The Newsletter of the Park West Camera Club Photo Notes Our 75th Year Aprił/May 2012

Presidentʼs Letter

Back to Basics

A friend remarks how a course she’s taking has put her back in touch with basic photographic skills, such as shooting manually by changing ap- ertures and shutter speeds to suit the subject rather than letting the camera do everything ac- ceptably but not necessarily creatively. This is ad- vice I could adhere to as well and as long as we have a seemingly endless succession of boringly gorgeous spring days I’m going out to try some of them (as soon as I finish writing this article): In This Issue Depth of Field. Try shooting the same stationary subject at different apertures. See how the President’s Letter...... 1 background fuzziness or sharpness affects the Who’s Who & What’s What...... 2 & 3 results. What is bokeh: a kind of sushi? a Yid- Club Info...... 3, 5 & 10 dish term for ‘Uncle’? or out of focus areas in a Rules of Photography...... 4 picture? B&H Space...... 5 Competition...... 6 & 7 Shutter Speed. Change shutter speeds photo- The Photo as Kleenex...... 8 graphing similar subjects, such as bicycles Election Procedures...... 9 nearly hitting you or trucks or wisecracking Inquiries...... 10 pedestrians. See the stop-motion effect of high Business Meeting Minutes...... 11 shutter speeds; this can be humorous, and un- Call for Entries...... 13 fair to the subject. A lot of fun! Expanding Visions 18...... 14 Auction...... 15 Single Focal Length. Use a single focal-length Memorial Weekend Trip...... 15 lens or set your zoom at a specific focal Gallery Watching...... 16 length and see what you discover by using Meet the Members...... 20 Schedule of Activities...... 22-31 ! (continued on page 4) and so much more! Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 1 Park West Camera Club Committee Chairs Archives!!Myrna Harrison-Changar The Park West Camera Club is an independent not- 212 663 1422 [email protected] for-profit corporation. Guests are always welcome at meetings and activities. Competition! George Hansen! 212 595 7869 [email protected] The Park West Camera Club newsletter , Photo Notes, Hedy Klein is published every month by and for the members of 718-793-0246vv [email protected] the Park West Camera Club. Subscriptions are in- Joan Slatkin cluded with Club membership. Yearly subscriptions 212 260 7091 [email protected] are available to non-members by e-mail (free) or Field Trip!! Susan Sigrist! postal service ($10 per year). Individual issues are 212 758 0036 [email protected] available at PWCC meetings. Joe Cruickshank 212-751-6077 [email protected] Submissions of full-length articles or smaller items of photographic or general interest are always ac- Gallery!! Christine Doyle cepted. The staff of Photo Notes reserves the right to 212 595 4920 [email protected] edit any submissions which are published. Maria Fernandez 908 447 8075 [email protected] Deadline for submissions is the first Monday of each month. House!! Seymour Perlowitz 718 338 6695 [email protected] Photo Notes is optimized for viewing on the inter- Chuck Elster net. 917 796 7847 [email protected]

Contact Information Membership! Marlene Schonbrun 212 662 3107 [email protected] Website www.parkwestcameraclub.org Newsletter!! Chuck Pine! 212 932 7665 [email protected] E-Mail Address [email protected] Program!!Marilyn Fish-Glynn 212 685 8784 [email protected] Club Mailing Address 345 East 73rd Street, #8L, NY, NY 10021 Social!!! Sid Georgiou! Photo Notes Mailing Address 212 777 3960 [email protected] 680 West End Avenue, #5D, NY, NY 10025 Telephone Tree ! Dottie Mills! 212 926 4375 [email protected] Club Officers Website!! Ruth Lowell President!!Paul Perkus! ! 212-362-4379 [email protected] 212 929 1687 [email protected] Bob Wine V. President!!Ed Lee! 212-758-5762 [email protected] 212 242 8714 [email protected] Workshop!! Jerry Harawitz Treasurer!!Myron Galef 212 673 2096 [email protected] 212 249 1270 [email protected] Corres. Sec.!!Helen Bohmart Pine! !! 212 932 7665 [email protected] Cover Photo Rec. Sec.!!Lee Backer! ! Bleeding Sun 212-662-6740 [email protected] by Chuck Pine ©2011 Pres. Emeritus!Chuck Pine!!!! 212 932 7665 [email protected]

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 2 Competition Info Did You Know?

Here’s some information for our members regar- Did you know that the on-line PDF version of ding our Club competitions. All the details may Park West Camera Club’s Photo Notes offers you be found in the PWCC By-Laws (Article III) and/ advantages? or in the illustrated PWCC Competition Manual. Did you know that all of the website and e-mail There will be one slide, one print, and one pro- addresses are hyperlinks? That means if you jected digital image (PDI) competition each click on them, you will be taken to that website month. (if you are connected to the internet) or to your e-mail program to send an e-mail. Each member may submit up to two images each month. Did you know that the images are in color and of higher quality than when printed out? And, you Print and slide entries must be submitted to the can enlarge them a bit, too, for detail. Competition Committee by 6:45 p.m. on the eve- ning of the competition. PDIs must be via e-mail Did you know that reading Photo Notes on-line to at least one saves trees, landfills, inks, toners, water, and week prior to the scheduled competition. other natural resources?

All entries must be sized, labeled, formatted, etc. Did you know that reading Photo Notes on-line as described in the Competition Manual. saves the Club over $100 each and every month?

Here’s a hint for the Year-End Competition held in June. Each member may submit up to four Photo Notes Staff prints, four slides, and/or four PDIs. Only im- Publisher:Paul Perkus ages which competed in this year’s (October Editor:Chuck Pine through May) monthly competitions are eligible. These entries must be unaltered from their origi- Committee:Bill Apple, Elsa Blum, nal entry. The Club does not keep records of Madeleine Barbara, Ruth Formanek, Sid which slides or PDIs you entered. You should Georgiou, Gladys Hopkowitz, Hedy make a list of all your entries (and their scores) Klein, Helen Pine, and Judy Rosenblatt for your own benefit when you are ready to Contributors:Bill Apple, Lee Backer, submit to the Year-End Competition. Christine Doyle, Marie Fernandez, Ruth Formanek, George Hansen, Paul Perkus, Elena Pierpont, Chuck Pine, Judy Rosen- blatt, Sonya Smith

Photo Notes is produced on a MacBookPro using iWork Pages and Adobe Photoshop. All uncredited images are royalty-free clip art or oth- erwise believed to be in the public domain. Credited images remain the sole property of their copyright holders—all rights reserved.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 3 Presidentʼs Letter Rules of Photography

(continued from page 1) Go to Flickr.com and wander through the picture galleries. Go to a photo presentation at any just your feet as the zoom, moving yourself closer about any venue. What do you notice as you or further from your subject. How does this meander through the photographs? On average, affect the relative size of objects and their re- I’d say, well over three fourths of them (and lation to each other? What happens to depth many times, 90% of the images) are presented in of field as you get closer or further away? a horizontal perspective—landscape mode, if What happens when you back into a foun- you will. tain? How do you adjust your composition to accommodate the changes seen in your view- Why is this? Just think finder? about it… Give up? Our eyes are laid out on our faces in a horizontal orien- tation. Cameras (at least most of them) are made to be held horizontally, as well. It’s only natural to hold your camera this way.

Unfortunately, not all scenes and subjects are best displayed as hori- zontal images. Many images would look better if shot and/or displayed as a vertical—in the por- trait mode. Close-up. Set your lens to its closest setting, be it 1 foot, 18 inches, 3 feet or 1 inch, and spend Go through a bunch of your images. How many a couple of hours prowling your favorite of them are vertical? How many are horizontal? photographic haunts to find new, if small, Could any of the horizontals be improved by subjects, like a four-leafed clover you had cropping them (or having shot them) vertically? overlooked before. Or vice versa?

