Author: fotohiker

webs are for spiders

Wildlife Photography in the San Juan Mountains

American Pika Exhaling, © Deirdre Rosenberg

The March meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, March 9, 6:30 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our topic this month is Wildlife Photography in the San Juan Mountains, presented by Deirdre Rosenberg. This will be a hybrid meeting, also available on Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to members; others who wish to attend may request the link by email to abulter@mac.com . If attending in person, feel free to arrive any time after 6 p.m.; the actual presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m., MST. 

Deirdre Rosenberg is a wildlife photographer with a deep passion for the alpine environment. Her work with alpine and subalpine wildlife shines a light on how our changing climate and growing outdoor recreation impacts these beings and the ecosystems they call home. When Deirdre isn’t in the high mountains, she is working closely with red fox to visualize their dynamic family structures  and how they fit into our changing planet. Deirdre resides in the rugged San Juan Mountains with her husband and dog. In her presentation, Deirdre will show and discuss some of her stunning images of the wildlife that make the San Juan Mountains their home, including Pika, Mountain Goats, and Red Fox. To see more of Deirdre’s photography, visit here website at https://www.deirdredenaliphotography.com . 

Following the presentation, members may share up to five of their recent images with the group. If attending by Zoom, please submit these by Tuesday, March 8. They may be emailed to abutler@mac.com. If attending in person, images may be brought on a flash drive.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between all who enjoy making and viewing great photography.  The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills.  The Photography Club’s membership year begins in January. For new members, dues are at $25 per year ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

(This presentation will be rescheduled for later this year!)

Search for the Queen of Sheba

Wild Orchid Man – Search for the Queen of Sheba

The February meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, February 9, 6:30 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. This will be a hybrid meeting, also available on Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to members; others who wish to attend may request the link by email to abutler@mac.com . If attending in person, feel free to arrive any time after 6 p.m.; the actual presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m., MST. 

We are excited this month to feature a screening of the latest movie in the Wild Orchid Man series, by Pagosa Springs resident and Club member Darryl Saffer. Darryl will introduce the film and answer questions about it. Wild Orchid Man – Search for the Queen of Sheba was filmed during two expeditions in Western Australia. Led by Stig Dalström, AKA the Wild Orchid Man, intrepid botanists search for the rare and beautiful Queen of Sheba orchid, found only in a small area of Western Australia. Their search also reveals many other unique and striking orchids, as well as much about the ecology of this little-known part of the world. Darryl brings the story to life with his videography and original music. The film has won a number of awards, including from the Druk International Film Festival, Nature Without Borders Film Festival, and was a finalist at the Swedish International Film Festival. 

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between all who enjoy making and viewing great photography.  The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills.  The Photography Club’s membership year begins in January. For new members, dues remain at $25 this year ($35 family). The membership form may be downloaded and mailed in with your payment (instructions are on the form) or brought to a Club meeting.

PSPC Bosque Outing

A group of Photography Club members spent Dec 5-7, 2021 in Socorro, NM on a Photography Club outing. We photographed at nearby Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and at Ladd S Gordon Waterfowl Complex, at Bernardo. Both refuges are well-known as wintering areas for waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes. This year, photography conditions were altered due to drought conditions in the area: some of the ponds where we’ve had success in past years were dry. There were far fewer cranes than seen in prior years. But there were still thousands of birds, good blast-offs at the “Flight Deck”, and spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Overall, another fun and productive outing.

Here are a few sample images from Club members Dave Anderson, Andy Butler, and Doug Coombs. Click on the popup caption of any image to view a larger version, navigate through using your arrow keys.

January 12 Photo Club meeting: Ten Images

Ancient Twilight, © Andy Butler

The first meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club for 2022 will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 6:30 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. This will be a hybrid meeting, also available on Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to members; others who wish to attend may request the link by email to abutler@mac.com . If attending in person, feel free to arrive any time after 6 p.m.; the actual meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m., MST. 

The January program will be Ten Images: Show and Tell. Members are requested to bring up to ten of their photographs taken in 2021 for discussion. These might be what you consider your best, your most interesting, or your most challenging photos of the year. This is a good exercise in choosing your favorite images of the year. Be prepared to tell the group about each image, the situation when you took the photograph and what you like or might improve. The goal is to inspire Club members through a discussion of what makes good images, including aspects such as composition, impact, and technical quality.  This will be a more extensive discussion than what we typically have during our image share sessions (which we won’t do this month). Please bring your images to the meeting on a flash drive, or (if attending by Zoom) email them by the evening of January 11 to abutler@mac.com. 

