Agenda for meeting on April 16, 2009

Here's the agenda for our upcoming meeting on Thursday, April 16, 2009

7:00 - 7:15 : Announcements, Introduction of new members/guests, Member News

7:15 - 7:40 : Web Sites of the Month - we'll visit member-recommended web site resources. Don't forget to recommend your favorite website!

7:40- 8:20: Knowledge Share - Carol Watson - Introduction to Layers and Masks in Photoshop

8:20 - 9:00: Formal critiques. Topic: Before and After Pairs - Images straight from the camera and the same image after enhancements or transformations. Don't forget to send your 2 pairs of critique images (jpg 800 pixels wide) by Tuesday, April 14 via email to: hcphotoclub@gmail.com. View the new critique process here:
http://hillcountryphotographyclub.blogspot.com/2008/02/new-critique-process.html

Location: Horizon Bay (formerly Merrill Gardens) in San Marcos. Map and directions available on our club website.

Hill Country Alliance Photo Contest

Ranchers Welcome Photographers

$500 bonus added to Hill Country Alliance Photo Contest

Austin (April 6, 2009) – Spring is bursting out all over the Hill Country. It’s a great time to capture that winning photograph and enter the Third Annual Hill Country Alliance Photography Contest. Take your photo on a Texas Hill Country Nature Photography Alliance (THCNPA) member ranch for a chance to win a $500 bonus award.

The Texas Hill Country Nature Photography Alliance (THCNPA) is a group of ranchers offering up their ranches to guests for nature photography and tourism. Most of the ranches have several established photography sites with food and water to attract wildlife, with one or more professionally established photo blinds carefully situated for optimal photographic opportunities. Many also offer overnight accommodations, allowing guests the chance to enjoy magnificent hill country scenery, and special encounters with critters, in privacy.

For the second year, THCNPA is offering $500 prize that may be split by the HCA Photo Contest winner(s) of either category 2 - “Working the Land: gardening, agriculture, ranching, farming; or category 4 - “Natural treasures: wildlife, plants, springs, parks, rivers, special places in nature,” provided the winning photo(s) were created on one of the Alliance member properties.

Any photographer who wants to photograph on one of the five member ranches needs to make an advance reservation for $100 per person, a $25 savings off the regular fee. To learn more about each ranch and to make a reservation go to www.hillcountryphoto.org.

This year’s theme for the Hill Country Alliance (HCA) Photo Contest is Celebrating the Treasures of the Hill Country. The judges for this year’s contest are: Rusty Yates, contemporary fine art photographer; Carter Smith, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife; and Kevin Vandivier, photographer and owner of Alpha Omega Photographic Gallery.

Thirteen winning photographs will appear in the HCA 2010 Hill Country Calendar, and a cash prize of $250 will be offered in each the four categories:

1. Hill Country people: individuals, children and families

2. Working the land: gardening, agriculture, ranching, farming

3. Hill Country enterprise: wineries, tourism, festivals, towns

4. Natural treasures: wildlife, plants, springs, parks, rivers, special places in nature

For more details and to enter the contest, visit www.hillcountryalliance.org.

The Hill Country Alliance is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to raise public awareness and build community support around the need to preserve the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country. Please see the HCA website (www.hillcountryalliance.org) for the latest news and events, and to learn more about our initiatives and how you can contribute to our activities.