Join us at our next (virtual) meeting and get to know the friendly folks of the Plano Photography Club.

Want to attend one of our monthly meetings as a guest? Please let us know via email.

Learn more about the PPC by watching this orientation video. When you're ready to become a member just click on this button: JOIN THE CLUB

Winning Images From the October 2020 Competition
Topic: Open (Print)

Winners of the October Plano Photography Club photo competition were announced on Thursday, November 19 at the conclusion of the November 2020 club meeting.

Award recipients for the latest contest - whose work is seen in the slideshow at right - are as follows:

Full-Screen Slideshow | Judge's Commentary

Standings: All Classes | Entry | Intermediate | Advanced | Master

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who participated in the contest. See you in January.

Photo Activities and Galleries

Topic of the Week Photo Activity - Week 34

October was a busy month.

It started with our PPC Worldwide Walk at Arbor Hills and just a short week later we were able to photograph raptors at the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center.

The weather was nice for the Millhouse-led walk at the Heard Wildlife Sanctuary in the middle of the month, and then near month-end we joined the Dallas Camera Club for a super online presentation from Canon Explorer of Light Adam Jones. With all this activity, I hope you had time to capture some fun images from Halloween.

What's next? The holiday season is here. This year will present more challenges for family gatherings as we practice social distancing. But as photographers we will find a way to capture those memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas with friends and family.

Don't forget to join us for our 2020 online version of the PPC Holiday Party on December 5th. See you there.

- Alan Daniel (from the November 2020 issue of The FLASH!)

Although we won't be able to celebrate in person this year, the annual Plano Photography Club Holiday Party is still happening.

As part of the event on Saturday, December 5, 2020, we want to showcase your best work in two different ways:

• Member-Created Videos - Create a video of images taken this year (the choice of topic is up to you) and upload it so that we can show it at the party.
  
  The video - which can be in any video format (e.g., m4v, .mp4, .mov, .wmv, etc.) - must be a maximum of three (3) minutes in length.
  
  Executables (.EXE files) will NOT be accepted.
  
  
• Member Favorites Slideshow - Send your ONE (1) FAVORITE image of 2020 to us at clubphotos@planophotographyclub.com.
  
  James Stover will do his regular great job and compile the submitted photos into a slideshow with backing music.

The deadline for all video and photo submissions is 11:59 PM DECEMBER 1, 2020.

Showcase Photography is looking for photographers who want to take on some part-time work in real estate photography.

Club Membership Chair Greg Jones brought this opportunity to the club's attention during our November 2020 club meeting.

Greg explained that the process for working with the company generally goes as follows:

• Showcase Photography handles the scheduling with the real estate agents
• Jobs will just show up in your calendar
• You can set your own work days/hours

If you are interested, contact them via email and let them know that you are a member of the Plano Photography Club.

With the November 12 completion of Larry Petterborg's Visual Design class, PPC training for calendar 2020 has come to an end.

We want to express our gratitude to everyone involved in this year's pivot to online learning. Because of their efforts, the club was able to continue providing high-quality training opportunities to our members.

Special thanks are due to PPC Training Chair Dennis Fritsche for his work in assembling the training programs along with recording and archiving them.

In case you've forgotten or lost track, here's a summary of what was produced this year (some in conjunction with the Dallas Camera Club):

• Ask Me Anything - seven sessions hosted by Dennis Fritsche
• Visual Design - six-part course taught by Larry Petterborg
• Photoshop Layers for Beginners - two sessions from Jerry Schlesinger
• Flash Basics (On-Camera and Off-Camera) - two sessions with John Lehman
• Photoshop Blending Modes - Craig Rowen
• Beginners Guide to Instagram - Heidi Phillips
• Plano Photography Club Orientation - Carol Barlow
• Flying Things and Close-Up Things - guest speaker Bob Malish (Canon)
• Close-Up Photography - guest speaker Matt Weinritt (Fujifilm)

All of these were recorded and are available for on-demand viewing by PPC members. We invite you to catch up on (or rewatch) any sessions of interest and look forward to bringing more great training to the club in the new year.

If you have a topic you want to learn more about (or teach) in 2021, please contact Dennis Fritsche to let him know.

Parvin Stiles: A Road Trip To Big Bend and White Sands

Parvin Stiles

This land of ours is blessed with many beautiful state and national parks which share a sheer beauty that only Mother Nature, the artist, can create. A great way to see them is by road trip.

Many photography interests - including nature, landscapes, wildlife, and astrophotography - are available in abundance. This program will follow a road trip to Big Bend National Park, West Texas, and White Sands National Park in New Mexico. It will offer a few tips you may find helpful and hopefully encourage you to take your camera and hit the road.

Parvin Stiles worked as an electrical engineer for most of her 30-year career at Texas Instruments and is a TI retiree. She is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and founded Aries Corporation, an independent energy consulting company, where she happily works part-time. Parvin also serves as the webmaster for the North Texas Association of Energy Engineers (NTAEE).

As a member of the Plano Photography Club, Parvin has served on the board in several different capacities. Currently, she is serving as the Program Vice President. Parvin and her husband Mitch have lived in Plano for 30 years and together have raised three sons.

A Selection of Parvin's Road Trip Photos

The Plano Photography Club's January contest is a ELECTRONIC competition with the theme OPEN.

Each club member may submit one photo to the competition. Remember - images that have placed in any earlier PPC contest are ineligible.

The maximum dimensions for electronic images submitted to the contest website are 4096 x 2160 pixels.

Your electronic submission must be uploaded to the PPC Competition Site before midnight CT Thursday, January 21, 2021.

For more detail on the January contest requirements please visit Competitions | Competition Topics.