Shoot This Summer” slideshow. So if you haven’t done so already, please send me 3-4 images taken this summer via the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org email address as soon as possible so that I have time to get them into the presentation. If possible, please resize the images to 2000 pixels on the long edge and a resolution of 72 ppi before sending them. If you are unsure how to do this you can send a copy of the full sized file. This is a great way to share your experiences and techniques with your fellow club members!

Also, remember that we will have a “swap meet” table set up. Members can bring in any items that they are looking to sell, trade or give away. So remember to bring in your photo related items in for sale or trade!

Here are a few additional reminders in case you missed the last post:

Photo Displays

The first and second place photos from our club contest have been on display at the Forest and the Bellevue Library all summer. They will all be taken down shortly before the meeting and will be available for the members to pick them up at our September meeting. So if your photo has been on display, please make every effort to pick them up so that Judy won’t need to bring them back home. If you are unable to make it to the meeting, please send me an email at webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org and I will put you in touch with Judy so that you can make other arrangements to pick up your photos.

Judy will also be collecting photos for our next photo display. The subjects for this month are:

Hoofstock – any animals with hooves, i.e. deer, elk, goats, etc…

Faces in Nature – images of natural objects like clouds, trees, cliffs, etc…, that look like a face.

The photos can be 8×10, 8×12 or 11×14. No mattes or frames please. Remember to add your name, the subject and the location on the back of each photo submitted.

Dues Due!

Photo club dues are due at the first meeting. Please remember to bring in $12 for an individual membership or $20 for a family membership. Also, please ensure that your Fontenelle Forest Membership is current as well.

You can send any questions you may have to the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org email. Otherwise we will see you all for our first meeting of the year on Thursday at 7 pm!

Peter Carbonell

Webmaster

Fontenelle Forest Photo Club

webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org

News & Notes – August 2017

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Nights are getting cooler, daylight hours are getting shorter and the calendar is about to turn over to September. So you know what that means. That’s right! The first meeting of the photo club calendar year is right around the corner!

I hope everyone has had an excellent summer filled with great times and awesome photos. The Executive Committee met a few weeks ago and they have a great year planned for you.

Here are a few items we’d like to share with you as our first meeting approaches.

Next Meeting

Our first meeting of the club calendar year will be Thursday, September 21st at 7 pm in the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center.

After our initial club business is discussed, we will kick the year off in the usual fashion, with our annual “What Did I Shoot This Summer” slideshow! Please send your favorite 3-4 images taken this summer to me at the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org email address by Sunday, September 17th and be prepared to tell the group a little about your shots during the show. It’s a great way to learn about all of the great locations that our members visit as well as the techniques that we’ve used to get these images. If possible, please resize the images to 2000 pixels on the long edge and a resolution of 72 ppi before sending them. If you are unsure how to do this you can send a copy of the full sized file.

We will also have a “swap meet” table set up. Members can bring in any items that they are looking to sell, trade or give away. Members can then use the last minutes of the meeting to strike a deal!

Photo Displays

The first and second place photos from our club contest have been on display at the Forest and the Bellevue Library all summer. They will all be taken down shortly before the meeting and will be available for the members to pick them up at our September meeting. So if your photo has been on display, please make every effort to pick them up so that Judy Dye, our Photo Display Coordinator, won’t need to bring them back home. If you are unable to make it to the meeting, please send me an email at webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org and I will put you in touch with Judy so that you can make other arrangements to pick up your photos.

Judy will also be collecting photos for our next photo display. The subjects for this month are:

Hoofstock – any animals with hooves, i.e. deer, elk, goats, etc…

Faces in Nature – images of natural objects like clouds, trees, cliffs, etc…, that look like a face.

The photos can be 8×10, 8×12 or 11×14. No mattes or frames please. Remember to add your name, the subject and the location on the back of each photo submitted.

Dues Due!

Photo club dues are due at the first meeting. Please remember to bring in $12 for an individual membership or $20 for a family membership. Also, please ensure that your Fontenelle Forest Membership is current as well.

