Each year, our club competes with the Bloomington KodaRoamers. The I-74 challenge is always fun, and sometimes our club wins!

Members can submit up to 8 images. The category this year is Flowers in Nature, including naturally growing flowers (cultivated or wild), but no cut flowers or still life images. Your images can be Black and White. You may also have an all black background or all white background. Each member is guaranteed to have at least one image accepted. All images must be taken between April 1, 2023 and April 20th, 2024. Images must be emailed by April 20th, to the club at champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com. When emailing, use the title, “I-74” in the subject line; if you prefer to bring the images on a thumb drive, please give it to Kim Ormsby by the end of the day on April 20th.

FILENAME FOR LABELING DIGITAL IMAGES

Label your images: number of entry - number of your club (our club is 02) - competition number - title.jpg. 

For example:

01-02-89-AllertonParkBluebells.jpg
02-02-89-Peonies.jpg
03-02-89-PinkPassion.jpg

Images should be Photo-Realistic The emphasis is creating a fine image with great impact while maintaining a natural quality. Images submitted can be from a single exposure or from multiple exposures blended together to create a seamless image. Examples would be HDR, image stacking for depth of field, panoramas, etc. Combining two unrelated images would not be allowed. There are no restrictions for image enhancement as long as the image maintains a natural looking appearance. Borders and vignettes are allowed.

Standard requirements for submitting digital images apply:

1. Digital images must be in jpg format.

2. The dimensions of the images should be no larger than 1400 pixels horizontally & no larger than 1050 pixels vertically. One of these dimensions shall be met, but neither exceeded. There is no restriction on file size of the jpg, Although, if images are really large, there may be problems sending via email.

3. It is recommended digital images be entered using the sRGB color space to best represent the correct color when using the club's projector.

4. There should be no identifying information on the image. (watermarks, image title, members name...)

Tonight help us select 50 images for the upcoming annual I-74 challenge.

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #15:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: Many Colors, Food, and/or Natural Light. If you can include two or three of the categories in your photo, even better. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos for this assignment by April 20th, (subject line Assignment #15) to champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com, or bring them to the meeting on April 22nd on a flash drive.

The CICCA Spring competition will be held on May 25th, in Muscatine, IA. Tonight, members can bring their CICCA Salon prints/entry form and entry fee. If you are entering the CICCA digital competition, digital entries may be sent to the club by April 29th at the latest (email subject line: CICCA digital entry, along with the entry form). The individual entry fee is $5 per division entered (Digital and/or Print). For those entering Prints and Digital, the cost would then be $10. Please make your check out to CCCC; one check for both divisions if applicable would be appropriate.

Parklands Foundation has some wonderful preserves near Bloomington and west to almost Morton along the Mackinaw River.  Several of these are featured preserves in their system.  The preserves are generally open dawn to dusk.  Dawn is 551am, Dusk 801pm.  Look at the links below and explore the preserves listed, especially the featured one.  We will start at Merwin, an easy choice.  Many miles of trails on both sides of the river.  We can spend all day there, or move to other preserves, the participants can decide on April 13th.  FYI, take a close look at Chinquapin Bluffs, and Ridgetop.  Both of those are about 25 minutes west of Merwin, with nearly the same amount of spring wild flower species.  Others of interest could be Weston Cemetery, Lexington, and Sweeney Woods.

PLEASE READ THEIR RULES FOR VISITING.  TAKE ONLY PHOTOS AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS.

Trails may be muddy depending on rainfall just before the outing, so be ready for that.

Tick and insect protection will be highly advised.  

Link to Parklands Foundation Preserves; Merwin Preserve link.  PLEASE study sub links with rules, trail maps, and history of the preserve.

Route Google Map from QuickTrip to Merwin

AGENDA:

5am: Leave Quick Trip station at Neil and I74 (meeting here because of construction at Circle K on Cunningham)

6am: Potty Stop at BP in Towanda.

6:15am: Arrive at Merwin West gate parking lot.  NOTE: DO NOT PARK ON ROAD.  IF FULL, WILL HAVE TO GO AROUND TO NORTH GATE LOT AND FIND US HIKING FROM NORTH.

619am sunrise

The BP is our closest bathroom available, about 10 minutes from Merwin.

We can stay here as long as we like.  Please study trail maps and materials about Merwin if you are going.

Food-noon area meal.  We can bring our own, grab gas station food, or find something in the Bloomington area.  I'm open to suggestions from participants.  Food places that are close is not all that available.

We can explore other preserves west of Bloomington if we want to, 20 minute drive roughly. 

733pm sunset

801pm dusk

PS: Route from Merwin to Chinquapin is included if we decide to go there.  Ridgetop is close to there as well.

