April 2005

REPORT OF THE 2005 MGCC ANNUAL MEETING

April 14, 2005 7:30-9:00pm

John Beard, Co-Chair of the MGCC called the meeting to order. Valerie Stewart, agreed to take the “official minutes” for this meeting. Velia Neri conducted the voting of officers for the 2005-2006 MG Camera Club. The officers for the next year are:

John Beard, Chair
Chris Pawelski, Vice-Chair
Juanita White, Secretary
Moira Whittington, Treasurer

All MGCC members nominated agreed to serve and do their best to continue the activities of the Camera Club with the hope that all members would try and assist when they could to take leadership in the various activities of interest. Thanks were also extended to Valerie Stewart for her willingness to be the Secretary of the Club for the 2004-2005 season.

The next agenda item for the Meeting was the “Preview” of the new MG Camera Club Website which was designed by the students who participated in the Work Force Development program of the Fu School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Columbia University. John Beard and Chris Pawelski have been working with them since February, 2005 and providing them with the content and design ideas for this “first” Camera Club website. (There were also Columbia teams assigned to the MG Families Activities Committee working with Anjani Shah (Chair), and a team assigned to MGCA working with Kevin McGee (Chair)). The Camera Club officers hoped that the website could provide useful information to all Members and could possibly generate further interest by new MG residents to get involved in the Camera Club via this more “virtual photography community”! The Work Force team students provided a PowerPoint presentation of the overall Camera Club website and features

Work Force Development Team and MGCC members at their “graduation”!

Although the website is not fully completed, given the limited time the students had to work on the site, it is anticipated that the majority of the website will be ready for “launching” by the May, 2005 Camera Club meeting. For now, all of the newly designed web pages will be “linked” from the MHHC website, and we will be utilizing the server of the Morningside Gardens coop (http://www.mhhc.coop). MGCC members will be notified when the site goes “live”!

In the meantime, we still have some work to do in order to really help our website “come alive”, and at the Annual meeting a request was made for several things:

1) Several pages on the website require additional information, and we are looking for information and resources from Camera Club members. If you haven’t received this resource page and/or filled it out, please do so today and return it to your CC Building Distribution Volunteer (see below) by May 5, 2005. (A copy of this form is attached)

2) In addition, one of the “exciting” new features that the students designed for us was a “Critique of the Month”. How does this work? We will “post” on the website, 3 anonymous photographs submitted by MGCC members and everyone, anyone who accesses our website will have an opportunity to provide “feedback” on the photos. The photographs can be any size, black and white, print, digital (no slides at this time), taken of anything (within reason)! The idea is to get feedback from others in an informal kind of way. It should be fun and useful for all of us. SO…..right now we’re looking for 3 MGCC members who would like to submit one of their pictures for the first “Critique of the Month” web page. These will be posted during the Months of May-June, 2005. SEND/GIVE your picture to Chris Pawelski, II-12H, 212:222-1701, christinepawelski@hotmail.com.

Members who attended the Annual Meeting also had an opportunity to suggest a variety of possible topics to be considered for the 2005-2006 MG Photo Contests. A listing of those possible topics are attached. VOTE FOR FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE TOPICS. Return your ballot to your Building Distribution Volunteer or BRING TO THE MAY 18th MEETING. We will announce the new 2005-2006 Contest themes at our annual Potluck dinner in June.

Members who attended the Annual meeting also received a General Evaluation Survey of needs and interests which we hope will give us more input in terms of future events and activities. A copy of that survey is also attached. So if you haven’t received this survey and/or haven’t filled it out, please do so today and return it to your CC Building Distribution Volunteer by May 5, 2005.

Finally, thanks are extended to all MGCC members who contributed to our Annual Meeting “raffle”, including Westside/Ritz Camera. Everyone walked away with some new photo “treasure”!

DON’T FORGET TO SUBMIT to Marie LeDoux YOUR “Best of Year” entries by May 4, 2005!

RETURN YOUR SURVEYS, INFO SHEETS, VOTES TO YOUR BUILDING VOLUNTEER DISTRIBUTOR:

Building I: Maurie Brooks Apt 4B
Building II: Chris Pawelski, Apt. 12H
Building III: Mary Harkins Apt 7D
Building IV: John Yoshinaga Apt 4A
Building V: John Seaman Apt 13E
Building VI: Doreen Harding Apt 13E

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March 2005

Don't miss this opportunity to have two or three of your problem slides or prints critiqued by our longtime friend and supporter, Robert Rodriguez. Prints should be at least 5"X 7" but need not be mounted. Be sure to identify each item with your name (preferably on the back of a print). Don't be shy for you will not be publicly identified. Wide participation will make the most interesting program.

