Sierra Club Camera Committee Focal Points Magazine - June 2021 by John Nilsson

FOCAL POINTS Sierra Club Camera Committee Newsletter June 2021

Focal Points Magazine

Due to current directives from The Sierra Club, we will be holding our June 10, 2021 meeting on-line. I will be contacting everyone when the time comes with instructions as to how to access via Zoom.

Contents 4. Cover Story 10. Meetings and Outings 14. Joe's How-To 20. Member Photos 74. Black and White Pages 86. Contributor's Bio's

Focal Points Magazine

100. Notes and Announcements

Published monthly by the Angeles Chapter Sierra Club Camera Committee, John Nilsson, Editor.

108. Photo of the Month

Questions and comments can be directed to John at 213-266-2224

109. Parting Shot

Notes from the Chairman Got Some “Secret” Photos Laying Around? We all love to take great photos. But... It’s an uncomfortable fact that if all these great photos we take just remain on our hard drives, or in a shoe box somewhere, they are “secret photos” that really don’t exist! I need your “secret photos” for the Sierra Club Story Photo Database. I’m certain you have a couple of great shots that will tell the visual story when published with a Sierra Club sponsored article or post. We have many articles and posts being created by Sierra Club Content creation volunteers that need your photos.

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time.

Why don’t you take a minute to review the spreadsheet I’ve provided on page 67 of this Focal Points Magazine. Use your imagination. Do you have any photos that might be used to tell the story of any of the categories listed? If so, please contact me to discuss. If you send me your “secret photos” and they are used in a Sierra Club Publication, they are not “secret” any more. And, when published, you will receive credit and...... a little immortality. Isn’t this why we take all these photos after all? 3

Cover Story Story and Photos by Phil Witt Snow Geese spectacular

ost of our top ten nature experience have been what one might expect—elephants in Botswana, wildlife close ups in the Galapagos, King Penguins by the thousands on South Georgia Island, jaguars in the Brazilian Pantanal, petting Gray Whales in Magdalena Bay. But one top ten experience happened just a few hours from home in nearby Pennsylvania. In March, my wife and I were going stir crazy, having been barely beyond the gates of our community in a year. We were both two weeks post-vaccination, so we decided to engage in high-risk behavior. We booked a room in a hotel in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch country, so that we could stay overnight to visit Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, just a few miles away. Middle Creek WMA is a series of freshwater impoundments surrounded by fields in which corn and other crops are managed for wildfowl. The refuge is a stopover for Sandhill Cranes, ducks, and the star of the show—Snow Geese. In late February-early March every year tens of thousands of Snow Geese stop at Middle Creek on their way north from their East Coast wintering grounds to their nesting grounds in the northern US or Canada. 4

When we arrived at the refuge in the afternoon, the large cornfield next to the road was completely full with many thousands of Snow Geese, feeding in the field. Soon we were treated to a spectacle like none we had ever seen—thousands upon thousands of Snow Geese rising up en masse in a white storm, filling the sky with white and filling our ears with the enormous sound of beating wings and calling birds. It was, in a word, amazing.

The next morning we returned to the refuge for the sunrise. We walked to the water’s edge on a point of land extending out into the lake, where perhaps 500 other spectators and photographers had gathered. As the sun rose, the Snow Geese—now all sleeping on the lake overnight—lifted off the water, backlit by the sun, another beautiful sight. We’re looking forward to the return of the geese next March.

Meetings and Outings

Sierra Club Camera Committee --

June 10, 2021 Meeting

Zoom Link

Where:

In the comfort of your own home via Zoom

Provided before the Presentation See You There!

When: 7:00 PM

What:

The Zoom platform has recently been upgraded to provide high security and ease of operation. Be certain to download or upgrade to the latest vesion before the presentation!

An Evening with Robert OToole 10

An Evening with

Robert OToole

is a multi-award-winning wildlife photographer with 15 years’ experience working in more than 25 countries around the world. He is the Editor of Robert OToolePhotography. com and has been writing on the site since 2008. As a full time professional nature photographer specializing in wildlife he has spent the last 15 years traveling all over the world shooting and helping others grow photographically through his tours, image presentations and workshops. If you are interested in a custom tour or training, please do contact Robert. To see his wildlife photography work and find out more about his photo tours see his main photography site: www.Robert OToolePhotography.com and his Photomacrography site: www.Closeuphotography.com Experience gained from more than a decade shooting both Canon and Nikon systems professionally puts Robert in a position to offer a depth and

level of advice and instruction that is just not available with anyone else in the industry. For more than ten years Robert utilized the services of NPS, Nikon Professional Services, and CPS, Canon Professional Services. Some of his favorite images can be seen in various publications, most recently in Alaska Magazine, Bloomberg Weekly and an award in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Through his work Robert hopes to inspire people to appreciate, enjoy, and take action to protect the natural environment. A bit more about Robert: he is currently based in Los Angeles and when not shooting or scouting new locations he enjoys a passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a brown belt, training and teaching 5 days a week.

Joe’s How-to

Joe’s How-To

Getting out of a rut

a strong shape, and can frame a distant object and imply depth in the photograph. If you have a strong distant object (like Half Dome) and want to give it a sense of place, put a tree-trunk on the left side. You’ll thank me later.

by Joe Doherty

Everybody gets in a rut, a creatively narrow space that is so deeply worn into your psyche that all you can see are the walls closing you in. Sometimes it’s fine to be in that state, even healthy. I use the time to get something else done, and I know from experience that I’ll eventually find my way back to photography. But that’s not always convenient or healthy. Did you just pay $8,000 for a once-in-a-lifetime weeklong workshop in a faraway place? That’s not the time to be in a rut, it’s the time to climb your way out. I have found myself in a rut in some spectacular places: Yosemite, Yellowstone, Ghost Ranch, Ireland. The problem is never the place or the light, it’s my inability or unwillingness to emotionally engage with the world around me. Imagine seeing a magnificent sunset in the Owens Valley and saying, “Again?” Fortunately I have some tools to fall back on when I’m tired of hearing myself whine. Each of these tools is easy to implement, which makes them a good place to start when the rut starts swallowing you. I present these in no particular order. Pick a composition and try to find it. When I’m in the field I’ll see something interesting and try to find a way to make a composition that emphasizes the things that attract me. And when I’m in a rut I work backward. I think of the composition first, and then look for it in the landscape. The three compositions I use the most are Lshaped, O-shaped, and X-shaped (LOX). L-shapes are everywhere: a treetrunk with a shadow, a waterfall with a splash, a downspout with a sidewalk. It’s 14

