Portals
Dennis Fritsche
July 22, 2025
Portal: a door or entrance, especially a grand or imposing one.
I find this definition to be very limited. My working definition is a passage from one place or time to another. This can be literal, such as windows and doors. Or metaphoric, such as a cemetery. Or fanciful, such as transporting to other dimensions.
We will explore various interpretations of portals.
About Dennis Fritsche
I currently serve as the Webmaster and President for the Dallas Camera Club and Education Director in conjunction with Plano Photography Club where I am Training Chairman,
I am an engineer by education and filled engineering and management positions at Texas Instruments for 32 years until I retired in 2009. I first started photographing in the early 70’s - I was not serious and was not very good. In 2001 when I started contemplating retirement, I decided to find a hobby. Digital photography was just starting, and I combined my long-ago interest in photography with my knowledge of electronics and computers. It proved to be a pretty good match. I applied myself and kept learning and improving my skills.
I joined the Plano Photography Club in 2006 where I have served as Program Chairman, President, and now Training Chairman. Plano stopped having monthly print competitions, so I looked around for a club that valued printing and joined the Dallas Camera Club in 2009. I have made many dear friends in both clubs and value the comradeship, field trips, programs, and sharing my knowledge and experience.
I gravitate toward landscape photography. I like the beauty and variety in the natural world. And most importantly rocks and trees mostly stay in one place and don’t talk back. I dabble in many other photographic genres such as abstracts, conceptual works, close up, still life, wildlife, and birds. I’ll have to work on my patience to improve in wildlife and birds.
I have made many trips to the southwest and west. Some with one of the clubs, some for workshops and some on my own. My favorite field trip is the one I just did. I prefer driving to flying. I have my million + airline miles and don’t enjoy it anymore. Driving gives me the chance to see things I wouldn’t see from the air and allows time for the mind to wander as the miles go by.
Three things keep me really enthused about photography. Teaching and learning keep me sharp and challenged. I am in a print study group with a few outstanding photographers who push me to improve to keep up. Finally, I enter several outside competitions that give me feedback and give me encouragement. People tell me I do too much. I think it feels just about right.
2025 Programs
January - Member Showcase
February - Janice Goetz: My Journey Inside and Around our Nation’s State Parks
March - Smiley Pool - Getting Ahead of Your Subject (Instead of Yourself)
April - Marilyn Henrion - Cross Pollination: Escape from the Dark Room
May - Houston Brown: Drone Photography
June - Ian McVea: Optics for the Thinking Photographer
July - Dennis Fritsche: Portals
August
September
October
November - Rob Hull: The Quality of Light
December - No Program
2024 Programs
January - Members Show
February - Janet Cunningham Enhance Your Creativity With LENSBABY
March - Grahan Hobart - Visualization
April - Rebecca Flores - Making the Move to Moving Images
May - 90th Anniversary Celebration - cancelled due to storms
June - 90th Anniversary Celebration
July - Anita Oakley - Travel and Photographing the World
August - Tom Fox - Sports Photography Tips and Tricks
September - Richard Sharum: Spina Americana
October - Zach Warner
November - Clinton Kemp: My Eye for Color
December - No Program
2023 Programs
January 2023 - Members Showcase "The Elements"
February 2023 - Dennis Fritsche: Themes and Projects
March 2023 - Norm Diamond: Photography from the Heart and Soul
April 2023 - Jeremy Lock: Outside Your Front Door
May 2023 - Ximena Peryea
June 2023 - Ian McVea
July 2023
August 2023 - Russell Graves
September 2023 - Night Shoot at Reunion Tower
October 2023 - Bird
November - Susan Kindley - How Photography Changed My LIfe
December - No Program
2022 Programs
January - Member Show "My Favorite Photographs"
February - Sean Fitzgerald
March - Kaye Hargis
April - Jim Hamel: Night Photography: Big City Lights
May - Richard Sharum: Campesino Cuba
June - Steve Reeves: Contest Judging Confidential
July - Richard Klein: Finding Inspiration & Permission, The Contemporary Photographers’ Paradox
August - Jarrod Oram: Journey, Not Destination and Shooting with Intention
September - Chris Rusanowsky:
October - Michael McLean: Environmental Portraits and Building Visual Narratives
VIDEO
November - Frank Richards: (sometime in the last half of 2022)
December - No program
2022 Programs
January - Members Photos of the DFW Metroplex
February - Lisa Langell An artistic photographer lies in ALL of us
March - Smiley Pool DMN Photographer
April - Robert Moore - My Life on the Street
May - Jim Walsh
June - Carla Golden
July - Lisa Langell
August - Jeff Parker
September - Larry Petterborg
October - No Program - DCC Hosts the Bird
November - Steve Hawiszczak & Dalis Foglia
December - No Program
History of prior programs HERE