WOW Photo Club

WOW Photo Club News

2010-12-11T13:27:00.002-05:00

Good Weekend shutterbugs! I was looking back at your meetings last year and I noticed that we took the holiday season off. I hope that everyone will agree that we should break for the holidays and resume meeting in January. I know everyone will enjoy their travels and time with their family and I hope God blesses you with great memories and many opportunities to take pictures!

Here is an outline of our competition scheduel for the next few months, starting in January.

January 19th- Faith. This is an open ended competition, wherein the image you submit must convey the idea of religious faith. The subject can be a person or an object.

Feb 16- Regular meeting- Topic to be announced

March 16th- Self Portrait- an image taken of yourself by yourself, this can be accomplished by using the self timer or by using a remote system if you have one. Get creative, we love your beautiful faces! We are usually the ones behind the camera, so take a risk, get in front, and discover yourself.

(PS. Elijah is due to make his appearance on March 2nd, so I will probably not attend, however I may send pictures for everyone to see!)

April 20 Stated meeting- Topic to be announced

May 18- Competition 3 in a series. We are going to try this one again! This is a set of pictures (3 images) that convey a theme or are in a series. They can be matted together on a large piece of paper, or you can have them printed in a collage. Picasa has a nice collage program and most photo printers offer this option. The pictures should be 4x5 or 5x7, and you may submit 2 sets of images.

I think that is planned far enough ahead! Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy your break, but remember as Waldy always said "Shoot, shoot, shoot!"

God Bless,

Eliza Nobles

WOW Photo Club May 19th Macro Photo Competition

2010-05-14T17:30:00.001-04:00

The next WOW Photo Club meeting is on May 19^th at 6:30pm in the fellowship hall. You are always invited to the WOW dinner at 5:45 PM in the gym (suggested contribution of $4).

This month we’re having a Macro photo competition. A Macro photograph is an extreme close up of something.

Photos must be matted and you can enter up to 3 photos.

Also, congratulations to our March abstract photo contest winners Waldy and Lynn! Lynn took both second and third place leaving Waldy to happily take 1st with his wonderful abstract photo.

Our Future Competitions are listed below:

3 photo in a theme in July (3 photos framed in a mat, or in a collage or montage that have a common idea in style or story theme)

Metamorphosis (State of Change) In September (the image denotes change such as water melting of metal flowing)

As Waldy is fond of saying, shoot, shoot, shoot . . . learn to edit photos, and enjoy this wonderful hobby we call photography.

-Hannah

WOW Photo Club March 17 Abstract Photo Competition

2010-02-21T15:12:00.001-05:00

Our competitions are our favorite events, and the one on March 17 should be very interesting. We’ll go back to our normal time of 6:30 PM, meeting in the Fellowship Hall, below the main sanctuary. You are always invited to the WOW dinner at 5:45 PM in the gym (suggested contribution of $4).

The theme is Abstract Photography: a concept that does not reflect a concrete object, but denotes a quality, an emotion or idea. Below are just a few examples, but abstract can be almost anything . . . this one should be lots of fun.

Please limit the photos to those taken in the last two years. As always we are able to enter three photos in color, back and white or an artistic treatment. They should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted. Also, remember to mark the orientation of the photo by writing “top” on the top side.

Future Competitions are listed below:

Macro in May (a very close-up view of a subject)

3 Photo in a Theme in July (3 photos framed in a mat, or in a collage or montage that have a common idea in style or story theme)

Metamorphosis (State of Change) in September (the image denotes change such as water melting of metal flowing)

Our Camera Fest meeting on Feb. 17 was very interesting.

Jim showed us his long Tamron 500mm lenses, but emphasized that the lens he uses most is his new 18 to 200 stabilized Canon zoom. He had some nice pictures to show what he’s done with the various lenses. He advised us to always carry a spare battery (and not to forget the charger).

Hannah showed us her new “fish-eye” lens, and showed us some interesting photos, including a neat 360 degree “stop motion” panorama. Her “fish-eye” fits on her consumer camera, and part of it doubles as a macro lens.

Lynn showed us her Canon equipment and some really nice sports photos. She relies on a 300mm zoom for many of her sports photos. She bought her camera in 2005, and says she hasn’t replaced it, because she still takes great picture with it. Lynn is our club winningest competition photographer. Waldy showed Lynn how to use her new macro, diopter attachment. We should see some interesting photos for the Macro competition in May.

Waldy spoke about consumer cameras and the better “enthusiast-level” DSLR’s that provide better performance and quality. He emphasized how careful editing improves pictures made with his inexpensive consumer camera that he took on a rafting trip. He kept it in a Ziploc bag until he needed to shoot.

Things we learned:

Zoom lenses provide convenience, especially the 18 to 200 zoom.
Since the 18 to 200 is so versatile folks might be better off just buying the camera body and adding an 18 –200 zoom. Some of the primary manufacturers’ lenses are expensive, but there are more economical ones by Tamron, Sigma, Tokina and Quantarey (probably made by Tamron). Stabilization is a big plus, but it cost more.
View through the camera (brightness & eye relief), speed of focus, live-view, remote flash, low noise at high ISO, video, size and weight are a few of the factors to consider when choosing a camera.

Choose wisely, because once you start buying accessories for your camera (flash, other lenses, filters, etc), the cost of switching to another brand can be painfully expensive.

As Waldy is fond of saying, shoot, shoot, shoot . . . learn to edit photos, and enjoy this wonderful hobby we call photography.

