Join us for an evening with Grace Hollars:

My name is Grace. I have an endless amount of energy and I know how to use it to my advantage. I am extremely passionate, quirky, and edgy — a constant burst of joy.

Dream Job: Wonder Woman (superpowers only functional behind a camera)

Current Occupation: Visual Journalist for the Indianapolis Star — USA Today Network (not quite Wonder Woman, but close enough)

For any questions about hiring please feel free to email or text at any time.

• Portfolio: www.gracehollars.photography

• Email: gracehollarsthephotog@gmail.com

• Phone number: 765-749-6827

• Instagram: @_gracehollars

Experience

• Current position: Visual Journalist (Sports Specialist) at The Indianapolis Star — A USA Today Network. Visual team for USA Today Sports Olympics coverage. Photographed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics for USA Today Sports. 2019-present.

• Student Photographer, Ball State Creative Services & Communications; Muncie, IN — 2018-2019

• Richmond Times-Dispatch; Richmond, VA. 2018 Summer Photo Intern

• Olympics Photographer: 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil & 2018 Winter Olympics, PyeongChang, South Korea for Ball State at the Games

• Photographer, Daily News; Muncie, IN — 2016-2018

• Photography Intern, The Star Press; Muncie, IN — Summer of 2013

John will discuss how he approaches editorial assignments, from working with Photo Editors to lighting, rapport with subjects, composition, concepts, etc.

John Bragg is a graduate of the University of Dayton where he majored in Photography.

John started out his career as a photography assistant working for various photographers in Indianapolis and around the country. After a few years of assisting, he struck out on his own and went into business for himself.

John has photographed for clients like Honda, NCAA, GMC, Adidas, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Indianapolis Monthly, Muscle & Fitness Hers, USA Weekend, Parade, Redbook and Golf Magazine.

John has a passion for European travel and takes an annual trip to Europe to satisfy his wanderlust. To date, he has visited Europe over 30 times to document the architecture, landscapes, culture and people.

His work can be found at www.johnbragg.com and he can be found on Instagram at @johnbraggphotos as well as @johnbraggphotography.

Location: Zoom

We will have an opportunity to learn more about 300 Cameras for 300 Kids from Dennis Jarrett, Next Generation Initiative

We believe photography enables a young person to see their world in a different light, figuratively and literally. Something magical can happen when they place their eyes behind the lens of a camera.

Empowering 100 Kids with Cameras every year
Our mission is simple: to provide 100 deserving kids with cameras each year, fostering creativity, self-expression, and the development of important life skills. Through the lens of a camera, they can tell their stories, document their journeys, and explore the world around them in an entirely new way.

For information about the 300 Cameras For 300 Kids program, download our program overview

The Next Generation Initiative is a 501(c)3 organization designed to enable the next generation of media professionals to be successful.

We will not be meeting this evening.

Happy Thursday to all, we will not be meeting this evening due to shooting Wednesday night at GHDT's 'Down on the Bayou' dress rehearsal.  Hoped you made it last night!

Meeting Location: Zoom

Back by popular demand we are going to have our fun member photo share.  Everyone picks out 3- 5 of the following: your favorites, ones that need assistance, or ones that you found from years ago and you finally worked on.  Anything goes...it's your time to shine and show!  We will determine your time allowance at start of meeting depending on how many want to share.

Also please share any Tips & Tricks you might have found in 2024 to kick off 2025. Marc says he has a really good one to share. 

Meeting: Zoom

Larkin Fourkiller is a professional nature and wildlife photographer.

He takes pictures of eagles, bison, hummingbirds, landscapes, and fox. He travels the world including; Florida, California, North Carolina, Indiana, Colorado and more.

Larkin works in and with several fields, including; interior designers, publications, educational centers, wildlife centers, Cherokee language and culture, senior citizens communities and more. Larkin is a professional Keynote speaker in photography, nature and wildlife, and Cherokee and Native Culture.

https://www.facebook.com/p/Larkin-Fourkiller-Cherokee-Culture-100064095602668/
Indigenous in the News with Photographer Larkin Fourkiller 12/09/2024

Meeting Location: Zoom

Join PVCC members Mat Gerdenich and Valerie Jackson as they share photos from their separate trips through Greece.

