Newsletter of the Johnson County Camera Club
Established April 1963
jococameraclub.org
jococameraclub.blogspot.com
Meeting: March 12, 2012 (second Monday)
Time: 6:30 P.M. (chat time), 7:00 P.M. meeting
Location: Asbury United Methodist Church
Music Room
75th St. and
Nall Avenue, Prairie Village, Kansas
(Park behind the church;
meeting entrance is near the corner on the back of the building near
Nall.)
Meeting Agenda – Erin Schuerman
Our guest
speaker for March is Mark Berndt. Mark has recently moved to the Kansas
City area from Los Angeles, CA. He has experience presenting to groups in
the LA area, including several PP of A chapters in Northern California, and
will be sharing his program called "Evolution of Style". This is
a description from Mark:
"The evening is a talk about why
photography matters to us on a personal level and how that can be translated
into a personal style of photography. I
don't lecture, so the format of the evening is built around discussion and dialogue
with the photographers attending. I show
a lot of work, relating the evolution of two of my styles of photography, and
invite participants to share their experiences and questions throughout.
The talk and slideshow deals with the importance of personal photography
in discovering your style, and the value of implementing that style in your
commercial work to establish your identity in the marketplace."
Some of Mark's work may be viewed on his website at: www.markberndt.com.
We will have member Show
& Tell images following Mark’s talk.
Please see the requirements for image sizing listed herein.
Flames in the Flint Hills –
Bruce Hogel
For those of
you who aren't aware, the Flying W ranch is putting on their
"Flames in the Flint Hills" event again this 14 April; see http://www.flinthillsflyingw.com/announcements/2012-flames-in-the-flint-hills.
It was a great event last year, I thought. The burns were
spectacular! Imagine a couple of thousand acres on fire. You, being able to get up close and personal
with your camera. Also, Josh is a terrific chef!
Bio Sheet for our Spotlight Section
Don’t miss out on an
opportunity to be featured in our newsletter.
This is your chance to let the other members learn a little about you
and your photography. Please send your
bio sheet to Erin Schuerman, Program Committee Chair, at .
Notes from Our Last Meeting
KCK West
Wyandotte Public Library Fine Art Gallery, 1737 North 82nd Street (1/4 mile north of State Ave on
82nd Street), Kansas City, KS (913-596-5800). Hours: Monday thru Thursday 9am-9pm,
Friday and Saturday 9am-5pm, and Sunday 1-5pm.
"Studies
In Black and White" The fifty photographs on display celebrate the diverse range of subject
interest and creative talent enjoyed by members of the Wyandotte Camera Club - Closes
March 31.
Revocup
Coffee, 11030 Quivira (behind McDonalds), Overland Park, KS (913) 663-3695.
Hours:
Monday thru Friday 6:30am-7pm, Saturday 7am-5pm, and Sunday 8am-5pm.
"Photography
by Ernie Lowden" JCCC member Ernie Lowden's 17 photographs offer the viewer a broad
range of subject matter and pictorial genre, from traditional landscapes and
nature, to subjective abstraction
- Closes March 31.
Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art - Block Building, 4525 Oak, KCMO (816-561-4000).
Hours:
Wednesday 10am-4pm, Thursday and Friday 10am-9pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday
noon-5pm.
The
Photographs of Brett Weston This exhibition features 38 photographs, and presents a
concise survey of the career of Brett Weston, son of famed photographer Edward
Weston. Brett's work exemplified the modernist aesthetic. In the details of
everyday things, he combined fact and form, objective reality and abstraction.
Reports from those who have seen the exhibit agree, its a "Do not miss!"
experience for any serious photographer
- Closes April 1.
The Editor’s Corner – Bill
Staudenmaier
Two words,
“important” and “impressive” can help chart a path on your way through
life. Too often we are too concerned
about material things. This comes with
the toss it generation that we have evolved into. That’s right evolved. We fix nothing unless there is not an
alternative. Most things are not
manufactured with repair in mind anyway.
We must have the latest and the best regardless of monetary expenditure.
We confuse wants with needs; everything is a necessity. But let’s move on and stop pounding the
table. What do those two words
“important” and “impressive” signify in our lives, if anything?
By example,
a Corvette is “impressive”, it lets everyone around you know that you have
arrived and can afford the best that life has to offer. But is it important? Not really, it is still merely
transportation, it just costs more. It
will get you from point A to point B, which is the “important” need, but so
will a new cheaper Chevy. Better yet, a
used car of any model is a better buy.
