What's New?
Newsletter number 41, February 2024
Words from the Editor
It’s been over a year since the last newsletter and this is the first time that I’ve written it. So much has happened since the last newsletter and I can’t remember what happened last week, let alone a year ago.
If you want to see previous editions then you can look on the SCPC web site, here - What's New? (suttonphoto.club) where there are some interesting things to see and read. For example, Kodak have brought out a new camera called the “Box Brownie” 🤣. In fact, the earliest newsletter is dated around 2007, so 17 years ago.
Looking through the old newsletters and seeing the photographs, I’m amazed by how many members there were and what activities they got up to. A big challenge for the club today is how can we increase the membership numbers? The problem doesn’t only seem to be that we can’t get young people to join but we can’t get “middle-aged” people (40-50 years) to become interested enough to join. Maybe, with the price of beer and food in pubs these days, photography can offer an alternative.
Just looking at adverts for the newer variants of camera, mirrorless, full-frame etc I’ve seen the prices seem to have sky-rocketed to almost unaffordable levels but I’d imagine some members will seem to think they’re reasonably priced in comparison to past times. But, pretty much everyone has a mobile phone, how can we attract new members where the mobile phone is the camera to use?
Also, how do you want your news delivered? Back in 2007 there was no social media, email was in its infancy and I doubt very much that the club had a web site (note; it went live in 2016).
Many of our members don’t want to use social media (Facebook), I’m not certain of our membership numbers but 24 members are signed up to the Facebook Group. Some of those, maybe 5 or 6 are not members of the club. Are the snippets of info that one or two of us post on FB enough or do you want a more full-blown newsletter like this every couple of months or so? You need to let the committee know.
I’ve been told that this newsletter is meant to be read by those members who aren’t on Facebook so it could be quite long and boring.
Also, what news is relevant? Are the Do you want articles about what’s happened at the club; what’s happening in the camera marketplace (new cameras); new software?
It’s been over a year since the last newsletter and this is the first time that I’ve written it. So much has happened since the last newsletter and I can’t remember what happened last week, let alone a year ago.
If you want to see previous editions then you can look on the SCPC web site, here - What's New? (suttonphoto.club) where there are some interesting things to see and read. For example, Kodak have brought out a new camera called the “Box Brownie” 🤣. In fact, the earliest newsletter is dated around 2007, so 17 years ago.
Looking through the old newsletters and seeing the photographs, I’m amazed by how many members there were and what activities they got up to. A big challenge for the club today is how can we increase the membership numbers? The problem doesn’t only seem to be that we can’t get young people to join but we can’t get “middle-aged” people (40-50 years) to become interested enough to join. Maybe, with the price of beer and food in pubs these days, photography can offer an alternative.
Just looking at adverts for the newer variants of camera, mirrorless, full-frame etc I’ve seen the prices seem to have sky-rocketed to almost unaffordable levels but I’d imagine some members will seem to think they’re reasonably priced in comparison to past times. But, pretty much everyone has a mobile phone, how can we attract new members where the mobile phone is the camera to use?
Also, how do you want your news delivered? Back in 2007 there was no social media, email was in its infancy and I doubt very much that the club had a web site (note; it went live in 2016).
Many of our members don’t want to use social media (Facebook), I’m not certain of our membership numbers but 24 members are signed up to the Facebook Group. Some of those, maybe 5 or 6 are not members of the club. Are the snippets of info that one or two of us post on FB enough or do you want a more full-blown newsletter like this every couple of months or so? You need to let the committee know.
I’ve been told that this newsletter is meant to be read by those members who aren’t on Facebook so it could be quite long and boring.
Also, what news is relevant? Are the Do you want articles about what’s happened at the club; what’s happening in the camera marketplace (new cameras); new software?
So, what’s happened since the start of the season in September 2023?
September, started with an informal meeting giving the members an opportunity to bring in prints and digital images for members to appraise, discuss and suggest improvements.
We then had a run of three presentations by guest speakers –
“Passion for Wildlife” by Kevin Pigney (kevin pigney (myportfolio.com))
“My Photographic Journey” by Darron Matthews (Home: Darron Matthews ARPS DPAGB EFIAP BPE5*)
John Haines Personal Viewpoint - Photography Two by John Haines
We held our 1st print and PDI competition of the season, results are in the appendix.
We then had a run of three presentations by guest speakers –
“Passion for Wildlife” by Kevin Pigney (kevin pigney (myportfolio.com))
“My Photographic Journey” by Darron Matthews (Home: Darron Matthews ARPS DPAGB EFIAP BPE5*)
John Haines Personal Viewpoint - Photography Two by John Haines
We held our 1st print and PDI competition of the season, results are in the appendix.
November
Our first meeting in November was a member’s night. Malcolm Imhoff led us on a challenge to produce an AV in an evening. He provided us with images and music and, in teams we were to make an AV.
We had a competition with Great Barr PS and unfortunately lost! And we held our 3rd Competition
Malcolm Imhoff and the FADE AV group held a charity evening at Duke Street Church in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. It was entitled “A Venetian Masquerade” and those who attended enjoyed a show of 11 Avs with Venice as the theme and a fish and chip supper, along with a Cornetto for dessert. I far as I’m aware over £1500 was raised for the charity.
Our first meeting in November was a member’s night. Malcolm Imhoff led us on a challenge to produce an AV in an evening. He provided us with images and music and, in teams we were to make an AV.
We had a competition with Great Barr PS and unfortunately lost! And we held our 3rd Competition
Malcolm Imhoff and the FADE AV group held a charity evening at Duke Street Church in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. It was entitled “A Venetian Masquerade” and those who attended enjoyed a show of 11 Avs with Venice as the theme and a fish and chip supper, along with a Cornetto for dessert. I far as I’m aware over £1500 was raised for the charity.
January 2024
Happy new year everyone!
Our first meeting of the new year was an informal one. Members were invited to bring in unmounted prints and digital images for members’ appraisal.
On 12th January we had to cancel the meeting as a number of members were suffering from COVID.
We had a fascinating talk and presentation by Bob Brind-Surch entitled “Smart Shooting 2: From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary”.
On 26th January we held our competition for the W G Ross Trophy against Streetly (formerly Aston and Erdington) Photography club and again we lost!
In the Print Competition we suffered quite a defeat losing 172 - 157
and in the PDI Competition we lost by 1 point 170 - 169
Such a shame but let's hope we do better next year.
Also in January MIDPHOT 2024 Audio Visual Competition was held in Burton on Trent
We were well represented with entries from Malcolm Imhoff, David Cooke, Richard Brown and Jose Currant.
The winner in the open competition was Richard Brown with his AV entitled "The Tiny World of Walter Zapp", maybe he'll show it one evening at the club, it's really interesting and a brilliant AV.
Malcolm Imhoff was Highly Commended for his AV "Vogalonga". Anyone who went to the Venetian Themed Charity Evening will have seen it but again, maybe he'll show it at the club one evening.
Congratulations to all the winners and well done to those entered but weren't fortunate enough to win
Happy new year everyone!
Our first meeting of the new year was an informal one. Members were invited to bring in unmounted prints and digital images for members’ appraisal.
On 12th January we had to cancel the meeting as a number of members were suffering from COVID.
We had a fascinating talk and presentation by Bob Brind-Surch entitled “Smart Shooting 2: From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary”.
On 26th January we held our competition for the W G Ross Trophy against Streetly (formerly Aston and Erdington) Photography club and again we lost!
In the Print Competition we suffered quite a defeat losing 172 - 157
and in the PDI Competition we lost by 1 point 170 - 169
Such a shame but let's hope we do better next year.
Also in January MIDPHOT 2024 Audio Visual Competition was held in Burton on Trent
We were well represented with entries from Malcolm Imhoff, David Cooke, Richard Brown and Jose Currant.
The winner in the open competition was Richard Brown with his AV entitled "The Tiny World of Walter Zapp", maybe he'll show it one evening at the club, it's really interesting and a brilliant AV.
Malcolm Imhoff was Highly Commended for his AV "Vogalonga". Anyone who went to the Venetian Themed Charity Evening will have seen it but again, maybe he'll show it at the club one evening.
Congratulations to all the winners and well done to those entered but weren't fortunate enough to win
October started with a presentation by Dave Cooke, entitled “Fun with Photoshop”. Dave gave a demo on how to create ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) and Panels for a later challenge to the members to create panels of 4 images or more to be presented to the members.
Then, for those who took part, the club held its Weekend Away Event – Somewhere in the UK. Many members came back with pictures of slate mines, Polperro and Snowdon so it must have been North Wales.
We had a presentation –
A Close Encounter with Nature. “An in-depth look at my niche subject Macro Photography” by Darron Matthews - Home: Darron Matthews ARPS DPAGB EFIAP BPE5*
We had the 2nd Competition, results are in the appendix
Then, for those who took part, the club held its Weekend Away Event – Somewhere in the UK. Many members came back with pictures of slate mines, Polperro and Snowdon so it must have been North Wales.
We had a presentation –
A Close Encounter with Nature. “An in-depth look at my niche subject Macro Photography” by Darron Matthews - Home: Darron Matthews ARPS DPAGB EFIAP BPE5*
We had the 2nd Competition, results are in the appendix
December
This was followed by our annual Quiz Night ably presented by Allan McCormick, that was a good evening with a raffle. Some prizes were donated by Wex Photographic. I think they have the last photography store in Birmingham. I can’t remember the name of the team who won (and I was in it!) but we won by 1 point.
On Friday, 8th December we repaired to The Holly Bush for our Christmas get together and meal and on Friday, 15th December was our 4th Competition. Results are in the appendix.
There were no more meetings over the Christmas Holiday, first meeting in the new year was 5th January.
This was followed by our annual Quiz Night ably presented by Allan McCormick, that was a good evening with a raffle. Some prizes were donated by Wex Photographic. I think they have the last photography store in Birmingham. I can’t remember the name of the team who won (and I was in it!) but we won by 1 point.
On Friday, 8th December we repaired to The Holly Bush for our Christmas get together and meal and on Friday, 15th December was our 4th Competition. Results are in the appendix.
There were no more meetings over the Christmas Holiday, first meeting in the new year was 5th January.
February
On 2nd February we held our 5th competition. Members were invited to enter images taken with a mobile phone. This competition was held late because the January meeting was cancelled through COVID. Results are in the appendix.
Following on from Dave Cooke’s instructions back in October, we held the anticipated “Panel Challenge”. This was an informal competition and members had to create a panel of 4 or more photographs. You can see some of the entries on a Facebook post made by Dave Cooke on 10th February.
Similar to the panels that we made with Dave we had our “3 of a Kind” competition. In this competition we had to produce a panel of 3 images that had to be related in some way. This was a scored competition and the results can be seen in the appendix.
Alan McCormick hosted and evening whereby we could bring in prints and PDIs and we would, as a group modify the images using Photoshop or Adobe Camera Raw to make suitable adjustments to improve the images.
On 2nd February we held our 5th competition. Members were invited to enter images taken with a mobile phone. This competition was held late because the January meeting was cancelled through COVID. Results are in the appendix.
Following on from Dave Cooke’s instructions back in October, we held the anticipated “Panel Challenge”. This was an informal competition and members had to create a panel of 4 or more photographs. You can see some of the entries on a Facebook post made by Dave Cooke on 10th February.
Similar to the panels that we made with Dave we had our “3 of a Kind” competition. In this competition we had to produce a panel of 3 images that had to be related in some way. This was a scored competition and the results can be seen in the appendix.
Alan McCormick hosted and evening whereby we could bring in prints and PDIs and we would, as a group modify the images using Photoshop or Adobe Camera Raw to make suitable adjustments to improve the images.
Kate has provided some Photo Opportunities for the Summer and I’m happy to include them.
Ashby Road, Tamworth B79 0BU
https://www.statfold.com/events-statfold
16th-17th March 2024 Spectacle of Steam
Rigg Lane, Ravenshead, Nottingham NG15 9AJ
https://papplewickpumpingstation.org.uk/visit-us.html
13th-14th July 10.00am to 4.00pm Steam Punks
25th-26th August Classic Motor Cycles
19th-20th October 1940s re-enactment
Buy tickets online. Adult £13.00 concessions £12.00. These are annual tickets.
Wartime in the Vale
Ashdown Farm, Badsey Rd, Evesham WR11 7PA
​https://ashdowncamp.com/events
Wartime in the Vale
15th-16thJune Pay on the gate £15.00 Concessions £10.00
Dogs allowed but must be used to loud explosions and gunshots.
Tewkesbury Medieval Festival
1st – 2nd June
https://www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org
13th-14th July Pay for car parking. Event free. Street parades in Tewkesbury. A huge medieval market on the battle site with re-enactment of the battle itself with archers and knights in full armour. All market sellers and re-enactors will be in medieval costume selling medieval weapons, furniture and costumes.
Shrewsbury Steam Rally
Onslow Park,Welshpool, SY35EE
https://shrewsburysteamrally.co.uk
25th-26th August
£18.00 Concession £17.00
A huge steam rally with a steam fairground as well as steam engines of all kinds.
Upton Blues Festival
https://upton-blues-festival.co.uk
19th-21st July
Free. Get there early to park near the event. Multiple stages with performing groups.
Ashdown Farm, Badsey Rd, Evesham WR11 7PA
​https://ashdowncamp.com/events
Wartime in the Vale
15th-16thJune Pay on the gate £15.00 Concessions £10.00
Dogs allowed but must be used to loud explosions and gunshots.
Tewkesbury Medieval Festival
1st – 2nd June
https://www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org
13th-14th July Pay for car parking. Event free. Street parades in Tewkesbury. A huge medieval market on the battle site with re-enactment of the battle itself with archers and knights in full armour. All market sellers and re-enactors will be in medieval costume selling medieval weapons, furniture and costumes.
Shrewsbury Steam Rally
Onslow Park,Welshpool, SY35EE
https://shrewsburysteamrally.co.uk
25th-26th August
£18.00 Concession £17.00
A huge steam rally with a steam fairground as well as steam engines of all kinds.
Upton Blues Festival
https://upton-blues-festival.co.uk
19th-21st July
Free. Get there early to park near the event. Multiple stages with performing groups.
Newsletter number 40, February 2023
Words from the Editor
Happy New Year to you all. It has been an interesting club meeting season with some new faces giving us talks involving some excellent photography, a practical session with a difference and a technical Zoom session which has raised the liveliest discussion I have ever come across in the club.
Now that many local judges and speakers that we can afford to pay are being lost it has become necessary to start thinking about the options for providing an interesting programme for next year. We have several choices, raise membership fees, encourage more people to join the club or provide more in house activities so that we can cut costs.
Now is the time of year when club members should have their say about what the club should provide in the way of meetings for the year. If you have any ideas about the things that you would like the club to do then let Paul Cook know. Which activities do you like best and which ones could we do without? If the club isn’t providing you with the kind of activities that you want now is the time to ask.
Also, as I wrote at the same time last year, we could do with some more help with running activities. Little things like coming to meetings a bit early to set up the tables and chairs are important as it is always the same people who seem to be doing it. Could you organise practical demonstrations? Could you organise a challenge or a walkabout/visit somewhere? Could you recommend places to go to take good photos? Would you like more social events?
Another way you can help the club is by providing articles and images for the newsletter. Where have you been? What have you taken pictures of? What skills can you pass on?
Meanwhile thank you to Malcolm for demonstrating how to do a Photo Harmony AV and setting us the challenge of creating one for later on in the year. Also thank you to Richard for applying for a grant for a new lap top and projector from Sutton Charities. Derek has taken over the management of our Facebook pages and is providing technical support. Angela is going to have a go at getting us some publicity and, of course, the committee continues to work hard to keep the club running. It would only take one of them to step down for the club to have to think very hard if it could continue. So, thank you to them as well.
Happy New Year to you all. It has been an interesting club meeting season with some new faces giving us talks involving some excellent photography, a practical session with a difference and a technical Zoom session which has raised the liveliest discussion I have ever come across in the club.
Now that many local judges and speakers that we can afford to pay are being lost it has become necessary to start thinking about the options for providing an interesting programme for next year. We have several choices, raise membership fees, encourage more people to join the club or provide more in house activities so that we can cut costs.
Now is the time of year when club members should have their say about what the club should provide in the way of meetings for the year. If you have any ideas about the things that you would like the club to do then let Paul Cook know. Which activities do you like best and which ones could we do without? If the club isn’t providing you with the kind of activities that you want now is the time to ask.
Also, as I wrote at the same time last year, we could do with some more help with running activities. Little things like coming to meetings a bit early to set up the tables and chairs are important as it is always the same people who seem to be doing it. Could you organise practical demonstrations? Could you organise a challenge or a walkabout/visit somewhere? Could you recommend places to go to take good photos? Would you like more social events?
Another way you can help the club is by providing articles and images for the newsletter. Where have you been? What have you taken pictures of? What skills can you pass on?
Meanwhile thank you to Malcolm for demonstrating how to do a Photo Harmony AV and setting us the challenge of creating one for later on in the year. Also thank you to Richard for applying for a grant for a new lap top and projector from Sutton Charities. Derek has taken over the management of our Facebook pages and is providing technical support. Angela is going to have a go at getting us some publicity and, of course, the committee continues to work hard to keep the club running. It would only take one of them to step down for the club to have to think very hard if it could continue. So, thank you to them as well.
A Magic Bullet? - Yes Really!
I recently experienced a problem with my Epson SC P600 printer. The black (PK) print head was completely blocked and, obviously, any prints were awful. I had tried the usual head cleaning routine and that had failed to improve it.
Looking online, I came across Specialist Inks (www.specialistinks.com) and their Epson SureColor SC-P600 Support Page
(https://www.specialistinks.com/support/epson-sc-p600.php).
This page promotes their ‘Magic Bullet’ product and shows a video of how to use the product. In the video, the printer is an Epson R3000, but the internal layout of the printer is identical.
I bought the product, (£14.99 + p&p) followed the video instructions - and it worked!
FWIW - I found that the process was actually easier than it appeared to be in their video. So, don’t throw your old printer away without trying this first. I only used about a quarter of the fluid supplied so I have some to use next time.
Paul Stokes
I recently experienced a problem with my Epson SC P600 printer. The black (PK) print head was completely blocked and, obviously, any prints were awful. I had tried the usual head cleaning routine and that had failed to improve it.
Looking online, I came across Specialist Inks (www.specialistinks.com) and their Epson SureColor SC-P600 Support Page
(https://www.specialistinks.com/support/epson-sc-p600.php).
This page promotes their ‘Magic Bullet’ product and shows a video of how to use the product. In the video, the printer is an Epson R3000, but the internal layout of the printer is identical.
I bought the product, (£14.99 + p&p) followed the video instructions - and it worked!
FWIW - I found that the process was actually easier than it appeared to be in their video. So, don’t throw your old printer away without trying this first. I only used about a quarter of the fluid supplied so I have some to use next time.
Paul Stokes
Talks
WHAT ARE STEAM PUNKS?
SCPC has a number of members who recognised as some of the best experts in producing Audio Visual presentations in the country. Richard Brown and Malcolm Imhoff have won prestigious medals and national and international competitions. Richard and Malcolm are recognised judges of AV presentations both nationally and in Europe.
Dave Cooke is an enthusiastic AV creator. All three of them are keen to pass on their skills and enable all of our members to find a new and interesting way to use their photographic skills.
An insight into the making of the AV by Dave Cooke
A couple of years ago, I found out that there was a Steam Punk Festival at Blist's Hill Victorian Town, part of The Iron Bridge Gorge Museum. I had no idea what this involved, but as a photographer my curiosity was aroused, so I googled it and discovered that they were a group of enthusiasts dressing in way out costumes. Ideal I thought, and with the Victorian Old Town backdrop some interesting pictures could result. On further investigation I discovered that Steam Punks are an inspired movement of creativity and imagination, with a backdrop of Victorian England. Modern technologies are reimagined, created and realised as elaborate works of art, fashion and mechanics.
WHAT ARE STEAM PUNKS?
SCPC has a number of members who recognised as some of the best experts in producing Audio Visual presentations in the country. Richard Brown and Malcolm Imhoff have won prestigious medals and national and international competitions. Richard and Malcolm are recognised judges of AV presentations both nationally and in Europe.
Dave Cooke is an enthusiastic AV creator. All three of them are keen to pass on their skills and enable all of our members to find a new and interesting way to use their photographic skills.
An insight into the making of the AV by Dave Cooke
A couple of years ago, I found out that there was a Steam Punk Festival at Blist's Hill Victorian Town, part of The Iron Bridge Gorge Museum. I had no idea what this involved, but as a photographer my curiosity was aroused, so I googled it and discovered that they were a group of enthusiasts dressing in way out costumes. Ideal I thought, and with the Victorian Old Town backdrop some interesting pictures could result. On further investigation I discovered that Steam Punks are an inspired movement of creativity and imagination, with a backdrop of Victorian England. Modern technologies are reimagined, created and realised as elaborate works of art, fashion and mechanics.
So, it is a huge collection of like-minded people producing fantastic costumes and meeting, socialising and displaying their artworks. Many age groups are involved, including children, retired couples and families. Gatherings take place all over the U K, but it is also an international movement with meetings worldwide. Some of the earliest meetings took place around 2006, so it is a relatively modern phenomenon. The movement seems to grow more popular each year, giving people an outlet to exhibit their creative and dressmaking skills and display their exhibitionism.
Steam Punk gatherings are interesting, and everybody, the strange, the eccentric, the creative, the mad and the beautiful, they are always happy to be photographed.
After inspecting the images I had recorded on the day, my idea for an Audio Visual sequence developed. Using the information I had collected I could explain the concept of the Steam Punk movement in pictures and audio.
I have found over the years I have been photographing people, that it always pays to approach them and start some sort of conversation, and tell them what you want the images for. Ask their permission to take the pictures you have in mind, making certain that you direct them so they know the style you require. It's very rare that you are refused. With the change to digital photography, I quite often ask if they would like a copy of the photo and then email them a copy.
We attended another Steam Punk meeting last year at Papplewick Pumping Station, Nottingham, and met a Steam Punk Family who kindly posed for us. I got the image I wanted and sent them a mounted print and some images for a family calendar which they are producing. I had an email back thanking me, and saying "you do meet some lovely people at Steam Punk festivals".
I very much enjoy making AVs and the sequence was selected and shown at the Cannes Audio Visual Festival in France
I very much enjoy making AVs and the sequence was selected and shown at the Cannes Audio Visual Festival in France
Mike Sharples - From the Outside
Mike’s talk showed a very varied set of images starting with portraits. To increase the interest of some of his portraits he takes photos of interesting backgrounds in order to create composites. He treats the backgrounds to create more shadows. He likes the pictures to be simple and faces must be in the right exposure. He warned us to avoid oversized hands by making sure that they are held close to the subject’s body.
For interesting abstract backgrounds he uses wetted limestone which he merges with skies using semi-transparent layers to add texture. He also uses black layers to dull down bright highlights may blend several images of the same view to get depth of field.
A very useful hint that we have not been told before is that cameras do not convert blue to white in the same way that the eye does so some images may need to be desaturated.
Bob Brind-Surch (Zoom) - Smart Shooting Part One
Bob gave us a very technical talk which explained the basics of photography. Even the most experienced of photographers could learn something from his talk and the less experienced found his material very instructive.
I found the information he gave on the use of histograms and the compensation dial very interesting. I did not know how the two were related.
If you wanted to know more about this issue you can use this link:
https://photographylife.com/what-is-exposure-compensation
Bob has some useful information on his web site and does offer workshops and safaris but you do need to be pretty well off to afford them.
https://naturesphotos.co.uk/
Mike’s talk showed a very varied set of images starting with portraits. To increase the interest of some of his portraits he takes photos of interesting backgrounds in order to create composites. He treats the backgrounds to create more shadows. He likes the pictures to be simple and faces must be in the right exposure. He warned us to avoid oversized hands by making sure that they are held close to the subject’s body.
For interesting abstract backgrounds he uses wetted limestone which he merges with skies using semi-transparent layers to add texture. He also uses black layers to dull down bright highlights may blend several images of the same view to get depth of field.
A very useful hint that we have not been told before is that cameras do not convert blue to white in the same way that the eye does so some images may need to be desaturated.
Bob Brind-Surch (Zoom) - Smart Shooting Part One
Bob gave us a very technical talk which explained the basics of photography. Even the most experienced of photographers could learn something from his talk and the less experienced found his material very instructive.
I found the information he gave on the use of histograms and the compensation dial very interesting. I did not know how the two were related.
If you wanted to know more about this issue you can use this link:
https://photographylife.com/what-is-exposure-compensation
Bob has some useful information on his web site and does offer workshops and safaris but you do need to be pretty well off to afford them.
https://naturesphotos.co.uk/
Competition Results 4thCompetition 2022/23
Judge Mark Wilbrey
Mark Wilbrey is a graduate with an Honours Arts degree and has a refreshing point of view when acting as a judge. He believes that we should enjoy our photography and take the pictures that we like. In support of this he said that those who judged landscapes often comment that they would prefer to see some figures in the image but Ansell Adams said that there are already two people in the image, the person who composed it and the person viewing it.
Mark likes some images to be smaller because this draws you in and shadows give you a sense of time. When taking photos with reflections he said that you should keep the whole of the reflection in and it is a good idea to turn the image upside down to get a better idea of its impact. Leaving a picture for a few months often gives you a second chance to see it in a new way.
Mark Wilbrey is a graduate with an Honours Arts degree and has a refreshing point of view when acting as a judge. He believes that we should enjoy our photography and take the pictures that we like. In support of this he said that those who judged landscapes often comment that they would prefer to see some figures in the image but Ansell Adams said that there are already two people in the image, the person who composed it and the person viewing it.
Mark likes some images to be smaller because this draws you in and shadows give you a sense of time. When taking photos with reflections he said that you should keep the whole of the reflection in and it is a good idea to turn the image upside down to get a better idea of its impact. Leaving a picture for a few months often gives you a second chance to see it in a new way.
Prints
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1st 2nd 3rd HC C C C |
Cullins near Elgol Discrimination Pystyl Rhaedar A Flight of Swallows Hurumph Rock Hopper Giraffe Study |
John Cresswell Martin James John Cresswell José Currant Catherine Nicholls Martin James Dave Cooke |
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PDIs
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1st 2nd 3rd HC HC C C |
Robbie St Audries Bay Golden Valley Waiting Under The Street Lamp The Offering Puffin Take Off Peony |
Alan McCormick Paul Stokes Ian Dean Steve West Alan McCormick Andrew Butler Catherine Nicholls |
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Leader Boards
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Prints |
John Cresswell Catherine Nicholls Andrew Butler Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff, Richard Brown Ian Dean |
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Competition Results 5thCompetition 2022/23
Judge Ralph Duckett
This was the competition for pictures taken on a phone. Processing in Photoshop was allowed.
Ralph is a very encouraging judge who does give handy hints throughout his judging.
For those who wish to please him he really likes excellent photos of trees.
This was the competition for pictures taken on a phone. Processing in Photoshop was allowed.
Ralph is a very encouraging judge who does give handy hints throughout his judging.
For those who wish to please him he really likes excellent photos of trees.
Prints
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1st 2nd 3rd HC C C |
Hear No Evil Mental Blocks Philosophy Going For A Drink Highate Old & New Lest We Forget |
Catherine Nicholls Martin James Paul Stokes Paul Stokes Martin James Martin James |
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PDIs
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1st 2nd 3rd HC HC C C C |
Tree & Bandstand Church Organ Pipes Spear Thistles At Sunset The Last Ones Shopaholics Extraordinary Sky The Floozie In The Jacuzzi Menu Of The Day |
Alan McCormick- Samsung galaxy S8 José Currant - Samsung galaxy A40 Steve West- iPhone 13 Pro Alan McCormick - Samsung galaxy A52 Dave Cooke - Nokia G21 Malcolm Imhoff - Unknown Malcolm Imhoff - iPhone 11 Ian Dean - Unknown |
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Leader Boards
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Prints |
John Cresswell Catherine Nicholls Martin James Andrew Butler Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff Ian Dean Richard Brown |
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Fiddle a File Competition
For those who haven’t had a go at this yet Fiddle a File pictures will be available on the member’s area. These 6 images are available as RAW or jPeg pictures for you to process in any way that makes an alternative picture. You can only use material from the pictures provided. The idea is to have some fun and use photo processing techniques that you might not have used before.
Here some examples. The first two images are the originals. The third one was entered for the competition.
For those who haven’t had a go at this yet Fiddle a File pictures will be available on the member’s area. These 6 images are available as RAW or jPeg pictures for you to process in any way that makes an alternative picture. You can only use material from the pictures provided. The idea is to have some fun and use photo processing techniques that you might not have used before.
Here some examples. The first two images are the originals. The third one was entered for the competition.
Newsletter number 39, December 2022
Words from the Editor
It has been an interesting competition season so far with three internal and two interclub competitions to compare. We have also had another excellent session presented by Mark Wilbrey showing us how to create cyano-type prints which were an early way of producing architectural drawings and monochrome prints.
Two Interclub competitions early in the season after a year disrupted by Covid and a faulty laptop have caused quite a bit of stress for our hard working Competitions secretary so it is with a sense of relief that there is a longer interval between now and the next three way Interclub with Yardley and South Birmingham.
I am looking forward to the programme next year and have already completed my entry for the AV challenge set by Malcolm Imhoff. Just in case you noticed the entries do not have to be restricted to one minute. They just have to fit the piece of music that you have chosen to use. You can download some suitable tracks from the web site.
Face Book
May I remind you that Derek has created a new Facebook community group that we can all contribute to. It is not the one that you click on the web site. You can get to it with this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/599066465273608
It has been an interesting competition season so far with three internal and two interclub competitions to compare. We have also had another excellent session presented by Mark Wilbrey showing us how to create cyano-type prints which were an early way of producing architectural drawings and monochrome prints.
Two Interclub competitions early in the season after a year disrupted by Covid and a faulty laptop have caused quite a bit of stress for our hard working Competitions secretary so it is with a sense of relief that there is a longer interval between now and the next three way Interclub with Yardley and South Birmingham.
I am looking forward to the programme next year and have already completed my entry for the AV challenge set by Malcolm Imhoff. Just in case you noticed the entries do not have to be restricted to one minute. They just have to fit the piece of music that you have chosen to use. You can download some suitable tracks from the web site.
Face Book
May I remind you that Derek has created a new Facebook community group that we can all contribute to. It is not the one that you click on the web site. You can get to it with this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/599066465273608
As a club we are very lucky to have members who are very good at producing audio-visual presentations. They are very well known both nationally and internationally for producing gold medal winning Avs and judging AV competitions.
They have been putting on fund raising events for several years and this is the second time they have worked in conjunction with SCPC to put on a show at Duke Street church.
To date the total raised for Macmillan this year is £1172.25. This includes the £35 from an SCPC Raffle, £135 in donations from people who could not come but wished to support us, and £40 from online donations via Just Giving and my Facebook page.
Well done to Malcolm Imhoff and Jose Currant, all the people that created the AVs and the people who worked hard at running the evening
Potential Walkabouts.
It is a bit cold at the moment but if anyone wants to organise a walkabout somewhere let me know and I will set it up.
Talks
Cyanotype Printing Mark Wilbrey
Mark organized a very enjoyable and unusual practical evening to demonstrate and let members have a go at Cyanotype printing. Now most people when they hear the name of this process want to run a mile because they think it will be poisonous but they would be wrong. It wouldn’t be a good idea to swallow it and you do have to be careful that you do not spill the prepared liquid as it can stain things. However, you only need to use small amounts so it is easy to keep things under control.
The cyanotype is an economical way of producing cyan-blue prints using a mixture of two chemicals painted onto and absorbent surface such as water colour paper. It gave rise to the term “blue print” as it was used to produce architectural drawings. It was also used to make postcards, prints of seaweed and to create pictures from negatives of photographs.
The two chemicals, when mixed together, react to ultraviolet light. The image can be developed and fixed by rinsing it in water and allowing it to dry.
Members had great fun playing with pressed plants, wooden shapes saying Merry Christmas and additional substances such as turmeric, pepper, lemon juice and vinegar. Just be careful with turmeric. It is impossible to wash off your hands and clothes.
It is a bit cold at the moment but if anyone wants to organise a walkabout somewhere let me know and I will set it up.
Talks
Cyanotype Printing Mark Wilbrey
Mark organized a very enjoyable and unusual practical evening to demonstrate and let members have a go at Cyanotype printing. Now most people when they hear the name of this process want to run a mile because they think it will be poisonous but they would be wrong. It wouldn’t be a good idea to swallow it and you do have to be careful that you do not spill the prepared liquid as it can stain things. However, you only need to use small amounts so it is easy to keep things under control.
The cyanotype is an economical way of producing cyan-blue prints using a mixture of two chemicals painted onto and absorbent surface such as water colour paper. It gave rise to the term “blue print” as it was used to produce architectural drawings. It was also used to make postcards, prints of seaweed and to create pictures from negatives of photographs.
The two chemicals, when mixed together, react to ultraviolet light. The image can be developed and fixed by rinsing it in water and allowing it to dry.
Members had great fun playing with pressed plants, wooden shapes saying Merry Christmas and additional substances such as turmeric, pepper, lemon juice and vinegar. Just be careful with turmeric. It is impossible to wash off your hands and clothes.
Cyanotype Printing
The club recently had a presentation made by Mark Wilbrey of Wex PhotoVideo on the subject of Cyanotype Image Production.
Personally, I found the evening fun and interesting. Although I’d probably seen images created this way, I’d no idea what the process was or how it was done, so I found it really intriguing and wanted to learn some more.
What is the Cyanotype
Cyanotype was discovered and named by Sir John Herschel in 1842 when he was investigating light on iron compounds.
Anna Atkins, a friend of the Herschel family, with the assistance of Anne Dixon, hand-printed several albums of botanical and textile specimens, especially Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, effectively the world’s first photographically-illustrated books.
Chemical Sensitising Solution
In a typical procedure, equal volumes of a solution of potassium ferricyanide and a solution of ferric ammonium citrate are mixed. The overall contrast of the sensitiser solution can be increased with the addition of approximately 6 drops of a solution of potassium dichromate for every 2 ml of sensitiser solution.
Many improvements and enhancements have been made to the formulae to not only give blue images but brown too (soaking the sensitised paper in strong coffee is a good start). Some of these enhancements can be expensive and dangerous.
