HISTORY OF THE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB OF ANNAPOLIS
Details -Year One
(September 2005 – June 2006)
September 7th of 2005 was the official start of the Digital Photography Club of Annapolis. A business meeting was held at the Annapolis Library where fifty people were in attendance. Dues were collected, a set of proposed by-laws were accepted and a slate of club officers were voted in (i.e., Jay Alden as President, Don Dement as Vice President, Frank Winner as Treasurer, and Joan Scott as Secretary). Sandy Huberfeld originally was named Program Director and eventually became the Membership Director. Jay Alden, besides being President, also held the position of T echnology Director. The Digital Photography Club of Annapolis was a reality.
During this first year, the club doubled in number of members, reaching 100 by the last meeting on June 8, 2006. The club ran smoothly during the year with the club meeting twice monthly alternating the location between the libraries at Annapolis and Severna Park. There was a guest speaker presentation often by members of the club at each meeting. Their topics included:
- Start Right - Organize your Photos for Safety & Sanity (Michael Alloy)
- Travel Photography, A Winner's Guide (Sandy Huberfeld)
- Event Video in the Digital Age (Mark Goldberg)
- Seeing Beyond the Obvious (Dave Hartcorn)
- Making your own Prints (Don Dement)
- Sharing Photos in a Slide Show with Pizzazz (Jay Alden)
- Organizing with PhotoShop Albums (Michael Alloy)
- Histograms - The Power Tools for Better Pictures (Don Dement)
- Creating Special Effects (Myron Dorf)
- Portraits of the Sudan (Dave Hartcorn)
- Composition: Planned and Spontaneous (Kit Breen)
- Posing and Arranging Photographic Portraits (Mark Goldberg)
In addition, several invited speakers from outside the club conducted presentations on topics ranging from Portrait Lighting to Converting Color into Monochrome. Notes from the presentations were usually post ed to the club’s member-only community website. Each of the meetings at the Annapolis Library setting involved either a member Showcase (i.e., members show up to three photos of their choosing from their portfolio) or Challenges (i.e., members show photos taken recently in response to the naming of a particular theme). The Challenge themes during the year included Doorways, Odd Angles, Winter Weather, Transportation, and People at Play. One photo from each member ultimately was posted to an album on the club’s member-only community website. As the year progressed, outside reviewers were invited to comment on the member photos shown in both Showcases and Challenges. Some of the club members seemed to value the reviewer comments, but others felt the critique was too personal.
The meetings at the Severna Park Library, which was larger than the Annapolis Library, included three simultaneous round-table discussions. A club member or guest speaker would host each table providing a bit of information on a specialized topic and facilitating a discussion on the topic among the members seated at the table. Two 20-minute sessions were held at each meeting so members could sit at two of the three table-topic discussions. The discussions were hectic and loud, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by all – the only complaint being that they were too short. Two field trips were conducted during the year. The first, on November 12th, was organized and led by Don Dement at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis. Its theme was Shooting Nature and the Arts Festival. About a dozen members participated and they produced some remarkable photos that were shown at a subsequent club meeting. A second field trip, on April 8th, went to Falcon Digital Studios in Annapolis. The 15 people on the trip saw demonstrations of Digital Painting - digital oil and watercolor paintings created in Photoshop and Corel Painter IX, and then printed on canvas or watercolor paper. It was an amazing experience. The administrative accomplishments this first year included preparing and gaining acceptance of an operating budget, and purchasing the digital projector. However, the club had to continue to use the President’s computer for presentations because of lack of adequate funds. The club also acquired a post office box and established a checking account at a local bank. A relationship was established between the club and the O’Reilly User Group Program where club members would receive a 30% discount on books published by O’Reilly. The publisher also donated about 15 books on digital photography which were given out to members as door prizes at meetings.
At the last meeting of the season on June 8th, 2006, new executive officers were elected: Sandy Huberfeld as President, Don Dement as Vice President, Frank Winner as Treasurer, and Mark Goldberg as Secretary. Jay Alden would remain on the board as Past President and Technology Director.