SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS! FEBRUARY 2017

! PAGE 1

SANP’s 2017 Salon was a great event--a time to view and celebrate the enormous talent in our club, have a great meal at Buddy’s Banquet Hall in Knoxville, and enjoy the fellowship of old and new friends. Speaking of new friends, we were joined at the Salon by Wally Pacholka, a renowned astrophotographer who has won several Life Magazine Picture of the Year Awards and been published around the world. Read more about Wally and his photography on p. 4.Our thanks goes to Ed Dumas, Salon Chair, and his committee of volunteers--Clark Brekke, Jim Britt, Kendall Chiles, Brad Cottrell, Mark Frankel, Allan Glazer, Ron McConathy, Alice Reed, Holland Rowe, Ron Sentell, Steve Shackelford, Bobbie Crews Thurston, Clay Thurston, Bob Turney, and Joyce Wilson--for a job well done! Additional thanks go to the generous supporters of SANP who donated terrific gifts for the evening’s door prizes. You can find a list of donors on p. 3. Next year, you could be a winner, so we hope you will join us!

SANP Newsletter: Special Salon EditionSANP Salon Dinner was held February 25, 2017, at Buddy’s Banquet Hall in Knoxville, TN

Above: Leaf Eater. Copyright Frank Norris. Best of Show and First Place, Reflections Category, Print Division, SANP 2017 Salon.

The 2017 SANP Annual Photography Salon presented the work of 37 outstanding photographers. See a list of the winners on pp. 2-3 along with photos of the event. Read an excerpt from Steve Shackelford’s inspiring introduction to the digital images on p. 4.

Left: Autumn Sunburst, copyright David Boruff. Best of Show and First Place, Scenic Category, Digital Division, SANP 2017 Salon.

Ed Dumas, Salon Chair for four years and counting!

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS! FEBRUARY 2017

! PAGE 2

SANP 2017 Salon: Three Divisions; Six Categories; Outstanding Photography! Congratulations to all those who entered the 2017 Salon. Winning photos are listed on this page and the next. You can view the winning digital entries at the SANP Zenfolio website: http://sanp.zenfolio.com/p286580064

Black & White Prints - MiscellaneousBlack & White Prints - MiscellaneousBlack & White Prints - Miscellaneous1st Michael K. Miller Carnation2nd Clay Thurston Just Singing3rd Gretchen Kaplan PracticeHM Jim Britt Purity

Black & White Prints - ScenicBlack & White Prints - ScenicBlack & White Prints - Scenic1st Gretchen Kaplan Oxbow Bend

2nd Gretchen Kaplan Mountains Majesty (IR)

3rd Michael K. Miller Altocumulus Clouds Over GreenlandBlack & White Prints – Travel & PlaceBlack & White Prints – Travel & PlaceBlack & White Prints – Travel & Place1st Paul Schubert Welcome To Savannah

2nd Clay Thurston Fort Morgan Barrel

3rd Sharon Cottrell San Francisco de Asissi Mission

HM Sharon Cottrell Acoma Pueblo

Color Prints - PlantsColor Prints - PlantsColor Prints - Plants1st Michael K. Miller Reproductive Organs of a Sunflower

2nd Gretchen Kaplan Go With The Flow

3rd Bob Stephenson Yellow Ladyslipper

HM Robin Rohwer Sun Whiskers

Color Prints - ReflectionsColor Prints - ReflectionsColor Prints - Reflections1st/BOS Frank Norris Leaf Eater

2nd Peggy Turner Point of View

3rd Clay Thurston Splash

HM Paul Schubert Reflections Along the Cumberland Trail

Color Prints - ScenicColor Prints - ScenicColor Prints - Scenic1st Jim Britt Evening Shower, Black

Mtns, NC2nd Edward Stickle Sunrise in Yellowstone NP

3rd Jim Britt Low Water, Little River

HM Michael K. Miller Namibian Sunset

HM Sharon Cottrell Cathedral Rock

Color Prints - Travel and PlaceColor Prints - Travel and PlaceColor Prints - Travel and Place1st Bob Turney San Francisco de Asissi Mission

Church, Taos, NM2nd Gretchen Kaplan Glacier Gazing

3rd Sharon Cottrell Santuario de Chimayo

HM Bob Stephenson Jekyll Island Sunrise

Color Prints - WildlifeColor Prints - WildlifeColor Prints - Wildlife1st Bobbie Thurston Tandem Terns

2nd Clay Thurston Decisions, Decisions!

