Club Meetings Held on the Third Thursday of Each Month (except December)
Live Training Session(s) at 6:00 PM and Program at 7:00 PM
West Plano Presbyterian Church - 2709 Custer Road, Plano, Texas
Online Training Session(s) Open to Members of Plano Photography Club and Dallas Camera Club
Winning Images from the June 2024 Club Contest
Topic: Open (Electronic)
(Click any image to see it full-screen)
Award recipients in the June Plano Photography Club contest were announced at the monthly club meeting on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
Detailed results are listed below; honored photographs are visible at right. Congratulations to the awardees and thanks to all competitors.
Entry
- 1st: Dreams Begin in Alesund - Gary Berger (3rd Place overall)
- 2nd: Bird Bath! - Maggie Hutchison
- 3rd: Henpecked - Audrey Burns
Intermediate
- 1st: Jellies - Shannon Hutchison (Honorable Mention overall)
- 2nd: Singing in the Rain - Jodi Smith
- 3rd: Proud as a Peacock - Chung Oey
- HM: FoggyDayAtTheBeach - Jack Nisula
- HM: Black-necked stilt - Craig Rowen
Advanced
- 1st: Fishing the sunset - Fred Manchester (Best of Show)
- 2nd: nightscape - Parvin Stiles
- 3rd: Twilight at the Grand Canal, Venice - Eddie Yu
- HM: Fire in the Bullpen - Randy Ratzlaff
- HM: Eye-catching - Richard Otto
Master
- 1st: Eclipse sequence with a twist - Jason Ware (2nd Place overall)
- 2nd: First Come First Served - Michael Farnham
- 3rd: Morning Spring showers - Nock Wong
- HM: Today's Special: Crawfish - Alan Daniel
- HM: Before the Crowds - Dennis Fritsche
Full-Screen Slideshow | Gallery | Judge's Commentary
Standings: All Classes | Entry | Intermediate | Advanced | Master
Dallas Derby Devils / Ice Hockey Photo Shoot
We have the perfect remedy for those tired of the Texas heat stifling your summer photography.
Please plan to join us and members of the Dallas Camera Club on Saturday evening August 17, 2024, for a photo shoot during two exciting bouts of Dallas Derby Devils Roller Derby.
Location: NYTEX Sports Centre | 8851 Ice House Drive, North Richland Hills, TX, 76180 (map)
Time: Doors open at 6:00 PM CT | Koko (one of the skaters) will conduct an orientation session at 6:15 PM CT near the DDD merchandise table | First match begins at 6:30 PM CT
Refreshments: Food and drinks (including beer and wine) are available.
NOTE: Closed-toed shoes are required if you want to get on the track to take photos; this is either on the corners or two available squares in the middle of the track.
The NYTEX Sports Centre has an ice hockey rink down the hall from the roller derby arena, if members want to shoot there as well.
PURCHASE DISCOUNTED ROLLER DERBY TICKETS ($10)
Founded in 2004, the Dallas Derby Devils (FAQ) are a flat track roller derby league in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area.
A proud member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and Junior Roller Derby Association (JRDA), the Dallas Derby Devils is a nonprofit organization to not only spread their love of roller derby, but give back to the community through charitable contributions, local sponsorship programs, and collaboration with other roller derby leagues worldwide.
Roller Derby 101: The Basics of Flat Track Roller Derby
If you have questions about this event, please get in touch with Activities Chair Mary Ruehle.
Parvin Stiles
Now, twelve score and eight years ago, "our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" (referenced, Gettysburg Address).
Photographing Fourth of July celebrations with family and friends captures the essence of summer's fun and patriotic spirit. From kids running around with sparklers to friends sharing laughter over a barbecue, each image freezes moments of togetherness. The bright colors of fireworks against the night sky, the smiles, and the waving flags symbolizing unity ... each picture preserves the warmth and happiness shared on this special day.
During the sweltering summer days of July, the most comfortable times to photograph are early mornings and later in the evenings.
During the morning hours, the early glow adds warmth to the cityscape to create a peaceful atmosphere before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. As the sun sets and its harsh light softens, buildings glow with warm hues, and city lights twinkle, creating magical scenes.
These times offer the best lighting conditions to capture vibrant scenes in the tranquility of dawn and dusk, all amid a hot July day.
We hope you can join us on Saturday evening July 27th at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo for a fun-filled night with fellow members and their guests. The rodeo is a chance to freeze fast action in challenging lighting conditions and provides a wonderful opportunity to practice your sports photography skills.
Training - 6:00 PM CT
Blue Ridge - Waterfall and Foliage Tour (Library) | New and Prospective Member Orientation (Room 1)
Program - 7:00 PM CT
Janet Cunningham: Enhance Your Creativity With Lensbaby
Janet Cunningham
Bio: Janet’s photography journey started by documenting family events and children’s activities – this was before everyone carried a smartphone!
She owned various film cameras and eventually several early point-and-shoot digital cameras. Her interest in photography as a hobby and artistic outlet started ten years ago when taking an Intro to Photography class. She started with a Canon G12, then a Canon 70D, now she shoots with a mirrorless Canon R6.