O-shapes aren’t as ubiquitous as Ls, but they are pretty common. Full moon? That’s an O-shape. Puddle of water? That may be an O-shape. Rear-view mirror on a 1965 Ford Mustang? That’s definitely an O-shape. Placed dead center above an object it’s an Enso. Placed to the side it’s a spotlight. Placed in the foreground it brings unity. Find the O and work it. 14

Editor’s Note:

A new section for Focal Points Magazine! Each month our esteemed Member Joe Doherty will be writing various columns on how to do this and that. It’s time to learn something new... Near-Far is just that, a wide-angle technique that puts both near and far objects in the same frame. Look for something small that you find interesting. A small patch of wildflowers will do nicely, or a rock formation, or petroglyphs, nearly anything that requires you to get close to photograph it. Then move around it to find something in the background worthy of the foreground. Use your wide angle to include them both, and play with depth of field. The fun thing about near-far is that there are so many variations it’s impossible to get bored once you start.

X-shapes are difficult to find and deal with, but can be very rewarding. It’s important to be sensitive to the shadows as well as the light, as dark spaces can be combined with light spaces to form the X. An X composition will draw the viewer to the center, and from the center you can move attention in whichever way you want.

Isolate a color, and try to make it pop. I’ve been in places where a bad night’s sleep and a long day’s driving make me less than eager to pull out my camera. Even after putting it on the tripod I still don’t want to shoot anything. And then I see a flicker of color, and make a photo all about that color. It doesn’t mean a close-up, or that the color will fill the frame, only that I will give that object, colored just so, a weight and luminosity that makes it the most important thing in the frame. 15

Change your subject. On an expensive workshop you’re pretty much guaranteed to get outstanding photographs. African safari? You’ll get lions, leopards, maybe an elephant or two. Iceland? Volcanoes, crystal ice on a black beach, and a beautiful waterfall. If you take those trips and don’t come back with those photos people might wonder why you paid so much. But it’s possible to take those photos and do something new. For instance, almost anyone can shoot a Grand Canyon sunset, but I’d love to see a workshop come back with first-person photos of the members exhilarated during the ride through rapids.

Change your lens, and change your view. On our recent trip to shoot dogwoods in Yosemite, Velda swapped out her 28-300 “Streetsweeper” for her 17-35 wide angle zoom. The change altered her physical relationship to her subject because she had to get closer to the blooms, and it made for a very successful morning. Similarly, putting on a macro and crawling on the ground investigating the lower 12 inches of a forest can be very rewarding. Or mounting a lens backward (it can be done) and trying to make creative sense of the mess in your viewfinder. 16

Change the format on your camera. I recently made a mistake and discovered (later) that I’d switched the format on my camera from FX to DX. This was no big deal, since they follow the same 1.5:1 ratio. 16

But in the process I discovered that my camera (a Nikon D850) will also allow me to prespecify square and 4:3 formats. So I recently spent the day in a botanical garden shooting in the square format as much as possible. It requires a different look at the relationship of objects within a frame, and made me nostalgic for the film days.

Change your stance and change your framing. If you’ve walked through a forest enough times you’ll know what to expect around the every turn. But if you crawled the whole way, or wore five-foot stilts, you would experience and see a different forest, and have different photographic ideas. So get low to the ground and shoot up on a mushroom and into the canopy. Or climb on a rock and see how the creek meanders through the adjacent meadow. Having the tools to overcome a creative block, especially the tool of patience, can be the difference between staying in photography and giving up. Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of patience, though, especially when the clock is ticking on a vacation or workshop. The pressure to produce something, anything, makes the whole process of creating photographs seem more burdensome than it’s worth. That’s when it’s good to have some tools to fall back on, to be able to say to yourself, “I don’t care what I produce, I’m just going to spend the next day shooting circles,” and “You guys go shoot the lions, these caterpillars are fascinating.” 17

This Month’s Member Photos

GOSLINGS

CINNAMON TEALS

BABIES

OWL 22

LETS 23

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Views of the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County.

Bee on Rabbit Brush, San Gabriel Mountains

Bees

Bee on Rose, Huntington Botanical Gardens

Basil Katsaros

Duck Deco

Life during lockdown as a result of COVID-19 has caused many photographers to usual haunts to find those photographs that give us an adrenaline fix. In search of som my basement or on the dining room table. After a purchase of a strobe light, a 2’X 3’ so curve with Photoshop, learning lighting, choosing props, taking a photo and adding a

Several experimental setups showed me I knew less about PhotoShop and then p result is the photo featured herein.

The decoys are mine. The left image is male Mallard, the middle is a pair of Pint do not know carving, a competition carving is placed in water and must float to the sam Thus, the carver must be very precise in his final work product.

Many still life photos are stand alone; however, they can be placed in a grid of th took the three images, added a background texture, placed borders, etc. Then sent to A then suggested changes to my triptych resulting in the final image you see here - a coll If you are still looking at lockdown, try still life. It has opened a whole new worl

oy Triptych

o seek ways to satisfy their needs for a pixel fix. We could not go outside with our mething to do, I discovered a still life masterclass. It seemed something I could do in oftbox and stand, plus a trigger to control the strobe, I was underway. A new learning background texture or making a composite, my head was spinning.

pestered friends for critique and advice, especially SCCC member Allen Johnson. One

tails. The right image is a hen Wood duck that is competition carved. For those that me level as a live duck and be stable. It must shed water, also the same as a live duck.

hree, six, nine…whatever. A grouping of three is called a triptych. In the photo here, I Allen for a critique, only to receive a thumbs down. Talk about a damaged ego! Allen laborative effort and I am very pleased with the result. Thank you Allen!

ld for me beyond landscape and wildlife.

Greetings from Addis Ababa

Rights Reserved

In early May we spent a few days in Yosemite to photograph the d trees blooming in the Valley. It was surprisingly uncrowded. On our way through Oakhurst we stopped by Gallery Row to see the Yosemite Renais show. There are some magnificent pieces in there. © 2020 JW Doherty, All Rights Reserved

DO WE

Dogwood blossoms in Nelder Grove. The Mono Winds had blown down a lot of trees in this area and most of the roads were impassable, but we were able to get within about one-half mile of the Nelder Grove Campground.

dogwood y home ssance

JW Doherty

A late afternoon respite by the Merced River.

