Club Meeting #5 (November 21)

Did you know the world was supposed to end (according to one man) on November 19th? Yet here it is, the 24th, and I feel pretty good about my chances of finishing this blog before the fragments of Nibiru start raining fire on us. I just hope you all have time to read this.

Oh. Since the world hasn’t ended yet and may not in the immediate future, give some thought to climate change. Details aren’t out yet, but Anastasia Stanmeyer will be seeking photos and poems about climate change for a project sometime around April. You may not rhyme, But while you have the time, Maybe you could think to shoot, All the ways people pollute?

Another club meeting has come and gone. Throughout this blog, the pictures you see are snapshots of prints that were in the competition. Most of them are represented, though I think I missed a few (and certainly my phone’s camera did not do them justice anyway). If you missed your chance to see them at the meeting, don’t fret. Our December display at the museum will feature our portraits and I’m sure most of these prints will be in. The current display comes down on November 27. Lynne and Bruce will be at the museum from 10am-noon in case anyone wants to pick up their prints at that time to give themselves plenty of time to switch their portrait prints into the frames for the next display. Portraits will go up on the 29th and people will be at the museum to collect your work again from 10am-noon. Remember: Your digitals can go up; you just have to print them first.

Before the meeting, people submitted their entries for the next competition (mirrors). The upcoming Club Holiday party was discussed and more details will be coming soon (most likely to emails near you). Missing the meeting doesn’t mean you have to miss the party, but you should make an appearance at the meetings too. Otherwise, people may begin to think you only show up for the booze!

Howie Levitz judged our portraits and finally earned that standing ovation he’s always wanted. He provided plenty of feedback and constructive criticism on all images. Some recurring suggestions and observations:

• Crop tighter to get rid of all unnecessary and distracting elements. If the environment provides context to the shot, keep it in, but if it contributes nothing to the photo, it’s probably taking away from where you want the viewer’s attention to be.
• He hates children, animals, and trees. This is probably why he liked the portrait of my parents. They’re too old to have children and are standing in front of a stove that burns wood.
• Certain clothing can be distracting. It’s debatable *what* clothing is distracting and what’s not, but in general, if it’s bright enough to catch your eye, it’s distracting.
• Usually your subject should be facing in towards the center of the composition, rather than looking away of it. If they’re looking at the edge of the picture, it makes the viewer want to see what’s “over there” where you’ve cut off the image. It makes the image feel incomplete.
• Lynne has a pet owl.

• November 27 – Volunteering display at the museum comes down. 10am-noon you can pick up your work. If you can’t make it at that time…
• November 29 – Portraits gathered for next display at the museum. Drop-off from 10am-noon. Also, you can pick up anything you didn’t get on the 27th.
• December 1 – First Fridays Art Walk. Come by and see the new display! Wander through town to see what other artists have on display.
• December 5 – Club Meeting! Our judge will “reflect” on our Mirror shots. Prints due for the Holiday Fun Party. [Hmm… Not sure of the topic for that one. Will update this when we find out.]
• December 17 – Toga, toga, toga! Okay. Probably no togas, but there could be. Either way, it’s a party.

I started this blog with light-hearted joking about the world not coming to a fiery demise earlier in the week. I assure you, I only jest to hide the fear I have inside that now I don’t know when the world will end. But perhaps if the week didn’t start with a bang, maybe it’ll end with one. Have you heard of the Flat Earth Rocket Man? If not, you should look him up. He says he doesn’t believe in science, so he’s going to make a rocket to launch himself into space to prove the Earth is flat. I’m serious. In an earlier test launch, he traveled 1/4 mile at 500mph. His parachute got shredded and allowed him to crash into the ground pretty hard. But he survived somehow. Well, this Saturday is his next launch and he plans on going a full mile this time with another launch within a year to go high up in the “atmosflat” to get photographic proof that the Earth is flat (I assume he’s fixed his parachute by now). Deep down, I just want to tell him, “Shoot RAW or it didn’t happen.” Does that make me a bad person?