-a photo club serving the Northwoods of Wisconsin where photographers, of all skill levels, can share their knowledge, learn from each other, and nurture each other’s creativity.
Please feel free to join us. We meet the 2nd Wednesday of the month, from 6-8 pm at the Warehouse Art Center in Eagle River.
The Warehouse Center for the Arts
107 S. Railroad St.
Eagle River, WI 54521
Wednesday, 7/08/2026, 6-8pm at the Warehouse in Eagle River.
107 S. Railroad St.Eagle River, Wi
Link for Libby's Zoom call:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87853580964 |
Meeting ID: 878 5358 0964
Sorry - There will be no Zoom connection for this meeting due to the walking tour nature of this meeting.
Bring your camera or cell phone. We will do a short walking tour of downtown Eagle River and we will each share 5 of our best un-edited images at the end of our meeting.
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"Photography - With New Eyes"
Our July 8th Meeting will be hosted by Sterling Strathe where he will lead us through an exercise of local hands-on Eagle River Photography. He has a few key word topics to stimulate your thinking and get your creative juices flowing as you walk through our very familiar downtown Eagle River. After our short walking and shooting tour of the area we will come back to the Warehouse and each share our 5 best unedited images. Hopefully we will each see Eagle River with new eyes.
This concept is inspired by Jeff Rennicke’s presentation “With New Eyes”. Jeff gave an insightful presentation to the “PhotoMidwest Third Thursday” photo group in Madison on January 21, 2021.
The link to his presentation is : https://youtu.be/-YtVNas6lg0?si=1euRN3rmHXjlHqKj
Jeff travelled the world for 20 years with some of the best photographers and wrote many award winning articles on travel to awe inspiring locations. He was inspired to put that same energy into a project at his home in Bayfield, Wisconsin. He had overlooked the beauty of that location because it had become too familiar to him. He had to learn to look and photograph his home “with new eyes”.
Don’t be intimidated by the 72 minute length of the video, just watch what interests you. You will benefit by viewing whatever parts of this video interest you prior to our meeting. The first 16 minutes of the presentation chronicles his experiences of his first 20 years of world travel.
The heart of his 30 minute presentation “Photography with New Eyes” runs from 16 minutes to 46 minutes and is insightful on developing your ability to see through new eyes. Jeff’s favorite quote is, “The true journey of discovery comes of not seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” He truly believes that beauty is every where.
The last 26 minutes of the video is all question and answers from the virtual audience. Jeff’s responses to the questions does add additional insight to his thinking.
Hope you can join us on Wednesday, July 8th at 6:00 at The Warehouse with your camera or cell phone.
Due to the hands-on nature of this event there will be no Zoom link this time.
Ralph Pelto
(715) 891-6229
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Wednesday June 10th, 2026
Travel Photography
Tips and Warnings
by Gail Vandewalker
How to safely navigate your travels with you camera gear in tow.
Gail is a seasoned traveler who has successfully navigated the world with her selected camera gear and has her amazing images to show for her efforts. She will be sharing her experiences and recommendations so that we can benefit from her successes and trials. Please join us and see for yourself what she has to share with us.
After her presentation we will have a member share session where we can each share a few of our own favortie travel photographs. Enjoy the evening!
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Spring Beauty, Trillium & Trout Lilly
Spring Ephemeral Blooming Field Trip
May 13, 2026
What:
The Spring Ephemeral Blooming is a marvel to behold, as the forest comes back to life. We find Trilliums, Dutchman’s Britches, Spring Beauties, Trout Lillies, Wild Leaks and other unique plants. The fragrance of the Spring Beauties is unmistakably wonderful and the smell of garlic/onion means you just stepped on a wild leak, Oops! The sound of the spring peepers announces that they are awake and the songs of the warblers announce their return. The vision of all the delicate blossoms is what we hope to capture, but all of your combined senses will bring you into the moment. It is a shame that it only lasts such a short time, but perhaps that is what makes this time so special. The images provided by Jill Edwards:
Where:
Jill Edwards of the Northwoods PhotoClub has a provided a map of a beautiful location on Kellogg Road in Vilas County; just east of highway 45, off County Highway E, south of Lac View Desert and north of Phelps. The beauty of this location is the abundance of ephemeral blooming and that it is on public land.
