Join us on Saturday, February 3, 2024, for a visit to the iconic Bok Tower Gardens, 1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853 (map below).
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This time of year, we can not only make images of Bok Tower and listen to the carillon within but also the camellias and maybe some azaleas and other cool weather flowers.
This place is perfect for infrared images since there is so much green!
An upcoming monthly assignment is ICM! That is another great technique to try in a botanical garden!
If you have any Lensbaby optics, that is another creative way to utilize what Bok Tower Gardens has to offer.
This is a great place to just have some photographic fun and practice our skills!
When and Where
The ticket booth is near the main entrance as you drive in. Admission is $20 per person. Once you are through that gate, drive onto the main parking area at the Visitor Center. We will meet on the plaza in front of the entrance to the Visitor Center at 9:30 AM on February 3, 2024. We will wait until 9:45am at the plaza and then head into the gardens. So, please arrive on time!
We will walk around and shoot throughout the gardens until around Noon. They have a very nice cafe right at the entrance so if it is not too crowded we will have lunch there. If crowded, we will find a place outside of the gardens to eat lunch.
What to Bring
Per the descriptions above, you can shoot just about anything here so the equipment depends on what you want to create! There can be a lot of walking involved so I would recommend a light kit. Remember your phone is a pretty good camera as well!
I hope you will join me and other members for our first official TBCC outing for 2024!
If you have any questions, please let me know. We will go over everything at our two Zoom meetings in January!
I want to thank all those members, and plus 1’s, who came out to Philippe Park on Sunday to join in the food, fellowship, and fun for our 2023 Annual Awards and Holiday Party!
As usual, the food was amazing and yummy! We had tastes from all over the world!
We had a great turnout for our “Clothes Pin” exhibit and the stories were educational, inspirational, and funny!
I think everyone present won a raffle prize! Thank you Jim McWilliam for adding to what the club purchased!
Thank you to the Board of Directors, plus Lorrie Maniscalco, Susan Huckabay, and Lourdes Fusco, for putting the party all together and cleaning up in record time!
Thank you to those who donated and who purchased the items for the Silent Auction.
1st Place – Liwen Tao, 2nd Place – Sylvia Fernandez, 3rd Place – Lee Brand, 4th Place – Kathy Thompson, 5th Place – Lourdes Fusco, 6th Place – Karen Robinson
Special thanks were given to me (thank you) and to our two Pros, Robert Rostick and Jim Sykes.
Jim Sykes brought his herd of cameras and was taking video and stills most of the afternoon so here is the highlight video, if you missed coming or want to relive the day!
We missed all of our out-of-state members and others who could not make it, so I hope this video allows you to a least witness the fun and fellowship that this club is known for!
We will see you at our next Zoom meeting on January 18, for our first 2024 Exhibition/Comment Night (The assignment is Macro Photography (Redemption Assignment) – A creative image of anything at a 1:1 ratio or closer, no cropping).
On behalf of your TBCC Board of Directors, you are cordially invited tothe TBCC Annual Awards and Holiday Party that will be held on Sunday, December 3rd, at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor (map below).
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The fun gets started at 1 PM in Pavilion #8 and will go on until about 4 PM.
There are many big picnic tables in the pavilion, but you are welcome to bring your own chairs if you prefer. The club will supply grills, hand sanitizer, ice, plates, cups, silverware, napkins, and some basic drinks. There is no electricity so plan accordingly.
We are counting on all of you to bring all that wonderful food and drink that TBCC is famous for!
The food/drink signup form is below.
We will have our end-of-year awards ceremony for those who qualified in our monthly competitions.
Don’t forget our “pushpin” story display! Since we are not actually using “pushpins” in our outdoor venue, please bring one photo that is at least 8X10 (so everyone can see it). It should be on a piece of foam core or matted for rigidity while hanging from our photo lineup! This is not a competition but a chance for you to get up and tell everyone the story behind your image. So keep that in mind when making your image choice. Please only bring an image we have not seen before.
In addition, we are having a Silent Auction again. This auction will help us raise some additional funds that we need to continue to bring in the internationally known photography educators that we have been fortunate to have for the last few years.
If you have any photography-related items (equipment, books, prints, etc.) you would like to donate, please bring them with you on Dec 3.
