Volunteers and individuals dropping off your photos should be at Clark Lindsey Village at 9:00 am. Contact Lisa Foster for more information about this event.
Open discussion where we can talk about what it looks like to be a CCCC member. Topics include: digital image projection & competitions, exhibits, social media posts, members only page, upcoming meeting topics and outings, 1 on 1 w/Ray and more. We will also provide information on all monthly themes & take questions.
Kim Ormsby will be our leader for the meeting.
Join us in the CLV Art Gallery for an Artists’ Reception to meet some of the residents and visitors.
The panel will discuss shooting in cold, heat, sand, and rain, and provide information on cleaning our equipment.. Later we will separate members by their camera brand (Canon, Nikon, Sony...) so that members can get to know others with the same type of camera and share their knowledge.
The panel will consist of Allen Wehrmann, Ray Silva and Steve Heater.
Rick Langlois will present information on the technique of 3D photography.
Ray Silva will show us Lightroom Masking and editing as part of a live session on the topic. To participate, submit RAW images to Ray by 10/19.
Zoom link will be provided prior to the meeting.
We are back in session for the year! Join us for a Member Spotlight - members can bring/share up to 10 images that were taken over the summer months. Come early to a hands-on workshop to assemple your photos, mats and wire hangers for exhibits.
Come early to the first meeting of the year for a hands-on workshop to assemple your photos, mats and wire hangers for exhibits. We will also offer information on mounting on foamcore. The room reserved from 4:30 - 9pm, and members may arrive as early as 5pm.
Indiana Dunes National Park has very diverse habitats and hikes. This trip showcases most of the park’s habitats and provides opportunities for all types of photography. Landscape, macro, birding and wildlife, and architectural photography should all be well represented. A mix of easy and moderate hikes are planned that everyone can hopefully enjoy.
RSVP to Steve Heater here if you plan to go.
NOTE: Fees or passes are required for entry.
National Park:
https://home.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm
State Park:
https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/rates-and-fees/entrance-fees/
Most of us will pay $12 to enter if we decide to go there.
Safety suggestions. Prepare for rapidly changing weather conditions. Use tick and insect repellant. Stay on marked trails for the protection of fragile habitat ( and yourself). Bring plenty of water, food and snacks for energy.
4:30am: Leave QuikTrip, I74 and Neil Street, Champaign.
6:10 to 6:25am: Loves at Grant park (potty stop, snack, etc)
7:30am: Arrive at Miller Woods/ Paul Douglas Environmental Center. Start the hike. The goal is to do the full out and back trail to the beach. We will encounter many habitats, offering abundant photo and birding opportunities. See the link for Miller Woods below for detailed information.
The Great Marsh Trail. 1.3 miles, easy, no restrooms
The Calumet Dunes trail. 0.5 miles, Easy, year round restrooms
Cowles Bog trail. 3 to 5 miles depending on route. Easy to moderate
Travel map link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/WhqVAbr4G7wrZJ8LA
Main Indiana Dunes National Park Page. There's a wealth of information on here.
https://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htm
Chellberg Farm Trail (and 3 others) information:
https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/bc16.htm
Great Marsh Trail:
https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/gm16.htm
Cowles Bog Trail:
https://home.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/cb16.htm
Miller Woods Trails:
https://home.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/mw16.htm
Calumet Dunes Trail:
https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/cd16.htm
Tolleston Dunes Trail (and overlook):
https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/td16.htm
Indiana Dunes State Park and Maps:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/files/dunes_trail.pdf
Last meeting of the year. This meeting is a business meeting where we get your input for club meeting ideas for the next year. We will take off for the summer and meet again August 24th at the Library. Do check the Upcoming Events page for outings and other events over the summer.
TW0 CHALLENGES: Brown, Faces in Objects, Shallow Depth of Field and Purple, Graffiti, Looking Down
On June 6, us for an outing to the Shelbyville Lake area. It's about 80 miles and a 1.5-hour drive from Champaign. Upon arrival, we will start at the East Dam Access area. We can visit the dam, observe the lake, and even hike a trail. We may also visit the West Dam Access area, Forest Park, and the Shelbyville Sunken Garden. As the day goes on, other areas may be included. There is an abundance of places on both sides of the lake, offering different habitats, birds, and wildlife. Opportunities for bird, wildlife, nature, macro and landscape photography will be plentiful.
RSVP to Steve Heater here if you are going.
Google Maps Trip Link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BeRALU8soUDQNiby6
Agenda:
4:00 a.m.: Leave QuikTrip at Neil and I74
5:30 a.m.: Make a pit stop at the BP in Shelbyville near the dam.