Please contact me via email at webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org if there are any questions. Otherwise, we’ll see you all on 9/21!

Peter Carbonell

Webmaster

Fontenelle Forest Photo Club

webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org

Solar Eclipse Photography Class This Sunday 8/6/17!

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As many of you may remember, the Forest was looking for someone to give a presentation on photographing the upcoming solar eclipse. It appears that Rockbrook Camera has stepped up to the challenge. Rockbrook has always done a great job with the presentations they’ve provided the club in the past so I expect this event will be very informative and worthwhile.

A presentation will be given this Sunday 8/6 from 1 pm to 3 pm at the Nature Center and we all are invited. Here is the email I received from Molly Hunter with the details:

Hello!

My name is Molly and I am the new manager of marketing and events at Fontenelle Forest.

I organized Rockbrook Camera to lead the Solar Eclipse Photography workshop at Fontenelle Forest, and I wanted to make sure the entire photo club is invited!

One of the most unique and spectacular opportunities in nature is nearly upon us. On August 21st, there will be a total eclipse of the sun, and Nebraska has some of the best viewing chances in the world.

Learn the tricks to getting the BEST photos of the Great American Solar Eclipse. Our friends at Rockbrook Camera will demonstrate the best photo equipment to have in your kit during the eclipse, and the best tricks for getting the image you want!

You are encouraged to bring you camera for reference.

Free for members; daily admission for non-members!

I look forward to “seeing you in the shadow!”

Molly Mullen,

Manager of Marketing and Events

July 2017 – News & Notes

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The dog days of summer are upon us. Though the serious summer heat is upon us, I hope you have found a cool way to enjoy our common hobby, whether it be here or in more pleasant locations.

2017 Photo Contest

With the photo contest now over and the photos taken off display at Bellevue University, if you wish you can still view the 1st and 2nd place photos on display at Fontenelle Forest and the Bellevue Library. If you were unable to pick up your photo when they were taken down, please contact Judy Dye at jbdye@aol.com to make arrangements to pick up your entries.

Summer Meeting for Club Board 

The club’s Executive Board will be meeting soon to schedule the events that will fill our year’s meetings. If you have any ideas for meeting topics and/or events for the upcoming club year, please send them to me at webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org and I will be sure to present the ideas at the meeting.

Rockbrook Camera’s Tent Sale

The summer Tent Sale at Rockbrook Camera is taking place beginning Thursday July 13th through Saturday July 15th. This sale has some of their best deals of the year. One of the best deals in my opinion is the lens calibration for $30 and camera sensor cleaning for $40. These services normally cost at least twice as much. For more information on the sale go to http://www.rockbrookcamera.com/tent-sale-preview?utm_source=Rockbrook+Camera&utm_campaign=18beda65bf-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_07-06&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_35d778ea15-18beda65bf-123020377.

Crane Trust Photo Workshops

I recently received an email from Ben Dumas, the Excursion Director of the Crane Trust. The Crane Trust conducts several all-inclusive workshops throughout the year including one at the end of this month. To find out more about this opportunity, go to https://cranetrustexcursions.org/workshops/.

As always, please send any questions to me at webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org. Otherwise, enjoy your summer and we’ll see you at our next meeting on Thursday, September 21st.

Peter Carbonell

Webmaster

Fontenelle Forest Photography Club

webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org

Minutes of the Fontenelle Forest Photo Club Meeting, June 15, 2017

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The meeting held at the Bellevue University Humanities Building began at 7 pm. There were approximately 35 people in attendance.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Solar Eclipse Presentation

Fontenelle Forest is still looking for someone to provide a presentation to Forest members on how to photograph the solar eclipse that is taking place on August 21st. No experience in photographing eclipses is necessary. Just a willingness to read up on the techniques. Anyone that is interested should send an email to the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org.

Photo Displays

The subjects for our September club photo displays are:

Hoofstock – Deer, horses, antelope, etc…

Faces in Nature – Inanimate natural objects that look like faces.

In the future photos with a patriotic theme will also be needed.

