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May 23 Events

Click on the date to go to the VCC website for more info and to register when required.

Monday, May 1

Workshop: Shooting Nightscapes – Landscapes and Night Sky

Instructor: Jonathan Adams

This workshop will consist of two Monday evening sessions – May 1 and May 29, 2023.  Both sessions will run for three hours, starting at 6:30pm.  Attendance for the 1st session is necessary in order to attend the 2nd.

Please note that this workshop focuses on night photography, not astrophotography.   

This is an in-person workshop.  Please recognize that COVID protocols may be put in place, depending on conditions at the time.

Purpose of the Workshop:

In this workshop you will learn techniques for photographing and post-processing nightscapes, combining wide angle landscapes with starry skies.  These night sky images can include photographing the Milky Way, the moon, planets, the sun, star trails, as well as constellations, conjunctions and meteors showers.   

In this workshop we will cover the following topics:

     1.  Composition for night photography

     2.  Choosing your foreground

     3.  Using apps to schedule nighttime shooting

     4.  Camera settings and techniques for combining landscapes with night sky features

     5.  Post-processing techniques to get the most from your image.

The first session on May 1st, will address techniques for photographing nightscapes.  The second session, May 29th, explores post-processing techniques.  In between these sessions, participants will be encouraged to take their own nightscape images for processing.

Participants will need to be comfortable with Photoshop, including layers, curves, masks and colour balance.  As well, participants will be able to use their camera in the manual mode.

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop (with Photoshop loaded) for the post-processing portion in session 2.

Our goal will be for you to produce a stunning nightscape image.

Maximum number of participants:  20

Minimum number of participants:  5

Jonathan has been an active member of VCC since 2009, competing in the advanced category.  An award-winning photographer, Jonathan had a nightscape image ‘Pixie by Starlight’ win Best of Show in the PSA Interclub Digital Open Round 2 in 2018.

6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Camosun College Lansdowne Room 200 Fisher Building

Please register.

Tuesday, May 2

Alternate Tuesday Photo Shoot – Playfair Park

Coordinator: Don Piper

1198 Rock Street. Parking can be a little tight at the end of Rock St. This 3.71-hectare park features a beautiful camas, azalea and rhododendron garden, Garry Oak meadow, and lots of native wildflowers.

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Playfair Park

1198 Rock Street, Saanich

The larger parking lot is just off of Rock Street, just east of Quadra. The first left off of Rock Street takes you into the lot.

Please register.

Sunday, May 7

Saturna Island – Day Trip

Join us for a full day trip to beautiful Saturna Island on Sunday May 7th.

Andree Fredette a VCC member and Saturna Island resident will be our guide and tell us how to get to these interesting places. 

Based on their interest, photographers can go to:

The national park reserve (Winter Cove, Mount Warburton Pike, Narvaez Bay/Monarch Head, East Point, each spectacular in its own way). 

Fiddlers’ Cove (near East Point), where a trail follows a high bluff down to the shore, on the Tsawout Reserve. 

Andree got permission from the band office to take visitors on the reserve.

The Campbell Farm, sheep and cattle working farm. 

The Sage Hayward Vineyard (waiting to hear if the tasting room will be open for us – their opening day is the following weekend). 

Bring a lunch, snacks and any thing you need for the day.  The general store is open for those who forget something. 

Dinner at the Lighthouse Pub. 

Morning Ferry departs Swartz Bay at 9:05 AM and arrives at Saturna at 10:15 AM. (Get there early)

Evening ferry departs Saturna at 9:05 PM and arrives at Swartz Bay at 10:15 PM.

Meet Andree in the parking area as you get off the Ferry.

This trip is weather dependant, watch your inbox for updates.

Please register

Monday, May 8

Exploring Creativity with Long Exposure Photography

Presenter: Mike Murchison

We will explore the use of Long Exposure Photography as a means to help express your photographic vision.   When, where, why and how we might use long exposures will be the main focus of the presentation.  We will discuss subjects that lend themselves well to long exposures as well as situations in which the technique can enhance the story of our images.

We will also spend some time discussing required gear and the process of taking longer exposures as well as technical issues that you may encounter when in the field.

Photographers of all levels are welcome to attend.

Mike’s Bio:

Photographers are often described by their primary genre; in which case you would likely call me a landscape photographer. I just see myself as a guy who enjoys getting away from the busy world and out into nature, going for walks with camera in hand, and making photographs that capture some of the beauty in the world as I see it.  I have been making images for about eight years now and enjoy passing on the lessons I have learned from personal experiences, but more importantly, sharing the knowledge other photographers have been kind enough to share with me.