These are just a few ideas for motivation. There By the way, after going through several months are many more. For more inspiration consider of PWCC competition shows (thank you, Helen), taking Chuck’s class: ‘Expanding Visions’ de- I’ve noticed that our Club’s ratio is about two tailed elsewhere in this issue of Photo Notes. thirds horizontal to one third vertical—a much better-than-average percentage than other photo Spring is a time for new growth. Happy adven- venues. Way to go Park West members! turing! [Could this be the influence of the Expanding All the best, Visions class?] Paul

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 4 PWCCʼs Yahoo Group B & H Event Space

Have an idea to go shooting but don’t want to go B & H Photo is offering free workshops in their alone? Have a question about Photoshop™, or newly redesigned presentation space. Here is a your camera, or some technique but don’t have sampling of some of the photography offerings someone to ask? Know of a great photo op or this month: workshop that you’d like to share with your fel- low Club members? What to do? Wednesday, April 18, 2012 Inside the Collector's Mind Ta Da! The Club’s Yahoo group is the answer to Speaker: Alice Sachs Zimet your questions. You can communicate with other PWCC members about these and more. All you Wednesday, April 18, 2012 have to do is sign up for the group. It’s easy and After Photography it’s free. Speaker: Fred Ritchin All you have to do is send an e-mail to the Club Thursday, April 19, 2012 at We will respond with an The Unseen Eye Looks at Your Picture... e-mail from the group website, and…you’re in. Speaker: W.M. Hunt If you have a (free) Yahoo e-mail account you can go to the group site. There you can see all Sunday, April 22, 2012 prior e-mails, post pictures, post links to other A Week in the Life of a Pro Photographer websites of interest, and more. If you don’t have Speaker: David H. Wells a Yahoo account, you can only send and receive e-mails. Monday, April 23, 2012 Image Editing Made Easy Note: if you reply to a group e-mail, it will Speaker: Carly Adams bounce to everyone. For some responses, it is more appropriate to write to one member only; Wednesday, April 25, 2012 you will have to forward your response to them, Guerilla Shooting on the Highline as opposed to replying to the e-mail. If it’s an e- Speaker: Robert Harrington mail asking “Where can I buy an old Polaroid camera,” perhaps you want to reply because this Sunday, April 29, 2012 information could be of interest to all. If you are World Pinhole Day saying “thanks for the information,” for exam- Speaker: Tom Persinger ple, perhaps you should forward your response to only that one member. Monday, April 30, 2012 Perfect Wildlife Photography and Post Editing Speaker: Andy Biggs

Check out the website for all the details as well as a complete list of addi- tional presentations, and to register for the

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 5 April Competition Results by George Hansen

PDI of the Month Bridge to Nowhere by Helen Pine

Honor PDIs Indian Pond by Evelyne Appel Valencia by Evelyne Appel Olde Train by Rain Bengis Texas by Carole de Beer Lincoln Center by Nicole Dosso Balloons by Eileen Duranko Framed Shadow by Inna Grubmair In Front of Velvet Cigar Lounge by Inna Grubmair Wall Art, Cuba by Natalie Manzino March PDI-of-the-Month Water Ladies by Nyla Bridge to Nowhere Sexuality at Best by Nyla ©2012 Helen Pine Blot Out the Sun by Chuck Pine Frenetic by Chuck Pine Cattle Egret by Helen Pine Misty Tree by Doreen Rose

Print of the Month Cityscape Detroit by Elsa Blum

Honor Prints La Boca Café by Madeleine Barbara

Slide of the Month Deep Pink Lotus by Joan Slatkin March Slide-of-the-Month Honor Slides Deep Pink Lotus none ©2012 Joan Slatkin

March Print-of-the-Month Cityscape, Detroit ©2012 Elsa Blum

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 6 Cumulative Point Totals Through April 2012 Note on Cumulative Points by George Hansen If you compete in only one category (PDIs, PDIs prints, or slides) during the year, all your points are counted in that category and are Chuck Pine108 used to determine the Yearly Cumulative Natalie Manzino94 Points winners. Rain Bengis92 Helen Pine88 If, however, you are multi-talented and com- Myra Resnick88 pete in 2 or 3 of the categories (slides, prints, Rita Russo84 PDIs) during the year, all of your points are Carole de Beer78 counted to determine the Yearly Cumulative Evelyne Appel74 Combined Points winners. This category is Jerry Harawitz74 not open for those members who compete in Doreen Rose74 only one of the categories (as listed above). Janna Amelkin72 Paul Grebanier70 Eileen Duranko68 Prints Hedy Klein64 Madeleine Barbara 120 Nyla62 Bill Apple86 Dottie Mills60 Elsa Blum70 Dolores Roddy54 Oggy Doytchinov66 Donald Ruscigno48 Sarah Corbin38 Barbara Berg22 Ruth Formanek32 Joe Cruickshank14 Marvin Fink30 Marilyn Thypin10 Noe Cosme14 Bob Wine8 Fonda Charne4 Combined Nicole Dosso76 Slides Inna Grubmair76 Joan Slatkin102 George Hansen72 Marilyn Fish84 George Grubb62 Susan Sigrist72 Elena Pierpont60 Pierre Henri12

Congratulations to all the winners and to all who participated in the April competition!

Thanks to those who made it all happen.

And a Special Thanks to our April judge, Susan May Tell.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 7 The Photo as Kleenex® by Bill Apple And that—that simple-minded simile about Kleenex—is exactly what has been bugging me There’s a school of psychology that holds a per- about the Club’s increasing focus on projected son doesn’t really know his own opinions about digital images, PDIs, the JPGs that this season things until he hears himself saying them. Before have been accounting for perhaps three-fourths words get uttered, he hasn’t a clue. or more of every competition.

A chance encounter recently proved that theory A photograph is surely more than megabytes on to me. I’d bumped into a friend on the street. It a flash drive or hard disk. Most often it’s a print was Purim, each of us headed for different fes- on paper, framed or in a book. By contrast, JPGs tivities. Indeed, my friend was dressed for a occupy no space on the plane where prints live, party and beaming a certain holiday “glow.” the plane of flesh-and-blood items. Sure, JPGs are Since I had the camera along, I asked whether I images, easy but in a way also latent, certainly could take his picture. Seconds later, his image not durable and never directly accessible to the looked back at me from my camera’s LCD. His eye without lots of electronics gear intervening. portrait looked great. I know that photographers work painstakingly I promised him a copy, and he mumbled some- on their digital images, refining and perfecting thing about an e-mail address. Then these words and polishing on computer screens. But what spilled out of me: results—beautiful as it might look—lacks per- manence. And so it necessarily cannot garner the “If I were to e-mail you the picture, it becomes respect of a tangible, well-made print, nor like Kleenex: disposable. You’ll look at it for a should it. second, maybe forward it, but in the end delete (continued on next page) it. The picture won’t have any reality; it won’t exist beyond your In Box. Let me print a copy for you and give you the photograph in your hand.” Disposable Printing gives a photo a life; keeping it as a JPG all but guaran- What came out was a stunning black-and-white tees it’s forgettable. portrait, which I matted and delivered a few days later. My friend and his wife were grateful. They’d received a fine-art print —archival, even—not some cheesy, throwaway e-mail at- tachment, worth about as much as a used tissue.

What I’d given them was—forgive me—an objet d’art, an art object, something whose existence commands certain respect. My friend would now have to do something with his photograph. It wasn’t about to disappear so fast, not like junk e-mail. Attention must be paid.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 8 Club members enjoy the monthly PDI slide- Election Procedures…continued shows that Helen is good enough to put together from competition entries, the shows she e-mails At the March business meeting we began our everyone. But I’d venture that the PDIs probably yearly election procedures when President Paul get just a quick once-over from most members, if Perkus appointed the Nominating Committee. It that. Then, alas, they eventually suffer the fate of will present their slate of at least one nominee all overripe e-mail: it’s jettisoned sooner or later for each position on the Executive Committee in a fit of computer housekeeping. (president, vice president, treasurer, correspond- ing/membership secretary, and recording secre- By comparison, think of a book of prints. It can tary) to the membership at the April business be held, leafed through, contemplated, put down meeting. and returned to time and again. In short, it can be savored. But what to do with JPGs? Even Also at the April business meeting, nominations when organized into a slideshow, they’re here will be opened to the floor. At each succeeding and gone, about as cherished as images that clut- Club meeting leading up to, but not including, ter television screens, lacking significance. It’s the May business meeting, nominations will just the medium. again be accepted from the floor.

