Submitted Photos From left to right are David Abernathy, Betty Nordstrom and Judge Jason Gemar.

The Minot Camera Club recently held its year-end photography competition judged by Jason Gemar of Gemar Photography in Minot.

“His knowledge and expertise always further expands our knowledge in photography,” said Betty Nordstrom, a longtime member of the club.

The Minot Camera Club is a group of amateur photographers and others interested in photography. The group meets twice a month to learn, compete, and discuss all things photography. Meetings are held the first and third Mondays of the month from mid-September to mid-May in the lower meeting room at the Minot Public Library.

The grand champion photo for 2021-2022 was taken by Betty Nordstrom of Minot. The photo, “Puppy Face,” was first in the monochrome division.

David Abernathy, also of Minot, took first place in the color division with his photo, “Whittled Away.”

Nordstrom’s “Photo of the Year” was taken of her rescue dog named Choo Choo. It was taken indoors with natural light from the window. Using a photo app, she turned it to monochrome and blacked out the background to make Choo Choo’s face pop for her final product.

Abernathey’s top color photo was taken about an hour before midnight on July 2, 2021, at Government Bay by Riverdale. He was about to pack up and head home when he saw a thunderstorm on the distant horizon. It was a peaceful night capturing the image as he and his wife listened to the waves crashing against the shore. His final product is a composite image, meaning it is made up of more than one image. He took several images of the lightning to emphasize the distant storm. He took one long exposure for the foreground to get an almost accurate image of what his eyes saw that night. When blended together, the photo, “Whittled Away,” was created.

Other members having photos that made the final cut for the year-end competition were Tim Zeltinger of Glenburn, and Carol Crowdus, Tony Meiers and Erich Linser, all of Minot.

Other special awards given were:

— The outstanding photographer of the year went to Erich Linser. This honor is based on points accumulated during the 2021-2022 Camera Club year.

— The Eileen McEown Outstanding Member of the Year award was given to Tony Meiers. This award is voted on by the club members themselves.

— The Lisa Eriksmoen Outstanding N4C (North Central Camera Club Council) outstanding member, chosen by the N4C chairman Tim Zeltinger, was awarded to Nordstrom.

Officers of the club besides Zeltinger are: President Erich Linser, Vice President Richard Debertin, Secretary Tony Meiers and Treasurer Nikki Paulsen.

The club does not hold meetings during the summer but has field trips and also participates in the State Fair. The 2022/2023 year will begin on Monday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in the lower meeting room at the Minot Public Library, with the subject for competition being “Open,” meaning whatever the photographer chooses. Other monthly competition subjects throughout the year will be Flowers, Reflections, Portraits, Still Life, Transportation, and Patterns & Abstract. At the December Christmas party, there is a special “People’s Choice” contest when people in attendance vote on their favorite photo.

For more information contact any member of the club through Facebook.