Waldy

WOW Photo Club Meeting February 17 (Fellowship Hall)

2010-02-07T17:58:00.001-05:00

This particular meeting is being moved up to 6 PM and will be over by about 6:55 PM, because we have the Ash Wednesday service at 7 PM.

The theme for our next meeting is Camera Fest, a sharing of details of our cameras, lenses and accessories, the reason we bought them, and a few pictures taken with them.

This information exchange will be useful to any of the members that are going to spend their tax refunds on their photography hobby.

Please bring any photos (3 to 6) you would like to share on a CD, Jump Drive or memory card. You can also bring prints.

New club leaders: during the last meeting we agree to the following leadership for 2010.

Eliza Nobles, Club Leader
Jim Underwood, Assistant Club Leader
Waldy Cuevas continues as Advisor/Mentor until he leaves for Santa Fe

Please be thinking about our next competitions.

Abstract in March (a concept that does not reflect a concrete object, but denotes a quality, an emotion or idea)

Macro in May (a very close-up view of a subject)

Congratulation to our winner for the Holiday Theme Competition in January.

Lynn, our winningest photographer took 1st Place, Hannah, our youngest member took 2nd on her first try, and Waldy came in 3rd. To see more photos of the competition just click on the link below.

Holiday Competition Photos

To see more of our members’ photos just click on the link below to see our
WOW Photo Club Group on Flickr.

WOW Photo Club on Flickr

Paulding Photo Club has been reorganized . . . you might want to check them out.

Our WOW Photo Club is a very casual, social club of folks that are interested in socializing with other members interested in photography. We only meet once a month for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. We judge our competitions among ourselves and we collect no dues. Some of you might enjoy the “deeper” photographic experience the Paulding Photo Club offers.

Paulding Photo Club

Some of their members, who are friends of mine, provided the following information.

Every 1st meeting (2nd Thursday) of the month will be an instructional class, the second meeting (4th Thursday) will be a competition meeting. Meetings start at 7 PM.

Thurs. Feb 11th we will having an HDR presentation by Erwin Spinner. He is going to try to keep it basic and gear it to everyone, whether they have never used HDR, or if they are experienced with it.

The next one will be on Thurs. March 11, which will be a macro nature presentation by George Bradfield and Gail Stewart. I have seen this one before, and it is great. What I liked was that they gave options to use for every budget, so I didn't feel like I had to have some expensive macro lens that I couldn't afford.

So remember, shoot, shoot, shoot, and enjoy this wonderful hobby we call photography. Hope to see you on Feb. 17 at 6 PM.

Waldy

WOW Photo Club Year Review and Jan. 20, 2010 Contest

2010-01-12T16:36:00.001-05:00

Holiday Theme Competition is our first competition of 2010

Our next club meeting is January 20 at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall (after the WOW dinner at 5:45 PM in the gym)

The “Holiday Theme” are photo that depict the holidays, they can be people, decorations, or other scenes that capture the essence of the holidays. Please limit the photos to those taken in the last two years. As always we are able to enter three photos in color, back and white or an artistic treatment. They should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted. Also, remember to mark the orientation of the photo by writing “top” on the top side.

Quite a year in review!

WOW Photo Club started in February of 2009. The following officers served the first year.

Jim Underwood, Club Leader
John Lindsay, Club Secretary
Eliza Nobles, Activity Planner

Waldy Cuevas,the founder, served as adviser (he is moving to Santa Fe, NM in the first half of 2010)

Instructional programs, competitions and fieldtrips were some of our activities in 2009 with competitions being the most popular activity.

We finished the year with an exhibit in the Family Life Center and a wonderful Christmas Social graciously hosted by Jim and Brenda Underwood.

Enjoy the year in review in photos.

View Full Album

WOW Photo Exhibit in Family Life Center

View Full Album

Christmas Social at Jim & Brenda Underwood’s

View Full Album

Our Field Trips to Pickett’s Mill, Etowah Mounds, Lake Allatoona on John Lindsay’s houseboat and Berry College in Rome, GA.

It’s been lots of fun and a learning experience, but best of all has been the friendships made.

Future Competitions follow below:

Abstract in March (a concept that does not reflect a concrete object, but denotes a quality, an emotion or idea)

Macro in May (a very close-up view of a subject)

3 Photo in a Theme in July (3 photos framed in a mat, or in a collage or montage that have a common idea in style or story theme)

Metamorphosis (State of Change) in September (the image denotes change such as water melting of metal flowing)

Future fieldtrip might be to High Shoals Falls, Oakland Cemetery, Sweetwater Reserve, Little 5 Points and other places.

2009 was great and 2010 should be even better. So remember . . . shoot, shoot, shoot . . . enjoy editing the pictures and by all means . . . enjoy this wonderful hobby we call photography.

Waldy

PS Previous blog entries throughout 2009 have important information about Picasa, the editing software we recommend and Flickr, our group website for photo exchange and learning.

WOW Photo Club Upcoming Events

2009-11-03T19:29:00.001-05:00

Our last field trip for 2009 will to Berry College in Rome, GA on Saturday,
Nov. 7. We are meeting at 8:30 AM in the Regions Bank parking lot, just beyond the main traffic light in Dallas (across from the old courthouse).

Berry College is Eliza’s alma mater, and it’s a beautiful school with two unique campuses. I believe it is considered the largest “land-mass” college in the world. We’ll be having lunch at Shroeder’s.

The weather forecast is fantastic.

Swan Lake at Berry College Mountain Campus

November 18 WOW Photo Club Surprise (6:30 PM in Fellowship Hall)

Have we got a treat for everyone. Sandra and Ken Westbrooks are returning from their extensive travels throughout the USA. They will be showing us some of their pictures and talking about their travels from a photographic viewpoint as well as providing travel tips. And we’ll have a question and answer session at the end.

