Focal Points Magazine February 2021 Issue

Focal Points Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Camera Committee Magazine February, 2021

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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 12. Meetings and Outings 18. Joe's How-To 24. Member Photos 84. Black and White Pages 96. Contributor's Bio's

Focal Points Magazine

108. Notes and Announcements

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

120. Photo of the Month

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

121. Parting Shot

Cover Photo Credit:

"Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland" Wiebe Gortmaker, All Rights Reserved 2

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Notes from the Chairman There are lots of positive thoughts out

there in the wind these days. Sure, last year was a challenge with the Covid-19 Pandemic and the Orange Plague. The entire year we seemed to be buried in negative input and frankly it became old.

This probably effected your creativity and your desire to get out and shoot the beauty around us. Just remember, this beauty hasn’t gone away. It’s still there where you left it. Perhaps if we just keep moving forward one step at a time you will start seeing it again. New inspiration will enter your daily routine and you will start getting all the great shots you know you are capable of.

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

I’ve got to admit though. It seems that many of you have not been negatively affected by all the bad juju of 2020. I’ve continued to receive really spectacular photography from many of you and the pages of this publication have continued to be graced by world class images that make me proud to be a part of this great little organization.

Keep up the good work. Get out there and make some more great images! (And don’t forget to send them to me so that we can show them to the world!)

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Cover Story

Scotla

In September of 2015 my wife and I took a trip to Scotland with some friends and did a circumnavigation of the Highlands and the Isle of Skye. After spending a couple of days in Glasgow witnessing some local activities such as the Highland Games and touring some castles we departed northwest to Ft. William and the Glencoe area. The first image is of the ruins of Kilchurn Castle on the shores of Loch Awe which was abandoned in the 18th century after being struck by lightening.

This area, as much of Scotland, saw continuous wars between the clans ss well as incursions from France and England. Image 2 is of the mountains and lakes in the Glencoe area. Image 3 is of the Castle Stalker meaning Hunter or Falconer in Gaelic and was built in its present form in the mid 1400s. It was purchased in 1965 by an individual and is used by family and friends during the holidays. Image 4 is of the Glenfinnan Monument which commemorates those who rose in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. Yards behind the spot where this photograph was taken is the 21 arch train trestle featured in the Harry Potter movies. We then spent 4 days on the 4

by: Wiebe Go

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ortmaker

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Isle of Skye wit ibly beautiful la Fairy Pools (Co are a series of w pools cascading the surrounding Sheep everywhe verdant pasture The northeast s land contains th (Image 7), a vo eroded to a fan of spikes and to mous Old Man foot tall spire, i this area. South ing is the island town of Portree meaning “port with its colorfu

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th its incredandscapes. The over Photo) waterfalls and g down from g mountains. ere cover the es (Image 6). side of the ishe Quiraing olcanic plateau ntastic terrain owers. The faof Storr, a 160 is located in h of the Quirad’s largest e (Image 8), of the King�, ul harbor.

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After crossing the bridge from Skye back to the Highlands we waited for a break in the clouds to capture an image (#9) of the Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most famous castles in Scotland. The Highland cattle (Image 10) are known for their long, shaggy hair. On the way south from Inverness we drove through the heather-rich forests (Image 11) near the Balmoral Castle, the current summer home of the Royal Family. Then ending our 2–1/2 week journey in Edinburg for a couple days of city touring. Our hotel was just below the Edinburg Castle (Image 12).

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12 © 2020 Weibe Gortmaker, All Rights Reserved

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Meetings and Outings

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Sierra Club Camera Committee --

February 11, 2021 Meeting Members’ Photo Show

One of our most popular pastimes returns! Each participant will have an opportunity to show the group what they consider to be their best images from the previous 12 months! Open to all - members and non-members alike. This is a non-critical, nonjudgemental, non contest event. Come on out and show us what you’ve got!

Zoom Link

Where:

In the comfort of your own home via Zoom

Provided before the Presentation

When:

See You There!

7:00 PM

What:

Members Photo Show

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!

Who:

Presented by You! 12

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NOTE: Instructions for the Member show.

Members will be able to show up to 10 images at the Member Show on February 11.

“Bring” your images to the show by uploading them to the following Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/aqSbRUO0tuay8bNsUEuj The projector/Zoom share will be run by Joe Doherty. Each photographer will have 5 minutes to talk about their images and receive feedback as they are shared with the group.