Interestingly, Ellen Denuto, judge of March’s The third phase of the election process is the competition, remarked several times during her election itself. This occurs at the May business comments on PDIs, “This one really ought to be meeting. If there is only one nominee for each made into a print. It deserves to be printed.” She position, then the presiding officer at the meet- never said anything like that when judging ing can ask the secretary to cast a unanimous prints, nothing about prints that “deserved” the vote for the slate. Should there be more than one projected, big-screen treatment. After all, the nominee for any of the five positions, then a prints she was judging were already photo- written ballot must be prepared and a secret graphs, able to be touched and held in her vote taken for that/those position(s). (The secre- hands. They existed, were real, didn’t demand tary can still cast the computers or screens. unanimous vote for the un- opposed candidates.) Projected images have their place. We live in a digital world, and JPG files, not negatives, have Members must be present become the currency of cameras. It’s just so un- to cast a vote. Ballots will be fortunate that so many Club members are con- counted by the Nominating tent with JPGs, never attempting to print the Committee and announced work. before the end of the busi- ness meeting. There are a million excuses—time, money, inter- est, energy, aptitude, sloth. But until you commit Finally, the outgoing officers are thanked and the a photograph to paper it remains a thing, a thing incoming Executive Committee is installed at the that is utterly disposable, impermanent as elec- Otto Litzel Memorial Dinner held on the second trons on microchips, as disposable as a Kleenex. Monday in June..

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 9 Wanted… Inquiries

What’s the difference between a teleconverter and an extension tube? Which one should I choose?

Good questions! Many people get them confused and/or use the terms interchangeably. But they are different in both construction and function— although they are both used to make an image appear larger, they do so in different ways and with slightly different results.

Physically, they are both rings of metal or plastic that go between your lens and camera body, and have a particular lens’/body’s mount at each end (to fit your particular brand of camera/lens). On the other hand, the extension tube is hollow (you can wear it like an oversized wedding ring) …volunteers to write for the Park West Camera whereas the teleconverter or tele extender has Club’s Photo Notes. Could be on a continuing ba- glass (or plastic) elements built in. sis or as a one-shot deal. Experience not neces- sary. Enthusiasm is a must-have. Don’t worry The function of the tele-converter/extender is to about spelling or grammar or the like—our crack increase the focal length of a lens. They usually editorial staff handles all the details. have a multiplier of 1.4X or 2.0X, but others may be available. When using this tool, light travels Some suggestions for individual articles or through the lens and then through the optics in monthly columns are: the converter. Some light is lost: one stop with the 1.4X, and two stops with the 2.0X converter. • photo magazine reviews You use this tool when you want to bring a dis- • photo workshop reviews tant object closer. It is also an inexpensive way to • Club field trip reviews get a longer lens. • photographic gallery reviews • equipment reviews The function of the extension tube is to get closer • technical/technique articles to your subject, such as when shooting close-up • photographic hints and tips images of flowers, birds, etc. The act of being • computer hints and tips able to focus closer, however, means that you • photographic poetry lose the ability to focus on distant objects. There • photography puzzles (X-word, jumbles, is a minimal loss of light using this kind of tube. word-search, etc.) Extension tubes come in different lengths (meas- • recipes from Club pot-luck dinners ured in millimeters)—the longer the tube, the • anything else you can dream up—as closer you can get to the subject, and the larger long as it is photo- or Club-related. the image becomes.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 10 Minutes House – Chuck Elster reported that everything is by Lee Backer working well.

March 26, 2012 Membership – Marlene Schonbrun said there are 70 active members. She will compile a list of (This is a draft copy and has not yet been ap- members who have not attended two business proved by the membership.) meetings and send a reminder to those people. You can also contact Marlene if you are not sure Call to Order – whether or not you have attended two business President Paul Perkus called the meeting to meetings. order at 7:01 p.m. He noted that we have a quorum. Newsletter – Printed copies of the newsletter will be ready in about two days. Minutes of Previous Meeting – The minutes of the February 27th meeting, Program – Marilyn Fish-Glynn announced which appeared in the March 2012 newsletter upcoming speakers and judges. were approved. Social – Sid Georgiou said beverages did not Treasurer’s Report – arrive for tonight's refreshments. We have a total balance of $12,270 in the bank, of which $103 is for trips, leaving an adjusted Website – Jerry Harawitz communicated a report balance of $12,167. from Bob Wine that field trip information is posted on the website. Committee Reports Archives – No report; committee chair not pre- Workshop – Jerry Harawitz reported that four sent. Ed Lee said that members who had offered people have now signed up for the April 23rd to look into copying some of the archives for the portfolio review workshop with Susan May Tell. club's 75th anniversary celebration will meet on He will send email reminders to the participants. April 3rd or 4th. Old Business Competition – No report; committee chairs not Club Auction, April 9th present. Ed Lee has sent announcements to his meet- up groups. He encouraged members to notify Field Trip – Rita Russo said no one signed up for their other groups about the auction. This year, a the Chinatown trip this past Saturday. Susan catalog of items for auction will not be compiled Sigrist announced that Natalie's field trip to Red and distributed as was done last year. Hook is to be rescheduled. Otto Litzel Dinner – 75th PWCC Anniversary Gallery – Christine Doyle reminded members Sid Georgiou reported that he received that the due date for members to submit images recommendations for an Indian restaurant and a for the Borough President's Office Russian restaurant. He also suggested Arte, East exhibit is May 15th. of Eighth, and Monte's. The Ukrainian East

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 11 Village (buffet style) was also suggested. Sid will be on the nominating committee. Five members prepare a list of candidate restaurants to be se- offered to be on the committee: Nicole Dosso, lected at the next business meeting. Ceremonies Christine Doyle, Chuck Elster, Marilyn Fish- and all other activities will take place at the Glynn, and Sid Georgiou. selected restaurant. Next Year's Budget Manhattan Borough President's Office Exhibition, Paul Perkus requested that committee chairs September 2012 submit their budget request for next year at the The exhibit's theme is “On My Block and next business meeting. The Executive Committee Around the Corner.“ will send committee chairs their current budget and actual expenses. Memorial Day Weekend Trip to Washington, D.C. Participants will arrange and pay for their New Business From the Floor own transportation to and from . For Marvin Fink voiced the need for a survey of trip details and costs in Washington, see the members regarding their opinions of competi- newsletter. tion judges to aid in deciding who should or should not be invited back. Others were in Other support but said criteria for a good judge would Competition Awards – Two suggestions were first have to be established. Marilyn, who gets offered as alternatives to certificates for compe- the judges for the competition, said the same tition winners: 1) engraved flash drives, and 2) judge can behave differently from one time to ribbons. the next, and that a judge is not asked to return for two or three years. Ruth Formanek made a New Business From the Chair motion that an ad hoc committee be formed to Nominating Committee appointment make up a simple survey form. The motion was Paul Perkus explained the process for passed. Marvin will chair the committee. nominating officers and asked for volunteers to Ideas for summer meetings as “club's nights out” are a boat ride and a field trip.

Good and Welfare From the Chair – None.

Good and Welfare From the Floor Ed Lee received the New England Camera Club brochure announcing their annual conference.

Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:53 p.m.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 12 parkwestcameraclub.org Call for Entries—MBPO 2012 by Christine Doyle & Maria Fernandez Have you checked out the Club’s website re- Gallery Committee Co-Chairs cently? It has all sorts of new features for you to explore. Check out the newly designed Our next PWCC exhibit is scheduled for the Field Trips pages. The current issue of Photo month of September, 2012, at the Office of the Notes and all past issues of the Club’s news- Manhattan Borough President. The title of the letters are available for you to download and show is On My Block & Around the Corner. This read. The gallery section has winners from encompasses images taken on the block, street, our competitions and members’ galleries. or immediate area (“around the corner”) where you live, but each individual artist’s submissions Why not assemble a small portfolio of your should be limited to the same area/location. work for posting on our site? It’ll give you an ego boost the size of Alaska, and it’ll improve Works do not have to be all the same size but the Club’s image as well. each individual artist’s work must be matted (ei- ther white or off-white) and framed (simple black or silver metal frames) in a similar manner. Accessory Quiz Members are invited to submit up to 6 images Can you name this photography accessory? each; entry fees are: 1 - 3 images, $10.00; 4 - 6 im- No prizes, just a fun challenge! ages, $20. Payment, cash or check, should be re- Send your guesses to mitted to Christine Doyle or Maria Fernandez by Googling not permitted—on your honor! May 15, 2012.

