Paola Estrada on her way to becoming the National Champion in the 3000 meters 9 and 10-year-old girls race in Knoxville Tennessee this past Saturday.
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Pictured out in front is Emily Arriaga running up the hill in the 3000 meters girls 9 and 10-year-old race where she earned the “All-American” award. Photos courtesy Coach Evelio Arriaga.
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Niza Laureano sprinting towards the finish line to help her team earn 2nd place in the competition.
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Submitted by Coach Evelio Arriaga

The Pacific Coast Shockwaves Fillmore Cross Country concluded their season by competing at the AAU Jr. Olympics which took place Saturday, December 7th, 2019 at Knoxville Tennessee. The PC Shockwaves is an organization that focuses on teaching young kids powerful life skills such as perseverance, resiliency, collaboration and “Dare to dream big” through the sport of running. Young athletes from all PC Shockwaves, which includes the LA and Ventura county areas, collaborate with the goal of creating a competitive team that can challenge other teams at the National competition level. The Fillmore site was able to send six local athletes to Knoxville, TN to compete at the Jr. Olympics. The kids worked hard every single day, rain or shine at any location that was available to us. This ultimately helped the kids to compete at any terrain or conditions against anybody. You may have even seen them practicing near the Riverwalk Bike Path in the grass area under a light which they set up for every practice powered by a generator.

Knoxville Tennessee was an amazing experience for all the kids. They performed extremely well. Our first local runner competing was Joshua Estrada. He helped his team reach the podium as a 3rd place team by running the 4000 meters course in 15:53.12 and placing 131st overall. The next race included Niza Laureano running the 3000 meters event where she finished 50th with a time of 12:44.14. Niza’s team finished 2nd overall on a very competitive field of runners. After this race the 9 and 10-year-old girls 3000 meters race was next. This group is loaded with very talented runners which included two of our local athletes, Emily Arriaga and Paola Estrada. These two girls were up to the challenge and performed amazingly. Paola Estrada finished second overall with a time of 12:11.37 and first in the group of 10-year-old girls earning the title of National Champion in this category. Emily Arriaga finished 8th in the 9-year-old category with a time of 12:56.35 and earning the recognition of “All-American” which is only given to the top 8 runners. These two girls along with the other Shockwaves from our other sites led their team to become National Champions. Aaliyah Tarango was our next runner who was ready to participate in the 2000 meters race. She run a personal best time of 9:02.92 while finishing 8th in her category and earning the “All-American” recognition. Our last local runner, Leah Laureano participated in the 6 and under 1000 meters race. She ran a personal best time of 4:48.99 while finishing 7th overall and becoming an “All-American”. What an amazing performance from all our runners. We appreciate all the love and support from the community sponsors; Triple Mortgage, Re/Max Gold Coast Realtors, El Pescador, State Farm Insurance, La Michoacana Bakery, and Mejia’s Nursery, Inc. your support helped create life long memories for these kids.

Bob Crum

Besides the inclement weather, I can't always do what I used to regularly do like photograph the Fillmore Christmas parade. So disappointed that I didn't get to present Santa my 'wish list' directly. After all, I've been exceptionally good all year. Now I have to hope that my letter to Santa got to his North Pole address. Considering the purported effects of climate change, perhaps the Post Office will need to deliver my letter by boat. But I digress.

I previously mentioned that with a new camera in hand, you need photo editing software. Well, I received a few emails from astute readers reminding me that if the photographer got it right in the camera, in the first place, there's no need to edit the photo afterward. Hm, if only I didn't open those emails! Though I gave considerable thought to ignoring the comments, to do so would be a disservice because it's a relevant point.

Who will argue that it's a good idea to 'get it right' in the camera in the first place? Technically speaking, it's referred to as 'Straight Out Of Camera' (SOOC) photography. However, mention SOOC at a gathering of photographers around a campfire and you can hear the yelling punctuated with a smattering of profanity miles away. The staunch proponents of each camp, (SOOC) and (Post Process), ferociously present arguments defending their chosen position. I can attest that incongruous cacophony renders noise-canceling headphones useless.

It makes sense to get as much as possible right in the camera. After all, in addition to composition, we all know that proper exposure is essential. White Balance is equally important. Remember, out of focus photos cannot be fixed afterward. Many times I anguished over a photo of exquisite, compelling content (mermaids), delightfully composed (in a boudoir setting), but slightly out of focus. It's heartbreaking to have to put such photos in the trash. Um, I don't delete them, I sneak them into a folder labeled 'To avoid Heartbreak.' Works for me!

Imagine that I'm about to make a fantabulous photo. I see the green light in the viewfinder indicating focus accomplished. I slowly push down on the shutter button. CLICK. Ah, the histogram reveals a proper exposure and the composition is compelling. Bingo! I can take that photo straight out the camera and make prints or submit it to numerous social media websites for the world to enjoy. Bidda bing-bidda boom, DONE! It may be done for the SOOCers but not for me! I've said several times in this column that no photo straight of the camera is as good as it can be.

The perennial argument robustly ensues. Some say that SOOC is stupid! Others say that photographers who use Photoshop (or some other photo editor program) simply don't know how to use their camera. Conversely, others say that SOOC photographers simply don't know how to use Photoshop. The contentious quarrel rages on. Photoshop is indeed a powerful photo editor, and learning how to use effectively is not for the faint of heart. It takes serious dedication to learn all that PS is capable of accomplishing. In any event, neither argument is valid. Times up, to be continued.

I made the Photo of the Week after a recent pre-winter storm. I roamed hither and yon making several photos of the snow-capped mountain tops. One particular location provided multiple delightful compositions. Of several photos made at the location, I particularly like this image because of several photogenic components and the overall composition. BTW, it's not SOOC but processed much less than an Oscar Mayer hot dog!