Look at the
ads in your daily paper or a magazine you subscribe to. These days of digital can produce some very
“impressive” ads. Retailers have to get
you to notice, because there is a lot of competition in the marketplace. It is “important” that they get your
attention. This is accomplished by using bright colors, beautiful young models
and the right format. You recognize the
store without ever seeing the brand name, but brand names must also be easily
recognizable. If you haven’t noticed, J.
C. Penney is in the midst of a makeover; it doesn’t want you to associate their
business with the stores where your parents shopped. To that end it is now “jcp” with these
letters in lower case white on a purple square on the top left edge of a red
broad outlined square box. Is jcp trying
to leap outside the box? Or are they
trying to say we’re just on the edge of the box? Regardless, at least for me, I have no
problem remembering that logo. This is
“important” because they want the consumer’s attention and they’ll get it by
showing you something “impressive”. On
the back page of the ad is where you will find the lower case “jcpenney” newer
yet traditional logo; but this is just to remind you that they are still a little
bit the same. The photos in the ads have
a strong new look. Everything is big
bold and in your face color. The models
still show the clothes or the products they want you to notice. But in some cases, heads are cut off or
bodies cropped to emphasize the clothing.
The model as mannequin?
The jcp ads
with Ellen DeGenerous are also interesting.
Current ads show her pondering a handful of coupons, then going back in
time, illustrating that it wasn’t always this way. Back to the present, emphasizing that jcp
doesn’t need specials or coupons, they have everyday low prices.
If all this
is successful and jcp increases its profits you will see other retail ads
following the same trend. Sales at some
stores are not really sales anyway, just product placement to move inventory.
Your attention span is short, competition is fierce and they want to spend
advertising dollars wisely.
Another
example of product placement for your attention includes our favorite
photography magazines. In the film days,
rarely were cameras shown full size on the page. Now along with the carefully written
description of its capabilities, you may see several full size or oversize
views from different angles to illustrate what the text is explaining. A lot of this, in the camera industry, goes
along with the decline in the number of local stores carrying name brands. Other than Nikon and Canon some of the other
major brands are only available online through large retail stores such as B&H
in New York. So you buy online, sight
unseen, except for the reviews you’ve pored over, and cautiously place your
order.
Just two
words: important and impressive.
Something to think about.
Images for Show and
Tell
There is always a
possibility at all of our meetings (if time permits) for member images to be
shown and discussed. Please see the
information below regarding sizing of images.
All images should be sized for 1024 pixels on the
longest dimension and saved in jpeg format at 72 dpi. Images should be renamed to include the artist’s
last name in the first characters of the title. Check your image, if it looks blurry or
pixilated (unintentionally), you may have started with a low resolution or
highly cropped image. In this case, you
may need to increase the setting in the resolution box to improve the image;
but be sure to retain 1024 on the longest side.
Submit JPG files on a flash drive tagged with your name. Drives will be returned after the images have been
loaded into the computer for projection.
Subjects for the Year-End 2011-2012 Photo Contest
Submittals
for our Year-End-Contest are due at our May 2012 meeting. Only images shot since April 2011 are
eligible. There are nine subjects to
choose from. You may select a maximum of
six subjects with a maximum of two entries for each of the six subjects
chosen. A professional photographer will
judge the contest, with the results to be presented and discussed at the June
2012 meeting.
2011-2012 Year-End-Contest Subjects
Abstract Autos/
Transportation/Wheels Close
Up
Curves Rusted/Busted/Old/Dilapidated From
Below
HDR Nostalgia “Wild”
Things
Please patronize the following area businesses when you need
photographic supplies or camera repairs.
Overland Photo
Supply, Inc. 8967
Metcalf, Overland Park, KS 66212 (913)
648-5950, FAX (913)
648-5966, e-mail – sales@overlandphoto.com, Hours: M-F 10-7, Sat 10-5
Crick Camera
Shop 7715 State Line Rd. Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 444-3390, e-mail - crickcamera@sbcglobal.net Established in 1946
The Aperture, newsletter
of the Johnson
County Camera Club, is published monthly. Meetings are held the second Monday of each
month, unless otherwise announced, at the Asbury United Methodist Church. Short articles written by club members, or
selected from other sources of possible interest to club members, may be sent
to the editor for inclusion in the newsletter.
Membership dues of $25.00 for one year are to be paid during the month
of September, which is the beginning of the club year. Anyone who joins the club after March 1st.
will not be required to pay dues and will not be eligible to participate in the
year end competition.
For additional information or questions on the Johnson
County Camera Club, activities, meetings, and membership contact the following
members:
