Lots and lots of events occurring in July. Be sure to check out http://calendar.yahoo.com/hkuchera & http://cameracouncil.blogspot.com/ for more!

And don’t forget to check out your local 4^th of July festivities and county fairs!

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July 4^th & 5th, 2010 ~ Old West Extravaganza ~ 10 am ~Annandale, MN

The “Old West Society of Minnesota” is returning again this year and putting on this 2 day action packed event. They will give you their rendition of western living history, as well as a street theater and a wild west show including “arena arts” which is rope twirling and whip cracking, etc. A buffalo hunters camp along with numerous other displays will be set up. The MN Fast Draw Club will be having a competition. Numerous other attractions.

Adults: $5

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July 10^th & 11^th, 2010 ~ Dragon Festival ~ 11 am ~ Phalen Lake Park, St Paul, MN

Dragon boat racing originated in China. Legend has it that Qu Yuan, a wise and loyal minister to the Zhou Emperor and loved by the common people, fought against corruption that plagued the court. He advised the emperor to avoid conflict with the Qin Kingdom while other court officials pressured the emperor to have Qu removed from service. When the emperor took the ill advice of the other ministers, he became so despondent he threw himself into the Milou River. Fishermen rushed out in long boats, beating drums to scare the fish away, and throwing dumplings into the water to feed the fish so they would not eat Qu ’s body. Dragon boat races began as a way to commemorate Qu Yuan’s death, and is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. There also will be many activities such as cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, foods and children activities that promote cross-cultural understanding. Representatives from local Asian community organizations will be demonstrating origami, kimono dressing, henna art, calligraphy and more.

FREE

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July 17^th & 18^th, 2010 ~ AirExpo ~ 9 am ~ Flying Cloud Airport, Eden Prairie, MN

Appearing Aircraft: B-17G Yankee Lady (rides available), B-25 Miss Mitchell (cockpit tours available), Mustang P-51, TBM 3-E Avenger, Sea Fury, UH-60 Black Hawk, T-28 Trojan, OV-1 Mohwak, T-6 Texan, L-39 Albatross, L-29 Delphin, Stearman, T-34, Harvard, Navy SNJ, O-1E Birddog, Xtra 300L, Champ, Clay Adam’s 1929 Travel Air 400 (rides available), BT-15 Project

Adults: $10

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July 24^th, 2010 ~ Red Bull Flugtag ~ 11 am ~ Harriet Island, St Paul, MN

Red Bull Flugtag challenges the brave and brainy to design, build and pilot homemade flying machines off a 30-foot high flight deck in hopes of soaring into the wild blue yonder…or often, plunging into the waters below.  Flugtag, which means “flying day” in German, pushes the envelope of human-powered flight, but competitors need more than airtime to reach the podium. Teams are judged on three criteria: flight distance, creativity of the craft, and showmanship.  This criteria has inspired flying tacos, prehistoric pterodactyls, Winnebagos with wings and even Snoopy and the gang to grace the Flugtag flight decks!

FREE

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July 24^th, 2010 ~ Twin Cities Carifest ~ 12 pm ~ W River Parkway between Plymouth & Broadway, Minneapolis, MN

Now in its 17th year, Twin Cities Carifest is a free admission family festival featuring danceable live calypso and reggae bands, traditional food, vibrant costume parade, cultural performances, children’s activities, craft market and more. The event wraps up at 10:00 p.m. with a great view of Aquatennial fireworks! A portion of event proceeds will go to Caribbean Disaster Relief Fund and Pathways to Urban Solutions Caribbean Book Shelf program, providing free books to Caribbean youth.

FREE

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July 28th – August 3rd, 2010 ~ Tall Ships® Duluth ~ 11 am ~ Bayfront Festival Park & Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN

A once-in-a-lifetime experience on the shores of the world’s greatest lake. It’s a rare chance to catch a glimpse, step aboard, and even set sail on some of the grandest ships of yore. Eight magnificent vessels that harken back to the early days of maritime. Featuring a fleet of international and domestic vessels racing to six cities in the U.S. and Canada, this is Lake Superior’s only port of call for the Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge® 2010.

FREE – tickets required for on board ship tours — get there EARLY for good spots on the canal for the grand parade of the ships on July 29th!

Related – The Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors will be having a beacon lighting on July 31^st – 9 pm (get there early for a good spot!)

