New Westminster Photography Club

Night photography is one of the more technically challenging areas for new photographers (and even for the old hands). Tonight's meeting will attempt to demystify some of this "dark art".

Our program director has decided we will do this in a "members teaching members" format to share some of the knowledge locked up in our members' heads.

If members have images that are somehow related to night photography we will be selecting a few for presentation as well. Some topic areas to get you thinking: city scapes, building lights, star trails, astrophotography, streets at night, fireworks, flames or other moving lights, holiday lights, low light portraits, painting with light, "ghost" photos, .......

In Preparation:

• Members may submit up to 2 digital images (sorry, digital only this meeting -- if you have prints or slides, you will have to get them scanned). Please email them to photos@nwphoto.org. Size them to fit a 1024x768 frame.
  We will try to get to all images, but time may limit us. Primarily we'll be looking for images that can be used to illustrate the specific points of night photography.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• BTGS#5 - A Shot in the Dark (Derek Carlin):

  An abbreviated "Beyond the Green Square" session. Derek will introduce newer photographers who maybe haven't tried night photography yet to some of the challenges that face the aspiring nightstalker. The samples and discussions from other members will complete this overview of shooting at night.

• Practice Makes Perfect (Mike Hindle):

  Mike is leading an impromptu night photography practice session on saturday Nov. 8th (if you didn't get his email with time and location, contact him at outings@nwphoto.org)

  He will show images from that session shot by himself and the members who show up.

  This will be used to start a discussion of issues members are having in their work and will seque nicely into Peter's guided discussion later in the meeting.

• Sunset to Sunrise -- Keith's Way (Keith Griffiths):

  Vice president Keith (also president of Burnaby Photographic Society) Will take us into a more detailed look at night subjects using his own body of work as an example.

• Urban Nights (Shona LaFortune):

  Our Theme Director, CAPA-certified judge, and long time photographer Shona will tell us about taking her love of urban and street photography to the "dark side".

  How to shoot urban scenes at night: what equipment to use, techniques available to you, and some ideas for composition to get you started.

• Night Photography - a guided discusssion (Peter Ellis):

  Using his own work plus images that you submit, Peter will round out the evening leading a discussion on particular subjects, problems encountered, and how to over come them.

Earlier guest speaker Betty Andres dicussed what judges are looking for in competition. Tonight will be a "practice run" to put what she taught us into action.

Members are invited to submit images for a mock competition. The group will critique the images but this time with a stronger emphasis on what strengths and weaknesses the images have when it comes to being entered in competition.

There will be general discussion of how to select for competition as well as brainstorming for ideas to help get the creative juices flowing for less experienced photographers.

We have in our membership CAPA certified judges, now is the time to learn from them.

In Preparation:

• Members may submit up to 4 images (any combination of prints or digital). Digital images should fit a frame size of 1024x768. Prints should be a minimum of 8x10 (they don't need to be matted, but should have a firm backing so they stand up on our easels)
  Please send digital submissions to photos@nwphoto.org

Agenda: (subject to change)

• The Mock Challenge:

  Member images will be critiqued with an eye to how they might fare in competition.

  Members should be prepared to tell us what they think are the strengths in their images, to help practice your self-critical eye.

Last year we held our first club Halloween party and it was so popular, we decided to do it again.

We also need to select images for the upcoming delta print challenge.

In Preparation:

• Members may bring up to 2 matted prints for consideration.
• dust off your favorite halloween costume and strut your stuff

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Delta Print Challenge:

  We will select prints for the club submission to the Delta print challenge. Prints are to be plain white single matted, with plain board backing, no foamcore. Minimum size is 8"x10", all matts should be 16x22 regardless of image size.

• Photograph or Photoshop? (Derek):

  Halloween is a time when things are not always what they seem. With people in masks and costumes being something they're not, let's do this with photography.

  Most people by now are used to faked photos arriving in their mailboxes making outrageous claims. Yet a lot of people still believe "photographs don't lie". Are you good at spotting hoaxes?

  We'll have a look at some images, some are fantastic, but real. Some are completely bogus -- but can you use your knowledge of photographic manipulation to spot the fakes? Is it a Photograph or Photoshop In some cases these photos have been used to support conspiracy theories, but a little knowledge of photography and the truth shall set you free! -- well, enlightened anyway.

