Berkshire Botanical Garden Competition

The Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA, is holding a competition that includes a photography competition. There are three categories:

1. Beauty in Flora: 
2. Gardenscapes: Great Northeastern gardens – private and public
3. Out on a Limb: An expressive photo including a live tree limb

Images may be color or black and white and should be matted or mounted on a white 11x14 board (no frames or glass).

The photography competition, which is open to anyone from any photo club, is being held in association with the Berkshire Museum Camera Club.

Click for a brochure with further details about the competition.

First Time Attendee Excited by the Conference

Dick Poliock from North Conway, NH, attended the Summer NECCC Conference for the first time last weekend. He e-mailed me as follows: "This was my first conference and I had such a good time I ran right home and made this video."

Thanks for sharing your excitement. His web site is www.moatphoto.com.

The NECCC Is Going Green

The New England Camera Club Council is going green, beginning now! Going forward, the Council will be replacing the award-winning NECCC Bulletin with online publication. This change is being made for a number of reasons. First and foremost is modernization. This change will incorporate our three social medias—http://www.neccc.org/ (our web site), NECCC News (our blog), and our Facebook account—into an online publication system. If you haven’t already subscribed to NECCC News go to http://necccnews.blogspot.com/ and click on the Subscribe menu for instructions. To go to our Facebook page click on the link conveniently located on the left side of our blog. There are many advantages to doing this. The news and information will be available in a more timely manner while at the same time preserving natural resources and saving money.

Paul Smith has joined the NECCC board taking over the responsibilities formerly held by Robert Gorrill, APSA, MNEC, who has been the editor for more than 15 years. The Council owes a huge debt of gratitude to Robert for his time, energy, expertise, and devotion in making the NECCC Bulletin the top newsletter in the most recent PSA competition. His contributions will be sorely missed.

Paul has been the newsletter editor for Gateway Camera Club’s online newsletter, The Click, for the past 9 years. The Council is happy to bring Paul on board and is confident in his abilities to maintain the same level of quality for our online publication. Please forward any newsworthy items to Paul at bulletin@neccc.org.

Please pass this information on to other members of your camera club so that they can also subscribe to NECCC News and become a friend of the NECCC Facebook account.

The 2011 NECCC Summer Conference was a GREAT Success

The 2011 NECCC Summer Conference is now history and what a conference it was. There were lots of great lectures and programs, the models were as beautiful as ever, the print and digital slide competitions were competitive, and the Saturday evening balloon glow was simply awesome. If you didn't get there this year, put July 13, 14, and 15, 2012, on your calendar right now and plan to attend next year.

We all owe a special thanks to Antoinette Gombeda, HonNEC, and Susan Mosser, HonNEC, for again chairing this event and organizing it to perfection. We also owe a a big thank you to all the speakers, members of the equipment crew, and others who served on various committees. These people gave up the opportunity to participate in many of the activities to make the conference a success for you.

Preview the Models for the Summer Conference

One of he highlights of the NECCC Summer Conference for many attendees is the opportunity to photograph models, both in formal indoor settings and around the UMASS campus. Now you can preview the models for this year by going to http://www.neccc.org/2011%20Models%20Gallery/index.html where photographs of all the models have been posted.

With the Conference only two days away, now is the time to finish planning how you will spend your time. If photographing models is your preference, follow the link above. If you prefer attending the many lectures of the world famous camera college then see all the details at http://www.neccc.org/New_Outline_13.htm. There is something for every photographer so be sure you are registered. If you still must register you can do so by clicking on he on the On-Line Registration button displayed at the top of page.

Photographing Hot Air Balloons

As all of you should know by now, this year's Summer Conference will feature hot air balloons. On Saturday evening there will be a balloon inflation and tethered glow and on Sunday morning there will be a balloon ascention or tether. Both events are, of course, weather permitting. The Saturday evening event will begin at approximately 6 p.m. and last until dusk and the Sunday morning event will be at approximately 6 a.m.

To help you in your photography at the Conference Hazel Meredith, MNEC, (also one of the instructors at this year's conference) found three web sites with how-to-do-it articles on balloon photography:

• http://www.apogeephoto.com/aug2009/along82009.shtml
• http://www.betterphoto.com/article.asp?id=7
• http://www.balloonlife.com/publications/balloon_life/9702/photo.htm

For additional information on the Conference, be sure to visit www.NECCC.org. If you haven't yet registered there is still time. This year's Conference promises to be an awesome event so don't miss it.

