Our speaker to start the year off is former club member Randy Hall.  Randy has developed a style that shows enhanced colours and contrast. When many people think of contrast, they think colours and tones. There can also be contrast in content. An example of this can be seen in some of Randy’s early morning images of Parksville Bay. Towering or threatening clouds can instill the feeling of unrest, while the calm waters of the bay say serenity. “It’s this type of scene, and the incorporation of weather, that interests me the most”.

Fire in the Sky

Randy will be speaking to us about his style of  photography and HDR.  Click on Randy’s photo or the Fire in the Sky image to see more of his images.

Following our business portion of the meeting we will see the results of the Portraits and People assignment and the field trip to Robert Held glass works.

This is a reminder to upload your assignment photos to the member database by the 20th.

This month we will be meeting in the lower parking lot at 10:00am to walk the beach and many forest trails. There’s plenty of wildlife, birds and scenery to photograph.

Float Fairies – Keep your eyes open while on the beach or while beach combing  for the glass balls. Over the eight-month period, “float fairies” will be hiding these glass floats along the coast for people to find and keep. Some of the floats will be starred and can be taken to the Parksville Visitor’s Centre to win prizes donated by local merchants. Those without a star can still take their floats to the centre to enter a prize draw.

Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park is located 3 km south of Parksville on Hwy 19a, on central Vancouver Island. Take exit #51 from the Inland Island Highway (Hwy #19) and follow signs to the park. The closest communities are Parksville, Qualicum and Nanaimo.

Lunch: Confirmation: Is at the Cedars restaurant in Tigh-na-mara Seaside Resort at 12:00 Please note there is an automatic 15% surcharge attached to the meal bill to cover gratuities.

Your field trip photos are now uploaded to the website using the upload in the member database.  Up to 8 images can be uploaded

This is a reminder to vote for the current assignment. Voting usually starts on the 21st of the month and continues until the 28th of the month. Vote in the member database and check the dates for the specific assignment.

Remember to upload your favourite photo for this month in the member database.

We are going to have an exciting evening.  Wally Chinn and his wife Alison will be offering his photo-travelogue presentation on exploring the polar bear domain in the Churchill, Manitoba region.

As the marquis animal or symbol for Canada’s northern wildlife, the Polar Bear has little rival. As the largest land carnivore in the world, Canada is home to more than 60% of the world’s polar bears, an animal species that has attracted much interest, curiosity and concern.  Wally & Alison have made a few presentations to the OPS in the past, and through another of their narrated photo presentations, they will focus on their recent experiences in northern Manitoba.  As opposed to their previous presentations that were directed at distant lands such as Africa, Antarctica or the Galapagos Islands, this showing will be directed somewhat closer to home, examining wildlife and geography with a particularly Canadian perspective, including the realities of polar bear life and some of the lighter sides of their behaviour.

The club business will get underway first and we will review the Table Top assignment, the field trip to Rathtrevor and our January favourites.

We need a new logo for Oceanside Photography Society and we are looking to our members to come up with some great suggestions. The logo will be used for badges, membership cards, the website, the Chatter, the Newsletter and any other external communications. There will be a voting period and as outlined in the January newsletter, the management committee reserves the right for the final decision.

Upload your logo through the member database, you could win and there might be a prize!

This is a reminder to upload your assignment photos to the member database by the 20th.

Milner Garden Sunday Hours are from 11:00 to 3:00  NOTICE:  February 12th Field Trip is postponed until February 19th due to snow at Milner Gardens.  Other trip details remain the same.

This months field trip is to Milner Gardens for the early blooms.  Meeting at the gardens at 10:00am.  There is a small charge of $5.25 as an entrance fee. Milner Gardens members and current VIU students with card free admission. Onsite golf cart shuttle for mobility challenged. Garden open 11:00am to 3:30pm, last entry 3:00pm

LUNCH  at 12:00 is at Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf  Course club house, Thalassa Restaurant.

Your field trip photos are now uploaded to the website using the upload in the member database.  Up to 8 images can be uploaded

This is a reminder to vote for the current assignment. Voting usually starts on the 21st of the month and continues until the 28th of the month. Vote in the member database and check the dates for the specific assignment.