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Camera Clubs for local Pennsylvania photographers

Updated: 1:13 PM EDT Jul 5, 2024

Calling all local Pennsylvania photographers! Have you been looking for a community to share your craft with?A community where you can hone your skills and ideas in a creative space?Well, look no further! The local camera clubs have what you need!As a freelance photographer myself, learning on your own can be a tough task. There’s nothing better than a friendly environment where you can learn and improve!Connect with local photographers by visiting the sites and pages below! If these aren’t close to you, try to search for “Camera Clubs Near Me.” Happy clicking!Lancaster:Lancaster Camera ClubThe Lancaster Camera Club | FacebookYork:Home | York Camera ClubYork County Camera Club | FacebookHarrisburg:Harrisburg Camera Club | FacebookCarlisle:Front Page – Carlisle Camera Club

From mesmerizing “mythical monsters” to jaw-dropping distant constellations, the shortlisted candidates for Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 showcase the magnificent beauty in the skies around us. Here are this year’s stunning nominees.

A Night with the Valkyries — Jose Miguel Picon Chimelis

In this image, a powerful geomagnetic storm creates a stunning display of multicolored hues across the night sky in Iceland.

“There was a prediction of a KP7 storm [a strong geomagnetic storm that can cause auroras and affect electrical power systems] and I was excited as to what I might see,” photographer José Miguel Picón Chimelis said in a statement. 

He took the panoramic photo near Eystrahorn mountain, capturing a scene full of vibrant colors, which he described as “one of the most amazing that I have experienced in my nighttime photography outings.”

Solar Pulsation — Wenlian Li

In this vibrant display of energy, photographer Wenlian Li captured an exploding sunspot spewing out glowing plasma from the sun’s surface.

 Observations at night — Jakob Sahner 

In this shot from La Palma, one of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the immense Isaac Newton Telescope sits below ominous cosmic clouds from the Cygnus constellation.

“The Cygnus region with its bright and vibrant star-forming regions is one of my favorite parts of the night sky. You can see it in the top right of the image,” photographer Jakob Sahner said in the statement.

Cygnus, which translates to “the swan” in Latin, is a northern constellation that sits above the Milky Way.

Related: The Milky Way will be visible without a telescope this summer. Here are the key nights to watch for.

 Arctic Dragon — Carina Letelier Baeza 

Carina Letelier Baeza captured the aurora borealis forming the shape of a dragon. Its tail descends into the horizon, and bright green hues take the shape of wings that tower over the rock pyramids of the Arctic Henge in Iceland.

 Serpentine — Paul Haworth 

Paul Haworth created this entrancing image of radial stars above the ruins of an old jetty and cracked mudflats at Snettisham beach in Norfolk, U.K.

“I named this image ‘Serpentine’ as I love the curved channel in the mudflat, mirroring the trailing stars, and the wonderful scaly texture of the mud cracks,” Haworth said in the statement.

The Galaxy Devourer — ShaRa (Shared Remote Astrophotography) Team 

The interstellar clouds of CG 4 (Cometary Globule 4) form a monstrous shape as if ready to devour the cosmos, in this picture taken by a team of astrophotographers known as ShaRA (Shared Remote Astrophotography).

The peculiar formation of gas clouds and dust is classed as a “cometary globule” because of its comet-like shape, and it’s often referred to as “God’s Hand” because of its similarity to an arm stretching across the universe. 

Along with these names, a member of the astrophotography team noticed its resemblance to two famous fictional monsters.

“Is this the cosmic sandworm of Arrakis, from ‘Dune,’ or the terrifying Graboid from the film ‘Tremors’?” ShaRa group member Alessandro Ravagnin said in the statement.

 The Blue Details of M45: The Pleiades — Sandor Biliczki 

In this image, Sándor Biliczki captured the beauty of the Pleiades constellation. 

Also known as Messier 45 or the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades consists of thousands of stars but is known for its seven brightest stars and is located 445 light-years from Earth, according to NASA.

Due to light pollution in Budapest, Biliczki traveled to  Spain to photograph the constellation.

