Category: 2026 Meetings

UCSD Photography Interest Group > Blog > 2026 Meetings

15 Jul 2026 Zoom Meeting Minutes

Posted on July 15, 2026July 21, 2026 by jrwilkinson

This is the Zoom AI’s summary of our meeting. The photo sharing portion does not seem to be covered. Perhaps when I start sharing my screen, the auto-note taking is reset. I’ll try to turn it back on next time.

Key Outcomes

The group reviewed Barb’s fair-entry photos, discussed smart telescope technology (Seestar), and shared experiences from the county fair — including the overcrowded awards ceremony and judging dynamics. Barb earned four ribbons total, including two third-place finishes and honorable mentions. The meeting also covered practical tips on astrophotography gear and fair logistics.

Decisions Made

Seestar smart telescope recommended for astrophotography beginners: easier target-finding, built-in light pollution filter, travel-friendly at ~2 lbs. 12
Planetary photography not ideal with Seestar S30/S50 (wide-field); better results use video stacking; longer focal-length models are in development. 3
Awards ceremony attendance deemed not worth repeating due to overcrowding; preference shifted to arriving early, skipping the ceremony, and viewing the gallery independently. 45
Duplicate photo entries: judges typically eliminate one if two near-identical images are submitted. 67

Photo Review — Barb’s Fair Entries

Convergence (Japan) — Black & white cityscape; Honorable Mention 8
Velodrome mechanical shot — Taken at club outing; entered in All Things Mechanical; texture and grain added in post; feedback advised keeping the dark bottom crop 910
Hush Cathedral (Kyoto misty hike) — Trees & Plants category; notable for all-day misty rain conditions 11
Living Echoes (Mount Fuji reflection) — 3rd place, Trees & Plants; refined via club feedback 12
GoPro fair ride shot — Background blacked out in Lightroom; 3rd place, Fair category 1213
Museum ladder/waterscape — Feedback: straightened ladder curve, removed stringy cloud; entered in Waterscapes; Honorable Mention 14
Japanese tree preservation (Karaoke/Kara pines) — Slight overexposure noted; Honorable Mention 1516

Fair Logistics & Judging Notes

Awards night was severely overcrowded two years running; attendees passed out in the room. 417
Alternative strategy: arrive early, skip ceremony, view gallery with wine — no crowd, same experience. 5
Parking/shuttle issues on July 3rd caused 2–3 hour delays; remote lots (La Jolla High, Torrey Pines) recommended. 1718
Visual fatigue sets in with too many entries; impact diluted after viewing hundreds of photos. 18
Judge critiques (when attended) provide useful per-image feedback, even if overall winner logic remains opaque. 19

Open Questions

Whether Gary will get a Seestar after seeing his friend’s results 320
Best post-processing approach to darken the sky in Barb’s pine tree image (AI masking in Lightroom suggested as possible solution) 16

Action Items

Gary: Request sample photos from friend who owns a Seestar 20
James: Queue Mickey’s falconry photos for review at next meeting (missed due to social engagement) 21
James: Review John’s photos next after Barb’s 8

15 Jul 2026 Themes: Portfolio Project; 4th July/America’s 250th/SD Fair

Posted on July 15, 2026July 21, 2026 by jrwilkinson

Another lively Zoom meeting with the several regular and semi-regular participants. We discussed the SD Fair and the photos members of our group had accepted. I compiled the photos three members of the group had accepted, some winning ribbons or honorable mentions: https://ucsdphoto.group/2026/07/2026-san-diego-fair-photos-from-ucsd-phig/

This month’s theme is the third & final installment of the Portfolio Project. The idea was to compile 30 or more images of similar style, subject, or technique. The portfolio theme can continue if participants want to keep working on the project.
The alternate themes were Fourth of July, America’s 250th birthday, and SD Fair. Many of us visited the SD Fair to check out the photography exhibition, take photos, eat fried Oreos, people-watch and go to photography workshops. The photos we had accepted into the exhibition are here.

Barb – shared more architectural photos to add to her portfolio. Architectural photos are often great subjects for black&white so she’s exploring DXO Nik Collection’s Silver Efex post-processing. Stay tuned for black&white versions of the color photos if she likes the results.

The glowing white appearance comes from marble chips blown into the exterior stucco plaster

Barbara – shared photos for her street photography portfolio. She uses her Nikon Zf’s black&white mode to improve the visualization of photos in black&white. A handy & useful feature of this camera.