5:45 am: Meet at the East Dam Access Area Visitors Center parking lot. Begin the day!
4:00 p.m.: Head towards home (or sooner)
General Information:
Ebird hotspot map near Lake Shelbyville.
https://ebird.org/hotspots?hs=L1829436
The Carlyle Reservoir is about 150 miles from Champaign to the dam. Near the dam, there's a trail to a historic suspension bridge, the dam area itself should be good as well. There is a beach there for shorebirds, and a marina. Nearby is the visitors' center, which opens at 9am. After exploring here, we will go to Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area on the west side of the lake.
Weather cancellation decisions will be made by 5am on May 29.
Agenda:
4:30am: Meet at QuikTrip, I74 and Neil Street.
6:30am: Pit stop at Casey's
7:00am: Meet in the parking lot just after crossing the Dam.
Explore here for a while.
Go to Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area
Walk until our legs can't take any more, then head for home.
Google Map of the trip:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/1wRRttP9bqAXHvJW8
Links:
Overall Map of the area:
Carlyle Lake Army Corps of Engineers page
https://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Carlyle-Lake/
AllTrails Map of Carlyle trails
https://www.alltrails.com/us/illinois/carlyle
Eldon Hazlet SRA information:
https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/park.eldonhazlet.html
Eldon Hazlet map
https://dnr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnr/parks/documents/eldonhazletsitemap.pdf
eBird Beach/dam/Marina hotspot
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L476309
eBird Eldon Hazlet hotspot:
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L164824
Please RSVP to Steve Heater here if you plan to come.
More details soon!
A few club members from Bloomington-Normal KodaRoamers Club will join us at the Champaign Library. We will have outside judges come to judge 30 images from each club (60 total images) on the theme Emotion. No challenge for this meeting, but there will be snacks!
Sydney Oliveira, Wildlife Medical Clinic Program Coordinator, will share various Ambassador Animals that we can photograph. This will be at the U of I VetMed Clinic, 3505 Veterinary Medicine Basic Sciences Building, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.
Lets go to the Route 66 Red Carpet Festival on May 2nd. We will be leaving the QuikTrip at Neil and I74 about 630am. Our first destination will be 329 W Main Street in Lexington, arriving there about 8am. Once done in Lexington, we will travel Route 66 North as far as we can get.
NOTE: Steve will have room for 1 or 2 people to ride with him if they prefer. Please email him directly to make arrangements.
Links:
https://ilroute66redcarpetcorridor.com/
https://illinoisroute66.org/event/2026-illinois-route-66-red-carpet-corridor-festival/
Google Map to Lexington
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2jBAqjLVgfiLt18D7
Please RSVP to heaterography@gmail.com
We are back at the Champaign Public Library this meeting. We will select 30 images from club members for the I74 Challenge (Emotion). If there is time we will do the challenge from the last meeting that was postponed, See you there!
Challenge - Purple, Graffiti, Looking Down
Send up to 5 images reflecting the theme EMOTION to champaigncountycameraclub@gamail.com
See Other Club Competitions for further information. This year’s theme is emotions.
Send images and entry form to champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com $5 entry fee goes to Mary.
See Other Club Competitions for more information on entries.
4/13/26 — Purple: Graffiti; Looking Down
6/8/26 — Off White; Closer the Better; Natural Light
Send images to champaigncountycameraclub@gmail.com or bring them (early) to meetings so they can be loaded into the queue. Images should be no more than 1400 pixels horizontally and 1050 pixels vertically.
Our club treasurer, Tom Nelshoppen, will give a presentation on shooting Fireworks and Night Photography.
OUR CHALLENGE: Purple, Graffiti, Looking Down
We will join the Craft League of Champaign at the Orpheum Theatre April 11 & 12 as part of this arts and crafts festival. All members are encouraged to bring framed images or mounted images for display and/or to sell. We also need volunteers to man our booth. We need one or two more individuals for setup on Friday if you are available. Contact Lynne or Kim for information.
Following up on our recent workshop on macro photography, Lisa Foster and Ray Silva will lead an outing to Meadowbrook Park to put our new skills into practice. We will start at the Hickman Wildflower Path. The closest parking lot is the one on Race St. It will be cool so wear something warm and we will see you there!
The regular meeting scheduled for March 23rd will now be held as a Zoom meeting. Please have 5 of your favorite images ready to share. There are no restrictions, no category, no date limit...just 5 of your own images that you especially like and be prepared to share why. We will share everyone's images and if there is time, we can share more. You might want to have 10 ready just in case we have extra time.
