Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia

Here are some of the remaining PSA Scores from several of the divisions.

EID Division – Judged May 17th by Foto Club Quilmes – Argentina (out of 15)

Water Lily – Hubert Boudreau – 6
Posing Bluebird Female on Twig – Marian Boyer – 9
Peek-A-Book Kitty – Joyce Chew – 6
Golden Edged Tulips – Jen Fried – 6
Apprentice Blacksmith – Ken Renton – 8
Seasmoke Over Grand Canal – Keith Vaughn – 10 (HM)

At the end of the season, we stand 15th out of 21 clubs who participated.

Nature – Judged by F/67 Camera Club – Washington (out of 15)

Two Hungry Moorhen Chicks with Mom – Marian Boyer – 10
Catching The Wind – Joyce Chew – 9
Two Burchill Zebras – Nanciellen Davies – 8
Elk In Thicket – Viki Gaul – 9
Honey Bee – George Mitchell – 10
Bryce Canyon Mini Wall – John Wm Webb – 8

At the end of the season, we stand at 16th place out of 26 clubs in the B group.

Photo Travel – Judged by Gem State Camera Club (out of 15)

Painted Ladies of San Francisco – Marian Boyer – 12
Time Square New York – Carolyn Renton – 12
Harbin Ice Sculpture – Nanciellen Davies – 11
Camel Ride – Keith Vaughn – 11
Chapel Bell Trio – Joyce Chew – 10
Slot Canyon – Viki Gaul – 10

At the end of the season, we stand 9th out of 32 clubs.

PJ – Judged by Gulf States Camera Club, Corpus Christie, Texas (out of 15)

Sure Winner – Tanya Elson – 8

C-4 200 – Laszlo Podor – 7

Wheelie Wave – Charles Plant – 6

Attack of the Pride of Baltimore – Nanciellen Davies – 6

Flying at Cheer Expo – Peter Steeper – 9

Hard Hit – Mike McCarthy – 7

At the end of the season, we ranked 7th out of 18 clubs.

I’m still waiting for the final Creative judging, but the most recent scores are from the

November Creative competition are as follows:

Solitary Yellow Iris – Marian Boyer – 10

Butterfly Intercept – Bob Kerr – 12

Genie In A Box – Mike McCarthy – 11

Ghost Ship – Marg Nolen – 12

The Clogs – Ken Renton – 13

Cara Pin-Up 1 – Mike McCarthy – 14 (HM)

Meet at 9 am at Just Us Coffee at 11865 on Highway #1. If you are travelling from Halifax on Highway 101, take Exit 10 to Wolfville. Just Us Coffee is on the right hand side of Highway # 1 just a short distance from Exit 10.

Morning – 9.30 a m to 12.30 p m ( about an hour and a half at each venue)

1. Blomidon Inn – Victorian Gardens – 195 Main Street in Wolfville

2. Gaspereau Valley Fibres – Farm Wool Shop – 830 Gaspereau River Rd

Lunch in Wolfville or Port Williams

For those who are interested, I am making a reservation for The Port Gastropub in Port Williams for 1.00 p m. Please let me know before June 24th if you would like me to include you in the reservation.

Afternoon -2.00 to 5.30 pm (about an hour at each venue)

3. Prescott House Museum and Gardens – 1633 Starrs Point Road (The
Museum has an entry fee of $3.25)

4. Muir Murray Estate Winery – Dyke Road – (from downtown Wolfville travel 3 kms east on Highway #1 and turn left on Dyke Road)

5. The Tangled Garden -11827 on Highway 1 (near Exit 10 off Highway 101) Admission Fee of $3.00.

Please bring your completed Field Trip Waiver Form which can be downloaded
off our PGNS website.

http://www.photoguild.ns.ca/events/pgns-field-trip-waiver.pdf

Sunscreen, fly repellant, waterproof footwear (for wet grass if
need be) and money for admission fees are suggested.

To help ensure you receive notice of any changes or cancellation due to
weather, please call (422-8164) or email me if you plan to attend.
(Rain date is Sunday, June 27th)

I hope you are able to join us!

Dean

South Shore Field Trip-Saturday, June 12th (final version)

9:00 a m -meet in Mahone Bay (Exit 10 )parking lot across from Irving/Tims . Please bring signed waiver.

Morning-Photograph at a car dump in Blockhouse (a tidy, colorful private dump of older cars)

Late morning-a visit to Gilbert Van Ryckevorsel’s studio in Mahone Bay

Lunch-The Knot Pub, Lunenburg

Afternoon-Ferry over the LaHave River to LaHave Bakery and Rissers Beach.



