September Gallery “Texas Travel Guide” and Agenda

Photo by Emily Murphy

Be an “Arm Chair” tourist with our photos from Texas. I’ve uploaded the Share and Learn Gallery for your enjoyment. Thanks to the nine members uploading some of their favorite Texas photos. The header has also been updated with a photo from each member. Zoom participants can also upload photos as Bill Beard did. I was surprised that we did not have more photos from some of our “Texas” activities. Maybe we’ll see more next month as the Share and Learn is “Members Choice”.

If you want current information on the club please review the attached agenda. We are coming to the end of the year but we are not slowing down with our activities. The cooler weather is an opportunity to get out with your cameras and join a group of like-minded members for a fun day together. Check out the agenda for all the particulars for away trips and more local outings. Thanks for supporting your club as you are the club! Have a great month 🙂

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June Gallery uploaded and Header Updated

Photo taken by Chuck Dugand, Isle of Skye

The landscape photos for June’s assignment did not disappoint. Photos took us across the big pond, across the continental US, and of course Texas! For the header, I’ve uploaded a photo from everyone who shared.

We did have one member who shared for the first time this year: Frank Roberts. Thanks to Frank and all the other members who uploaded photos.

I’ve posted the assignment for the July 16th meeting, “Blooming Flowers”! This should be an easy assignment for everyone.

Happy 4th of July everyone and enjoy the photo Gallery!

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May Share and Learn “Looking Up” Gallery has been uploaded

Taking advantage of a rainy day to get all my posts uploaded. A good break from all the yard work too.!

The photo to the right was taken on the Club trip to South Dakota. Tim Sullivan was looking up to photograph Crazy Horse and I caught this image behind him.

In addition to uploading the Gallery, I’ve also updated the header with a photo from all participants. I was surprised to hear the number of members that had no photos looking up. So at some point, I’ve made a note to assign a “Looking Down” Share and Learn and maybe there will be more participation. Cleaning my flower beds prompted many “Looking Down” photos of caterpillars and toads.

The “Looking Up” assignment had two new members share their photos: Beth Guide and Michelle Henley. Beth chose photos with a city theme of skyscrapers and clouds. Michelle showed some beautiful night photos. Thank you both for sharing and welcome to the club. Thanks to all the regular members who participated. The Share and Learn is a lovely way to end the meeting with members sharing their photos. This is not a contest so no pressure 🙂

Chris used the Share and Learn to talk about his upcoming Bosque del Apache trip in December. The primary subject of the trip will be the migrating Sand Hill Cranes. He has several photos showing these beauties in flight. The gallery is a mix of aerial feats, ceilings, nature, nighttime skies, birds, vacations, and big balloons. Take a minute to check them out.

The June assignment “Landscapes with People”, more on that in a separate post.

Stay safe and we’ll see you at the June meeting.

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April Gallery “Street Art” Uploaded

Lots of great photos in this month’s Share and Learn. Locations were local, US, and worldwide. Thanks to all our members who shared with our group. Check out the Gallery for some inspiration for your photos.

We had a wonderful speaker this month, Silvana Della.

https://www.facebook.com/silvanadphoto/

On our Facebook page, we have had several members (Chuck Dugand and Chris Summers) who have shared many infrared photos and it has gotten my attention. Silvana’s presentation gave me something more to think about. When she said you could take photos of the Milky Way in less-than-desirable skies! Wow, I’m always looking for night photography tips and tricks. So now I’m seriously considering converting a camera I don’t use but is still usable. Chuck has uploaded the video from the meeting, if you didn’t get a chance to hear it on Tuesday, check it out.

Our meetings are now on the 3rd floor where we started several years ago. The church has remodeled the room and it looks great.

The header photos have also been updated. I hope you enjoy them but check out the gallery for all the photos shared. Ronda Meuwissen participated in the Art Car Parade activities and uploaded some very artsy cars! Jim Telljohann showed a mural he found in Scotland. Take a good look at the building and read what it says, “Take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time”. That should be a photographer’s motto!

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January Share and Learn Gallery – Header Updated

Taking advantage of a rainy day in Hawaii to update our January Share and Learn Gallery and the current header.

Photo by Tim Sullivan – taking a liquid break during the holidays.

I appreciate all the members who sent in their smartphone captures for January. A good start for the year and I hope that will continue. Next month, “Your Best Shots from 2023”!

