Creation of a digital slide show set to music is the focus of the February 9 talk by Richard Holmes.  Everyone should be able to do this with the equipment they already have.  Richard will explain general procedures and techniques that should apply to any slideshow software program, whether on Mac or PC.  Richard also feels music is just as important as the photos in a successful slideshow presentation, and will also illustrate that.

 Richard’s bio reads as follows:

 I have been in Boulder for thirty years and a photo club member for most of that time.  Nearly everyone starts out with scenic photography and so did I.  After seeing so many beautiful wildlife photos in the early years, especially birds, I became hooked on wildlife, and traveled extensively to photograph birds.  Forty thousand slides later I converted to digital and kept doing it.  Interests evolve however, and recently dragonflies, butterflies, and other small critters have been my main attraction, causing me to buy still another lens.

 Flatirons Photo Club and Colorado Nature Camera Club, I must say, made all this possible.  Over the years I have met and learned so much from so many talented photographers in both clubs.  And I am still learning.

We are excited to welcome to Flatirons Photo Club an artist and teacher known to many of us from his participation in Open Studios and from his inspired teaching. Chris Brown has a unique approach to landscape photography that he has developed over several decades of work.  His approach is best described in his own words, “I have spent much of my life living in the wilderness, and my photography is both homage to our home, and an attempt to share some of the beauty, and solace, that derives from wild places. He will share his process as well as his book PATH OF BEAUTY: PHOTOGRAPHIC ADVENTURES IN THE GRAND CANYON. 

 Chris Brown will be presenting and signing his new book: Path of Beauty, Photographic Adventures in the Grand Canyon, and will display prints from the book.  He will give a short talk about his process of First Sight and the Art of Seeing, which is the foundation of his practice of photography.  He discusses the difficulty of seeing the world clearly, and the demons and human psychology that get in our way.

 Chris has photographed in the West for over 4 decades, and makes prints in his Boulder studio.  He has exhibited in over 100 shows, and his prints are in many private and public collections.  He recently collaborated with Boulder’s Sound Circle Chorus in a live concert combining a video of his book with songs about the Grand Canyon river experience, which will be presented again this spring. 

 He teaches one-on-one classes and custom workshops in his studio, and displays his work there each October during Open Studios.  This April he will be doing a joint show at NCAR with Boulder Quilter Judith Trager, featuring photographs from his book, and quilts inspired by them.

In his jurying for club members he will be looking for work that is unique and original.  “I would like to see photographs I have never seen before, in choice of subject matter, interpretation, and its treatment in printing.”  

 (Signed copies of the book will be $30.00,which is 25% off the retail price.)

Our new Vice-President and Program Chair, Ginger Zukowski, has prepared the following list of special topics for 2012. Have at ’em with gusto.

January- Holiday Lights

February: Boulder Landmarks (natural and manmade)

March: Flora

April: Eyes

May: Storms

June: Architectural Detail

July: No Meeting

August: No Meeting

September: Members’ Slide Shows

October: Landscapes

November: Environmental Portraits

December: Year-end Competition

Though Christmas has passed, most holiday lights remain with the approach of the New Year. Our January 2012 competition special topic is “Holiday Lights.” This should be a lot of fun, given the numerous displays of color, but a challenge as well due to contrast issues.

Let’s see what we can do.

The last meeting of 2011 is the annual year end members’ competition. Check out the club web site for the categories and entry rules. http://www.flatironsphotoclub.com/competitions/year-end-competition Members are requested to bring a goodie to share to celebrate the holiday season and another successful year of the Flatirons Photo Club.

Our President, Thomas Walsh, has arranged for a 3 judge panel to judge the year end competition. This year the judges will be Mark Allison (wedding, glamour, portrait photographer), Russ Croop (digital artist), Glenn Randall (landscape nature photographer). At the year end competition 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons are awarded in each of 5 categories – 1) Digital Realism),  2) Color Print Realism, 3) Digital Special Effects, 4) Print Special Effects, and 5) Print B&W-Monochrome. Honorable Mention ribbons are awarded as the judges see fit.

Kelly McCormack will present a program on the techniques and processes used in creative photography. Kelly McCormack is an artist, web designer, and teacher (independent Adobe Certified Instructor, instructor at Boulder Digital Arts and RealEyes Connect, adjunct faculty member at the Art Institute of Colorado). From Chicago, Kelly earned an undergraduate degree in Fine Art at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1997. Kelly now resides in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife Alexa. To be inspired have a look at some of Kelly’s creative work at http://art.kellymccormack.com/index.html