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• Sandhill Cranes at Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge Area

  • When
    01/23/2021
  •  
    1:00 PM (EST)
  • Location
    Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge Area
  • Spaces left
    3
  • Registered
    12 registrants

  Register

  SANP Field Event

  Sandhill Cranes Hiwassee Refuge Area

  
  

  Saturday, January 23, 2021

   

  Leader:  Dale Potter               Phone:  (865) 773-8114             E-mail: dalepotter55@gmail.com

  Meeting place:  Cherokee Removal Memorial 6615 Blythe Ferry Road, Birchwood, Tn

  Time:  1:00 pm

  Registration available:  Beginning today

   

  Location Description: 

  The Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge Area has the largest winter gatherings of the Sandhill Cranes in the southeast.  In addition to Sandhill Cranes you may see some other birds of interest from eagles, herons, whooping crane, ducks, pelicans, bluebirds, swan, or just the Sandhill Cranes. 

  We will visit the observation platform at Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge Area, the Blythe Ferry Boat Ramp area, and some of the surrounding roads.  If we are lucky we may be able to see some pelicans if they are back in the nearby area. 

   

  Learning opportunities:

  On this outing we will have the opportunity to practice with birds in flight from a few to several at a time.  We will have the opportunity to see the Sandhill Cranes while they are feeding.  Up close and at a distance.  

  
  

  What to bring:

  • Your favorite DSLR camera and lens. Extra batteries.
  • Bring cold weather gear, hand warmers depending on the weather.
  • Tripod can be useful unless you are shooting fast shutter speeds.
  • Rain gear for yourself and a rain cover for your camera in case we have snow or rain.

  Remember to dress for the weather and in layers.  Waterproof foot gear might be useful.  Keep your spare camera battery in a warm pocket so you can swap it out for the cold one in the camera as needed.

  
  

  COVID-19 precautions:

  We will practice social distancing and wear masks to mitigate the risk of virus transmission.  Carpooling is not recommended.

   

  Driving directions:  We will meet at Cherokee Removal Memorial list above. Bathrooms are available at this location.

  How to Find Me: Red Jeep Wrangler

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• January 26 Meeting Features Adam Jones

  • When
    01/26/2021
  •  
    7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (EST)
  • Location
    Zoom

  Join us on January 23 at 7p.m. for a presentation by Adam Jones on seeing and designing great images.

  Here is Adam’s description of his program: “This program demonstrates how I see, interpret, and construct aesthetically pleasing images. I also discuss how to deal with some of the technical issues and limitations. I will also illustrate a couple of quick before and after demos in Photoshop on how to control and create lighting effects for nature/wildlife images.” Read Adam's bio (also available in the January newsletter).

  The Zoom link will be sent by email on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24, to SANP contacts and members. Questions are encouraged during and after the presentation using the Zoom chat feature. If you plan to attend the January meeting, please let us know via email. 

  Attendance is limited to the first 100 participants; social time starts around 6:45 p.m. The January meeting is designated as the Annual Meeting for the club. During the business portion of the meeting, the club will vote on three new board members, who will serve for a three-year term beginning this year.

  
  

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• Little Pigeon River in Black & White

  • When
    02/13/2021
  •  
    7:30 AM (EST)
  • Location
    Little Pigeon River, Greenbrier Rd, GRSM
  • Spaces left
    2
  • Registered
    13 registrants

  Register

  SANP Field Learning Event

  Little Pigeon River

  Emphasis on Black and White Photography

  Saturday, February 13, 2021

   

  Leader:  Brad Cottrell              Phone:  (865) 235-8350            E-mail: cottrelb@bellsouth.net

  Meeting place:  First parking area on the Greenbrier Road        

  
  

   

  Location Description: 

  The Little Pigeon River is one of the most photogenic streams in the Smokies.  Its sparkling waters from high in the mountains come tumbling over huge boulders and splashing into dark pools as it flows impatiently toward the quieter stretches of the river in the flat lands.  Pleasing photographic compositions are abundant.  This time of year, the color pallet will be mostly monochromatic with tonalities ranging from brilliant white water to the blackest rock surface, perfect for black and white images.  If we are fortunate to have snow, the photographic potential will be even more exciting.

