Upcoming Speakers
2023-2024 Season
"Creative Editing Turning Day into Night" Presented by Dick Snyder. June 12, 2024 6:30-8:00PM
Dick will go through a live edit of an image converting a daylight picture into a night setting using screen sharing. He’ll discuss what kind of images are best suited for this process, and then share his typical workflow which usually includes the use of both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop but may also include certain capabilities in ON1. He will touch on techniques such as cropping, denoise, removal of unwanted elements using PS's removal tool and Generative AI, masking in LR with the use of various brushes, and sky replacement. The program should take about 1-1 1/2 hours.
Bio:
Dick Snyder is a long-time member of the Coastal Camera Club and was recently made a Lifetime Member. He has held the positions of President, VP President, and has won numerous awards including Photographer of the Year and Best Print Photograph of the Year. His proudest achievement was winning the Washington Post’s Travel Photography contest in 2014. He continues to serve as club judge, is actively involved at the Rehoboth Art League’s Print Studio, and has been a presenter at the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild.
" Exploring Water Droplet Photography " Presented by Anne Rhodes and John Whitmore. July 10, 2024 6:30-8:00PM
Description:
Enjoy an informative program about techniques and equipment used to create stunning images of water droplets. Numerous examples will illustrate the results of John’s and Anne’s shooting. A live demonstration of the process in action will originate in Anne’s studio and promises to be very entertaining.
Bios:
Anne Rhodes has been a member of Coastal Camera Club since its beginnings. She is active and very generous with her time spent photographing events for other non-profit organizations through the CCC Event SIG. She is well known in competitions for her clever creative images.
John Whitmore is a long-time member of the Coastal Camera Club and continues to be active in multiple areas of service to the club. As the webmaster, he keeps our website organized and up to date with accurate information. He also serves as the chair of the CCC SIG’s, as well as leading the Expanded Vision SIG and co-lead of the Night Sky SIG. Droplet photography has long been an interest of John’s and he keeps his apparatus set up in his studio, ready to use. On a dark, clear night, you will find John pursuing another of his passions: Night Sky Photography.
Website: https://nevin1863.myportfolio.com
2024-2025 Season
" Finding Your Creative Voice". Presented by Richard Lewis. September 11, 2024 6:30-8:00PM
Learn how one simple word and 4 questions can change your photography.
Description:
Every photographer needs to find their unique creative voice. It is the basic building block of creating a unique photographic style that allows a photographer to make photographs that do not look like everyone else.
So how does someone develop a style? It was something I struggled with for years until I realized a simple solution… Ask questions. In this presentation I teach you 4 simple questions whose answers will lead you to define your style. I also teach one important key word that will drive everything you do with your photography, and possibly your life.
This presentation is full of examples of how this questioning approach leads to creative solutions based on a unique creative voice.
Bio:
Richard Lewis, Photographer
Richard Lewis has been a professional and fine art photographer since the 1970’s with a passion for landscapes, abandoned history, and interesting people. While he travels to find unique landscapes, his favorite location is the New Jersey Pine Barrens. He uses both a professional digital camera, drone, and an iPhone to create his work.
Richard’s inspiration comes from landscape painters and has developed a style he calls "Painting with a Camera”. This involves equal effort in both creating and post processing an image.
Richard is an active photography blogger, lecturer, instructor and conducts workshops in the New Jersey Pine Barrens and other places to help photographers find their unique creative voice. He also has published a book titled “Photographing the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the Ultimate Guide”.
Website: RichardLewisPhotography.com
" Working with Textures & Overlays - Turn Ho-Hum into a Work of Art ". Presented by Hazel Meredith, APSA, HonNEC. November 13, 2024 6:30-8:00PM
Description:
Don’t delete that digital image! Do you sometimes have a shot that you
really like…. a subject that is hard to capture…. a place you may not get to
again…. but it’s not perfect? Turn that “almost” good shot into a work of art
by utilizing textures and overlays.