“The Pleiades are a popular target among astrophotographers, but there are still many tiny details to be discovered,” Biliczki said in the statement.

A Cosmic Firework: the Geminid Meteor Shower — Jakob Sahner 

This panorama captures the Geminid meteor shower in front of the entire winter Milky Way in the night sky over La Palma.

Jakob Sahner said he could see three meteors per minute within his field of view during the peak of the shower.

 The Scream of a Dying Star — Yann Sainty 

Yann Sainty captured the Cygnus supernova in this haunting image, named “The Scream of a Dying Star.”

The name is a reference to ‘The Scream,’ the famous painting by Edvard Munch, symbolising the scream that continues to echo through space after the star’s death, according to the image caption.

Sainty took advantage of the lack of light pollution and a long exposure time to capture rare details of the Cygnus Loop, such as the outer layers of the supernova remnant.

Martian Dementors  —  Leonardo Di Maggio

Leonardo Di Maggio created this eerie, abstract landscape image using a photo taken from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) — a spacecraft on a mission to find evidence of water on Mars. 

Wildlife photographer Larry Master loves to travel the world, but some of his favorite photographs of nature are in the Adirondacks where he visited his grandparents as a kid and where he retired after his career as a chief zoologist with The Nature Conservancy.
An exhibit of a few dozen of his many amazing photographs has opened at the Adirondack History Museum in Elizabethtown. Master’s exhibit has photos of birds large and small and many other critters including bobcats & squirrels, foxes & bears, a marten & ermine, and a beautiful giant swallowtail butterfly that will all be on display until October.
Larry Master will give a talk about his photos at a special gallery celebration July 12th and then a lecture on conservation photography coming up on July 25th.

Learn more: www.adkhistorycenter.org
www.masterimages.org

“Arctic Dragon” © Carina Letelier Baeza (Chile). Location: Raufarhöfn, Iceland
“This impressive aurora, which seemingly takes the form of a dragon, was the result of a geomagnetic storm (level G2) generated by a coronal mass ejection. The photo was captured at the Arctic Henge, which was one of the only places in Iceland with clear skies that night.”

Dazzling auroras, distant galaxies, and impressive celestial bodies have all found a home on the 2024 Astronomy Photographer of the Year shortlist. Organized by Royal Observatory Greenwich, the competition is a delight for anyone who loves gazing at the stars.

The respected competition always attracts top amateur and professional astrophotographers, and this year is no different. Over 3,500 images were submitted to this year’s photo contest by photographers hailing from 58 countries. These images compete in nine categories, including one that honors young photographers.

One particularly impressive image shows a clear green aurora in Iceland. It appears like a dragon in the sky, spreading its wings over the Arctic Henge in the remote northern end of the island.

“This aurora panorama, which looks like a big dragon over the rock pyramids, was the result of a geomagnetic storm (level G2) generated by a coronal mass ejection earlier that day,” explains Chilean photographer Carina Letelier Baeza. “The result was intense red-greenish aurorae throughout the whole night. The location of the photo is the Arctic Henge, which has a rich cultural meaning for Icelanders, and was the only place in Iceland with clear skies that night.”

This taste of what’s in store has only got us more excited about the winners of the competition, which will be revealed on September 12, 2024. For now, scroll down to see our favorite images from the shortlist and enjoy this glimpse of the stars—and beyond.

Here are our favorite photos from the 2024 Astronomy Photographer of the Year shortlist.

“A Whale Sailing the Sun” © Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau (Argentina). Location: Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina
“This image shows the details of the Sun’s surface. The photographer views the shape of the filament to the left of the disc as an immense plasma whale traversing the solar surface. Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau captured this photo by recording two videos (one for the disc and another for the prominences), each consisting of 850 frames.”

“Abandoned House” © Stefan Liebermann (Germany). Location: Garub, Namibia
“This image shows an abandoned house in the middle of the Namib Desert with the Milky Way rising above it. The sky was captured with a star tracker to lower the ISO. The veil of clouds and halos around the stars create a dreamlike effect.”

