Reminder May Outing: Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Hoping to get shots for the Haycation show we have coming later this year. It is the largest Sheep and wool show in the U.S. and should be very interesting The show and parking are free but the ask for a donation of $5 to help the association. 

Carpooling would be helpful so we will be in the usual park and ride until 9AM. The date will be Sat. May 2,2015 

For more info and to signup for this outing visit: http://www.cmpg.org/NavigationMenu/CMPG-Events/Group-Outings

New CMPG Website Announced

The new website will not only make it easier for us to communicate to our members, but it will be an interactive community for our members to communicate and learn from one another. Users will be able to interact, receive notifications, comment on pictures, join groups; post pictures and yes edit your own gallery…FINALLY!

To view the features of the site, and to see a preview, click on the link below. The website is scheduled to go live this summer (or as soon as possible). At that point you will receive your login and access to the full features and members area of the website. The area of the site you will be previewing is the public area of the website.

Click here to preview

Also, We are looking for 5 CMPG members to volunteer to test functionality of the new website. To accept this opportunity you must be willing to actively use the site and provide some feedback. Please contact Ken Losurdo if interested.

Speaker for May Meeting-Bryan Ramsay

Image: Bryan Ramsey

Bryan Ramsay “BJ”, Volunteer Photographer for the Smithsonian Institute

He is currently a full time Navy employee (the Navy pays enough to put food on the table so his pictures don’t have too, which has allowed him to really explore his photography).  As a volunteer photographer to the Smithsonian Institute and the American Orchid Society he has multiple several published photographs. He is also the president of the St Mary’s Camera Club and an occasional lecturer.  

BJ started shooting at an early age (primarily landscapes) with 120 film in a brownie instamatic, followed by a Yashica and a Bronica (he is still a huge fan of Ansel Adams).  He did his own darkroom work all the way through HS, then beer and life got in the way and his photography slowed way down. He dabbled a little in underwater work with a Nikonos II/III and some aerial photography with a 35mm Canon SLR and slides but nothing serious until he picked up a Sony 727 digital point and shoot.  All of a sudden he could do his own “darkroom” work again, and even print in color. With that his photography started to explode. He now shoots with a D800E almost exclusively but will occasionally pick up the D7000 depending on the subject/location etc.  Somewhere along the way Bryan picked up a passion for orchids, primarily as great photography subjects, and the rest is history. He is now an accredited AOS judge (6 year in the training) with a passion for photographing orchids around the world.

But how does that make him a qualified speaker on image stacking? The ability to control the DoF with subjects that are not flat and are occasionally very small made understanding image stacking a necessity. It is now as much a part of his photography arsenal as his macro lenses.  Several years ago, he had the pleasure of taking a workshop with Joe McNally and Vincent Versace, both of whom had a significant impact on his photography, “I have as many speedlights as Joe” (well not quite but some days it seems that way) and Vinny’s influence on his Photoshop skills really opened the door for the art of the possible in the area of fine art photography. 

Meeting Information
May 27th, 2015
Chaplegate
2600 Marriottsville Road
Marriottsville, MD 

Reminder: Cherryblossom Outing

Just a reminder that our Outing Coordinator John Malony will be leading an outing to D.C. to

photograph the Cherryblossoms this Saturday April 11th.  We will meet at 5:45am at the Meadowbrook park and ride at the south end of Long Gate Pkwy.. It is the first exit on rte. 100 from rte 29.

For more information visit: http://www.cmpg.org/NavigationMenu/CMPG-Events/Group-Outings

April Photo Outing: Cherryblossom Festival

Cherryblossom Festival

When:Saturday April 11th

Where:Meet at the Route 100 Park and Ride

Time: 5:45am depart at 6:00am

Info: http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates spring in Washington, DC, the gift of the cherry blossom trees, and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. The Festival produces and coordinates daily events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. 

We will meet at the meadowbrook park and ride at the south end of Longgate Pkwy.. It is the first exit on rte. 100 from rte 29 (See Google Map). I know that a lot of people don't like to get up early but if we are going to find parking we will be leaving at 6AM. 

For more info:
http://www.cmpg.org/NavigationMenu/CMPG-Events/Group-Outings

CMPG members were invited to Visitors Guide Launch Party

CMPG members Warren von Uffel and Sally Stevens

CMPG members Sally Stevens, John Petro, Norm Ringle, Steve Bellows and Danny Lee were each invited to Howard County Tourism's 2015 Visitor + Resident Guide Launch Party. Each of them had pictures selected to be included in the visitors guide. Attendees had a chance to mingle with tourism marketing professinals and got treated to light fare from the scrumptuce Elkrige Funace Inn resteraunt. Congratulation again to those that were included in the guide.





The award-winning Official guide to Shopping, Dining, Lodging, Sight-seeing, Living and Discovering Howard County, Where Maryland Comes Together!

View the guide

Final call for 2015 board nominations!

