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2020 Digital Photo Winners

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club held its Third Annual Digital Photography Awards presentation on October 14, by videoconference. Winners of the competition were announced during the presentation. The contest received entries from 21 Photography Club members in four categories: Landscape, People, Creative, and Nature. In total, 112 photos were entered. The images in each category were judged by two professional photographers on the basis of composition, impact and technical quality. In addition, this year the images were also voted on by Club members to determine “People’s Choice” images.

In the Nature category, winners were Chris Roebuck, for his photo “Cougar”. Dave Anderson received 2nd place for “Migration”, and Andy Butler’s photo “Sphinx Moth” was third. With many outstanding photos in this category, there were a number of Honorable Mention’s; images that scored very close to the top three. These included Lion, by Dean Dussell; Alpha Pair, by Doug Coombs, Full House, and Grasshopper, by Kathie Disner; The Stalker, by Linda Pampinella; Lewis Woodpecker, by Liz Jamison; Colorado Columbine and Size Matters, by Darryl Saffer; and Bittern Showing of His Socks and Hummingbird’s Break Time, by Diane Cirksena. People’s Choice awards for the Nature category were Dave Anderson, 1st for Migration, Darryl Saffer, 2nd for “Colorado Columbine”, and 3rd to Linda Pampinella for “the Stalker”.

The winning image in the People category was Fred Guthrie’s “Working Cowboy.” Guthrie also received 2nd place for “Native Portrait”. Third place was awarded to Lorie Butts, for “Gym Brat”. Honorable Mention went to Dean Dussell for Masai #1 and to Linda Pampinella for Shades of Peterhoff. Guthrie’s two images tied for first in the People’s Choice voting as well. The third place People’s Choice image was Dean Dussell’s “Masai #1”.

Among the images in the Creative category, the judges’ selections were “Medusa on the Ridge”, by Andy Butler, in 1st place, “Stonehead” by Fred Guthrie, 2nd, and “Spring”, by Dean Dussell in third. Honorable Mention was awarded to Dave Anderson, “Aspen Grove”; Doug Coombs, “Grand Prismatic”, and Gregg Heid, “Bavaria”. This category’s People’s Choice awards went to Bill Milner, 1st for “Crater Lake”, Fred Guthrie, 2nd for “Stonehead” and Dave Anderson, 3rd for “Cold Dinner”.

In the Landscape category, the number one image was Doug Coombs’ “Horseshoe Bend.” Second place went to Fred Guthrie for “Escape from Alcatraz” and 3rd place was “Tombstone Sunset” by Lorie Butts. The top People’s Choice vote also went to “Horseshoe Bend”, with Dave Anderson in 2nd place for “Photographing the Milky Way”. Honorable Mention images were “Silent Roar of the Ocean”, Linda Pampinella; “Photographing the Milky Way”, Dave Anderson; “Sunset at Morel Hoodoos” and “Red Rock Twilight”, Andy Butler. The People’s Choice voting resulted in a three way tie for 3rd place, between Dave Minkel for “Fire River”, Dean Dussell for “Thermal Pools” and Andy Butler for “Sunset at Morel Hoodoos”. Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who took part in this year’s contest!

Planning Landscape Photos

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club will meet virtually, via Zoom videoconferencing, on September 9 at 6:15 PM, Mountain Daylight Time. This month’s presentation will be by Andy Butler, and the topic will be “Using Digital Apps to plan and visualize landscape photos”.

In landscape photography, the photographer often wants to create an image of a photogenic subject under dramatic light, such as sunrise or sunset; moonrise or moonset. While there are many websites and programs that can provide the times and compass bearing for sunrises and sunsets, there are a few that go beyond this in ways that are very helpful to photographers when planning. In this presentation, three apps will be discussed and demonstrated: The Photographer’s Ephemeris, PhotoPills, and Sun Surveyor.

These apps are useful in multiple ways. At home, you can place a pin on a map anywhere in the world, on any desired date, to view how the sun, moon and Milky Way will move throughout the day. You can search for specific events, such as when during the year the sun will rise over Square Top, as observed from a specific point. In the field, the apps have Augmented Reality features, which allow you to visualize the path of the sun, moon and Milky Way as they move through the sky, against an image of the landscape through your smart phone’s camera.

Following the program, we will have our usual image share. Club members may submit up to five photos to share. Please email your images for sharing, by September 8, to abutler@mac.com . For Zooming, a larger image size is desirable, 2000 tall by 3000 pixels wide or more.

Club members will receive the link for joining the Zoom session by email. If you are new to Zoom and have not yet downloaded it to your computer/tablet/phone, visit the Zoom download page, https://zoom.us/download , to do so. It’s really easy to use. For most of you, all you will need to do is click the “Link to join Zoom meeting”.

Update: A video of this presentation, recorded from the Zoom meeting, is available for viewing at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF3oqSnivaw .

2020 Digital Photo Contest

ContestHeader2020 The Pagosa Springs Photography Club (PSPC) is pleased to announce our Third Annual Digital Photo Contest. The contest is open to all current members of the Club. New members may join at the time they enter the contest. There will be four categories: Landscape, People, Creative, and Nature. Each member may submit two images per category (up to six total). Images may be submitted as digital files. This year, there is no entry fee. Submissions are due by September 11, 2020 and will be judged by two independent professional photographers. Awards will be presented at the PSPC October meeting, which will be held on October 14, 6:30 PM. All entries will be displayed at the awards party.