You don’t want to miss this! Sandra and Ken make a wonderful wife and husband photographic team. Below is their profile on Flickr.

My husband and I are both retired and we enjoy traveling in our RV with our two pets, Buttons and Sophie [dogs]. We were both raised in rural areas in the south and continue to love our southern roots.
Photography is one of my hobbies and love to photograph western NC and Virginia, the western part of the US, and especially Alaska. We enjoy almost all National Parks, rural or small churches, farms and barns. My favorite subject to photograph is wildlife in Alaska.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34980328@N06/

After the meeting we’ll be hanging our exhibit in the gym (Family Life Center). Anyone who would like to help please bring a hammer to help hang the pictures. You club leaders really appreciate it. More information is in the previous blog entry.

Christmas Social on Friday, Dec 11 at 7 PM

Jim Underwood is hosting our Christmas Social at his home in Hiram. We can bring 1 guest but no children. Of course our one teenage member is not a child and we hope to see her there . . . her mom too.

No need to bring anything, and we won’t be exchanging gifts. We’re gathering for a good time and a relaxing evening of food and camaraderie. Of course you can always bring your camera!

Would you please RSVP to Jim by email to help him plan.

jcunder43@comcast.net

Time: Friday, December 11 at 7 PM

Directions are in the previous blog entry.

I hope you all will really enjoy taking pictures during the holidays, and remember that our January competition is on Holiday Scenes.

Congratulations to our Street Scene winners in the last competition of the year, Lynn 3rd, David and John 1st and Jerry 2nd.

http://picasaweb.google.com/WOWPhotoClub/StreetScenesWOWPhotoClubCompetition#

My friend, Marie, and I had a ball taking pictures in Mexico City, so shoot, shoot, shoot and enjoy this wonderful hobby we call photography. - Waldy

WOW Photo Club October 21, 2009 Competition Meeting and Future Events

2009-10-14T23:09:00.001-04:00

Our last competition of the year is on Wednesday, October 21 in the Fellowship Hall (under the main sanctuary). We meet at 6:30 PM, after the WOW dinner that starts at 5:45 PM in the gym.

The competition theme is Street Scenes: “slice of life” photos of city or town scenes and the people that live there. Please limit the photos to those taken in the last two years. As always we are able to enter three photos in color, back and white or an artistic treatment. They should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted. Also, remember to mark the orientation of the photo by writing “top” on the top side.

Future Events:

Our last field trip for 2009 will to Berry College in Rome, GA on Saturday,
Nov. 7. Berry College is Eliza’s alma mater, and it’s a beautiful school with two unique campuses. I believe it is considered the largest “land-mass” college in the world. Eliza will have more information at the club meeting (when and were to meet, etc.).

Berry College scenes

After our November 18 club meeting the club leaders will hang an exhibit of the members photographs.

Each club member can exhibit up to 5 photos 8x10 in size or larger. The photos need not have been in one of our competitions, and they can be of any theme as long as they are appropriate to hang in a church environment.
Photos must be matted if they are 8x10 or 11x14’s. Large photos don’t have to be matted, but must be mounted to a board to provide support.
All photos need to have hooks or hook and wires. We’re providing the wall hooks, but we need you to deliver your photos “ready to hang.”

Mark this one on your calendar! Jim Underwood is hosting our Christmas Social at his home in Hiram. You are allowed 1 guest, but no children. No need to bring anything, and we will not exchange gifts. We’re gathering for a good time and a relaxing evening of food and camaraderie. Of course you can always bring your camera!

It’s important that we all RSVP to Jim by email.

jcunder43@comcast.net

Time: Friday, December 11 at 7 PM

Directions:

From Dallas:

Go South toward Villa Rica on 61 from 278 3.1 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Turn left onto Hiram Sudie Rd for 2.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a right for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 mile to Magnolia Path.

From Atlanta:

I-75 North to 120W from Marietta to Hiram. At the 278, 120 changes to Bill Caruth Pkwy. Take Bill Caruth Pkwy 2.3 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Turn right and go 1.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a left for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 miles to Magnolia Path.

From Douglasville:

Take 92 from Douglasville toward Hiram. Take a left off 92 onto Bill Caruth Pkwy. Go 1.8 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Take a left onto Hiram Sudie for 1.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a left for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 miles to Magnolia Path.

From Atlanta Airport:

Take Camp Creek Parkway which changes to Thornton Rd and later to 278 toward Hiram. Take left off 278 onto Bill Caruth Pkwy. Take Bill Caruth Pkwy 2.3 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Turn right and go 1.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a left for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 miles to Magnolia Path. Approximately 40 miles.

From Chattanooga:

Take 75 South to Acworth Highway 92. Take 92 toward Dallas to Highway 120 or Charles Hardy Pkwy. Take 120 to 278 where the name changes to Bill Caruth Pkwy. Take Bill Caruth Pkwy 2.3 miles to Hiram Sudie Rd or (SR 120 Conn). Turn right and go 1.3 miles to McClung Rd. Take a left for .2 mile to Sinyard Circle. Take a right for .2 miles to Magnolia Path.