Dogwoods and redbud along the Merced River.

Sunrise bursts through the trees on the far shore of the Merced River.

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

John Nilsson

MAY 2015

These things have become ubiquitous throughout the western US where I have been traveling of late. Some farmers in Oregon and Washington are living off their wind farms instead of their farm farms....

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Windmills

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Carole Scurlock

“I had the opportunity to join a Colorado River rafting & photography trip with Visionary Wild, April 26-May 5, 2021. We put in at Lee’s Ferry and ended our trip at Diamond Creek, 226 miles later. The outfitter was AZRA and the trip leaders were Justin Black and Jerry Dodrill. To see more images from the trip: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cscurlock/albums/72157719179725125/with/51166954360/“

Four of the literally hundreds of rock arches in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.

John Clement

Northwest Drylands Wanderings

Late April and May can bring some interesting weather to our drylands region here in Eastern Wa. and Oregon. We’re officially in a drought like California but not as severe as we have had a good snow pack in the Mtns and our irrigation water supplies most all our farmers. Spring stormy weather has been very minimal this year. In eastern Oregon prospecting our location was one of the few areas that had some wonderful spring blooms. The Elkhorn Mtns make a wonderful backdrop for a lot of photographic situations in the Baker Valley. The Horse Heaven Hills out my back door provide a variety of quick locations to photograph dramatic skies and open farm lands. So enjoy some of my views from paint cans to dramatic light and skies. Camera used-Olympus OMD EM1 Mark III lens F2.8 12-40mm

Above: Two Minutes from Home - the sunsets can be pretty amazing looking up the Yakima Valley from my place. The top of Mt. Rainier is visible on a clear day. Top Right: Blue on Blue-Flax field near my home. They only open during the mid morning to early afternoon, so dramatic morning or evening light on the flowers is a challenge. Bottom Right: Lupine Skies-about 10 minutes from my house McBee Grade takes you up almost 500’ to where we had a few flowers blooming with dramatic evening clouds.

Top Left: Hamilton Ranch Light- spring squalls across the Horse Heavens provide dramatic light a short drive from my house. Bottom Left: Spring out my Back Door- my next door neighbor had some balsam root blooming and my neighbor across the canyon makes some amazing wines with his little vineyard. Morning 5:30 am Above: Aurora Alert-from the top of McBee Grade you are high enough to occasionally see auroras when they are strong enough up north.

Top: Morning Light on the Powder River- the moon setting over the Elkhorn Mountains in morning alpenglow light. Bottom: Prospectors Bouquet- working on 45-65 degree slopes digging jade green agate and opal these tricolored lupine and balsam root provided some visual relief from our treacherous location.

Top: Purple Sage and Sun Rays- a 20 min. drive to one of my favorite locations on the Columbia River across from Richland Wa. Bottom: Split Rail Sunrise-prospecting in eastern Oregon with my brother Tom always provides some photo opportunities heading to and from our remote locations.

65 65

Super Flower Blood Moon

The Sierra Club Story Photo Database As many of you know, we have been putting together a database of “Story” photos that we can use to tell a story or reinforce the message of articles, blog posts, instagram posts, and emails composed by the Sierra Club Communications Staff for publication in Sierra Club publications world wide. We have made great progress with this database but we still need a number of photos to fill our needs. Do you have anything in your photo files that could help us? Here’s what we need: SCCC PHOTO DATABASE (AS OF 4/21/2021)Goal is 30 photos per category) Currently Have Photos Alternate Transportation 22 Bicycles in the city 15 Clean Air 5 Clean Water 11 Close the Englewood Oil Field 14 Drought 6 Electric Cars and Trucks 8 Green Construction 5 Ground Water Replacement 8 Hiking 39 Homeless 31 Oil and Gas - Leave it in the ground 23 Plant more trees 13 Plastic Polution 37 Public Transportation 7 Recycling 0 Renewable Energy 29 Revitalize the LA River 9 Sierra Club Outings 12 Urban Farming 7 Volunteering 15 Wetlands Protection 14 Wild Fires 87 Bees 20 Zero Waste 30

Need Photos 8 15 25 19 16 24 22 25 22 0 0 7 17 0 23 30 1 21 18 23 15 16 0 10 30

If you think you have photos that can tell the story of any of the Categories above, I’d like to see them. If used from the database, you will receive credit for your work. Many of you have already contributed to the database and have been published over the last year. Please contact me to discuss: 1-213-266-2224. Thanks! 67

Great Blue Heron

With Covid arms, masks in new Olympus ca backpacks, my ventured out of N first time in over Hook National W tects one of the expanses of tidal mid-Atlantic regi the eastern coas Delaware, on De refuge is a 2 ½ ho home making it i cation.

The refuge but also include poundments and that are manage life. A wide varie be seen and ph the wildlife drive trails.

Using our n eras was a chall able capture a fe EM-1 Mark iii an than our Canon incredible array provide a rewar ence (once you them). Great Blue Heron and Great Egret 68

Visiting Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge David DesRochers

d vaccines in our our pockets and amera gear in our wife Cathy and I New Jersey for the r a year. Bombay Wildlife Refuge prolargest remaining l salt marsh in the ion. Located along st of Kent County, elaware Bay, this our drive from our ideal for a mini va-

e is mostly marsh, es freshwater imd upland habitats ed for other wildety of wildlife can hotographed from e and short hiking

Common Yellowthroat

new Olympus camlenge but we were ew keepers. The nd lens are lighter gear and offer an y of features that rding user experilearn how to use Immature Bald Eagle

Great Egrets

Eastern Cottontail 70

Great Egret

Eastern Kingbird

Black and White Black The The Black and & White Pages White Pages

JW Doherty Yosemite

An Oak Filtered Sunrise over Bridalveil Fall

Nikon D850 16-35mm f/4.0 @16mm 1/13 @ f/16 ISO 100

Dogwood Faeries near Happy Isles. JW Doherty Nikon D850 TAmron SP 70-200 @ 200 f/11, 1/50, ISO 200

Moonrise over Bridalveil Fall. JW Doherty Nikon D850 Tamron SP 70-200 @ 70mm f8 @1/80, ISO 100