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• Sept 16: “Macro (Digital)”

• Oct 21: “Urban Scapes (Print)”

• Nov 18: “Sports Action (Digital)”

• Dec 16: No Salon –  Holiday Social

• Jan 20: “High Key/Low Key (Print)”

• Feb 17: “All in the Eyes (Digital)”

• Mar 17: “Broken (Print)”

• April 21: “High Dynamic Range (Digital)”

• May 19: “Time (Print)”

• June 16: End of Year Banquet/Awards

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September Club Meeting:

Meeting Date: September 13, 2010 – 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Christ Presbyterian Church

Digital Salon: “Macro” — Close-up photography (1:1 or closer) with limited depth of field. Find small details of larger objects to create abstract looking images, or maybe you want to take pictures of creepy crawlies like spiders and beetles or maybe close ups of flowers. More info: http://www.photography-basics.com/2007/06/what-is-macro-photography/

Competition digital images must be submitted as email attachments sent to digitalsalon@crosstowncameraclub.com by midnight Tuesday, the week prior to the Salon. See Salon Competition Rules for entry info.

October Club Meeting:

Meeting Date: October 21, 2010 – 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Christ Presbyterian Church

Print Salon: “Urban Scapes” — Imagine all the steel and concrete are natural elements outside of the city. This challenge goes beyond cityscapes, architectural, street photography or city panoramas, here you want to find urban shape, patterns and compositions that mimic natural ones. As one person put it, “Urban Landscape photography is often gritty, it’s not always pretty and it can be quite abstract.” Here’s a good link to better understand what Urban Scapes (or Landscapes) is: http://digital-photography-school.com/photographing-urban-landscapes

Competition prints must be submitted to the Edina Art Center (EAC) CCC drop off area by 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, the week prior to the Salon. See Salon Competition Rules for entry info.

November Club Meeting:

Meeting Date: November 18, 2010 – 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Christ Presbyterian Church

Digital Salon: “Sports Action” — Find a sporting event and capture the action. Sounds easier than it really is. You really need bright light, fast shutter and good timing to get that great sports action shot. There are a few techniques to try such as panning or intentional blur, but also try rapid burst and you might be lucky enough to the height of action. More info: http://www.photography-basics.com/2008/12/sports-photography/

Competition digital images must be submitted as email attachments sent to digitalsalon@crosstowncameraclub.com by midnight Tuesday, the week prior to the Salon. See Salon Competition Rules for entry info.

December Club Meeting/Holiday Social:

Meeting Date: December 16, 2010 – 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: TBA

Holiday Social

January Club Meeting:

Meeting Date: January 20, 2011– 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Christ Presbyterian Church

Print Salon: “High Key/Low Key” — High and low key images are exactly what they’re named – photos whose primary tones are high in value meaning they’re predominately white, or low in value meaning predominately dark (not to be confused with images that are over exposed or under exposed). They both invoke mood and drama, so experiment with and submit both. An interesting challenge of achieving both in the same image will get you a special surprise! More info: http://www.takegreatpictures.com/photo-tips-and-techniques/13581

Competition prints must be submitted to the Edina Art Center (EAC) CCC drop off area by 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, the week prior to the Salon. See Salon Competition Rules for entry info.

February Club Meeting:

Meeting Date: February 17, 2011– 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Christ Presbyterian Church

Digital Salon: “All in the Eyes” – The title says it all. The goal of this salon is to make your subjects eyes the primary focus and draw. The general rule is to have the subject look directly in the lens and tack-sharp focus, but there are always exceptions to the rule if the eyes remain the primary element. Getting catch light from a light source or bright object really helps to add depth and draw. More info: http://www.dpmag.com/how-to/tip-of-the-week/better-portraits-are-all-in-the-eyes-4-13-09.html

Competition digital images must be submitted as email attachments sent to digitalsalon@crosstowncameraclub.com by midnight Tuesday, the week prior to the Salon. See Salon Competition Rules for entry info.

March Club Meeting:

Meeting Date: March 17, 2011– 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Christ Presbyterian Church

Print Salon: “Broken” — This topic can be widely interpreted. We’ll leave it up to the photographer to define what “Broken” means to them. The judge will be asked to keep an open mind but it is up to the photographer to sell their definition to both the judge and viewer.

Competition prints must be submitted to the Edina Art Center (EAC) CCC drop off area by 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, the week prior to the Salon. See Salon Competition Rules for entry info.

April Club Meeting:

Meeting Date: April 21, 2011– 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Christ Presbyterian Church

Digital Salon: “High Dynamic Range” — A technique either in-camera or in post-production using multiple, bracketed exposures merged together to achieve perfect exposure throughout the entire tonal range, thus bringing out detail in highlights and shadow. The key to good HDR is controlling the effect so an image doesn’t have an unrealistic appearance, unless you want it to. In some cases, it may be difficult for the judge to determine whether it was done as an HDR. More info here: http://www.diyphotography.net/introduction-to-high-dynamic-range-hdr-photography

Competition digital images must be submitted as email attachments sent to digitalsalon@crosstowncameraclub.com by midnight Tuesday, the week prior to the Salon. See Salon Competition Rules for entry info.