If you have a mirrorless camera, bring it in to tonight’s meeting. We plan to discuss the unique features of mirrorless cameras, compare them with the digital single lens reflex camera, and speculate how they will shape our photography.

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #14:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: pastel color, ripples, and/or side light. If you can include two or three of the categories in your photo, even better. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com , or bring them to the April 8th meeting on a flash drive.

We can learn from each other; this will be fun!!

For those who are on the fence about the eclipse event due to location issues, one of our members has an offer for club members.  

Bob Wiseman has a farm in the Mt Carmel-Albion area he has offered to our club membership to use.  As far as I can tell on the map, it's close to dead center, with a totality time of around 4 min 5 sec, give or take a second.  There is a large concrete patio, as well as a large grassy area to use.  This is a generous offer from Bob that we appreciate.  The drive down is around 3 hours, the drive back-who knows? 

If you want to utilize this location the club president will help you get in touch with Bob for more details, and allow him to know how many may be there.

Some stats from that area:

Eclipse starts at 12:45:45

Totality starts: 14:01:46

Duration: 4:06 (approx)

Eclipse ends: 15:22 (approx)

Altitude: 55 degrees

Azimuth:  212 degrees

Eclipse start position on sun: 4:00 position

Here's a link to a neat site that has every city in the eclipse area in Illinois, and the stats.  You can even search by city.

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse_cities/total/il

Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area features a new office and Visitor’s Center with a panoramic observation deck, large windows to view wildlife, interpretive displays and staff. The visitor center will be open from 9-5, and the naturalist will be able to give us the inside scoop on what's good and where.  The visitor center has modern flush toilets available even when the visitor center is closed.  There is a flooded cornfield just north of the Visitor’s Center, which has been attracting large numbers of birds for quite some time. By April 1st there may be good numbers of shorebirds, such as sandpipers, plovers, and numerous other species.  Landscape and macro opportunities will be numerous as well. 

NOTE: this is a large property, over 9,000 acres.  We will be cruising the roads that bisect numerous units, and utilizing gravel parking lots at many units.  We can walk the levees, and some trails/mowed paths as we see fit.  Make sure you wear proper footwear for potentially muddy conditions.

Join Al Wehrmann as he presents photos from his trip to the Galapagos Islands last month. 

Al will talk a little about the geology and history of the islands but through his photos will focus on the unique fauna that can only be found in the Galapagos.

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #13:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: the color pink, repeating patterns, and/or the perspective “looking down.” The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com , or bring them on a flash drive.

We prefer recent photos, but won't really enforce this.  Leadership believes this will be a really fun way to encourage members to get out there and photograph the world around you.

The 3,000-acre Dixon Waterfowl Refuge is one of the premier natural areas in the state and is open to the public 365 days a year. Come join the club on this exciting photo outing!

As of 2/28, the preserve opens at 7am.  This may change once the time change happens.  Closer to the date of the outing I can delay leaving 30 minutes if it still isn't open until 7am.  There are picnic tables, so we could picnic if the weather is good.

There could be ticks active, so follow common tick/mosquito protection protocols.

4:30am Leave Circle K at Cunningham and Kenyon in Urbana

6:00am Stop at the Shell/Burger king at Wenona for snack/potty stop

6:15am leave

6:27am Dawn

6:30am arrive at the Dixon waterfowl preserve. Let's start out at the observation tower access parking lot.

6:54am Sunrise

6:54am to 752am  Golden hour

615pm to 713pm  Golden hour

7:13pm Sunset 

740pm  Dusk

Google maps link for the trip. This includes the stop at wenona.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Mo3fw8EmmJKYKdgC6

NOTE: I don't see any indications of bathrooms at the preserve.  We may need to go to Granville, which is about 10 minutes away for food/restroom breaks.

Dixon Waterfowl Refuge is near Hennepin, IL.  This has many important biological designations, but rather than reinvent the wheel, please see this link for detailed history and information.

https://www.wetlands-initiative.org/dixon-overview

IMPORTANT:  PLEASE READ THE RULES IN THE FOLLOWING LINK.  MANY AREAS ARE CONSIDERED SENSITIVE, WE NEED TO RESPECT THAT.

https://www.wetlands-initiative.org/dixon-location-and-visiting

SITE MAP:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/567070822399a343227dd9c4/t/5eb0520123f39b65de80d8b3/1588613640676/Dixon+Refuge+Trail+System+Map.pdf

TRAIL INFORMATION:

      Seep trail:  

Experience this 3.5-mile out-and-back trail near Hennepin, Illinois. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 1 h 6 min to complete. This trail is great for birding, fishing, and hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. You'll need to leave pups at home — dogs aren't allowed on this trail.  

