Recently the St. Croix Valley Magazine in their arts and culture news, featured an image by Michael Huber. I have long admired Michael’s drone work and was pleased that he would share some of his amazing work with us. Some of the images below are panoramas made of multiple shots, and others are HDR captures. It was fun trying to identify where some of these were made. Can you tell?
Pasqueflower Trio by Mariann Cyr
Our first meeting in March will be on Wednesday, March 4, at 6:30 pm. It will feature a program by Mariann Cyr, “Spring is Coming: When and Where to Find Minnesota Wildflowers”. Mariann will follow Minnesota wildflowers through the seasons. Her program will include photo tips, general bloom times, and some places to look for them. Mariann is active in several Twin City area photography clubs. She’s served as president of the Minnesota Nature Photography Club and the 3M Camera Club. She also served on the Camera Council for many years. Mariann chaired the Minnesota International Botany Exhibition of Photography for a number of years. She has been listed in PSA Who’s Who in Nature. She has been published in the Minnesota Weatherguide calendar and Minnesota Monthly.
From January 17 until April 14, I have a solo exhibit at Westfields Hospital, “The Secret Life of Frogs”. This has been a fun project, creating composites from photos I’ve taken of frogs and props. I was gratified to learn that Chelsea Long, the Healing Arts director, conferred with the staff and my art was chosen out of over 100 submissions. And yesterday, I found out that one of the pieces had been sold. Beginning on August 5, this exhibit will be moved to Hudson Hospital, in the Hudson Physicians lobby, and will run until November 1.
I also recently heard that one of my images was selected as 1st Place in the food category for the PBS Wisconsin Garden & Landscape Expo that was held in February at Madison, Wisconsin. It was a photo I’d taken in my garden years ago. It’s a reminder that you don’t need to travel to make good photos.
Red Cabbage – Terry Butler
We will have a special meeting this month on Wednesday, February 19, 6:30 pm. It will feature “Compositing Nature and Wildlife Images” by Michelle Terrell. In her presentation, she will walk through the processing of three different kinds of images, including the photo featured here — a composite of the northern harrier in flight — to illustrate ways in which Photoshop layers can be used to combine multiple images into a single composite photograph. Michelle Terrell is a member of the St. Croix Valley Camera Club and an avid outdoor photographer. As a native Minnesotan, she enjoys documenting our state’s wide variety of natural subjects from tiny woodland fungi to horizon-spanning northern lights. She shared her enthusiasm for bird photography in a talk at the Western Wisconsin Photography Club in 2019. When not taking photos, she is a professional archaeologist and historian.
Collin Geraghty and Anastasia Shartin from the Phipps reached out to Matt Then last week to get his permission to use one of his photographs on the cover of their Summer Art Camp brochure. The photo is from their production of “Sleeping Beauty and The Beast.” This photo will appear on the brochure and on posters promoting the Summer Art Camp.
Matt says “I truly appreciate the opportunity to shoot their productions and am honored that they selected one of my photographs for their marketing materials. I would have never had this experience if it wasn’t for the Western Wisconsin Photography Club, so thank you!”
If you got out to capture photos from Hudson’s Hot Air Affair, or the trumpeter swans this weekend, send your images to photowalk@wiphotoclub.com for a gallery.
Ken Krautbauer
Jeff Bucklew
Ken Krautbauer and former member Jeff Bucklew participated in a show at the Pablo Cultural Art Center in Eau Claire. It was a mixed show including a variety of media including painters and sculptors. There were over 400 applicants for the show and only 53 images were selected, and of those only nine received recognition. The top three received cash, and Ken and Jeff received Honorable Mention. Surprisingly, there were three photographers in the top nine!
In the spring of 2019 Collin Geraghty, the Performing Arts Production Coordinator at the Phipps asked if our members would be willing to photograph headshots, promotional photos, and archival/production photos. Bryan Leonard, John Schultz, Fred Sobottka and Matthew Then answered the call. This has been a fun way of giving back and at the same time, experiencing the shows and enjoying a new type of photography. You can see all the show galleries here.
“American Goldfinches” by Don Specht
Once again one of Don’s photos in the Spring/Summer edition of Nature’s Best Photography Magazine in the Backyard category. He’s been published there several times before but he says it’s always a thrill, and that he’s received nice feedback from around the country. It’s interesting because before they publish your photo you need to send them the original (RAW if shot in RAW or JPEG) to make sure you didn’t alter it beyond what their rules allow. Nature’s Best Photography Magazine is a large-format, award-winning, showcase of nature as recorded by the world’s leading professional photographers, naturalists, adventurers, as well as new, emerging photographers. You will find images and the stories behind the shots on topics such as wildlife, landscapes, plant life, travel, how-to photo tips, inspirational essays, and winners from their international photography competitions. Click here for more information about this wonderful magazine.
“Monarchs in Motion: by Marianne Diericks
Marianne learned that her photo “Monarchs in Motion” was accepted for the Fine Arts Exhibition at the MN State Fair. This was a fun surprise. She had never thought about entering anything in the state fair but she recently had an enlargement of the monarchs photo framed and the owner encouraged her to enter it. The photography category had 1114 entries, of which 160 were chosen for a 2nd round of judging and 114 were then selected for the exhibit.
Photo by Mary Johnson
Mary Johnson has officially started a professional art career! She will be in the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery, 402 N. Main Street, Stillwater, in the Isaac Staples Building on the north end of town.
Photo by Mike Chrun
Mike will have two images in the 2020 “Minnesota Weatherguide Calendar and Almanac” publications. One will be in the Engagement Calendar and the second one will be included in phrenology pages. More about the calendar here.
“Head On #2” by Ken Krautbauer
Ken and former member Jeff Bucklew have had images selected to appear in the upcoming “Confluence of Art” exhibit at the Pablo Center in Eau Claire. This is the new art center, which opened last year. It is an impressive performing and visual art center on the confluence of the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers. The exhibit runs from September 13 until November 3.