Toning processes are used to change the colour of the iron oxide in the print. The colour change varies with the reagent used. A variety of agents can be used, including various types of tea, coffee, wine, urine, tannic acid or pyrogallic acid, resulting in tones varying from brown to black. Most toning processes will to some extent tint the white parts of a print.
Procedure
An image can be produced by exposing sensitised paper to a source of ultraviolet light (such as sunlight) as a contact print. The combination of UV light and the citrate reduces the iron (III) to iron (II). This is followed by a complex reaction of the iron (II) with ferricyanide. The result is an insoluble, blue pigment (ferric ferrocyanide) known as Prussian blue. The exposure time varies widely, from a few seconds in strong direct sunlight, to 10–20 minute exposures on a dull day.
After exposure, the paper is developed by washing in cold running water: the water-soluble iron (III) salts are washed away. The parts that were exposed to ultraviolet turn blue as the non-water-soluble Prussian blue pigment remains in the paper. This is what gives the print its typical blue colour. The blue colour darkens upon drying.
It is possible to create negatives of photographs in Photoshop, print them onto acetate film and use that as the source for the image.
Additional
During my research into this article, I found that it was possible to buy Cyanotype Kits very easily from a number of sources by mail/internet order such as Amazon, Etsy and many others, including the Royal Botanic Gardens.
It is also possible to buy pre-sensitised paper so the use of chemicals is not an issue, perfect if you want to do this with some children.
Recommended light sources are – Sunlight or light sources used for gardening
Mark recommended a book – Cyanotype by Peter Mrhar Available on Amazon with a selection of others, it’s a bit expensive at £21.
I obviously can’t recommend any of these but I’ll be having a go over the Summer.
Derek Venus
Monday, 21 November 2022
During my research into this article, I found that it was possible to buy Cyanotype Kits very easily from a number of sources by mail/internet order such as Amazon, Etsy and many others, including the Royal Botanic Gardens.
It is also possible to buy pre-sensitised paper so the use of chemicals is not an issue, perfect if you want to do this with some children.
Recommended light sources are – Sunlight or light sources used for gardening
Mark recommended a book – Cyanotype by Peter Mrhar Available on Amazon with a selection of others, it’s a bit expensive at £21.
I obviously can’t recommend any of these but I’ll be having a go over the Summer.
Derek Venus
Monday, 21 November 2022
Competition Results 3rd Competition 2022/23
Prints
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1st 2nd 3rd HC C |
Swanage Pier Dune Fence Ribblehead Viaduct British Museum It's Cold Out There |
John Cresswell John Cresswell John Cresswell Andrew Butler Catherine Nicholls |
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PDIs
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1st 2nd 3rd HC HC C C |
Edge of Madness Liverpool One Going for Gold Best Foot Forwards The Green Door Partial Eclipse Under the Bridge |
Richard Brown Malcolm Imhoff Ian Dean Alan McCormick Alan McCormick Richard Brown Catherine Nicholls |
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Leader Board
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Prints |
John Cresswell Andrew Butler, Catherine Nicholls Dave Cooke Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff, Richard Brown Ian Dean |
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Interclub Competitons
So far we have been to two Interclub competitions, the first with Great Barr and the second with Streetly ( Formerly Aston and Erdington). The first was judged by Paddy Ruske and the second by Bob Moore, both experienced judges and speakers.
We entered images chosen from the winning images in club competitions that had been given the top three positions, plus some highly commended which we hoped would compare well with the other clubs entries. Despite this we still managed to come second in both competitions with the other clubs gaining a greater proportion of higher marks out of twenty and images which did really well in our competitions doing relatively less well in the interclubs.
One has to ask why this happens. One reason is a classic judge decision that when they look at the images they have to balance the skills of one photographer with another. In competitions images have to catch the eye of the judge for positive reasons. In competitions with hundreds of images to be shown in a very short time judges have to make very quick decisions so the picture has to be original and show more skill than others. So judges get used to balancing one image against another and deciding which one they prefer. Sometimes something really original can attract their attention for good reasons but it depends if the judge understands what the photographer is trying to portray. There is always a risk that a judge can be stuck in his or her ways and think something is too way out to give good marks to.
Pictures that tell a story often do well and so do photos where you have got in close or shot from an unusual angle.
However, there is another reason why pictures seem to gain good marks from judges and that is based on what I think of as photographic cliches. If you take a wonderful picture of a famous place that many others have photographed it might be downgraded.
So far we have been to two Interclub competitions, the first with Great Barr and the second with Streetly ( Formerly Aston and Erdington). The first was judged by Paddy Ruske and the second by Bob Moore, both experienced judges and speakers.
We entered images chosen from the winning images in club competitions that had been given the top three positions, plus some highly commended which we hoped would compare well with the other clubs entries. Despite this we still managed to come second in both competitions with the other clubs gaining a greater proportion of higher marks out of twenty and images which did really well in our competitions doing relatively less well in the interclubs.
One has to ask why this happens. One reason is a classic judge decision that when they look at the images they have to balance the skills of one photographer with another. In competitions images have to catch the eye of the judge for positive reasons. In competitions with hundreds of images to be shown in a very short time judges have to make very quick decisions so the picture has to be original and show more skill than others. So judges get used to balancing one image against another and deciding which one they prefer. Sometimes something really original can attract their attention for good reasons but it depends if the judge understands what the photographer is trying to portray. There is always a risk that a judge can be stuck in his or her ways and think something is too way out to give good marks to.
Pictures that tell a story often do well and so do photos where you have got in close or shot from an unusual angle.
However, there is another reason why pictures seem to gain good marks from judges and that is based on what I think of as photographic cliches. If you take a wonderful picture of a famous place that many others have photographed it might be downgraded.
Judges also seem to be biased towards certain types of pictures such as studio model sessions where the lights are set up and all the members of the club can take the same or similar pictures. This includes pictures that are taken time and again in the same style in similar circumstances. They are accepted for what they are, beautifully crafted images which deserve high marks.
Another reason for differences in the success of images with judges is personal preference. We have come across judges in the past who have downgraded pictures with birds in them even if they were good pictures. Another didn’t like pictures of boats where masts cut across the horizon and some judges seem to misunderstand the message of the image or misinterpret the circumstances in which the picture was taken.
Landscapes often fail to do well even when they are really good. Judges like to see people in the landscape, preferably in odd numbers and maybe dressed in red.
So what do we learn from this? Club competition photography can encourage and produce very skilled photographers but it is very different from other types of photography. Journalists do not have to worry about complicated backgrounds or light patches to take a good picture. Commercial photographers have to please their customers, and people who love photography as a hobby take beautiful pictures of places and events that they want to remember (often called record shots by judges).
The whole point of club photography is to pursue a hobby that we enjoy and to meet up with people that have the same interest and enthusiasm. We can learn from each other. We can teach each other new skills and we can set up sessions where we work together to take good photographs. Entering competitions is a way of improving our photography even if we get irritated by the subjectiveness of judging and the focus on finding reasons to rate one picture over another.
One way of using Interclub competitions is to make the effort to go along and see what other clubs are producing and gain a bit of insight into why they seem to do better than us. Also we must remember that judges give up their time to do an often thankless job and they are doing their bit to encourage good photography,
It will be interesting to see what a non MCPF judge will make of our photographs in the last competition of the year on Friday Dec 16th.
Which of the pictures below would do better? Why?
Another reason for differences in the success of images with judges is personal preference. We have come across judges in the past who have downgraded pictures with birds in them even if they were good pictures. Another didn’t like pictures of boats where masts cut across the horizon and some judges seem to misunderstand the message of the image or misinterpret the circumstances in which the picture was taken.
Landscapes often fail to do well even when they are really good. Judges like to see people in the landscape, preferably in odd numbers and maybe dressed in red.
So what do we learn from this? Club competition photography can encourage and produce very skilled photographers but it is very different from other types of photography. Journalists do not have to worry about complicated backgrounds or light patches to take a good picture. Commercial photographers have to please their customers, and people who love photography as a hobby take beautiful pictures of places and events that they want to remember (often called record shots by judges).
The whole point of club photography is to pursue a hobby that we enjoy and to meet up with people that have the same interest and enthusiasm. We can learn from each other. We can teach each other new skills and we can set up sessions where we work together to take good photographs. Entering competitions is a way of improving our photography even if we get irritated by the subjectiveness of judging and the focus on finding reasons to rate one picture over another.
One way of using Interclub competitions is to make the effort to go along and see what other clubs are producing and gain a bit of insight into why they seem to do better than us. Also we must remember that judges give up their time to do an often thankless job and they are doing their bit to encourage good photography,
It will be interesting to see what a non MCPF judge will make of our photographs in the last competition of the year on Friday Dec 16th.
Which of the pictures below would do better? Why?
Newsletter number 38, November 2022
Words from the Editor
I don’t know about you but the season seems to have set off at a hectic rate. The competitions seem to be coming thick and fast, including two Interclub competitions held at Great Barr and Streetly in the month of November. Our third SCPC club competition is coming up next week as well. (Friday 11th Nov.)
The talks have been interesting with Tim Pile providing a sculptural version of the human body in landscapes and John Haines giving an educational talk on his progress through photography and what he has learned on the way.
Malcolm Imhoff must be congratulated on a really clear and interesting presentation on how to create a Photo Harmony AV using the most recent version of Pictures to Exe. I am looking forward to seeing what members produce as a result of the challenge he has set us to create one ourselves to be shown to all on the evening of February 10th 2023. I have started the process of creating one but it is hard work the first time trying to work out how to do it.
Dave Cooke and Malcolm are willing to help us all if we get stuck.
Paddy Ruske proved to be a very constructive judge and was not put off coming back a second time even though the club computer threw a wobbly and decided to die on us. His talk on Iceland was unusual because he is the only photographer I know who was present during the huge volcanic eruption on Iceland and who has bought a property there as well.
Finally, it takes a lot of time to produce this news letter because I mostly write the articles myself. I am therefore asking members to contribute. I would also like some feedback on whether you actually read these news letters and if you find them useful and/or interesting.
Facebook
May I remind you that Derek has created a new Facebook community group that we can all contribute to. It is not the one that you click on the web site. You can get to it with this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/599066465273608
I don’t know about you but the season seems to have set off at a hectic rate. The competitions seem to be coming thick and fast, including two Interclub competitions held at Great Barr and Streetly in the month of November. Our third SCPC club competition is coming up next week as well. (Friday 11th Nov.)
The talks have been interesting with Tim Pile providing a sculptural version of the human body in landscapes and John Haines giving an educational talk on his progress through photography and what he has learned on the way.
Malcolm Imhoff must be congratulated on a really clear and interesting presentation on how to create a Photo Harmony AV using the most recent version of Pictures to Exe. I am looking forward to seeing what members produce as a result of the challenge he has set us to create one ourselves to be shown to all on the evening of February 10th 2023. I have started the process of creating one but it is hard work the first time trying to work out how to do it.
Dave Cooke and Malcolm are willing to help us all if we get stuck.
Paddy Ruske proved to be a very constructive judge and was not put off coming back a second time even though the club computer threw a wobbly and decided to die on us. His talk on Iceland was unusual because he is the only photographer I know who was present during the huge volcanic eruption on Iceland and who has bought a property there as well.
Finally, it takes a lot of time to produce this news letter because I mostly write the articles myself. I am therefore asking members to contribute. I would also like some feedback on whether you actually read these news letters and if you find them useful and/or interesting.
May I remind you that Derek has created a new Facebook community group that we can all contribute to. It is not the one that you click on the web site. You can get to it with this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/599066465273608
The Members’ Annual Weekend Away. Once again Ian has worked very hard to organise the annual weekend away, which this year was held in Masham (pronounced Massam) in Yorkshire. We stayed in the King’s Arms in the centre of the village which was an interesting experience, particularly for Ian.
The great thing about Masham is that it has two breweries, Theakston’s and The Black Sheep both of which produce an interesting range of beers and are open to the public for tours.
Masham is in the centre of some beautiful countryside with Fountains Abbey an Brimham Rocks nearby. We didn’t have a lot of time to visit places so I am sure that some of us will be back.
Right: The Cellararium. Fountain’s Abbey
Potential Walkabouts.
The Roundhouse by the canals is now open to the public There is a mini trail giving a glimpse of the Roundhouse’s story.
Linked to the roundhouse is a project called “Birmingham Through a Lens” This is a Birmingham Photography Trail which starts at the Roundhouse, ventures to ten sites around the city centre and ends at Centenary Square. You can find an app to listen an audio tour as you go round the route.
This tour fits in very nicely with our final set subject competition of the year “City Scapes”. You are invited to share and tag your pictures with Birmingham Roundhouse, @bhamroundhouse, @westmidsphotocollective and @canalrivertrust.
There is also a leaflet to go with this giving hints on how to produce a good photo as well as advice on how to keep safe whilst you are taking them.
Talks
John Haines Personal Viewpoint – Photography One
This talk was about John’s journey through photography from the start and included some of the pictures that he took early on as part of the story. He included a lot of teaching within the talk and shared so many of the skills and tricks that he has learned over the years that I do not know where start with a summary. One very handy hint was “Do not volunteer to do weddings but if you do get roped in take photos that will make you money. For example a bridesmaid with a mum or a Granny.
The range of photographic subjects that he takes varies from Handsworth Carnival to Stratford Butterfly Farm and from the staircase in St Phillip’s Hall of Memory in Birmingham to working with models.
One piece of advice he gave and all photographers should observe is to make sure that you have the right equipment in your bag for the job and that your batteries are charged. I have to check that I have put back the SD cards so I only take one out at a time.
Iceland - land of Contrast. Paddy Ruske
This talk was significantly different to most talks about Iceland because Paddy Has a property in Iceland and takes people on tours there. He is very aware of how dangerous Iceland can be for the inexperienced.
After all, Iceland sits on a split in the earth’s crust in the middle of the Atlantic. On one side of the island you are on the plate that includes Europe and the other you’re on the plate that is pushing America towards the Pacific Ocean and is causing a chain of mountains to rise up on the west coast of the entire length of the Americas. Iceland is growing at a rate of 15cms per year which is very fast in geological terms.
This split is allowing magma to burst up through the earth’s crust and create an island made almost entirely of volcanoes, some of which are overdue to erupt at any time. Some places are absolutely lethal so Paddy is trained in first aid and carries a medical kit with him in the huge 4 by 4 that he must use to drive on the “roads” to the places he goes to take photos.
Iceland is stunningly beautiful so the photos that Paddy has taken are well worth seeing. He also goes to places that most photo tourists never get to and some of his pictures record sites that have completely changed due to volcanic activity after he has been there.
One tip that you must observe when going to Iceland is not to drink alcohol if you are going to drive. If caught the locals have to a week’s snow shovelling in the winter and the snow in Iceland is very deep. I don’t know what they expect tourists to do.
Photo Harmony Malcolm Imhoff
Malcolm’s motivational demonstration of what a Photo Harmony Audio Visual is was very clear and explained what exactly a Photo Harmony AV is and to create one using Pictures to Exe or PTE AV Studio.
The RPS definition of Photo Harmony is that it must be made up of a sequence of images that blend well. It must have a beginning, a middle and an end. The original end of the music must be preserved and not fade out. Digital manipulation must not be overdone.
In AV competitions video is banned but animations can be included. The picture transitions must be in pace with the music. Voice overs are not usual in this type of AV.
The best way to start is to choose a theme and take the photos to go with it. It is a good idea to choose the music before you start as it may guide the content of the photos that you use. You should avoid poor pictures because they will stand out in a sequence and the they must be related to each other in the sequence.
There are ways of transitioning from landscape to portrait but straight transitions from one to another look awkward.
PTE AV Studio will allow a free trial. If you want to purchase it it costs £53 or, if you want the professional version it costs £105. PTE includes sound editing. If you do buy it make sure that you keep your licence key safe. It will play on most types of equipment without extra software including TVs so it is a brilliant and more interesting way of preserving family memories.
Malcolm has set us a one minute challenge to create an AV. It will be a competition on Friday Feb 10th 2023. I hope that you will all have a go because it will be a very short evening if you don’t.
Maybe we could set up some working groups to help each other out and Dave Cooke has offered to do this with us.
The Roundhouse by the canals is now open to the public There is a mini trail giving a glimpse of the Roundhouse’s story.
Linked to the roundhouse is a project called “Birmingham Through a Lens” This is a Birmingham Photography Trail which starts at the Roundhouse, ventures to ten sites around the city centre and ends at Centenary Square. You can find an app to listen an audio tour as you go round the route.
This tour fits in very nicely with our final set subject competition of the year “City Scapes”. You are invited to share and tag your pictures with Birmingham Roundhouse, @bhamroundhouse, @westmidsphotocollective and @canalrivertrust.
There is also a leaflet to go with this giving hints on how to produce a good photo as well as advice on how to keep safe whilst you are taking them.
Talks
John Haines Personal Viewpoint – Photography One
This talk was about John’s journey through photography from the start and included some of the pictures that he took early on as part of the story. He included a lot of teaching within the talk and shared so many of the skills and tricks that he has learned over the years that I do not know where start with a summary. One very handy hint was “Do not volunteer to do weddings but if you do get roped in take photos that will make you money. For example a bridesmaid with a mum or a Granny.
The range of photographic subjects that he takes varies from Handsworth Carnival to Stratford Butterfly Farm and from the staircase in St Phillip’s Hall of Memory in Birmingham to working with models.
One piece of advice he gave and all photographers should observe is to make sure that you have the right equipment in your bag for the job and that your batteries are charged. I have to check that I have put back the SD cards so I only take one out at a time.
Iceland - land of Contrast. Paddy Ruske
This talk was significantly different to most talks about Iceland because Paddy Has a property in Iceland and takes people on tours there. He is very aware of how dangerous Iceland can be for the inexperienced.
After all, Iceland sits on a split in the earth’s crust in the middle of the Atlantic. On one side of the island you are on the plate that includes Europe and the other you’re on the plate that is pushing America towards the Pacific Ocean and is causing a chain of mountains to rise up on the west coast of the entire length of the Americas. Iceland is growing at a rate of 15cms per year which is very fast in geological terms.
This split is allowing magma to burst up through the earth’s crust and create an island made almost entirely of volcanoes, some of which are overdue to erupt at any time. Some places are absolutely lethal so Paddy is trained in first aid and carries a medical kit with him in the huge 4 by 4 that he must use to drive on the “roads” to the places he goes to take photos.
Iceland is stunningly beautiful so the photos that Paddy has taken are well worth seeing. He also goes to places that most photo tourists never get to and some of his pictures record sites that have completely changed due to volcanic activity after he has been there.
One tip that you must observe when going to Iceland is not to drink alcohol if you are going to drive. If caught the locals have to a week’s snow shovelling in the winter and the snow in Iceland is very deep. I don’t know what they expect tourists to do.
Photo Harmony Malcolm Imhoff
Malcolm’s motivational demonstration of what a Photo Harmony Audio Visual is was very clear and explained what exactly a Photo Harmony AV is and to create one using Pictures to Exe or PTE AV Studio.
The RPS definition of Photo Harmony is that it must be made up of a sequence of images that blend well. It must have a beginning, a middle and an end. The original end of the music must be preserved and not fade out. Digital manipulation must not be overdone.
In AV competitions video is banned but animations can be included. The picture transitions must be in pace with the music. Voice overs are not usual in this type of AV.
The best way to start is to choose a theme and take the photos to go with it. It is a good idea to choose the music before you start as it may guide the content of the photos that you use. You should avoid poor pictures because they will stand out in a sequence and the they must be related to each other in the sequence.
There are ways of transitioning from landscape to portrait but straight transitions from one to another look awkward.
PTE AV Studio will allow a free trial. If you want to purchase it it costs £53 or, if you want the professional version it costs £105. PTE includes sound editing. If you do buy it make sure that you keep your licence key safe. It will play on most types of equipment without extra software including TVs so it is a brilliant and more interesting way of preserving family memories.
Malcolm has set us a one minute challenge to create an AV. It will be a competition on Friday Feb 10th 2023. I hope that you will all have a go because it will be a very short evening if you don’t.
Maybe we could set up some working groups to help each other out and Dave Cooke has offered to do this with us.
Competition Results 2nd Competition 2022
Prints
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1st 2nd 3rd HC HC HC C C C |
City Bull City Towers Mist over Exmoor Man In Focus Octonellie Flying in for Lunch Busy Bee Normandy Sculpture Discrimination |
Dave Cooke Andrew Butler Jose Currant John Cresswell Jose Currant Jose Currant Catherine Nicholls Dave Cooke Martin James |
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PDIs
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1st 2nd 3rd HC HC C C |
Escape Route Buzzard Multi Tasking I am a Camera Dancing in the Shadows Market Day Floating Harbour at Dusk |
Richard Brown Andrew Butler Alan McCormick Richard Brown Malcolm Imhoff Dave Cooke Paul Stokes |
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Leader Boards
Prints
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1st 2nd 3rd 4th |
Jose currant and Catherine Nicholls Richard Brown Andrew Butler |
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PDIs
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1st 2nd 3rd 4th |
Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff Richard Brown Andrew Butler |
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Leader Board
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1st 2nd 3rd 4th |
Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff Richard Brown Andrew Butler |
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Interclub Competitons
So far we have been to two Interclub competitions, the first with Great Barr and the second with Streetly ( Formerly Aston and Erdington). The first was judged by Paddy Ruske and the second by Bob Moore, both experienced judges and speakers.
We entered images chosen from the winning images in club competitions that had been given the top three positions, plus some highly commended which we hoped would compare well with the other clubs entries. Despite this we still managed to come second in both competitions with the other clubs gaining a greater proportion of higher marks out of twenty and images which did really well in our competitions doing relatively less well in the interclubs.
One has to ask why this happens. One reason is a classic judge decision that when they look at the images they have to balance the skills of one photographer with another. In competitions images have to catch the eye of the judge for positive reasons. In competitions with hundreds of images to be shown in a very short time judges have to make very quick decisions so the picture has to be original and show more skill than others. So judges get used to balancing one image against another and deciding which one they prefer. Sometimes something really original can attract their attention for good reasons but it depends if the judge understands what the photographer is trying to portray. There is always a risk that a judge can be stuck in his or her ways and think something is too way out to give good marks to.
Pictures that tell a story often do well and so do photos where you have got in close or shot from an unusual angle.
However, there is another reason why pictures seem to gain good marks from judges and that is based on what I think of as photographic cliches. If you take a wonderful picture of a famous place that many others have photographed it might be downgraded.
So far we have been to two Interclub competitions, the first with Great Barr and the second with Streetly ( Formerly Aston and Erdington). The first was judged by Paddy Ruske and the second by Bob Moore, both experienced judges and speakers.
We entered images chosen from the winning images in club competitions that had been given the top three positions, plus some highly commended which we hoped would compare well with the other clubs entries. Despite this we still managed to come second in both competitions with the other clubs gaining a greater proportion of higher marks out of twenty and images which did really well in our competitions doing relatively less well in the interclubs.
One has to ask why this happens. One reason is a classic judge decision that when they look at the images they have to balance the skills of one photographer with another. In competitions images have to catch the eye of the judge for positive reasons. In competitions with hundreds of images to be shown in a very short time judges have to make very quick decisions so the picture has to be original and show more skill than others. So judges get used to balancing one image against another and deciding which one they prefer. Sometimes something really original can attract their attention for good reasons but it depends if the judge understands what the photographer is trying to portray. There is always a risk that a judge can be stuck in his or her ways and think something is too way out to give good marks to.
Pictures that tell a story often do well and so do photos where you have got in close or shot from an unusual angle.
However, there is another reason why pictures seem to gain good marks from judges and that is based on what I think of as photographic cliches. If you take a wonderful picture of a famous place that many others have photographed it might be downgraded.
Seven Sisters
Judges also seem to be biased towards certain types of pictures such as studio model sessions where the lights are set up and all the members of the club can take the same or similar pictures. This includes pictures that are taken time and again in the same style in similar circumstances. They are accepted for what they are, beautifully crafted images which deserve high marks.
Another reason for differences in the success of images with judges is personal preference. We have come across judges in the past who have downgraded pictures with birds in them even if they were good pictures. Another didn’t like pictures of boats where masts cut across the horizon and some judges seem to misunderstand the message of the image or misinterpret the circumstances in which the picture was taken.
Landscapes often fail to do well even when they are really good. Judges like to see people in the landscape, preferably in odd numbers and maybe dressed in red.
So what do we learn from this? Club competition photography can encourage and produce very skilled photographers but it is very different from other types of photography. Journalists do not have to worry about complicated backgrounds or light patches to take a good picture. Commercial photographers have to please their customers, and people who love photography as a hobby take beautiful pictures of places and events that they want to remember (often called record shots by judges).
The whole point of club photography is to pursue a hobby that we enjoy and to meet up with people that have the same interest and enthusiasm. We can learn from each other. We can teach each other new skills and we can set up sessions where we work together to take good photographs. Entering competitions is a way of improving our photography even if we get irritated by the subjectiveness of judging and the focus on finding reasons to rate one picture over another.
One way of using Interclub competitions is to make the effort to go along and see what other clubs are producing and gain a bit of insight into why they seem to do better than us. Also we must remember that judges give up their time to do an often thankless job and they are doing their bit to encourage good photography,
It will be interesting to see what a non MCPF judge will make of our photographs in the last competition of the year on Friday Dec 16th.
Which of these two would do better? Why?
Judges also seem to be biased towards certain types of pictures such as studio model sessions where the lights are set up and all the members of the club can take the same or similar pictures. This includes pictures that are taken time and again in the same style in similar circumstances. They are accepted for what they are, beautifully crafted images which deserve high marks.
Another reason for differences in the success of images with judges is personal preference. We have come across judges in the past who have downgraded pictures with birds in them even if they were good pictures. Another didn’t like pictures of boats where masts cut across the horizon and some judges seem to misunderstand the message of the image or misinterpret the circumstances in which the picture was taken.
Landscapes often fail to do well even when they are really good. Judges like to see people in the landscape, preferably in odd numbers and maybe dressed in red.
So what do we learn from this? Club competition photography can encourage and produce very skilled photographers but it is very different from other types of photography. Journalists do not have to worry about complicated backgrounds or light patches to take a good picture. Commercial photographers have to please their customers, and people who love photography as a hobby take beautiful pictures of places and events that they want to remember (often called record shots by judges).
The whole point of club photography is to pursue a hobby that we enjoy and to meet up with people that have the same interest and enthusiasm. We can learn from each other. We can teach each other new skills and we can set up sessions where we work together to take good photographs. Entering competitions is a way of improving our photography even if we get irritated by the subjectiveness of judging and the focus on finding reasons to rate one picture over another.
One way of using Interclub competitions is to make the effort to go along and see what other clubs are producing and gain a bit of insight into why they seem to do better than us. Also we must remember that judges give up their time to do an often thankless job and they are doing their bit to encourage good photography,
It will be interesting to see what a non MCPF judge will make of our photographs in the last competition of the year on Friday Dec 16th.
Which of these two would do better? Why?
Newsletter number 37, September 2022
Words from the Editor
At this very sad time when we have lost an iconic leader and role model due to the death of Queen Elizabeth I am sure that as a club we will miss her presence as she has been a major part of our lives. We also wish King Charles and the Queen Consort our sympathy and support for the coming months and years knowing that they will do their best to carry on with the role set by the Queen.
Not only have there been momentous changes for the country but we, as a club, are going through a period of change with a new Chairman and a new Programme Secretary. Both have taken up their new jobs with enthusiasm and are doing their best to make the club run smoothly. Well done to you both and thank you to the departing Chairman and Programme Secretary for the hard work you have put in to keep the club running for the last few years.
Much is changing in the world of photography. Many of the speakers and judges named in the latest MCPF handbook are no longer available to book to come to our meetings. It is much more difficult to find speakers that we can afford, particularly as the cost of travel and expenses for visitors have gone up. We also have to consider the cost of fuel may affect the amount that we have to pay for room rental which may go up in the future.
So maybe this is a time when club members should have their say about what the club should provide in the way of meetings for the year. If you have any ideas about the things that you would like the club to do then let Paul Cook know. Which activities do you like best and which ones could we do without?
Also we could do with some more help with running activities. Little things like coming to meetings a bit early to set up the tables and chairs are important as it is always the same people who seem to be doing it. Could you organise practical demonstrations? Could you organise a challenge or a walkabout/visit somewhere? Could you recommend places to go to take good photos? Would you like more social events?
If you don’t tell us what you want from the club then we cannot provide it. It is your club.
Another way you can help the club is by providing articles and images for the newsletter. Where have you been? What have you taken pictures of? What skills can you pass on?
Facebook
Derek has created a new Facebook community group that we can all contribute to. It is not the one that you click on the web site. You can get to it with this link. We need you to contribute to this as the public can see it and we need the publicity.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/599066465273608
Walkabouts
As a club we have got out of the habit of meeting up as a group to visit events during the summer but there are still things yet to happen in September and October which would be good for photography. Here are some suggestions.
Experience the Moon at Lichfield Cathedral 21 September to31 October at Lichfield Cathedral. A work by Luke Jerram called the Museum of the Moon will be hung in the cathedral. This work is 7 metres in diameter and will allow visitors to experience the moon close up.
www.lichfield-cathedral.org/moon
Klondyke Mill Steam Preservation Centre, Draycott in the Clay Staffordshire, DE6 5GZ Are having an October Steam Party Sat 15th to Sun16th October, 10.00am to 4.00pm. There will be engines in steam, tractors, stationary engines, cars, commercials etc to see.
web.nsctec@tiscali.co.uk
Tutbury Castle will be holding a Photography Day on Sunday 9th October. Models in authentic costume and historical artifacts from different periods will be on display. Tickets are £15.
The castle also has a bonfire night in November on the 4th and 5th. Beware, the Vikings will be there.
Other events are also held there on a regular basis.
tutburycastle.com
At this very sad time when we have lost an iconic leader and role model due to the death of Queen Elizabeth I am sure that as a club we will miss her presence as she has been a major part of our lives. We also wish King Charles and the Queen Consort our sympathy and support for the coming months and years knowing that they will do their best to carry on with the role set by the Queen.
Not only have there been momentous changes for the country but we, as a club, are going through a period of change with a new Chairman and a new Programme Secretary. Both have taken up their new jobs with enthusiasm and are doing their best to make the club run smoothly. Well done to you both and thank you to the departing Chairman and Programme Secretary for the hard work you have put in to keep the club running for the last few years.
Much is changing in the world of photography. Many of the speakers and judges named in the latest MCPF handbook are no longer available to book to come to our meetings. It is much more difficult to find speakers that we can afford, particularly as the cost of travel and expenses for visitors have gone up. We also have to consider the cost of fuel may affect the amount that we have to pay for room rental which may go up in the future.
So maybe this is a time when club members should have their say about what the club should provide in the way of meetings for the year. If you have any ideas about the things that you would like the club to do then let Paul Cook know. Which activities do you like best and which ones could we do without?
Also we could do with some more help with running activities. Little things like coming to meetings a bit early to set up the tables and chairs are important as it is always the same people who seem to be doing it. Could you organise practical demonstrations? Could you organise a challenge or a walkabout/visit somewhere? Could you recommend places to go to take good photos? Would you like more social events?
If you don’t tell us what you want from the club then we cannot provide it. It is your club.
Another way you can help the club is by providing articles and images for the newsletter. Where have you been? What have you taken pictures of? What skills can you pass on?
Derek has created a new Facebook community group that we can all contribute to. It is not the one that you click on the web site. You can get to it with this link. We need you to contribute to this as the public can see it and we need the publicity.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/599066465273608
Walkabouts
As a club we have got out of the habit of meeting up as a group to visit events during the summer but there are still things yet to happen in September and October which would be good for photography. Here are some suggestions.
Experience the Moon at Lichfield Cathedral 21 September to31 October at Lichfield Cathedral. A work by Luke Jerram called the Museum of the Moon will be hung in the cathedral. This work is 7 metres in diameter and will allow visitors to experience the moon close up.
www.lichfield-cathedral.org/moon
Klondyke Mill Steam Preservation Centre, Draycott in the Clay Staffordshire, DE6 5GZ Are having an October Steam Party Sat 15th to Sun16th October, 10.00am to 4.00pm. There will be engines in steam, tractors, stationary engines, cars, commercials etc to see.
web.nsctec@tiscali.co.uk
Tutbury Castle will be holding a Photography Day on Sunday 9th October. Models in authentic costume and historical artifacts from different periods will be on display. Tickets are £15.
The castle also has a bonfire night in November on the 4th and 5th. Beware, the Vikings will be there.
Other events are also held there on a regular basis.
tutburycastle.com
Words from the Editor
At this very sad time when we have lost an iconic leader and role model due to the death of Queen Elizabeth I am sure that as a club we will miss her presence as she has been a major part of our lives. We also wish King Charles and the Queen Consort our sympathy and support for the coming months and years knowing that they will do their best to carry on with the role set by the Queen.
Not only have there been momentous changes for the country but we, as a club, are going through a period of change with a new Chairman and a new Programme Secretary. Both have taken up their new jobs with enthusiasm and are doing their best to make the club run smoothly. Well done to you both and thank you to the departing Chairman and Programme Secretary for the hard work you have put in to keep the club running for the last few years.
Much is changing in the world of photography. Many of the speakers and judges named in the latest MCPF handbook are no longer available to book to come to our meetings. It is much more difficult to find speakers that we can afford, particularly as the cost of travel and expenses for visitors have gone up. We also have to consider the cost of fuel may affect the amount that we have to pay for room rental which may go up in the future.
So maybe this is a time when club members should have their say about what the club should provide in the way of meetings for the year. If you have any ideas about the things that you would like the club to do then let Paul Cook know. Which activities do you like best and which ones could we do without?
Also we could do with some more help with running activities. Little things like coming to meetings a bit early to set up the tables and chairs are important as it is always the same people who seem to be doing it. Could you organise practical demonstrations? Could you organise a challenge or a walkabout/visit somewhere? Could you recommend places to go to take good photos? Would you like more social events?
If you don’t tell us what you want from the club then we cannot provide it. It is your club.
Another way you can help the club is by providing articles and images for the newsletter. Where have you been? What have you taken pictures of? What skills can you pass on?
