November/December 2022 issue of Focal Points Magazine

Focal Points

Sierra Club Camera Committee Magazine

Into Sacred Lands at Night

Cover Story/Trip Report:

Monument ValleyInto Sacred Lands -at Night

by John Nilsson

The whole Butch Mazzuca. “I’ve younger and we’ve got Colorado Springs based seen areas of Monument

Knowing that this were drawn for Butch, of October. Checking the horizon when the the area during June, Sacred Navajo Tribal

Basil and I started of Alamosa, CO. We of the park that are seldom unimproved dirt roads that’s another story. The Totem and the Milky Way

All Photos©2022 John Nilsson, All Rights Reserved

Sunset in the Red Sand Dunes - Monument Valley

whole thing started six months ago when I got a call from my Vail area photog friend and SCCC member “I’ve got this trip scheduled and I think you should go” he said enthusiastically. “We’re not getting any got to take advantage of every adventure we can!". He further explained that Craig Wennersten, a based photography instructor and trip leader had arranged for a group to visit sacred, private and seldom Monument Valley – at night. this trip was going to result in photos that are not often, if ever seen, commitments were made and plans Butch, me, Basil Katsaros, and Tom Loucks (all of us SCCC members) to visit Monument Valley at the end Checking Photo Pils we realized our main target, the Galactic Center of the Milky Way, would be mostly below skies became dark enough to photograph it during this time of year. ( I recommend Milky Way trips in July, August and September.) However, the draw of seeing Monument Valley’s unseen landscapes in Tribal lands and the top of Hunt’s Mesa at night was just too much of a draw. Off we went. started out a day early and shot some nice early evening pics at the Great Sand Dunes National Park outside We then transited to Monument Valley and located some beautiful red sand dunes on the southern side seldom photographed. We enjoyed great shooting for the afternoon. A word of caution: Don’t go on roads that suddenly become sand washes in a two wheel drive rental car. We became hopelessly mired -but

On the starting day of our event, three of us met up at the View Hotel in Monument Valley. There we learned that Butch had unfortunately been forced to cancel at the last minute. The three of us remaining joined three other photographers for a pre-shoot conference with our leader, Craig. As the afternoon light began to fall we jumped in the comfortable Suburban’s of our great Navajo Guides, Bobby, Tooly, and Tye, and headed out to set up for our first night shoot. As we waited patiently under clear skies for the light to fall we noticed a huge, black cloud coming at us fast from the west. We were soon in heavy overcast conditions and blowing snow (never forecasted)! We were blindsided by Mother Nature - and so much for the Milky Way that night! By the time we got back to The View, the area was becoming a snowy wonderland. Making matters worse, in the middle of the night the power went out throughout the huge Monument Valley, leaving us in the dark and without heat, water, or food services for most of the following day. Our "world class" resort hotel unfortunately overlooked the need for a backup generator. The only outhouse within easy distance received a land office business!

The next day the storm was history and the skies returned to cloudless star-viewing condition. We left for a second night’s shoot just as the power came on in the hotel. This turned out to be an incredible experience! We found the Milky Way and photographed it from many different viewpoints under Craig’s tireless tutelage. I had never seen some of the formations we visited, nor had I ever viewed similar photos of Monument Valley to those we produced on this evening shoot!

The final day began at 2:00pm with a thrilling Jeep ride several hours into the wilderness backcountry to Hunt’s Mesa. Our guides called the road “a Government Road” as way of apologizing for its condition. I doubt that in 60 years of back country Jeep travel I have seen a worse “road” and I am still amazed at how our guides in their large Chevy Suburbans

Red Dunes in front of The Totum

Early Morning on Hunt‘s Mesa

Valley Floor views

handled the terrain, much less how they successfully negotiated it! When we arrived at the campsite set up by Tooly and Tye, we found comfortable wall tents, warm sleeping bags, and a huge camp/ cook fire. (Obviously, the myth of Indians and small camp fires is only just that - a myth!) Thick 3/4 pound steaks, hot coal baked potatoes and corn on the cob were quickly on the grill and consumed in record time, leaving us the opportunity for a little late evening shooting from a spectacular Monument Valley overlook to be followed by more great Milky Way shooting opportunities. The next morning offered a great breakfast of omelets and coffee and a final shoot of the sun rising over Monument Valley from our very special private viewpoint. For the last 24 hours we had been the only photographers within 100 square miles!

If you have ever wanted to polish up your night sky photography techniques and see the unseen in Monument Valley, I highly recommend you contact Craig Wennersten, http://Image10Photographic.com.

