Peachtree Cafe

Shutterbugs enjoyed a delicious meal (and each other’s company) at Peachtree Café in Thomaston on Nov. 11th. Shown in the photo, starting left and going around the table: Ellen Tew, Jim Davidson, Jan Price, Marcia Fisher, Don Brown, Melba Brown, and Dianne Kelly. Photo by Johnnie Ann Gaskill.

July 2014 Meeting

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs are proud to have Tom Vadnais speak at their Tuesday, July 8th meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of Hightower Memorial Library, located at 800 West Gordon Street (across the street from Upson Regional Medical Center) in Thomaston. The title of his program will be “Things to Consider when Post-Processing.” When you want to move beyond snapshots, you get to experience one of the best parts of digital photography: the opportunity to easily enhance your photographs in the computer. Your post-processing techniques can be simple or complex. But more important than learning techniques is figuring out what and why changes might be needed. Tom will present an overview of what you can do, and how you can evaluate your images, so you can make the best use of your post-processing time.

Photographers of all skill levels are invited to attend. There is no admission fee.

May 2014 Meeting

from Eric Bowles' website

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs have invited Eric Bowles to speak at their Tuesday, May 13th meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of Hightower Memorial Library, located at 800 West Gordon Street (across the street from Upson Regional Medical Center) in Thomaston. He will show images he took at Arabia Mountain (the most easily identified landscape of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area), which he describes as “Stone Mountain’s smaller and older sibling.” Eric’s images depict this unique habitat and the tiny plants that live there. He will discuss techniques and equipment for macro and close-up photography he used to get some wonderful shots in this special location (DeKalb County).

Eric is an Atlanta-based nature photographer, specializing in the Southeastern United States. His work has been published in magazines, newspapers, and commercial publications. Eric leads workshops for photographers of all levels. Custom instruction and tours are available on request for select Southeastern destinations, including the Great Smoky Mountains, Okefenokee, Coastal Georgia, and popular locations in Florida. To learn more about him and to see samples of his work, visit his website: http://bowlesimages.com/

Photographers of all skill levels are invited to attend. There is no admission fee. For more information about the Shutterbugs, please visit their blog: http://wcgshutterbugs.blogspot.com.

February 2014 Meeting

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs will meet on Tuesday, February 11th at 6:30 p.m. at the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery located at 201 South Center Street on the courthouse square in Thomaston.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, our upcoming meeting will celebrate our love for photography with “Speed Dating Photographs.” Based on the concept of speed dating, we will spend three minutes with each photograph displayed in the room and write down what we love about the photograph and what could improve. Each member will take away a heart filled with compliments about the photograph that they brought. (We can all benefit from being “loved on” by fellow members!)

All you have to do in order to participate is bring a 5x7 or 8x10 photograph that you took of something that you love! Come early (6:15-6:30) and enjoy some delicious “Valentine treats” before the meeting begins. (Please bring your own bottled water, soda, coffee, etc.) Photographers of all skill levels are always welcome.

January 2014 Meeting

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs will meet on Tuesday, January 14th, 6:30 p.m., at TUAC (Thomaston-Upson Arts Council), located on the courthouse square in Thomaston.

The program will be “Learning How to Take Better Portraits.” Various Shutterbugs have volunteered to share some of the techniques they use to create photos of individuals and groups (two or more persons) . Learn how to get better lighting on your subject(s), how to pose persons, as well as how to deal with distracting backgrounds, etc. Even if you don’t consider yourself a portrait photographer, you’ll still benefit from the program, whether you’re only interested in taking photos of your own family, photographing at an event, taking “portraits” of pets, flowers, etc.

Visitors of all skill levels and interests are always welcome to attend the meetings. There is no admission fee. However, anyone wishing to be a member of Shutterbugs can pay a mere $12 per year.

For directions to the meeting, click on the "Meeting Information" tab above this post.  

November 2013 Meeting

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs will meet on Tuesday, November 12th at 6:30 p.m. at the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery, located at 201 South Center Street, on the courthouse square in Thomaston. The program will be a multimedia presentation:  “Let Your Light Shine: Photography and the Creative Life,” which features the words and works of the late Nancy Rotenberg, one of the most respected and renowned nature, macro-photographers of our time. Nancy spent her last 15 years  traveling the world, photographing and teaching. She passed away in 2011, but her “light” continues to shine brightly through the books she’d authored and the DVDs she’d produced. In addition, some of her beautiful images may be viewed on her website: www.naturaltapestries.com.

During the multi-media presentation, attendees will get to hear Nancy’s recorded voice and see her inspiring images as she urges photographers to experience a more creative life and to create images that spring from the heart and soul of the photographer, images that portray not only what the photographer saw but also what he/she felt while making that image.

The kind of wisdom Nancy shares applies to everyone, not just photographers! So, anyone who’d like to be inspired to live a more creative life is welcome to attend the meeting and receive reminders like this: “You are the only one like you. This is your one precious life….honor and nurture your uniqueness, so that your light shines wherever you go.”