Facebook
Derek has created a new Facebook community group that we can all contribute to. It is not the one that you click on the web site. You can get to it with this link. We need you to contribute to this as the public can see it and we need the publicity.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/599066465273608
Walkabouts
As a club we have got out of the habit of meeting up as a group to visit events during the summer but there are still things yet to happen in September and October which would be good for photography. Here are some suggestions.
Experience the Moon at Lichfield Cathedral 21 September to31 October at Lichfield Cathedral. A work by Luke Jerram called the Museum of the Moon will be hung in the cathedral. This work is 7 metres in diameter and will allow visitors to experience the moon close up.
www.lichfield-cathedral.org/moon
Klondyke Mill Steam Preservation Centre, Draycott in the Clay Staffordshire, DE6 5GZ Are having an October Steam Party Sat 15th to Sun16th October, 10.00am to 4.00pm. There will be engines in steam, tractors, stationary engines, cars, commercials etc to see.
web.nsctec@tiscali.co.uk
Tutbury Castle will be holding a Photography Day on Sunday 9th October. Models in authentic costume and historical artifacts from different periods will be on display. Tickets are £15.
The castle also has a bonfire night in November on the 4th and 5th. Beware, the Vikings will be there.
Other events are also held there on a regular basis.
tutburycastle.com
At this very sad time when we have lost an iconic leader and role model due to the death of Queen Elizabeth I am sure that as a club we will miss her presence as she has been a major part of our lives. We also wish King Charles and the Queen Consort our sympathy and support for the coming months and years knowing that they will do their best to carry on with the role set by the Queen.
Not only have there been momentous changes for the country but we, as a club, are going through a period of change with a new Chairman and a new Programme Secretary. Both have taken up their new jobs with enthusiasm and are doing their best to make the club run smoothly. Well done to you both and thank you to the departing Chairman and Programme Secretary for the hard work you have put in to keep the club running for the last few years.
Much is changing in the world of photography. Many of the speakers and judges named in the latest MCPF handbook are no longer available to book to come to our meetings. It is much more difficult to find speakers that we can afford, particularly as the cost of travel and expenses for visitors have gone up. We also have to consider the cost of fuel may affect the amount that we have to pay for room rental which may go up in the future.
So maybe this is a time when club members should have their say about what the club should provide in the way of meetings for the year. If you have any ideas about the things that you would like the club to do then let Paul Cook know. Which activities do you like best and which ones could we do without?
Also we could do with some more help with running activities. Little things like coming to meetings a bit early to set up the tables and chairs are important as it is always the same people who seem to be doing it. Could you organise practical demonstrations? Could you organise a challenge or a walkabout/visit somewhere? Could you recommend places to go to take good photos? Would you like more social events?
If you don’t tell us what you want from the club then we cannot provide it. It is your club.
Another way you can help the club is by providing articles and images for the newsletter. Where have you been? What have you taken pictures of? What skills can you pass on?
Derek has created a new Facebook community group that we can all contribute to. It is not the one that you click on the web site. You can get to it with this link. We need you to contribute to this as the public can see it and we need the publicity.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/599066465273608
Walkabouts
As a club we have got out of the habit of meeting up as a group to visit events during the summer but there are still things yet to happen in September and October which would be good for photography. Here are some suggestions.
Experience the Moon at Lichfield Cathedral 21 September to31 October at Lichfield Cathedral. A work by Luke Jerram called the Museum of the Moon will be hung in the cathedral. This work is 7 metres in diameter and will allow visitors to experience the moon close up.
www.lichfield-cathedral.org/moon
Klondyke Mill Steam Preservation Centre, Draycott in the Clay Staffordshire, DE6 5GZ Are having an October Steam Party Sat 15th to Sun16th October, 10.00am to 4.00pm. There will be engines in steam, tractors, stationary engines, cars, commercials etc to see.
web.nsctec@tiscali.co.uk
Tutbury Castle will be holding a Photography Day on Sunday 9th October. Models in authentic costume and historical artifacts from different periods will be on display. Tickets are £15.
The castle also has a bonfire night in November on the 4th and 5th. Beware, the Vikings will be there.
Other events are also held there on a regular basis.
tutburycastle.com
www.thergdeventlist.com
www.papplewickpumpingstation.org.uk
May be you could cut the cost of travel by sharing cars.
Is anyone interested in doing some street photography? Let us know at the next meeting.
Talks
Street Photography- an introduction to the Flaneur Style. Wex Birmingham Collaboration
Mark Wilbrey BAHons Photography
We have only had one talk so far this season but it was a very interesting one.
Mark is not interested in street photography from the point of view of entering competitions. He prefers the Flaneur style of photography. Flaneur means someone who strolls around and in the case of photography it means someone who walks around observing the world around them. A Flaneur is a person who follows his/her nose in the streets and refuses to go down well trodden paths. The style encounters chaos and randomness.
A good Flaneur style photograph captures the relationship between random subjects. It may convey emotion, humour or contradiction. It can be taken from unusual angles. It involves looking, observing quietly and relating to people and things around you. You have to be patient and really get to know a place and above all it is about breaking the rules.
Mark does not believe in cropping or processing images. He aims to shoot the subject of interest within the frame of his camera. He usually uses landscape format rather than portrait and is looking for details that most people would not notice.
He gave Eugene Atget and Henri Cartier-Bresson as examples of famous street photographers and pointed out that this is not about producing a beautiful picture but about engaging with people on the street.
He gave us some warnings. Whilst it is legal for us to take pictures of people in public places it is not legal to take pictures of people in railway stations, trains, café interiors or anywhere privately owned. That hasn’t stopped him from taking pictures in Grand Central as he says that the security guards have no right to ask you to delete your photos. Even if they call the police the officers will not do much about it. You could be sued if a picture of a person in a private place is copied and used by companies or organisations to create an advert or something on the internet.
Finally have a look at the work of Brassai for some excellent examples of candid street photography
Mark’s next talk will be a demonstration on how to use studio portrait flash on Friday Nov 4th.
Newsletter Extra (number 36), May 2022
AGM and Annual Trophy Presentation
At our Annual General Meeting on Friday the thirteenth of May Grahame Tench was elected Chairman and Paul Cook was elected Programme Secretary.
John Cresswell almost completely swept the board of annual trophies, topping the league in our points competition for both prints and digital images. He also won print of the year. Our retiring Chairman Alan McCormick won the Patricia Cooke Cup for digital image of the year.
At our Annual General Meeting on Friday the thirteenth of May Grahame Tench was elected Chairman and Paul Cook was elected Programme Secretary.
John Cresswell almost completely swept the board of annual trophies, topping the league in our points competition for both prints and digital images. He also won print of the year. Our retiring Chairman Alan McCormick won the Patricia Cooke Cup for digital image of the year.
Newsletter number 35, January 2022
Words from the Editor
Happy New Year to you all. Let us hope that all the events and places that we want to take photographs of are available to us all from now on and we can carry on doing what we love best.
This year Paul Stokes has decided to move house to be nearer to his family so Paul Cook has offered his services to become the new Programme Secretary. Well done Paul. This is a crucial role for the club as without a Programme Secretary we could not function.
We need to thank Paul Stokes for doing a very difficult job during the pandemic and keeping our club going when other clubs temporarily ceased to function. Paul S will be supporting Paul P during the transition stage until his house is sold. Thanks also to Ian Dean for adding the job of organising the Christmas dinner to his job of organising the weekend away, both of which are tricky jobs to do.
How about someone volunteering to take on the job of Club Secretary?
We also need a new chair person to lead the club.
Now is the time of year when club members should have their say about what the club should provide in the way of meetings for the year. If you have any ideas about the things that you would like the club to do then let the Pauls know. Which activities do you like best and which ones could we do without?
Also we could do with some more help with running activities. Little things like coming to meetings a bit early to set up the tables and chairs are important as it is always the same people who seem to be doing it. Could you organise practical demonstrations? Could you organise a challenge or a walkabout/visit somewhere? Could you recommend places to go to take good photos? Would you like more social events?
If you don’t tell us what you want from the club then we cannot provide it. It is your club.
Another way you can help the club is by providing articles and images for the newsletter. Where have you been? What have you taken pictures of? What skills can you pass on?
Happy New Year to you all. Let us hope that all the events and places that we want to take photographs of are available to us all from now on and we can carry on doing what we love best.
This year Paul Stokes has decided to move house to be nearer to his family so Paul Cook has offered his services to become the new Programme Secretary. Well done Paul. This is a crucial role for the club as without a Programme Secretary we could not function.
We need to thank Paul Stokes for doing a very difficult job during the pandemic and keeping our club going when other clubs temporarily ceased to function. Paul S will be supporting Paul P during the transition stage until his house is sold. Thanks also to Ian Dean for adding the job of organising the Christmas dinner to his job of organising the weekend away, both of which are tricky jobs to do.
How about someone volunteering to take on the job of Club Secretary?
We also need a new chair person to lead the club.
Now is the time of year when club members should have their say about what the club should provide in the way of meetings for the year. If you have any ideas about the things that you would like the club to do then let the Pauls know. Which activities do you like best and which ones could we do without?
Also we could do with some more help with running activities. Little things like coming to meetings a bit early to set up the tables and chairs are important as it is always the same people who seem to be doing it. Could you organise practical demonstrations? Could you organise a challenge or a walkabout/visit somewhere? Could you recommend places to go to take good photos? Would you like more social events?
If you don’t tell us what you want from the club then we cannot provide it. It is your club.
Another way you can help the club is by providing articles and images for the newsletter. Where have you been? What have you taken pictures of? What skills can you pass on?
Walkabouts
With the relaxing of Covid rules some of us have begun to go out on walkabouts again. A group of us have been to Blist’s Hill during Victorian Week and two of us have been to the Black Country Museum.
Whilst these two sites have been a little overused by local photography groups we still managed to take a few good pictures and both were good social events.
The Black Country Museum is undergoing major building projects at the moment so there will be a new visitor’s centre and a new mid 20th century town area open to the public eventually. This has stopped the trams running but you can still get down to the chip shop, pub and town area by bus.
Photo opportunities vary depending on which volunteers are there. Some of the familiar faces have gone so new opportunities are available for portraits. However, don’t forget to ask if people mind you taking pictures as not all volunteers want their images available to the public. Lighting is poor in the houses at this time of the year so out door photos are easier to take.
With the relaxing of Covid rules some of us have begun to go out on walkabouts again. A group of us have been to Blist’s Hill during Victorian Week and two of us have been to the Black Country Museum.
Whilst these two sites have been a little overused by local photography groups we still managed to take a few good pictures and both were good social events.
The Black Country Museum is undergoing major building projects at the moment so there will be a new visitor’s centre and a new mid 20th century town area open to the public eventually. This has stopped the trams running but you can still get down to the chip shop, pub and town area by bus.
Photo opportunities vary depending on which volunteers are there. Some of the familiar faces have gone so new opportunities are available for portraits. However, don’t forget to ask if people mind you taking pictures as not all volunteers want their images available to the public. Lighting is poor in the houses at this time of the year so out door photos are easier to take.
We have also had had a small group visit to Tardebigge Locks, Fradley Junction and I have found that Tamworth has got potential for some good pictures. There is a very cooperative heron that stays still for a long time close to the river bank near the castle.
If you want to go out with a group of us please let me know where and when you want to go and I will email everyone to ask who is interested. This is an ideal way to share knowledge and expertise.
I will create a list of brilliant places to take photos that myself and the club have used in the past in hopes that they will restart again this year. This will be in the members’ area. If you have any suggestions then please let me know so that I can add them to the list
If you want to go out with a group of us please let me know where and when you want to go and I will email everyone to ask who is interested. This is an ideal way to share knowledge and expertise.
I will create a list of brilliant places to take photos that myself and the club have used in the past in hopes that they will restart again this year. This will be in the members’ area. If you have any suggestions then please let me know so that I can add them to the list
Competition 5 - Judge, Richard Brown
The intention of this competition was to show that you can take really good photos with a phone. You do not need a fancy camera to get good results because a good photograph is the one seen by the photographer.
It was also an opportunity for members to the judging with some guidance by Richard. However there were not enough members participating in the Zoom to make the judging work so Richard took over.
In doing this he made a very good job of it despite earning himself the new knickname of “Rich the Ripper” half way through. He awarded a lot of Commendeds and Highly Commendeds and gave us a lot of ideas on how to improve our skills.
There were 27 entries with some really good results.
It was also an opportunity for members to the judging with some guidance by Richard. However there were not enough members participating in the Zoom to make the judging work so Richard took over.
In doing this he made a very good job of it despite earning himself the new knickname of “Rich the Ripper” half way through. He awarded a lot of Commendeds and Highly Commendeds and gave us a lot of ideas on how to improve our skills.
There were 27 entries with some really good results.
DPIs
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1st - Fungal Growth 2nd - Centenary Square 2 3rd - Digital City HC - A Nice Morning HC - Best In Show HC - Urban Night Abstract C - Hellebores C - Black Country At Night C - Watch Where You Are Putting Your Feet |
Paul Stokes Paul Cook Catherine Nicholls Alan McCormick Ian Dean Steve West Dave Cooke Derek Venus Malcolm Imhoff |
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Leader Board
DPIs
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1st - 62 points 2nd - 53 points 3rd - 50 points 4th - 49 points 5th - 47 points |
Catherine Nicholls Alan McCormick Ian Dean Paul Stokes Malcolm Imhoff |
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Talks
Istanbul and Fun and Fare
Mark and Judy Buckley Sharp.
If you ever wanted a brilliant place to go to take photographs then Mark and Judy showed one of the very best places to go. Istanbul has a wonderful array of spectacular buildings, markets, museums, a palace and street food vendors that make great subjects for those seeking new ideas.
Mark started with the Blue Mosque which has a stunning blue tiled dome. And unusual for any mosque, six minarets. The story that explains this is that the Turkish for six is very similar to the word for gold. The Blue mosque was built very close to the Hagia Sophia which was originally built as a Christian church and was converted to be a mosque during the reign of the Ottomans. It has also been a museum up until recently and has now been converted back into a mosque. It is huge inside and has beautiful mosaics with tiles made of gold.
Next to the Blue Mosque is the position of the Hippodrome, a Roman sports arena and a garden. Another Roman building is the Basilica Cistern, an underground reservoir built of pillars and sculptures taken from other, older buildings and very whispery and creepy. Mark said it was a photographer’s nightmare because of the lighting conditions.
Mark and Judy have returned to Istanbul many times and are still finding out new things about the old city. They photograph the street life, sample the food and wine and visit the indoor bazaar where it is very easy to get lost. The produce that is sold in the markets is colourful, very different to what you would see in any other market. Carpets, Lamps, belly dancing outfits, spices, food and wedding outfits are a few of the things you might see.
Mark and Judy decide in advance what the stories of their images will tell and then go out to find the photos to illustrate them. They have also taken the time to learn Turkish so that they can talk to people and they recommend that you drive in the middle of Turkish roads because the edges are so dodgy.
I think that we will all be going there sometime in the future.
You Be the Judge
Richard and Natasha Cobby
Richard and Natasha’s aim was to help us to understand better what makes a good picture. We need to ask ourselves what it is we are trying to achieve in our photography.
He says that whatever the taste of the judges we need to have enjoyed the process of taking the picture and the final result. The process of judging is always subjective and photos that do well with one judge will not do well with another. As he has run ins with judges himself he has taken the original image to a competition to prove a point.
Richard went through an enormous amount of material in a very short time and showed us photos that had some of the classic faults such as horses with too many legs people with cut off feet. A very useful hint was to turn portraits upside down to see if there are any bright spots that need cloning out.
It was a very useful lecture for any photographer as we all have things to learn.
We have a link to his pictures www.pbase.com/richardcobby
The bullet point slides from Richard Cobby’s talk can be downloaded here: https://suttonphoto.club/page-13/downloads/
Mark and Judy Buckley Sharp.
If you ever wanted a brilliant place to go to take photographs then Mark and Judy showed one of the very best places to go. Istanbul has a wonderful array of spectacular buildings, markets, museums, a palace and street food vendors that make great subjects for those seeking new ideas.
Mark started with the Blue Mosque which has a stunning blue tiled dome. And unusual for any mosque, six minarets. The story that explains this is that the Turkish for six is very similar to the word for gold. The Blue mosque was built very close to the Hagia Sophia which was originally built as a Christian church and was converted to be a mosque during the reign of the Ottomans. It has also been a museum up until recently and has now been converted back into a mosque. It is huge inside and has beautiful mosaics with tiles made of gold.
Next to the Blue Mosque is the position of the Hippodrome, a Roman sports arena and a garden. Another Roman building is the Basilica Cistern, an underground reservoir built of pillars and sculptures taken from other, older buildings and very whispery and creepy. Mark said it was a photographer’s nightmare because of the lighting conditions.
Mark and Judy have returned to Istanbul many times and are still finding out new things about the old city. They photograph the street life, sample the food and wine and visit the indoor bazaar where it is very easy to get lost. The produce that is sold in the markets is colourful, very different to what you would see in any other market. Carpets, Lamps, belly dancing outfits, spices, food and wedding outfits are a few of the things you might see.
Mark and Judy decide in advance what the stories of their images will tell and then go out to find the photos to illustrate them. They have also taken the time to learn Turkish so that they can talk to people and they recommend that you drive in the middle of Turkish roads because the edges are so dodgy.
I think that we will all be going there sometime in the future.
You Be the Judge
Richard and Natasha Cobby
Richard and Natasha’s aim was to help us to understand better what makes a good picture. We need to ask ourselves what it is we are trying to achieve in our photography.
He says that whatever the taste of the judges we need to have enjoyed the process of taking the picture and the final result. The process of judging is always subjective and photos that do well with one judge will not do well with another. As he has run ins with judges himself he has taken the original image to a competition to prove a point.
Richard went through an enormous amount of material in a very short time and showed us photos that had some of the classic faults such as horses with too many legs people with cut off feet. A very useful hint was to turn portraits upside down to see if there are any bright spots that need cloning out.
It was a very useful lecture for any photographer as we all have things to learn.
We have a link to his pictures www.pbase.com/richardcobby
The bullet point slides from Richard Cobby’s talk can be downloaded here: https://suttonphoto.club/page-13/downloads/
Newsletter number 34, December 2021
… and a much better New Year
Words from the Editor
Thank goodness the year has rushed by. Let us hope that the next year brings us more freedom to go out, take photos and meet up to share our successes.
At least some of us have been able to meet up at the Black Country Museum and Blist’s Hill to take photos following other walkabouts in the area.
I would like to arrange more outdoor shared events next year so if anyone has some ideas of where they would like to go please let me know.
The Magical Mystery Tour was amazing and raised £1,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support despite the number of guests being limited due to Covid rules. Well done to the Fab Four and helpers for organizing it. I am looking forward to next year’s effort but I don’t envy the AV group for the amount of work they have to put in to create new Avs. We also got a good plug in the Sutton Coldfield Chronicle with our club name correctly quoted this time.
Reminders
The next competition is for photos taken on your mobile phone, so if like me you haven’t taken anything you can use, you need to get out there and take something.
Also, do not forget that Paul Stokes is hoping to move house next year so we will be needing a new programme secretary. Ideally the volunteer would need to shadow Paul from now as he has already started work on the programme for next year. Without a programme secretary the club cannot function, so get your thinking caps on with some ideas on how to solve this problem.
Thank goodness the year has rushed by. Let us hope that the next year brings us more freedom to go out, take photos and meet up to share our successes.
At least some of us have been able to meet up at the Black Country Museum and Blist’s Hill to take photos following other walkabouts in the area.
I would like to arrange more outdoor shared events next year so if anyone has some ideas of where they would like to go please let me know.
The Magical Mystery Tour was amazing and raised £1,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support despite the number of guests being limited due to Covid rules. Well done to the Fab Four and helpers for organizing it. I am looking forward to next year’s effort but I don’t envy the AV group for the amount of work they have to put in to create new Avs. We also got a good plug in the Sutton Coldfield Chronicle with our club name correctly quoted this time.
Reminders
The next competition is for photos taken on your mobile phone, so if like me you haven’t taken anything you can use, you need to get out there and take something.
Also, do not forget that Paul Stokes is hoping to move house next year so we will be needing a new programme secretary. Ideally the volunteer would need to shadow Paul from now as he has already started work on the programme for next year. Without a programme secretary the club cannot function, so get your thinking caps on with some ideas on how to solve this problem.
This was the fifteenth annual Audio Visual show and supper in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and was held at Duke Street Church on Friday 19th November. The show was very different from those put on in the past as it was a Beatles Spectacular. The organisers, usually known as Malcolm Imhoff, José Currant, Dave Cooke and Richard Brown, turned into the Fab Four to put on a Beatles themed show with plenty of great Beatles’ music, photography, and Audio Visual programmes.
Over the years this event has raised thousands of pounds for Macmillan. Last year, when a live meeting could not be held due to Lockdown, they still managed to raise £750 through on-line donations from loyal supporters. This year the sum raised has nearly reached £1300, and it is still possible to make an on-line donation via the JustGiving website. Just search for “The Magical Mystery Tour”.
The star prize in the raffle was a cake with a Beatles theme made and donated by Diane Curzey, of “Di’s Sugar ‘n’ Ice” which you can find on Facebook.
The date has already been set for next year’s event, Friday 25th November 2022.
Walk Abouts
Blist’s Hill Iron Bridge
Five of us took the opportunity to go to Blist’s Hill on one of the Victorian weekends held before Christmas.
It was an interesting day with lots to take photos of and many willing models. The lighting wasn’t very good. We seem to be having more than our fair share of flat white cloud these days but it was lovely to get out and about.
Five of us took the opportunity to go to Blist’s Hill on one of the Victorian weekends held before Christmas.
It was an interesting day with lots to take photos of and many willing models. The lighting wasn’t very good. We seem to be having more than our fair share of flat white cloud these days but it was lovely to get out and about.
The BCM is undergoing two major building projects at the moment, which means that some of the exhibits maybe obstructed but it is still a great place to go if you want to take photographs of people and old machinery in Victorian settings.
A ticket will last for a year making multiple visits cheaper and you can get some excellent fish and chips when you are there. The pub with a sawdust covered floor is open for beer and there are regular demonstrations in the forge.
Talks
“The Good Old Days” Bob and Sue Moore
Bob is a local lad who has lived in Birmingham for a very long time. As an absolute fanatic for photography he was out and about taking pictures of Birmingham in the 50s, 60s and 70s when the city was being demolished to clear war damage and slums to make way for more modern developments, some of which have survived until this time.
The photos that he and Sue showed were of the people and the lifestyle of the people who lived in areas around the city where housing was being cleared.
It was quite a shock for country bumpkins like myself to see how bad the living conditions of many people were in the city at a time when I was living in beautiful rural surroundings. The pictures were an amazing record of the times
To Bob pictures of people are more are more important than anything else, especially if they tell the story of how those people live. He doesn’t use long lenses. He goes up to the people and talks to them and asks permission to take the pictures. In the past it was much easier to take photos of people in the street than it is now as it was novelty for them. He asked them not to smile or pose and he made sure that they looked towards the camera whist carrying on what they were doing.
He had to be aware of what he wanted to take because he was using film and didn’t have the luxury of being able to take multiple shots like we do today.
He did get picked up by the police when taking pictures near Winson Green Prison and had to take copies of his photos to prove that he was just a photographer and not trying to aid the escape of prisoners.
He also recommends that you take pictures back to the people so that you can get more acceptance form the locals.
Bob and Sue recommend that you put your pictures into exhibitions to find out how your work is rated. You will always find their work in the brochures for local and international exhibitions. Bob has also published a set of books with the photos of Old Birmingham and its people that some of you might find very interesting.
“Not Just Lakes and the Yorkshire Brigadoon” Alison Taylor
Alison is an amazing landscape photographer who travels extensively in the north of England and further afield taking the most beautiful pictures.
The first part of her talk, held on Zoom, took us to the Lake District and showed us not only the places and views that many people know well but also some that she had discovered.
The beauty of Alison’s pictures comes from her willingness to get up at 3am and look for colourful sunrises. She takes her images during the golden hours when the angle of the sun provides interesting shadows and colours on the landscape. She is not afraid to go out when the weather is bad to capture interesting skies and rough seas.
At the time of the talk Alison was in a caravan during Storm Arwen. She said that the temperature outside was -8 degrees centigrade. We were extremely concerned that her electric supply was cut off near the end of her first talk as she only had an electric heater in the van. She was unable to continue with the second half of the evening so we have the talk on Yorkshire to look forward to in the future.
Paul phoned her on the next morning to check that she was OK. She had driven home safely. Alison will be back to complete her talk very soon.
“The Good Old Days” Bob and Sue Moore
Bob is a local lad who has lived in Birmingham for a very long time. As an absolute fanatic for photography he was out and about taking pictures of Birmingham in the 50s, 60s and 70s when the city was being demolished to clear war damage and slums to make way for more modern developments, some of which have survived until this time.
The photos that he and Sue showed were of the people and the lifestyle of the people who lived in areas around the city where housing was being cleared.
It was quite a shock for country bumpkins like myself to see how bad the living conditions of many people were in the city at a time when I was living in beautiful rural surroundings. The pictures were an amazing record of the times
To Bob pictures of people are more are more important than anything else, especially if they tell the story of how those people live. He doesn’t use long lenses. He goes up to the people and talks to them and asks permission to take the pictures. In the past it was much easier to take photos of people in the street than it is now as it was novelty for them. He asked them not to smile or pose and he made sure that they looked towards the camera whist carrying on what they were doing.
He had to be aware of what he wanted to take because he was using film and didn’t have the luxury of being able to take multiple shots like we do today.
He did get picked up by the police when taking pictures near Winson Green Prison and had to take copies of his photos to prove that he was just a photographer and not trying to aid the escape of prisoners.
He also recommends that you take pictures back to the people so that you can get more acceptance form the locals.
Bob and Sue recommend that you put your pictures into exhibitions to find out how your work is rated. You will always find their work in the brochures for local and international exhibitions. Bob has also published a set of books with the photos of Old Birmingham and its people that some of you might find very interesting.
“Not Just Lakes and the Yorkshire Brigadoon” Alison Taylor
Alison is an amazing landscape photographer who travels extensively in the north of England and further afield taking the most beautiful pictures.
The first part of her talk, held on Zoom, took us to the Lake District and showed us not only the places and views that many people know well but also some that she had discovered.
The beauty of Alison’s pictures comes from her willingness to get up at 3am and look for colourful sunrises. She takes her images during the golden hours when the angle of the sun provides interesting shadows and colours on the landscape. She is not afraid to go out when the weather is bad to capture interesting skies and rough seas.
At the time of the talk Alison was in a caravan during Storm Arwen. She said that the temperature outside was -8 degrees centigrade. We were extremely concerned that her electric supply was cut off near the end of her first talk as she only had an electric heater in the van. She was unable to continue with the second half of the evening so we have the talk on Yorkshire to look forward to in the future.
Paul phoned her on the next morning to check that she was OK. She had driven home safely. Alison will be back to complete her talk very soon.
Interclub Competition
Great Barr v SCPC Judge Graham Walton DPAGB
This competition was held on Zoom as it was considered wiser to be cautious about Covid. This meant that the competition consisted of DPIs only.
As usual the style of pictures that our club members take is very different to that of Great Barr. Whilst we included more portraits it is clear that to win an interclub there are some genres of pictures that do better with judges than others.
The first seems to be sports pictures showing speed, movement, facial expressions and clouds of dust. Where competitors wear visors it is better if their faces can be seen. Panning against a simple background does well.
However, the overriding subject that gains the highest marks is portrait work taken in a studio with a professional style of studio lighting, interesting costumes and stylish make up. Stunning pictures of birds on stick or in flight can also do well.
The score totals for the competition were SCPC 319, Great Barr 337. The question is do we want to change the type of pictures that we take or do we want to be photographers for the pleasure we get going out and about and photographing the world around us?
This competition was held on Zoom as it was considered wiser to be cautious about Covid. This meant that the competition consisted of DPIs only.
As usual the style of pictures that our club members take is very different to that of Great Barr. Whilst we included more portraits it is clear that to win an interclub there are some genres of pictures that do better with judges than others.
The first seems to be sports pictures showing speed, movement, facial expressions and clouds of dust. Where competitors wear visors it is better if their faces can be seen. Panning against a simple background does well.
However, the overriding subject that gains the highest marks is portrait work taken in a studio with a professional style of studio lighting, interesting costumes and stylish make up. Stunning pictures of birds on stick or in flight can also do well.
The score totals for the competition were SCPC 319, Great Barr 337. The question is do we want to change the type of pictures that we take or do we want to be photographers for the pleasure we get going out and about and photographing the world around us?
Competition 4 - Judge, Graham Walton DPAGB
We are getting to know Graham’s ideas about what makes a good picture pretty well by now but something we did hear from him for the first time is that he is a railway enthusiast that knows a lot about trains.
He, like Bob Moore, likes pictures of people who have a rapport with the photographer. He says ask them to look at you when taking their picture. He also likes simplicity. Complicated pictures that do not tell a clear story do not do well but he is always constructive and suggests ways of improving the image, either at the time of taking the picture or during the processing stage.
He, like Bob Moore, likes pictures of people who have a rapport with the photographer. He says ask them to look at you when taking their picture. He also likes simplicity. Complicated pictures that do not tell a clear story do not do well but he is always constructive and suggests ways of improving the image, either at the time of taking the picture or during the processing stage.
DPIs
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1st - Chillin' 2nd - Into Infinity 3rd - Wicken Fen Mill HC - In Honour of Sacrifice HC - Near Ashness Bridge HC - Cloister Windows HC - Old Summer House HC - Polperro C - Gannet C - Tea Break C - I'll Take You To The Top C - White City C - Sunshine State C - The Final Salute |
Alan McCormick Richard Brown John Cresswell Alan McCormick John Cresswell Catherine Nicholls Ian Dean Dave Ballantyne Andrew Butler Catherine Nicholls Malcolm Imhoff Malcolm Imhoff Paul Stokes Richard Brown |
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Newsletter number 33, November 2021
Words from the Editor
It seems that we have got off to meetings with great pace this year. We have already had three internal competitions, and an interclub with Aston and Erdington as well a number of excellent talks and a portrait session.
Coming up we have a talk by Bob and Sue Moore, two of the most respected photographers in the country, a Magical Mystery Tour, a Zoom with Alison Taylor and another Interclub with Great Barr.
Although we came second to A and E in the Interclub the gap between us and them seems to have narrowed. Perhaps we can use this progress to win the next one.
Fred Allen
Fred’s funeral took place on Monday 8th of November and was attended by a large number of family and friends including members of the club who have known him for a long time. Fred was well known amongst his family for his enthusiasm for photography and they were delighted that so many club members came to see him off. We were also pleased to see John Haines and his daughter there. John has known Fred for a long time as well.
It was a lovely service and it was a relief to be able to go to a funeral to show our respects after not being able to do so for two other longstanding members of the club who died during Lockdown. These were Dave Williamson and Vic Palmer. An ex-member of the club and Dave Williamson’s twin brother Ray has also recently died.
It seems that we have got off to meetings with great pace this year. We have already had three internal competitions, and an interclub with Aston and Erdington as well a number of excellent talks and a portrait session.
Coming up we have a talk by Bob and Sue Moore, two of the most respected photographers in the country, a Magical Mystery Tour, a Zoom with Alison Taylor and another Interclub with Great Barr.
Although we came second to A and E in the Interclub the gap between us and them seems to have narrowed. Perhaps we can use this progress to win the next one.
Fred Allen
Fred’s funeral took place on Monday 8th of November and was attended by a large number of family and friends including members of the club who have known him for a long time. Fred was well known amongst his family for his enthusiasm for photography and they were delighted that so many club members came to see him off. We were also pleased to see John Haines and his daughter there. John has known Fred for a long time as well.
It was a lovely service and it was a relief to be able to go to a funeral to show our respects after not being able to do so for two other longstanding members of the club who died during Lockdown. These were Dave Williamson and Vic Palmer. An ex-member of the club and Dave Williamson’s twin brother Ray has also recently died.
Portrait Session
I invited Bill Rogers and his wife Sue to come to do a portrait session for two reasons. Firstly, Bill is a member of the Birmingham Savoyards which puts on G and S operas at the Old Rep. He is a great character and can upstage anyone, even when he is standing at the back of the stage in the chorus.
He is also chairman of Birmingham Symphonic Winds, an orchestra of wind instruments that has a national and international reputation and is one of the leading wind ensembles in the country. They put on excellent concerts in the CBSO Centre in Birmingham and travel abroad to places such as New York and Hong Kong.
Bill invited two saxophone players, Sarah and Jeremy, to come to the session. He also brought a number of very suitable outfits to wear as a model and proved excellent at taking up a pose and sitting still when requested by the members.
One of the images of him, called Evil Eye, did well in the Interclub with Aston and Erdington.
I invited Bill Rogers and his wife Sue to come to do a portrait session for two reasons. Firstly, Bill is a member of the Birmingham Savoyards which puts on G and S operas at the Old Rep. He is a great character and can upstage anyone, even when he is standing at the back of the stage in the chorus.
He is also chairman of Birmingham Symphonic Winds, an orchestra of wind instruments that has a national and international reputation and is one of the leading wind ensembles in the country. They put on excellent concerts in the CBSO Centre in Birmingham and travel abroad to places such as New York and Hong Kong.
Bill invited two saxophone players, Sarah and Jeremy, to come to the session. He also brought a number of very suitable outfits to wear as a model and proved excellent at taking up a pose and sitting still when requested by the members.
One of the images of him, called Evil Eye, did well in the Interclub with Aston and Erdington.
Competition 2 - Judge, John Haines
Prints
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1st - Camber Dunes 2nd - Lincoln Below Tower 3rd - Iron Buoys On The Cob, Lyme Regis HC - Havana Dawn 3 HC - Paris Chimney Pots C - Rise In Power C - Chevrolet 2 C - Job Done |
John Cresswell John Cresswell José Currant Paul Stokes John Cresswell Matt Nixon Paul Cook Dave Cooke |
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DPIs
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1st - Evening Descent 2nd - London Eye 3rd - Morning In The Park HC - Drummer HC - The Cobbler C - Sunshine State C - I'm Watching You C - Heron |
Richard Brown Andy Butler Alan McCormick Andy Butler Malcolm Imhoff Ian Dean Dave Cooke Catherine Nicholls |
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John Haines is a very constructive critic of images and gives many clues on how to improve images. He is very adamant that you should not have unnecessary light spots or distracting detail in the background and prefers DPIs to have narrow borders using a colour taken from the image.