The program by Fred and Viki on Sunday evening has been changed.

Last August when the program was conceived, we planned to do pictures taken here at home, but then we attended the PSA Annual Conference in Yellowstone National Park, and we were so pleased with the images we decided to change the program and show you a slide show we call “Fabulous Yellowstone”…

If time allows we would like to show you an overview of the PSA Image Analysis Course offered through the PSA Website by Jon Fishback.

We think you will enjoy it and hope to see you there.

Fred and Viki…

This field trip is still on for March 15th.
A little light rain of a couple of mm’s will help enhance the flowers under nice even light. Just keep dry yourselves.
See you there.
“Life Is Good”
John Webb

Saturday June 12 – 9:15 am

Meet in Mahone Bay parking lot across from Irving Station & Tims. Exit 9 from 103.

Morning - Photography at a car dump in Blockhouse.

Lunch - Happy Cooker restaurant at Exit 11, Blockhouse ( 5 minutes from car dump)
Possibly stop at the Rhododendron park in Liverpool if flowers are in bloom.

Afternoon - Hwy 103 to Carters Beach, Queens County (will be low tide there)-long white sand beaches with sand dollars-a beautiful walk and Caribbean blue water. Behind the beach is a large grass meadow with a very black stream curving through it, backed by woods.

Note:  Tics have been plentiful this spring so suggest you check yourself and car when you leave Carters Beach.
Directions to Carters Beach-Hwy 103 to Exit 21, take a left at the Y in the road. Drive 2+ Km to Carters Beach sign, left and drive 1+km to the small parking area at the beach.
No bathrooms or restaurant at the beach. Minimal parking-please try to share rides. Cars can be left at Exit 11 in Blockhouse at the large car park next to the Happy Cooker restaurant.
Bring water, snack food, sunscreen and hat. Waterproof footwear is advisable as there is (sometimes) a shallow/narrow stream from the meadow to the ocean-fine for barefeet as well.

Supper – Lanes Privateer Inn (by the bridge in Liverpool-Bristol Ave) for those who want to hang on-Dining room/Pub-very good food.

If you are planning to come for lunch and/or supper please let me know by June 10 and if you have to cancel either meal, please let me know-as a courtesy to the restaurants. I am away until June 8.
Nancy Johnston 543-7533.  njohnston@ns.sympatico.ca

Please bring signed waiver with you.

Hi All:
Our Annual Field to Cape Split is this Saturday May 15th.
Meeting at two locations: Exit 4 (St. Croix, Newport) off the Hwy 101 at the car pool parking lot at 8:30 am. and at the trail head in
Scots Bay at 9:45. Departing at 10 am from there.
Bring: Liquids, snacks and food, insect repellent, sun screen (if required), hat/sunglasses, etc.
Camera equipment should include a macro lens or lens capable of close ups, reflectors, light tents, flashes, tripods, cable release,
polarizer filter and your favorite camera.

The valley is several weeks early this year and I have not heard from anybody that has been on the trail yet for up dates. The trail is surrounded by the Bay of Fundy on one side the the Minas Basin Channel on the other. This makes the temperatures cooler than the valley floor and should hold off an early bloom.
The wildflowers are approx 3 kms in the trail and consists of spring beauties, red trillions, and dutch-mans-britches. Generally these are in profusion for several kms. to the end of the trail at Cape Split. At the end of the trail (8 kms each direction) is one of the most fantastic views in the Nova Scotia. The cliffs drops off several hundred meters. There is a seastack close by with a colony of gulls and cormorants raising their young. If the tide is coming in or going out the sounds of the rushing water will amaze you. You will also be going by the area where they are experimenting with under water turbines to generate electricity. On the Fundy side of the Split back approx 1 km is a trail that will take intrepid hikers down to a lovely rocky beach. Stay within sight of the cove, as the tides will come in there first and block you access. (Been there, done that).
A supper suggestion would be Fireside in Canning, Between the Bushes in Sheffield Mills, The Port in Pt. Williams, or Paddy’s Pub in
Kentville or Wolfville. Because everybody will be on their own most of the day and scattered about, I am not gong to make reservations, but I am aiming for a 5-6 pm supper at The Port in Pt. Williams. All is welcome to attend.
There will be no alternate date if the weather is poor.

Print off and fill out the Waiver at.

http://WWW.photoguild.ns.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/pgns-field-trip-waiver.pdf

“Life is Good”

John

Just a quick reminder/update about the season opening race event/field trip this coming Sunday, May 16th. I will be your field trip host and if you have any questions not answered below, please contact me by e-mail at mike@mccarthyphotographic.com.

