The SaddleBrooke Photography Club is a member of Arizona Camera Club Council (ACCC) and recently participated in its Spring Roundup. The ACCC comprises 12 clubs and holds Spring and Fall competitions. Ellen Victor, a member of the SaddleBrooke Photography Club, was awarded a medal for Best Nature Story for her photograph “Please Share.”.
Photo of Award
Ellen took this photo in Borneo, Indonesia. She said, “I spent a couple of hours watching the Orangutang's behaviors in the jungle. I watched them play, eat, and care for their young ones. This Orangutang caught my eye. She was hilarious, stuffing her face with sweet potatoes and not offering any to her baby. The baby’s facial expression said it all.”
Photo of Orangutang
There were 963 entries submitted for this Spring’s Roundup in several categories, such as Photo Travel, Nature, Monochrome and Color. Twelve of our members submitted 82 photographs, and of these 38 received an award, including two First Places to Bob Shea, and a Second Place to Ellen (in addition to her medal).
Bob’s First Place award in the Rotating Category, which this Spring was Sunrise or Sunset, was of the "South Tufa Spires" of Mono Lake, California, which are "other-worldly" natural phenomena formed by spring waters with high levels of calcite entering the lake from below. For the past 20 years, Bob has stopped at the "South Tufa Spires" location to take some photos. “I was very lucky one evening at sunset to observe the calm water reflecting the gorgeous sunset colors with the thirty-foot-tall spires in the background.”
Sunset Photo
Bob’s second first place award was a monochrome photograph of Ibex Sand Dunes at Death Valley National Park which he took during the Club’s Field Trip in February. The Ibex Dunes are one of the five major dune fields in Death Valley NP and one of the most difficult to access. Bob said, “The Ibex Dunes are special because very few people explore them; they are ‘untracked’, unlike the Mesquite Sand Dunes which see one hundred or more visitors a day, and all a photographer can get are ‘footprints in the sand’ I wanted my image to convey a sense of ‘Untracked Texture’.”
Dunes Photo
Whether you’re a novice who only uses a smartphone or a seasoned photographer, the SaddleBrooke Photography Club is dedicated to helping you improve your skills through workshops, Special Interest Groups and presentations. You are welcome to try us out. Check the calendar on our website, photosb.org and come to one session. For more information, send an email to photosb.org@gmail.com.
