Category: News

The next Camera Club meeting with be held on Friday, October 6th at 9:15 AM.

Our meeting will include:

• Slide show of Member Images from the “It’s a Small World” Assignment
• Phil’s Tips of the Day “Simple Ways to Improve Your Photography” and Tips for Next Month’s “Simplicity” Photo Challenge
• Presentation on Creativity by Janice Street
• Slideshow on Camera Conference by David Haggarty
• Review of Chosen Photos
• Announcements and Closing Remarks

The Mentors will be available before the meeting to help you with any technical or creative questions you have about photography.

Your images for the “It’s a Small World” assignment must be emailed by noon on Friday, September 29th to be included in the slide show. For details on how to submit photos including formats and titles go to our Galleries page.

The next assignment is  “Simplicity” and pictures from this assignment will be shown at the November 3rd meeting.

See you on October 6th.

Your Camera Club Executive

On Tuesday September 12th, Bruce Di Labio will be giving a presentation on Birds of the Ottawa Region as part of the Probus Club of Western Ottawa monthly speaker series.

For our first meeting in the fall we are delighted to have renowned birding expert Bruce Di Labio talk to us about the birds we can find in the Ottawa region.

A native of Ottawa, Bruce Di Labio formerly wrote a weekly column on birding in the Ottawa Citizen. His passion for birds and birding began at the young age of 7, and he has had a life-long passion and career in the field of birding. The early 1970s was an exciting time in Ottawa birding. There was lots of friendly competition and weekend birding, which was quickly replaced by birding seven days a week! It was during this time that Bruce began leading field trips for the Ottawa Field-Naturalist’s Club.

During the 1980’s he worked for the Canadian Museum of Nature in ornithology, and then The Canadian Nature Federation as Staff Naturalist. After leaving this post, Bruce began environmental consulting and branched out in his role as teacher and tour leader for beginning birders. Locally he regularly gives presentations at schools, Nature organizations, and birding conventions.

Bruce specializes in birding tours to many Canadian destinations, including the Alberta Rockies, Yukon, Churchill, Point Pelee National Park, Moosonee and James Bay. Internationally he has lead birding tours to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Australia, South Africa and a number of Caribbean destinations.

In addition, over the decades Bruce has authored numerous articles for Nature Canada, Ontario Birds, OFNC’s Trail and Landscape, Canadian Field-Naturalist, Birders Journal, ABA’s Birding, and Ontario Birding News. Bruce has been a member of many successful international championship birding teams.

Click here, for more information about Probus and about Bruce’s presentation.

Amy Lo and Marilyn Martin

If you enjoyed Dr. Peter Dang’s presentation at our September meeting, here’s a chance to see him again in his environment and to meet some of the “critters” he was talking about:

 

The featured presenter at our meeting on September 1st will be Dr. P.T. (Pete) Dang, Ph.D

• President and Founder of Biodiversity Conservancy International
• Director, National Capital Sand Dune Conservation Project
• Founder of the internationally renowned quarterly scientific journal “Biodiversity”
• Research Scientist (Entomologist), specializing in Microlepidoptera specifically the leafrollers, budworms and budmoths, mosquitoes and other biting flies, and ladybird beetles
• Former scientific staff of the Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
• Former Chair of the Curatorial Committee for the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes (AAFC)

We hope you all had a great summer and really enjoyed all the Canada 150 activities and other opportunities to take lots of photos.

Join us for our next Camera Club meeting which with be held on Friday, September 1st at 9:15 AM.

Our meeting will include:

• Slide show of Member Images from the Canada 150th Assignment
• Phil’s Tip of the Day on Lens Filters
• Presentation on Insect Photography by Dr. Dang
• Review of Chosen Photos
• Announcements and Closing Remarks

The Mentors will be available before the meeting to help you with any technical or creative questions you have about photography.

Your images for the assignment must be emailed by noon on Friday, August 25th to be included in the slide show. For details on how to submit photos including formats and titles go to our Galleries page.

The next assignment is:

• It’s a Small World
• For the meeting on October 6th
• Submit by noon on September 29th
• Macro or small-scale photography of any subject.

See you on September 1st.

Your Camera Club Executive

Henry’s is putting on a two-session course that challenges students to think outside of the class room and put all their knowledge to use in this travel/street photography based event. Three hours of dedicated shooting will be followed later with a 3-hour session to edit, review, and print photos. People can bring their own laptops, or Henry’s can provide computers with the software. As of Thursday August 17th there are only seven of the twelve seats remaining so, if you’re interested, act fast! The $150 fee covers both sessions.

Contact Henry’s 613-836-1016 or by email for more details and to enroll.

Level – Intermediate/Advanced

Two-session time & date:

• Photowalk
  • MosaïCanada
  • Jacques Cartier Park,
  • September 27th, 4pm-7pm (rain date TBD)
  • 4 Henry’s Instructors
  • map here
• Editing session
  • Henry’s Kanata, 501 Hazeldean Rd, Kanata, ON K2L 1V6
  • October 1st, 9am-12pm
  • 7 Henry’s Instructors
  • map here

Course Outline, Photowalk:

• Seeing composition in changing environments
• Custom white balance
• Exposure compensation ( + bracketing)
• Close up & macro photography ( + focus stacking)
• Techniques to shoot water (use of ND filters, flash)
• Long exposures
• Choosing the right lens/creative techniques when limited to one focal length
• Dealing with shadows and harsh light (Flash photography, bending natural light with reflectors

Course Outline, Editing:

• Simplifying composition
• Converting to black and white
• HDR
• Smoothing blemishes, removing distracting elements
• Stitching panoramas
• Stitching focus stacked and/or bracketed images
• Lightroom organization
• Colour correction
• Optimizing for printing
• All students leave with one 13×19 print of a photo taken and edited on this course

Who should attend:

Individuals who would like to take their photography to the next level with the guidance of several instructors while learning how to not only think and shoot creatively, but also learn how to optimize their work flow and editing habits.