Telephone Home 678-363-9524

Cell 404-838-8111

Future competitions so you’ll have plenty of time to take pictures for them: (more details will follow later)

Jan 2010: Holiday Theme (a scene with Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s as a theme)

March 2010: Abstract

May 2010: Macro (close-ups)

July 2010: 3 Pictures in one theme (3 photos that complete a single theme framed in one mat or mounted on a board)

Sept 2010: Metamorphous, a State of Change (a photo showing something in change)

Future photo field trips in 2010:

High Shoals Falls
Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta
Sweetwater Reserve
Little 5 Points, Atlanta
Jack & Molly Bickford’s horse ranch

Remember that practice makes perfect . . . so shoot, shoot, shoot, and enjoy photography as the wonderful hobby it is . . . have fun!

Waldy

PS And edit your pictures in Picasa . . . editing the photos can be almost as much fun as shooting the pictures.

WOW Photo Club September 16 Meeting and August Club Wrap-up

2009-08-27T17:29:00.001-04:00

Waldy teaches editing at the September 16 meeting

WOW dinners are back at 5:45 PM so come early and have a great meal for only a $4 donation. After dinner we’ll meet at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, under the main sanctuary. Remember, that due to construction parking is at City Call, across Memorial Street in the new Kennesaw/Highland University Dallas Campus, at Regions Bank or around the old courthouse.

Waldy will concentrate on showing editing techniques in Picasa, our club’s recommended editing/database software that is free for downloading from Google. He will also introduce Adobe’s PhotoElements, a fantastic editing program that sells for about $80. Please bring your questions, and a notepad and pen.

Picasa in editing/cropping module Picasa in library/database module

Adobe’s PhotoElement editor

Also, remember to bring a couple of your photos for a “share’n tell” at the end of the meeting.

Simply Serve was a big success!

Simply Serve is the church’s ministry fair that provides the congregation with information and an opportunity to join the many ministries of our church.

WOW Photo Club sponsored a table, and I’m we ecstatic to report lots of interest and that nine folks joined our club. Folks were excited to see what we’ve done in our first six month as a club.

Fun at the Beach Competition drew many entries.

We had a really good turn out for our Fun at the Beach competition with Lynn Cochran taking 1st Place, Eliza Nobles taking 2nd and Waldy coming in 3rd. Lynn and Eliza are repeat winners.

Waldy 3rd, Eliza 2nd and Lynn, 1st

Our next competition on October 21 will be Street Scenes: “slice of life” photos of city or town scenes and the people that live there. Please limit the photos to those taken in the last two years. As always we are able to enter three photos in color, back and white or an artistic treatment. They should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted.

In November the WOW Photo Club will hang an exhibit in the Family Life Center for the whole congregation to enjoy.

August Field Trip was a blast at Lake Allatoona on John Lindsay’s houseboat, “Five O’clock Somewhere.”

Again, thank you John for being such a gracious host and for cooking those delicious hamburgers and hotdogs.

Our next field trip will to Berry College in Rome, GA on Saturday, Nov. 7. Berry College is Eliza’s alma mater, and it’s a beautiful school with two unique campuses. I believe it is considered the largest “land-mass” college in the world.

What if I only have a Point’n Shoot Camera?

I hear that all the time . . . but, hey . . . Eliza has won three times with her “point’n and shoot camera. Almost makes me want to throw away my expensive camera. Just kidding, but point’n shoot can take really great pictures, and this club is about helping you do just that. All the pictures below were done with various consumer, point’n shoot cameras I’ve owned over the years.

These photos where shot with a Nikon P60 that I got on close-out for only $100. I had it in a Ziploc baggie to protect it from the water. I’d take it out from time to time to snap a few pictures . . . or until my partner told me to stop taking pictures and get pack to paddling!

Photos below were taken with my old Canon Elph, 4 megapixel camera that finally bit the dust. These were taken on cycling rides.

Remember, shoot, shoot, shoot . . . practice makes perfect, but above all enjoy this wonderful hobby we call photography!

Waldy

Upcoming Events for the WOW Photo Club in August ‘09

2009-08-02T19:55:00.001-04:00

Lake Allatoona Field Trip hosted by John and Debbi Lindsay on Saturday, August 15

We’ll be meeting at 10 AM at the City Hall parking lot across Church Street, along the side of the church.

John Lindsay is graciously hosting our club’s field trip on his house boat at Lake Allatoona

Here’s his preview of what we’ll be doing:

“I suggest that I furnish hotdogs, buns and chips, some drinks and we grill out on the lake.

We can leave the church around 10am and head out for Holiday Marina, get on the boat and head out on the lake. We can find a nice cove and cook out.” - John

Please mark this on your August calendar as I know it’s going to be lots of fun, and bring your camera. Thank you John!

Please RSVP to both waldyphoto@hotmail.com and jdlindsay@bellsouth.com

Fun at the Beach Photo Contest at the August 19 Club Meeting

The next WOW Photo Club will be on August 19 at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, under the main Sanctuary. Due to the construction please enter the church through the lower, side entrance on the City Hall side. Remember that you can park across Memorial Street from our church in the parking lot of the future Kennesaw University campus in Dallas.

Fun on the Beach: this can be a landscape or a photos of people or pets having fun on the beach. The shot must showcase the beach or being on the beach. The photos are limited to those taken within the last three years.

The entries can be color, black and white or something in-between if you want to get artsy. You can enter up to 3 photos and they should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted. Please do not put your names on the entries, but do indicate the “top orientation” of the picture by drawing an arrow on the back or just writing “Top” to indicate the proper orientation.

We will still judge our own competition as we’ve done in the past. It was lots of fun last time. After the winners are chosen we will all get a chance to talk about our photos, and John Lindsay is working on getting an “outside of the club” photographer to critique the photos. This should be a valuable learning experience.

We will have a table at our church’s Simply Serve day on Saturday, August 23.

