RA Photo Club Blog

It was a cool, windy night last Sunday when about a dozen intrepid photographers and three very hardy (but lovely) models showed up for an evening of portraits in the Sun at Britannia Beach. The Sun, for the most part, stayed hidden and in fact there was a hint of snow in the air. So much for Spring. Nonetheless, with flash and handwarmers we all hung in there and enjoyed the outing. Many thanks to Howard for organizing the event (pick a better day next year Howard) and to Becky, Lilly and Michelle for being great sports . (If you look closely at Becky’s very attractive eyes you can see small icicles
forming).

Announcement: 
The Education Committee of the RA Photo Club is pleased to announce that registration is open for the below described event which can be of interest to the photographic community:
Adobe Lightroom 4 – Intermediate level course, Saturday June 1, 2013.

What will this course cover?
Participants will leave the Course with an appreciation for what Adobe Lightroom 4 can do
for intermediate users and a detailed understanding of its image management and editing
tools. The Map, Book, Print, Web and Slideshow modules will not be discussed. There will
also be an introduction to Lightroom 5, based on the current beta release.
Two knowledgeable club members, Gilles Vézina and Kathleen Parker, will be covering
various topics related to Adobe Lightroom 4 through various teachings and hands-on
practice.
Follow this link: http://www.raphotoclub.ca/Education for the full details regarding this event including a detailed agenda.
Registration information:
o The non-member fee for this event will
be $47.95 + HST per person.
o Minimum/Maximum number of
participants: 8/30.
o Course program code number: 5287.
o Registration options are described at
the end of this announcement.
It is always a pleasure to welcome
photographers that are eager to learn to
activities of our club.
Please feel free to share this information at will.

For registration to this event, mention the course program code:

In person:
Registration can be completed at the Member & Guest Services East Desk, located near the
east entrance of the RA Centre.
RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, ON K1H 7X7.
Monday to Sunday 7:30 am to 10:00 pm. Statutory holidays 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
 By telephone:
Call the registration line at 613-736-6224.
Monday to Friday, 11:00 am to 5:30 pm. Please have your credit card ready when you call.
By Email:
Send an email with your name, phone numbers and the best time to reach you, to:
racentre@racentre.com.

For clarification on registration procedures, please contact Member Services Staff at 613-
733-5100.

                                          Please Plan to attend
                                              RA Photo Club
                            2013 Year End and Awards Banquet
                                           Clark Hall RA Centre
                                          Tuesday May 21, 2013
                                    cash bar 6:00 PM dinner 7:00 PM
                                            Tickets: $30
                       Bring a friend. Tickets available from the Social
                                     Committee until May 14th.
                                                   MENU
                                       Butternut Squash Soup
                                         Roast Prime Rib au Jus
                                 served with Roasted Potatoes
                                        and a Hot Vegetable Medley
                                                                or
Vegetable Wellington (vegetarian choice)
                          Puff Pastry stuffed with Feta Cheese and Grilled
                                       Vegetables in a Hollandaise Sauce
                                                   Black Forest Cake
                                                Tea, Coffee, Decafe Coffee
                                     Please let us know of any potential allergies
 

The final of three parts this is a two day workshop  to be held on Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23, 2013:
“The Contemplative Landscape”
This workshop will provide an intensive learning experience. It will emphasize on Contemplative Photography and experimentation. In-the-field mentoring will immerse participants in a positive and supportive environment in which experimentation is actively encouraged.