For those who do not know how to create a border around an image do the following.
For those who do not know how to create a border around an image do the following.
- Select All.
- Select stroke in Edit
- Select width up to 4px
- Select colour
- Select location Inside
- Mode Normal
- Opacity 100%
Competition 3 - Judged by our members
Prints
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1st - Baker Street 2nd - Parking Meter 3rd - Car Wash HC - Family Group HC - Wastwater North C - Steps |
Andy Butler José Currant Dave Cooke Dave Cooke John Cresswell Catherine Nicholls |
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DPIs
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1st - Wet Leaders 2nd - Nepalese Girl 3rd - Sunflower Sunrise HC - The Wreck Of The SS Noren C - Raw Sax C - Coal Face 1st - Wet Leaders 2nd - Nepalese Girl 3rd - Sunflower Sunrise HC - The Wreck Of The SS Noren C - Raw Sax C - Coal Face |
Ian Dean Malcolm Imhoff Catherine Nicholls Paul Stokes Steve West Catherine Nicholls |
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For the second year running we have had a competition where the members judge the images. Richard gave his expert opinion and then the members voted. This took a bit of time as we didn’t have printed sheets to vote on and the counting up took time. What we need is some suggestions on how to do it in a more efficient way.
Why is it a good thing to do? I think the answer is that it makes you realise just how difficult the judges’ jobs are to do and it also makes you think about what the difference is between liking a picture and judging it against others. What have you learned from the judges about what does well?
Why is it a good thing to do? I think the answer is that it makes you realise just how difficult the judges’ jobs are to do and it also makes you think about what the difference is between liking a picture and judging it against others. What have you learned from the judges about what does well?
Leader Board
Prints
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1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th - |
John Cresswell José Currant Paul Stokes Dave Cooke |
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DPIs
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1st - 2nd - 3rd - |
Catherine Nicholls John Cresswell, Richard Brown Alan McCormick, Ian Dean |
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W.G. Ross Cup Interclub Competition between SCPC and A and E
Judge John Haines
We take turns each year to host this competition and have a history of coming second so we were quite pleased that we only came 10 points behind this year.
For the second time in a month John Haines came to judge a competition. We know that John is a good and fair judge who likes to teach as he comments on the pictures.
It was very pleasing to see so many members of Aston and Erdington attend the meeting. Let us hope that as many of our members will attend the competition next year when A and E have moved to their new venue in Streetly. They might have changed their club name by then to suit their new location.
Judge John Haines
We take turns each year to host this competition and have a history of coming second so we were quite pleased that we only came 10 points behind this year.
For the second time in a month John Haines came to judge a competition. We know that John is a good and fair judge who likes to teach as he comments on the pictures.
It was very pleasing to see so many members of Aston and Erdington attend the meeting. Let us hope that as many of our members will attend the competition next year when A and E have moved to their new venue in Streetly. They might have changed their club name by then to suit their new location.
Newsletter number 32, October 2021
Words from the Editor
Well, we have got off to a very good start with the new programme of meetings and we have to say welcome to some new members. We hope that you enjoy our meetings and find us a friendly and interesting club to be a member of.
We have a very quick turnover of competitions this year with the third competition being brought forward to Friday October 29th, which is just as well because we need to choose some pictures for the W.G.Ross Trophy versus A & E at our club on Friday Nov 5th. The lack of prints during the last year will mean that it is more difficult to choose from the limited competition winners for this year so far.
I must say that the speakers we have had so far this year have shown us some wonderful images and taught us some new skills.
Fred Allen
It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Fred Allen. He has been a very loyal and longstanding member of the club and will be greatly missed.
Well, we have got off to a very good start with the new programme of meetings and we have to say welcome to some new members. We hope that you enjoy our meetings and find us a friendly and interesting club to be a member of.
We have a very quick turnover of competitions this year with the third competition being brought forward to Friday October 29th, which is just as well because we need to choose some pictures for the W.G.Ross Trophy versus A & E at our club on Friday Nov 5th. The lack of prints during the last year will mean that it is more difficult to choose from the limited competition winners for this year so far.
I must say that the speakers we have had so far this year have shown us some wonderful images and taught us some new skills.
Fred Allen
It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Fred Allen. He has been a very loyal and longstanding member of the club and will be greatly missed.
Talks
“Photography My Way” Keith Burgoyne
Keith started his talk by explaining what he had got up to during Lockdown as he had found it, along with the rest of us, a very restricting time for those who wanted to get out and about to take pictures.
He began with pictures of poppy seeds which he had taken in his greenhouse where the light was great for producing some lovely and very simple images, Once he was able to get out he moved on to fields of confetti flowers and lavender. He also went to the National Arboretum and told us that you have to book online to get in.
Keith’s style is one of simplicity. He uses pastel colours and makes sure that his landscape pictures are taken with a specific idea in mind. Of course, he gets up early to take advantage of the interesting lighting conditions at dawn and he says that photography is about being creative. He is inspired by the work of artists. He told us to look at the pictures and work out what makes them a good image and then apply that knowledge to our photography.
Keith does not believe that you need a complicated camera and also that less is more. He showed us some stunning pictures of Ireland, Biddulph Grange, Attingham Park and Blists Hill. He gets right up close to the Zombies taking pictures of parts of faces rather than whole ones.
Like the rest of he finds judges somewhat frustrating, especially when they tell him that his pictures need to be cropped. He says your picture is personal to you and it is your decision as to the content.
Keith’s pictures are definitely an art form and very beautiful.
Here is a photo of a Zombie taken in Birmingham by me. It has been cropped and the background darkened but I still think I need to go to another Zombie parade and try to do what Keith has done.
“Photography My Way” Keith Burgoyne
Keith started his talk by explaining what he had got up to during Lockdown as he had found it, along with the rest of us, a very restricting time for those who wanted to get out and about to take pictures.
He began with pictures of poppy seeds which he had taken in his greenhouse where the light was great for producing some lovely and very simple images, Once he was able to get out he moved on to fields of confetti flowers and lavender. He also went to the National Arboretum and told us that you have to book online to get in.
Keith’s style is one of simplicity. He uses pastel colours and makes sure that his landscape pictures are taken with a specific idea in mind. Of course, he gets up early to take advantage of the interesting lighting conditions at dawn and he says that photography is about being creative. He is inspired by the work of artists. He told us to look at the pictures and work out what makes them a good image and then apply that knowledge to our photography.
Keith does not believe that you need a complicated camera and also that less is more. He showed us some stunning pictures of Ireland, Biddulph Grange, Attingham Park and Blists Hill. He gets right up close to the Zombies taking pictures of parts of faces rather than whole ones.
Like the rest of he finds judges somewhat frustrating, especially when they tell him that his pictures need to be cropped. He says your picture is personal to you and it is your decision as to the content.
Keith’s pictures are definitely an art form and very beautiful.
Here is a photo of a Zombie taken in Birmingham by me. It has been cropped and the background darkened but I still think I need to go to another Zombie parade and try to do what Keith has done.
Would this have been any better taken closer up?
“An Insight into My Photography” Paul Hassell
Paul has been over taken by his enthusiasm for photography and the last ten years has worked his way through multiple qualifications as well as developing a style of photography that is very distinctive.
He plans his subject matter in advance and often thinks of titles for his pictures beforehand. He goes to photo shoots well prepared with lighting and it his use of this that gives his portraits of people a particular look. He also uses reflectors and chooses to light from the side.
Paul, like many other good photographers, likes to get close to his subjects so he has to be near the front and low down at events. For grass tracking he locates himself on a corner and waits for the later races when the amount of dust increases and the background is obscured. With people he does not want them to smile and likes them to look out of the frame.
Paul talks to people and gets to know them. This has enabled him to gain access to some unusual locations, working with people that you do not see in many other photographer’s work. For example he has visited gyms, tattoo conventions, boxing clubs and the World Gurning Championships up north. Even more extraordinarily, he has taken photos of a male stripper. Now that makes a change from female nudes.
Paul has become so successful that he now has access to press passes and can get to the best positions to take exceptional pictures. His next project is to take pictures of ballet dancers. He may take them to unusual places for background but he also goes to places like the Workhouse in Nottingham to take pictures he can use as backgrounds.
He has a follow on talk to this one which he regarded as a history of his progress in photography from the beginning. We will look forward to seeing the next instalment and are feeling very inspired by what he has shown us so far.
Paul has been over taken by his enthusiasm for photography and the last ten years has worked his way through multiple qualifications as well as developing a style of photography that is very distinctive.
He plans his subject matter in advance and often thinks of titles for his pictures beforehand. He goes to photo shoots well prepared with lighting and it his use of this that gives his portraits of people a particular look. He also uses reflectors and chooses to light from the side.
Paul, like many other good photographers, likes to get close to his subjects so he has to be near the front and low down at events. For grass tracking he locates himself on a corner and waits for the later races when the amount of dust increases and the background is obscured. With people he does not want them to smile and likes them to look out of the frame.
Paul talks to people and gets to know them. This has enabled him to gain access to some unusual locations, working with people that you do not see in many other photographer’s work. For example he has visited gyms, tattoo conventions, boxing clubs and the World Gurning Championships up north. Even more extraordinarily, he has taken photos of a male stripper. Now that makes a change from female nudes.
Paul has become so successful that he now has access to press passes and can get to the best positions to take exceptional pictures. His next project is to take pictures of ballet dancers. He may take them to unusual places for background but he also goes to places like the Workhouse in Nottingham to take pictures he can use as backgrounds.
He has a follow on talk to this one which he regarded as a history of his progress in photography from the beginning. We will look forward to seeing the next instalment and are feeling very inspired by what he has shown us so far.
Competition 1 - Judge, Paddy Ruske
Prints
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1st - Walking Under The Millennium Bridge 2nd - The Wreck Of The SS Noren 3rd - Falls & Stream C - Glaslyn Estuary At Dusk C - Blaenavon Mine C - Seeing Double |
José Currant Paul Stokes John Cresswell Paul Stokes John Cresswell José Currant |
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DPIs
Paddy is a great judge. He is constructive, encouraging and gives information about how to improve the images. He has personal preferences but does not allow them to cloud his judgement of pictures in the competition. His personal preferences are for landscapes and for fast exposures of water rather than the use of slow shutter speeds as he likes to see movement in the water.
He says that the Black Country Museum has been over used and so have composite photos of characters against a different background. He is looking for originality.
He advised us to avoid haloes and sharp edges on images that have been placed on a different background by feathering the edges.
He also made a comment about the colour green which is common to all judges. Green can be very oversaturated. This is a particular characteristic of Nikon cameras so you need to tone it down
He says that the Black Country Museum has been over used and so have composite photos of characters against a different background. He is looking for originality.
He advised us to avoid haloes and sharp edges on images that have been placed on a different background by feathering the edges.
He also made a comment about the colour green which is common to all judges. Green can be very oversaturated. This is a particular characteristic of Nikon cameras so you need to tone it down
Newsletter number 31, August 2021
Words from the Editor
Freedom at last although we still have to be cautious. Meetings will start on September 3rd September at 8.00pm at the church hall and Paul has been working hard to set up the programme for next year so I am looking forward to seeing you all and the photos that you have been taking.
Please bring along some pictures that you want to discuss or tell us about. Also let us know if there is anything that you would like to do on the first evening or anything that you would like to ask about.
I have been out and about by myself and with some of the club members and hopefully that has produced some good results.
We have not seen or heard from some of you for a long time so if you wish to stay on the mailing list for newsletters please come along on the first meeting or email me to let me know that you are still interested in hearing from us.
Freedom at last although we still have to be cautious. Meetings will start on September 3rd September at 8.00pm at the church hall and Paul has been working hard to set up the programme for next year so I am looking forward to seeing you all and the photos that you have been taking.
Please bring along some pictures that you want to discuss or tell us about. Also let us know if there is anything that you would like to do on the first evening or anything that you would like to ask about.
I have been out and about by myself and with some of the club members and hopefully that has produced some good results.
We have not seen or heard from some of you for a long time so if you wish to stay on the mailing list for newsletters please come along on the first meeting or email me to let me know that you are still interested in hearing from us.
Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow gauge track that started in the garden of a farmer just north of Tamworth. It has grown to include a museum based in a round house, a track that goes out into the fields, a tram track and a circuit for miniature steam engines owned by enthusiasts. It is open over the year on various weekends.
Some of us went to an enthusiast’s day as covid rules eased and were able to take a few pictures.
Our walkabout in Birmingham, lead by Richard, had to start in a café due to the horrendous down pours that would have damaged our cameras. We were delighted to welcome two new members to the club so this was a chance to get to know them.
When we did manage to get a move on we walked down the canal from the bridge near the Sealife Centre and ended up outside the Town Hall where there was a celebration going on for the winner of a bodybuilding competition, and a new, temporary statue was being revealed celebrating the way in which people have pulled together to overcome Covid.
It made a change to be able to take a picture of a willing male model with a bodybuilder’s physique. We also managed to take some pictures of life on the canal.
Papplewick Pumping Station is a Victorian pumping station in Nottinghamshire. The spectacular interior of the pumphouse has two beam engines that are housed in a Gothic Revival building. It is located in Nottinghamshire and is open to the public as museum. There are occasional re enactment weekends and we were able to go to a Steam Punk event.
Steam Punks are usually very receptive to having their picture taken so it was a good day out for a photography club. One family were very pleased to receive an offer for a print of their favourite photo to be sent to them and allowed us to follow them around and this lady wanted to pose with her rabbit friend.
Topaz Sharpen
Hi Everyone, hope you are all keeping well. It was nice to see so many turn up to our Birmingham canal walk on the 4th.
In spite of the changeable weather, it was enjoyable.
I posted a few shots on the club Facebook page. They can be found under the communities section.
I have been exploring the limits of one of my favourite add ons, Topaz Sharpen AI. I find it extremely effective and, on a lot of images, can often save an image that is marred by incorrect focus, or camera shake. It can also be used just to "crisp up" an image that may be slightly soft.
There are three parts to the module:
Motion Blur - will reduce camera shake.
Out of Focus - will attempt to sharpen areas that are not quite in focus.
Too Soft - will sharpen a softer image.
There are also sliders to adjust the amount of the sharpen algorithm being applied, along with an adjustable noise reduction section.
The software reads the image after it has been loaded and sets the parameters to those it has determined to be suitable (that's the AI bit).
All settings can be adjusted to taste by the user and the results from the different modules can be compared side by side, from a setting listed under the view button.
I have included a screen shot and two extra images that I feel demonstrates the power of the software.
In Image One, I focused a 300mm lens, at f5.6, on the dog’s nose and it can clearly be seen that the eyes are not sharp. I used the "Out of focus" module and managed to sharpen the eyes.
Hi Everyone, hope you are all keeping well. It was nice to see so many turn up to our Birmingham canal walk on the 4th.
In spite of the changeable weather, it was enjoyable.
I posted a few shots on the club Facebook page. They can be found under the communities section.
I have been exploring the limits of one of my favourite add ons, Topaz Sharpen AI. I find it extremely effective and, on a lot of images, can often save an image that is marred by incorrect focus, or camera shake. It can also be used just to "crisp up" an image that may be slightly soft.
There are three parts to the module:
Motion Blur - will reduce camera shake.
Out of Focus - will attempt to sharpen areas that are not quite in focus.
Too Soft - will sharpen a softer image.
There are also sliders to adjust the amount of the sharpen algorithm being applied, along with an adjustable noise reduction section.
The software reads the image after it has been loaded and sets the parameters to those it has determined to be suitable (that's the AI bit).
All settings can be adjusted to taste by the user and the results from the different modules can be compared side by side, from a setting listed under the view button.
I have included a screen shot and two extra images that I feel demonstrates the power of the software.
In Image One, I focused a 300mm lens, at f5.6, on the dog’s nose and it can clearly be seen that the eyes are not sharp. I used the "Out of focus" module and managed to sharpen the eyes.
Image One
Image Two
Comparing the adjusted shot (Image Two), to others I had taken, I estimate the adjusted depth of focus to be the equivalent to an aperture of about f8. It will not work well on all shots, but certainly worth trying.
Alan McCormick
Alan McCormick
Newsletter Number 30, May 2021
Words from the editor
We have been given some publicity in the new free paper, The Royal Sutton Coldfield Chronicle. In comparison with what we used to get in the Observer it was a much better format, although they did get the name of the club a bit wrong. The website details were correct so let us hope that we do get some new members as a result. That will help to pay for speakers and keep the membership fees down.
Project Waterfall progressed to Badger’s Dingle in Shropshire, although there were only two of us there. Hopefully all this rain will have made the waterfalls much more exciting with much more water coming over the top.
We hope to organize a walkabout in the city centre/ Gas Street Basin area in the near future and if anyone has some suggestions for walkabouts please let me know. I am keeping my eye on the Klondike Steam Preservation in Drayton in the Clay, and Statfold Barn Railway the other side of Tamworth in case they start up again soon.
I do not know if any of the other re-enactments we go to will take place this year but if you hear of any please let me know.
Cup Winners for 2020 to 2021
Patricia Cooke Cup for best DPI of the Year: “The Young Mother or Big Sister” by Malcolm Imhoff
Overall winner of the DPI competition: Alan McCormick.
Well done both of you.
Set Subject for 2022
The set subject for next year’s final competition will be “Geometric Patterns”.
We have been given some publicity in the new free paper, The Royal Sutton Coldfield Chronicle. In comparison with what we used to get in the Observer it was a much better format, although they did get the name of the club a bit wrong. The website details were correct so let us hope that we do get some new members as a result. That will help to pay for speakers and keep the membership fees down.
Project Waterfall progressed to Badger’s Dingle in Shropshire, although there were only two of us there. Hopefully all this rain will have made the waterfalls much more exciting with much more water coming over the top.
We hope to organize a walkabout in the city centre/ Gas Street Basin area in the near future and if anyone has some suggestions for walkabouts please let me know. I am keeping my eye on the Klondike Steam Preservation in Drayton in the Clay, and Statfold Barn Railway the other side of Tamworth in case they start up again soon.
I do not know if any of the other re-enactments we go to will take place this year but if you hear of any please let me know.
Cup Winners for 2020 to 2021
Patricia Cooke Cup for best DPI of the Year: “The Young Mother or Big Sister” by Malcolm Imhoff
Overall winner of the DPI competition: Alan McCormick.
Well done both of you.
Set Subject for 2022
The set subject for next year’s final competition will be “Geometric Patterns”.
As I have said above Paul Cook and I went To Badger’s Dingle to take some more pictures of waterfalls. For the ideal spot to see the fall high top wellie boots or waders are a good idea and a steady tripod.
I have taken some pictures but I am not particularly happy with them. I got hypothermia in my feet trying to paddle towards the falls and the stream bed is very stony.
Three Shires Head is found a short walk from the A54 near Buxton. It is difficult to find as it is not sign posted until you get to the right place and there is limited parking on the side of the road.If you go, get there early. The locals seem to be fed up with tourists because there are a lot of no parking signs and messages about keeping the noise down on the lane going down to the footpath.
Going early pays off as well because the site is very popular and people tend to eat their lunch sitting on the bridge.
Taking pictures of waterfalls is a great way of learning about aperture and long exposure times even if it does produce some results that are not so popular with some of our members or judges in competitions. The ground was a bit brown at this time of year so if you want a greener background you have to go when the weather has warmed up a bit.
Talks
Not a Person In Sight: Ian Boulton
Ian considers himself to be a street photographer so taking pictures with no people in is not something he usually does. He started his talk with some unusual and very artistic pictures of flowers. He puts individual flowers in clamps in a vase. He places them in the window against bright light and does a double exposure using his Fuji camera. He uses spot metering and sometimes uses a fish eye lens placed very close to the plant. He uses F8, 500thsec and auto ISO. He doesn’t use post production so the images are produced in his camera.
I must admit I tried something similar and got a lovely picture of the street outside the window along with the flower.
He went on to show simple landscapes taken on Bossington Beach near Exmoor, reflections in cars and images of the River Frome. He uses an infrared filter and long exposure which picks out details in the clouds that you cannot see with the eye and recommends using infrared in May when the tree leaves are young.
Ian has also experimented with an anamorphic lens which squashes the image into an oval. He didn’t think it was entirely successful and said that you need to unsquash it to cinematic format.
During the talk a conversion arose that mentioned using MPB of Brighton for purchasing second hand equipment. They have a good reputation for selling kit that is in excellent condition. Some of this maybe ex display models from photography shops and is therefore nearly new.
Travel Photography: Mark Allen
Mark could have called this “All Around the World”. He is another photographer that uses a Fuji XT1. He had to sell his Nikon. He didn’t say why and he uses Proshow for his slide show.
His first set of very useful advice was to recommend going on photography trips rather taking a camera on holiday with the wife. He also said that is best not to take the same pictures as another photographer. Go for a wander separately and get your gear out after doing a recce.
Apart from his Fuji he also uses an Iphone with a wide angle lens. He can take five images and blend them on the phone.
He says Google the places you want to go in advance to discover the hidden gems that you would never find otherwise. He mentioned Photohound as a guide to finding places. If you join this you can see pictures taken by an expert, how to get there, where to park and what to take as well as when is the best time to do so. However these places tend to get very crowded and this causes erosion.
For learning about photography he recommended a book by Martin Freeman “The Photographer’s Eye” and said that you might get it cheaper from “World of Books”.
Like many photographers Mark goes out very early in the morning to get images of flat water and reflections. He avoids places like Ashby Jetty in the Lake District because the jetty only takes one person at a time and there are too many photographers there.
His talk continued with stunning pictures of Iceland and then India where the poverty is deeply upsetting. Children with deformities are sold to become beggars. Children have to resort to hiding under minibuses to get into hotel grounds where they steal stuff to sell and then run away.
Mark also said that it is best not to sit in the front seat of a coach in India because it is too scary. Rules are not observed on roundabouts.
Mark never uses large SD cards or puts too many pictures on a card as they can fail and you could lose the lot.
At the end of his talk I asked myself are we ever going to be able to go back to our usual speakers? The images we have seen this year and the information and tuition that we have had has been exceptional. Roll on Zoom meetings. They give us access to a much wider world.
Not a Person In Sight: Ian Boulton
Ian considers himself to be a street photographer so taking pictures with no people in is not something he usually does. He started his talk with some unusual and very artistic pictures of flowers. He puts individual flowers in clamps in a vase. He places them in the window against bright light and does a double exposure using his Fuji camera. He uses spot metering and sometimes uses a fish eye lens placed very close to the plant. He uses F8, 500thsec and auto ISO. He doesn’t use post production so the images are produced in his camera.
I must admit I tried something similar and got a lovely picture of the street outside the window along with the flower.
He went on to show simple landscapes taken on Bossington Beach near Exmoor, reflections in cars and images of the River Frome. He uses an infrared filter and long exposure which picks out details in the clouds that you cannot see with the eye and recommends using infrared in May when the tree leaves are young.
Ian has also experimented with an anamorphic lens which squashes the image into an oval. He didn’t think it was entirely successful and said that you need to unsquash it to cinematic format.
During the talk a conversion arose that mentioned using MPB of Brighton for purchasing second hand equipment. They have a good reputation for selling kit that is in excellent condition. Some of this maybe ex display models from photography shops and is therefore nearly new.
Travel Photography: Mark Allen
Mark could have called this “All Around the World”. He is another photographer that uses a Fuji XT1. He had to sell his Nikon. He didn’t say why and he uses Proshow for his slide show.
His first set of very useful advice was to recommend going on photography trips rather taking a camera on holiday with the wife. He also said that is best not to take the same pictures as another photographer. Go for a wander separately and get your gear out after doing a recce.
Apart from his Fuji he also uses an Iphone with a wide angle lens. He can take five images and blend them on the phone.
He says Google the places you want to go in advance to discover the hidden gems that you would never find otherwise. He mentioned Photohound as a guide to finding places. If you join this you can see pictures taken by an expert, how to get there, where to park and what to take as well as when is the best time to do so. However these places tend to get very crowded and this causes erosion.
For learning about photography he recommended a book by Martin Freeman “The Photographer’s Eye” and said that you might get it cheaper from “World of Books”.
Like many photographers Mark goes out very early in the morning to get images of flat water and reflections. He avoids places like Ashby Jetty in the Lake District because the jetty only takes one person at a time and there are too many photographers there.
His talk continued with stunning pictures of Iceland and then India where the poverty is deeply upsetting. Children with deformities are sold to become beggars. Children have to resort to hiding under minibuses to get into hotel grounds where they steal stuff to sell and then run away.
Mark also said that it is best not to sit in the front seat of a coach in India because it is too scary. Rules are not observed on roundabouts.
Mark never uses large SD cards or puts too many pictures on a card as they can fail and you could lose the lot.
At the end of his talk I asked myself are we ever going to be able to go back to our usual speakers? The images we have seen this year and the information and tuition that we have had has been exceptional. Roll on Zoom meetings. They give us access to a much wider world.
Competition Results
Our last competition of the was judged by John Haines who must be thanked for taking over at the very last minute when the expected judge was called out on a job and couldn’t get back in time to do the judging.
Whilst judging the Set subject John stated his preferences for successful images. He finds writing in an image too distracting in most cases unless it is part of the story. He likes a lot of contrast in images and eyes need to have a lot of impact in portraits. As with all judges he told us to avoid distracting bright patches or distracting bits and pieces. Simple is better. Odd numbers of objects are usually better than even, for example one or three people in a picture.
He also likes dark DPIs to have a defined border. You can do this in photoshop by selecting All in Select, go to Edit and choose Stroke. A dialogue box will come up. Choose white as the colour and no more than 4px for the width. Choose inside for the placement and press OK. You can use another colour in some circumstances but some judges are a bit fussy about that.
Our last competition of the was judged by John Haines who must be thanked for taking over at the very last minute when the expected judge was called out on a job and couldn’t get back in time to do the judging.
Whilst judging the Set subject John stated his preferences for successful images. He finds writing in an image too distracting in most cases unless it is part of the story. He likes a lot of contrast in images and eyes need to have a lot of impact in portraits. As with all judges he told us to avoid distracting bright patches or distracting bits and pieces. Simple is better. Odd numbers of objects are usually better than even, for example one or three people in a picture.
He also likes dark DPIs to have a defined border. You can do this in photoshop by selecting All in Select, go to Edit and choose Stroke. A dialogue box will come up. Choose white as the colour and no more than 4px for the width. Choose inside for the placement and press OK. You can use another colour in some circumstances but some judges are a bit fussy about that.
Competition 7 - Judge, John Haines
DPIs
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1st - Rounding The Bouy 2nd - Droning On 3rd - Quiet Masterpiece HC - Bake Me A Cake HC - Kibo For Two C - Bus Preservation C - Cat Care C - Magic Lanternist |
Catherine Nicholls Steve West Dave Cooke Dave Cooke Alan McCormick Richard Brown Richard Brown Richard Brown |
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The Patricia Cooke Cup For Best DPI of the Year
“The Young Mother or Big Sister” Malcom Imhoff
Well done all who participated in the competitions during a very difficult year. I hope more of you will join in when we get back to normal.
“The Young Mother or Big Sister” Malcom Imhoff
Well done all who participated in the competitions during a very difficult year. I hope more of you will join in when we get back to normal.
Wex
I went to Wex on the Hagley Road on Saturday with the intention of buying a graduated filter for my Canon. However whilst waiting for another customer to look at filters I got chatting to the Panasonic Rep and discovered that I really liked the Panasonic S5 which is a full frame mirrorless camera with really up to date technology.
I had been investigating upgrading my Canon to a full frame, second hand EOS 5D. However, I then found out that I would have to buy a whole new set of full frame lenses for the full frame camera which would have made the whole exercise hugely expensive.
Panasonic were offering a £300 cash back on the S5 and Wex were offering a £200 bonus on the trading in price of the Canon gear thus making the option of buying the Panasonic a lot cheaper than sticking with Canon.
I went back during the week to have a good look at the Canon options but I was not impressed sufficiently with the 5D to be convinced that the expense was worth it. So I have gone down the Panasonic route. Here is hoping that I have made a good decision.
As a result I have a few Canon bits and pieces to give away. (A donation to the club would be appreciated.)
Tamron 70-300mm telephoto/macro lens.
Remote control for shutter
77mm Neutral Density Filter 0.6 density
Canon battery pack.
If you are interested in any or all of these let me know.
The staff at Wex have been really helpful. There is no way that I would buy photo equipment off the net without being able to handle it and look through lenses and menus first.
I also thanked them for the very generous prizes that they give us for our annual quiz and recommended that the young assistant that has an enormous collection of old cameras should join a camera club. As he lives in Kidderminster he can’t join us.
Kate Nicholls
I went to Wex on the Hagley Road on Saturday with the intention of buying a graduated filter for my Canon. However whilst waiting for another customer to look at filters I got chatting to the Panasonic Rep and discovered that I really liked the Panasonic S5 which is a full frame mirrorless camera with really up to date technology.
I had been investigating upgrading my Canon to a full frame, second hand EOS 5D. However, I then found out that I would have to buy a whole new set of full frame lenses for the full frame camera which would have made the whole exercise hugely expensive.
Panasonic were offering a £300 cash back on the S5 and Wex were offering a £200 bonus on the trading in price of the Canon gear thus making the option of buying the Panasonic a lot cheaper than sticking with Canon.
I went back during the week to have a good look at the Canon options but I was not impressed sufficiently with the 5D to be convinced that the expense was worth it. So I have gone down the Panasonic route. Here is hoping that I have made a good decision.
As a result I have a few Canon bits and pieces to give away. (A donation to the club would be appreciated.)
Tamron 70-300mm telephoto/macro lens.
Remote control for shutter
77mm Neutral Density Filter 0.6 density
Canon battery pack.
If you are interested in any or all of these let me know.
The staff at Wex have been really helpful. There is no way that I would buy photo equipment off the net without being able to handle it and look through lenses and menus first.
I also thanked them for the very generous prizes that they give us for our annual quiz and recommended that the young assistant that has an enormous collection of old cameras should join a camera club. As he lives in Kidderminster he can’t join us.
Kate Nicholls
Newsletter Number 29, March 2021
In years gone by, our photographic club, used organise at least one Studio Season during the programme.
These could be either at the club room, as we do have the use of Studio Flash Lights. Or the Programme Sec. would book an outside studio, together with a model.
We used to get friends or relations possibly young ladies’ to come along and have pictures taken at the club room, for free photographs. Or sometimes we paid for professional models, (or sometimes an amateur for money)
We used to provide various props, once we had a motor bike in the club room with a scantly clad lady posing for the men. The lady members, Pat and others, complained that they wanted a Male model. We did oblige a couple of times to keep the peace. Once someone had a new front door fitted and bought the old one into club to use a prop. We used to bring mirrors, frames, hats, scarves, fans in fact anything to help use create pictures with a difference.
For years Henley used to book us a visit to a professional studio completely fitted out with lights, backgrounds and a professional model, this used to create a shared cost but was very enjoyable.
At least once a year we used to go out to the country or a park even a nation trust property and take a couple of young ladies as models and photograph in the open (depending on the weather), We could borrow or hire costumes and share the cost.
We used to obtain some different images just by trying. This is what other clubs must do to get good portraits that seem to beat us in inter-clubs. So is it time ( when we can ) to re-introduce this into the programme ?
But it does need everyone to be enthusiastic and take part to make it viable and successful.
Dave Cooke ( Ex chairman )
(My thoughts exactly. Kate)
Drones For Beginners
Steve West
Steve West
For anyone thinking of starting out in drone photography, the prospect can seem daunting, even more so if you are aware of recent changes in legislation governing their ownership and use. However, the rules can be distilled down into simpler terms to make them easier to understand, and for the purposes of this guide I will limit the information to just camera drones, as this is presumably what we are interested in.
Camera drones can essentially be split into two categories. Lightweight drones, weighing less than 250g (known as Class C0), and drones weighing more than 250g (Class C1 to C4). The rules and requirements are very different for each. However, the use of either type is governed by the Drone Code. All the information needed can be found on the Civil Aircraft Authority website accessible via the link below. I only have experience with my DJI drone so this info will mainly feature DJI.
https://dronesafe.uk/drone-code/
For drones under 250g, ownership and use is a much easier proposition. You are still responsible for flying it safely, following the Drone Code, but other than being familiar with the operating manual, not test is required. There are also less restrictions about flying in populated areas, over uninvolved people (but not crowds) and buildings, and for anyone wanting to get started I would highly recommend starting with this type of drone, which is what I have done. Though you don’t need to take a test, you still need to register it with the CAA and obtain an operator ID. This cost £9.00 for a year, and you must place a sticker on your drone to display your operator ID.
The Drone Code lays out the do’s and don’ts of drone use, but the most basic requirement is that the operator must maintain line-of-sight with the drone at all times. This can be difficult with the smaller drones. You can add lights to improve visibility, but anything that you add (including propeller guards), will likely put the take-off weight over 250g, which takes you into a new category. You must also respect the property and privacy of others.
There are no limitations for using drones indoors, privately, and this includes weight, but I would recommend propeller guards for this, to protect both people, and the drone propellers.
For larger drones (up to 900g), you need to get an operator ID, and obtain a flyer ID. For a flyer ID, you must take a test, which is free. More details on the requirements for different drones can be found on the UAVHub webpage here. UAV Hub.
Fortunately, drone manufacturers have gotten very good a designing drones around these regulations, and there are now a number of very good drones that meet the C0 designation. The most renowned manufacturer is Chinese company DJI. The drone I own is the DJI Mavic Mini, which has a 12mp camera and also shoots HD video. The Mavic Mini connects to the controller using WiFi, so connection can be tricky in populated areas where there are a lot of WiFi hubs. However, this model has now been replaced with the DJI Mini 2, which uses a dedicated radio connection protocol, and also shoots stills in RAW format and 4K video. It is also better at coping with wind. It costs more than the old model, and the controller is more bulky (old model controller can fit in your pocket), but both drones are the same size and when folded can fit in your pocket. Photos and video are store on an onboard Micro SD card but can be downloaded to your phone after landing if required.
