If you aren't getting at least two or three emails a month from the Virginia Beach Photography Club, usually entitled "VBPC Compact Flash", then we don't have your correct email address. Please email the VBPC president (skip@pelorus.org) with an updated email address and we will be sure to add you to our lists. VBPC active members only.
Upcoming Events as of 20 July 2010
Some more details about upcoming events:
August Presenter: Carl Anderson will talk about printing photos at the membership meeting on August 3rd. He will be discussing different types of paper, printing methods, and everything you ever wanted to know about printing. He will have samples of different printing methods on display.
PhotoWalk is July 24, 2010.
Join me at the Hunt Club in Virginia Beach July 31st. We will meet there at 10:30AM and admission is $3. This event is open to all club members, beginners to advanced. BYOM (Bring Your Own Models). There are a lot of different things to shoot at Hunt Club, from farm animals, plant life, farm buildings, ponds, etc. I have received verbal RSVPs from many of the club members, so it should be a great turnout. Send me an email you you have any specific questions: skip@pelorus.org
Photohunt: Sat Oct 16 at 10:00AM we will be "competing" in an annual Photohunt. The way it works is we will announce at the October 5th membership meeting the location of the Photohunt. All I can tell you is that it is within a one hour drive from Chesapeake. I don't even know the location right now. On the day of the event, once you get there you will receive a card with a list of things that you will need to shoot. Some of the items may say something like "Go to this spot. There you will see three things. You may shoot all three or them, or you may shoot only one of them three times." Or the card may say "Go to this spot and find this one thing. You may shoot it three times". In any case, no matter what, you may press your shutter a maximum of 36 times (on your honor here) for the day, to capture all twelve items. There will be a few rules to be discussed about post processing to keep everything fair . This has been a very fun event in the past, so you will not want to miss it.
Atlanta Bread display: Owner has agreed to allow us to have a display. There are a lot of blank walls in the restaurant that need exciting photos! Those interested should e-mail a contact sheet (3x5 thumbnail 72 dpi) to Rob Twine for approval by the owner. If this is successful, we may be able to do the same a Jake’s BBQ on General Booth.
Online competition: Just a reminder that the online competition is still open and accepting uploads. The upload window will close at 10:00PM on the 25th of July. The theme for this month is "Weddings". Many members have been asking about alternatives to the print competition because they don't print a lot of their photos. Well, this is your chance! Just go to http://vabeachphotoclub.org/OnlineCompetition (must be logged into the VBPC website).
Bill and Linda Lane Workshop: http://www.lanephotoworkshops.com. Bill and Linda have agreed to do a mini workshop but we need to find a date that works for them and us. We have 3 hours of classroom instruction and then we shoot a selected local site. The cost is $50 per member. The Lanes receive $500 and the club makes $50 for every participant over ten. If we have 20 participants the club makes $500. This has also been a VERY popular event for the club members, and it helps us make money for the club if we get enough participants.
From the Treasurer: We have $2800. Picnic cost was $327.
Banquet: We will need a banquet committee to help us plan the January awards banquet. The members of the committee wil help us choose a date, location, food options, and events & entertainment for the banquet. Ultimately the budget and details needs to be approved by all club members in the November membership meeting.
Other possible upcoming field trips: Alan Rabe is planning a field trip to St John’s Episcopal cemetery in Hampton, probably in November.
We are also planning a trip to Williamsburg, probably late in the summer.
Va Beach PhotoWalk Is Full - Norfolk PhotoWalk Is Now Open!
UPDATE:
The link to sign up for the Norfolk Photo Walk is here, and the flickr group is located here.
See ya there!!
July 12, 2010 - The Virginia Beach PhotoWalk, a part of the World Wide PhotoWalk is now at capacity - 50 people have signed up and are ready for the walk! It is going to be a lot of fun! Just think, 50 terrorists photographers (depending on your point of view, 
) will be decending on Towne Center for a morning full of image making, fun and fellowship with other photographers.