Saturday June 22
Morning 9-12: In-class learning – Contemplative Landscape and Mindfulness skill training; Lunch 12-1:00; Afternoon 1:00 -5:30: Mindfulness and Photography training through location photography and assignment.
Sunday June 23
Morning 9-12: In-class learning – Western and Chinese Landscape;
Lunch 12-1:00; Afternoon 1:00 to 3:30: Location photography;
Afternoon 4:00 to 5:00: In-class preparation of a Slide showcase presentation among classmates from 5:00 to 6:00.
Contemplative Landscape’s essence seeks to represent both the known and unknown aspects of reality while combining our sense of intuition and perception. It strives to be “concept free” and allows photographers to engage the mystery of the world, reality, and their interior heavens. Its end product seeks a wholeness out of which we can photograph and express truly what we feel about the fundamental reality that exists in front of us. I have seen, over the years, people’s lives and photography change in the course of the workshop. It often broadens a person’s spiritual life, although each person brings their own sectarian beliefs to the workshop, and all are welcome
The Contemplative Landscape begins with perceptual exercises in photography that I have developed over the past 35 years. It offers primary access to the actual visual working of the human eye-brain system, the tool with which we create our images. The perceptual exercises are meant to pull you away from the defeating process of copying other landscape images made by others and concentrate on what you see. The perceptual exercises are followed by awareness training that puts us in the moment when the photograph has to be made. Lastly, we finish with a series of what I have called Visual Koans, riddles about reality that can only be answered by your authentic visual photographic response to the reality in front of you and not by rational discourse.
The Contemplative Landscape is taught in places known for their solitude and beauty. Digital cameras are preferred, but any format is acceptable, including those who want to work in large format and film.
Venue details:
June 22 & 23, 2013: Focus Series – Workshop on “The Contemplative Landscape”:
- June 22: RA Centre – ‘Bytown B’ Room – From 9:00 am to noon. Then Location photography and Assignment from 1 pm to 5:30 pm (location to be confirmed).
- June 23: RA Centre – ‘Bytown B’ Room – From 9:00 am to noon. Then Location photography from 1 pm to 3:30 pm (location to be confirmed) and preparation of a Slide showcase presentation of participants work for 5 pm to 6 pm.
RA Photo Club member registration fee $289.95 + HST.
Non RA Photo Club member registration fee $347.95 + HST.
Minimum/Maximum number of participants: 10/15.
For registration to this event please mention the course program code:
Focus Series: 2-day Workshop featuring George DeWolfe – “The Contemplative Landscape” – Saturday and Sunday June 22 & 23, 2013 – Course program code number: 5288.

Canadian Camera Conference (CCC2013) June 28-­30, 2013
Fredericton, NB
Dear colleagues and friends of photography. We have entered the month of May,
which means the CCC2013 begins in less than 8 weeks. The organizing committee
is excited to have this amazing event in Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick,
the Picture Province.
Please take a moment to view the video at http://youtu.be/nptj9nv7tmA. We
have 12 presenters on over 20 topics including computer lab workshops and presentations
in French. The keynote presentations will be given by Freeman Patterson and David
duChemin. There are a number of events beneficial to the conference participants, including a Trade Show, Print Show, Book Sale by presenters, free coupons
and lots of door prizes. In addition to all the above, you will have a chance to win
one of the draws that offer discounts equivalent to the Early Bird rates ($279)
for CAPA members, $299 for non CAPA members). The draws will be for those
who register for a full conference package between April 8 and May 31. Don’t
miss this chance! The full information on the conference is available at
www.capaconference.com.
Please contact us at ccc-­info@capacanada.ca if you have questions.
We look forward to seeing you at the conference!
CCC2013 Organizing Committee
Chair
Michiko
Nishijima

RA Photo Club Focus Series – (Summary of program offerings)
This is a final event reminder to mention that seats are still available for these Focus
Series program offerings. As well, we are pleased to announce that George has changed the scope of the program to be offered:
- The Friday afternoon event has been modified from a ‘Field outing’ type of
event to a ‘Field Workshop’ type of event where George will be demonstrating
and teaching on basic contemplative principles.
- The Friday evening event has been modified from a ‘Lecture’ type of event to
a ‘Seminar’ type of event where George will be providing more teachings on his
experiences on this path of discovery.
Program:

Field Workshop: Friday June 21, 2013 from noon to 5:00 pm.
Entitled: “The Basics of Contemplative Photography: Basic Elements of Seeing
and Awareness”.

Seminar: Friday June 21, 2013 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm in the ‘Outaouais’
room of the RA Centre.
Entitled: “Contemplative Photography: a Personal Journey”.
 
2-day Workshop: Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23, 2013. Featuring a
mixture of in-class learning and field workshops as well as assignments.
Entitled: “The Contemplative Landscape”.
Please feel free to distribute the announcement to everyone you know who may be
interested in this very promising program and help the RAPC in delivering another
successful event.

The RA Photo Club Summer 2013 Focus Series program
Featuring George DeWolfe
The Education Committee of the RA Photo Club is pleased to announce that the Summer 2013 Focus Series program featuring George DeWolfe will be held on June 21, 22 and 23, 2013.
George DeWolfe is an award-winning photographer whose career spans more than 40 years. A student of Ansel Adams and Minor White, George studied perception with Dr. Richard Zakia and earned an MFA in photography and graphic art from the Rochester Institute of Technology. His commercial clients include APC, Eastman Kodak, and Sears. He has published three books: At Home in the Wild, George DeWolfe’s Digital Fine Print Workshop, and B&W Printing.
George leads workshops and seminars nationwide on such topics as “Large Format, Digital Fine Prints,” “The Master Print,” “Contemplative Photography,” and “The Contemplative Landscape.” His web site is www.georgedewolfe.com. George’s passions are teaching visual and digital photography skills and photographing the mysteries of the world. He combines the structure of ancient Chinese landscape painting with the structure of Western landscape genres to achieve his mysterious style.
****Registration is now open****
> Field Workshop: Friday June 21, 2013 from noon to 5:00 pm.
Entitled: “The Basics of Contemplative Photography: Basic Elements of Seeing and Awareness”.
> Seminar: Friday June 21, 2013 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm in the ‘Outaouais’ room of the RA Centre. Entitled: “Contemplative Photography: a Personal Journey”.
> 2-day Workshop: Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23, 2013. Featuring a mixture of in-class learning and field workshops as well as assignments.
Entitled: “The Contemplative Landscape”.