Mat will take us through his trip through Athens, a cruise through the Greek Islands and Turkey, then back to Athens.

I am Valerie Jackson, a retired radiologist who recently moved back to Indianapolis after 10 years in Tucson, Arizona. I was a PVCC member for several years before I moved away. I love travel, bird, and landscape photography. Several times a year I travel with small groups of other amateur photographers led by former National Geographic photographers. The photo critiques on these trips have been incredibly helpful in improving my photography.

Greece: In October, 2024, I went to Athens and Santorini with a small group of photographers, led by Joe McNally.

Spain/Morocco: In September, 2024, I joined a small group of photographers for a trip through southern Spain and northern Morocco. Our travels included Madrid, Seville, Ronda and some small towns in Spain, as well as Tangier, Tetouan, and Chefchaouen (the "Blue City") in Morocco.

The club will provide lasagna and drinks; please bring a side dish or dessert to share. If you want to participate in the VERY fun and riotous print exchange, bring a gift wrapped, 8x10 or larger matted print but don't put a name on the package.

Plus ones can also participate in the photo exchange. They may bring their own print or steal one from their partner....depending on who is the better photographer!! 🙂 🙂

Hope you'll join us for an always enjoyable evening!

Registration deadline is December 9

Click here to RSVP

Happy Thanksgiving to all, we will not be meeting this evening. See you next week at the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre: Winterfest

Meeting: Zoom

It has been awhile since we have had a club photo share!

After lots of FB and Insta stalking on my part, I know you all have been traveling to amazing locations and shooting at the many great club field trips.

Now we hope for you to share them with us in person so we can not only see, but also hear about your amazing trip or adventure!

Share 5-10 of your favorite photos to share with the group.  We will determine that night how many we can share once we know how many of you pulled photos to share.

Looking forward to a relaxed night of beautiful photos.

Meeting: Zoom

In early August, our own Vernon “Jonesy” Jones went to Churchill, Canada on a photographic workshop.

The four photographers and two professionals met in Winnipeg, staying overnight, and then flew to Churchill.

Jonesy will do a short history and share photos and stories of the trip.

Happy Halloween to all, we will not be meeting this evening. See you next week on Zoom for Jonesy’s Church Hill Polar Bear presentation

WELCOME FALL!  It's that time of the year for shooting fall foliage.  Hopefully it will be a beautiful evening with some color change starting at beautiful Holliday park. It is a shoot whatever you want night!  The ruins, gardens, playgrounds, hike down to the river.  Might see if I know a family or two who might like some family fall photos to practice those amazing park portraits.  Please come with some fun ideas.

Time: Early arrival 5:00 pm and Group Meet Up at 5:30 pm

Parking:  West Parking lot by the park ruins. Right off Springmill Rd. at the front of the park.

After the great presentation shared by Charles Yang, we are now going to put his personal approaches to the test!  Bring your best camera/lens to get close and personal to Monument Circle and it's spirit.  Pick one lens and stick with it!  You don't need that large gear bag with stuff you will never use.  Lets really see what your view of Indianapolis looks like. 

You can spend some time on Instagram, or Google and see what others shoot to get a feel for what appeals to you.  People - candid or portrait. Architectural details. Reflections. Chance encounters and Random incidents. Shadows. Black & White or Color. So many options! 

Time: Early arrival 5:30 pm and Group Meet Up at 6:00 pm
Parking:  Street Parking Meters
Meet up: South Side of Monument Circle on the steps.

Join us for an evening with our own Charles Yang!

Charles Yang was a Neuroscientist who turned socio-cultural street photographer. His passion for photography began in his teen when his father gave him his old camera, along with a subscription of National Geographic magazine.

Always having a camera on his side, Charles has framed moments in life among diverse cultures during his international academic and biopharmaceutical scientific career paths over the last 5 decades while living and working globally, including Hong Kong, England, Canada, USA, and China.

