August 2018 MMPC Announcements

September Meeting – Big Cookie, Pic & Share, MMPC Business

The September 2018 meeting of the Mid-Michigan Photography Club is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at the First Presbyterian Church, 510 W Ottawa St, Lansing, MI. David Smalldon and Paul Bielawski will offer Pic & Share presentations. An update on MMPC Board elections and By-laws is planned.

Big Cookie

The theme for the Big Cookie competition in September 2018 is Pets.

September Meeting – Annual Dues

At the September meeting we will be collecting the dues for the year, we have kept the cost of being a club member to $35 again this year so please bring that with you to the meeting. If you can’t make the meeting send payments to:  Karen Towner, 10727 Keefer Highway, Portland, MI 48875.

Member Elections Taking Place This October

MMPC is having elections for upcoming vacancies on the Board this October.  This is a great opportunity to be involved with a great group of people and also help move the club forward with new ideas and views.  We currently have a few positions that are opening and there are no qualifications needed except for the President’s position (you must have served as vice president to become president). You may nominate someone you think would be great at it or even nominate yourself.  Just email us at mmpclansing@gmail.com or get with one of the board members at the next couple of meetings. The positions are:

  • President 2 year term
  • Vice president 2 year term
  • Secretary 3 year term
  • Member at Large 3 year term

The MMPC Board is recommending that the MMPC membership make a change in the by-laws. The current by-laws provide that the Vice-President will succeed the President at the end of the term. The proposed by-law amendment changes this provision such that any MMPC member may be nominated and serve as vice-president and that any MMPC member that has served on the MMPC Board may be nominated and serve as president. The MMPC membership will be asked to vote on this change in the by-laws at the September meeting.

Fall Field Trip Planning

MMPC is planning an Upper Peninsula Waterfalls Weekend  (Munising area mostly) on October 12th through October 14th.  You must be a member in good standing in order to go on this trip (i.e. dues paid at September meeting).  Non-members can pay the $35 to become a member if they want to go on the trip.  In order to plan for locations and logistics the deadline to sign up for this trip is the September meeting (September 5th 2018).  The waiver which will act as a sign in sheet.  If you plan on going please bring this to the meeting.  We are encouraging car pooling for saving on gas as most areas up there don’t allow for many cars.  During the meeting after everyone hands in their waiver we can try to coordinate how many people are going and see if we can set up car pooling then.

Gallery Show Planning

The annual MMPC Gallery Show will be held again at the Riverview Church – Holt Venue. The dates will be November 17, 2018 – January 27, 2019. All MMPC members are encouraged to enter. The pricing to enter will be $10 for up to two images. All prints must be matted, framed, and ready to hang (with wire on the back of the frame). The maximum outside dimensions of the mat are 28 X 32 inches. The minimum print size is 8 X 10 inches. Members may offer their prints for sale, or they may choose to have it on display only. The following are the dates for the 2018 Gallery Show, to be held at Riverview Church, 3585 E Willoughby Rd, Holt, MI

Setup – Thursday, November 15, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Take-Down – Monday, January 29, 2019 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

The fee for participation in the gallery show must be paid at the MMPC meeting on November 7, 2018. There are two forms that must be submitted to participate. There is the Riverview Church Artists’ Agreement, and the Application for MMPC’s 2018 Riverview Gallery Show.

MMPC Photo Challenge

Thanks to all who have contributed to the MMPC Photo Challenge. A reminder that the August theme is Stairs and Steps. A gallery of the photos is on the web site at http://mmphotoclub.net/monthly-challenge/. If you do not use the Facebook group, send your entry by email to mmpclansing@gmail.com so that we can post it to the Facebook page. Discussion of the photos, beyond simply liking the picture, is encouraged. Note that the rules for the reward drawing have changed. To encourage participation and to not penalize a member that was unable to post in a given month, each member that posts in a month will receive a ticket in the gift card drawing. A member that posts in all 12 months will have 12 tickets in the drawing. Upcoming themes for the photo challenge are:

  • September – Farms and Harvesting
  • October – Color
  • November – Frost
  • December – Holiday Lights

 

Mid-Michigan Photography Club Astrophotography Field Trip

Mid-Michigan Photography Club Astrophotography Field Trip

Saturday August 11, 2018

Plan to arrive no later than 9:30 p.m.

Fox Park Observatory

3979 E. Gresham Hwy, Potterville, Michigan 48876

Please RSVP on the MMPC Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/221653251838329/ or by email to mmpclansing@gmail.com.

This field trip is a follow-up to the August MMPC meeting where Joe Holley and Rich Wyllis discussed astrophotography. As for light pollution, Fox Observatory is typical of Southern observing sites where you can see City Light domes on the horizon but the Milky Way is very visible as we are far enough away from the big cities to view it. If you are not going to spend the night you will need to park in the lot below the observatory near the beach. The cost is $15 for 1 night. They have plenty of room for tents and RV’s.

The 8th Annual Fox Park Observatory Star Party is being held at Fox Memorial Park near Potterville, Michigan, SW of Lansing. All but $5 of every registration fee goes directly into the Observatory’s fund that is used for upgrading, maintaining and operating this fantastic public observatory. The star party is our annual fundraiser to help offset costs of operating the observatory. It’s a gathering of amateurs from around the area for a weekend of imaging and observing. It’s an overnight, 3 night event. You’re more than welcome to join us on the 11th but just keep in mind this event is a little different than the normal public night.

Power for any and all astronomical equipment is available at no charge. There is a nice beach, walking trails, decent restrooms (sorry, no showers other than the outdoor beach shower), playgrounds and plenty of room for tents and RV’s. If you don’t like to camp, there are hotels available within 5-15 miles in Lansing and Charlotte.

While Fox Park doesn’t offer the pristine skies of northern Michigan, the skies are still more than dark enough for serious observing and imaging. Limiting Magnitude at Zenith is approx 5.5 to 5.7. The location is close to Interstate’s 69 and 96 so it is easily accessible for all the major cities of southern Michigan and beyond. The main purpose of the event is to give all of us obsessed astrophotographers and observers a long weekend to hang out and observe/image our night skies while at the same time helping a great facility continue to introduce our great hobby of amateur astronomy to hundreds of new people every year. Bring your camping gear and equipment or take a peek through the observatory’s numerous telescopes.

There is absolutely no white lights allowed after dark as this is an amateur observing event and typical star party rules are enforced. All of the volunteers should be there that day observing and/or Imaging so there will be more than adequate assistance if you have any questions.

Bryan Renaud

Sadly, MMPC has lost another member. Bryan Renaud has been with us since nearly the beginning of the club and has been with our Board of Directors, assisting with our programs for nearly as long. Bryan performed a lot of behind the scenes organizing & assisting in many club activities including the annual open house & gallery show to name a few – he will be missed!

Here is a link to Bryan’s viewing and funeral.

RIP Bryan…https://molnarfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/2461/Bryan-Renaud/obituary.html#tribute-start