May 1, 2014 Newsletter

Black Hills Expressions
Newsletter of the Black Hills Photography Club
May/June 2014
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Spring is here! I think… It doesn’t exactly feel like it
when the Black Hills is receiving snow as I write this
message on April 28th. I will be glad when spring
actually arrives and good weather allows us to get out
and enjoy the newness of life that happens this time of
year.
You will want to attend our May club meeting on
Tuesday, May 13th at 6:30PM. It will be a great time with
lots of activity.
Spring flowers are starting to bloom and young bison
calves are being born. Soon we will see baby pronghorn
and deer as well. I look forward to getting out and
capturing the flowers and newborn wildlife in May and
June. We could do with less wind as well.
Deb Zimmerman will be presenting a slide show from
her exciting trip to Africa last year. Club members can
also sell equipment from their inventories. And Kaycee
Baye will be taking photos of club members to be
posted on our website. I hope you all attend and have
your image taken. With the club at 100 members now, it
is hard to remember all the names and faces. Hope to
see you all there!
I want to thank Dick Kettlewell again for judging at our
April club meeting. I also want to congratulate everyone
who submitted images for the competition. The number
of entries grew from our last competition. Dick always
does a great job judging for our club.
Ted Ayers will be presenting his slide show again on
May 15th at 6:30PM at Fish and Game West Campus
and again on May 17th (time TBA) at Western Dakota
Tech Library. If you have not seen Ted’s slide show, you
will want to put these dates on your calendar.
I encourage club members to shoot and submit images
for our next competition subjects:
June = Nature,
August = Portraits, October = Historical. So take
advantage of the (hopefully) impending nicer weather
and start capturing your Nature images.
Reminder to all club members: please submit 2 images
per month to Ted Ayers for our 2014 Christmas Slide
Show. Most of us have not been doing that, so I
encourage all of you to take the time.
Our field trip to Deadwood and Lead in April was
cancelled due to bad weather, but I know we have more
great field trips planned for May and June. Anne
LeChette will send out club emails to announce them.
A big thank you to Chasity Marcus and Ted Ayers for
publishing this great newsletter.
Your President, Harlan Humphrey
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS
We welcome articles, tips, photos, items for sale and other
newsworthy information from members with a firm mid-June deadline.
This is YOUR newsletter, and all members are welcome and
encouraged to contribute.! !
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Thank you, Chasity & Ted
Meeker Ranch Field Trip
by Barry Castetter
It was an early rise the morning of March 29th for a 5:15 AM departure for
Meeker Ranch outside the city of Custer. Having never been there, I was
excited for the opportunity to visit yet another piece of rich South Dakota
history. After turning off the paved road, the dirt road proved to be longer
than expected and with active logging operations parked for the day, we
found the gate to stop wheeled traffic and started our foot journey about a
half-mile to the Ranch.
The meadow itself where the Ranch sits is beautiful, and I quickly realized
why rancher Frank Cunningham Meeker, a member of the Pony Express,
found this place to homestead in the 1880’s. It was eventually used for
storage and other purposes over the years until quickly deteriorating into
disrepair.
The ranch became famous when Jon Crane’s wonderful
watercolors forever captured its beauty on canvas. The ranch
was scheduled for demolition, but Jon stepped forward in an
effort to save the history of this beautiful place. Long story
short, he got the attention of the Black Hills Historic
Preservation Trust who partnered with the U.S. Forest
Service to help preserve the ranch.
They re-shingled the roof on the main house and cellar to
protect it from the hard South Dakota elements. Future
projects are slated to fix some of the doors and windows. The
goal is to eventually design a walk to the cabin with
interpretive signs.
If you have not had
the pleasure of
visiting this historic
site, I strongly
encourage you take
the time to breathe in
the history and
capture your own
images of historic
Meeker Ranch.
Roaming Around
the Sonora Desert Environs
by Ted Ayers
During the past 7 weeks, I have been roaming
around the Southern Sonora Desert environs
chasing wildlife and searching for interesting places
to photograph. My wanderings have included
metropolitan Phoenix with its diverse landscape and
hidden jewels, including the Desert Botanical
Gardens, Boyce Thompson Arberatum, Butterfly
Wonderland and Parks and Riparian Wetlands,
Tucson with its historic and colorful downtown,
Saguaro National Park, the Arizona Sonora Living
Desert Museum and the Pima Air Museum.
