Year-end print and slide winners

By Rex Dolby

Twenty-six members and guests attended the Wassenberg Camera Club’s annual Christmas Dinner and Year-End judging at the Wassenberg Art Center last Thursday. The group enjoyed plenty of good food as well as good conversation around the seven tables, each prepared for four people.

After dinner the group went about selecting the best print and slide of the year. Surprisingly, there were no ties. Will Hawkins’s photo of a zoom manipulation of a stained glass window at the

Presbyterian church was picked as the best print and Jody Hattery’s creative slide of gum balls photographed through water droplets on a clear surface was selected the year’s best slide. New this year was the Wassenberg Art Center’s $25 award for the Best Picture of the Year. Making history as the first winner of the award was Will Hawkins’s print of the church window.

The focus then turned to the selection of the new officers for 2013. After hearing no nominations, President Heckler asked acting treasurer Karl Gribler if he would continue for another year. Karl agreed to serve again, as did Rex Dolby, who will stay on as secretary. Heckler said he would be willing to continue preparing the monthly competitions for judging and sending information to members, but would not continue as president. Will Hawkins agreed to take the presidency as well as be the club’s representative on the Wassenberg Board of Directors. Heckler said he would be willing to serve as vice president and was elected to that office.

While the selection of officers was being completed, the various tables were preparing potential monthly photography themes for 2013. The themes chosen are: January: Christmas Lights, February: Still Life, March: The Color Green, April: Churches, May: Wildlife, June: Flowers, July: Landscape, August: Vegetables, September: Farm Animals, October: Old Houses, and November: Machinery/Tools.

Susan Gates brought four cameras and a slide box that she and her husband Robert are donating to the club’s camera collection. One was a Jiffy Kodak folding camera that was manufactured from 1933-37 and another was a 35mm Olympus Stylus Epic made from 1996-2003. The two others are a 35mm Minolta Freedom 50 and a Pinhole #2 Film Pack Hawkeye, which used a 2.25×3.25 film pack. At this writing, no further information could be found on these two cameras. We thank the Gates family for their gifts.

The club will not meet again until the second Thursday in January and is inviting the public to bring their photography questions and equipment to its open meeting on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Wassenberg Art Center.

The Wassenberg Art Center’s hours during exhibits are: Tuesday through Sunday 1–5 p.m. and you may contact the art center at 419.238.6837, by email: info@wassenbergartcenter.org or via our website at: wassenbergartcenter.org. The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 643 S. Washington St. in Van Wert.