Focal Points April 2021 by John Nilsson

Focal Points Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Camera Committee Magazine April 2021

Focal Points Magazine

Due to current directives from The Sierra Club, we will be holding our February 11, 2021 meeting online. I will be contacting everyone when the time comes with instructions as to how to access via Zoom.

Contents 4. Cover Story 14. Meetings and Outings 16. Joe's How-To 24. Member Photos 76. Black and White Pages 84. Contributor's Bio's

Focal Points Magazine

98. Notes and Announcements

Published monthly by the Angeles Chapter Sierra Club Camera Committee, John Nilsson, Editor.

106. Photo of the Month

Questions and comments can be directed to John at 213-266-2224

107. Parting Shot

Notes from the Chairman Great News! With the new administration in Washington, we have been experiencing a great rush to pursue previously distant goals in conservation, ecology and the fighting of climate change. Every day now, we are hearing of great strides forward in efforts to achieve 100% renewable energy, the impending death of the internal combustion engine (which is happening sooner than you think), the cleanup of our air and water resources and efforts to leave oil and gas “in the ground”. Our Actions are really starting to pay off!

But now is not the time for us to sit back and just “let it happen”.

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time.

The next ten years are critical to our success in this effort. It won’t happen without continued pressure from all of us to push these climate actions forward every single day. We all need to focus on our personal efforts to bring about the changes that will save our world, either by contributing our capital or our time. Pick an active and effective organization to back the Sierra Club and NRDC come quickly to mind. Get educated on what you can do personally to drive our Green efforts forward. Do it today. 3

Cover Story

Story and Photos by John Clement Ahh Spring... New beginnings, flowers, green grass, warm temperature and STORMS!

Devils Tower Storm-Wyoming probably the worst storm we have been caught in. This was the last image before torrential rains and ground pounding lightning over ran us and continued all night with several tornadoes touching down from this big storm.

Since 2015 my daughter Colleen, my youngest of 4 kids, has enjoyed storm chasing and watching. At a young age she would wake me in the middle of the night to tell me there was lightning over the hills south of our home in Kennewick and she would be dressed in a flash ready to go! We have managed to take 4 trips into the midwest and southwest to capture the powerful cloud formations, lightning and a few funnel clouds with the landscapes. These images here are just a few from our 15-20K miles of driving chasing severe weather. It is not for the faint of heart. We could probably do a book of stories from our adventures but space doesn’t allow. From Montana to Wyomings Devils Tower, Nebraska hill country, Kansas flat lands, Oklahoma panhandle, Texas super cells and New Mexico monsoons we have seen a lot of weather! 4

Colleen standing on top of Old Storm Shelter in western Kansas-One of many deserted properties we came across on our travels across the midwest.

Another deserted home as a storm developes to the west of the property.

First Christian Church Storm Clouds- central Kansas 2016 6

Deserted in KansasColleen spotted this old farmstead way off the road as we were heading to Texas storm outbreak from Nebraska.

Chimney Rock National Monument -near Scotts Bluff Nebraska as a morning storm approaches.

Cows at the Monument Rocks Chalk Pyramids- in central Kansas near Oakley. Great sea food resturant there. This storm produced a tornado 2 hours later.

Getting ready to Touch Down- NE of Aurora Colorado

Kansas Sunset

Tornado and the Bow- as we are waiting for the tow truck stuck on a muddy side road.

Monsoon Strike New Mexico- as we encounter a developing storm just north of the Mexican border. Border patrol stopped and warned us not to be in this area after dark and it was a main smuggling route. We encountered numerous border patrol vehical on our retreat north to Interstate 10. 10

Ghost Tree- staying away from this storm producing baseball size hail and a tornado in NE Colorado and western Kansas.

Meetings and Outings

Sierra Club Cam

April 8, 20

Robert Glenn Ketchum will be presenting and update on the Pebble Mine and new work!

Zoom Link

Where:

In the comfort of your own home via Zoom

Provided before the Presentation See You There!

When: 7:00 PM

What:

The Zoom platform has recently been upgraded to provide high security and ease of operation. Be certain to download or upgrade to the latest vesion before the presentation!

The Pebble Mine Update and new work

Who:

Robert Glenn Ketchum 14

mera Committee --

021 Meeting

Joe’s How-to

Joe’s How-To

“[T]he best 100,000 images on Earth that remain in their processing boxes might as well be toilet paper.” Galen Rowell, in Galen Rowell’s Inner Game of Outdoor Photography”

to retrieve images from ten years ago; they’re in Adobe Lightroom. And I avoid having to scavenge in Lightroom by proactively (and sometimes retroactively) using keywords, ratings, and collections.

When I started shooting in the early 1970s my filing system was barely a system. Each roll of film was cut into 6-frame strips and stuffed into #10 envelopes. Maybe I scrawled something on the outside, maybe I didn’t, and photo paper was expensive so I rarely made contact sheets. Within a few years I began to store the negatives more carefully, but I still never captioned or cataloged anything. The same was true for boxes of slides. Kodak stamped each slide mount with the processing date, and the rest of the information I kept in my head. Once I began shooting for assignment I got a little better, but not much. Going back through my first 20 years as a shooter is an archeological dig and a treasure hunt.

While this column is about using Lightroom, the principles are not unique to that software. Prior to Lightroom I kept my images organized in folders, and if a photo belonged in more than one folder I had to make a copy. That took up a lot of disk space, and was so tedious that I didn’t do it often. Since I’m a bit lazy and easily distracted by shiny things, I needed a system that made cataloging quick and painless. Lightroom is the closest I’ve come to accomplishing that.