Craig puts together several similar trips a year and has scheduled a few “Monument Valley at Night” trips in 2023. He also conducts trips for night shooting in Yellowstone, Death Valley and other National Parks. He is thorough, handles all the details, and is a wonderful and patient instructor in the vagaries of nightime photography.

John Nilsson

http://www.OzImagesLA.com

The West Mitten and the Milky Way

The Three Sisters with Milky Way and Meteors

Big Hogan Arch with Jupiter Below

The Sun‘s Eye and the Milky Way

Late Evening Totem from Hunt‘s Mesa

Sunrise from Hunt‘s Mesa

Sunset in Monument Valley from Hunt‘s Mesa

Monument Valley from Hunt‘s Mesa at 200mm

Meetings and Outings

Meetings and Outings

Joe’s How-to

Joe's How-to Processing Fall Photos

by Joe Doherty

It has been 11 years since we made our first trip to the Eastern Sierra to photograph fall colors. We had no idea what we were doing. There were no guidebooks, and no hordes to work around (thankfully), we just printed off some websites and headed north. Everything was new to us, and we did our best to capture the majesty and complexity of the place.

When we got home I began to see some of technical mistakes I had made, and I de veloped strategies to deal with them in the future. Some of them were limitations of my equipment (dynamic range, lens flare), and others were a matter of field technique and an ticipation for what I can do in post-processing. One big adjustment was to jettison an old way of thinking about photography.

The most fundamental field technique had to do with exposure. As I learned when I was a wee photographer, light meters sug

gest combinations of f-stop and shutter speed that result in an average exposure. That’s fine when the scene is average and is lit with ave rage light, but many landscape scenes are not average. When the scene involves extremes of light and dark average doesn’t work. When it also includes brilliant color, the challenge is magnified.

After our first fall trip I found that many of my photographs lacked detail in the brightest areas. While the overall exposure was fine, I could not differentiate between the leaves, no matter what I tried in processing. It occurred to me that it might be an exposure issue. Now when I shoot fall color, I check my exposure using the RGB histogram in the pho to review mode of my camera (Figure 1). This is not a histogram of the raw file, but of a jpg created to display on the back of camera, so it has limitations. It is nevertheless an excellent way to check whether one of the three colors is badly overexposed.

In this image, if you were to judge by the overall exposure (the gray histogram) it

Figure 1. Back of the camera RGB histogram showing clipping in the red channel, where the most vibrant fall colors are found. An otherwise well-exposed photo-graph might show clipping in the colors that most important to your image.

would appear that everything is under control, as there are no clipped values at either the low or the high end. Reviewing the RGB values, however, tells a different story. The brightest colors, especially the aspen leaves, are found in the red channel, and some of them are cli pped (piling up on the right border). What we want to do is make sure that the red channel is not badly overexposed, and the other two channels contain enough information to pro vide useful color variation in processing. This might require slightly underexposing the rest of the image, but that’s a creative decision. An alternative is to bracket your photos and blend them in post-processing. I typically bracket about 2-stops above and below my middle image. Given the dynamic range of today’s camera sensors I rarely have to use the extra images, but when I do, I make sure that my middle image is the one that contains the best exposed fall color highlights I men tion above. That way my blending is done to supplement the highlights and shadows of the image, instead of recovering key details in the aspens.

Another technique I use is to experi ment with camera profiles in Lightroom. A profile translates a camera raw file for your monitor/printer. While this seems like a trivial task, the billion-plus variations in the ProPho to colorspace, combined with the vagaries of sensors and lenses, means that what you see with your eye isn’t what you will get on your screen. Adobe provides a number of camera profiles by default, and more are available for downloading. They are available in the Develop panel of Lightroom (Figure 2). If you want to, you can create your own. Using a ColorChecker Passport, I make a custom pro file for each of my cameras. These work for 75% of my photography, and are as close to a literal translation of the scene as I can get.

A literal translation of the scene, thou gh, is not always a good creative choice. The lemon-yellow reality of aspen leaves in the fall does not satisfy me. I prefer a more gol den hue, and maybe a little more contrast. I could spend time adjusting the colors and light to get exactly what I want, but Adobe provides me with a shortcut via their Adobe Landscape profile. It translates the lemony color of the scene into a slightly redder, more nuanced, and more pleasing depiction of aspen leaves. It isn’t a huge shift in color, but the feeling evoked by the Landscape profile is closer to what I am looking for than those evoked by my custom D850 profile (Figure 3).

