Camera Club opens competition to Art Center members

By Rex Dolby

The Wassenberg Camera Club’s next meeting, held at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at the Wassenberg Art Center, promises to be interesting and informative. The competition theme is “Winter Scenes” and a limit of three 4” x 6” prints or slides may be entered at three for a dollar. The three digital slides no larger than 1 megabyte each are to be emailed to VWCameraClub@gmail.com no later than Tuesday, March 11.

A new decision opens the monthly competition to any Wassenberg Art Center member as opposed to strictly Wassenberg Camera Club members. There also will be the judging
of the Night Photography slides that was carried over from last month.

Rules for the monthly competition will be finalized and the program is “More Special Effects”. Chris Wilson will demonstrate Isolating Color on black and white images and Will Hawkins will speak on zoom photography. This is a method of moving a zoom lens to create an image that looks as if the subject is moving toward or away from the viewer.

This meeting, as are all others, is open to anyone who has an interest in photography.

Winter is a great time to shoot outdoors. Snowdrifts, frozen waterfalls, icicles, and frost on the trees and shrubs are just a few of the great reasons to go looking for THE picture in winter. With age however, I have learned that winter can have its “get-backs” so to speak for not being prepared. Frostbite, dead batteries, muscle and joint problems are just the beginning of the list, but a little ibuprofen and preplanning help immensely.

Dressing for conditions seems like a no-brainer, but how many have been caught unprotected when there was a sudden change in the weather?  Layering, over-dressing and checking the weather report before leaving might save problems later in the day. What if a vehicle gets stuck or one suffers a twisted ankle? It’s a good idea to tell someone of your plans and have your cell phone charged just in case.

Cold will drain batteries quickly.  Keep them inside your coat till needed and return them when done. Take one or more spare sets so when you do find THE shot, you can bring it home.

Cold will have a similar affect on muscles and joints, particularly as we age.  Be realistic about what you can do and don’t exceed your ability to return to your vehicle. The lower the sun in the morning and evening, the better it is to pick up the shadows in or on the snow, the increase of the warmer tones in the light, but the colder the air temperatures may be.

Light meters will under expose a bright scene.  You’ll need to compensate 1 to 2 stops over to get the scene to look more like your eyes see it.  If you’re not sure of your reading, try metering the sky and use it for the setting.  A polarizing filter will make the sky more dramatic as well as the scene if you are shoot nearly 90 degrees to your shadow.

The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 214 S. Washington St. (former Van Wert Armory). For information on the Camera Club and other programs, call 419.238.6837, e-mail info@wassenbergartcenter.org, or visit the website at wassenbergartcenter.org.  Hours during exhibits are Tuesday through Sunday, 1-5 p.m.