nature – Page 4 – Pagosa Springs Photography Club

Bat City USA

© Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org

The November 8 meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will feature Laura Brooks, who will present and discuss her documentary Bat City USA, a video about how a Texas city overcame its fear of one of the world’s most misunderstood creatures, largely thanks to the efforts of one man. The Club’s meeting will be held at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis St in Pagosa Springs. Come at 6 PM for socializing; the presentation will begin at 6:30 PM.

A giant colony of Mexican Free-tailed bats moved into an Austin, Texas bridge in the 1980’s, after a bridge reconstruction project created an ideal roosting habitat. The “bat invasion” created a media hoopla and alarm among residents worried about rabies. When the city threatened to exterminate the bats, conservationist and bat researcher Merlin Tuttle stepped in and fought to save them. Tuttle moved to Austin, then the epicenter of “worldwide bad bat publicity,” and founded Bat Conservation International to promote a positive image of bats.

Tuttle worked tirelessly to overcome opposition and change the public’s perception of bats from disease carriers to desirable creatures who help keep bugs in check. Tuttle became a pioneering bat photographer for National Geographic, developing special techniques that showed bats not as snarling beasts, but as creatures engaged in their natural ways of feeding, flying, and other behaviors. Tuttle used his striking photos as an important weapon in his battle to gain acceptance for the bats and their environmental benefits.

Thanks to Tuttle’s efforts, Austin now loves its bats. Each year, thousands of tourists are drawn to the downtown bridge for a close-up glimpse of one of the world’s largest urban bat colonies – at least one million bats.

The 54-minute documentary was directed by Laura Brooks, a Pagosa Springs resident and member of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club. Brooks has worked for years as a journalist in Central and South America and along the US-Mexico border.

Following the presentation, Club members may share and discuss up to five of their images per person with the group.

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. For more information about the club, and to download a membership application, visit our website at https://pagosaspringsphotoclub.org/about/ .

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.

The Beauty and Challenges of Underwater Photography

The August meeting of the Pagosa Springs Photography Club will feature a presentation by David Lenderman on The Beauty and Challenges of Underwater Photography. The meeting be held on Wednesday, August 9, 6:00 p.m., at the Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs.

David’s program for the Photography Club will start with a discussion of why he is drawn to underwater photography. He will then share some major challenges of underwater photography and how dealing with these challenges has made him a better topside photographer. Next, David will demonstrate the equipment needed to get started in underwater photography. Finally, he will share a 3-4 minute music synced slide show of some of his favorite underwater images created in Indonesia, Philippines and Socorro Islands, Mexico.

David Lenderman was SCUBA certified in 1989 and fell in love with being underwater. In an attempt to share the amazing underwater world with non-diving friends and family members he began making photos underwater in the early 90s. By 1998 he decided to really work on improving his underwater photography.

As part of his drive to improve, David joined the Houston Underwater Photographic Society (HUPS) and learned a tremendous amount from the more experienced members. David ended up becoming very active in HUPS, eventually serving as board member, VP, and President. During his time as a HUPS member David has been awarded Member of the Year, Advanced Photographer of the Year and HUPS Lifetime Achievement Awards. Underwater he has photographed everything from 1/2” long pygmy seahorses to forty foot long Humpback whales. In pursuit of underwater subjects David has traveled to many exotic locations around the world. His favorite destinations are the biodiversity hotspots of Indonesia and the Philippines. David can’t be underwater all the time so he also dabbles in nature, travel and even portrait photography.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with social time, and the program will start at 6:30 p.m. After David’s presentation, Club members may share and discuss up to five of their images with the group. This will be a hybrid meeting, both in-person and 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/ .

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.

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.

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.