Plano Photography Club
Club Meetings Are Held on the Third Thursday of Each Month (except December)
Training Session(s) at 6:00 PM and Program at 7:00 PM
West Plano Presbyterian Church - 2709 Custer Road, Plano, Texas
Winning Images from the February 2024 Club Contest
Topic: Abstracts in Nature (Print)
(Click any image to see it full-screen)
Award recipients in the February Plano Photography Club contest were announced at the monthly club meeting on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
Detailed results are listed below; honored photographs are seen on the right. Congratulations to the awardees and thanks to all competitors.
Entry
- 1st: Rugged Mountainside Order - Rachel Allen
(Honorable Mention overall)
- 2nd: Dreamscape - Bob Robinette
- 3rd: Buzzworthy - Jonathan Biser
- HM: Orange Cup Coral Opening at Night - Lily Mak
Intermediate
- 1st: A Twisted Nature: A Painterly Nature B&W Abstract - Fred Manchester
(2nd Place Overall)
- 2nd: Alien - John Copes
- 3rd: Light From Above - Rich Kidner
- HM: Tail of the Dragon - John Eden
Advanced
- 1st: Abstract in Flight - Richard Otto (Best of Show)
- 2nd: Reflections In The Waves Spark My Memory - David Swinney
- 3rd: Caddo Lake Monet - Mary Kell Ruehle
- HM: Kaleidoscopic Rocks - Parvin Stiles
- HM: Gnarled - Mark Bernthal
Master
- 1st: Winter Lotus - Alan Daniel (3rd Place overall)
- 2nd: Splashes of Gold - Linda Grigsby
- 3rd: Arkansas Autumn Reflections - Larry Petterborg
- HM: Tulip Petals - Carol Barlow
- HM: Fall at Caddo - Anita Oakley
Full-Screen Slideshow | Gallery | Judge's Commentary
Standings: All Classes | Entry | Intermediate | Advanced | Master
Download Club-Produced Solar Eclipse Presentations
In addition to the resources available for your review on the club's Total Solar Eclipse information page, two club members have produced detailed slide decks about the upcoming eclipse that are now available for download.
At the February club meeting, Jason Ware presented "Get Ready For Totality 2024," in which he covered where to observe it, which lenses and filters to use, and what techniques will increase your chances of getting the best photos. Exposure recommendations and post-processing after the event were also discussed, along with how to enjoy the experience.
Later in the same month, at the Tabletop Workshop, Activities Chair Cliff McKenzie gave a lecture on "Total Solar Eclipse 2024 - A Once In A Lifetime Event." This presentation deals with all aspects of "The Great Texas Solar Eclipse," from who, when, and where to view this phenomenon to best safety practices to how to photograph it.
Click on either or both of the buttons below to download the desired presentation.
DOWNLOAD "GET READY FOR TOTALITY 2024" DOWNLOAD "TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2024 - A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT"
Experience April's Total Solar Eclipse From Your Smartphone
From Space.com:
A total solar eclipse will be visible across the U.S. on April 8, 2024, and the free Totality app developed by Big Kid Science is the perfect tool to accompany your eclipse viewing experience.
The app's interactive map feature shows you where in the world upcoming solar eclipses will be visible and uses your phone's GPS to tell you what those eclipses would look like from your current location.
If you're not in the path of totality for an upcoming total solar eclipse, including the one happening in April, Totality will also show you the nearest locations from which you can witness totality. The app also contains a wealth of scientific information about eclipses and can even use Google Maps to provide accurate navigation to the path of totality.
"I saw a need for an easy-to-use app to help both kids and adults know exactly when and where they could watch an upcoming eclipse and that would provide accurate information about safe viewing and eclipse science," Jeffrey Bennett, Totality app creator and founder of Big Kid Science, told Space.com.
Bennett also wanted the app to be free so cost would not be a barrier to anyone. He created the app to help as many people as possible experience totality as well as learn the underlying science behind eclipses. The app was sponsored by the American Astronomical Society.
"I teamed up with Xavier Jubier, who graciously agreed to provide the eclipse prediction code that he wrote for his interactive website, and the two of us worked with the brilliant software engineers at Germinate LLC to turn this vision into reality," Bennett continued.
The Learn section provides ample solar eclipse resources such as information on how, when, and why solar eclipses occur as well as classroom activities meant to inspire the next generation of budding eclipse chasers.