The 2011 Ocean State International Now Accepting Entries

The Photographic Society of Rhode Island has announced that they are now accepting entries for the Ocean State International Exhibition. This is one of two salons operated in New England by NECCC member clubs. This salon is recognized by the Color Projected Image Division (CPID) and is a dual projection exhibition meaning that you can enter digital images or 35 mm slides, but not both. The closing date is October 29, 2011.

There are a few rule changes from previous years. Paper catalogs will no longer be mailed; only a full color digital catalog will be distributed by e-mail. All digital entries must be entered using the very easy to use PSA operated upload web site linked to from their web site. To promote camera club participation they are offering a lower fee for club members in groups of six or more from the same club. Entry fees are paid using PayPal.

Go to http://www.psri.us/os-exhibition/ose-2011/ for more information.

Have a GREAT Fourth of July

Today is a day for lots of celebrations, picnics, and photographing fireworks. It is also a reminder to photographers in New England that the annual Summer Conference is less than two weeks away. If you haven't registered yet, do it immediately. Go to http://www.neccc.org/New_Outline_13.htm for all the details on the Conference as well as a link to the on-line registration site. This year's program looks awesome, a do not miss event.

If you plan to enter the Conference digital image competition, just a reminder that you must e-mail your entry to necccdigitalcomp@verizon.net by Sunday, July 10, 2011, or you will have to pay a $20 late fee. You are permitted to enter two images, one in the Open section and one in the Nature section. Go to http://www.neccc.org/New_Digital_Competition.htm for all the details.

If you are registered, now is the time to download the Conference schedule in either PDF or Excel format and plan your weekend. The schedule shows the times of all events and allows you to pick those events you do not want to miss. Click on one of the bottom two buttons at the top of the page at http://www.neccc.org/New_Outline_13.htm for your copy of the schedule.

Fall Workshop in the White Mountains

Adam Jones assisted by Robyn Bright will be running a workshop entitled White Mountains Fall Splendor, N. H. from October 5-9, 2011. They are teaming up to offer a great photo experience in one of the most beautiful locations in North America for autumn foliage.  The group will create stunning images along the Kancamagus Highway, up north to Franconia Notch, and Conway, exploring creativity among the leaves, rivers, waterfalls, ponds, and covered bridges.  This workshop is for all skill levels and does require some light walking. Fall in the White Mountains is truly a photographer’s paradise, offering colorful landscapes and countless opportunities to explore small details. This workshop is scheduled to offer the best all around opportunities the fall season has to offer.

This workshop features two instructors who know the White Mountains well and enjoy teaching. The headquarters for the workshop will be the Kancamagus Motor Lodge, in Lincoln, N.H. It has a space large enough for critiques, reviewing new images, and lessons when the light is not suitable for great images.

The group is limited to 12 persons and the workshop fee is $899 per person. This is for the workshop only; food, lodging, and transportation are not included. A $500 deposit check payable to Adam Jones is required to confirm your reservation which should be mailed to Adam Jones, 6814 Clore Lake Road, Crestwood, KY 40014. For more information e-mail adam@adamjonesphoto.com.

Canon at the Summer Conference

The Conference committee has just received additional details on Canon's participation in the Summer Conference. They will be providing a printer to print participants images and have scheduled several very interesting presentations.

Printer
Canon has announced they will have a printer available at their table to make prints for conference attendees. If you wish to  take advantage of this offer, please bring one or two images to the conference  on a CD or Thumb Drive in JPEG or Tiff Format and visit Canon in the Campus  Center vendors area on the first floor at the bottom of the  escalator.

Presentations
In addition they have confirmed that they will be presenting the following lectures during the Conference:

Saturday, 10am, CC917
Intro to the Theory and Operation of Canon Speedlights
Presenters: Michael Sheras and Paul McAniff
They will discuss how flash itself works and how ETTL flash works. They will go over the features of the Canon EX Speedlights and how to set the flash and camera to get the most from your flash system. They will also cover basic multiple flash operation and how to set your EX Speedlights correctly. They will also discuss several common flash problems and how to solve them.


Saturday, 2pm, CC163
Intro to HDSLR Video
Presenter Diana Bowe
Diana will give an overview of the Canon HDSLR Video system and will cover the basics of how to shoot video, as well as some tips and tricks of how to setup the camera and the basics of how to edit the footage.  Diana will show you how the Pros in Hollywood are using the Canon cameras to shoot for major production in both Television and the Motion Picture Industry.

Sunday, 10 am, CC917
Canon Q and A
Presenters: Diana Bowe, Paul McAniff, Michael Sheras
Representatives will discuss the newest Canon products and answer your questions.