Focal Points Magazine, March 2021 by John Nilsson

Focal Points Sierra Club Camera Committee Magazine March 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 12. Meetings and Outings 16. Joe's How-To 24. Member Photos 82. Black and White Pages 90. Contributor's Bio's

Focal Points Magazine

104. Notes and Announcements

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

114. Photo of the Month

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

115. Parting Shot

Notes from the Chairman Getting Back to Normal Soon? Its finally starting to happen. Things are starting to open up again and folks are getting out. The 405 Freeway is returning to good old gridlock in the mornings and afternoons. And the 10...well there’s the always the 10. Are leisurely lunches on the deck of our favorite bistro or a movie or two just down the pike?

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

I have been encouraged by the many new photos being taken by our members and the increase in personal trips to take them. While the Sierra Club National Chapter won’t allow sanctioned Outings and trips until at least July 4, non-official personal photo trips have once again started to jump into our schedules. Get those Covidshots as soon as you can. Keep clicking that shutter!

Cover Story

“Trailies” of the Santa Monica Mountains By John Nilsson

f you have ever been hiking in the Sana Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, most likely you have marveled these trails in nature exists in the urban sprawl of Southern California. For almost a hundred years, there has been a continuing battle raging between the conservationists and the land developers in the Santa Monica Mountains. The happy ending to this story is one of the largest urban parks in the United States, encompassing 150,000 acres and at least 5 Zip Codes. It began in the 1920’s when developer Alonso Bell proposed dynamiting a large portion of what is now Topanga State Park to create a limestone quarry. Fortunately, a wealthy Pacific Palisades resident by the name of Sylvia Morrison stepped up and lobbied for a protected park in that location. In one of the best examples of early environmental activism in Southern California, Ms. Morrison was able to tie up the approval process so effectively that Bell’s plan to dig his quarry ended by 1928. Unfortunately, so did Morrison’s dream to create a park in its place. Focus was taken off the Santa Monica Mountains during the turbulent 30’s and prewar years where Santa Monica and the surrounding hills became a playground for a few rich landowners. However, in the post-war housing boom of the 1950’s and 1960’s many powerful and well-financed eyes were focused on the Santa Monica Mountains. A major grass roots response was mobilized following losses of large tracts of the Santa Monicas to housing developments, a proliferation of frightening proposals which would turn pristine canyons into landfills and plans for a major highway through the area. 4

Sue Nelson, a long time local, founded a group she named The Friends of the Santa Monica Mountains, Parks, and Seashore. In 1965, the group’s strong politicking resulted in the election of Marvin Braude, an avowed conservationist, to the Los Angeles City Council. For the next ten years a fight was waged to protect this area by Braude, Ms. Nelson and two other local activists, Margo Feuer and Jill Swift, who was a prominent local Sierra Club member. These dedicated individuals advocated for the establishment of a National Park and fiercely opposed developers and politicians eager to transform the area into a giant parking lot/landfill. Instead, the Braude, Nelson, Feuer and Swift partnership resulted in the establishment the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force along with a nature preserve stretching from Franklin Canyon to Point Magu as a part of the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978. The three women became known as the “Mothers of the Santa Monica Mountains”. The trio realized in order to promote their campaign for the protection of the Santa Monica Mountains, it would be necessary to enlist thousands of grass root supporters. They approached Sierra Club members and enthusiastic conservationists Ron and Mary Ann Webster to promote and lead citizen hikes on the fire roads then servicing the area. Through the efforts of Ron and Mary Ann, these weekend hikes became wildly popular. 5

Some Saturdays found Ron at the head of 1,000 eager hikers, followed by local TV news crews. No doubt, these hikes were a big factor in the support for the establishment of the Santa Monica Mountains Preserve. With the establishment of the Preserve, Ron and Mary Ann were tasked with designing and building a trail system opening up the area to the hikers and campers for which the area had been created. With the help of volunteers, Ron identified and physically laid out and constructed needed trails while Mary Ann handled and dealt with the complicated details as well as political threats to the land. Thus, the Santa Monica Mountain Task Force Trail Crew was born. Over the following 40 years, Ron and Mary Ann have directed the design and construction of dozens of trails throughout the Santa Monica Mountains - a listing too vast to display here. In addition, The Task Force Trail Crew was directly responsible for the construction of over 35 miles of the 70 mile long Backbone Trail, which provides an unbroken hiking link from Franklin Canyon to Point Magu. We are often reminded that just a few dedicated people can change the world. In the case of the Santa Monica Mountains, we are grateful to four committed women, a pro6

