GUEST AND MEMBER SPEAKERS
FALL 2024
Scroll down to view information on upcoming Speakers
JANUARY 2024
- 01-10-24 (First Half) - Member Speaker: Richard Cavalleri - “Embracing the Crowds: Photographing Japan in Cherry Blossom Season”
- 01-10-24 (Second Half) - Spotlight on Members 2: Guy Mercier & Diana Bruno
- 01-17-24 Guest Speaker: Huibo Hou - “The Power of Simplicity in Black and White Landscape Photography”
- 02-10-24 (Saturday) Guest Speaker: Tony North - “Abstract Photography (10:00 a.m to noon)”
- 02-14-24 Guest Speaker: Kas Stone - “Reality vs Artistry vs Deception in Photography”
- 03-06-24 Guest Speaker: Lisa Cuchara - “Wabi Sabi—the Beauty of the Imperfect”
- 04-03-24 Panel Discussion with Glenn Bloodworth, Rick Cloran, Stella d’Entremont & Kas Stone - “Panel Discussion on Club Competition Judging ”
- 04-17-2024 Guest speaker: Patrik Marier - "Saga, Landscape & Wildlife - Reflections on Five Trips to Iceland"
- JANUARY 10, 2024 (First Half) - Member Speaker
- RICHARD CAVALLERI - “Embracing the Crowds: Photographing Japan in Cherry Blossom Season”
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BIO - RICHARD CAVALLERI
Richard Cavalleri is a nature and urban landscape photographer who has chosen to settle in a small village in Tuscany near Florence. From the Dolomites to the picturesque villages of the Cinque Terre, and from the landscapes to the gastronomy of Tuscan villages, above all Richard loves to walk the roads with his camera in search of the perfect shot. A graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, he has been published in leading newspapers, magazines, and travel guides such as The New York Times and Lonely Planet. He takes great pleasure in preparing and accompanying groups of photography enthusiasts in the places he has found, taking the time to share and exchange different photographic techniques. Website: https://richardcavalleri.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcavalleri67/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rcavalleri/ Embracing the Crowds: Photographing Japan in Cherry Blossom Season
Photographing Japan comes with its difficulties; doing it during cherry blossom season makes it even more fun. In this presentation, Richard Cavalleri will share with you some valuable insights on capturing the beauty of Japan. During March and April 2023, Richard spent six weeks travelling extensively in this amazing country and concluded that the ephemeral charm of cherry blossoms combined with the bustling atmosphere can present a unique challenge for photographers. However, with careful planning and a few creative strategies, it is possible to achieve breathtaking photographs while immersing yourself in this iconic phenomenon of the country. Richard will be discussing how to shoot in the cities as well as in the countryside and temples. From famous locations to less-known hidden gems, he will share with you tips and tricks on how to overcome the challenges and come away with a great experience despite the ubiquitous crowds.     |
JANUARY 10, 2024 (Second Half)
Spotlight on Members 2 : Member Speakers - Guy Mercier and Diana Bruno
Don’t miss this opportunity to watch and listen to an informal show-and-tell by talented members, in alpha order.
Spotlight on Members 2 : Member Speakers - Guy Mercier and Diana Bruno
Don’t miss this opportunity to watch and listen to an informal show-and-tell by talented members, in alpha order.