The Club requests participants to submit their images, digitally prepared and sized as for com- petition, and titled with the theme, your name, and image title, to by May 15.

Answer next month in Photo Notes. Because of time pressures in the final days lead- ing up to the opening of the MBPO exhibit, sub- Last Month’s Answer stituting different images on the installation date This is an Angle Finder. It is made will not be allowed. for cameras without a tilt/swivel LCD screen. It lets you adjust the Volunteers are needed to receive images at the viewing angle while also providing MBPO [week of August 27, 2012; exact date to be a slightly magnified image. determined], help with hanging pictures, mak- ing labels, and other administrative work as nec- essary. Volunteers are also needed to plan and Last Month’s Correct Answers organize the Opening Night Reception [date to none be determined].

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 13 Expanding Visions 18 of the photographic art’s classic compositional techniques and how to use it. Get out your calendars. Find a bright red or blue Magic Marker. Circle each and every Thursday Not too complicated, is it? Lots of fun and edu- from May 10th through July 5th. These are the cational; but most of all, it will expand your vi- dates for the all new version of the ever-popular sion in the photographs you take, and allow you Expanding Visions. to grow as a photographer.

As usual, this nine-week class will be free to Here’s the class syllabus: Park West Camera Club members, and only $75 for non-members (or $15 per session up to the May 10Introduction to the Class $75 maximum payment). Please note, this is a raise Overview of Equipment/Expo- in price—the first increase in 17 years! sure/Etc. Preview of trips and techniques Expanding Visions is a marriage of a field trip May 17Trip #1Columbus Circle class with a class in photographic seeing. This reflecTION nine week class will open your mind to new ways of looking at photographs, subject matter, May 24Trip #2South Street Seaport equipment, and techniques. It will also allow isolaTION you to explore parts of the City that you may not May 31Review of Trips 1 & 2 have experienced before. June 7Trip #3Roosevelt Island The format of the class is simple: We start with filtraTION an introductory session. We will discuss equip- June 14Trip #4Coney Island ment, techniques, and the specifics of the course; radiaTION a term project will be assigned. For the next two weeks we’ll go on field trips to different places June 21Review of Trips 3 & 4 around town and work on the assignments. The June 28Trip # 5Times Square following session will bring us back indoors destabilizaTION where we’ll share our photographs, talk about our experiences, and evaluate what and how July 5Review of Trip 5 & Term Projects well we learned. Two more weeks of trips and assignments will be followed by another review. As usual, the instructor of this class is the creator Then, the last trip and assignment and the final of the Expanding Visions concept, and Park West review (including the term project presenta- Camera Club’s president emeritus, Chuck Pine. tions). Fees (for those non-PWCC members taking the The basic thread running through the assign- class) are due at the first session (or at each ses- ments in Expanding Visions 18 is abstracTION— sion if paying by the week). Cash or check only. all of the weekly assignments will have to do with various aspects of removing your images Let us know if you’ll be attending by sending a from reality. The term project will deal with one message to

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 14 Going, Going, Gone Memorial Weekend Trip

April 9th is the date for the annual PWCC auc- Pack your bags! We’re going to Washington, DC. tion. Members and guests are invited to bring The dates are Friday, May 25th through Monday, any photography, computer, or photo-related May 28th. That’s four days and three nights in items which they want to sell. and around the nation’s capital and all it has to Items must be brought on the night of the auc- offer, including the White tion starting at 6:00 p.m. (Sorry, but items may House, the Capitol Build- not be stored earlier at Soho Photo.) Each item ing, the Washington must be accompanied by a completed “Auction Monument, the Lincoln Inventory Sheet” which includes your name, a and Jefferson Memorials, the Viet Nam, Korean, description of the item, a minimum opening bid and World War Memorials, and all the edifices of (optional), and what percent of the final selling the . Want more than ar- price you wish to donate to the Club (PWCC chitecture, history, and art? How about the Na- gets at least 20%, but you can give more—up to tional Zoo, the National Botanical Gardens, Ken- 100%). These forms will be available the week nilworth Aquatic Gardens, Rock Creek Park, the prior to the auction; they will also be available National Cemetery, the Iwo Jima monument, and on auction night. so much more!

As a buyer, you must have Here’s the catch: space cash on hand, (or a per- is very limited; a de- sonal check if you are a posit is required to Club member) to pay for hold the rooms; and the the items you bid on and cancellation date is a win. Items must be taken month before the trip. home at the conclusion of the auction. Therefore, a deposit of $100 is required to hold your spot. Full payment Items not sold will return to their original own- is due no later than Monday evening, April 16th. ers and must be taken home that night. Un- The fee includes: lodging in the Georgetown sec- wanted items may be disposed of in the trash tion of DC; breakfasts each morning, and all-day receptacles. Metro passes for both Saturday and Sunday.

Those people who sell items will be paid their The full cost of the trip is $300. The single sup- percentage at the Club’s business meeting in plement is an additional $270 (for a total trip cost three weeks on April 30th. If you cannot attend, of $570). Please note, this does not include trans- your check will be mailed to you. [Note—if portation to and from DC. If you decide to go, you’re not a PWCC member please be sure to full information will be provided for driving, fly- leave your mailing address with us so we can ing, bus and/or train. send your payment in a timely fashion.] A flyer will be available at Club meetings. Good shopping.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 15 Gallery Watching ages, but much of what he's about I just don't by Ruth Formanek and Judy Rosenblatt get, so I want to be dismissive of him. Yet I'm left with a nagging feeling that there’s a limitation For this column we did some gallery hopping in on my part that might be remedied by talking Chelsea and along 57th Street, with a stop at the with someone younger and more familiar with New York Historical Society, where we caution conceptual art. At least I can appreciate someone our readers not to order the Italian cookie plate trying to push photography into a more personal at the cafe. For the most part, though, our explo- realm; this exhibit makes me feel less silly about rations led to some fine photographic feasting. shooting the used tissues in my bathroom waste- basket. Vogt's comprehensive website is Christian Vogt: The Flaxen Diary 2003-2011 at . RWFA Rick Wester Fine Art, 511 West 25th Street; to May 5th—by Judy August Sander/Boris Mikhailov: German Portraits at Pace/MacGill Gallery, 32 East 57th Street; to The title of this exhibit intrigued me because I May 5th—by Judy have been trying to become more “diaristic” in my own photography, a challenge I haven't This exhibit brought me found easy. Christian Vogt is Swiss, born in 1946, back to more familiar terri- much awarded and exhibited, and better known tory. It juxtaposes straight- in Europe than here. Well, it turns out that he is a forward portraits of Ger- photographer who has consistently upended mans taken by two eminent photographic tradition in his work, so this “di- photographers nearly a cen- ary” is really a group of diverse, fictitious, tury apart. August Sander mostly domestic images that viewers can inter- (1876 - 1964) is renowned pret however they wish. Whatever internal con- for his exhaustive study of nection they have to the photographer isn't clear Weimar German soci- and may be beside the point. One of these large- ety, "People of the 20th Coal Carrier, Berlin scale images shows a woman floating in a Century," in which he August Sander, 1929 swimming pool. What's strange is that the pool sought to portray arche- © Getty Trust is a small strip of blue across the top of the im- typal German types age, which mostly consists of tangled bushes. classified mostly by their occupations. Boris Finally you realize that he has flipped the scene Mikhailov (b. 1938) is a Ukrainian photographer, upside down. In several images he looks down widely exhibited in Europe, who lives and works from above: onto a girl holding a black rabbit, or in Berlin and his home town of Karkov. In a re- a toy dog on a patterned rug. The world he pre- cent exhibit at MoMA, he portrayed members of sents is surreal, off kilter despite seeming “ordi- the homeless underclass that emerged after the nary.” Looking at his website, you see that he disintegration of the Soviet Union in brutal, in- has taken many conceptual routes over the your-face shots that included displays of nudity. years. He has a series of full length portraits of In contrast, his ten large scale 2008 portraits here people with closed eyes, and a series with a pic- are staid, almost clinical studies of middle class ture frame enclosing a segment of each scene. I chorus members in the town of Braunschweig. found a few strong and beautiful figurative im- These slightly larger-than-life head shots are all