There are at least two reasons why photographers should catalog their images. The first is that it makes you a better photographer because it requires you to think beyond the image itself. I find that by using keywords and collections at It’s gotten better. Digital imaging, home I am more conceptual in the cheap computer storage, and catafield. The words I use (i.e., fog, sunloging software have made it much rise, birds) create themes that I carry easier to keep track of my photowith me when I shoot, and my work graphs. I don’t scavenge through has become less reactive and more boxes looking for envelopes or CDs purposeful. 16

Editor’s Note:

A new section for Focal Points Magazine! Each month our esteemed Member Joe Doherty will be writing various columns on how to do this and that. It’s time to learn something new... The second reason is it makes you a better communicator because the images are more readily accessible. I want people to see what I make, and I want the fewest hurdles possible between the impulse to share and the execution. If I am submitting to a juried show, or Focal Points, or creating a portfolio, I use my catalog to quickly find a group of images from which I can select the finalists. For example, in my catalog a search that selects all 4 and 5 star images with the keywords “Yosemite” and “winter” brings up 140 images nearly instantly.

by geography (state, city, area, location), and then apply some general keywords that describe the subject (Figure 1). While I import I also apply some custom processing, and I add my copyright and contact info to the metadata. I use Import to copy files from my SD cards to the computer, into folders that sort them by the date. After importing, I use thumbnail view to select groups of images that need custom keywords, like “Canada Geese” or “Egret,” depending on the subject. All of the selected images will get the same keywords. If a keyword has an asterisk (“*”) next to it, that means it applies to only some of the selected images; it can usually be ignored.

Cataloging begins when I import my photographs. My strategy for selecting keywords is to drill down

The keywords I use have evolved over time. Eleven years ago I was happy to use the word “flowers” on the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve. Just recently I returned to those photographs and added “phacelia,” “poppies,” and “tumbleweeds” to my keyword list for those images. I added these because, in the intervening years, I have photographed quite a few of each, and unlike in 2010 they are now significant enough to get their own keywords.

ing my selections while processing images, until the best ones end up with either a 4- or 5-star rating. What do those stars mean? Every rating system is idiosyncratic. To me, I’d be happy to have them in my annual calendar or a book, and a 5-star is worth hanging on my wall. These ratings are fluid. I have upand down-graded images over time. You can stop the cataloging process after keywording, grading, and processing. That’s enough to allow you to quickly search your images using Ctrl-F. Lightroom allows you to search for images using a number of different strategies, including keyword. Once you search for a keyword, you can limit your returns by choosing to view only those that have 4 or 5 stars, or some other

After cleaning up the keywords I make a quick pass through the shoot, awarding one star to frames that deserve a second look and hitting the “X” key to tag the mistakes for deletion. From here I go back through the one-stars, refin-

quality. Going a step beyond searching, Lightroom gives you the opportunity to create a Collection, which is on the left side of the Lightroom panel. I use these to keep track of submissions to juried exhibitions and Focal Points, and to sort and select images for books and calendars. I also use Collections to sort images by geographic area (state or country), and subject area (e.g., Winemaking). Create a collection by clicking on the “+” sign, where you’ll get three options: Create Collection, Create Smart Collection, and Create Collection Set (Figure 3). A Collection is like a file folder. You can drag one or many photos into one or more Collections, and add, remove, or sort files at will. Unlike a file folder, it doesn’t create a new file and doesn’t take up space on your hard drive. A

Collection Set is a container inside which Collections can be kept. This is useful if you want to organize by geography or theme. For example, I have a Collection Set for “USA,” and the places for which I have a significant number of photos have their own collections inside it. Perhaps the most powerful use of collections, though, is Smart Collections. Smart Collections allow you to create rules for selection that automatically add images to the collection. A Smart Collection will add images you shot before creating the collection, and it will also add new images that satisfy those rules. This is especially convenient when you return to a place regularly (like Yosemite), or when you’re working on a particular theme over a long period of

time (“dead trees”). It saves you from manually dragging them into a collection every time you find one. In my example, I’ve created the collection “Smart Yosemite,” and told Lightroom to include images with 4+ stars and the word “Yosemite” in

the keywords (Figure 4). That strategy results in a collection with 322 images. Many of them are duplicates, either .tif or .psd files, or virtual copies. I don’t consider that a problem. I’m not using the Smart Collection to choose my images, but to create the group of images from which I can choose. I concede that rigorous cataloging isn’t for everyone, but as Galen Rowell suggested, if you keep your images in boxes they might as well not exist. It would be like a personal library with no card catalog or shelving system, which is perhaps sufficient for the person who owns it but the ideas are locked away from anyone else. Cataloging unleashes my ideas, and makes me a better photographer. It disciplines me to think about my subjects and how they relate to my broader body of work, and it makes it easier for me to communicate with an audience by putting my images at my fingertips. - Joe Doherty 20

This Month’s Member Photos

MONTANA

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

John Fisanotti

MAY 2015

Canada The Verdugo Mountain Range as seen from the San GabHiker in the San Gabriels, Mt. Lukens in the backgroundMountaThe

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

A Walk in the San Gabriels...

MAY 2015

Light snowfall on the trail

Masked hikers on a trail

Mt. Lukens and Big Tujunga Canyon

Angeles C

Crest Highway

“Greetings from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! I wanted to share some recent images from our new home base. The city is large and vibrant with the pace of life both frenetic and measured. The broadcast prayer chants from the Ethiopian Orthodox Churches fill the air as do the sounds of traffic, birds, and music. This month’s photos are more “people in place” oriented as I’ve tried to carry my camera with me more often. More to come!”

©Bob Ber All Rights Re

110

resh eserved

111

Meet my new kitten!! Kiwi!! He is a Blue Abyssinian and about 5 months old now. He gets along great with Marula, my Ruddy Abyssinian. These are a couple a portraits of them. That’s Marula in her own “film noir” photo slipping downstairs. 45

All of my photographs this month are from the Sepulveda B Wildlife Reserve. The rainstorms in early March provided opp ties for good atmosphere at sunrise, and the contrast of the op of Spring and the charred grounds of last year’s fire allowed m some complicated stories.