October 2013 Meeting

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs will hold their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 8^th, at 6:30 p.m., at the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery, located at 201 South Center Street, on the SE corner of the courthouse square. Photographers of all skill levels are invited to attend. Attendees should bring their cameras, as well as tripods, if available.

Shutterbugs to Meet on July 13th

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs will meet on Tuesday, July 13th at 6:30 p.m. at the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery and Gift Shop, located on the courthouse square, next to the Ritz Theatre. The program will be a viewing and critiquing of images taken recently by members, including images taken during club-sponsored photo shoots in April and June. During the April event, held at a private garden in Griffin, King Davis and Marcia Edwards practiced taking portraits of a lovely model Marcia had invited, while other members were busy snapping pictures of spring flowers, formal gardens, various sculptures, etc. As always, everyone enjoyed getting better acquainted with each other and having time to talk “shop” with fellow photographers.

The Shutterbugs extend a warm welcome to anyone interested in joining the group and/or in attending the July meeting.

Shutterbugs to Meet on May 11th

Richard Bernabe will be the guest speaker when the West Central Georgia Shutterbugs meet on Tuesday, May 11th, at 6:30 p.m. at the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery and Gift Shop, located on the square in Thomaston. Richard is a much-acclaimed outdoor and nature photographer whose images have been published world-wide. Books he’s written, along with the photography workshops he conducts, are extremely popular. Richard will present a program entitled, “30 Images of the Wild: Views From Both Sides of the Lens.” For more information about him, visit his website: www.richardbernabe.com. Shutterbugs are very excited about having such a successful photographer as their guest. They invite anyone interested in learning more about photography to attend the meeting and enjoy Richard’s beautiful images.

"Through Our Eyes Exhibit" & Next Meeting

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs proudly announce the opening of "Through Our Eyes" at the Discovery Center at Callaway Gardens. The photography exhibit features 113 photographs from 33 members of the Shutterbugs. The exhibit is open to the public and can be viewed whenever Callaway Gardens is open. The photographs will be on display until May 2, 2010.

The next meeting of the The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs will be held on March 9, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery and Gift Shop, located on the courthouse square. Everyone who wants to learn more about photography is invited to attend.

Shutterbugs member, Phyllis Dyche, will present this month's program. During the “Developing An Artistic Eye” presentation, she will discuss color and other principles and elements of art that make up good composition and create marketable images.

Phyllis, a retired teacher, has enjoyed art most of her life. She has experience with several mediums, including acrylic and watercolor painting, and has recently developed a strong interest in photography. Phyllis enjoys photographing her family members, landscapes, and interesting objects. View her photographs on her website at www.dychephotography.com.

Keep updated on all the West Central Georgia Shutterbugs activities on their blog: www. wcgshutterbugs.blogspot.com.

Photo by King Davis.

Shutterbugs to Meet on July 14th

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs will meet on Tuesday, July 14th, at 6:30 p. m. at the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery and Gift Shop, located next door to the Ritz Theater on the courthouse square. The program will be in the “Show ‘n’ Tell” format. Members will show samples of creative ways they use the photos they take (greeting cards, bookmarks, scrapbooks, photo books, etc.) and explain how to do the projects and where to buy supplies, etc. Afterward, Melba Brown will demonstrate how to prepare entries for the Georgia National Fair’s annual photography competition, which several Shutterbugs enter each year. The deadline for registering entries is September 10th. Entries must be delivered to the Fair on Sept. 18th or 19th and will remain on exhibit throughout the Fair (October 8-18). Entries must be picked up on October 20th or 21st. For more details, click here: http://georgianationalfair.com/_media/09GLCphotography.pdf

All members are urged to participate in the photography competition hosted by the Shutterbugs. Guidelines for that competition have been e-mailed to all the members. Entry deadline: July 14th.

Getting to Know Your Camera

The West Central Georgia Shutterbugs held their first mini-course, Getting to Know Your Camera, on Monday, April 6, 2009, 6:30 p.m., at the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) Gallery and Gift Shop. The session was facilitated by King Davis and was a mix of “guided instruction” and “questions and answers.” Topics discussed included: how to select the quality of photos, flash exposure compensation, exposure compensation, and ISO. Those present learned more about their camera and/or helped others with theirs. Although no evaluations were filled out, the meeting must have been helpful since some said, “I didn’t know my camera would do that!” and “Let’s do this again!”

Twelve members braved the unseasonably cold weather to attend: Cindy Wright, Dee Hinson, Dianne Kelly, Ellen Tew, Evie Bowker, Harolyn Castleberry, Jan Price, Johnnie Ann Gaskill, King Davis, Marcia Fisher, Margie Lentini, and Melba Brown. Shown (L-R) in the photo are: King Davis, Dee Hinson, and Margie Lentini. Photo by Johnnie Ann Gaskill.