The images should be sized to 1440 pixels on the long side, in .jpg format. If there is a particular order to the images they should be labeled using numbers (01, 02, 03, . . 10) at the beginning of each file name.

We can only guarantee time for 20 photographers.”

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About Outings.

Due to the Covid -19 P Club sponsored outing hold.

Latest directives are indefi our Outings Chairs:

Joan Schipper (joansch and Alison Boyle (Alisonibo

would welcome your sugge day outings you’d like to a 2021 when everything ope

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.....

Pandemic, all Sierra gs are currently on

finite. In the meantime,

hipper@ix.netcom.com) d oyle@icloud.com)

estions as to trips and attend in the later part of ens up!

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Joe’s How-to

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Joe’s How-To

Photographing Moving Water Way back in the 1970s I bought a poster of a cascading forest stream.

I loved the color of the light, the silkiness of the water, and how the line of the stream formed the backbone of the composition. I’ve thought a lot about capturing images like that, and I’ve learned that flowing water has moods. By matching my craft to the mood, I can make compelling photographs.

When I say “flowing water has moods,” I mean it in the same way that a composer or a writer means it. Waves crash, tides swell, surf murmurs, waterfalls roar, brooks babble, and rivers roll. Whether the water is the main subject of the photograph or a supporting feature in a composition, how you shoot it sets the mood of the image. And by varying the shutter speed you can completely change the mood - from realistic to mysterious

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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...

Let’s start by looking at three different ways of shooting the ocean: frozen with a very quick shutter, slightly blurred but still recognizable with a slow shutter, or blurred into oblivion with a very slow shutter.

When we freeze a wave with a fast shutter (over 1/500 sec), the subject of the photograph is the wave.

The details of the spraying water, the curling surf, and the backlight are the primary elements in the image.

If it is crashing into something (e.g., a pier), that is the secondary element. It is the object on which the force of the water is spent.

If we let the water blur but leave it recognizable, the subject and the object are switched. Now we have a photograph about an immovable subject, resisting the force of the swelling water. It’s a very different mood, less violent than the crashing wave, but it still conveys a dangerous beauty. Depending on the energy of the water and how much detail I want in the spray patterns, I usually shoot at between 1/2 and 1/10 of a second.

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At the far end of the spectrum are long exposure shots in the surf zone (20 seconds or more). The subjects rest on the mist of receding water. Composing a shot like this requires trial and error. Through the viewfinder I see what is in front of me, and that includes water flowing between, around, and over the rocks. It’s only when I shoot and review that I get a sense of how the shapes fit together when the water has blurred into oblivion. Shooting in the surf zone comes with the particular challenge of keeping the tripod stable while water is rushing between the legs. Burying the feet a few inches in the sand helps, but it’s more important to start the exposure after the water has started to flow out again.

Putting these three ideas together–freezing the water, showing some texture, and making the water disappear we can think about how shutter speed can be used to balance a composition when water is an important but not the central element.

In this photograph I want the viewer’s eye to focus on the detail of the little tree on the bank of the creek.

Everything else – the vertical trunk of the large tree behind it, the creek coming in from the left, the tuft of grass at the base – is there to lead the viewer to that little tree. I did not want the viewer’s eye to dwell on the water, which is what would happen if there is too much detail.

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On the other hand, I want the water to have some shape, which I would lose with too long an exposure. So I experimented with different shutter speeds in the field. I varied the shutter speed (there was no wind) between 1/6 and 2 seconds, and settled on 1.5 seconds for the master exposure.

Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan we noted the brown color of the water (which we learned is due to tannins leached from cedar swamps upstream). A fast exposure captured the dynamics of falling water, but obscured the color.

A moderately slow shutter (1/45 sec) blurred the falls, but showed too much detail. I settled on 1/10 sec, which conveyed the flow of the water without distracting from the licorice-hue of the liquid spilling over the falls.

While I’ve emphasized above that a faster shutter brings emphasis to the water, that isn’t a universal truth. “Water-as-subject” can be enhanced by a slower shutter speed. When we visited

I’ve found the simplest method for changing shutter speeds is to set my camera to aperture priority and change the ISO. My base ISO is 200 (I use Nikons), and by dropping the ISO to 100, 64, and LO 1.0 I can vary the shutter from 1/8 sec to 1/4 sec to 1/2 sec to 1 sec without needing filters or changing aperture. Those speeds encompass about 80% of what I need to capture the moods of moving water. I’ve used variable ND filters, but I prefer to work without any filters when possible.