The photos can be 8×10, 8×12 or 11×14. No mattes or frames please. Remember to add your name, the subject and the location on the back of each photo you submit.

End of the Photo Club Calendar Year

The June meeting marked the last meeting of club calendar year. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, September 21st at 7 pm in the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center. The newly elected club Executive Board under the direction of Alex Wiles will be meeting sometime this summer to set the calendar of events for the upcoming year.

 If anyone has ideas for future meetings or would like to present on a topic, please send an email to the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org email address as soon as possible so we can ensure that your contributions are considered.

We would also like to thank all of the members of the board, our event coordinators and all of our presenters that helped make this year so successful! Thank you for all you do!

PHOTO CONTEST CRITIQUE AND AWARDS

Our judge, Pat Mingarelli, provided a very informative critique session of all 92 photo entries. The results of our contest are as follows:

Novice Flora

1st Place – Eric Patdu – Bleeding Heart

2nd Place – Diane Kinney – Sunbreaker

3rd Place – Phil Mininni – Tulip Festival

Honorable Mention – Lorraine Feldhausen – Spring Serenity

Novice Scenic

1st Place – Terry Turner – Cades Cove, Smokies

2nd Place – Jim Trojanowski – Namib Desert Dunes

3rd Place – Diane Kinney – Reaching for the Sky

Honorable Mention – Terry Turner – Grand Teton Sunrise, Donna Turner – Lake Superior Sunset

Novice Animals

1st Place – Jim Trojanowski – Tandem Hippos

2nd Place – Eric Patdu – Incoming

3rd Place – Eric Patdu – Fluffed Up

Honorable Mention – Terry Turner – Hummingbird, Donna Turner – Rufus Hummingbird

Advanced Flora

1st Place – Jay Davis – Corn Candy Daisy Study 1

2nd Place – Jay Davis – Calla Study 1

3rd Place – Donna Gray – Iris

Honorable Mention – Donna Trojanowski – Summer Beauty, Donna Gray – The Sentinel

Advanced Scenic

1st Place – Peter Carbonell – Rogue River

2nd Place – Peter Carbonell – Crater Lake National Park

3rd Place – Jay Davis – Tomahawk Rock

Honorable Mention – Tory Ewing – Lauritzen Gardens

Advanced Animals

1st Place – Allen Kurth – Rainy Day Afternoon

2nd Place – Allen Kurth – What’s For Lunch

3rd Place (tie) – Donna Trojanowski – African Pink Backed Pelican

3rd Place (tie) – Heather Ingraham – Snow Monkey

Honorable Mention – Heather Ingraham – Snow Monkey Family, Jay Davis – Three On a Tree

Anything Goes

1st Place – Diane Kinney – Brilliance Above

2nd Place – Peter Carbonell – Rustic Cabin View

Best Black & White – Terry Turner – Cades Cove, Smokies

Best Fontenelle Forest Photo – Allen Kurth – What’s for Lunch

People’s Choice – Eric Patdu – All Fluffed Up

Members’ Choice – Allen Kurth – Rainy Day Afternoon

Best of Show – Jim Trojanowski – Tandem Hippos

All winning photos will be available for viewing on the club website’s main page within the next few weeks.

Congratulations to all of the winners and participants! Also, a big thanks to Contest Coordinator Donna Gray for all of her work in making this such a special event for our club!

The show take down will take place on Saturday, June 24th at 10 am at the Bellevue University Humanities Building. Photos that placed 1st or 2nd in any of the categories will be retained over the summer for display at Fontenelle Forest and the Bellevue Library. All others should be taken home after the take-down. So we ask members to pick up their eligible photos at the take-down on the 24th. If you are not able to attend the take-down, please email webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org to make arrangements to pick up your photo as soon as possible after the take-down.

Feel free to send any questions or comments to the club email box. Have a fun, happy and healthy summer and we’ll see you all in September!

Peter Carbonell

Webmaster

Fontenelle Forest Photography Club

webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org

June 2017 Meeting Reminder

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The club photo contest critique and awards meeting is here! Tomorrow is our final meeting of the year where we get to enjoy each other’s contest entries, learn from the judge’s critiques of our photos, and celebrate the various category winners.

