Don’t forget our new season starts Tuesday night at 6:30 at the New Life Centre, 201 4th Ave West. See you there!!
The 2016 OSCC Picnic
On June 12 we had our annual Camera Club Picnic. This has become a new tradition in recent years and is a great way to reflect on the past season. It gives those in attendance (spouses and partners are welcome to the picnic) an opportunity to socialize and “talk shop”, something we don’t get enough time for at the regular meetings.
This year we met at Inglis Falls where Lynn Reket greeted members with the 
categories for a photographic scavenger hunt. This is always fun. The idea is to go out and capture your interpretation of each category. The categories this year were “Go With the Flow”, “Stoned (Rocks can be included)”, “Structure”, “Bloom Where You Are Planted”, and “A Tree-mendous Shot”. There were a lot of jokes around that second one.
Once the members got their five photos we met at the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority where Randy, the club’s President, had the barbecue fired up and salads and desserts were aplenty.
Greg put all the photos from the members’ cameras on his laptop and projected them on a screen where we went through them and each member spoke about why they composed the photos the way they did and what they learned on the shoot. 
Before Randy went to prepare the barbecue, he was able to play paparazzi and capture some of the members as they worked on their scavenger hunt. These photos were also presented in a slideshow while Randy said a few words to wrap up the proceedings.
A great time was had by all and a big thanks to those who helped organize the event, brought food, and to Lynn Reket for preparing the scavenger hunt.
President’s Message
When I became your president last September I wasn’t sure what was in store. Yes, 
the Tom Exhibit was going ahead, however as far as what else we were going to accomplish, I just wasn’t sure.
The OSCC Planning Committee allowed me to transition into the President’s role effortlessly. Their support and guidance has been tremendous. I appreciate their support and direction. But I also have to thank you, the club members. It’s because of your love for photography and your support that I was able to accept and enjoy being your president.
This season the emphasis was on printing. I also stressed that we need to get out and photograph with our peers, and that’s happening. I am very pleased to hear when members meet up to go out and photograph a sunset, hike the trails, or just go for coffee. This year I am also proud to say I have had members come up to me and ask where they can help and that they want to participate.
But first we must look at what we accomplished:
- this year we have doubled our membership (again!) and moved into another facility
- we have a Mission Statement and a Planning Committee Mandate
- at the start of the 2015-16 season we had a newsletter handed out at the meetings
- we have our photos back in the newspaper every month
- Michelle made membership cards
- with help from members, we developed a new logo, and we have access to apparel that can have the logo on it
- we introduced member’s profiles at our meetings
- we exhibited the Tom
- and I am happy to say that we begun to get discounts from local retailers within the arts community.
Wow! We have accomplished a lot this past season.
Next year we will continue with the emphasis on printing and stress that we need to produce a print to finish off the photographic process. We will do this by having a workshop on Workflow; this will be a couple of hours on a process from capturing an image to storage then to print. Then we will have Geoff from Foto Art come talk to us about printing, common mistakes and tips to make our prints better. Plus we will have an afternoon of self-taught photo editing tips. We did this a few years ago and everyone had a great time with it.
Also we will have a workshop on lighting and one on portraiture, not to mention the short workshops at our meetings. Finally, let’s not forget a photo shoot using actors at the Roxy. So, as far as what 2016-17 looks like, well it’s going to be a busy season.
I want to hear from you about your ideas and suggestions. After all, this is your club and the more ideas, the better.
A enjoy your summer. Play safe and I can’t wait to see you in September.
Randy O’Hara, OSCC President
Allison Arnold’s Work at Chicory Common
OSCC member Allison Arnold will have some of her work on display at Chicory Common Natural Foods and Cafe during the month of June.
Allison is not just a photographer but a painter as well. She uses her photography as inspiration for her painting. “I paint by looking at the photo,” says Allison, “various angles of the subject and extrapolating various pieces of information into one piece of artwork.”
The Chicory Common is nestled in the heart of West Grey at 110 Garafraxa Street North in Durham ON at the junction of County Rd 4. They’re open from Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 6pm (9am to 5pm on Saturdays). For more information about the cafe, you can visit their Facebook Page.
Gallery Opening a Success!
On Sunday, May 15 the Owen Sound Camera Club officially opened their photo exhibition at the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery. And what a successful opening it was!
This was the first ever gallery event for most, if not all of the 30-p
lus members who submitted an image for the display. Members in attendance have been quite happy to hear all the positive feedback from family and friends who stopped by to show their support of this great club.
The display included a wide variety of image styles that really shows how diverse the club is. And the photos were created with camera makes and styles ranging from professional grade DSLRs from manufacturers like Nikon, Canon and Sony right down to an iPhone.
All the hard work by club President Randy O’Hara and anyone who gave a helping hand in making this event happen has certainly paid off. The exhibit will be on display until May 28 so if you haven’t been to The Tom to see these great photos, head on down and have a look. And feel free to leave some comments via the Contact page to tell us what you thought of the display. You can also leave some comments on the Facebook Page or on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you.
Lynn Reket’s Work at Full Spectrum Gallery
Small Wonders
A new exhibit is up at the Full Spectrum Gallery (located in the back of Foto Art). During the months of May and June the Gallery features the work of long-time Camera Club member Lynn Reket. Titled “Small Wonders,” Lynn takes us on a tour of some of the amazing little things found in regular backyards.
