Hello Spook-tacular October!

I can almost feel it, that wee bit of chill in the air that comes in the autumn, or is it the ghouls and goblins getting ready for their holiday? 🎃 Soon it’ll be comfortable in the Everglades again. We’re also in the home stretch for our 2026 “4 for 4” photo challenge. The 4th Quarterly challenge began on Sept. 1st, and photos need to be sent in no later than Dec. 4th. Plenty of time, but don’t wait until the last minute! 

Jumping ahead to November, the NASCAR Championship is being held in Homestead once again! Friday through Sunday, Nov. 6-8, will be full of motorsports. In advance of the exciting weekend, we’ll be having Hugh Hudson back for our October meeting on the 14th to discuss photographing motorsports. For those who aren’t thrilled by fast cars, the roar of their engines, or the smell of burning rubber, these techniques also apply to basically any moving object, including birds in flight!

In October, we’ll be having 2 field trips, weather pending of course. The first one is on Saturday the 17th where we’ll be visiting a local cemetery and photographing ourselves using long exposures to mimic ghostly beings. Or if that doesn’t interest you, the cemetery is full of beautiful native foliage so there is something there for everyone. And since our last two attempts at the milky way have been less than epic, we’re going to give it one more try on Halloween weekend.

This month's FrameIt! on the 21st, the theme is “through glass”. Something quite interesting!

As always, check out the website’s EVENT tab for all the details of all of our events. And if you plan on attending any of our in-person field trips, please RSVP. I’d rather know of your intent, even if you decide against it later. As long as we have some idea of who’s planning on being there. That being said, I hope to see you all at our many events this month! Don’t be shy. Come on out and have some fun!

AUTUMN ‘4 FOR 4’ PHOTO CHALLENGE
STARTS NOW!

4th Quarter - Autumn Challenge - Find a fairly wide to mid-range scene and photograph it. Then, find 3 smaller vignettes within that scene and photograph those. Use different lenses, focal lengths, or types of light, etc. Get creative! Images due by December 4th.

And now… October’s events!

QUICK GUIDE TO OCTOBER’S EVENTS

Below are links to the SFNPCC website for all of our October events. Scroll down in this email for brief summaries of the events with links to the website. (Remember, the website is where all the important information lives for our events.

Also, please RSVP for our outings VIA EMAIL. ☺️)

10/14   - Meeting - HYBRID  - ‘Photographing Motorsports‘ with Hugh Hudson
10/17 - Field Trip - Spooky Cemetery
10/21 - FrameIt! - ZOOM - Theme “Through Glass”
10/30-31 - Field Trip - Last Chance Milky way

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2026 3rd Triannual - Digital Competition begins October 19th and goes until November 19th!

Want to compete? Click the link above for info.

Winners will be announced on December 1st.

Click the link above for more information!

The FCCC, along with Hunt’s Photo & Video, presents monthly free webinars on the fourth Tuesday of each month. The September 29th webinar was “Artistic Wildlife Photos” by Ian Plant. Unfortunately, this one was not recorded. If you want to be included in the next FREE webinar, be sure to ‘register’ with the FCCC (if you’re not already-see below) so you can be emailed for future free webinars. 

Did you know that membership in SFNPCC automatically gets you membership in the FCCC? All you need to do is register HERE - and be sure to choose the South Florida National Park Camera Club from their drop-down menu for free membership. There are many opportunities to be had by registering, including:

• Three digital and three print competitions per year

• Images and/or prints that win ribbons in the tri-annual competitions are automatically entered in year-end competition

• Free personal Competition Gallery showing all entered images

• Free web link to your personal non-commercial website on our “Members Website” page

• Members receive reduced registration fees and other benefits at our conventions

• Access to our Discussion Forums

You can find out more by clicking the FCCC logo above and peruse their website. I’m sure you’ll find something in there that will appeal to you! 

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Seminole Theatre’s Artist in the Spotlight for October through early January is Homestead Center for the Arts and you’re invited! (As long as you’re a member.) The theme is IMAGES OF HOMESTEAD. Anything in and around Homestead (including Everglades and Redland), to include landscapes, plants, animals, and underwater. No date yet for the welcome reception. When I hear about it, I’ll let you all know so you can attend.

Artists may provide up to two (2) pieces. There are no size restrictions, but artwork must be delivered ‘ready to hang’ with a wired system. (Unsure what that is? Check out this WikiHow article. Many larger frames come with the D rings already attached.)

In-take is Saturday, Oct 10th, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. 

The exhibit will be up through early January 2027. Contact Cheri at hcaartsandartists@gmail.com if you want to participate.

If you want to participate but not yet a member of the HCA, click this link Homestead Center for the Arts (HCA), and find out more and how you can join!

As a member of the HCA, you can have your work circulated on HCA’s social media channels. Members may email nancoppola@fastmail.fm with the details, and the HCA will share. Be sure to follow the HCA on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/homesteadcenterforthearts), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/homesteadcenterforthearts/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@homesteadarts).

Also, all members of HCA can have a video created of their work to be placed on our dedicated YouTube channel. This is for artists, artisans, authors, photographers, and soon maybe musicians. We have almost twenty videos now and want to see as many as possible added to that. Check out https://www.youtube.com/@homesteadarts and contact pkellerartclasses@gmail.com to schedule a video shoot or to send an existing video.