The meeting is tomorrow, June 15th at 7 pm in the Bellevue University Humanities Building auditorium. We urge everyone to arrive early so that you have a chance to see all of the entries and place your vote for the Members’ Choice award before the meeting begins. We received 92 entries for this year’s contest so you’ll have plenty of images to review!

At 7 pm we will briefly cover some business and then we’ll take a short break to give us time to tabulate the results of the Members’ Choice votes. This will be followed by the judge’s critique of all of the entries and awards presentations.

Feel free to invite your friends and family to this event. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the talent of our fellow members and to let people know about the excellent club we have here at Fontenelle Forest.

Please let me know if there are any questions. Otherwise, we’ll see you all tomorrow at the Bellevue University Humanities Building!

Peter Carbonell

President (for one more day) & Webmaster

Fontenelle Forest Photo Club

webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org

Minutes of the Fontenelle Forest Photo Club Meeting, May 18, 2017

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About 40 members met at 7:00 P.M.  We had three new people attend meeting.

The meeting began with members photographing 5 raptors being held by Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery staff. The raptors brought to the meeting were  a Swainson’s Hawk, a Broadwing Hawk, a Kestrel, an Eastern Screech Owl and a Peregrine Falcon.  After members photographed the birds the staff members gave brief descriptions of each raptor. At the completion of the presentations, Club President, Peter Carbonell, presented a donation check for $300 to Raptor Recovery on behalf of the club.

Around 7:40  the business part of the meeting began.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Club Board Elections

Pete conducted elections for club officers. Those elected were:

  • President: Alex Wiles
  • Vice President: Phil Mininni
  • Secretary: Eric Scholar
  • Treasurer: Kathleen Crawford Rose

Peter Carbonell will still be the Webmaster, Judy Dye will be in charge of photo displays and Donna Gray will continue to run the photo contest.

Photo Contest

Donna Gray reported on the upcoming photo contest. Submissions were due in the gallery of the Bellevue University Humanities Building on 5/28 and are currently on display there.

Awards will be recognized at the June 15th meeting which will also be held at the Humanities Building. Electronic copies of submitted photos should be sent to Pete Carbonell via the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org email box.  During the meeting the judge, Pat Mingarelli, will provide a critique of all submitted photos using these files. All photos should be sent by 5/31 if at all possible.

Club members should try to be at the Humanities Building by 6:30 – 6:45 pm on 6/15 so that they have enough time to submit their votes for the Members’ Choice award before the meeting begins at 7 pm.

Photo Display

For May: Graffiti and flower photos were requested.

September: Photos of faces in nature and hoof stock.

Other Items

Pete mentioned that the Forest is looking for someone to provide a presentation on how to photograph the solar eclipse.  If anyone is interested in volunteering for this they should contact Pete at webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org.

Pete mentioned again that longtime member Ken Huber passed away from cancer on April 13. There was a celebration of his life at Fontenelle Forest on 5/23.

Allen Kurth and Jay Davis provided the treats for the night.

Submitted by Eric Scholar, Secretary.

Webmaster E-Mail Issues Have Been Resolved

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It came to my attention that some of the club members were having problems emailing their photo contest images to the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org email address. People were getting automated response emails stating “Message not delivered”.

I checked it out this morning and I believe the issue is now resolved. So if you attempted to send your photos this weekend and received this error message, please try to send the photos again. If you run into issues again, then you can send them to my personal email account, p-carbonell@cox.net.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Peter Carbonell

President & Webmaster

Fontenelle Forest Photo Club

webmaster@fontenelleforest.org

Photo Club Contest Setup Is Tomorrow, 5/27/17!!!

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Just a quick reminder that our annual Fontenelle Forest Photo Club Contest gallery setup is tomorrow, Saturday, May 27th at 10 am in the Bellevue University Humanities Building Gallery. For more information on the location click here to see the map on our calendar page.

