WELCOME MESSAGES FROM THE CHAIRS - 2016-2017
PRESIDENT - GEORGE LIBERMAN
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GEORGE LIBERMAN
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Welcome back to the Montreal Camera Club. The second half of our 2016-2017 program will mark our 125th anniversary — quite an accomplishment! It really is amazing to think that way back in 1892, a few photographers thought it was a good idea to create a photo club and that now, 125 years later and with all that has changed in our world, we still have the same passion for photography. We all want to capture a moment in time using our own creative vision, and then share it with our friends. The idea is the same but the process has changed because of so many technical advancements. Imagine how difficult it must have been to photograph a bird in flight 125 years ago, or to shoot underwater or to explore the world of macro photography. We take so much for granted.
This year we will be the first club in Quebec to project our images using a 4K computer and a 4K projector on a special 200” screen. Not only is this a treat for us, but also for our presenters who will be pleased to see how much this will enhance their amazing images. For the first time, we are publishing our Cameragram in a full-year edition. No more searching through the fall or winter booklets to locate Club information. Sylvia and her team, and Ann as Program Chair, have been working through the summer to prepare this edition. Scheduling so far ahead means there may be last minute changes due to elections, storms, or other conflicts. Members should frequently check our website which is always updated to provide us with the most current information. Our thanks to our webmaster, Rachel, for all her work keeping us both informed of changes and entertained by posting images from Club activities. Competition Chairs have also been busy reviewing and revising Rules and Regulations, particularly for our Nature and Print competitions. Requirements for submissions have been slightly changed, especially for certain trophy qualifications and there are new forms to apply for MCC Honours. We hope that these changes will encourage even greater participation in Club competitions. |
CAMERAGRAM EDITOR - SYLVIA ROURKE
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SYLVIA ROURKE
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With summer winding down, the start of a new and exciting year for our Montreal Camera Club is just a couple of weeks away. I hope all of you were able to take advantage of the good weather and had plenty of great photographic opportunities.
Although there is always some resistance to change and a tendency to maintain the status quo, we have updated the Cameragram. Most noticably, this edition covers the entire Club season, from September to May, and also contains reference guides which should prove handy for competitions. We think that these and other changes you may note are about improving membership satisfaction, cost efficiency and keeping ourselves technologically current. We continually strive to be one of the best camera clubs in Canada. We are always open to your ideas and suggestions on how to make our publications even better. Please take a look at "What’s New and Updated" on page 10 for more information about all our changes. I want to draw your attention to the lecture and workshops by the very accomplished photographer, Denise Ippolito (September 24-26, 2016). These opportunities are not to be missed as she is a first-rate photographer and teacher. I look forward to seeing everyone as our new season begins. Happy image making! |
PROGRAM CHAIR - ANN PEARSON
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ANN PEARSON
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In recent years, we have added more presentations from our members to fill out or complement our competition evenings. We all profit from their educational tutorials or from viewing their travel portfolios. While we get to see some of each other’s photos in our competitions, viewing a collection of a person’s images allows us to greater appreciate her or his skills. Check out the list of topics and member presenters in our newly formatted Cameragram.
As usual, we can look forward to fabulous guest presenters in our line-up for this year. Denise Ippolito will be our Bonnie Nichol Lecture speaker and she will also share shooting tips and provide constructive criticism for those who choose to participate in the workshops that she will give on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24 and 25. View her website for an inspiring preview of her creativity. Polina Fedorova will be presenting twice: on October 17 in "Understanding the Big Picture", to better identify our photographic goals, and on January 23, in "Photography that Speaks", she will talk about how to work with subject matter to get that one image that says it all. Members from the MCC have used their photographic skills in our HELP PORTRAIT programs at hospitals, senior residences, etc. to enrich the lives of those who would not otherwise be able to afford family photographs. Two presentations this year will feature other organizations which use photography effectively for their social programs. On October 24, one of our newer members, Claudio Bussandri, who is involved with the World Wide Hearing Foundation International, will present images and speak about his work in Guatemala, providing high-quality hearing aids to children and youth. On Noember 14, Pierre G. Couture, Executive Director of LOVE (a non-profit organization working with youth) and participants in their Media Arts Program will show images and talk about how photography has transformed their lives in many ways. Guy Boily, nature and adventure photographer, returns to our club on December 5 to motivate us to embrace winter and get out there and shoot! As mentioned by our President, we will be celebrating the 125th anniversary of the MCC in 2017. Plans are in progress to share our history and our photographs with the general public. |
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR - CINDY CANAVAN
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CINDY CANAVAN
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Welcome back to enjoy another season at the MCC!
