Just think, it was 25 years ago that the whole world was in a tizzy because computers everywhere wouldn’t be able to handle the switch from 1999 to 2000.

What did I know, but it didn’t come as much of a surprise to me when it ended up being a non-event. Then, think again how far electronics have come since then, particularly in the photography world, where we spend a lot of our time. DSLR’s are taking a back seat to mirrorless technology, which comes with a whole new package of exciting options.

Then there’s AI, which continues to advance in leaps and bounds. It’s hard to keep track of and announce rules for our photography competitions before they’re outdated.

As we begin the New Year, I wanted to update you on the O3C’s activities so far this

season and to fill you in on our plans for the rest of the season and going into next fall.

Here are a few of the highlights.

• We held our first very successful Open Challenge awards event, since prior to COVID. The Toronto Camera Club was kind enough to make their building available for the event. It was a perfect venue.
  
  
• On November 30th, we held a hybrid ‘Club Executive Round Table Meeting, with a full agenda covering a variety of topics. Thirty (30) clubs, out of a total of 38 member clubs, participated in the meeting, with 51 individuals attending either live or on Zoom. We invited a guest speaker, lawyer Penny Rintoul, also a member of the Etobicoke Camera Club, to discuss the important topic of Non-Profit Incorporation. I have no doubt that all attendees came away feeling that it was a very worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday morning sharing their club’s experiences.
  
  
• The O3C staff met for a ‘Fall Planning Retreat’ to discuss the O3C’s direction for fulfilling our mandate to support our 38 (and growing) member clubs. We came away from that feeling very enthusiastic about the future and we will hold a 2nd retreat this fall.
  
  
• John Allman, our Judge Director, along with instructors Bharat Mistry and Norm Ullock, offered 2 full-day sold out judge training sessions.
  
  
• Our Travel Program, in partnership with Photo Tour Trekkers, has been updated with some exciting destinations, with more to come. All details are posted on the O3C website at https://o3c.ca/photo-tours/
  
  
• We will be hosting the 3rd annual ‘Travel Day Seminar’ on Saturday, April 5, 2025. More details to come.
  
  
• Following a plea for volunteers to fill open positions with the O3C, I am pleased to announce that we have brought on four new volunteers:

1. Leslie Milbury (Kingston Photographic Club) has come on board as our Newsletter Editor. This is Leslie’s first newsletter in this role.
   
   
2. Robert Gerritsen (Trillium Photographic Club) has volunteered to become our Program and Education Director next season. Next season, our current Director, Jennifer Shoniker, will become the Member-at-Large. They will work closely throughout this season.
   
   
3. Doug Sluys (Oshawa Camera Club) is returning as the O3C’s Webmaster. We are very happy to have Doug back with us to beef up our website and explore ways to offer web services to our member clubs.
   
   
4. Gray Graffam (Don Mills Camera Club) will join Randy Nickerson, our current Competitions Manager, in preparing for our next Open Challenge. Gray will take over that role next season.
   
   
5. Randy Nickerson (Oshawa Camera Club), will become the Judge Director next season and will work closely with John Allman, the current Director, through the rest of this season to prepare for that role.
   

These additions to the staff are very important and will go a long way toward ensuring that we continue offering the level of support you expect. We welcome the opportunity to attend club meetings to reinforce the O3C’s role in the Ontario photography community, with your members.

All the best,

Leif Petersen, President

• February 8th - O3C Rep Meeting
• April 5th - Travel Day Seminar
• May 1st - Submission deadline for 2025 Open Challenge Competition
• October - Open Challenge Results Show

O3C takes great pleasure in welcoming the following clubs to the O3C family:

• Camera Club of Ottawa
• Life Institute Photo Club
• Orleans Photo Club
• St. Catharines Photographic Club
• Thornhill Seniors Camera Club

The International Association of Art Photographers (IAAP) hosts the IAAP World Cup, an international contest of art photography hosted by the IAAP from Kumanova, North Macedonia. This contest, open to anyone in the world, amateur and professional photographers alike, is divided into two sections - Open Colour and Open Monochrome.