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between all who enjoy making and viewing great photography.  The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills and learn from each other.  The Photography Club’s membership year begins in January. For new members, dues remain at $25 this year ($35 family). The membership form may be downloaded  and mailed in with your payment (instructions are on the form) or brought to a Club meeting.

Travel Photography in Alaska

Mount Denali, © Herb Grover

The November Pagosa Springs Photography Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 10 at 6:30 PM, MST. This will be a hybrid meeting, held both in person at the Community United Methodist Church, or by Zoom for those who can’t be present in person. If attending in person, feel free to arrive at any time after 6 PM for socializing. 

Our featured speaker this month will be Herb Grover, speaking about Travel Photography in Alaska.  Herb is a retired professor of biology from Wayland Baptist University in Texas, and now resides in Pagosa Springs.  He has been a member of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club for about five years.

Herb and his wife Linda were able to visit Alaska this past June, caravanning with their family in rental RVs.  Their itinerary included Denali National Park; Eagle River Nature Center; an all-day boat tour out of Seward to view wildlife and glaciers; a visit to the Alaska Sea Life Center; a hike to Exit Glacier; and various stops in between.  Clear weather during their visit to Denali National Park afforded them spectacular views of Denali.  Herb will be sharing the best of his landscape and wildlife photos taken at each of these sites, along with tips and tricks for visiting Alaska post-COVID.

Club members will receive an email with the Zoom link. Others who are interested in watching may contact Andy Butler at abutler@mac.com  for the link. 

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between all who enjoy making and viewing great photography.  The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills. Membership is just $25/calendar year for individuals and $35 for families. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting to learn more about the club. For membership information visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Digital Photography Contest Winners

The Fourth Annual Digital Photography Awards Celebration of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club was held on October 13 at the PLPOA Clubhouse, and by Zoom. This year 17 photographers submitted images in four categories: Landscape, Creative, People, and Nature. Images in each category were judged by a professional photographer on the bases of composition, impact, and technical quality. In addition, Club members voted to determine “People’s Choice” winners for each of the four categories. 

In the Landscape category, Dave Anderson won first place for his image Great Sand Dunes Sunset. Second place went to Andy Butler, for Ancient Twilight, and Chris Roebuck received third place for Death Valley 2021. Dave Minkel’s photo Firehole River was awarded Honorable mention in the category. In the People’s Choice voting , Anderson’s Great Sand Dunes Sunset was 1st, Bill Milner received 2nd for Utah Toadstools -1 and John Farley was awarded 3rd for Approaching Snow Squall. (Click the thumbnails to see larger versions of the images).

The winning image in the Creative category was Coyote Maddy by Bill Milner. Milner also received 2nd in this group for his image Tin Cup Cemetery. Third place went to Dave Minkel for Engine, and Linda Pampinella received Honorable Mention for Oasis. For the Creative category, the People’s Choice winner was Buckskin Gulch by Andy Butler, 2nd place went to Linda Pampinella for Oasis, and 3rd place was a tie between Black Light, by June Russell and Globe Mallow Soft by Steve Merchant. 

Among images in the People category, Andy Butler’s In the Hall of the Mountain King was judged 1st. Angel, by Barbara Jetley received 2nd place. Scott Galabota’s Creede Hotel received 3rd and Linda Pampinella received Honorable Mention for Faces. In the People’s Choice voting for this category, Galabota received 1st for Creede Hotel, Pampinella’s Faces was 2nd, and Jetley’s Angel received 3rd. 

The winning image in the Nature category was Ernestine by Chris Roebuck. Second place went to Andy Butler’s Here’s Looking at you and Darry Saffer received 3rd for Meals on Wings. This was a very competitive category, and three images received Honorable Mention. These are Owls by Dave Minkel, Poppy by Natalie Duran, and Flower Power, by Steve Merchant. In the People’s Choice voting, Diane Cirksena won for her image Rain, you want Rain. Minkel’s Owls received 2nd, while there was a tie for 3rd between Combat Zone by Darryl Saffer and Butler’s Here’s Looking at you. 

Congratulations to all the winners! Thanks to everyone who entered, and all those who voted for the People’s choice, and those who helped with the logistics of the contest and Awards Celebration, including Scott Galabota, John Farley, Susanne Russell, and our judges, Mark Langford, Gary Musgrave, and Jeff Laydon.