Proposed Photo Contest Rules for 2024

Please look at the proposed rules for the 2024 Photo Club contest. We will vote at the March 21 meeting.

2024 Photo Club Contest Information and Guidelines

Guidelines for the 2024 Annual Fontenelle Forest Nature Association

Photography Club Show

Bellevue University Hitchcock Humanities Center / Criss Auditorium

Hello to All Fontenelle Forest Nature Association Photo Club Members:

Set – Up – Saturday, May 25, 2024, 10:00 AM

Critique and Awards Presentation – Thursday, June 20, 2024, 7:00 to 9:00 PM

Take Down – Saturday, June 29, 2024, 10:00 AM

Questions – Contact Contest Coordinator: Donna Gray – Email: djg618@yahoo.com

Who:  Any member in good standing of the Fontenelle Forest Nature Association Photo Club.  (***Only Fontenelle Forest Photography Club members who are up to date regarding Club dues are eligible to enter photographs.  If you are unsure of your status, check with Club Treasurer Kathleen Crawford Rose.***)

The show contest coordinator and current President of the club reserve the right to remove an entry not following the rules set forth in the category descriptions below.

“Novice Class”:  This is open to club members who have NOT won a first, second or third place in any individual category, or Overall Show award in prior years’ photography club shows.

If there are less than five entries in any novice category, those entries will be automatically transferred to the advanced categories. 

“Advanced Class”:  This is open to club members who have won a first, second or third place in any individual category, or an overall show award in the prior years’ photography club shows.

No exceptions for class designation.  If any member new or old feels they belong in the advanced class, they are welcome to enter their photos into this class.

Categories:

Scenic/Landscape: 

Continental US, outside continental US, any nature themed image where the focus or subject IS NOT manmade objects, including urban, city, pets, and Humans.  Must be a nature-based photo taken by a club member.

Animals

Any living creature, wild or domesticated, including pets. Not humans.

Birds: 

Any bird, wild or domesticated, including pets.

A minimum of ten bird photos are necessary to have a separate category.  If there are less than ten bird photos, the bird photos will be included in the Animal category.

Flora:

 A photo where the following are the main subject of the photo – any flower, plant, fungi or tree.

Anything Goes: (Combined category – Novice & Advanced)

Any photograph not meeting the requirements of the 3 categories listed above.   Also, any photo that is over enhanced or un-naturally manipulated will be entered into this category.

Photos may be moved to another class up to the point of judging for awards if the Contest Judge, Photo Contest coordinator or club president feel an entry was categorized incorrectly at check-in.  These contest rules are their guide, and any corrections to classification are final.

Prints can be color or black and white.  Prints that have been previously designated as award winners – including honorable mention at previous FFNA club shows are not eligible for entry.  Members may enter a total of four photos in the contest.  Watermarks or any feature that could identify the photographer are prohibited on the photos entered in the contest.

How to Present Your Prints 

  • Prints are to be either framed (wood, metal or plastic frames) with or without a mat or printed on a metal or matboard surface. A wire hanger must be attached to the back.   
  • Size of frame: Minimum outside dimension of the shortest side of the presentation will be no shorter than 5 inches, maximum outside dimension of the longest side of the presentation will be no longer than 25 inches. 
  • Entries that are presented with no glass or Plexiglas are accepted at the entrant’s risk for damage by print handlers/displayers.
  • Each entry is required to have the Photographer’s name, address, and phone number on the back of each photo.
  • Contestants may enter up to 4 prints into the show. The contestant is responsible for deciding which category to place entry(s).   (One in each category or all in one category or any combination you desire.) Contest coordinator and club president have final say of excepting entry or on category classification at time of set-up.  The Judge may also move a photo to another category at the time of judging.
  • Entry Cards: White for Novice, Yellow for Advanced, Blue for Anything Goes will be available starting at the April Club meeting. Contestants will need to complete entry cards prior to arriving at the show set-up.
  •  

Email a digital copy of the entered photos to the photo contest coordinator in jpg (jpeg) format.  Don’t worry about file size.  I will take care of any resizing that needs to be done.  If you don’t know how to convert to a jpg (jpeg) file, just email what you have, and I will convert as needed.  If your files are large, you may need to email them one or two at a time due to email restrictions on file sizes.  Please have your photos to me between May 15 through June 7, 2024 .  No earlier, no later.      Email them to   djg618@yahoo.com   Failure to send a digital photo will result in disqualification in the contest.  These are needed for the PowerPoint presentation on the critique/awards night.