“A Night with the Valkyries” © Jose Miguel Picon Chimelis (Spain). Location: Hvalnesviti, Iceland
“A view of the Eystrahorn Mountain on the night of a KP7 storm (a strong geomagnetic storm that can cause aurorae and upset electrical power systems). The intensity of the storm resulted in the impressive range of colors in the sky.”

“Total Solar Eclipse” © Gwenaël Blanck (France). Location: Exmouth, Western Australia, Australia
“Gwenaël Blanck travelled to Australia in April 2023 to see the 62-second long total solar eclipse. In this collage he shows the corona and the pink chromosphere, the prominences and Baily’s beads, chinks of sunlight that shine through due to the Moon’s rugged landscape. The image is made of seven superimposed pictures, one overexposed for the background and six others for the chromosphere and prominences.”

“Serpentine” © Paul Haworth (UK). Location: Snettisham Beach, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, UK
“This image was taken at Snettisham Beach, famous for its vast tidal mudflats that attract migrating birds in staggering numbers. The foreground subject is a dilapidated jetty, which was built in the Second World War to allow gravel extracted from the nearby pits to be moved by boat. The curved channel in the mudflat mirrors the trailing stars.”

“The Galaxy Devourer” © ShaRa. Location: El Sauce Observatory, Río Hurtado, Chile
“CG4 (Cometary Globule 4) is a complex of nebulosity and dust with a very peculiar shape, located in the southern constellation of Puppis. The ‘head’ of the galactic worm has dimensions of about 1.5 light years. This image is the result of the work of a team of astrophotographers: they joined forces to rent the powerful Newtonian 500-mm telescope from Chilescope service, processing the raw files and then voted for the best images.”

“The Fire-Spitting Dragon” © Moritz Telser (Jersey). Location: Uttakleiv Beach, Lofoten, Norway
“The photographer was able to capture the aurora in motion when it turned into something resembling a dragon’s head on a clear night. Telser chose to use black and white to emphasise the contrast of the aurora against the dark sky.”

“M81, a Grand Design Spiral Galaxy” © Holden Aimar (USA), aged 14. Location: Brownstown, Michigan, USA
“M81, also known as Bode’s Galaxy, is about 11.75 million light years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is one of the brighter galaxies in the night sky. In the image’s background, some Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN) can be seen. IFN is dust outside the Milky Way’s galactic plane that is illuminated only by the stars in the Milky Way.”

The winners of the astrophotography competition will be announced on September 12.

“Hunter’s Moon and the ISS” © Tom Glenn (USA). Location: San Diego, California, USA
“This image captures the International Space Station (ISS) in transit across October’s Full Moon, the Hunter’s Moon, approximately 12 hours after a partial lunar eclipse. The striking beauty of the Full Moon is on display, with its mix of rugged highlands, bright crater rays and darker maria.”

“The International Space Station Daytime Moon Transit” © Kelvin Hennessy (Australia). Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
“This image shows the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the 51 percent illuminated Moon. The photographer initially struggled to find a suitable shooting location with clear skies along the very narrow transit corridor.”

“The Palette of the Himalayas” © Geshuang Chen (China). Location: Shigatse City, Xizang Province, China
“During the Spring Festival, the Sun and altostratus clouds acted together to create this huge corona, soaring above the Himalayas. The result is an enormous color palette above the snowy peaks.”

“A Milky Way Mimic” © Kevin Morefield (USA). Location: El Sauce Observatory, Río Hurtado, Chile
“NGC 6744 is thought to resemble our own Milky Way as it would be seen from 30 million light years away. The colours of this galaxy are those of the classic spirals: magentas of the emission nebulae, blues of the large young stars, yellows of the older stars and yellow-browns from the dust spiralling into the core. From Earth, NGC 6744 appears about two-thirds the size of the Full Moon.”

“Earth and Milky Way Galaxy Show” © Yoshiki Abe (Japan). Location: Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
“Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture is the collective name for the five peaks often called the ‘Five Mountains of Aso’. One of the peaks, Nakadake, has a volcanic crater that is still active. Abe wanted this image to show how the Milky Way has watched over activity on Earth since prehistoric times. This is a composite photograph with the foreground and sky photographed separately but without moving the tripod.”