I would appreciate winners of our photo contests bringing your winning photos so we can have them on display. I’ll collect them at our Aug 19 meeting. Other members are welcomed to contribute up to two photos. Also, I’d love for one or two club members to sit at the table with me that day. We will have three sessions after each service.

Simply Serve was the catalyst that got me involved in our church. Here’s a description from our church digital bulletin.

SIMPLY SERVE 2009
Our Simply Serve" ministry fair will take place August 23, after all three services, in the Family Life Center. Please come and see what Dallas First has to offer. You will be amazed at the magnitude of our Ministries. It is something to see!

Tips from our July 15 club meeting where Waldy spoke about Perspective, Effects of Shutter Speed, Depth of Field and Aperture Selection and Focus.

The key to perspective is subject to lens distance.

The first photo was taken at a long distance from the subjects (using telephoto), and the distance between them is compressed . . . they look close to each other. The second photo was taken as the second runner passed close to the camera (using wide-angle) so the distance between the foreground runner and the other runner is exaggerated . . . that “explosive wide-angle” look where the subject closer to the subject is much bigger and the photo recedes behind it.

Another example of the same “telephoto – wide-angle” contrast in perspective is illustrated below.

Same photo, but a change in subject to lens (subject to camera) distance creates a different perspective. Left picture was taken at a greater distance with a medium telephoto, while the right picture was taken with the camera much loser to the sign with a wide-angle lens.

Explosive wide-angle perspective

Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot . . . have fun . . . photography is a wonderfully creative art form.

Waldy (770-241-6383)

July 15 WOW Photo Club Meeting Preview and Club’s June Wrap-up

2009-07-09T01:35:00.001-04:00

We are meeting Wednesday, July 15 at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, below the main sanctuary.

Waldy will be discussing lens perspective, effects of subject to lens distance, effects of shutter speeds and aperture selection and much more.

He will also provide more tips on editing with Picasa, a free work-flow and editing software provide by Google. Please bring at least two photos to share with the group. If you bring them on a jump drive or CD Waldy can edit them in Picasa.

Please bring your cameras as we’ll practice some of these techniques. Remember that due to construction it’s best to park on the City Hall side of the church or across the street.

Wide-angle lens perspective

Depth of Field controlled by aperture

Lake Allatoona Field trip on Saturday, August 15

John Lindsay is graciously hosting our club field trip on his house boat at Lake Allatoona

Here’s his preview of what we’ll be doing:

“I suggest that I furnish hotdogs, buns and chips, some drinks and we grill out on the lake.

We can leave the church around 10am and head out for Holiday Marina, get on the boat and head out on the lake. We can find a nice cove and cook out.” - John

Please mark this on your August calendar as I know it’s going to be lots of fun, and bring your camera. Thank you John!

Flower Contest Winners from our June 17 Meeting

Congratulations to Eliza Nobles for taking 1st Place and tying Jim Underwood for 2nd Place. Congratulations to newcomer, Jerry Worthy, for taking 3rd Place.

And just think, Eliza won using her consumer, point’n shoot camera . . . how about that!

Jerry (3rd), Jim (2nd) and Eliza (1st and 2nd)

Dallas Dash Fundraiser for our church, June 20

Wish more club members would have taken pictures of the “fun run” as it was a great opportunity for photography. Waldy and Chis enjoyed covering the event.

Dallas Dash slideshow (just click on the link to enjoy the complete slide show)

Etowah Mounds Field Trip, Saturday, June 20

After the running of the Dallas Dash the club left for our field trip. We had an educational and interesting time at the Etowah Mounds in Cartersville, GA. And we finish the field trip with a wonderful dinner at the Cracker Barrel . . . it was a fun day. Just click on the link after the photos to enjoy a slideshow of the trip.

Field Trip Slideshow

August 19 Meeting: Fun at the Beach Contest

Fun on the Beach: this can be a landscape or a photo of people or pets having fun on the beach. The shot must showcase the beach or being on the beach.

The entries can be color, black and white or something in-between if you want to get artsy. You can enter up to 3 photos and they should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted. Please do not put your names on the entries and do indicate the “top orientation” of the picture by drawing an arrow on the back.

John Lindsay is working on getting an “outside of the club” photographer to judge this contest. It was lots of fun last time. After the winners are chosen we will all get a chance to talk about our photos.

WOW Photo Club May 20 Meeting Report and Future Competition and Field Trip Information

2009-05-24T00:04:00.001-04:00

May 20, 2009 Meeting

It always amazes me how a group of people see the same event differently. It’s that diversity in viewpoint that makes life interesting.

We had a small turn out of four members, but the meeting was very interesting. Jim brought a “canon” of a Tamron zoom lens that reaches 500mm. We are looking forward to seeing the wildlife photos he takes with it. Waldy showed the group his new baby, a Nikon 18-200 VR stabilized zoom. That will by his travel lens and the one he uses for 98% of his photography.

The sharpness of the hand-held photo of Eliza shot at 200mm shows the value of “vibration control” in Nikon and Canon lens. Just look at how sharp her eyes are . . . it is tough to hold an “unstabilized” lens that steady shooting only by available light.

Eliza showed us the wonderful pictures she took at Pickett’s Mill including the one take from under the tree . . . it was worth getting into that contorted position. A little bird told me she might be getting a DSLR very soon.

Molly couldn’t make the meeting, but we enjoyed the nice pictures she left for us to see. Jim took the “prize” with his
photo-story DVD with music. We might have to play it again at a future meeting.

Molly close to the action Jim shooting inside dead tree

Future Events: competitions and field trips

Next WOW Photo Club meeting is at 6:30 PM in the church Fellowship Hall on June 17. There will be no dinner at 5:45 PM. It’s competition time again!