Camera drones are primarily designed for shooting video, and still photography is a secondary function, but for both functions, drones feature a vital piece of equipment that makes both possible; a gimbal. This is a motorised mount that the camera is supported on, which holds the camera steady, regardless of what is happening to the drone. The gimbal also allows the camera to be tilted downwards if required. Panning is achieved by turning the drone itself.
The controller on cheaper drones utilises a smartphone (or tablet) with an app installed. This allows the drone to be operated, giving a live view of what the camera sees, as well as map data, range, signal strength etc. DJI software uses ‘geofencing’ which automatically restricts and prevents the drone being operated in controlled airspace. This can be around airports (including take-off and landing paths), sports stadiums, and prisons, as well as military bases. These areas are shaded on the map.
When flying, weather must be factored in. Drones don’t tend to be weatherproofed, so avoid flying completely in wet weather. Wind is also a risk, as it can cause your drone to fly away and be lost. The DJI app is good for this and monitors the drone in flight, detecting and warning if the drone is being subjected to high winds.
Another good feature is RTH (Return To Home). This is like a panic button for your drone and will bring your drone back to where it took off (the app notes this during take-off). If you lose sight of the drone or get a high wind warning or want to bring it home for any other reason, you can hit the RTH button and the drone will fly back to you and attempt to land where it took off. It can also do this automatically if the signal between the drone and controller is lost or the battery level gets low.
For flying, this takes a little getting used to (mainly in respect of understanding the screen to keep track of your drone), but the controls themselves are easy to get the hang of and before long you’ll be flying like a pro.
Dutton Falls on Rising Brook near Slitting Mill.
Paul Cook has found a really excellent tutorial on how to take photographs of waterfalls on the internet. at https://youtu.be/HZYXdLRuRI8. So, as we have several members who are interested in learning new skills, including me, we have decided to look around for some convenient waterfalls with the aim of learning the skills then going further afield to some more distant and better waterfalls when we are allowed to travel again.
As part of this I have been researching the nearest suitable subjects that are currently within our reach and have found two waterfalls near Slitting Mill near Rugeley. These are linked to the many mills that existed along the stream during the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.
As soon as we can go out as a small group I suggest that we find a convenient date and go for a walk to these weirs to practise our skills and show others how to do it.
A Salutary Tale
Paul Stokes
Last July we were lucky enough to get away to Somerset for a few days. Whilst walking on the beach at Brean I came across this old wreck in the sand.
Paul Stokes
Last July we were lucky enough to get away to Somerset for a few days. Whilst walking on the beach at Brean I came across this old wreck in the sand.
The next thing I knew was that I was lying on my side in a layer of extremely soft mud holding my precious camera aloft. Luckily, Mary was persuaded to walk to the edge and reach across for my camera. The mud was only about knee deep, so I was never in real danger. The cleanup took quite a while!
Piximperfect
Alan McCormick
Whilst searching online for Photoshop tutorials, I came across a site named, "Piximperfect". They produce amazing tutorials, on YouTube, detailing techniques and processes for image manipulation in Photoshop.
They are fronted by a young man named Unmesh Dinda and what he doesn't know about Photoshop, isn't worth knowing.
His depth of knowledge is incredible, but you sometimes have to repeat sections of the videos for the more complex techniques to understand what he is doing. It pays to make notes and to try out the methods he describes as soon as you can after the tutorial.
You will find tutorials on all aspects of retouching and manipulation of images.
Recently, he worked with an ad on for Photoshop, called "PanelPro", and recommended it as a great time saver.
This is a utility consisting of sets of buttons that access shortcuts and some, very powerful, actions for adjusting your image in many different ways.
I also found a review of the software by Digital Photo, and have attached the link : Software Spotlight: Pro Panel Plug-In Makes Photoshop Editing MUCH Easier - Digital Photo Magazine (dpmag.com).
The article will give you a more detailed description of the software than I have.
The software is produced by a John Weatherby and he offers a 20% discount, by using the code "weatherby20", on check out. It costs about £35.
I am still working my way through it and it looks very promising.
Hope you find the information useful.
Keep Snapping.
Alan McCormick
Whilst searching online for Photoshop tutorials, I came across a site named, "Piximperfect". They produce amazing tutorials, on YouTube, detailing techniques and processes for image manipulation in Photoshop.
They are fronted by a young man named Unmesh Dinda and what he doesn't know about Photoshop, isn't worth knowing.
His depth of knowledge is incredible, but you sometimes have to repeat sections of the videos for the more complex techniques to understand what he is doing. It pays to make notes and to try out the methods he describes as soon as you can after the tutorial.
You will find tutorials on all aspects of retouching and manipulation of images.
Recently, he worked with an ad on for Photoshop, called "PanelPro", and recommended it as a great time saver.
This is a utility consisting of sets of buttons that access shortcuts and some, very powerful, actions for adjusting your image in many different ways.
I also found a review of the software by Digital Photo, and have attached the link : Software Spotlight: Pro Panel Plug-In Makes Photoshop Editing MUCH Easier - Digital Photo Magazine (dpmag.com).
The article will give you a more detailed description of the software than I have.
The software is produced by a John Weatherby and he offers a 20% discount, by using the code "weatherby20", on check out. It costs about £35.
I am still working my way through it and it looks very promising.
Hope you find the information useful.
Keep Snapping.
Paul Stokes
April's member's challenge is 'Shadow Art' I usually start off each challenge page on the club website with a couple of images of my own, just because an empty web page would be, well, odd.
When “Shadow Art” came up as the next club challenge I was stuck! I’d never done any thing like this and didn’t know where to start but Googling it gave me some ideas.
This one’s called “Name That Tune?”* Cutting the paper mask out was a nightmare. Then, when I tried to photograph it the paper kept falling over, so I had to dangle it. I wouldn’t call it art, but I’m happy with it.
I love a visual pun!
I’ve desaturated and increased the contrast of the shadow, and yes, they’re all foreign language books.
* Apache, by The Shadows
Results
Inter-club Competition with South Birmingham PS - Judge, Steve Clifford
This was meant to be a three way competition between South Birmingham PS and Yardley and us but Yardley are not Zooming so it was just the two of us.
Competitions with other clubs really does draw attention to the quality of images that club members take and to the preferences of the judges. Sports action pictures, pictures that tell a story and portraits always seem to do well.
As usual the same comments made by many judges came to the fore with comments made about images containing too much green, dislike of sunglasses, the need for more contrast and distracting borders were made. Landscapes tend not to do well unless they are exceptional but pictures that tell a story sports action and wildlife pictures, including a bird on a stick won the day.
Competitions with other clubs really does draw attention to the quality of images that club members take and to the preferences of the judges. Sports action pictures, pictures that tell a story and portraits always seem to do well.
As usual the same comments made by many judges came to the fore with comments made about images containing too much green, dislike of sunglasses, the need for more contrast and distracting borders were made. Landscapes tend not to do well unless they are exceptional but pictures that tell a story sports action and wildlife pictures, including a bird on a stick won the day.
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An Innocent Secret Reed Bunting Enjoying Their Music Towards The Storm BMX Riders, In The Lead Number 4 Leafcutter Bee Dan Evans In Action Digital Radio |
SBPS SBPS SBPS SCPC SBPS SBPS SBPS SBPS |
20 Points 19 Points 19 Points 18 Points 18 Points 18 Points 17 Points 17 Points |
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SBPS 336 points
SCPC 313 points
We need to take these competitions more seriously.
SCPC 313 points
We need to take these competitions more seriously.
Competition 7 - Judge, Graham Walton
Hands up all those who have ever been disappointed by the comments made by judges in a competition. I bet that includes everyone who has ever entered a competition. So why do we bother? Well it because there are judges that make you sit up and look at your images and say “Why didn’t I see that?” Also some judges are natural teachers and are able to give comments that really make you see how you could improve your photography.
Graham is one of those judges and I am amazed at the sharpness of his eye in spotting little things that you could do to your image to improve it. He is really good at making constructive comments and making you feel that you could improve your skills.
Graham is one of those judges and I am amazed at the sharpness of his eye in spotting little things that you could do to your image to improve it. He is really good at making constructive comments and making you feel that you could improve your skills.
DPIs
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1st - Young Mother or Big Sister 2nd - It's A Dad Thing 3rd - A Walk In The Park HC - Doubt HC - Pampered In A Thunderbird C - Wetter Is Better C - 'Neath A Blanket Of Snow C - The Covid Look C - Click |
Malcolm Imhoff Alan McCormick Alan McCormick Catherine Nicholls Dave Ballantyne Steve West Steve West Catherine Nicholls Paul Cook |
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Leader Board
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1st Alan McCormick 2nd Catherine Nicholls 3rd Malcolm Imhoff 4th Steve West 4th Dave Cooke |
70 66 65 53 48 |
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Newsletter Number 28, February 2021
Words from the editor
We are more than halfway through the meeting season and things seem to have gone really well considering that we have had to completely change the way we operate. Members seem to have done very well supplying excellent images for the competitions. The speakers have continued to be interesting and the quiz was a bit of fun.
The new competition introduced for images taken on a phone went well despite people fearing that they might not be able to get out and about to take pictures. The question is now whether the members want to do it again and if the results should be included in the overall competition results next year.
We had a lovely social evening to start off the New Year with members showing off their talents, extensive travel destinations and accidents in the mud.
Meetings have continued with a talk from John Hartshorne and the Three Related Images judges by John Haines. Now we are planning for the Interclub Competition with South Birmingham, Fiddle a File and a full programme up until May.
Perhaps we could be looking forward to arranging some group trips out during the summer even if the re-enactments we usually go to are not going to happen this year. Has anyone got any ideas?
We are more than halfway through the meeting season and things seem to have gone really well considering that we have had to completely change the way we operate. Members seem to have done very well supplying excellent images for the competitions. The speakers have continued to be interesting and the quiz was a bit of fun.
The new competition introduced for images taken on a phone went well despite people fearing that they might not be able to get out and about to take pictures. The question is now whether the members want to do it again and if the results should be included in the overall competition results next year.
We had a lovely social evening to start off the New Year with members showing off their talents, extensive travel destinations and accidents in the mud.
Meetings have continued with a talk from John Hartshorne and the Three Related Images judges by John Haines. Now we are planning for the Interclub Competition with South Birmingham, Fiddle a File and a full programme up until May.
Perhaps we could be looking forward to arranging some group trips out during the summer even if the re-enactments we usually go to are not going to happen this year. Has anyone got any ideas?
We were treated to a journey around the world starting with a cruise around South America from Paul Stokes who visited Columbia, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal and Havanna along with Mexico. However his most dramatic adventure was his visit to Breen sands where he got stuck in the mud trying to take a picture of a wreck. He nearly dropped his camera and had to be rescued by his wife. Well done Mary!
John managed to escape to Wales last year and showed us his wonderful pictures of Betws-y-Coed and Snowdonia. Alan told us about a photographic processing method using the Orton Effect. It uses blending modes to enhance the colour and definition. The method he uses also works well with black and white.
Steve showed us his images taken with his new toy, a drone with a fitted camera. He is certainly taking some striking pictures of the city by night.
Judge Sue Hutton.
Despite some members being worried about getting out and about to take photos on their phones this competition produced a good range of photos with a wide spread of locations. The standard was just as high as the competitions using expensive cameras and this goes to show that modern phone cameras are a really good tools.
They really do come into their own when you have left your camera at home or the battery has run out.
There is some sad news that emerged from Cornwall recently. The swan that was a subject of one of the pictures has been run over and killed by a delivery van driver. The villagers of Newlyn had given the swan a name, Derek and the news made the national papers.
Results
DPIs
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1st - The Wreck of the Jeanne Hortense 2nd - I’m Bored 3rd - Me and My Friend HC - Harbour Light HC - Gothic Light HC - Come No Nearer HC - Stormy Day in the Cotswolds C - A Sunny Day in the Park C - In the Shadow of Great Gable C - Frozen Canal C - Winter at Keddleston |
Catherine Nicholls Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff Catherine Nicholls Ian Dean Catherine Nicholls Jose Currant Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff Steve West Paul Stokes |
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DPIs
Producing a panel of three related images is not easy. They need to be balanced and carefully linked to make them look good. People often find it easy to create a panel of two but getting it right with three is much trickier. Not only that, but the images must show some talent as well. Producing a successful panel for our club competitions is good practice if you want to progress in the world of photography and win national and international competitions or get letters after your name, or you can just enjoy being extra creative for your own enjoyment.
John Haines made some excellent comments about the images and applied all the usual judgements about composition, depth of field, exposure, sharpness and choice of subject. Overall he really liked the images that told a story or were a bit of fun. He provided a good commentary that kept us in suspense all evening.
John Haines made some excellent comments about the images and applied all the usual judgements about composition, depth of field, exposure, sharpness and choice of subject. Overall he really liked the images that told a story or were a bit of fun. He provided a good commentary that kept us in suspense all evening.
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1st - Moses 2nd - Making a Splash 3rd - Photographers in the Frame HC - Sledging HC - Industrial Decline HC - Italian Lakes C - Show Time C - Puzzlewood |
Catherine Nicholls Catherine Nicholls Paul Cook Alan McCormick Richard Brown Dave Cooke Ian Dean Malcolm Imhoff |
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Leader Board
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1st Alan McCormick 2nd Catherine Nicholls 3rd Malcolm Imhoff 4th Dave Cooke 4th Steve West |
56 55 53 45 45 |
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An Introduction to Audio Visual by Dave Cooke
Dave’s first task was to reveal the origin of the name of the club’s AV group FADE. It stands for Fentham Audiovisual Diaporama Ensemble.(For new members the club has changed its name from Fentham Photography Club to SCPC in September 2016).
Audiovisual presentations are much easier to do these days as they used to be done on multiple slide projectors with music played on a sound system. Also photos were taken on slide film which meant that you couldn’t tell what your picture would be like until it was developed and it severely limited the number of pictures you could take due to the cost of film and developing.
Nowadays digital cameras make things a lot easier and cheaper and being able to edit your pictures in Photoshop opens up a host of opportunities to be inventive.
The Rules of Producing an AV.
Thanks to Dave for his excellent presentation. It takes a lot of hard work to put forward a presentation like this.
Dave’s first task was to reveal the origin of the name of the club’s AV group FADE. It stands for Fentham Audiovisual Diaporama Ensemble.(For new members the club has changed its name from Fentham Photography Club to SCPC in September 2016).
Audiovisual presentations are much easier to do these days as they used to be done on multiple slide projectors with music played on a sound system. Also photos were taken on slide film which meant that you couldn’t tell what your picture would be like until it was developed and it severely limited the number of pictures you could take due to the cost of film and developing.
Nowadays digital cameras make things a lot easier and cheaper and being able to edit your pictures in Photoshop opens up a host of opportunities to be inventive.
The Rules of Producing an AV.
- Keep it short. No more than 15mins
- Start with something you have easy access to such as flowers or your family.
- Keep it simple.
- Use Picturestoexe to create a slide show. You can get a free download from https://www.nchsoftware.com › freedownloads or, if you want to get serious you can load a free trial called PTE AV Studio Pro at PTE AV Studio - Photo Slideshow Software - PicturesToExe - WnSoft.
- Take landscape pictures only. Jumping to and from landscape to portrait is not a good way to create a slide show.
- A programme called Audacity allows you to create a file of music.
- Copyright licences for music can be obtained through the Institute of Amateur Photographers if the music is not used for commercial gain.
- Do not publish your AV on Youtube because they will block it for copyright reasons.
- Try to use copyright free music. You can get updates on copyright free music from https://incompetech.com.
- 10) Always publish acknowledgements for people who have contributed to your AV , for example, by providing a commentary or a background story or original music.
Thanks to Dave for his excellent presentation. It takes a lot of hard work to put forward a presentation like this.
“Virtual Presentation” by John Hartshorne
One of the characteristics of John’s talks is his keeness to pass on hints and tips on how to get a good image. During the section of his talk on the Birds of Florida he gave us some very good methods of how to get close up shots of the birds. Firstly he said allow the bird to come to you and also being in a car means that the birds do not take any notice of you. The car is a hide. What a good excuse for parking up your camper van and sitting in it somewhere where there are some interesting wildlife shots to be taken.
He advises that you should always have a small pair of binoculars to spot what’s there and then you can creep up on them.
As is usual for most keen photographers he says that the best shots are taken in early morning light. The colour of the birds shows up better then. John’s talk included a wide variety of topics from tulips in Amsterdam to balloon flying in Capodoccia in Turkey, Antarctica and the Masai Mara.
For the latter he recommended that you do not change your lens when on safari as the dust can get into your camera. The guides do not like being photographed and you need to give the kids a thumbs up sign to see if they mind being photographed. He uses a 5ooml lens for long shots and a bean bag to rest his camera on.
Finally John is nuts about fast cars and Mallory Park and provide hints and tips about how to photograph them.
One of the characteristics of John’s talks is his keeness to pass on hints and tips on how to get a good image. During the section of his talk on the Birds of Florida he gave us some very good methods of how to get close up shots of the birds. Firstly he said allow the bird to come to you and also being in a car means that the birds do not take any notice of you. The car is a hide. What a good excuse for parking up your camper van and sitting in it somewhere where there are some interesting wildlife shots to be taken.
He advises that you should always have a small pair of binoculars to spot what’s there and then you can creep up on them.
As is usual for most keen photographers he says that the best shots are taken in early morning light. The colour of the birds shows up better then. John’s talk included a wide variety of topics from tulips in Amsterdam to balloon flying in Capodoccia in Turkey, Antarctica and the Masai Mara.
For the latter he recommended that you do not change your lens when on safari as the dust can get into your camera. The guides do not like being photographed and you need to give the kids a thumbs up sign to see if they mind being photographed. He uses a 5ooml lens for long shots and a bean bag to rest his camera on.
Finally John is nuts about fast cars and Mallory Park and provide hints and tips about how to photograph them.
Newsletter Number 27 Christmas 2020
I don’t know about you but I have really been enjoying the talks and competitions this year and we have managed to do some photo walks in Sutton Park and Kingsbury Water Park. Maybe we can do another one over the Christmas break in the city centre before we get locked down totally again.
I especially enjoyed the fourth competition with Richard doing the commentary. He is much more constructive than many of the judges we get and didn’t show his personal preferences in the same way that some of them do.
Well done to new members for entering some really good entries. You will do very well in the future.
I am looking forward to the rest of the programme in 2021 and to being able to get out and about more. Maybe we might be able to meet up sometime in the spring.
I would also like you to consider making an illustrated contribution to the news letter. Several of our members have done so this year and I think it makes interesting reading.
You also have an opportunity to show off your favourite pictures on the first meeting back in January. You can make a 10 minute slide show in Photoshop Bridge and give a chat about the images on Zoom.
Meanwhile I hope that you have the best possible Christmas and a much better New Year.
Competition 3 November
DPIs
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1st Coming in to land 2nd Towards The Storm 3rd The Joy of the Blues HC Rejoice in the gift of this new day C Summers day |
Catherine Nicholls Malcolm Imhoff Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff Dave Cooke |
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Leader Board
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1st Alan McCormick 2nd Malcolm Imhoff 3rd Steve West 4th Catherine Nicholls |
41 39 33 32 |
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Talks
Coastal Photography
Alison Taylor
Alison is based in York and is ideally placed to get out and about to the north east coast to take pictures. Mind you she does have to get up at three in the morning to get there to take pictures of sunrise. That shows real dedication. She takes pictures of what she calls easy stuff. That is things that don’t move. Despite saying this she takes stunning pictures of huge storm waves crashing against piers and Lighthouses. This achieves a sense of scale.
Whilst photographing sites like Whitby pier, in a way that we didn’t think of when we went there as a club, she does recommend that you always turn around and look behind you because there may be a picture there that you haven’t seen. She also returns to places over and over again to get the pictures that she wants. She sees water as a living thing.
She also says that when you look at a scene with water in it you must decide what you want to emphasise. If you want detail in the water use a fast shutter speed but if you want to show up the detail in architectural features like groynes or piers then you can smooth out the water by using a shutter speed of 0.5 to 2 seconds.
Alison took time to explain that you must make yourself familiar with the tide timetable before you go onto the coast. It is safer to go when the tide is going out so you do not get trapped by an incoming tide. You must also be careful on some beaches where you can get stuck in the mud. Morecombe Bay is a good example of this.
She loves photographing swash and tries not to get a horizon in the picture. Different shutter speeds get different effects. Minimalism is also very effective at producing a stunning image. Wet beaches reflect interesting cloud formations. Rocks and seaweed make great abstract photos. She uses polarising filters to stop glare and a 10 stop stopper filter to prevent over exposure and mainly a 200mm lens.
She doesn’t do a lot of post processing of her pictures but may crop them to a square shape because this makes your eye focus on the main subject. If you want to see Alison’s images you can go to https://www.alisontaylorphotography.org She doesn’t just take pictures of the coast but regards herself as a landscape photographer and her galleries are well worth looking at.
Coastal Photography
Alison Taylor
Alison is based in York and is ideally placed to get out and about to the north east coast to take pictures. Mind you she does have to get up at three in the morning to get there to take pictures of sunrise. That shows real dedication. She takes pictures of what she calls easy stuff. That is things that don’t move. Despite saying this she takes stunning pictures of huge storm waves crashing against piers and Lighthouses. This achieves a sense of scale.
Whilst photographing sites like Whitby pier, in a way that we didn’t think of when we went there as a club, she does recommend that you always turn around and look behind you because there may be a picture there that you haven’t seen. She also returns to places over and over again to get the pictures that she wants. She sees water as a living thing.
She also says that when you look at a scene with water in it you must decide what you want to emphasise. If you want detail in the water use a fast shutter speed but if you want to show up the detail in architectural features like groynes or piers then you can smooth out the water by using a shutter speed of 0.5 to 2 seconds.
Alison took time to explain that you must make yourself familiar with the tide timetable before you go onto the coast. It is safer to go when the tide is going out so you do not get trapped by an incoming tide. You must also be careful on some beaches where you can get stuck in the mud. Morecombe Bay is a good example of this.
She loves photographing swash and tries not to get a horizon in the picture. Different shutter speeds get different effects. Minimalism is also very effective at producing a stunning image. Wet beaches reflect interesting cloud formations. Rocks and seaweed make great abstract photos. She uses polarising filters to stop glare and a 10 stop stopper filter to prevent over exposure and mainly a 200mm lens.
She doesn’t do a lot of post processing of her pictures but may crop them to a square shape because this makes your eye focus on the main subject. If you want to see Alison’s images you can go to https://www.alisontaylorphotography.org She doesn’t just take pictures of the coast but regards herself as a landscape photographer and her galleries are well worth looking at.
Keith Snell
The title of Keith’s talk is not just about the fact that he likes to travel but also because he takes images using deliberate camera movement to obtain abstract and artistic effects. He is also interested in patterns and shapes, landscapes, portraits and wildlife.
In all the time I have been listening to speakers at our club I have never come across a speaker who passed on so many ideas and skills for taking good photographs. If we haven’t improved or added to our techniques after seeing his talk then we will never improve. This is also the first time where I have taken notes in the form of diagrams, partly for speed but also because they mean more than words.
With portraits Keith places the eyes on the thirds and places the model’s shoulders on the diagonal. The shoulders then become a leading line. He takes photos very close to the model’s face and uses uni-directional lighting with on light on the front of the face using one lamp. The area around the ear is very dark and the effect is very dramatic. The faces can be tilted so that they make diagonal lines.
Opposite: ’Contemplation’ by Kieth Snell
Keith takes zoo pictures occasionally and has images of everything from penguins in the Arctic to red deer in Scotland, puffins on the Farne Islands to damsel flies. He has sat in sound proofed hides with one way glass taking pictures of rhinos at a water hole lit by LEDs at night. He has even taken a picture of a cayman alligator eating an anaconda. It is usually the other way round for young cayman.
Keith’s landscapes vary from sea stacks in Iceland to sunrise on Bassenthwaite in the Lake District. It was at this point of the talk that Keith began to describe the way that he used deliberate camera movement to create unusual images, many of them completely abstract. He varies the movement according to the subject he takes. He may use horizontal combined with circular swirls or up and down motion to blur two shorelines on a lake. He will use a shutter speed of 1/6th of a second to create blur but retain some of the detail. On the Isle of Harris he used multiple exposures to give an impressionistic view and said that you can pull colour from one part of the image to another by moving the camera during the shot.
He likes to capture flashes of light in the water by using a shutter speed of 1/1500th of a second. Zooming out from a subject using a telephoto lens makes interesting effects as well.
I have really extensive notes and diagrams of this talk which I cannot convey here. If you want to know more please ask me to show you, maybe over Zoom.
You can see Keith’s gallery at www.keithsnellphotos.com/gallery
This photo was taken by me but it is very similar to one that Keith showed us.
Hints for Taking photos With a Difference During Lockdown
Use silver radiator insulation as a customized light reflector.
Create a soft box using a white shower curtain.
Use your sunglasses as a lens filter.
Use a white plastic bag over your flash to create a soft box effect.
Use crunched up tinfoil to create a textured backdrop or a bokeh effect.
Use a fish tank submerged in water to take underwater shots.
Go to a shop that sells fish to take photos of exotic fish. (Ask for permission)
Drape fairy lights over an airing rack to create bokeh and cut shapes in cardboard to fit over your lens to give the bokeh shapes.
Create arty filters by using different coloured plastic bags.
Reduce camera shake by using bags filled with lentils or rice propped on a wall or chair back. This is great when travelling because you can buy the lentils at your destination and throw them away before you come back.
Use a hairdryer to make a model’s hair move.
Use a plastic bag smeared with Vaseline for a soft focus effect.
Cut slots in cardboard to put over a standing light to take a picture with a stripy shadow effect.
Eliminate reflections from glass when taking images of zoo animals by placing the camera lens directly on the glass. It limits the position of the camera in relation to the animal but you might get an interesting close up.
Use silver radiator insulation as a customized light reflector.
Create a soft box using a white shower curtain.
Use your sunglasses as a lens filter.
Use a white plastic bag over your flash to create a soft box effect.
Use crunched up tinfoil to create a textured backdrop or a bokeh effect.
Use a fish tank submerged in water to take underwater shots.
Go to a shop that sells fish to take photos of exotic fish. (Ask for permission)
Drape fairy lights over an airing rack to create bokeh and cut shapes in cardboard to fit over your lens to give the bokeh shapes.
Create arty filters by using different coloured plastic bags.
Reduce camera shake by using bags filled with lentils or rice propped on a wall or chair back. This is great when travelling because you can buy the lentils at your destination and throw them away before you come back.
Use a hairdryer to make a model’s hair move.
Use a plastic bag smeared with Vaseline for a soft focus effect.
Cut slots in cardboard to put over a standing light to take a picture with a stripy shadow effect.
Eliminate reflections from glass when taking images of zoo animals by placing the camera lens directly on the glass. It limits the position of the camera in relation to the animal but you might get an interesting close up.
Newsletter Number 26, December 2020
Words from the editor
Wow! We have gone truly international with our last speaker. Not only is he a hugely well travelled professional photographer that works for tourist companies, teaching photography in France and Asia but unknown to us he also lives in France from whence he conducted our latest Zoom Session. As a professional photographer, and not a local expert or judge, he has a completely different point of view on what makes a good picture and came up with some unusual ideas and interesting advice on how to get the best images.
Lockdown may have stopped us meeting up and limited our opportunities to take photos but it has widened our ability to book and see the work of a much wider range of really excellent photographers.
Malcolm Imhoff has had another success with an AV called “The Sphaghetti Tour” which about his successful attempt to climb 10 peaks over 4000 metres in height in the Monte Rosa area of the Alps. This is a really good AV with absolutely stunning shots of the snow covered mountains which you must see. The link will be in the AV area of the web site.
Malcolm’s AV Triumph
I asked Malcolm about his recent success in the AV competition in Poland.
Yes, it was the Polish International AV Festival called intriguingly “Pomeranian Meetings with Diaporama” as it is normally held in the Pomeranian Duke’s Castle. “Diaporama” is what AV is called in several European countries.
This year the event was judged in Poland and the award ceremony held online over two days on Zoom, so lots of my AV friends were able to see it. On the first day I learnt I had been awarded two FIAP acceptances which is quite an honour. On the second day I tuned in and saw my AV “La Nuit des Mille Feux” projected as it had won a FIAP Ribbon and I was delighted.
Imagine my surprise when it came to the final award, the Grand Prix, the FIAP Gold Medal and several thousand zloty, and it was my “Spaghetti Tour”. As it was playing congratulations started to pour in from AV friends on Facebook and WhatsApp.
I have done very well in Poland, I think partly because they speak very good English. I have won a Bronze Medal, a Silver Medal, and another Gold Medal in 2015.
Wow! We have gone truly international with our last speaker. Not only is he a hugely well travelled professional photographer that works for tourist companies, teaching photography in France and Asia but unknown to us he also lives in France from whence he conducted our latest Zoom Session. As a professional photographer, and not a local expert or judge, he has a completely different point of view on what makes a good picture and came up with some unusual ideas and interesting advice on how to get the best images.
Lockdown may have stopped us meeting up and limited our opportunities to take photos but it has widened our ability to book and see the work of a much wider range of really excellent photographers.
Malcolm Imhoff has had another success with an AV called “The Sphaghetti Tour” which about his successful attempt to climb 10 peaks over 4000 metres in height in the Monte Rosa area of the Alps. This is a really good AV with absolutely stunning shots of the snow covered mountains which you must see. The link will be in the AV area of the web site.
Malcolm’s AV Triumph
I asked Malcolm about his recent success in the AV competition in Poland.
Yes, it was the Polish International AV Festival called intriguingly “Pomeranian Meetings with Diaporama” as it is normally held in the Pomeranian Duke’s Castle. “Diaporama” is what AV is called in several European countries.
This year the event was judged in Poland and the award ceremony held online over two days on Zoom, so lots of my AV friends were able to see it. On the first day I learnt I had been awarded two FIAP acceptances which is quite an honour. On the second day I tuned in and saw my AV “La Nuit des Mille Feux” projected as it had won a FIAP Ribbon and I was delighted.
Imagine my surprise when it came to the final award, the Grand Prix, the FIAP Gold Medal and several thousand zloty, and it was my “Spaghetti Tour”. As it was playing congratulations started to pour in from AV friends on Facebook and WhatsApp.
I have done very well in Poland, I think partly because they speak very good English. I have won a Bronze Medal, a Silver Medal, and another Gold Medal in 2015.
Recently Paul Cook, a new member of the club, went on a Photo Walk in London which he booked before lockdown not long after he joined our club as a member. He uses a Leica Q2 camera with a fixed focal length 28mm lens.
I asked him some questions about it. Firstly I asked him why he booked the course.
Question 1. Why I Booked The Photo Walk?
Answer: Well Kate, I thought it would be beneficial for me at this point of my journey to get out and practice the art of photography in as many locations to learn about difficulties of taking the shots on locations. If I made mistakes I could go back to the locations and shoot them again. I paid for the Two Day Photo Walk in January & February 2020 with the intention of meeting up with Craig Roberts to go out and shoot over the Easter Break in early Spring of 2020. However, COVID-19 hit in early February with the imminent lockdown hitting the UK in March 2020. Consequentially, I had to postpone twice and hoped that we could go out together in October 2020. My plan was to go back to London and take another lot of photos if I missed the opportunity the first time. Obviously, it’s difficult for me to switch on and see the pictures with all the excitement on the day. Also, I may not have the technical knowledge or understanding or the correct equipment to get the most from the location to capture the best possible picture at the time. But, I am pleased I had a go. It’s all a learning experience.
What Did I Learn From The Experience? How I Intend to use the Information For The Future?
Answer: Probably, to learn how to recognise potential of new locations. I sometimes find that I walk by a location and don’t see the potentially a great photo. Craig talked about visualisation lots. But, it’s about personal experience. It may take a few more years for me to be better.
With my 28 mm Focal Length Prime Lens, I probably learned how to compose for this focal length and work the location to get the best results.
Lastly, Graduated Filters maybe essential kit for this type of photography. The Dynamic Range on my camera struggled with capturing the one or two stop difference to the foreground exposure.
I made a mistake with my first shot and could have worked a better composition. But, I found it difficult in the torrential rain storm. Therefore, I cut off the name of London Hospital and the Foreground Content of the Stairwell.
Definitely, I will go back to take this shot again when things get better with COVID-19.
Paul Cook
Paul has produced some smashing pictures from this Photo Walk. Now we need to get into Birmingham and see if we can generate some photos that are just as good. Roll on the end of lockdown
Competition 3 November
Judge Ralph Duckett
Ralph is a very generous judge who gave out lots of constructive comments about each of the images. He also gave out some useful hints on how he would have improved the images if they were his and was very fair to all levels of ability.
He gave a lot of highly commended and commended to members with seven people being awarded places in the results.
Judge Ralph Duckett
Ralph is a very generous judge who gave out lots of constructive comments about each of the images. He also gave out some useful hints on how he would have improved the images if they were his and was very fair to all levels of ability.
He gave a lot of highly commended and commended to members with seven people being awarded places in the results.
DPIs
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1st Feelin’ The Blues 2nd Wild Water 3rd The First One Out HC Ploughed and Ready HC Waiting ForThe Off HC Come In Number 22 HC Desperate Measures 2 HC Hunting Hound 2 C The Perilous Sea C On Como C Day Dreaming C Canary Wharf Tower |
Alan McCormick Ian Dean Alan McCormick Dave Cooke Richard Brown Malcolm Imhoff Malcolm Imhoff Ian Dean Catherine Nicholls Dave Cooke Dave Cooke Paul Cook |
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Leader Board
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1st Alan McCormick 2nd Steve West - Malcolm Imhoff 4th Richard Brown |
32 27 24 |
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W.G.Ross Trophy Interclub Competition
Judge Graham Walton
This competitionBetween us and Aston and Erdington Photographic Society was the first of our joint Zooms with another club and proved to be a success. It gave us the opportunity to meet up with members of Aston and Erdington and as usual a chance to see the really good photos of another club.
Graham Walton proved yet again that he is an excellent judge who makes fair and constructive comments about the images shown. He even managed to give us a new tip on how to get rid of haloes around dark objects in front of bright areas in the image. I have included it in the technical notes at the end of this newsletter.
Yet again we lost to A and E by a fairly narrow margin but that gives us every incentive to raise our game for next year when we hope to be back to normal and will be hosting the competition at South Parade.