The gallery is an excellent overview of our member’s journaling of their experiences, trips, and club activities. We have been around the world, from Iceland to Africa to Europe. Moments captured in the US and locally, weather events, and a few selfies. I should make that an assignment! How many of us have taken a selfie? I always take a selfie of Mike and me while waiting for takeoff and then I send these to the kids letting them know we are heading out. I hear from them they never know where we are so this is their heads-up.

The header has one photo per member’s submission. I like to feature everyone who took the time to submit and hopefully encourage others to begin submitting. Everyone appreciates a bit of recognition for our photographic passions.

Enjoy the Gallery and think about what you’d like to share in February!

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October S&L Gallery, Agenda and Update Header

Photo by Kathy Doyle, Oct 14, 2023, Annular Solar Eclipse

I’m getting caught up with all my club postings for October before I’m sidetracked by anything else.

This month’s “Members Choice” assignment saw many of our favorite photos. Bringing back some oldies and some new. It is a very eclectic collection and I was surprised that many of the photos included people and pet photos. Landscapes and travel photos from all over the world, some sky photos including the recent Annular Solar Eclipse, and Bonnie McKenna included underwater photos and the picture of her sting ray that won a contest! Congratulations to Bonnie!

Two members posted for the very first time: Kathy Doyle and William Brant. Kathy was with Mike and me in Hondo, TX for the Annular Solar Eclipse! A fantastic event and one more event to come next year. On April 8th a Total Eclipse with the path of totality through the heart of Texas!

Our speaker, Kevin Loughlin, treated us to some of his beautiful photos of the Galapagos Islands and included interesting information about the islands themselves. Chuck has uploaded the video of his talk so you can hear all the facts and enjoy his photos. An excellent talk.

I want to thank John Gray for managing our Club Store. He sold the last hat at the meeting so the store is now closed. Thanks, John for all your help!

We had another good turnout, it’s always good to see familiar faces in person and via Zoom.

Check out the agenda for future events that are coming up including:

The Christmas Social in December

Election of directors in November

Contact information for joining our team

New functions for our Website

Proposed 2024 Activities and Trips

Finally, it’s time to renew your membership. The board voted to increase the membership fees due to increased costs for our Website and Zoom meetings. We felt the value to the club for Zoom meetings outweighed the cost. 2024 membership fees: Individual is $20 and Family is $25. Chris Summers, Membership Chair, will be putting out more information shortly.

The next meeting is Tuesday, Nov 14th. It is a week early due to Thanksgiving. The Share and Learn is going to be informative as we’ll discuss “Before and After” photos. I’ve posted an assignment that goes into what that means. I will not be at the meeting as I have the KPTA Annual Meeting on the same night but Tim will be the host for the meeting.

Be safe everyone, and enjoy the cooler weather, fall is finally here – at least for a day or two.

Thanks to everyone who attended! See you soon!

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September Gallery and Agenda now Uploaded

Jim Evrard Share and Learn – Christmas photo from The Woodlands

Shutter speed priority photos gave us lots of water photos mixed with birds, planes, sports, landscapes, and the sky. Nora Konieczny uploaded her first share and learn and did a fantastic job with recording her sprinkler for “rain” in front of roses.

Above are all those who contributed in September. I’ve also posted a graph with the number of Share and Learn Photos for each month back to Jan 2022. The one month that peaks above all is Jan 2023 the topic was “Phone Captures”. Next month would be an opportunity to send in your phone captures – the October assignment is “Members Choice”.

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I’ve also refreshed the header with September’s Share and Learn. All members who participated have a photo in the header.

Finally, I have added the September Agenda for your review. This is a summary of activities of our club, a review of where you can get information between meetings, and a heads up for future meetings with speakers and the Share and Learn assignments. Good information for all our members but also watch for our weekly e-blast on Mondays. As things evolve this is where you will see additional activities posted and articles for the upcoming speakers. The web is always the best place to go for current information.

December 12th is our Christmas Social – mark your calendars now. More information coming out in the next month

Slide 18 in the agenda is titled “Change of Batter”. We currently have an excellent team of members and we would like to know from our members those who are willing to help in small or large ways. Please review this slide and slide 19 and consider your skill sets that can help the club in the future.

Enjoy the gallery and download the agenda for all the information that we reviewed on Tuesday. Be safe everyone, enjoy the cooler weather, and bring your camera along for fun. See you at the next meeting on October 17th!

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August Share and Learn Gallery, Agenda and Header Updates

This is a one-stop post for everything August. First off, thanks to all the members who participated in the August Share and Learn. I also want to recognize Heidi Crockett for her first-ever share! It was a wonderful assortment of trip memories near and far.