gressive politician, and one dynamic couple. Which of us will be the next to carry the torch into the next generation? With the opening of the Backbone Trail, Bill Vanderberg the crew leader and vice chairman of the Task Force Trail Crew says while building of trails in the Santa Monica Mountains is about finished, volunteers are needed every Saturday from October through June to carry out needed maintenance on the many miles of existing trails. The work is fun, a good workout, and a great way to get outside and socialize. Crews meet at the trailhead at 8:30 on Saturday mornings and work at their own pace until about 1:00. Tools and training are provided. All you need to bring is water, a lunch, suntan lotion, work gloves and lugged boots. Everyone is welcome! Trail work takes a break during the hot July, August and September months and starts up again in early October.

If you would like to be put on the weekly “Trailie” email list and noti fied of the coming Saturday’s activities, CONTACT:

Rachel Glegg Trail Work Coordinator Santa Monica Mountains Task Force Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club Cell: (310) 985-2826

More Resources on the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force:

https://angeles.sierraclub.org/news/blog/2017/04/santa_monica_moun tains_power_couple_mary_ann_and_ron_webster

https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-backbone-trail-20160525-snap-story. html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-28-me-13654-story. html https://www.kcet.org/shows/california-coastal-trail/a-cast-of-characters- the-creation-of-the-santa-monica-mountains

Meetings and Outings

Sierra Club Camera Committee --

April 8, 2021 Meeting

We will be presenting another exciting photography related program via ZOOM. More information on our presenter soon.....

Zoom Link

Where:

In the comfort of your own home via Zoom

Provided before the Presentation

When:

See You There!

7:00 PM

What:

To Be Announced!

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:

To Be Announced

About Outings..... Due to the Covid -19 Pandemic, all Sierra Club sponsored outings are currently on hold. Latest directives are for reopening Outings are hoping for Mid Summer. In the meantime, our Outings Chairs: Joan Schipper (joanschipper@ix.netcom.com) and Alison Boyle (Alisoniboyle@icloud.com)

would welcome your suggestions as to trips and day outings you’d like to attend in the later part of 2021 when everything opens up!

Joe’s How-to

Joe’s How-To

Sharper Landscape Photos By Joe Doherty

Lockdown has sent me on a journey through my photographic past, all the way, way back to 1973. I’ve been struck by how bad some of my lenses were, and also how bad my technique could be. I shot with what I could afford, before I knew anything about diffraction or distortion. And I had some ideas about technique (squeeze the shutter at the bottom of a deep exhale), but I didn’t really pay much attention to craft, and figured that camera shake was an unavoidable necessity.

nalist mantra, “f8 and be there”). Is this still true of my modern Nikon, Tamron, and Sigma zoom lenses? Which aperture is sharpest? How much loss of sharpness can I get away with? Should I trade depth-of-field for sharpness?

There are more sophisticated methods for measuring lens sharpness, but everyone can do a practical test at home using a printed page. I taped an Audubon Society newslet Reviewing my past work has ter to a board and propped it up near led me to think about how my cura window to give me indirect light. rent techniques solve the problems I put my camera with a 24-70 f2.8 I used to ignore. In this column I’ll lens on a tripod about 7 feet away discuss some simple things I do to from the target (7 feet is 5 times the make my photos sharper. minimum focusing distance for this lens). I then shot a series of expoKnow your lenses sures at different f-stops, from 2.8 to 22, and examined them at 100% Every lens has a sweet spot, enlargement. (I shot the same target that f-stop where the lens will be at at 24mm and 50mm, and my conits sharpest. It’s an old rule of thumb clusions are the same at each focal that the sweet spot for a prime lens length.) is two stops from the smallest aperture. On my ancient Nikkor 50mm, the smallest aperture is f16, and two stops from that is f8 (which is perhaps the origin of the old photojour16 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... These three images were shot at f2.8, f8, and f22. Of the three, f8 is the sharpest, and f2.8 and f22 are about equal. I found that f8 and f11 are about equal, and there is some but not much degradation at f16. On the other end, f4 is somewhat better than f2.8, but it’s not a great improvement. The sweet spot for this lens is f8, and it’s very good anywhere from f5.6 to f11. I have pushed it to f16 when I need more depth of field, but the images really fall apart at f22 so I try to avoid that at all cost. The depth-of-field is not a good tradeoff for the lack of sharpness, and focus stacking is called for. Similarly with f2.8, if I can shoot at f4 by increasing the ISO I will do that instead. The noise from a higher ISO is easier to deal with than a soft image. One more point about lenses. Do this same test with and without your skylight or UV filters in place, and compare the two. Filters vary a lot in quality, even from the same manufacturer, and it’s aggravating to do everything I recommend here only to find out that the filter is your weak link. I don’t have filters on my lenses anymore.