This is a classic walking route through the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge Area. This is a protected wildlife habitat, so no dogs are allowed to come here. You'll also need to make sure to stay on the trail, to protect the nesting grounds. Keep your eyes peeled to catch a glimpse of some of the birds that come through this area.

Dixon Waterfowl Refuge trail:

Discover this 2.7-mile out-and-back trail near Hennepin, Illinois. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 53 min to complete. This trail is great for birding and hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring.

      Marquis Oak Ridge trail:

      Get to know this 5.1-mile out-and-back trail near Hennepin, Illinois. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 1 h 30 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring.

This is a mostly flat, beautiful prairie and wetlands hike. It features an out and back trail with many waterfowl viewing opportunities.

Tonight we’ll have Ray Silva discuss flower photography as we prepare for spring. We can all learn something from this exciting presentation!

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #12:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: Shiny, Shallow Depth of Field and/or Complementary Colors. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com , or bring them on a flash drive.

This is a fun part of each meeting this year! Leadership believes this will be a way to encourage members to get out there and photograph the world around you.

We are going to head to Starved Rock State Park on March 9th, and hope to get some exciting nature photographs! We are planning an outing to Starved Rock State Park for waterfalls, bird migration, landscapes and macro photography.  The proposed agenda is listed below, but please feel free to give your thoughts on any of these locations, we are flexible to the wishes of the participants.  Helpful links to explore will be at the bottom.  The StarvedRockHikers link is especially helpful.  Reply with your thoughts after going over these links.  LaSalle, St. Louis, and Ottawa all look good.

If we decide to add Mathiessen instead, it's a short drive south from Starved Rock

AGENDA:

5:30am- Leave Circle K at Cunningham and Kenyon Road, Urbana

6:16am sunrise

7:00am-Park opens

7:05am Stop at the Casey's in Tonica-Snacks, washroom, etc

7:30am: Arrive at Starved Rock Lodge parking lot south of the lodge.

Leave when we are too exhausted to continue. 

5:56pm: Sunsete.

Trail hikes possible:

Starved Rock, Wildcat Canyon and French Canyon Trail.  5.0 mile loop. 534 ft elevation gain.  Moderately challenging.  Canyons possible are French (maybe), Pontiac, Wildwood, Basswood, Lonetree.  Owl Canyon is at the end of this loop, deduct 1.7 miles if we don't do that.  LaSalle canon is accessible if we do the Owl Canyon part.

St. Louis Canyon Trail. 2.1 miles. 232 ft elevation gain. Easy.  St Louis Canyon is on this trail.

If we relocate to Parking lot 23 (off of Il-71) we can do the following:

LaSalle Canyon Trail.  2.3 miles. 209 ft elevation gain.  Moderately challenging.

If we relocate to Parking lot 25 (off IL-71) we can do the Hennepin Canyon.  Roughly 1.5 miles.

If we relocate to Parking lot 27 (off IL-71, we can do Council overhang, Ottawa Canyon, Kaskaskia canyon.  I see varying mileage, but could as much as 4 miles.

The last parking lot to the east, Parking lot # 28 will get us the Illinois Canyon trail.  About 1 mile total. Fairly flat.

LINKS:

DNR information for the park

Alltrails to research the trails.

“StarvedRockHikers” is another great resource to look at potential hikes.

Tonight we’ll review images submitted to Best in Show 2024. We’ll also discuss the judges critique.

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #11:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: the color brown, wet, and/or low key photography. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com , or bring them on a flash drive.

We hope these subjects challenge you to step out of your comfort zone, and observe your surroundings in ways you don't normally do.  We prefer recent photos, but won't really enforce this.  No judging, just show your work, and a brief description of where/what/how/why you took it.  Leadership believes this will be a really fun way to encourage members to get out there and photograph the world around you.

Photo: BIS People First Place: Karissa Marshall © 2023

Come listen to the judges explain to the public how they determined the winning prints for this 23nd annual print competition. Stay and provide some individual feedback to the amateur photographers who want some advice on how to improve their pictures. And then help the club with teardown. Thanks to all who made this exciting event happen!

Let’s go on an outing to Emiquon-hoping to see the Snow Goose Migration--thousands of geese gather there.

Due to bird migration seemingly being 2 to 3 weeks early, we've decided to do Emiquon on February 24.

Leadership has decided to do the February 24th outing to Emiquon for bird migration.  Other areas we will explore and investigate will include Chautauqua hotspots.  Depending on what we are seeing (or not seeing) we may take a look at Henry Allan Gleason Nature Preserve and Sand Ridge State Forest-both close to Chautauqua.  On the Emiquon Side, other areas may include Dickson Mounds State Museum.  If we decide to head north on the Illinois River, we can explore Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife area, Copperas Creek Management Area, and Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area.