What to bring to class:

• Your camera, and lens(es)
• Fully charged battery + extra batteries
• Memory card
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Weather appropriate attire
• Notebook + pen (editing session)

In case you missed the last insect macro photography event at Pinhey Sand Dunes there is another guided tour this Sunday. For location details see the previous post.

If you missed the July 16th event at Pinhey Dunes and would like a chance to take some spectacular macro images like Amy Lo shot, here is a list of the remaining 2017 public tours of the Pinhey Sand Dunes put on by Biodiversity Conservancy International:

• August 06
  Sand Wasps & Macro Photography
  Watch the super sand diggers
• August 20
  Giant Robber Fly & Macro Photography
  Observe the 4-5 cm voracious hunters catching prey in flight
• September 03
  Antlions, Doodle Bugs & Macro Photography
  Observe sand swimmers leaving wiggly trails, building pitfall traps and capturing prey
• September 10
  Antlions and Giant Robber Fly & Macro Photography
  Last glimpse of 2017 dune biodiversity
• October (date to be determined)
  Ottawa-Gatineau Geo-Heritage
  Pinhey Sand Dunes System is one of Ottawa Gatineau Geoheritage sites
• November 05
  Dune Walk (6 km) & Season End Dune Maintenance
  Meet the Pinhey Dunes Watch Group at work

All events start at 10:00. For more information email Biodiversity Conservancy International.

On Saturday July 15th the camera club found out about this event:

to be held on Sunday July 16th. Because of the short notice, an email was sent to all club members.

You can see google maps driving directions from the Seniors Centre here.

The Canadian Camera Conference has invited all Ottawa area camera club members to join CCC2017 by participating in some of the events open to the public and to which you can bring family and friends:

1. CCC2017 Field Trips: There are still places available for the following Field Trips:
   1. CCCFT01:  Behind-the-Scenes Tour – Photography at Library and Archives Canada’s Gatineau Preservation Centre — June 27th, 2017, 12:30 to 4:30pm – Transportation by Chauffeured bus – $15 +HST.
   2. CCCFT13:  Natural Light Portrait Photography Workshop (with models) – Rideau Locks — June 29th, 2017, 5:30 to 9:00pm – Car-pooling – $60 +HST.
   3. CCCFT04:  Wild in the City – Central Experimental Farm, Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Arboretum & Mud Lake — July 02, 2017, 9:00am to 4:30 pm – Transportation by van – $37.00 +HST.
   4. CCCFT05:  Urban Meets Nature – Canadian War Museum, Pumphouse, Royal Canadian Navy Museum, Canadian Museum of History, MosaiCanada150 & Outdoor Arts Exhibit (Gatineau) — July 02, 2017, 8:30am to 5:30pm – $13 + HST (Incl. transit pass)
   5. CCCFT06:  The Urban Heart of Ottawa – Parliament Hill, Rideau Locks, War Memorial, North of Wellington & Byward Market, Rideau Canal & South of Wellington — July 02, 2017, 8:30am to 6:00pm – $13 + HST (Incl. transit pass)
   6. CCCFT07:   Heron Rookery & Ospreys (Rideau River Valley), July 2nd, 2017, extended ½ day – Transportation by van $42 (+HST)
   7. CCCFT08:  Purdon Lady Slippers & Historic Perth, July 3rd, 2017 – 8:00am-5:15pm – Transportation by van $43 (+HST)
   8. CCCFT10:  Upper Canada Village, Cooper Marsh & Osprey Nest, July 3rd, 2017 – Full Day – Transportation by van $70 (+HST)
   9. CCCFT11:  Rideau Canal – Jones Falls, Merrickville, Nicholson Locks & Burritts Rapids – Led by renowned Historian & Photographer — July 3rd, 2017, 4:30am to 4:45pm – Transportation by van $45 (+HST)
   10. CCCFT12:  Algonquin Park Landscapes & Wildlife, July 2-4, 2017. Car-pooling $150 + HST (includes 2-night camping, water taxis, some food & other costs)

You have until June 20th to register.  Don’t wait until it’s too late! For more information and to register, please visit their website.

2. Canada Wild, June 30^th, 8pm @ Algonquin College’s Algonquin Commons Theatre

Canada Wild is the closing presentation of CCC2017 and features three outstanding new slide shows (Yukon, Algonquin Park, Arctic) by photographer Bill Pratt, complemented by original scores performed live by Ian Douglas and the Raintree Earth Ensemble.  The performance is open to the public and is an ideal way for families to kick off Canada’s 150th birthday celebration! Tickets are just $25 for adults and $15 for students or children under 18.

For on-line purchasing of tickets, a ‘Show Sampler’ and directions to the Theatre, please visit their website.