October 17 Program: Galápagos Islands: A Journey of Wonder with Kevin Loughlin

Kevin Loughlin founded Wildside Nature Tours in 1993 to share his love of birds, nature, travel and photography with others. Before that, Kevin owned and managed camera stores on the East Coast, where he began his love of teaching photography.

Raised to appreciate nature, Kevin grew up exploring the woodlands of eastern Pennsylvania, with a camera in his hands since age 6… when in 1968 his family took a month-long trip through the American West and he was given a hand-me-down Minolta A5 35mm camera. By age 10, Kevin had camped with his family in all of the Lower 48 states and much of Canada!

At one time the islands were only a way station for whalers and pirates.  Then the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago 600 miles west of the coast of Ecuador, found a new identity when a young British man, Charles Darwin, arrived during the voyage of the HMS Beagle in September 1835.  

Darwin spent several weeks exploring four of the main islands and his observations were pivotal to his eventual realization that organisms change with time, that they evolve and adapt. Today the Galápagos finches remain a clear and unambiguous example of the reality and ongoing nature of evolution by natural selection.

Kevin Loughlin, owner of Wildside Nature Tours, takes pleasure in the opportunity to discuss photographing the unique and enigmatic fauna and flora of the Galápagos Islands while delving into the remarkable natural history of the archipelago. He will share some of his adventures as well as discuss his new book Galápagos: A Natural History.

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October 17 Program: Galápagos Islands: A Journey of Wonder with Kevin Loughlin

Kevin Loughlin was raised to appreciate nature while exploring the woodlands of Pennsylvania as a child. At age six, during a family trip through the American West, Kevin became fascinated with photography as well seeing the new and different birds throughout North America. Instilled with a love for travel and seeking new, exciting destinations he felt a desire to share his experiences with others and in 1993 he created Wildside Nature Tours.

Kevin’s photographs and articles have appeared in publications such as Nature Photographer, Audubon, Birding and Living Bird Magazines, as well as the many natural history books, including his newest project, along with co-author John Kricher, “Galapagos: A Natural History.”

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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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September 19 Program: Capturing the Magic of West Texas with Rob Doyle

– – – Tomorrow Night – – –

Rob Doyle has been exploring the Big Bend region of West Texas for over 30 years. At our meeting, Rob will share photos of the area’s amazing landscapes, starry skies, and history, as well as anecdotes from his visits – from backpacking in the Chisos Mountains to phantom lights near the ruins of Glenn Springs.

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September 19th Share and Learn “Shutter Speed Priority – Blur or Freeze

Back to basics for this assignment, what is shutter speed and why is it an important tool for us? I’ve attached an article that gives you all the essentials regarding this camera function. The attached photo was a 15.0s exposure to capture the lightning over the Gulf of Mexico at daybreak. Lucky for me the beach house had an upstairs porch that overlooked the ocean.

For some of us, this article is a review but it may still be helpful for any issues you have with your photographs. Check it out for some excellent advice and photo examples. Let us know next month if you found this article helpful.

September 19th in-person meeting at the Kingwood First Baptist Church 3500 Woodland Hills Drive and on Zoom. Use the upload button that you can find on the weekly e-mail blast. We are all learning and hope you’ll share any tips with your photos. Upload them by 2 PM for inclusion in the monthly agenda. Looking forward to seeing your shutter priority photos.

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Tomorrow Night! Tuesday, August 15

Finding Beauty on a Backroad with Linda Nickell

Our speaker, Linda Nickell, will share her experiences in photographing the same stretch of backroads in south Texas for several years.  What began as a Sunday morning drive has become her photography playground as she wanders down old farm roads dotted with wildflowers, pump jacks, and an abundance of wildlife.   Linda will challenge you to look for your own backroad to explore.

You can connect with Linda at: lindanickell.com

YouTube: @LindaNickellHappinessHour

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/coznlinda

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Program August 15: Finding Beauty on a Backroad with Linda Nickell

Linda Nickell is a Texas-based photographer and the host of a weekly photography webinar, The Happiness Hour.  Her images and articles have been published and used in digital and marketing campaigns.

Linda has been photographing the same stretch of backroads in south Texas for several years.  What began as a Sunday morning drive has become her photography playground as she wanders down old farm roads dotted with wildflowers, pump jacks, and an abundance of wildlife. 

In this presentation, Linda will introduce you to “Gulley Road” and the subjects that she’s photographed using her car as a blind.  Linda will challenge you to look for your own backroad to explore.

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David Duncan July 2023 Program Speaker – Follow Up Information

Unfortunately, we experienced technical issues at the July 18th meeting and were unable to record the program The Industrial Story by David Duncan. After the meeting, several attendees said a couple of slides went by too quick to write down the information, so I asked David for those slides/information. Hopefully this covers those requests.

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