October 2011 Volume 68, Issue 4

Special points of interest:

High Magnification

Macro Photography,

this is amazing stuff!!!

Scores of 15 again!!!

A Ghost Ranch, now

that would be fun!!!

APSA is not easy

to come by, but we

have a couple more

members with this

recognition.

Inside this Issue:

High Magnification

Macro Photography,

Thomas Shahan

1,

3-6

Meetings, Workshop

Schedule, Visitors &

Announcements

2

Scores of 15 6

Competition Photos 7-10

Ghost Ranch and the

Faraway Nearby,

Craig Varjabedian

11

Competition Results 12 -

15

PSA Recognition of

Jan and Wally Lee

with APSA

16

Oklahoma Camera

Club, Inc.

Founded 1931

Thomas Shahan’s

High Magnification Macro

Photography

The image above is one of the plentiful and

beautiful Hummingbird Hawk Moths

(Macroglossum stellatarum) I encountered

while in Arezzo, Italy. The shot was taken

with my new Pentax Kx and an old 50mm

f/1.4 prime.

This beautiful little Ommatius female

caught my eye one miserably hot day last

August while I was fruitlessly chasing Hol-

cocephala robbers around a swampy area.

Female Ommatius Robber Fly Hummingbird Hawk Moth

Cont’d Page 3 . . .

She seemed to be relatively unfazed by my

presence and was perched atop a secure

stick in the shade, so I decided to try for a

few shots. She was an absolute joy to watch

and photograph – leaping from her perch

constantly only to reappear at the exact

same perch seconds later – each time with a

new pierced captive. (Check out

w w w . T h o m a s S h a h a n . c o m a n d

www.flickr.com/opoterser.)

HypoCheck Schedule & Announcements Oklahoma Camera

Club

Inc.

Meetings: 7:30 pm

2nd and 4th Tuesdays

50th and N. May Ave.

Central Presbyterian

Church

For club information

Contact

wally.lee2@yahoo.com

405.751.8179

Page 2 of 16

Board of Directors

President Derrell Dover

1st VP Lee Donlon

2nd VP Randy Carr

1yr. Dir. Jaci Finch APSA

1yr. Dir. Jan Lee APSA,

PPSA

2yr. Dir. Diane Hogue

2yr. Dir. Aloma Anderson

Treasure Brad Smith

Secretary Wally Lee APSA

Visitors: September 13 - Calvin Pryor,

cpryor2@cox.net, from OKC learned of the club

on the internet. Calvin has an interest in Wildlife

and outdoor photography - looks like you will fit

right in Calvin. Look forward to seeing you

again. Ken Pryor from OKC has an interest in

Nature photography. He learned of the club by

word of mouth. We certainly appreciate you vis-

iting us Ken and look forward to having you stop

by again. Shelly & Terry Vallandinghan, shel-

lyv1@mac.com, from Shawnee also found us on

the internet. Shelly and Terry have interests in

Portraits and a little of everything (sounds like a

number of others doesn‘t it!). We certainly ap-

preciate you coming by and will look forward to

seeing you again. Most of you know our next

visitor, Joe Spence, joespence2@sbcglobal.net,

from OKC. Joe also made it back to our next

meeting on September 27. As you know, Joe has

a wide range of photographic interests. I am fre-

quently reminded of his talent as I sit in the den-

tist chair and have to stare at his picture hanging

on the wall in front of me. Welcome back Joe,

look forward to having you join us again soon.

Photoshop/Elements Workshop: Will meet

October 28th at 7:30pm at our house. Your

homework is - How to Improve Portraits. You may

contact Carol or Tom McCreary, 425 SW

53rd, 634-1817 if you have questions.

Workshops

Photography 101 Workshop: This workshop has

been discontinued due to lack of interest, i.e., no

participation. For information please contact Ed

Lamb at 721-4714 or edlamb25@att.net.

Beginning Imaging Workshop: Since Jan is having

her knee replaced on the 10th of October, we'd

better cancel the Beginning Imaging Workshop for

the 12th. After we see how she is doing, we may

try to reschedule it for later in the month. For

additional information call Wally or Jan Lee at

751-8179.