I also roamed further afield into the canyons of the
Santa Rita and Catalina Mountains and the “Sky
Island” area in search of some of the more unique
wildlife and colorful birds that migrate through or
summer in southern Arizona.
Southern Arizona has been in a severe drought for
some time so the Wildflower situation has not been
good this year. However, the Cacti have put on a
reasonable display of color, and the Saguaro are
now blooming so I thought I would share some of
my more interesting photos before we pack up to
leave and exchange the hot sunny desert for the
cooler Black Hills of South Dakota.
The photographs range from Bees to Butterflies,
Grasshoppers to Airplanes, Lizards to
Coatamundi’s, Hummingbirds to Vultures, Cactus to
Cathedrals, and Flowers to Garden Art.
What a great area for a BHPC Field Trip!!!
Something for everyone.
Easter Extravaganza
by Chasity Marcus
Talks of Easter travels started in December when we decided to visit our
best friends in Minneapolis with a plan to explore the Mall of America,
specifically the American Girl Doll store and LegoLand. So when I pulled
out the Easter decorations in early April, the kids were ecstatic and
counting down the days... After a few rounds of Easter egg hunting,
they decided to emulate the basketball tourney on TV and shoot a few
slam dunks themselves.
We broke up our 10-hour drive by spending a night in Yale, SD just
outside of Huron, where my grandmother Ormalyn was born and
remains the oldest resident at the age of 93. While she is still spunky
and silly, she did break her leg just before Christmas. She wanted to
give up, but four months later, she is back in her home, coloring pictures
and kissing her great grandkids goodnight. Special moments for us all.
Her table was imported from German relatives a century ago. The china
cabinet on the left and the grandfather clock on the right were built by
my late grandfather. Her home was also built by my grandfather as were
numerous homes in the surrounding rural area. I would love to
photograph some of them this summer as a gift for my dear granny.
Life is so fleeting with young kids and busy schedules. I
always beat myself up that I have not yet learned to shoot
in manual mode, but truth be told, my purpose right now
is to capture the moments before they pass. The final
product may not be perfect, and I don’t have much time to
play on Photoshop to make them perfect, so I do what I
can and have some fun along the way. Lately, I’ve been
playing with Photoshop Elements Effects.
I figure every time I take a picture, process a picture, print
a picture is a stepping stone not only to becoming a better
photographer, but more importantly to becoming the story
teller of my own family’s life adventure.
Pictures are about composition and lighting, but they’re
also about memories. I love when my kids sit next to me
on the couch and ask to look at the “pictures on my
‘puter.” We reminisce and laugh while creating narratives,
especially for the funny ones!
APRIL 2014 BHPC Competition Results
Judged by Dick Kettlewell
CATEGORY: Black & White
1st - Anticipation by Thomas Hansen
NOVICE
2nd - Very Soon Torstein by Thomas Hansen
3rd - Bear Butte’s Snowy Veil by Mary Hercher
APRIL 2014 BHPC Competition Results
Judged by Dick Kettlewell
CATEGORY: Black & White
1st - Nebraska Thunderstorm by Duff McCafferty
AMATEUR
2nd - Growth by Alysha Whittaker
3rd - Fly Fishing at Shootout by Colton Erk
HM - Sundog by Anne LeChette
APRIL 2014 BHPC Competition Results
Judged by Dick Kettlewell
CATEGORY: Black & White
1st - Needles Rappel by Dennis Laughlin
ADVANCED
AMATEUR
2nd - Photographer’s Eye by Joyce Sauer
HM - White Lion by Deb Zimmerman
3rd - Ardmore by Eva Bareis
APRIL 2014 BHPC Competition Results
Judged by Dick Kettlewell
CATEGORY: Black & White
1st - Baby Red Fox by Harlan Humphrey
MASTER
2nd - Milky Way Gazer by Kaleb Zook
HM - Lady Evelynn by Markus Erk
3rd - Little Elk Creek by Harlan Humphrey
* 7 Tips for Raptor Photography *
(For non-captive, wild birds)
1) Burst mode’s best.