The Santa Rosa Plateau Preserve in Riverside County

John Fisanotti

Nikon D700 24 mm F/2.8 1/500 @ f/9.5, ISO 200

Eastern Columbia

Downtown LA John Nilsson

Leica M10-Monochrome 90mm Macro-Elmar-M 1:4/90 ISO 160 1/500@90mm, f/5.6 ISO 160

From the Series: “Looking Up”

Addis Ababa Bob Beresh

Camera Information Unavailable

Contributor Bios Contributor Contributor Bios Bios

Steve Anderson

John Clement

Steve worked primarily in the conventional

John began his career in photography in the early 70’s after graduating from Central Washington University with a double major in Geology and Geography. Since then he has earned a Masters of Photography from the Professional Photographers of America. He has received over 65 regional, national and international awards for his pictorial and commercial work. His photographs grace the walls of many businesses in the Northwest and has been published in numerous calendars and coffee table books. He has provided photographs for Country Music Magazine and for Northwest Travel Magazine. He has supplied murals for the Seattle Seahawks Stadium and images for The Carousel of Dreams in Kennewick, WA. Current projects include 17 – 4x8 foot glass panels featuring his landscapes in Eastern Washington for the Pasco Airport Remodel. Last year he finished a major project for the Othello Medical Clinic where almost 200 images were used to decorate the facilities ranging in size from 24” to 35’ in size. His work can be viewd at:

medium of Black and White silver-based photography for many years as he explored the natural landscape of the local San Gabriel Mountains and his beloved High Sierra in California. In the last 20 years he has engaged in digital photography as it has opened up new avenues and excitement about making images of the natural scene. His interest in photography began in junior high school when he developed his first roll of film from a Kodak Brownie camera. He became very interested in combining photography and traveling adventures as a member of the Highlanders, a mountaineering club at Pasadena City College. His work turned more serious during military service as the landscape became his focus of attention. Steve’s interest in the environmental movement, starting in his college days, led him to actively seek ways of using his photography to help in a personally significant way. He joined the Mono Lake Committee 40 years ago and has been an active leader in the Sierra Club since 1981. He served as the chairperson of the Camera Committee of the Angeles Chapter for 5 years.

www.johnclementgallery.com John Clement Photography Face Book Professional page The Kiona Winery in Benton City, and at Allied Arts Gallery in Richland, WA.

Steve’s images have appeared in Sierra, the Southern Sierran, Images of the West, A Portrait of Bodie, and the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Schedule of Activities. Some of his monochrome images were significant contributions to help save Mono Lake. He has had work shown in a number of local galleries. Steve was the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Artist in Residence in 2015. Steve has published four photography books that are available through Blurb.com. “My images sum up my feelings about the grandeur of nature. It is never just one thing that touches me when I try to capture a moment, but always a vast array of emotional and photographic textures. Most of my images are therefore complex and detailed.” Email: sandersonimagery@outlook.com Viewingwebsite:www.pbase.com/spanderson 86

JW Doherty

John Fisanotti

Joe Doherty grew up in Los Angeles and developed his first roll of film in 1972. He has been a visual communicator ever since. He spent his teens and twenties working in photography, most of it behind a camera as a freelance editorial shooter. He switched careers when his son was born, earning a PhD in political science from UCLA specializing in American politics and research methods. This led to an opportunity to run a research center and teach at UCLA Law, where he became best known as an empirical bankruptcy scholar. After retiring from UCLA in 2016 he continued to consult, but now he and his wife Velda Ruddock spend much of their time in the field, across the West, capturing the landscape.

As a youth, John’s interest in photography stemmed from an interest in astronomy. His first photos were attempts to photograph the night sky using a folding Kodak camera, that once belonged to an uncle. Later, John used a 35mm rangefinder camera to photograph nature, particularly the San Gabriel Mountains above his home in La Crescenta. After high school, John sold his telescope to purchase a 35mm SLR camera outfit. John was a photography major in his first three years of college. He has used 35mm, 2-1/4 medium format and 4x5 view cameras. John expected to be a commercial photographer. His personal work leaned heavily to shooting landscapes and outdoors. In 1977 John changed majors. After graduating from California State University Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Studies in 1979, John’s first post job college was in a commercial photo laboratory. In 1980, he pivoted from photography and began his 32-year career in public service. John worked for four Southern California cities in city planning, community development and redevelopment, and concluded his career as a Project Manager for the Culver City Redevelopment Agency. During these decades, he continued to shoot outdoor scenic images whenever possible. After retiring from public service in 2012, John has pursued his astronomical and photographic interests. Beginning in 2013, John has been a telescope operator for the 60" reflector telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory. And John has increased his photographic portfolio concentrating on outdoors, landscape, travel and astronomical images. Beginning in 2018, he has expanded his repertoire to include architectural and real estate photography. Occasionally, John has been fortunate to have photographs selected for various exhibitions or publications. He currently shoots with Nikon DSLR cameras. John’s photographic websites: Landscape, Travel and Astronomical images http://www.johnfisanottiphotography.com; Architectural and Real Estate photography are at http://www.architecturalphotosbyfisanotti.com. Contact John at either jfisanotti@sbcglobal.net or fisanottifotos@gmail.com. 87

Phil Witt

Velda Ruddock

Phil Witt has been photographing nature since he got his first SLR camera in the late 70s. An avid birder, he is a volunteer at the Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary of NJ Audubon in Bernardsville, where he coleads the photography workshop series. He is currently on NJ Audubon’s Board of Directors. He is a past president of the Camera Naturalist Photo Club, and program chair of the Somerset County Camera Club. He judges photography competitions and presents instructional programs at photography clubs throughout New Jersey. He received the NJ Federation of Camera Club’s 2017 Citation for service to photography in the state.

Creativity has always been important to me. I received my first Brownie camera for my twelfth birthday and I can’t remember a time I’ve been without a camera close at hand. I studied the social sciences and art, and later earned a Masters degree in Information and Library Science degree. All of my jobs allowed me to be creative, entrepreneurial, and innovative. For the last 22 years of my research career I was Director of Intelligence for a global advertising and marketing agency. TBWA\ Chiat\Day helped clients such as Apple, Nissan, Pepsi, Gatorade, Energizer, and many more, and I was considered a leader in my field.

He and his wife enjoy traveling the world for photography--Antarctica, the Galapagos, Tanzania, Iceland, Costa Rica, among others.