Just because I switch profiles does not mean that I am swerving away from reality. I always leave my camera white balance setting on “Daylight,” because it gives me a uniform starting point every time I open Lightroom (and raw files don’t care). From that starting point, I try to remember how the light felt at the time I was standing in the field. If the scene was lit by unfiltered daylight (i.e., a grove on a hillside) then it’s easy to remember. But if I’m shooting from inside a grove (whether

Figure 2. Adobe Lightroom Profiles

Figure 3. Using color temperature to adjust for the ambient light from the canopy

The image on the left was photographed using my standard in-camera white balance (Dayllight), which translated to 5250 Kelvin in Lightroom. In the right photograph, I adjusted the color temp slider to 4000, which to me is a more pleasing color for viewing not just the leaves but also the forest floor

aspens or redwoods), I need to remember that the brain plays tricks on us.

When we enter a room lit by incandes cent bulbs our minds add blue to everything. It’s an unconscious reaction. Under an aspen canopy the same thing happens. We ignore the yellow light being filtered through the leaves. The camera doesn’t know this, so I have to manually adjust Lightroom by adding blue, sliding the color temperature. (Figure 4). This brings out subtle colors in the scene like red, green, and blue that otherwise would be ob scured by the dominant yellow light. I feel the need to say that auto white balance does not do the same thing, as it tries to neutralize the scene it sees through the lens, not the light source outside it. Sometimes I will include a gray card in a scene so that can measure the light source when I get home.

A final adjustment I made to my way of thinking about fall colors is to get out of the Kodachrome mindset. As a youngster I wor ked in a photo lab making prints from slides, dodging, burning, and adjusting the overall color as needed. I made about 100 prints on a good day (20/hr, or one 8x10 every 3 mi

nutes), and came away with a pretty good knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the films, papers, and processes of the time. I carried that knowledge with me in my professional career, and it spilled over into my early digital photography work. My goal was to get everything done in camera, thinking that the lab couldn’t improve my photographs. Also, I was kind of haunted by the accusation, “did you Photoshop this?”

What I’ve learned is that the Kodachro me era is over. On our fall color trip in 2011 I shot images that I thought were complete failures; had they been slides they would have gone into the trash can. Now they are not only recoverable, but I can realize my vision of the scene in a way I never could before. I still use the old tools of dodging, burning, and overall color adjustment, but I can now do things in an hour that would have required intricate masks, filters, and days to accomplish (not to mention hundreds of dollars).

My first big “Aha!” moment on this be gan in a grove at the north end of Silver Lake, in the June Lake Loop. There was a lush, unt rodden patch of grass between aspen trunks,

under a yellow canopy, with the sun poking through the leaves. It was a fairyland, and to capture it I needed a fairy’s point of view. So I set the camera about 8 inches off the ground, put on a very wide lens (12-24 Tokina on my DX D90), and began framing the shot.

The problems came to me immediately. If I included the sun the lens flare would be terrible and everything else would be underex posed. If I excluded the sun the scene would be less interesting, but my post-production would be less of a nightmare. I took the co ward’s way out and excluded it, but I made a mistake on one frame and my hat did not block the sun. As expected, the well-exposed frames are boring, and the nightmare-to-pro cess frame was the best.

It took me several years to learn how to process the image satisfactorily. It required a lot of selective contrast, selective sharpening,

painting in colors, isolating the lens flare to extract its blue tint, and using the clarify adj ustment to enhance the sun star at the top. It’s fair to say that I educated myself in the use of Lightroom and Photoshop in the process. The before and after images tell the tale (Figure 5). I was able to realize my vision of the place as a fairyland because I jettisoned the Kodachro me mindset and adopted the Digital mindset. Is it Photoshopped? Yes. I guarantee, though, that if the same scene was shot today with an iPhone 12 the result would be similar to my final image.

Due to the hours I‘ve spent refining my procerssing Technique I‘m now a more ambitious and creative photographer. I often attempt things that I once consideredimpossi ble. As a result, I come back from trips with more images that are personally satisfying.

Figure 4. The raw file from the camera and the processed file from Lightroom. It took me years of practice and technique to abandon my idea of a “straight shot“ and use the tools that are now available to realize the image I had in mind when I made the exposure