Our president will personally plan on doing this as a day trip, but those of you that want to find a hotel, feel free to do so.  There is at least 1 option in Havana, and 1 in Lewistown NW of the preserve.  Mary Cattell said the Big Horse Inn in Lewistown is nice.

There will be hiking involved, so be prepared with proper footwear and clothing. Hiking surfaces can vary from boardwalks to crushed gravel to dirt or mud.  One location we might go to can involve standing on the edge of mud flats, weather permitting. 

Our leader suggests bringing a picnic lunch and drinks.  Depending on the situation, we may not end up near Havana to grab a bite to eat.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE GOING TO MEET ME AT CIRCLE K AT CUNNINGHAM OR KENYON, OR AT EMIQUON PARKING LOT!  IF NO ONE LETS ME KNOW, I MIGHT NOT GO TO FARM AND FLEET.

Now onto the good stuff--the itinerary:

430am: Leave Circle K at Cunningham and Kenyon, so anyone who wants to caravan can follow our leader.

700 am: Meet at the main parking lot for Emiquon Nature Preserve.  This is on Rt 78 a mile 2 or N of US 136.  It's also just north of the sign for Dickson Mounds museum turnoff.  Go all the way back and park near the observation platform.  There are typically a lot of waterfowl here.  Bald Eagles can be around hunting the waterfowl.  Depending on water levels, shorebirds may be seen.  An expansive view of the large waterpool and marshes will be seen.  There may be opportunities to hike levees and trails here too.  Sunrise is about this time too.  We may move quickly to the pools west of Rt 97 if the best action is there.

From here we plan on moving on to the north and south pools.  These are just west of Rt 97 on the road to Dickson Mounds.  There's a small parking lot on the left 200 yards or so after turning off Rt 97.  That is the south pool.  There are ample opportunities to hike the levees and possibly get close to some birds that maybe you haven't seen before.

We may then walk across the road to check out the north pool.  More opportunities to see bird species we may not get locally.  This is where I saw my first ever Black Necked Stilts, a fun bird to watch.

Next, we’ll go to Chautauqua National Wildlife refuge.  There are several places we will stop at as time allows, including the main refuge center, with a wonderful nature trail.  There's also the Beer Can Spot (this has the mud flat-maybe), Goofy Ridge, and a couple of spots  where we can park and walk the levees.  We will need to see if Chautauqua is still closed to let waterfowl rest.  After Chautauqua, we can go into Havana for a few architecture photos if the group would like to.

We can then cross back over the Illinois river, head north past Emiqiuon, and check out Rice Lake, Copperas, and Banner Marsh if time permits.

Reserve this date on the calendar, this will be a wonderful guided tour of one of the premier nature areas in Illinois, and possibly the United States.

We may make adjustments during the day, so these spots are not guaranteed to all be seen.

Make sure to bring snacks and water for when we are away from the vehicles hiking.  Please let the president know if you are wanting to come, and if so, do you want to meet at Emiquon or Farm and Fleet in  Urbana. 

Final note: as with any birding or nature outing, there's no guarantee what we will see.  That being said, numerous chances will exist for great photography.  Please RSVP if you're coming, and where you want to meet.

Planning on attending the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024? Would you like to learn more about photographing the night sky? Attend this talk and learn more.

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #10:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: “off white color,” “cracks,” and/or “low angle.” The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com by noon on February 10th , or bring them on a flash drive.

We enjoy seeing all your images! Keep shooting!

Photo: Franklin, NC © Jim McEnerney 2017

The Great Lakes Falconers’ Association has a major meet planned in Champaign from February 8-11th. A field meet is an organized outing where falconers come together to hunt their birds in the great outdoors. They have invited our club to come by and take some photos. Stay tuned for more details.

Join the club for a winter outing to take photographs at Allerton Park. Stay tuned for weather information.

Best in Show 2024, the largest amateur photographic print competition in the area, is returning to Champaign-Urbana. There will be hundreds of prints, and we will need help labeling and hanging all of the prints at Lincoln Square Mall. Come help your club, even if just for one or two hours.

This year is the 23nd annual year for Best in Show. Come on Saturday morning to watch the judges evaluate and discuss the different prints. This is always an exciting competition and you can learn a lot from the judges discussion.

Join the club on a outing to Sunset Marina and Lock and Dam 15, on the Mississippi River.

Come and get a preview of the Best in Show images. We will pre-judge the submitted prints and try to sort the images in preparation for the formal judges on Saturday.

