Presentations

The Best Shot subject is selected every Spring. Over the summer, every member has the opportunity to take and share their “Best Shot” that fits the theme. The theme this year is Numbers.

Additionally, members can choose a random card with a personal topic.

Submissions are due by September 1st.

Join us at Brunswick Naval Museum for an introduction to the Portfolio process. Learn what the portfolio process is, why you should participate, and hear from those who have participated in the past.

Chuck Daniels is our expert presenter.

This presentation will cover everything from props, backgrounds and surfaces, lighting and setting up in a small tabletop space in your home, using natural light. We will cover both tabletop and the popular “Flatlay” Compositions. The subject of still life is a creative endeavor from start to finish and learning to use natural light effectively indoors is the first step to creating some beautiful and dramatic still life compositions. This is the perfect project for winter months indoors to keep your creativity fresh and fun.

Five strategies for creating more interesting and compelling pictures:

Photographers and painters alike know that creating more interesting pictures requires perceiving your subject more deeply, capturing its essence, and revealing what makes it unique. And if your connection to the scene is heartfelt, it’s even better, because creating great pictures is more than a technical pursuit.

And then there’s the viewer to consider. How does the viewer perceive the image?  Why?  How can you affect their perception? So many books are filled with compositional rules, techniques, dos and don’ts. How to make sense of it all?   

During this presentation, Ray will help you put it all together. He will offer five main strategies for composing more memorable pictures, explain the difference between seeing and perceiving, and share ideas he has come to depend on for creating more interesting and memorable works. These will include thoughts from the world of art and composition, plus Gestalt, evolutionary, and photographic psychology.

Developing and refining your personal style: how to find patterns in your work, choose a direction, and build a cohesive portfolio.

In addition to live speaking, I host a long-running photography podcast that has been published weekly for years, featuring in-depth conversations with photographers across genres and experience levels. That consistency reflects how seriously I take education, preparation, and thoughtful discussion.

Jack says "I will be sharing images made over the last 35 years. At age 76, I remain as passionate as I was when I started. I will be discussing why I am currently transitioning away from digital, back to film. I will also discuss some of the alternative processes that I use, including palladium and photogravure."

Join Brenton Hamilton for an illustrated lecture about photography's early forms. The discovery of the medium of photography is an exciting blend of technological change and discovery of unusual processes that make images on paper and metal. Brenton will tell the stories and show this material with a new context.

Jackie's presentation will delve into the wonderful world of birds as seen through the eyes of an artist and animal lover. She will talk about practical matters in the field and techniques that complement each other in the making of images that represent the beauty, the energy, the colors, the character, and more of her subjects. Jackie will touch on various topics - from preparation, to equipment, to the photography, to post-processing. Jackie will dive into Lightroom and Photoshop to demonstrate how she edits a typical bird image and also how she adds some creative elements when she feels so inclined. Vivid examples throughout her talk will inspire you to plan your own adventure, anywhere from the backyard to a faraway location, so you can share the beauty of our natural world with others through your unique vision and lens.

Ben McCanna has been a staff photographer and occasional writer at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram since 2015 and has been working for newspapers since 2010.

Ben studied creative writing and literature at Emerson College and embarked on a decade-long career in publishing after graduating in 1997. In his mid 30s, Ben shifted careers by taking a job as a reporter at a small newspaper in northwest Colorado and never looked back. Over the years, he slowly transitioned from writer to photographer - his true passion.

Ben is a 2018 winner of an Award of Excellence from Pictures of the Year International. He lives on Peaks Island with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and two sons.

A tour de force of compositional techniques and creative applications for greatest visual impact. The overriding concept is to learn to isolate and simplify the subject. Simplicity is power. Among the topics discussed will be the power of perspectives, the power of line in visual design, creating visual drama, the use of strong graphics to enhance visual interest and drama, and many more compositional techniques to maximize visual impact. It is the hope that this presentation increases the attendees’ attention to detail in creating clean, direct, and compelling compositions. Questions are encouraged throughout the presentation and at the end.

In 2015 Mark Bowie assigned himself a project to photograph November, staying close to home in western New England and northern New York State.  He was out nearly every day—anytime from predawn to night—making images and recording his impressions. His goal was to look beyond the bare trees and gray skies to discover November’s hidden beauty. It became a very personal project, an exercise in the art of seeing and improving his craft. This presentation is a learning experience for all, photographers and non-photographers alike.  It reveals the depth and character of the month, and the treasures to be found by looking deeper.

Join us as Michele Sons presents “The Art of Fog,” a 60-minute exploration of the artistic potential of fog, including a survey of the different types of fog, tools and techniques available for finding fog, and case studies that teach real-life examples of shooting in fog. She will speak about shooting tips, composition tips, and post-processing suggestions.

Michele is the 2022 New River Gorge Creative-in-Residence photographer, a fine art landscape and nature photographer, writer, and educator.

Michele’s photographs have been featured in the National Geographic Beautiful Landscapes 2018, 2019 and 2020 calendars, and in group and solo museum and gallery exhibitions. Additionally, her work is published in numerous local and regional publications, as well as on websites including Outdoor Photographer, Lensbaby, and Small Scenes. Her client list includes The Wilderness Society, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Eastern National, and The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, to name a few.

Michele is a member of Nature First, which supports the protection and preservation of the world’s natural and wild places through inspiring, educating, and uniting everyone making photographs and videos in nature.

Former photo editor of the Portland Press Herald. Now teaching at Northeastern in Boston.

"Wilderland Maine Project," talking about photographing a wilderness preserve  The goal was to photograph the Kennebec River Watershed for scientists to study 30-50 years from now, for a baseline. This is not what happened!

Monday, February 28, 7pm · Guest Speaker: Tim Greenway – Refined Resurgence

Local pro photographer Tim Greenway's presentation will be about his ongoing project, Refined Resurgence. The project explores progress and beauty in two contexts: South Portland's petroleum tanks, and the expanding cityscape of the Portland peninsula. Tim aims to provide a new way to view these familiar, mundane environments that many consider eyesores, and perhaps to provoke the viewer to see beauty and art in their own lives and environment.