Club Meetings Held on the Third Thursday of Each Month (except December)
West Plano Presbyterian Church - 2709 Custer Road, Plano, Texas
Training Session(s) at 6:00 PM and Program at 7:00 PM
Mesquite Championship Rodeo
Please plan to join us on Saturday evening July 27, 2024, for a photo shoot at First Responders Night at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo.
There will be police cars, ambulances, SWAT team vehicles, and canine units outside in the parking lot to photograph as part of the First Responders Tribute.
PPC Mesquite Championship Rodeo Event (2022)
Location: Mesquite Arena | 1818 Rodeo Drive, Mesquite, TX 75149 | 972.285.8777 (map)
Time: Opening Ceremony and Rodeo begin at 7:30 PM CT | Doors open at 6:00 PM CT
Advance ticket sales (see buttons/links below) end THIS FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2024.
Event Tickets
We have obtained a limited number of great seats at special pricing. Attendees can sit close to the action and capture some amazing images.
Rodeo tickets ($31) must be purchased in advance via the registration button below.
The event ticket cost of $31 DOES NOT include parking at the Mesquite Arena ($10).
It also DOES NOT include any food inside the venue - including the optional BBQ dinner - which you may also purchase in advance via the second button below.
REGISTER AND PURCHASE MESQUITE RODEO EVENT TICKETS
Dinner Tickets
BBQ dinner tickets ($34.50) must be purchased in advance via the registration button below.
REGISTER AND PURCHASE MESQUITE RODEO BBQ DINNER TICKETS
Additional Information
- Upon arrival visit Will Call at the outdoor kiosk. They will have your packet with your entry ticket, meal ticket (if applicable), and a note for permission to bring your photo equipment inside.
- Group seating will be assigned near the bucking chutes but feel free to spread out and move around (Section 102, Rows E, F, G, and H).
- 4 additional VIP seats (Section 14) will be rotated among the club participants (stay seated so as not to bother those behind).
- Our Mesquite Rodeo contact Brother Van will take small groups of 5-8 photographers behind the scenes for additional photo opportunities.
- NOTE: You may bring a monopod, but tripods are NOT allowed; flashes are also prohibited.
- 5-7 images from the rodeo are to be submitted to clubphotos@planophotographyclub.com by Saturday, August 10, 2024.
If you have questions about this event, please contact Activities Chair Mary Ruehle.
Call For DIY Fourth of July Fireworks/Celebration Images
We invite you to SEND UP TO SEVEN (7) of your best Fourth of July celebration photos to clubphotos@planophotographyclub.com.
Submitted images will be displayed in the gallery at right.
As always, please include YOUR NAME and the TOPIC in the file name(s) (e.g., GeorgeTilyou_DIY4th_1.jpg).
The maximum dimension (long edge) for submitted images is 4096 pixels; the maximum individual file size is 10MB.
This gallery is CLOSED. Thanks to all for your submissions.
Gallery | Full-Screen Slideshow | All Galleries and Slideshows
Parvin Stiles
Now, twelve score and eight years ago, "our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" (referenced, Gettysburg Address).
Photographing Fourth of July celebrations with family and friends captures the essence of summer's fun and patriotic spirit. From kids running around with sparklers to friends sharing laughter over a barbecue, each image freezes moments of togetherness. The bright colors of fireworks against the night sky, the smiles, and the waving flags symbolizing unity ... each picture preserves the warmth and happiness shared on this special day.
During the sweltering summer days of July, the most comfortable times to photograph are early mornings and later in the evenings. During the morning hours, the early glow adds warmth to the cityscape to create a peaceful atmosphere before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. As the sun sets and its harsh light softens, buildings glow with warm hues, and city lights twinkle, creating magical scenes. These times offer the best lighting conditions to capture vibrant scenes in the tranquility of dawn and dusk, all amid a hot July day.
Our next club meeting will be on July 18th at 7 PM. Ben Jacobi, our guest speaker, will share his photo adventures in the Palo Duro Canyon backcountry. Anita Oakley, one of our master photographers, will give a talk on Seascapes at the 6 PM training session.
We hope you can join us on Saturday evening July 27th at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo for a fun-filled night with fellow members and their guests. The rodeo is a chance to freeze fast action in challenging lighting conditions and provides a wonderful opportunity to practice your sports photography skills.
Training - 6:00 PM CT
My Passion: Seascapes with Anita Oakley (Library)
Program - 7:00 PM CT
Ben Jacobi
Ben Jacobi: Photo Adventure - 20 Miles in Palo Duro Canyon Backcountry (Main Meeting Room)
Bio: Ben Jacobi is a nature photographer and storm chaser from North Texas. Ben first became interested in severe weather growing up in Iowa Park, Texas—right in the heart of Tornado Alley. On his own, he has studied meteorology to enhance his knowledge of how thunderstorms evolve and behave. Each year, he drives hundreds of miles across the southern plains, pursing dramatic supercells.
When he’s not out storm chasing, you can find him on the trail. Ben frequently visits the Texas and Oklahoma state parks throughout the year. Occasionally, he will make an out-of-state journey. Hiking, camping, backpacking, wildlife viewing, and, of course, nature photography are all interests of Ben.
