Tuesday 25 March Print Competition Theme Scapes

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed Wayne Davey to judge the second round of our print competition.  Wayne's main genre is scapes so he was well placed to judge the images.

The standard from both the members and advance group was vey high thus giving Wayne a challenge.

Here are the top scoring images from both groups.

                                        Members Group:

ANCIENT AND MADERN by Pat Weir 20/20

QUANTOR DROVE ROAS by Graham Jackson 20/20

CROMER REFLECTIONS by Sue Baldwin 19/20

BRUNDALL ON A STILL WINTER MORNING by Paul Hayes-Griffin 19/20

PACKHORSE BRIDGE by Daphne Lingwood 18/20

                                                     WASDALE by Daphne Lingwood 18/20

                                         Advance Members Group: 

HIGH TIDE AT THORNHAM by Francesca Shearcroft 20/20

CALM by Carol Martin 20/20

PEACE AND QUIET by Carol Martin 19/20

                              LENTICULAR CLOUDS OVER MT RUNDLE by Dawn Osborn 19/20

                                                 LOCH ARD GORGE by Jan Murphy 18/20

Tuesday 11March David Jenner Night and Day Panoramas

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed David Jenner to give a talk about his night and day panoramic images.

David bought his first camera in 2009 as suggested by his friend.  It was in 2010 that he discovered his style of photography.  Having spent the whole day at Canary Wharf he experienced the effects of the  changing light throughout the day and this set him onto the path of night and day panoramas.

Southwold in Suffolk was his next destination. He took around 750 images throughout the day.   The  whole process can take up to ninety hours which includes, travelling, sorting out the images and editing.

David showed us some amazing images which took us on a tour around the UK, Venice and Sydney Harbour.

To say that David is a little competitive is an understatement.  He has entered the Country File calendar competition at least five times without success.  However he has won several major competitions,  and also been awarded runner up and highly recommended several times.

It was a very interest evening but David's images are unique and requires time and patience to achieve.

Tuesday 4 March Practical demonstration - Lightroom and Photoshop

On Tuesday evening we welcomed Ian Wilson to a live demonstration on editing in Lightroom and Photoshop using images that club members had submitted.

Ian suggested that if images are processed against a white background this lets you know if you have true white and also shows up the different tones in the image.

Choosing your starting point:

    Before pressing the button on the camera allow extra space around the edge. This will            ensure that when you crop that you have the image that you saw in camera.

Some Editing things to remember:

    Look at the histogram

    Crop your image before doing anything else. This helps you to focus and also speeds up the     process.

    If you slide a button to the right, the next button should be in the opposite direction.

    Exposure brings out the mid-tones.

    Edit areas selectively using mask. This helps you to focus more closely.

    It's important to get the exposure right before altering the white balance.

    When sharpening enlarge your image to 100% as this helps to focus on the smaller details.

Ian also demonstrated the uses of filters, smart object, using Photoshop Raw Editing non destructively and also some of the AI features. The session was just a snapshot of what is possible in both Lightroom and Photoshop.

Many of the tasks he performed can be done in other editing software.

Friday 28 February

 A small group of us went to Pensthorpe. The weather was great and ideal for walking. The gulls and geese were in abundance. The surroundings presented opportunities for photographing reflections, colourful sculptures, textures and of course wildlife. 

Midday we stopped for a spot of lunch.  Then some of us did another circuit of the grounds and the Flamingos and the Cranes graced us with their presence.

It was a lovely day to be out with like minded colleagues for a walk and a chat.

Here are some images from the visit.