In 2019, just before COVID hit, Charles took an early retirement to pursuit his other passion – Global Travel Street Photography. Not able to fulfill his plans during COVID, Charles used the lockdown period to sort through his extensive image archives to self-publish two photographic monographs, entitled: "Shanghai: the Pre-COVID Soul of The City (2020-2017)", "On Reading: From Analogue To Digital. And more recently, “Under The Moroccan Winter Sun”. These 3 books are now available to the public on the shelves of the Indianapolis Public Library.

Charles had held solo exhibition of his color and monochrome prints in Darkroom Revelation Gallery (CCIC), and joint print exhibitions with Lesley Ackman in Harrison Art Center, Garfield Park Art Center. Each of Charles’ photographs invites and lures viewers to immerse themselves in his thought-provoking moments frozen in time.

In his upcoming in-person talk at Photo Venture Camera Club, Charles is going to share his personal approaches to the Art and Craft of his Street Photography by illustrating with examples from some of his past and current work.

Meeting: Zoom

Our speaker this evening is wildlife photographer David Johnston, from Tennessee. Click here to see some of his work!

THE BEGINNING

I started my journey in photography in 2004 when I took a film photography course in high school. It was an amazing experience to shoot with film and then bring those images to life in the darkroom. There is definitely an enormous difference in film and digital photography. Film cameras taught how to get my light correct in-camera as best possible.

However, it was in 2010 that I really became obsessed with photography after I got my first DSLR camera. I decided to put all of my energy into photography to make it my life career. I knew I couldn’t quit my full-time job right away, but I could hustle with photography on the side until I could do photography full-time.

In 2014 I started my first blog and podcast called Photography Roundtable. I had a good run with the podcast and it enabled me to meet some of my best photography friends, teach, and run photography workshops in national parks in the United States.

MAJOR LIFE CHANGE

In 2017 my wife and I had a major life change. We moved to Haiti to become missionaries. My wife runs maternal health programs and I help with logistics and I frequently find myself being her ambulance driver. Even in Haiti I still wanted to do photography and teach in some way. So, I turned to YouTube to share my landscape photography ideas and techniques for people to learn for free.

RIGHT NOW

In 2019, we made the difficult decision to return to our home state of Tennessee which is where we live now. I’m passionate about helping people improve their nature photography with online video. Video content on YouTube, post-processing courses, and video tutorials are my favorite ways of helping people with their photography. One of my favorite ways of talking about landscape photography is through my podcast called The Landscape Photography Show.

Join us for an evening with David Van Deman as we explore “headshots with a twist”

Share Your Story:
In the digital world, your headshot is typically the first time another person will see who you are. Being professional but approachable is critical, and those standards vary based on your personality and your industry. Van Deman Photography marries reality with ideals through combining photo shoots with Photoshop. The result is a unique opportunity to share your personal style and how you wish to be seen. David has a firm belief that photo shoots should be fun and considers his headshot sessions a success when you are laughing and having a good time throughout.

We will have a couple models, so bring your camera.

If you’re late getting there, give Jen (317-289-3614) a call to come unlock the door

Location: Zoom Meeting

Can Toksoy will present an immersive photo share celebrating the rich and diverse culture of Cuba. This presentation will take you on a visual journey through the heart of Cuban society, showcasing its vibrant colors, lively traditions, and captivating history.

Highlights:

• Photographs capturing the essence of Cuban life, from bustling Havana streets, Cuban Music, religion, art, etc.

• Narrative offering a deeper understanding of Cuba’s cultural heritage.

• Videos from live Cuban music, dance, and art, highlighting the island’s creative spirit.

Scott’s talk on capturing Travel Photography will provide you with many of the insights needed to create great travel images and become a better travel photographer. You will learn how to push your digital photography well beyond capturing ordinary snapshots with just a point-and-shoot approach.

Scott will show many examples of travel photography from all over the world and explain his thought process and workflow from beginning to end. The emphasis will be on how to create more compelling images and how to push yourself to think differently.

