We went through some hard times in 2020-2022 but hope that the new season will be much kinder to us. Support you club and your newsletter with active participation because we cannot survive without that.
There are several committee positions open such as Secretary, Public Events Coordinator (have one, can use another), Salon Show Coordinator (have one, can use another). If interested in any of these positions, please let Dawn or Lazlo know
The deadline date for title and prices is 1/4, so that is the date to decide what you want in the show. The number of photos being accepted by each member may vary, but for now, we are going with up to 4 photos each. If you are submitting small photos ( smaller than 11X14 framed), feel free to submit more than 4. But if photos are 11X14 or bigger, then let's keep it to 4. Once we have the complete list of photos being submitted, we can make a decision on whether we can accommodate more.
If we don't receive an updated Bio and there is one in the HCC Book created in 2019, we will use that one. But it might be good for you to review the recent bio and let Dawn know one way or the other so that I can hold off printing if you want to update it.
Please send titles, prices or bios to Dawn....the sooner the better. She is personally preparing the labels so she needs time to do this before we drop off our photos so she can deliver the completed labels when she drops off her photos. She is also personally preparing the Bio handout and need time to update it and print it which is time consuming. So your help with this by submitting information as soon as you can is very much appreciated. Thank you..
Drop off dates: weekend before the opening-1/13-1/15, 9 am-5:30 pm
The opening reception is January 20 from 5-7 pm.
If you have any questions about the show, please reach out to Dawn
the videos of our previous meetings
is finished. Thank you Jeff Breitman for your hard work on the project, selecting the pictures, putting it altogether, arranging the printing, etc.
Get in touch with Jeff if you want a copy of the book.
The coming season we will compete in NECCC interclub competitions in the
Nature and Pictorial categories.
These competitions stay the same as last year. We enter 4 images from 4
different members in the Nature and Pictorial competition.
We also compete in the PSA interclub competitions.
PSA is starting this year a Black and White competition, we will compete
in the Pictorial and Black and White categories this year, and NOT in the
Travel category anymore.
In the PSA competitions we enter 6 images from 6 different members.
I will start asking for NECCC’s Nature and Pictorial images in September,
and for PSA’s Pictorial and Black and White images in October.
Get ready and start collecting your images now.
Bert
President: Dawn
Dingee
Vice-President:
Heidi Hoeller
Treasurer: Dawn
Dingee
Membership/Dues: Dawn
Dingee
d1295@aol.com
Publicity: Jeff
Breitman
Special Events Coordinator:
Jeff Breitman
Program Director: Jeff
Breitman
sylvan4570©comcast.net
Webmaster: Lazlo
Gyorsok
lazlo1@optonline.net
Newsletter: Lazlo
Gyorsok
lazlo1@optonline.net
Hospitality:Karen
Consolato
consola8@aol.com
Secretary:We are
still looking for one
Competitions:Bert
Schmitz
bschmitz@att.net
Salon Committee:
Brian Wilcox
ctphoto@comcast.net
Gail Goldberg
gadgoldberg@gmail.com
Lazlo Gyorsok
lazlo1@optonline.net
Bill Devoti
abundancehill8@gmail.com
Projector Coordinator:
Brian Wilcox
ctphoto@comcast.net
Liaison Representatives:
PSA - Jane Rossman
jrossman222@gmail.com -NECCC
Bert Schmitz
bschmitz@att.net
Proud member of:
by Dawn Dingee
Our December Holiday party was a great success thanks to those that participated
as well as those that put in the work with the planning especially Heidi,
Paul, Jeff and Lazlo. We had good food, festive music, good conversation
and lots of prizes. It was also fun to see all the 'ugly' sweaters. Be sure
to check out the pictures from the party.
Our salon show at Noble Horizons is fast approaching. If you plan on participating
in the show, please provide a list of titles and prices to me by 12/31 so
that I have time to prepare the labels. Don't forget to review your bio
and update it by 1/4; otherwise we will use what we have on file. Kindly
review the guidelines that were sent out previously which explains how to
prepare your photos for the show. We will continue to send updates and reminders
as the date gets closer. The opening reception is January 20 from 5-7 pm.
