FSSP Camera Club: February 2017 Meeting Notes

The February meeting was chaired by President Geri Fenton.

A big Welcome! to:

· Don - who found us on the Internet

· Tanya – who is new to photography so pretty much likes to shoot everything. She loves being outside and even captured an owl just 3 weeks ago!

Photo Requests

Current photos are needed to for social media posts - can be anything from a park or trail – cute animals, pretty scenery, and people having fun – be sure to include the name of the park or trail.

· Minnesota State Parks and Trails – submit to Deborah.Locke@state.mn.us or post directly to their Facebook page. Be sure to include the location.

· DNR – submit through Facebook. Include specific park/forest/location.

Donations - We are happy to report that our club was able to donate an additional $15.55 to the park’s gift account!

Nature Notes from Krista Jensen – FSSP Lead Park Naturalist

How many turkeys did you see on your last visit to Fort Snelling State Park? Could you tell the difference between the males (adult males are called toms and juveniles are jakes) and the females (adults females are called hens and juveniles are jennies). It’s easy to tell which turkeys are male when they’re displaying (showing off their tail feathers) but when they’re not strutting around it can be a little more difficult. The males have very colorful pink and red bald heads while females are a muted greyish blue bald head. You can also look for a beard on the males! There beard is a plume of feathers hanging from their chests (it reminds me of a neck tie). So, look for these two characteristics the next time you’re in the park and you may start to notice some other differences between males and females too!

Volunteer Opportunities

Send me an email at Krista.Jensen@state.mn.us if you are interested, or what more information, about any of these opportunities.

· Maple syrup training: Tuesday, February 14, 10 am- 12 pm
March is just around the corner and our attention will turn to the maple trees. Join us for a morning session and learn more about how you can assist park naturalists with our maple syrup programs. Tasks include weekend program assistance, sap collection (weekday and weekend opportunities), and sap cooking (weekday and weekend opportunities). RSVP to Krista at krista.jensen@state.mn.us or by calling 612-725-2731.

· Minnesota Master Naturalist Big Woods Big Rivers course at Fort Snelling State Park
Wednesdays, March 15- April 29 (9 am- 2:30 pm). Starting mid-March I will be co-teaching a course with National Park Service staff and U of M extension staff at Fort Snelling State Park. If you’ve ever thought about becoming a Master Naturalist here’s an opportunity to check out http://www.minnesotamasternaturalist.org/courses/register/?courseId=647

January Presenter: Dave Johnson from National Camera Exchange gave a comprehensive talk on “What’s New and Photo Trends”. We will be posting his presentation on our blog. Dave is very knowledgeable and willing to answer any question – he even gave us his cell phone number – it is 612-759-3921. Some tips from Dave include:

· You can grab stills from 4k video and print up to a 16x20 print

· Consider renting before buying, or renting instead of buying for the really expensive items

· Use auto ISO for sports and wildlife, especially when outdoors going between shade and sun

· For HDR, take 5 photos (1/2-1 stop difference) then choose just the best 3 or 4 to blend

· Everyone should color calibrate their monitors

Dave also shared some good spots for shooting city skylines (our Challenge topic for March):

· Broadway Bridge (not safe to go alone - go with friends)

· High Bridge, morning best

· Stone Arch Bridge

· Indian mounds Park

· West side of Lake Calhoun

· Theodore Wirth Golf Couse, 3^rd hole at sunset

· Mendota Bridge

· St. Anthony Falls, morning

· Harriet Island

· Franklin Avenue Bridge (not safe to go alone - go with friends)

Broadway Bridge Outing - February 18^th. Dave Johnson from National Camera Exchange agreed to host a field trip to the Broadway Bridge to capture the Minneapolis skyline! We'll meet on the bridge around 5pm. Park at Broadway Pizza (you can see the bridge from the parking lot) and we'll shoot until about 6:30pm, then have a pizza dinner. Recommended gear: 35mm/full frame (50mm crop equivalent), tripod, cable release, flashlight, and warm clothes (it can be windy on the bridge).

Challenge topic for February was “Close to Home”. Check out the album to see all our fun photos. The March topic is “Local Cityscapes” – city images and skylines from around the Twin Cities. To upload your photos to Google Photos albums, click on the link you received in your email, then click the box with the plus sign on the upper right side, then click "select from computer". Please re-size files to 500kb or smaller before uploading. There is a limit of 5 photos per person.

Spring Break – This annual photo event put on by the Twin Cities Area Council of Camera Clubs (TCACCC) will be held March 25 at the Rosemount Dakota County Technical College. Cost is just $40 for all day. Registration Includes: A Full Day of Programs, Lunch, Coffee Breaks, Photo Vendors, Special Events, and the 2017 Interclub Awards. There will be 3-4 sessions to choose from – watch the TCACCC under upcoming events for updated info. Members present at the January FSSPCC meeting voted not to submit photos as a group for the Spring Break competition. Individuals are invited and encouraged to submit – details can be found at the TCACCC website under competitions. Deadline to enter is Feb 5.

UPCOMING EVENTS

· Saturday, February 18^th at 5pm – Broadway Bridge Outing (see above)

· Saturday, March 4^th at 9:00am – Next FSSPCC meeting at TC Savage Visitor Center.

o Challenge: Local Cityscapes (see above)

· Presentation: Judy’s friend, Steve Schmalowsky – “Shoot and Move”

· March 25 – Spring Break Event in Rosemount

· South Dakota Trip May 20^th for 2 nights in Wall, then to Rapid City until you want to leave.

· TBD – Geri to tally up the next field trip survey responses and will let us know at the meeting.

· TBD July 2017 – Lake Shetek State Park. See Geri’s review of the park on our blog.

Please use our blog! If you weren’t aware, FSSPCC has a blog – see it here and take a look at some of the recent posts. You are all invited to post photos or stories, especially flora, fauna or events from the park, club events, travelogues, or just nature in general. The blog is easy to use, but you first need to be granted access by emailing the club (email address below). You can set it so you automatically get notified whenever there is a new posting. Meeting notes are posted on the blog, too.

Join our Facebook group page! Search for FSSP Camera Club or click the link below. Once you are approved to join the group, you are welcome to start posting!

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-Submitted by Patti Deters, FSSP Camera Club 2017 Secretary

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2017 Executive Committee

-Geri Fenton – President

-Endel Kallas – Vice President

-Judy Collopy – Treasurer

-Rose Shea – Twin Cities Area Council of Camera Clubs (TCACCC) Representative

-Patti Deters – Secretary

-John Plut – Event Planner

-Deb Johnson – Webmaster

-János McGhie – IT Guru / Help Desk