December 9, 2021 Dear Members,

As we prepare to celebrate 2021’s member accomplishments at tonight’s Awards Banquet via Zoom, I’d like to take some time to reflect on the club’s accomplishments over the last year and to thank the members who made them possible.

Our club’s activities have been severely impacted by the presence of Covid in our community. Our in-person meetings have been suspended throughout 2021 in favor of Zoom meetings. No doubt the technology of Zoom has been a lifesaver for communications during this period. I want to thank for service beyond the call of duty Bill Stacy and Steve Muench for coordinating the logistics of the Zoom Meetings during 2021.

Important contributors to our club’s success are the program presenters and competition judges who help us hone our photography with educational presentations and competition critiques. Thank you to our Program Coordinator Lynda Stuber and her co-coordinators, Betsy Waters, Liz Lawson, and Anne Abrams for organizing the wonderful educational programs we enjoyed this year. We also thank again our stalwart Bill Stacy who is also our Judges Coordinator. He has not only made sure we had talented judges for our competition meetings each month. He has worked to expand our pool of judges utilizing the convenience of Zoom to judges’ participation from across America & Canada.

Nick Allen has managed our SRPS Website for the past few years as well as serving as our YouTube Channel Coordinator. The internet connectivity of our website has improved immensely during his tenure, and we thank him deeply for his service. Unfortunately, Nick has made the choice to step down from the Website position effective at the end of 2021. Steve Ruddy will be taken on Webmaster/YouTube Channel Coordinator positions and I want to say thanks for his willingness to step into this role for 2022. I want to also extend my thanks to Ronnie Rosenbach for managing our Facebook page activities in 2021 and continuing in that slot in 2022. As well as Jennifer Marano for coordinating our Meetup site in 2021 and continuing in 2022. I want to point out the truly behind the scenes efforts of Phil Hann (E-Group Manager) & Jennifer Marano (E-Group Mgr. – alternate) in keeping track of our “group email listing”. Finally, a special thanks to Steve Muench managing our Visual Pursuit Software which underlies our photo competition entry system, remote judge review, field trip photo critiques, and transfer of club winners to monthly N4C competitions. I can only say management of robust computer software requires a robust mind & our Steve will continue to rise to the challenge in 2022.

Late in 2020 we lost our friend Rick White unexpectedly, who was serving as our Competition Chair. Steve Muench took on that role in the last days of 2020 and was appointed same for 2021. Steve ably navigated our complex rules as Competition Chair in 2021, as well as coordinating the efforts of our ever-industrious Image Review Committee members Sherri Oster, Terry Connelly, Tamara Krautkramer, and Nancy Goodenough, and Bill Stacy. The Image Review Committee and Steve do a fantastic job of overseeing our competitions and interpreting our competition rules to ensure fairness.

One of the major achievements for our club this year was the development of a better advancement by petition process. Our VP Greg Pech and Advancement Committee members Gary Saxe, Anne Abrams, Terry Connelly, Michael Funk, and Steve Muench developed process that is based upon scoring for technical skills, artistic composition and “image impact as a whole. The assessment tool really will make our advancement by petition process not only fairer but will provide a prospective petitioner with concrete feedback results of her/his skills. Greg will be giving a presentation of this new process for everyone early in 2022. Another competition-related role is Keeper of the Scores, and we’ve all benefited from Steve Muench’s service in that role. He keeps us informed of our rankings in the club on a spreadsheet he developed – thank heavens he’s willing to do it. And thank you all for your contributions!

Tony Reynes served as our Field Trip Coordinator in 2021 and will return in 2022, organizing field trips for club members to places near and far while maintaining Covid protocols. A real challenge. In addition, he has instituted a post-field trip critique sessions utilizing Zoom & Visual Pursuit software; kudos for Bill Stacy & Steve Muench for helping Tony on this effort. The critique sessions are a hit. However, Tony efforts to serve the club have not stopped there as Mentorship Coordinator he instituted a pre-competition critique session monthly of members photos.

Field trips are a socializing opportunity not to be missed! They strengthen friendships within the club and expose members to stimulating new photographic opportunities. If you haven’t participated in the past, I highly recommend them! We may not say it loudly Tony, but we truly appreciate your service and your enthusiasm.

We also want to thank Trisha Brown for her willingness to serve as our N4C Representative in 2021 and will continue in 2022. N4C is going thru organizational changes due to Covid and her calming presence in that forum has made a real difference based on feedback I see from her fellow N4C Board members. Trish thank you for taking on such a thankless job for our club.

Our Exhibition Committee had a real tough time in 2021. Tim Allen had been in negotiations with the Sebastopol Public Library for a SRPS show in September 2021. Covid interrupted all those plans. However, one of his committee members, Trisha brown landed and negotiated an exhibition opportunity with City of Santa Rosa thru her connections as a retired employee. The

“Our Walls Exhibition opened on December 3, 2021, will be continued thru January 2022. A big thank you to the Exhibition Committee of Tim Allen, Jennifer Marano, Anne Abrams, Liz Lawson, & Trisha Brown for dedicating the time and effort to bring this opportunity for SRPS to shine!

One final note concerning the Exhibition Committee. Tim Allen will step down at the end of 2021 as Exhibition Coordinator. However, Ellen Storz has stepped forward to take that position in 2022. Ellen Thanks!!!