What? You want to attend, but haven't signed up yet? Well, all is not lost! You can STILL attend the walk, but you will not be eligible for the prizes. But this will give you a great opportunity to hone up your visualization skills, and still hook up with other photographers in the area!
Oh? You want prizes too? Well, in THAT case, you are in luck, because FLO WOMACKS was just selected to lead the PhotoWalk in NORFOLK, that evening! Yep, you can attend the Va Beach walk in the morning, rest up, grab a bite, and then attend the Norfolk PhotoWalk, which will be at Town Point Park and surrounding areas.
So, check the World Wide Photo Walk website, and drill down to the NORFOLK VA USA photowalk. As soon as the link is available, I will post it here for you! Thanks to everyone for your interest, and remember, you don't have to actually join the photowalk for any reason other than to win prizes - but what the heck, come on out and have some fun!!!!
-- Tom
3rd Annual Scott Kelby Photo Walk Announced - Virginia Beach Walk Is Ready To Join!
VIRGINIA BEACH , VA – June 1, 2010 – On Saturday, July 24, 2010, Hampton Roads photographers will join the whole world and will be walking again with Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and #1 bestselling computer and technology book author, in the Third Annual Worldwide Photo Walk™.
Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk is the world’s largest global social photography event in the history of photography itself. It takes place on the same day around the world where photographers of all walks of life and skill levels gather together, usually in downtown areas to socialize, learn new tips from each other, and explore their corner of the world through photography.
Tom McElvy, a regional photographer and Vice President/former President of the Virginia Beach Photography Club (http://vbpc.org<) will again lead the Virginia Beach Photo Walk. “This year we will be placing an emphasis on ‘urban Virginia Beach,’ with the walk taking place in Town Center. The area is a great place for photography, and many incredible images have been shot there” said McElvy. "The walk last year, along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, was a huge success, and everyone who attended had a wonderful time. Many new friends were made, and we all learned new tricks and got new ideas. It was a very rewarding event."
“In 2008, we had 241 walks,” said Scott Kelby, founder of NAPP, editor-in-chief of Photoshop User magazine, and president of Kelby Media Group. “Last year, we had over 900 walks with over 32,000 photographers participating. We did the math… your average photographer will take upwards of 300 photos during a photo walk. That means that nearly 10 million pictures were taken in that one single day that may never had happened otherwise. I think that’s pretty cool and we all can’t wait to see what happens this year.”
There is no fee to participate but pre-registration is required. Just go to the Worldwide Photo Walk site, find a walk near you, and join in on the fun.
Anyone can participate too. All you need is a camera. It doesn’t even matter what kind of camera either. People have showed up with disposables in the past, had a blast, and left with a new appreciation for photography.
Kelby credits the success and popularity of the event to the social aspect of photography the world over. “Photography is usually viewed as a solitary activity, but the truth of the matter is that people love to shoot together, compare notes and just have fun with photography,” said Kelby. “The Worldwide Photo Walk is a social phenomenon. I’ve had group leaders contact me to tell me that they’ve turned their walk into a monthly event. Other people tell me that they’ve made friends at the very first Photo Walk that they’ve kept to this day. It’s the joy of shooting with friends, new and old that makes this event so special.”
The social aspect of this event has also transcended into the online world of social networks as well. Participants in the Worldwide Photo Walk post updates to Twitter before, during and after the event under the #WWPW hash tag, they share their pictures on Flickr (view pictures from last year’s Flickr group), and get updates from NAPP via its Facebook page.
In addition to enjoying a day of photography with other like-minded individuals, participants may also be eligible to win prizes from the Worldwide Photo Walk’s sponsors if their photo is chosen as the best photo of the day by their walk leader. Each winning walk photo is then entered into a global competition where Scott Kelby picks the single “best photo” of the event along with 10 runners-up. Full details are available at: http://worldwidephotowalk.com/The direct link to sign up for the Virginia Beach walk is at http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/virginia-beach-va-usa/ Should other local walks appear, I will post a message about them.