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

ZOOM

Please register

Tuesday, May 9

Wired – Tuesday AM Field Trip PLUS private visit to Gage Gallery

Coordinator: Penny Codding

Photoshoot: Wired

Theme: Wired – some possible interpretations are “pumped up”, connected to telecommunications, a listening device or connected by thread-shaped metal

At 10:00 AM, the group is invited to a private viewing of the new show at the Gage Gallery, VEN-us 2023, that features the work of three artists (VCC members Danielle Labonte and Anne McCarthy and painter Judi Beck) using the mediums of digital art, photography and painting. As part of the process, they each shared a photo for interpretation by another. So, like a Venn diagram their lives and images have some shared and some individual elements.

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Meet at 10:00 AM at the Farmhouse Victoria Coffee Shop in lower Bastion Square.

This trip is weather dependant, watch your inbox for updates

Please register.

Tuesday, May 16

ALT Tuesday AM Field Trip – Center of the Universe

The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, 5071 West Saanich Road was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. Open 10:00 AM-2:00 PM. Dennis Crabtree, our own Camera Club V.P., will give us a tour of the Dome and Telescope.

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria BC

This trip is weather dependant, watch your inbox for updates

Please register.

Tuesday, May 16

Novice Image Review

Presented by David Clow

VCC Novice members can get some feedback on their favorite images from Dave Clow, one of the VCC Advanced members. 

All images will be reviewed while maintaining the submitters’ anonymity. Whenever possible, Dave will display a ‘before & after’ comparison, to illustrate techniques that might improve the image. 

These Reviews are meant to provide Novice photographers with some common photography tools to assist them in planning, capturing and editing their own photography.  VCC wants to encourage novice members’ enthusiasm for taking pictures, and sharing their pictures with fellow photographers.

Any Novice VCC member may attend any Review session, even if they have not submitted any images to Dave. However, you must be registered for the Zoom link each month. 

Please send up to 3 images (RAW plus jpeg) to Dave, at by Friday midnight prior to a scheduled Review session (see VCC Calendar)

Remember, the Review is not a competition.  I am looking forward to seeing your pictures!

Happy shooting, Dave Clow

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

ZOOM

Please register

Thursday, May 18

Year-End Competition and Award Night

7:30 PM – 9:00 PM

Norway House

1110 Hillside Avenue

Victoria, BC V8T 2A7

Sunday, May 21

Ross Bay Villa

Group Leader: Rilla Ballantyne

Ross Bay Villa is a historic house museum situated at 1490 Fairfield Road, across from the Ross Bay Cemetery between Thurlow and Arnold and near the Thrifty’s Plaza. It was rescued from demolition when in a very sorry state and has been entirely restored and furnished by skilled and dedicated volunteers. Built in 1865 it is one of only ten surviving Victoria houses known to have been built before 1870.

The field trip will be limited to 16 participants as the rooms are small and crowded with furnishings and decor as in the fashion of the Victorian Age. There will be opportunity to shoot the attractive exterior and the garden which has been planted as appropriate to the period. Our host/guides will be Camera Club member/Villa Volunteer Nick Russell and other “Villains” (their word!) so the needs of photographers will be well understood. Tripods are welcome but, please, only two tripods in any one room at a time.

Admission is by donation with a suggested minimum of $7.50, cash only please. All parking is on the surrounding streets. There are some spaces on Fairfield directly in front of the house, avoid Arnold, which is littered with “Resident Only” signs and apparently carefully monitored, Thurlow appears open to general parking as is Memorial which runs alongside the cemetery and has generous spaces on the right going down towards the water. Please check for the appropriate signs!

After the visit there are “self guided” shooting opportunities over in the cemetery. Look out for the resident deer! Those wishing a lunch spot could check the “Ross Bay Pub” in the Thrifty’s Plaza where there is also a small coffee shop.

As mentioned, the house is small so the plan is for half the group to shoot the interior and half the exterior then change halfway through the visit. 

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Meet at 10:30 AM at 1490 Fairfield Road

*Note* Admission is by a $7.50 cash donation. 

The trip is weather dependant so please watch for updates in case of dodgy conditions.

Tuesday, May 23

Tuesday AM Field Trip – Colourful!

Coordinator: Penny Codding

Theme: Each participant will draw a crayon from the box and make that colour (or the crayon) the theme for their images for the day.

Meet at 10:00 AM at the Farmhouse Victoria Coffee Shop in lower Bastion Square.

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Please register.

