Newsletter May 2024 - Brentwood Photography Group

Burt's Message

Hopefully the cold, snow and ice are behind us as we move into … SPRING!!

We had a great turnout for our February meeting and new memberships are really on the rise. Please be sure to introduce yourself to a new member at our next meeting and to show them the ropes at the POTM contest! Thanks again to member Rich Seiling for an outstanding presentation last month on the importance of ongoing Photo Education and new places to find inspiration for your new photos. Remember to print your work for the March Photo of the month for our meeting on Tuesday the 5th of March. I would love to hear about some of your photo “excursions” since our last meeting as well as a short wrap up from our outing to the Factory in Franklin.

Our best to Jen Vogus for the Photo Slam last week also!!

Monthly Calendar

BPG Main Meeting

Tuesday May 7, 2024
Otter Creek Church
409 Franklin Rd, Brentwood, TN 37027
Networking and Photo of the Month competition: 6:00 – 6:30 PM
Please come early if you are entering an image into the Photo of the Month competition.

Speaker: Bill Steber
Topic: Deep Roots: Evocations of the Mississippi Blues
Time: 6:30 pm

Bill Steber has documented blues culture in Mississippi for the last 30+ years, chronicling the state’s blues musicians, juke joints, churches, river baptisms, hoodoo practitioners, traditional farming methods, folk traditions and other significant traditions that gave birth to or influenced the blues. The work is gathered in his exhibit “Stones in my Pathway” as well as in the pages of Living Blues magazine and other publications.

Steber, a native of Centerville, TN, was a staff photojournalist for the Tennessean in Nashville from 1989-2004, winning dozens of regional and national awards while shooting everything from national politics to New York runway fashion and the Super Bowl.

Since 2007, he has explored 21st-century American culture through the use of 19th century wet plate photography, including tintypes, ambrotypes and glass negatives.

In addition to his photography, Steber makes music with The Jake Leg Stompers, the Hoodoo Men, The Jericho Road Show and The Stoop Down Rounders.

Lunch Bunch
2nd Wednesday of the month
Wednesday May 8, 2024

Williamson County Public Library,
1314 Columbia Ave. Franklin, TN 37064
Meeting room A
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Lunch Bunch is a monthly lunch meeting, led by Dick Dougall, with the focus on members getting to know each other, discuss video tutorials, and constructive critiques. This month we will explore the differences we can render when we pay attention to a low or high ISO settings.

This is a bring your own sandwich affair.
Email dickdougall@gmail.com in advance to let him know you would like to attend.

May Mini Clinic – on location
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Speaker: Anne Goetze
Topic: Photography & Hand Painting
Location:
The Copper Fox Gallery
4136 Old Hillsboro Road
Franklin, TN 37064
615.569.9191
Time: TBD

Anne Goetze, Tennessee painter, photographer, and filmmaker was surrounded by the beauty of art at a very early age, being born into a family of generational photographers and artists. She cites her influences to be the documentary photography of Dorothea Lange during the Depression Era, and the paintings of the French and American Impressionists from the late nineteenth century.

For Anne, painting offered her a complementary medium of expression, running parallel to and intersecting with her work in photography. As a retouch artist in the music business in Nashville for years, she developed a particular technique where she combines the two mediums.

Goetze believes there is connection with God through nature and all of His creation. With a persistent love and concern for the land, she is involved with many environmental and conservation groups, helping to bring awareness through both the arts and activism.

Anne’s work is found in the permanent collections ofThe Tennessee State Museum, the Booth Western Art Museum, and Vanderbilt Mental Health Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and Breast Cancer Center, as well as many personal collections.

Saturday, May 18, 2024
Brushy Mtn State Pen
9182 Highway 116, Petros, TN 37845

Self-Guided Tours are $22/Person + Tax.
Military & Senior (starts at 65) Self-Guided Tours – $19.80 + Tax.

Meeting time and place: For those who are driving up Saturday morning, prior to the tour, join us for lunch at the Warden’s Table restaurant 11:00 EST; BBQ and Southern cooking with a twist and hospitality at its best (station 16 on the downloadable map).
Brushy Grounds Map 2021 Download

This will be an experience like no other. Tours are self-guided and people will be nearby to answer any questions or share a brief story. You’ll be provided with a map of the prison grounds as well. There are more than 30 stations, each containing the story of what happened in that particular spot. Check out the website for more details!

Please wear good, sturdy footwear. For safety and comfort, walking or running shoes, boots, etc. are preferred.

POTM categories you might find at Brushy Mountain – Strange Signs, Stacks, Handles, Shoes, Inclines, Tools, Framed

Nearby:
• Brushy Mountain Distillery – Brushy Mountain Distillery is home to Frozen Head Vodka, Double Barrel Whiskey, Brimstone, Copperhead, and End of the Line Moonshine, the only spirits distilled (legally) at a prison, as well as Struggle Bus Bloody Mary Mix. End of the Line Moonshine is available in 9 flavors. The distillery is free to visit and not part of the prison tour. A tasting bar is located in the gift shop
• Distillery and Warden’s Table are a short distance down the road from the penitentiary.

Other attractions nearby
• Frozen Head State Park is 2 miles away with hiking and waterfalls. Campsites available.
• Obed Wild & Scenic River 40 minutes from Brushy State Pena. Obed Wild & Scenic River 2024 photo competition deadline is 7/15/2024 so keep that in mind when in the area.
• American Museum of Science and Energy, Oak Ridge (very cool museum)
• Manhattan Project National Historical Park (tour)
• UT Arboretum
• Downtown Knoxville

Lodging:
For anyone wanting to stay over – hotels are available in Oak Ridge (30 min drive), Harriman (35 min drive), Knoxville (approx. 50 min drive), and Crossville (60 min drive + time change). Brushy offers some suggestions: https://tourbrushy.com/where-to-stay. Campsites available in Frozen Head State Park.