Program details:
> Field Workshop
Friday June 21, 2013 – noon to 5:00 pm:
“The Basics of Contemplative Photography: Basic Elements of Seeing and Awareness”.
Join George DeWolfe in an exploration of the fundamentals of Contemplative Photography for an outing in the Ottawa/Gatineau region demonstrating basic contemplative principles.
Venue details:
- Noon to 5:00 pm (location to be confirmed).
RA Photo Club member registration fee $79.95 + HST.
Non RA Photo Club member registration fee $94.95 + HST.
Minimum/Maximum number of participants: 10/15.
For registration to this event please mention the course program code:
Focus Series: Field Workshop with George DeWolfe – “The Basics of Contemplative Photography: Basic Elements of Seeing and Awareness” – Friday June 21, 2013 – Course program code number: 5297.
> Seminar
Friday June 21, 2013 – 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm in the RA Centre ‘Outaouais’ room:
“Contemplative Photography: a Personal Journey”.
This Seminar by George on Contemplative Photography will show how it has shaped his own work over the years and provide us with special insights and high-level teachings on his experiences on this path of discovery. It promises to be a very interesting evening.
Venue details:
- 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm in the RA Centre ‘Outaouais’ room, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa.

The Education Committee of the RA Photo Club is pleased to announce that registration is open for the following event featuring four accomplished and passionate about photography individuals that I am pleased to introduce to you:
About Gerald Bloch
I love photography because it is for me a perfect combination of left and right brain activity. Doing field work I am outside of time, the world stands still, I see with an intensity that I never normally deploy. I find beauty in my back yard and in great open places. In the darkroom (or lightroom in my case) I enjoy the technical challenge of bringing to the captured image what was in my mind’s eye. Shooting nature is my favourite, although I enjoy architecture and some street photography as well. Great colour turns me on. Sometimes out in nature a scene so sublime unfolds that I just don’t try to capture it, I sit back and enjoy.
To learn more about Gerald’s work, please visit his website by following this link: http://www.geraldbloch.com
About Jayni Bloch
The play of Light and Shadow in life is fascinating to observe, appreciate and sometimes capture. Some of these moments of beauty, humor, dreams and reality expresses the paradox of living life. Jayni Bloch is a Psychologist in private practice for over 30 years and the Author of a new book, The Riddle in the Mirror. Jayni became an Amateur Photographer in 2009, when her husband Gerald put a digital camera in her hands when she complained about being bored while waiting for him to take his photographs. She dabbled in a variety of art forms like painting, pottery, stained glass and sewing throughout her life, but immediately took to photography. From the very start of her involvement 5 years ago, her natural artistic abilities demonstrates her merit with her fast advancement from beginner to senior level in the RA photo club and numerous 1st place awards in the club competitions.
Jayni will have the pleasure of welcoming you to ‘moments’ in her world.
To learn more about Jayni’s work, please visit his website by following this link: http://www.jaynibloch.com
About Mike Giovinazzo
Mike has been an avid photographer for over 40 years. Throughout that period his passion for photography has evolved as has his style. Mike’s work is often praised by many, especially his students. He loves to teach and share his expertise. So aside from being on the RAPC executive and teaching in the RA studio he runs several special interests groups here in Ottawa and has grown this community to over 1000 members through the ‘Ottawa Photography Meetup Group’. His love of the art and sharing with others convinced him he never wants photography to be a “Job” with obligations and duties.
To this day it remains a passion and we’re here today to share that passion and its evolution.
To learn more about Mike’s work, please visit his website by following this link: www.giovinazzo.ca.
About Jamie Johnson
I used to love taking photographs, now I love making them.
I have taken photos for a long time, lots of film burned on sports, nature and family. My first digital camera was an Apple Quicktake in 1993, and though 16 photos at 640×480 was not great, it was the start. My comfort zone started with nature, sports and air shows, with lots of time invested in those areas. Over the past couple of years an emphasis on people has changed extended my area of comfort. I learned that while the technical is important, the composition of the main subject and the background had a lot of importance in the image. Once I started to figure out the composition stuff, then impact and emotion became important. Now, I am realizing that since photography is literally drawing with light, it is all about the light. It’s Quality, quantity, direction and colour.
The journey continues.
To learn more about Jamie’s work, please visit his website by following this link: www.itsallaboutthelight.ca.
Round Table – Discussion around “What ignited my passion for photography”, Wednesday May 29, 2013.