Join us on zoom. Club member, Ray Silva, will present features of artificial intelligence in Photoshop. We’ll also have photo assignment #9.

The future of Photoshop is here with Generative AI. Make any creative vision reality while keeping complete control over every concept with Adobe Firefly generative AI in Photoshop:

SUBJECT SELECTION IN A SINGLE CLICK.

Isolate the main element of a photo with less work thanks to Select Subject. Go to Select > Subject and Photoshop automatically selects and adds your main subject on its own layer.

BETTER BACKGROUNDS, BETTER IMAGES.

Add a background you like better to any photo. In the Quick Actions panel, click Remove Background, then drag and drop a new backdrop onto your canvas.

REFINE HAIR SELECTIONS WITH A LOT LESS WORK.

Capture every strand or curl without feeling like pulling out your own. Try the Refine Hair button in the Select and Mask workspace and let AI remove some hairy work from your day.

EDIT OUT ELEMENTS QUICKLY.

Select, remove, and replace parts of any photo with Content-Aware Fill. Powered by AI, simply select and refine any element and Content-Aware Fill will swap it out with a seamless replacement.

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #9:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The subjects for tonight’s iamges are: muted colors, ice, and/or abstract images. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com , or bring them on a flash drive.

We prefer recent photos, but won't really enforce this.  We hope this gets you out taking photos!!

On January 27th, we are planning a trip to Lock and Dam 18 on the Mississippi river in the Gladstone Il and Burlington Iowa area.  When we went in February 2022, there were about 450 eagles there, and it was an unforgettable experience.  NOTE: We reserve the right to make a last minute change in date or location (weather or eagle count).

Agenda:

445am: Leave the farm and fleet parking lot (if anyone indicates they want to caravan up there)

719am Sunrise

730am: Washroom stop at Circle K in Monmouth.

800am: arrive at Lock and 18

1130am: Leave the lock and go to Burlington IA.  

12 noon: eat at a restaurant tbd

1230pm:  There's a great walking tour of historic Burlington we can do (weather permitting).  There's also a couple of driving tours we can do as well.  SEE LINK BELOW.

300pm: head home (or as individuals see fit)

5:14pm Sunset

For those not early risers, there are hotels in Monmouth, IL or Burlington IA you can book and meet us at Lock and Dam 18 at 800am

Google Map link:

https://goo.gl/maps/cvR6z2CGwtke1nPd7

Pocketsights App:

This is on IOS or Android, and gives fantastic walking and driving tours all over the US

https://pocketsights.com/tours/tour/Burlington-Heritage-Hill-Historic-District-Walking-Tour-1113

Mississippi River Counts:

The Rock Island district puts out eagle counts every Wednesday at the following link:

https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Mississippi-River-Project/Education/Eagle-Watching/Eagle-Counts/

Tonight we’ll discuss tricks to get a great winter image. What clothes are good for winter photography? What should you do to get your camera ready when going from a warm car to a cold outside enviornment? Let’s talk about the gear one might use, the camera settings for snow, and where to find wildlife.

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #8:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: shadows, feature using the rule of thirds and/or the color grey. If you can include two or three of the categories in your photo, even better. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com by noon January 6th, or bring them on a flash drive.

The rule of thirds is a foundation of many photographs. Leadership believes this will be a really fun way to encourage members to get out there and photograph the world around you.

Come join the club and shoot the northern harriers, short-eared owls, bison and the fantastic landscape. RSVP PLEASE!  ALSO THE LOCATION YOU WANT TO MEET.

The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is the largest island in the archipelago of protected areas that collectively comprise the Chicago Wilderness. It includes full array of species and natural processes typical of tallgrass prairies in the region, including the reintroduction of bison.

Turning back the clock from a landscape dominated by rusting munitions factories and abandoned munitions bunkers into a 20,283 acre pristine tallgrass prairie makes the Midewin a compelling vision for landscape scale restoration.

There will be plenty to photograph for those of varying interests.  Target species will be bison, northern harriers, and short eared owls for the wildlife and birders.  Landscape and macro photography opportunities should be abundant.  There is even an ammunition bunker to explore.

We are planning to meet briefly at the Visitors center to start the day, then go to the Iron Bridge trailhead close by to start our day.  Be prepared for anything relating to weather and trail conditions, including snow.  Bring a picnic lunch, but if we get cold and want to take a break, there are some restaurants and fast food places in Wilmington, close to our hiking during the day.  Porta potties should be available at trailheads, modern restrooms will require a trip into Wilmington.

Please study the website links below.  Some of the links provide extensive trail information.  While there’s an itinerary, we will be open to suggestions from members on the itinerary of the day.  We don't expect to cover it all, there are trails that are short, some are many miles long. Return trips may be in our future!