Maybe it’s a bird in flight – the bird looks great, but the sky is blah. Use
another sky image as an overlay or add a texture – or both! Maybe it’s a
nice flower shot – good color and composition, but it’s not quite tack sharp.
Use textures to turn it into a fine art image! Of course, you can also add
textures to your best images and make them spectacular!
Textures are everywhere – there are many free and for-purchase ones
online. You can create your own textures within Photoshop or from photos
of everyday objects. Working with layers and blending modes, there are
many things you can do to create a beautiful work of art – I’ll show you how!
Bios:
Hazel Meredith is an award-winning photographer and a sought-after teacher, speaker, and competition judge. She began teaching in 2007, and now does seminars at camera clubs and conferences across the U.S. – both in-person and virtual. She offers her own workshops and webinars, and has done webinars for several software companies.
She has written two eBooks on working with textures and released two creative courses. She and her husband, Dave, produce the “Virtual Creative Photography Conference” with attendees from around the world. Hazel loves the creative aspect of photography and postprocessing, especially the use of textures and software to create unique images.
She is actively involved with the photographic community and has held leadership roles and received honorary distinctions from several organizations. In the Fall of 2020, she was the recipient of the Ashbrook Award for Digital Imaging Instruction from the Photographic Society of America.
Web sites: https://meredithimages.com/
https://meredithimages.cwordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/MeredithImages
" The Four Seasons of Macro" Presented by Mike Moats. December 4, 2024 6;30-8:00PM
Description:
Mike will cover each season of the year and show the life cycles of the plants and open the macro photographers' eyes to the amazing variety of subject matter. This will inspire you to get out and shoot more.
Bio:
Mike Moats is an international award-winning full time pro macro photographer from Michigan. He is a Tamron Image Master, Vanguard Pro, and his articles and images have been published in many photo magazines for over 17 years. He has a Macro Photo Club online with over 2,800 members, from 28 countries. Mike teaches workshops and speaks at photo conferences throughout the US.
Web site: https://www.tinylandscapes.com/
"How to Take Amazing Wide-Angle Photos" Presented by Ian Plant. January 8, 2025 6:30-8:00PM
Description:
Pro photographer Ian Plant will teach you how to use your wide-angle lens to create compelling and unique landscape, wildlife, and travel photos. You'll learn both the technical and artistic considerations unique to wide-angle photography, including composition, dealing with the distortion inherent to wide-angle lens designs, and the importance of carefully selecting your position.
Bio:
Whether hanging over the rim of an active volcano, braving the elements to photograph critically-endangered species, or trekking deep into the wilderness to places most people will never see, world-renowned professional photographer Ian Plant travels the globe seeking out amazing places and subjects in his never-ending quest to capture the beauty of our world with his camera. Known for his inspiring images and single-minded dedication to creating the perfect photo, Ian has reached hundreds of thousands of people around the world in his mission to inspire and educate others in the art of photography. Ian's work has appeared in numerous photo magazines including Outdoor Photographer, Popular Photography, and Landscape Photography, among many others. Ian has spoken at leading photo conferences including KelbyOne, Out of Chicago, and many others. Ian is also the author of dozens of books and instructional videos and founder of Photo Masters
Web site: https://www.photomasters.com/
"Expressing Mood and Capturing the Essence" Presented by Franka Gabler. February 10, 2025 6:30-8:00PM
Description:
It is not enough to just correctly expose and compose. To resonate with the viewer, a successful photograph needs to tell a story. Also, to connect with a viewer, a photograph needs to evoke emotions – by telling a little bit more about the place than just being a mere record of the place.
It is important to be able to recognize the essence and the potential of the scene and find out what speaks to us before we decide how to interpret it and which aspects to emphasize. Some scenes would best tell the story if we emphasize the dark side. Other scenes might better tell the story if we emphasize vibrancy and lightness. The emotional impact of a landscape photograph is usually achieved by capturing the essence of the scene, often by depicting and conveying a mood – and there are many ways to convey a mood. The presentation will analyze several essential components that contribute to expressing and conveying mood such as choice of light, color, contrast, weather, and/or shutter speed exposure.