Whether you donate an item or not, we hope you will bid on an item or items in the silent auction.
Be sure to get your free ticket when you arrive for our Annual Raffle.
Please join us for an afternoon of fun, food, fellowship, and photo sharing!
If you have any questions, please let me know at mytbcc@gmail.com
Lynn Wiezycki
PLEASE CHECK THIS LIST OF FOOD AND DRINKS TO SEE WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN ADDED:
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The sunflowers🌻, in many varieties, are blooming! So, it is last-minute outing time! Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 8 AM, we will meet at Three Son Farms on 3830 McIntosh Rd, Dover (map below) to have some fun in the flower field! This is one hour before their normal opening time so please thank them for letting us in early to get the earlier light!
They charge photographers $25 each to shoot this year but we have once again gotten a good deal. The group fee is $100 so the cost per person will depend on the number of people who show up!
Since last year they have moved the produce stand into the large barn that they were building last year. There is a lot more produce. Plus they are serving all kinds of goodies, ie, milkshakes, smoothies, etc. as they added a kitchen.
There are many picnic tables and a bar where you can sit and look out at the flower field.
We want them to continue to plant the flowers every year so please purchase some produce. It is the best! I buy from them weekly while they are open.
The field is planted in rows this year (like a strawberry field) so getting around in it will be a bit easier. They planted at least 7 varieties of sunflowers. Note: The zinnias may not be blooming yet as they have been affected by the lack of rain (which is good for the sunflowers as a lot of rain ruins the blooms)!
RAIN! If it happens to rain we will still have the outing…last year it rained just as we arrived and we had some wonderful drops on the flowers to add to the beauty of the flowers. So, be prepared to get dirty and possibly muddy, and bring rain gear just in case!
Bring your macro lens, a small scrim/reflector, and a wide angle for full-field shots. Your phone can make some great images as well!
Afterward, we will go get an early lunch at a local taco place!
If you have any questions, please contact me at mytbcc@gmail.com.
Hope to see you all there!
Lynn W.
Here are a few iPhone images I took on April 20 in some very bad light! The field will be quite different on 4/29.
Mark your calendars for our 2023 PhotoCamp on March 3-5.
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For those who have not experienced PhotoCamp, this is an opportunity to share a weekend with fellow photographs while camping at one of Florida’s state parks. This year we will be camping at the Rainbow Springs State Park’s campground, which is located along the Rainbow River, at a separate location, a few miles from the main headspring and day-use area. (Maps for both are below.)
We have reserved 5 adjacent tent only campsites so the number of campers will be limited. But, if you don’t make it on the list of campers, you can drive up for just the day on Saturday.
If you are camping, you can arrive Friday evening and stay until Sunday morning. The campsite restrictions are as follows: 2 vehicles, 2 tents, and 8 people per site. The sites will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Each campsite has water, electricity, a picnic table, and a fire ring. The parking lot (where extra vehicles and the Saturday-only folks can park) and bathrooms are very close to the campsites. Since there are a limited number of tents, a limited number of vehicles, and a limited number of people allowed per site it is important that you fill out the form below accurately so that our organizers can calculate the logistics as the event fills up. The reserved campsites have been paid for by TBCC.
Amenities include a campground store, showers and restrooms, and laundry. There is access to the river from the campground to fish, swim or paddle.
Friday
Check-in time on Friday is: 4-6 PM
For those camping, please call Lee Brand for the campground gate code after 3:00 PM on Friday. (His phone # will be emailed to those who sign up only).
Friday night dinner will be at Swampy’s, 19773 E Pennsylvania Ave, Dunnellon, FL 34422. Meeting there at 6:30PM.
Hang out with your fellow early-arriving photographers.
Saturday
We have several activities planned for attendees. This is the currently planned itinerary, however, be aware that any of it is subject to change at any time up until and during the event.
Since the day-use park is separate from the campgrounds, please drive to and arrive at the main gate to the day-use area (map below) on Saturday morning. They open the gate at 8 AM.
There is a $2 per person admission fee for the day-use area unless you have an annual FL State Park Pass. For those who are camping, your campground parking pass will get you into the day-use park for free. This pass will need to be shown when entering the day-use area.