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

Pictured is Fillmore High School Principal John Wilber who presented the school board with the fall 2019 sports review for Fillmore High School.

Board meeting highlights for the Fillmore Unified School District

Fall 2019 Sports Review
The Governing Board received information from John Wilber, Fillmore High School Principal, regarding Fall 2019 sports participation.

Fall 2019 Sports Medicine Review
The Governing Board received information from Breanna McLain, Director of Sports Medicine, regarding Fall 2019 sports medicine data.

Approve Pre-Qualified Pool of Division of State Architect (DSA) Construction Inspectors for Various District Projects
The Governing Board approved the pre-qualified Construction Project Inspectors for current and future Measure V Bond Projects.

Personnel Recommendations
The Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, and leaves.

The Ventura County Public Works Agency’s Watershed Protection District (VCPWA WPD) and United Water Conservation District (UWCD) are hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Piru Stormwater Capture for Groundwater Recharge Project on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

The project will capture runoff from the existing storm drain system, treating approximately 17 acre-feet per year (AFY) of runoff from 36 urban acres located in the Piru community. The captured runoff will be transported to the existing but inactive UWCD Piru Spreading Grounds and will be spread to recharge the Piru Groundwater Basin. Before entering the spreading grounds debris, sediment, trash and other pollutants will be removed by a pre-treatment device, a 10-ft diameter Continuous Deflective Separation (CDS) unit.

“The Piru Stormwater Capture for Groundwater Recharge Project will have dual benefits to improve water quality to meet compliance with Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load and groundwater recharge/ water supply enhancement,” explains Ewelina Mutkowska, VCPWA WPD, Stormwater Program Manager. “This will help improve the water quality of Piru Creek and add recharge to the Piru Groundwater Basin. Capture of stormwater runoff is a sustainable source for groundwater recharge, and we need to look for more similar opportunities to enhance our water supply sources countywide”.

Under pre-project conditions, storm drains directed stormwater runoff to Piru Creek on its way to the ocean. The Santa Clara River (SCR) downstream of Piru Creek has documented bacteria water quality impairments and is subject to federal Clean Water Act regulations set by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LA-RWQCB). As described by the LA-RWQCB, available monitoring data indicates that the major contributors of bacteria loading to the river and SCR Estuary are dry- and wet-weather urban runoff discharges from stormwater conveyance systems. This project, funded by the State Proposition 1 Storm Water Grant Program, captures urban runoff, improves water quality and recharges groundwater.

Ribbon Cutting:

Who: VCPWA Watershed Protection District, United Water Conservation District to host a ribbon cutting for the Piru Stormwater Capture for Groundwater Recharge Project
When: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Location: Piru Spreading Grounds

Bob Crum

Look at you, grinning from ear to ear. You're so proud of yourself for scoring a great camera deal on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I'm also proud of you. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, or a Panasonic? All great brands. Say again? You bought a Hasselblad H6D 400c 100mp camera? Wow! Congratulations! Back to reality.

Of course you promptly inserted the battery followed by the SD or Compact Flash card. Then you turned on the camera and UH OH, sooooo many options. The menu looks like that of a French restaurant - Bouillabaisse, coq au vin, escargots de Bourgogne. Com'on, you know the drill: READ THE USER MANUAL! Sorry about yelling but you know that it's important to learn how to USE your new camera.

I get it. Many camera user manuals look like they were written in gibberish. Camera user manuals are not particularly user friendly. Relax! Youtube to the rescue. In the youtube search box, enter your camera brand and model. Unless you bought a closeout Shenzhen Ruoxing B88 camera on eBay for $4.95, there's a good chance that someone has published a hands-on tutorial for your camera. Such tutorials can get you up to speed in a jiffy. Two other resources: https://www.creativelive.com/ and https://www.udemy.com/. Either or both may have a tutorial for your specific camera. When I bought my Canon 7D Mark II camera, I found a great tutorial on Creative Live. The cost was negligible, and I learned a great deal about my camera in about an hour.

You don't have to actuate every sub-menu item. It's OK to begin with the camera in either 'P' (Program) or 'A' (Auto) mode and let the camera determine exposure as you focus on focus and the composition. After making a photo in 'auto' mode, study the photo data (ISO, aperture & shutter speed) to see the settings the camera used to get the proper exposure. It will help you prepare for manual mode. Also, check the LCD to view the histogram. The histogram is a graphical illustration of the image exposure. Some of my histograms are hysterical! But I digress.

Now that you know how to use your new camera, you are about to embark on a phenomenally creative adventure. Feel free to jump for joy in advance. Back down to earth, there's one more important detail: RAW or JPEG? Remember, JPEGs are camera processed. To start, JPEGs are fine because they eliminate editing afterward. JPEGS are usually OK for snapshots in adequate light. But at some point, JPEGs will disappoint you. You will then realize that RAW files enable a much larger latitude for editing to achieve the photo you desire for print or digital distribution. At that time, you will need to obtain a photo editing program. It's an integral part of becoming a 'photographer'. But software is a subject for another time. Watch this space, as they say on TV.

A brief word about, ahem, "phonetography". All 2,683,957 regular readers of this column know that my old trusty LG G3 cellphone died a sudden death a month ago. One moment it was alive and functioning fine-the next, no pulse. It's resting on a hand towel because after all these years sitting on my hip at the ready, I have not yet been able to 'let it go'. In the meantime, I'm (impressed) with the, ahem, photos my new Samsung S10+ produces. A harbinger of becoming a phonetographer? Whoa! Be nice and perish that thought!!!

Photo of the week is a north Fillmore mountain top covered with a lovely blanket of snow. Ah, such is the splendor of wintry landscapes.

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net