SUNDAY, Nov. 16. Grand Valley Image Battle 2025 Presentation
2025-11-16 13:30 - 16:00 (America/Toronto) | Coldwell Banker – Peter Benninger Realty, 508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2K 3S2, Canada
The Grand Valley Image Battle (GVIB) competition is held once a year as an inter-club competition between clubs in South-Western Ontario. GVIB is intended to be a friendly competition to showcase as many photographers from each club as possible. Judging is performed by three independent judges, organized by the host club. The winner of the competition is the club with the highest cumulative score.
Highland Glen Camera Club is hosting for 2025. This year six clubs will be taking part with each club submitting 20 images. We are planning to provide a hybrid experience for the 2025 GVIB. All judging will be performed in advance, and we will then offer a ZOOM and In-Person option to see the presentation of images and results on Sunday November 16, 2025. The ZOOM and In-Person presentation will be offered at the same time: Doors/zoom open at 1:30 pm, presentation to begin at 2 pm. Once the presentation is complete, for those attending in-person there will be refreshments and snacks as everyone mingles.
Date: Sunday, November 16, 2025
Time: Doors open at 1:30 pm, presentation at 2 pm, snacks and refreshments to follow. Expect to have everything wrapped up by 4 pm.
Location: Coldwell Banker – Peter Benninger Realty, 508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2K 3S2. In the theatre in the basement. Elevator available.
Zoom link: to be provided closer to the date of the event via email.

NO MEETING: Nov. 17, 2025
2025-11-17
There will NOT be a meeting on Nov. 17 due to the GVIB competition.

December Theme: Story Telling in a Single Frame
2025-12-01 - 2025-12-31
Go beyond focusing on a single subject. Sometimes you want an action-packed photograph that has a story to tell. The story in the photograph must have a story beginning, middle, and an ending. How do you do tell a story in just one photograph?
You can follow the link to guide you in story telling in a single frame: https://thedigitaltrekker.com/2025/04/visual-storytelling/
You can follow the link which also has a YouTube video: https://www.alanranger.com/blog-on-photography/the-art-of-storytelling-photography?srsltid=AfmBOor4bJWwI6RiWUTfhHGPE7SUM07yWhB-6l-cS4Aen3BE_AqVtwhq
J.P. Stones YouTube video on story telling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1EtKGUsRc
Our private Mighty Networks site is a great place to share your creations, or bring your images on an image share night. If you are a HG member and not on Mighty Networks then contact us for someone to “invite you”.

Meeting: Guest Presenter Jonathan Sau "Printing Your Photos"
2025-12-01 19:30 - 21:30
Are you thinking of printing some of your images for decorating your home and office, or to give away as gifts? A good print on the wall is a great way to showcase your best images.
In this presentation, we’ll cover things you need to know to get the best print outcome, from the choice of photo paper and other media, to ensuring colour and tone accuracy through monitor calibration and soft proofing, and putting on the finishing touch through framing and matting. Most of the material applies whether you use a print shop, or print at home.
About the speaker:
Jonathan Sau has been doing photography since the 90’s, and has been making prints since 2016 for his fine art photography business, using both his Epson photo printer at home, and commercial print shops. He’s a board member of the Grand River Imaging and Photographic Society (GRIPS) in Kitchener.
https://jonathansauphotography.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.sau.photography/
https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.sau.photography/

Christmas Social Dec. 15th
2025-12-15 19:30 - 21:30 | Coldwell Banker – Peter Benninger Realty, 508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2K 3S2, Canada
Please join us at Coldwell Banker, PBR on Monday, December 15th at 7:30 pm (the usual time) for some holiday cheer. We will be showing some award winning photos from the OC3 (Ontario Council of Camera Clubs) Open Photo Challenge 2025. Mark Bingeman will be giving us some tips on using Lightroom. Dessert, coffee and hot chocolate will be served. Zoom should be available, but we’d love to see you in person!

Theme: Inspiration Open Colour
2026-01-01 - 2026-01-31
In preparation for our third CAPA competition the theme for January is “Inspiration Open Colour”. Visit CAPA’s site for full details.
This competition and its themes invite photographers to showcase their creative skills, using colour as a vibrant medium to capture dynamic, outstanding, stunning, thoughtful and thought-provoking images.
It is an opportunity to explore areas that may stretch your comfort zones, pushing to the boundaries of your creativity.
Submitted image must fall within one of the following themes:

Man-Made Environments – Images that highlight the contrast of color within human-constructed spaces: vibrant, tight, and/or sprawling urban centers, rural structures with rich palettes of colour and the working landscapes of farming communities.
Seasonal Transitions – Images which capture nature’s shifting color palette as it transforms landscapes, flora, and atmospheric conditions throughout the year’s natural cycles.
Action & Motion – Images in this theme should convey excitement, speed, and movement through colour. Images can be a result of panning effects, slow shutter speeds or freezing fast action. The sources of inspiration are boundless – whether it’s animals, birds, dance, sports, traffic, vehicles, or any other dynamic subject in motion.
Cultural Events – Using colour, movement and celebration, these images will capture the vibrant traditions, festivities, and ceremonies that showcase the rich tapestry of human existence and expression.
Close-up – Showcasing an intimate exploration of form and detail, these images will reveal the extraordinary world of color, pattern, and texture hidden within everyday subjects.

Hands-On Practice: Portrait Photography with Jane and Leo (bring a camera)
2026-01-05 19:30 - 21:30 | Coldwell Banker – Peter Benninger Realty, 508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2K 3S2, Canada
Leo and Jane will be doing a “hands on” Portrait photography session on January 5th. They will explain what portraiture entails and the different forms it can take. They will set up a “one light” studio in the theatre and will explain how the lighting can be used to create something more dramatic than a photo taken in the available light. Jane and Leo will also discuss how other lighting tools can be used to enhance your portraits. They will have each person that brings a digital camera (it must have a hot shoe in order to connect the light source to the shutter) the opportunity to take some portraits of another club member. They would like everyone to be able to receive their portrait via email from the person who takes their photo. Jane and Leo are hoping to put them up on the screen for evaluation and review that evening.
At the end of the meeting we will be updating you on some CAPA rule changes.
CAPA AI rules and Metadata recording
Jennifer Leat will present a short review of CAPA’s rules regarding AI use and some changes regarding metadata for your photos that are submitted to CAPA competition. This is important information for all who wish to submit images to CAPA competitions from Jan 1st 2026 onwards.

NOTE: Meeting is NOT available through zoom. In person only for hands-on meetings.

Jan. 19th Meeting CANCELLED - to be rescheduled (new date April 20th) for Dan Gillespie Audio Visual Show Night
2026-01-19 19:30 - 21:30 | Coldwell Banker – Peter Benninger Realty, 508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2K 3S2, Canada
An evening in honour of Dan Gillespie.
Dan loved how AV shows brought members together. Help us continue this tradition and remember Dan by submitting an AV show to share.
Submit one AV show (in an .mp4 format) that is a maximum of 5 minutes long. Since an audio visual show takes a bit more work to make, you can share a collection of images that would be shown as a slide show by the moderator.
Bring your audio-visual show on a USB stick. Come early to load it on the club’s computer for presentation. If participating via Zoom, use one of the following procedures to submit your AV show (preferably by Jan 17th):

If you have your own file sharing system (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc), you can send the download link to submissions@highlandglen.ca and the moderator can collect the file.
If you want to send in a show, send an email to submissions@highlandglen.ca and the moderator will send you a file request through Dropbox. The file request will provide a link for uploading the file.

CAPA Inspiration Open Colour Competition Image Due: February 3, 2026
2026-01-22 00:00 - 2026-02-03 23:30
For the third CAPA competition, the Board has selected the Inspiration Open Colour competition. The club will select six images, which must be from different photographers, to represent the club.
Submit one digital image for consideration in the CAPA Inspiration Open Colour Competition.
See CAPA Competitions under the Competitions menu tab for a brief description of the image themes, image standards, and file naming conventions. NOTE CHANGES BEGINNING JAN. 1, 2026.
Submit images via email (our website upload is not working at this time. An error is being returned once uploaded and images are not getting saved).
Please send your images via e-mail to Mark via: capa@highlandglen.ca
In your email include the following:

First and Last Name
Picture Title
Theme

February Theme: Snow or Bubbles
2026-02-01 - 2026-02-28
Snow. One challenge is to get out there this winter and create images of snowy landscapes or close ups of snow on objects, or even snowflakes themselves. Ideas include urban landscapes in snow, a minimalist picture of a single tree, snowmen, or people enjoying winter activities, such as skiing, skating or walking. Snow has a benefit of creating a clean carpet/covering in areas which might otherwise look messy. Pictures taken during a snowstorm are always interesting, and this can even be done from your car! Here are some useful tips 9 Photography Tips To Capture Winter Like A Pro
But remember to be careful with your exposure. Your camera doesn’t know that snow is almost pure white and will often make it grey. So counter-intuitively, you may need to use some exposure compensation (over-exposing) to make the snow look white (but be careful not so much that you blow the highlights). See How to properly expose SNOW and ICE
Bubbles. An alternative for those who are not inclined or cannot go out in the cold weather, is to work on the idea of bubbles. Try blowing bubbles inside the house, children blowing bubbles, close-ups of bubbles against a dark background. Or of course, you can combine these two themes and shoot some bubbles out of doors, see How to Photograph Frozen Bubbles.
Hoping this adds some fun to the short winter days.

Meeting: February 2, 2026 with Guest Presenter Mike Moats
2026-02-02 19:30 - 21:30
Guest Presenter: Mike Moats “Getting It All In Focus Without Focus Stacking” via ZOOM
When I ask macro photographers what they are struggling with, the answer is always depth of field and not understanding the f/stops and how they affect the focus. You will hear photographers say that you have to focus stack in order to get more depth of field, but not true and in this program, you will learn the easy methods to getting all the depth of you want without focus stacking.
Bio
Mike Moats is an international award-winning full time pro macro photographer from Michigan. He is a Tamron Image Master, Vanguard Pro, and his articles and images have been published in many photo magazines for over 20 years. He has a Macro Photo Club online with over 2,900 members, from 29 countries. Mike teaches workshops and speaks at photo conference throughout the US.

February 16: Family Day – No Meeting
2026-02-16
Due to the Family Day Holiday there will not be a meeting this evening.

Fergus/HGCC Competition Images Due: March 18, 2026
2026-03-01 00:00 - 2026-03-18 23:30
In 2019, we started a friendly inter-club competition with the Fergus & District Camera Club as an annual spring event with Highland Glen and Fergus camera clubs alternating hosting duties for the competition. Each club enters 30 digital images. This is an open category competition, so any subject, processing technique, etc. is accepted.
The competition is intended to be a showcase of the achievements of the club as a wholeand not just a few members. HGCC members can submit up to three images for consideration. The club decides on the images to be submitted and strives to have at least one image from every submitter.
Details of the competition and image standard are posted here.
Please submit up to 3 images with a title for each via email to submissions@highlandglen.ca

March Theme: I can taste that Food
2026-03-01 - 2026-03-31
We are challenging you to try food photography. This is a still life photography genre used to create appealing still life photographs of food. You want to make the food look as appetising as possible. Capturing colour and texture is important. Key techniques include using natural, diffused light, often from the side, and experimenting with camera angles like the 45-degree or overhead shots to highlight different aspects of the dish. Natural light is best but avoid direct sunlight. So use diffused light from a window or white diffuser boards to spread the light. Sidelight is flattering for most food. Try shooting from different angles. For example, layered food, such as a burger, is best photographed from the side. And think about your backdrop which should be simple, but consistent with the type of food. Also think about your props e.g. forks. Make sure that everything is squeaky clean – bits of dust will be really noticeable. A person’s hands or fingers can be included, or the cook doing finishing touches. You can even photography food while it is being cooked.
See Food photography tips and tricks and Introducing Food Photography and How to Take Creative Food Photos – MIOPS for ideas. Don’t forget that food includes drinks!
Happy shooting and enjoy the food afterwards!

March 2, 2026 Guest Presenter: Dee Potter
2026-03-02 19:30 - 21:30 | Coldwell Banker – Peter Benninger Realty, 508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2K 3S2, Canada
Guest Presenter: Dee Potter “Explorations in Photography: A Journey Through Urban Landscapes, Natural Wonders, and Fascinating Faces”
To join as an individual guest to Highland Glen Camera Club for this presentation please complete the on-line guest form and pay the $10 guest via e-transfer or cash at the door.
Join Dee Potter for a captivating presentation showcasing his powerful imagery from around the globe—featuring majestic natural landscapes, dynamic cityscapes, and striking cultural portraits. Dee reveals his creative process for working a scene to unlock its full photographic potential and demonstrates how photo tours are the secret weapon for capturing award-winning images. As a bonus, Dee shares his behind-the-scenes experience representing Team Canada at the World Photographic Cup and becoming a 2025 World Top 10 Nature Landscape Photographer, offering rare insights into what it takes to compete on the global stage, and how you can, too!
Online Presence:
Instagram: @deepotterphotography
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photodees
Website: https://deepotter.photography
Workshops: https://deepotter.photography/workshops
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@deepotterphotography6228

Guest Speaker: Steve Gettle "Caught In Motion" March 16, 2026. ON LINE ONLY
2026-03-16 19:30 - 21:30
Due to Leo and Jane coming down with a flu bug this past week, we’ve decided the best course of action would be to present Steve Gettle’s talk completely over zoom. Brant will take over the co hosting with Steve. Please go to the Highland Glen website to see Steve’s information where there is a link to register in order to receive the zoom details. There will not be an in person meeting on Monday night, but we hope you can all join us on zoom.
Please find the Webinar Invitation for Steve Gettle’s presentation ‘Caught in Motion’ to be held on March 16 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Steve is the main host and Highland Glen will co-host. To attend you need to sign up for this webinar prior to the event date. Steve will send out the Zoom link after you register.

This meeting will be hosted by Steve Gettle – details for signing up for the presentation is in the poster he provided.

Link to Poster: CAUGHT IN MOTION HGCC
Photographing Action with a Mirrorless Camera
Want to learn how to go beyond simply making static portraits of your subjects? Mirrorless cameras and advances in autofocus have made action photography accessible to virtually every photographer. In this completely new program, we will show you how to use just your camera, natural light, and auto-focus for subjects on the move such as birds in flight, running animals, and other fast action subjects. We will discuss special exposure techniques for action, acquiring the initial focus-lock, tracking your subject, and how to optimize your auto focus for action photography.
About the Artist: Steve Gettle
Steve Gettle is a renowned nature photographer whose work captures the breathtaking beauty and intricate details of the natural world. With a career spanning over four decades, Steve has traveled to some of the most remote and pristine wilderness areas across the globe, from the lush forests of Borneo to the rugged landscapes of the Far North.
Steve’s passion for nature and photography began in his youth, nurtured by countless hours spent exploring the outdoors and observing wildlife. This early fascination with the natural world laid the foundation for his future career. Steve quickly developed a keen eye for composition, lighting, and the unique behaviors of wildlife, skills that have earned him a distinguished place in the field of nature photography.
Steve’s images are celebrated for their vivid attention to detail, striking use of color, and ability to convey the spirit and character of his subjects. His work not only showcases the beauty of wildlife and natural scenes but also promotes conservation and environmental awareness. Through his lens, viewers are invited to experience the majesty of animals in their habitats, from a delicate butterfly resting on a flower to a powerful leopard hunting in the forests of Africa.
In addition to his photographic achievements, Steve is a dedicated educator and mentor. He conducts workshops and presentations, sharing his expertise and love for photography with aspiring photographers and nature enthusiasts alike. His approachable teaching style and deep knowledge have inspired countless individuals to pursue their own journeys in nature photography.
Steve Gettle’s photographs have been widely published in books, calendars, and leading nature magazines, and his work has been featured in galleries and exhibitions worldwide. Each image, a testament to his patience, technical skill, and unwavering dedication to his craft, and each image stands as a tribute to the wonders of the natural world and an invitation to preserve and protect it for future generations.

Website http://www.stevegettle.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/steve.gettle
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/stevegettle
Steve’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/stevegettle/
Nicole’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolesudduth/

OUTING: March 23, 2026 Aylmer Wildlife Management Area
2026-03-23 16:30 - 19:30
Here is the information about the Tundra Swans Outing.
Location: Aylmer Wildlife Management Area (Aylmer Wildlife Management Area – Google Maps)
Tundra Swans Website (Swan Line – Aylmer Museum)
Time. Leave Waterloo ~3 pm. Arrive @ ~4:30 pm (with a stop at the Ingersoll Enroute). Photograph until ~ 7:30 pm (i.e. until near sunset).
Date – Monday, March 23, 2026
Equipment recommendations – medium to long zoom lens (i.e. 100-400mm), (optional) tripod with ball head or gimble.
Dress accordingly for the weather.

Mark
Outing Coordinator
outings@highlandglen.ca
Highland Glen Camera Club

April 2026 Theme: Canada My Country
2026-04-01 - 2026-04-30
In preparation for the club’s participation in the CAPA competition, our theme for April is Canada My Country. We would all love to see some of your images of Canada – a great place to share is on our Mighty Networks social media platform and at club image share nights.
This annual CAPA event celebrates the rich diversity of people and places across Canada. This year the competition focuses on the PEOPLE and the LANDSCAPE of Canada. Visit CAPA’s site for full details.
Landscape – from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast to our Far North, your submitted photographs should showcase our beautiful country and its vast riches of natural and man-made wonders.
People – images of individuals who call Canada home, photographed in their daily activities, street scenes, workplaces, formal settings, community gatherings, and the varied environments where Canadian life unfolds.
Submitted image must fall within one of the following themes:

Atlantic Zone(New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador & Prince Edward Island)
Pacific Zone(British Columbia & Yukon)
Prairie Zone(Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Northwest Territory)
Ontario Zone(includes Nunavut Territory)
Quebec Zone

CAPA Canada My Country Competition Image Due: April 15, 2026
2026-04-01 08:00 - 2026-04-15 23:30
For the fourth and final CAPA competition for this season, the Board has selected the Canada My Country competition. The club will select six images, which must be from different photographers, to represent the club.