During our time off, my husband, Joe Doherty and I would travel, photographing family, events and locations. However, in 2011 we traveled to the Eastern Sierra for the fall colors, and although we didn’t realize it at the time, when the sun came up over Lake Sabrina, it was the start of change in our careers.

When not birding or photographing, he is a (mostly retired) forensic psychologist, specializing in legal cases and court testimony. https://philwitt.smugmug.com

By 2016 we had both left our “day jobs,” and we started traveling – and shooting nature – big and small – extensively. Our four-wheel drive popup camper allowed us to go to areas a regular car can’t go and we were – and are – always looking for our next adventure.

Susan Manley

Paul Reinstein

Susan Manley has more than 35 years experience as a photographer. Her career consisted mainly working in a Communications Department writing and shooting a wide variety of public relations and photojournalism photos. Since she retired approximately ten years ago, she switched her focus onto nature photography including landscapes and wildlife in America.

I have two lifelong hobbies; photography and fine woodworking. My father fostered both those interests. At 14, right before I went on a 1 week backpacking trip around Yosemite Valley with my friend Joe (16) who could drive, my father taught me the basics of using a camera on an Olympus camera that shot half frames on 35mm film. Can you imagine allowing a 14 year old to do that in today’s world? By 20, I was fully independent. In my 20s, I bought a Minolta SRT101, and I also started dabbling in woodworking as a way to have simple furniture while working my way through college (Biochemistry, UCLA). I even had a simple B&W darkroom for a while. I shot mostly landscapes. After getting my degree, I decided I didn’t like working in that field, so I went back to school, and worked my way through a masters degree (Electronics Engineering, CSULB). I spent the majority of my career at The Aerospace Corp, working mostly on electrical power systems for rockets and satellites for the Air Force, NASA and the NRO. During that time, when not working, I began focusing mostly on fine woodworking, shooting occasional snapshots. By 50, my woodshop was enviable, my wife and I were flipping homes on the side, I was a manager at work, and digital cameras reignited my interest in photography. When the music stopped in real estate, we built our own home in Mar Vista. Then, my boss, and his boss both died unexpectedly (and independently), a huge layoff was announced, and I was retired. I got my general contractor’s license, and tried that for a couple of years. I retired fully at 60, earlier than I would have imagined.

ssnmanley@Yahoo.com

By 2016, I had amassed a number of bird photos, just by happenstance, so I decided to see what I could get that number up to, just for fun. That turned out to be eminently satisfying, albeit expensive, and now I spend much of my time shooting birds locally or travelling worldwide to do so. My big birding trips so far include the Galapagos and the UK, and my list is presently up to about 350 species, and I have a small presence on Instagram and on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/preinstein54/. I’ve sold a few images upon request, several of my friends have my images on their walls, and I still dabble in woodworking, including making my own frames.

Jeff Gottesman

Wiebe Gortmaker

I first became interested in photography back in high school sometime in the last century. My father worked for many years in a professional camera store in Pittsburgh (Kadet Photo Supply) where he did the picture framing.

I am based in Boulder, Colorado and consider myself a full-time hobbyist. After retiring from the airlines, I have devoted a high percentage of my time to travel and learning photography.

I spent a few summers working in that camera store mostly doing shipping and receiving but every chance I got, I would be talking with and learning from the salesmen who knew everything about cameras and photography.

In the past few years I have moved from travel photography to primarily wildlife and landscape photography. Prior to the airlines, I spent considerable time in remote areas of Alaska and Central and South America. I am now able to revisit those places with a focus on photography.

At the end of the summer they gave me a used Pentax Spotmatic 500 and there began my love of photography. I did all the shooting and darkroom work for my high school yearbook and later as a photographer and writer for college newspapers. At the same time, I developed a love of nature and graduated college with a degree in Geology (with several electives in Photography). That was where all the environmentalists spent their time.

I have lived in Colorado since college and spent a lot of time flying, hiking, and climbing in the wild places in my back yard. With my new hobby I am looking at these places in a new way, trying to preserve the image and feelings I have of the wildlife and landscape. This process motivates me to learn and discover.

The love of nature and photography were a perfect match and after retiring from IT a few years ago (there was a career change somewhere in there) I’ve returned to those early loves and am able to spend a lot more time on photography, enjoying workshops and especially the Sierra Club trips :).

Wiebe is concentrating on his photography at this time and is not currently active on social media. He does plan to have a website together in the near future.

My photos can be seen at https://www.jeffgottesmanphotography.com/

Joyce Harlan I have always loved photography! First to document and save photos of my sons. We had little to no money for film developing in the beginning but I kept shooting. Every year my husband would ask me what I wanted for Christmas/birthday and I would always say “develop my film”!! After several years he finally did, but everything was yellow but the memories were there. From there, when I was coaching downhill skiing for Westside Special Olympics, I took photos of my athletes and created a book for each of them. The pure joy I saw on their and their family’s faces was priceless!

Allen Johnson I'm a PhD in psychology with a passion

for photography. I'm also the author of several books: a memoir on France entitled "Pardon My French" and two novels: "The Awakening" and "Spike, Benny, and Boone."

Finally, I was at Mammoth skiing with my family (grandkids!!) and we had lunch at Bergers Burgers. They had the most gorgeous landscape photos on they walls. I asked the waitress about them and she said they were by Vern Clevenger and that he often came in for lunch after skiing and she would point him out for me. She did, I asked about workshops and he said “absolutely”. That was it!! I took one workshop from him and many, many more with Mountain Light in Bishop with Jack Dykinga, John Shaw, Jerry Dodrill, David Meunch and Jeff Foote. One of the most memorable was their ten day inaugural rafting the Grand Canyon trip with Jack & Jerry. Over the years I have been blessed to travel the world with Muench Workshops (Cuba, Yukon, Mongolia, Alaska) Visionary Wild (Botswana, Kenya, Patagonia, Greenland), Aurora Expenditions (Antarctica), and Nathaniel Smalley (Iceland, Maine fall color). Photography mixed with travel has been my favorite soul food for a long, long time. And will continue to be for as long as I am able. Sadly, I am missing a trip to China in April and Uganda in June to see the gorillas. But I’ll get there as soon as it is safe again.

Butch Mazzuca

John Nilsson

I was born in Chicago IL and attended the University of Dayton. After graduation I served four and half years as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.