The ever-changing header features a photo from each member that will give you an overview of what you’ll see in the gallery. Lots of overseas travels and a few closer to home. Check out the gallery and be an armchair tourist.

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I’ve also uploaded the August Agenda. Chuck has posted the August Video so this is an additional resource for information given at the last meeting. The Website has the most up-to-date information as things are ever-evolving. Current additional changes include a new Library Workshop: The Art of Photography on Sept 16th taught by Chuck Dugand.

Next month Share and Learn: Shutter Speed Priority – Blur or Freeze Action! We should see a variety of photos from wildlife to man-made transportation to Mother Nature to people. It should be interesting for everyone.

Triple-digit heat continues in our area so be mindful of that and try avoiding outside activities during the hottest part of the day. Due to the restless heat, there are no planned activities until September.

Stay safe everyone and we’ll see you next month!

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June Share and Learn Gallery and Header have been updated

Summer is almost over and we are back home! Feels good to be home, even with the heat! Late but I’ve just uploaded the Share and Learn photos from June and the June Gallery. “Foods We Love” feature many of our favorite foods and some ethnic and unusual foods. Many of these photos will bring on your hunger pangs.

The photo to the right is an iced coffee in Germany. Not what I expected, more like a coffee float with ice cream, whipped cream, caramel, and a cookie! More an ice cream sundae than a drink! It was delicious and I ordered it several more times. In the background is our granddaughter Ariana who accompanied us to Europe. That was a fun trip with awesome sights and fantastic food.

Next month we’ll be picking up with the Share and Learn “Trips Here and There”. The meeting will be held at our usual location at the Church and via Zoom. Look for an e-mail from Chuck with a Zoom link if you cannot attend in person.

Thanks to everyone who sent in photos. I hope to be an armchair tourist at our next meeting with the trip photos you all send in. Keep cool in the heat and check out the latest e-mail from Chuch with some lunch ideas and a night of bowling for the club!

Cheers! Kathy

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May Meeting Agenda and Gallery

We had an excellent turnout for our May meeting. For the monthly topics I’ve attached the Agenda for you to preview. Our speaker, Jim Nix, provided us with some great tips regarding travel photography. You can find more about Jim on YouTube: Jim Nix’s YouTube Channel. Lots of photography tutorials, tips, tricks, and reviews. He photographs to please himself but has had photos displayed in magazines and sold. The club had another fantastic program.

Chris Summers reviewed our membership and we are very close to last year’s numbers. We had two family memberships join this month: Dawn Abram & Carlie Sawyer, and Jim & Elena Gonzales. Welcome to our club!

John Gray mentioned that he is almost out of hats so if you desire one of our club hats order sooner than later so you are not disappointed. In the future, the club will exit merchandise so these will be limited edition hats!

Annular Solar Eclipse is coming Oct 14 and Mike and I will be hosting a workshop on Sept 2. Registration will be opening in August for an afternoon at the Kingwood Public Library. This is the first of two solar eclipse events coming to Texas. The second one will be on April 8, 2024, and will be a total eclipse. Both eclipses can be seen in the Hill Country, if you are interested in viewing and photographing these events get a room reservation now.

Randi and Jim are keeping our club activities calendar full. We are coming to the hot summer when we take a break from outdoor photo events. Check out the list of events in the agenda and posted on our website and on Facebook.

Pam Walton wanted to remind members to add their recommendations to the “KWPC Travel Spreadsheet”. The link is also on the Monday e-blast. This is a trip-planning resource with guides and Photo Tour recommendations. You will find recommendations for the USA and outside the USA. Download the PDF and please add any recommendations you have.

For all those members that have the desire to share their work, Steve Hansen and Tim Sullivan have found a location, Cove Craft Beer and Wine, that will allow us to hang a few of our photos. The agenda has all the particulars. In the beginning, the owner was looking for Texas themes but at the meeting, Steve said he was open to any photos. We are getting good feedback so think about showing off some of your prized photos.

The June 20th meeting will feature speaker David Downs on “Exploring the Artist Within” and our Share and Learn is “Foods We Love”, more on both in another post.

The last two slides give you the schedules for both upcoming programs and our Share and Learn topics.

Finally, I’d like to thank Ron and Cathy Fovargue and Jim and Elena Gonzales for volunteering to be our Christmas Social Committee. This is our one big social of the year (no program) for members and I’m very pleased that they volunteered! Thank you both and welcome to the club Jim and Elena Gonzales!

Check out the agenda and the May Gallery “Wildlife in your Neighborhood” is also uploaded. Enjoy and hope you make the meeting next month. Kathy Muhle

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