This trip is weather dependant, watch your inbox for updates

Tuesday, May 23

Workshop: Architectural Abstracts

Instructor: Steve Barber

This workshop will examine how to create abstract compositions based on modern and historic architecture. Topics covered will include shadows, curves, reflections, triangles, light, texture, colour, juxtaposition and rhythm. The workshop will conclude with an audio-visual presentation titled “Tokyo Modern”, using architectural abstracts.

Steve’s Bio:

Steve Barber, now retired, was the Senior Heritage Planner for the City of Victoria Planning & Development Department.  He was the Heritage Planner in Victoria for 28 years and prior to that, was a Heritage Planner for 8 years in Winnipeg.  He received a Masters of Environmental Design in Architecture from the University of Calgary and has lectured on heritage conservation at the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University and numerous conferences.

Photography has been a passion since he was 21 years old. Colour, form, pattern, composition and quality of light guide his work. Steve is an active member of the Victoria Camera Club, and has been on photo tours to Venice, Morocco, Cuba and Japan with Richard Martin of Kingston, Ontario. He loves to explore street photography, architecture, landscapes and abstracts. Whether in London or Paris he loves exploring historic architecture and urban form.

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

ZOOM

Please register.

Sunday, May 28

***TIME CHANGE***Abkhazi Gardens

Group leader: Rilla Ballantyne

Come out and enjoy the wonderful Abkhazi Gardens on Sunday May 28th.

This information is from their website.

The Abkhazi Gardens is an exquisite heritage home and garden located in Victoria, British Columbia, a city known for its wonderful gardens.  Prince and Princess Abkhazi began creating their garden in 1946.  This was the year they married and settled in Victoria, after living separate lives touched by both privilege and tragedy.  They immediately began to develop their one-acre property, and continued to maintain and improve the garden throughout their lives together.

The garden is very discreet from the street, with only hints of what exists beyond the hornbeam hedge.  What the visitor does find is a garden that embraces a natural landscape that is unique to Victoria.  The garden is blessed with dramatic glaciated rocky slopes, magnificent native Garry oaks and gorgeous vistas.  The garden is designed to make the most of these remarkable features and it is the Abkhazis’ response to their landscape that qualifies it as a stunning example of West Coast design.  The garden flows around the rock, taking advantage of deeper pockets of soil for conifers, Japanese maples and rhododendrons which over the last 50 years have grown to an impressive maturity.  Carpets of naturalized bulbs, choice alpines and woodland companions provide interest throughout the year to the discerning plantsman, but it is the overall design that leaves the greatest impression.

The Abkhazis worked together on their creation for over 40 years, referring to it as “their child”.  After their deaths the Garden changed hands, and in February 2000, The Land Conservancy purchased the property to save it from becoming a townhouse development.

Admission is by donation.

Meet at: 11:00 AM on Sunday May 28th at the front gate of Abkhazi Gardens, 1964 Fairfield Road

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Please register.

Monday, May 29

Shooting Nightscapes – Landscapes and Night Sky

Instructor: Jonathan Adams

This workshop will consist of two Monday evening sessions – May 1 and May 29, 2023.  Both sessions will run for three hours.  You must have attended the 1st session on May 1st in order to attend this event.  Thank you.

Please note that this workshop focuses on night photography, not astrophotography.

This is an in-person workshop.  Please recognize that COVID protocols may be put in place, depending on conditions at the time.

Purpose of the Workshop

In this workshop you will learn techniques for photographing and post-processing nightscapes, combining wide angle landscapes with starry skies.  These night sky images can include photographing the Milky Way, the moon, planets, the sun, star trails, as well as constellations, conjunctions and meteors showers.   

In this workshop we will cover the following topics:

Composition for night photography

Choosing your foreground

Using apps to schedule nighttime shooting

Camera settings and techniques for combining landscapes with night sky features

Post-processing techniques to get the most from your image.

The first session on May 1st, will address techniques for photographing nightscapes.  The second session, May 29th, explores post-processing techniques.  In between these sessions, participants will be encouraged to take their own nightscape images for processing.

Participants will need to be comfortable with Photoshop, including layers, curves, masks and colour balance.  As well, participants will be able to use their camera in the manual mode.

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop (with Photoshop loaded) for the post-processing portion in session 2.

Our goal will be for you to produce a stunning nightscape image.

Maximum number of participants:  20

Minimum number of participants:  5

Jonathan has been an active member of VCC since 2009, competing in the advanced category.  An award winning photographer, Jonathan had a nightscape image ‘Pixie by Starlight’ win Best of Show in the PSA Interclub Digital Open Round 2 in 2018.

6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Camosun College Lansdowne Room 200 Fisher Building

Room 200 Fisher Building 3100 Foul Bay Road Victoria BC V8P 5J2

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