Kelloggs RD Phelps WI
Note: Kelloggs Rd is accessible from Hwy E but note that this is a blind entry if coming from the west going east. Traffic traveling west on E comes up a hill and cannot see cross traffic.
Better to enter from Sugar Maple Rd at the east end of Kelloggs Rd. See white arrow.
Advantages: Road is on public land (appears to have been used for logging). Dirt road but wide. Very little traffic. Easy to park. Flowers are everywhere. Fields of trilliums. Along the road: Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, Forget-me-Not.
When:
The timing of this field trip can be a little tricky due to the ephemeral nature of these fairly short lived bloomings. The challenge is knowing when the blooming is happening. It is a shame that it only lasts such a short time and can be difficult to coordinate with our rigid PhotoClub meeting schedule. We missed the blooming completely the last time we tried this.
Jill has agreed to keep her finger on the pulse and let us know when the peak is coming. It could be next week? Perhaps the following week? I will send out another update to let you know when. If it happens next week, you are on your own to adventure out individually and we will share our images at the photo club meeting on Wednesday, May 13th at the Warehouse during a Member share session. These do not have to be highly edited images, just bring whatever you think is interesting.
If the bloom is later we will do an actual Ephemeral photo field trip to Kellogg Road meeting there at 6:00 PM on May 13th. Of course you can show up earlier if you want to. This will be an informal gathering, with ephemeral groups of eager photographers hovering around unsuspecting ephemeral plants.
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Photographic Backdrops: April 8th, 2026
Making the Best Out of a Difficult Situation
By Ralph Pelto
Let’s say you see something beautiful in your yard or in nature. You study it from all sides and find the angle of view that really captures the subject. Unfortunately the background might be less than appealing; perhaps a piece of chainlink fence or distracting white vinyl siding or even other distracting not-so-beautiful things behind what you are trying to capture.
At any rate, the composition is not what you want it to be. Do you give up on that subject, or Is it something that you feel deserves to be shared with the world? (At least your world)
Sometimes you can physically remove the objectionable blemish from the composition; sometimes you can’t. Photographic backdrops are sometimes an easy and appropriate fix.
I will show how I made and used inexpensive photographic backdrops to salvage images that would have otherwise made their way to a dumpster; never to be seen or appreciated again.
Upper Image Left: Various Backdrop Cloth Collected Over the Years and Stapled to a Wooden Cloths Rod. Other potential backdrop materials are readily available, if you keep your eyes open to opportunities.
Lower Image Left: This composition was selected and a backdrop was positioned to cover up objectionable and distracting features.
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High Speed Photography by Cassius J. Callender
Cassius J. Callender, February 12th, 6-8pm
Born in Puerto Rico, Cassius J. Callender has been interested in photography since 1984 when he took a summer class at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico in Old San Juan at the age of 14. During the same period, Cassius attended 8th and 9th grades at the Escuela Central de Artes Visuales in Santurce, Puerto Rico, where he studied various forms of art including drawing, painting, and sculpture. After completing high school and serving for 10 years in the U.S. Navy, he moved to the Washington DC area to continue his career in computer security. It wasn't until 2006, when he received his first DSLR camera as a Father’s Day present from his wife Amy, that his passion for photography was truly ignited. Two years later Cassius J. Callender Photography was launched.
Now located in Stoughton, WI, Cassius’ work primarily focuses on capturing landscape scenes during the most colorful times of the day, dawn and dusk. This is when the effect of the changing light with the combination of clouds and water can produce scenes of unimaginable beauty.
His presentation will be on Droplet and High-Speed Photography. His will focus one the tools needed to do this high-speed photography, lighting challenges, how to achieved special effects (color, droplet size, etc), and other lessons he’s learned.
Join us as Club Member, Scott Pearson shares his photo organization work flow. Come prepared to share how you manage your files too. What a great topic to start the year with!
