November Speaker - Mark Freeman

Mark Freeman will present "Families and Flowers" at the November 19, 2003 meeting. His topic deals with the challenges facing the flower-growing industry in Northern San Diego County - a story of immigrants and entrepreneurs; of continuity and change; and of self-sufficiency and adaptability. The Ecke, Tayama/Kimura, and Weidner families are profiled.

Mark, a documentary film and video maker with over twenty-five years of experience, is an Assistant Professor of Television, Film and New Media in the School of Theatre, Television and Film at San Diego State University. He has produced, directed, written and edited programs for broadcast on national public television. His documentaries have won numerous awards including a Gold Apple at the National Educational Film and Video Festival, a Certificate of Merit at the Chicago International Film Festival, and a Red Ribbon at the American Film and Video Festival. Mark's productions are found in the collections of libraries and universities throughout the country, and have screened at museums including the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of Natural History, the American Museum of Natural History, and the New York Museum of Modern Art.

President's Corner, by Mike McMahon

We are in full swing with our 8th Annual Member's Show at the Solana Beach City Hall. The response from the membership has been terrific. We have 94 pieces in the show, the largest presentation in the past seven years. Many members also turned out to help accept and hang the work…thanks a million to all of you! And we certainly take our hats off to Carrie Barton and Jeff Brosbe for their leadership in organizing the show this year.

We were fortunate to have David King and Lee Peterson judge the show…both very accomplished in the world of photography. They both made note of the high quality of the photographs. Having observed our shows over the years, they felt that the quality of the work has steadily grown and that it's something that we can be proud of. They also complimented the diversity of the collection…subject matter, photographic technique and style. They felt we were to be commended for encouraging a broad range of photographic interests within the club. Thanks to both of them for their kind words, and to the membership for its fine work and adventurous spirit.

Don't forget that our monthly meeting is a week early this month, Wednesday the 19th, because of the Thanksgiving Holiday. And speaking of holidays, please mark your calendar for the Club's annual Holiday Party, set for Sunday, December 14th, at the home of Carolyn and Bob Taylor. It promises to be a great time. Please note that it takes the place of the monthly meeting for December. See you there!

Member Share, by Emile Kfouri

For the November meeting, members are invited to share one or two images as follows, "Select a topic to photograph that you are not comfortable with or that you have not tried before. For example, try documenting something as a photo journalist would or making a portrait of someone who you do not know very well."

Photo Shoots, by Carolyn Taylor

Ten dedicated and enthused members joined leader Mike McMahon recently at the Torrey Pines State Preserve for a late afternoon shoot. Such events are a great opportunity to get to learn more about our craft and each other. A tradition of lunch, coffee, a glass of wine or some other social hour is proving popular among our field trippers. Please offer suggestions as to destinations, times, content - whatever you'd like to add. And, do share your work (framed or not) at the monthly meeting.

Following a member's suggestion, we'll hop on the Amtrak and head to San Juan Capistrano in mid-January for a photographic look at Old Town, the Mission, street shooting and, of course, lunch. Meanwhile, keep shooting!

Member Show, by Jeff Brosbe and Carrie Barton

Carrie and I would like to thank all the many, many members who contributed so generously of their time and energy to help with the NCPS 8th Annual Member Exhibition. It could not have been done without you.

Kudos are also due to all who submitted images. This is not only the largest exhibition since our first, but it is certainly the best. But, we all know we get better every year!

Remember the reception is 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 14th - what a chance to see and enjoy everyone's work, snack on some great goodies, and have fun conversing with fellow photographers and guests. See you all there.

A summary of all the winners is here.

October Speaker - Karl Grobl

Many thanks to Karl Grobl for taking the place of our scheduled October speaker, Bob Jacobson, who had to be out of town. Karl was scheduled to be a presenter early next year and graciously accepted our invitation to "come early and be heard." Karl's presentation was entitled "Photojournalism and Environmental Portraiture", and his compelling images of the human spirit quite literally touched our very souls.

By way of further introduction to Karl, he is an award-winning photojournalist who travels to the far corners of the world to tell compelling picture stories that reveal the human side of issues faced by people across the globe. His images offer viewers intimate glimpses into the lives of ordinary people worldwide and provide an opportunity for us to reflect upon, and understand, their personal struggles and triumphs. With a keen awareness and reverence for human dignity, Karl creates photographs that not only educate and motivate, but also stir a viewer's deep emotion.

Karl Grobl specializes in humanitarian photojournalism, documenting the work of non-government organizations in the developing world. His most recent project was a year long documentary for Health Volunteers Overseas, a Washington, D.C. based healthcare provider with facilities in over 25 countries. Earlier this year, he also began work on a documentary about the struggles of daily life in Cuba.

