Here is a sampling of some of the images taken over the weekend:

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Our thanks to Cynthia Fleury (and her husband, Joe!) for organizing the trip and to our spouses for “tolerating” a little vacation in Amish Country!

- Scott and Mary Board, Brian Billadeau, Gary and Barb Eckhardt, Payton and Judy Hage, Geoff and Holly Kuchera, Mark Karney, Dale Lewellyn, Lars Michael, Dennis and Carolyn Mills, John and Barb Olson, Forrest Pearson, John and Anne Ringquist, Steve and Rita Shor, Corrine Standish, Lee Swenson

Cost: $35 – includes all workshops, lunch and coffee break

Registration: http://www.cameracouncil.org/images/2011SBRegistrationForm.pdf

Schedule:

• Registration: 7:45 am to 8:15 am
• Interclub Competition Awards Presentation: 4 pm to 5 pm (Room A)

Topics covered during the day include:

Hip Hop Portraits / Underwater Photography / Photo Law / Stock Photography / Shooting Owls / Photographing Birds / Shooting the Light / Lost in the Fog / Holy Crop! / Macro Flower Photography / Children Portraiture  / Portraits Studio Time followed by learning how to process and print what was taken in the studio – all hands-on.

There will also be demonstrations of Corel Paint Shop Pro, Corel Painter Essentials 4, Picasa and Portrait Professional 10.

For the latest updates on the day’s events: http://www.cameracouncil.org/events/index.html#springbreak

There are six rooms reserved for simultaneous sessions. There are two rooms with a capacity of 150 each, one classroom which will accommodate 30, one computer lab with 24 computers set up with photo software and two portrait studios for instruction. This will allow us to offer a wide variety of workshops and to repeat the workshops throughout the day.

Dakota County Technical College Main Campus Located in the heart of Rosemount, MN, just minutes away from the Twin Cities, the main campus of Dakota County Technical College reflects the intimacy of a small town with the networking and cultural advantages of a modern metropolitan area.

While the temps were sub-sub freezing, many excellent images were obtained.

Slideshow: Crosstown Camera Club Winter Photo Trip 2011

–Install viewing software if needed, click on center of image to start the show, Enjoy! –

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Original Message:

Hi Everyone,

I have been thinking of a group outing up at the North Shore of Lake Superior.
The weekends I am thinking about are Feb. 18, 19 & 20th, or Feb. 25, 26 and 27th.
Thinking of going up towards Grand Marais and northwards.

If I get replies by this weekend, [January 30th/31st] I will book rooms in some of the resorts there as a base.
We should have been there when the temps were -30F, the lake would have been steaming!!!

Let me know if you are interested.

Peter

Peter Wong Photography
Web: http://peterwongphotography.com/
Web Gallery: http://gallery.me.com/peterwongphotography#gallery
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterwongphotography/sets/
Email: peterwongphotography@mac.com

Canon’s Explorers of Light

An evening of photography & photographic inspiration with Ken Sklute

January 31st, 2011 —Minneapolis, MN

COMPOSE Yourself and See the Light!

As photographers, we all look at the world and see things uniquely. We often move too fast and miss what is right in front of us. Canon Explorer of Light, Ken Sklute will share his perspective, teach you to see and help you to be more in touch with your creative vision. We routinely pass magnificent locations without stopping because we are not really seeing what is there. Sklute will explain how he goes about finding locations, subjects and photographic environments that yield award winning results. Together, we will explore creative ways of composing. You will learn to see light that carves your subject with grace, depth and dimension. Sklute will motivate and ignite your passion, enabling you to take your craft to a new level of excellence. All levels.

Ken Sklute has been honored as one of Canon’s Explorers of Light, a designation shared by only 60 top photographers worldwide. During his 36 year photographic career, Ken has been named Photographer of the Year a total of 27 times between Arizona, New York, and California.

Start the session photographing a live band in full stage lighting with Ken as your instructor. A 30 minute Rock & Roll performance by the upcoming band “The Johnson Twins” will lead off the evening. You are invited to bring your gear and photograph the band during the performance or just enjoy the music. After a short intermission Ken will give his workshop/demonstration.

Monday January 31st 2011

Edison High School
700 22nd Avenue NE • Minneapolis MN 55418

Main Auditorium 7:00 PM

***FREE ADMISSION***

This educational and entertaining event is brought to by:
Canon, Minneapolis Public Schools Community Education, Minneapolis Photographic Society & Twin Cities Photography Group

Photo Trip Location: Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon: http://www.mtcmarathon.org/Marathon/index.cfm – Mile 19 at Franklin Avenue & W River Parkway

The entire course map: http://www.mtcmarathon.org/Upload/documents/2010%20Marathon%20Course%20Map.pdf

One of our upcoming Salon topics is “Sports Action” (Digital – Due 11/9) so why not get out there to one of the premier sporting events in the Twin Cities – the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon! Geoff is not running the 10 mile event this year, so it’s a perfect time for us to get out, get together and photograph some elite runners!

We will be meeting at the MS Society Cheer Zone along W River Parkway near where the runners go up to the Franklin Avenue bridge. Parking may be limited in the area, so it is wise to get there early! Be aware that the W River Parkway will be closed on Sunday in both directions (north & south of Franklin) due to the north side of W River Parkway being the route for the 10 mile race and the south side of W River Parkway being the route for the marathon.