Flowers and plants is the theme for this contest, our second of the year. Please limit you entries to photos taken in the past year. Acceptable photos are those were flowers, trees or other plants are the main focus of the shot.

The entries can be color, black and white or something in-between if you want to get artsy. You can enter up to 3 photos and they should be 8x10 or larger, matted or not matted. As we did last time, all our club members will judge the photos, but we cannot vote for our own pictures. We will be voting for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. It was lots of fun last time. After we pick the winners we will all get a chance to talk about our photos.

Field trip to Etowah Mounds in Cartersville

On Saturday, June 20, we are meeting at the church parking lot at 8:30 AM for a photo field trip to the historical Etowah Mounds depicting Indian life in 1200 AD. The Etowah River runs along the park so there will be plenty of picture opportunities. Eliza will have more details, especially where we might eat. Food is always and essential part of any field trip!

Stay tuned for these future events:

Lake Allatoona Field Trip on John Lindsay’s houseboat possibly in July. Thank you so much John!
Future field trips to possibly Rome, Stone Mountain, High Shoals Waterfalls, Sweetwater Park, Berry College and Jim Underwood’s fishing lake.
August 19 competition theme will be Fun on the Beach. We’ll extend the time frame back to 3 years back since some folks don’t get to the beach often. The photos can be of beach landscapes, sunrise/sunsets, shells or people and pets having fun at the beach. The photos should showcase the beach or being on the beach. Looking forward to having some beautiful photos for this competition as we have plenty of time to take them.
We want to have a WOW Photo Club exhibit table at the church's wonderful Simply Serve event in August. This event showcases the activities of various church groups. Last year’s got me personally involved in our church activities, and by becoming involved I’ve made many friends.
We’ll be having our last competition in October and in November will be hanging an exhibit of photos from our club members in the Family Life Center. I think folks will enjoy seeing photos taken by their own church members.
We’ll wrap up our first year as a club with a WOW Photo Club Social in December.

That’s a summary of some of our events for this year . . . hope to see you there.

Waldy

WOW Photo Club Pickett’s Mill Outing Report and a Preview to our May 20 meeting

2009-05-14T22:10:00.001-04:00

Our meeting this month will be at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall on May 20 after the WOW dinner at 5:45 PM.

Jim, Molly, Eliza and Waldy will be presenting some of the photos we took on our Pickett’s Mill photo adventure, and we’ll be discussing our “photographic thought process” in taking the pictures. We would love for you to ask us questions and bring up discussion on the techniques.

We’ll be announcing our next two competition themes and the next field trip. If there is time Waldy will show us a few more tricks with Picasa . . . it really is a fun editing/photo database program. Also, please bring a couple of your photos to share with the club.

Pickett’s Mill Report

The Pickett’s Mill field trip was lots of fun for the four of us who went. Jim, Molly, Eliza and Waldy all piled into Jim’s truck since we all fit in his vehicle. Thank you Jim for driving.

We started by viewing an orientation video on the history of the battle. The battleground museum was really interesting and informative, and after the video and taking a few pictures we headed out for a “walk in the woods.” WOW, did we get into it . . . but rather than my talking about it why don’t we view a slideshow! While holding your keyboard CTRL button click on the link below with your mouse.

WOW Pickett's Mill Photo Outing Slideshow

Look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Wednesday, 5/20.

Happy snapping . . . Waldy

WOW Photo Club’s First Photo Competition

2009-04-24T23:12:00.001-04:00

On April 15 we had our first photo competition on the theme, Family, Friends and Pets.

I was blown away by the quality of the photo entries in our competition. The enthusiasm for the contest suggests our club members are a competitive bunch.

Based on the preference of the membership, we could not vote for ourselves, and we had to vote for first, second and third place. We had fun judging each other’s photographs, but many of us said it wasn’t easy because there were so many good ones.

A big thank you to Eliza for tabulating the votes. Let’s all congratulate Molly for winning 1st Place, John for taking 2nd Place, and Lynn for a strong 3rd Place.

It’s easy to see that this competition went to the dogs!!!

Another highlight of the evening was each member sharing with the group our artistic approach to making our photographs. We really got good tips from each other.

To see more coverage of our competition please click on the link below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/WOWPhotoClub/WOWPhotoClubFamilyFriendAndPetCompetition#

The next blog entry will tell of the wonderful fieldtrip we had to Pickett’s Mill on April 18.

Waldy

WOW Photo Club April 15 and April 18 Events

2009-03-30T23:10:00.001-04:00

Our meeting this month will be at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall on April 15 after the WOW dinner at 5:45 PM. This will be our first “friendly” competition.

On April 15 our competition theme is “Family Photography: family, friends and pets.”

Pictures should be of family members, pets or friends. The pictures can be candid, posed photos or the subjects doing something (horseback riding, cycling, kayaking, hiking, working on pottery, playing a musical instrument or sports . . . Etc).

Our “subjects” must be the main focus of the composition. The picture must say . . . "it's about them."

All photos must be 8x10 inches or larger and can be matted or not matted. Each member is allowed up to 3 photo entries, and they can be color or black and white.

Please do not write anything identifying the photographer so as not to influence the membership (ourselves) who will be voting on the photos. Numbers will be attached to the bottom of each photo and placed on a table so we can view and compare the photos. We will put our selections (votes) in a box that will be tallied for the winners, 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.

This collage illustrates types of family/friend’s photos

* If there is time after the competition we can have a Q&A session if anyone has questions about photography, printing or editing.

