Every week we will feature an image from a current OSCC member from the club’s Flickr group. This week we are starting with Randy O’Hara’s image of the Canadian Coast Guard Ice Breaker, the Judy Lamarsh, as it sits docked in the local harbour in Owen Sound during some rather inclement weather.
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
All I can say is “Wow!” Last night was the first meeting of the 2014-15 season and boy, did we have a crowd on hand. Some folks had to stand (we apologize, and thank you for sticking it out) and I don’t recall that ever happening before.
First of all I’d like to say a big “Thank you” to all of those who were in attendance. We had most of last year’s membership body on hand as well as a host of new faces, some of whom are now new members. That is awesome! I’d like to see the membership grow more… because apparently, the numbers were quite a bit larger in the 70s, so the challenge has been accepted!
The theme for this meeting was “High Key – Low Key” and some folks found it a little challenging while others had a good grasp of the concept. But that’s what the club is all about – learning. I admit, it wasn’t the easiest of themes, but sometimes facing a challenge in photography is the best way to master the concept presented. The theme for October’s meeting is “Silhouettes” and shouldn’t be as difficult to master, but might challenge one’s creativity, mine included.
Something new that was introduced to the club was the idea of implementing mobile photography into the club’s curriculum. There are literally millions upon millions of people globally practicing this type of work, although most of them for more social reasons than for the art of the craft. We’ll see over time how, and if, mobile photography fits into the OSCC culture.
Well, that’s about it for now. This left-brained chap can’t recall every detail of the meeting but I’ve been able to jot down some of the highlights. If you’re reading this and are within a reasonable geographical distance of Owen Sound, by all means, you are welcome to attend our next meeting on Tuesday, October 14 at 7pm.
Oh, one last thing. Tom Jenks, a member for the past seven or so years and a Past President, announced last night that he will be relocating out of the area and will not be renewing his membership. Tom has graced us over the last couple of years with presentations from trips to Africa and Antarctica and the photos he shared with us were truly amazing. We wish Tom the best is his future endeavours and continued success in his photographic ventures. Thank you Tom for your company, your wit, your wisdom, and your wonderful imagery. We hope to see you someday down the road.
Greg McMillan,
President of the Owen Sound Camera Club
As mentioned in our last post about the June Social, we had a photographic “Scavenger Hunt” organized by Lynn Reket. The results are highlighted in the following YouTube video.
Today the club got together for a photo scavenger hunt and a barbecue. We had a pretty good turn out with almost twenty members in attendance including Peter and Christine Finnie from Tottenham. Peter has become a good friend of the club since his speaking engagement with us in April.
I’d like to thank Lynn Reket for organizing the scavenger hunt and a big thanks to Maureen Elliott for hosting the gathering and BBQ where we presented and discussed the images we took in the “hunt”. And finally, thanks to Randy O’hara for taking charge of cooking the burgers and hot dogs, and to all those who brought salads, snacks and desserts to make the feast a delicious one.
The scavenger hunt was comprised of five categories: Depth of Field/Visual Mass, Negative Space, Rule of Thirds, Door, and Dot in Space. Each member submitted five images, one for each subject, and it as very interesting to see the various interpretations of these subject matters. The following are my (unedited, straight from the camera) selections for each category to give you an idea of how I interpret them:
Depth of Field/Visual Mass
Negative Space
Rule of Thirds
Door
Dot in Space
We have one meeting left for the 2013-2014 season where we’ll be sharing our four best photos from this season, plus there will be a “Swap Shop” where members can bring and photographic equipment we don’t want or need and maybe find that one piece of gear that we’ve been missing. That meeting is on June 10 and the public is certainly welcome.
Thanks,
Greg McMillan,
President, OSCC
Owen Sound Camera Club 