Jacobi is a self-taught photographer who learned his craft through reading books, magazines, internet articles, and experimentation. His work has appeared in galleries around Texas, including Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Vernon, Irving, Johnson City, Graham, and Breckenridge. He has had his work published in Nature's Best Photography Magazine, Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine, and the Wichita Falls Literature and Art Review.
Since 2007, Ben has worked as a salesman at Metro Photo in Wichita Falls, TX, where he brings his enthusiasm and passion for photography every day. For twelve years (2011–2023), Ben served as co-president of the Red River Photography Club, teaching others how to grow in their own photography. Now, Ben is a partner with his wife, Ashlee, in their business, Jacobi-Creations, which aims to help grow the next generation of nature photographers and nature enthusiasts through photography inspiration and education and teaching eco-friendly principles to be better for the environment.
Program Description: Nature photographer Ben Jacobi shares his 20-mile hike through the rugged Palo Duro Canyon State Park backcountry, searching out secretive slot canyons and dramatic views to photographin the "Grand Canyon of Texas."
Samples of Ben's Photography
The Plano Photography Club's July contest is an ELECTRONIC competition with the theme ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS.
Electronic entries must be uploaded to the PPC Competition Site before 11:59 PM CT on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
Resources
NOTE: You must be a Plano Photography Club member to submit contest images.
Ramsey Jabbour (1952 - 2024)
Many of our club members are customers of or are familiar with Competitive Cameras, a downtown Dallas camera store that has been a strong supporter of the Plano Photography Club over the years.
With great sadness, we share the news that Ramsey Jabbour, cofounder of the store, passed away on June 29, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer.
In appreciation for Competitive Cameras' support of the PPC and to honor the memory of Ramsey Jabbour, the club will donate $250 to UT Southwestern Medical Center in Ramsey’s name.
If you want to send a message or share a story or photo with the family, you may do so at Ramsey’s obituary website.
The Plano Photography Club offers its sincere condolences to Ramsey's family.
The following information is adapted from the original post on PetaPixel:
Serif Affinity, recently acquired by Canva, is giving away access to its entire suite of creative apps for six months. While free trials for software like this aren’t unusual, the length of this one means photographers can give the Adobe alternative a solid try without feeling rushed.
Adobe, for example, gives access to its Creative Cloud for free to new users, but that only lasts a week. Serif’s offer provides creative professionals with enough time to really test the tires on Affinity Photo, Affinity, Designer, and Affinity Publisher before laying down any investment.
“We’re saying, ‘try everything and pay nothing’ because we understand making a change can be a big step, particularly for busy professionals,” Affinity CEO Ashley Hewson tells The Verge. “Anyone who takes the trial is under absolutely no obligation to buy.”
That language is backed up on Affinity’s website, where the company says no payment details are required to sign up and try the software.
Affinity’s one-time purchase, perpetual software model starts at $69.99 for each of Affinity’s desktop apps or $164.99 for the entire suite. There is also currently a deal for 50% off all perpetual licenses that is separate from these prices. That means, until Affinity decides to end the deal, Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher together costs $82.99 while Affinity Photo alone costs $35.
Tony Kuyper and Sean Bagshaw have teamed up to create a plugin to support an organized print-making workflow for Photoshop. The TK Print plugin is now available along with a series of TK Print videos - and both of these products are ABSOLUTELY FREE.
The TK Print plugin includes the following features:
- Separate sections for each print-making step.
- Tooltips to describe what each button does.
- Solo Mode--only one section is open at a time (minimizes the panel's size).
- Customizable options for file-naming, running supplementary actions, and adding logos and watermarks.
- Back up and restore capability to maintain user preferences.
Whether you are new to making prints with Photoshop or are an experienced Photoshop printer, the free TK Print plugin will make printing more efficient, predictable, and creative.
NOTE: Photoshop version 23.3.0 or later is needed to use this plugin.
In addition, you can now get a 25% discount on Tony Kuyper's popular TK9 Photoshop plugin and training videos.
The TK9 plugin is a panel for Photoshop that allows users to make pixel-value masks, such as luminosity masks, and run Photoshop.
TK9 is a standard-setting tool that helps users enhance their creativity and control in Photoshop. It is modular, so users can configure it in a way that works best for their workspace.
To take advantage of the discount, use Promo Code TKPRINT at checkout.
The following Plano Photography Club member(s) received recognition in the June 2024 Gulf States Camera Club Council photo competition:
Monochrome Projected
- Second Place: A Twisted Nature: A Painterly Nature B&W Abstract - Fred Manchester
Photojournalism Projected
- First Place: Surfing the Eisbach - Randy Ratzlaff
- Third Place: Fishing at Ithaca Fall - Linfen Hwang
To see the winning images and a full list of award recipients, please visit the GSCCC competition results page. Congratulations to those listed above.
Graham Hobart | Infrared Nature and Wildlife Photography
Jason Ware | Galaxy Photography
Barry and Ruth Guimbellot | Creative Illusions
Essie Graham | Essie Graham Photography