Download Totality on iOS and Android platforms in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
The end of the 2023-2024 club year is approaching, and it's time to identify candidates for our Distinguished Service Award (DSA).
This award may be presented annually to a member whose contributions of time, talents, and service have made a significant impact on the club and its membership.
Each club member is eligible to submit a nomination for this award, and we invite you to consider doing so via one of these mechanisms:
Option 1: Download the PPC Distinguished Service Award Nomination Form. Then fill it out on your computer and send it via email (Word or PDF) to the Club President.
Option 2: Send an email message to the Club President which contains the following information:
- The name of the nominee
- A description of why you are nominating this person
NOTE: As prior recipients of the DSA, the following individuals are ineligible: James Stover, Dennis Fritsche, David Swinney, and Larry Petterborg
The deadline for submitting nominations for the Distinguished Service Award is 11:59 PM CT on Saturday, April 20, 2024.
Getty Images
A Cell Phone Photography category has been added to the club's annual Special Contests, effective with the April 2024 competition.
The guidelines for this contest are as follows:
- Entries must have been captured using a cell phone. Photos captured with tablets are not eligible, even if the tablet acts as a phone.
- Images must be in JPEG format (e.g., not HEIC, etc.).
- The file name must be Windows-compatible (i.e., the file name may not contain any of the characters \ : / * ? " [ ]| ).
- Photos may be of any subject and may be edited on any device using any software.
You may submit photos for any of the Special Contests - including the new Cell Phone competition - until midnight on April 18, 2024.
The following Plano Photography Club member(s) received recognition in the March 2024 Gulf States Camera Club Council photo competition:
Color Projected
1st Honorable Mention: Happy New Year! - Eddie Yu
2nd Alternate: Floral Fire - Danette Volkmer
Monochrome Projected
1st Place: Radiant Split Leap - Eddie Yu
2nd Alternate: Mission San Xavier, Tucson, AZ - David Hutchison
Nature Projected
1st Alternate: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - Jodi Smith
To see the winning images and a full list of award recipients, please visit the GSCCC competition results page. Congratulations to those listed above.
Training - 6:00 PM CT
Focus Stacking - Capture and Processing with Dennis Fritsche (Library)
New and Prospective Member Orientation (Room 1)
Shane Ware
Program - 7:00 PM CT
Shane Ware: What Is A Photo? (Main Meeting Room)
Bio: Shane Ware is a cityscape and landscape photographer based in Austin, Texas. He has been practicing photography for the past seven (7) years with a prior focus on film production.
His current expertise is in capturing cinematic moments and scenes and further enhancing them through creative post-processing techniques.
Program Description: Shane's lecture will explore the intersection of photography, style, and digital art in today’s world. He will discuss the evolution of digital photography and post-processing and examine what the concept of photography still means in an age of social media, smartphones, Photoshop, and AI.
Through his images, this presentation will challenge you to think about the entire photography workflow when you're in the field before you even press the shutter.
It will equip you with editing and post-processing techniques to utilize in your images and hopefully get you to think outside the box to create a meaningful style.
Samples of Shane's Photography
The PPC's annual Special Contests themes are Nature, Portraits, Photojournalism, and Cell Phone.
These contests are outside of the annual competition. No points will be awarded. Awards will be presented to the first three places in each contest.
All competition levels will be judged together. There will be no judge's critique.
You may enter all four special contests, but only submit one image for each. Review the contest rules and guidelines before submitting.
Electronic entries must be uploaded to the PPC Competition Site before 11:59 PM CT on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
SUBMIT CONTEST IMAGE
NOTE: You must be a Plano Photography Club member to submit contest images.
Jen Castle
A big thank you to all the club members who helped make our 2024 Tabletop Workshop a blast! Nearly 60 people joined the fun, and the photos on our website do a great job of capturing the excitement. We're so lucky to have such a dedicated and talented group of people in the Plano Photography Club.
The clock is ticking toward April 8, when the Dallas area will experience its only total solar eclipse in our lifetimes. We've assembled a comprehensive guide to help you learn about the eclipse and safely photograph it. Our guide includes text and video resources, with both external links and presentations by our own Jason Ware and Cliff McKenzie. Here's how to get ready:
"Photography is the beauty of life captured." — Tara Chisolm
Graham Hobart | Infrared Nature and Wildlife Photography
Jason Ware | Galaxy Photography
Barry and Ruth Guimbellot | Creative Illusions
Essie Graham | Essie Graham Photography