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 16 portrayed in profile against a black background. 10 year term in jail for belonging to a Socialist The photographer, obviously capable of portray- party (He died before his term was up, in 1944). ing people at their messiest and most desperate, Not only was Sander a great photographer, he seems here to go in the opposite direction and was a good German as well. portray them as specimens, like captured butter- flies. So maybe there's a conceptual underpin- I had seen Mikhailov's photographs of homeless ning here, after all. Sander's small (VERY small, Ukrainians (MoMA 2011) and still can't under- by current standards), softly lit black-and-white stand his point Why show their genitals? Don’t portraits, while still placing his subjects in cate- the homeless have enough trouble without being gories, seem to me to reveal more of their souls. debased in photographs as exhibitionists? His subjects in the 20 portraits here are artists of various kinds and "Victims of Persecution," who I did, however, like the new show of chorus don't seem like victims but may be ordinary, members, all in profile, upper bodies only and middle class Jews who, by 1938, were indeed be- no genitals visible. Mikhailov’s photographs re- coming persecuted. So you wonder, "Why did minded me of Avedon’s work: individuals that happen to these people?" And maybe Mik- against a solid background without any distrac- hailov, by lining his subjects up like ducks, is tions, only Avedon used white and Mikhailov commenting on the bankruptcy of focusing on uses black very effectively. physiognomy (this connection is mentioned in the exhibit's press release). Much food for The gallery’s publicity makes reference to physi- thought here. ognomy and eugenics as well as to Hitler’s gain- ing German citizenship in Braunschweig, all of Ruth comments: which seems irrelevant to me and makes little I greatly admire August Sander’s work although sense. But Mikhailov’s portraits are first-rate. a few years ago I was shocked to note that his exhibit included a portrait of an SS man. It was Oraien Catledge: Cabbagetown at Robert Andersen therefore surprising for this victim of persecu- Gallery, 24 West 57 Street; to May 26th—by Ruth tion to see his portraits entitled ‘Victims of Per- secution’ done in 1938, the year I left Germany. Who would expect to fall in love with the work As the people photographed are not recogniz- of an old, vision-impaired photographer, now able as victims and look more like portraits of suffering from Alzheimer’s? I did this past week your accountant or internist, Sander’s point may and I predict you will too when you visit the be precisely that: that these victims, like the SS Robert Andersen Gallery before the end of May. portraits, were similar to other Germans at that The Mississippi-born photographer, a social time. It isn’t made clear whether or not the per- worker, retired from that State’s Department of secuted ones were Jews or whether he included Public Welfare, learned to use a Leica at age 51, other victims, such as members of the Commu- and was recently brought to the attention of the nist or Social Democratic parties, or Anti-Nazis gallery by Mary Ellen Mark. Lacking formal generally. According to Wikipedia, Sander’s 1929 training in photography and hindered by a se- book was destroyed by the Nazis because his vere visual impairment, he considered photog- portraits showed Germans lacking the ‘Aryan’ raphy his ‘irresistible’ pursuit and private pas- look. Moreover, Sander’s son was sentenced to a sion. Catledge’s work with the poor and his own

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 17 fading eyesight are recognizable issues in his Michal Ronnen Safdie: Sunday Tuesday Thursday at black and white prints. Andrea Meislin Gallery. 526 West 26th Street; to April 21st—by Ruth Cabbagetown, a former mill village in the heart of At- You will love Michal Ronnen Safdie’s work: She lanta, was Catledge’s studio portrays Orthodox Israeli women and children for 20 years. When the mill at a beach north of Tel Aviv. The title refers to the closed, many of the resi- days when the beach is reserved for use by Or- dents, who were emigrants thodox women and their children. This is a small from Appalachia, remained show and there are, unfortunately, too few pho- but without visible means of tographs of the hundreds of women, most stand- earning a living. Called the ing at the edge of the water, wearing long “picture man,” he was dresses and hats and, one surmises, not able or from Cabbagetown obviously welcomed by not about to swim. Their children wear bathing © Oraien Catledge the people he photo- suits and the only men on the beach are life- graphed, many of them guards. children. His prints are candid, seem unposed, natural and empathic, sometimes show a sense Ronnen Safdie uses a pale palette reminiscent of of irony: A child’s swollen cheek suggests a large hand-colored prints in overcast lighting. Stephen wad of chewing gum inside it, visually echoed Greenblatt, the Harvard Shakespeare maven, by the rounded belly of a woman in the back- wrote commentary for the show. The photogra- ground, as well as by the rounded heads of other pher now lives in the United States and has a children. degree in so- ciology. Her I liked Catledge’s portraits of children especially. portfolios They are sensitive, not sentimental; the children include ‘an- appear to be lonely, somewhat disheveled. If a thropomor- couple is photographed, the man often smiles phic trees,’ while the woman does not. Life seems to be hard and images in Cabbagetown; I was reminded of the Great related to Depression images by Arnold Rothstein and human rights Dorothea Lange. But Catledge’s prints are less issues in Africa from Beach Days formal, and show more love. and the Western © Michal Ronnen Safdie Wall, among Catledge may be unknown to us but there are others. Ronnen Safdie has had many shows in two books on his work available in the Gallery the United States and one hopes another will and are well worth browsing. One was edited by soon surface in New York. Robert Coles and the other by Constance Lewis and Richard Ford (the novelist), and published Judy's Comments: by university presses. Safdie and Catledge were my odds on favorites among all the photographers we reviewed. Saf- die's beach scenes are unlike any other you've

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 18 seen—you know it's not Coney Island! The Next we viewed "City Stages" at the Bonni Ben- women’s flowing garments, mostly in dark rubi Gallery, where workers were loading some shades, are punctuated by the brightly colored of Matthew Pillsbury's gigantic photographs to rubber tubes in popular use. The sea air is almost be transported to the AIPAD show. Pillsbury palpable and Safdie creates wonderful composi- turns into a glowing stage with tions out of the chaos of the crowded beach, his black-and-white long exposures of landmark largely by isolating imposing figures. It's an in- scenes at night. Looking across the river from the triguing glimpse into a culture unfamiliar to me promenade at the commemorative and, perhaps, most American viewers. Trade Center beams, you suddenly realize that the blurring in front of the fence is caused by Catledge also gives us an insightful glimpse into the watching crowd, who have become ghosts. a special group of people, among whom he The revolving horses of Jane's Carousel have moved easily and comfortably. Like Ruth, I fell likewise turned into a blur. The ghostly pres- in love with his work and am grateful that he's ences add to the theatrical effects of this unusual been "discovered." His portraits make an inter- take on our city. Through April 28th. esting comparison to those in the Sander/Mik- hailov exhibit; although these are also posed, the As for the Historical Society, we went there to people are much less aloof and more relaxed be- see the photographs by Platon: recent portraits cause of their familiarity with the photographer. of key figures in the Civil Rights movement of The scraggly environment in which they live is the 1960s, some well known (Jesse Jackson, much in evidence, too. And, the children, often Harry Belafonte) and some not. Printed on alu- barefooted, are unforgettable. minum, spotlighted in a darkened room (which made it hard to read the accompanying text), this Brief mentions: is a moving tribute to that time and these people. On the far wall facing you as you enter is the ag- Across the street from Pace/Macgill, in the ven- ing group who were young students bravely erable Fuller building (41 East 57th Street), there bucking the governor’s segregationist stand in were two exhibits that seemed worth looking Little Rock, Arkansas. Behind them looms their into. One was at the Howard Greenberg Gallery: high school. Most moving to me was the photo- "One Thing and Another," photographs of Frank graph of the parents of Denise McNair, who was Gohlke. These are largely black-and-white dip- killed as a child when the Birmingham Baptist tychs taken a short time apart of the same scene, Church was bombed in 1963. The aging couple so that perhaps the only thing different is the cling to each other in front of the church; paired sky. The scenes are often flat and unremarkable; with them is an image of one of Denise’s Sunday they are meditations on the passage of time. dresses, lovingly preserved. Unfortunately this More interesting were scenes of Mt. St. Helens exhibit will only be displayed until April 15; our just after the eruptions and then some years later info had given it a longer run. The Historical So- when the landscape was starting to grow back, ciety, in a beautifully renovated building, is at and tornado aftermaths contrasting undamaged 140 Central Park West (at 77th Street). Too bad homes with the utter wreckage nearby. This ex- those pricey cookies were so tasteless. hibit runs through May 5th.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 19 Meet the Member member. He followed his fascination with chemicals by Sonya Smith and joined his high school photography club. As an adult he was affiliated with the Soho Photo Gallery Paul Grebanier a new member of PWCC, found the when they were located on 13th Street [actually in club indirectly through the New York Photography Soho!—Ed.]. He also helped with the relocation to and Safari Meet-Up group. Chuck Pine had sent out their present address on White Street. He gets nostal- an email to group members about the Expanding Vi- gic whenever he walks through the doors at each sions class three years ago which Paul attended. He meeting. enjoyed the class, and decided to join the Club last summer. Paul became a member of PWCC for the social as- pects it adds to his life. Even though photography can be a solitary hobby, it allows traveling with others while taking photos. It helps to motivate him to leave his house more regularly to come to the meetings, go on the field trips, etc. He is enjoying the journey so far.

