Well, the thermometer has been turned up here in Arizona with some record temperatures. I certainly opened my windows and doors early this year. My trusty camera by my side, the wildflowers were calling along with some gorgeous starry skies. Be sure to put on your calendar a trip north to Flagstaff and catch a tour at the Lowell Observatory this spring. The trails around Arizona are breaking open their colors with some early sightings of wildflowers such as poppies and lupine. Grab your camera and go explore!

Our feature photograph is Twins. This lovely pair of hummingbirds was captured craftly by Wayne Divoky. Uniquely built on the end of a branch in his backyard orange tree, Wayne patiently waited till the wind died down to climb atop his tallest step ladder to snap the shot; using a 100mm macro lens on his Canon 5D dslr with settings of f/8, 1/125 at iso 400. Great catch to document their journey to which they left their nest two weeks later.

The Spring Round Up is ready to lasso your submissions for competition. The Arizona Camera Club Council (ACCC) will once again be seeing red. This year’s Rotating subject is “Red.” Our hosts this spring 2016 will be the West Valley Photo and SC Festival Digital Photo Clubs. The event will be held at the Sage Recreation Center located at 26501 W. Desert Vista Blvd. Buckeye, AZ 85396. Save the date of Saturday, March 12. Check-in begins at 8:00 a.m. Bruce Taubert will share his extraordinary knowledge on macro and hummingbird photography. Not-to-be-missed! Please contact John Livoti to coordinate pick-up of your print submissions. Look forward to seeing you at the Round Up!

Scavenger Hunt 2016 has begun! Be sure to coordinate with your group leaders about our topics, submission parameters and deadlines. Each group can coordinate outings of their own when time permits while wrapping up their shoots with lunch and/or dinner. Let’s get out and capture our beautiful state of Arizona. Most of all, have fun! Contact John Livoti for group details, information and any questions you may have.

Congratulations to the Fundamentals of Digital Photography Class of 2016. After 10 sessions and several outings to practice your camera skills, it’s time to venture out on your own. Thanks to Dan Dragoon, and others for another successful class.

The Sun Lakes Camera Club (SLCC) meets the first and third Thursday of every month from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Navajo Room of the Sun Lakes Country Club starting in October through April. In the summer months, the club meets the first Thursday of each month in the Ceramics Room at the Cottonwood Country Club from 6:30-8:30 p.m. For more information about the SLCC, please contact the following: President John Livoti at 480-895-6880; Vice President Burt Williams at 602-354-0266; past President Fred Giese at 480-220-4394; or visit us at sunlakescameraclub.com.