This Month’s Member Photos

John Clement

North to Alaska! A bucket list item of catching the aurora. First we were headed to Iceland but we didn’t have enough time with the travel schedule so we decided Fairbanks (Sept. 28-Oct 6th) would be much easier and only 3 hours away, saving us 2 days of traveling halfway around the world. Jess and Kelly from Riverside CA. joined us on our grand aurora adventure. Arriving at noon, we checked into our hotel for a nice early dinner and some wine, then a nap. Aurora numbers were looking good but clouds were not cooperating at 8pm. We waited till 9:30 pm to adventure out as there were a few breaks showing on the satellite moving in the right direction. I had scouted several locations via google earth and picked one about 12 miles NE of Fairbanks in a valley with a grand view over Goldstream creek. We arrived about 10:00 pm and set up the cameras and did a few test exposures of the clouds. The green glow was already showing through the few little holes. Finally about 11:00 pm the sky opened up and the aurora exploded over head, shooting big streams of green ribbons across the heavens. I had set up one of my two Olympus cameras for time-lapse and one for general shooting. To the naked eye the greens were stunning, yellows pretty visible, the reds, blue and purples faintly visible. Thanks to the abilities of the cameras, all was visible on the view finders. Over 5 nights of shooting we

Above Left: Assention of Light -Night 3 of our aurora shoot over the old gold mining pond. 2 image vertical panorama, ISO 1250 F2.8, 10 second exposure, 24mm lens Camera OMD Mark 1-II with star focus. Same for all images shown here.

Left: Aurora over Goldstone Creek

Above: Rainbow Aurora

had 3 glorious nights of over 1600 images on both my cameras. The raw time-lapse files of over 800 images when made into a movie are too big to post on most sites. I have posted some 1-2 minute sni ppets of the videos on my facebook pages for viewing.

From Fairbanks it is pretty easy to get to dark sky locations. We went to Murphy’s Dome, a very popular spot, but to many cars coming and going with headlights messed up many of the shots. I located an old gold mining sight about 14 miles out that had a tree lined pond just off the main hi ghway and a few cabin lights on the surrounding hills. Temperature were in the 50’s daytime and mid 30’s at night. The ladies huddled in the warm car till the action started, then would jump out and go ohhh-ahhhh then retreat to the warm SUV. I could fill the entire magazine with grand images captured

Above: Dancing Colors - over old gold mining pond 10:48 pm-3 image vertical panorama.

Above Right: Beginning and End-as a Blanket flower is just beginning and a cosmos in the background is beginning to fade.

Below Right: Dew Gems- on one of my thousands of phlox blossoms that continue to show a rainbow of colors.

but four is all I can submit at present. We had great food, great daytime activities and great late afternoon naps.

Upon returning home the temperatures had cooled somewhat but my two big wildflower gardens were booming with both new and beautiful dying flowers. So from grand aurora sky scapes to macro closeups of some of my flowers, enjoy His beautiful creations both above and below…

Above: Beauty in Dying -as my Zinnias are fading beautifully.

Above Right: The Glory of Fall- an image I’ve been pursuing for over 5 years on the Yakima River about 15 miles from home, still waters, glorious sunset and fall colors.

Below Right: Stillness on the Flathead River- working on a project for Hilton/Hampton Inns for decorating facilities in Montana.

Basil Katsaros

Playing in the sand. From the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Southern Colorado to the red dunes of Monument Valley, Arizona

©2022 Basil Katsaros, All Rights Reserved

Velda Ruddock

©2022 Velda Ruddock, All Rights Reserved

Aspen nursery in "Can-Can" formation

Paint Pot Dreams

Joe and I just got back from our Fall in the Southwest trip. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

After the Rains

Paint Pot Pathway

Beauty Reviels her Structure

If Calder was an Aspen

Above: Early morning Monument Valley from vantage point on Hunt‘s Mesa

Above Left: Milky Way from Hunt‘s Mesa

Thomas Loucks

©2022 Thomas Loucks, All Rights Reserved

Above and Next Page: Some early morning images of Monument Valley from the top of Hunt's Mesaa place where few are ever allowed to go.

Left: The Totem - just before Sunset.

©2022 Thomas Loucks, All Rights Reserved

Early Morning Pano

from Hunt‘s Mesa

Joe Doherty

©2022 Joe Doherty, All Rights Reserved

We spent 2-1/2 weeks on the road chasing fall color, stopping at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the San Juan Mountains, and the Grand Staircase, Escalante NM.

Aspens in fog on the North Rim

Aspens and ferns, near Parissawampitts Point

A golden grove along Owl Creek Pass Road

Wasp and rime-covered leaves, Red Mountain Creek

Stirring the paint pot, Dixie National Forest

Bare aspens along Last Dollar Road

©2022 Joe Doherty, All Rights Reserved

Buck Valley from Mesa Arch, Canyon Lands, UT

Butch Mazzuca

©2022 Butch Mazzuca, All Rights Reserved

© 2022 Butch Mazzuca, All Rights Reserved

Lake Creek Meadows, Eagle County, CO

Shafer Valley - Canyonlands, NP

High Country Morning, Eagle County, CO

The Road to Finnegan‘s Peak, Eagle County, CO

John Fisanotti

©2022 John Fisanotti, All Rights Reserved

Here is something seasonal. I was in the Eastern Sierras this past month and here are some photos from that trip.