ISO vs Shutter Speed

If you are able to shoot on a tripod your subject is static, choose As mentioned above, it’s easier and the ISO that will give you the highto deal with high ISO noise than est quality image. This won’t necit is with a soft image. If you are be the lowest ISO you can shooting handheld, be familiar with essarily get. For every camera there is a the fastest shutter speed you need “base ISO,” the point where color for your subject, set the aperture to information is maximized and a sharp one, and let the ISO adjust more information does not make itself. For example, I was shooting image noticeably better. On an egret taking flight under an over- the my Nikon D850, that ISO is 200. I cast morning sky. I set the aperture understand that on Canons the base to f5.6, the shutter speed to 1000, ISO is 100. There are good reasons and let the ISO find its own value. choose a lower ISO, but they My best shot of the day was exposed to don’t matter as far as sharpness is at ISO 9000. The details in the feathers, the eye, and the beak were concerned. sharp, and after addressing the noise Sometimes part of the image in post-processing I sold a beautiful is static and another part is dynam12x16 inch print.

ic (a flower next to a waterfall). If you’re comfortable with blending exposures in Photoshop, expose the scene at the base ISO like normal, and then increase the ISO in order to use a shutter speed that’s high enough to freeze the flower. Then blend the sharp flower into the scene with the flowing water.

raphy like composing and focusing with Live View. Making an exacting composition and using a loupe to get critical focus on the ground glass takes time, and it’s time wellspent. In Live View the key is to identify the elements in your image that must be absolutely sharp, zoom in to 100%, and use the manual rings on your lens (if you have them) to fine-tune the focus. If you have a loupe (like a Hoodman) to aid this process, so much the better. Fine-tuning your focus in Live View is more important if you have a shallower depth of field, but it’s always a good practice to make sure that you and the lens are in sync about what needs to be sharp, rather than relying on autofocus and praying.

Get a Good Tripod A good tripod needs to be rigid and have a solid locking head that can support your gear. The best tripod is the one you take into the field, as opposed to one that is so heavy and clumsy that you leave it at home. I personally use a Gitzo tripod with a Really Right Stuff ballhead. It was expensive when I bought it, but I haven’t needed to upgrade for 12 years. It’s compact enough to fit in carry-on luggage, has an adjustable column, and if I hang my backpack from the center hook it will withstand a Colorado windstorm. It has drawbacks, but for 95% of my work it’s perfect. If you want to save money there are good tripods at the lower end of the price spectrum. Velda used a Benro for years and was happy with it. I still take that one backpacking.

Exposure So you’ve found the sweet spot for your lens, you are shooting at the base ISO, your camera is firmly attached to a solid tripod, and you’ve focused perfectly. The next important step in making sharp images is simple: don’t touch anything. Once you’ve set up your shot, made some test exposures, and locked down the ballhead, find a way to trigger the shutter without any part of your body touching the tripod or the camera. I use one of three methods: a cable release; an infrared remote; or a self-timer with a delayed exposure. With all

Use Live View Nothing approximates the experience of view camera photog19

three of these, the exposure is made after the mirror is locked up (obviously not an issue with mirrorless cameras). With both the cable release and the IR remote, I can set my Nikon to raise the mirror with the first button push, and make the exposure with the second one. Trial and error and local conditions will tell you how long the interval is between the two, but I usually wait 2-5 seconds.

Conclusion The key to consistently sharp photographs isn’t a new lens or camera body (although who doesn’t like those?), but a photography practice that makes sharpness as important as having a memory card in your camera. You need both in order to return from the field with consistently good images. If it’s worth getting up before dawn to shoot the sunrise, it’s worth making sure that you’ve pushed your camera to its limit to make the clearest shot possible.

If your camera has a Delayed Exposure mode, set it to 2-5 seconds, and set your camera’s selftimer to 2 seconds. Then you can trigger the camera by pushing the button with your finger. The delays give your camera time to settle down, raise the mirror, pause, and then release the shutter.

