The February meeting is always the Salon Dinner and Awards Presentation, which is Saturday, February 27, 2010. This year we have reserved the entire Buddy’s Banquet Hall and as a result have plenty of spaces left. Please feel free to invite friends and/or family who might be interested in attending. The 2010 Salon Dinner Registration Form is included at the end of the newsletter. We must receive your order for tickets by February 19, 2010. Hope to see everyone there!

Field trips are a great way for SANP members to share their photographic knowledge with others. If you have a location in mind and wish to share it with others as a group or would like to share your photographic secrets with with a workshop contact Brad Cottrell. Anyone can suggest or lead a workshop or field trip.

SANP Spring Wildflower Hike
Frozen Head State Park
Saturday, April 17, 2010

Leader:  Kris Light                 Phone:  865-483-0643            E-mail:  klight10@comcast.net

Meeting place:  Frozen Head State Park visitor center

Time:  10:00 a.m.

Group size is not limited. No reservations required. 

Location description:

Frozen Head State Park is renowned for its variety of spring wildflowers. We can expect to find several varieties of violets and trillium, wild iris, wild geranium and many more spring ephemerals. If the weather cooperates and the temperatures are warm enough, we may see butterflies, bees, beetles, colorful millipedes and perhaps a salamander or two. Interesting fungi, mosses and lichens are a good possibility also. DeBord Falls on Panther Branch Creek is a short walk, about 1/4-mile from the trailhead. Small cascades and moss-covered boulders along the stream offer nice photo opportunities. If we don’t have too many distractions along the way, we might make it to the “Trillium Field” on the Panther Branch trail. Here we will see numerous Large-flowered White Trillium, Perfoliate Bellwort, Cumberland Spurge, Spotted and Yellow Mandarin, Dwarf Ginseng and many other wildflowers. The wide, gently-sloping trail can easily accommodate numerous photographers, their tripods and backpacks.

Learning opportunities:

• Artistic composition
• Getting adequate depth of field and a good background for a macro subject
• Isolating the subject from the background using a long lens
• Field identification and natural history of plants

Zoom lenses in the normal to wide angle range will probably be most useful. Long lenses and macro lenses will be useful for isolating small wildflowers or insects. Bring polarizing filters for the water scenes, and, as always, a tripod. Waterproof foot gear might be useful for getting to the best shooting position for water shots. Since wildflower photography often involves low-angle shots, a plastic sheet is useful for protecting your legs from getting damp when you kneel or lay on the ground. A wildflower field guide is helpful for identifying new plants too.

Driving directions:

From Oak Ridge, take Hwy 62 (N Illinois Ave) to Oliver Springs. Just beyond downtown Oliver Springs, continue on Hwy 62 by turning right. From this point, go about 14 miles and turn right at the sign for Frozen State Park and continue on this road about 4 miles to the park visitor center. After meeting at the visitor center, we will continue on to the parking area at the end of the road.

Biographical information for Kris:

Kris Light is a new member of SANP. She has lived in Oak Ridge for the past 30 years. She and her husband, Ken, enjoy hiking in the parks and mountains of east Tennessee. Kris has taught environmental education outreach classes for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the American Museum of Science and Energy since 1987 and was a science specialist for the Oak Ridge Schools for 13 years until 2009. She looks forward to leading wildflower hikes each spring so she can share her love of nature with others.

In 2003 Kris began compiling her wildflower photos into a website: www.easttennesseewildflowers.com. Over the years it grew to include galleries of insects, birds, spiders, fungi, weather and other subjects about nature. She especially enjoys macro photography to capture the delicate details of flowers, snowflakes, and insects. Capturing an image of an aphid giving birth was an exciting event for her a couple of summers ago! She uses photography and her website to help educate people about the wonders of nature.

Workshops are a great opportunity for SANP members to learn from experts in our region. If you would like to share your photographic secrets with club members in a workshop setting, contact Brad Cottrell. Anyone can suggest or lead a workshop.

ANDY ARMSTRONG WORKSHOP
Two-day Photography & Photoshop Workshop -- “No Limits: Knoxville”
March 1 and 2, 2010

Leader:  Andy Armstrong                            E-mail:  andy@andyarmstrongphoto.com

This workshop will be held at a large studio space in the Old City both days from 9am to 5pm. Cost for this workshop is $199/person before February 1, and $249/person starting February 1. So be sure to register early if you are interested! All of the information for this workshop can be found at the website.

Do you want to learn how to get the best out of your clients during a shoot? Do you want to create images that turn heads? Do you want to wow your clients with every image? Do you want to produce images, albums, and specialty products that set you apart from your competition and help you get national and international recognition? If you do, then you don’t want to miss “No Limits: Knoxville”.

Join three-time international award-winning photographer and creator of Design House, Andy Armstrong for this intensive, hands-on photography workshop as he teaches and demonstrates interpersonal interaction, shoot strategy, pose flow, and how there are “No Limits” in creating image after image that make mouths and wallets fall open.

“No Limits: Knoxville” includes:

• Live model shoots
• Posing demonstration and instruction
• Lighting demonstration and instruction
• How to communicate more effectively
• How to make your clients comfortable
• Hands-on coaching
• When and how to break the rules
INTENSIVE Photoshop demonstration and training that will help you create your style and win awards

ADAM JONES WORKSHOP WEEKEND

SANP is pleased to announce that Canon “Explorer of Light” Adam Jones will be presenting a workshop weekend for us on Saturday and Sunday, April 24 & 25, 2010. Each day will be a distinctly different workshop.

On Saturday, April 24 Adam will be presenting a classroom workshop, sponsored by Canon, in the Goins Auditorium at Pellissippi State Technical Community College. This workshop will have a limit of 150 people (capacity of Goins Auditorium) and include lunch at PSTCC cafeteria. Cost for Saturday will be $20 per person and pre-registration is required. Pre-registration will be limited to SANP members only until February 15. After February 15 pre-registration will be open to the public, and we will be sending information to other photography clubs in the East Tennessee area. Please make your check to SANP.

On Sunday, April 25 Adam will lead a hands-on field workshop in Great Smoky Mountains NP. This workshop will be limited to 20 participants and will cost $75 per person. Because of the anticipated demand for this field workshop and its limited size, we will have a lottery drawing at the Salon on February 27 to determine the 20 participants and also 10 alternates for a waiting list. You must attend the Saturday, April 24 workshop to be eligible to attend the Sunday, April 25 workshop. Deadline to enter your name in the lottery drawing is February 15, and payment must be made by March 15 and is non-refundable. To have your name included in the lottery, send an email titled “Adam Jones Workshop Lottery” to kchiles@knology.net by February 15. This Sunday workshop will be open to SANP members only. Please make your check to Adam Jones.