Ronnie Rosenbach, you are a prime example of a person who is willing to step-up. Greg & I really want to thank you for being willing to take on the SRPS Marketing Coordinator position in 2022. The Board foresees challenges to our membership numbers in 2022 and marketing will be key to solving that puzzle. In addition, you have taken on the position of N4C Instagram Coordinator. N4C will be well pleased in 2022.

We lost our fellow club member, friend, LBA&GC Representative and SRPS Treasurer Cheryl Akers in January of this 2021. She has been with us in each of these roles for many years and we all miss her. I want to thank Lynda Stuber for her willingness to add LBA&GC Representative to her duties, and Bill Pitcher’s willingness to continue as an alternate to the LBA&GC Representative position in 2022. In addition, I want to specially call out Herb Gaidus for his willingness to step into the SRPS Treasurer’s role in April of 2021 and his willingness to continue forward in 2022 in that position. I can only tell all of you that the Treasurer position is the most behind the scenes position in the club while also being arguably one of the 2 or 3 most important. Herb, really Thanks!!!

With no in-person meetings there are club members who were not called on to directly serve in their committee capacities. I want to make sure I thank all of them. LBA&GC Maintenance Committee Representatives Dick Weston; Raffle Coordinator – Anne Abrams, Elizabeth Springs; Refreshment Coordinators – Lynda Stuber, Pam Pitcher; and House Monitor(s) – Terry Connelly, Dick Weston, and Liz Lawson. Thanks, and we hope to get you back to service in 2022.

We all are hoping to get back to in-person meetings in 2022. However, Covid has changed the world of group meetings. In response to these changes a small group of SRPS members were able to figure out how to facilitate Hybrid Zoom Meetings to accommodate the new world view in 2022. I want to thank Bill Stacy, Steve Muench, Nancy Goodenough, Lynda Stuber & Joel Brown (eeek me!) for their efforts and time in working the logistics of this format out for our club. Thanks to all of you!

And finally, thank you to our Board of Directors, who help to wrestle with important decisions that affect our club. These are the people who make my job easy! Vice President Greg Pech, Treasurer Herb Gaidus, Secretary Elizabeth Springs, Competition Chair Steve Muench,,

Programs Co-Coordinator Lynda Stuber, New Member and Guest Coordinator Jennifer Marano, Field trip Coordinator Tony Reynes, and at-large board member Michael Funk. Thank you again to each one of you.

It has been a pleasure to serve as your President in 2021 and look forward to a better year in 2022. It’s been fun to give back some of my time to this club, which has helped me grow as a photographer and challenged me as a leader. I encourage all members to get involved, keep the club vibrant, and take advantage of all the club has to offer in taking your photography to the next level in the years to come.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season!

Joel Brown, SRPS President

Greg Pech who as our Vice-President coordinates the Advancement Committee     sent these words on Member Advancements and the “Advance by Petition Process. Unfortunately due to death in the family he could not make the SRPS EOY Awards Banquet last night (12/9/21). Here is the summary of what he intended to present:

Date: 12/9/21

1. Automatic advancements based on highest total scores for the year of competitions. NOTE: the final results from N4C are not yet in, which may change the point count, but will not change the advancements because there are no 3rd-Place finishers in close proximity to these high-point finishers:

1. Basic to Intermediate: Fritz Carlson – 271 points; Laura Stansfield – 266 points; [no clusters identified: 3rd place was 232]

• Intermediate to Advanced: Betsy Waters – 248 points; Ronnie Rosenbach – 245 points; [No clusters identified: 3rd place was 211]

• Automatic advancements based on highest average scores for this year AND other qualifying requirements within the past 4 years.

1. Advanced to Master Candidate: CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW – to be announced later this month. Delaying the announcement of new Masters Candidates is in our Rules: “Notification of Master candidacy, if not given at the Awards Banquet of the qualifying year, will be given by the end of January at the latest so the candidate has sufficient time to prepare the Master’s Presentation Outline.”

• Advancements based on 2021 participation as a Master Candidate:

1. Master Candidates to Masters:

Mike Funk – 5th-Place finish (high average) among 8 competing Master club photographers (submitted 33 images); Notable placements in N4C Master-level

1. competitions; Master Presentation: “Wildlife/Bird Photography” on June 24, 2021.

1. Bill Stacy – 4th-Place finish (high average) among 8 competing Master club photographers (submitted 25 images); Notable placements in N4C Master-level competitions; Master Presentation: “My Journey in Crop Sensors” on July 22, 2021.

1. The Advancement Committee (Anne Abrams, Terry Connelly, Michael Funk, Steve Muench, Gary Saxe) and VP (Greg Pech) developed a PROCESS FOR ADVANCEMENT BY PETITION this year which includes a set of criteria that will be used for evaluating 20-image portfolios submitted by members. The criteria includes 3 MAJOR SECTIONS:

• Technical Skills
  • Artistic Skills
  • Image as a Whole

1. Each of these sections contain sub-sections that address STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES, such as focus, creativity, impact, etc. that will provide valuable feedback to members petitioning for advancement.

• A paper on this subject will be released to the membership later this year providing all the details.

• There were no advancements by petition granted by the Advancement Committee in 2021

• Our 3 judges voluntarily utilized this new process in the EOY Competition that will be presented tonight.