Janet has
enjoyed the intensity and fun at Texas School of Professional Photography three times and participates in several online photography learning groups. She has been a member of the Trinity Arts Photo Club since 2013. Janet was Photographer of the Year for the club's Beginner group in 2014 and earned Photographer of the Year for their Advanced group in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Janet can be found happily photographing flowers and butterflies in her backyard.
Program Description: Lensbaby is a line of camera lenses for special effects photography. The various models offer different creative possibilities.
Janet will bring her collection of Lensbaby lenses and accessories to show club members.
Her PowerPoint presentation will include descriptions of all the Lensbaby lenses.
Janet will also share her images shot with various lenses highlighting the artistic effects achieved with Lensbaby.
Samples of Janet's Photography
The Plano Photography Club's August contest is an ELECTRONIC competition with the theme OPEN.
Electronic entries must be uploaded to the PPC Competition Site before 11:59 PM CT on Thursday, August 15, 2024.
NOTE: You must be a Plano Photography Club member to submit contest images.
The following Plano Photography Club member(s) received recognition in the July 2024 Gulf States Camera Club Council photo competition:
Color Projected
- First Honorable Mention: Geometric Fun at the Fair - Danette Volkmer
To see the winning images and a full list of award recipients, please visit the GSCCC competition results page. Congratulations to those listed above.
On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, Adobe issued the following updates to the listed products covered under its Creative Cloud Photography Plan:
- Photoshop (desktop) v25.11
- Use the new Selection Brush Tool to make quick and intuitive brush selections when selecting, compositing, and applying filters and fills.
- Apply non-destructive adjustments to specific parts of an image in one step with the Adjustment Brush Tool.
- Create clear and organized lists and improve the readability of your text with the Bullets and Numbering feature support now available in the Type tool.
- Use the improved Contextual Task Bar to work quickly with shapes or transform objects.
- To go from text to image, use the new Generate Image feature, now out of Beta and powered by the new Adobe Firefly Image 3 Model.
- Produce Generative Fill variations with greater sharpness and detail using Enhance Detail.
- Other changes and enhancements
- Photoshop (web)
- Ideate and create assets using Generate Image, powered by the new Adobe Firefly Image 3 Model.
- Easily add a Solid color fill layer to your document, streamlining your design process.
- Use the Object Selection tool to effortlessly segment objects or regions in your images, speed up your workflows, and simplify complex tasks.
- Discover the powerful Shapes feature in Photoshop on the web, letting you add and customize various shapes to enhance your designs.
You can update your copies of these products by opening your Creative Cloud desktop and clicking the Update All link on the Updates tab.
The following information is adapted from the original post on PetaPixel:
Serif Affinity, recently acquired by Canva, is giving away access to its entire suite of creative apps for six months. While free trials for software like this aren’t unusual, the length of this one means photographers can give the Adobe alternative a solid try without feeling rushed.
Adobe, for example, gives access to its Creative Cloud for free to new users, but that only lasts a week. Serif’s offer provides creative professionals with enough time to really test the tires on Affinity Photo, Affinity, Designer, and Affinity Publisher before laying down any investment.
“We’re saying, ‘try everything and pay nothing’ because we understand making a change can be a big step, particularly for busy professionals,” Affinity CEO Ashley Hewson tells The Verge. “Anyone who takes the trial is under absolutely no obligation to buy.”
That language is backed up on Affinity’s website, where the company says no payment details are required to sign up and try the software.
Affinity’s one-time purchase, perpetual software model starts at $69.99 for each of Affinity’s desktop apps or $164.99 for the entire suite.
Through August 15, 2024, Affinity is offering a deal for 50% off all perpetual licenses that is separate from these prices. That means, until that date, Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher together costs $82.99 while Affinity Photo alone costs $35.
Tony Kuyper and Sean Bagshaw have teamed up on the TK Print plugin, which creates a logical workflow for printing digital files from Photoshop based on Sean Bagshaw's many years of printing experience. Sean has also created a series of TK Print videos to demonstrate the different sections of the plugin and to show how to optimize images for print.
And both of these products are ABSOLUTELY FREE.
The plugin includes the following features:
- Separate sections for each print-making step.
- Tooltips to describe what each button does.
- Solo Mode--only one section is open at a time (minimizes the panel's size).
- Customizable options for file naming, running supplementary actions, and adding logos and watermarks.
- Back up and restore capability to maintain user preferences.
Whether you are new to making prints with Photoshop or are an experienced Photoshop printer, the free TK Print plugin will make printing more efficient, predictable, and creative.
NOTE: Photoshop version 23.3.0 or later is needed to use this plugin.
In addition, you can now get a 25% discount on Tony Kuyper's popular TK9 Photoshop plugin and training videos.
The TK9 plugin is a panel for Photoshop that allows users to make pixel-value masks, such as luminosity masks, and run Photoshop.
TK9 is a standard-setting tool that helps users enhance their creativity and control in Photoshop. It is modular, so users can configure it in a way that works best for their workspace.
To take advantage of the discount, use Promo Code TKPRINT at checkout.
Graham Hobart | Infrared Nature and Wildlife Photography
Jason Ware | Galaxy Photography
Barry and Ruth Guimbellot | Creative Illusions
Essie Graham | Essie Graham Photography