MG Children's Winter Shoot, sponsored jointly by the Camera Club and the Family Activities Committee, was a wonderful success thanks to the assistance of MG Camera Club members: Juanita White, Joan McKinnon, Marie Ledoux, Gabe Suleiman, and Chris Pawelski. A fun and photographically productive time was had by children, parents and Camera Club members.

MG Camera Club Website is in the planning and development stages thanks to the involvement of a team from the Work Force Development course at the Fu School of Engineering, Columbia University. We have met with the very enthusiastic students who are helping us create the Website. Watch for a "sneak preview" at our Annual Meeting, April 14!

And speaking of the Annual Meeting it is election time. If you are interested in serving as an officer of the Camera Club please contact Velia Neri at 212-666-2437.

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February 2005

The Second Contest of the Year
"Diagonals"

Don't delay in submitting your entries for this challenging topic. Just look around the streets of the Big Apple for innumerable diagonal subjects.   HURRY ! And come to the meeting and enjoy the company of fellow photographers.

Winning entries will go on exhibit in the north window of Duane Reade shortly after the Contest. Ribbons will be awarded to the winners at our next meeting on March 15. Marie Ledoux is the Contest Coordinator.

Membership

We are pleased to welcome to the Club two new members: Audrey Muscat and Sydney Weinberg. They are in addition to the ten new members we announced in November.

If you are interested in learning how to cut mats for mounting your prints, please contact John Beard by phone or email as listed below.    We are gathering names since several people have requested assistance in this area.

January 2005

We are thrilled to be able to welcome back Don Young to the Camera Club meeting. Many of you are familiar with Don's work as he had presented a program for us featuring the Colorado Plateau. He has also judged for the Club on a number of occasions. He will be presenting this Germany slide program the evening before in downtown Manhattan, and then will be heading uptown to share his latest work. Please join us for what we're sure will be an enjoyable evening...and give us all a chance to "toast" a New Year!

Dues, Dues, Dues

Have you renewed your dues yet for this year? Please think about doing so if you haven't already. Just contact any of us below, and we'll be happy to get you signed up!

February Contest Coming Soon

The next Camera Club Contest is just around the corner. TOPIC: "Diagonals" Just take a look around you, and you'll see plenty of not so straight lines! Do join your neighbors in submitting to Marie LeDoux (IV-4H) your inspired shots by February 9, 2005. The February meeting (February 16th ) will once again feature contest judges and interesting conversations.

Volunteers Needed

To Help Run Children's "Winter Shoot" Workshop: February 26 and March 5th.

Some of us have been getting involved with the MG Family Activities Committee, exploring possible ways that we could engage some of the "youngest" MG residents in Camera Club type of activities. Many students are using photography in their school projects, and online digital photos are the "craze"! So, we thought we'd "pilot" a series of Saturday afternoon "shoots" (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) and see if we can develop and enhance "new skills" and photography buffs!

We need some enthusiastic Camera Club members who are interested in working with us..preferable digital users..BUT also interested in folks who enjoy working with "young students"! SHOULD BE FUN!

Contact: Chris Pawelski (212) 222-1701 (christinepawelski@hotmail.com) for the details!

[can add a link above to the Family Activities Committee, if/when they develop a web site]

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September 2004

The 'season' is ready to begin, and you won't want to miss the first Camera Club meeting featuring our own Frank and Dana Minaya who are long time members and supporters of the Camera Club, and involved in other Gardens activities as well. They'll share their new found enthusiasm for their cameras as they present: Getting Started with Digital Photography.

Come hear why they, like many cooperators, are becoming fully involved in the digital world. Don't miss this opening session, as we share ideas for upcoming events, and you get a chance to become reacquainted with neighbors who are photography enthusiasts!

In case you haven't heard, the duly elected officers of the Camera Club for this year are: John R. Beard and Christine Pawelski, Co-Chairs; Valerie Stewart, Secretary; Moira Whittington, Treasurer. Joining them in helping to plan activities as members of the Executive Committee will be: Diane DeVeaux, Marie Ledoux, Jean McCardell, Lucienne and John Yoshinaga.

We hope that you will give them your support in making the Club a thriving, growing organization.

Workshop Fall Fair: September 18 (rain date Sept. 19), 11-5pm. Camera Club has a table. Volunteers needed!

Workshop Open House: October 13, 6-10pm . Renew your membership, and recruit friends and neighbors to join you!

Fall Photo Contest: November, 2004. Can you guess the topic from the picture clue in the right hand corner ? You guessed it. Architecture-Buildings and Structures. So get out those cameras (digital and film; black and white, color; commercial prints or your own) and submit your best shots. Updated Photo Contest Rules accompany this notice. Check them out! If you have questions, let us know.

Interested in a mini-course in black and white film developing and printing? Please let us know as we hope to have a viable group soon.

Camera Club meetings from October 2004-May 2005 will be on the third Wednesday of each month. Mark those dates and join us as we plan for an exciting 2004-2005 Camera Club Season..."lights, cameras, action"!

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