"People and Scenes of Moore County" is the theme of the first digital photography competition of 2009 to be held at the next meeting of the Sandhills Photography Club Monday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. at Christ Fellowship Church at the corner of Midland and Pee Dee Roads in Southern Pines.

Photographs will be judged on how effectively they capture the spirit and feeling of Moore County. Emphasis will also be placed on the quality of the photographs.

Jim Dodson and Andie Rose from The Pilot and Pinestraw Magazine will judge the competition. Dodson is a best-selling author with roots in North Carolina. He is the writer-in-residence for The Pilot and the editor of Pinestraw Magazine. Andie Rose is creative director for Pinestraw Magazine. Dodson and Rose will critique and score as a team and will present a single final score for each entry as it is shown to the audience on the big screen.

SPC members and guests, along with the judges, have the opportunity to observe the artistic and technical quality of each of the entries in both Class A and Class B. In addition, the judges' critiques are especially appreciated, as photographers are continually developing their craft.

In preparation for the competition, Brady Smith, competition chair, gave a workshop Jan. 24, on "Preparing, Sizing, and Submitting Image Files for Digital Competitions." The difference between cropping and sizing was one of many questions answered with actual demonstration.

A large crowd of SPC members and guests turned out for Bill Stice's presentation on macro photography at the January meeting. Stice is an accomplished nature and travel photographer with a portfolio of over 20,000 images, and his stunning photographs inspired the audience to ask many questions about macro equipment and techniques.

The Hastings Gallery at the Boyd Library at Sandhills Community College is hosting an exhibit of SPC members' photographs through Feb. 25. The exhibit can be accessed through the library during regular hours and features a wide range of photographic styles, techniques, and subjects.

One of the exhibited prints, "Endangered in Kaktovik" by Glenn Gilchrist, received honorable mention in the latest quarterly competition of the Carolinas' Nature Photograph-ers Association-Triangle. To see this photo, go to www.cnpa-triangle.org. Additional prize-winning photography by SPC members can be found at www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.

Vinny Colucci, a professional wildlife photographer from western North Carolina, will be the guest presenter at the March 9 meeting.

As a follow-up to his program, Colucci will do a one-day photo workshop on March 14 at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. Colucci's presentation and workshop will prepare club members for the next digital competition on "Animals," which will be held during the April meeting. Images can be one or more animals from the wild, in captivity, or family pets.

A workshop on "Tone Mapping, HDR, and related darkroom techniques" by Glenn Gilchrist will be presented on Saturday, April 11.

Also in April, club members will be taking a spring field trip to New Bern. The trip is being organized for April 27-30 by Brenda Hiscott.

"Visitors are always welcome at SPC meetings, which are informative and fun," says a spokesman.

Monthly SPC newsletters, along with additional information about the club, are posted on the club Web site, www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.