Hello, Sweetwater Camera Club members, visitors and friends . . .

You are invited to join us this Thursday evening, May 12^th at 7 p.m. for an evening hosted by a great portrait and commercial photographer, Mike Moreland.

Mike, whose portrait studio and grounds are located in Roswell, Georgia, has an extensive background in portrait, wedding and commercial advertising photography. He has appeared as a presenter before both the Roswell Photographic Society and Cherokee photo clubs, and his work speaks for itself. His studio website contains beautiful portraits as well as information about his photography workshops. Please visit http://www.MorelandPhoto.com . If you would like to learn more about mastering the art of making great portraits, you should take a break from your busy schedule and come watch Mike’s presentation. He has prepared a multimedia show illustrating his work. There are images from his recent photographic lighting workshops here: http://morelandphoto.com/blog/images-from-our-advanced-lighting-workshop/

Mike will be the critiquer and judge for our Portrait and Field Trip contests this Thursday. You do not have to be a member of the Sweetwater Camera Club to attend our meetings or participate in our field trips. Should you wish to participate in SCC photo contests, you must be a member.

Click Front & Back or Centerfold to view  program for the TASTE OF DOUGLASVILLE ARTS FESTIVAL which takes place this coming Saturday at O’Neal Plaza in downtown Douglasville from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. We will be setting up our booths from 8:30 until 10:30 a.m. You will notice that we have three consecutive booths set up in one of the best locations anyone could ask for. We need your help, if you can volunteer some time during the festival. We need “hawkers” who help attract festival attendees over to have their portraits made. We also need others to perform a variety of tasks throughout the day and to take down the show and tents at the end of the day.  If you would like to help, or need more information, please contact Gene Spicer at 678-977-8336. His email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

During the festival, Sweetwater Camera Club members will be shooting and printing out portraits for nominal fees-- 4 tickets for small photos, 8 tickets for large ones. The proceeds will help both the Cultural Arts Council and the Sweetwater Camera Club. Tickets are $1 each, available for purchase at the festival. Ordinarily the Sweetwater Camera Club is granted one booth space each year as a satellite arts group under the umbrella of the Cultural Arts Council. This year we have combined three booths with one space donated by Cartridge World, Thornton Road, and another donated by Art on Disk Corporation. Both Cartridge World and Art on Disk are sponsors of the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County.

Also: Please visit the Cultural Arts Council’s Facebook page or their website at http://www.artsdouglas.org . There is a Picnic on the Plaza planned for Friday evening as part of the Taste Celebration. According to their website, “ The 2011 community celebration really begins with the Festival Kick Off, “Picnic on the Plaza,” Friday, May 13th from 6 until 9 p.m. This preview party features perfect picnic fare – delectable barbecued chicken, loaded baked potatoes with all the toppings, baked beans, cole slaw & strawberry peach short cake with whipped cream -- catered by Atlanta’s Finest, great jazz and more music from Raise the Praise, and a cash bar of wine & beer. Tickets are $15 ($12 for CAC members). Tickets for this exciting event is currently available for purchase on our website, www.artsdouglas.org. “

This month’s contest: Portrait: A picture of a person or group of people, featuring the face. The object of the picture is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject. Our field trip contest covers the field trip taken at the end of April to Arabia Mountain.

Here I have attached a document called “Richard’s Image Critique Criteria” which I have composed after attending many critiques at the Sweetwater Camera Club and Digital Image Group, and from reading the works of a number of authors. If you are preparing images for a contest, a gallery show or for your own purposes, you might find the information in this two page essay helpful. Feel free to reply with your own comments!

2011 Contest Topics: You can view the contest topics for this year at http://www.sweetwatercameraclub.org/contests/contest-topics-a-descriptions/contests-2011

You can find out more about the contest rules on the web at http://www.sweetwatercameraclub.org/contests . The rules state that you may enter two photos each in the color, monochrome and field trip categories. I am also attaching the “Critique Cheat Sheet” that I have put together with the help of several people to give you a few guidelines for creating and presenting your contest entries.

Attached you will also find a proof of the SCC Photo Contest page which will appear in the June issue of the Chapel Hill News & Views magazine.

Upcoming Field Trips: You are not required to be a member of the Sweetwater Camera Club to take part in our field trips, but you must be a member in order to participate in our contests.

1. The Taste for Douglasville Arts festival held at O’Neal Plaza in Downtown Douglasville. Each year the Sweetwater Camera Club has a strong presence at Douglasville’s largest outdoor festival which also serves as a major fund raiser for the Cultural Arts Council’s many great programs here in Douglas County.

This event is considered one of our most important and well-attended field trips. It is all about community outreach and sharing opportunities. You can help us raise funds by attending the free festival and purchasing lunch. You might want to purchase a portrait of you and your family while you are there as well!

Saturday, all day, May 14^th beginning at 11 a.m. and lasting through 5 p.m., TASTE OF DOUGLASVILLE ARTS: Food & Fun, Outdoor Arts Exhibition, Crafts, Kids Korner & Entertainment, O’Neal Plaza in Historic Downtown Douglasville. Free and open to the public.

2. We plan to have a Photo Shootout/Scavenger Hunt sometime soon, headquartered in the Douglas County Library. More information to come.

Membership: If you haven’t already done so, please consider joining or rejoining the Sweetwater Camera Club for the calendar year 2011. The cost is minimal, just $20 per individual or $35 per family. You may pay on-line at http://www.sweetwatercameraclub.org/membership or you can pay in person at the meeting. You will need to see SCC Secretary Stella Spyrou when you check in.

See you at the Sweetwater Camera Club meeting and at the Taste!

Richard