Gail Vandewalker, Club Member
Many of you know Gail already. She has been a Club member for several years and has shared some amazing images with us over the years.
Gail has traveled near and far and taken many classes and workshops with great photographers over the last few years.
Join us for our November meeting so that you can see what other images she has up her sleeves. I do believe that we are in for a treat!
Rob Shea, Infrared Photography
This month we have a special treat for you. Rob Shea, Infrared Photography Guru from YouTube, that will be driving from Southern Michigan to explain IR Photography to us- including the things you need to know should you want to try it out. He has created over 100 YouTube videos on infrared photography, including detailed tutorials, photo shooting and editing guides, tips, tricks, raw editor reviews, and product reviews. He offers free downloads to help process infrared images and has developed new techniques to simplify the complex editing workflow for color infrared images in Adobe Lightroom. His new book, Color Doesn’t Exist: A Practical Guide to Infrared Photography is the definitive guide for photographers new to and experienced with infrared photography.
I personally took Infrared images back in film days and really enjoyed the results. Things are much easier now that we have gone digital- but there are some interesting things you need to understand to really be able to do it. You can either use filters to get the IR effect- or convert a camera so that it is sensitive to the light wavelengths you are interested in. You will also, however, need to work in Photoshop to achieve certain results. The good news- Rob Shea makes the process easy!
Jeff Richter's journey with film and camera began almost 20 years ago with a walk through Tom Mangelson's gallery in Jackson, Wyoming.
That inspired him to take up the camera and teach himself the art and craft of nature photography. Jeff has had hundreds of images appearing in print since then. Sierra Club, Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, NorthWord Press, Brown Trout, Willow Creek, Wisconsin Trails Magazine, Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel and LoonWatch are among the publishers and organizations that have used Jeff's images.
In 2001, Jeff won an I.R.M.A. Award from the International Regional Magazine Association for his photo essay on albino deer. In 2002, he placed two finalists in the BBC/British Gas International Photographer of the Year awards.
Long-time publishers of Wisconsin Trails magazine, Howard and Nancy Mead, have called Jeff the best nature photographer in the state. Wisconsin Public Radio host Larry Mueller has been trumpeting his admiration for Jeff's images for many years. Nature's Press was founded by Jeff Richter in 2003. Jeff is the photographer, author and publisher most recently of Pure Superior: Lake Superior Photographs by Jeff Richter (2009). His 2007 book, White Deer: Ghosts of the Forest, has attracted nation-wide attention after a Wisconsin Public Television In Wisconsin segment on the book began to circulate through the internet. Seasons of the North, Jeff's first book, is in its fifth printing. Jeff works exclusively with film and remains a stalwart against the credibility erosion brought by computer-aided manipulations of digital photography.
Simply put, back-button focus is a technique that takes the autofocus function away from the shutter release button, and re-assigns it to another button on the back of the camera. Although the name only suggests a button on the back of the camera, it can be any physical button (provided it can be set up for engaging autofocus). Most advanced digital cameras on the market today have a dedicated AF-ON button that is specifically designed for back-button focusing.
Also learn techniques to take images of birds- and especially to get those eyes in focus!
Ralph Pelto and his friend, Bob Nuber will be conducting the 2nd portion of our May presentation and will be discussing tilt shift lenses. In the old days, tilt shift lenses were used to correct perspective on architectural images. Nowadays the options with tilt shift lenses are endless and include selective focus, panoramas, and more. And, you don’t necessarily have to buy a super expensive lens to do it it either. Ralph and Bob will walk us through the ins and outs of tilt sift lenses lenses, plus their less expensive cousins, Lensbabies.
Ralph Pelto was one of the founding members of our photo club, and, in his professional life was a chemical engineer for Kodak for over 25 years. Our club is very fortunate to have such an expert among its members! Last year he gave an in-depth presentation on focus stacking and this year suggested a presentation on tilt shift lenses.
