FLOWER SHOW

We have once again been invited to provide a photographic flower exhibit at the Redlands Horticultural Society’s annual Flower Show and Garden Tour. The theme of this, the 100th annual show. This is the 5th year that we have been invited, and we have been praised mightily each year for the quality of the images we have provided.

We will continue to select the entries as we have in the past, on the 2nd meeting in March, which happens to be the Annual Banquet. All entries must be at least 8x10, and do not need to be matted or framed at this point. Any member in good standing may enter up to 4 entries for consideration. Take-in for the entries will be on March 19, from 5:30 to 6:00 pm.

The entries will be displayed for review, and voting will be by the general membership, with 3 choices per member. Soon after the dinner, counting of the votes will be done, and those images receiving the highest numbers of votes will be selected for the show, and members will be notified.

The actual pictures for display at ESRI will need to be matted and framed, in a 16x20” frame or slightly larger. No smaller framed pieces will be accepted, as they will be displayed in a large room, and we want to make a beautiful display with great visual impact.

To the best of my knowledge at this point, take-in will be on Friday, April 13th, from 5-6 pm. Last year they made a last minute change, and we did take-in on Saturday morning instead. Be prepared for either possibility, with take-down on Sunday the 15th, from 5-6 pm.

So pull out your best flower images, or hurry and take some new ones, and get ready!

This is an article that was published in the
Redlands Daily Facts on July/25/2009.

Julie Furber

By VANNESA D. OVERBECK

Staff Writer

REDLANDS - Redlands Camera Club featured artist Julie Furber is not a nationally-recognized photographer, but her work has been recognized by nationally-known photographers.

"Her work is appreciated by experts. John Shaw and Jack Dykinga complimented her for her composition and beauty," said fellow amateur photographer Lew Abulafia.

Furber encountered the two photographers at a landscape and wildlife photography workshop. Shaw's work has been featured in such publications as National Geographic and Audubon. Nikon choose him as a featured "Legend Behind the Lens" in 2002, while Microsoft designated him an "Icon of Imaging" in 2006. Dykinga is a Pulitzer-Prize winning landscape photographer whose work has been featured in Audubon, National Geographic and Time.

Furber is mostly a landscape and wildlife photographer, though she never misses a chance to photograph the Redlands Bicycle Classic. Her photos of the event have appeared in the Redlands Daily Facts.

"I do mostly landscape and wildlife because I love the outdoors. I see so many beautiful things and being able to capture the essence of a scene makes me feel so creative," Furber said.

She has worked in China, India, Europe, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, where she captured one of her favorite images of a bear charging through a stream. In fact, Furber's photography career began with a photograph of a bear.

"I've been interested in photography my whole life, but I never was able to get into doing much until well beyond dental school," Furber said. "One summer I went to a girlfriend's place in Alaska. I had a decent camera and a lens and I got a great shot of a grizzly bear. That started it all."

Furber entered her Alaska photos in a contest and won Best of Show, and first and second place in landscape photography. She also enters the Redlands Camera Club's annual contests.

"She's a great advanced photographer," said Wayne "Woody" Wood of the Redlands Camera Club.

She generally wins "a ribbon or two from honorable mention to first place," he said.

"Julie has a lot of talent. She works as hard as anybody else," Abulafia said. "Julie is self-deprecating. She poo-poos her work, but she's being extremely modest."

Furber also routinely competes in online contests, through www.BestPhoto.com and www.DailyDigitalPhoto.com and she has won in a couple of categories, she said.

In addition to photographing grizzly bears in Alaska, Furber has also shot other unpredictable animals such as moose and cape buffalo in Wyoming.

"You have to be a naturalist as well as a photographer. You have to be ready for them because they're going about their business and it can be a dangerous environment," Abulafia said. "In Alaska the bears were habituated to humans. They got within 10 yards of us, which was well within my comfort zone."

Stephen Wormser of Stephen Wormser Photography has watched Furber grow as a photographer over the last 10 years.

"She picks things up really quickly and absorbs it. She can look at a previous photograph, take critique and improve from there," Wormser said. "She's an incredibly talented photographer and every time she brings me something to look at it keeps getting better. She works very hard."

One of Wormser's favorite Furber photographs is of a trumpeter swan in cattails taken on Flat Creek in Wyoming.

