One of the things I will be thankful for this Thanksgiving is that again this year we will have our year-end celebration in the comfort of a member’s home. Invitations will be emailed to all members during the weekend after Thanksgiving. Be sure to RSVP before December 16 so we have enough liquid refreshments on hand. With all the contributions by members be prepared for a feast!
Oakdale Nature Preserve
Mary Johnson and two friends will be displaying their photography at Oakdale Nature Preserve for the month of December. Most items are for sale. On Saturday, December 8, there will be an “Indoor Market”. Mary and her friends will be there during that time, as well as crafters selling their work. Mary says that “this has been quite a learning experience to compile and print and frame a bunch of my favorites, but I have enjoyed the process! Hope some of my fellow photography club members can come!” Oakdale Nature Preserve is located at 4444 Hadley Avenue N., Oakdale, MN. Their weekday hours are 9 AM to 4 PM, Saturdays are noon to 4 PM and Sundays are 1 to 4 PM.
We will visit the Little Log House Pioneer Village this Sunday and will meet up with members of the St. Croix Valley Photo Club. This will be a great opportunity to photograph a wide variety of subject matter.
Start gathering some of those things in your camera bag that you would like to turn into cash at the January 2 meeting. We will have some extra tables set up and following the program the sale will begin. I also have a few good books and some interesting freebies.
This presentation is co-hosted by our club and the Phipps Center for the Arts and is part of the Heart of the River: Celebrating the First 50 Years of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.
At the same time Craig Blacklock will have pieces in the lobby and Gallery One. This special exhibit “Heart of the River” will begin September 14 and will end on October 21. Please share this with your friends and family. Craig Blacklock’s photographs are noted for technically perfect, impeccably clean compositions, making complex subject matter easily seen. Most of Blacklock’s 18 books have depicted the interface of water and land. Most notable, are: The Lake Superior Images; A Voice Within—The Lake Superior Nudes; Minnesota’s North Shore; Apostle Islands — From Land and Sea; and Pictured Rocks — From Land and Sea.
Craig will present many of the photographs from the book, telling some of the hows and whys behind the images, along with his impressions of the rivers, and suggesting what we, as individuals, must do to protect them into the future.
At our meeting on Wednesday, September 5, 6:30 pm, Kent Johnson of Midwest Imagery will give a presentation on Photoshop that will include some of his time-tested methods he uses in his workflow to make his images pop. Kent is a professional photographer who makes images of landscapes, wildlife and people. Kent’s fun and informative classes will help you learn to shoot and retouch like a pro. You can see his work 
Our club has a special relationship with 
