SMCC News

This isn't all the news that's fit to print, but it's some of it. After all, if we put all of our news here, our host server would crumble. Or the web czar would crumble trying to get it all online. Better you should be a part of the news, and participate with SMCC. Then you'll not only know what the news is, you'll be making it.

04-OCT-08	Autumn Arts Grapes and Grains Festival. SMCC was well-represented, with photos by members Gary Brandes, Mary Goodspeed, Cathy Gregg, Gary Morgan, and Ed E. Powell. The top honor for photography went to Powell's "Chromatic Highway Through Pastel Guitars." Cathy Gregg received the People's Choice Award for "Morro Bay Maelstrom." If you were there, then you saw the prevailing high standard of local photography. With few exceptions, compositions and prints were excellent. The show was organized and executed well.
17-SEP-08	It's official (see news item 16-DEC-07): Canon has announced the 5D MkII. Retailers describe unprecedented demand. Surprise, surprise.
05-MAR-08	Our online Galleries have been updated with photography by Cathy L. Gregg.
03-MAR-08	A new gallery, comprised of award-winning samples from our almost monthly competitions, is now online. Check it out at the Gallery section.
18-DEC-07	Heads up, folks! Our photo competitions in 2008 will include entries by digital projection. In the interest of getting the best display from our projector, you'll want your image files properly prepared. If "resolution" and "color space" are not part of your photo expertise, then you might want to check out Ron Calvert's instructions for Preparing an Image for Digital Competition.
16-DEC-07	"Curiouser and curiouser," said Alice. Beta testers of the next version of "Capture One" (from Phase One) raise their eyebrows when they see the list of camera models on the bug report. And somebody said "no such thing." One pill makes you larger; one pill makes you small. You read it first at SMCC.
05-NOV-07	Our web site is now linked from the Santa Maria Arts Council site (www.smartscouncil.org). Thanks to Sylvia Gilford for getting this link for us.
06-OCT-07	"Celebrating What's Right," Elaine Calvert made this photograph in the flat light of a dreary day at Point Lobos. The weekend trip included Carmel Mission, Monterey Aquarium, and Point Lobos. It also included rain and leaky tents. The aquarium was stuffed with visitors on a rainy Saturday, but everyone managed to see the displays. Pre-conceived notions of what Point Lobos should look like gave way to making the best of overcast light. Elaine got it.
24-FEB-07	Yosemite! SMCC has good karma. Friday night brought snow to Yosemite Valley, and Saturday was sunny with a few clouds. The rock walls, trees and ground sparkled with the fresh snow. In the evening, we planned to photograph the light show on Horsetail Falls, when the setting sun turns the falls a brilliant gold or red. The sun is in the right position only during the last two weeks of February. Further requirements are that the lake serving Horsetail Falls not be frozen (very common in February), and that the sun not be obstructed by clouds (also common in winter). It all came together for SMCC.
20-JAN-07	Our Annual Banquet was a huge success and everyone said so. The decorations, entertainment, and gallery of photographs were excellent. Every year there are several photographers in action at the banquet, but here's something weird: no banquet photos have been submitted for the web page since they all switched from film to digital.
16-SEP-06	Seven SMCC photographers arrived for La Purisima Mission Life Days and did not go unnoticed by docents and visitors. "They look like they know what they're doing." We do. A couple people inquired about the club, giving us an excuse to wax eloquent about our activities and talents. But we came to photograph, not to advertise, and we wandered about the mission photographing people and architecture. Charles Barney went in for the close view, with light raking across a mission door and defining the texture of the handle and wood. Photographs of the La Purisima Mission People are now online at Ed E. Powell's History Restored at La Purisima Mission .
26-JUL-06	Mid-State Fair. This year, only two members chose to enter the Mid-State competition. Penni Powell and Ed E. Powell entered two prints each. Penni received Second Place in her Division/Class for "Doors of Chaco" and Ed received First Place for "Gold and Rose" and First Place for "Dalmation Pelican."
13-JUL-06	The County Fair has opened at Santa Maria Fairpark, and guess who got ribbons in the photography competition: Everybody. Wow. Last year, the usual First, Second, Third and Best of Show ribbons were awarded along with a few Honorable Mention ribbons. But this year, there must have been two-hundred or more Honorable Mention ribbons awarded! If you didn't get an H.M., you probably weren't there. Still, it was a good show, and SMCC members garnered many of the upper echelon ribbons.
28-JUN-06	Two more photographers have been added to our online Galleries: Elaine Calvert and Ron Calvert. There are now six members represented on our web site.
17-JUN-06	Have you ever noticed that music at car shows is invariably rock and roll from the late fifties and early sixties? The Pismo Beach show was no different. Not enough Beach Boys, though. Nevertheless: A few SMCC members arrived in search of interesting photographs. Our attentions were drawn more to reflections than the cars themselves, and there were reflections o'plenty; most of the cars were polished to an exceptionally high sheen. Elaine Calvert gets the Web Czar Design Award for this photo that complements the colors of the SMCC web site so well.
08-APR-06	Tehachapi Loop did not disappoint us. At our first major photo stop, Burton's Curve, we were soon approached by the landowner, Carin Burton. Naturally, we were our usual wonderful and reasonably well-behaved selves. And, luckily for us, Carin was gracious and informative, sharing information about The Loop, the trains, and her father - reknowned train photographer Dave Burton (http://atunnel10xpress-n.com). We didn't have a schedule of train traffic, but The Loop averages about forty trains per day so we weren't twiddling our thumbs much.
05-MAR-06	Photography by Kevin Michael has been added to our online Galleries. Good stuff.