Many gardeners view visiting insects with some suspicion, but Lynn views them as photographic opportunities. With a keen eye for wee scenes, you can almost sense her joy at finding a photogenic bug (or bud) and the welcome excuse it gives to drop the trowel and grab the camera.
Should you chase away that dragonfly that’s interfering with your wine or take a few minutes to appreciate its intricate form? Lynn gives us inspiration to take the latter path with any insect encounter, and has shown there’s a beauty in anything if you’re willing to look for it. And yes, this even applies to the slimiest of snails or freakishly alien-like jet-black parasitic wasps!
You can find more of Lynn’s work on her gallery page, Flickr, or her Note-ables by Lynn Facebook page. However, the proof is in the print, so head to the Full Spectrum Gallery to see the finished pieces!
Congratulations on a great display Lynn!
Changes to the OSCC Website
Change. It’s inevitable. We’re finally seeing a change of seasons with the spring foliage popping up, and a welcome change it is. We are making some changes to the OSCC website as well. Nothing too drastic, just a couple of little things.
The first thing you might notice that’s different is the header image at the top. Aside from the fact that it changes every month, we used to include the information about the time and date for the next meeting. Well, we now have a new “Upcoming Events” section along the right side of the site. Here you will see when the next meeting is as well as anything else we have coming up, like the Tom Thomson Exhibit later in May.
Another change we’ve made is the website address. For the past few years you’ve been able to get here by using “oscconline.ca”, but we’ve decided to change that to “oscamera.club”. We felt the “.club” domain better suited our site as it reflects our status as, well, a club.
So keep an eye on the new section at the side. You never know what will pop up there. And we always welcome comments or questions about the site. You can reach out to us by filling out the form on the Contact Page.
Julian’s Work at the Full Spectrum Gallery
The Full Spectrum Gallery, located at the back entrance of Foto Art, is a rotating display of the artwork of local photographers which has featured several of our Club members. From March until the end of April you can find the work of Julian Delf, who joined us last spring.
We have seen a few of Julian’s matted prints at the Club’s meetings, and it’s a great pleasure to browse his gallery and share his view of the world. He covers a range of subjects, but there is a feeling of cohesion in the execution – I never would have picked out the visual similarities between a “Pile of Kittens” and raging water until I saw them side by side!
With this year’s emphasis on printing, framing, and hanging, this is a great inspiration for any photographer. The small digital samples shared in this post will never do justice to the polished framed prints – be sure to head to the Full Spectrum Gallery and check it out!
Great work, Julian!
March Meeting Cancelled
The March assignment for the club was Winter Curves, and it seems winter is throwing a curve into our plans for a meeting tonight. Due to the imminent bad weather on tap for this evening, we have decided to cancel the meeting for tonight. Sometimes the weather can be unpredictable, and although right now it may not look too bad in some areas, we want to be sure everyone stays safe.
President’s Message
There is no greater service than to do a service for others. At times it seems overwhelming for me, but as I interact with you, it makes it all very worthwhile. It is the respect I have for our membership and for the Executive that has allowed me to accept the role as your President.
This is a great time for photography, but first let’s look at the definition of photography. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia writes:
“Photography is the science, art and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film.”
So what does this mean? Well, it essentially means that in our world of film cameras, digital cameras, and smartphones like the iPhone, and we’ll include the iPad here too, there has to be acceptance in our club. After all, it’s not just what captures the image, but what is done to achieve the final result. No one has struggled more with this than me. I have often poked fun at iPhone images. The truth is, it’s been recorded that more money is paid out for iPhone photos than any other medium.
In Recent Times
2014 was a good year for the club. Our meetings have been moved to a new location, our membership grew to fifty members and we instituted a Mission Statement.
In September 2015 I officially became president. We continued to grow — as of this writing, we stand at fifty-eight members — and we continue to build a strong foundation for the future as we work on developing a strong constitution. As we approach our sixtieth calendar year I am excited as many changes are taking place. We have a new logo that many members had input on. We arranged to have apparel designed with this logo available to our membership, once a month we have a photo published in the Owen Sound Sun Times, and in May 2016 our club will be exhibited at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery. We also have official membership cards thanks to our Secretary, Michelle.
Also we have a workshop planned in April, hosted by Rob Cotton. Rob is an accomplished photographer and teacher; for many years Rob has done workshops on the Bruce Peninsula.
Our membership is very good at sharing their knowledge with each other. Members are starting to get together for outings and working on projects together.
Our monthly meetings have become very interactive. When I facilitate the meetings I notice a lot of communication amongst our members. Folks are arriving as much as forty minutes early and many are volunteering for various tasks. This is very healthy for our club.
The Future
I’m very excited for the future of the Owen Sound Camera Club. If we continue to grow we may have to find another venue for our club meetings, and that also means that the art of photography is very much alive and well within our community. We’re already working on a program for next season that will reflect our mission statement.
In closing I want to thank everyone for their support, for their friendship and for their mentorship. The future of The Owen Sound Camera Club looks to be very promising. The membership is a part of this success. I hope you are all proud to be members of the Owen Sound Camera Club because I am very proud to be your President.
Randy O’Hara