For contest guidelines, and instruction on entering your images, go to: https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-contest-guidelines.pdf

To download an entry form, click: https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-pspc-contest-entry.pdf . The guidelines and entry form have instructions on how and where to submit your files.

If you are not currently a 2020 paid member, you may join the Club or renew at the time you submit your images. A membership form can be downloaded here: https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/memberappliciation18.pdf .

Our goal with this contest is not only to recognize members for their talent, but also to encourage everyone to share their best work with the rest of the group. So pick your images and send them in!

Luminosity & Color Masking in Lightroom, July 8

The July 8 meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held at 6:15 p.m., on-line via Zoom videoconference. We welcome back Doug Coombs, who will give a presentation on Luminosity Masking in Lightroom.

Adobe Lightroom added the capability to use luminosity and color to target local adjustments using the Gradient, Brush, and Radial tools in 2018 using the “Range Mask”. This enables the photographer to make precisely targeted adjustments to selected areas of a photograph. Think of it as dodging and burning, contrast adjustments, color adjustments and other post processing techniques on steroids. Doug will demonstrate how to use the Lightroom Brush and Gradient tools with and without the Range Mask. We may even distribute a photograph to the audience that Doug will process in Zoom and Lightroom while the audience opens Lightroom on their computers to perform the same adjustments. Everything Doug will show in Lightroom can also be done in Adobe Camera Raw, for those you only own a recent version of Photoshop. For a video tutorial on these controls, check out Matt Kloskowski’s blog post on the subject, at: https://mattk.com/lightrooms-most-powerful-masking-tools/ .

Doug is the chair and co-founder of the Los Alamos Adobe Users Group in New Mexico and a former chair of the Los Alamos Photography Club. He has been doing photography since high school, worked as a photographer and dark room tech in college, and fell in love with digital photography in 2003. Doug is primarily a landscape and nature photographer, with an affinity for birds and wildlife. He now splits his time between Los Alamos, Pagosa Springs, and a generous amount of travel to various photogenic destinations.

This will be a virtual meeting, live on-line, using Zoom video-conferencing. You may participate in the program from the comfort and safety of your own home. Photography Club members will receive a Club email containing the Zoom weblink to participate in Doug’s presentation. Members may also submit up to five photos to share, following Doug’s talk. Others who are interested in taking part in the Zoom meeting may contact Club president Andy Butler for information, at abutler@mac.com .

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between any and all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. Annual membership dues are just $25. For membership information visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/

June Program: From Field to Framed

2 - eagle — Eagle in Flight, © Chris Roebuck

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club will next meet by Zoom video-conference on Wednesday June 10 at 6:15 p.m. Our speaker will be Chris Roebuck. His topic is Highlights from a photographer’s education: From field to framed. In his program, Chris will discuss why he photographs, how he uses the language of photography to tell a story, and how he takes his images from an encounter in the field to a framed print.

Chris Roebuck has been a member of the Photography Club for several years. He began his digital imaging education nine years ago by attending a community college (Lansing Community College). There, Chris learned Photoshop in-depth. After 2 ½ years he went to the Rocky Mountain School of Photography, in Missoula, Montana, to learn Lightroom. That same year he attended printing workshops at Maine Media Workshops and College. Chris has continued to attend photographic workshops every year since. He is a firm believer in continuing education. Chris takes a philosophical approach to his photography rather than an artistic one. He is primarily a wildlife photographer, and hopes to always be a student of the photographic arts.

2.3 - MaineFox — Maine Fox, © Chris Roebuck

This will be a virtual meeting, live on-line, using Zoom video-conferencing. You may participate in the program from the comfort and safety of your own home. Photography Club members will receive a Club email containing a Zoom weblink to participate in Chris’s presentation. Members may submit up to five photos to share. This month’s theme is “Animals”. Others who are interested in taking part in the Zoom meeting may contact Club president Andy Butler for information, at abutler@mac.com.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between any and all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. The club sponsors educational programs, themed challenges, contests and outings to help photographers develop their skills. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting to learn more about the club. Annual membership dues are just $25. For membership information visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Antarctica-May 13 Presentation

The May program of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday the 13th at 6:15 p.m, Mountain Daylight Time. This will be a virtual meeting, live on-line, using Zoom video-conferencing, consistent with Colorado’s current “safer at home” rules. You will be able to participate in the program from the comfort and safety of your own home. Our speaker will be Frank Comisar, whose topic is Expedition to Antarctica. Frank will show photos and videos of the wildlife and amazing scenery of Antarctica, taken on a recent cruise to the ice continent. Further, he will explain the logistics and daily routines of his trip, and considerations involved in planning for a cruise to Antarctica. Photography Club members will receive a Club email containing a Zoom weblink to participate in Frank’s presentation. Others who are interested in taking part may contact Club president Andy Butler for information, at abutler@mac.com.

Frank Comisar is the founder of Scenic Aperture Gallery in Durango, and is a well-known wildlife and nature photographer. Frank travels throughout North America making beautiful photographs for his Durango gallery and leading small group photography workshops emphasizing landscape and nature photography.

Influenced by a previous career in Architecture, Frank’s images are well known for artistically depicting our three-dimensional world in a two dimensional medium. Frank learned early in his architecture career that “. . . the creative process is not a destination but a journey. It is a journey that includes research, planning, timing, technical skills, creative judgment, and a bit of good luck.” Frank’s success as a photographer is founded on these principles.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club promotes educational, social and fun interactions between any and all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers hone their skills, whether novices or enthusiasts. 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/ .

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