He will cover the essential gear and understanding and mastering your gear, great travel destinations, how to prepare ideas and do research before you travel, logistics including planes, trains, boats, tuk tuks and automobiles, capturing people while you travel, critiquing your own work and much more.

Scott will also go extensively into time of day for your images from sunrise to sunset and also shooting after dark which can be one of the best times of the day to shoot travel images.

Learn more about Scott by visiting his website: http://asa100.com/about/

Non-members welcome

We'll meet at the entrance to the Arts building (near Hook's Museum) at 6:30PM. After we tour the photography exhibit, everyone is welcome to hang out and enjoy the rest of the evening shooting around the fair and eating delicious treats. So come early, stay late but join us August 8!

Bag Policy:

EMAIL RESPONSE FROM ISF: If you have problems getting through the gates with your gear, it may help to share this email exchange:

The camera equipment and associated bags referenced below are permitted through the gates at the Indiana State Fair. The bags may be subject to additional search during security screening.

This information has been shared with our gate leadership, so you should not encounter any issues upon entry. Should that not be the case, feel free to contact me directly.

Thanks for your continued support of the Great Indiana State Far!

Mike Berkery
Vice President & Chief Operating Officer | Indiana State Fair Commission
Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center
1202 East 38th Street /// Indianapolis, IN 46205
O/F (317) 927-7615

PERMITTED:

• All bags (clear, backpack, tote, camera) 9” x 10” x 12” or smaller will be permitted.

• Fairgoers are NOT limited to the number of bags smaller than 9” x 10” x 12” that they bring in, and all bags will be searched.

• Empty reusable bottles, cups, and souvenir cups will be permitted.

• Any carry-in items for family care, such as diaper bags, water or snacks for children, or medical reasons will be permitted – no medical proof or note needed.

• Fairgoers are encouraged to leave unnecessary items at home. We realize this policy will change the way you prepare to come to the Fair and appreciate your flexibility and patience.

PROHIBITED:

• Aerosol Cans

• Alcoholic Beverages

• Banners, Signs, or flags on poles

• Bicycles, tricycles, or unicycles

• Foot powered or electric scooters (such as Bird, Lime, or Lyft scooter)

• Skateboards, hoverboards, roller skates, or inline skates

• UAV – drones

• Animals such as pets and emotional support animals (service animals are allowed)

• Balloons

• Beach Balls

• Commercial A/V Equipment

• Fireworks, sparklers, or explosives

• Glass Bottles

• Hard-sided coolers

• Illegal Substances (drugs, paraphernalia, etc.)

• Bags larger than 9” x 10” x 12”

• Lasers

• Noisemakers

• Sticks, Bats, Poles

• Weapons, Firearms, Knives

The following items are ALLOWED at the State Fair:

• Diaper bags of any size

• Cameras for personal use (No photography for commercial or media use without proper media credentials)

• Empty cups, water bottles, and camelback-style water packs

• Lawn chairs/folding chairs (please remove chair from bag at security screening)

• Sealed water bottles

• Bags and soft sided coolers 9”x10”x12” or smaller

• Strollers/wagons

• Umbrellas

Join our own Cindy Breneman as she discusses the basics of Milky Way photography and how you can get good images even in our light polluted Indiana skies.

Topics will include planning, gear, techniques for capturing the shot, foreground lighting and basic editing using Lightroom.

PVCC will not be meeting the evening of July 11th since we are gathering for the Circus on July 12

PVCC will not be meeting the evening of July 4th

Join us for an evening at Aurora Photo Center!

Their new location:
Circle City Industrial Complex
1125 Brookside Avenue, Suite C9
Indianapolis, IN

Mary Goodwin will give us a tour of the new Aurora PhotoCenter in the Circle City Industrial Complex. We will have the opportunity to view the new exhibitions by Aaron Turner and Ian Lewandowski in the galleries and learn more about their photo equipment, workshops and other services offered. CCIC is the artist colony where Eric Schoch has gallery space and Charles Yang has exhibited. This will be our last meeting for the fiscal year so it's a good time to enjoy some photography and mingle with fellow club members.