6:00am Leave Circle K at Cummingham and Kenyon in Urbana

7:14am Sunrise

7:35am Stop at the Mobil in Wilmington.  Snacks and potty stop

7:45am Arrive at the visitors center.  If setting up for sunrise photos may want to go straight to Iron Bridge trailhead parking lot.  Will concentrate on east of IL-53 trails in the morning.

11:30am Break for picnic or Wilmington for lunch

12:30pm  Explore west side trails

4:41pm Sunset

Midewin Map

Midewin Trail Description

Midewin Area Seasonal, Safety, and extensive trail information

Google travel map link

Tonight we join the Bloomington Kodaroamers’ Camera Club on this exciting webinar by Lari Ott. Check your email for the link to this zoom workshop.

This class is intended to teach folks how to use their cell phone camera like a professional photographer including all of the procedures that the typical dslr camera photographer uses like depth of field, long exposure, focus, exposure compensation, using RAW, and more!  Attendees will learn the capabilities and restrictions of their particular phone for each of these procedures as they explore their particular cell phone camera that they always carry with them.  Cell phone manufacturers are constantly in direct competition to improve their respective cell phone cameras, making this technology rapidly evolving.  Therefore the timing of this class is particularly well suited for those who wish to purchase a new device during the holiday season.  By the end of this session, attendees will have a good idea of the limitations of their current cell phone and features to look for in a new device.  Plus they will have an idea of the best apps to load or purchase to make them the best cell phone photographers in the New Year!     

The Zoom class that I will offer to Illinois club members will be as experiential as I can present considering the distance.  To that end, I would not recommend that folks take notes, but follow along as well as they can.  I will make a pdf copy of my presentation available to all attendees following the presentation so they can repeat the procedures that I mention at their own pace.  This class is intended for any make or model of cell phone, but attendees may need to later visit their cell phone manufacturer's website to learn how a particular procedure works with their phone.      

  Brief bio-

My name is Lari Ott and I am a retired science teacher who enjoyed offering experiential learning in the classroom.  Although I have always enjoyed taking photos, I didn’t pursue photography until we purchased a home in Sun City, Arizona in 2012 where I learned the art of photography using a typical dslr camera with micro four thirds format and all of the typical expensive lenses.  Sun City offers tremendous opportunities for senior adults with well equipped clubrooms and recreational facilities.  Anyone interested in seeing what Sun City offers are welcomed to visit suncityaz.org and our photo clubs website at https://cameraguildsuncity.com/.  Make sure you check out the calendar on our club’s website as we offer opportunities to visit and travel together, print and frame photos, display and sell photos to the community, use of a photography studio, opportunities for competition and for taking classes on photography.  My Beyond Selfies series of four cell phone based classes will be listed on the calendar starting in November after we return from Colorado in the fall.  I have been teaching classes there since 2015, offering as many as four complete series while we are there.  Please contact me if you visit Sun City from November through April and would like to see our facilities.  

Club president, Steve Heater, will discuss disaster proofing and recovery in photography.  He will discuss the risks posing loss, backup strategies, and his own personal experience with a near disaster, potentially losing 25 years of work and around 300,000 photos.

Tonight we hope to share results from photo assignment #7:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: animals (including pets), monochrome (any one color) and/or the color green. If you can include two or three of the categories in your photo, even better. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com by noon December 9th, or bring them on a flash drive.

Get your camera ready and take some shots! Leadership believes this will be a really fun way to encourage members to get out there and photograph the world around you.

Tonight we’ll have new members, Rose Peters and Shea Belahi, present some photos representing their love of photography.

Rose Peters will present: “Evolution of an amateur photographer”

Rose will talk about when she got "bit" by the photography bug and how she has grown over the last few years through self-directed practice and lots of trial and error with relatively affordable equipment and free editing software. Her images will include a potpourri of subjects and techniques.

Biography:

Rose Peters is a novice photographer returning to Champaign-Urbana almost 30 years after her first years as a student in the life sciences at the University of Illinois. She loves nature photography of all sorts, especially animal and insect portraits and is always eager to learn new techniques. When asked what most fits Rose as a photographer, her husband says, "She will always manage to find beautiful or whimsical things that I would have never noticed."

Shea Belahi will present: “Year 1: Places and Faces”

“Explore places and faces I have photographed in my first year returning to photography.”

Biography: Shea Belahi picked a camera back up 20 years after she set it down and is finding her way in the photography world. She focuses her work on people and places and is most inspired when traveling to new places. Shea likes B & W photography, texture and evoking feelings through her photos.

