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Join Darkroomers for a day of photography, history, and spectacle at the Vista Viking Festival, held at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista.

The festival features Viking reenactments, costumes, demonstrations, vendors, food, and plenty of interesting subjects for candid and environmental photography.

We’ll plan to meet when the gates open at 10:00 AM. The festival runs until 8:00 PM, so stay for as much or as little of the day as you like.

Tickets and parking

Presale adult admission is $23. Tickets are available at vistavikingfestival.com/tickets.

There is no onsite parking at the festival. Parking is $10, cash only, and includes shuttle service to the festival grounds.

Parking is available at:

Vista High School
1 Panther Way
Vista, CA 92084

Mission Vista High School
1306 Melrose Drive
Oceanside, CA 92057

What to bring:

• Camera and your favorite walkaround lens or lenses
• Extra batteries and memory cards
• Water
• Sunscreen

Leave the tripod at home. This will be a busy festival environment, so traveling light will make it easier to move around and react quickly to photo opportunities.

Costumes, reenactments, and festival activity should make this a fun day for portraits, details, action shots, and documentary-style photography.

The meeting will start promptly at 7 pm, but we’ll open the room at 6:30 pm for setup and social time.

Join us for our Monthly Critique Night!

Our judge for September will be Andrew Hertel.

Members bring prints for critique on the third Wednesday of each month. Prints accepted by the Judge will hang for up to 2 months in the Photographic Arts Building gallery.

Visitors are welcome, however, submitting images for critique is available for members only. If you’d like more information about joining Darkroomers, please check out our membership page and email us if you have any questions.

About Andrew

Andrew Hertel is a fine art photographer specializing in black and white landscapes, wildlife, and nature photography. He is drawn to the way light, shadow, shape, and texture come together to define a scene, creating images that reflect the quiet beauty of the natural world.

Beyond photography, Andrew has a deep love for adventure and exploring remote landscapes. Whether on foot, motorcycle, or bicycle, he finds inspiration in the wild places he visits and the ever-changing conditions that shape them. His work has been exhibited at fine art shows and galleries, and he leads photography workshops in places like Death Valley and Kyrgyzstan, helping others experience and capture the landscapes in their own way.

For Andrew, photography is more than just creating images—it’s about being out in nature, embracing the journey, and sharing that experience with others.

Interclub competitions connect us with photographers beyond our own club. Selected images represent Darkroomers and are judged alongside work from other camera clubs in the region through the Southern California Association of Camera Clubs (SCACC).

For submission instructions, please visit the Darkroomers Member Handbook.

Join Darkroomers for a full day of photography at the Miramar Air Show. This is an all-day event, but you are welcome to stay for as much or as little of the day as you like.

The air show offers plenty of opportunities to photograph fast-moving aircraft, aerial demonstrations, and displays on the ground. For the best chance of filling the frame with aircraft in flight, bring your longest lens. A 500–600mm lens is ideal, but don’t let that stop you if you don’t own one. You can rent a longer lens for the day or simply bring the longest lens you have.

What to bring:

• Your camera and longest telephoto lens
• Extra batteries and memory cards
• Water and sunscreen
• A monopod, if you have one (tripods are not permitted)
• A blanket for sitting on the pavement, or a portable chair or stool
• For a list of acceptable and prohibited items, click here.

General admission is free, including the open “blanket” seating areas on the pavement. Reserved grandstand seating is also available for purchase through miramarairshow.com.

Plan to arrive early. Gates open at 8:00 AM. The Miramar Air Show is a large and busy event, so it may be difficult for everyone to meet in one place once we are inside. On the day of the event, please use the Darkroomers Slack channel or text messages to connect with other members who are attending.

Come prepared for a long day outdoors, lots of action, and some rewarding photography opportunities.

For more information, visit miramarairshow.com.