Here’s a rundown of the planned activities:
(Please note: The race schedule will be subject to change and delays due to weather/wrecks/etc.)

9:15AM Arrive at Atlantic Motorsport Park – Meet in parking lot inside main gate. Entry fee is $10 per person, children under 12 can enter for free with an adult. The trip takes about 50 minutes from Halifax.

9:30AM Orientation, Safety and Rules *MANDATORY*

10:00AM RACE 1 – Thunder Class (10 Laps)
10:25AM RACE 2 – Motard/125/Vintage LW Class (10 Laps)
10:50AM RACE 3 – Sportsman 1 Class (10 Laps)
11:15AM RACE 4 – PRO 600/AM 600 Class (12 Laps)
11:50AM – Bike Pick-up/Lunch *
12:50PM – Track Clear / Marshals On-Stand
1:00PM – RACE 5 – Lightweight GP/Sportsman 2 Class (10 Laps)
1:25PM – RACE 6 – Pro Superbike/ AM Superbike Class (12 Laps)
1:50PM – RACE 7 – Vintage MW Class (10 Laps)
2:15PM – RACE 8 – Novice / Honda 125 CBR Challenge (8 Laps)
2:40PM – Track Closed
3:00PM – Podium Presentations

Rules/Safety Notes:
1. DO NOT wear Yellow or Red jackets, t-shirts, etc. You will not be allowed track side. The riders can easily misinterpret a yellow t-shirt or jacket as a caution flag and may slow causing a hazard on the track. Red is worse as a red flag means the track is blocked by a hazard and stop immediately.

2. ALWAYS listen to the marshals. If you hear a whistle, STOP immediately and look around. This usually means you have walked somewhere you are not allowed to be for safety/security reasons. If the marshal is yelling at you to back-up, do it IMMEDIATELY or you will be ejected from the track area.

3. The racers are a very friendly bunch and LOVE to talk about motorcycles and racing with fans. You are welcome to talk to the pit crews and riders throughout the pit area. However, only pit crews are allowed on Pit Lane. DO NOT walk along Pit Lane. It is very active and a rider can very quickly exit the track and drive down Pit Lane for any number of reasons and serious injury can occur if you are in the way when an emergency happens.

4. Tower Area. Everyone is welcome to view the racing from the bottom level of the tower. To access the tower, you need to cross Pit Lane. You can only do this at the entrance to Pit Lane and only after exercising EXTREME caution looking for hazards first.

5. NEVER, EVER, cross the race track. The only access to the inner track area is via the tunnel under Turn 1.

6. NO ONE is allowed any where on an inside or outside corner unless behind a safety barrier and the marshal knows you are there and says it is OK. Some marshals will be more easy going than others. Your deportment can significantly improve your odds of getting a great location and REMEMBER, it’s ALWAYS better to ask first rather than hear a whistle and be told to move.

7. NO CHAIRS are allowed track side. If you bring one, you can only use it in specific areas behind safety barriers. NO EXCEPTIONS.

8. Accidents happen and you must be able to react INSTANTLY to move out of the way. If a marshal thinks you are a hazard you will be removed. No questions or discussion. You will be moved.

General Notes:
1. Atlantic Motorsport Park is located about 15 minutes from Shubenacadie and 50 minutes from Halifax. Directions:
* Take Exit 10 off Highway 102, and head into Shubenacadie (2.3km)
* At the stop sign, turn hard right onto West Indian Road (watch for the sign: Indian Brook / Mill Village / McPhee’s Corner)
* Drive 2.6km, keep right (Look for the Motorsport Park sign)
* Drive 2km, turn right (Look for the North Salem / Atlantic Motorsport Park sign)
* After 2.6km, the road will change to gravel. Drive on gravel road for another 2.2km
* Turn Right just before the farm (Look for the Atlantic Motorsport Park sign)
* Follow this road (1.2km) until you reach the Atlantic Motorsport Park gates

2. Packing – Wear sturdy footwear and prepare for weather. The field trip will take place regardless of the weather. Bring plenty of water and pack a lunch/snacks.

3. Lunch – Bring your own. There is a french fry truck/canteen located next to the registration building. The food is good, but not exactly on the healthy side of the menu. There will be approximately an hour for lunch. Make sure you bring lots of water.

4. Washrooms are located at the outfield between Turn 10 and 11. Vehicles are STRONGLY discouraged from pit road, so you will need to plan any trips to the washroom / tower / pit road area.