Parking is free and in the lot directly across from the building. This is a very large former factory with several entrances. It’s important that you enter the building using the correct entrance. You are looking for Entrance 4; there is a sign directly on the door that says Entrance 4 (please see attached picture). The correct entrance also has a blue mailbox in front of it (again, see picture). Once you enter via the correct entrance, walk straight back until you see Suite C9; we are directly across from the leasing office.

According to PVCC Bylaws, a nominating committee shall be established by the President at the last meeting in April.

Nominations shall be presented to the club at the first meeting in June.

Nominations may be accepted from the floor, with the prior concurrence of the nominee. The election shall be the third meeting in June.

2024-25 Officer Nominations:

• President: TBD

• Vice President- TBD

• Secretary- TBD

• Treasurer- TBD

2024 -25 Committee Chair Appointments:

• Competitions: TBD

• Field Trips: TBD

• Historian/ Librarian: TBD

• Membership: TBD

• Programs: TBD

• Website: TBD

(photo by Bill Bubenzer)

SPECIAL NOTE:

Please turn in digital files of the images, on June 6, that you will submit in print form for the Indiana State Fair Club Competition on June 20. You can submit them to pvcccontest@gmail.com If you have any questions, please reach out to Jay van Saten at jay@vscwebgroup.com

Location: Indianapolis Art Center

We’ll gather at 7 pm for informal discussion and then start the formal meeting at 7:30.

Bring your print entries to this meeting

Members will select 5 images, which will then be submitted as a Club entry this year. Members can submit 4 prints of their choice for this competition.

Any member image submitted for competition during the previous 10 months shall be eligible. The image need not have been previously placed to be eligible.

The re-editing and processing of entries is permitted, especially if in response to suggestions made by competition judges. Prints may be re-mounted and/or re-printed.

Or, members can submit new photos in print format for selection.

Previously submitted Indiana State Fair Entry photos are not eligible for selection and will not be considered for entry per the State Fair's rules.

Please bring to the June 13 meeting your prints (8x10" to 16x20" in size).

Members will vote on their choices for the 5 slots, and all submissions must be from different members.

The "top five" selections will be asked to send digital files to the Club competition email address. Eric Schoch has graciously agreed to print and mount all images.

Visit our Competition Rules page for the latest information

Click here for the 2024 Indiana State Fair Entry Book

Our online meetings are limited to paid members, who receive a Zoom link via email each week. If you would like a temporary pass to attend a meeting, contact one of our officers.

WHILE YOU ARE HERE, GO AHEAD AND DOWNLOAD OUR WAIVER OF LIABILITY FORM (REQUIRED FOR ALL FIELD TRIPS).

Location: Zoom MEMBERS ONLY

We’ll gather at 7 pm for informal discussion and then start the formal meeting at 7:30 pm..

We have been on a lot of photo shoots and it's time to share! Please bring 4 - 5 images preferably from a club event such as a Focus On shoot or field trip, something related to a presentation (eclipse, film, portrait posing etc) or an image you entered in a competition. Discuss why you shot it, what you liked about the results, how you processed it, what you would do differently if you could have a do over. If it was a competition entry, what have you done to re-process the image based on feedback. Our club exists to learn and grow from one another, so share your photographic journey with us.

Our online meetings are limited to paid members, who receive a Zoom link via email each week. If you would like a temporary pass to attend a meeting, contact one of our officers.

According to PVCC Bylaws, a nominating committee shall be established by the President at the last meeting in April.

Nominations shall be presented to the club at the first meeting in June.

The bylaws state nominations may be accepted from the floor, with the prior concurrence of the nominee. The election shall be the third meeting in June.

Since we are not meeting in person June 6, please email your nominations to President Sandy at president@photoventure.org

Current Officer Nominations:

• President - Vernon "Jonesy" Jones

• Vice President - Paul Schoon

• Secretary - Mark Sachs

• Treasurer - Bill Bubenzer

• Past President - Sandy Stawiasz

PVCC will not be meeting the evening of May 30th