The photos that gained the highest marks included sports shots. The top shot was of Scott Reading riding a motorbike on a dirt track. The picture was praised for good panning producing a blurred background and blurred wheels showing that they were spinning. The other was of a grimacing tennis player in mid stroke. Another very successful photo was the highly detailed portrait of a Bataleur Eagle showing every detail of the feathers face and eyes. Also a beautiful portrait of a young girl wearing a veil and a “hat” of twisted twigs gained high marks.
Graham also gave high marks to Alan’s picture of two lilies called “Pas de Deux” and Kate’s image called “What did she Say?”. We just need to start planning our challenge for next year to see if we can get hold of the trophy next year.
Great Barr vs Sutton Coldfield PC Interclub Competition
It always amazes us that images seen in competitions by two judges can achieve such different results. It may be due to the quality of the winning pictures being different but often it is due to the differing tastes of the judges and the things they notice in the picture that they like. High achieving images in this competition involved a high proportion of stunning portraits and model work. There were also some fantastic shots of water drops in action and images that told a story.
Once again we lost so perhaps we need to bear in mind the type of images that gain the highest marks if we want to win next year. Then again we gain a lot out of joining in with these competitions because it spurs us on to improve our images as well as giving us an insight into what other clubs are doing.
Judge Graham Walton
This competitionBetween us and Aston and Erdington Photographic Society was the first of our joint Zooms with another club and proved to be a success. It gave us the opportunity to meet up with members of Aston and Erdington and as usual a chance to see the really good photos of another club.
Graham Walton proved yet again that he is an excellent judge who makes fair and constructive comments about the images shown. He even managed to give us a new tip on how to get rid of haloes around dark objects in front of bright areas in the image. I have included it in the technical notes at the end of this newsletter.
Yet again we lost to A and E by a fairly narrow margin but that gives us every incentive to raise our game for next year when we hope to be back to normal and will be hosting the competition at South Parade.
The photos that gained the highest marks included sports shots. The top shot was of Scott Reading riding a motorbike on a dirt track. The picture was praised for good panning producing a blurred background and blurred wheels showing that they were spinning. The other was of a grimacing tennis player in mid stroke. Another very successful photo was the highly detailed portrait of a Bataleur Eagle showing every detail of the feathers face and eyes. Also a beautiful portrait of a young girl wearing a veil and a “hat” of twisted twigs gained high marks.
Graham also gave high marks to Alan’s picture of two lilies called “Pas de Deux” and Kate’s image called “What did she Say?”. We just need to start planning our challenge for next year to see if we can get hold of the trophy next year.
Great Barr vs Sutton Coldfield PC Interclub Competition
It always amazes us that images seen in competitions by two judges can achieve such different results. It may be due to the quality of the winning pictures being different but often it is due to the differing tastes of the judges and the things they notice in the picture that they like. High achieving images in this competition involved a high proportion of stunning portraits and model work. There were also some fantastic shots of water drops in action and images that told a story.
Once again we lost so perhaps we need to bear in mind the type of images that gain the highest marks if we want to win next year. Then again we gain a lot out of joining in with these competitions because it spurs us on to improve our images as well as giving us an insight into what other clubs are doing.
Talks
Stuck in Vietnam
Julian Elliott
Julian Elliott is a professional photographer who lives in France which we didn’t realise until he told us during the preliminary chat before his formal talk began. As a result we had an extra, impromptu viewing of photos he has taken of the Loire Valley area in which he lives.
Julian made the point that very few photographers go to the Loire Valley even though it is a very beautiful area of France with many stunning castles and vineyards.
Julian uses a Canon 5D Mark IV camera and his favourite lens is a 100 to 400mm which compresses the view of landscapes better than a wide angled lens. He also uses a tilt/shift lens to take photos of buildings. This lens allows pillars and verticals to be vertical in the image without the use of photoshop.
As a photographer he is a Wysiwyg. What you see is what you get. He doesn’t believe in processing his images in Photoshop. He is meticulous about planning his shots, doing research before he goes to a site and Googling Street view of areas to get an idea of what can be seen in an area. He also uses Instagram and other images from social media to find out more.
He was invited to go to Vietnam by a Vietnamese tourist agency to take pictures showing the essence of Vietnam. As a photographer who likes to take his time to find the right shot he found that taking photos in Vietnam has its problems. The sky is hazy with moisture and many of the areas he was taken to were packed with tourists. He was not given enough time to take photos and had to resort to hiring a boat to himself when visiting some caves.
Never the less his images of Hoi Nan, a lantern making town and the rice terraces were really good. He also manged to take images of people on motorbikes carrying ridiculously enormous loads.
Julian’s best pictures were taken when he got stuck in Vietnam and made the headlines for doing so. Left to his own devise for two weeks he was able to learn some Vietnamese, make friends with the locals and take the time to find the and take the type of pictures he liked most. His portraits of the locals were amazing.
The best thing about Julian’s presentation was that his methods and ideas about photography point out a different aspect of photography which is not geared up to entering competitions. The quality of the photographs is extremely high and shows us just what we can aspire to as photographers.
Stuck in Vietnam
Julian Elliott
Julian Elliott is a professional photographer who lives in France which we didn’t realise until he told us during the preliminary chat before his formal talk began. As a result we had an extra, impromptu viewing of photos he has taken of the Loire Valley area in which he lives.
Julian made the point that very few photographers go to the Loire Valley even though it is a very beautiful area of France with many stunning castles and vineyards.
Julian uses a Canon 5D Mark IV camera and his favourite lens is a 100 to 400mm which compresses the view of landscapes better than a wide angled lens. He also uses a tilt/shift lens to take photos of buildings. This lens allows pillars and verticals to be vertical in the image without the use of photoshop.
As a photographer he is a Wysiwyg. What you see is what you get. He doesn’t believe in processing his images in Photoshop. He is meticulous about planning his shots, doing research before he goes to a site and Googling Street view of areas to get an idea of what can be seen in an area. He also uses Instagram and other images from social media to find out more.
He was invited to go to Vietnam by a Vietnamese tourist agency to take pictures showing the essence of Vietnam. As a photographer who likes to take his time to find the right shot he found that taking photos in Vietnam has its problems. The sky is hazy with moisture and many of the areas he was taken to were packed with tourists. He was not given enough time to take photos and had to resort to hiring a boat to himself when visiting some caves.
Never the less his images of Hoi Nan, a lantern making town and the rice terraces were really good. He also manged to take images of people on motorbikes carrying ridiculously enormous loads.
Julian’s best pictures were taken when he got stuck in Vietnam and made the headlines for doing so. Left to his own devise for two weeks he was able to learn some Vietnamese, make friends with the locals and take the time to find the and take the type of pictures he liked most. His portraits of the locals were amazing.
The best thing about Julian’s presentation was that his methods and ideas about photography point out a different aspect of photography which is not geared up to entering competitions. The quality of the photographs is extremely high and shows us just what we can aspire to as photographers.
Technical Tips
How to draw a 1 to 3 pixel border around a DPI.
In Photoshop choose “Select” “All” to produce marching ants around the image. Go to “Edit”. Chose “Stroke”. Chose the width and colour of the line in the dialogue box. 2px is good. Then choose the location of the border. Inside is good. Click OK and then deselect the marching ants. You should then be able to see a very fine border around your image which will not upset the judges but make your image stand out bette.r
Thanks to Richard for telling me this.
How to get rid of haloes.
Graham Walton recommended this method although he said there are lots of ways of doing it.
Click on the “clone stamp tool” in photoshop. Look along the menu bar for a box that says “normal”. Look down the list for “darken”. Click on this and then go over your haloes to get rid of them.
How to draw a 1 to 3 pixel border around a DPI.
In Photoshop choose “Select” “All” to produce marching ants around the image. Go to “Edit”. Chose “Stroke”. Chose the width and colour of the line in the dialogue box. 2px is good. Then choose the location of the border. Inside is good. Click OK and then deselect the marching ants. You should then be able to see a very fine border around your image which will not upset the judges but make your image stand out bette.r
Thanks to Richard for telling me this.
How to get rid of haloes.
Graham Walton recommended this method although he said there are lots of ways of doing it.
Click on the “clone stamp tool” in photoshop. Look along the menu bar for a box that says “normal”. Look down the list for “darken”. Click on this and then go over your haloes to get rid of them.
Newsletter Number 25 November 2020
Do you ever feel that you are in Ground Hog Day? Back we go to not being to make unnecessary journeys and access to Wales is still denied but, at the time of writing, it is about to stop raining for a few days. Not that taking pictures in bad weather is a bad thing but I don’t like my camera getting wet. If it starts again I shall raid my stock of shower caps to put over the camera and try taking pictures of reflections in puddles. The hood and the peg work well also.
Despite all that I think that we have done well as club to keep a good programme going. Well done Paul. We have the first Interclub competition with Aston and Erdington coming up on the 9th Nov for the W.G.Ross Cup. We haven’t beaten Aston and Erdington for the last few competitions but I think that we have some really good images being entered this year so keep your fingers crossed.
I must say well done to Paul Cook for getting his very first competition entry placed second in the second club competition but also for having his picture of dice entered for the Interclub as well.
After that we have another Interclub with Great Barr so we need some more great pictures to enter for that.
Take up of the Zoom sessions has been good but some people might like to offer some ideas for activities that interest them if they haven’t been participating. It is our aim to be a club that provides the kind of sessions that are interesting and useful to you. It is your club and you can contribute your ideas at any time.
Also I would really interested in hearing about your activities over the year and receiving some articles for the newsletter. Where have you been? What skills could you pass on? Could you show us your favourite images from the past and say where and how you took them? How about telling us about things that went wrong and how you put them right? We would like to know all about these things and I am sure that you are getting fed up with reading what I write.
Don’t forget to Zoom on Friday 6th Nov for a talk by Graham Walton and on Mon 9th Nov for the interclub competition with Aston and Erdington for the W G Ross Trophy.
Results of Competition 2
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1st Exuberance 2nd Tumbling Dice 3rd Trapped by Time HC White Background C Soldier Blue |
Dave Ballantyne Paul Cook Dave Ballantyne Richard Brown Ian Dean |
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Leader Board
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Steve West Alan McCormick John Cresswell Dave Cook Dave Ballantyne |
22 17 17 16 16 |
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Talks
Faces and Places Gary Langley
www.garylangley.co.uk
By meeting over Zoom it has made it possible to use speakers from much further afield that we couldn’t normally afford to invite to the club to speak because of travelling expenses. This gives access to a wider range of photography experience and ideas.
I was a bit late arriving at the meeting with Gary and was interested to see that his Faces were Goths from the Whitby Goth Festival and that he used the well known technique of montages using interesting and moody backgrounds. He even confessed to knowing Peter Gennard. However the amount of detail included in the faces was stunning. I don’t remember any portraits I have seen before having so much detail visible in the eyes before. The patterns in the model’s irises were so clear it made me want to look at why my photos are so out of focus in comparison. Have a look on his website to see what you missed if you didn’t join us on Zoom.
Gary went on to show us images of Scotland and the islands and described the disadvantages of staying in Youth Hostels with people who go out drinking and come back in the middle of the night a bit the worse for wear. Once again I was stunned by the detail he gets in his images and the perfect level of focus.
He also reminded us that the best landscape photos are taken in the Golden Hours at dawn and dusk when the sun is low in the sky and the shadows are long. In between you can while away the hours taking photos on a camera adapted for infrared as this works better in bright light at midday. He changes the reddish images you get to black and white where all green objects look like frost or snow and water is black.
Throughout his talk (this is something you miss if you do not Zoom) he gave handy hints on how to take good photos. For example he showed us photos of tennis players where he had aimed for pictures of facial expressions. He also looks for interesting body shapes and the ultimate target is to get a ball in flight into the shot (although I suppose you could always photoshop one in). Cheat!
When taking images in churches he uses bracketing to get one picture exposed for the bright areas like windows and another for the darker areas and photoshops them together for the perfect shot. He uses monochrome to show features rather colours and may also do a near exposure and a far exposure to get depth of focus.
He has a passion for wildlife and any living animal be it in the wild or in Zoos. His classic “bird on a stick” pictures are taken by putting a strategically placed birdfeeder near an interesting stick on a tripod, but out of sight, and waiting for a bird to land on the stick looking at the feeder. The background must not be distracting and the stick must not outshine the bird.
Gary loves insects and used to breed praying mantises. He also used to take them with him to camera clubs to teach macro photography. Another handy hint was to go to garden centres with aquaria to take pictures of fish.
Gary courted controversy by saying that he believes in under exposing the pictures of landscapes because these can be worked on to produce better pictures. Some of the landscapes he showed were very light and ethereal. Again you can see some of these on his web site.
For anyone who didn’t join us on Zoom you missed a treat so make sure to join us in future.
Faces and Places Gary Langley
www.garylangley.co.uk
By meeting over Zoom it has made it possible to use speakers from much further afield that we couldn’t normally afford to invite to the club to speak because of travelling expenses. This gives access to a wider range of photography experience and ideas.
I was a bit late arriving at the meeting with Gary and was interested to see that his Faces were Goths from the Whitby Goth Festival and that he used the well known technique of montages using interesting and moody backgrounds. He even confessed to knowing Peter Gennard. However the amount of detail included in the faces was stunning. I don’t remember any portraits I have seen before having so much detail visible in the eyes before. The patterns in the model’s irises were so clear it made me want to look at why my photos are so out of focus in comparison. Have a look on his website to see what you missed if you didn’t join us on Zoom.
Gary went on to show us images of Scotland and the islands and described the disadvantages of staying in Youth Hostels with people who go out drinking and come back in the middle of the night a bit the worse for wear. Once again I was stunned by the detail he gets in his images and the perfect level of focus.
He also reminded us that the best landscape photos are taken in the Golden Hours at dawn and dusk when the sun is low in the sky and the shadows are long. In between you can while away the hours taking photos on a camera adapted for infrared as this works better in bright light at midday. He changes the reddish images you get to black and white where all green objects look like frost or snow and water is black.
Throughout his talk (this is something you miss if you do not Zoom) he gave handy hints on how to take good photos. For example he showed us photos of tennis players where he had aimed for pictures of facial expressions. He also looks for interesting body shapes and the ultimate target is to get a ball in flight into the shot (although I suppose you could always photoshop one in). Cheat!
When taking images in churches he uses bracketing to get one picture exposed for the bright areas like windows and another for the darker areas and photoshops them together for the perfect shot. He uses monochrome to show features rather colours and may also do a near exposure and a far exposure to get depth of focus.
He has a passion for wildlife and any living animal be it in the wild or in Zoos. His classic “bird on a stick” pictures are taken by putting a strategically placed birdfeeder near an interesting stick on a tripod, but out of sight, and waiting for a bird to land on the stick looking at the feeder. The background must not be distracting and the stick must not outshine the bird.
Gary loves insects and used to breed praying mantises. He also used to take them with him to camera clubs to teach macro photography. Another handy hint was to go to garden centres with aquaria to take pictures of fish.
Gary courted controversy by saying that he believes in under exposing the pictures of landscapes because these can be worked on to produce better pictures. Some of the landscapes he showed were very light and ethereal. Again you can see some of these on his web site.
For anyone who didn’t join us on Zoom you missed a treat so make sure to join us in future.
Handy Hints for Photography.
I have been watching two photography programmes on Sky Arts on a Tuesday evening from 7.00pm, Master of Photography and Rankin’s 2020. The first is a competition which has its final on the 10th Nov next week. The last programme of the second is repeated on Sunday during the day. I do not know if you can get it on Catch up. If you can you may also find it interesting.
I have also been reading some of a series of books written by Scott Kelby called “The Digital Photography Book”. There are five parts. These books are very easy to read because they cover one small topic at a time including photo recipes for getting perfect shots of many different types of subject.
On the issue of over or under or over exposing shots he says the aim should be to get the exposure right in the first place but if you cannot the argument for over exposure means that you let in more light. He says that noise is more prevalent in shadows. If you have to lighten dark areas in a picture you are also creating more noise. Darkening doesn’t create noise in the same way. Scott also has an interesting sense of humour so beware some of the practical jokes he plays in the opening of chapters.
Somewhere this week I came across a good idea for providing a re-useable background for table top photography. You can buy sheets of laminate from a builder’s merchant which bend so that you can provide a seamless backdrop. The club has got some backdrop stands and rolls of paper which we should make more use of when we get together again.
I have been watching two photography programmes on Sky Arts on a Tuesday evening from 7.00pm, Master of Photography and Rankin’s 2020. The first is a competition which has its final on the 10th Nov next week. The last programme of the second is repeated on Sunday during the day. I do not know if you can get it on Catch up. If you can you may also find it interesting.
I have also been reading some of a series of books written by Scott Kelby called “The Digital Photography Book”. There are five parts. These books are very easy to read because they cover one small topic at a time including photo recipes for getting perfect shots of many different types of subject.
On the issue of over or under or over exposing shots he says the aim should be to get the exposure right in the first place but if you cannot the argument for over exposure means that you let in more light. He says that noise is more prevalent in shadows. If you have to lighten dark areas in a picture you are also creating more noise. Darkening doesn’t create noise in the same way. Scott also has an interesting sense of humour so beware some of the practical jokes he plays in the opening of chapters.
Somewhere this week I came across a good idea for providing a re-useable background for table top photography. You can buy sheets of laminate from a builder’s merchant which bend so that you can provide a seamless backdrop. The club has got some backdrop stands and rolls of paper which we should make more use of when we get together again.
Newsletter Number 24 September 2020
Whilst it feels very strange not to meet in person Paul has made a huge effort to get things going on Zoom. Not only has he had to deal with the technical issues of setting up the meetings and the competition, he also has to coach the speakers in how to present their material. It has also been necessary to find substitute speakers where some have decided not to participate. Paul says it feels like he has taken on a fulltime job.
Steve has also had to deal with the technical difficulties of running the competition software over the internet.
The committee have had multiple meetings throughout August making decisions on how to run the club from September onwards. This is not usual and has involved a lot more work than usual.
I hope you will join me in thanking them for the work they are doing. Without it the club would have ceased to function for the following year. I ask you to show your support by joining our Zoom meetings and maybe offering alternative activities, talks and technical advice for new members. How about writing an article for the newsletter? We would love to hear what you have been doing over the summer and to see some pictures of the places you have been and of course we have planned evenings when we will be asking for members to contribute their images. Maybe we can have a challenge based on a Kingsbury Water Park Walkabout.
It has also been lovely to see new and old members that we haven’t seen for a while participating in meetings.
Vic Palmer
Vic has had a nasty fall and has had surgery on his back. He is recovering but has had a very difficult time in hospital. I have sent a get well card on your behalf wishing him a speedy recovery.
Interclub competitions.
The interclub competitions are due to go ahead so watch this space for information on how the images are to be chosen.
It has also been lovely to see new and old members that we haven’t seen for a while participating in meetings.
Vic Palmer
Vic has had a nasty fall and has had surgery on his back. He is recovering but has had a very difficult time in hospital. I have sent a get well card on your behalf wishing him a speedy recovery.
Interclub competitions.
The interclub competitions are due to go ahead so watch this space for information on how the images are to be chosen.
AV Capers in Milan
Richard Brown
In October 2017, Malcolm and I attended the first international AV festival to be held in Garbagnate Milanese, a small town about fifteen kilometres from Milan. When I was invited to be on the jury for the 3rd such event last year in 2019, Dave Cooke kindly volunteered to accompany me. Allegedly to “help carry my bags”, but in reality I noticed precious little of that going on! The first bit of entertainment was a lot of extremely bumpy circling of the airport in Bergamo due to a thunderstorm. After about half an hour we were eventually diverted to Bologna. There then followed a rush-hour taxi ride into the city, an hour and a quarter on a comfortable Trenitalia high-speed train to get to the centre of Milan and a battle with the suburban rail system, which that very week had had its entire fare structure upgraded. Unfortunately, no-one seemed to have thought that the automatic ticket machines might need to be re-programmed. Even the locals seemed to have no idea what was going on. Remarkably, we arrived in Garbagnate, ticketless, only about three hours later than our original plan.
Our hosts for the week were Mario, the Chairman of Garbagnate Photo Group and his wife Paola. We weren’t staying in their family home, but rather in an equally substantial villa next door. It had belonged to Mario’s late uncle, who had bequeathed it for the use of visiting lecturers and judges to the club. Pretty unusual.
Although the weather was mixed overall, we did manage one beautifully sunny day out of the two we spent exploring the centre of Milan. Taking in the magnificent Duomo, the 2nd largest cathedral in Europe after St. Peter’s in Rome and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, built in the 1860s and their equivalent of The Bullring, though somewhat grander to say the least.
After experiencing the city packed with tourists, it was eerie to see it deserted on the TV news pictures when Italy’s lockdown started. On another day we visited the huge Alfa Romeo museum, which is housed in one of the heritage buildings left by the company when they moved out of Milan.
We also fitted in a visit to a regular Garbagnate Photo Group meeting. That week they were selecting some award winners from a PDI salon they had recently organised. We were bemused by the process, which seemed to involve multiple viewings of some images at random, no discernable discussion but a lot of wandering about by the members. Eventually, the winners were announced, which didn’t seem to have any connection with what had gone on before. Still, they were a very friendly crowd.
The AV festival itself took place over three days in the local library. For some reason, Italian AV festivals don’t seem to worry too much about attendees, or rather lack of them. For a couple of the projection sessions, apart from one or two of the organisers Dave was the audience! With both of the other jurors being Italian, there might have been language problems. But fortunately my co-conspirators Francesco and Walter both spoke good English and we turned out to be an excellent team. We also ended up awarding three of the top six prizes to UK entries, including the winner. So a very satisfactory outcome.
Towards the end of our stay, Dave made the mistake of mentioning to our hosts that he is a bit of an amateur chef. So we were treated to his speciality mushroom risotto as the first course at a family and friends meal. A bit like Mario and Paola coming here and cooking roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but it seemed to go down well enough!
They do say that travel broadens the mind and visiting AV festivals overseas can certainly be an entertaining experience. The main thing which has struck me over the years is what a welcoming and hospitable lot AV enthusiasts are, no matter which country you are in. Hopefully we will be able to fit in some more foreign AV adventures when the present situation eases.
Richard Brown
In October 2017, Malcolm and I attended the first international AV festival to be held in Garbagnate Milanese, a small town about fifteen kilometres from Milan. When I was invited to be on the jury for the 3rd such event last year in 2019, Dave Cooke kindly volunteered to accompany me. Allegedly to “help carry my bags”, but in reality I noticed precious little of that going on! The first bit of entertainment was a lot of extremely bumpy circling of the airport in Bergamo due to a thunderstorm. After about half an hour we were eventually diverted to Bologna. There then followed a rush-hour taxi ride into the city, an hour and a quarter on a comfortable Trenitalia high-speed train to get to the centre of Milan and a battle with the suburban rail system, which that very week had had its entire fare structure upgraded. Unfortunately, no-one seemed to have thought that the automatic ticket machines might need to be re-programmed. Even the locals seemed to have no idea what was going on. Remarkably, we arrived in Garbagnate, ticketless, only about three hours later than our original plan.
Our hosts for the week were Mario, the Chairman of Garbagnate Photo Group and his wife Paola. We weren’t staying in their family home, but rather in an equally substantial villa next door. It had belonged to Mario’s late uncle, who had bequeathed it for the use of visiting lecturers and judges to the club. Pretty unusual.
Although the weather was mixed overall, we did manage one beautifully sunny day out of the two we spent exploring the centre of Milan. Taking in the magnificent Duomo, the 2nd largest cathedral in Europe after St. Peter’s in Rome and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, built in the 1860s and their equivalent of The Bullring, though somewhat grander to say the least.
After experiencing the city packed with tourists, it was eerie to see it deserted on the TV news pictures when Italy’s lockdown started. On another day we visited the huge Alfa Romeo museum, which is housed in one of the heritage buildings left by the company when they moved out of Milan.
We also fitted in a visit to a regular Garbagnate Photo Group meeting. That week they were selecting some award winners from a PDI salon they had recently organised. We were bemused by the process, which seemed to involve multiple viewings of some images at random, no discernable discussion but a lot of wandering about by the members. Eventually, the winners were announced, which didn’t seem to have any connection with what had gone on before. Still, they were a very friendly crowd.
The AV festival itself took place over three days in the local library. For some reason, Italian AV festivals don’t seem to worry too much about attendees, or rather lack of them. For a couple of the projection sessions, apart from one or two of the organisers Dave was the audience! With both of the other jurors being Italian, there might have been language problems. But fortunately my co-conspirators Francesco and Walter both spoke good English and we turned out to be an excellent team. We also ended up awarding three of the top six prizes to UK entries, including the winner. So a very satisfactory outcome.
Towards the end of our stay, Dave made the mistake of mentioning to our hosts that he is a bit of an amateur chef. So we were treated to his speciality mushroom risotto as the first course at a family and friends meal. A bit like Mario and Paola coming here and cooking roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but it seemed to go down well enough!
They do say that travel broadens the mind and visiting AV festivals overseas can certainly be an entertaining experience. The main thing which has struck me over the years is what a welcoming and hospitable lot AV enthusiasts are, no matter which country you are in. Hopefully we will be able to fit in some more foreign AV adventures when the present situation eases.
Garbagnate Photo Group - unusual judging in progress.
We also fitted in a visit to a regular Garbagnate Photo Group meeting. That week they were selecting some award winners from a PDI salon they had recently organised. We were bemused by the process, which seemed to involve multiple viewings of some images at random, no discernable discussion but a lot of wandering about by the members. Eventually, the winners were announced, which didn’t seem to have any connection with what had gone on before. Still, they were a very friendly crowd.
The AV festival itself took place over three days in the local library. For some reason, Italian AV festivals don’t seem to worry too much about attendees, or rather lack of them. For a couple of the projection sessions, apart from one or two of the organisers Dave was the audience! With both of the other jurors being Italian, there might have been language problems. But fortunately my co-conspirators Francesco and Walter both spoke good English and we turned out to be an excellent team. We also ended up awarding three of the top six prizes to UK entries, including the winner. So a very satisfactory outcome.
Towards the end of our stay, Dave made the mistake of mentioning to our hosts that he is a bit of an amateur chef. So we were treated to his speciality mushroom risotto as the first course at a family and friends meal. A bit like Mario and Paola coming here and cooking roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but it seemed to go down well enough!
They do say that travel broadens the mind and visiting AV festivals overseas can certainly be an entertaining experience. The main thing which has struck me over the years is what a welcoming and hospitable lot AV enthusiasts are, no matter which country you are in. Hopefully we will be able to fit in some more foreign AV adventures when the present situation eases.
The AV festival itself took place over three days in the local library. For some reason, Italian AV festivals don’t seem to worry too much about attendees, or rather lack of them. For a couple of the projection sessions, apart from one or two of the organisers Dave was the audience! With both of the other jurors being Italian, there might have been language problems. But fortunately my co-conspirators Francesco and Walter both spoke good English and we turned out to be an excellent team. We also ended up awarding three of the top six prizes to UK entries, including the winner. So a very satisfactory outcome.
Towards the end of our stay, Dave made the mistake of mentioning to our hosts that he is a bit of an amateur chef. So we were treated to his speciality mushroom risotto as the first course at a family and friends meal. A bit like Mario and Paola coming here and cooking roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but it seemed to go down well enough!
They do say that travel broadens the mind and visiting AV festivals overseas can certainly be an entertaining experience. The main thing which has struck me over the years is what a welcoming and hospitable lot AV enthusiasts are, no matter which country you are in. Hopefully we will be able to fit in some more foreign AV adventures when the present situation eases.
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, very up-market shopping.
A display in the Alfa Romeo Museum. Tempting, but out of my price range!
A lovely meal out after the festival ended.
David often uses wine when cooking - sometimes in the food.
RB with just a small bottle of red to start the evening off.
Meetings
The first meeting was a good opportunity to find out how to access Zoom and an opportunity to have a good chat. We saw some excellent pictures of Yorkshire presented by John Cresswell. I am amazed that he managed to get pictures of cobbled streets in Dent with no vehicles or wheely bins in the way. He also showed some lovely pictures of a lead mine in North Derbyshire.
Paul gave a talk on Luminar and Steve recommended that we have a look at the Skylum free software. The link is https://skylum.com/dc-photolemur
Challenges
Well done to everyone who contributed to the Challenges. If you have been looking at them you will have seen some thoughtful and humorous attempts to illustrate the topics. They are going to be continued monthly from now on. The Next Challenge is “Music”. I bet some of you have got some excellent images you could contribute.
Competition 1
This competition was judged by Kylie Martin, a new judge on the circuit, who happens to live just down the road from me. This enabled us to deliver prints to her as well as sending her the DPIs in advance for judging.
As a result the number of prints delivered were limited and we will not be able to do this again. The number of DPIs was much better and sufficient entries were received to make a good competition.
The competition software worked well in the circumstances and the results have been compiled.
The advantage of having competitions by Zoom means that the images have now been presented on the web site. You can now look at all the images yourself and make your own decisions.
We may also have enough new members to divide the entries into groups for more and less experienced members allowing us to use the trophy sitting in the cupboard for a number of years.
If you would like some coaching on how to enter your pictures for the first time please let the committee know and we will set it up. Entering competitions is one way of improving your skills.
Leader Board
The first meeting was a good opportunity to find out how to access Zoom and an opportunity to have a good chat. We saw some excellent pictures of Yorkshire presented by John Cresswell. I am amazed that he managed to get pictures of cobbled streets in Dent with no vehicles or wheely bins in the way. He also showed some lovely pictures of a lead mine in North Derbyshire.
Paul gave a talk on Luminar and Steve recommended that we have a look at the Skylum free software. The link is https://skylum.com/dc-photolemur
Challenges
Well done to everyone who contributed to the Challenges. If you have been looking at them you will have seen some thoughtful and humorous attempts to illustrate the topics. They are going to be continued monthly from now on. The Next Challenge is “Music”. I bet some of you have got some excellent images you could contribute.
Competition 1
This competition was judged by Kylie Martin, a new judge on the circuit, who happens to live just down the road from me. This enabled us to deliver prints to her as well as sending her the DPIs in advance for judging.
As a result the number of prints delivered were limited and we will not be able to do this again. The number of DPIs was much better and sufficient entries were received to make a good competition.
The competition software worked well in the circumstances and the results have been compiled.
The advantage of having competitions by Zoom means that the images have now been presented on the web site. You can now look at all the images yourself and make your own decisions.
We may also have enough new members to divide the entries into groups for more and less experienced members allowing us to use the trophy sitting in the cupboard for a number of years.
If you would like some coaching on how to enter your pictures for the first time please let the committee know and we will set it up. Entering competitions is one way of improving your skills.
Leader Board
DPIs
Prints
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1st Sunset Over Witton Lakes 2nd Stourhead Letterbox 3rd Oil & Water HC Bee on Lavender HC Towards The Storm C Bet on Red C Consulting the Map |
Steve West John Cresswell Steve West Alan McCormick Malcolm Imhoff Paul Stokes Paul Stokes |
1st Lower Slaughter Mill 2nd Across The Lake 3rd High and Dry HC Sunset on Snowdonia C Resigned Look |
Catherine Nicholls Dave Ballantyne Dave Ballantyne Paul Stokes John Cresswell |
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Talks
David Millard
Without Filters
David is interested mainly in Landscape and night photography and described to us how he used his hands combined with long exposure photography to take photographs of dark foregrounds with extremely bright backgrounds.
He uses a tripod and uses his hands to mask the lighter areas of the shot for a suitable amount of time to allow long exposures to be successful. This is unique and is an alternative to using graduated filters.
His showed his pictures as prints which is not the best way of demonstrating the wonderful quality of his images but it was good enough to make an interesting evening. David has offered to lend us his prints in the future so we can see them at a proper meeting. We will look forward to this as his landscapes are stunning.
He has spent a lot of time photographing in the area of Sandymouth Bay and on the Somerset Levels. He singles out small trees or branches with retained autumn colour against a less colourful background. He uses infrared in darker conditions and takes pictures of star trails. A handy tip that he gave is to use a torch at night to light up foreground objects to create an area of interest.
He also recommends that you go out taking photos with like minded people as it helps you to learn more skills and the people you are with are more likely to want to hang about waiting for the ideal moment to take the best picture.
David Millard
Without Filters
David is interested mainly in Landscape and night photography and described to us how he used his hands combined with long exposure photography to take photographs of dark foregrounds with extremely bright backgrounds.
He uses a tripod and uses his hands to mask the lighter areas of the shot for a suitable amount of time to allow long exposures to be successful. This is unique and is an alternative to using graduated filters.
His showed his pictures as prints which is not the best way of demonstrating the wonderful quality of his images but it was good enough to make an interesting evening. David has offered to lend us his prints in the future so we can see them at a proper meeting. We will look forward to this as his landscapes are stunning.
He has spent a lot of time photographing in the area of Sandymouth Bay and on the Somerset Levels. He singles out small trees or branches with retained autumn colour against a less colourful background. He uses infrared in darker conditions and takes pictures of star trails. A handy tip that he gave is to use a torch at night to light up foreground objects to create an area of interest.
He also recommends that you go out taking photos with like minded people as it helps you to learn more skills and the people you are with are more likely to want to hang about waiting for the ideal moment to take the best picture.
The Alternative View
This talk was definitely from a different perspective. Colin believes that you can find pictures everywhere you go even if it is only of your or someone else’s feet. The only limitation is not having a camera with you. He doesn’t have a large and fancy DSLR with lots of lenses but uses a small camera for readiness and, in some circumstances, his phone. He takes a photo everyday. His pictures of reflections varied from abstract to recognisable reality. He has spent some time at New Street Station and around Selfridges.
Colin loves taking pictures of shapes and textures. Where possible he introduces strong diagonals to increase the impact of the image. Pictures of decay and building sites also create strong images.
He doesn’t use photoshop for most of his pictures but he does think that some pictures look better as prints or DPIs but not both. He finds street photography, even though it is fashionable, difficult because it often involves talking to people and asking them if they will allow him to photograph them. Taking pictures of people when they are on the phone is good as they do not notice you.
He uses buildings as a foil to frame others and says that misty days are great for photography. Overall his pictures are very minimalist which makes them very stylish. Colourful sock drawers, rust and shadows, rope coils and nautical stuff are all targets.
I wonder what he would make of this image from Statfold?
