Author: fotohiker

webs are for spiders

July Presentation: “Learning to See Creatively”

soda bubbles, © Greg Holden

The July meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, July 12, 6:00 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our speaker this month will be Greg Holden. Greg’s topic will be Learning to See Creatively.  

Greg Holden is a photographer from Longmont, Co who uses his photography to share with others how he sees the world. He enjoys creative photos of little scenes often overlooked by others rather than postcard landscapes. He often explores abandoned places and captures the details of the layers of paint and rust on a discarded automobile.  Greg enjoys teaching others and sharing his passion for photography and speaks around his home in the greater Denver area, but also continues to speak and judge virtually, at clubs throughout his former home in the MD and VA areas. You can see Greg’s work on his website imagesunderfoot.com .

In his presentation, Greg will discuss his approach for finding different viewpoints in common scenes and how he creates interesting abstract images by isolating a part of a scene.  Whether it is iPhone photos taken in his kitchen or DSLR images from local parks, Greg’s photos will demonstrate that you do not have to travel to exotic locations or spend hours using software manipulation to make creative images.

Our meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with socializing, and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. 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. Photography Club meetings are open to the public.

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.   We welcome photographers of all skill levels. Dues for 2023 are just $25 ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Coyote Hill Wildflower Outing

Although we are used to plenty of bluebird days here in the shadow of the San Juan Mountains, that isn’t always what we get. And for our June 2 wildflower outing, we had clouds and cool weather. Luckily, cloudy skies can still be great for photographing wildflowers! Several members of the Club spent the morning wandering through meadows and forests near Pagosa Springs to enjoy and photograph spring wildflowers. Thanks to Gary Webb, Rob Hagberg, Mark Guenin, Kristine Rubish, Andy Butler, Chris Plemons, and Dave Anderson for participating. Below is a sampling of the images. Click on an image to view a larger version, and use the arrows to. move from one image to the next.

Controlling Time in Photography

Lower Calf Creek Falls. A slow shutter speed was used to convey the motion of the falling water © Andy Butler

The June Photography Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 14, 6:00 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our topic this month is Controlling Time: Creative Use of Shutter Speed in Photography. We will watch and discuss a video by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore on how to use different shutter speeds to create a variety of moods in your photos. Do you want to freeze action with a very high shutter speed, or use a low shutter speed to depict movement? There are many creative choices possible. This will be a hybrid meeting, also available on Zoom. Club members will receive the Zoom link by email. If attending in person, arrive any time after 6 p.m. for socializing, the actual program, and Zoom, will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Club members may bring up to five images on a flash drive to share and discuss with the group following the presentation. As a reminder, submitted images should be JPEG (JPG) format. Resize to about 2000 pixels in the longest dimension.

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 welcomes photographers of all skill levels. Dues for 2023 are just $25 ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Red Wash Outing

Members of the Photography Club gathered to hike and photograph a picturesque canyon near Abiquiu, New Mexico in late April. Most of us have driven this stretch of Highway 84, between Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu many times. Who would guess that there are dramatic slot canyons hidden in the red rock? Thanks to John Farley for informing us about the area! Below are a few photos from some of the participants, including John Farley, Chris Roebuck, Liz Jamison, Dave Anderson, Andy Butler, David Lenderman and Susanne Russell. Click on an image to enlarge it, and see the photographer and title. Use the arrows on the enlarged images to move between photos.

Photographing Brazil

Hyacinth Macaw
Haycinth Macaw, Parnaiba Headwaters NP, Brazil, © Doug Coombs

The May meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 6:00 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our topic this month is Photographing Brazil, presented by Pagosa Springs photographer Doug Coombs. 

In the summer of 2022 Doug Coombs, his wife Miyuki, and friends from the Los Alamos, New Mexico Photography Club took a 30+ day trip to Brazil to photograph birds, mammals, waterways, indigenous people, and some cityscapes. They visited five different venues including Cristalino Reserve in the southern section of the Brazilian Amazon, Emas National Park, Parnaiba Headwaters National Park, Rio de Janeiro and the Atlantic Rainforest nearby, and a seven night cruise on the Rio Negro and some of its tributaries, which are all tributaries of the Amazon. Doug will share and discuss photos from these sites in his presentation.

Three-toed Sloth
Three-toed Sloth, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil. © Doug Coombs

Doug Coombs is a Pagosa Springs based photographer specializing in landscapes, birds, and other wildlife. He is also a member of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club. To see more of his images, visit Doug’s website at https://www.dougsview.com .

Our meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with socializing, and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. 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. Photography Club meetings are open to the public.

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 photography outings to help members hone their skills.   We welcome photographers of all skill levels. Dues for 2023 are just $25 ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Pandas & Conservation Photography, April 12

Giant Panda on 2 Tree Trunks, © Katherine Feng

The April meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, April 12, 6:30 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our speaker this month is Katherine Feng. Katherine’s presentation will be on Using Conservation Photography to Help Save Endangered Species. 

Katherine Feng is a retired veterinarian who devotes her photography to protecting China’s endangered species and their habitat.  Katherine is a Senior Fellow of the prestigious International League of Conservation Photography.  

Katherine spent 6-9 months a year for 4-1/2 years in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve documenting the work of staff and researchers to save the giant pandas from extinction.  Her images have been published internationally in calendars, books, National Geographic, Paris Match and numerous conservation magazines. Her giant panda images are featured in the children’s book, Panda Kindergarten.

Waving Panda, © Katherine Feng

Katherine will present a program on how she approaches conservation photography to educate the public about wildlife, their habitat and people’s efforts to protect them.  She works closely with the different nature reserves in China where she donates her images for conservation purposes.

Katherine’s presentation will feature photos of China’s giant and lesser pandas as well as the lesser-known snub-nosed monkeys and the critically endangered black-crested gibbons and white-headed langurs. The presentation will also be available by Zoom; for Zoom information contact Andy Butler at abutler@mac.com. 

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers develop their skills. Photography Club members learn from one another and build their networks. The Club welcomes photographers of all skill levels. Dues for 2023 are just $25 ($35 family). For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .