Workshop Reminder

Just a reminder that we will have another workshop on January 5, 2012. It will be held at the Extension Office and will begin at 6:30 pm. Our speaker for the evening will be Donna Cummings. Please, bring any photos you have taken so far; either prints or on a thumb drive. Donna will be able to give you some feedback on your photos.

This is a great opportunity to get tips from a PROFESSIONAL photographer. :-)

These do not have to be photos you plan to submit to contest. Any photos will do. But, you have some you plan to submit now would be a great time to get some feedback on them.

I really hope to see MANY of you there. Remember, the deadline to submit your photos for county is by 5:00 pm January, 13th. Please review the requirements for submitting them online.

There is NO FEE to participate in the county contest, and NO developing or mounting costs. So, take LOTS of pictures, and enter as many categories as you wish. :-)

Holiday Reminder

Just a reminder to everyone, the holidays are upon us. This would be a GREAT opportunity for you to grab that camera and take some photos of your family, the food, candid shots of the kids opening their gifts... you never know what kind of reaction you could capture "on film."

Use your imagination, and just have fun with it. :-)

Workshop Reminder

The second photography workshop will be held tonight, November 7th, at 6:30 pm. We will meet at the Extension Office. Mrs. Vera Smith, a photographer from Rusk, will be our guest speaker.

Please, bring your camera, and some of your photos. They can be photos you plan to put in this year's competition, so you had in past competitions, or some you took years ago. She will be happy to give you feedback, and let you know what you are doing right, and in what areas you might need to practice.

You may put them on a thumb drive and we will have a lap top provided, or you may bring printed copies.

Remember, the holidays are quickly approaching; this would be a great opportunity to take LOTS of pictures. :-)

Workshop Reminder

Just a reminder that the next workshop will be November 7th at 6:30 pm. We will meet at the County Extension Office. Mrs. Vera Smith will be our guest speaker.

Please, bring any photos you have taken (either printed or on a thumb drive) and Mrs. Smith will give you some feedback and tips.

I will also have the guidelines available, and will answer any questions for those who missed the last workshop.

Free editing programs and photography websites

The following are resources taken directly from the State Photography Website. Please, get your parents permission before visiting any website, or downloading any of the photo editing programs.

Contest and Project Resources

Disclaimer:The Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, and The Texas A&M University System do not support or endorse any sites other than their own. They bear no responsibility for any information contained on these sites. This page exists merely to guide visitors to potentially helpful resources.

Photo Editing - Free Programs

• GIMP
• Fotoflexer
• Paint.netPaint.Net
• Picasa
• Picnik
• Windows Live Photo Gallery

Taking Pictures

• Kodak - Taking Great Pictures
• New York Institute of Photography
• Photography Review.com - Learn the tricks to taking photos
• Vistaprint - Make an impression
• 7 Tips for Great Digital Photos
• Tips on How To Capture Action Shots
• Photography Tips
• File and Digital Camera Simulator
• Black and White Photography
• Tips On Capture Animals
• Photography - The Art Of Light Interactive Guide
• Outdoor Photography
• Focus on Photography
• Editing Digital Pictures - Short Course
• Photography Short Courses

Guest Speakers in November and January

We will have guest speakers at both of the workshops that will be held on November 7th, and January 5th.

Vera Smith will be our speaker in November, and Donna Cummings will be our speaker in January. Both ladies will be there to give us some photography tips. Also, please bring any photos you have taken, and they will be on hand to give you personal feed back and tips. They can be photos you plan to submit to this year's competition; photos from past competitions, or just photos you have taken for fun.

Both of these ladies have been judges in the past for our photography competitions, and are wonderful photographers. :-)

The meeting tonight, October 20th, will cover the rules and regulations for the 2012 photography project. Even the county contest will be done differently this year, so please attend if you are interested in the photography project.

All three workshops will be held at the Extension Office, and will begin at 6:30 pm.

Hope to see you there.

CONGRATULATIONS, DAVID!! :-)

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet, please forgive me.

David Wingard competed at the State Photography contest this summer. He received a blue ribbon for for his photo in the "food" category, and a red ribbon in the "marine/auatic" category.

We are very proud of you, David. :-)

WORKSHOP REMINDER

Just a reminder that there will be a workshop this Thursday, October 20th, for those interested in the photography project. We will meet at the Extension Office and the workshop will begin at 6:30 pm.

We will go over the rules and regulations, as well as discuss some techniques for taking better photos.

There will also be a workshop on November 7th for those who cannot make this one. I hope to also have a photographer with us on the night of the 7th who will give us all even more helpful tips, and who will look at any photos the kids would like to bring in and give them some helpful feedback.

I am currently trying to put together another workshop for January, and I will post the information as soon as it is available.

Again, this year their will be no mounting/printing of photos needed, and county level is FREE to participate. :-)

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Wendy

Photo Light Box

For those who might be interested, you can make your own photo light box. :-)


I just did a project last week that this would have come in very handy. I plan to make my own as well.

County Photography Contest

The county competition has been set for the week of January 23-27, 2012. The deadline to enter your photos is, Friday, January 13th. The photos will be submitted online by e-mailing them to Willie at the County Extension Office. We are doing it this way to 1) give the participants the experience they will need to submit them to the district and state levels, and 2) to save you money on developing and mounting just for one contest.

The guidelines will follow the state guidelines, except there is NO entrance fee at for the county level. So, with no cost for developing, mounting, or entry; feel free to take enter all of the categories!! :-)

Please, read this post, concerning the state guidelines and revisions. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me.

Again, we can only submit one photo per category to the state level. SO, to make it fair, the following is how choosing the photos to go to state will be handled:

Although photography is not one of the categories in which you must "advance" to the next level to participate, we are encouraging Seniors ( age 14 - 19 ) to compete at the county level.

When choosing the photos to send to state, the photo that scored the highest at the county level will be the one chosen in that category to represent Cherokee County; providing the participant wants to send it to the state competition. If the highest scorer chooses not to send his/her photo to state, then the 2nd highest scorer may send in his/her photo. Any other photos submitted to state will be at a "first come, first serve" basis. You will need to check with me to see if a category has already been filled before submitting your photo to prevent you and the other participant from being disqualified.

Please, be sure to read the guidelines for online submission. This will be followed at all levels of the photography project.

Workshop Reminder: October 20, 2011, 6:30 pm at the Extension Office.
November 7, 2011, 6:30 pm at the Extension Office.

Blessings,
Wendy

District Information

The deadline to enter the District Photography contest is February 14, 2012. You will enter your photos at 4-H Connect, just like last year. District is following the State Guidelines, including the TRAIN theme. So, if you print the State regulations that is what you will follow for District.

However, District will cost $6 for your initial photo, and 50 cents for each photo after that.

I am still working out the County Contest, so I will get that info to you as soon as I can. :-)

Remember HAVE FUN!!! :-)

2011-2012 Guidelines/Workshops Schedule

Hi, Everyone

The State guidelines for 2011-2012 are posted to the right of the blog. Please, print a copy and read through them well. For the most part they are the same as last year, with just a few changes. Those changes are:

• Theme Category is TRAINS. This theme allows 4-H members to take photos of all types of trains. The train theme includes both real and model trains. Photo subject must be either the engine or a train car. Photos of train accessories such as stations/depots, signs, tracks, etc are not allowed.
• STORY BOARD has been added back as a category.
• Formatting of photos has been simplified. In 2012 all photos must be able to be printed at a 300 dpi at a 3 X 5 inch size. Max memory size of 1.5MB.
• Both entry form and uploading of photos will all be done on 4-H CONNECT.
• Time period for entry will be from April 1, 2012 to April 15, 2012.

The cost to enter a photo to the state contest is $10 per photo. Remember, only Seniors (age 14 and up) are allowed to enter the state contest.

Also, each county may only submit one photo per category to State. SO, we will need a way to show "advancement" to State, in case there is more than one Senior who would like to compete in the State Photography Project. I am currently working out those details, and will get them to you as soon as possible.

Two workshops have been scheduled for those interested in participating.

October 20th - 6:30 pm - County Extension Office
November 7th - 6:30 pm - County Extension Office

We will go over the new guidelines, review some tips on taking great photos, and I hope to have a photography come and speak as well.

I do not have any dates/guidelines for District at this time, but I will post them as soon as I receive them.

