From the Club President...
Can you believe this weather? Here it is December and if not for the cold nights how would we know it is almost time for the holidays.
The debate in my house is whether to decorate for the holidays or not. My position is that we are not going to celebrate inside with others, so why go to all the trouble to decorate for just the two of us. My wife on the other hand loves to decorate. She loves to see all the ornaments we collected during our lives together. Each one has a story that can be told while we decorate.
The compromise position for us is that we will plan to decorate some areas outside our house where some friends might actually enjoy them. We have mastered the art of having small gatherings with two or three couples of trusted friends, wearing masks, while maintaining an appropriate distance around the fire pit on our back patio. Without this social time, I’m sure that we would both be completely stir-crazy.
I hope that you too are finding some way to maintain some social relationships without risking exposure to the coronavirus. Anywhere you can find some space outside might be OK for a small gathering. Picnics are also a safe way to meet up with friends. We had a wonderful time with another couple picnicking at Secret Slickrock. Please continue to be careful, as the risks of exposure are higher now than any other time since the beginning of the pandemic.
Be sure to check out the information below including our December 14th meeting, the new photo challenge, and the photo critique deadlines for January.
Best wishes for good health and great photos,
Brad
president.sedonacameraclub@gmail.com
Next Club Meeting
At our next club meeting, professional photographers Karen Hutton and Lauri Novak will present to the Sedona Camera Club starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, December 14th. As usual, the presentation will be via a Sedona Camera Club webinar. Again, our webmaster, Bob Kenney, has connected GoToWebinar to our members-only website, so that everyone will be automatically registered. You should have received a confirmation of your registration. If not, please reply to this email.
Two creative visionaries – also longtime friends – get together to discuss their art, their lives and influences, and how they navigate the sometimes tumultuous waters of life as creatives. In an informal chat, each reveals their life’s work (so far!) and the alchemy of their vastly different focus in photography.
Karen and Lauri come from completely different backgrounds and specialize in very different genres of photography – Karen: Landscape and Travel; Lauri: Architecture. They both teach, create art and are full-time professionals in a highly competitive industry.
In this presentation, Lauri and Karen share their unique paths to success, their influences in life, art, and business – and what makes them “tick” as they show their breathtaking work. They also share how their friendship, both personally and professionally, has elevated everything. They’ll bring you “behind the curtain” on how they approach their work – and share both similarities and differences.
Then they’ll share their top tips for finding your artistic voice – and how to learn to SEE photographically, with exercises and activities you can put into action immediately. It’s a must-not-miss event!
Photographer. Artist. And Purveyor of Awesomeness Karen Hutton is a Professional Fujifilm X Photographer, International Landscape and Travel Photographer, Artist, Educator, and Voice. Through stunning imagery, humor, thought-provoking ideas, and a genuinely positive outlook, she inspires people to discover their artistic voice in photography — while making it all feel like an unforgettable and eye-opening adventure.
She has been featured internationally by Fujifilm, presented at Photographer Talks at Google, leads photography retreats in the U.S. and Europe, created popular online courses for KelbyOne, has been translated into multiple languages, and speaks all over the country about photography and inspiration.
Most recently, Karen has created an entirely new line of digital art she calls “Whimsical Reveries”, offering up a whole new world of artistic voice and storytelling. Take the deep dive into her photography at KarenHuttonPhotography.com and her digital art at https://karenhutton.art/
Award-winning fine art photographer, mentor, and author, Lauri Novak has an eye for photographing architecture, traveling as much as possible, and wandering in nature with her camera.
Growing up near one of the most architecturally rich cities sparked an interest in architecture that is a recurring theme in her work. Lauri received her first camera when she was ten. Since then, the world has opened up to her through her viewfinder and has brought into focus many of the details in life that are often overlooked.
Traveling was also a big part of her life. Her family vacationed somewhere new every year allowing Lauri to see different cities and landscapes across the US, creating her the wandering spirit. On her own, she traveled overseas, discovering different cultures, amazing historical architecture, and the incredible beauty that is everywhere in this world, capturing what she saw with her camera.
Lauri is often asked, “How did you see that?” Her work shows different perspectives, unique angles, and the everyday details of a wide variety of subjects.
Lauri also has a passion for helping others, offers mentorships, and runs an online SEE! Photography community for other photographers. She also shares her inspiration and motivational tips for photographers as an author at photofocus.com.
Her work has been featured in Our USA Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Kane County Chronicle and on WGN-TV. She has had images in several galleries in Chicago and as part of an international exhibition in Barcelona. You can find her work here: laurinovak.com and photo tours: https://seewithlauri.com
Club Events, Workshops, Trips, and Board Updates
Uniquely Sedona Photo Challenge
We are having a special photo challenge to be presented in a slideshow during the December 14 meeting. The theme of this challenge will be “Uniquely Sedona.” This challenge begins NOW and extends until the deadline on December 10 at 9 pm. You may submit up to five (5) photographs. If we get too many images, we will choose at least two (2) from those you submit for the slideshow.
You must use the following filename convention to enable us to record your name and the photos’ titles with your images: Your Name – Title of the Photo. In other words, save your photo on your computer like this example: Mary Smith – Secret Slickrock Sunset.jpg. Upload the file with that saved filename in jpg format (only) to the following URL: https://sedonacameraclub.smugmug.com/upload/ZDtLMx/UploadPhotoChallenge
January Photo Critiques
You can submit images for the January Digital Critiques until December 16 at 9 pm by going to the Submit Critique Images page under the Members tab on our website. This page has links to all the information that you need to submit images.