Barb Marszalek, a very active member and Past President of the Etobicoke Camera Club, entered her black and white image, "Zebra Battle," in the Open Monochrome section. Her photo was one of six images in the Open Monochrome section that was awarded an IAAP Diploma.

She says in her Facebook post, "Out of 951 international participants with of total of 3,702 entries in the Black & White Category", I was the only winning entry from Canada. Totally blown away!"

Join us in congratulating Barb on her success in this international competition!

The 2024 Open Challenge competition results were released on 10 Nov 2024 in a three hour award show with both in-person attendance and Zoom viewing. Two hundred and sixty-one makers from 22 clubs entered 2,691 photos. Click on the link appearing below to access complete results and to acess the video of the award show.

The theme for the 2025 Open Challenge Competition is "Canadiana." This theme highlights anything that can be identified as truly "Canadian" be that iconic landscapes, sports and/or sporting events, people, food, festivals, music and more. Submission deadline is 01 May 2025.

The detailed competition rules have been sent to your club's O3C Rep.

Partnering with Photo Tour Trekkers and Tourcan Vacations, O3C offers an ongoing photography tour program. These trips are offered exclusively to O3C members at significantly discounted prices.

Please follow the link appearing below for complete details on the the upcoming photography trips that are now open for booking. Our site includes links to a short description of the location, what you can expect to see, the daily itinerary followed by a registration link.

The trips vary in location and length, each one offering a different price level and photographic opportunity. Each trip is suitable for all skill levels.

Be sure to read all of the terms and conditions to learn what is included in each trip versus what is excluded and, therefore, your responsibility.

Conditions in the travel industry can change rapidly which means dates/prices are subject to change so please follow the link below for the most up-to-date information.

On 05 September 2024, the Mississauga Camera Club (initially known as the Lorne Park Camera Club followed by the South Peel Camera Club), celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Mississauga Camera Club in 1954.

The theme for the meeting was "Get to Know Your Club" and, in that spirit, the meeting included information and presentations on the history of the club as well as a display of items of historical significance. As with any celebration, there was even cake.

Eros Fiacconi, the President of the Mississauga Camera Club, wrote an article for the club's Snapshot newsletter outlining the history and the celebration of the club's history. Click the link appearing below to connect to the Snapshot newsletter and select the Fall 2024 Edition.

This is a new feature of the newsletter where members of the O3C Executive will be highlighted. It is only fair that the introductions begin with the O3C President Leif Petersen. Enjoy!

1. Position - President

2. Role as President - Guiding the direction of the Ontario Council of Camera Clubs to ensure that we fulfill the O3C's mandate in the future.

3. Photography Club Affiliation - Oshawa Camera Club and the Toronto Focal Forum

4. Favorite Genre of Photography - Pretty much all genres except portraits, although I do enjoy grabbing informal environmental portraits. I'd say my favourite is landscapes and seascapes, or travel photography in general.

5. Personal Photography Philosophy - Just get out and shoot, although I don't seem to do enough of that. Try different and "new to you" approaches so that you're always learning. I enjoy the whole process: get the shot > process > print > mat and frame > hang/exhibit.

6. Photography Wishlist - I use Lumix gear and am very happy with everything in my kit right now. As I think about that, I'm quite happy to say that I really don't have a wishlist right now (and my bank account and my wife thank me for that).

7. Photography Hero - I really don't have a "photography hero" as such. Having said that, there are many members of my two clubs, a few who I'm acquainted with in other O3C clubs and a few 'independents' who are close friends, that I admire a great deal, not only for their photography talents, but for their enthusiastic approach to photography and life in general.

Email: newsletter@o3c.ca
Website: o3c.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/o3cfbgroup/