The email information will include the category name, whether you are entering as a Novice or Advanced, the title of the photo and if it was taken at Fontenelle Forest.  Make sure your name is also included in case it is not part of the email address.

Awards: 

In each Class and category:   First, Second, and Third Place (24 Ribbons)

Anything Goes Category:       First, Second, and Third Place (Combined Classes) (3 Ribbons)

Overall Show Awards:  Best of Show – all classes, all categories

Public Choice – all classes, all categories

Club Members Choice – – all classes, all categories

Best Black and White – all classes, all categories

Best Photo Taken at Fontenelle Forest (Must designate on entry card)

Total of 32 Ribbons to be awarded at this Year’s Show (If all categories are filled)!

All first and second place winners and overall show winners will be displayed at the Bellevue Public Library over the summer months and returned at our first club meeting in September.

All winning photos will be displayed on the Fontenelle Forest Photography Club’s Website.

Last revised on 02/24/2024

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Upcoming February 15 Photo Club Meeting

JarredZ is our guest speaker

Jarred will be discussing his “From Teacher to Full Time Artist – How I Pivoted at 46 years old to a career based in Photography”.  Jarred has a website https://jerredz.com/

Weather hit us again in January

Allen Kurth has agreed to be our presenter at the March 21 meeting. We had to cancel the January meeting due to weather.

Photo Displays

We swapped out the photos at the Forest and Bellevue Library. Go check them out. We are looking for new subjects for future displays. Bring your suggestions to the February meeting.

Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer’s Report for January, 2024

No income

Expenses:     December potluck      $108.00

Balance:      $787.14

From Fontenelle Forest

Emily Prauner from the forest will address our club at the February meeting about some news about our club getting more exposure in resources used by the Forest.

Smart Phone Photography

In Closing

Please comment below about anything on your mind. Still looking for someone out there to volunteer to become our president and vice-president. Thanks to Kathleen, Donna, and the Kuhns for swapping out the photos at the forest and library.

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January 18 Photo Club Meeting Cancelled

Cancelled due to snow storm forecast

Well here we go again, like last year. The board has decided to cancel the meeting for Thursday, January 18, 2024 for safety of our members.

Allen Kurth

Has agreed to give his Lightroom presentation for our March 21st meeting.

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Thursday, January 18 Photo Club Meeting Reminder

Don’t forget to attend our meeting at 7:00 PM on January 18, 2024. Our guest speaker will be past president and club member, Allen Kurth.

Lightroom will be our subject

Allen says; My discussion centers around the reason I use Lightroom and the most important things that I accomplish with it. I’ll demo as many different things as I can to try to show users of all skill levels something new.

If you want to bring a few raw images on a thumb drive, Allen will show how he would adjust the images using Lightroom. We will try to get to as many as we can, if time permits.

Photo Displays

We need members to bring  a “Midwest Scenic” and/or a “Fall in Fontenelle Forest” print. 

2023 Nebraskaland Magazine Photo Winner

Congratulations to Margaret Block-West

Margaret received 2nd place in the Scenic category with her photograph called “Toadstool Splendor” Check out her photo in the January-February 2024 issue of Nebraskaland on page 20.

Still Looking for a President and Vice President!!!

Lightroom and Lightroom Classic Comparison Video

Final Thoughts

I hope everyone survived the last two storms. I finally got some use out of my snowblower. I helped out my neighbor also. I hope everyone has a better 2024 than 2023! I am looking forward to making it so for me and my family. Please comment below with your thoughts and things you hope for in the New Year.

You saw our meeting schedule in my last post. We are trying to find someone for March meeting and tells all about phone camera photography. Fingers crossed. See you all at the January 18 meeting.

Phil

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iPhone Photos

Adobe Alternatives

Treasurer’s Report

Greetings all.