Cathy – shared more photos of San Diego Landmarks. This month’s iconic locales were landscapes.

Norm – added panoramic images to his immersive 360 panoramas. Some of these are crops of his 360º panos, some rectallinear versions. He already has a nicely produced portfolio at his website normolsonphoto.com. So we’ll compile the images he’s shared during the meetings with links to 360cities.net and his website.

John – shared some 4th of July/America’s 250th parade photos from Bristol, RI. The parade participants marched in wilting summer upper 90º heat (+100º heat index).
Bristol Rhode Island hosts America’s oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration, which began in 1785. The nearly two-week event spans from Flag Day on June 14 to July 4, featuring concerts, a parade, and fireworks.
John splits his time as docent between the Star of India Maritime Museum in San Diego and the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol.

Sharon – shared more of her favorite backyard decorticating eucalyptus tree bark photos. These become a humorous Rorschach test.

Jim – continued his Japan portfolio with 16×9 crop/style. Inspired by Cathy’s San Diego Iconic Locations, Jim added more iconic locations in Japan. His multiple trips from 2007-2023 have been limited to southern Japan, visiting Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara (deer city), & Kagoshima.
His photos of Diabutsu of Kamakuri were from 2010. Photos of Kagoshima & its volcano, Sakurajima, were taken in 2007. Sakurajima, one of the world’s most active volcanoes erupts hundreds of times a year, sending dramatic ash clouds into the sky on an almost daily basis.
If you visit Japan in April, the cherry blossoms are blooming, especially around Kyoto, adding to its charm.

17 Jun 2026 Theme – Portfolio Project; Color

Posted on June 17, 2026July 2, 2026 by jrwilkinson

Our June 17th meeting themes this month were: the continuation of the portfolio project, and “color”. An alternate theme for everyone but especially those not participating in the portfolio project. After catching up on everyone’s travels, goings-on, and SD Fair photography ribbon winners. We shared an eclectic variety of photos:

BarbD – continues with her dual portfolio ideas – architecture and “green”. She uses a compact 1″ Sony RX100VI pocket travel camera. It produces photos of suprisingly great quality with little or no post-processing. I’ve started carrying mine around a lot more, inspired by her stuff.

Green

Architecture

Barbara – continues her black&white and color street photography porfolio. She also captured photos of Rock-n-Roll Marathoners later in the race.

Cathy – has been out-of-town a bunch recently but she submitted photos for her “San Diego Landmarks” portfolio. We browsed through them during the meeting and have questions saved for her next participation. We also want to discuss her ribbon-winning SD Fair photos. A dedicated webpage for these images, including Barb’s will be forthcoming.

Gary – continues to share images from his recent trip to Arizona, particularly Antelope Canyon. Definitely makes you want to go there with your camera more than once. He also revisited (reprocessed) his elk in snowstorm photo. Revisiting and reprocessing an image is a great way to fine-tune your photo processing skills. Often improving or re-interpreting an image.

Mikky – apologies to Mikky, I mucked up his photo downloads from OneDrive. Why can’t Macs and PCs get along better in this day-n-age? He had a great group of portfolio images centered around birds of prey, particularly Peregrine Falcons. Also some long exposures of the San Diego Bay Skyline that smooths out the choppy water. He’ll go first at the July meeting since this all happened late in the meeting.

Norm – expands on his 360 panoramic image portfolio. Of everyone in the group, he has the most specialize and technical group of images. I respect his focus and the amount of effort to create one immersive image from a set of fisheye or wideangle photos. Please click on the thumbnail to connect to his 360cities.net version for the full immersive experience.

Sharon – is not building a specific portfolio although she could compile her black&white prints into one. She worked on the “color” theme this month, particularly her favorite shade of blue. Focusing on a particular color when out taking photos is a wonderful exercise. It’s surprising how a particular color can be everywhere and make a great image.

Jim – continues his Japan porfolio, focusing on 16×9 horizontal compositions in particular. Although many photographs in his archive are vertical – a suprisingly large percentage he realizes during this project. He’s recomposed verticals or selected horizontal compositions to crop into this semi-panoramic format.

20 May 2026 Theme – Portfolio Project

Posted on May 20, 2026May 31, 2026 by jrwilkinson

I proposed a portfolio project for our May-June-July meetings. Participants were asked to put together a group of images of similar style (ie black&white), theme (ie travel), or subject (ie birds, architecture). Here are the first group of images for our portfolios:

Barbara – her portfolio style is her recent interest in street photography using her Nikon Zf camera.