Scott Kelby’s Third Annual Worldwide Photo Walk is sponsored by NAPP, Adobe, Adorama, Peachpit, Mpix, Wacom, and Kelby Training.
Five Tips For Making Your Photos Different
One of the biggest difficulties in photography is making your work stand out... making it different from everyone else's work. If is difficult at best, but, with a few tricks, you can do it, and make your work stand out from the pack!
FIVE TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR PHOTOS DIFFERENT…
1. Shoot your subject from various angles. Walk around it. Get down on your knees or up on a bench and shoot from a different perspective. A good trick is to carry a small, collapasable step stool in your vehicle. I have found it VERY handy many times!
2. Play around with your focus. By playing around with depth of field to make neighboring objects appear closer or farther away than they might actually be, we create new relationships between these objects. Similarly, by using selective focus (whereby one part of the photo is in sharp focus while we purposely blur, say, the background), we can create dramatic effects. Also, try shooting with manual focus instead of auto focus!
3. Look for patterns. Nature, as well as man-made structures, is full of repeating lines, curves, circles, etc, if we keep our eyes open to them. Finding these patterns can provide us with ways to take artistically pleasing shots. Spend an afternoon specifically looking for these, and you will really open your eyes, and your photography to new things.
4. Look for patterns interrupted. A fence is more interesting if one of the points is broken: ducks in a row instantly become more compelling if one duck is facing the wrong way. Look for something that is a little out of whack.
5. Tell a story. Put people in your photos. The human element arouses our curiosity about who these people are and what they’re doing, as well as giving the bridge, skyscraper, etc, a scale that we can relate to. Find a way to create compelling images through the use of other elements, such as animals in conjunction with people. The list of things to try is limitless.
Hope that helps someone out! See everyone at the meeting!
-- Tom
WOW! Photography As Art In Hampton Roads!
I was looking through the paper and online ads this morning, and I found a huge number (relative to normal) of galleries with PHOTOGRAPHY on display. So, without further delay, here is the listing:
ArtGallery - 424 W. 21st St, Norfolk - 627-9808
"He Opened Up Somewhere Along The Eastern Shore"
photography by Jason Hanasik - opens Saturday 4/10 through May 29
Chrysler Museum - 245 W. Olney Rd, Norfolk - 664-6200
"Class Pictures: Photographs by Dawoud Bey"
through August 6
Norfolk Botanical Garden - 6700 Azalea Garden Rd, Norfolk - 441-5830
"Remarkable Trees of Virginia"
photography by Robert Llewellyn
through April 30
Peninsula Fine Arts Center - 101 Museum Dr., Newport News - 596-8175
"Looking Large: Photographs by Sarah Hazlegrove & Georgianne Stinnett"
through June 6
Suffolk Museum - 118 Bosley Ave, Suffolk - 514-7284
"26th Annual Juried Photography Exhibit"
through April 16
Visual Arts Center of TCC - 340 High St., Portsmouth - 822-1888
"39th Annual Student Art Show"
(mixed media) through April 28th (see my previous blog entry for more details about ceremony & opening reception)
WOW, that is a LOT in one listing. It is wonderful to see so many venues being more accepting of photography as an art form. I hope to see some of you Saturday at the TCC-VAC ceremony & reception, as I have two images in the show (That was all they would allow from each artist). The show is open now, and believe me, there is some incredible work on exhibit. The students have some great talent! In any event, I am sure I will run into a few of you out there; Renee and I are going to be gallery hopping this weekend!
Until next time, Happy Shooting! Oh yea, don't forget to add a couple of things to your camera bag, now that the weather is getting warmer - sunblock and insect repellant! Gonna be needing those REAL SOON! And while you are at it, don't forget to charge up your spare batteries, and check your memory cards! 
-Tom