• Party!!:

  An extended break and party time. Those wearing costumes will strut their stuff and members will judge and select their favorite costume.

  Some goodies (more than our usual fair of tea/coffee/cookies) will also be available.

Theme competitions (ie “assigned subjects”) can be a challenge, particularly if you have a preferred area of photographic interest. But don’t avoid them! They can also be a valuable tool to help you see more creatively and improve your photography.

Shona L, our “theme coordinator”, will briefly review how our in-house Theme competitions work, and will present some suggestions on how you can interpret themes and come up with strong, unique photographs.

Some evaluation practice will be included, to help you comment on images and select your own entries.

We welcome guest speaker Betty Andres (North Shore Photographic Society and long time competition judge).

Betty is past president of the North Shore Photographic Society, and also the North Shore Challenge co-ordinator. She is the CAPA Club Services Director, and National Competition Co-ordinator (5 yrs). A long-time CAPA judge and slide-essay maker, she has a special interest in landscapes and travel subjects.

In Preparation:

Agenda: (subject to change)

• What Judges Look For...:

  Betty Andres will give us insight on just what are judges looking for when evaluating images in competition.

This meeting will be a "seminar" style meeting, with a couple of presentations by club members.

We will also be doing our selection of prints for Surrey's annual Photo Expo

In Preparation:

• Members may bring in two prints for competition. Minimum print dimension 8x10, Mattes should be 16x20, neutral single colour and no foamcore.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Welcome to nwphoto.org (Derek):

  The website has a growing role in the running of the NWPC. It is our appointment calendar, photo album, as well as a growing resource centre.

  Derek (our club webmaster) will briefly go over key features of the website for the benefit of our new members, showing you how to get the most out of this tool. Some of the changes for the coming year will also be discussed.

• BTGS#4 - I've been framed! (Derek):

  "Beyond the Green Square" is a series we started last year. It is aimed at newer photographers who need help learning how to go beyond the automatic settings of their camera and explore the wider world of photography. We explore both "mechanical" and "artistic" aspects -- concepts that older hands may consider basic but that newer photographers still need to learn. They are typically short, 10 to 15 minutes in length

  In this session we continue our look at the basic rules of composition with a look at framing and how it can enhance your images -- and we don't mean wooden ones!

• Enhancing your image (Keith):

  We strongly encourage photographers to "get it right" in-camera when composing a photograph. But in this digital age, there's almost always a need (or at least desire) to "tweak" that image to bring out the best in it.

  Keith will review one post-processing technique that has gained greatly in popularity in the last few years: HDR (or High Dynamic Range). Keith will show the dramatic effect this technique can have on your images in situations that are often difficult to capture on film. There are a variety of software packages out there now for HDR, some of them very affordable.

  Keith is the club's vice-president as well as acting president for the Burnaby Photographic Society. He has years of experience (he won't tell us just how many) and is always willing to share what he has learned with others -- even when he's the lone Nikon surrounded by Canons!

• Surrey Show, print selection:

  We've been invited to take part in the print portion of Surrey Club's Photo Exhibition show (see our announcement on this.

  Members, please bring your prints to the first meeting! Prints should be matted (minimum 8"x10", max dimensions: 16x20 overall). Images may be on any topic, B&W or colour. We will review, critique and select those to be sent to Surrey. Images will be professionally judged at the expo as well as "People's Choice" award to an image selected by audience votes.

Our club has been enjoying the summer holidays, but now it's time to get "back to work" on our photography! Our program director is hard at work coming up with the program for the coming year and you can already see some of what's coming up here.

As is always the case in these situations, all meeting content is "subject to change", but we aim to keep the program on the website as accurate and up to date as possible, always check back for last second changes!

Our typical first meeting is a chance to get reaquainted and share some images from our summer photography. In this case we also have a last minute participation in Surrey's Photo Expo.

In Preparation:

• For our Welcome Back photo viewing, members can submit up to 4 images -- digital or prints. Send digital images to photos@nwphoto.org at least 24 hours before the meeting.

  Guests can participate too! Guests can submit one photo for review. Send them to the photo email above, or bring them on a USB thumb drive to the meeting.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Welcome Back!!
• Officer Reports
• Announcements
• Going Digital (Derek):

  Most of our members have gone digital at this point, but this short 10 minute talk is aimed at new members and guests

  In particular for those still shooting film or who maybe have a lower end digital camera and are thinking of "moving up". What sorts of features should you look for?

  But for those who have already gone digital, you're not off the hook. There are still some cases where film is still the better choice, and the debate rages on: is digital better than film at this point?

• Themes (Shona): Last year we started our online "Themes", part artistic challenge, part judging exercise, part intra-club competition. Shona will remind us just how Themes can help you improve your photography and offers a few tips on how to critique an image when you don't know where to start.

• Photo Viewing - Digital and Prints:

  We'll get the year rolling by reviewing some photos from the past summer. This won't be a full critiquing session, but people will be invited to make comments on images if they see particular strengths or areas that could be improved.

Our members and invited guests celebrate the end of our program year with our annual pot-luck party.

Location:

• Queen's Park Centennial Lodge, New Westminster
• Link to PDF Map of Park Area
• Link to Google Map (you should see the lodge marked on the map).

Time: 6:30PM

In Preparation:

• Bring a healthy appetite!
• Remember to bring your item(s) to sell at the auction.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Party: Potluck Dinner -- vittles supplied by our members.
• Silent Auction: Bring something you would like to donate to our auction. This is always a popular way to help raise money for the club's operating costs and helps keep member fees low. You may specify a starting bid. Please remember if your item doesn't sell, that you are responsible for taking it back home!
• Party Fun: We will be having some sort of party activity ... these vary from year to year but should bring a smile to your face.

As our official year starts to wind down, we hold our annual general meeting to elect officers for the coming year.

In Preparation:

• If you wish to volunteer for an executive role, or nominate a member for a role, please contact the president (president@nwphoto.org) before the start of the meeting.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• AGM:

  Candidates for the various club offices will come forward and next years officers decided by member vote.

• The Year in Review:

  We'll have a look back at selected member images set to some toe-tapping music from our various outings over the past year. A fun way to wind down our program for the year -- this is for nostalgia, not critiquing or competitions, so just sit back and enjoy!

  A DVD of the slideshow video will be for sale to members. Proceeds from the sales will go to our equipment fund -- a kind of photographic "bake sale"

  To those members who want a corrected version of the DVD cover, you can get it here (PDF document). Print the page on a sheet of legal paper, then trim to the fine black lines to fit your DVD cases. If you use the thicker, older style of DVD case, trim to the black crop lines on the top and bottom, but to the outside of the printed cover on the left and right. This will fit those thicker cases. My apologies to Lou for the misspelling of his name, and the even more evil mistake of leaving Shona off altogether from the artist list on the back!!

This meeting is a member's night (just in case we didn't get a chance to get to everyone at the March 4th meeting. Members may bring in their images (slides, prints, digital) for review and critiquing by fellow members. Guests are welcome to participate. Don't feel intimidated if you are new to photography! Anyone can have an opinion, and the old adage is true: I may not know art, but I know what I like. What you "like" is usually a well composed image!

In Preparation:

• Members may submit up to 4 images. Send digital images to photos@nwphoto.org by Monday night before the meeting. Guests may submit 1 digital image (or bring 1 slide, or one print). Digital images should ideally be sized to fit the 1024x768 screen size. Prints should be 8x10" or larger. Matting is not required, but prints should have some sort of backing so they will stand up on our easels.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Beyond the Green Square: #3 - What's my line?:

  (15 minutes) Derek will continue his series of short presentations for the "less confident" photographer. We continue our exploration of the "Rules of Composition". If you're a novice photographer, learning the rules of composition will definitely help improve your images. This session we'll deal with one of the most powerful rules a photographer can have in their kit. Lines in an image can greatly influence how the viewer of your photograph feels about your work. We'll briefly discuss some of the most common line elements in photography and their psychological effect on the viewer.

  Since this is also a member's night, you can put your new knowledge to work right away!

• Critiquing session:

  Members view the offered images, offering critiques on what works and what could be improved. The intent of critiquing sessions is to help our members improve their compositional skills by evaluating other peoples' works and receiving feedback on their own.

This meeting will be a teaching night, but with a bit of a twist -- we are asking our members to come forward and teach the rest of us about some of their special interests. We have lots of expertise hidden in the brains of our members, this is a chance for them to share. Each session will be relatively short, 5 to 15 minutes.

We are still working on the agenda, so check back in the days leading up to the meeting for details

In Preparation:

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Do you archive? (David Emery (editor)):

  Many of us have gone digital now. We have hard drives stuffed to the brim with all our wonderful photos.

  But how many of you back that information up? If your hard drive crashed tomorrow, how much of your work would you lose? This segment will cover some tips on creating your own archival process so that a power surge doesn't wipe out your "life's work"!

• Photography Workflow (Jason Hollister (president)):

  With so many people doing digital photography these days, we're probably all in the situation of having a hard drive full of digital photos. Could you quickly find that great sunset image you captured at cousin Bob's wedding reception last summer?

  Jason will walk us through some ideas on how to organize our collections, with some live demos of one such workflow tool: Lightroom.

• Shooting Raw (Jason Hollister (president)):

  Ok, you've bought that new digital SLR, you've picked up a decent lens, and you're shooting the best images of your career. But are you still shooting in JPEG? If so, you're not getting the most out of that camera. Jason will go over why you should consider ALWAYS shooting in Raw mode and what benefits you get from Raw when you get back home and step into the darkroom (or in this case Adobe's Lightroom).

• In the Zone (Keith Griffiths (VP)):

  Years ago when everyone was worshipping Ansel Adams, everyone used the Zone method of exposure that he endorsed. Years later, many people have forgotten about using zones for exposure. Keith will remind us of this very practical approach to photography when you want to get your exposure "just right".

• Your Best Tips and Techniques... (YOU):

  Now's your chance to shine ... we're still looking for members to step up and talk about their favorite topic. Or maybe something new they've learned recently that they would like to share. This is your chance to educate us! Fancy multimedia presentations are not required. If you're passionate about something, just stand up for 5 minutes (or 10, or 15?!) and tell us about it.

  Members wishing to discuss a topic should contact Jason (info@nwphoto.org) ASAP (we know this is short notice this time). If we get more submissions than we have time for, well maybe this will become a semi-regular idea for future years.

Our club vice-president, Keith Griffiths, will tell us something about one photographer's search for a "style".

In Preparation:

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Beyond the Green Square: #2 - The Golden Rule:

  (15 minutes) Derek will continue his series of short presentations for the "less confident" photographer. Tonight we begin to explore the so-called "Rules of Composition". If you're a novice photographer, learning the rules of composition will definitely help improve your images. This session we'll start with what is probably the most fundamental and well used rule in photography. This "rule" was discovered by almost every ancient culture on Earth, and has influenced architecture and paintings for centuries ... but just what do credit cards and the reproduction of rabbits have to do with photography? Come and learn!

• Keith's take on Photography:

  Keith will treat us with samples of his photographic works and anecdotes about his own path through the world of photography. Keith is vice-president of our club, and also president of the Burnaby Photographic Society with decades of experience (he won't tell us just how many) with the various technologies arising from photography's evolution. It promises to be an interesting talk.

This night is scheduled as a competition selection night for the upcoming Fraser Valley Invitational competition.

We will also select our candidates for Crescent Beach B&W Print Competition.

In Preparation:

• Members are permitted to submit up to 4 candidate images for the Fraser Valley Invitational. This is a digital only competition. Members, please send your candidate images to photos@nwphoto.org at least 24 hours before the meeting. (i.e. by Monday night)
• Members are permitted to submit up to 2 candidate prints for the Crescent Beach competition.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Selection for Fraser Valley Invitational:

  We will select for the Fraser Valley Invitational. This year's theme is "Light". Those images best interpreting that theme will score better with the judges (or so one would hope?!?!)

  Images should fit a 1024 (max horizontal) by 768 (max vertical) pixel frame.

• Selection for Crescent Beach B&W Print Competition:

  We will select for the Crescent Beach B&W Print Competition.

  • Prints must be Black and White only, no tinted or toned prints, subject is choice of the photographer (inappropriate nudes will not be accepted)
  • Minimum print size 64 square inches (e.g. 8x8" prints minimum). Maximum print size is 16x20"
  • Outside dimensions of mat and backing must be 16x20". Smaller or larger entries are not accepted
  • Mats must be single white window mats. No frames. No foam core backing.
  • Prints must be mounted on firm 4 ply backing to stand up to frequent handling
  • No artist identification on front of print; label with title and photographer's name on upper r/h back of mat.
  • For complete list of rules, see this pdf file.

