Sixth Pagosa Springs Photo Club Digital Photo Contest

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club is pleased to announce our Sixth Annual Digital Photo Contest

There will be four Contest categories this year: Landscape, People, Creative, and Nature. The contest is open to all current members of the Club. New or renewing members may join at the time they enter the contest. Each member may submit two images per category (up to six total), for a flat entry fee of $10. Images should be submitted as digital files. Submissions are due by September 15, 2023. Awards will be presented at the PSPC October meeting and Awards Celebration, which will be held at the PLPOA Club House on Vista Dr., on October 11, 6:00 pm. The top 3 images in each category will receive cash prizes. All entries will be displayed at the Awards Celebration. We will again have “People’s Choice” voting on the images entered, as well.

If you haven’t taken part in the contest previously, this is a great opportunity to get feed back, both from our judges and from other Club members, about your images. Our goal with this contest is not only to recognize members for their talent, but also to encourage everyone to share their best work. So pick your images and submit them!

For contest guidelines, and instruction on entering your images, go to:  https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-contest-guidelines.pdf . The guidelines have instructions on how and where to submit your files. Then, download a contest entry form here: https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-pspc-contest-entry-1.pdf and fill it out with your entries. Note: you should be able to fill in the information on the entry form using the text tool of Adobe Acrobat Reader or Mac Preview. 

Williams Creek Reservoir Outing

Five Photography Club members did a photo walk/drive in the Williams Creek Reservoir area on June 22. It was a gorgeous day, with a few fast moving clouds in an otherwise blue sky. Our goal was to photograph mountain scenery, reflections, wild flowers and whatever else we might see. There were still a few massive patches of iris, as well as other wildflowers in bloom. We managed to find two of the elusive forest gnomes; carvings of bearded gentlemen in stumps near the lake. Below are a few photos of the day, from Dave Anderson, Andy Butler, and Joe Sinclair. Click on the photos to see larger versions.

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/ .

Color and Intensity of Light

The next meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 6:30 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs. Our topic this month is Using the Color and Intensity of Light to Enhance Images. The presentation will be a video on the subject by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore. 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. for socializing; the actual presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m., MST. 

For our program, we will watch and discuss a video by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore about the Color and Intensity of Light, and how these characteristics can be used to establish mood and enhance the overall composition of your images. 

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’s membership year begins in January. 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/ .

2022 PSPC Digital Photography Awards Celebration

The Fifth Annual Digital Photography Awards Celebration of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club was held on September 14 at the Elk Park Meadows Lodge, and by Zoom. This year 18 photographers submitted images in four categories: Landscape, Creative, People, and Nature. Images in each category were evaluated by impartial judges on the basis of composition, impact, and technical quality. In addition, Club members voted to determine “People’s Choice” winners for each of the four categories. During the evening, we enjoyed dinner, socializing and viewing all of the entries in this year’s competition.

In the Nature category, 1st place was awarded to Darryl Saffer for Terror Heron. Herb Grover received 2nd for Great Blue Flight, and 3rd was awarded to Kathie Disner for Pasque Flowers. This category was very competitive, with six images receiving Honorable Mention: My Fish and Little Blue Heron, both by Adrienne Disbrow, Dancing Cranes, by Andy Butler, Two Ravens by Herb Grover, Rufous by Liz Jamison and Hunting Stare by Scott Galabota. In the People’s Choice voting for this category, Disner’s  Pasque Flowers received 1st, Darryl Saffer was awarded 2nd for Unhappy Fox and Grover’s Great Blue Flight was 3rd. (Click for larger images)

The winning image in the Creative category was Black ’n’ Yellow by Scott Galabota. Second was awarded to Chris Roebuck for BNSF8470 and 3rd went to Bill Milner for Penitente Cactus. Andy Butler and Tony Aldwell received Honorable Mentions for Desert Sunset and Glass Lights respectively. Topping the People’s Choice poll for this category was Spiders by Adrienne Disbrow. Roebuck’s BNSF8470 and Aldwell’s Glass Lights tied for 2nd

Among the images entered in the People category, Kathie Disner received 1st place for Rascals, and also 2nd place for My Boots. Bill Milner was awarded 3rd for Charles Martinez, and Scott Galabota’s The Joy of Color received an Honorable Mention. Results of the People’s Choice voting for this category were Disner’s Rascals in first, Galabota’s The Joy of Color 2nd, and Fishin’ by Adrienne Disbrow in 3rd. 

In the Landscape category, the top image was Yei Bichei & Totem Poll, by Andy Butler. Dave Anderson received 2nd for White Sands Dark Cloud, and Herb Grover’s Bosque Sunrise was 3rd. Receiving Honorable Mentions in this group were Lake San Cristobal by Scott Galabota, Echo North Slot Canyon in Fall by John Farley, and Homestead by Chris Roebuck. People’s Choice voting selected Anderson’s White Sands Dark Cloud first, Piedra River by Adrienne Disbrow 2nd, and Butler’s Yei Bichei & Totem Pole in 3rd.

Congratulations to all the winners! Thanks to everyone who entered, all those who voted for the People’s choice, and those who helped with the logistics of the contest and Awards Celebration. These include Scott Galabota, John Farley, Liz Jamison, Susanne Russell, Chris Roebuck, Doris Gellert, and Gregg Heid. Special thanks to our judges, Yvonne Lashmett (Creative and Landscape) and Eric Pahlke (Nature and People).