  
  

     

  
  

  Learning opportunities:

  On this outing we will explore the art of black and white photography.  Black and white takes away the distracting colors and forces you to concentrate on the other elements of a great photograph: shape, form, line, texture, and tonal contrast.  Some of the topics we’ll explore include:

  ·        How to “see” in black and white

  ·        Composition

  ·        Metering and exposure

  
  

  
  

  
  

  What to bring:

  • Your favorite camera and lenses, wide angle to medium telephoto
  • If you shoot RAW, read your camera manual and learn how to capture a RAW file + a black & white JPEG file for each shot.  This will allow you to proof your B&W shots in the field and still retain the ability to edit the RAW file into color or B&W in the computer.
  • Tripod
  • Rain gear for yourself and a rain cover for your camera in case we have snow or rain.

  Remember to dress for the weather and in layers.  Waterproof foot gear might be useful.  Keep your spare camera battery in a warm pocket so you can swap it out for the cold one in the camera as needed.

  
  

  COVID-19 precautions:

  We will practice social distancing and wear masks to mitigate the risk of virus transmission.  Carpooling is not recommended.

   

  Driving directions:

  From Knoxville, drive to Gatlinburg.  At traffic light #3, turn left onto Hwy 321 East (Cosby Highway).  Drive 6.0 miles and turn right at the Greenbrier entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Park at the first parking area on the Greenbrier Road, located just a few yards from the Hwy 321.

  
  

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• Night Skyscapes Photography

  • Start
    04/09/2021
  •  
    (EDT)
  • End
    04/16/2021
  •  
    (EDT)
  • Location
    Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  • Registered
    2 registrants

  Registration is closed

  SANP Field Event

  Night Skyscapes Photography

  April 9 - 16, 2021

   

  Leader:  Ron Sentell              Phone: 865-441-2937                            E-mail: ron@sentell.org

  Meeting place:  To Be Announced Later                         Time:  Late night to early morning

  Registration available:  March 1

   

  Location Description:  

  I will lead a night photography field trip to photograph the Milky Way and other features of our universe during the timeframe April 9 – 16, dependent on clear skies.  These dates coincide with times when the moon is below the horizon and the Milky Way is above the horizon.  We will begin photographing about 1:30 am.  If the sky forecast is clear, we will plan on a Friday night, April 9 or April 16.   We will be out after midnight until perhaps after sunrise.  We will go to Clingmans Dome, Newfound Gap, Morton Overlook and a couple of pull-offs on the NC side of 441.  The primary interest would be to photograph the Milky Way with several wonderful foregrounds, including the tower and its spiral ramp, the trail to the tower, features of Newfound Gap, a nice C or S curve in the roadway, and panoramas with mountain peaks and valleys.  During this timeframe, the Galactic Center of the Milky Way rises between 1:13 and 1:40 am and sets between 5:33 and 5:44 am depending on the day.  Also, the Andromeda Galaxy will be rising between 3:50 and 4:20 am, depending on the day.  Sunrise occurs about 7:00 and the best colors often appear an hour before sunrise.

   A week prior to this trip, I will send an update to members who register with the probable date and more information on the Milky Way and other features in the sky, camera settings and equipment, and compositional elements.  Also, I may try to organize a Zoom meeting prior to the field trip to go over this information.  With the large parking areas at Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap, we should not have to limit attendance.  I will make adjustments then for Covid restrictions.  If we need to limit attendance for this reason, I will schedule a second date for a second group based on order of registration.  In addition to registering on SANP.net, please send me an email on your availability for a weekend versus a weekday and your interest in a Zoom meeting prior to this field trip.  The exact date may be changed the day prior to (or even the day of) our trip, depending on the weather.  I use forecast.weather.gov for Newfound Gap, TN in a tabular hourly listing for cloud cover.  Ron Sentell (ron@sentell.org) 

  Learning opportunities: How to locate the Milky Way and other stars. How to photograph foreground shots and the night sky.  How to find the best setting for your night time images.

  

  
  

  What to bring:

  • Your favorite DSLR camera and lens. Extra batteries. A wide angle lens is best for the Milky Way.  I use an 11-16 mm f/2.8 zoom lens.  
  • Bring appropriate gear for the weather. It can be cold at night at Clingmans and Newfound  Gap
  • Tripods will be needed

  
  

  COVID-19 precautions:

  We will practice social distancing and wear masks to mitigate the risk of virus transmission.  Carpooling is not recommended.

   

  Driving directions:  This will be provided later.

  
  

  How to Find Me: 

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