Tonight we hope to continue to share results from photo assignment #6:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: furniture, panorama and/or the color yellow. If you can include two or three of the categories in your photo, even better. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com by noon November 25th, or bring them on a flash drive.

This is a fun part of each meeting this year! Leadership believes this will be a way to encourage members to get out there and photograph the world around you.

 Photo: © Grassy Waters Self Portrait_Rose Peters 2023

We are planning to go to Kankakee Sands and Jasper-Pulaski on November 25.  Last year when we went we hit a good weekend with almost 32,000 Sandhill Cranes there. Let's hope for 2 in a row!

Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area includes 8,179 acres of wetland, upland and woodland game habitat. The property's habitat provides an ideal stopover for migratory birds. More than 10,000 sandhill cranes stop here during fall migration.

One of the spectacles in nature that's close by is the Sandhill Crane migration in the fall, with tens of thousands stopping at Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area near Medaryville, Indiana (NW area).  During the day, the cranes feed in nearby farm fields, bugling, dancing and interacting with each other.  Just before sunset, they fly into the preserve to roost, with the setting sun as a backdrop, putting on quite a show.  With cooperative weather (and cranes), we should have an opportunity for some nice sunset shots..

NOTE: Our president put all times as CST, although many times we will be in EST.  He’s hoping this cuts the confusion down about what time it is.

Agenda:

6:30AM CST Leave Casey’s in Urbana on Rt 150.

There is an Amoco station just north of Morocco for a restroom stop.

8:30AM CST Arrive at Kankakee Sands, bison viewing platform.  After that, we will do the driving tour, and possibly hike the trails.  Most of these are fairly short.

NOON CST drive to J-P

1:00 PM Arrive at Jasper-Pulaski main office then explore the area.  NOTE: there are modern 24 hr restrooms at the main office for Jasper-Pulaski.

3:00 PM CST  arrive at the Sandhill Crane Platform

Moonrise 3:10pm CST Moonrise 

Sunset :4:22 pm CST

6:00 PM CST Moon in East, 28 degrees altitude

In planning for the Sandhill Crane outing, our president looked up the statistics for the sun and moon that day.  These stats are all for Jasper-Pulaski area.

Sunset: 5:22 pm CST @247 degrees (WSW)

Moonrise: 4:09 pm CST @ 70.7 degrees (ENE)  97.3% illumination

6PM CST 95 degrees azimuth (E), 28 degree altitude

Our president has provided a link to the trails and a driving tour of Kankakee Sands. 

You can see the Driving tour and the overall Brochure.

Other possibilities:

Prairie Border Wildlife Preserve (near J-P)

Stoutsberg Savannah (1.5 mile trail)

The Central Illinois Camera Club Association (CICCA) is a regional group including mostly central Illinois camera clubs which wish to join for the opportunity to learn and participate in friendly competition with one another. Our local club, the Champaign County Camera Club (CCCC) is one of nine Affiliate Clubs of the CICCA organization.

Each fall, the CICCA sponsors an individual competition. The fall competition was held on Saturday, November 11th. Tonight we will show the submitted digital images by our club members for the fall CICCA competition. We will also see the prints submitted by our club members for the CICCA competition. Hopefully, we’ll learn which of our images/prints were accepted and which might have received an Honor or Medallion status.

Tonight we hope to continue to share results from photo assignment #5:

With this assignment, we want members to go out within 60 days prior to tonight’s meeting and take up to four photos (no more than 2 of any 1 subject). The photos should include at least one of the following categories: silhouette, trees and/or the color black. If you can include two or three of the categories in your photo, even better. The maximum size for a projected image is 1400 x 1050 pixels. To learn more about preparing your image for projection on the library projector, see this information. You can email the photos to the club email champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com by noon November 11th, or bring them on a flash drive.

We enjoy seeing all your images! No judging, just show your work, and a brief description of where/what/how/why you took it.  Leadership believes this will be a really fun way to encourage members to get out there and photograph the world around you.

Image: Cactus Pattern Monochrome © Mary Cattell 2023

The Central Illinois Camera Club Association (CICCA) is a regional group including mostly central Illinois camera clubs which wish to join for the opportunity to learn and participate in friendly competition with one another. Our local club, the Champaign County Camera Club (CCCC) is one of nine Affiliate Clubs of the CICCA organization.

Each fall, the CICCA sponsors an individual competition. Here is the official invitation. The individual entry fee is $5 per division entered (Digital and/or Print). For those entering Prints and Digital, the cost would then be $10. Please make your check out to CCCC; one check for both divisions if applicable would be appropriate.

