By Geok Hwa Kee Ventrice

Growing up with an illiterate mother, I had to get creative in order to get through the endless weekly math and science quizzes.  My grandmother who came from a long line of shamans suggested the following.  Sandwich between the front and back covers of my textbooks with fresh leaves plucked from an old hunching tree of a Taoist temple next to school.  I failed my quizzes ten out of ten times because being short and scrawny I was only able to collect leaves that had fallen on the ground most brittle and dried.

By Lean Walker

Mohamed Ibrahim once said “Wildlife surprises you when you least expect it” and nothing could be truer when photographing it. Wildlife photography is an exhilarating hobby, especially when looking through the lens and capturing details and beauty of a “wild” animal. Wildlife photography requires patience, research, and a few fundamental skills but minimal travel. Amazing wildlife photography can be captured wherever you are.

By Steve Skuss

March 31 was world backup day. You DO backup your photos, right? In various surveys I have seen, after ID’s and insurance information, the first thing listed in a disaster checklist is photo albums. These could be weddings, grandchildren or family heritage, but most seem to consider these to be essentials when faced with life altering events. If that is the case, why on earth would you slap some of your most precious keepsakes on a single, vulnerable and absolutely sure-to-breakdown device like a hard drive, or worse yet, a very lose-able SD card or (shudder) cell phone. Let’s face it-it is all too easy to “forget”, and there is “always tomorrow” when it comes to thinking about securing your photos. I guess that’s kind of human nature, a part of the eternal optimism that helps drive great accomplishments. Somewhere along the way though, that must be tempered with a bit of realism and self-discipline.

By Wanda Krack

Do you ever wonder what happens when a nature photographer falls in the creek, or has an “accident” after drinking too much morning coffee and then needing to be on the mountain for sunrise?  Well, those odd things do happen, so I will tell you a couple of stories that have happened to me.

One year a group of people who had been friends for several years on the internet decided to have a “get-together” in this part of the country…one from Ohio, Virginia., Kentucky, Texas and Tennessee.  During the last day of our “meetup” we were shooting above now what I know is the roaring river at a small stream.  Tom, the fellow who joined us from Virginia, fell into the creek, getting most of his lower body wet, along with his shoes and socks.  We decided to stop our shooting.  We took him to Walmart and he bought a pair of flip flops which he had to wear home on the plane that afternoon.   He had extra clothing.  The only problem…can’t get into Wal-Mart without shoes.  We got some giggles out of that one (this was before 9/11).

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By Bettye Sue Austin

We were told to stay home!   We couldn’t have our monthly Camera club meetings.  I couldn’t travel to some exciting place where I could get that perfect shot.  Knowing that our club was going to have contests on High Key and Abstract photography, I used the time to study these two types of photography.

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By Kathy Neer

It’s the Fourth of July!  That means food, family, fun, and fireworks!  You love capturing all those fun moments, but when it comes to photographing fireworks, it can get a bit tricky.  The fireworks are bright, moving, and it can be hard to capture that perfect shot.  Here are a few tips to help you keep your memories of that great show you saw.

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By Steve Kuss

I recently discovered I am in a class of photographers referred to as “serious amateurs”. Somehow, I guess that is to distinguish us from “casual shooters”, you know, the “flip phone people”.  Call me what you want, but I hope I never get to be too “serious”, and I’d recommend that if you are one of those trying to improve your photographic skills, that you don’t get overly serious about it either. Never forget, that most hobbies, even “serious hobbies”, are really about “play” – having some fun.  No one wants to call it that of course.  It gets veiled by the serious terms “creative”, “artistic” or “fine art” photography. Nonsense. Get out there and play.

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By Gary More

My friends who had been there told me about the beauty of Costa Rica and how much I would enjoy my visit. They were right! I traveled for two weeks from coast to coast with a small group tour (16 people and an excellent guide) and found that the country is indeed beautiful and it is very environmentally aware with 100% clean energy and about half the land area set aside as parks or otherwise protected from development. The people are warm and friendly and welcome tourists, tourism being a very important part of the Costa Rican economy.

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By David Neal

The Urban Dictionary defines passion as putting more energy into something than is required to do it.  Although I have many and varied interests my passion has always been in the arts both, visual and musical. I had thought at one time many years ago I might try to earn a living in some creative endeavor, but my aspirations were greater than my level of competence.  While maintaining a deep interest in music I became a great follower and student of the visual arts.

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