Meetings

October 11, 2011: Competition: Prints - Monochrome A & B , Color

A & B, Photojournalism & Nature

Judges: Jim McIntosh, Debbie Devonshire &

Brad Smith

Program: Jason Wallace,

www.jasonwallacephoto.com doing a program on

architectural and real estate photography. ―It‘s like

landscape photography with a building in the way.‖

– Oklahoma photographer Jason Wallace will

discuss his exploration into architectural and real

estate imagery. He will describe his techniques for

shooting exteriors, interiors, and the space itself.

Refreshments: Jaci and Doug Finch, APSA’s

October 25, 2011: Competition: Projected Images - Open A & B,

Creative, Nature, Monochrome & Photojournalism

Judges: Darrell McClanahan, Bob Green &

TBA

Program: Wally Lee APSA & Jan Lee APSA,

PPSA, presenting a program on judging - what

makes a 3 a 5! We'll show a few pictures that

would be judged a 3 and give suggestions as to how

to make them at least a 4, maybe a 5. (A nice way

of showing judges what to look for in a picture).

Maybe have 3 pictures: first one is 3, next is

cleaned up to 4, last one is WOW‘d to a 5.

Refreshments: Lorraine Caddy

Board Meeting

Time 7:00 PM, Location: 6021 Glencove Pl, Okla-

homa City, OK http://maps.yahoo.com/

# m v t = m & l a t = 3 5 . 5 5 4 9 3 5 & l o n = -

97.622931&zoom=17&q1=6021%20Glencove%

20Pl%2C%20Oklahoma%20City%2C%20Ok%

2073132 Tuesday, October 18. Subject: We will

finalize the agenda at the Board Meeting.

[If interested thought we would meet for dinner

at Billy Simms Barbeque (6401 NW Expressway)

for all the Sooner Fans, 6:00 PM]. Derrell Dover

Page 3 of 16 HypoCheck

Thomas Shahan’s, Macro Photography Cont’d next page . . .

Club Dues

Individual $30

Family or Joint $40

(other rates available as

well as partial for less

than year)

Make Checks Payable To

Oklahoma Camera Club

Mail To

Club Treasurer

Brad Smith

1008 NW 18th,

Oklahoma City, OK

73106-6417

Contact

bradsmith5@cox.net

Frequently Asked Questions (and Frequent Answers):

What camera equipment do you use?

I‘m currently using a Pentax K200D with either a vintage 28mm or 50mm prime re-

versed to the end of extension tubes. In the rare chance that I have a highly coopera-

tive subject, I may bust out my macro bellows for some really high magnification shots.

How do you get bugs to sit still for your photographs?

I don‘t ―get‖ the bugs to do anything. The vast majority of arthropods I try to

photograph vanish before I can even get a single shot! The two keys to

successful macro photography are in understanding the behavior of different

arthropods and taking an incredible large amount of shots (with considerable

emphasis on the latter).

You’re just too good! There must be some sort of trickery going on . . . did

you freeze or gas these bugs?

No! I obviously love working with arthropods quite a bit and would never intentionally

harm a subject just to get a good photo. Very early on in my experiments with macro

photography I did pop a few bugs in the fridge in an attempt to slow them down, but

after I had one or two die on me, the guilt got to me and I haven‘t ―chilled‖ any sub-

jects since. I can assure you, all the subjects in my photos are quite alive and in good

health unless I state otherwise! Cont’d Next Page. . . .

Page 4 of 16 HypoCheck

You grow up

the day you

have your first

real laugh - at

yourself.

~ Ethel

Barrymore

Thomas Shahan’s, Macro Photography Cont’d next page . . .

I’ve somehow developed the idea

that it’s impossible to successfully

focus-stack images of a live animal.

These bugs are dead, aren’t they?

Once again, no! I do not immobilize or

physically restrict the movement of my

subjects in any way. If it‘s an option I

always try to photograph subjects in their

natural environment (or at least outside),

but occasionally I will bring an arthropod

indoors to photograph (usually Salticids as

they can disappear if not watched).

