July 20 Photo Club Meeting – Improve Your Skills
With Tom Applegate, Alexander S. Kunz, and Mark Ochenduszko
Last year’s July Improve Your Skills Meeting was a big success, so we are doing it again. A lot of people are on summer trips and vacations, but those still in town will enjoy an evening of photography expertise and sharing, split into 3 mini-presentations by leading club members.
Each session will last about 10 – 15 minutes and focus on a key item photography expertise.
Session 1: Tom Applegate – Preparation For Wildlife and Bird Photography
Welcome to my photography journey. Where do I start? When I was in junior high school I told my dad I wanted to get into photography and he said we couldn’t afford it. So in order to buy a camera I took a job after school and on weekends with one of the best photographers I’ve ever met. His name was Vester Dick of Vester Dick Photography. He took commercial, weddings, and portraiture photography. He was contracted with the local newspaper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and the Miss California Beauty Pageant, which I enjoyed photographing the most. He taught me the techniques of the dark room but more importantly made me go out on solo assignments, and told me to bring back photos that he could sell. Talk about pressure, especially when I had a Hasselblad with an expensive strobe unit swiped from me when I was on assignment! He said “Tom, don’t worry, these things happen.”
My best memorable assignment was getting a photo of what’s called the red tide, (anchovies that got caught in the Santa Cruz harbor and suffocated because of lack of oxygen). While there I asked a kid in a row boat, surrounded by dead fish, to hold his nose. While there I noticed another guy with a camera watching me photograph the boy but didn’t give it much thought.
Long story short, he worked for the Watsonville newspaper, our competitor, and he stole my photo not knowing I was shooting for our newspaper, got the same shot I set up and had it published in National Geographic! Vester Dick was livid, not to mention I wasn’t too happy about it either. The other photographer apologized to Vester later but by that time it was too late. The photo did win second place in the California News Papers category and I received credit and the winnings thanks to my boss.
After leaving my young photography career, I went active duty in the Navy and was trained as an electrician. After I was discharged, I became a residential and industrial electrician. But I always had a camera close by and pursued my passion of photography. I’ve been published in Fuji Camera Magazine, invited to China to display my photographs, and just began selling my photos through Getty Images. My awesome wife Jeanette and wonderful children, Shelly and Lori have supported me during this journey. Now my interest is focused on wildlife and bird photography.
Session 2: Alexander S. Kunz – Hand-held Macro Photos in a Natural Environement – Goals, Obstacles, Techniques
Alexander S. Kunz is a landscape and nature photographer originally from Germany who now lives in San Diego. He has a keen interest in local landscapes, environments and nature. His photographs of local landscapes and scenery decorate public spaces like hospitals and private homes alike, and are also used by corporate clients worldwide. He is a Certified Chaparral Naturalist with the California Chaparral Institute and cares deeply about the native landscapes of Southern California. He’s known to photo club members from his 2015 presentation on the back country landscapes of San Diego County, as a regular attendant of the club’s meetings and MemberShare, and the Lightroom workshop series at the MOPA San Diego.
Session 3: Mark Ochenduszko – Seascape Long Exposures – Techniques and Tips
Mark Ochenduszko is a retired former city manager, including 12 years for the City of Coronado. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University and is a longtime management consultant. Mark is a long term photography hobbyist and surfer. Mark’s favorite photography genres are long exposures, seascapes, and color images.
Intermission and MemberShare – Immediately Following
After the main presentation, we will have a brief intermission where you can pay your Photo Club Membership in person and purchase tickets for our sponsors raffle.
MemberShare will occur after the intermission.
Please note: Send 5 images via Dropbox to Steve Ross. You no longer need to resize your images. Instructions are here and they cover the details of getting the images to us.
The most important changes are that with the growth of the club and increase in meeting attendance, we must take the steps of limiting each member to 5 images and we will no longer be displaying non-member images in MemberShare.
As always, our club meetings are open to the general public. Please invite your friends to join us for an informative and great evening! Find more information here: Meeting Location and Details.
Don’t forget, with your 2017 Membership you will receive one raffle ticket each month for free! You can purchase additional tickets for $1.00. Also, if you paid for your membership at the last meeting, we will have your membership cards at the meeting!
Members are welcome to display their work in our meeting room. If you have a framed print and an easel, bring it in and set it up at 6:30 PM for everyone to see!