May Club Meeting:

Meeting Date: May 19, 2011– 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Christ Presbyterian Church

Print Salon: “Time” — Here’s a challenge to capture and express time in a unique way, but not necessarily photographing a clock. The image needs to express the presence of time; past and present or future (that one makes your brain hurt). Get creative! Try time lapse, motion, light trails, age contrasts or whatever, as long as it expresses the concept of time. Again, no link or examples to challenge thought. The judge will be asked to keep an open mind but it is up to the photographer to sell their definition to both the judge and viewer.

Competition prints must be submitted to the Edina Art Center (EAC) CCC drop off area by 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, the week prior to the Salon. See Salon Competition Rules for entry info.

June Club Meeting/End of Year Banquet:

Meeting Date: June 16, 2011– 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: TBA

End of Year Banquet/Awards

• Sept 17:  “Neon” (Digital)

• Oct 15: “Country Road” (Print)

• Nov 19: “Reflections” (Digital)

• Dec 17:  — No Salon:  Holiday Social

• Jan 21: “Tears” (Print)

• Feb 18: “Mystery Topic” (Digital)

• Mar 18: “Staircases” (Print)

• April 15: “Storms” (Digital)

• May 20: “Vanishing Point” (Print)

• June 17: — End of Year Banquet/Awards

Meeting Location: Warehouse Winery — 6415 Cambridge Street, Minneapolis, MN

“Best of the Best”: Banquet and social time followed by awards presentation:

Points are accumulated throughout the competition year (September through May) and the three top scorers in each of the divisions (Monochrome Prints, Color Prints, Digital Images) are recognized during this special evening.

The “Competitor of the Year” is awarded to the person with the highest accumulated score overall score in all divisions. “Rookie Competitor of the Year” is awarded to a first-year member with the highest accumulated score overall in all divisions.

In addition to other special awards, judge’s awards are given based on the end-of-year judge(s) impressions of images that received an Acceptance (points = 8, 9 or 10) throughout the year.

Judges: Russ Borud, Mariann Cyr, Rikk Flohr, Laurie Hernandez

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Art Dickey Award:

“Old Boats on Lake Superior” — Cynthia Fleury

Color Print of the Year: “Desolation” – Lars Michael

Color Print Runner-Up: “Abandoned for Winter” – Cynthia Fleury

Color Print Honorable Mentions:

Monochrome Print of the Year: “And They’re Off” – Holly Kuchera

Monochrome Print Runner-Up: “Kat-Silver Skin” – Lars Michael

Monochrome Print Honorable Mentions:

Digital Image of the Year: “Sandhills 4” – Peter Wong

Digital Image Runner-Up: “Wingfoot” – Peter Wong

Digital Image Honorable Mentions:

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COMPETITION AWARDS

Rookie of the Year:

1st Place: Anne Marie Plante  -  98 Points

2nd Place: Peter Wong  -  82 Points

3rd Place: Ryan Siemers  -  71 Points

President’s Award:

John A. Olson and Brian Billadeau

Color Print Competitor of the Year:

1st Place: Steven Shor  -  96 Points

2nd Place: Cynthia Fleury  -  71 Points

3rd Place: John Ringquist  -  62 Points

Monochrome Print Competitor of the Year:

1st Place: Joe Moss  -  68 Points

2nd Place: Lars Michael  -  46 Points

3rd Place: Cynthia Fleury  -  31 Points

Digital Image Competitor of the Year:

1st Place: Steven Shor  -  94 Points

2nd Place: Holly Kuchera  -  93 Points

3rd Place: Bill Cooper  -  90 Points

100-Point Club:

Cynthia Fleury: 229 / Holly Kuchera: 206 / Joe Moss: 205 / Geoff Kuchera: 175 /Peter Thorpe: 170 / John Ringquist: 158 / Mark Karney: 153 / George Johnston: 149 / Bill Cooper: 138 / Lucius Luther: 123 / Kathy Hara: 101

Competitive Photographers of the Year: (tie)

Lars Michael  -  230 Points / Steven Shor   -  230 Points

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Our final meeting was on the same night we normally would meet (Thursday, June 17, at 6:30 p.m.), but at a wine tasting warehouse. Instead of a photography presenter we tasted 7 different wines and ate grilled brats and other goodies.  The club provided the brats and condiments, the wine tasting was covered by a small fee, and members could purchase wines directly from the owner at a substantial discount.

Some photos of the location:

Meeting Date:  June 1, 2010 – 6:30 PM

Meeting Location: Edina Art Center

Members Welcome!