                                                    

SPREADING MY WINGS by Andrew Stringer

 

LOOKING DOWN by Andrew Stringer

I AM THE BOSS by Andrew Stringer

LOOKING AT YOU by Andrew Stringer

CORMARANT by Andrew Stringer

STANDING ON ONE LEG by Andrew Stringer

                                                                        

PURPLE GLASS by Pam Rutty

                                                                    

HAVING A STRETCH by Pam Rutty

                                                                     

                                          CRAIN PORTRAIT by Francesca Shearcroft

LICHEN by Francesca Shearcroft

THE BRIDGE by Georgie McCall

                                                                   

GREYLAG GOOSE by John Kerr

REFLECTION OF CRANES by John Kerr

  

                                   

Tuesday 25 February Competition. Theme Macro/Close up

OnTuesday we held our second digital competition on the theme of "macro/close up". We welcomed back Simon Ciappara not as a speaker but as a judge. There was a wide variety of subjects varying from flowers, sculpture, insects and animals.

Simon started out by commenting on all the positive aspect of all the images.  He then commented on ways that they could be improved before the image was taken, either by adjusting the aperture or trying a different angle and in post production by adjusting the tones and possibly the shadows to enhance the texture.

Judging the advance group he gave several images top scores of twenty and nineteen. For some of the images there was no hesitation in giving the top score.

During the coffee break Simon showed some of his images and explained how he had taken them using a lens reverser. He also suggested that members could try extension tubes or macro bellows. 

Below are the top scoring images.

                                              ADVANCE MEMBERS TOP SCORING IMAGES

                                                     AUSCHWITZ by Andrew Stringer 20

                                                                              

BANDED DEMOISELLE by Carol Martin 20

TARNISHED PLANT BUG by Francesca Shearcroft 20

  

BUBBLES ON THE BEACH by Roy Scrivener 20 

                                                                 

BLUE IGUANA by Jan Murphy 20

                                                                   

HEART OF THE TULIP by Roy Scrivener 20

                                                                                     

SOLDIER BEETLE by Geoff Lingwood   
                     
                                                                 

THE COMMON CRICKET by Jack Mitchell 20

                                                              

SOAPSUDS BUBBLE WORLDS by Jan Murphy 19

                                                                   

SHIELDBUG by Geoff Lingwood 19

                                                                     

NIGELLA by Pam Rutty 19

                                                                    

RESTING SWAN by Diana Graham 19

                                                              

VIBURNHAM LEAF BEETLE by Francesca Shearcroft 19

                                                 

                                                    
                                                    MEMBERS GROUP TOP SCORING IMAGES 
                                                              

BEE ON MUSCARI by Graham Jackson 20

                                                                    

MACRO by Tom Thurston 20

                                                          

DRAGONFLY by Daphne Lingwood 19

                                                         

                                                   CURVED EYE VIEW by Pat Weir 19

Tuesday 11 February Sands of Time by James Kerwin

On Tuesday evening we welcomed back James Kerwin.  This time to give a talk on Sands of Time.

James is passionate about architecture especially ruins and abandon structures, which he refers to as hidden gems, and ghost towns and villages.  Through his photography he aims to enhance the interior of the buildings.

He carries out extensive research into these types of buildings world wide and will travel for miles to locate them. In some places whole villages have been abandon with the houses still furnished. Churches with light fittings and organs left behind but secured to avoid theft.

He seeks out the intricate details, colours, texture and shapes.  In his images he uses windows and doors to create frames within a frame, giving greater of depth of field. 

James showed us some amazing images which help the viewer to recreate in their minds what the building might have looked like in its past life. He also shared some tips and tools that he uses. The time of day, available light and how you position your self and equipment is very important and he uses every angle available.

A visit to his YouTube channel is highly recommended, especially for those interested in architecture.

Tuesday 4 February How to cut mounts and mount your images

 On Tuesday evening we had a practical session on mounting and reusing mounts. There were several tables set up where some members showed each other how they mount their images. 

There were a variety of methods used. And members had the opportunity to try them out. By the end of the evening members went home with two images they had successfully mounted and feeling more confident about the task.

An image is perhaps only complete when it is printed and mounted.  And this also adds to the photographer's enjoyment when sharing their work with others, displaying them or entering them in competitions.