Work Macro/Closeup Mini Group

Submitted by Sheila Reeves

Sunny 16 provided several opportunities for photographers to shoot macro/close-up images in 2018. This is a fascinating form of photography where we capture the small details in nature up close. Not only do we participate in workshops sponsored by professional photographers, we also participate in our own macro shoots.

In April we held a half-day indoor workshop which was very well attended. Here is a sample of the types of images captured that morning:

In June, macro/close-up opportunities were found at the Girl Scout Camp.

    

   

In August and again in November, club members went up to Louisville to photograph a variety of small critters at Mike Matthews’ home studio. Everyone came away with a collection of images of critters from all over the world!

  On the way home we stopped at Beckley Park in Louisville to do some outdoor shooting. Some interesting macro subjects were found there too:

The first week-end in February 2019 will find several club members at the sold-out Mike Moats Macro Bootcamp being held in Bowling Green. This looks to be a fun and productive opportunity for learning more about macro/close-up photography.

The first week-end in February 2019 will find several club members at the sold-out Mike Moats Macro Bootcamp being held in Bowling Green. This looks to be a fun and productive opportunity for learning more about macro/close-up photography.

I hope we can have another workshop this year, and possibly put to good use some of what we learn at the boot camp. I also hope to have a garden shoot someplace. If you have a garden and would like to host a macro shoot, or if you know of a public garden that would welcome us, please let me know!

If you participate in any of the club outings, be on the look-out for macro subjects. They are all around you!

    

    

A Note from our Club President Tommy Hatcher

As we start a new year I just want to thank all of you for the vote of confidence to elect me as your president for another year.  I see an exciting year ahead of us and I think each one of you will enjoy it.

We will be branching out to another level this year. At the board meeting several ideas were presented which I will discuss later on and I’m glad to see the out of the box approach to help with our creative ideas. 

As our founder Frank Jarboe stated in one of the meetings a few months after I joined, and the club was less than a year old, his vision was we would be a club where each of us could learn, broaden our ideas and help each other grow in photography. After all these years I think I can say his vision has been greatly fulfilled. 

I once took a class at Shutterbug with Frank as the instructor. At the end of the class he ask if we knew if there was a camera club in Bowling Green and we said no, so he invited us to attend a meeting to discuss the possibility of creating one. From that point on I have been hooked on this club. We have undergone a great many changes since that early beginning, some good, some just plain bad. Over all though, the good ones have far outweighed the bad ones and we are stronger today as a result.

Frank also stated how Bowling Green needed a camera club after going to the state fair and seeing the display. I quote him, “Bowling Green has as good of photographers as any place in the state.”  I say we have the best photographers in the state.

So much for the rambling I could go on for hours on how the club has helped me grow as a photographer and what I have seen in other photographers. 

A few things discussed at the board meeting were:

• A first for the club. We will be hosting a reception on February 2, 2019 after the Mike Moats workshop. This is our first venture working with other clubs in the area. I feel this is a good idea since we could possibly get guest speakers to come in.
• We will be doing the Girl Scout Camp photo shoot again this year, probably this fall, with a few workshops available prior to the actual photo shoot.
• Another first for the club. We are going to have a Jamboree this year where we invite area photo clubs to participate in an event similar to the Girl Scout Camp photo shoot. More to come on this.
• Of course, the mini groups will continue and I encourage each of you to participate in the groups that might interest you. Step outside your comfort zone and go for it and experience a new learning opportunity. We are not limited to the groups we have listed, we are open for others if you want them. If you would like to join a different one or coordinate a group please present it to one of the officers for approval. After discussion with the board, we all came to the agreement that any mini group are to remain family oriented. 
• A change in the monthly meeting order will be used going forward. The first 20 minutes the mini group coordinators will have stations set up to discuss what they have in mind and answer any questions about the group.
• We will purchase a set of speakers to go with a tuner/receiver that was donated to us. This will provide a much needed improvement to our sound system and we can also use them on other outings.
• I encourage each of you to create a presentation of your work so the club can enjoy your efforts. If you take a trip, be sure to create a slide show so others can see what you experienced. If  you need help creating the slide show, we have several members who can provide some good direction, just ask one of the officers.

In closing I once again want to thank you for the vote of confidence to be your president for another year. Remember this is your club and we'd love to hear about any ideas you might have.

New Members - Let's Get Engaged

Alan Reeves
New Member Coordinator 

New to the Club? Why not jump into all of our activities. Learn new skills, practice your photography by joining a Mini Group, create exciting new images, or teach others what you have learned through your years of experience. You can even join us on service projects like Help Portrait.

The Sunny 16 Camera Club is a fun and valuable way to share your photography journey. Check out the Profile story videos on this page and see how everyone starts out at the same level in the beginning but over time improvement happens. The trick is to not sit down but keep moving forward and make a commitment to your photography.

We are on a fantastic journey together so don't be shy, become active, take and share lots of photographs, and continue to learn every month. We certainly welcome you.

Take time to contact me Alan Reeves at alanreeves@reevesfirst.com or look me up at our next club meeting and I will personally help you find ways to get engaged.

Mini Group Profiles - Night Photography

Submitted by Keith Bridgman

Last season was a great start to the mini group concept here at Sunny 16. There seemed to be a strong interest in all of the groups through out the year and it is exciting to report we will continue again this year with the mini groups.

As part of the kickoff for the new mini group season, we will be posting short profiles about each group to provide members with a more in depth idea of what to expect within each group. First up will be Night Photography coordinated by yours truly.

The Night Photography Mini Group is a multi faceted group exploring how to photograph in low light situations. This includes shoots like photographing the night sky which is a fascinating way to explore the wonders of the realm of the stars. It's a lot easier to do than you might think and we plan on having several outings probably more into the summer months when the Milky Way becomes more visible. We will not only explore photographic techniques but also explore the night sky with mini "Star Party" events where we take a tour of the night sky and then photograph it.

Another element of the Mini Group will be photographing themed shoots where we shoot just before and just after dusk to capture interesting subjects using off camera flashes. The idea here is to explore techniques of applying artificial lighting to your subject most often using flash units (speedlights) off camera. We will learn how to control exposure using flash units and how the camera and speedlights actually work. We will also look at various post processing concepts of how to blend multiple images to create a new single image.

We also plan on doing a model shoot at dusk if we can coordinate with a model. The idea here is to combine artificial light with ambient light. This might also include using an object like a car or aircraft or something along this line to fill in for a model or even with a model.

The Night Photography mini group is designed to encourage club members to step outside their comfort zones and try something different. We offer enough opportunities to fit the interest levels of a wide range of photographers, so come and join us as we begin to ratchet up for the new season.