Monthly Challenges 2024/25

The list of our Monthly Challenge topics follows:

June /July/August – What I did last summer, Happiness is . . .

For the meeting on September 6th – Submit by August 30th

  • Back to School days – what did you do for the summer.

September – Geometric Shapes

For the meeting on October 4th – Submit by September 27th

  • Shapes including circles, squares, triangles, etc.

October – Transformations

For the meeting on November 1st – Submit by October 25th

  • A transformation could be a dramatic change in form, appearance or life outcome.
  • Examples could include changes from solid to liquid, evaporation, condensation …
  • It could also more broadly include events such as technological changes, energy transformations, degradation or remediation of natural environments, life/death, baby’s first steps …

November – -Transportation

For the meeting on December 6th – Submit by November 29th

  • Things with wheels, (cars, trains, planes, roller skates, skateboards), sneakers, and sandals – anything that can move things or people.

December – Signs and Symbols

For the meeting on January 10th – Submit by January 3rd

  • Traffic signs, parking signs, things that mean something or tell you where to go, what to do, and how to get there.
    • When we look at signs, we sometimes see things or interpret things that have symbolic meaning. Try to create images that challenge the viewer to look beyond the obvious.

January – Noise

For the meeting on February 7 – Submit by January 31st

  • Images don’t emit sound but can show reactions to it! Your image can portray noise, an unpleasant or loud sound, by showing a subject that emits it or expresses the effect that something noisy can have on humans, animals, or even inanimate objects.
  • Or you can submit an image that makes effective use of “camera noise”. Your choice

February – Icicle or Water Droplets

For the meeting on March 7th – Submit by February 28th

  • The frozen wonders of icicles or the glistening allure of water droplets, immersing yourself in the essence of winter’s delicate transformations.

March – Earth Day

For the meeting on April 4th – Submit by March 28th

  • The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly things that help or hurt our planet.

April – Gardens – All Seasons

For the meeting on May 2nd- Submit by April 25th

  • Gardens over the seasons.

May – Captioned Photos – Three Pictures

For the meeting on June 6th – Submit by May 30th

  • Take a photograph and “caption” it with a word balloon.
  • Three of your significant pictures of the last year
  • NOTE: Two separate challenges for the same month. Members may submit up to three images for each challenge.

Artist Talks at SPAO

Club member Manfred Mueller will give two Artist Talks at the SPAO gallery. These talks are free and open to members of the public. There is plenty of street parking available in the area.  Several other photographers will be there talking about their work as well.

On Saturday, April 20, 2024, he will be talking about the nine large prints in his series “Nebulous”.  On Saturday, April 27, 2024, he will be talking about his two books entitled “Toolbugz”.  One is a hand-made and custom-bound fine art book and the second is a mass-produced children’s book.

This event/outing is not part of the Kanata Seniors Centre Club operations and is not sanctioned by the City of Ottawa.  Information is for interested parties.

Recent Graduate

Club member Manfred Mueller has just completed the 2-year, full-time diploma program at the School of Photographic Arts – Ottawa (SPAO). He and the other members of the graduating class will be showing their final year project work at the SPAO Gallery from Friday, April 19, 2024, through to Sunday, May 12, 2024.  The gallery is open from noon until 5:00 PM Wednesday through Sunday.  SPAO is located at 77 Pamila St (just north of Carling Ave, off Preston St), in Little Italy.  Street parking is available.

Manfred will be showing 27 pieces of original photographic art; 9 large
prints will be shown on the studio wall and another 18 in a fine art
book.  The attached exhibition poster features one of his works.

Please feel free to visit the SPAO Gallery.

This event/outing is not part of the Kanata Seniors Centre Club operations and is not sanctioned by the City of Ottawa.  Information is for interested parties.

The Karsh Brothers, Canadian Legends of Photography

On Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 1:00 pm in the Main Branch Auditorium of the Ottawa Public Library, the Historical Society of Ottawa is hosting a free lecture by Paul Couvrette on the Karsh brothers.

More details here.

This event/outing is not part of the Kanata Seniors Centre Club operations and is not sanctioned by the City of Ottawa.  Information is for interested parties.

History of Early Photography

On Friday, April 5th, 2024, Irwin Reichstein will give an overview of nineteenth-century photography including visual examples of photographic processes and photographers.

Credit: Photo by Bob Lansdale

Irwin Reichstein was a professor in the School of Computer Science at Carleton University before retiring in 2015. While at Carleton, his research interests included microcomputers and numerical applications. Irwin has written several articles on nineteenth-century photography in Montreal. He has given presentations on early photography at various venues.