I have a fond memory from my early years of my father dragging me to the Denver Museum of Natural History on a winter Sunday afternoon. He had just purchased a Bosely 35mm camera and had decided he wanted desperately to photograph one of the dioramas. I distinctly remember the display was of several Seal Lions in a beautiful blue half-light of the Arctic winter that required a tricky long exposure. The transparency he showed me several weeks later was spectacular and mysterious to my young eyes. Although the demands of Medical School made this photo one of the first and last he shot, at 5 years old I was hooked.

My last official ‘work' position was President & CEO of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co-Denver. I Retired in 1999 and moved to Vail where I taught skiing, a “fundamentals of photography” class at our local community college and wrote (still do) commentary for the Vail Daily Newspaper. I Started taking pictures in 2008 when my wife Bobbi “talked me” into traveling to Africa (we returned seven more times! ) My images have been published in Shutter Bug Magazine, Sarasota Magazine, Travel Africa Magazine (5 times) and Africa Geographic (6 times including two photo essays) I consider myself a generalist although African wildlife and landscape photography are my favorites.

The arrival of the digital age brought photography back to me as a conscious endeavor - first as a pastime enjoyed with friends who were also afflicted, and then as a practitioner of real estate and architectural photography during my 40 years as a real estate broker. Since retiring and moving to Los Angeles, I have continued my hobby as a nature and landscape photographer through active membership in the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Camera Committee and my vocation as a real estate photographer through my company Oz Images LA. The camera is now a tool for adventure!

www.OzImagesLA.com dtlanow@gmail.com

David DesRochers

Larry Miller

In the summer of 2000, David traveled from New Jersey to Montana to visit Glacier National Park. With camera in hand, he attempted to capture the amazing wildlife and beautiful landscapes. Although his photos were somewhat disappointing, the experience inspired him to study the art of photography and travel the world to witness and capture the wonders of our natural world.

I bought my first SLR camera in 1985 to document hikes in the local mountains that I did with friends. My first Sierra Club Camera Committee outing was a wildflower photo shoot in the Santa Monica Mountains led by Steve Cohen in 1991. Since then the SCCC has introduced me to many other scenic destinations, including the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, the Gorman hills, Saddleback Butte State Park, East Mojave National Preserve, the Eastern and Southern Sierras, Point Reyes, the Big Sur Coast, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Tejon Ranch, and Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. At the same time, my own photography trips gradually expanded in scope over the years to include most of the western National Parks and National Monuments, with the Colorado Plateau becoming a personal favorite.

David is a member of the North American Nature Photography Association and an Associate Naturalist with The New Jersey Audubon Society. Over the past 15 years, David has shared his knowledge teaching workshops, leading tours, and writing articles. David’s photos have been recognized in several international competitions and have been published in books, magazines and on calendars. David is an accomplished public speaker and has appeared at events including the New England Camera Club Council Annual Conference (2014 & 2016), the Connecticut Association of Photographers and New Jersey Audubon's Birding Festival.

Photography is an avocation that took a backseat to my career during the 32+ years that I worked as a radar systems engineer at Hughes Aircraft/ Raytheon Company. Since retiring in 2013, I’ve been able to devote more time to developing my photographic skills. Experiencing and sharing the beauty of nature continues to be my primary motivation.

David's experience judging photo competitions has taken him as far as Budoia, Italy to judge the Bio Photo Contest. In 2014, David was awarded the New Jersey Federation of Camera Clubs Citation in recognition for his contributions to the advancement of the art and science of photography in the state.

www.desrochersphography.com

Thomas Loucks Tom has been a longstanding amateur photographer, but only in recent years has he had more serious time to devote to the hobby. He garnered first place in National Audubon’s 2004 Nature’s Odyssey contest and has placed well in several contests by Nature’s Best, Denver Audubon’s Share the View, and the Merrimack Valley’s George W. Glennie Nature Contest. He has two images of “Alumni Adventurers” on permanent display at Dartmouth College. He is also the incoming President of Mile High Photo Club in Denver (2021-2022) where he currently serves as VP and as a Director. His photographic interests are landscape, wildlife, and travel photography, though his favorite subjects are alpine landscapes. Recently retired, Tom is looking forward to spending more time on photography and other outdoor activities. He recently signed up as a volunteer with Denver Audubon to assist with field trips and hopes that those will soon resume.

Basil Katsaros A native of Denver, Colorado, I first attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Not understanding humidity or seeing the sun for 30 days, I transferred to the University of Colorado. During my junior year, a roommate needed money and sold me his Pentax 35mm camera. That moment launched my interest in photography. My interests and knowledge were expanded by the Nikon School of Photography. In the earlier days, subject matter centered around my twin sons with travel photos and Christmas cards. As a real estate appraiser, I used photography in much of my work. I must admit, however, the 70’s primarily utilized a Polaroid as film was too time consuming for client demands. I have since graduated to two Nikon digital cameras and too many lenses. While attempting to downshift in work, I occasionally use my photography skills to testify as an expert witness in real estate. My interests include travel, landscape, and wildlife photography. I’m not smart enough to have a website, maybe someone can show me how. Most images are for personal enjoyment and mainly remain in my computer. My goal at this time is too not only become a better photographer, but to conquer Photoshop!!!

Peter Bennett

Karen Schuenemann

My mother’s father was a studio photographer on the Coney Island Boardwalk, my father’s father was an artist in Germany, and my father was a filmmaker and amateur still photographer in New York, so naturally I decided to pursue a career in music. Luckily after hearing the error of my ways, I picked up my father’s old Nikkormat and haven’t looked back since.

Karen Schuenemann is a Nature and Wildlife photographer frequently found exploring the parks and wetlands of Southern California. In 2015, she left her retail management job to pursue her passion for Wildlife Photography. Her work focuses on “Urban Wilderness” and she spent over 100 days photographing the Red Foxes in her neighborhood in 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic. She recently was awarded a Highly Commended Award-Bird Behavior in the 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year sponsored by the London Natural History Museum. Her work was exhibited in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Summit in 2019. In 2017 she was the Professional Honorable Mention in the National Audubon Contest. Her work has hung in the London Natural History Museum and has been included in shows at the San Diego Natural History Museum, The G2 Gallery, Palos Verdes Art Center and Armenia Conservation Show. She has been published in Nature’s Best, Audubon Magazine, USA Today, NANPA, Shadow and Light Magazine, and American Photo Magazine. In addition, she has garnered numerous awards from Best in Show in Los Angeles County Fair to Honorable Mention in the National Park Contest. She enjoys writing about her photographic adventures and has written articles for NANPA and enjoyed being a judge in several photography contests. She was the 2019 President for the Photography and Digital Artists group of the Palos Verdes Art Center and was the volunteer Faculty Coordinator for the NANPA High School Scholarship Program in Tennessee. She currently leads workshops to a variety of locations from Bosque Del Apache, to the Grand Tetons to Africa and Central America with her company, Wilderness At Heart Photography, LLC. She enjoys teaching classes at Samy’s Cameras in Los Angeles and Tuttle Cameras in Long Beach.