Welcome to Park West, Paul

Meet the Member by Elena Pierpont

Barbara Martens, who is from the Netherlands, Paul has been interested in photography from his early was a hairdresser and would attend hair conven- teens. He was introduced to photography by his father. tions. Using a He was very interested in chemistry at the time, the point and chemical process used to develop film fascinated him. shoot family camera, Bar- Photography that generates a subjective response and denotes mystery are Paul’s interest. People are not the bara started main focus in his photos, usually other things are. taking pic- tures of the different hair styles that were created.

After getting married, she started to go on distant va- cations—Thai- land would be her first big trip. She decided at PWCC is not the first Wall that time to get her first SLR film camera. She photography club of ©2011 Paul Grebanier signed up for a beginner’s photography class which Paul has been a

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 20 and among hopes to continue growing in her photography other things work. learned to develop the We happily welcome our new member, Barbara film and Martens, to PWCC. print black & white photo- graphs. The class’ stu- CS6: On the Way dents got along very Adobe announced at the end of March that the latest version of Photoshop—CS6— is The Netherlands well and now in beta testing. This is the process of let- © Barbara Martens they decided to start their own ting ordinary people have the program so photography club they can play with it and report back any where once a month they would get together bugs to the designers and programmers. and show their photographs, talk about cameras, techniques etc. Their photography teacher Some of what has been leaked to the public thought this was a great idea and also attended indicates that you may have to upgrade your their meetings. Their club lasted 10 years. computer, or buy a new one, if you intend to use the most advanced Photoshop version! Barbara’s husband’s work has taken them to live in different places. While living in Hamburg, Both Mac and Windows machines must have: Germany, she joined another photography club, • at least one gigabyte of RAM to run the of which she remains a member via computer. program (but double or quadruple would be better); In 2000, while living in Boston she bought her • more than two gigabytes of free hard drive first digital camera and a computer. She then space; took digital photography classes to learn the • a DVD-ROM drive; and new workings of her camera. • a 1,024x768 pixel display (although 1,280x 800 is strongly recommended). The Martens recently moved to the New York area and Barbara wanted to continue being part Windows users will need at least Intel Pre- of a camera club so she googled Photography mium 4 or AMD Athlon 64 processors run- Clubs and found Park West. She attended a ning either Windows XP with Service Pack 3 meeting and decided to join us right away. or Windows 7 (sorry Vista users).

Barbara enjoys photographing landscapes with Mac users will need a Multicore Intel proces- different lighting, macro, and abstract subjects. sor running Mac OS X v10.6.8 (the last Snow She likes to meet new people, enjoys seeing and Leopard) or v10.7 (Lion)—either one running sharing photographs with other members, and in 64-bit mode only.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 21 Schedule of Activities Daily, through April 15 Photo Op—Auto Show All Club Monday night meetings take place at The New York International Automobile Show the Soho Photo Gallery located at 15 White was North America’s first automotive exhibition, Street, between West and the Avenue debuting in 1900. They offer virtually every of the Americas (6th Avenue) unless indicated make and model vehicle sold in the U.S. under otherwise in the listings below. Meeting sites for one roof giving other Club activities are included within the list- photographers ing. Following the schedule of activities are de- the unique op- tailed directions to each of our meeting sites. portunity to shoot every- Check the Park West Camera Club Website thing the auto for late-break- industry has to ing details on all meetings and other PWCC ac- offer—from tivities. fuel-sipping economy cars to All meetings begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise million dollar supercars (and don’t forget all that indicated below. glitz and glamour, not to mention those scantily clad models!). The show is being held at the Ja- The Park West Camera Club meets every Mon- cob Javits convention Center, 11th Avenue be- day night (with some exceptions for holidays tween 34th and 40th Streets, from 10 a.m. to 10 and a slightly curtailed summer schedule). p.m. each day (except Sunday when the show Please join us at a meeting or on one of our many closes at 7 p.m.). Admission is $15 per day. No scheduled field trips. tripods, please.

An asterisk (*) preceding the date indicates an Tuesday, April 10 official Park West Camera Club activity. Other Photo Event—Tuesday Evening Hour listings included below are Photo Events, which may be of interest to photographers, and Photo Tuesday Evening Hour is an artist’s non-profit Ops, which offer opportunities to take pictures. slide-show program whose mission is to expose the works of the artist to the public. Each Tues- day a working photographer presents a slide * Monday, April 9 show/lecture. No reservations required—just Club Auction arrive. Tonight’s digital presentation is Architec- tural Abstracts, Los Angeles, Belgium, Spain & NYC The amassed crowd is abuzz with anticipa- by Carlos Esguerra. The show begins at 6 p.m. tion as Chuck Pine swings the gavel,… and and is held at St. Margaret’s House, 49 Fulton with a loud bang the 2012 PWCC auction of Street (near the South Street Seaport). The closest photographica begins. See “Going, Going, subway is the #2 or #3 train station at Fulton Gone” on page 15 of this issue of Photo Notes Street, but others are nearby—check your maps. for all the details. A $2.00 donation is requested.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 22 * Wednesday, April 11 * Monday, April 16 Print Workshop Guest Speaker—Rivka Katvan All Club members are invited to bring a dozen Tonight’s guest speaker, Rivka Katvan, is a part- or so images for this every-other-month event. ner with her husband Moshe, in Katvan Studio, Bring your work prints, finished prints, what- here in New York City’s photo district. Although ever prints, for an honest, but gentle, critique of basically a commercial photo studio, Rivka is your work. This workshop has limited space so also well known for her fine art and travel pho- please sign up in advance. Contact Ruth Forma- tography, as well as her photographic studies of nek at 212-799-3984, or the Broadway theatre, as seen in her recent at any Club meeting to get the time and meeting Abrams’ book, Backstage: Broadway Behind the place. The workshop leader is Nancy Sirkis. Curtain. Please join us for this exciting and enter- taining evening of photography. Tonight’s cur- * Saturday, April 14 tain raiser is scheduled to be Natalie Manzino, Field Trip—West Village award winning photographer and former PWCC ExCom member. Talk about street shooting, what better place could there be than the West Village (da villaj, to Tuesday, April 17 da locals)? Bring your camera and be prepared to Photo Event—Tuesday Evening Hour capture the character and the characters of one of the Big Apple’s oldest and most cherished areas. Tonight’s digital presentation is Australia and Meet at the corner of West 4th Street and Sixth New Zealand by Joan DeFrietas Gellman: math Avenue/Avenue of the Americas—the West 4th instructor, world traveler, and photographer. See Street station of the A, B, C, D, E, F, and V lines the listing under April 10th for the general de- are below—in front of the IFC Cinema at 11 a.m. tails. Leader: Inna Grubmair, 646-355-6840. Wednesday, April 18 Photo Event—Member Exhibit Long time PWCC member Rita Russo is partici- pating in an exhibit which opens tonight at Pho- toManhattan, located at 51 West 14th Street (be- tween 5th and 6th Avenues) in suite #2R. The opening is on the latish side, from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Rita’s images are of the Soho area. Please support Rita by coming and enjoying her images and all the wine and food.