I didn’t realise that when Paul asked me to put some pictures together for a short talk that he was going to give me the whole evening but I have managed to cobble together some images of My Cornwall where I was brought up and I hope they told a bit of story.
Meanwhile I have just got back from Exmoor and have been to Tarr Steps, the Valley of the Rocks and Clevedon. Driving over Exmoor involves a lot of driving down, or up, some very narrow lanes to get to these places but there are stunning views to be had.
I was amazed at the size and length of Tarr Steps. Look at the size of the people in the image. Even so they get washed away in years of heavy flood and have to be rebuilt.
Newsletter Number 23 August 2020
I do not usually write a news letter in the summer break but this year has been so unusual that there have been significant changes to what we have been doing. Our usual summer venues for photography have been cancelled and social distancing has made it difficult to get away. Some alternative activities have been organised such as walkabouts on Cannock Chase and a Pony hunt in Sutton Park. We were lucky and the ponies came to us. Our new members have been very enthusiastic in joining in these and have produced some excellent pictures.
The committee has been meeting via Zoom to decide on the next steps for the season and news follows about the decisions made so far for this season. We hope to run an active season whatever the circumstances this year and as a small club we may have flexibility to do things that larger clubs can’t, so read on.
The bad news is that the weekend away has been cancelled due to the high risks of socialising in a group at a hotel. We hope to encourage members to organise some day time outings instead in places where there might be good photo opportunities.
Zoom Meetings
Paul has written a guide into how to download and use Zoom. You should have received a copy of this by email and it will be installed on the technical page of the website. You can download the guide from the ‘Links & Downloads’ page
For the less technically minded, Zoom is really easy to use. If you have problems do let Paul know.
Sid Butterworth
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Sid Butterworth. Sid was a supporter of several photography clubs in the area and had a long history of being quite an expert at taking beautiful pictures. We remember him for his pictures of flowers and for being collected from the meetings by his wife at half time because a whole evening would have been too much for him.
A card and a donation for a charity will be sent to his family on your behalf.
The New Season of Meetings
Our club has the advantage of being small enough to meet in the church centre and carry out social distancing. A Risk Assessment has been written the church centre and by the club which have been attached to this email and on the club web page. We ask you to read these carefully and decide whether you would be able to come to meetings on a regular basis.
You will be sent a questionnaire asking you about your preferences for continuing the club meetings.
Meanwhile the committee has decided to be cautious and run the meetings over Zoom for at least the first month until we are clearer about how infection rates respond to children going back to school and to the easing of Lockdown. As I write the news is that Birmingham has been put on a watch list due to a worrying increase in infections.
In order to use Zoom you will need to download the app onto your computer. This is free. If you want to be seen as well as heard you will need a camera on your computer. Lap tops already have one. When we run a meeting you will be sent an email containing an invitation to join the meeting. Click on the link and you will be able to see the speaker and the images. You will be sent instructions on how to use Zoom if you have never used it before.
Have a look at the programme on the web site to find out what to expect.
Membership Payment
The cost of running the club will be much lower if we go digital but we still have expenses to pay out, including expenses for some speakers, so we propose to ask members to pay a fee of £10 to allow access to the website and to allow you to enter competitions. This subscription would cover membership for as long as the meetings are held digitally. If we recommence meetings in the church centre then this sum would be deducted from the full fee for the rest of the season. The weekly digital meetings will be free thus saving you the weekly entry fee.
Payments can be made by cheque and sent to Dave Ballantyne, or you can pay by bank transfer direct to the club’s account. Details on how to do this will be sent to you separately to this newsletter.
Walkabouts
Of the three walkabouts I organised the most successful was the Pony Hunt. We met at Streetly Gate and walked across the railway bridge past the small Bracebridge Pool. We found two ponies not far up the path and then as we walked into the area that has had its trees cleared a herd of ponies joined us to have their picture taken.
Paul has written a guide into how to download and use Zoom. You should have received a copy of this by email and it will be installed on the technical page of the website. You can download the guide from the ‘Links & Downloads’ page
For the less technically minded, Zoom is really easy to use. If you have problems do let Paul know.
Sid Butterworth
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Sid Butterworth. Sid was a supporter of several photography clubs in the area and had a long history of being quite an expert at taking beautiful pictures. We remember him for his pictures of flowers and for being collected from the meetings by his wife at half time because a whole evening would have been too much for him.
A card and a donation for a charity will be sent to his family on your behalf.
The New Season of Meetings
Our club has the advantage of being small enough to meet in the church centre and carry out social distancing. A Risk Assessment has been written the church centre and by the club which have been attached to this email and on the club web page. We ask you to read these carefully and decide whether you would be able to come to meetings on a regular basis.
You will be sent a questionnaire asking you about your preferences for continuing the club meetings.
Meanwhile the committee has decided to be cautious and run the meetings over Zoom for at least the first month until we are clearer about how infection rates respond to children going back to school and to the easing of Lockdown. As I write the news is that Birmingham has been put on a watch list due to a worrying increase in infections.
In order to use Zoom you will need to download the app onto your computer. This is free. If you want to be seen as well as heard you will need a camera on your computer. Lap tops already have one. When we run a meeting you will be sent an email containing an invitation to join the meeting. Click on the link and you will be able to see the speaker and the images. You will be sent instructions on how to use Zoom if you have never used it before.
Have a look at the programme on the web site to find out what to expect.
Membership Payment
The cost of running the club will be much lower if we go digital but we still have expenses to pay out, including expenses for some speakers, so we propose to ask members to pay a fee of £10 to allow access to the website and to allow you to enter competitions. This subscription would cover membership for as long as the meetings are held digitally. If we recommence meetings in the church centre then this sum would be deducted from the full fee for the rest of the season. The weekly digital meetings will be free thus saving you the weekly entry fee.
Payments can be made by cheque and sent to Dave Ballantyne, or you can pay by bank transfer direct to the club’s account. Details on how to do this will be sent to you separately to this newsletter.
Walkabouts
Of the three walkabouts I organised the most successful was the Pony Hunt. We met at Streetly Gate and walked across the railway bridge past the small Bracebridge Pool. We found two ponies not far up the path and then as we walked into the area that has had its trees cleared a herd of ponies joined us to have their picture taken.
If you go at the weekend go early on a sunny day to get a parking place. Park somewhere near the Glacial Boulder and walk along the track parallel to the road or go down to the Sher Brook and you will get some great shots of runners and cyclists.
The deer tend to congregate in areas near Freda’s Grave so you can park in Freda’s Grave carpark to get near that area. I have seen large herds in that area three times but not on the day of the Deer Hunt!
Days Out
We are looking for people to volunteer to lead some days out as a substitute for the weekend away. They can be anything from a short visit to a site with good potential for photography or a more extended day out. We will have to take into account the fact that attendance at some sites will need to be booked and payed for in advance so being able to set up a diary of events would be an advantage.
Also our new members would like to speak to our more experienced members about tips on how to improve their photography.
Practical sessions out doors might be attractive to new members. Macro could be a good subject.
If you have some good ideas but do not want to organise it please let me know and I will see what we can do.
We are looking for people to volunteer to lead some days out as a substitute for the weekend away. They can be anything from a short visit to a site with good potential for photography or a more extended day out. We will have to take into account the fact that attendance at some sites will need to be booked and payed for in advance so being able to set up a diary of events would be an advantage.
Also our new members would like to speak to our more experienced members about tips on how to improve their photography.
Practical sessions out doors might be attractive to new members. Macro could be a good subject.
If you have some good ideas but do not want to organise it please let me know and I will see what we can do.
Newsletter Number 22 April 2020
In these strange times of the pandemic above all I hope you are all keeping safe. As a part of keeping you all busy the committee has been working hard to set you challenges and to keep the club going as much as possible online.
You should have received emails asking you to send in entries for the end of year Set Subject, City Life which has now been judged by Peter Gennard. The competitions for the year are now considered to be complete and the final results added up.
You should also have received an email containing an AGM report on the activities of the committee over the last year. We have asked you to send in feedback or ideas for how you would like to see the club develop when the club re opens after Lockdown. This is your chance to add activities and ideas for the following year.
We welcome Paul in his new role of Programme Secretary, a key role in the running of the club. He is already working hard to organise the calendar for the next season of meetings as well as looking after the website and all the new activities on it. Henley is also providing his support in the background as Paul gets to grips with his new job.
We still need someone to volunteer to organise the Christmas dinner and maybe to become Social Secretary.
I am working on Facebook as a way of communicating our skills and interests to a wider community. For those of you that use Facebook it would be helpful if you could “post” some of your favourite images on the club Facebook pages. We need a bit of an update.
Meanwhile keep experimenting and enjoying photographing whatever you can find inspiring.
Leader Boards
These are the final results for the year.
Congratulations to those below. I hope that we will have a full year of competitions next year and you will all take the opportunity to knock me off this lucky rather than skilful perch. I lay down the challenge.
These are the final results for the year.
Congratulations to those below. I hope that we will have a full year of competitions next year and you will all take the opportunity to knock me off this lucky rather than skilful perch. I lay down the challenge.
Leader Board DPIs
Leader Board Prints
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1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Alan McCormick 3rd Dave Cooke 3rd Steve West |
89 points 84 points 74 points 74 points |
1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Dave Cooke 3rd Paul Stokes 4th Dave Ballantyne |
80 points 67 points 65 points 45 points |
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Free Photo Processing Apps
I have been looking for some free photo processing apps for new members who do not want to commit to the expense of photoshop. So far I have found these:
The best free photo-editing software
I have been looking for some free photo processing apps for new members who do not want to commit to the expense of photoshop. So far I have found these:
The best free photo-editing software
- GIMP. Often heralded as the best free alternative to Photoshop, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is an open-source application that relies on a community of volunteer developers who maintain and ...
- Paint.NET. This is a case where the apprentice becomes the master. ...
- Photoshop Express. If the above options seem too derivative or you want more of
that Adobe-experience without the associated price tag, Photoshop Express is another option worth considering.
Also have a look at this link which has got tutorials on it which might be useful to you.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-free-photo-editing-software/#no4
Meanwhile, if you become a member of the club one of the most useful guides to improving your images is to look at the tutorial on Composition. A well composed picture does not need to be processed in photoshop. The only processing skill that you may need is to be able to reduce the size of your photo file and change it to a Jpeg to load it onto the club website.
Membership is free until we start the new season. Click Here to ask for a user name and password to get access to the members’ area.
Newsletter Number 21 March 2020
Words from the editor
When is it going to stop raining? Two really bad storms have stopped us doing a walkabout so we held a members’ meet at home to talk about camera settings. Not only did we do this but we also looked at what else the club could do for new and longer standing members that would help them to improve their photography. Some very useful ideas for future meetings emerged from the discussions and we hope to get together to work on these ideas in the future.
For those who are brave enough bad weather can produce some exceptional pictures so maybe one or two of us have got out and about to take them.
As a result of this we held a brainstorming session at the next full practical meeting and this brought forward even more ideas for activities on practical nights. We still intend to get out on a walkabout in the near future but need to wait for the weather to improve at the weekends and more technical information will be added to the members’ area of the web site in the near future.
The club has booked another exhibition day at Newhall Mill in September and will be looking at other ways of publicising the club in the future. Ideas from members are very welcome.
Dave Williamson
It is with great sorrow that we have to announce the unexpected death, after a short illness, of our longstanding member Dave Williamson. He has been a very active member of the club having been the Competition Secretary and, lately, the Social Secretary. He has arranged some excellent venues for our Christmas dinners and he and his wife Joan have been great company on our weekends away. He has loved his photography and will be sadly missed.
It is with great sorrow that we have to announce the unexpected death, after a short illness, of our longstanding member Dave Williamson. He has been a very active member of the club having been the Competition Secretary and, lately, the Social Secretary. He has arranged some excellent venues for our Christmas dinners and he and his wife Joan have been great company on our weekends away. He has loved his photography and will be sadly missed.
Members were invited to contribute activities on the evening and it became abundantly clear that we have between us enough expertise and enthusiasm to run more of these evenings.
We kicked off with the brainstorm which gave us a lot of ideas to think about. Dave Cooke presented an excellent item on how to use the clone tool and content aware on Photoshop. This revealed that there are so many ways that tasks can be done on Photoshop that it is always useful to see how other people do things even if you are an expert in your own right.
We had two AVs presented by Richard Brown and Dave Cooke on our recent weekend away visit to Puzzlewood.
Paul Stokes ran through the club website to show those who have not used it yet how it works. This particularly applied to use of the members’ only area of the site which has technical advice, links to useful websites, a competition entry page and other items useful to the members.
John Cresswell showed us some of his beautiful prints of various venues that has visited. John has a lot to teach us about how he creates such good quality prints as well as where and how to take such beautiful images.
Talks
One Man and His Van
Tony Gervis
Tony is the only speaker we have who has managed to lose his camper van completely whilst on an expedition around Canada. After he had parked it up next to a lake and gone to talk to a fellow camper It rolled down a slope and ended up submerged in the water. He was left with only the clothes he stood up in, no passport, no money and no cameras as well as no van.
Fortunately Tony has a very positive attitude to life and looked at it as a lesson in how to cope with such a disaster.
Tony, as you can guess, is quite a character with a great sense of humour. His talk showed just how intrepid he is. He showed us images of countries that most people would not be brave enough to visit. Not only that but he spent 15 weeks travelling through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Belarus, Russia, Estonia and Ukraine.
Did you know that diesel is easy to get in theses countries and costs 8p a gallon! The people are friendly and many will have their photograph taken if you wait for them to get used to your presence. Tony was able to park his van by the side of the road and didn’t have to pay for camp sites. He travelled over 1,300 miles on potholed, dirt track roads.
During his journey he saw some wonderful buildings with beautiful tiled walls, roofs and domes. Samarkand turned out to be as beautiful as you might imagine. Remarkedly he saw and inscription on a very old madrassa ( school) saying “ Aspiration for knowledge is the duty of man and woman”. It just goes to show how culture changes over the centuries.
Tony also went to Lenin’s birth place, Red square and St Petersburg. He found out that you cannot stay in a camper van in Belarus and he had to have a guide.
Tony is definitely the bossiest speaker we have ever had so if you go to hear him speak don’t arrive late and don’t teach him how to use the door remote control. He is unique so we are looking forward to his talk on his journey through North America.
Competition 5
Judge John Haines
John expressed his helpful comments with great sense of humour although some of his jokes were really corny. He likes VWs, but more seriously he likes people in portraits to have eye contact with the photographer.
He recommended that photographers make good use of the live view facility on the camera, if they have that, to co compose the picture before they take it. Be careful not to cut off feet or objects important to the image when you take the picture. You can’t always replace them when you work on the image afterwards.
John also pointed out that repeated cloning in photoshop can cause patterns to develop in the image and he also commented that haloes around objects, often caused by processing in Photoshop or other apps, should be removed or avoided.
One Man and His Van
Tony Gervis
Tony is the only speaker we have who has managed to lose his camper van completely whilst on an expedition around Canada. After he had parked it up next to a lake and gone to talk to a fellow camper It rolled down a slope and ended up submerged in the water. He was left with only the clothes he stood up in, no passport, no money and no cameras as well as no van.
Fortunately Tony has a very positive attitude to life and looked at it as a lesson in how to cope with such a disaster.
Tony, as you can guess, is quite a character with a great sense of humour. His talk showed just how intrepid he is. He showed us images of countries that most people would not be brave enough to visit. Not only that but he spent 15 weeks travelling through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Belarus, Russia, Estonia and Ukraine.
Did you know that diesel is easy to get in theses countries and costs 8p a gallon! The people are friendly and many will have their photograph taken if you wait for them to get used to your presence. Tony was able to park his van by the side of the road and didn’t have to pay for camp sites. He travelled over 1,300 miles on potholed, dirt track roads.
During his journey he saw some wonderful buildings with beautiful tiled walls, roofs and domes. Samarkand turned out to be as beautiful as you might imagine. Remarkedly he saw and inscription on a very old madrassa ( school) saying “ Aspiration for knowledge is the duty of man and woman”. It just goes to show how culture changes over the centuries.
Tony also went to Lenin’s birth place, Red square and St Petersburg. He found out that you cannot stay in a camper van in Belarus and he had to have a guide.
Tony is definitely the bossiest speaker we have ever had so if you go to hear him speak don’t arrive late and don’t teach him how to use the door remote control. He is unique so we are looking forward to his talk on his journey through North America.
Competition 5
Judge John Haines
John expressed his helpful comments with great sense of humour although some of his jokes were really corny. He likes VWs, but more seriously he likes people in portraits to have eye contact with the photographer.
He recommended that photographers make good use of the live view facility on the camera, if they have that, to co compose the picture before they take it. Be careful not to cut off feet or objects important to the image when you take the picture. You can’t always replace them when you work on the image afterwards.
John also pointed out that repeated cloning in photoshop can cause patterns to develop in the image and he also commented that haloes around objects, often caused by processing in Photoshop or other apps, should be removed or avoided.
DPIs
Prints
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1st Don’t Stand Too Close 2nd Sign of the Times 3rd On the Move HC Spotted HC Windermere Sunset C Cathedral Sunburst C Evening Catch C Shape of Water |
Alan McCormick Richard Brown Dave Cooke Alan McCormick Steve West Richard Brown Steve West Steve West |
1st Running in the Mist 2nd Glaslyn Estuary Autumn Evening 3rd Two Robins HC Librarian C Shot at Dawn |
Catherine Nicholls Paul Stokes Catherine Nicholls Dave Cooke Fred Allen |
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Leader Board DPIs
Leader Board Prints
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1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Alan McCormick 3rd Dave Cooke 4th Malcolm Imhoff |
1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Dave Cooke 3rd Paul Stokes 4th Dave Ballantyne |
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Brain storm Ideas
These are the ideas that came up during the Brain Storming session when there was a really good discussion.
These are the ideas that came up during the Brain Storming session when there was a really good discussion.
- Portraits – indoors and outdoors. This can be addressed by having a group session at places like Statfold where those who are interested can get together and share their expertise and then have a look at what pictures have been taken during the day to see what else can be done.
- Lighting/ model sessions. Model sessions indoors can involve a bit of waiting around but maybe we could have a short practical using members as models and show how to light faces. Members could be asked to limit the number of pictures they take to enable other members to have a go. Maybe we can organise a trip to Smethwick on a Monday to use their studio.
- Night time/low light photography.
- Walkabouts. Urban landscapes/ Cannock Chase/ industrial sites/ National Trust/ nature reserves/ Jet ski and motorboat clubs at Kingsbury Water Park. Statfold Barn Garden Railway. Ideas for good locations would be welcome.
- Set challenges with a theme once a month. No re entries. A4 size. Not mounted. Members critique as to which entries fit the brief best.
- Producinggoodprints.PossiblecontributorsDavidLowe,Inkexpress,John Cresswell.
- Photoshop skills. - Either as part of a members night, or perhaps a full night with an Adobe accredited expert. We have some really good in club expertise that could be used to increase involvement of the members and save us money.
9. Macrosessions.
10. Producing AVs.
11. Do we need so many competitions? Judges can give us a guide on how to improve our pictures but judging is very subjective with judges having preferences that affect the results that a picture gets.
12. More evening/daytime activities such as walkabouts, mid-week pub meets, at home meets to talk about or practise camera or photoshop skills.
Talks
More Together
Carol and Peter Cheetham
Peter is a fan of black and white images whereas Carol’s pictures were in colour. They pointed out that their pictures are not for competitions but for themselves and therefore might break some of the rules that judges expect them to follow. Peter doesn’t worry about detail in the background if it helps to tell the story.
Many of Peter’s images were produced from film but he has now converted from the dark room to digital images. This explains why he loves black and white. He went on to say that you should have plenty of contrast in tone in black and white images but coloured images you need contrasting colours.
An interesting point raised by two people taking pictures in the same place is that they see different things. One of them might turn around and see something that the other did not. Also their presentation showed how changing an image from colour to black and white, or vice versa, can have a dramatic effect on how the picture looks. This reinforces the idea of previous speakers that you should always look behind you when you are taking pictures because there might be something there that makes another good image.
Carol and Peter took us on a tour from Derbyshire to France, Ellesmere Port, York Railway museum and a 40s weekend at Crich Railway Museum to name but a few.
Peter is a fan of black and white images whereas Carol’s pictures were in colour. They pointed out that their pictures are not for competitions but for themselves and therefore might break some of the rules that judges expect them to follow. Peter doesn’t worry about detail in the background if it helps to tell the story.
Many of Peter’s images were produced from film but he has now converted from the dark room to digital images. This explains why he loves black and white. He went on to say that you should have plenty of contrast in tone in black and white images but coloured images you need contrasting colours.
An interesting point raised by two people taking pictures in the same place is that they see different things. One of them might turn around and see something that the other did not. Also their presentation showed how changing an image from colour to black and white, or vice versa, can have a dramatic effect on how the picture looks. This reinforces the idea of previous speakers that you should always look behind you when you are taking pictures because there might be something there that makes another good image.
Carol and Peter took us on a tour from Derbyshire to France, Ellesmere Port, York Railway museum and a 40s weekend at Crich Railway Museum to name but a few.
Newsletter Number 20 January 2020
Words from the editor
Since the last news letter we have done a variety of things including a quiz, a technical evening and the fourth competition. New events are hurtling towards us in the form of “Three of a Kind” and “Fiddle a File”. We are expecting to see the Travelling Portfolio and have a talk by Peter Cheetham. Henley has organised another lively year for us.
We have also thanked Henley Wheadon for his long and excellent service as programme secretary. He has decided to step down from this key job. Without a programme secretary we would have no reason to meet. It’s a tricky job so we really appreciate what he has done for us over the years. Paul Stokes has taken the job on for a year so we will be looking for someone else to do it next year.
For the first time for a while we are going on a photography walkabout in Birmingham on Sunday 9th February. We will meet outside Birmingham Library at 10am. You should also look out for tutorials on photography skills in the members’ area of our website. We will soon have a new one on “Composition” and there will be more added soon. If you want a subject covered or you wish to add one yourself please let me know. It is surprising how you can learn a subject by attempting to teach it and there are always snippets of information in a tutorial that might be useful to even the most experienced photographer.
We should also welcome our new members and hope that they will enjoy the rest of the meeting season and we should thank Wex and Inkexpress.co.uk for their very generous donations to the prizes for the quiz.
Talks
Travelling Light
Dr Anne Sutcliffe is a very enthusiastic photographer who seems to be able find a beautiful image in places that most people would not look. She is also unusual in that she has decided to carry a light camera with minimal equipment to reduce the amount of weight she has to carry. She does not use a DSLR but a Panasonic mirrorless camera. She sets the camera up for the day before she goes out and only alters the +/_ exposure control to control exposure in different light conditions.
Anne also gave a whirlwind tour of the world starting with the Kuril Islands, the Aleutians and South America. She then took us to the Easter Islands, Cuba, South America and Hawaii. Wow!
The only problem seemed to be was that everywhere she went there was an awful lot of really wet and windy weather, so much so that we are going to ask her where she is going to be that we will avoid that place when she is there. The bears of the Aleutian Islands were very wet.
Her work is very artistic. She will interpret what is there, breaks photographic rules and says look behind you when you can’t take the picture that you want. There might be something there. When processing her images she recommends that if the picture has a lot of noise accentuate it. She produced some very beautiful “landscapes “ from a small area on a brightly coloured pool in Yellowstone National Park by focusing on a very small area on the edge of the pool where the colours and textures made a pattern.
Anne also talked about the problem of developing cataracts for photographers. She said that the worst part of the operation to remove the cataract is when the doctor cuts a plastic cover that has been stuck over the area around the eye for hygiene reasons. The very small scissors that cut a slit for access the eye seem to be very close. Apart from that the operation is painless and has very rapid results and your eyesight will be vastly improved.
If you want to see Anne’s unusual take on photography then have a look on her website. http://www.annesutcliffe.com/gallery
Competition 4 Judge David Lowe
David, during his judging, gave us some very unusual hints on how to improve our images that other judges do not give. Like other judges he does not like green in pictures but he did say that the problem with woodland scenes, like those of Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean is that you cannot capture the 3D feeling that you get with hard landscapes and architecture.
He blows a whistle to make people look at him when taking pictures of people. He likes to see their eyes and he likes the people to be the centre of attraction. He is not keen on light backgrounds.
For those who want to get high marks in a competition judged by David he said that he hates steam trains, canals and canal boats. However I am sure that he would recognise a good picture whatever the content.
When processing a picture David uses masking and only processes the areas that need it. He also showed us some samples of paper that can make a difference to how your final image looks so he recommends that you try different types to see what happens.
Travelling Light
Dr Anne Sutcliffe is a very enthusiastic photographer who seems to be able find a beautiful image in places that most people would not look. She is also unusual in that she has decided to carry a light camera with minimal equipment to reduce the amount of weight she has to carry. She does not use a DSLR but a Panasonic mirrorless camera. She sets the camera up for the day before she goes out and only alters the +/_ exposure control to control exposure in different light conditions.
Anne also gave a whirlwind tour of the world starting with the Kuril Islands, the Aleutians and South America. She then took us to the Easter Islands, Cuba, South America and Hawaii. Wow!
The only problem seemed to be was that everywhere she went there was an awful lot of really wet and windy weather, so much so that we are going to ask her where she is going to be that we will avoid that place when she is there. The bears of the Aleutian Islands were very wet.
Her work is very artistic. She will interpret what is there, breaks photographic rules and says look behind you when you can’t take the picture that you want. There might be something there. When processing her images she recommends that if the picture has a lot of noise accentuate it. She produced some very beautiful “landscapes “ from a small area on a brightly coloured pool in Yellowstone National Park by focusing on a very small area on the edge of the pool where the colours and textures made a pattern.
Anne also talked about the problem of developing cataracts for photographers. She said that the worst part of the operation to remove the cataract is when the doctor cuts a plastic cover that has been stuck over the area around the eye for hygiene reasons. The very small scissors that cut a slit for access the eye seem to be very close. Apart from that the operation is painless and has very rapid results and your eyesight will be vastly improved.
If you want to see Anne’s unusual take on photography then have a look on her website. http://www.annesutcliffe.com/gallery
Competition 4 Judge David Lowe
David, during his judging, gave us some very unusual hints on how to improve our images that other judges do not give. Like other judges he does not like green in pictures but he did say that the problem with woodland scenes, like those of Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean is that you cannot capture the 3D feeling that you get with hard landscapes and architecture.
He blows a whistle to make people look at him when taking pictures of people. He likes to see their eyes and he likes the people to be the centre of attraction. He is not keen on light backgrounds.
For those who want to get high marks in a competition judged by David he said that he hates steam trains, canals and canal boats. However I am sure that he would recognise a good picture whatever the content.
When processing a picture David uses masking and only processes the areas that need it. He also showed us some samples of paper that can make a difference to how your final image looks so he recommends that you try different types to see what happens.
DPIs
Prints
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1st Are you Looking at Me? 2nd Gold Leaf 3rd Watching the Scary Bird HC Cathedral Courtyard C Last Fag C Evening Catch |
Alan McCormick Alan McCormick Catherine Nicholls Steve West Dave Cooke Paul Stokes |
1st Rainbow in Slate 2nd Across the Lake 3rd Lady in Blue HC Number One C Cloth in Hand |
Paul Stokes Dave Ballantyne Catherine Nicholls Dave Cooke Catherine Nicholls |
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Leader Board DPIs
Leader Board Prints
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1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Alan McCormick 3rd Steve West 4th Paul Stokes |
1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Dave Ballantyne 3rd Dave Cooke 4th Paul Stokes |
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Three of a Kind
This competition challenges our skills by requiring us to produce a panel of three images. These have to relate to each other and produce a balanced set that can tell a story, frame a landscape or draw the eye in a particular way.
This competition challenges our skills by requiring us to produce a panel of three images. These have to relate to each other and produce a balanced set that can tell a story, frame a landscape or draw the eye in a particular way.
The judge, Steve Clifford, was new to us so it was very refreshing for us to hear that he believes in making constructive comments when judging. He has found that some judges are rather frank when judging and feels that this is not encouraging for less experienced and experienced photographers alike. Even judges don’t agree with other judges when it is their own work being judged.
DPIs
Prints
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1st Taking a Break 2nd The Dark Hedges 3rd Work in Progress HC Troglodyte C Alfa Study C Woodland Walk C Making a Splash |
Catherine Nicholls Malcolm Imhoff Steve West Ian Dean Dave Cooke Catherine Nicholls Dave Cooke |
1st Lake Como 2nd Rainy Day Blossom 3rd Waiting HC Snowdonia Skies C Misty Day Keep Fit C Making a Splash |
Dave Cooke Catherine Nicholls Dave Cooke Paul Stokes Catherine Nicholls Catherine Nicholls |
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Leader Board DPIs
Leader Board Prints
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1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Alan McCormick 3rd Dave cooke 4th Malcolm Imhoff |
1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Dave Cooke 3rd Paul Stokes 4th Dave Ballantyne |
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Newsletter Number 19 December 2019
Words from the editor
Happy Christmas and a brilliant New Year from all at SCPC. Here’s to another good year of producing fantastic and enjoyable photography.
All that is left to complete this year is the fourth competition. Then we are looking forward to the first meeting of 2020 on January 3rd. This is an opportunity to bring along your favourite images of the year and show everyone why you like them. For those who want some help with improving your images or using Photoshop or Light Room then bring your lap top. For those who have expertise please consider some ideas for showing others your skills. Have you learnt something new this year that you can pass on?
Once again we have to congratulate Richard and Malcolm for winning awards for their AVs. This time there was a presentation made at the AV Charity event to Malcolm Imhoff and Richard Brown by Cemriac (Central and East Midlands Region of the Institute of Amateur Cinematographers.) Malcolm won first prize and the Jessops Rose bowl. Richards's AV won a Commendation. They are really cleaning up on the AV awards.
The AV charity event raising money for Macmillan Cancer was a huge success raising £1,500 and entertaining over a hundred people. A lot of very hard work was put into this so congratulations and thank you to all involved.
Sutton Coldfield’s own Photography Club had a rather special event in their programme last Friday, 22nd November 2019, Members of the Club staged a multi- media evening called “An Audio Visual Journey – A Colour and Music Spectacular”, all in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
The show took place in Duke Street Church and an audience of over a hundred people were treated to an evening of top class entertainment with stunning photography and high quality sound. The evening included a fish and chip supper supplied by Walmley’s Takeaway in Walmley.
Member Malcolm Imhoff has been staging a public show in aid of Macmillan for fourteen years now, originally with his wife Maggie, and continuing after Maggie died in 2016. Malcolm is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and has raised thousands of pounds for Macmillan in that time.
This year’s show was a joint effort shared by four members of the Club’s Audio Visual Group, Richard Brown, Dave Cooke, and José Currant, together with a lot of help from Club members, the local Macmillan Committee, and friends from St Michaels Church, Boldmere. The programme took the audience to many different places both here and abroad, and featured the beautiful gardens of Bodnant in North Wales, a Steam Punk Festival at Blists Hill, the mountains of Scotland, a sequence about an Irish composer whose songs are well known but whose name is not, Autumn in Venice, a garden full of surprises in France, and Luton. Yes, that is where a hundred years ago the townspeople rioted and set their Town Hall on fire when the returning war veterans were excluded from the town’s lavish celebration.
By the end of the evening, thanks to the generosity of all those who were there, and also some who were not able to attend, the Club has raised £1,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support beating the £1,400 they raised last year.
Dave Cooke. Malcolm Imhoff, Jose Currant, Richard Brown.
Talks
“Welcome to Paradise”
Tony Broom
We have only had time to have one talk since the last news letter. Tony gave us a blow by blow of his tour through the islands of Hawaii from Kauai to the main island of Hawaii. His talk was a comprehensive description of the beautiful sights and places of the islands. It ended with some pictures of the current volcanic action taking place in Hawaii.
Any one wishing to go to Hawaii will have had a really good view of what they will see and experience when they get there. Tony put a lot of effort into his talk.
“Welcome to Paradise”
Tony Broom
We have only had time to have one talk since the last news letter. Tony gave us a blow by blow of his tour through the islands of Hawaii from Kauai to the main island of Hawaii. His talk was a comprehensive description of the beautiful sights and places of the islands. It ended with some pictures of the current volcanic action taking place in Hawaii.
Any one wishing to go to Hawaii will have had a really good view of what they will see and experience when they get there. Tony put a lot of effort into his talk.
Competitions
Competition 3
This competition was a new venture for the club as the judges were the members of the club. Doing this can be difficult as setting up a voting system for all attending can be quite complicated. It was decided to have two or three judges chosen from members who had not entered the section to be judged and for them to choose the six top entries. They allocated the commended and highly commended images and then there was a membership vote for the top three places.
Opportunities for commenting on the images were given and an opportunity to learn just how difficult it is to speak in public and decide who the winners should be. This is a really good way of gaining experience in assessing competition images. It was successful enough for us to do it again next year.
This competition was a new venture for the club as the judges were the members of the club. Doing this can be difficult as setting up a voting system for all attending can be quite complicated. It was decided to have two or three judges chosen from members who had not entered the section to be judged and for them to choose the six top entries. They allocated the commended and highly commended images and then there was a membership vote for the top three places.
Opportunities for commenting on the images were given and an opportunity to learn just how difficult it is to speak in public and decide who the winners should be. This is a really good way of gaining experience in assessing competition images. It was successful enough for us to do it again next year.
Competition 3 Results
DPIs
Prints
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1st Ghostly 2nd Busy in the Rain 3rd Whiskers HC God’s Light C Memorial Window C Work of Art |
Richard Brown Catherine Nicholls Catherine Nicholls Malcolm Imhoff John Cresswell Richard Brown |
1st Amsterdam Evening 2nd Sunset Storm 3rd Who’s This, Fido? HC Consulting The Map C A Clash of Styles C Crochet |
Paul Stokes Dave Ballantyne Dave Ballantyne Paul Stokes Catherine Nicholls Catherine Nicholls |
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Leader Board DPIs
Leader Board Prints
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1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Malcolm Imhoff 3rd Richard Brown 3rd Alan McCormick |
1st Dave Cooke 1st Catherine Nicholls 3rd Dave Ballantyne |
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Interclub Competition
SCPC versus Aston and Erdington
Judge Graham Walton
One of the best ways of finding out what is going on in other clubs in the way of photography is to have an interclub competition. It allows to find out how the standard of our photography compares with that of other clubs.
