Focus Groups

Photographers at all levels benefit from candid and constructive criticism of their work.  In these Focus Groups of fellow photographers, you can improve your eye, your visual style and technical skills by presenting current work for discussion.  A few of the groups will have an inclination for specific topics, such as nature-wildlife, or composition. Photographs “developed” in Focus Groups may be shown in the Members’ Presentation and on the club’s website.  Groups meet monthly in members’ homes or other convenient locations.

Participating in a Focus Group requires commitment.  You should join a group only if you are willing and able to actively participate in meetings and assignments.

Facilitator:  Chris Ruggio

We are a new group exploring the fundamentals of good portraiture: lighting, composition, posing, and expression.  Photographers of all experience levels are welcome, though preference will be given to members not already in a Focus Group.  We will meet every other month in a workshop-style setting and will also undertake assignments for group critique.  We will use speedlights and/or studio lighting for some of our work.  If you don't own or have access to a speedlight the facilitator can recommend some inexpensive ones.

Facilitator: Steve Schroeder

We share our work and engage in candid and constructive discussions about it.  The goal is to enjoy the benefits of diverse approaches and views to help each of us become a better photographer.  All types of photography are discussed and all levels of expertise are welcome.  Some meetings will include “mini-classes” in subjects of interest.  We meet on the 3rd Wednesday (3:30 pm for the afternoon subgroup and 7 pm for the evening subgroup).

Facilitator: Camille Neville

Any aspiring photographer should give a considerable amount of attention to the “composition” of his/her images.  Composition is a key aspect of photography and is a way of storytelling.  It can create balance, or tension, and can also serve to guide the viewer’s eye towards the most important (or dramatic) elements of the image.  In this group, we will learn and apply many of the standard principles of composition, such as:

  • Rule of thirds
  • Filling the Frame
  • Simplifying the Scene
  • S-Curves
  • Leading Lines
  • Diagonals
  • Color
  • Perspective
  • Frame within a Frame
  • Creating Depth

 Each month we will explore and practice at least two different principles.  So be prepared to participate by taking, and sharing, new photographs on a monthly basis.  Meetings will be held on the 3rd Monday of the Month at 3PM.

Facilitator:  Terri Nickerson

This group is for photographers who are serious about nature photography, including wildlife, natural landscapes, and all the other attractions of the great outdoors.  Members should have suitable equipment, including a lens of at least 300mm.  They should also be comfortable with manual and semi-manual (i.e., aperture and shutter priority) shooting modes, or be willing to quickly learn to use these modes.  We meet on the 1st Tuesday at 7 pm with photo outings from time to time.

Facilitator: Myrna Walsh

With their drama, force and weight, black and white images tell different stories than traditional color pictures.  Many of these powerful images have defined how we see the world. We explore street photography, landscapes, portraits and abstracts, all in black and white, through sharing and constructively critiquing our photographs.  We meet on the 3rd Thursday of each month.

Facilitator: Chris Ruggio

This Group was created to accomodate the overflow of folks who could not get into the "Black & White Photography" Group (which is now filled). 

Together, this new group will learn about the fundamentals of shooting and preparing monochrome images. There will be monthly themes followed by a group critique of the shared photos. Each month we will also have a short presentation to build our skills.

We meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month.

Facilitator: Lynne Ford

There are many definitions of Fine Art Photography, however in this new group we will explore "the production of images to fulfill the creative vision of a photographer ,” or images that attempt to convey a personal impression of the subject rather than a strict documentary representation. This group will openly welcome and encourage digital manipulation in addition to staged photography techniques. We will not be “taking” photographs, we will be “making” them. The members of this group will help define its direction, but some of the initial topics and activities may include:

• A review of your own current work to determine areas or topics of interest you wish to explore
• Present the work of other photographers working in this field to begin to define visual standards
• Use of creative exercises to see subjects differently or jump start a new area of interest
• Present 2-3 images each month of your own work and support each other in discussion of our successes and failures.

This group is appropriate for photographers who know the basics of their camera, how to get images onto their computer, and are ready to make personal images. We will also be exploring image-processing software so access to and familiarity with software such as Photoshop Elements or the Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom Creative Cloud subscription is strongly recommended but not essential. Meeting time is the 4th Wednesday at 12:30 pm.

 

Facilitator: Rain Rodolph

Focus is on improving Lightroom skills  to organize and adjust photographs.  We will use Ben Wilmore’s and Colin Smith's video series as the starting point for our meetings.   Meeting time will be the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7 pm.

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