Barb Donovan – Barb shared two sets of photos – “Green” and “Architecture”. We’ll have to see if she’ll continue with both or work on one.

Green

Architecture

Gary – Gary was on the road during the meeting but managed to send three photos to share. His portfolio will most likely be a compilation of his travel landscapes or kayaking images.

Norm – Norm has a particular speciality – 360deg imagery – that is very unique to the group. He did not use a 360deg camera that is currently available. He took a series of images using a superwide or fisheye lens then stitched them together using PTGui software. He processes the image set into a 360deg panoramic image which, when view on 360cities.net, is immersive and interactive. Click on the panoramic image to open it’s 360deg link.

Jim – Jim traveled to Japan several times and wants to compile his favorite photos. It is not meant to be a travel log or photographic journal but a gathering of his favorite images.

Meeting Minutes Feb 18 2026

Posted on April 22, 2026April 22, 2026 by jrwilkinson

Our entire meeting was dedicated to the San Diego Fair Photography Competition. Our guest speaker from SD Fair, Lois Fong-Sakai, gave a 70 minute Powerpoint presentation. A Q&A session followed, taking up our two hours. The video recording of her presentation and the Q&A session is available here.

Meeting Minutes Jan 21 2026

Posted on April 22, 2026April 22, 2026 by jrwilkinson

Starting in 2026, we are using Zoom’s ability to record and summarize our meeting conversations. The transcript outline most of the discussions about the groups activities, technical discussions during photo-sharing, and our next month’s themes & plans. This is a work-in-progress so we will see how it goes:

Zoom Transcript of Jan 21 2026 PhIG meeting:

The Photography Interest Group meeting covered various photography-related topics, including travel experiences, upcoming events, and technical discussions. Members shared their recent photography work, including astrophotography, king tides, and macro photography techniques, while also planning future meetups and exhibitions. The group discussed upcoming photography opportunities, including a workshop and fair, while providing technical advice and suggestions for improving photography skills and submissions.

Quick recap

• All interested members: Review the SD Fair website for entry categories and prepare questions for Lois regarding photo submissions.

• All interested members: Work on potential photo submissions in black and white, macro/still life, and animal themes for upcoming meetings and the fair.

• James: Look up the San Diego Electric Flyers website/calendar and share relevant information with the group for possible future meetups.

• All interested members: Consider visiting HawkWatch on Saturdays through February for bird photography (optional, individual follow-up).

• James: Send a reminder about Kim’s exhibition/reception at the Faculty Club (if not already sent).