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BIO - GUY MERCIER
Guy Mercier has been a member of MCC for over 5 years, attending meetings and going on outings whenever he can. He mainly shoots while travelling and favours street and landscape photography. He’s not keen on editing so strives to get it right before he presses the shutter button. Guy will present images and share stories of his Tuscany trip in May 2023.   |
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DIANA BRUNO
As MCC Program Chair, Diana Bruno doesn’t have much time to shoot. Instead, she expresses her creativity by finding topics and speakers to populate the club’s program — an enriching learning experience, in itself which complements her photography. As a photographer, she’s inclined to making slow images, and being the author of a unique French-to-English culinary dictionary, realizes that her photos, like slow food, are best consumed thoughtfully. Like Guy Mercier, she will present images and share stories of her Tuscany trip in April-May 2023. Oh yes, photos taken in the same locations. Hmm, how could that be?   |
JANUARY 17, 2024
HUIBO HOU - “The Power of Simplicity in Black and White Landscape Photography”
HUIBO HOU - “The Power of Simplicity in Black and White Landscape Photography”
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BIO - HUIBO HOU
Huibo Hou is a landscape photographer based in San Diego, California. Her interest in photography started back in 1999 as a hobbyist while working in the wireless communication industry. Then life got in the way and she had to give up photography for quite some time. In early 2015, she rekindled her love for photography and became much more serious. In recent years her work has been recognized internationally with multiple awards and publications. Landscape photography, especially in black and white, is the art medium that she is passionate about. She uses it as her creative outlet to express how she observes, interprets, and connects with nature. Website: www.huibohou.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/huibohouphoto/ The Power of Simplicity in Black and White Landscape Photography
The power of black and white images is often rooted in their simplicity. Huibo Hou's favorite types of black and white landscape images are the clean, simple ones with just a few essential elements in each frame, leaving space for the viewer to imagine and to contemplate. In this presentation, Huibo will delve deep into a few ideas and techniques in seeking such simplicity, both in the field and during postprocessing. She’ll talk about seeing and composing with essential elements; using long exposure to aid simplicity and create mood; managing tones and textures in post-processing, and more. Whether you are an exploring beginner or an experienced photographer, this presentation can inspire you towards creating impactful black and white landscape images.          |
FEBRUARY 10, 2024 (Saturday)
TONY NORTH - “Abstract Photography (NOTE: 10:00 a.m to noon)”
TONY NORTH - “Abstract Photography (NOTE: 10:00 a.m to noon)”
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BIO - TONY NORTH
I'm Tony North, a photographer based in Manchester, England. My main passions are macro and landscape photography. I have always loved nature, but there's something about spending a few hours in a wildflower meadow capturing images of butterflies and dragonflies that really excites me. I love revealing the amazing beauty of the world of miniature beasts and sharing that with others. Equally I love walking through and photographing beautiful scenery – whether rural, coastal, or urban. A special interest of mine is astrophotography – especially capturing the Milky Way over some dramatic scene. I also enjoy competing, whether in BPE Salons or in major competitions such as the International Garden Photographer of the Year, which I won outright in 2023, or Amateur Photographer of the Year, in which I came 2nd overall in 2020. Website: www.artofmacro.com Abstract Photography, and a Challenge
Tony North presents his perspective on abstract art and photography, specifically:
Finally, I show some of my creative images, that is, images made using techniques such as multiple exposure, ICM (intentional camera movement) and collage. This includes the leaf collage shown here which came 3rd in the Abstract Views contest of International Garden Photographer of the Year 2021.     |
FEBRUARY 14, 2024
KAS STONE - “Reality vs Artistry vs Deception in Photography”
KAS STONE - “Reality vs Artistry vs Deception in Photography”
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BIO - KAS STONE
Kas Stone is a full-time photographic artist based in Nova Scotia. Her portfolio includes an extensive list of exhibitions, retail art/craft shows, teaching and publications, with several books and articles in Canadian and British magazines. She favours a thoughtful approach to photography, exploring the landscape in the context of broader human and environmental themes. Website: www.kasstone.ca Facebook: www.facebook.com/KasStoneArts Instagram: www.instagram.com/kasstonearts Reality vs Artistry vs Deception in Photography
From its very beginnings almost two centuries ago, photography has sparked controversy in the art world. In recent years the tension has escalated as sophisticated tools like Photoshop and AI software push the boundaries between reality and illusion, challenging our perceptions and posing troublesome questions about the purpose and ethics of our image-making. Many people wonder, for instance, whether authenticity should be a requirement in a photograph and how much editing is acceptable in its creation. Are deceptive images ever acceptable? Do current trends in shooting and processing make our images more artistic or less? Do they even qualify as “photographs”? In this presentation, Kas addresses these questions candidly, using examples from her extensive portfolio of “photographic art” to inspire you to think in a new way about why and how you make your own images.      |