Freelance photojournalist Karl Grobl is based in San Diego, California. His work has been published world-wide and is exhibited publicly and in private collections across the United States and abroad. Karl's work can be viewed on his web site at: www.karlgrobl.com.

Holiday Potluck Party, by Carolyn Taylor

Members and their guests are invited to the NCPS Holiday Party on Sunday, December 14, commencing at 6 p.m.. The party will be held at the home of Bob and Carolyn Taylor located at 1355 Sparrow Rd., Carlsbad.

From I-5 exit on Poinsettia/Aviara and travel East on Poinsettia for 1 mile to Aviara Pkwy. Make a right turn onto Aviara Pkwy. and take the first left onto Nightshade. Proceed on Nightshade to Towhee Lane and turn right. Make the first right onto Sparrow Lane

From El Camino Real, proceed 1-1/2 miles West on Aviara Pkwy to Towhee Lane (first right turn after Black Rail). Proceed one block on Towhee and turn left onto Sparrow Lane.

Please bring your choice of an appetizer or dessert that can be classified as "finger food". NCPS will provide the drinks.

We encourage you to join in the Holiday gift exchange by bringing an image of your choice, photo note cards, or anything appropriate as long as it's your own work. This is optional, but it's a wonderful way to share our passion and our work.

Member Profile - Richard & Twink Bumann

Twink and Richard Bumann are natives of San Diego's North County. They met during Richard's motorcycle racing career and have been an inseparable team ever since. They reside on Richard's grandfather's ranch in Olivenhain, which was homesteaded in 1886. They have two children and three grandchildren.

Twink and Richard Bumann started their photographic hobby as an outgrowth from scuba diving. Richard was using 8MM underwater cameras in the early 1960's and for a short time used 16MM. Then in 1982, Twink and Richard switched to 35MM underwater cameras. Initially, they used the Nikonos camera/strobe system and later upgraded to housed Nikon systems with remote self contained strobes. The Bumann's photographic skills were tested each month during competition at the San Diego Underwater Photographic Society. Both progressed from novice to advanced photographers and they were eventually awarded honorary membership into the SDUPS. During their fifteen years of underwater photography, Twink and Richard visited many dive locations including California's Channel Islands, Mexico, Caribbean, Philippines, Malaysia and others. The Bumanns have presented underwater slide shows at UCSD and the San Diego Civic Theater. Each showing had audiences of over one thousand people. Additionally, Twink and Richard have photos in magazines and three published books.

The Bumanns transformed from underwater photographers to top-side nature/landscape photography in 1996. Underwater housings were traded for long lenses and the new challenge of bird, reptile and mammal photography began. The former restrictions of bottom time (usually four hours per day) and exotic locations no longer applied. They could photograph from macro to wide angle to telephoto by simply reaching into the camera bag.

Twink and Richard have been members of NCPS for about five years.

New Members

NCPS welcomes the following new members: Bernie Simons of San Diego, Robert Cameron of La Jolla, and Nancy Estrada of Coronado.

Sponsor in the Spotlight - Yolies Digital Imaging

Yolie's Digital Imaging is a hi-tech service center which has been located in downtown Vista at 135 East Broadway since October, 2000. For 14 years prior to that, Yolie's was located on Miramar Road in San Diego and was called Spectrum Photo.

As a conventional photo lab with a number of corporate clients, Yolie started to see the business changing away from conventional film and prints to more requests for digital scans and output to digital format such as CDs and wide format prints.

Yolie offers a large variety of services such as film developing and printing, copy work, slide dupes and digital passport photos. Other digital services include high resolution film and flatbed scanning, or output on the Lasergraphics film recorder of Powerpoint slides, black and white or color negatives.

Other services include: large format printing up to 60 inches wide, and output onto different media such as canvas, textured fine art paper, giclee, prints and photographic paper using UV inks for image stability.

Yolie's can be reached by phone at (760) 724-8585 and has a Web Site at www.yolie.com.

Photo Shows

Ordover Gallery, 444 So. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach
"Christmas Show" featuring images by Jeff Brosbe, Jim Cline, Tom Scott and others, December 13, 2003, through January 3, 2004. There is an artist's reception on December 13 between 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

MOPA
"In Praise of Plenty: Gifts from the Collectors Group", September 7 - December 14, 2003, and "The Discerning Eye: Southern California Collects", September 7, 2003 - January 3, 2004.

San Diego Museum of Natural History
"Spirit of the Mountains: Images by Thomas D. Mangelsen", September 19, 2003 through January 4, 2004, and "The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition", October 11, 2003, through January 6, 2004.