Summary

Photography Group Updates and Welcome Cathy and Gary discussed their recent travel and photography experiences, with Gary showcasing a hydration pack that doubles as a camera bag. James discussed his collaboration with Larissa to promote the Photography Interest Group to a wider audience, including Retirement Association members. The group welcomed Karen, a member of the Poly Photo Club, and discussed a solo exhibition by Kim, which is taking place the following day.
February Photography Meetup Planning
The group discussed upcoming photography meetups and events in February. They agreed to meet at the San Diego Safari Park on Tuesday, February 10th at 10 AM for a photoshoot, taking advantage of the park’s free admission for seniors that month. James suggested several other photography opportunities, including a 5K dog race at Liberty Station and various festivals. The group also briefly discussed a Photoshop virtual summit scheduled for February 23-27.
Photography Events and Workshop Planning
The group discussed upcoming photography events and opportunities. James shared information about a the SD Fair photography workshop during February’s Zoom meeting. They also planned the March meeting theme to be animals, coinciding with a visit to the Safari Park. The group explored potential photography locations, including the San Diego Electric Flyers’ events and tide-related shoots. The conversation ended with a discussion about a weather forecasting app that Cathy found helpful for planning photography outings.
Photography and Weather Forecasting
The group discussed weather forecasting apps and their use for photography planning, to predict cloud cover.
Sharon presented two photographs: one of a Chihuahua’s footprints on Coronado Beach, and another of a man ignoring his children while looking at a dinosaur exhibit at a science museum.
Death Valley Photography Insights
James shared his photography experience from Death Valley, showcasing landscapes and the impact of recent rains. He discussed his approach to capturing the area’s unique features, including the presence of people in his shots to provide scale. James also compared photos taken with his iPhone and Z8 camera, noting the iPhone’s limitations in low light. The group briefly discussed the unusual presence of water in Death Valley, with James clarifying that it was primarily around Badwater Basin.
Astrophotography and King Tide Images
James shared his photography work, including photos taken with a SeeStar telescope that captures long-exposure images of celestial objects like the Orion Nebula. He demonstrated how the device, which costs $549, allows amateur astronomers to capture detailed images of stars and nebulae using a smartphone app. James also presented King Tide photos from Children’s Cove, explaining that faster exposures (around 1/2000th to 1/5000th of a second) worked better for capturing waves and light conditions.
King Tides and Photo Techniques
John shared King Tides photos from 2019 & 2026. The group discussed the 2019 Audubon Society study on king tides at Dog Beach in Del Mar, which showed 8 feet of tide variation but is no longer possible due to sand being pumped to Carlsbad for shoreline protection.
Gary presented several photos he had reprocessed using HDR techniques to improve lighting and color, including images from Yosemite, British Columbia, and Australia. Cathy shared photos taken with three different cameras (R6 Mark II, Rebel with macro lens, and iPhone) during a desert trip, demonstrating different perspectives and lens capabilities.
Desert Photography Techniques and Tips
Cathy shared her photography techniques and results from a recent trip to the desert, focusing on capturing unique photos with different angles and lighting. She explained her approach to shooting during blue hour and the importance of clouds in adding interest to landscapes. Cathy also discussed her experiments with a macro lens, learning to manually focus and adjust aperture settings for better bokeh effects. James provided technical advice on macro photography and depth of field, suggesting Cathy try different aperture settings to experiment with bokeh.
King Tides and Nature Photos
Cathy shared her photos from recent king tides, including a close-up of a sea star in a tide pool, though she noted the location was crowded. James discussed his experience with king tides in Oceanside and La Jolla, explaining that the best photos require both high tide and good surf conditions.
Barbara showed a photo of a hummingbird taken with a 40mm lens, and shared that the plant it was perched on blooms only once every 10 years.
Classic Car Photography Tips
The group discussed vintage cars, focusing on features like rumble seats, sunstars, and wooden wheels. Barbara shared photos of classic vehicles and sought advice on camera settings and lenses. James and Gary provided tips on controlling sunstars and recommended a versatile lens for Barbara. They also mentioned an upcoming meeting with Lois about the fair, where Barbara could potentially submit her photos for awards.
Photography Fair Planning Discussion
The group discussed plans for an upcoming photography fair, including potential themes and categories like black and white photography, macro photography, and Safari Park animals. Cathy advised submitting photos to appropriate categories rather than the cell phone category, and suggested considering HawkWatch for bird photography opportunities. James mentioned he would request access to a recording of the fair for those unable to attend. The group also briefly discussed upcoming social events.

Zoom summary includes a lot but it’s convenient and comprehensive.

15 Apr 2026 Themes: Before/After; Clouds; Spring-Flowers

Posted on April 15, 2026April 21, 2026 by jrwilkinson

The themes of Spring-Is-In-The-Air and Flowers are reoccuring springtime themes we enjoy each year so this April was no different. Lately, with the recent rain, the skies have been filled with interesting Clouds, great for photos. Lastly, sharing Before/After photos make for great conversation. We shared images straight-out-of-camera (SOOC) and processed. Cropping and post-processing techniques used by the different photographers in our group can be educational and generate some insightful feedback.
My choice of themes can often influence meeting attendance so I am always glad when members we haven’t seen in awhile participate. Here are this month’s photos:

Barbara – had some great Cloud images that I did not track down until after the meeting unfortunately – sorry Barbara. I really like the b&w bench photo – amazing clouds.

Barb – focused on Before/After, showing two pairs of images, 1st SOOC, 2nd cropped & processed – beautiful!

Cathy – also shared SOOC plus cropped & processed images. Her wonderful boat image, taken with her iphone, caught some amazing clouds & late afternoon sunlight. It was one of ten of her photos accepted into the SD Fair Photography Competition.

Gary – share Before/After photos which also fit the Spring/Flowers themes.

Mikky – one of Mikky’s favorite subjects is Flowers. He shared a variety of flower photos with beautiful bokeh (blurry background). He also included a favorite Cloud photo from Bryce Canyon.

Sharon – Sharon’s photos always make me smile. They always have a touch of humor or irony. She’s got a eucalypus tree is her yard that sheds some artful &/or humorous pieces of bark. She also shared a photo of vibrant flowers from her backyard.