Whether moving water is the star of your photograph or a supporting player, matching your craft to the mood of the scene is crucial to creating a dynamic image.

Through a lot of trial and error I’ve developed an approach that enables me to tell stories about places where water flows.

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This Month’s Member Photos

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Susan Manley ©2021 Susan Manley, All Rights Reserved

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YOSEMITE WINTER These photos taken 10 years ago are from my first experience with a DSLR camera . These are B&W, however, I also shot color.

Nikon D40. Tamron 18-270 lens.

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© 2021 Susan Manley

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y, All Rights Reserved

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SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

John Fisanotti

MAY 2015

© 2020, John Fisanotti, All Rights Reserved

A four-image mosaic stitched together of the sunset clouds on December 30, 2020.

Left: Cold January 15 dres Nation

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Right and the lations from up nor, Lepus 28

Because of the pandemic, I haven’t been traveling this past year so most of my new photos are of the sky, something accessible from almost anywhere.

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

moon twilight on 5, 2021, Los Panal Forest.

t: Winter Milky Way e following constels in clockwise order pper left: Canis MiMonoceros, Orion, s, and Canis Major.

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The “Sword of Orion” featu The constellation of Cassiopeia.

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A private observatory near Olancha.

uring the Orion Nebula. Š 2020, John Fisanotti, All Rights Reserved

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Moon, Jupiter and Saturn on the evening of December 15, 2020, from the Lockwood Valley area.

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Š 2020, John Fisanotti, All Rig

ghts Reserved

Moon, Jupiter and Saturn on the evening of December 16, 2020 five days before the two planets’ closest approach.

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John Nilsson

Golden Morning on Venice Beach. The colors in the sky were dramatic - I’ve never seen a show like this since.

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A few of my favorites from past adventures

Early Evening in South Park, Downtown Los Angeles. The JumboTron at LA Live mirrors the colors in the sky. Shot from my bedroom window.

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An early windless morning in Grand Teton National Park. This photo was made more memorable when I discovered shorly after taking the photo that a very large bull moose was standing behind me in the willows

Š2020, John Nilsson

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The Bowling Alley in the foreground and Mt. Whitney in the right center rear, Alabama Hills. The air was exceptionally clear due to high winds the night before.

n, All Rights Reserved

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The parking lot directly across the street from my condo in Downtown Los Angeles. I love the color and diversity of the neighborhood. You never know what’s coming next!

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Mono Lake. Captured on our last SCCC Fall Colors Outing to the Owens Valley in late 2019. I’m looking forward to the vanquishing of Covid-19 so we can create some more of these experiences!

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Los Angeles River

– Glendale Narrows I’ve been photographing and documenting the Los Angeles River since 2008, 51 miles from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach. Each section of the river has a different look, a different feeling, but the Glendale Narrows is special in that unlike the more recognizable concrete flood channel that many equate with the river, the Glendale Narrows is one of two that are called soft-bottomed sections. The original attempt at concreting it failed as the water table was just too close to the surface, and so the river cracked through and continued on its way. The result is a beautiful landscape of willow trees, diverse bird life and assorted discarded items amidst the gently rolling waters - except after a storm -when the river turns into a raging whitewater that carries anything in its path down to the sea.

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Peter Bennett Š 2020, Peter Bennett, All Righs Reserved

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Š 202 Peter Bennett, All Rights Reserved

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Š 2021 Peter Bennett,

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, All Rights Reserved

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“Apocalypse Dawn“ Dead trees at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve frame the artificial lights of a nearby shopping center.

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© 2020 JW Dohert

ty, All Rights Reserved

JW Doherty

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“Forest Bathing in Los Angeles No 42” Dawn under a surviving cottonwood tree, four months after a devastating fire ripped through the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve.

© 2020 JW Doherty, All Rights Reserved

“Forest Bathing in Los Angeles No 41” Dawn at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve. Most of the vegetation on the reserve was burned in a fire on Labor Day weekend, 2020.

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“Great Egret at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve” I saw this bird’s white head poking above the reeds along the shore, and moved a little closer to try to get a potrait. It grew immediately skittish and launched itself out of the grasses and over the pond.

