Sun Lakes Camera Club Becomes East Valley Photo Club (EVPC)

Birds Feeding on Zebra, by Diane Anderson

Ken Duquaine

At its general membership meeting in March, the membership voted overwhelmingly in favor of the executive board’s recommendation to change the name of the Sun Lakes Camera Club to the East Valley Photo Club (EVPC).

While there were several reasons for the board’s recommendation, two were particularly compelling: First, to dispel the generally held misconception that our membership is restricted to Sun Lakes residents. Second, and even more compelling, to acknowledge the fact that photography as an art is not confined to cameras but is readily available to anyone with a smartphone. The new name emphasizes the fact that our club is not about cameras. Rather, it’s about photos, and our membership is open to anyone interested in photography, regardless of their choice of equipment. Many of our current members are smartphone photography enthusiasts.

Our year-end banquet, awards ceremony, and final competition was held in the Navajo Room of Sun Lakes Country Club on April 17. The year-end competition featured the best photos in both print and digital formats previously submitted by members in our monthly competitions. A three-judge panel evaluated and scored the photos to determine the single best photo of the year in all three competition levels, A, B, and C. Awards were also presented for Photographer of the Year in the three competition levels. These awards are based on the highest average score achieved by members on photos submitted to our monthly competitions.

Award winners for this season are as follows:

Print Photo of the Year: Class A: Desert Night, by Jan Ballard; Class B: Aurora Over the River, by Donna McGregor

Digital Photo of the Year: Class A: Scorpion Carrying Babies, by Ken Duquaine; Birds Feeding on Zebra, by Diane Anderson; Class C: Two Sailboats in a Foggy Morning, by Ken Martin

Digital Photographer of the Year: Class A: Ken Duquaine, Class B: Diane Anderson, Class C: Ken Martin

Print Photographer of the Year: Class A: Linda Davis and Raul Lopez, Class B: Donna McGregor

The East Valley Photo Club meets on the first and third Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Navajo Room of Sun Lakes Country Club from October through April. For more information about the EVPC and its activities, call President Ken Duquaine at 248-342-0790 or email kduquaine@hotmail.com, or contact past President Samantha Rose Palmatier at 907-727-0334 or email totsie1954@yahoo.com, and visit our website at www.eastvalleyphotoclub.com.