© 2022 John Fisanotti, All Rights Reserved

Left: Split Rock

Above: Speciman

Shado Root

Radiant Spin

©2022 Pamela Burgess, All Rights Reserved

Full Root Moon

Embryo

Double Black

©2022, Panela Burgess, All Rights Reserved

Cartoon

The Black and White Pages

Bryce Canyon Velda Ruddock

Cowboys drive a small herd over Owl Creek Pass in the Uncompaghre Forest, Colorado

Joe Doherty

©2022 Joe Doherty, All Rights Reserved

Contributor Bios

Steve Anderson

Steve worked primarily in the conventional 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

John Clement

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: 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

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.

John Fisanotti

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 portfolioconcentrating 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 jfisanotti@sbcglobal.net

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. https://philwitt.smugmug.com

Velda Ruddock

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.

Susan Manley

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.

ssnmanley@Yahoo.com

Paul Reinstein

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 SRT-101, 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.

Jeff Gottesman

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 :).

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

Wiebe Gortmaker

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.

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

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.

John Nilsson

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 halflight 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

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.

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. www.desrochersphography.com

Larry Miller

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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 Schuenemann

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 Cam-

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.com bobbereshstudio.com

Bob Cates

Bob Cates led his first Camera Committee outing in 1975 as co-leader with Allan Der, so his roots go way back. He has chaired the Angeles Chapter History Committee since the mid-70s, and as such has archived tens of thousands of photographic images, many from his own documentation of Club outings, but also images donated from hundreds of Club members.

He is primarily a nature/landscape photographer, but is also drawn to macrophotography—primarily of botanical subjects. Since 2015 he has lived in Pasadena and frequently may be found haunting the grounds of the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens.

The Watchman

Causes, Notes, and Announcements

A Note from the Editor…

In coming issues of Focal Points Magazine

I will be limiting the number of photos submitted to a maximum of eight photos per contributor.

Please select your very best photos for each submission and limit to that number - so I don’t have to make the difficult decision on what to include for you!

An exception will be for photos submitted for the Cover Story. For these contributions, the only limit will be what is necessary to tell the story.

Thanks for following this guideline in your future contributions to Focal Points Magazine!

Susan Manley Writes:

QT Luong, last month‘s SCCC Presenter, has been awarded the prestigeous Ansel Adams Award for Photography

You can read more about this terrific honor through the link below: https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/qt-luong-receives-the-ansel-adams-award-for-photography/

Also: You can now view the video of QT‘s wonderful SCCC presentation to the Camera Committee at: https://vimeo.com/764787832

FOR SALE: $50.00

Brand new, never used Really Right Stuff camera base plate, Model 85D3 A for Canon 5D Mk III body. Connects to Arca-Swiss type clamp on your tripod.

Item is no longer being manu factured and is out of stock at RRS. Sold originally for $85.00.

Contact: John Nilsson 213-266-2224

The Members’ Choice Photo Contest

What’s your favorite photo in this Focal Points Magazine? 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 number, 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!

Wanna Go on a Hike?

Just in case you didn’t realize it...........

The Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club has literally hundreds 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 last page of this 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

Leader Contacts

Chair Joe Doherty 310-500-5696 Information.SCCC@gmail.com

Programs Susan Manley 323-901-7788 SSNManley@yahoo.com

Treasurer Ed Ogawa Ed5ogawa@angeles.sierraclub.org

Membership Joan Schipper* 323-828-8334 JoanSchipper@ixnetcom.com

Publications- John Nilsson* 213-266-2224 Editor + Liaison FocalPoints.SCCC@gmail.com

Communications Velda Ruddock 310-500-5995 VRuddock.SCCC@gmail.com

Website Velda Ruddock Meetup Ed Ogawa Instagram Joan Schipper Facebook Open

Outings co-chairs Joan Schipper* 323-828-8334 joanschipper@ixnetcom.com

Alison Boyle* 310-944-1019 AlisoniBoyle@icloud.com

Trip Leaders- * Above and the following: Steve Anderson 714-614-7808 SAndersonImagery@outlook.com

John Boyle 310-828-6300 JBoyle6300@gmail.com

Carole Scurlock 626-794-5207 CScurlock@charter.net

Allan Der 714-653-8319 ader@sprynet.com