These experienced, active and passionate members from our Club will be covering the following topics in this promising event. Indeed, Gerald Bloch , Jayni Bloch , Mike Giovinazzo  and Jamie Johnson  will be discussing :

Their professional background in brief,
Their photographic back ground: have they given any workshops, lectures, done vernissage, won awards, etc.
And – What ignited their passion for photography?
a. When & how did they start?
b. What did they start with?
c. Why are they still in love with photography today?
How would they personally define what is photography to them?
d. What is the biggest surprise they experienced and why?
e. What is the biggest challenge they had and how did they manage it?
f. What is the biggest unexpected outcome they have experienced from doing photography?
g. What would they simply be completely ecstatic about in terms of photography if they could accomplish it before they died?
What are their preferred topics of study and why?
What is the biggest ‘Aha’ moment they had in regards to:
(Under the spirit of being informative – no significant learning duplication is expected [or was their identical learning?]; and somewhat ‘humorous’ – “how could I have been that ignorant?”).
The artistic execution:
i. Creativity,
ii. Composition,
iii. Colour,
iv. Perspective, and
v. Lighting.
The technical execution:
vi. matters related to preparation,
vii. capture,
viii. organizing,
ix. enhancing, and
x. sharing images.
What are their best found resources for learning (top 3)?
They will write them down as we will give hand-outs or send an email to people attending.
What are the pictures they are most proud of? (a ‘top 3’ examples) and they will give an explanation as to why are they the best in their eyes.
Open microphone discussion.
What equipment do they use?
a. Which camera body do they use today and why?
b. Which lenses do they use 80% of the time and why?
c. Which post-processing software (s) do they prefer and why?

What are their best found ‘websites’ pertaining to photography (top 5)?
Who are the photographer’s they admire the most (top 2) and follow their work?

What is their purchasing process when they are considering buying new equipment?
They will list some web sites/stores they investigate and maybe even tricks they found helped them save money!
- 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm in the RA Centre ‘Clark Hall’ room, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa.
RA Photo Club member registration fee $9.95 + HST.
Non member registration fee $12.95 + HST.
Minimum/Maximum number of participants: 15/150.
For registration to this event please mention the course program code:
 Round Table – Discussion around “What ignited my passion for photography”, Wednesday May 29, 2013:
– Course program code number: 5291.
And:
– In person: Registration can be completed at the Member & Guest Services East Desk, located near the east entrance of the RA Centre. Monday to Sunday 7:30 am to 10:00 pm. Statutory holidays 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
- By telephone:
Call the registration line at 613-736-6224. Monday to Friday, 11:00 am to 5:30 pm. Please have your credit card ready when you call.
– By Email:
Send an email with your name, phone numbers and the best time to reach you, to: racentre@racentre.com.
– Play RA on-line – On the RA Website under Play RA on line: https://onlineca.activecommunities.com/RACentre/Start/Start.asp
RA members and non-members are welcome to register for any program that has a course program code number using the Play RA on-line registration service.
For clarification on registration procedures, please contact Member Services Staff at 613-733-5100.
Yours truly,
The RA Photo Club Education Committee

This is the month to visit the four city galleries to see Young at Art, the annual exhibition of imaginative works by high school students. The shows include all types of art but feature lots of photographs. They fill the Trinity, Centrepoint, Atrium and Kanata galleries until May 2o-21 (May 10th in Kanata).
Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 Laurier St. Gatineau. March 22-October 14 Double-Take Portraits of Intriguing Canadians. (Some photographs)

 
Canadian Museum of Nature , 240 McLeod St. Eduard Burtynsky, Oil (May 31-September 2)
Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year (May 15-July7) Flora of the Canadian Arctic Expedition (April – November)

 
Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place
Until September 22nd, Louie Palu – Kandahar: The Fighting Season. photographing the Front Line.

 
Carleton University Art Gallery, 1125 Colonel By Drive, April 2-June 2,
Dawson Gold, works made in and about Dawson City by Allison Hrabluik, Valerie Salez, Zin Talor and Tom Wolsely, artists from across Canada and the UK who each followed their own creative compass to Dawson for different reasons.
City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Dr., April 10 – May 24.
Joint Exhibition of the RA and OPS clubs
Exposure Gallery, 1255 Wellington St. W. (Above Thyme and Again)
May 2-June 11. Whitney Lewis Smith, Dodie Lewis, Neville Smith – The lll Show
National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Drive, Until May 20th
Leviathans in the Sky – Photographs of Dirigibles from a donation to the Gallery.