© 2020 JW All Rights R

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“Vitis Roger’s Red” New growth emerges from a grape vine in the burned-over landscape at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve

W Doherty Reserved

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“Don’t think of a pelican” The burned-over landscape of th from the wildlife o 52

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he Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve distracts on the pond.

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SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

LARRY MILLER © 2020 Larry Miller, All Rights Reserved

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MAY 2015

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Oak tree silhouetted at sunrise, Paramount Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains

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SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Sunset at La Piedra

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© 2020, Larry Miller,

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SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

State Beach in Malibu

All Rights Reserved

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Broadway and Spring Street brid from Elysi

©2021 Larry Miller, All Rig

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dges over the Los Angeles River ian Park

ghts Reserved

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Cheyenne Fog I - taken in Badger Canyon

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John Clement hLatrwie.sy notmwlrefiabv aerpmthwngoiuaecsN rfomehntyilaruosfmtden ersagniom.Ouw t deanhri erigdovnyftasmc gioseFnth.Cyrpu fso tanciefuhsqrlvnaweico relgaidnusoctbym ’.Ii teihr)w lsenHvaro e(plstnagu g n i l e suh d p o t c a r i m s tdeihrlwaoybv negdrt eslpmaitndov.Ihrc e r h u g d l o ti c v s f w p yenmrdotlas.Ipkfwig l feomysj.SnadgurkpbcF dnlatsg.hivfo yEermnW

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© 2020, John Clement, All Rights Reserved

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Cheyenne Fog II - taken near Kiona Wa.

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Blue Flames - taken at Junier Dunes Preserve on a hike with my daughter Colleen & husband Chase.

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Frosted Ripplesat Juniper Dunes Preserve.

River of Mist - Horse Heaven Hills - This river of mist flows over the edge of the HH hills creating the Cheyenne Fog. 63

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Morning Glow thru the Fog - old farmstead and silo glow in the sunrise colors penetrating the ground fog.

Vine Mist - at Goose Ridge Winery as early morning light begins to reveal the vineyard landscape.

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Cold on Both Sides of the Fence - NE of Connell Wa. as foggy over-cast is pierced by the muted sunlight.

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Gentle Light - NE of Connell Wa.

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Badger Canyon Mist - As early morning sun breaks thru the overcast lighting the misty landscape below McBee Grade Road.

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Glorious Light 1-19-21 near my home. Goose Ridge Vineyards wind break.

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Shari Maron

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A Few Recent Shots from Laguna plus some Mountain Shots

Š2020, Shari Maron, All Rights Reserved 71

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Š 2020 Shari Maron, All Rights Reserved

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Š 2020, Shari Maron, All Rights Reserved

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Velda Ruddock Winter Flowers in a Time of Quarantine.

Last year was difficult. The way I responded though was to celebrate beauty through a collection of images I called, “Flowers in a Time of Quarantine.” This allowed me to see beauty and purpose in spite of the discord and tragedy in the outside world. We elected a new president in November and that gave many of us a sense of hope for 2021. However, we are still in the middle of a horrific pandemic and many still suffer from that and from the economic consequence.

So I’ve returned to my studio to photograph “Winter Flowers in a Time of Quarantine.”

I had kept my bouquets. I would find them in large and small vases in corners and on shelves.

The water had long dried but the flowers refused to give up their petals or most of their color. Their leaves had dried so elegantly that I couldn’t bear to throw them away. Their personalities had changed but newly striking. They still deserved their closeups.

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Devine Theater

No Longer Shy

Dancing in Dreams

Portrait of Queen Ann 77

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When gamine grows up

Ascension 79

We were showgirls once

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The Stor

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ry Teller

The stick man dances

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The Black and White Pages

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A Late Summer Afternoon Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone, Wyoming

John Fisanotti

Nikon D700 Nikor 20mm f/2.8 f/8 @1/750 ISO 200

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Paper Lace Winter Flowers in a time of Quarantine

Velda Ruddock

Nikon D750 ISO 200

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Feeling the Burn Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Rreserve

JW Doherty Nikon D850 Tamron Sp 70-200 F2.8 DiVC @70mm 1/150 @ f/4 ISO 200

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© 2020 Joe Doherty All Rights Reserved

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Highway 50 Steve Anderson

Nikon D300S Tamron 24mm Lens

f/13, 1/250, ISO 200

Juniper Stump Steve Anderson

Sony Alpha 7IIa, Zeiss 23mm 90

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Wheel

Steve Anderson Sony Alpha 7IIa, Sigma 105mm 91

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Shark’s Fin and Whitney Alabama Hills John Nilsson Fugi V100F 28mm fixed lens ISO 200 1/125@ f/5.6

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Contributor Bios

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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

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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/

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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."

