President’s Letter 2024 – 2025
Hi everyone and welcome to the 2024-2025 season of the South Bay Camera Club.
This is my first term as being president of the club, and I’m really excited for it to begin. We have some exciting new plans that we’ll be implementing, as well as continuing our long-standing activities.
I have two main goals for our club this year.
- The first is to increase our overall membership so that we can relieve some of the burden on our club’s finances. We currently have about 50 members, but I think it would be much better if we could increase that number to 60 or more. That would probably get us back to our pre COVID levels.
- The second goal, and the one that will guide everything I and the board will do this year, is aimed at increasing the value of the club experience for our existing members and new members alike.
To accomplish these goals, we will shortly distribute a survey to see what you would like to see us do differently, what you liked best about what we are doing now, and how we might tweak current activities to make them even more rewarding. Leading this effort will be our Vice President, Emily Riddell, and her project development team.
For those of you not familiar with our club and are looking at our website for the first time, let me encourage you to really explore it. There are areas that are open to members only, however there’s a raft of material that anyone can view. This will give you an idea of the tremendous talent and knowledge that many of our members possess, and the broad range of our club activities. Hopefully, afterwards you will be inspired to join us. But we are also actively seeking new members that are just beginning to explore the world of photography. You do not need a fancy digital camera to take beautiful photos. Today’s smartphones are quite capable of that.
One final note, in addition to our website we are on Facebook. The link to our public group is:
So, welcome everyone, new and old, to our 2024-2025 Season!
Don Stouder
PRESIDENT’S LETTER 10-18-2023
It is with great regret that I announce the passing of our dear friend Bill Berry. Bill’s enthusiasm for the Sony mirrorless camera caught me by storm. I joined his Sony special interest group and got to know him and is buddy Bev Gates, as well as several others as we experimented with various settings.
We’ll let you know when his service is to be held. Condolence letters may be sent to:
Bill Berry Family
348 Paseo De La Playa, #1
Redondo Beach, CA 90277.
******************************
On a brighter note, the 2023-24 year got off to a good start with 2, live only, print meetings, and one hybrid digital meeting. In person attendance is up, but many members of the board are looking forward to larger meetings. We realize that many of you don’t like to drive at night, so we’re not planning on going to “live” meetings only.
Play “50-50”. Come join us at Torrance Airport and get a chance to win cash. As a way of raising money we will be playing this on Mondays. Sound good? Check it out.
The Board has finished revising and updating the club By-Laws, which can be accessed on the SBCC website.
The Board is finalizing the duties and responsibilities of all the committees. I am strongly encouraging you to read them over and volunteer to at least be on a committee to help the committee chairperson. Don Stouder could use help finding reviewers and presenters.
Vote for print and digital photos. So far, after 3 months, only 7 people have voted. These votes are important as they determine who will be our winning photographers. We work hard on these images and would like your votes.
Keep on shooting, especially for the Scavenger Hunt.
Emily Riddell
President’s Message January 1, 2023
Greetings and wishes for a very happy, prolific New Year.
I want to thank you for your contribution to SBCC last year. After a very rocky two years being locked up with Covid, you gave it your all, to get back to work.
As our new board started meeting, we set ourselves a big list of things to accomplish.
1. Get back to live meetings at the airport. After several trial runs, Sergio, and Don Stouder. got the hybrid meetings running almost smoothly. Mostly internet problems, not theirs. Until further notice there will be no actual print evaluation, just digital.
2. We’ve increased membership from 32 to 45.
3. Had a fabulous banquet at the airport. Don Sandersfeld and his committee did a great job under difficult circumstances to make it happen. And thanks to all who donated (cleaned out their closets.) Almost all tickets were winners. Most popular donation was an airplane trip with Mike Calabrese.
4. Harry led our first photo shoot – to the Greek Orthodox Church in Long Beach. Very well attended. Next one to the Santa Ana Zoo on January 25. (If you’re anxious to cover this location our Long Beach member Lynn Brubak is leading one on January 12.
5. Initiated our social media-membership committee with the help of Sergio’s daughter and intern Teressa Fernandez. The MAR committee has already started increasing our presence on Facebook and Instagram. Press releases are being emailed to publication announcing all our events.
6. Koffee Klatch in Torrance (where we meet for coffee and conversation on the second Wednesday of the month) has offered us wall space to show off our talent, making our club visible to the community.
7. Had great reviewers and presenters, good work Don Stouder.
8. David Carriere celebrated his birthday and 50th club year anniversary in November.
And now as 2023 gets underway your board has more new things to accomplish:
1. Revise all board and committee job descriptions. This is two- fold: 1 to help all officers and committee heads know what is expected, AND 2. to encourage you to read them and volunteer to take on one of these jobs next term. Some of our board could use a break
2. Bring the by-laws up to date.
3. Establish a student photographer scholarship.
4. Finish shooting for the scavenger hunt.
Thanks for your support. Let me know if you have any ideas, we’d love to hear from you. We look forward to seeing you at the meetings.