There is no date set for the County Competition, yet, but I will also post that information as soon as it is set.

DEADLINE EXTENDED!!!

The registration deadline for Clovers & Cameras: Texas 4-H Fall Photography Series has been extended through NEXT WEDNESDAY due to the new year and enrollment status’ changing. I have attached a flyer with more information. Please note that these workshops will be held at the State 4-H Office in College Station.

Clovers and Cameras

Find out how to make the most of your 4-H Photography project during this 5 workshop series! 4-H’ers, leaders, and volunteers will learn from the pros. All participants must be 11 years old and older and have their own camera to bring to the workshops. All workshops will run from 9 a.m to 3 p.m with lunch included.

5 Workshop Package- $125 includes lunch and educational booklet from all workshops

Individual Workshop- $30 includes lunch and educational materials from individual workshop

Please contact Amy Dromgoole at 979-458-4227 or amy.dromgoole@tamu.edu for more information.

Registration ends Saturday, September 3rd.

Visit HERE for more information.

Digital Photography School

Hey, Parents!

Sign up for FREE weekly newsletters, and even register for weekly photography assignments. Lots of great tips and tutorials.

Did I mention it's FREE? http://www.digital-photography-school.com/13-lessons-to-teach-your-child-about-digital-photography

Seniors: State Photography

If any seniors plan to participate in the State Photography competition, please let me know to find out what categories are available. So far, the only ones that have been taken are "Food" and "Aquatic/Marine". All others are open at this time.

The deadline to enter is April 15th, and the fee is $10 per photo.

PLEASE, read the rules for the state level. You can find them by clicking the link at the side of the blog. There are specific guidelines about how to submit ONLINE this year.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.

Wendy

District Results

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Katy Dickey, Emma Sitton, Cory Evans and David Wingard for placing in the District Photography Show.

Katy (a Junior with Footbridge) placed 4th in the "Dominant Color" category and 5th in the "Details and Macro" category.

Cory (an Intermediate with Footbridge) placed 4th in the "People" category.

Emma (a Junior with Footbridge) placed 4th in the "Animals-Wildlife" category and 2nd in the "Animals-Domestic" category.

David placed 2nd in both the "Food" and "Marine/Aquatic" categories.

We are very proud of all of the participants.

State Photography Clarificication

These two new rules actually slipped by me, but I believe we have caught them in time. :-) If you plan to participate at state, the photos must be submitted ONLINE by April 15th. So, no developing or mounting is necessary. HOWEVER, there are guidelines as to pixel measurement.

Please see the site here: http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/youth/photography/index_youth_photography.php#guidelines

Also, A county may have only one entry per class for a total
of 14 entries per county, and all entries and entry fees must be submitted DIRECTLY TO THE TEXAS 4-H AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT OFFICE via 4-H CONNECT (registration) and e-mail (photos).

So, that means we are limited to 1 photo per category, period. Again, this is a new rule and did slip by me. So far we have only had 1 senior participate in the county and district contest. If you are a senior, and you plan to participate, please contact me so we can make sure we don't have two participants in the same category.

Please, see the rules and guidelines as to the process to do this. Each photo will cost $10 to enter.

Remember, only those at the Senior level (14 and up as of August 1st) can participate at State, and you need not have participated at county or district to participate at the state level.

For those of you who submitted to District, Willie corrected each photo to the correct size, and they were submitted on time, so no worries. :-)

Another Extension Due to Pending Foul Weather

Hello All,

Yet again, I have decided to extend the entry deadline due to pending bad weather.
Please be aware that the new and final entry deadline date is now:

FRIDAY, February 11th.

I need to have these in my office no later than 5PM.

Thanks,
- Willie

PS. as always, if you need more info please contact the CEO at 903-683-5416 or Wendy Emprimo via email.

Extension due to weather:

Hi, everyone

Goodness it's been cold!! Due to the snow/bad weather expected tomorrow, we are extending the deadline to turn in the photos for the district competition. You have until 5:00 pm TUESDAY to get them in to the Extension Office in Rusk.

Willie will drive them to Overton at NOON on Wednesday.

We don't want anyone getting into any accidents on icy roads just to get photos in, so please take advantage of the extension and BE SAFE. :-)

Don't forget that you will need to e-mail (or give a CD) your photos to Willie as well. And, you will need to register at 4-H Connect.