Submit one digital image for consideration in the CAPA Canada My Country Competition.

See CAPA Competitions under the Competitions menu tab for a brief description of the image themes, image standards, and file naming conventions. NOTE CHANGES BEGINNING JAN. 1, 2026.

Submit images via email (our website upload is not working at this time. An error is being returned once uploaded and images are not getting saved).
Please send your images via e-mail to Mark via: capa@highlandglen.ca
In your email include the following:

First and Last Name
Picture Title
Theme

April 6th: Easter Monday - No Meeting
2026-04-06
Due to the Easter Monday Holiday there will not be a meeting this evening.

April 13th: HGCC vs Fergus & District CC Competition
2026-04-13 19:00 - 21:30 | To be determined
Invitation to the Highland Glen and Fergus Inter-Club Competition
You are invited to the 2026 Highland Glen and Fergus Inter-Club Competition.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend to hgcc@highlandglen.ca by Tuesday April 7th so we can give a tally to Fergus.
Monday, April 13 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
This friendly competition will be hosted this year by the Fergus and District Camera Club
in-person at their regular meeting place.
St James Anglican Church (lower level)
171 Queen St. E.
Fergus, Ontario
Doors Open: 6:45 pm
Meeting Start: 7:00 pm
Lights off for presentation of images and results shortly after 7:00 pm
Snacks & refreshments to follow the presentation.
PDF invitation has details on parking. Click HERE to see invitation PDF from Fergus.

MEETING: April 20, 2026 Influential Photographer Presentation, Image Share and AV Share
2026-04-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Coldwell Banker – Peter Benninger Realty, 508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2K 3S2, Canada
Influential Photographer:
A HGCC member will present for our Influential Photographer series Dianne Bos.
Image Share:
There will also be an Image Share/Critique (images to be critiqued only if requested by the photographer). Bring or submit up to 4 digital images or prints to share in tonight’s share session. Be prepared to tell us about your image. For digital images, please use the image standards that we use for digital competitions s these work best for our projector. Images must be resized to maximum 1920 pixels wide and maximum 1080 pixels high. Therefore, a horizontal image can be no larger than 1920 wide by 1080 high and a vertical image can be no larger than 1080 wide by 1080 high.
You can bring your images on a USB stick. Come early to load them on the club’s computer for presentation. Alternatively, email all images to submissions@highlandglen.ca preferably by dinner time on Saturday before the meeting.
AV Share:
The Dan Gillespie AV Show night has been rescheduled to April 20th – Click here to view the event information.

May Theme: Stuck In Motion
2026-05-01 - 2026-05-31
We are looking for shots of moving animals, people, machines, vehicles, even plants! which show movement which is frozen by the camera. When fast motion is stopped by the camera, details not seen by naked eye may become evident, e.g. when water movement is stopped by the camera.
Here are some more ideas of motion that can be captured in a freeze frame; moving water and objects dropped into water, steam, droplets, collisions, explosions, dancers, sports events, cycling, cars, birds in flight. Of course, a high shutter speed is required, although how high depends on how fast the subject is moving, but usually at least 1/500 is needed, ranging up to 1/4000 to freeze hummingbird wings. Burst mode is recommended useful to capture the exact moment of best interest.
A flash can also be used to stop motion.
One other approach when you want to freeze the motion of just one object in the scene is to use a slower shutter speed and to pan the moving object with the camera. This results in a blurred background but a sharp subject. This works best with objects which move in a predictable fashion e.g. a car or cyclist passing by.

Meeting May 4th: AGM and Member Image Share Travel Inspiration (in honour of Nora)
2026-05-04 19:30 - 21:30 | Coldwell Banker – Peter Benninger Realty, 508 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2K 3S2, Canada
Annual General Meeting
Agenda to be circulated closer to meeting.
Travel Inspiration Evening (in honour of Nora Znotinas)
Nora loved to travel and lucky for us she always had her camera and shared her far reaching and exotic adventures with us through her images. In honour of Nora, we will have an evening of stories and images shared focused on Travel (near and far). There will be a few fun challenges and prizes too! Stay tuned for more details as the date gets closer.

May 18th: Victoria Day - No Meeting
2026-05-18
Due to the Victoria Day holiday there will not be a meeting this evening.

June 1st: Year End Banquet
2026-06-01 | To be determined
Place and time to be announced closer to the date. Stay tuned!