Just a reminder about the nominations email we sent out last week. As of today we have only received a handful of nominations for the next CMPG Board of Directors (BoD). For those members that have submitted a nomination form, thank you. If you have not had the opportunity to submit your nominations for the BoD positions, please take 5 minutes and do so at your earliest opportunity.

Remember… this is YOUR photography club. The club’s success depends on just a few key members that volunteer a portion of their time to arrange for guest speakers, periodic displays of YOUR photographs at local exhibits, publicity, group photo outings, the all important IT services required to maintain our web site and announcements, and managing the Guild’s finances.

Please check your in-box for a email announcement (email dated March 3 with the SUBJECT: CMPG Board Nominations 2015). A link to the web-based nomination form is provided in his announcement.

Ken Losurdo

CMPG Director

Rebuilding Together Howard County

Rebuilding Day is on Saturday, April 25 th this year. (and a couple of houses on Sunday April 26)

Rebuilding Together Howard County is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to helping elderly and/or disabled low-income homeowners, and families with children through home renovation and repair. 

CMPG has supported RTHC on Rebuilding Day with photographers for 6 years and, I hope,  will be doing it again this year.

There will be anywhere from 28 to 32 houses that will be repaired and photographed.  There is a need for from 7-9 volunteer photographers.

Each photo volunteer will be given a group of 3 or 4 houses to follow throughout the day, photographing the work and the volunteers.

These photos will be used for sponsor slide shows, web slide shows on the RTHC show and for promotional purposes.

If you would like to be part of the photography cohort that day, please send me an email with your name, mobile telephone number and physical mailing address (I try to group the houses geographically as close as possible to your home.) 

This is invariably a great fun day -good people, good food - and the chance to practice a commercial shoot on deadline.

Specific info on meeting and requirements will follow as we get closer to date

TIA for any consideration,

Lew Lorton

CMPG Nominations Due

Any member in good standing (i.e., 2014 membership dues have been paid in full) is eligible to serve on the BoD. All currently-filled BoD positions are eligible to be nominated to serve another 12 month term. The person currently serving in each BoD position is identified. If you feel that you would like to contribute some of your time to help out by serving in one of the BoD positions, you may nominate yourself.

Remember… this is YOUR photography club. The club’s success depends on just a few key members that volunteer a portion of their time to arrange for guest speakers, periodic displays of YOUR photographs at local exhibits, publicity, group photo outings, the all important IT services required to maintain our web site and announcements, and managing the Guild’s finances.

Please check your in-box for the nomination form titled "CMPG Board Nominations 2015". A link to the web-based nomination form is provided in his announcement.

Guest Speaker George Smyth Assignment

Photo by: Doug Miller

Please find attached a pdf document describing TWO (2) photo assignments that were suggested by our guest speaker, George Smyth. 

You may choose to do either or both assignments. Please read the instructions carefully! We are requesting that members bring in prints to be critiqued at our March 25 monthly meeting. 

Digital jpeg-encoded images that we typically display on our projection screen will NOT be accepted for the March meeting critique.

See Assignment 

North Bethesda Camera Club Presents Bruce Dale

North Bethesda Camera Club Presents

Beyond the Lens: A Photographer’s Journey

April 19, 2015

8:30am-4:30pm

Rosborough Cultural Arts Center

Asbury Methodist Village

Gaithersburg, Maryland

The North Bethesda Camera Club celebrates its 50th birthday in

2015. You are cordially invited to join us on Sunday, April 19, for

a full-day celebration of the past, present, and future of

photography.

Our keynote speaker will be renowned National Geographic

photographer Bruce Dale, who will take us behind the lens and

share the stories behind capturing some of the magazine’s most

stunning cover images. Bruce’s pioneering work has

distinguished him as one of the leading photographers of our

time. One of the first western photographers to visit China, he

has since returned at least a dozen times and worked in over 80

other countries.

For 30 years, Bruce worked exclusively for National Geographic.

His vision and creativity twice earned him the title Magazine

Photographer of the Year as well as White House Photographer

of the Year. In addition to many other awards, one of his

photographs now journeys beyond the solar system on board

NASA's Voyager Spacecraft, as testimony about planet Earth.

Another was selected to grace a U.S. postage stamp.

Besides the sheer glorious beauty he captures, Bruce Dale’s

adaptation of technology to highly complex composition

challenges has always stretched the boundaries of the field. Dale

was the man behind the lens of National Geographic’s famous

centennial issue in 1988 featuring a hologram of planet earth.

His cover photo showing the perspective of a jumbo jet from a

tail-mounted pair of cameras was recently named one of

National Geographic’s “50 Greatest Photographs.”

Bruce Dale’s presentation will feature fantastic photographs and

engaging, inspiring stories. A Q&A period will follow. The day

will also feature a panel discussion about the future of

photography. A complete agenda will be posted prior to the event.

Tickets for this special event are $35, and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Ticket

price includes your seat for the presentations; food (morning coffee and pastries, snack breaks,

and lunch); access to the vendor hall; and a chance to win exciting door prizes.

