Let’s celebrate!

Arctic Fox Roaming by William Lewis

Arctic Fox Roaming by William Lewis

Ear of the Wind by Dale Willey

Ear of the Wind by Dale Willey

Blood Moon at Custer State Park by Burt Williams

Blood Moon at Custer State Park by Burt Williams

Fireworks, family picnics and food, lots and lots of food are everywhere over this Fourth of July weekend. Celebrate the long weekend by capturing our nation’s 240th birthday in a photograph. The activities are plentiful to practice your photography skills, such as kids playing or splashing in the water, families gathered at a barbeque, sports activities, scenic landscapes (urban and rural) and the fireworks, of course. Test your night skills, panning, stop or slow motion, portrait and/or use of natural light techniques to name a few. Wherever you are show us your Independence Day in a photograph.

Our featured images of the month celebrate the achievements of fellow members Dale Willey, Class C; Burt Williams, Class B; and William Lewis, Class A. They are our End-of-Year April 2016 Photograph of the Year, Digital recipients. Dale’s landscape image of the iconic southwest is indicative of his talents as a photographer. Burt’s image is a craftily done night composite. Using his Nikon D5000 at Sylvan Lake, Custer State Park in South Dakota, Burt took advantage of his surroundings and techniques by using a high ISO, slow shutter and wide open aperture on both images. Post-editing allowed him to composite his moon image into his landscape. William’s wildlife image was shot in Kalispell, Montana using a Nikon D800 equipped with a Tamron 150-600mm lens. Challenge with this arctic fox were stopping the action of the fox, separation of the subject from its surroundings and equipment stability. Mr. Lewis utilized high ISO and shutter speed along with a sweet spot aperture of f/11 to achieve his results. Visit our club website at sunlakescameraclub.com to view all the digital entries and results. Congratulations gentlemen!

Reminder that our photo workshop on monsoons with Lynn Thompson is just around the corner at the iconic national park, The Grand Canyon. Email Lynn Thompson for details, an itinerary and any questions you may have at [email protected]; additional information can also be found at sunlakescameraclub.com.

There will be no meeting held in July. Our next club meeting will be held the first Thursday in August. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend and see you in August!

Members: Look for more information regarding flag pick-up from Raul Lopez directly or via our club website.

The Sun Lakes Camera Club (SLCC) meets the first and third Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Navajo Room of the Sun Lakes Country Club from October through April. During the summer, the club meets the first Thursday of each month in the Ceramics Room of the Cottonwood Country Club. For more information about the SLCC and its activities call SLCC President Burt Williams at 602-354-0266, Vice President Jan Ballard at 602-621-3344 or past President John Livoti at 480-895-6880 or visit our website at  sunlakescameraclub.com.