A fire roared through the Reserve on Labor Day Weekend 2020. Significant parts of the landscape have not recovered, and many trees have been cut down or left to decay in situ.

Basin portuniptimism me to tell

Fog and wildlife give the Reserve a primeval look that ignores the bustling 101/405 interchange a mile away.

“À la recherche du temps perdu” The verdant landscape of last Spring is now mostly reduced to charred trees and burned leaves, with patches of color and wildlife to remind us that what is past may yet be the future.

I have been making photographs in the Reserve for over a decade. A couple of years ago my friend Jerry Dodrill suggested that I include some images that place this postagestamp paradise in the context of the surrounding urban landscape, much like his mentor Galen Rowell did in the book “Bay Area Wild.” This image is one of my attempts in that direction, contrasting the magnificence of a wild heron against the banality of a distant glass office building.

The reserve is in a floodplain next to the Los Angeles River. When conditions are favorable the fog settles into a blanket under the trees along the water.

Haskell Creek runs through the heart of the Reserve, emptying into the Los Angeles River above the dam. It’s usually a trickle with ponds large enough to feed the egrets, but when the rains come the creek collects garbage and pushes it downstream, towards the River. 50

0 JW ty ghts ved

Burned vines of Vitis “Roger’s Red” still occupy a section of the shoreline around the pond. New growth appeared a few months ago, but I was unable to find any signs of grape leaves on this trip.

If you want to learn something important, sometimes you need to leave your group and go listen to someone else’s stories. 51

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

Butch Mazzuca

MAY 2015

Every March Nebraska’s central Platte River valley hosts one the most rem sandhill cranes land in the valley and is the largest such gathering of cranes in braska and are long-lived birds, living up to 20+ years. These cranes have win

These images were shot at the Crane Trust near Grand Island Nebraska, a n habitat for whooping cranes, sandhill cranes and other migratory birds along th management, community outreach and education. The Trust itself was formed

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Sandhill Cranes

markable wildlife spectacles in North America when more than a half million the world. Sandhill cranes get their name from the Sand Hills region of Nengspans of approximately 6 feet and are omnivorous.

non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and maintenance of critical he Big Bend Region of the Platte River Valley through sound science, habitat in 1978 and is funded by private donations.

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Rights Reserved

San Joaquin Valley – Oil and Water Back in 2014 I took a trip to the San Joaquin Valley to shoot a story on the drought, which was in its third year. The Valley had been severely affected, with many fields going fallow and famers drilling new water wells as fast as they could. In the valley, everything is connected, so in addition to the tragically low reservoirs and cracked crop fields, I also found myself shooting many agricultural crops like almonds and cotton, that were in close proximity to oil pumpjacks and fracking sites. These photos were taken over the course of threes days in Kern and Fresno County

2020, Peter

ennett, All Rights

eserved

Hillside Snow 66

“Happy that a late winter storm finally came our way, I was anxious to get out the camera and go find some wintery subjects. My favorite location locally for snow is the Angeles National Forest. For me it’s a two-hour drive but when there is a good snow, it’s always worth the effort. The highway was closed partially into the forest but the considerable snow fall overnight meant I didn’t have to drive too far to find what I was looking for. I was lucky to be there when the snow was still clinging as our southern California snow is not known to stick around long.”

Needles

Picnic Table

Pismo Beach is always a great place to go, especially when there is a King Tide. Elephant Seal Viewing at The Piedras Blancas Rookery is the only elephant seal rookery in the world that is easily accessible, free, and open to the public every day of the year. March is after the Elephant Seal’s birthing season. Large males are 14 to 16 feet in length and weigh 3,000 to 5,000 pounds. Adult females are 9 to 12 feet in length and weigh between 900 and 1800 pounds. Pups are 3 to 4 feet long and weigh 60 to 80 pounds at birth and gain to 300-500 pounds in 1 month from the mother. They normally 70

Group of Elephant Seals, males, females, pups

dive 1,000 to 2,000 feet but can go down as deep as 5,000 feet. Males can live to 14; females into their 20’s. But only a few live that long. Only 30% of pups, male and female, live to be 4 years old. Some pups die on the beach and the birds clean that up. The males fight to impregnate the 10 - 60 females in their harem. And sometimes the males have had a long day, and just need a spa day. Their webcam is https://elephantseal.org/live-view/ 71

Pups frolicking in the sea

They use sand as a sunscreen 72

Pups that ate a lot

Male at the water’s edge

Black The The Black and & White Pages White Pages

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Rreserve JW Doherty The charred remains of the Labor Day Fire still dominate sections of the Reserve.

Nikon D850 Tamron Sp 70-200 F2.8 DiVC @105mm 1/115 @ f/6 ISO 200

Calla Lilly

Descanso Gardens

John Fisanotti

Nikon D810 105 mm F/2.8 1/8000 @ f/3, ISO 800

Three Sentinels-

Boyle Heights John Nilsson

Leica M10-Monochrome 50mm Sumicron ISO 400 1/200@ f/8

Contributor Contributor Bios Bios

Steve Anderson

John Clement

Steve worked primarily in the conventional

John began his career in photography in the early 70’s after graduating from Central Washington University with a double major in Geology and Geography. Since then he has earned a Masters of Photography from the Professional Photographers of America. He has received over 65 regional, national and international awards for his pictorial and commercial work. His photographs grace the walls of many businesses in the Northwest and has been published in numerous calendars and coffee table books. He has provided photographs for Country Music Magazine and for Northwest Travel Magazine. He has supplied murals for the Seattle Seahawks Stadium and images for The Carousel of Dreams in Kennewick, WA. Current projects include 17 – 4x8 foot glass panels featuring his landscapes in Eastern Washington for the Pasco Airport Remodel. Last year he finished a major project for the Othello Medical Clinic where almost 200 images were used to decorate the facilities ranging in size from 24” to 35’ in size. His work can be viewd at:

medium of Black and White silver-based photography for many years as he explored the natural landscape of the local San Gabriel Mountains and his beloved High Sierra in California. In the last 20 years he has engaged in digital photography as it has opened up new avenues and excitement about making images of the natural scene. His interest in photography began in junior high school when he developed his first roll of film from a Kodak Brownie camera. He became very interested in combining photography and traveling adventures as a member of the Highlanders, a mountaineering club at Pasadena City College. His work turned more serious during military service as the landscape became his focus of attention. Steve’s interest in the environmental movement, starting in his college days, led him to actively seek ways of using his photography to help in a personally significant way. He joined the Mono Lake Committee 40 years ago and has been an active leader in the Sierra Club since 1981. He served as the chairperson of the Camera Committee of the Angeles Chapter for 5 years. Steve’s images have appeared in Sierra, the Southern Sierran, Images of the West, A Portrait of Bodie, and the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Schedule of Activities. Some of his monochrome images were significant contributions to help save Mono Lake. He has had work shown in a number of local galleries. Steve was the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Artist in Residence in 2015. Steve has published four photography books that are available through Blurb.com. “My images sum up my feelings about the grandeur of nature. It is never just one thing that touches me when I try to capture a moment, but always a vast array of emotional and photographic textures. Most of my images are therefore complex and detailed.” Email: sandersonimagery@ outlook.com Viewingwebsite:www.pbase.com/spanderson

www.johnclementgallery.com John Clement Photography Face Book Professional page The Kiona Winery in Benton City, and at Allied Arts Gallery in Richland, WA.

JW Doherty

John Fisanotti

Joe Doherty grew up in Los Angeles and developed his first roll of film in 1972. He has been a visual communicator ever since. He spent his teens and twenties working in photography, most of it behind a camera as a freelance editorial shooter. He switched careers when his son was born, earning a PhD in political science from UCLA specializing in American politics and research methods. This led to an opportunity to run a research center and teach at UCLA Law, where he became best known as an empirical bankruptcy scholar. After retiring from UCLA in 2016 he continued to consult, but now he and his wife Velda Ruddock spend much of their time in the field, across the West, capturing the landscape.

As a youth, John’s interest in photography stemmed from an interest in astronomy. His first photos were attempts to photograph the night sky using a folding Kodak camera, that once belonged to an uncle. Later, John used a 35mm rangefinder camera to photograph nature, particularly the San Gabriel Mountains above his home in La Crescenta. After high school, John sold his telescope to purchase a 35mm SLR camera outfit. John was a photography major in his first three years of college. He has used 35mm, 2-1/4 medium format and 4x5 view cameras. John expected to be a commercial photographer. His personal work leaned heavily to shooting landscapes and outdoors. In 1977 John changed majors. After graduating from California State University Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Studies in 1979, John’s first post job college was in a commercial photo laboratory. In 1980, he pivoted from photography and began his 32-year career in public service. John worked for four Southern California cities in city planning, community development and redevelopment, and concluded his career as a Project Manager for the Culver City Redevelopment Agency. During these decades, he continued to shoot outdoor scenic images whenever possible. After retiring from public service in 2012, John has pursued his astronomical and photographic interests. Beginning in 2013, John has been a telescope operator for the 60" reflector telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory. And John has increased his photographic portfolio concentrating on outdoors, landscape, travel and astronomical images. Beginning in 2018, he has expanded his repertoire to include architectural and real estate photography. Occasionally, John has been fortunate to have photographs selected for various exhibitions or publications. He currently shoots with Nikon DSLR cameras. John’s photographic websites: Landscape, Travel and Astronomical images http://www.johnfisanottiphotography.com; Architectural and Real Estate photography are at http://www.architecturalphotosbyfisanotti.com. Contact John at either jfisanotti@sbcglobal.net or fisanottifotos@gmail.com. 85

Phil Witt

Velda Ruddock

Phil Witt has been photographing nature since he got his first SLR camera in the late 70s. An avid birder, he is a volunteer at the Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary of NJ Audubon in Bernardsville, where he coleads the photography workshop series. He is currently on NJ Audubon’s Board of Directors. He is a past president of the Camera Naturalist Photo Club, and program chair of the Somerset County Camera Club. He judges photography competitions and presents instructional programs at photography clubs throughout New Jersey. He received the NJ Federation of Camera Club’s 2017 Citation for service to photography in the state. He and his wife enjoy traveling the world for photography--Antarctica, the Galapagos, Tanzania, Iceland, Costa Rica, among others. When not birding or photographing, he is a (mostly retired) forensic psychologist, specializing in legal cases and court testimony.

Creativity has always been important to me. I received my first Brownie camera for my twelfth birthday and I can’t remember a time I’ve been without a camera close at hand. I studied the social sciences and art, and later earned a Masters degree in Information and Library Science degree. All of my jobs allowed me to be creative, entrepreneurial, and innovative. For the last 22 years of my research career I was Director of Intelligence for a global advertising and marketing agency. TBWA\ Chiat\Day helped clients such as Apple, Nissan, Pepsi, Gatorade, Energizer, and many more, and I was considered a leader in my field. During our time off, my husband, Joe Doherty and I would travel, photographing family, events and locations. However, in 2011 we traveled to the Eastern Sierra for the fall colors, and although we didn’t realize it at the time, when the sun came up over Lake Sabrina, it was the start of change in our careers. By 2016 we had both left our “day jobs,” and we started traveling – and shooting nature – big and small – extensively. Our four-wheel drive popup camper allowed us to go to areas a regular car can’t go and we were – and are – always looking for our next adventure.

https://philwitt.smugmug.com

Susan Manley

Paul Reinstein

Susan Manley has more than 35 years experience as a photographer. Her career consisted mainly working in a Communications Department writing and shooting a wide variety of public relations and photojournalism photos. Since she retired approximately ten years ago, she switched her focus onto nature photography including landscapes and wildlife in America.

