Bay Area Photo Club

Hello Fellow Club Members, 

Many of you already know that I have volunteered to be the new Field Trip Coordinator. I will be taking over for Bob Dempsey who has moved up to vice president. Bob, thank you for an excellent 2009.  If I do half as well as you did the club will be in for an excellent 2010. I am seeking suggestions for field trips and would appreciate any help that you can give. Please send them to Trips@BayAreaPhotoClub.Org. 

This month’s field trip will be this Saturday, February 13^th in Galveston. Since the weather is so unpredictable this time of year the field trip is broken down to three parts.  Please feel free to join us during any or all of the phases. If you plan to attend please email me and we can exchange cell phone numbers. 

Those wishing to car pool can meet at the Barnes and Noble parking lot on Bay Area Blvd (I will NOT be meeting there, so please do not wait for me).

Go to here for more detailed information and a link to the map of all locations.

Neal Kelsoe

BAPC Field Trip Coordinator

Please join us Tuesday February 09, 2010 at 7:00pm for Honors Night at TAACCL.  Snacks and soft drinks are provided by a club member.  You can go here to find out more about the Honors program.

The assignment for this month is "Surreal Composite".  The photo must have been taken after November 01, 2009 in order to be eligible.  You must also be current with your dues for 2010.  You can pay dues to Larry Patrick tonight, prior to the start of judging, if you want to enter something tonight.

Think of the works of Jerry Ulesmann or those of our own Peter Janecke! Create a composite photograph from two or more separate photos and seamlessly combine them into one new creation.  Make sure and keep it surreal. Webster’s definition of surreal = “marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream.” If your creation ends up looking real then you missed the boat; it must be obvious in the final photo that the scene presented could not possibly be real.

As usual, we also have the 'Open' category for photo submissions. 

We look forward to all members and visitors joining us for the meeting.  It is another opportunity for those members who want to garner points towards the standings for Photographer of the Year by participating in the Assignment category of Honors Night.

Doug Haass

BAPC President

Vancouver, Canada is the site of the XXI Olympic Winter Games.  This 5 minute timelapse video was created by David and Dan Newcomb and showcases the beauty of Vancouver.  I would use 480p or 720p for the best picture quality during play.  You can also view this video at YouTube.

Tuesday January 26, 2010 we held our Annual Awards Night dinner at the Clear Lake County Building near the park.  We had 33 members and guests to attend.  If you missed it this year please make plans to attend next year.

We had all manner of appetizers, great dishes, salads and desserts.  The barbecue from Pappas Barbecue fell apart when you tried to fork it onto the plate and it was very moist and tasty.  The chicken had been cut into individual pieces, so we didn't have to act like Vikings at the tables.  The side dishes were wonderful with several of my favorites being Maureen Cerkan's cornbread pudding (not really a pudding), Alora Anderson's green beans with onion strings, Laura Armer's broccoli and rice casserole and JD Patrick's baked beans.  I know that everyone enjoyed it all and each had their own favorites of the night.  The hardest part was trying to decide what to eat with all the great choices and only having so much room to put them.  Everyone was able to relax, meet someone new and enjoy talking about everyday things for a change. 

After all attending had a full belly they were ready for long winded speeches and announcements of new officers and committee members for 2010.  BAPC President Kyle Rhorer gave them a break and kept it short and sweet.  He went over our club accomplishments for 2009 and a few things we are looking forward to in 2010.  The long awaited announcement for Photographer of the Year was next.  No small surprise after all the hard work he put in last year that Barry Armer is our Photographer of the Year for 2009!  Please congratulate Barry on his well deserved recognition.  Thanks also to Larry Patrick for taking care of getting the beautifully etched plaque presented to Barry.  It's definitely something worth having on your mantle or place of honor.

I would also like to take a moment to thank Kyle for his dedication and hard work given to the club for the last 3 years as our President.  We have grown considerably in membership during his tenure, the largest number in memory and history of the club.  He's not leaving us, but merely accepting another assignment withing the club as Secretary.  So he continues to serve the club in another role.  If you get a minute please let him know how much you appreciated his efforts on the club's behalf.

You can go to the Club Info page to find the list of the new officers and committee chairs/directors.  A few notables for 2010 are our Freeman Library Exhibit presented through TAACCL and noted landscape and nature photographer Andy Biggs speaking to us on June 22, 2010.  We will be providing more information on those items of interest as time dictates.

I've been told I tend to write fairly long stories and blog postings, so those who only read the first paragraph or two of my musings will not know I am the new President of the Bay Area Photo Club.  I guess they will find out later.  Bob Dempsey is our new Vice President after serving as our wonderful Field Trip Coordinator for the last year.  Larry Patrick has agreed to continue his term as Treasurer of the club. As noted earlier Kyle Rhorer has accepted the role of Secretary for the next term.

Finally, I want to thank all exiting officers and committee members for their help and hard work over the last year.  We could not have done it without them.

I am excited to have these fellow officers to work with and look forward to the opportunity to lead the club.  I look forward to a new year with the new committee members and will continue to push for new and interesting things to bring to the membership. 

Regards,

Doug Haass

BAPC President