nature – Page 3 – Pagosa Springs Photography Club

7th Annual Digital Photography Contest

The 2024 Pagosa Springs Photography Club Digital Photography Contest is now open for entries. The Contest is open to all Photography Club members in good standing. New or renewing members may join the Club at the time they enter the contest. The submission deadline is October 9, 2024, and prizes will be presented at an Awards Celebration on November 13. As in previous years, members may submit up to 6 photos (2 per category) for a flat fee of $10. You only need to submit your digital image files, not prints. The top three images in each category will receive ribbons and cash prizes at the Awards Celebration, and all entries will be displayed at that time. There will be “People’s Choice” voting on the images entered, as well.

This year there will be three categories: Nature (landscapes, wildlife, flowers, etc); Portraits (which may be of people, pets, or other domestic animals), and Manmade/Other, (architecture, trains and cars, street photography, abstract, etc.) See below to obtain the contest guidelines and entry form.

If you haven’t entered the contest previously, this is a great opportunity to get feed back, both from the judge 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 with the group. So select your best images and submit them!

For contest guidelines, and directions on entering your images, click here . 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/2024/08/2024-pspc-contest-entry.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. The best way to submit your images is to use the Dropbox link in the entry form, but you may also bring entries on a flash drive to the PSPC Sept 11 or Oct 9 meetings.

July Meeting, All About Weather

Dramatic clouds near Pagosa Springs, by Shawn Prochazka

The July meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday, July 10, at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis St. We will begin with social time at 6 pm, and the meeting will start at 6:30 pm. Please enter the Church through the side door next to the parking lot. This month’s presentation will feature Arleen and Shawn Prochazka , of the Pagosa Weather team, discussing weather topics of interest to photographers .

When it comes to landscape photography, weather and light can make or break an image. Some of our most dramatic lighting in the Four Corners can come during or after summer monsoon storms. Arleen and Shawn from Pagosa Weather will give a weather presentation focused on clouds, determining the ideal photographer’s light, and a peak at the summer monsoon forecast. Pagosa Weather is a nonprofit weather forecasting and community outreach program, and is your local source for weather. Arleen and Shawn love to share their years of military weather forecasting experience. They are the National Weather Service (NWS) Archuleta County Weather Ready Nation (WRN) ambassadors, and also the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) network coordinators for Archuleta County. Both Shawn and Arleen members of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and members of the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce.

The presentation will be followed by our monthly image share, for which Photography Club members may bring up to five images each to share and discuss. This meeting will also be 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 .

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club welcomes everyone who enjoys making and viewing great photography. The Club sponsors educational programs, image sharing and discussion, and outings to help our members improve their photography. For more information about the Club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

May Photography Club Meeting

Western Bluebird on a Perch near Pagosa Springs

The next meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will be held on Wednesday May 8, at the Community United Methodist Church on Lewis St. We will begin with social time at 6 pm, and the program will begin at 6:30 pm. This month’s program will be presented by Keith Bruno, who will discuss Birds, Birding and Conservation Photography.

Keith Bruno is the Southwest Colorado Community Naturalist for Audubon Rockies, and is based in Pagosa Springs. Keith works also closely with the Weminuche Audubon Society here in Pagosa Springs. He develops and runs a variety of education programs in the region. Keith enjoys teaching about birds, native plants, pollinators, food security, snow science, and generally anything that gets him outdoors. He has a Master’s Degree in natural resources from the University of Idaho and has worked throughout the west.

This meeting will also be 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 .

As usual, the presentation will be followed by our member’s image share. Photo Club members may bring up to five images to show and discuss with the group. Please bring these on a thumb drive. They should be saved as jpeg files of at least 2000 pixels on the long edge.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club welcomes all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help our members improve their photography. For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Geology of Colorado

*Chimney Rock, near Pagosa Springs, is an excellent example of how the geologic history of Colorado has shaped the landscape that photographers love to record. Photo © Andy Butler.*

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club will next meet on March 13, at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis St. Come at 6 PM for socializing. The presentation will begin at 6:30 PM. Our featured topic this month will be the Geologic History of Colorado, presented by Jeb Baxter. The meeting is open to the public.

This will be a hybrid meeting, also available on Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to members; others who wish to attend remotely may request the link by email to abutler@mac.com .

If you are a landscape photographer, then you well know how important geology is to finding photographic opportunities. Just look at the San Juan Mountains near Pagosa Springs, Chimney Rock, or the red rock canyons and arches of Utah.

Baxter’s presentation will provide an overview of the geologic history of Colorado and localities where the evidence of this history is visible in the rocks. The talk will begin with the screening of a 25 minute video by the Interactive Geology Project. The video will then be followed by an explanation of key geologic processes and additional evidence of geologic history in the Four Corners region. The talk is designed to provoke discussion with the audience and questions are welcomed throughout.

James Baxter is a retired professional geologist and professor of geology, who now lives in Pagosa Springs. He earned a BS in Geological Sciences at Lehigh University and MS in Geology at The Pennsylvania State University. His professional career included 16 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry followed by 20 years on the faculty of Harrisburg Area Community College.

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club welcomes all who enjoy making and viewing great photography. The club sponsors educational programs and outings to help photographers build their skills. For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

Photo Club Moab Outing

Nine Photography Club members traveled to Moab, UT, Feb 20-23, 2024 to photograph in the area. Most of our outings were to Arches NP for sunrise or sunset sessions, plus one to the Island in the Sky region of Canyonlands NP. The first evening’s weather wasn’t great, but otherwise we had lots of good options in a very photogenic area. It was a good opportunity to learn from one another, see some majestic landscapes, and get some good images.

Here are a few sample images from Club members Doug Coombs, Al and Jo Myatt, Andy Butler, Lisa Tedder, and Chris Plemons. Check back, this is a live document and more photos will likely be posted. Click on any image to view a larger version, navigate through using your arrow keys.

Bosque Outing, Dec 2023

Several members of the Photography Club spent Dec 10-13, 2023 on a Club outing in Socorro, NM. We photographed at nearby Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and at Ladd S Gordon Waterfowl Complex, at Bernardo. These refuges are wintering areas for waterfowl, including Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes. This year, there was a new pond at Bernardo, which succeeded in attracting large numbers of waterfowl.There were thousands of birds, good blast-offs at the “Flight Deck”, mammals, and spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Overall, another fun and productive outing.

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