Beginning and ending balance for December:  $895.14

Pending expenses:  $105.00 for potluck. Includes chicken, sodas, paper goods, etc.

Bellevue Times

I sent the following to the Times for publication. It is our meeting schedule for the year 2024.

The name of our club is “Fontenelle Forest Photography Club”. We meet on the third Thursday of each month except in July and August. Meeting times start at 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Our meeting place is at Fontenelle Forest. Public is welcome to attend our meetings. Our website is . https://www.fontenelleforestphotoclub.org/   People should check our website for latest information about our club.

Our schedule for 2024 is;

January 18, Allen Kurth. Lightroom

February 15. Jared Zegelis, TBD

March 21, TBD

April 18. Ni Drehmann, TBD

May 16, Annual Raptor Photo Shoot

June 20, Photo Contest critique and winners announcement

July and August, NO MEETINGS

September 19, TBD

October 1, TBD

November 21, TBD

December 19, TBD

I am working on speaker/subject for March. We have received some suggestions for subjects for our meetings. I hope to get with our executive board members to discuss these suggestions. Thank you to those who have sent in ideas.

Comment Below…

Please leave comments below, volunteer to be president or vice-president, have a Happy New Year…etc.

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Happy New Year

Christmas Potluck Slideshow

Our slide show photos are now on the website homepage.

Forest and Library display photos

Kathleen says;

Greetings and happy holidays everyone.

Thanks to those who were able to participate in the December potluck/slideshow.  It was FUN.

Please check through your images and pick our a MIDWEST SCENIC and or FALL AT FONTENELLE FOREST.  We need several more of each for our new displays.  We’d like to get them up as soon as possible.

You can drop them off at Phil’s home in midtown Omaha webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org or Kathleen’s home on Bellevue Blvd. South.  katcr@cox.net.

January 18 Photo Club meeting

Allen Kurth will be our speaker and he will talk about Adobe Lightroom. He will show his workflow and tips for using Lightroom.

Lightroom Video

In Closing

I want to say to all of you, I have had a ball being in this club and being your webmaster. I hoped all of you had a happy Holiday and wish for you to have a very, very Happy New Year. Please comment below what you would like to see your club do different for 2024. And don’t forget to be one of the lucky few who volunteer to be president and vice- president of the Fontenelle Forest Photo Club.

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December 21, 2023 Meeting

Pot Luck Dinner

It is that time of the year. The club will provide fried and baked chicken. Members should bring a side dish to share. Dinner will begin shortly after the food arrives. If you haven’t already, let us know if you can come and how many. We need a count so we can have enough chicken. Send your info to the webmaster@fontenelleforetphotoclub.org and I will get that count over to Kathleen.

December Meeting Slideshow

We need your photos for the December meeting slide show. Please send your photo files to the webmaster@fontenelleforestphotoclub.org . They should all be submitted by December 19, Tuesday. This give me a couple of days to process photos into a slide show. The sooner the better.

Failed Post Notifications

It appears some of you are not getting notified when a new post is publish on the website. Some of the issues are spam filters on the individuals mail service. P;ease check your spam folders to see if the notification is there. I have asked Kathleen to email all of our members that a new post is on the website. Let me know or Kathleen if you do not see a notification.

Photo Displays

Kathleen says;

We still need some photos for the displays…

Midwest Scenic s for the library

And

Fall in Fontenelle Forest  for the Forest display.

More Zoo Pics From Our Field Trip by Tom Boggs

Loess Bluffs Eagles and more

Brent and Mary Headley have been down to the bluffs and he says there are a lot of eagles and snow geese during “Eagle Days”

Past Meeting Minutes

I have received the minutes from October and November meetings. I will post them in another post to avoid fatiguing you guys too much!

Short Video

Looking for President and Vice-President Still…

Please comment below.

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Photo Club Meeting November 16

At Fontenelle Forest at 7 PM – 8:30 PM

Rockbrook Camera

A representative from Rockbrook Camera will be showing and talking about what’s new in photographic equipment. Check out their website https://www.rockbrookcamera.com/

Zoo Field Trip

9 club members plus one other from another club went to the Henry Doorly Zoo on Saturday, November 4, 2 hours prior to the zoo opening. It was amazing to be able to take photos with out the general public being there. I recommend you try one of these trips.

Forest Photo Display

We will be swapping out the raptor photos with the other raptor photos soon.

Treasurer’s Report

Oct. 1 balance:   $858.55

Income dues           56.00

Expenses for

Display items         19.41

Oct. 31 Balance:  $895.14

Still Need President and Vice-President!

Final Thoughts…

I am sure I’ve forgotten something. Comment below if you wish to add something to this post.

Short Video

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Printing Services and Photo Display Subjects and Zoo

Some of Jay’s favorite printing services. Thanks Jay.

1. https://www.whcc.com  

2.  https://bayphoto.com

3.  https://www.millerslab.com

Jay’s new favorite software for editing. Luminar Neo by Skylum Software

https://skylum.com/luminar

Kathleen Says…

Thanks to Brent for providing us with an additional mat size.  We now have two 8×12 inch mats for our displays.  To the Nov. and Dec. meetings, Please bring:

MIDWEST LANDSCAPES  photos for the library display

And

FALL AT FONTENELLE FOREST PHOTOS for the FF gallery

Photos should be 8×10, 8×12 or 11×14.  Unmatted and boarderless (if possible) with your name and subject or location on the back.

Our November meeting will feature Aaron Frey, manager of Rockbrook Photography.  He’ll have lots of new and wonderful photography equipment and gadgets to show us. 

Zoo Field Trip November 4

We had 10 committed to go. One person has decided to spend another week in Florida. We are down to 9 people going. We need 1 more person. Contact Brent Headley. See previous post https://www.fontenelleforestphotoclub.org/potpourri-3/

Still need a President and VP

Video about Printer Services

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Potpourri

Zoo Photo Class Field Trip

At the Thursday Photo Club meeting, there was quite a bit of interest in a photo outing to Henry Doorly Zoo.

Photo Club goes to the Zoo
Saturday, November 4th
8am to 10am.  Admission to the zoo all day is included.
Cost – $40. Pay at the zoo
Sign up by Friday October 27th.  The zoo requires signing a waiver to attend.
If you would like to attend, please email Brent directly at bbqribsyum@gmail.com

Download waiver form for the zoo. Fill it out and bring with your $40 fee. Don’t forget to let Brent know if you are coming. We need at least 10 people. Only three so far have committed.


Mike Benkis, who gave a presentation to the club recently, will be our guide.

The exhibits Kingdom of the Night (we would get to see it with the lights on!), and the Aquarium have been recommended.  They are close to the entrance (little walking).  The zoo is checking on the indoor Jungle as an option – but that is not a certainty.

The $40 per person fee, includes admission to the zoo for the day.
We are looking for a minimum of 10 people.   More than 10 is fine.

If you would like to attend, please email Brent directly at bbqribsyum@gmail.com.
Please sign up as soon as possible.  At least by this coming Friday, October 27th.

We hope to see you there!

Photo Contests

Nebraskaland Magazine has a photo contest. entries are to be in by October 31, 2023. A little late notice eh? But if you have time to rush an entree to: https://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/photocontest/

Free photo contests listing from Photo Crowd

https://www.photocrowd.com/photo-competitions/

Milky Way

For those of you interested in improving your astro-photography.

Printing Your Photos

Jay Davis will be sending me soon a list of resources and I will post in an upcoming blog.

November 16 Photo Club Meeting

Rockbrook Camera is our guest presenter. “What’s New in Photography” New equipment.

Zen Photo Gallery-Your Portfolios

Please consider utilizing this opportunity to show off your photos to friends, family, and the world. Take a look, click link below. If you would like to have your own portfolio, send me your .jpg files and I will generate your own portfolio.

https://fontenelleforestphotoclub.org/ClubPortfolios/

Allen Vrana Wins

Allen won our door prize from a drawing at the September meeting. Tickets for the drawing were handed out to members who paid their dues the night of the meeting. Congratulations Allen.

This hand made cutting board was made and donated by Phil Mininni for this drawing.

Still need a president and vice-president

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