Phillip Shapiro’s efforts to continue Club outings throughout the summer has been quite successful and we now have several new members as a result - kudos to Phillip! Looking at the Program Highlights in this edition of the Cameragram, you will see that a number of tutorials will be given by fellow Club members. I encourage you to give some thought to inviting potential members to these evenings as they should be very interesting to budding photographers who want to know more about digital processing techniques. See you at the opening meeting! |
OUTINGS CHAIR - PHILLIP SHAPIRO
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PHILLIP SHAPIRO
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Over the summer we had several outing events. It was wonderful to meet with our members over the summer when the weather was cooperative. As your Outings Chair, I have tried to put together fun and challenging events. Once again this year I invite you all to come out and enjoy and learn and—the most important thing— meet our members, old and new, while participating in these outings. These events are an integral part of our club, and it provides us the opportunity to catch up with and to exchange various methods of taking great and challenging photos. We don’t have a lot of time to mingle during competition nights so take advantage of these outings to have fun and benefit from exchanging techniques with your fellow photographers. I will add to the events during the year as the weather permits and opportunities arise. I will also have walking tours during which we’ll focus on learning the basics of photography. I look forward to seeing you at these events. |
PICTORIAL CHAIRS - PAT BORLACE AND CLAUDE BÉLANGER
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PAT BORLACE
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A new year is starting again and we are so looking forward to receiving your images for the Pictorial Competitions. It always amazes me how diverse your submissions can be and how many different ways there are of shooting any given subject.
Our first competition this year will be on Monday, September 19th which means that your images are due the night of our first club meeting on Monday, September 12th. We hope you have been busy shooting this summer and have a number of images to be entered. If you haven’t entered a competition yet, we encourage you to do so. It is a great way to share your images with your fellow members and the judges’ feedback will help you to improve your photography. |
CLAUDE BÉLANGER
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NATURE CHAIRS - ILANA BLOCK AND ELLIE McCREA
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ILANA BLOCK
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A couple of important changes have been made to the lineup in the Nature Division this season. First, we have added a new category, Ornithology (Birds). And second, we have removed the Action category to simplify matters.
We feel that these changes will allow the other categories – Botany, General & Zoology – to gain more recognition. We would like to encourage all nature photographers to expand their horizons and consider the wide scope of subjects in the natural world. Important competition information has also been updated this season including the Nature Guidelines. A printout of a shorter ‘cheat sheet’ version of these guidelines will be available on opening night on September 12th. The executive team has put a lot of work into making these changes to make your MCC experience a good one. For competitors, it is important to know how to size and label your entries and to read up on the awards and trophy guidelines if you wish to compete for one. In summary, the Montreal Camera Club is made up of a large group of passionate photographers, from the novice to the expert, who have joined to learn and compete, as well as make friends and have FUN! |
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ELLIE McCREA
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PRINT CHAIR - PAM FOGARTY
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PAM FOGARTY
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I would like to welcome all the new and returning members this season.
If you haven’t attended before or it has been a while since you’ve joined us for a Print Competition, you will be able to take part in an exciting event. We have now divided the evening into two parts. For the first half of the evening, you will be occupied with another activity, such as an educational “Tips & Tricks” or a presentation, while the judging is done in a separate room. Check the program to see what is scheduled for that night. After the break, the prints will be showcased on the light box for the judges and on the screen for the audience while the judges provide their comments. We keep trying to make great strides in making Print night more enjoyable for competitors and audience alike. This year is no different as you can read in the "What’s New" section. We created the new Print Competitions Handbook for you to reference. Please take the time to review this document — it will give you all the information you need about Print Competitions. You are welcome to contact me directly via email at [email protected] if you have any other questions. |