As for the focus-stacking, sometimes I just

get lucky and the bug/spider will sit still

enough for me to fire off a couple shots

from the same angle. I do all my focus

stacking manually in Photoshop with great

care to not alter or misrepresent the form

of the subject.

Do you sell prints? Do you have a

book?

Sorry, I currently don‘t sell prints (though

I would like to soon) or have a book out

yet. If you‘re a publisher and interested in

working something out with me - contact

me.

These bugs are beautiful! Where do

you live?

Oklahoma, USA

I’d like to get into macro photogra-

phy. What lens, camera, flash

should I buy?

Equipment is secondary - you can do a lot

with a little. Just get out there, have fun

looking for bugs and take as many photos

as possible! Cont’d next page . . .

Adult Male

Phidippus mystuceus

Adult Male Tutelina elegans

Jumping Spider

Eating a Red Mite

Eye Arrangement

Hogna Wolf Spider

HypoCheck

Page 5 of 16

Thomas Shahan’s, Macro Photography Cont’d next page . . .

You will

become as

small as your

controlling

desire; as

great as your

dominant

aspiration.

~James Allen

Female Striped Horse Fly

(Tabanus lineola)

To put things in perspective a bit, here she is (all 15mm of

her) on the rusty railing I found her on

The image on the left has no flash, the center is with flash, and the final image is the final

processed photo (focus stacked/levels adjusted/top of frame burned slightly)

It's worth noting that male Tabanids are completely

harmless as they merely feed on nectar and pollen. It's

the females (like the beauty above) that feed off verte-

brate blood and have those wonderfully vicious scissor-

like mouthparts that easily rip through human flesh.

Despite the bad reputation, I haven't been bitten by one

of these radiant flies yet - although that would make for

a great photo should it ever happen. To determine the

gender of large Tabanids - the males have compound

eyes that touch in the center of the head as seen here.

Cont’d next page . . .

HypoCheck Page 6 of 16

We are

always looking

for more

articles or

ideas to share.

Please send

them our way!!!

dmfinch@cox. net

Randy Carr received a

score of 15 in the PJ

Print competition for

the print

Kiss of Death

Congratulations Randy.

Scores of 15 - Congratulations

Thomas Shahan’s, Macro Photography

I haven't been going out looking for bugs as much as I would like to as it has been quite

hot around here lately (over 100 degrees). But I did manage to take a short drive out to

Lake Bixhoma this afternoon with the usual hope of finding new jumping spiders. Al-

though I only found one common salticid, I had a great afternoon. After just an hour or

so, my eyes were filling with sweat so fast, looking through the viewfinder was nearly

impossible. I decided to call it a day at that point, as I ruined a few buttons on my last

camera from sweating. What happens is that when I look through the viewfinder, the tip

of my nose rests right on the playback button, and effectively acts like a funnel channel-

ing all my sweat right into the button. Check out www.ThomasShahan.com and

www.flickr.com/opoterser for additional photos and narrative.

I would like to express my appreciation to Thomas Shahan for the opportunity to use

some of his fantastic photos and narrative regarding ―bugs‖. Thanks

Doug Finch APSA

Robber Fly

(Holcocephala fusca)

My favorite little robber flies are back! They

still aren't easy to shoot, but those eyes are

always worth the struggle. Out of the 200

shots I took yesterday, only a handful were

good enough to do anything with. These

little flies are just ~5mm long and incredibly

skittish, making them a particularly tough

subject to shoot.

Despite their size, they're just as vicious

hunters as their larger cousins - taking down

just about any flying and non-flying prey their

size or less.

HypoCheck Page 7 of 16

Photographers

deal in things

which are

continually

vanishing and

when they have

vanished there

is no

contrivance on

earth which can

make them

come back

again.

~ Henri

Cartier-

Bresson

September Competition Cont’d next page . . .