Finally, double check that vibration control is turned off. I leave it off by default, but at the beginning of every trip into the field I make sure it’s still off. I’ve lost mornings to blurry images because I didn’t check. Figures 3a and 3b are sections of images shot near Sedona before and after I discovered my mistake. Both are 8 second exposures, but 3a was shot with the vibration control turned on.

This Month’s Member Photos

YOSEMITE A few photos from visits to the Park in recent years....

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

John Fisanotti

MAY 2015

Canada The Verdugo Mountain Range as seen from the San Gabriel The Verdugo Mountain Range as seen from the San Gabriel Mountains above La Canada MountaThe Verdugo Mountain Range as seen from the San Gabriel

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

Of and from... The Verdugos

MAY 2015

Downtown Glendale and Los Angeles at night from the Verdugo Mountains

Night View of the North West SFV from the summit of the Verdugos

Sunset View of the SFV from the Verdugo Mountains

Springtime View from the summit of the Verdugos, looking north across La Crescenta

Sunrise from the Verdugo Mountains

ghts Reserved

A few shots from Yosemite this week..

Bishop, late in the day. This previous October of 2020, I headed to the Eastern Sierras as I often have in the past to catch the fall colors. This time there were no workshops or organized trips so this time I travelled with my wife who had never seen the Eastern Sierras in the fall. It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. The colors this year were particularly good but the fires this fall sent smoke into the Easter Sierras and at times blanketed the Owens Valley especially to the South. It was an effort to try and dodge the smoke some of the days. We visited McGee creek on one of the smokey days, and the parking lot was full of Forest Service trucks and was mostly deserted by everyone else. The visibility was so low, and our N95 masks really came in handy. On one of our days up there we headed North and out of the smoke. We took the road to Lobdell Lake which was a new destination for me. The road up to the lake, reached over 9,000 feet was an adventure itself and included a few stream crossings. I hope next year does not bring all the fires and smoke to the Sierras but given the amount of rain we have had this winter so far, it’s not promising. 40

Along South Lake Road.

North Lake, a day or so after the peak.

Along Lobdell Lake Road.

I’ve made a lot of photographs at the Sepulveda Basin Wi Reserve, and I’m rounding out the portfolio with images tha Reserve in context. It’s a patch of wildness tucked against th est freeway intersection in the United States, and surrounde urban sprawl of the San Fernando Valley.

Fog settles ov

ildlife at put the he busied by the

ver the pond.

Two of my favorite places in Los Angeles -the Sepulveda Basin and the Santa Monica Mountains. Mulholland Drive is at the top of the mountain. That spot is wild, and is one end of a swath of undeveloped land that allows a hiker to travel from Encino to Point Mugu.

I was joined by a Heron on my morning stroll along the berm that separates the Reserve from the San Diego Freeway.

Snow-capped Reyes Peak hov Wildlife Reserve early on a w

vers behind the Sepulveda Basin winter morning.

W Doherty Reserved

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Coral tree flower in the Japanese Garden at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

Sycamore leaves and ivy alongside th

SIERRA CLUB ANGELES CHAPTER CAMERA COMMITTEE

MAY 2015

he Lower Arroyo Seco Trail in Pasadena

Oak trees lining the Marsha

all Canyon Trail in La Verne

ghts Reserved

Panther Drift- looking like the panther sculpture that sat on top of my parents tv in the 50’s until one of us 3 boys roughhousing knocked it off on the hardwood floor and it was history.

Drift #5- almost like a surreal sculpture with the vegatation adding some dimension. 56

John Clement Winter finally showed up with a nice few inches to start with and teen temperature for the first round. Second round came a day later. Started snowing lightly on sunday afternoon and by midnight was a full blown blizzard! Snowed all day monday and into monday night and continued into tuesday morning. I knew several areas just south of me in the Horse Heaven Hills were prone to nice drifts formations. After 2 hours of digging out and checking road closures found my main access was blocked with 8’ drifts so had to access road number 2 which had a roadgrader clearing it. The high winds can sculpt some unusual formations. I spent 3 days wandering the snow covered landscape so enjoy my views taken over a 4 day stretch of time.

Wind Break #6- the drift forming behind the little bush affecting the air flow.

Four Foot Aerial- looking like mountains protruding through the glacier filled valleys. 58

Light Dancing- across the winter landscape of the Horse Heavens

Solitude- as the storm beging to break allowing light to brighten the blue-grey winter landscape. 59

Golden Moment-19 degrees as the sun rose and the lite ground fog shrouded the first 10’ of air space across the landscape.