Only HCA members can participate. If you’re not already an HCA member you can click on the link and join online (it’s $20 a year), or you can drop Hugh an email and he’ll get you hooked up. Additional benefits of HCA membership include an artist page on HCA website and feature interviews on the HCA YouTube channel!

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We’re still looking for a liaison between the Florida National Parks Association (FNPA) and us. If you’re interested, send me an email and we can discuss.

This month, the Everglades Institute is once again hosting their Veteran Fishing Workshop, meeting at Ernest Coe Visitor’s Center on October 3, 2026 at 9:00 AM. Click this link if you’re interested. The event is free, but they require a $25 deposit that will be refunded once you show up.

The Shooting Stars: Sunset & Milky Way Everglades Photography Workshop with Anthony Sleiman is this month! Click the link for all the details. Its being held on Saturday, October 10th from 6:00PM – 10:30PM. Meeting location is again Ernest Coe Visitor’s Center. 

And then on Friday, October 23rd, they’re having a Spooky Van Tour of Royal Palm, Nike Missile Site, and PaHayOkee! Starting at 4:30pm and going for 3 1/2 hours, you’ll tour the mysterious side of the Everglades. Cost is $60 plus fees. This looks like a lot of fun. Click the link for more info.

FYI, your full annual membership in the SFNPCC automatically gets you membership in the FNPA! You all should have received your updated membership cards, and you all should also be receiving their newsletters via email. For more information on the FNPA, click the link or their logo above to view their website. Any new members from the summer, I’m working on getting those to you. This month they should come to you in the mail. 

The FNPA consists of three subgroups, the Biscayne Institute, the Big Cypress Institute, and the Everglades Institute. Each has many daily, weekly, or monthly events for you to enjoy. I highly recommend clicking the link and searching each of their websites if you’re looking for something different to do.

SFNPCC encourages all members to take advantage of the great programs the FNPA has throughout the year.

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SFNPCC - SOCIAL MEDIA- FOLLOW US!

MEMBERSHIP INFO

No new members this month. Renewal notices are being sent out a month in advance of your due date so you have time to renew. I want to thank everyone who has renewed and continues to renew each year. We’re a small but active group, and I’d like to keep that going! Your membership is greatly appreciated!

I have SFNPCC BUSINESS CARDS (if you want them)! Come see me at the meeting or any in-person event, and I’ll give you a few for you to share with prospective members (or let them scan the QR code on the back of the card).

Not yet a member, or know someone who would like to join? Send them this newsletter and have them click the link below to join!

Be sure to check out our “OUR MEMBERS” tab on our website. All members can participate, just email us a thumbnail photo of yourself, or a logo, and include any links you like, your website, social media links, and maybe a short bio. Click below to go to the website and see what all the others have shared!

Want to participate? Send us an email HERE with your images & links!

WED. OCT. 14TH - MEETING

ATTENDING IN PERSON? YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRE-REGISTER - JUST SHOW UP.

ATTENDING VIA ZOOM? YOU NEED TO PRE-REGISTER (AT LEAST) 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE! GO TO OUR WEBSITE TO FIND OUT HOW.

Click the link or image above for all the meeting details on our website, and for the link to register for the ZOOM with the library. SFNPCC is no longer in charge of meeting Zooms.

🌎 Pinecrest Library Location - 5835 SW 111th Street, Pinecrest 🌎

Hope to see you all there!

SAT. OCT. 17TH - FIELD TRIP

Click the link or image above for all the details on our website.

RSVP by clicking the button below. Hope to see you all there!

WED. OCT. 21ST - "FRAMEIT!”

Tonight’s “FrameIt!” theme is “Through Glass”. Have fun! 

Click the link or image above for all the details on our website.   

Click the button below for the Zoom meeting or wait for the emailed invitation. Hope to see you all there!

FRI & SAT. OCT. 30TH-31ST - FIELD TRIP

Click the link or image above for all the details on our website.

RSVP by clicking the button below. Hope to see you all there!

That’s all I have for this month. Hope to see you all at our upcoming events!

Please remember to RSVP.  Thanks so much!  😁

Sincerely,
Delfin Hernandez, President
Oscar Lopez, Vice President
Barbara Livieri, Secretary/Treasurer 

• Our regular monthly meetings are ‘hybrid’ meetings, held via Zoom (recorded for viewing on our website) AND in-person at the Pinecrest Library, 5835 S.W. 111th Street, in Pinecrest, near the Pinecrest Gardens. Google Maps is here. 

• All events are listed in the Events section of our website. The website contains the most up to date info. Anything you see here in the newsletter or on Facebook is purely a reminder, and any "likes" or "going" clicks ARE NOT considered a proper RSVP for field trips. Please email us with your intention to attend a field trip at info@sfnpcc.org If you need complete info about any of our events, head to the website. 

Note:
For further information on our meetings, field trips and workshops, please visit our website at www.sfnpcc.org.

Members:  
Please feel free to invite a friend to our meetings and help us grow.  If you would like to participate in the field trips or workshops, please RSVP by sending an e-mail to info@sfnpcc.org.

Non-Members:  
Non-members are always welcome to attend our meetings at the Pinecrest Library. For all other events, you are welcome to attend one time to ‘test drive’. Please click on the JOIN SFNPCC button above for further membership information. If you would like to participate in our field trips, there is a $10 fee (after your first free-bee) to attend each field trip. Also, if you would like to participate in our workshops, the workshop fee is posted on our website. Please RSVP by sending an e-mail to info@sfnpcc.org and payment is accepted through our website at www.sfnpcc.org.