A print competition on "Photo Journalism" will be featured at the next meeting of the Sandhills Photography Club on Monday, June 9, at 7 p.m., at Christ Fellowship Church, Midland and Pee Dee Roads, Southern Pines.

Members can submit up to three entries in the areas of human interest, documentary, and spot news. Content should be informative and have emotional impact. Sequence shots can also be submitted and will be judged and scored as one entry. The judge of this event has not yet been announced.

Tim Sayer of Sayer Photography in Southern Pines will be the guest speaker at the Monday, July 14, meeting at 7 p.m. Sayer, locally well known for his wedding photography, will discuss and demonstrate "Portrait Lighting." Examples of his work can be seen at www.sayerphotography.com.

Spring Field Trip

A slide show of photographs taken during the Spring Field Trip to the Outer Banks in early May was the focus of the SPC meeting on May 12. Nature photographer Mark Buckler provided two days of sunrise-to-sunset guided photography plus critique sessions for participating club members Don and Brenda Hiscott, Gary and Gayle Magee, Jill Margeson, Joe and Marilyn Owen, Jim Smith, David Verchick, and Nancy Wehr.

Buckler works for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as the program director at the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education and provides various types of guided tours on the Outer Banks. His photographic work has received widespread regional and national acclaim over the last several years. He is currently on the board of directors of the Carolina Nature Photography Associa-tion (CNPA) and has placed first and third in CNPA's recent members' choice competitions.

Buckler kicked off the Outer Banks event with an orientation and slide show at Kelly's Restaurant in Nags Head and then met the SPC group for the first-day sunrise session at Bodie Island Lighthouse, followed by the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Ocracoke Island, Hatteras National Seashore, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, and sunset at Oregon inlet. Working closely with the group during the shooting, Buckler encouraged the photographers to look for patterns, shells, and shadows in the sand.

The second day included sunrise in Corolla with stops at Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the Whalehead Club, Currituck Heritage Park, and opportunities to capture scenic shots of beach and ocean, as well as wild horses in their natural environment.

An image viewing and critique session with Buckler provided a wide range of instruction from technical aspects of camera equipment to creative new shooting techniques for capturing birds in flight. Late afternoon photo shoots at the Elizabethan Gardens, Roanoke Island, and Wanchese, plus sunset at Jockey's Ridge State Park, completed the itinerary. After viewing the impressive field trip slide show, all club members are looking forward to a scheduled presentation and workshop by Buckler in Southern Pines in November.

Also in May, club member Linda Piechota taught a series of three classes on "Creative Photography -- the Stoffel Method" at the Artists League of the Sandhills. Club members and local artists learned how to use their cameras more effectively to "make, not take," artistically creative photographs.

Five upcoming summer club activities are:

n A workshop on "Making Slide Shows with Pro Show Gold," presented by SPC member Len Bernard on June 28.

n A July exhibition at the Campbell House on "Capturing the World," opening to the public on July 3 and featuring photographs by SPC members.

n An exhibit reception for SPC members at the Campbell House on July 11.

n A series of four classes on "Creative Photography -- the Stoffel Method" by Linda Piechota, beginning on Aug. 7.

n A digital competition with a focus on "Flowers and/or Insects" at the Aug. 11 meeting.

In addition, the 2008 Fall Field Trip to the Boone-Blowing Rock area of North Carolina is being planned for October and will feature an orientation to the area and an optional guided photo shoot to Grandfather Mountain by professional photographer Vinny Colucci.

Visitors are welcome to attend SPC meetings, which are always informative and fun.

Additional information about the club can be seen on the club Web site, www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.