  Guests need not shy away from selection nights. This is the time when our members trot out their very best images.

This meeting is currently scheduled to be a workshop night. We will practice the technique of working with mylar to create abstracts and distorted images.

In Preparation:

• To participate remember to bring your camera equipment. Tripods are strongly recommended!

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Mylar Images:

  Mylar, it says... but what is that, and what's it got to do with photography? Mylar is thin plastic sheet, with a polished metallic coating. Objects placed on it, or seen at the end of a tube, will appear to twist and warp into fantastic shapes.

  Change the lighting, distort the sheet or tube, and you have a totally different image. It's like magic, and the picture possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Peter says don't miss this one...

  You can see a couple of examples of mylar photography online in an article/gallery on Ira Cohen, considered the father of mylar photography.

This meeting is a mixed critiquing bag. Scheduled to be a member's night as well as a competition selection night.

For the member's night portion we discuss images (digital, prints, slides) submitted for critique. The benefit is to learn strengths and weaknesses of our images when being considered for competition (or hanging on our walls!).

We will also be selecting our entries for the BC Print Challenge.

In Preparation:

• Note: with the competition selection also happening this night, we are limiting members to 3 images for review (they may be prints, slides, digital, or any combination of 3 images). Images may be prints (8x10 or larger), slides or digital (1024x768 pixels). Guests may bring 1 image. Digital submissions should be sent to photos@nwphoto.org at least 24 hours before the meeting (i.e. monday night)
• Members are permitted to submit up to 2 candidate prints for the BC Print Challenge. For complete list of rules, see this pdf file.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Critiquing Session:

  Now it's time to bring and show the pictures you've had hiding in your memory cards, stored away in your digital archives or in print form. You're invited to bring up to 6 images, in whatever form and tell us about them, if you wish. Then, if you would welcome some of our comments on them, they would be available too.

  This will be your show, and your opportunity to see what pics the rest of us have been taking. We have several competitions and challenges to select for soon, so why not give us a preview of your work?

  Guests are welcome to participate. Don't feel intimidated if you are new to photography! Anyone can have an opinion, and the old adage is true: "I may not know art, but I know what I like". Well, what you "like" is usually a well composed image! Taking part in the critiquing process, you'll quickly learn all the buzzwords that help you explain to others what there is to "like" about a composition.

• Selection for BC Print Challenge:

  We will select for the BC Print Challenge.

  • Prints may be B&W or colour, subject is choice of the photographer
  • Minimum print size 80 square inches (e.g. 8x10 prints minimum). Maximum print size is 16x20"
  • Outside dimensions of mat and backing must be 16x20". Smaller entries are not accepted
  • Mats must be single white window mats. No frames. No foam core backing.
  • No artist identification on front of print; label with title and photographer's name on upper r/h back of mat.

  Guests need not shy away from selection nights. This is the time when our members trot out some of their very best images.

  Want to come see our chose entries at the Print Challenge? See our news page for time and location of the BC Print Challenge.

Siggi Rohde will give us a session on collectible cameras. Have old cameras gathering dust now that you've gone digital? Maybe they're not junk, they're collectibles!

Siggi will bring examples and give advice. If you have any old cameras lying around that you would like an evaluation on, bring them in.

In Preparation:

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Collectible Cameras (Siggi Rohde):

  Siggi Rohde will talk to us about the history of our art, as seen through the "lens" of collectible cameras.

  Siggi is vice-president of the Western Canada Photographical Historical Association, and Show-Chairman of their annual Camera Swapmeet, with 40 years of know-how and an avid interest in collectible photo equipment.

In this meeting we launch two new series. In the future they will typically be 15 to 20 minutes in length focusing on a single topic. You will often see them as a "warm up act" for our main speakers at a meeting.

These series will be designed to follow our ideals of "a little something for everyone" over the course of the year -- tidbits for both beginners and more experienced photographers.

In Preparation:

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Beyond the Green Square (Derek Carlin):

  Derek will launch this series aimed at photographers who are getting started and are still a bit unsure of themselves when it comes to taking control of their camera.

