A Good time was had by all!

From Becky:

A big thank you to all of you who came to our picnic on Saturday! With each of you contributing, we had the best picnic yet - IMHO 😃.

A special thanks to Karmen, Deana, Vern, Manny, and their spouses for the games, decor, music, and grilling!

And, a shout out to Patty for taking the group picture. Not an easy task! ha.

The set-up and clean-up crews were invaluable and much appreciated.

It's Fair Competition Season! 

Judging is complete.  Check out the galleries to find out the ribbon winners in the Orange County Fair and San Diego Fair competitions. 

These are among the most prestigious and competitive juried photography exhibitions in the country, and our members have historically earned many ribbons and awards. Our galleries showcase all member entries, both submitted and accepted images. 

We are planning a club outing to the OC Fair:
August 13, at 5pm - meet at the Photography Exhibits.  Look for an email with sign-up sheets and gallery links.

See all Exhibition galleries here.

July Photo Challenge: The All-American Classic

Time is running out!  Take and upload your photo between Saturday, June 27 and Friday, July 31, midnight. Click here to review the challenge rules.

Celebrating 250 Years of the American Spirit

For this July’s challenge, we're celebrating the United States' 250th birthday by asking one simple question: What does America look like through your lens?

Show us your unique perspective—whether through candid moments, landscapes, small-town charm, family traditions, iconic symbols, or everyday life.

Submission Guidelines:

*Limit: One image per entry (full-resolution, ~5,000px on the long side).

*Rules: No watermarks or descriptions on the photo; please ensure your name is in the metadata. See all the rules.

*Prizes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be announced at the August 5th meeting and featured on the SCPC website.

If shot with a SmartPhone, please email your name and description of the photo to scpc-membership@googlegroups.com before the submission deadline.

Entry links are in the newsletter and will be sent again mid-month.

Outings

Two possible outings in September that are in need of a leader.  Drop a line to Scott Stetzer if you have an interest in leading.

CSU / San Bernardino Pow Wow Sept 18th - 20th - San Bernardino San Manuel Pow Wow is a three-day celebration free to the public and features Southern California traditional bird singers and dancers, as well as North American and Canadian dancers and drum singing groups. https://www.socalpowwow.com/

Waste Land: A Mad Max desert event (ala Burning Man) Sept 30th - Oct 4th - in the Mojave Desert A desert festival taking influence from the iconic “Mad Max” films, while incorporating other pieces of post-apocalyptic pop culture now including the popular Fallout theme. https://www.wastelandweekend.com/

You can find outings information on our events calendar.

Workshops

Photobook Workshop
Wednesday, July 29, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm  at the Duck Club

Join Mary Madden for a hands‑on workshop exploring how to design and produce beautiful hard‑bound photobooks. Mary will walk you through the complete process—from organizing and preparing images in Lightroom, to refining layouts and graphics in Photoshop, to selecting and ordering finished books through popular commercial photo labs.

Light Painting Workshop
When: Friday, August 7, 6:30 pm Led by: Dolores Lopez
What to Bring: Camera, tripod, and remote shutter release
What Participants Will Learn: What light painting is, basic camera settings, simple light painting techniques, and how to create fun images with handheld light sources. Light painting equipment will be provided.

Lightroom Classic Workshop
August 18, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Library Module of LightRoom at the Duck Club

Manny Olmedo will present a detailed review of the Library Module in Lightroom Classic, with particular emphasis on effective Catalog Management and the use of Publishing Services.

Look at our events calendarfor all upcoming workshops.

Monthly Casual Shooting Workshop (CSW) Series

CSWs are scheduled on the third week of the month to work on a specific shooting method.  The leader will select the location and will post links that illustrate the shooting method. Afterward, we'll get together at a local coffee shop or another place to share images and experiences. 

One of our club’s most valued community activities is providing photographic support for local non‑profit organizations during their fundraising events and celebrations. Members volunteering their time and skills help these groups document their milestones, promote their missions, and elevate the impact of their events.

This work not only strengthens our club’s outreach efforts, but also offers members a fun and meaningful way to practice event photography in real‑world settings. The organizations we assist are consistently grateful for the images we create, and our contributions make a genuine difference in their ability to share their stories.

See all Outreach images here.

Our Calendar lists additional upcoming Outreach events.

Best Shots Rules

Submit your best shot - any subject, any style - but only one shot! This is your opportunity to showcase your current work and share what you’re exploring as a photographer.

Take and upload your best shot between Saturday, June 27th and Friday, July 31st, midnight.

This is not a contest. Your reward will be the fun of posting your best shot of the month and seeing others' best shots. 

Watermarks are encouraged for Best Shots. It makes it easy to identify the photographer and give them proper credit.

You'll find the upload links in the monthly newsletter, and they will be sent again mid-month before the challenge ends.

Before posting, read the rules for detailed Challenge and Best Shots images. 

Our sponsors now have a page of their own.  Click here.