January 14th Fieldtrip to Butterfly World for:

February’s Theme         Macro/Close up:

There is something magical about seeing a subject up close and personal. This opens up a whole new world of options for photographers. You can achieve close focus by decreasing the camera’s distance from the subject and letting it fill the frame, by adding extension tubes, use a close-up filter (diopter), or by using a macro lens. Use a tripod if possible. Close-up photography, or macro photography, can be a very rewarding form of photographic expression.

February 11th Fieldtrip to Paleo Hammock meet there 9am for:

March’s Theme             Nature Photography

Nature photography is photography that unlocks the beauty of natural elements in their natural habitat within a frame. It is an umbrella term that covers landscape photography, wildlife photography, and garden photography. The aspects of nature include a variety of subjects ranging from plants, animals, lush greenery in a personal backyard, to a hidden natural wonder. True Nature Photography is without the hand of man, in other words nothing man made (or human) should be in the image.

March 11th Fieldtrip to Wachodahatchee Wetlands meet there at 7:30am for:

April’s Theme                       Panning Photography

Panning is a camera technique used to capture motion blur and convey movement while keeping a moving subject sharp. To capture a panning shot, choose a moving subject and a shutter speed slow enough to capture its movement. A fast subject like a vehicle will not require as slow of a shutter speed as a person running, for instance. As your subject moves perpendicularly to your lens, follow it in the direction that it’s moving. Panning will take some practice to nail the technique, but it produces much more interesting shots of moving subjects than those with a static background.

April 15th Fieldtrip to Stick Marsh  for:

May’s Theme                 Birds

Bird photography is one of the most popular genres of nature photography. For beginners birds in parks are used to people, so they are much easier to approach than birds in wild forests or fields. Birds near feeders are usually very friendly and will not be frightened by you if you have a little bit of patience. As you learn how to make friends with birds, your photos will be rewarding.

May 13th Fieldtrip to McKee Gardens for:

June’s Theme                        Floral

June 10th Fieldtrip to Riverwalk Ft. Pierce for:

July’s Theme                 Photographing Reflections

Reflection photos refer to any shot, no matter what type of photography that uses a reflective surface such as; water, mirrors, puddles, glasses, etc. Reflection photography really is about the ability to look at an image in a different way.

July 15th Fieldtrip to Brevard Zoo for:

August’s Theme            Eyes

For the eye level vantage point, shooting at the subject’s eye level is key! For animal and people photography, shooting at the eye level encourages the viewer to form a bond with the animal in the image because you look directly into the beautiful eyes.

August 12th  Fieldtrip to Downtown Fort Pierce Farmers Market for:

September’s Theme      Street Photography

Street photography is one of the most challenging but at the same time one of the most rewarding genres of photography. Documenting people in their everyday environment is not easy – it requires patience, hard work and sometimes even some bravery to be able to approach and photograph complete strangers. You need to have quick responses and react intuitively as you would shooting sports. Just like travel photography, you must master storytelling. And also, you must be able to thoughtfully and creatively compose a compelling shot that draws in your viewer, just like in landscape photography.

September 16th Fieldtrip to Tradition Town Center for:

October’s Theme          Sunset (Golden Hour/Blue Hour) Photography

• The photograph doesn’t necessarily need the sun as its subject.

•  Often, the focal point is the sun’s impact on the landscape.

• Prepare and envision the desired image.

• We will meet at 6:45 PM in the parking lot of the Great Greek Restaurant (10513 SW Meeting Street #101, Port St Lucie), it is near Panera and Meeting Street Restaurant.

With the sunset scheduled for 7:25 PM. Points of interest include the lake’s fountains, the children’s fountain, the lakeside path, the pavilion along the path, the rear pavilion of Longhorn Steak House, City Hall, outdoor eateries, and more.

Bring your tripod.

October 14th Fieldtrip TBA for:

November’s Theme is  Environmental Impact

The environmental photographer’s objectives encompass:

• Cultivating awareness about the profound repercussions of waste accumulation, air pollution, and plastic contamination on both the ecosystem and public well-being.

• Championing the utilization of photography as a formidable instrument for advocating environmental causes and steering societal transformation.

• Prompting a call to action among viewers, spurring them to actively engage in diminishing air pollution, waste accumulation, and plastic pollution within our localities.

Fieldtrip to Stuart Air Show for:

December’s Theme        Fast Shutter Speed

Fast shutter speeds, at 1/500th of a second or faster, will freeze and capture quick-moving action – so you get a clean image of a subject that would otherwise be blurred. You can use a fast shutter speed for, sports photography, wildlife photography, street photography or any kind of action photography.

The Air Show runs from November 10 – 12, 2023.  Friday hours are 5 – 9 PM Gates open 4:30PM, Saturday and Sunday hours Gates open at 9am. Flying starts at 12pm.

December 16th Fieldtrip to Heathcote Botanical Garden of Lights

at night for: January  2024’s Theme  Christmas Lights