  The thrust of this series will be taking your camera off automatic (the "Green Square" on many Canon models).

  Tonight's first session will start at the beginning. "Taking Control" -- a quick concentrated look at the basics of exposure, and how each of the basic controls of your camera affects the final image and understanding just what all those automatic modes are doing.

  Future shorts will cover basic compositional "rules", case studies of tricky subject matter and all those things the older members sometimes take for granted and forget that the rest of us haven't learned it all yet! Learning these topics also helps you to understand the comments and critiques given to your photos when they are reviewed at the club or in competition (if a judge tells you to "open up a half stop", do you know what settings you can change to do this? --- there's more than one way!)

• The Outer Limits (Shona LaFortune):

  Shona will be leading a second series, for those photographers who are looking to try new techniques.

  The focus (pardon the pun) of this series will be "altering reality" in a variety of ways with an emphasis on better expressing the "art" aspect of your photography.

  This first session, by way of introduction with examples will show various in-camera, on-camera and PS techniques to alter reality.

For more information about the North Shore Challenge, see the item on our announcements page.

In Preparation:

• Send digital images to photos@nwphoto.org at least 24 hours before the meeting. Members are limited to a maximum of 4 images. Maximum dimensions for submissions are 1024x768 pixels, see the announcement for more details on file naming, etc.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• North Shore Challenge Selection: Images will be reviewed by the club, voted on by members and our 10 entries selected.

In Preparation:

• To participate in Graydon's workshop, remember to bring your camera equipment. Tripods are strongly recommended!

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Table Top Images (Graydon Roberts):

  Graydon Roberts to give a hands-on talk on Table-tops/Close-ups/Glassware photography.

  Graydon is planning to bring lights and set-ups. If Graydon's past workshops are any indicator, participants should be prepared to get some knockout images.

• North Shore Challenge: If you wish, we will be starting to collect candidates for our entries in the North Shore Challenge.
• North Shore Challence Tickets: Peter will be taking names and money for North Shore Challenge tickets for those who want to attend. $15 per person

Our annual Christmas party. Open to guests and members. Contact Tatia (treasurer@nwphoto.com) to sign up. Cost: $30/person

Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Queen's Park Centennial Lodge (same building as the Arts Centre)

In Preparation:

• Bring a healthy appetite!
• Bring an inexpensive (under $5) wrapped gift. (indicate if the gift is gender specific)
• Bring in your best unwanted (photographic?) stuff.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Eating: Our catered meal out. Details TBA.
• Gift swap: A fun little anonymous exchange of presents.
• Silent Auction: One of our annual fundraisers
• I Didn't See What You Saw (Grace, David, Agnia): Three short slideshows showing London, England (& beyond) from different perspectives. This alone is worth the price of admission!

Agenda: (subject to change)

• How to Improve your Image:

  Guest speaker Wes Bergen, who writes a PhotoShop column in Canadian Camera will present "How to Improve your Image" - showing simple ways to tweak your pics.

  Most of what he will show us can be done in Photoshop Elements as well as the more advanced versions.

In Preparation:

• See announcements for matting and print size instructions

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Officer Reports
• Announcements
• Delta Print Challenge: The club will be selecting its entries for the DPC.

It's halloween (well, almost). Time for some good fun and fright. Members, bring out your "scariest" shots that will send people running for the door! All media welcome (prints, digital, slides)

Come as your favorite ghoul, phantom, bunny, or (dead!) photographer. (it's been hinted that there might even be a door prize for best costume!)

The gruesome twosome have been stirring their cauldrons and are promising thoroughly upsetting treats at break time. (watch out for missing fingers!)

So come one, come all ... but remember to bring your heart medication!

If you have prints for entry in the Delta Print Challenge, you may bring them to this meeting. Final club selection will happen during the Nov. 6 meeting.