I have two lifelong hobbies; photography and fine woodworking. My father fostered both those interests. At 14, right before I went on a 1 week backpacking trip around Yosemite Valley with my friend Joe (16) who could drive, my father taught me the basics of using a camera on an Olympus camera that shot half frames on 35mm film. Can you imagine allowing a 14 year old to do that in today’s world? By 20, I was fully independent. In my 20s, I bought a Minolta SRT101, and I also started dabbling in woodworking as a way to have simple furniture while working my way through college (Biochemistry, UCLA). I even had a simple B&W darkroom for a while. I shot mostly landscapes. After getting my degree, I decided I didn’t like working in that field, so I went back to school, and worked my way through a masters degree (Electronics Engineering, CSULB). I spent the majority of my career at The Aerospace Corp, working mostly on electrical power systems for rockets and satellites for the Air Force, NASA and the NRO. During that time, when not working, I began focusing mostly on fine woodworking, shooting occasional snapshots. By 50, my woodshop was enviable, my wife and I were flipping homes on the side, I was a manager at work, and digital cameras reignited my interest in photography. When the music stopped in real estate, we built our own home in Mar Vista. Then, my boss, and his boss both died unexpectedly (and independently), a huge layoff was announced, and I was retired. I got my general contractor’s license, and tried that for a couple of years. I retired fully at 60, earlier than I would have imagined. By 2016, I had amassed a number of bird photos, just by happenstance, so I decided to see what I could get that number up to, just for fun. That turned out to be eminently satisfying, albeit expensive, and now I spend much of my time shooting birds locally or travelling worldwide to do so. My big birding trips so far include the Galapagos and the UK, and my list is presently up to about 350 species, and I have a small presence on Instagram and on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/preinstein54/. I’ve sold a few images upon request, several of my friends have my images on their walls, and I still dabble in woodworking, including making my own frames.

Jeff Gottesman

Wiebe Gortmaker

I first became interested in photography back in high school sometime in the last century. My father worked for many years in a professional camera store in Pittsburgh (Kadet Photo Supply) where he did the picture framing. I spent a few summers working in that camera store mostly doing shipping and receiving but every chance I got, I would be talking with and learning from the salesmen who knew everything about cameras and photography. At the end of the summer they gave me a used Pentax Spotmatic 500 and there began my love of photography. I did all the shooting and darkroom work for my high school yearbook and later as a photographer and writer for college newspapers. At the same time, I developed a love of nature and graduated college with a degree in Geology (with several electives in Photography). That was where all the environmentalists spent their time. The love of nature and photography were a perfect match and after retiring from IT a few years ago (there was a career change somewhere in there) I’ve returned to those early loves and am able to spend a lot more time on photography, enjoying workshops and especially the Sierra Club trips :).

I am based in Boulder, Colorado and consider myself a full-time hobbyist. After retiring from the airlines, I have devoted a high percentage of my time to travel and learning photography. In the past few years I have moved from travel photography to primarily wildlife and landscape photography. Prior to the airlines, I spent considerable time in remote areas of Alaska and Central and South America. I am now able to revisit those places with a focus on photography. I have lived in Colorado since college and spent a lot of time flying, hiking, and climbing in the wild places in my back yard. With my new hobby I am looking at these places in a new way, trying to preserve the image and feelings I have of the wildlife and landscape. This process motivates me to learn and discover. Wiebe is concentrating on his photography at this time and is not currently active on social media. He does plan to have a website together in the near future.

My photos can be seen at https://www.jeffgottesmanphotography.com/

Joyce Harlan I have always loved photography! First to document and save photos of my sons. We had little to no money for film developing in the beginning but I kept shooting. Every year my husband would ask me what I wanted for Christmas/birthday and I would always say “develop my film”!! After several years he finally did, but everything was yellow but the memories were there. From there, when I was coaching downhill skiing for Westside Special Olympics, I took photos of my athletes and created a book for each of them. The pure joy I saw on their and their family’s faces was priceless! Finally, I was at Mammoth skiing with my family (grandkids!!) and we had lunch at Bergers Burgers. They had the most gorgeous landscape photos on they walls. I asked the waitress about them and she said they were by Vern Clevenger and that he often came in for lunch after skiing and she would point him out for me. She did, I asked about workshops and he said “absolutely”. That was it!! I took one workshop from him and many, many more with Mountain Light in Bishop with Jack Dykinga, John Shaw, Jerry Dodrill, David Meunch and Jeff Foote. One of the most memorable was their ten day inaugural rafting the Grand Canyon trip with Jack & Jerry. Over the years I have been blessed to travel the world with Muench Workshops (Cuba, Yukon, Mongolia, Alaska) Visionary Wild (Botswana, Kenya, Patagonia, Greenland), Aurora Expenditions (Antarctica), and Nathaniel Smalley (Iceland, Maine fall color). Photography mixed with travel has been my favorite soul food for a long, long time. And will continue to be for as long as I am able. Sadly, I am missing a trip to China in April and Uganda in June to see the gorillas. But I’ll get there as soon as it is safe again.

Allen Johnson I'm a PhD in psychology with a passion

for photography. I'm also the author of several books: a memoir on France entitled "Pardon My French" and two novels: "The Awakening" and "Spike, Benny, and Boone."