Saturday morning, there will be a photo walk in the area surrounding the headsprings at Rainbow Springs. The trails, many of which are paved, go from the entrance down along the Rainbow River and up the paths that wind through the park that used to be the old Rainbow Springs tourist attraction. There are gardens and waterfalls, as well as views of the Rainbow River to photograph. See some images below.
When we return to the campgrounds around noon, TBCC will host a lunch for attendees at the campsites. All food and drinks for lunch will be provided by the club. Donations of snacks and/or additional drinks will be appreciated, however. Please bring your own food if you have special dietary needs. Also, all food must be packed away in cars as the raccoons are very active.
After lunch, there will be time for campers to set up their camping gear on the campsite if you only arrived that morning.
Over lunch, and for a bit longer if needed, we will have a photography discussion moderated by Robert Rostick. Last year’s was quite enlightening!
There is a launch area at the campgrounds onto the river so you can spend some time on the river kayaking or canoeing. Kayaking and canoeing rentals are available at the camp store. For those interested we will be doing a guided afternoon paddle to the head spring of the Rainbow River.
Around sunset, everyone will gather at our central campfire for a potluck dinner. Everyone who is staying for dinner should bring a food item to share with the group. TBCC will provide paper plates, cups, and plastic utensils for the potluck dinner. There will be options to cook food on the fire, grill, or on camp stoves.
After dinner, any interested attendees can join in some night photography, provided that weather or clouds don’t interfere. For the remainder of the evening, we will enjoy time at the campfire as late as anyone wants to stay up.
Sunday
Check-out time on Sunday is: Noon
PLEASE COMPLETE THE RESERVATION FORM BELOW BEFORE FEBRUARY 17TH:
Please be sure to fill in the form even if you are only coming for Saturday’s events so we have enough food for lunch.
Note: We will close the camping reservations earlier than 2/17 if we reach the maximum capacity for the camping sites.
Please join your fellow TBCC members at St Pete Pier for an evening of sunset, skyline, and whatever, shooting. You can top it off with a beer, wine, or whatever.
Instead of a Zoom Education Night, we are getting together, in person, to enjoy an evening in St Petersburg. On Thursday, August 25, 2022, we will meet at Benoist Plaza (the Bi-Plane Statue that is next to the Pelican Parking Lot) out on The Pier at 7 PM. You can drive out onto the pier and park in the Pelican Lot.
We will shoot around the pier until after sunset and then go for a drink and maybe some food somewhere in the area.
Here are some images from a couple of years ago!
Sunset from the restaurant on the Pier. Topaz Impression derivation of a tile image along the pier.A Net Abstract – The net is near the playground
I hope to see everyone out there! The last time we did this we had a great time and some great drinks up at the top of the Pier!
Our next outing will be at Eureka Spring Conservation Park at 10 AM, Saturday, April 23, 2022. This is one of the small county parks that helped me get through the last two years. It is a very, Florida piece of land, that was donated to the county some years ago.
Where
It is located off of Hwy 301 and I-4 in Hillsborough County not far from the Florida State Fair Grounds at 6400 Eureka Springs Rd, Tampa, FL 33610. See the Google Map below.
What to Shoot
This park has some nice gardens, a greenhouse, waterways with water lilies (which don’t bloom until mid-day so the reason for the 10 AM meetup time), a nice boardwalk through a typical Florida forest/wetland, a covered bridge, gazebo, and visitor center with restrooms and a classroom!
You can shoot macro, flower close-ups and this is a great place for infrared and a wide-angle lens as there are some old oaks trees with resurrection ferns growing on them. Spring is the best time for infrared as all those new green leaves will be extra white!
The waterlilies are not close so a longer macro lens (100mm or more) is best.
What Else to Bring
Bring a hat, bug spray, sunscreen (although most of the park is pretty shady), and something to drink (it will be getting warmer). There is a single picnic table next to and through the Visitor Center so we will meet there. There is a $2.00 fee per vehicle/driver and $1.00 for each additional person in the vehicle unless you have a Hillsborough County Parks annual pass.
For about 15 minutes I will be talking about the park and letting you know where everything is and then we will foray out to see what we can find! If you arrive late, please text me and I will let you know where we are. We should be done in about 2 hours or so.
Why Attend
Since we are not having meetings in person, this is the next best thing….to me even better because we are getting to do some photography while we get to spend some time together!
mytbcc.com 