Emily Riddell, SBCC President
President’s Message, August 31, 2022
Dear Members,
I started a letter 6 weeks ago to introduce myself but sadly I had to instead write about our good friend Beverly Gates passing.
Since then, the new “year” began for SBCC, and a lot is happening.
First, we’re going back to the airport!!! As the airport lifted all restrictions (though has suggested that we wear masks inside), the Board had a special meeting August 29th and closely voted to return to a live hybrid meeting on September 12th.
SHOULD COVID RAISE ITS HEAD AGAIN, WE’LL IMMEDIATELY CANCEL AIRPORT MEETINGS.
Sergio Fernandez, Don Stouder and Jerry Fleury ran a successful hybrid test last November and will do a quick check to make sure that all the Wi-Fi systems still work.
As I said, this is a hybrid meeting, which means you may continue to attend meetings from other places. It is our intention to keep this indefinitely.
On that note, we are very lucky to have Sergio to facilitate this option, BUT he needs back-up. Someone who can step in if needed.
AND we need volunteers to arrive at the Airport at 6:00 to help with table and chair set-up.
As for snacks and beverages, this will be a BYO meeting. Bring desert, cookies, wine, coffee, water.
In my next letter, I will up-date news from the new Social Media committee, with Teresa Fernandez as our club intern, and how to present prints for evaluation.
Meantime, I look forward to seeing your images. Please pay your dues if you haven’t done so and upload your images by Sept 10th.
Respectfully,
Emily Riddell, SBCC President
P.S. Could someone help me with an email merge to send “personal” emails? Thanks.
President’s Message, August 3, 2021
Hi everyone,
I hope this message finds you in good health and staying safe. In January I will have been a member of the South Bay Camera Club (SBCC) for 14 of the 60+ years the Club has existed. The SBCC has always been an active Club sharing photographic knowledge through competitions, workshops, photo trips and friendships. Aside from the friends I’ve made, I have always liked the SBCC very much because, for only $50/year, I can attend two meetings per month where there is either a photo critique or a presentation, take field trips, attend coffee klatches every month and two banquets during the year.
The reason for this message is to catch you up on our Club’s finances. Our bottom line is in good shape with a cash balance of $3,792 as of this month. This is primarily because some of you contributed when donations were asked for a few months ago. The donation range was from $250 to $10 with most of the dollars coming from the Club’s Board and a few other members. Unfortunately, most club members did not contribute.
The frightening thing is that our 2021-2022 budget has a $735 shortfall, i.e., our bare bones projected expenses are $735 more than our income which all comes from member dues. In addition, we have not budgeted for increases in room rental, website issues, and/or equipment issues. If we had, our shortfall would be even greater. Room rental has already increased for the 2021-2022 year by about $5/hour. Website equipment and other issues cannot be specifically budgeted since we don’t know what could happen. Obviously, the club cannot operate at this level for more than a few years before we run out of money.
The bottom line is we need to increase our income. How to do this is the crucial question. The Board would like to get three or four members together to develop a plan of action. This could easily be done via Zoom meetings. Increasing dues is not currently an option. However, donations to keep our Club in better financial shape are always welcome. Remember, this club belongs to all of us, and we all need to do our part to keep it going. If you are interested in working on a plan of action, and I hope some of you are, please let me know. You can reach me by email at hdkornphotos@gmail.com or by phone at (805) 340-3197.
If you want more detail of the Club’s finances, please see the June 2021 Board meeting minutes on the club’s website under SBCC Organization/Minutes. Having said that, here is a summary of our annual projected expenses:
- Critiques & Presentations $850 (28% of budget)
- Meeting Room – $720 (25%)
- Website – $400 (13%)
- Credit Card Processing $225 (8%)
- Other $790 (26%)
Thanks for reading this letter and, together, I am confident we will get through these hard times.
Harry Korn,
President, SBCC
President’s Message, June 28, 2021
It’s been almost a year and a half since we have been able to meet in person at the Torrance Airport. It’s been a difficult time but, with the help of many of our members, and Zoom, we have been able to get through the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Just because we can’t meet in person doesn’t mean things have to stop.
Not only have the Zoom meetings been the glue that has held this club together, but it has even expanded our horizons. One of our meetings had a presentation by Julian Elliott from France. As far as I know this was the first time the SBCC has hosted an international meeting.
California has opened up again and hopefully it will continue to do so. If, however, COVID cases start to uptick again, we will possibly have more closures. I certainly hope that does not happen but there is no guarantee. I have just been informed that the airport will open for meetings in July. I have been talking with my contact at the airport and the protocols for reopening are still somewhat unclear. Until protocols are clarified, we will continue the Zoom meetings and have critiques and presentations.