Butch Mazzuca

John Nilsson

I was born in Chicago IL and attended the University of Dayton. After graduation I served four and half years as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps. My last official ‘work' position was President & CEO of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co-Denver. I Retired in 1999 and moved to Vail where I taught skiing, a “fundamentals of photography” class at our local community college and wrote (still do) commentary for the Vail Daily Newspaper. I Started taking pictures in 2008 when my wife Bobbi “talked me” into traveling to Africa (we returned seven more times! ) My images have been published in Shutter Bug Magazine, Sarasota Magazine, Travel Africa Magazine (5 times) and Africa Geographic (6 times including two photo essays) I consider myself a generalist although African wildlife and landscape photography are my favorites.

I have a fond memory from my early years of my father dragging me to the Denver Museum of Natural History on a winter Sunday afternoon. He had just purchased a Bosely 35mm camera and had decided he wanted desperately to photograph one of the dioramas. I distinctly remember the display was of several Seal Lions in a beautiful blue half-light of the Arctic winter that required a tricky long exposure. The transparency he showed me several weeks later was spectacular and mysterious to my young eyes. Although the demands of Medical School made this photo one of the first and last he shot, at 5 years old I was hooked. The arrival of the digital age brought photography back to me as a conscious endeavor - first as a pastime enjoyed with friends who were also afflicted, and then as a practitioner of real estate and architectural photography during my 40 years as a real estate broker. Since retiring and moving to Los Angeles, I have continued my hobby as a nature and landscape photographer through active membership in the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Camera Committee and my vocation as a real estate photographer through my company Oz Images LA. The camera is now a tool for adventure!

www.OzImagesLA.com dtlanow@gmail.com

David DesRochers

Larry Miller

In the summer of 2000, David traveled from New Jersey to Montana to visit Glacier National Park. With camera in hand, he attempted to capture the amazing wildlife and beautiful landscapes. Although his photos were somewhat disappointing, the experience inspired him to study the art of photography and travel the world to witness and capture the wonders of our natural world.

I bought my first SLR camera in 1985 to document hikes in the local mountains that I did with friends. My first Sierra Club Camera Committee outing was a wildflower photo shoot in the Santa Monica Mountains led by Steve Cohen in 1991. Since then the SCCC has introduced me to many other scenic destinations, including the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, the Gorman hills, Saddleback Butte State Park, East Mojave National Preserve, the Eastern and Southern Sierras, Point Reyes, the Big Sur Coast, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Tejon Ranch, and Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. At the same time, my own photography trips gradually expanded in scope over the years to include most of the western National Parks and National Monuments, with the Colorado Plateau becoming a personal favorite.

David is a member of the North American Nature Photography Association and an Associate Naturalist with The New Jersey Audubon Society. Over the past 15 years, David has shared his knowledge teaching workshops, leading tours, and writing articles. David’s photos have been recognized in several international competitions and have been published in books, magazines and on calendars. David is an accomplished public speaker and has appeared at events including the New England Camera Club Council Annual Conference (2014 & 2016), the Connecticut Association of Photographers and New Jersey Audubon's Birding Festival.

Photography is an avocation that took a backseat to my career during the 32+ years that I worked as a radar systems engineer at Hughes Aircraft/ Raytheon Company. Since retiring in 2013, I’ve been able to devote more time to developing my photographic skills. Experiencing and sharing the beauty of nature continues to be my primary motivation.

David's experience judging photo competitions has taken him as far as Budoia, Italy to judge the Bio Photo Contest. In 2014, David was awarded the New Jersey Federation of Camera Clubs Citation in recognition for his contributions to the advancement of the art and science of photography in the state.

www.desrochersphography.com

Thomas Loucks Tom has been a longstanding amateur photographer, but only in recent years has he had more serious time to devote to the hobby. He garnered first place in National Audubon’s 2004 Nature’s Odyssey contest and has placed well in several contests by Nature’s Best, Denver Audubon’s Share the View, and the Merrimack Valley’s George W. Glennie Nature Contest. He has two images of “Alumni Adventurers” on permanent display at Dartmouth College. He is also the incoming President of Mile High Photo Club in Denver (2021-2022) where he currently serves as VP and as a Director. His photographic interests are landscape, wildlife, and travel photography, though his favorite subjects are alpine landscapes. Recently retired, Tom is looking forward to spending more time on photography and other outdoor activities. He recently signed up as a volunteer with Denver Audubon to assist with field trips and hopes that those will soon resume.

Basil Katsaros A native of Denver, Colorado, I first attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Not understanding humidity or seeing the sun for 30 days, I transferred to the University of Colorado. During my junior year, a roommate needed money and sold me his Pentax 35mm camera. That moment launched my interest in photography. My interests and knowledge were expanded by the Nikon School of Photography. In the earlier days, subject matter centered around my twin sons with travel photos and Christmas cards. As a real estate appraiser, I used photography in much of my work. I must admit, however, the 70’s primarily utilized a Polaroid as film was too time consuming for client demands. I have since graduated to two Nikon digital cameras and too many lenses. While attempting to downshift in work, I occasionally use my photography skills to testify as an expert witness in real estate. My interests include travel, landscape, and wildlife photography. I’m not smart enough to have a website, maybe someone can show me how. Most images are for personal enjoyment and mainly remain in my computer. My goal at this time is too not only become a better photographer, but to conquer Photoshop!!!

Peter Bennett

Karen Schuenemann

My mother’s father was a studio photographer on the Coney Island Boardwalk, my father’s father was an artist in Germany, and my father was a filmmaker and amateur still photographer in New York, so naturally I decided to pursue a career in music. Luckily after hearing the error of my ways, I picked up my father’s old Nikkormat and haven’t looked back since.