3rd Clay Thurston Roseate Spoonbill

HM Lee Smalley Oystercatcher Buffet

HM Edward Stickle Red Fox in Grand Teton, NP

Digital Images - Altered NatureDigital Images - Altered NatureDigital Images - Altered Nature1st Michael K. Miller River of sand

2nd Mark Frankel Daylily Nightmare

3rd Laura Capozzola Juvenile Gull Descending

HM Laura Capozzola High Rise

HM Michael K. Miller Whisky Bay

Digital Images - PlantsDigital Images - PlantsDigital Images - Plants1st Susan Goodwin Floating Star

2nd Ron McConathy Red oak--start of autumn color

3rd Heather Crawley Showy Orchis

HM Chris Rohwer Big Orange 'shroom

HM Jim Britt Roan Gray

Salon photos, pp. 2 & 3, by Ron McConathy.

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS! FEBRUARY 2017

! PAGE 3

Nawras Baban Bill PritchardMike Boyd Alice Hoffman ReedRoni Boyd Chris RohwerJim Britt Robin Moore RohwerDavid Boruff Holland RoweLaura Capozzola Ronald RussellKendall Chiles Dennis SaboBrad Cottrell Paul SchubertSharon Wright Cottrell Virginia SchubertHeather Crawley Ron SentellYvonne Dalschen Lee SmalleyMark Frankel Bob StephensonSusan Goodwin Edward StickleGretchen Kaplan Bobbie Crews ThurstonRon McConathy Clay ThurstonMichael K. Miller Peggy TurnerFrank Norris Bob TurneyBraam Oberholster Helen TurneyGary Pease

Digital Images - ReflectionsDigital Images - ReflectionsDigital Images - Reflections1st David Boruff Lily Pad Reflection

2nd Roni Boyd Roseate Spoonbill Fishing

3rd Lee Smalley Sunrise on Melton Hill Lake

HM Bobbie Thurston Morning Dip

HM Clay Thurston Red-Bellied Turtles

HM Ron McConathy Sunrise ArtHM Yvonne Dalschen Sunrise Melton Lake

Digital Images - ScenicDigital Images - ScenicDigital Images - Scenic1st/BOS David Boruff Autumn Sunburst

2nd Michael K. Miller Deadvlei

3rd Yvonne Dalschen Storm Clingsman's Dome

HM Dennis Sabo Neptune's Kingdom

HM Michael K. Miller Deadvlei and Sossusvlei

Digital Images - Travel and PlaceDigital Images - Travel and PlaceDigital Images - Travel and Place1st Brad Cottrell Taos Pueblo Church

2nd Lee Smalley Dawn on the Ganges

3rd Ron McConathy Glenfinnan viaduct

HM Bob Turney House on Fire

HM Braam Oberholster Current River Kayak

HM Chris Rohwer Llama Overseer

Digital Images - WildlifeDigital Images - WildlifeDigital Images - Wildlife1st Mike Boyd Home Builder at Work

2nd Braam Oberholster Cheetah Play

3rd Chris Rohwer Two for Dinner

HM Holland Rowe Fred the Frog

HM Gretchen Kaplan Winter Pack

HM Nawras Baban Tanzania, birdHM Michael K. Miller Red-eyes

SANP Members Who Participated in the 2017 Salon

List of Winning Photos continued:

Salon Door Prize DonorsEach year we all look forward to the drawing for door prizes at the Salon. This year was no exception. Our thanks to the generous donors who support our Salon with incredible gifts.

Aubreys -- 6 certificates for dinner for two

F32 Photo -- 1 $50 equipment rental certificate, 1 certificate for a 16x20 canvas gallery wrap

Thompson Photo -- 4 $25 gift certificates for prints

Holland Rowe -- 4 hand-made cutting boards

UT Non-Credit Personal Dev Program -- 1 gift certificate (up to $90) for a class

Wally Pacholka -- 2 11x14 prints of night sky images

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS! FEBRUARY 2017

! PAGE 4

Possibly you are inspired by many of the great nature photographers, past and present, people like Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, William Henry Jackson, Eliot Porter, Phillip Hyde, David Muench, John Shaw. Like you, I read their books, pour over their images and study their techniques. My wife Jo and I love the outdoors and spend as much time on the water, hiking in the mountains and exploring our nation’s natural wonders as possible. Given the choice of watching a TV show, we opt for a nature documentary over just about anything else. I can equally enjoy just being in nature as well as capturing it in a photo.The images taken by many of the great photographers--and you--might never be possible without the influence of some other individuals, such as: John Muir, the Scottish immigrant who’s love of the American wilderness is legend. He was a naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, glaciologist and early advocate of preservation of wilder-ness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevadas of California and Nevada, have been read by millions. He founded the Sierra Club and today is referred to as the “Father of the National Parks.” His epic quote, “The mountains are calling and I must go” is just one of his quotes constantly uttered by nature lovers and wilderness adventurers. Horace Kephart, whose writing and passion for the mountains to the east of us helped in establishing what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He hated the

destruction of the wild areas by loggers, miners and developers and wanted to see it saved and preserved for future generations. He worked closely with others like David Chapman, Ann Davis and Paul Fink (all Knoxvillians) to push for a National Park in his beloved mountains. He succeeded and learned it would become a National Park. Tragically, due to his untimely death in an automobile accident, he died before seeing it happen. A mountain in the GSMNP is named for him. It is one of the 6000-ft-plus peaks in the park, and you will cross over the top of it if you ever hike to the Jump Off. His book Our Southern Highlanders, about his life in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, should be read by anyone with a love for the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

