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: 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.  Each meeting will have a theme for the shared images.  Some meetings will include “mini-classes” on subjects of interest.  We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month (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 each 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). 

In this group we explore the fundamentals of shooting and preparing monochrome images. There are 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: Managed by the Group members

The Fine Art Photography Focus Group is primarily a critique group that explores producing images which fulfill the creative vision of the photographer. The goal is to improve photgraphy skills while building a body of work appropriate for fine art venues such as juried shows, gallery submissions, books and/or slideshows or even your own enjoyment.

This group openly welcomes and encourages digital image manipulation in addition to staged photography techniques. Each session involves group critique and discussion of images submitted monthly from personal work. Members are urged to work with favorite older images as well as newly taken photographs.

New this year, the group will be self-directed and managed by group members. The general format is to present 2-3 images each month of your own work and support each other in detailed discussion of our successes and failures.

New members may choose to include some preliminary activities specific for new members such as:

• 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 that you admire to define visual standards the group will use to help you in your image-making
• Use of creative exercises to see subjects differently or jump start a new area of interest


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 that reflect their vision. We will also be exploring image-processing software so access to and familiarity with one or more programs such as Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom Creative Cloud subscription, Photoshop Elements, On1 Raw, Topaz, Lumiere or similar is strongly recommended but is not essential.

 

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