From 1998 to 2014 I ran my own stock agency, Ambient Images, which specialized in photos of New York and California. In 2015 I formed Citizen of the Planet, LLC, devoted exclusively to the distribution of my stories and work that focus on environmental subjects such as water and air quality issues, fossil fuels, drought, green construction, alternative energies and urban farming. My editorial work has appeared in numerous publications and books, and I am privileged to have my fine art prints hang in museums, the California State Capitol and many other private institutions and collectors. I’ve also had to opportunity to have worked with many local environmental organizations including FoLAR (Friends of the LA River), Heal the Bay, Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Communities for a Better Environment, and the LA Conservation Corps. I have been an instructor for over ten years at the Los Angeles Center of Photography (formerly the Julia Dean Photo Workshops). I love teaching photography and having the opportunity to pass on what I was given from all the amazing teachers I’ve had the honor to learn from.

Karen currently celebrates life with her husband and two dogs in St. George, Utah. 95

Bob Beresh Los Angeles is where commercial photographer Bob Beresh will always call home, but having recently relocated to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he is truly a global creative. His commercial photography includes work for clients in automotive, aviation, corporate executive and business portraiture, architecture, and product work. Bob’s photos are influenced by his observations in nature, travel and sports to deliver memorable images.

Have you ever asked yourself w con? Or maybe you find yourself in a with our cameras?

Well no of course, but I was rem photography workshop two years ag time, Ansel Adams, that it’s a term n rect because photographers in realit is saved for hunting John said. He ev way) that the person saying that wo the years, I have freely used the term

Bob served two years as US Forest Service Artist in Residence to interpret and showcase the beauty of the Angeles National Forest and is past Chairman of the Sierra Club Camera Committee, Angeles Chapter.”

bentriver.co bobbereshstudio.com

Curious about the origin of the it came from. Early film cameras, su releases or by squeezing a rubber bu cable release. Hence the somewhat o

An extension of this way of ma enough to remember disposable cam to mean an image capturing an unp do a quick ‘selfie’ with our cell phon photography -just a quick record of a might spend a great deal of time com ter somehow? Many famous photogr view camera photographers may tak spontaneous or thoughtful composi and skill are behind it.

I can appreciate John Sexton’s we will not be ‘shooting’ our subject ly composed landscapes. After all, w taking a shot at the sky or trees? I su scribe what the art of photography i some people still continue to use ‘sh 96

DO WE SHOOT PHOTOS? by Steve Anderson

why the term ‘shooting” a photograph’ is so accepted and ingrained in our lexia ‘photo shoot’? I mean are we really ‘shooting’ something, as in a projectile,

minded of its proposed incorrectness of this term when I attended a John Sexton go. John was explaining to our group that he was reminded by his boss at the not fitting the art of photography. Both Ansel and John found the term incorty attempt to make images with light and we do not ‘shoot’ anything. Shooting ven went so far as to admonish anyone during the workshop (in a light hearted ord in connection with photography would be banished to a corner. I admit, over m without even realizing it.

e term, I did some research and found a few things that might explain where uch as view cameras, had ‘triggers’ of a sort by way of thumb actuated shutter ulb. Even vintage film and some early digital models could be triggered with a obscure reference to triggering the ‘shot’.

aking a photograph is the ‘snapshot’. A term familiar to anyone who is old meras or film cameras like Canon’s “Sure Shot”. The word ‘snapshot’ has come planned or unrepeatable moment. This of course is what we think of when we ne camera. But realistically, a ‘snapshot’ or ‘selfie’ is not necessarily good or bad a passing moment. On the other hand one might conclude that just because we mposing behind the camera, does that means the final image is going to be betraphers have made remarkable images quickly for a variety of reasons, and some ke great pains to compose, snapping the shutter as the final act. Either way, ing, images can turn out memorable when the moment is ripe and your heart

attitude, be it extreme perhaps, in that if we are serious about our photography ts, but rather producing images, whether they be spontaneous selfies or carefulwhen we take a selfie, are we shooting ourselves, or in the case of a landscape, uppose John meant to instill the idea that there has to be a better term to deis all about. Perhaps we can say we have ‘captured’ an image instead. As to why hooting’, I suppose it’s that old habits are hard to shoot down. 97

Notes and Causes, Notes, Notes and Causes, and Announcements Announcements Announcements

Notes and Announcements Sierra Club National Chapter has just announced: All In-Person Sierra Club Activities including Outtings and Meetings are Cancelled until July 4, 2021 due to Covid-19 Let’s all look forward to the second 1/2 of this new year!

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Susan Manley Writes: In the past 10 years, I have been on many photo tours, some with better photo leaders than others. Two of the photo leaders who gave me great individual attention are David Swindler and Rod Barbee: David Swindler day/overnight/multi-day trips https://actionphototours.com/utah-photo-tours/ David along with Juan Pons also give free informational photography videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwxX4-m1RQOBH8gKOICO1Sw Rod Barbee workshops.BarbeePhotos.com Robert OToole See June 10 Program Notice this issue www.RobertOToolPhotography.com Susan Manley

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The Camera Committee and Social Media: A Brief Guide by Joan Schipper

Do You FOLLOW the Camera Committee? Are you posting with our HASHTAG? Have you LIKED us? ♥ #? " If you are active on social media those questions will make sense. If not, read on to see how the Committee is engaging members and nonmembers via Instagram, Facebook and MeetUp. The Committee officially posts meetings and outings in the Camera Committee calendar and the Angeles Chapter Schedule of Activities, but we use these other tools to promote our events and share news. Some offer photo sharing opportunities. There are no fees associated with these platforms so it’s “easy” to engage. We find these tools offer access to a wide audience.

Here’s the rundown to help you figure out where we are and how you might want to participate.