The Zoom link will be sent out via email soon.
OUR CHALLENGE: Black, Square, High Contrast
Join us for a walking tour of the some of the architecture on the University of Illinois campus. The students are on break so we thought it was an ideal time to explore some of the great buildings, statuary, and plantings on the Illinois campus. The event is planned to include the lunch hour for those of you who work on campus and others to join us, even if only briefly.
We will meet at the east entrance of the Main Library. The parking lot near 4th and Armory in Champaign wraps around the building on three sides and should provide ample parking. Most of the meters on campus use pay by app, but there are generally Champaign parking meters available in the area on 5th Street south of the Armory, Daniel and John Street as well as near the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
11:30 a.m. - Meet at the Main Library - We can decide then which direction to go - the Quad and Foellinger Auditorium, Bio-Genomics Building, Funk Aces Library, BIS, Krannert Art Musuem (especially if the trees are in bloom), Design Building, Armory, and more.
1:30 p.m. - Wrap it up and maybe find somewhere to eat a late lunch.
Please RSVP to Lynne at lmrudasill@gmail.com if you are interested in joining us.
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Join Lisa Foster and Ray Silva for a hands-on workshop exploring setups, lighting, softboxes, and more used in macro photography. Come prepared to have some fun!.
Here's a list of helpful items to bring if you have them, no worries if you don't. Ray and Lisa will bring props, plus exta supplies Canon, Nikon and Olympus shooters can use.
Macro lens (or even a wide angle lens)
Tripod (with an Arca Swiss type quick release would be helpful)
Tabletop tripod
Remote shutter release - either cable or wireless.
Flash
Light panel
Diffusers
Focusing rail
Extension tubes
Extra batteries & chargers for camera and flash.
Memory card
Some small thing to photograph if you have something in mind.
We are meeting in the Lewis Auditorium in the basement of the Urbana Free Library.
WE WILL BE AT THE URBANA FREE LIBRARY AT 6:00 P.M. UNTIL 7:30 pm.
Lisa Foster will call the meeting to order. Ray Silva will provide a presentation on Milky Way Photography and Capturing the Night Sky.
Challenge: Red, White and Blue; Rust and Junk; Texture
Tom Nelshoppen will call the meeting to order and Allen Wehrmann will provide a review of the BIS winners from the 2026 competition.
Challenge: Pink; Fin, Fur, Feathers; Framing
The Great Lakes Falconers Association will be in Urbana for a major meeting from February 13-15. As in the past, members of the club can take this opportunity to capture some great images. Plan to meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Comfort Suites (2001 Lincoln Ave.) in Urbana if you are interested in this event. If you have not attnded this before, one of the club members will be happy to give you some advice.
Kim Ormsby will call the meeting to order. The program for the meeting will include presentations by Doug Mills and Lynne Rudasill from trips to parts of Indonesia. Doug will show us images including some of the beautiful dragonflies he captured in Papua, and Lynne will provide images and information from various islands near Bali.
Challenge: Black and White (the subject is black & white, not black & white by editing); Bumpy; Bokeh
Check out the amazing images provided by entrants in the Champaign County Camera Club’s Best in Show competition for 2026! Over 300 photos will be on display during Mall hours. Join us for the judges’ critique and the award presentations at 1:00 pm on February 22.
Steve Heater will provide the program. Topic: Ebird and Birding Photography plus an exploration of the resources from Cornell University related to the topic.
Challenge: Silver, Tiny, Side Light
Topic: Club Meeting-Challenge and Birding and eBird presentation 1/26 6:30pm
Time: Jan 26, 2026 06:15 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83370214553?pwd=lklM7XgalqY99prveqCjZWnRicB9ax.1
Meeting ID: 833 7021 4553
Passcode: 583966
More information can be found in the Best in Show 2026 link on our banner above. This is just a reminder the EarlyBird rates are $5 for the first print and $3 each for the next four prints, to a total of five entries per photographer. After January 21 at 6pm, the entry fee is $10 for the first print and $3 for each of the next four. All entry forms and prints are due, in person or by mail, to the Urbana Park District, Phillips Recreation Center, 505 W. Stoughton, Urbana, IL 61801 no later than Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 6pm.
We will also be in need of volunteers to help with preparations and take down.
ALL IMAGES PRESENTED HERE ARE COPYRIGHTED, AND SHOULD NOT BE DOWNLOADED, REPOSTED, OR SHARED ANYWHERE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE IMAGE OWNER.