“The Scream of a Dying Star” © Yann Sainty (France). Location: Oukaïmeden, Atlas Mountains, Morocco
“The Cygnus supernova afterglow is a popular object with astrophotographers, but the idea here was to take advantage of the high quality of the sky and the long exposure time to highlight details that are rarely seen, such as the outer envelope of the supernova remnant. The image’s name is a nod to The Scream, the famous painting by Edvard Munch, symbolizing the scream that continues to echo through space after the star’s death.”

“Observations at Night” © Jakob Sahner (Germany). Location: Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
“This image captures the Isaac Newton Telescope at the edge of the telescope facility on La Palma, in the Canary Islands. Moving the focus away from the centre of the Milky Way, Sahner explores other interesting areas of the galaxy such as the Cygnus region, seen in the top right of the image with its bright and vibrant star-forming regions. This photograph is a panorama created with a 135-mm lens which brings extreme depth to the shot.”

Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

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Spectacular Finalists of the 2023 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Contest Explore the Stars and Beyond

Armed with my iPhone, I am always looking for ways to take my photography to the next level. It is lightweight and always in my hand, which gives me the opportunity to capture images at a moment’s notice and share them online. The iPhone also allows you to enjoy the convenience of doing everything with one device, including shooting, editing and sharing to social media. However, I personally try to keep editing to a minimum as I want my images to be as close to reality as possible.

It was by the riverside where I rediscovered my passion for photography. One day, while walking a dog called Alfie for a friend, I took a photograph of him and sent it to her – and this became the first of many. As I started to notice my surroundings more, I began to photograph other subjects too.

Growing up, I spent my summer holidays with my grandmother by the sea in Norway. She gave me an appreciation of nature. There I gained a love of being by water, which is why I think it appears in so many different forms in my photographs.

Water has been a great influence and I enjoy using it as a reflective surface in my photography. However, because the weather determines whether water is a viable part of the image, I have introduced other reflective surfaces into my work, whether that’s windows, cars, buildings or mirrors.

I decided to focus my attention on shooting in black and white as, in my opinion, this produces a classic image that’s clean, uncluttered and creates fewer distractions. It also allows you to focus on the subject matter, emotions, lines and forms, and light and shade.

I am based in Nottingham, UK, and can usually be spotted crouching by puddles around the city, as they are what I predominantly use to capture my reflection shots. I have had many people walking by and giving me strange looks as they wonder what I am doing. 

These days, as I have become better known, I get a few people asking me ‘Are you Emma Wright?’ However, on the odd occasion, I get people asking me if I’m okay. This one time, an elderly lady stopped and asked me whether I needed a hand-up… she thought I’d fallen over! Through my work, I’ve gained a large following on my Instagram account and it makes a wonderful creative community for getting feedback and exchanging ideas.

Emma F Wright

Emma F Wright is a British photographer based in Nottingham and known for her captivating iPhone street and reflection photographs. Emma’s work mainly covers architecture and interactions between people and animals, and she credits a background in fine art for helping her find beauty in mundane subjects.

The Dummerston Historical Society is open Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

The current exhibit is sure to be of interest. Roger Turner’s fine photographs are on display in the Artist’s Corner. Roger has been taking pictures since graduating from college and while in the Navy, he took advantage of a fully stocked and equipped darkroom during a year-long assignment to McMurdo Station in the Antarctica to learn about developing and printing. The exhibit is opening this weekend and there will be an

An artist’s reception will be held on Sunday, July 21, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Other exhibits include various maps of Dummerston, past and present, a display of early PTA records from the 1950’s, early school books, Civil War enlistment documents, a stunning new photographic acquisition of the history of sugaring in Dummerston, and an assortment of unidentified homes and locations. Perhaps you will recognize them. We will appreciate your helpful input.

Dummerston Historical Society, 1521 Middle Road, is open the first and third Sundays of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. Admission is free though donations are always welcome.