When birds blink, their second eyelid (called a nictitating membrane) opens and
closes, which can result in strange looking images. Since an in-focus eye is one
wildlife-photography “must,” burst mode ups your chances of capturing keepers. It
also helps collect quick action such as birds fighting over carrion, landing, and
taking off.
2) Wary is the word.
Nobody had to teach raptors about stranger danger—these birds are born nervous!
Quick movement catches their eyes the most. In and out lens movement may even
give them pause. Act like a statue, staying still as much as possible. Nervous birds
will look at you; if one does, FREEZE! If not careful your actions will scatter your
subjects—for the rest of the day. Allow raptors to relax after you shoot your landing
shots. A raptor on one foot signifies a relaxed bird. A bird stretching its wings might
make you think he’s relaxed, but not necessarily! If he has sat still for a while the
opposite is probably true—he’s probably preparing for take-off.
3) Keep concealed.
There’s a reason we use the phrase “eagle eye” : raptors will see you before you see
them (see tip #2). Your best bet’s to work from a blind. Often a vehicle works well as
a blind, especially if you bring your biggest lens and sit extra still for a while after
shutting off the engine. Since I’m talking about photographing non-captive birds,
plan on staying far away from these subjects.
4) Stay silent.
Raptors can hear well. Vertically offset ears located just behind the eyes help hone
in on sound location. Some species get extra ear-range from facial disk feather
arrangement. Your voice and your shutter—especially non-stop actuation—could
cause the birds to leave for the day. If you must talk, keep your voice down. And use
short bursts when shooting.
5) Lookout for landings.
Focus on where a bird is headed before she arrives. Like airplanes, most birds
(including raptors) take off and land into the wind. Considering when the light’s best
for photography, an a.m. east wind and a west wind in the afternoon, means you’re
in luck!
6) Prepare for lift-off.
You get some of your best action shots as birds leave. That means you’ve got
prepare for take-off. Good news! Raptors also prepare for take-off and will give you
plenty of signs that they’re about to depart. A bird looking into the breeze and/or
crouching is a bird about to take-off. So, too, is a bird that defecates.
7) Practice patience.
Patience pays in wildlife photography, especially when shooting raptors. Don’t fire
away at a perched bird just sitting there. You’re creating lots of boring images and
running the risk of scaring your subject away with the sound of your shutter. Wait
for natural behavior, the kind of show a relaxed bird puts on: stretching, preening,
calling, eating. Wait for her to do something before taking your shot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wildlife photographer, Jeff Parker, leads the naturally curious on photo tours
throughout North, South, and Central America. Join him & Explore in Focus™!
Questions about bird photography? Give Jeff a call or send him an email. He’ll be
happy to help you out!
Click: www.ExploreInFocus.com ~ OR ~ Call: (512) 378-­3355
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MEMBERS MARKET
Chasity Marcus
Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DG 1.4x Extender: $250
* mint condition Vivitar Series 1 90 mm, f 2.5 Macro Lens: $350
* universal mount
* can be adapted to Canon, Nikon, Pentax or Minolta
* manual operation only
* very high quality lens in near mint condition
Vivitar Series 1 800mm f8 Mirror Lens, MF Universal Mt: $150
* new in Box.
Sigma 70-­‐300 f4-­‐5.6 DL AF Lens for Canon EOS: $125
* mint condition Ted Ayers @ treknted@gmail.com
-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐
Kodak Eastman Beau Brownie 2A with case: $140
* mint condition
Jacqueline Rinehart @ 591-­‐2943
BIRTHDAYS
MAY:
JUNE:
4!
Teresa Espinoza
3!
Karen Marchiando
6!
Tom Huwe
8!
Carol Keierleber
12!
Sheila Knight
8!
Jim Hatzell
17!
Harold Snyder
14!
Steve Reffey
20!
Bernie Butcher
18!
Kaycee Baye
20!
Anne Larkins
20!
Becky Fish
24!
Duff McCafferty
21!
Jackie Rinehart
26!
Krista Hofer
21!
Dave Vaughn
29!
Janell Gibson
Chasity Marcus