* Thursday, April 19 Projected Image Workshop

Elizabeth Taylor, The Little Foxes All Club members are invited to bring a dozen ©1981 Rivka Katvan or so images for this every-other-month event. Bring your 35mm mounted slides or your PDIs (on a CD or a flash/thumb drive) for an honest,

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 23 but gentle, critique of your work. These may be Wednesday, April 25 finished images, works in progress, shots you’re Photo Event—Sierra Photo thinking of entering into competitions, whatever. The New York City Sierra Club’s Photography We get started at 7 p.m. The doors open at 6:30 Committee is holding its meeting tonight. The p.m. so you may enter your images. (Please program for tonight is a presentation by Hardie don’t arrive any earlier.) All this will take place Truesdale entitled Iceland and Other New Works. at the home of Chuck and Helen Pine. See below Although he has been influenced by many pho- for the address and directions. tographers, Hardie’s own particular mentor was Ansel Adams. Adams’ photographs were never Thursday, April 19 merely “pretty,” they captured a mood or a feel- Photo Event—NYPC Meeting ing; they were a way of life. Hardie has learned The New York Personal Computer Club (NYPC) patience, sensitivity to light and shadow, and usually holds its monthly general meeting this craftsmanship from studying Adams’ work. evening, from 6 to 8 p.m. Their website has not He is most interested in capturing nature in yet been updated to include this information. dramatic yet subtle circumstances; rain, sleet, They quite often present programs of interest to snow, or mist when the mood and quality of photographers. Be sure to check out their web- light is intensified. Hardie uses large- and site to get the what and where medium-format cameras for their great clarity for this event. and their capture of subtle texture and detail. It also forces him to work slowly and patiently so * Monday, April 23 that he really “sees” what he’s photographing. Portfolio Review Night The meeting, open to the general public, is held on the second floor of St. Paul the Apostle Our third and final Portfolio Review Night of the Church at 405 West 59th Street, just west of year occurs tonight. Five more Club members Columbus/9th Avenue, and begins at 6:30 p.m. have been invited to bring a concise portfolio of A $5 donation is collected at the door. their work for an in-depth review and critique. Each will present up to 12 images on the same subject/theme. The critic we have retained for tonight’s review is Susan May Tell—this month’s judge at our April 2nd competition.

Tuesday, April 24 Photo Event—Tuesday Evening Hour Tonight’s slide presentation is The 1939 New York World’s Fair—Revisited by Allan Roberts: admin- istrator, Sumitomo Corp of America, railroad en- thusiast, and historian. See the listing under April 10th for the general details. Fjallasrlon Lagoon © Hardie Truesdale

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 24 * Sunday, April 29 Tuesday, May 1 Field Trip—Williamsburg Photo Event—Tuesday Evening Hour Can’t get enough of Brooklyn? Fugedabout it! Tonight’s slide presentation is Former Estates of We got ya covered. Join us for this Sunday morn- New Jersey—History of Lands Preserved, Part 2 by ing and early afternoon stroll through historic Jacqui Bonavito: graphic designer and photogra- Williamsburg. We’ll see and shoot the sights and pher. See the listing under April 10th for the people of the neighborhood. We’ll sample the general details. foods in the old sec- tions, visit the galler- Wednesday, May 2 ies in the new sec- Photo Event—Audubon Photo Club tions, and we’ll have The NYC Audubon Photo Club meets tonight. a great time as we These meetings are for all photographers. The travel around. We’ll cost is $6 per meeting, or $45 for the year/$35 for meet at the corner of NYC Audubon members. Please pre-register at North 7th Street and

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 25 land— Many Cities; Mont Royal—A World Apart; Thursday, May 3 The Spiritual Landscape; and for the last five years Photo Event—Soho Photo Opening worked on The Garden at Night, a nocturnal gar- Soho Photo is pleased to announce that Ruth den series in Canada, the US, and England. Her Gruber is the guest photographer for the month current work is about the concept of remote and of May. Ruth, the 100-year-old legendary photo- has taken her up the Gaspe Peninsula in the win- journalist, is the winner of the 2011 International ter. Learn more about Linda and her work at Center of Photography’s Infinity Cornell Capa Meetings are held Award. Her exhibition is entitled Photographs as on the second floor of St. Paul the Apostle Witness, 1944 –1947. Born in Brooklyn in 1911, Church at 405 West 59th Street, just west of Ruth Gruber became the youngest Ph.D. in the Columbus/9th Avenue. The doors open at 6 p.m. world before going on to become an interna- and the meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. There is a tional foreign correspondent at age 24. With her $10.00 fee for guests. love of adventure, her fearlessness, and powerful intellect, Gruber defied tradition in an extraordi- Thursday, May 3 Photo Op—Iris Garden The Presby Memorial Iris Garden officially opens for its blooming season today. The season usu- ally lasts for several weeks from mid-May into early June. However, with the weird weather we’ve had this year (the cherry blossoms were almost a month early), the Garden changed it’s schedule to open to- Displaced Children day—two weeks early. ©1946 Ruth Gruber To get there, take ei- ther the DeCamp Bus nary career that spanned seven decades. Her Line #66 from the many accomplishments included escorting midtown Port Author- Bearded Iris Holocaust refugees to America in 1944, covering ity Bus Terminal and get ©2007 Chuck Pine the Nuremberg trials in 1946, and documenting off at Valley Road and the Haganah ship “Exodus” in 1947. Ruth had Laurel Place (ask the driver) or the Montclair- relationships with world leaders, including El- Boonton Line from New York’s Penn Station and eanor Roosevelt, President Harry Truman, and get off at Mountain Avenue/Upper Montclair. Prime Minister David Ben Gurion of Israel. The From either the train or the bus, walk up Laurel opening is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; the show runs Place, over the train tracks, to Upper Mountain through April 27th. Gallery hours are Wednes- Avenue, turn right and walk two-tenths of a mile days through Sundays, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., to the garden.. Admission is free but donations and by appointment (and, of course, at all our are gladly accepted. PWCC meetings).

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 26 * Monday, May 7 Tuesday, May 8 Monthly Competition Photo Event—Tuesday Evening Hour This is the final monthly competitions of the year Tonight’s digital presentation is The Chinese and three of the four races are too close to call at Scholars Garden in Snug Harbor by Louise Luger: this time. Don’t miss out on the excitement. En- published photographer, workshop instructor, ter your images and attend the competition and NYSCA Grant awardee. See the listing un- meeting. Full rules are available on the Club’s der April 10th for the general details. website Re- member, print and slide entries must be submit- * Saturday, May 12 ted by 6:45 p.m. so that we may get under way Field Trip—Red Hook with the competition promptly at 7 p.m. PDI en- As we continue our exploration of New York tries must be submitted by midnight one week City neighborhoods, we head over to Brooklyn prior to today—April 30th. Tonight’s judge will and the area known as Red Hook. One of our be Barbara Leven. “Born in New York City, Kings County locals, Natalie Manzino, 917-757- where I now live and work, I have been a fine art 7086, will be our fearless leader. We’ll meet in the photographer for over 25 years. Photography is Fairway parking lot at 11 a.m. (Arrive a few minutes early if you want to shop for lunch!) A meeting place and time in Manhattan will be an- nounced at Club meetings. This up-and-coming nabe (besides Fairway, it is the home of the furni- ture and furnishing giant from Sweden, Ikea) also has some great old sections, plus some spectacular views over the water including some of lower Manhattan, the my preferred me- Statue of Liberty, and Orange Truck dium. Through the more. See you there? ©2009 Barbara Leven viewfinder other- wise ordinary sub- * Thursday, May 10 jects are transformed into images I have never Expanding Visions 18 seen before. I try to capture a moment, an emo- Tonight is the first session of the all new Expand- tional response, an instant of being that will van- ing Visions 18 class. Tonight is the introductory ish in a heartbeat and to preserve, at least for a session in which we will discuss the equipment little while, a tiny strand of the vast web of exis- required, the assignments for the field trips (all tence. Through the process of photography I am of which fit into the theme of abstracTION) and able to achieve some small measure of serenity.“ term project, plus the destinations, meeting Learn more about Barbara and her imagery at places, times, etc. This session is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will take place at the Soho Photo Gallery.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 27 * Monday, May 14 Tuesday, May 15 Guest Speaker—Arlene Gottfried Photo Event—Tuesday Evening Hour Tonight’s guest photographer is Arlene Gott- Tonight’s slide presentation is Turkey from Coast fried, Arlene was born in Brooklyn, graduated to Coast by John Brzostoski: New School, Direc- from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New tor Emeritus of Oriental Studies, and trustee of York, and worked as a photographer at an ad Buddhist Monastery, NJ. See the listing under agency before freelancing for top publications, April 10th for the general details. including The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, Life, and The Independent in London. Gottfried * Thursday, May 17 has exhibited at the Leica Gallery in New York Expanding Visions 18 and in Tokyo, and at the Smithsonian Institution Tonight is the first field trip/assignment of the in Washington, D.C., among others. She is the all new Expanding Visions 18 class. Tonight’s as- recipient of numerous awards, including the signment has to do with reflecTION. This session Berenice Abbott International Competition of will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will take place at Co- Women's Documentary Photography. Gottfried lumbus Circle. is the author of Midnight (powerHouse Books, 2003) and The Eternal Light (Dewi Lewis Publish- Thursday, May 17 ing, 1999). A lecturer and a teacher, Gottfried Photo Event—NYPC Meeting lives and works in New York City. The curtain raiser tonight is longtime PWCC member and The New York Personal Computer Club (NYPC) the Club’s archivist, Myrna Harrison-Changar. usually holds its monthly general meeting this evening, from 6 to 8 p.m. Their website has not yet been updated to include this information. They quite often present programs of interest to photographers. Be sure to check out their web- site to get the what and where for this event.