Tickets are on sale now -- follow this link to reserve your seat today!

www.nbccmd.org/event2015.htm

CMPG Photographers Published in Howard County Visitors Guide

The digital version of the Howard County Visitors and Residential Guide is now available to view. Congratulations to those CMPG photographers whose photographs were included in the guide. You may view the guide by clicking here (pages 26-30). Hard copies of the guide are available at the Howard County Welcome Center in Old Ellicott City.

CMPG Members Published
Sally Stevens
John Petro
Norm Ringle
Danny Lee
Steve Bellows

Great work!

DSLR Users Group at the Robinson Nature Center Renewed for 2015

CMPG officers Steve Talabac and Warren Von Uffel met with Robinson Nature Center staff in December to discuss and agree upon modifications to the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Center and the CMPG.  This is a wonderful benefit to all CMPG members! 

A special thanks goes out to Steve and Warren for putting this together!

For members that had attended our DSLR meetings last year, please note that our DSLR User’s Group meetings this year are planned to change as follows:

(1)    The Center has agreed to let us meet monthly this year vs. every other month as was done last year.

(2)    DSLR User’s Group meetings are planned to be held on the 3^rd Thursday of each month, from January through and including October.

(3)    There will be no DSLR User’s Group meeting in November or December 2015.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

NOTE: These changes impact the DSLR User’s group meeting ONLY. There are no schedule changes impacting  our monthly CMPG meetings held at Chapelgate.

Reminder! Image Submission Deadline for "Up Close" Exhibit

The last day to submit images for the "Up Close" exhibit is Sunday July 27th. Please refer to the exhibit info page (member password needed) for more information on submitting images for this exhibit. Images selected for this exhibit will be hung on August 23rd.

The CMPG Presents: A Night At The Movies

We are in between speakers and thought it would be a good opportunity for a movie night at our next meeting. The CMPG has attained the rights to show a screening of the PBS Documentary:
At Close Range with National Geographic. 

Hope to see you there...whose bringing the popcorn??

At Close Range with National Geographic

April 23rd Monthly Meeting 7-9pm-60min movie with discussion after.

Description: National Geographic Magazine photographer Joel Sartore shoots in some of the most exotic locales on earth, often in wretched conditions for weeks on end, and always under pressure to produce worthy pictures. A husband and father of three, he often wonders if it's the best job in the world or the worst. "At Close Range" reminds us of where we fit in the cosmos, and what we owe to the next generation of all the earth's inhabitants.


Preview Video

CMPG Photographer Reception

The CMPG's exhibit "Light in the World" enjoyed a wonderful reception at the Glenwood Center in Cooksville. The Glenwood Community Center director was so pleased with the show that we have been invited back again this September




Many thanks go out to the following CMPG members:

• Warren Von Uffel for organizing the exhibit and reception
• Steve Talabac, Ed Charest, Paul Biederman and John Malony for their expert assistance setting up the show.
• Kirsten Messmer for the wonderful take away info sheet.
• Billy Mcgee for the attached pictures of the event.

The Exhibit is on display until May 13th, 2014. Please visit the Glenwood center website for hours of operation.

Glenwood 50+ center

2400 Rt 97

Cooksville, Md  21723

http://www.glenwoodseniorcenter.org

Photoshop for Photographers Seminar in DC April 11th, 2014

Learn everything from today’s hottest Photoshop special effects for photographers to how to work faster, smarter, and more efficiently in Photoshop.

Whether you’re a portrait, landscape, wedding, travel, or commercial photographer (or even a serious shooter who just wants to truly unlock the real power of Photoshop), you’re going to learn techniques that will change the way you work forever.

-Taught by Photoshop guru, RC Concepcion.

Full Day of Photoshop & Photography Training only $99.

KelbyOne members pay only $79*. Save $10 when you register early. 100% Money-Back Guarantee!

Learn More

Calumet Photographic closes it's doors

Local Camera store Calumet Photo has unexpectedly closed its doors and unfortunately our group discount will no longer be available. If you are looking for a good local photography store you can try Service Photo in Baltimore.

Last call for nominations

Each current CMPG member is expected to submit nominations by tomorrow Wednesday March 12, 11:59pm. Nominations can be completed online through the link that was previously sent to all members. Please submit your nominations as soon as possible. Voting for the 2014 CMPG board will take place at our next meeting on March 26th. Online absentee voting will be available for those who cannot attend the meeting. More info once the nomination process is complete.

Reminder: 2014 CMPG dues are due at our next meeting.

If you have not renewed your CMPG membership please do so by February 26th. The annual membership fee is unchanged at $25. Our preferred method of payment is PayPal however, you may also choose to charge your membership renewal fee to your favorite credit card. Visit the members area of the CMPG website to renew online.  Membership payments may also be made in person with cash or check at our February 26th  meeting. If paying by check, please make your check payable to “Central Maryland Photographers’ Guild”.

Thank you for continuing your membership!