SCHEDULE

9am Print judging

Projected image judging

12 pm Lunch on your own

1 pm Resume judging

Business Meeting immediately following

4pm closing

The CICCA guidelines are posted. Members of Champaign County Camera Club may compete in the Print format and/or Digital Images format in the following categories:

DIGITAL IMAGES: You may enter up to 3 images in each of the following categories (total up to 12 digital images):

A. Nature;

B. Photo-Realistic

C. Altered Reality

D. Windows

Digital images will need to be formatted 1400 x 1050 pixels. Digital images for the CICCA competition can be emailed by October 29th; use “CICCA Competition Images” in the subject line.

A projected image should have a filename as follows:

A-B-C-D.jpg where:

A is the subject category letter (e.g., A, B, C or whatever letter corresponds to the category)

B is the image number starting with 1 and increasing sequentially for the number of images you are entering in the category (e.g., if three images are being entered into category A, then the first would be A-1 and the second would be A-2).

C is the entrants competition number (e.g., 03, 37, 63, 99; it should have two digits, so entrant with competition number 3 should be noted as “03”)

D is the title of the image with no spaces and the first letter of each word in upper case (e.g., AllertonBark, LamarBridge, ARiverRunsThrough, etc.). Avoid the use of special characters in the title such as /?>

Examples of acceptable file names / labels include:

A-1-37-LuskCreekSunrise.jpg

B-3-37-InYourFace.jpg

C-1-03-HereWeGo.jpg

PRINTS: Use these labels for the upper right back of your prints. Please complete the individual print entry form. Monochrome Prints are defined as a print in one color or different shades of one color; a single-tone print. This category includes black and white prints. Color Prints are made either by a regular color photography process, including printing on an ink-jet printer, or by hand coloring or tinting. Small Prints may be any size up to but not larger than 8 x 12 inches in either dimension, and must be mounted on an 11 x 14-inch mount board. Large Prints may be any size larger than 8 x 12 inches, but not larger than 16 x 20 inches, and must be mounted on 16 x 20-inch mount board. You may enter up to 3 prints in each category (total up to 12 prints):

A. Small Monochrome prints;

B. Large Monochrome prints;

C. Small Color Prints;

D. Large Color prints

Digital images will have to be sent/brought in at the latest on Saturday, October 28th, at 11:59PM. Prints can be brought to our Print chairperson’s home prior to or brought to our club meeting on October 23rd.

RSVP if you’re coming.

Watch the weather forecast for possible changes to this outing. If the weather cooperates, it's time to get out and photograph fall colors. . We’re planning an all day outing to Celery Bog and other areas in and near West Lafayette, IN.

Due to the time zone difference, we will be leaving Caseys in Urbana at 5am.  This trip will have opportunities for Nature, Birding, Landscapes, Architecture, and History.  

We have a 1:30pm appointment for a private tour of the Ouiatenon Preserve SW of Lafayette.  This is a rare and unique opportunity to visit closed areas of one of the premier archeological sites east of the Mississippi River.  PLEASE let us know if you are coming, we'd like to give a head count to the tour leader.

Tentative schedule for the day.  We can make decisions during the day with the members that are attending to modify the schedule.

5am (CST) Leave Caseys in Urbana

8am (EST) Meet at Celery Bog, at the Lilly Nature Center.  NOTE:There is a gas station just east of Celery Bog.  Instead of turning north to Celery Bog, go on East for a potty stop/snacks.

10am (EST) Go to Prophetstown State Park, a 20 minute drive.  $10 per vehicle admission fee charged.  The park also contains The Farm at Prophetstown, featuring 1920's lifestyles, opening at 10am.

IMPORTANT ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION:Some mapping services give incorrect directions. . Take Ninth Street to Swisher Road.  Once on Swisher Road, cross over I-65 and find the park gatehouse.

1:00pm (EST) WE MUST LEAVE PROPHETSTOWN BY 1PM TO MAKE THE GUIDED TOUR!.  It's a 20 minute drive.

1:30pm (EST) Be at Ouiatenon Nature Preserve for our private guided tour.  He is not charging us, but donations will be graciously accepted.

3pm(EST): Leaving this open for the participants to decide on site. Five possibilities include: 1) Horticulture Park, 2) Tippecanoe Battlefield (and Museum), 3) Clegg Memorial Gardens, 4) Go back to Celery Bog, 5) Purdue Arboretum

Celery Bog

Tippecanoe Battlefield and Museum

Prophetstown State Park

The farm at Prophetstown

Clegg Memorial Garden

Ouiatenon Nature Preserve

Horticulture Park

MAP of complete route from Caseys to all Lafayette stops

https://goo.gl/maps/yXRSFWas12G2gcQS6

MAP of just the Lafayette stops starting at Celery Bog

https://goo.gl/maps/XuJ7hX7U3nepMpqa9