Clearing Storm at the Canyon by Lynn Thompson
Ken Duquaine
Is it possible that at long last we’re glimpsing the tiny light at the end of a year-long tunnel? One can only hope. And in that spirit, the Sun Lakes Camera Club (SLCC) is looking forward to its first in-person meeting since last March, on April 6 at 6:30 p.m., at the Baptist Church on Arizona Avenue. A special feature of that meeting will be a presentation by club member Phyllis Peterson on close-up and macro photography.
While looking forward to a year with fewer restrictions, we are also in the planning stages of photographic excursions and trips for our members. The first of these will be a Milky Way photo shoot at Picket Post Mountain on Tuesday, May 11. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and provide a spectacular setting for what can be a real photographic adventure.
This summer’s monsoon season will perhaps present an opportunity to capture all of the drama offered by the combination of one of the most breathtaking scenic vistas on the planet and the unique weather patterns that are possible during this special time in Arizona. To that end, SLCC is planning a three-night trip to the Grand Canyon from Aug. 1 through 4. One might think that it would be hard not to get spectacular photos in such a setting, but in truth, the canyon can be a real challenge to shoot. Our eyes see the landscape in front of us differently than does our camera lens. We see the world in three dimensions, while our camera sees only two of those dimensions. That fact, plus haze and tricky lighting, often call for a bit of photographic knowledge to ensure the kind of photos that will evoke oohs and ahhs from our Facebook friends. A great example is the award-winning photo by Lynn Thompson.
Finally, SLCC will close out the year with a trip to Bosque del Apache and White Sands, N.M., from Dec. 5 through 10. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is one of the premier locations in the Southwest to view and photograph sandhill cranes, snow geese, ducks, and other waterfowl during the fall and winter seasons. Here is yet another opportunity to learn the techniques of photographing birds in flight. White Sands National Park covers 227 square miles, and in addition to being home to thousands of species of animals, is the largest gypsum dune field on earth.
The Sun Lakes Camera Club meets the first and third Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the Navajo Room of the Sun Lakes Country Club from October through April. During the summer, the club meets on 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 Lynn Thompson at 480-734-0040, Vice President Judy Daidone at 480-216-3062, or Past President Jan Ballard at 602-621-3344, and visit our website at www.sunlakescameraclub.com.