Cactus Flower with Bug

Charles Taylor APSA

Abandoned to the Weeds

Carol McCreary APSA

Racing to the Ball

Carol McCreary APSA

Collard Lizard Lookout

Tom McCreary PPSA

Patriarch

Charles Taylor APSA

Moving The Runner

Charles Taylor APSA

Black and White Freestyle

Randy Carr

Page 8 of 16

HypoCheck

Nothing can

bring you

happiness

but yourself.

~ Ralph Waldo

Emerson

September Competition Cont’d next page . . .

Eye on the Prize

Randy Carr

Looking for a Soft Spot

Charles Taylor APSA

Holland Harbor Sunset

Tom McCreary PPSA

Jonathan and Glasses

Carol McCreary APSA

Kiss of Death

Randy Carr

Ship’s Rigging

Carol McCreary APSA

Niki

Aloma Anderson

Almost to the Net

Carol McCreary APSA

Page 9 of 16

HypoCheck

Listen to the

mustn'ts child.

Listen to the

don’ts.

Listen to the

shouldn'ts,

the impossible,

the won’ts.

Listen to the

never haves,

then listen close

to me.

Anything can

happen, child.

Anything can

be.

~Shel

Silverstein

September Competition Cont’d next page . . .

Envy

Debby Devonshire

Turn’ im

Diane Hogue

Nothing Like a Cadillac

Jack Melton

Scarlet Macaw

Randy Carr

Smoke Break

Charles Taylor APSA

So, I was Thinking . . .

John Key

Disabled Canon, Stones River

Charles Taylor APSA

Page 10 of 16

HypoCheck

I’m exchanging

molecules every

30 days with

the natural

world and in a

spiritual sense I

know I am a part

of it and take

my

photographs

from that

emotional

feeling within

me, rather than

from an

emotional

distance as a

spectator.

~ Galen Rowell

September Competition Cont’d next page . . .

Images of the Past

Diane Hogue

Rhino

Ward Conaway

He’s a Character

Diane Hogue

Rounding #3

Diane Hogue

Springtime on the Piedra

Robert Green

Lady in Red Dress

Wally Lee

Airborne Skater

Ward Conaway

Page 11 of 16

HypoCheck

The virtue of

the camera is

not the power

it has to

transform the

photographer

into an artist,

but the

impulse it gives

him to keep

on looking .

~ Brooks

Atkinson

OKLAHOMA CITY - The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum cor-

dially invites you to an exhibit by Santa Fe Artist Craig Varjabedian titled

GHOST RANCH AND THE FARAWAY NEARBY. The exhibit will open on

Friday, Sept. 23 at 4:30 p.m. and the photographs will be on display through Jan.

8, 2012.

At the heart of the Northern New Mexico's legendary Ghost Ranch, known as the

longtime home of the 20th-century painter Georgia O'Keeffe, Varjabedian has

captured the beauty and mystique of this magical place in this exceptional black

and white photography exhibit.

This traveling exhibition of images taken at Ghost Ranch over a period of several

years reaches beyond the familiar ideas associated with the place – into the artist's

unique vision of his subject's relationship to the surrounding earth and its

inhabitants.

Craig Varjabedian is widely acclaimed for his images capturing the American

West, taken over a photographic career of more than 35 years. An in-depth look

into his artist perspective can be found in his companion book to the exhibition,

Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby

Page 12 of 16

HypoCheck

Competition Results - Prints

September 13, 2011

Continued Page 13

Name Entry No. 1 Place Entry No. 2 Place

Monochrome - Class B

Vickie Jenkins Evening Silhouettes 1 Gracie 2

Monochrome - Class A

Randy Carr Black & White Freestyle 1 Eye on the Prize 1

Jan Lee Window Lighting 2 A Study of Contrast 3

Tom McCreary Wichita Wild Life Tree HM Harn Reenactors 3

Aloma Anderson Casey Is Bored — Timeless Arches —

Charles Taylor Quiet Morning 3 Colorado National Monument #2 —

Carol McCreary Johnathan & Glasses 2 Ship‘s Rigging 2

Color Prints - Class B

Jaci Finch Zebras in the Raw 2 Moon Light Over Sprague Lake 1

Vickie Jenkins In Flight Refueling 3 Old Homestead 1

Color Prints - Class A

Tom McCreary Holland Harbor Sunset 2 Indian Dancer Simplify —

Charles Taylor Smith River Falls 3 Smoke Break 1

Randy Carr Two Faces 3 Yellow Canoes 3

Jan Lee Red Is Her Color 2 Terra Cotta & Flowers 3

Aloma Anderson The Apothecary — The Last Wagon 3

Doug Finch Grand Canyon 3 Canyon Sunset HM

Carol McCreary Abandoned to the Weeds 3 Old Steam Engine HM

Nature

Vickie Jenkins What‘s Up — Good Morning HM

Tom McCreary Mature Trillium 3 Collard Lizard Lookout 2

Doug Finch Giraffes of South Africa 2 White Ibis 1

Jan Lee Affectionate Prairie Dogs 2 Yellow Violet & Fringed Phacelia 3

Charles Taylor Cactus Flower w/ Bug 2 Patriarch 1

Randy Carr Loggerhead Spa Turtle #2 2 Scarlet Macaw 1

Aloma Anderson One Hungry Turtle — What About Two in the Bush??? 3

Jim McIntosh Lonesome HM A Silhouette of the Past 3

Ward Conaway Cloud Scraper 3 Sailing Through the Fog 2

Aloma Anderson Niki 1 Cactus in Cyan 3

Charles Taylor Twilight Beach HM Rainforest Ghosts HM

John Key Henry Whitehead Infrared 3 Smokey Mountain Stream 3

Dale Donlon I See You HM Gonna Eat Good Tonight 2

Debbie Devonshire Fun on the Beach HM Forest and Sky HM

Diane Hogue Rounding #3 1 He‘s a Character 1

Jack Melton Desert Flowers HM Photographing Light HM

Wally Lee No. 22 Coming into Station HM White Fins Mono HM

Brooke Gorsuch Happy Girl HM No Entry HM

Name Entry No. 1 Place Entry No. 2 Place

Competition Results - Prints

September 13, 2011

Continued from Page 12

Monochrome

HypoCheck Page 13 of 16

Photojournalism

Vickie Jenkins Firemen Share Cool Mist for Kids — Senior Ski Competition 2

Aloma Anderson Minding the Buggies 3 A Man & His Bridge HM

Randy Carr Stone Cutter 3 Kiss of Death 1

Charles Taylor Looking for a Soft Spot 2 Moving the Runner 2

Carol McCreary Almost to the Net 2 Racing to the Ball 2

Competition Results - Digital

September 27, 2011

Continued Page 14

We‘re on the web!