Friday—Sunday, May 18—20 Photo Op—Ukrainian Festival Delicious Ukrainian Foods…Ukrainian Dance performances…Music…Artwork…and much, much more! Where? At the Ukrainian Festival on from the series Mommie East 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. © Arlene Gottfried When? Friday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Bring you camera but leave your tripod behind.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 28 Saturday & Sunday, May 19 & 20 Photo Op—Food Festival The 39th Annual Ninth Avenue International Food Festival takes place this weekend on 9th Avenue (of all places) from 42nd to 57th Streets, from noon to 5 p.m. each day, rain or shine. Ex- perience the delightful taste of various cuisines from around the world. Photograph games and fun activities for the children. There will be live stage entertainment of international music and dance. And, it’s all free!

* Monday, May 21 tall ships will also be in port for the celebration. Exec. Comm. Mtg. Photography is permitted except in some re- stricted areas—please obey all rules and regula- Prior to tonight’s business meeting the Club’s tions. officers will meet to discuss matters of interest and importance to the Club. The meeting will be * Thursday, May 24 held at the Soho Photo Gallery at 6:00 p.m. Expanding Visions 18

* Monday, May 21 Tonight is the second field trip/assignment of Business Meeting the all new Expanding Visions 18 class. Tonight’s assignment has to do with isolaTION. This ses- Tonight being the final business meeting of the sion will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will take place at year, we will elect next year’s officers, vote on the south Street Seaport. the Club budget for next year, and finalize plans for the summer meetings, among other things. * Friday—Monday, May 25—28 As usual, we’ll end the evening with refresh- Field Trip—Washington, D.C. ments and socializing. See page 9 of this issue of Photo Notes for more details about the PWCC Join us for this long weekend trip to our nation’s election procedures. capital to explore the city and all it has to offer. See the article on page 15 of this issue of Photo Wednesday—Wednesday, May 23—30 Notes for the details. Photo Op—Fleet Week Saturday—Monday, May 26—28 This year, Fleet Week celebrates the bicentennial Photo Op—Art Show of the War of 1812. Thousands of Sailors, Ma- rines, and Coast Guardsmen and their ships will The Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit— be in Manhattan for this spectacular exhibition. now in its 82nd year—is a twice-a-year happen- Fleet Week includes dozens of military demon- ing every Memorial Day Weekend (and the strations and displays throughout the week, as weekend that follows) and every Labor Day well as public visitation of many of the partici- Weekend (and the weekend that follows that). pating ships—mostly on the West Side. Many The event showcases fine artists and craft arti-

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 29 sans from around the New York * Monday, May 28 area, the nation, and the world. Attendees come No Meeting from all over and are a cosmopolitan mix.The In honor of Memorial Day. show has its venue on University Place, and this spring will start at East 12th Street extending * Monday, May 28 south along the east side of Washington Square Competition Entry Deadline Park ending at West 3rd Street. The southern end of the show encompasses Schwartz Plaza, (aka Please note that PDI entries are due by midnight Bobkin Lane), between NYU's Shimkin Hall and tonight for next week’s year-end competition. Bobst Library. Plenty to see, plenty to photo- graph, and no admission fee! Tuesday, May 29 Photo Event—Tuesday Evening Hour Monday, May 28 Photo Op—Memorial Day Parades Tonight is the year-end dinner party and fund- raiser. The digital presentation for the evening is Memorial Day isn’t just an excuse for springtime The French Sub Antarctica by Laurie Campbell. sales and a three-day weekend—it is, first and Reservations are required—212-964-3936. Details foremost, a time to honor those who’ve served will be presented upon reservation. the United States in times of war. New York City honors our fallen heroes with parades all over Wednesday, May 30 the five boroughs. The Little Neck–Douglaston Photo Event—Sierra Photo parade in Queens is reputedly the largest. You can also follow Brooklyn's Memorial Day Parade The New York City Sierra Club’s Photography (145 years old!), which begins at 87th Street and Committee is holding its meeting tonight. The Third Avenue. In Manhattan, head uptown for a program for tonight has not yet been announced. smaller parade in Inwood, which begins at The meeting, open to the general public, is held Dyckman Street and Broadway. Check the City’s on the second floor of St. Paul the Apostle events calendar for a full list of events and start Church at 405 West 59th Street, just west of Col- times. umbus/9th Avenue, and begins at 6:30 p.m. A $5 donation is collected at the door.

* Thursday, May 31 Expanding Visions 18 Tonight is the first review session/critique of the all new Expanding Visions 18 class. Please fol- low the instruction in preparing your digital im- ages for projection. This session is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will take place at the home of our instructor, Chuck Pine. [See below for direc- tions.] Please note, if there are too many participants, we may have to split into two groups, either an early and late group today or a group today and tomorrow.

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 30 Directions to Soho Photo Gallery Year-End Competition at 15 White Street, between Avenue of the Americas/ Sixth Avenue and West Broadway. Take the #1 train The Year-End Competition will be held on to the Franklin Street station (one stop below Canal June 6th. It is different from our monthly Street). Walk one block north on West Broadway to competitions: the rules for entering are dif- White street, make a right turn, and walk half a block ferent; the judging is different; the rewards to the gallery. Take the A, C, or E train to the Canal are different. Street station. Walk south on Sixth Avenue /Church Street 3 blocks to White Street, make a right turn, and Each Club member may submit up to four walk half a block to the gallery. Although a little bit prints, four slides, and four PDIs. But, and longer walk, take any other train to Canal Street, this is a big but, all the submissions must walk west to Church Street, and follow the directions have been entered into one of the eight immediately above. Free evening parking is limited, monthly competitions held this year (October but available. through May). It doesn’t matter whether they were awarded honors or got a ‘C,’ they are Directions to the Pine Apartment eligible for this competition. But, the images at 680 West End Avenue at 93rd Street, Apartment may not be altered from the way they were 5D: Take the #1, 2, or 3, trains to 96th Street (exit at originally entered. You can’t reprint a print; the south end of the station) or the M7, M11, or you can’t spot out a speck of dust; you can’t M104 bus to 93rd/94th Streets. From the train or even crop a slide with a piece of tape—it bus, walk the few steps to 93rd Street, make a right must be the original, unaltered image. turn and head west to the apartment entrance on the corner of West End Avenue and West 93rd Street. There will be three judges. Each of the three will score from one to nine points for each image. A Club member (one who is good at Signage math) will add the scores and immediately call out the totals. Pictures can accumulate Sign on the back of a anywhere from 3 to 27 points. For each group septic tank truck: of entries—prints, slides, and PDIs—there “Caution - This Truck will be one winner (the Print-, Slide- and is full of Political PDI-of-the-Year) plus four runners-up. Promises”

At a radiator shop: “Best place in town to take a leak.”

At a Tire Shop : “Invite us to your next blowout.”

Outside a muffler shop: “No appointment necessary. We Name this image! hear you coming.” Send your answer to

Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 31 April/May 2012 Photo Notes Aprił/May 2012 www.parkwestcameraclub.org Page 32