Misty Layers60

Snow Dunes- across the wheat fields 4-6’ deep across the the Horse Heaven hills.

Silo Sentinal- as the skies cleared at sunset making way for the big chinook winds getting ready to wipe away the snow in 36 hours. 61

N’Ice Lines in a roadside puddle.

Pond Ice inverted so horizon is rightside up.

Lenticular Light- as the strong chinook win day with gust to 60 mph and 50 degree tem our region.

nds buffeted our region for three straight mperatures erasing the white blanket across

Cavtat - Small harbor just south of Dubrovnick

Cres Town on the island of Cres 66

Diocletian’s Palace - One of the best preserved Roman palaces in the world.

Roman Amphiteatre, Pula, Istria Penninsula, Croatia. One of the 6 largest and best preserved, still used today for concerts.

Rovinj at Night

Rovinj on the Istrian Penninsula Old Harbor town dating back to the Middle Ages.

The Harbor at Split

Temple of Romae and Agustus Built in the 1st Century AD, beautiful example of Roman architecture.

Velda Ruddock Progression of rejuvenation We’ve had twelve months of some sort of quarantine and hoped that the new year would be new and fresh. It hasn’t been that way, but with the vaccine we know a change is coming. This collection reflects our hope for rejuvenation.

The Black and White Pages

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Rreserve JW Doherty This shot from the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode. A farmer drives his wagon across a barren field into a fog bank, emerging on the other side facing the 10 lanes of the San Diego Freeway as it snakes over the Sepulveda Pass.

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

Mt. Williamson from Manzanar Jeff Gottesman This photo was from March of 2020. It was the “In the footsteps of Ansel Adams” trip and was the last Sierra Club Camera Committee trip prior to pandemic shut down. The photo is of Mt. Williamson from behind Manzanar from the same location that Ansel Adams took his iconic photo.

Nikon D750 24-120 mm F/4.0 @ 38mm 1/200 @ f/16, ISO 200

Sepulveda Dam

West LA John Nilsson 50mm Sumicron ISO 160 1/350@ f/6.8

Contributor 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. 91

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!!!

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. 99

Bob Beresh

It was cold today (20F/-7C) h The juncos puffed out to twice t and our feeders were full. I took

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

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here in Richland, Washington. It snowed fine dry flakes all day. their size to stay relatively warm. Luckily for them, the wind was still-k this image with a 600mm lens from the warmth of our breakfast nook.

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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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Velda Ruddock Writes I’m honored to have three photographs accepted for the Visions of Self show. This is the first juried show, sponsored by the “Women’s Voices, Women’s Vision” group of the Yosemite Sierra Artists, and features over 100 female artists from 10 countries, with pieces including self-portraiture, emotions, environment, and state of being. Judged by Michele Ellis Pracy, Executive Director & Chief Curator – Fresno Art Museum; Diane Breuer, Artist & Former Gallery Owner, Visions of Self will run March 1st – March 31st 2021 at YosemiteArts. Awards will be announced when the show opens on March 1st and the live opening event will be on Friday, March 5, 2021 at 8:00pm US Eastern on Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

Also, my husband, Joe Doherty, has one of his photographs, “The Pack Station,” accepted into the Yosemite Renaissance 36 show (www.yosemiterenaissance. org). The show starts at the Yosemite Gateway Art Center in Oakhurst on March 19, and will travel to three other galleries, finishing with an exhibition at the Yosemite Museum in Yosemite Village starting in October. 105

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Phil Witt Writes: Photo buds--Becky and I recently gave an Iceland program to the photo club here in our senior community. In case any of you missed the one that we gave for John’s Sierra Club group and would like to see it, link to recording below. https://www.dropbox.com/s/tc06cf8vntgpkwm/Iceland-Shutterbugs. mp4?dl= 0 You can go to the 3rd or 4th minute if you want to skip the intro by our club president. Hope all is well with you guys. P. -Phil Witt https://philwitt.smugmug.com/

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Mary Ann Webster Writes:

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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 109

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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 113

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Photo of the Month

by: John Clement Cheyenne Fog Olympus E-M1MarkIII Olympus M40-150mm F2.8 ƒ/3.5 @ 160, ISO 200 Cheyenne Fog is a once in a while event here that is quite facinating to see. It’s caused by moisture laden air rising up a gentle slope (Horse Heaven Hills) where it is compressed into thin clouds and then spilling over the edge into the valley below where it decompresses and dissapates. 114

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The Parting Shot

Just Crusin’ 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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