Geoff and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have about photographing runners for both stop-motion and motion-blurred effects. Some gear recommendations: Your camera (duh!), a wide lens, a telephoto lens, off-camera flash, polarizer (to enhance the blue skies and fall colors we will hopefully have!), a monopod for stability, a chair for sitting on while you wait for the runners to appear, hat, water and clothing appropriate for a day which is supposed to start out very cool and not get terribly warm.

For more information on the Marathon, please download and read the 2010 Spectator Guide provided by the organizers: http://www.mtcmarathon.org/Upload/documents/2010_SpecGd_F.pdf

Also important – road closings! (Your favorite route might be closed the day of the marathon) http://www.mtcmarathon.org/Spectators/RoadClosings.cfm

And – as always – if you have any photos you wish to share on the Crosstown website, please send them to me (jpg – 600 pixels on the longest side) at hkuchera@yahoo.com.

Hope to see you there!

– Holly Kuchera

Photo Trip Location: Minnesota Renaissance Festival – 3 miles south of Shakopee off Hwy 169 – Directions

It’s that time of year again! Join your fellow photographers for a day at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival!

The theme for Sept 18th is “Shamrocks & Shenanigans” – celebrating all things Irish!

http://www.renaissancefest.com/MRF/themeweekends/irish.html

In addition there will be street acts, belly-dancers, royalty, jousting, fire-eaters,  Twig the Fairy and all those people who like to dress up just for the festival (not to mention, food, beer, music, ale dance, food, sword-fights, wine, crafts of all kinds, sheep-herding, juggling, grog and did I mention food?)

A day at the Renaissance Festival starts just before 9:00 am (if you want to catch the opening gate show) and runs until 7:00 pm. Don’t feel you have to come for the full day as it gets to be a very LONG day, and don’t feel you have to stay with the group proper. There’s so much to see and do at the Ren Fest, I couldn’t hope to keep even two or three people in one place for very long.

Our group will be entering the front gate just after cannon at 9:00 am sharp!

Be sure to bring a hat and sunscreen, dress appropriately for the weather, wear comfortable shoes, and bring just about everything you’ve got for camera gear. You may not like lugging it all over the grounds, but will appreciate having that macro lens when you really need it. Tripods are acceptable, but not recommended. Also be sure to bring extra cash for food, beverages and tips for the players. I have a collection of Sacagawea dollar coins which I use just for Renaissance Festival. My policy is that if I take a photo of a player (street act, stage act, etc) I tip them at least a dollar. Street acts are NOT paid by the Renaissance Festival and can use every thing they get.

Adult tickets are $20.95 at the gate, but can be purchased at many Twin Cities locations for a good discount (highly recommended!) They can also be purchased directly from the MN Renaissance Festival website: http://www.renaissancefest.com/MRF/tickets.html

Hope to see you there!

– Holly Kuchera

(this is a joint photo trip with the Minneapolis Photographic Society – visitors welcome!)

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Photo Trip Location: Como Zoo & Marjorie McNeely Conservatory – 1225 Estabrook Drive, St Paul, MN

Photos by Crosstown Attendees:

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A day amongst the animals and flowers. The polar bears have a brand-new (okay, month-old) space and the Blooming Butterflies tent was open. In addition, the Carousel was running and the Summer Show in the Conservatory in full swing.

If you attended, don’t forget to send me, Holly Kuchera,  (hkuchera@yahoo.com) any images you’d like to share on the club website! (jpg, 600 pixels on the longest side, please!)

Thanks for joining us! Hope you had a good day!

Photo Trip Date:  Saturday May 29th, 2010 – 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Photo Trip Location: The Landing, Shakopee, MN

Photos by Crosstown Attendees: 

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Experience life along the Minnesota River. Meet traders and Civil War soldiers, and observe demonstrations in the encampments. Enjoy an imaginary ride upriver via the moving panorama show. Ride the Percheron horse-drawn trolley and play games. Visit Mr. Robert’s lunch counter at the depot. Photographic opportunities abound at The Landing (formerly Murphy’s Landing)!

Encampment weekend: May 29th – 31st

http://www.threeriversparks.org/events/T/the-landing-encampment.aspx

Civil War period encampment, historic buildings with period furnishings and costumed actors on site. A perfect opportunity for trying out “aged” photos in monochrome (black & white, sepia, etc).

If you attended, don’t forget to send me, Holly Kuchera,  (hkuchera@yahoo.com) any images you’d like to share on the club website! (jpg, 600 pixels on the longest side, please!)

Thanks for joining us! Hope you had a good day!

–Holly & Geoff Kuchera

Saturday, March 27, 2010 at Chippewa Middle School in North Oaks, Minnesota

Programs include:

• Darrell Gulin, Canon Explorer of Light
• Brian Peterson, Minneapolis StarTribune
• Lee Radzak, Split Rock Lighthouse and Minnesota Historical Society
• Dale Bohlke, Photographer Crex Meadows Wildlife Management Area
• Ron Timm, Professional Photographer and Instructor

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Spring Break the Camera Council is offering the same admission price as 1986. $25! Spring Break reservations could not be easier. One price buys admission to all Programs, Lunch, Dinner, Coffee Breaks, Vendors, the MN Wildlife Animals, and the 2010 Interclub Awards.

Registration closes March 21st!:

http://www.cameracouncil.org/images/2010SBv2.pdf