SPAO, 168 Dalhousie St.
May exhibitions in the Lobby and the Red Wall Gallery. Martin Lipman – Portraits of the Winners of the Governor General’s Awards

Trinity Gallery Salon B, Shenkman Centre, Orleans
May 23- June 25 Mario Cerroni – She doesn’t live here any more - photographic depictions of loss.

 
Vistek Gallery, 499 Bank St.
May 13 – June 7, Shaun and Stephanie Scade, Iceland
(Until May 10th, Patrick Lacroix – The Mystery of the Covered Face).

Announcement – Please note there have been some changes to the event.

The Education Committee of the RA Photo Club is pleased to announce that registration is open for the following Architectural Photography related events featuring Jean Chartrand MPA, which will be held on Friday April 19 and Saturday April 20, 2013.

2012 Commercial Photographer of the Year for Ontario and the designation of Master of the Photographic Arts are just two of the awards Jean has recently been awarded during his 30 year career as a professional photographer. Jean has also been awarded the Best in Class in Architecture for Ontario the last 3 consecutive times that PPOC-ON has awarded it in their Provincial Image Salon. Jean has also been awarded many other national and provincial awards by the PPOC.

- “Get it Right or just go Home, the Basics of Architectural Photography” is a two-part event.

- The first event, on Friday evening, will consist of an ‘open to all’ 3 hour Architectural Photography Seminar where Jean will discuss a variety of topics such as, basic equipment, proper exposure, camera settings, lighting & light sources, filters, perspective and composition.

- The second event, on Saturday, will consist of a full-day workshop. In the AM, weather permitting, we will have a live outdoor photo shoot and if time permits an interior shoot where we can put in action what we have learned the previous day. In the afternoon we will head back to RA Centre and Jean will demonstrate using a variety of software and techniques the workflow process to get the best images we can from the images we have captured in the morning session.

-Architectural Photography Seminar – Friday April 19, 2013.

What will the seminar cover?

Jean will be covering various topics with the intention that participants will benefit from his experience in relation to Architectural Photography. On the agenda:

• Where am I coming from?
• Video presentation “Variety is the Spice of Life”.
• Proper/basic equipment needed.
• Camera knowledge and settings.
• Determining exposure.
• Dealing with lighting & light sources.
• Filters and effects.
• Perspective/Composition.
• Slide show “Before & After”.

Venue details:

- 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm in the RA Centre ‘Clark Hall’ room, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa.

RA Photo Club member registration fee $15.95 + HST.

Non member registration fee $19.95 + HST.

Minimum/Maximum number of participants: 25/100.

-Architectural Photography Workshop – Saturday April 20, 2013.

What will the workshop cover?

Jean will lead this workshop with the intention of having participants put in action what they have learned on the Friday evening Seminar through a field outing as well as teaching on some post production workflow techniques through an in-class afternoon session. On the agenda:

• Location scouting.
• Determining look of final image.
• Proper set up.
• Determining proper exposure.
• Capturing the image.
• Post production workflow.
• The Final Image.

Venue details:

- 8:45 am to noon at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, located at 100 Laurier Street, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0M8. Meet outside the main entrance doors of the Canadian Museum of Civilization for 8:45 am sharp.

- 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the RA Centre ‘Courtside B’ room, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa.

RA Photo Club member registration fee $49.95 + HST.

Non RA Photo Club member registration fee $64.95 + HST.

Minimum/Maximum number of participants: 6/20.

Announcement :
Freeman Keats: The Urban Farm
March 22 to April 22, 2013
Vernissage: Sunday, March 24 at 1 to 3 pm, Trinity Art Gallery , Salon B
The urban farm is invisible to most Ottawa residents, yet it is of vital importance to the city’s food supply chain. This exhibit showcases the operation of one such farm within the City of Ottawa.

Announcement :
Studio Zone V (Glenn Bloodworth, Bill McCloskey, Maureen Murphy, Freeman Keats &
Richard Perron): [dis] – appearance
March 22 to April 22, 2013
Vernissage: Tuesday March 22 from 6 – 8 PM
Linked through David Thoreau’s observation “It’s not what you look at the matters, it’s
what you see”. Studio Zone V photographs religion, consumption, neighbourhood
evolution, chronic health, and national security, to animate the interaction of
perceptions, imagination, understanding, and feelings.