www.Oklahomacameraclub.com

HypoCheck Page 14 of 16

Name Entry No. 1 Place Entry No. 2 Place

Advanced Color

Debbie Devonshire Monarch Beauty 3 Maiden Moth 3

Ward Conaway Bass Harbor Lighthouse 2011 #2 3 Bass Harbor Lighthouse 2011 #3 3

Robert Green Durango Road 2 O‘Keefe Country 2

Aloma Anderson Window with Wheel HM Bright Beacon 2

Brad Smith Painted Desert #1 3 Cathedral Rock Red Rock

Crossing #1

3

Jack Melton Nine - Oh - One Remembered 2 Old Wagon in the Shade 2

Wally Lee Lady in Red Dress 1 Black Dress and Big Smile 3

Charles Taylor Abyss Pool 3 Redwood Forest 3

Competition Results - Digital

September 27, 2011

Continued Page 15

John Key Seen Better Days 3 So I was Thinking 1

Sterling Ranne Diver at Pixie Pinnacle 2 Childhood Files 3

Dale Donlon My Profile is Better than Yours HM Hiding in the Green Leaves 3

Jennifer D‘Agostino Baby Malee 3 Relaxing Fall Day 3

Diane Hogue Zinnia and Bee HM Patriotic Pup 2

Jim McIntosh Surprise!!! 3 Pretty Bird 3

Beginning Color

Brad Smith Yellow & Mono Echinacea 3 Sunset Crater Mono #1 HM

Robert Green Springtime on the Piedra 1 Oklahoma Sunrise 2

Jack Melton Green Pony HM Nothing Like a Cadillac 1

Jennifer D‘Agostino Pikes Market Electrified 2 No Entry —

Jim McIntosh Red - Eye HM A Yellow Flower 3

Dale Donlon Glad 3 No Entry —

Diane Hogue Images of the Past 1 No Entry —

Debbie Devonshire The Kings Stands 2 Together 2

Charles Taylor Disable Cannon, Stones River 1 Iris Fantasy 1

Creative

HypoCheck Page 15 of 16

Name Entry No. 1 Place Entry No. 2 Place

Wally Lee Climbing the Spire 3 No Entry —

Aloma Anderson A Father‘s Grief 3 No Entry —

Diane Hogue Turn‗im 1 Loom Weaver HM

Jack Melton Ken & Barbie on Ice 3 Safe at Home HM

Debbie Devonshire Beach Fun 3 Envy 1

Dale Donlon Braving the Jump HM Beauty can be Deadly 3

Charles Taylor Long Tall Sally 3 Improbable Balance 2

Ward Conaway Airborne Skateboarder #3 1 Devon Tower Construction HM

John Key Off We Go, Yonder! HM All Chased Out! 2

Jim McIntosh Skateboard at the Park HM It Is Done This Way HM

Competition Results - Digital

September 27, 2011

Aloma Anderson Sleepy Fox 3 Summer Rain HM

Jim McIntosh Above All — African Antelope —

Dale Donlon Preparing for Flight 3 Nosy Deer 3

Wally Lee Emu Attitude HM Mountain Goat Lookout 2

Charles Taylor Rearguard Falls — Intruder Alert 2

Brad Smith Cathedral Rock Red Rock

Crossing #4

3 Grand Canyon near Yaki Point 3

John Key Baby Monkey 3 If it Smells Like a Tree 3

Jack Melton Desert Serenity HM Salt Desert Touching the Sky —

Diane Hogue Black Neck Stilt 3 No Entry —

Jennifer D‘Agostino Brazilian Ocelot 3 Snow Leopard in his Element HM

Ward Conaway Mountain Stream HM Rhino 1

Robert Green Mormon Tea, Sage & Wildflowers 3 Rim rock 2

Brooke Gorsuch Barely Awake HM No Entry —

Debbie Devonshire Volcanic Floor 3 Volcano Crater 3

Photojournalism

Nature

HypoCheck

Editors

Doug Finch APSA

Jaci Finch APSA

dmfinch@cox.net

Page 16 of 16

Laura J. Davies, FPSA

Public Relations V.P.

194 Windsor Court

New Brighton, MN 55112

Email; LJD1538@aol.com

September 30, 2011

To: Hypocheck Editor, Doug Finch, APSA

For Immediate Release

PRESS RELEASE

Oklahoma Camera Club Members Receive PSA Honors Two Oklahoma Camera Club Members were honored at the recent Photographic Society of America

(PSA) International Conference in Colorado Springs, CO. Jan Lee, PPSA, and Wally Lee were

awarded Associateship Honors (APSA) at the Honors Banquet of the Conference on September 24,

2011.

PSA recognized the outstanding organizational skills of Jan and Wally. They very capably co-chaired

the Oklahoma International Exhibition. They have also co-chaired the Pictorial Print Section of the PSA

International Exhibition for several years and have devised an improved method of presentation, mount-

ing the prints on foam core. They recently inventoried the entire PSA Permanent Print Collection before

it was moved to Artspace Untitled. They are also active in the Gulf States Camera Club Council. Wally

serves as the Star Ratings Director for PSA's Color Projected Image Division (CPID) and Jan serves as

the Galaxy Awards Director for CPID. They both are successful international exhibitors and judges.

PSA is a worldwide organization of both amateur and professional photographers, with members in 70

countries. The PSA web site at www.psa-photo.org has information about PSA, its activities, benefits,

and membership opportunities. If you love photography, you belong in PSA!

###

Congratulations!!!

Jan Lee PPSA & Wally Lee

Both awarded APSA