Norm – shared some wonderful lightbox Flower photos that generated a lot of interest and discussion on backgrounds and lighting. Some images were processed with the Orton Effect which diffuses edges and creates a dreamy, soft focus effect.

Jim – shared some springtime photos from his recent Joshua Tree National Park Easter trip. Most of the trees and plants were in some stage of bloom. He combined the Spring/Flowers with Before/After, sharing SOOC photos followed by cropped and processed images. His Safari Park vulture and eagle shots were for Before/After. The eagle shot demonstrated the recent reflections removal AI tool in Lightroom/Photoshop, greatly improving the photo taken through netting.
The last two images were three minute long exposures of Clouds over Mission San Luis Rey.

18 Mar 2026 Themes: Animals/Safari Park; Black&White; Macro/Bokeh

Posted on March 18, 2026March 30, 2026 by jrwilkinson

After February’s meeting focus on the San Diego International Photography Competition. This month’s meeting was a follow-up with discussions and photo-sharing partially focused on SD Fair photo categories.
We had an informal meetup in February at San Diego Safari Park since it was free Senior admission month. Three of us explored the grounds, hunting for interesting animal behavior and general practice.
Black&white is always an interesting style of photography that many of us pursue, often presenting our photos in both color and b&w. This month was no different. Plus Lois mentioned that black&white is an under-represented category at the SD Fair Competition. Since they only accept (have room to display) ~1200 photos and they receive tens of thousands of entries. Any strategy to help gain entry in the Fair’s exhibit is useful.
The last category this month was Macro – Bokeh which, in my opinion, is one of the hardest styles of photography. Finding the right combination of critical focus for a sharp image AND blurry background is challenging. Here are the photos shared this month, some were “open-theme”:

Barb Donovan – has some interest in entering photos into this year’s SD Fair Photography Competition. Here are a few for the black&white category and a wonderful image for the documentary category.

Barbara – continues to explore street photography with her new full-frame Nikon Zf. She also loves photographing birds so, of course, there are some great bird photos. Using her tried-n-true Olympus/OM System gear, she caught some wonderful insect-flower images.

Cathy – is our most experienced SD Fair exhibitor, even participating in a panel at last year’s Fair after being awarded some ribbons. She is also great at finding appropriate titles for her photographs, an under-appreciated skill. Here are some contender for possible entry into this year’s competition, many for the black&white category. I’m sure she has plenty of others for consideration.

Gary – has a few fantastic images he’s considering for entry into the SD Fair competition. A particular favorite is the Boat Jetty on the Lake with some amazing light in the background. He also shared some photos from his recent trip to the Grand Canyon where a sudden snowstorm interrupted his travel plans.
Gary participated in the Safari Park meetup and shared some of his favorites. The gorilla relaxing and lion snacking are excellent examples of catching amusing animal behavior that can elevate a zoo safari.
He is also considering submitting one of his favorite Dios de los Muertos portraits in this year’s fair.

Sharon – dug into her archives for an interesting photogram – a technique of photography done without a camera. Photographers like Man Ray explored this form of photography thoroughly enough they dubbed it “Rayograph”. Placing physical objects directly on a sheet of photo paper (or film), exposing with light, then developing was a darkroom process done without a camera – creative fun!

Jim – took a recent daytrip to Sonny Bono Salton Sea Wildlife Refuge looking for burrowing owls and water fowl. No owls unfortunately, and the Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese aggregated on the farside of the ponds. So, to make the best of a long drive, he pivoted and focused on the great light at sunset and blue hour.
Jim joined the Safari Park meetup, practicing long lens and macro-with-flash photography.
A recent visitor to his backyard hummingbird feeder warranted a couple photos. He had never seen an iridescent orange Rufous Hummingbird before.
Lastly, he demonstrated the new “reflection removal” feature in Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop by removing the glare off the enclosure glass at the zoo.

18 Feb 2026 Meeting: Guest Speaker Lois Fong-Sakai

Posted on February 22, 2026February 22, 2026 by jrwilkinson

During our February UCSD Photography Interest Group Meeting, Lois Fong-Sakai, one of the photo coordinators for the San Diego County Fair Photo Show, gave a comprehensive presentation on their International Photography Competition.
Her hour-long talk discussed all aspects of the photography competition rules, categories, judging and photo preparation & presentation. She also included a short video of last year’s 1st place winners.
There are two video clips: the 1st is her entire Powerpoint talk; the second is a short Q&A with a few members of the photography interest group.

Short Q&A with remaining meeting participants