MARCH 6, 2024
LISA CUCHARA - “Wabi Sabi—the Beauty of the Imperfect”
LISA CUCHARA - “Wabi Sabi—the Beauty of the Imperfect”
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BIO - LISA CUCHARA
Lisa Cuchara (and Tom), PhD, OM SYSTEM Ambassador, Master Craftsman (PPA), Master of Artistry (PPA), Master of Photography (M. Photog.), HonNEC Lisa is passionate about photography and enjoys being both behind the lens and in the digital darkroom. She loves to photograph nature but finds many subjects equally intriguing. From birds and flowers to macro and UrbEx/HDR, she appreciates the world around her and embraces the challenge of interpreting what her eyes see and her heart feels via her photographs. Photography allows her to pay attention to the details, to be mindful, to slow down and appreciate all of the beauty, details, and nuances of everyday life. Lisa’s photographs have appeared in nature magazines, in calendars, on the cover of a paperback novel, in galleries and exhibitions, and have been accepted into the PPA loan collection. Based in Hamden, Connecticut, Lisa and her husband Tom are known for their expertise in photography and in Photoshop, and for their inspirational and informative photography workshops. Together they wrote Create Fine Art Photographs from Historic Places and Rusty Things (2017) and The Frog Whisperer: Portraits and Stories (2018). Website: www.photographybylisaandtom.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/lisatom.photos 
Wabi Sabi—The Beauty of the Imperfect
“Wabi sabi is an aesthetic of poverty and loneliness, imperfection and austerity, affirmation, and melancholy. Wabi sabi is the beauty of the withered, weathered, tarnished, scarred, intimate, coarse, earthly, evanescent, tentative, ephemeral.” Crispin Sartwell, Six Names of Beauty, 2006. As nature photographers we often seek out the flowers, leaves and such that are perfect, that have no blemishes or defects. This presentation highlights subjects that are not perfect: a deformed coneflower that stands out as flawed and hence different and beautiful, flowers with character, double-headed flowers, decaying autumn leaves, rust as it creates abstract patterns amidst the decay, etc. As purveyors of rust and decay, we appreciate the perseverance and beauty of “life after humans” as cars and equipment fall apart and succumb to oxidation and decay. Wabi sabi teaches us to find beauty in everyday life. It is a kind of anti-aesthetic, an alternative to the dominating discriminatory ideas we hold about beauty. It is a way of honoring that everything is impermanent and that we are always in a state of both becoming and falling away. It is used to describe a particular philosophy that beauty can be found in the old, the everyday, the imperfect. This talk will cover:
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APRIL 3, 2024
Panel Discussion ON CLUB COMPETITION JUDGING Panelists: Rick Cloran, Stella d’Entremont, Kas Stone & Glenn Bloodworth Moderator: Diana Bruno Panel Discussion on Club Competition Judging
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BIO - RICK CLORAN
A well known judge and lecturer, Rick Cloran served in those capacities extensively in New England as well as throughout the US and Canada. He routinely judges six or more club competitions and three international exhibitions annually. He’s been a member of the Greater Lynn Photographic Association, Lynn, MA, since 1975. For his service to photography both in New England and at a national level, he’s been awarded the HonFPSA by the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and HonNEC by the New England Camera Club Council (NECCC). His success in exhibitions has earned him the GMPSA distinction. While camera-club level competition is an excellent medium to learn and refine the technical side of our images, it should not be the sole driver of why we make images. As competitors, we must remember that the judges viewing our image are uninformed observers, that is, with no knowledge of what we went through to capture or process the image, or background information about its story, and so have no emotional attachment to the image. As judges, our first job is to put aside all of our background bias associated with images we have made, images we have seen of the subjects presented to us, and our personal relationship with (like or dislike) the subject matter presented in the images we are asked to judge. Ideally, scoring should be objective and based on the quality of the images; the reality is that biases will likely come into play.    |
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BIO - STELLA D'ENTREMONT
Stella d’Entremont, CAPA’s (Canadian Association for Photographic Art) newly appointed president, brings a resolute belief in the enriching potential of competitions to nurture photographers’ skills. With a strong focus on education, Stella’s photography journey reflects her unwavering dedication to this principle. Certified as a CAPA judge in 2021, Stella actively participates in judging national competitions for CAPA and photography clubs across Canada. Her role as one of the primary judges for the Focus Camera Club, Moncton, NB, for the last three years highlights her commitment to nurturing emerging photographers through the educational opportunities that competitions provide. Stella perceives competitions as avenues that go beyond mere competitiveness, acting as dynamic platforms for photographers to nurture and enhance their skills in a positive manner. She accentuates the importance of these contests in facilitating photographers’ constructive self-assessments and sees them as pivotal evaluations that aid photographers in developing a discerning eye for their own images. |