None of this would have been possible without all the people who did, and are still doing, lots of work to keep things going. It couldn’t have happened without you. The elected officials: Mark Lidikay (VP), Jerry Fleury (Secretary), Margaret Pinto (Treasurer). Board members: Mike Calabrese (Membership Chair/Website committee), Robin Young (Scavenger Hunt Chair/Website committee), Chuck Greenwood (Website committee), Don Sandersfeld (Newsletter), Don Stouder (Zoom meetings coordinator), Bob Schlatter (Awards coordinator), Bev Gates and Steve Snider (Banquets co-chairs), Sergio Fernandez (Digital and Print images coordinator and equipment chair) and the elections nominating committee: Dick Merrick, Emily Riddell and Alan Muro.
I certainly hope I have not forgotten anyone. If I did, I heartily apologize. If all goes well we will be able to return to in person meetings soon. It’s always nicer that way.
Meanwhile stay safe and healthy.
Harry
President’s message June 19, 2020
I hope this message finds everyone in good health and staying safe. The covid19 pandemic has changed our camera club immensely but be assured that the SBCC Board is working to try to make the transition go smoothly. There have been some critical changes.
First, we have started having general and board meetings on Zoom. Our next general meeting will be this Monday, June 22 at 7P.M. You should have already received a Zoom invitation to that meeting. If you have not, please let Don Sandersfeld know at sanderdl@att.net The presenters on Monday will be Dennis Keeley and Veronica Cotter. Dennis is the chair of the Photography and Imaging Department at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and Veronica is the Education Development and Western Region Manager for Hahnemuhle Fine Art USA. The title of the meeting on Monday will be “We make photographs about our lives, not about our cameras…”
Normally the SBCC is dark in July. However, since we are not meeting at the airport, the board felt that, for the sake of continuity, we should have meetings in July. So we are scheduling 2 meetings: one on the 13th and one on the 27th, the 2nd and 4th Mondays of July. Those would be normal meeting days if we were meeting at the airport in July. One meeting will be a digital image critique and one is to be determined. More information will be supplied as things get arranged.
The nominating committee has presented its slate of candidates for the four board positions. They are Margarette Pinto for treasurer, Jerry Fleury for secretary, Mark Lidikay for vice-president and Harry Korn for president. None of the positions is contested. Therefore a formal election didn’t seem necessary. I will announce the four volunteers for the positions on Monday night and we can have a vote of acclamation at the beginning of the meeting.
For various reasons Mike Calabrese and Chuck Greenwood have decided not to run for the positons of secretary and treasurer. I totally understand that and empathize with their decision. 10 years to be secretary and treasurer is a long time and anyone would need a break. So thank you Mike and Chuck for the years of excellent service you have given to the club.
In addition to the elected positions there are some committee chair changes. Peggy Nugent has retired as chair of programs after 5 years of arranging excellent programs for the club. Peggy, we thank you very much for all the hard work and dedication you put in over the years. Don Stouder has graciously volunteered to take over the task of arranging programs. Thank you Don. Don has also agreed to chair a new committee during the covid19 pandemic: arranging the Zoom meetings for the club.
One other change involves the digital and print image chair. Mike and Chuck have decided not to chair that anymore as well. Once again, thank you Mike and Chuck for the superior job you did. Sergio Fernandez has agreed to take over the duties of that chair. Thank you so much Sergio for agreeing to take that on.
That’s about it for now. See you at the meeting on Monday.
Harry
General Message from our President:
Welcome to the South Bay Camera Club (SBCC). The SBCC is a non-profit organization for people interested in photography. If you are already a member I’m glad you’re with us. If you aren’t a member and found our website, I urge you to come to one of our meetings and I hope you will decide to join the club. We meet twice a month on Mondays at 7 P.M. at the Torrance Airport Administration building meeting room. You can find information on specific meetings on the home page of our website SBCCPhoto.org.
The purpose of the SBCC is to share our love of photography, to continually improve our photographic skills, and, above all, to have fun taking pictures. The club consists of photographers of all levels from the beginner to the more advanced to the professional. We all get along and share our ideas and pictures. My belief is that everyone, no matter what level, has something to learn and to share and can improve his or her skills. That is the core of the club’s philosophy.
To that end we have many different types of programs including digital and print critiques, photo shooting trips, banquets and more. Some activities, like the critiques, are ongoing throughout the year. Others, like specific subject workshops, are offered as they are organized.
Membership is only $50 per year. Membership includes two meetings per month, (except Dec. and June), digital and print workshops many months, field trips, and two annual banquets (banquet costs not included). Join us soon!
You can view the membership application HERE.
Again, if you are not a member yet, please come to a meeting and join the fun. If you have any questions about the club please email me at hdkornphotos@gmail.com
I’m looking forward to a great year.
Harry Korn
President
South Bay Camera Club