Please do your best to be there promptly at 10 am. All entries have to be turned in before they can be hung so late deliveries can cause some challenges. If you have time, any help hanging photos would be greatly appreciated!

Also, please remember to send digital copies of your photos to me at webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org so that we can have them available for the critique and awards meeting on Thursday, June 15th at 7 pm in the Humanities Building auditorium. Photos should be sized at 2000 pixels on the long edge and 72 ppi if possible. Please include your name and the category for which each photo is being submitted, i.e. Advanced Animals taken at Fontenelle Forest, Novice Scenic & Black and White, etc…  It would be greatly appreciated if the photos can sent to me by 5/31.

As discussed previously, photos must be set up to be hung by a wire across the back. Cards will be available at the setup that members will need to fill out with information regarding their entries.

If there are any questions, please take a look at the contest guidelines by clicking here or contact me at webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org.

Peter Carbonell

President & Webmaster

Fontenelle Forest Photo Club

webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org

May 2017 Meeting Reminder & News

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Lots of stuff to cover. Let’s get started.

April Meeting

We were blessed with great weather for our meeting/outing. About a dozen members came out to enjoy the scenery and photo opportunities at Neale Woods last month. We had a great time shooting and sharing tips. It was excellent evening.

Next Meeting – Thursday, May 18th at 7 pm

Our next meeting is coming up quickly. There will be lots going this month. Here’s what’s on the docket:

Club Elections

We will be conducting the elections for our Executive Committee members. Newly elected officers will take over the responsibilities of their office beginning with the summer planning meeting. The candidates for office are:

President – Alex Wiles

Vice President – Phil Minnini

Secretary – Eric Scholar

Treasurer – Kathleen Crawford-Rose

Club Photo Contest

Setup for the club photo contest is Saturday, May 27th at 10 am in Bellevue University’s Humanities Building gallery. We’d love to have 100% participation so if you haven’t done so already, you should make your selections and get your prints ready. Remember, if you’re looking for a good place to print your photos, we know that Tim Wright, who gave us a presentation on printing, does a great job.

Donna should have cards available at the meeting that you will need to complete for each entry. Each member is allowed four entries. The entries can be spread among the 4 categories  (scenic/landscape, flora, animals, and anything goes), all in one category, or any combo in between. There are also sub-categories like Best Black & White and Best Photo Taken at Fontenelle Forest. All details can be found in the contest guidelines. Click here to see the guidelines.

If you know that you will not be able to make it to the show setup, you can bring your entries in to this meeting.

The critique will be held at our June meeting in the auditorium of the Humanities Building. We will use the auditorium projector to display the images for the critique and awards presentation.  I will need electronic copies of all entries sent to me via the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org email. Please send these files to me no later than May 31st to give us time to organize the slideshow. Photos should be sized to 2000 pixels on the long edge and 72 ppi.

May Photo Display

Judy will be collecting photos for our club photo display. The subjects for this display are flowers and graffiti. As always, prints should be 8×10, 8×12 or 11×14. Write your name, the subject and location on the back of each photo you submit.

She may also still need photos for the historical display celebrating Nebraska’s 150th anniversary of statehood. Prints should follow the same guidelines for our photo displays.

Raptor Photo Shoot

Hopefully we will get through all of the discussion early so we can get to the fun part of the meeting, the raptor shoot! The plan will be for the club members to have access to photograph several birds that Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery will have available for us. In addition, we will also have access to the Raptor Refuge area to photograph those birds in their mews!

So come prepared with your photography gear and enjoy one our most appreciated presentations of the year.

Celebration of the Life of Ken Huber

On May 23rd at 5:30 pm a celebration of the life of Ken Huber will be held at the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center. A long-time club member, Ken passed away of 4/13 after a battle with cancer. Besides being a great photographer, Ken was very accomplished at a multitude of endeavors so feel free to attend this event and celebrate the great marks left behind by our friend Ken.

Please let me know if there are any questions. See you next Thursday!

Peter Carbonell

President & Webmaster

Fontenelle Forest Photography Club

webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org