The Maryland Photography Alliance Juried Exhibition is on display now through September 8 at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park (506 South Frederick Ave) in Gaithersburg. The gallery’s viewing hours are Monday through Saturday, 8am-9pm and Sunday, 8am-5pm.

Per the news release: “This exhibit features 47 images from the Alliance’s annual statewide competition. The artists included are: Thomas Allen, Lisa Auerbach, Paul Biederman, David Blass, John Breen, James Corbett, Wendy Dinova-Wimmer, Sherman Edwards, Daniel Garrett, Stephanie Gibson, Cheryl Gillerman, Jin Gong, Martin Heavner, Don James, Wendy Kates, Roger Katzenberg, Kimberley Kelly, Tom Kredo, Ken Liang. Yanyun Liu, Bill Liu, Suzanne Lugerner, Lisa Mayo, Mark Nelson, Al Neyman, Kim Norris, Ed Palaszynski, Ruiqing Pamboukian, Francine Rattner, Joan Saba, Rena Schild, David Terao, Deming Wan, Rong Wei, Robin Weisz, Debbie Wolf, and Kim Young.

About the Maryland Photography Alliance
Founded in 2017, the mission of the Maryland Photography Alliance (MPA) is to promote collaboration, cooperation, and the sharing of resources among member clubs. Through a strong alliance, individual club members have greater access to photographic enrichment opportunities. MPA’s goal is to encourage the understanding and appreciation of photography through a statewide photo competition, gallery exhibitions, educational opportunities, certifications, and grants.

The Alliance strives to be a cultural stimulus that fosters artistic creativity. The rich and diverse photographic culture of Maryland has benefited from the Maryland Photography Alliance. There are currently nineteen clubs in the MPA. For more information, visit www.MDPhotoAlliance.org or email [email protected].”

It was announced on Thursday that longtime New York Mets photographer Marc Levine passed away.

Levine was a photographer for the Mets for 35 years, longer than anyone in franchise history. That was noted by Steve and Alex Cohen in their statement regarding his passing.

“We are incredibly heartbroken to learn of Marc Levine’s passing,” the statement on MLB.com said. “He was the longest-tenured photographer in team history. Marc documented every Mets moment for the last three and half decades. He had a kind heart and a wonderful photographic eye. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”

Others in and around the Mets organization expressed their grief and condolences, as well.

Everyone in the Mets organization is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of longtime team photographer Marc Levine. A warm, gentle man who could not have been more of a delight to work with. In 35 years I never heard a bad word about him. RIP, my friend.

— Howie Rose (@HowieRose) July 4, 2024

I was at a loss for words when the call came early this morning that my dear friend of over 35 years, Marc Levine had passed away. I just went numb. https://t.co/YbeVNWYbPK

— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) July 4, 2024

Absolutely gutted to learn of the sudden passing of Mets Team Photographer, Marc Levine. He was a wonderful person and friend, who had been with the organization for over thirty years.

Steve and Alex Cohen released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/H5Fs1dAPJp

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) July 4, 2024

Extremely saddened to learn of the passing of #Mets Chief Photographer, and personal friend of mine, Marc Levine. Marc has spent the last 30 years with the Mets organization, and 20+ years helping with anything and everything for my wife’s family dancing school in Whitestone. He… pic.twitter.com/d0nspV3lHS

— MetsAvenue (@MetsAvenue) July 4, 2024

Saddened by the sudden passing of Marc Levine. He was the @Mets team photographer & an awesome human being. He was always professional. He was great at what he did. He was philanthropic. But above all else – he was a beautiful man. Sending sincere condolences to the #Mets family.

— Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) July 4, 2024

SNY’s Andy Martino also honored Levine. In doing so, he also shared a video posted by Mets PR man Jay Horowitz. The video was Horowitz and Levine talking about Levine’s first day on the job, best remembered for then-Mets teammates Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez getting into a fight on team picture day.

Saddened by the passing of Marc Levine. Here he is reliving his first day on the job. He became the longest-tenured photographer in team history , per the Mets. https://t.co/jZLpPYxdy7

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) July 4, 2024