Please be on time and don’t forget to complete the BPG Hold Harmless Agreement

Let’s make a weekend of it!

Questions? Contact Lyra Hankins, Outings Coordinator: outings@brentwoodphotographyhroup.org

Muscle Shoals Street Rod Festival – Tuscumbia, AL – Saturday, June 1, 2024
- POTM themes you are likely to see: Spoons, Strange Signs, Dogs, Stacks, Handles, Values, Flowers, Sweets, Shoes, Inclines, Tools, Framed

More to come…

Looking for Inspiration?

Replay Videos and Links

Facebook: BPG Members only
Instagram -Brentwoodphotographygroup
Main Meeting -YouTube
Mini-Clinics – YouTube
Photography Basics 2021 – YouTube

Looking for inspiration? Check out our member websites

Bert Laws
Bob Shupe
Connie Cole
Diane Burgett
Elizabeth Stead
Gale Stoner
Gina Fitzhugh
Jo Fields
John Mott
John Roeder
Lee Ramsey
Marjorie Pess
Rick Borchert
Rick Wise
Tim Lumley
Tom Welch
William D. Kenner

Member Spotlight

2024 Photo Of The Month Themes

Photo Of The Month Contest (6:00 – 6:30 PM)

Photo of the Month contest images are hung between 6:00-6:30 prior to the main meeting. This is an opportunity for you to compare your work with that of others, as you perhaps think about entering our outside exhibits. It’s good training, and by compelling you to focus on specific themes you learn and grow in your photography. A Board member will be at the display to answer questions and encourage participation.

Rules:

You must be a member in good standing to enter
There will be 3 categories each month
You may enter up to 2 images, but not in the same category.
Voting will determine first and second place winners in each category
Images must have been taken during the last 12 months
No AI was used to add significant elements to the image
There will be a total of six 1st and 2nd place winners each month

View all Photo of the Month winning images here
Galleries – Photos of the Month Winners – Brentwood Photography Group

Resizing And Uploading Images

Resize your image to 2000 pixels along the longest edge.
Down sample your image so it is less than 1MB.
Save images in .jpg format.

Need Help Resizing Your Images?

Directions for resizing your images can be found on the BPG web site by clicking here.

Or you can review the November 2021 Mini-Clinic YouTube video
Export using Capture 1, fast forward to the 24:00 minute.
Export using Light Room, fast forward to the 27:35 minute.
Export using ON1, fast forward to 35:15 minute.
Export using Photo shop, fast forward to 42:10 minute.

Gallery Wall

If you would like to display your images without submitting into the POTM competition we have a Gallery Wall. This is an opportunity to share your work in a format that isn’t competitive. We’ll use one side of the POTM displays and the table used for other displays, if necessary. You will get 1 President’s Cup point for participating. If you also enter images in the POTM, you will not receive an additional participation point for participating in both.

Note:

For Gallery Wall only, prints can be a maximum 13″ x 19″
POTM prints must be no larger than 8.5″ x 12″

Members on Exhibit

Alyssa Ray’s “Let There Be Light” is featured on the cover of the Spring 2024 issue of “Breaking Ground” magazine, published quarterly by the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities.

BPG and SNAP members will be on exhibit at Scarritt Bennett, Laskey Gallery Saturday 5/4/2024 through Thursday 6/23/2024.

Call For Entry

Annual Obed Photo Contest
Free to Enter
Deadline 7/15/2024

Obed invites photographers to submit entries for the 13th annual photo exhibit at Obed Wild & Scenic River Visitor Center. The National Park Service is looking for striking digital images of nature, highlighting the spectacular views, recreational opportunities, and diversity of life in the park.

Categories

Recreation – Photographs of people participating in recreational activities.
Dark Skies – Expansive and dramatic view of the night sky within the boundaries of the park.
Flora & Fauna – Animals in their natural habitat, including close-ups of invertebrates, or plants in their natural habitat, including close-ups of flowers, fungi, lichen, and algae.
Landscapes – Expansive and dramatic views of the land and its features within park boundaries.

Annual Big South Fork Photo Contest
Deadline: July 15, 2024
Fee: Free

The National Park Service is looking for striking digital images of nature, highlighting the spectacular views, recreational opportunities, and diversity of life in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

Categories: Dark Skies, Flora & Fauna, Human History, Kentucky Landscapes, Recreation, Tennessee Landscapes

Earth – Org Photography Competition 2024
Deadline April 26, 2024
Entry Fee – believe this is free.

Our Nature and Wildlife Photo Competition 2024 is now open for submissions. Categories: Wildlife in Peril, Climate Action, and an Overall Winner.

Three cash prizes
• Overall Best Environmental Photo” $500.
• Wildlife in Peril” 2023 and “Climate Action” $250 each.

National Park Photo Contest Presented By Tamron
Deadline August 31, 2024
Fee: Free

It’s that time of the year again. Pick your best shots taken in America’s national parks and submit them to the 14th National Park Photo Contest presented by Tamron.

You may submit up to three photos per category beginning January 3o, 2024 until the deadline on Aug. 31, 2024 at 11:59 PM (MT), so start planning some getaways soon to capture your winning photo. We will award a grand prize in each of the three categories: Landscape, Wildlife and Night Skies.

Williamson County Fair Photo Competition
Online Entry Available: June 17 – July 19
Entry Drop-off for Photography: July 1 – 20, 2024

ALL entries must be pre-entered online. Entries will NOT be accepted at drop-off that have not been pre-entered online so be sure to enter anything you think you’ll have ready by the drop-off dates. Don’t have an item ready…no problem…at least it’s entered just in case!

General Rules & Regulations