The Camera Committee Website

https://www.sierraclub.org/angeles/camera-committee

Our internet home is our webpage on the Angeles Chapter portal. There you’ll find information about leaders and officers, outings and meetings. It’s a little shop-worn right now, but we have a shiny new website in the works and we think you will LOVE it.

Instagram @SCCameraCommittee

https://www.instagram.com/sccameracommittee/ Instagram was born with smartphone photos. Every post starts with a photo and usually carries a caption and keywords (or hashtags because they start with #).

we’ll provide links to our recorded programs.

Users follow us to see our newsy posts as they are released or just navigate to our profile page to see what’s new. We post meetings, outings and other news and

Instagram #SierraClubCameraCommittee

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/sierraclubcameracommittee/ Posting with our hashtag #sierraclubcamearcommittee allows members to share their relevant photos with our followers. Following our hashtag allows users to see what others have posted, exchange comments, and “like” posts. Unique hashtags developed for specific activities will help identify photos from an outing or meeting (like #SCCCFallColors for our annual Fall Colors outing). 102 102

INSTAGRAM TIPS: You can easily view posts, like them, and make comments from your phone, or tablet. Desktop computer posting is somewhat more difficult. Most users post from a phone. I’ve had mixed reports on posting from a tablet, so if you try it, please give us some feedback!

MeetUp: Sierra Club Angeles Chapter: Camera Committee https://www.meetup.com/Sierra-Club-LA-Camera-Committee/

MeetUp may be our most popular social media platform for its activity focus. More than 800 people have “joined” our MeetUp. We like to think people find us on MeetUp and then join us in the Sierra Club. We promote our meetings and outings there and share activities from our partner group Sierra Club West Los Angeles. MeetUp has a gallery for each activity so participants can quickly and easily share photos from our outings. This is very social media. " % $ #

Facebook: Camera Committee - Angeles Chapter Sierra Club https://www.facebook.com/CameraCommitteeAngelesChapter

MeetUp may have our biggest audience but Facebook boasts the strongest hold on the Angeles Chapter in general according to usage statistics. The Committee has 142 Facebook followers. You will find our meetings and outings announced here, but you will also find our archive of recorded meetings going back to April 2020 as well as links to several back issues of Focal Points Magazine. Members may post photos here or “like” and comment. Our Facebook page could really use more attention. If you are a Facebook maven, maybe you’d like to devote a little time to the committee to polish our page? Contact either communications chair Velda Ruddock or Co-Communications Chair Joan Schipper at (communication.sccc@gmail.com).

Other Social Media Platforms? If any member would like to see the Committee expand into other social media platforms, we’d like to hear from you. Contact Joan or Velda, please! 103

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Get out there and get involved! Our natural world is under attack and we all need to fight to preserve the things that we hold dear.

CONTRIBUTE

YOUR TIME, YOUR DOLLARS.... OR BOTH! Do you know anyone who would like to become a member of the Sierra Club Camera Committee? We are seeking new members to share their outdoor experiences and photographs. If you have a friend or acquaintance whom you feel would benefit from and add to our membership, please ask them to join us at our next meeting.

Membership costs only $15.00 per year - a tremendous value! To join or renew, please mail a check for $15 (payable to SCCC): Wesley Peck, SCCC Membership 3615 Gondar Ave. Long Beach, CA 90808-2814

More members - More to share 105

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The Member’s Choice Photo Contest What’s your favorite photo in this Focal Points? Continuing with this issue I am asking all members to vote for their favorite photo. Here’s how: 1. Please e-mail me at dtlanow@gmail.com (Heading: Member’s Choice) and let me know your choice for the best photo by the 20th of the month in which the issue is published. 2. In your e-mail, give me the page and the name of the photographer and a brief descrip- tion so I can identify your choice. I will tally up the votes and announce the winner in the next issue and republish the photo with a paragraph from the photographer about how it was captured, where, when, and even the dreaded mire of camera, settings and lens. This should be a fun feature!

..........John Nilsson, Publisher

Wanna Go on a Hike? Just in case you didn’t realize it........... The Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club has litterally 100’s of outdoor activities that Sierra Club Camera Committee members can attend.

You can find these activities at http://angeles.sierraclub.org/activities If you have an idea for a trip that the Camera Committee might like to plan for, tell a leader. They are always open to ideas of new places to go, new places to shoot. See the end of the newsletter for a list of contact information for the leaders. CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. All participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard liability waiver. To read the liability waiver before you participate on an outing, go to: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms

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Focal Points

Angeles Chapter Camera Committee Magazine November 2020

Focal Points Sierra Club Camera Committee Magazine December, 2020

Focal Points Sierra Club Camera Committee Magazine January 2021

Do you enjoy receiving your monthly copy of Focal Points? If your answer is "Yes" and you want to continue receiving Focal Points, please send us your check for $15.00 and your full name and email address for a yearly subscription to: Sierra Club Camera Committee c/o Wesley Peck 3615 Gondar Ave. Long Beach, CA 90808-2814

As a bonus, you will enjoy: An invitation to contribute your photographs to Focal Points for publication Full membership in The Sierra Club Camera Committee and access to our extensive programming and trips 107

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Photo of the Month

LA River - Reflections Under the Bridge By: Peter Bennett

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/4L@144mm f/5.6, 1/500 @ISO 200

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The Parting Shot

Our World from Space?? Nope, just popped the top off an old paint can.

Leader Contacts John Nilsson, Chairman Leader, Editor - Focal Points information.sccc@gmail.com

Steve Anderson, Leader

sandersonimagery@outlook.com

Carole Scurlock, Leader

213-266-2224

cscurlock@charter.net

Allan Der, Leader, ader@sprynet.com

714-962-2054

John Boyle, Leader jboyle6300@gmail.com

ed5ogawa@angeles.sierraclub.org

310-994-1019

Wesley Peck, Membership

562-420-8543 wesdpeck@gmail.com NOTE: Send Membeship Checks to Wesley at 3615 Gondar Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808-2814

310-828-6300

Joan Schipper, Leader, Co-Chair: Outings joanschipper@ix.netcom.com

714-892-4857

Ed Ogawa - Treasurer

Alison Boyle, Leader, Co-Chair: Outings alisoniboyle@icloud.com

626-794-5207

Peter Mason, Leader

323-828-8334

peter@petermason.com

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530-265-2528

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Sierra Club Camera Committee Focal Points Magazine - June 2021

Articles inside

Photo of the Month

Contributor's Bio's

Cover Story