Bio:
Franka Gabler is a native of Croatia, Franka moved to California in the late 1990s and fell in love with the Sierra Nevada, after her first backpacking trip. The magnificence of Yosemite and California landscapes inspired her to become a landscape photographer.
For many years, she has been drawing her inspiration from subtle, moody, often intimate landscapes - compositions somewhere between abstract and the wider view, beyond mere documentation of a particular location. Her approach is to capture the essence of the place – often by isolating a smaller scene from a larger vista or an iconic view. Expressing mood and capturing the essence is what she strives for in her photography. The light and atmosphere portrayed in her photographs often result in sentimental impact and ethereal feeling. She often photographs in misty and foggy conditions which helps with simplifying her compositions by concealing distracting elements and leaving only the essence.
Franka’s photographs have been recognized internationally. In 2022 she was the overall winner of the Landscape Photography World Awards. In 2021, her photograph received a 1st place award for the “Intimate and Abstract” category of the Natural Landscape Photography Awards, and in 2023, she was recognized as a highly commended Photographer of the Year. Her black & white portfolio “Expressive Yosemite” is published in Issue No. 159 of the LensWork Photography Magazine.
Franka lives in the Sierra foothills, in the small mountain town of Coarsegold, not far from Yosemite National Park. You can learn more at www.frankagabler.com.
Website: http://www.frankagabler.com
" Personal Expressive Black and White Landscape Photography " Presented by Huibo Hou. March 12, 2025 6:30-8:00PM
Description:
Black and white photography has a timeless appeal, often can touch viewers in a more profound level. Some landscape photographers may find it difficult to work without color. In the first half of this talk, Huibo will delve into the development of one’s personal vision, drawing from her own evolution in B&W landscape photography. In the second half, she will explore various compositional and tonal control techniques, including her postprocessing flow, with the aim of improving one’s vision of seeing and editing in black and white.
Bio:
Huibo Hou, is a landscape photographer based in San Diego, California. She fell in love with photography about 25 years ago as a hobbyist while working in the wireless communication industry. Then life got in the way, and she had to set aside her photography pursuit for quite some time. In early 2015 she rekindled her love for photography and gradually became more serious about the craft. Her work has been recognized internationally in recent years with multiple awards and publications. Landscape photography, especially in black and white, is the art medium that she is passionate about. It serves as her creative outlet to express how she observes, interprets, and connects with nature.
Web site: https://www.huibohou.com
"Creating Colorful, Abstract Works of Art from a Single Photograph " Presented by Phil Atiyeh. April 9, 2025 6:30-8:00PM
Description:
Explore your artistic side by creating dozens of colorful, abstract images from a single photograph. The presentation will take you step-by-step through the process where a select array of Photoshop tools are used to create a large, colorful master file – or tapestry – where images are ultimately extracted. A number of other examples are presented showing variations of the process and the boundless image styles that can be created.
Bio:
Phil’s past life in helping companies develop and launch new products has offered a natural path into photography where similar technical and aesthetic elements must work together. While he’s always had an interest in photography, it wasn’t until he left the workforce in 2019 (and joined the ‘playforce’), where he accelerated and expanded his photography with greater passion.
Phil has received numerous awards as a member of the New Haven Camera Club as well as merit awards from various photography associations. His work has been displayed at the Small Stones Festival of the Arts in Grafton, MA as well as the Milford Arts Council in CT. Perhaps most notable, he was awarded the cover photo of the Alpaca Owners Guide (yes, believe it or not, there’s a magazine for this!) for his image.
An avid woodworker, all of Phil’s framed images from the photographic print to the matting or a hand-made frame, is all created and assembled by him as a finished work of art.
Web site: PhilAtiyeh.com