DISTRICT DEADLINE Reminder

The deadline to submit your photos for district is NEXT Friday, February 4th. Please, make sure you have your photos to Willie before 5:00 pm.

You will also need to have a CD of the photos to turn in as well, or you may e-mail them to Willie, or directly to the District office.

You will also need to register with 4-H Online .
It is $5 for the first photo and 50 cents for each photo after that.

Please be sure to read the District Guidelines. You will find them to the right of the blog under "curriculum/resources". If you submitted 4x6 photos for county, you will need to have them printed at a 5x7 or 8x10 for district.

Remember, even if you did not compete at county, you may still compete at district. :-)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Wendy or Willie.

2011 County Photography Results

Hi, Everyone :-)

The photos have been judged and here are the results. I do have the judges forms/comments for each photo, so you may want to look at them before deciding which photos to move on to district, etc. Remember, the deadline for district is not until Feb. 4th, so if you choose to take new photos and enter those you may. Otherwise, just let Willie know you want your photos to move on.

Animal - Domestic
Abigail Verhelle - Red
Alaina Verhelle - Red
Katy Dickey - Red

Animal - Wildlife
Alaina Verhelle - blue
Abigail Verhelle - blue
David Wingard - blue

Flora/Plant
David Wingard - red
Alaina Verhelle - blue
Abigail Verhelle - red

Natural Landscape
Abigail Verhelle - red
David Wingard - red

People
Alaina Verhelle - red
Abigail Verhelle - blue

Dominant Color
Katy Dickey - blue
Abigail Verhelle - red
Alaina Verhelle - red

Marine/Aquatic
David Wingard - red
Abigail Verhelle - red

Food
David Wingard - blue
Abigail Verhelle - red

Macro Detail
Abigail Verhelle - red
Alaina Verhelle - red

Catch-All
Abigail Verhelle - red
Alaina Verhelle - blue

Element of Design
Alaina Verhelle - blue

There was a tie for "Best Overall". David Wingard in the Food Category, and Abigail Verhelle in the Animal- Wildlife Category, both received the top score.

PHOTOS ARE ON DISPLAY

The photos for the County Photography Project are now on display at the Jacksonville Public Library. Please, take time to stop by during regular business hours to view them. They will remain on display until January 28th.

Remember, if you did not compete at the county level you can still compete at the district level. The deadline to have your photos in for district is February 4th by 5:00 pm.

DEADLINE REMINDER:

Just a reminder the photos for the county competition are due in the Extension Office by 5:00 pm this Friday, the 14th. This will give us a chance to get them organized for the judges for next week.

The photos will be on display at the Jacksonville Public Library from the 18th -28th, so come by and see them all.

Remember, you do not have to compete at county to move on to district. The district deadline is Feb. 4th, so please have your photos into the Extension Office by 5:00 pm that day. Don't forget to include a CD or a e-mail your photos as well for both county and district.

Photography Contest Labels

IMPORTANT!!!

Please fill out and affix one label on the back of each photograph you wish to enter in the county 4-H Photography contest. If a photo is submitted without a label, we have no choice other than to disqualify it.

Label link: http://cherokee-co.tamu.edu/publications/photography%20labels.pdf

2010 -2011 District Guidelines

The 2010 - 2011 District Photography Guidelines have been posted. Please, visit the site and print out the guidelines. They will follow the state guidelines with just a few exceptions, so please view them carefully.

The Theme for this year is "Clover." This theme allows 4-H members to take photos of
all types of clover(s). Examples include: clover(s) in nature, painted clover(s),
unique clover(s), 4-H Clover, anything that has a clearly noticeable clover(s) in it will be considered acceptable.

Fees for the District Contest are $5.00 for the initial photo and $0.50 for each additional photo.

The deadline to turn in photos for District is February 4th. Photos you intend to send to District MUST be in the Extension Office by 5:00 pm that day. Please, remember to e-mail the photo to Willie, or submit a CD along with photos, so we can get them to the District Office by the February 11th deadline. Also, you must register with 4-Connect by February 11th to compete.

You do not have to be present at Round Up in April to compete.

Remember, the point of this project is to learn how to take better photos and HAVE FUN.