Bob Nuber, whom you might remember from Ralph and Bob’s focus stacking presentation last year, is a retired software engineer who revived his photography hobby in 2021. He lives in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood and spends his shooting days either in the city or in the dunes, woods and marshes of northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. Lately Bob has been mainly focused on close up and macro work, seeking subtle beauty in composed interior scenes as well as the natural environment. He shoots with a Nikon Z6ii camera and recently acquired a TTArtisan 100mm 2x macro tilt/shift lens to further complicate his image composition thought process.
"February’s presentation will be an exploration and demonstration of the the Nik Collection of plug-ins. The plug-ins work in a variety of host applications including Photoshop, Lightroom, DxO Photolab, and Affinity Photo and can also be used as standalone apps. A brief overview of the plug-ins and their unique control point masking will be followed by a demo. The presentation will be over Zoom.
A list of links will be available by email for those interested in testing Nik after the presentation."
"Astro & Panaramas"
Michele’s presentation will focus on nightscape panoramas. She started out shooting nightscapes with a 14mm wide angle lens, but it was never wide enough! There had to be a better way to capture all that she saw. Thus, began her journey into capturing the beauty and immense size of the night sky through panoramic photography. Michele will discuss the equipment and programs she uses, explain some of her early struggles, and share images of our Northwood’s night skies.
Michele Sadauskas is a nightscape photographer who loves to chase the aurora, lightning bugs, and meteors. She grew up in Conover, WI on a ‘crick’ and it was there where she fell in love with nature and the night sky. She fondly remembers lying on the dock with her sister watching one heck of a Perseid meteor shower and getting up early one morning in 1986 to view Halley’s Comet with her Dad. Even though she loved photography since an early age, it took her a few decades to understand that her love of nature, old things, and photography was best experienced under the cover of darkness. But, when she did, magic happened.
"Rules to be Broken"
The Rules of Composition- and when to break them!
Presented by Ralph Pelto
Ralph was a Chemical Engineer for Kodak for over 25 years- from the hey day of film with over 65,000 employees to the company's demise. Ralph was Chairman of the Stereo Photography section for about 4 years and was the President of the Kodak Camera Club for 5 years.
Ralph's attention to detail naturally lead him into large format photography, where the power of selective focus brings life to an image, that you have to see in person, on a large scale to full appreciate. The selective focus concept draws a persons eyes into the image, and can guide the viewer through a fairly complex composition that would otherwise be ineffective.
Come listen to Ralph's presentation about the rules of composition and what will entice viewers to take notice of your work.
Photo Critique Tips- to Challenge and Improve Your Photos,
“Self Critique in Photography.”
Learning how to analyze and judge your own artistic work correctly is a valuable skill that can be a bit tricky to learn properly. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “I’m my own worst critic” thrown about, you may have even said it yourself in reference to your own photography. However, there are ways that you can harness this self-criticism and learn from it rather than allowing it to consume you and destroy your self-confidence.
Learning how to constructively critique your own photography can not only help you make better photographs each time you pick up a camera, but it will also build your confidence as a photographer. We will cover the benefits of self-critique and show how it can help you become a more confident photographer.
Presented by Mark Schermeister and Libby Scott
Scott will give us a brief presentation on the techniques and filters he uses to obtain those beautiful waterfall shots!
Circular Polarizer
Neutral density filter- how many stops?
Dan has a diverse background in technology and customer service. He is an award-winning photographer and professionally trained videographer with an eye for innovation and framing the perfect shot. He is also an experienced graphic designer and digital art director who seeks pixel perfection.
Dan obtained his FAA License and Certification as a Commercial Drone Pilot in 2016 following years of hobby flying. He now strives to take client projects to new heights!
While Dan's skill set is vast, he has a passion for aerial photography and the challenges of aerial video. Dan has worked with Discovery Channel production crews, NBC, ABC and WXPR as their drone and camera operators on numerous projects.
Macro May & Matting Club Meeting, May 10th!
Remember to borrow or rent a macro lens for the field trip.
Join Scott Pearson and Libby Scott- and learn the ins and outs of macro photography
Join Libby Scott and Scott Pearson to learn how to mat your own prints!