Pickett’s Mill field trip is back on for Saturday, April 18.

Rained cancelled out field trip early in March so we are trying again. Here’s what, Eliza Nobles, our Activity Planner, wrote:

Date: April 18, 2009 Time: We are going to try and meet earlier. We have agreed on a meet time of 9:00 am in the church parking lot. We want to be back in time for other activities at the church.

Lunch: We are going to eat at the Briar Patch in New Hope after wards.

Just check the earlier February 24 blog entry for a detailed description of the trip, but remember that we’ve moved up the meeting time to 9 AM.

http://wowphotoclub.blogspot.com/2009/02/wow-photo-club-field-trip-on-march-14.html

If you are coming please RSVP by email to ehnobles@comcast.net or by posting a comment below. Just use "anonymous" from the drop down menu. Our field trip should be lots of fun!

Waldy (770-241-6383)

Wednesday, March 18

2009-03-20T18:11:00.003-04:00

Hello Friends! We had a very informative meeting last Wednesday. First of all, we all would love to give a big THANK YOU for all that Kim showed us. She had a wonderful presentation (along with candy,) that taught us some wonderful techniques. Kim gave us lots of great tips like " Tilting is good" and "Learn the rules then throw them out the window!" She had a creative Power Point and was able to show us examples of all the techniques she was explaining. We are truly grateful for her knowledge and her drive to share. Kim has come a long way from a corporate trainer to a professional photographer and she is proof that taking pictures is a well developed art. Her testimony has inspired us all. We also discussed our next attempt at a Picket's Mill trip. Date: April 18, 2009 Time: We are going to try and meet earlier. We have agreed on a meet time of 9:00 am in the church parking lot. We want to be back in time for other activities at the church. Lunch: We are going to eat at the Briar Patch in New Hope after wards. In Christ, Eliza Nobles

WOW Photo Club Outing (Saturday 14) and Preview for March 18 Meeting

2009-03-15T17:54:00.001-04:00

Rain might have cancelled out Pickett’s Mill field trip, but it didn’t dampen our spirit. We had a fun and interesting meeting in the church’s Fellowship Hall in lieu of the field trip.

Our Saturday Meeting:

Waldy demonstrated uploading and navigating our WOW Photo Club Group site on Flickr. Using Jim’s LCD projector and the churches wireless network we were “live” on our Flickr site.

Jack didn’t waste anytime joining and uploading some of Molly’s photos.

Jim also got in on the act an uploaded his South African Lion, while poking fun at Chris’ Sleepy lion . . . all in friendly fun!

We finished our meeting by talking about the features of our camera and discussing some shooting tips. Waldy spoke about various settings of the typical camera (light meters and shooting modes). We we all awed by the unique features of Eliza’s little Canon Elph with it’s selective color mode.

Eliza’s selective color photo on Flickr.

Club members photographing each other (John trying out his new Nikon D200) . . . practice makes perfect!

Preview to Wednesday, March 18 meeting:

Meeting will be at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall (below the main sanctuary). Don’t forget the tasty WOW dinner at 5:54 PM in the Family Life Center (the gym, behind the church).

For our main event, Kim Davidson, will be talking to us about Family Photography. This will be a great program to prepare us for many family events such as Easter and the vacation season. Check out her website: http://www.kdavidsonphotography.com/

For our Members' Show 'n Tell segment let's bring 1 or 2 photos of our families, friends, or pets. By limiting the members to 2 photos it will give everyone time to participate. They can be photographs or digital images on CD or Jump Drives.

See you there! - Waldy

WOW Photo Club Field Trip on March 14, Saturday

2009-02-24T13:50:00.002-05:00

Place: Pickett’s Mill Battlefield, 4432 Mt Tabor Church Rd, Dallas, GA 30157

Time and Meeting Place: Meeting at Dallas First United Methodist Church parking lot at 10 AM, (Saturday, 3/14). Some of us may wish to car pool, and I have room for 1 person with equipment.

Summary of event: This is our first photo field trip planned by our Activity Planner, Eliza Nobles. Here’s her short description of the photo outing:

The cost to get into Pickett's Mill is $4 for adults and Seniors 3.50. This includes admission into the museum, a 15 min film if we so desire and access to the trails. Afterwards we can eat at Rodney's (a BBQ place just down the road), subway if we feel the hankering for a 5-dollar-foot long, and there is even a Johnny's Pizza.

This will be a great opportunity for learning a little history, dusting off our cameras and taking some interesting pre-spring photos, socializing and just having a darn good time.

About the Pickett’s Mill:

Aerial view of the park:

Please RSVP if you coming by email to ehnobles@comcast.net or by posting a comment below. Just use "anonymous" from the drop down menu. Thank you.

Waldy

February 18 WOW Club Meeting Minutes

2009-02-24T00:53:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to our club leaders elected during our meet.

· Jim Underwood is the Club Leader

· John Lindsay is the Secretary/Treasurer

· Eliza Nobles is the Activity Planner

· Waldy Cuevas was appointed Advisor/Program Director at the first meeting

A big thank you to Molly Bickford for bringing the brownies and cookies that went along with the pizza and soda. In most cases in the future there will be the normal church WOW dinner, but our substitute meal this week still hit the spot with the 8 members attending. And we grew to 11 by the end of the meeting.

Again, thank you Jim for the use of the LCD projector. It made a big difference in the show 'n tell segment. We all liked meeting in the Fellowship Hall, and I'll try to secure that room for future meeting as often as possible.