Hopefully you can attend and bring family and friends.
Our January 17th meeting will be in-person at Noble Horizons. We will have
a print critique where each member is encouraged to bring one or two photos
to be critiqued by members. The purpose is to "critique with the intent
to help". Prints must be mounted or matted so that they can be displayed
easily. I will be sending out more information as the date gets closer.
Stay warm, safe and happy shooting!
Dawn
Yosemite National Park in winter offers freshly fallen snow – dusting the
tall mountains and towering redwoods. With the snow, it offers a whole different
look than it does in the summertime. And the best part is there are only a fraction
of other visitors in the park. The snow typically begins in October or November
and doesn’t end until April. Although some roads are closed, the roads through
the Yosemite Valley area stay open and offer some of the best views of the park..
In December 2022, my sister and I traveled the park in our rental car. This
proved very difficult without 4-wheel drive or the recommended chains. There
is public transport so we did hop on the shuttle for a few stops which made
it a little easier. The park rangers were busy providing traffic updates and
helping visitors get their vehicles unstuck. Plow trucks were busy as well.
It is recommended that you have chains when traveling in winter but many of
the rental cars (including ours) didn’t provide that. So, if you go in the winter,
be prepared to deal with the wintery roads! You will be rewarded with the incredible
scenery!!.
Day One.
On our first day, we entered the park about 7 am. It was raining quite hard
so we were not able to take many pictures. At the first opportunity, we stopped
into the Yosemite store and purchased ponchos. This was well worth it – we stayed
relatively dry especially given the amount of rain…it rained the entire day.
But even with the rain, we were able to take a few hikes near Curry Village
and in the Yosemite Valley. Our first stop was Mirror Lake. We took the bike
trail so that we could hike in the woods as opposed to walking the road in.
We did not encounter much wildlife. We hoped that the promised snow would come
overnight. We’d rather hike in snow than rain!.
Day Two
Our second day was filled with many adventures. It started snowing early in
the morning so we were finally getting the snow we hoped for. Our first stop
was at a trailhead parking lot. As soon as we parked, we realized we made a
mistake – the parking lot was solid ice and we were on a slight hill so needless
to say, we were stuck. All 4 tires just spun and spun. Eventually, I was able
to push the vehicle backwards and we got some traction and were able to move
to a better location in the parking lot where we were beneath tress and could
get traction on the fallen pine needed. Phew! So much stress before we even
hit the trail.
The trail was beautiful with the newly fallen snow. Temperatures were in the
low 30s so not too cold. We walked about 2 miles in and weren’t sure where to
go next when the shuttle came by. So, we hopped on and it took us to another
location that we wouldn’t have been able to hike to because it was too far.
The shuttle came around every 30 minutes or so. After taking photos and exploring
the area, we hopped back on the shuttle and returned to our car. We drove through
Yosemite Valley stopping to take photos of El Capitan, Half Dome and the Chapel.
Toward the mid-afternoon, we decided to go to Tunnel View. About 1 mile in,
we realized the roads were just too snowy and icy BUT there was no place to
turn around. A 3-point turn in the road was not possible because there was no
way the rental car would go backwards – up a hill – on the ice. So, we trudged
on at top speeds of 19 mph and eventually we made it to the Tunnel View that
was thankfully only 3 miles in. While we were there, other cars were stuck and
the park ranger was busy pulling cars out of the snow. We decided to go back
down the hill instead of continuing on the same road. After some tense driving,
we made it to the bottom of the hill. At this point, we decided we better make
our way to the exit before we got stuck in the park. We still had a 4-hour drive
to San Jose that day. Although stressful at times, it was a fantastic day that
awarded us with many photo opportunities.
I stumbled upon the Asian Art shop in Great Barrington, Mass in January of 2019. As I was looking around outside of the shop, my eye was caught by a group of intricately carved wood monkeys. I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of them. The shopkeeper noticed and chuckled, telling me that the monkeys were believed to bring good luck and prosperity. Who couldn't use a little extra luck and prosperity?
W e hope you've enjoyed taking part in our Photo Challenge. You managed
to capture some incredible shots! Are you ready for the next round? It will
be "Winter"