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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

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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.

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.

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.

www.desrochersphography.com

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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.

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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!!!

Paul 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.

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Causes, Notes, and Announcements

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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!

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It’s time for the City of Los Angeles to Protect Communities from Neighborhood Drilling!

Oil operations don’t belong near LA homes, hospitals, and schools — tell your city councilmember and Mayor Garcetti to protect the health and safety of communities!

Right now there are over 1,000 oil wells in the city of Los Angeles.

And over 750 of these oil production sites are dangerously close to homes, schools, places of worship, and hospitals.

In fact, 580,000 Angelenos currently live less than a quarter mile from an active oil well. And the shorter the distance between communities and active oil wells, the greater the likelihood of them being exposed to dangers and harms.

Oil operations don’t belong near our homes, hospitals, and schools — tell your city councilmember and Mayor Garcetti to protect the health and safety of communities!

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While Big Oil reaps profits from polluting our air, the health burden of that pollution — which aggravates heart and lung diseases and is linked to higher COVID-19 death rates — falls disproportionately on low-income communities and communities of color.

This disparity has always been unacceptable, but it is doubly so now, in the middle of a pandemic that is hitting Los Angeles’s most vulnerable residents the hardest. We must do better.

It’s time for the oil industry to STOP exposing already over-burdened Angelenos to unfair and unjust health risks.

Thankfully, the Los Angeles City Council’s Energy, Climate Change, and Environmental Justice Committee recently passed a motion to move toward phasing out neighborhood oil drilling citywide.

Now, we must make sure it passes the full City Council and is signed into law by Mayor Eric Garcetti.

We need thousands of Angelenos to show city council members that we’re counting on them to stand up for communities and to phase out oil drilling in LA! Urge city officials to protect Los Angeles communities from dangerous oil drilling!

NRDC Action Fund and our partners at STAND-L.A. are calling on LA city officials to: Move quickly to enact an ordinance that would phase out oil production near homes and schools within five years. Develop a program that helps clean up polluted neighborhoods, benefits impacted workers, and sets LA on a course toward a healthy, sustainable, and clean energy future. Los Angeles already suffers from smog and haze, so the parts of the city exposed to additional pollution from oil development are some of the most polluted zones in the country.

And in addition to the health impacts of living near drill sites, communities also live in constant threat of catastrophic accidents. Spills of acids, toxic chemicals, or explosive gases could put entire neighborhoods at risk.

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For example, the Allen Co drill site in West Adams, South LA, was shut down after four years of releasing toxic chemicals into the air and harming the community.

This low-income community of color suffered for years from increased risk of birth defects and fetal death, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory problems.

Enough is enough. We need immediate action to stop neighborhood drilling and to ensure a grave injustice like that NEVER happens again. Please make your voice heard now!

Although environmental injustice and disproportionate health impacts of pollution in our city are not new, city officials NOW have a chance to keep oil production away from neighborhoods.

So please, make sure our city officials protect communities over polluter profits!

Send your letter now.

Thank you for helping us fight for a more sustainable and equitable California — today and every day.

Damon Nagami Senior Advisor, NRDC Action Fund

Š 2021 John Clement, a 112

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all rights reserved

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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 115

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In Mem

Ron Webster past away on Ja by his wife, Mary

Ron and Mary Ann de most of the trails in the Santa M years the couple has le and recreate these wond

Ron will

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morium

anuary 7, 2021. He is survived y Ann and children.

esigned and constructed Monica Mountains and for many led the effort to maintain derful recreational assets.

be missed.

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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 119

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Photo of the Month

by: Basil Katsaros On a chilly morning in February 2019, four guys piled into a car and headed to West Yellowstone for some winter photography. We had a snowcoach from Yellowstone Alpen Guides - a great and quick way to maneuver around the park. The coaches are small and with four guys and loaded with gear, space was tight. Witnessing snow landscapes, we also came across wildlife. One such encounter was the fox presented here.

Nikon D500, Tamron 150-600mm 1/6400 @ f8 ISO 800 420mm 120

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The Parting Shot

Sometimes a guy just has to take a break in the sun....

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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