In Preparation:

• Send digital images to photos@nwphoto.org at least 24 hours before the meeting. Currently we have no limit on the number of entries people can bring, since some might have trouble finding "scary" photos. We may not get to see everything if we run out of time, but this is for fun and discussion, not critiquing tonight.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Officer Reports
• Announcements
• Photo Forensics (Derek): This will be a kind of pop quiz in keeping with the Halloween spirit. Ghosts and spirit photographs have been turning up for years. Are they real? or wild imagination? We'll look at a few images that claim to be those of real spirit energies at work. We'll practice our detective skills and our knowledge of photography to see if we can determine the truth. By the way, not all of the images have definitive explanations (ooooh!! spooky!) -- draw your own conclusions.
• Scary shootings: Be prepared to be terrified (or mildly amused?) as our members bring out their "scariest" creations. Who knows what sort of Franken-graph Monster will appear this night.

In Preparation:

• Submit digital images to photos@nwphoto.org by 10PM the evening before the meeting. If you are at the meeting early, we can also accomadate JPEG images brought in on USB thumbdrives, SD, Compact Flash, or CD/DVDs if we can get them copied to the projection machine before the meeting starts.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Officer Reports
• Announcements
• Member Projection: Having had a night for prints, tonight's meeting will focus (pun intended) on projected media. Members may bring in slides for projection. Members may submit up to 3 images for projection.
• Tech Spot (tentative) - Making Panoramas: If time permits, Jason will review the process of creating (seamless!) panoramas.

Many of you asked for more chances to show and discuss your work. We hear you, and this is the time to bring out some (2 or 3) of those prints you’ve been keeping to yourself since last season. This time there will be comments - come and find out what other members have to say about them.

Note: this session is specifically for prints -- which can have quite different qualities from projected images. So if you have digital images for review, take them to WalMart or CostCo for printing if you don't have a photo printer at home. 8x12 prints are quite reasonable in price these days, many places charging less than $5.00.

In Preparation:

• Remember to get your prints done ahead of the meeeting! If using a lab service, make sure they will be ready in time!
  Prints must be at least 8x10 so people in the room can see them. They should be mounted on cardboard so they stand up properly on the easel (any firm cardboard will do, even the sides from cardboard boxes)

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Officer Reports
• Announcements
• Tech Spot: TBA
• Print Night Presentations (club members): Prints will be shown, appreciated and evaluated. Practice your critiquing skills as well as see what others are doing with their photography.

In Preparation:

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Officer Reports
• Announcements
• Styles of Image Evaluation (Shona LaFortune):

  Shona has offered to give us a presentation on the Styles of Image Evaluation. I’m sure that won’t be as heavy as it sounds, but more a way of helping you comment on other members’ work.

  For instance, what you might say to point out the strengths and weaknesses of an image - how to suggest what you think could have made it stronger, without judging it as "good or bad, right or wrong". Comments of this kind can help you improve on your own work.

  Shona is a photographer with years of experience. But she also puts on programs for, and volunteers as, an evaluator for various camera clubs in the lower mainland and BC. She also coordinates the CAPA "Learn to Judge" evaluator training program.

• Photos on Canvas (Mary Ann):

  New member Mary Ann has discovered the new technology of printing photos on canvas. Depending on the process used, the images can be much more vibrant and alive than traditional prints. She will do a "5 Minute Talk" to tell us a little about her experiences so far with this new print medium.

Have you traveled to "far-away places" in the three months since we took our summer break? Did you stay local, heading for the lake or cottage at weekends - or did you just hang around the garden or the neighbourhood, soaking up sunshine?

Whatever took your fancy I’m sure your camera wasn’t on vacation, so let’s see some of those summer shots, wherever they were taken. Prints, digital or slides - it makes no difference. Four to six would be about right.

This won’t be a critiquing session, so we promise not to comment on them unless you invite us to do so.

In Preparation:

• Submit digital images to photos@nwphoto.org at least 24 hours before the meeting.

Agenda: (subject to change)

• Welcome Back!!
• Officer Reports
• Announcements
• 5 Minute Tech Spot (Jason): Camera and sensor cleaning.
• Themes (Shona and Peter): With all the changes in our website this summer, you may have noticed we’ve updated an old learning technique with an online twist! Shona and Peter will remind us about "assignment shooting" (now called "Themes"), what it’s all about, what are its goals, and how we plan to use our web site to have some fun.
• Web site updates (Derek): Our club web site has gone through a bit of a transformation over the summer (and more changes are coming!) Derek will briefly update us with how to use some of the new features to our best advantage.
• Photo Viewing - Digital
• Photo Viewing - Slides and Prints