5. During orientation, I will answer any questions you have as well as make sure everyone has completed a field trip waiver form. No form, no access to the track. Period.

6. Be prepared to walk. The track, itself, is 2.5km long and consists of 11 challenging turns and varying elevations. The infield area is also challenging to walk and covers a VERY large area – about 300+ acres.

Gear/Equipment
1. Depending on what you hope to achieve, a dSLR is highly recommended. A fast lens is not necessary, but will significantly improve your chance of capturing a good image. A Point & Shoot can capture images, but keep in mind some of the racers can reach 200km/h and shutter lag on a P&S will likely mean you miss the action/focus.

2. You will likely want at least 100mm and the longer glass you can bring the better. I typically shoot with a 70-200mm telephoto but carry a 50-135 for shooting around the pit area as well.

3. I will do my best to try to help answer any questions you have about settings, etc. at the track.

4. Anyone needing transportation to the track, please post a comment here. Hopefully there will be a number of people car-pooling and will be available to help. I will be at the track early and will be staying until the very end.

5. Please keep in mind that this is – in part – what I do to earn income and I will do what I can to help each photographer, but my goal is to capture the racers throughout the day and it will take precedence.

6. Have Fun!

The date has been changed to Sunday May 9th due to Saturday’s weather forecast. All times and meeting places remain the same.

AGS-PGNS Field Trip to Clarke Head, near Parrsboro

Date 8th May 2010, rain date 9th May 2010

Meet at Fundy Geological Museum parking lot at 12.00 noon (for directions go to http://museum.gov.ns.ca/fgm/en/home/visitus/locationmaps.aspx)

Please bring packed lunch or be otherwise already sustained.

Some parts of the beach are a little rough but not impassable to a moderately fit person — please bring hiking boots or similarly sturdy foot wear — rubber “wellington” boots will not be appropriate. There will be moderately steep steps to the beach, but otherwise terrane will be flat.

Note: the Museum is currently closed for renovations and we won’t be able to use the washrooms there, The washrooms at Tim Hortons’s in town are probably the nearest. Be warned, washroom availability may be a problem for some on this excursion.

Some details:

Timings for this field trip may seem a bit odd, but they are designed so that we can take maximum benefit of the low tide (around 3.15 pm on the 8th) and afternoon light (the sun starts to go behind the cliffs at about 5.00). If people want to arrive in the Parrsboro area in the morning and are looking for something to do for a couple of hours, they might consider the trail on Partridge Island, just outside town. This trail is a shorter equivalent of the Cape Split trail (which is almost directly across the Bay from Partridge Island).

For the official start of the AGS field trip, we will meet at 12.00 pm at the Fundy Geological Museum parking lot. We’ll have a brief orientation there and people can munch on packed lunches while that’s in progress. There is a Tim Horton’s on Main Street in Parrsboro in case participants prefer Tim’s to a packed lunch. It’s less that a 5 minute drive from Tim’s to the Museum. Masstown Market, as you come off Highway 104 beyond Parrsboro, is another favourite stop to pick up lunch foods.

We will leave the Museum no later than 12.30 and make a short trip along Two Islands Road. Please be prepared to carpool for this brief leg of our journey; there will be limited parking at our destination. The access to Clarke Head is via Parrsboro’s municipal Glooscap Campground, which unfortunately doesn’t open until the Victoria Day weekend. So we will have to leave the cars on Two Islands Road and walk 5-10 minutes to get to the beach steps. Once on the beach we will head east past Triassic sediments and volcanics to a spectacular fault, past which are some very unusual and visual rocks. I will try to explain what we see in terms of moving continents and opening oceans. If rocks are not your thing, the coastal scenery and seascapes are lovely.

For more information, please contact Rob Fensome at 902-426-2732 (day — best place to leave a message, but not after 5.pm on Friday 7th May) or 902-434-3392 (home — messages reach me on a hit or miss basis).

Workshop Topics

Expressive Photography

This presentation will cover such topics as Dreamscapes, Moonlight Dreamscapes, Composite montages, and Panning. André will conduct a short demo on Photoshop on how he creates some of his images. There will be plenty of time for questions before the break.

Around the World in Pictures

Nature and Landscapes

Photographing People

André concludes with a program on Photographing People. From friends and relatives to strangers. How to go about capturing someone’s spirit.

Learn more about André at www.andregallant.com

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Saint Mary’s University
Burke Auditorium
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Admission $50 at the door
PGNS Members $45

Download André Gallant Poster