May Field Trip- Macro! Date: tbd
Friday, May 26th, 10AM
Lac Vieux Desert Park- parking lot located on W. Shore RD.
Headwaters for the Wisconsin River!
Take County Highway E east from Highway 45
Turn left on W. Shore Road
Stop at the parking lot just before Star Lite Lane
We will caravan from the meeting spot to locations full of wild flowers.
Vanelli will be conducting the April 12th Photo Club presentation plus doing a half day workshop at the Warehouse on April 13th.
Vanelli is an educator, author, and a working sports and portrait photographer based on the east coast of Florida. His specialized photography programs have been taught on Linkedn Learning, Lynda.com, ThinkTap Learn, in workshops, lectures and in the Brevard County School District. Currently, he is Skylum's Director of Education, a Drobo Ambassador, teaching workshops, and writing for Photofocus.
Picture #1 in stack of 40 images. Taken on Canon R5, 100mm, F2.8 macro lens
Link to video of meeting: https://youtu.be/88SAD_Rov1Q
Join us for a presentation on focus stacking! Focus stacking is a great think to use in situations where your F-stop just can't accomplish what you want it to- be it in macro or landscape photography.
Ralph Pelto will compare results of focus stacking in different software including Photoshop and Helicon.
10/12/22- 6-8 pm at the Warehouse Community Arts Center in Eagle River. Everyone is welcome. Beginner to advanced!
Picture #40 in stack of 40 images. Taken on Canon R5, 100mm, F2.8 macro lens
Final stacked image- blending 40 separate images into one final focused image.
Dave Miess is a Great Lakes nature photographer based out of Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin. Dave first put an eye behind a lens over 40 years ago and merged his passion with the outdoors and photography about 25 years ago. Dave has seen the evolution of photography - from his start working with black and white film in a darkroom, through slide film to the latest in digital technology.
While Dave, like most professional photographers, has made the evolution to digital capture - he has kept his "film" sensibilities and history with him. Much of the work, like dramatic skies and saturated colors, comes from his work in the field and behind the camera. However, Dave also realizes the benefits modern technology brings and keeps in mind the adage "What Would Ansel Do?" when sitting behind the computer. Dave prints all of his images on archival papers, canvas, and metal. While he does shoot around the country, he tries to focus on his regional home - the Upper Great Lakes.
Dave's presentation will focus on how photographers can use Visualization -- How to Make What You See in Your Mind’s Eye a Reality.
Wednesday, 8/10/22, 6-8pm at the Warehouse in Eagle River
"My photography focuses mainly on the Great Lakes regions of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the UP of Michigan, and will expand as I photograph other areas of the country. I currently live in northern Wisconsin and enjoy the incredible beauty, both natural and man-made, that is found throughout the Northwoods. I've spent the majority of my life near Lake Superior and my appreciation for what is found here continues to grow. From the Aurora Borealis to the great ore carriers that navigate her waters, Gichigami offers endless photographic opportunities. I'm a self-taught photographer and continue to improve my work primarily through reading and making more photographs."
Recording Link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/BsKawFu-b-94QCfQN1CrWwFGG6gfk6IckRHqhahDlC8Nbd_2N49HldeeiPoFpYu-.exyrR5-U--HPqUE-
Password: 3ST2c.%$
Mark Schermeister is a fine artist who has spent a large part of his life in the north woods of Wisconsin for the past 64 years. Originally from Minneapolis, he now divides his time between Miami and Land O’ Lakes. He’s an enthusiastic Photographic Artist who describes himself as “having 56 years’ experience and still (always!) a student.”
He began as a photographer and lab technician, then followed a career as an air traffic controller, retiring from federal service a few years ago. Through it all, he carried his camera, capturing and expressing what he calls “the miracle and mystery of the life we’re blessed with.”
With a personal intention to create and exhibit visual art that conveys the unseen qualities of the world around us, he endeavors to “To photograph the invisible.”
Mark has been photographing dance for 12 years and is Owner and Proprietor of Studio1761; a photographic arts venture with the purpose of “Communicating the visible and invisible spirit of both the dancer and the dance.”
Spring Beauty