Karen Schuenemann is a Nature and Wildlife photographer frequently found exploring the parks and wetlands of Southern California. In 2015, she left her retail management job to pursue her passion for Wildlife Photography. Her work focuses on “Urban Wilderness” and she spent over 100 days photographing the Red Foxes in her neighborhood in 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic. She recently was awarded a Highly Commended Award-Bird Behavior in the 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year sponsored by the London Natural History Museum. Her work was exhibited in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Summit in 2019. In 2017 she was the Professional Honorable Mention in the National Audubon Contest. Her work has hung in the London Natural History Museum and has been included in shows at the San Diego Natural History Museum, The G2 Gallery, Palos Verdes Art Center and Armenia Conservation Show. She has been published in Nature’s Best, Audubon Magazine, USA Today, NANPA, Shadow and Light Magazine, and American Photo Magazine. In addition, she has garnered numerous awards from Best in Show in Los Angeles County Fair to Honorable Mention in the National Park Contest. She enjoys writing about her photographic adventures and has written articles for NANPA and enjoyed being a judge in several photography contests. She was the 2019 President for the Photography and Digital Artists group of the Palos Verdes Art Center and was the volunteer Faculty Coordinator for the NANPA High School Scholarship Program in Tennessee. She currently leads workshops to a variety of locations from Bosque Del Apache, to the Grand Tetons to Africa and Central America with her company, Wilderness At Heart Photography, LLC. She enjoys teaching classes at Samy’s Cameras in Los Angeles and Tuttle Cameras in Long Beach.

From 1998 to 2014 I ran my own stock agency, Ambient Images, which specialized in photos of New York and California. In 2015 I formed Citizen of the Planet, LLC, devoted exclusively to the distribution of my stories and work that focus on environmental subjects such as water and air quality issues, fossil fuels, drought, green construction, alternative energies and urban farming. My editorial work has appeared in numerous publications and books, and I am privileged to have my fine art prints hang in museums, the California State Capitol and many other private institutions and collectors. I’ve also had to opportunity to have worked with many local environmental organizations including FoLAR (Friends of the LA River), Heal the Bay, Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Communities for a Better Environment, and the LA Conservation Corps. I have been an instructor for over ten years at the Los Angeles Center of Photography (formerly the Julia Dean Photo Workshops). I love teaching photography and having the opportunity to pass on what I was given from all the amazing teachers I’ve had the honor to learn from.

Karen currently celebrates life with her husband and two dogs in St. George, Utah. 93

Bob Beresh

Members of the Angeles Ch Rock, on a recent o

Los Angeles is where commercial photographer Bob Beresh will always call home, but having recently relocated to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he is truly a global creative. His commercial photography includes work for clients in automotive, aviation, corporate executive and business portraiture, architecture, and product work. Bob’s photos are influenced by his observations in nature, travel and sports to deliver memorable images. Bob served two years as US Forest Service Artist in Residence to interpret and showcase the beauty of the Angeles National Forest and is past Chairman of the Sierra Club Camera Committee, Angeles Chapter.”

bentriver.co bobbereshstudio.com

hapter Camera Committee wait for the early morning light at Elephant outing to Valley of Fire State Park, North-East of Las Vegas.

Causes, Notes, Notes and Causes, and Announcements Announcements

Notes and Announcements Sierra Club National Chapter has just announced: All In-Person Sierra Club Activities including Outtings and Meetings are Cancelled until July 4, 2021 due to Covid-19 Let’s all look forward to the second 1/2 of this new year!

Beverly Houwing Writes:

Gear For Sale —

1) Canon 5D Mark IV

Well maintained and serviced and cleaned regularly at Canon. Only 43,000 shutter count.

Includes: Charger, 2 Batteries, Front Body Cap, Accessory Cables, User Documents, Camera Strap, Original Packaging $1,600.00

2) Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DI VC USD Lens (G1) for Canon EF

Includes:Tripod Mount, Shade Hood, Original Packaging Well maintained and cleaned regularly. $ 600.00

Thanks! Beverly Houwing

The Camera Committee and Social Media: A Brief Guide by Joan Schipper

Do You FOLLOW the Camera Committee? Are you posting with our HASHTAG? Have you LIKED us? ♥ #? " If you are active on social media those questions will make sense. If not, read on to see how the Committee is engaging members and nonmembers via Instagram, Facebook and MeetUp. The Committee officially posts meetings and outings in the Camera Committee calendar and the Angeles Chapter Schedule of Activities, but we use these other tools to promote our events and share news. Some offer photo sharing opportunities. There are no fees associated with these platforms so it’s “easy” to engage. We find these tools offer access to a wide audience.

Here’s the rundown to help you figure out where we are and how you might want to participate.

The Camera Committee Website

https://www.sierraclub.org/angeles/camera-committee

Our internet home is our webpage on the Angeles Chapter portal. There you’ll find information about leaders and officers, outings and meetings. It’s a little shop-worn right now, but we have a shiny new website in the works and we think you will LOVE it.

Instagram @SCCameraCommittee

https://www.instagram.com/sccameracommittee/ Instagram was born with smartphone photos. Every post starts with a photo and usually carries a caption and keywords (or hashtags because they start with #). Users follow us to see our newsy posts as they are released or just navigate to our profile page to see what’s new. We post meetings, outings and other news and

we’ll provide links to our recorded programs.

Instagram #SierraClubCameraCommittee

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/sierraclubcameracommittee/ Posting with our hashtag #sierraclubcamearcommittee allows members to share their relevant photos with our followers. Following our hashtag allows users to see what others have posted, exchange comments, and “like” posts. Unique hashtags developed for specific activities will help identify photos from an outing or meeting (like #SCCCFallColors for our annual Fall Colors outing). 100

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INSTAGRAM TIPS: You can easily view posts, like them, and make comments from your phone, or tablet. Desktop computer posting is somewhat more difficult. Most users post from a phone. I’ve had mixed reports on posting from a tablet, so if you try it, please give us some feedback!