Aldo Leopold, author, philosopher, scientist, ecologist, forester, conservationist, and environmentalist, was influential in the development of modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness conservation. His ideas of nature and wildlife preservation had a profound impact on the environmental movement, with his ecocentric ethics regarding the land and its wild inhabitants. He emphasized biodiversity and ecology and is considered the founder of the science of wildlife management. His book A Sand County Almanac is another must-read for anyone who loves the wilderness and nature and wants to see it preserved. If nothing else, read his essay ‘Thinking Like a Mountain,” which describes the death of a wolf killed by his hunting party. It greatly

affected him for the rest of his life…and it greatly affected me.We cannot overlook the impact of the first three directors of the National Park Service: Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, and Arno Cammerer. The National Park Service named a mountain for Director Cammerer; it is one of the most iconic locations in the GSMNP.So many other men and women have been instrumental in establishing and protecting nature--the places, the animals, all the things we love to see and photograph.Benton Mackaye – instrumental in the formation of the wilderness Society and considered the “father of the Appalachian Trail.”Mardy Murie – Considered to be the Grandmother of the Conserva-tion Movement by both the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society. She helped in the passage of the Wilder-ness Act and was instrumental in the creation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.Rachel Carson – A marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.Marjory Stoneman Douglas – A journalist and environmentalist who is credited for saving the Everglades from being drained and developed.Dian Fossey (gorillas), Birutė Galdikas (orangutans) and Jane Goodall (chimpanzees) whose work with primates has led to great knowledge, understanding and protection of these animals.

[The conclusion to Steve’s article on inspiration will be continued in next month’s SANP Newsletter.]

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? The first part of Steve Shackleford’s introduction to the Salon digital images follows.

Again this year I was honored to be asked to present the digital images at the 2017 SANP Salon Dinner. This allows me to view the images in advance in order to prepare for my presentation. Each year I know the current images can’t possibly surpass the previous Salon’s entries….I am always wrong. We obviously have many talented photographers in our club. As I view your images, I often ponder the sources of your inspiration.

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS! FEBRUARY 2017

! PAGE 5

Future 2017 MeetingsMarch 28! Brad & Sharon Cottrell

SANP OfficersPresident: Kendall Chiles! 865-363-1525

kchiles@knology.net Treasurer: Steve ShacklefordField Trips: Kris Light, Bob TurneyMembership: Allan GlazerWebsite: Ron & Sharon McConathy

Board Members2017:! Ed Dumas! Kris Light! Ron McConathy2018: ! Sharon Cottrell! Steve Shackelford! Ed Stickle2019:! Jim Britt! Holland Rowe! Paul Schubert

Field Trip to Old Car CityKendall Chiles is considering leading a field trip to Old Car City in White, GA on Saturday, March 11, 2017, weather permitting. Entrance fee would be $25-30 per person (cash only); we would carpool from Knoxville. If you are interested, email Kendall ASAP at kchiles@knology.net.

Photos from Old Car City copyright Kendall Chiles.

Introducing Wally Pacholka, photographer of the stars!If you are wondering what the night sky looks like, take a tour of AstroPics.com, the website where Wally Pacholka shows his incredible astro-photography.

Wally has been fascinated by the night sky since he was a young boy in Montreal. An avid amateur astronomer and astro-photographer, he joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 1963 at the age of 14. Now a resident of California, he shows us what we are missing by sleeping at night.

Wally joined us on Saturday night for the Salon Dinner. Early Sunday morning he (and tour guide Ron Sentell) visited Cades Cove in the Smokies and captured the image below. Thanks, Wally, for allowing us to include your work in our newsletter. His description of this incredible image follows:

“Here is an image of Milky Way Arch over Cades Cove taken Sunday morning looking East about 1/4 mile from the entrance into the park looking back toward the stables. Pano stitching and processing by Ron Sentell, six images, 20 seconds each, ISO 1600, Sigma 24mm shot at f/2. Image includes Milky Way Arch, Saturn, Northern Cross, Summer Triangle, Dancing Stallion.”

Milky Way Arch over Cades Cove, photo copyright WallyPacholka/AstroPics.com.