Meeting Summary

· The first portion of the program looked at navigating out club blog. This is how we'll do most of your communication so you might want to bookmark it. http://wowphotoclub.blogspot.com/

· We looked at many facets of our Flickr WOW Photo Club site, and I know you'll want to bookmark this one. http://www.flickr.com/groups/wowphotoclub/
This is a great site to show off our work, inspire each other, and exchange technical tips and ideas. Just go to this site to join. http://www.flickr.com/

· We also downloaded some photos using Picasa and did some quick editing. At most meetings we'll do a short segment on Picasa. You can downloaded the program at this site. http://picasa.google.com/

The best part of the meeting was looking at each other's photos . . . WOW, have we got some good photographers. Just to name a few, Jim Underwood had some beautiful travel photographs, Sandra Westbrook had a gorgeous shot of her dog and husband and Molly had a picture of a bright-eye cat in the field. There were many other good ones.

Future Events

· For our main event for March 18, our next meeting, Kim Davidson, will be talking to us about Family Photography. This will be a great program to prepare us for many family events such as Easter and the vacation season. Check out her website: http://www.kdavidsonphotography.com/

· For our Members' Show'n Tell segment let's bring 2 photos of our families, friends, or pets. By limiting the members to 2 photos it will give everyone time to participate. They can be photographs or digital images on CD or Jump Drives.

· On Saturday, March 14, Eliza Nobles will be leading us on our first photo field trip. She'll be posting details soon, and she'll also be conducting a survey for future events. We would appreciate your participating in her survey by "commenting on her blog" posting.

Here is an important observation. Digital photography can seem overwhelming and complicated. In future meeting some of us with laptops will offer members help in signing up for our Flickr WOW Photo Club site.

I am personally offering to come to your home and help you set up Picasa, join Flickr and set up a folder structure for your photos. We can even download some of your photos from your camera to your computer. I'm offering to do this for free, out of a sense of friendship and service in the church. I'd hate to see folks quit the club, and to see you enjoy the hobby I love provides me more happiness and satisfaction than you can imagine. Please feel free to write me at waldyphoto@hotmail.com for help or to set up a home visit.

* This offer is about helping with photography (what I'm good at), and not fixing computer problems (what I'm not good at).

Practice, practice, practice . . . shoot, shoot, shoot and have fun!

Waldy

Update to WOW Photo Club Meeting on February 18

2009-02-14T10:21:00.005-05:00

Next WOW Photo Club meeting is on, February 18, in the "Fellowship Hall," located in the basement of the main sanctuary. I have just been informed by Kim Davidson that there is not a WOW Dinner this Wednesday so I'll be treating the club to pizzas and soft drinks that night. Let's meet at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall and I'll have two large pizzas with soft drinks, napkins and cups.

A special thank you to Jim Underwood as he will be letting us use this LCD projector. This will be a tremendous tool for doing our presentations. Thank you Jim!

Here's the agenda:

Elect the club leaders (this should take about 15 minutes).
Show'N tell of members' photos where members are encourage to show off one or two photographs and discuss what went into their photographic process.
Waldy demonstrates navigating our Flickr Club site, our WOW Photo Club Blog, and if time permits uploading photos with Picasa.
Q&A with Waldy

At 7:30 PM some of the members leave for choir practice, but the rest of us are free to stay another 10 to 20 minutes for friendly chat and discussion. Club leaders will also meet for a few minutes.

Please note on your calendars the meeting on March 18 as Kim Davidson will be talking about family photography. That should really be good.

Waldy

WOW Photo Club 1/21/09 Meeting

2009-01-31T17:22:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful first meeting on Wednesday, 1/21, in the church annex building. We had 10 folks at our first meeting with others planning to come in the future. Currently we have 18 members on the club roster. You don't have to attend the church or be a church member to belong . . . everyone is welcome. My name is Waldy Cuevas, a former CNN news videographer, and I'm privileged to be the club advisor and program director. We meet on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 PM in the church annex, after the always delicious WOW dinners. The next meeting is on Wednesday, 2/18. All members are encouraged to bring a photo to share with the group . . . any subject that is appropriate in a church enviroment (that you could show your mom). Photos can be any size, but 8x10's are easier for everyone to see . . . but, any size is fine. Our mission statement is to help each other improve our skill and enjoyment of photography as a hobby. Club members were asked to think of a better or more eloquent mission statement. At next meeting will be electing club leaders for the following functions:

Club Leader
Secretary/Treasuer (There are no club dues, but the secretary, as treasurer, would be in charge of handling the money should we ever take up a collection to buy and item for the club)
Field Trip/Extra Curricular Planner (Activity Planner for short)

At the meeting we discussed some of the following subjects:

Picking a club name, and by email voting we've selected the WOW Photo Club.
We will be using Picasa 3 as the main software for the photo club, because it has many great features, it's easy to use and is well supported by Google.
We discussed making Christmas and greeting cards.
Waldy also had a Q&A time answering John Lindsay's questions about printing within Picasa.
We also discussed photo sharing websites such as the Google Picasa site,

http://picasa.google.com/

and the Flickr site,

http://flickr.com/

Jim Underwood also volunteered to look into getting us access to a LCD projector as this will really help us in our "show and tell" segments during the club meeting. Thank you so much, Jim, and good luck. Here's what we've done so far:

Chose WOW Photo Club as our name.

Set up a Flickr group site for the club: http://www.flickr.com/groups/wowphotoclub/
Set up this Blog (WOW Photo Club) so we don't bombard the club with too many emails. I'm new to this "blogging thing" so please bear with me as we all learn and improve it.

Please shoot pictures often, enjoy the fun and discovery of photography, and above all have fun! Waldy