"The composition was beautiful and the colors were right on. She has a lot of patience for photographing wildlife. You have to wait for hours for them to do something photographic," Wormser said.

Furber has been a Redlands resident for 30 years and has a dental practice in Yucaipa.

"Her dental background helps her understand how to compose and light things. It's amazing how often dentistry and photography combine," said Abulafia, who is also a dentist. "As a dentist you are so intense and focused on such a small area that it's nice with photography to let the other side of the brain take over."

For amateur photographers looking to improve their art Furber recommended signing up for workshops. If travel is too cost-prohibitive she suggested taking classes at the Redlands Adult School with Frank Peele or pursuing online coursework through www.betterphoto.com. And, of course, the Redlands Camera Club offers workshops for its members.

"Just get out and shoot and if you really want to learn, look at a photo and see what it is about the photo that attracts your eye," Furber said.

For more information about the Redlands Camera Club or to view more of Furber's work, visit www.redlandscameraclub.com

IN MEMORIAM

RCC recently lost a long-time member, Dr. Leslie Rendel-Baker, after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Dr. Rendel-Baker had an illustrious career as an Anesthesiologist, practicing in the field, teaching, writing, and developing innovative techniques and devices for safety in the Anesthsiology field.

His photography was another love, which graced the books and articles he wrote, but was also a creative outlet, as he photographed scenery, buildings, and close-up subjects. Although his health prevented his active RCC participation in recent times, he maintained his membership and enjoyed receiving and reading the Photogram every month.

Our condolences go out to his surviving wife, Rosemary, his children, and grandchildren.

This is an article that was published in the
Redlands Daily Facts on June/23/2008.

By MIRANDA C.R. WHITE

Staff Writer

REDLANDS - White-gloved men carried the delicate artwork to be placed under a spotlight in front of three people who would judge whether it was worthy to be called excellent art.

"I feel the (Redlands) Camera Club and its members are to be complimented," judge Jack Hancock said. "I went online to see what I was getting myself into. I was very impressed with the way you're represented on the Web. And when I came here, I thought that I was in a good place."

The Redlands Camera Club held its annual print competition June 16 at Redlands United Church of Christ.

Nearly 130 pieces of photo art from 35 people were judged based on "the elements of a competitive image." Those elements are visual impact, creativity, style, composition, color or tonal harmony, center of interest, use of light, subject matter, story telling, and technical excellence, in order of importance.

Judith Sparhawk, president of the Redlands Camera Club, said the club has digital competitions twice a year, in addition to the annual print competition.

Steve Felber, newsletter editor for the Redlands Camera Club, loves landscapes and nature and submitted four entries in the print competition. He has been with the club for five years.

Competition chairman Wayne Wood has been with the club almost three years. "My friend Irwin found out about it and called me up and said, `Do you want to go to a meeting?"' Wood said. "I came back to the second meeting because they said the Pledge of Allegiance. I liked that a lot, still do."

The judges were David Fairrington, Jack Hancock and Bob Fletcher.

"Looking around the room, it's obvious that we've got quite a terrific competition going on tonight, and we've got three judges that are definitely up to the task," said Frank Peele, past president and life member of the club.

"In continuing our tradition of seeking judges who are not only well-skilled, we also have judges that are well-rounded. We've got judges from a variety of backgrounds," Peele said.

David Fairrington was drafted during the Vietnam War and became a combat artist whose work can be found in Washington.

After leaving the military, he painted ballerinas for companies such as the City of Angels Ballet Company and the Long Beach Ballet Company. He also created movie posters for companies such as Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures.

Jack Hancock worked for the Orange County Register for 25 years as a photojournalist, and won awards in Los Angeles and the western states.

Bob Fletcher conducts photographic workshop tours and has been a professional photographer for more than 30 years. He is planning tours in California, New Mexico, British Columbia and Alaska.

Some of the highest scores of the night came from artwork such as "Storm Clouds," a black-and-white rainstorm over a desert, and "Mesa Arch at Sunrise," a picture looking through an opening of rocks out into a mesa.

The winners will be announced and awards handed out at the next meeting.

Those who are interested can join the Redlands Camera Club. Dues are $20 a year. Anyone is welcome to attend the meetings.

"We had a lot of new people join this year," Sparhawk said. "Our club has had quite a lot of people over the last few years. A lot of people have been attracted to the field."

Redlands Camera Club holds annual print competition