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BIO - KAS STONE
Kas Stone is a photographic artist based in Nova Scotia. She learned the ropes through active involvement in camera club programming and competitions, first as a participant, then as a presenter and competition judge. As a competitor she won awards at the club, national, and international levels. As a judge she specialized in landscape, fine art, and creative competitions, and acquired a reputation for thoughtful commentary and scoring. A series of significant life events about a decade ago motivated Kas to return to Nova Scotia after twenty years in Ontario, and to shift from hobbyist to professional photographer. At the same time her image-making underwent a profound evolution. Kas now earns her living selling archival prints and speaking to photo groups. She is committed to making meaningful and expressive images rather than pretty or award-winning ones. Kas no longer competes or judges. However, she is happy to offer (and receive!) considerate image critique as part of her teaching practice.    |
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BIO - GLENN BLOODWORTHA Certified CAPA Judge, Glenn Bloodworth judges extensively in Canada and internationally, is CAPA's Director of the National Judges Program, a senior judging course trainer, and an assessor for its judging accreditation program. In 2020 he was invested as a Fellow (FCAPA) of the Canadian Association for Photographic Art (CAPA). Semi-retired from senior executive careers in the public and private sectors, Glenn is a visual artist with degrees in Algonquin College's Photographic Techniques Program, and the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa's Photographic Arts and Production. His work is in various public and private collections. He exhibits extensively in Ottawa as well as nationally and internationally.    |
Glenn Bloodworth’s Perspective on Photographic Competitions:
Competitions have their place in the arsenal of tools for photographers. They:
But they also demand awareness, caution, and a 'thick skin', since:
WEBSITE: https://bloodworthphoto.com/
Competitions have their place in the arsenal of tools for photographers. They:
- Can give direction,
- Push the photographer out of a comfort zone,
- Focus the mind on improvements in the craft and art,
- Are a way to gain exposure,
- Can provide a satisfaction by way of prizes, etc. if that’s what motivates the photographer,
- Serve as a way of seeing what is currently 'in' in the photographic artform,
- See other people’s work, and be inspired, and
- Can provide feedback.
But they also demand awareness, caution, and a 'thick skin', since:
- You are going to 'lose' more than you win, and it requires determination to keep going after repeated rejections. 'Fails' should not make you think hard about continuing to do photography, especially if you have talent. You need to remember that your value as a photographer is not determined by whether your image 'wins' or 'places' in a competition.
- Most competitions are focused on 'pretty' pictures, and not on the 'fine art' in photography. You need to have the right mind set and understand what kind of competition you are entering.
- Whether the competition is judged by an expert panel, by so-called 'professional' photographers, or by whomever is in the room and votes, a competition is usually about which photos are the most popular.
- A number of competition judges, especially those not explicitly 'trained' to judge, react to what hits them within the initial 10 seconds of viewing. They are inconsistent in using a set of judging criteria, and usually display an implicit bias, that is, they have things they prefer to see.
- Some competitions are designed to make money; demanding entry fees, seek your email address to sell to advertisers, etc. There are many fake contests, and I get emails about them all the time!
- Some competitions use photos submitted for a variety of purposes, whether it’s advertising, promoting their organization, or to promote the sponsors. Winning does not validate you as a photographer. Many famous photographers never won a competition.
- And it’s rare to get actual feedback on your photos, especially if you don't at least 'place'. Next to poor judges, this is one of the biggest problems in competitions
WEBSITE: https://bloodworthphoto.com/
BIO - PATRIK MARIER - APRIL 17, 2024
Saga, Landscape & Wildlife - Reflections on Five Trips to Iceland
Saga, Landscape & Wildlife - Reflections on Five Trips to Iceland
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Each year Iceland attracts hordes of photographers–including MCC members–because it is a premier location for landscape photography. However, few photographers opt to travel beyond the Golden Circle and the Ring Road where majestic scenery abounds. This presentation features some of these gems and a brief immersion into the Icelandic sagas.
Patrik Marier is a nature photographer who enjoys discovering landscapes and exploring wildlife in national parks. He particularly enjoys northern territories such as Scandinavia and the British Isles.    |