MeetUp: Sierra Club Angeles Chapter: Camera Committee https://www.meetup.com/Sierra-Club-LA-Camera-Committee/

MeetUp may be our most popular social media platform for its activity focus. More than 800 people have “joined” our MeetUp. We like to think people find us on MeetUp and then join us in the Sierra Club. We promote our meetings and outings there and share activities from our partner group Sierra Club West Los Angeles. MeetUp has a gallery for each activity so participants can quickly and easily share photos from our outings. This is very social media. " % $ #

Facebook: Camera Committee - Angeles Chapter Sierra Club https://www.facebook.com/CameraCommitteeAngelesChapter

MeetUp may have our biggest audience but Facebook boasts the strongest hold on the Angeles Chapter in general according to usage statistics. The Committee has 142 Facebook followers. You will find our meetings and outings announced here, but you will also find our archive of recorded meetings going back to April 2020 as well as links to several back issues of Focal Points Magazine. Members may post photos here or “like” and comment. Our Facebook page could really use more attention. If you are a Facebook maven, maybe you’d like to devote a little time to the committee to polish our page? Contact either communications chair Velda Ruddock or Co-Communications Chair Joan Schipper at (communication.sccc@gmail.com).

Other Social Media Platforms? If any member would like to see the Committee expand into other social media platforms, we’d like to hear from you. Contact Joan or Velda, please! 101

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Get out there and get involved! Our natural world is under attack and we all need to fight to preserve the things that we hold dear.

CONTRIBUTE

YOUR TIME, YOUR DOLLARS.... OR BOTH! Do you know anyone who would like to become a member of the Sierra Club Camera Committee? We are seeking new members to share their outdoor experiences and photographs. If you have a friend or acquaintance whom you feel would benefit from and add to our membership, please ask them to join us at our next meeting.

Membership costs only $15.00 per year - a tremendous value! To join or renew, please mail a check for $15 (payable to SCCC): Wesley Peck, SCCC Membership 3615 Gondar Ave. Long Beach, CA 90808-2814

More members - More to share 103

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The Member’s Choice Photo Contest What’s your favorite photo in this Focal Points? Continuing with this issue I am asking all members to vote for their favorite photo. Here’s how: 1. Please e-mail me at dtlanow@gmail.com (Heading: Member’s Choice) and let me know your choice for the best photo by the 20th of the month in which the issue is published. 2. In your e-mail, give me the page and the name of the photographer and a brief descrip- tion so I can identify your choice. I will tally up the votes and announce the winner in the next issue and republish the photo with a paragraph from the photographer about how it was captured, where, when, and even the dreaded mire of camera, settings and lens. This should be a fun feature!

..........John Nilsson, Publisher

Wanna Go on a Hike? Just in case you didn’t realize it........... The Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club has litterally 100’s of outdoor activities that Sierra Club Camera Committee members can attend.

You can find these activities at http://angeles.sierraclub.org/activities If you have an idea for a trip that the Camera Committee might like to plan for, tell a leader. They are always open to ideas of new places to go, new places to shoot. See the end of the newsletter for a list of contact information for the leaders. CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. All participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard liability waiver. To read the liability waiver before you participate on an outing, go to: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms

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Focal Points

Angeles Chapter Camera Committee Magazine November 2020

Focal Points Sierra Club Camera Committee Magazine December, 2020

Focal Points Sierra Club Camera Committee Magazine January 2021

Do you enjoy receiving your monthly copy of Focal Points? If your answer is "Yes" and you want to continue receiving Focal Points, please send us your check for $15.00 and your full name and email address for a yearly subscription to: Sierra Club Camera Committee c/o Wesley Peck 3615 Gondar Ave. Long Beach, CA 90808-2814

As a bonus, you will enjoy: An invitation to contribute your photographs to Focal Points for publication Full membership in The Sierra Club Camera Committee and access to our extensive programming and trips 105

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Photo of the Month Nikon D610, Sigma 50-150 170mm f/8 1/10 ISO 100 Manfrotto tripod This was the second year I attempted to photograph the “firefall at Yosemite. ( Previously, a cloud blocked the sun shining on the waterfall to create the firefall illusion.) For this photo, it was on the fourth day of trying to get “the” shot in Yosemite. The crowds of people overwhelmed the rangers as well as me. A friend showed me his “secret” spot on a hill above the crowds across from the firefall. Each day the firefall looked different from the winds blowing mist while the setting sun shined through. With only one other photographer nearby, I happily was able to capture this memorable image.

Yosemite Firefall by: Susan Manley 106

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The Parting Shot

Leader Contacts John Nilsson, Chairman Leader, Editor - Focal Points information.sccc@gmail.com

Steve Anderson, Leader

sandersonimagery@outlook.com

Carole Scurlock, Leader

213-266-2224

cscurlock@charter.net

Allan Der, Leader, ader@sprynet.com

714-962-2054

John Boyle, Leader jboyle6300@gmail.com

ed5ogawa@angeles.sierraclub.org

310-994-1019

Wesley Peck, Membership

562-420-8543 wesdpeck@gmail.com NOTE: Send Membeship Checks to Wesley at 3615 Gondar Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808-2814

310-828-6300

Joan Schipper, Leader, Co-Chair: Outings joanschipper@ix.netcom.com

714-892-4857

Ed Ogawa - Treasurer

Alison Boyle, Leader, Co-Chair: Outings alisoniboyle@icloud.com

626-794-5207

Peter Mason, Leader

323-828-8334

peter@petermason.com

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530-265-2528

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Focal Points April 2021

Articles inside

Joe's How-To

Photo of the Month

Cover Story