The holiday season offers a chance to capture the magic and spirit of the season. The soft glow of holiday lights transforms simple scenes into dreamlike landscapes full of warmth. From Grapevine's festive streets to the grand displays at the Dallas Arboretum, the area is full of opportunities to explore light, color, and atmosphere.

Holiday photography also invites us to capture quiet moments often overlooked—the glow on a child’s face, the stillness of a frosted porch, or the soft shadows cast by a Christmas tree. These intimate details hold the true spirit of the season, offering a sense of peace, wonder, and connection. 

Photographing runners at the 53rd Dallas Marathon on December 14-15 offers a dynamic challenge. In this Do-It-Yourself activity, we will have the opportunity to capture fast-moving subjects with precision, showcasing the runners' energy and movement through creative shots.

Did you know “Once Upon a Wild Light” at the Dallas Zoo runs each evening through January 4?

Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season!

On Thursday, December 12, 2024, Adobe issued the following updates to these products covered under its Creative Cloud Photography Plan:

• Lightroom Classic v 14.1
  • Customize the blur effect in a photo with an Oval bokeh, which is available in Lens Blur and Adaptive presets
  • Exciting new Presets have been added for Blur Background 
  • Discard Standard and 1:1 previews for better disk space management
  • Support for new cameras and lenses
  • Other enhancements and bug fixes
• Lightroom on desktop (version 8.1) and Lightroom on mobile (version 10.1)
  • Edit in Photoshop now supports selecting multiple files and opening them as Smart Objects and as Layers 
  • Customize the blur effect in a photo with Anamorphic bokeh, which is available in Lens Blur and Adaptive presets
  • Select Preferences > Interface to enable the new Hardware Configuration Preference to use with hardware controllers.
  • You can now share photos directly to Instagram in HDR to retain the photo quality (mobile only)
  • Refine the edges of a photo using improved Generative Remove (mobile only)
  • Support for new cameras and lenses
  • Other enhancements and bug fixes
• Camera Raw v 17.1
  • The Distraction Removal tool helps you easily remove distractions in a photo, including reflections (Technology Preview)
    
  • Support for new cameras and lenses
  • Other feature enhancements

You can update your copies of these products by opening your Creative Cloud desktop and clicking the Update All link on the Updates tab.

Additional details on the Lightroom updates are available from the Lightroom Queen blog:

• What’s New in Lightroom Classic 14.1, Mobile & Desktop (December 2024)?

Did you know the Plano Photography Club offered a free anonymous photo critique service?

Our evaluations provide feedback from two club Master Level photographers on composition, exposure, and post-processing.

Here are some of the reasons why you may want to consider taking advantage of this opportunity:

• Objective Evaluation: Anonymous critiques can provide an objective view of a photographer's work without personal biases. This can help photographers understand how their work is perceived by a broader audience, which is crucial for artistic growth.
• Variety of Opinions: Receiving feedback from anonymous sources can expose photographers to a wide range of opinions and insights that they might not get from their usual circle. This diversity can lead to new ideas and improvements in their work.
• Honesty Over Flattery: Anonymous critiques often encourage more honest feedback, as the anonymity allows critics to express their true opinions without fear of offending the photographer. This can be more valuable than feedback from friends or acquaintances who might be inclined to give overly positive reviews.
• Equal Opportunities: Every member's work is evaluated equally, which is particularly beneficial for new photographers who might otherwise feel overshadowed by more experienced members.
• Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses: Critiques, whether anonymous or not, are essential for identifying the strengths and weaknesses in a photographer's work. This process is vital for technical and artistic development.

Whether you want guidance on an image for submittal to a contest or suggestions on making a wall print as beautiful as possible, this service is for you. It WILL improve the quality of your photos.

To participate, send your image (JPEG format only) to critique@planophotographyclub.com. You can also submit questions at the same email address.

Make sure your image follows the Image Guidelines and submit only one photo at a time. NOTE: This service is exclusively for club members.

The following Plano Photography Club member(s) received recognition in the November 2024 Gulf States Camera Club Council photo competition:

Monochrome Projected

• 2nd Place: Oculus Terminal - NYC - Mark Bernthal

To see the winning images and a full list of award recipients, please visit the GSCCC competition results page. Congratulations to those listed above.

Award recipients in the Plano Photography Club October contest were announced at the monthly club meeting on Thursday, November 21, 2024.

Detailed results are listed below; honored photographs are visible at right. Congratulations to the awardees and thanks to all competitors.

Entry

• 1st: Natural Craft - Janet Yiu

Intermediate

• 1st: Whitetip Sharks Resting in Cave - Lily Mak (2nd Place overall)
• 2nd: Green heron with catch - Gary Allen
• 3rd: Bear at Lake Clark - Jodi Smith
• HM: Nyhavn after sunset - Chung Oey

Advanced

• 1st: timeless artistry shaped by hands and heart - Parvin Stiles (Best of Show)
• 2nd: Blue Tailed Bee Eater - Clive Fernando
• 3rd: Red Teddy - Earl Snoga
• HM: Glen Moray - Alan Abair
• HM: The Golden Hour - Greg Rains

Master

• 1st: Magnolia - Jason Ware (3rd Place overall)
• 2nd: Scissor-tailed flycatcher - Alan Daniel (Honorable Mention Overall)
• 3rd: Wild and Free - Janice Goetz
• HM: White Rock Landing - Michael Farnham
• HM: Shooting Star, Northern Light and Milky - WenChi Lee

Full-Screen Slideshow | Gallery | Judge's Commentary

Standings: All Classes | Entry | Intermediate | Advanced | Master

The Plano Photography Club's January contest is an ELECTRONIC competition with the theme OPEN.

Electronic entries must be uploaded to the PPC Competition Site before 11:59 PM CT on Thursday, January 16, 2025.

NOTE: You must be a Plano Photography Club member to submit contest images.

The Plano Photography Club is a proud member club of the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and the Gulf States Camera Club Council (GSCCC).

         

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The Plano Photography Club meets monthly except in December at West Plano Presbyterian Church (2709 Custer Road, Plano, Texas).

        

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