Graham Walton is a very experienced judge who gives lots of good advice when judging. His criteria for success reflect the common popular qualities of a good image such as the use of leading lines, dark edges to the image, use of the rules of thirds and lack of distracting items such as bright spots, buttons and jewellery. Portraits and studio work are highly regarded amongst judges.
As expected the standard of A and E’s photography was high and once again they beat us, and by a wider margin than we would like. This has laid down a challenge for next year when we need to look at the type of pictures that do well in these competitions and take some of them ourselves. Studio work often does very well.
Well done A and E. We look forward to the challenge next year.
SCPC versus Aston and Erdington
Judge Graham Walton
One of the best ways of finding out what is going on in other clubs in the way of photography is to have an interclub competition. It allows to find out how the standard of our photography compares with that of other clubs.
Graham Walton is a very experienced judge who gives lots of good advice when judging. His criteria for success reflect the common popular qualities of a good image such as the use of leading lines, dark edges to the image, use of the rules of thirds and lack of distracting items such as bright spots, buttons and jewellery. Portraits and studio work are highly regarded amongst judges.
As expected the standard of A and E’s photography was high and once again they beat us, and by a wider margin than we would like. This has laid down a challenge for next year when we need to look at the type of pictures that do well in these competitions and take some of them ourselves. Studio work often does very well.
Well done A and E. We look forward to the challenge next year.
Newsletter Number 18 November 2019
Words from the editor
You may have noticed that I started this newsletter in October and it is now November. Life is still moving so fast that I haven’t had time to write the rest. So here goes. This is what has happened to our club since September.
Once again, we have to congratulate Richard Brown and Malcolm Imhoff for winning medals in AV competitions. Richard has won a bronze medal for his AV, “A Place of Shadows” in the Irish Federation International AV Competition, Dublin. Malcolm has won a bronze medal for “Love Remains” in the Garbagnate International AV Festival, Milan.
They have also both won Highly Commended for AVs in the National AV Championships in Leeds
These are very prestigious competitions that show how good Richard and Malcolm are at creating imaginative and beautiful audio-visual presentations so if you want to learn how to do one come along to the club and meet them.
We have had another club competition, an interclub competition, interesting talks, a weekend away in the Wye Valley, and an exhibition in the Community Library in Shenstone.
Weekend Away.
This year’s weekend away took place in the Wye Valley. The hotel was in sight of Goodrich Castle and not far from Symond’s Yat and the Forest of Dean. It provided an excellent opportunity to take photographs despite the awful weather and we were able to spend quality time chatting and getting to know each other. The food was good too.
We visited Puzzle Wood, a mysterious maze through moss covered limestone gullies used as a film set in many well known films such as Star Wars.
Unfortunately we missed the canoeing/ kayaking competition on the rapids at Symond’s Yat East due to the dangerous conditions on the river. We are already looking forward to next year’s trip away. Thanks to Ian and Barbara for their research and getting things arranged each year.
This year’s weekend away took place in the Wye Valley. The hotel was in sight of Goodrich Castle and not far from Symond’s Yat and the Forest of Dean. It provided an excellent opportunity to take photographs despite the awful weather and we were able to spend quality time chatting and getting to know each other. The food was good too.
We visited Puzzle Wood, a mysterious maze through moss covered limestone gullies used as a film set in many well known films such as Star Wars.
Unfortunately we missed the canoeing/ kayaking competition on the rapids at Symond’s Yat East due to the dangerous conditions on the river. We are already looking forward to next year’s trip away. Thanks to Ian and Barbara for their research and getting things arranged each year.
Dinner at “The Inn on the Wye”
Puzzle Wood
Talks
John Cresswell
Seeking the Perfect Picture.
John is a very well respected member of the club who has a natural artistic eye for generating beautiful photographs wherever they are. He is also a skilled technician.
He started the talk with a demonstration of how he cuts mounts and then went on to give us further about how to produce images with more depth. He uses matte paper rather than gloss. Portrait white paper also gives some of his pictures a lot of punch.
He takes pictures of anything that interests him and does not stick to a single subject or style. He rarely goes in for minimalist pictures. John has visited a very wide range of locations and is very good at finding pictures in places that most people would walk past.
He says that curves are great for building a picture and believes in creating a good image in the camera rather than using Photoshop. He does refine his pictures in Photoshop and makes sure that he uses the right paper to show the images at their best.
I am often amazed at the high definition and richness of colours in his pictures and would love to be able to do the same.
Fred Davies
Travelling Light
Fred started his talk by passing on his knowledge about what kind of camera you need in order to produce good digitally projected images. He points out that you do not need a camera that uses more than 24 mega pixels to create a DPI because they have to be reduced in size anyway. That means that most modern cameras are quite capable of producing a very high standard of projected image.
He talked about the kit he takes when venturing out to take pictures. Being well prepared for all weathers is essential and, because Fred concentrates on landscapes, he always takes a tripod. He uses a polarised filter for water and graduated filters for dealing with bright skies. Wide angled lenses are useful for landscapes.
Fred has a very particular style of taking pictures. He mainly works in black and white. Like many good photographers he advocates doing as much in the camera to produce a good image. Unusually he uses histograms to ensure that his pictures are biased towards the lighter end of the spectrum and then uses layers in Photoshop to darken or process parts of his pictures. This is unusual as many photographers advocate a degree of underexposure rather than overexposure because you can always recover detail from dark areas in Photoshop.
He finds storm lighting is a very effective. The Golden Hour when the sun is low in the sky to produce wonderful texture and shapes in a landscape. As with many photographers he takes pictures in the early morning. He places something in the foreground to give depth.
Fred believes that people are becoming difficult to photograph in this country so he chooses places like markets where people are busy doing stuff and are not aware of you. It’s a good idea to stand in a doorway to shelter from rain and take pictures of people going past.
During his talk Fred passed on a lot of useful technical information that some speakers do not tell us so not only did we see some lovely images but we learnt a lot as well.
Bob and Sue Moore
Moore and Moore Digital Prints
We were very pleased to welcome both Bob and Sue to our club because their photography skills are outstanding and Bob is very keen to pass on his skills and knowledge to other people.
Bob does all the talking and Sue backs him up with details about where the pictures were taken. She is the one with the good memory. Bob started by telling us about the paper he uses. These are Permajet FB Gold Silk and Monogold plus occasional use of Royale and Distinction. He showed us how the use of different types of paper can affect the finished image. Distinction is a cold paper whilst Gold Silk is warm. He does not like textured papers.
Bob also advises us to learn to use our printers properly and use Photoshop to correct the aberrations thrown up by cameras such as showing skin up as redder than it should be. The colours a camera sees are often wrong.
The size of monitor that Bob and Sue recommend for use are the biggest that you can afford because you can see your images in great detail. They also need to be profiled correctly.
Bob told us how he sets up his camera in most situations. He always uses Auto ISO. He uses the minimum shutter speed for the lens he is using and automatic central point focus. He points the central point at the point he wants in focus, presses the shutter half way to hold the focus point and then moves the camera to point at the view that is to be included in the picture. He does not use flash or long lenses. His people pictures do not show smiley faces because they look posed. He talks to his models and has a laugh and a joke with them but above all he has the nerve to be cheeky and ask them to move to positions where he can get a well lit shot against a good background.
Bob and Sue are very widely travelled and have a camper van which has taken them across Europe to Georgia and Morocco. They started their display with wonderfully moody pictures of Yellowstone National Park and moved through pictures of the Alps, Georgia, Goa, Blists Hill, the Black country Museum, Beamish and Tyseley Railway Museum.
They do not have a favourite type of picture which makes their talks all the more interesting. Their philosophy is, ”See the picture before you take it. Don’t take pictures if the conditions are rubbish and if you do not enjoy taking pictures then don’t bother”. They say go to places where you know you can take good pictures and at a time of day that gives mood and texture to a picture.
They also showed pictures taken in Ethiopia in conjunction with Orbis UK. Orbis has a flying eye hospital and does amazing work in Africa operating on adults and children with serious eye conditions. Bob and Sue’s pictures show in great detail the work that the doctors do and how much their service is needed.
John Cresswell
Seeking the Perfect Picture.
John is a very well respected member of the club who has a natural artistic eye for generating beautiful photographs wherever they are. He is also a skilled technician.
He started the talk with a demonstration of how he cuts mounts and then went on to give us further about how to produce images with more depth. He uses matte paper rather than gloss. Portrait white paper also gives some of his pictures a lot of punch.
He takes pictures of anything that interests him and does not stick to a single subject or style. He rarely goes in for minimalist pictures. John has visited a very wide range of locations and is very good at finding pictures in places that most people would walk past.
He says that curves are great for building a picture and believes in creating a good image in the camera rather than using Photoshop. He does refine his pictures in Photoshop and makes sure that he uses the right paper to show the images at their best.
I am often amazed at the high definition and richness of colours in his pictures and would love to be able to do the same.
Fred Davies
Travelling Light
Fred started his talk by passing on his knowledge about what kind of camera you need in order to produce good digitally projected images. He points out that you do not need a camera that uses more than 24 mega pixels to create a DPI because they have to be reduced in size anyway. That means that most modern cameras are quite capable of producing a very high standard of projected image.
He talked about the kit he takes when venturing out to take pictures. Being well prepared for all weathers is essential and, because Fred concentrates on landscapes, he always takes a tripod. He uses a polarised filter for water and graduated filters for dealing with bright skies. Wide angled lenses are useful for landscapes.
Fred has a very particular style of taking pictures. He mainly works in black and white. Like many good photographers he advocates doing as much in the camera to produce a good image. Unusually he uses histograms to ensure that his pictures are biased towards the lighter end of the spectrum and then uses layers in Photoshop to darken or process parts of his pictures. This is unusual as many photographers advocate a degree of underexposure rather than overexposure because you can always recover detail from dark areas in Photoshop.
He finds storm lighting is a very effective. The Golden Hour when the sun is low in the sky to produce wonderful texture and shapes in a landscape. As with many photographers he takes pictures in the early morning. He places something in the foreground to give depth.
Fred believes that people are becoming difficult to photograph in this country so he chooses places like markets where people are busy doing stuff and are not aware of you. It’s a good idea to stand in a doorway to shelter from rain and take pictures of people going past.
During his talk Fred passed on a lot of useful technical information that some speakers do not tell us so not only did we see some lovely images but we learnt a lot as well.
Bob and Sue Moore
Moore and Moore Digital Prints
We were very pleased to welcome both Bob and Sue to our club because their photography skills are outstanding and Bob is very keen to pass on his skills and knowledge to other people.
Bob does all the talking and Sue backs him up with details about where the pictures were taken. She is the one with the good memory. Bob started by telling us about the paper he uses. These are Permajet FB Gold Silk and Monogold plus occasional use of Royale and Distinction. He showed us how the use of different types of paper can affect the finished image. Distinction is a cold paper whilst Gold Silk is warm. He does not like textured papers.
Bob also advises us to learn to use our printers properly and use Photoshop to correct the aberrations thrown up by cameras such as showing skin up as redder than it should be. The colours a camera sees are often wrong.
The size of monitor that Bob and Sue recommend for use are the biggest that you can afford because you can see your images in great detail. They also need to be profiled correctly.
Bob told us how he sets up his camera in most situations. He always uses Auto ISO. He uses the minimum shutter speed for the lens he is using and automatic central point focus. He points the central point at the point he wants in focus, presses the shutter half way to hold the focus point and then moves the camera to point at the view that is to be included in the picture. He does not use flash or long lenses. His people pictures do not show smiley faces because they look posed. He talks to his models and has a laugh and a joke with them but above all he has the nerve to be cheeky and ask them to move to positions where he can get a well lit shot against a good background.
Bob and Sue are very widely travelled and have a camper van which has taken them across Europe to Georgia and Morocco. They started their display with wonderfully moody pictures of Yellowstone National Park and moved through pictures of the Alps, Georgia, Goa, Blists Hill, the Black country Museum, Beamish and Tyseley Railway Museum.
They do not have a favourite type of picture which makes their talks all the more interesting. Their philosophy is, ”See the picture before you take it. Don’t take pictures if the conditions are rubbish and if you do not enjoy taking pictures then don’t bother”. They say go to places where you know you can take good pictures and at a time of day that gives mood and texture to a picture.
They also showed pictures taken in Ethiopia in conjunction with Orbis UK. Orbis has a flying eye hospital and does amazing work in Africa operating on adults and children with serious eye conditions. Bob and Sue’s pictures show in great detail the work that the doctors do and how much their service is needed.
Competition 2 Results
DPIs
Prints
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1st What Did She Say? 2nd Powells Pool 3rd Exploring Digbeth HC Which House Was It? HC Who is paying the Bill? HC Sandy Peak HC Squirrel Alert C Non Entrée C On Infinity Bridge C Pas de Deux |
Catherine Nicholls Paul Stokes Georgie Hughes Georgie Hughes Dave Cooke Dave Cooke Paul Stokes Dave Cooke John Cresswell Alan McCormick |
1st Iron Horse 2nd Google Maps Say We Are Lost 3rd Down and Out HC Foggy Sunday Walk HC Lavender Meander HC Keeping Cromer Clean C Summers Day C Drinking Song C Euphoria |
Dave Cooke Dave Ballantyne Catherine Nicholls Georgie Hughes Dave Cooke John Cresswell Dave Cooke Alan McCormick Alan McCormick |
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Leader Board DPIs
Leader Board Prints
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1st Catherine Nicholls 2nd Alan McCormick 3rd Dave Cooke Georgie Hughes Malcolm Imhoff |
1st Dave Cooke 2nd Catherine Nicholls Georgie Hughes 4th John Cresswell |
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Interclub Competition
SCPC versus Great Barr PS Judge Peter Siviter
Interclub competitions are very useful for seeing the photographs of a wider range of people than usual. It also adds a bit of excitement to the proceedings as we all like to win.
This competition also gives us an insight to the type of images preferred by judges as they often tell us what they do or do not like or give us hints on what they would do to improve a picture.
Peter does not like snap shots which makes me wonder if he also means grab shots where you see something and have to make a very quick shot to take an interesting picture. Or does he mean what some photographers call a record shot which is not particularly inspiring?
He likes to use a polariser to show skies as navy blue rather a lighter colour but he also said that you achieve this effect in Photoshop. He told us to talk to people when taking pictures of them and to go to places where people want their picture taken, such as re-enactments or living museums. He prefers portraits rather than full length pictures of people and proved this by giving very high marks to a lovely printed portrait entered by Richard Johnson, a member of Great Barr PS.
The best DPI was entered by Georgina Hughes, a lovely picture called “Drawn into the Fog”. It was very interesting to see that pictures that did very well in other competitions, including some that got firsts were given very low marks by Peter which just goes to show that judging photographic competitions is very subjective and is the reason why many experienced photographers say that they take pictures for their own pleasure and not for judges.
Whilst SCPC won the Print section of the competition by one mark they lost out to Great Barr in the DPI competition by nineteen marks and Great Barr won the competition over all. Well done Great Barr. We look forward to the rematch next year.
SCPC versus Great Barr PS Judge Peter Siviter
Interclub competitions are very useful for seeing the photographs of a wider range of people than usual. It also adds a bit of excitement to the proceedings as we all like to win.
This competition also gives us an insight to the type of images preferred by judges as they often tell us what they do or do not like or give us hints on what they would do to improve a picture.
Peter does not like snap shots which makes me wonder if he also means grab shots where you see something and have to make a very quick shot to take an interesting picture. Or does he mean what some photographers call a record shot which is not particularly inspiring?
He likes to use a polariser to show skies as navy blue rather a lighter colour but he also said that you achieve this effect in Photoshop. He told us to talk to people when taking pictures of them and to go to places where people want their picture taken, such as re-enactments or living museums. He prefers portraits rather than full length pictures of people and proved this by giving very high marks to a lovely printed portrait entered by Richard Johnson, a member of Great Barr PS.
The best DPI was entered by Georgina Hughes, a lovely picture called “Drawn into the Fog”. It was very interesting to see that pictures that did very well in other competitions, including some that got firsts were given very low marks by Peter which just goes to show that judging photographic competitions is very subjective and is the reason why many experienced photographers say that they take pictures for their own pleasure and not for judges.
Whilst SCPC won the Print section of the competition by one mark they lost out to Great Barr in the DPI competition by nineteen marks and Great Barr won the competition over all. Well done Great Barr. We look forward to the rematch next year.
Newsletter Number 17 September 2019
Words from the editor
Once again we have started the year at a run with an informal evening, a talk from Warren Alani, a competition judged by Paddy Ruske and a gazebo at Newhall Mill to show off our club achievements to the public.
We are also preparing for the exhibition of our pictures at Shenstone library during the month of October. The images will be mounted and framed and will be up for sale with the intention of raising some money for the community run library.
Our programme manager has drawn up a very busy year of talks, competitions, social events and competitions that old and new members can look forward to and all of this can be seen on our new website at www.suttonphoto.club.
Whilst the newsletter will continue to be published in the open area of the new website we now have a new members’ area which can only be accessed by members. The competition entry page will be moved to the members’ only area soon. Members will also have access to technical notes, links and downloads, and information about external competitions. Other members’ only topics may be added as the site evolves and some very useful technical advice will be added as members make more contributions.
Fade
Fade (the AV Group of SCPC) is putting on a charity evening at 7.30pm, at Duke Street Church, Sutton Coldfield on Friday 22nd November in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. The group are putting on a display of audio visual presentations and there will be a fish and chip supper. The cost is £15.00 per person. You need to take your own drinks. If you want to know more e-mail jose@studio17a.me.uk to book tickets. You need to do so quickly because the evening has been fully booked in the past. A poster of event can be seen on our website.
Fade (the AV Group of SCPC) is putting on a charity evening at 7.30pm, at Duke Street Church, Sutton Coldfield on Friday 22nd November in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. The group are putting on a display of audio visual presentations and there will be a fish and chip supper. The cost is £15.00 per person. You need to take your own drinks. If you want to know more e-mail jose@studio17a.me.uk to book tickets. You need to do so quickly because the evening has been fully booked in the past. A poster of event can be seen on our website.
The club put on a display at Newhall Mill for the second time. We were worried about the weather but despite the rain we managed to keep relatively dry and met a lot of very interesting people. Keep your fingers crossed that some of them were interested enough to join the club as new members.
Our chairman managed to snaffle the last bacon roll from one of the stalls which was selling all sorts of goodies. No wonder he looks so pleased in this picture.
Talks
Seeing is Believing.
Our first talk and show of images was given by Warren Alani and was an excellent start to the season. Warren takes pictures that he likes and not necessarily for competitions which means that the images he showed were very diverse and gave us a lot of information about how to get some amazing photographs.
His main hint was “Look at what other successful photographers produce but be inspired rather than copy”.
He divided his photographs into sections devoted to different topics the first of which was architecture. His advice was to go for unusual views and interesting angles. He also takes pictures from above looking down. Including people in the image gives a sense of scale.
BMX, tennis and athletics pictures also made up some of the sections. Warren goes for images that show facial expressions when people are making a real effort to do things like hitting a ball or long jumping. He gets himself onto the arena or very close to the action in the right place to se their faces. He gets a media pass to get to these positions. Long jumpers tend to close their eyes when they land in the sand so catch them when they are still in the air and catching BMX bikes in the air is also more exciting.
Warren generally doesn’t believe in manipulating pictures but did transfer his amazing photos of clowns onto different backgrounds to achieve some interesting and humorous results.
Seeing is Believing.
Our first talk and show of images was given by Warren Alani and was an excellent start to the season. Warren takes pictures that he likes and not necessarily for competitions which means that the images he showed were very diverse and gave us a lot of information about how to get some amazing photographs.
His main hint was “Look at what other successful photographers produce but be inspired rather than copy”.
He divided his photographs into sections devoted to different topics the first of which was architecture. His advice was to go for unusual views and interesting angles. He also takes pictures from above looking down. Including people in the image gives a sense of scale.
BMX, tennis and athletics pictures also made up some of the sections. Warren goes for images that show facial expressions when people are making a real effort to do things like hitting a ball or long jumping. He gets himself onto the arena or very close to the action in the right place to se their faces. He gets a media pass to get to these positions. Long jumpers tend to close their eyes when they land in the sand so catch them when they are still in the air and catching BMX bikes in the air is also more exciting.
Warren generally doesn’t believe in manipulating pictures but did transfer his amazing photos of clowns onto different backgrounds to achieve some interesting and humorous results.
Competition 1
Judge Paddy Ruske
Paddy gave us some really good clues as to what judges are looking for in competition winning pictures. Judges who see a lot of images during the year become very aware of what the new trends in photography are and what is becoming old hat and lacking in originality.
Paddy also has strong likes and dislikes when judging images but made it clear that he judges the images by quality. He finds images of Steam Punks, Goths, Ragged Victorians have appeared rather too often for them to be original and different so those images need to be exceptional to gain his praise. Pictures of Cuba, nudes and Punk are also seen as going out of favour whilst pattern pictures from the high street seem to be in fashion.
Paddy also told us that judging standards are constantly being updated and reviewed by the PAGB and gave us a few tips on what we need to do to keep up with this. For example, Judges must now take into account the relationship between the title of the picture and its content. Judges must look out for excessive whitening of the eyes. This is because eyes are not naturally white but have colour running through them. They tend to be very pale blue or magenta. Judges tend not to like greens. Some camera processors (Nikons) have a bias towards acid green colours and care needs to be taken when processing these images to tone this down.
Paddy made the point that in international competitions judges only get five seconds to look at images so those with instant impact are more likely to do well. Even in club competitions this attribute also helps striking images to be more successful than those that need to be looked at for a long to appreciate their content.
Several of the images he judged broke the common rules of photography. Having four people or objects in the picture or a horizon halfway up the picture would usually prevent the image from doing well but rules can be broken to produce something striking.
His advice for success in competitions is produce something unusual and different that the judges haven’t seen before.
Judge Paddy Ruske
Paddy gave us some really good clues as to what judges are looking for in competition winning pictures. Judges who see a lot of images during the year become very aware of what the new trends in photography are and what is becoming old hat and lacking in originality.
Paddy also has strong likes and dislikes when judging images but made it clear that he judges the images by quality. He finds images of Steam Punks, Goths, Ragged Victorians have appeared rather too often for them to be original and different so those images need to be exceptional to gain his praise. Pictures of Cuba, nudes and Punk are also seen as going out of favour whilst pattern pictures from the high street seem to be in fashion.
Paddy also told us that judging standards are constantly being updated and reviewed by the PAGB and gave us a few tips on what we need to do to keep up with this. For example, Judges must now take into account the relationship between the title of the picture and its content. Judges must look out for excessive whitening of the eyes. This is because eyes are not naturally white but have colour running through them. They tend to be very pale blue or magenta. Judges tend not to like greens. Some camera processors (Nikons) have a bias towards acid green colours and care needs to be taken when processing these images to tone this down.
Paddy made the point that in international competitions judges only get five seconds to look at images so those with instant impact are more likely to do well. Even in club competitions this attribute also helps striking images to be more successful than those that need to be looked at for a long to appreciate their content.
Several of the images he judged broke the common rules of photography. Having four people or objects in the picture or a horizon halfway up the picture would usually prevent the image from doing well but rules can be broken to produce something striking.
His advice for success in competitions is produce something unusual and different that the judges haven’t seen before.
Competition 1 Results
DPIs
Prints
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1st Dill 2nd Candle Light 3rd Orange Branch HC Nature Takes its Course HC Windswept C The Rabble C Reflections C Misty Malverns |
Catherine Nicholls Malcolm Imhoff Dave Williamson Alan McCormick Alan McCormick Dave Cooke Bob Roberts Malcolm Imhoff |
1st Who’s Watching Who 2nd Staircase to Heaven 3rd Steam Punk Study HC Woolacombe Beach Huts HC Lost to the Rhythm C Polperro C Curves and Compass |
Georgie Hughes Catherine Nicholls Dave Cooke John Cresswell Alan McCormick Dave Ballantyne John Cresswell |
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Leader Board DPIs
Leader Board Prints
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1st Malcolm Imhoff 2nd Alan McCormick / Catherine Nicholls |
1st Georgie Hughes 2nd John Cresswell /Catherine Nicholls |
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Kate Nicholls
I have decided to venture into the world of mirrorless cameras so, having done some research on the internet for reviews and prices, I decided to go to Jessops to have a hands on look at one. As the price there was equivalent to the lowest I had seen on the net I bought a Fuji XT 3 plus an 18-55 lens and a wide angled 10-24 lens. An ultra-violet filter was thrown in for free and five vouchers for canvasses which are going towards prizes for the club quiz next year. Jessops have also promised to give us five £10 vouchers for the quiz as well. Well done Jessops! Also I prefer buying from real shops because you can go back to ask for help if something goes wrong.
Using a new camera of a different make to the one you are used to using takes time but there are a few things about a Fuji that feel like learning a different language, especially for a technophobe like me. For example Iso is referred to as the sensitivity. The aperture adjustment is on the lens rather than the camera body. This actually makes more sense because you see the effect of changing the aperture in the view finder or the screen and Iso is about sensitivity to light.
There are some features which make it very easy to change settings rapidly like a toggle stick placed where your thumb is to change the position of the point of focus. I’m still coming to grips with the number of different ways that you can make adjustments especially as it is easy to do that by accident.
The images seem to be really good quality but I was shocked to find that the RAW files are not compatible with Photoshop and you have to download an app to adapt them to Light room. I have managed to do this but it didn’t work in the way I expected it to. If you want to
know what I did you need to look on the website in the Technical section of the members’ area. Meanwhile I am really pleased with the pictures that I took at Newhall Mill. They are really sharp and the camera is really fast at taking them.
If anyone has some useful hints on helping me get used to this camera I would love to hear from you.
Newsletter number 16, May 2019
Dave Cooke
I have attended many A G M’s at our photographic club over the years, but 2019 was rather special. The committee decided to update one of the trophy awards. The best P D I image of the year, awarded by the judge at the final annual competition of the year.
A new silver cup is to be awarded and called “The Patricia Cooke Cup”. Pat would have been impressed and honoured. Pat started taking slides in the Olympus OM days and took part in competitions and won quite a few. Pat changed to Digital only when her Olympus developed a shutter fault and was expensive to repair.
I wasn’t interested in this new digital (as I had Olympus bodies, motor drives, 4/5 lenses closeups etc, etc) But when Pat stated showing me what she had just taken when we were out and about. (I would have to wait at least a week to see my results) So then I joined the Digital movement.
Thanks to all The Members for this memory of Pat/Trisha, we have spent so many happy hours engrossed in our fantastic hobby of ours. Made loads of friends, visited so many interesting places.
Photography has been such a huge part of our life. The family all appreciate the kind thoughts that have been expressed.
Thanks again Dave Cooke
PS. Congratulations to Richard Brown as the first recipient of “The Patricia Cooke Cup"
End of Year Results
As a tribute to the valuable contribution to the club made over forty years a new trophy has been named after Patricia Cooke. The Trophy has been awarded for the first time to Richard Brown for the DPI of the year.
Congratulations to this year’s competition winners which were as follows:
Club Activities Survey Thank you to those who filled in the survey. It revealed some interesting offers for providing activities. John Cresswell has offered to do a talk/demonstration on cutting mounts.
Dave Ballantyne has suggested doing a demonstration on lighting using fixed lights rather than flash. As an ex TV camera man Dave would like to show us the effects on the subject of moving lights around.
Richard Brown has offered to lead an early evening walk along the canals in Birmingham and can advise us on suitable places to go. Kate Nicholls is going to investigate somewhere local to go on another evening walk, possibly in the Shenstone area.
As a tribute to the valuable contribution to the club made over forty years a new trophy has been named after Patricia Cooke. The Trophy has been awarded for the first time to Richard Brown for the DPI of the year.
Congratulations to this year’s competition winners which were as follows:
- The Pat Cooke Trophy for DPI of the Year – Richard Brown – The Oiler
- Print of the Year – Martin James – Mobile Addiction
- Prints competition. Overall Winner – John Cresswell
- DPI’s competition. Overall Winner – Ian Dean
Club Activities Survey Thank you to those who filled in the survey. It revealed some interesting offers for providing activities. John Cresswell has offered to do a talk/demonstration on cutting mounts.
Dave Ballantyne has suggested doing a demonstration on lighting using fixed lights rather than flash. As an ex TV camera man Dave would like to show us the effects on the subject of moving lights around.
Richard Brown has offered to lead an early evening walk along the canals in Birmingham and can advise us on suitable places to go. Kate Nicholls is going to investigate somewhere local to go on another evening walk, possibly in the Shenstone area.
Requests for activities include work shops on Photoshop and Lightroom, street photography using time lapse, a group visit to a zoo or a nature park and studio work with still life and a model.
Other clubs have monthly meetups in pubs or peoples’ homes on a different night to the main club night, either as a base for a walk or a get together that does not cost anything to hire a room.
Maybe there is also some scope for tackling different areas of photography such as wildlife, portraiture, use of filters and lenses. This could involve visits to the hides in Kingsbury Water Park. It might also need the use of long lenses which are a bit of a commitment and cost for some of us.
If you have any more ideas or would like to suggest a venue for an activity’s meet then please let me know and I will try and set it up.
If you have any more ideas or would like to suggest a venue for an activity’s meet then please let me know and I will try and set it up.
For those who have a camper van, a caravan or are prepared to camp going to Caravan and Camping Photography Club meets is an excellent opportunity to meet other photographers and visit new places to take photographs. The members are very friendly and keen to pass on their knowledge and expertise in matters relating to photography and camping
At the end of April I went on a meet in a very pretty village called Yelden near Bedford. The campsite was on a field next to the village hall which was open for us to use for tea breaks and presentations given by some of the participants. The weather was not too good but the dramatic skies provided a moody atmosphere to landscape photographs.
It was wonderful to hear two cuckoos having a singing competition in the mornings as well as thrushes and dunnocks singing their heads off. Later on in the day two light aircraft put on a really scary display of acrobatics in the sky right over us. Both of them were flying upwards vertically until they stalled, tumbling over and swooping towards the ground before regaining control again. Apparently they were practising for an assessment of their abilities.
Talks were given on photo-astronomy and the equipment needed to take images of the galaxies and stars in the night sky. We were also shown a Journey to America and a diary style talk on travelling from Calais to Lake Geneva using “aires” which are areas in French towns and beside roads where camper vans and caravans can stop over night for free.
https://www.vicarious-shop.com
During Sunday I took the opportunity to go to Paxton Pits, a nature reserve near St Neots. I took the risk of chatting up a group of interesting looking bird watchers (Bob Moore style) having a picnic by a very nice little volunteer run cafe at the site. It’s a small world. They turned out to be members of a Sutton Coldfield bird watching club and there was a whole coach load of them. You might even recognise some of them.
The following day I went to the Shuttleworth Aircraft Museum and witnessed another impromptu display of airplane acrobatics as well as the really interesting Shuttleworth Collection which has flying machines dating back to the 1840s.
I’m looking forward to the next meet at Brailes in the Cotswolds and hope to take some good photos and enjoy good company.
Talks
Infrared and Ireland. Keith Burgoyne
If you think you know what infrared photographs look like then you need to think again because Keith has some very interesting techniques that he uses when processing his
images. He says that “If you have a feeling for photography then people looking at your photo will feel the same about the image you have taken”.
He takes a very diverse range of photographs. He admits to taking a lot of rubbish before he gets to the good ones. This something that we all admit to. He also believes that the less you have to do to an image the better. Simplicity is the key to a good photograph.
His talk displayed images of the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. There are a lot of ruined houses in Ireland that are very photogenic. Keith’s pictures have a pastel style which is produced by softening the images using clarity in Photoshop. The infrared images start out pink and Keith has to use channels in Photoshop to produce a black and white image. However, Keith’s images often have subtle variations of pink and green which make beautiful images with a distinctive style that would grace many people’s walls, which is not something that you could say about all photography.
Zoo Photography Talvinder Chohan
Talvinder is a professional photographer with a predominating interest in big cats. He has access to zoos at times of day when the public are not around which makes it easier for him to take photos of the animals. He also likes days when the weather is miserable because it keeps the public away. He puts a bin bag over his camera to protect it from the weather.
On quiet days the animal will focus on him and spend time looking towards him. He spends so much time with some of the animals that they recognise and come over to the edge of the cage to communicate in a catlike way with him.
He takes his best photos in the winter when the sun is low in the sky. Also cats tend to be active in the early morning and asleep by lunchtime. Feeding time is also a good time to get good images.
To cope with fences and glass between him and the animals he explained several useful techniques. Firstly, he always puts his camera right up to the glass and keeps it pointing at right angles to the glass to avoid reflections. To avoid getting fencing in the picture he can pan with a moving animal. This blurs out the fencing. He has a problem at Twycross because the fences are too thick to do this.
One thing that became clear from his talk is that big cats have much in common with house cats and you can often predict their behaviour. There are also differences. For example, he says that big cats always yawn three times, so if you want to catch them showing their teeth you have a little time to get you camera pointing in the right direction before the second and third yawn.
Above all he says that you have to slow down and relax to get good images. He uses a central focus point to get the eyes in focus and tracking. With striped animals you can get some good abstract shots.
His next idea is to take pictures of people looking at the animals. We might be able to do this as well.
Summer Calendar
A calendar of interesting summer events has been put on the website. Events where it easy to meet up are Ashdown, the Klondyke steam event and Spetchley Park which are in a more restricted space. Please note that dogs are not allowed in Spetchley Park.
The Upton Blues Festival and Tewkesbury are enormous sites so it is more difficult to meet people. Papplewick has restricted parking nearby so you must arrive early to park near the pump house.
Try out this easy way of mounting DPI images
Just open this file in Photoshop, place your image (.psd, .jpg, .tiff, .dng, .NEF etc.), choose your preferred background colour, and "Save for web".
Click here to download the Photoshop file complete with full instructions.
Just open this file in Photoshop, place your image (.psd, .jpg, .tiff, .dng, .NEF etc.), choose your preferred background colour, and "Save for web".
Click here to download the Photoshop file complete with full instructions.
Newsletter number 15, February 2019
Just before Christmas 2015, the Fentham committee unanimously decided that Tricia and Dave should be made Honorary Members.
This is a very special distinction. The only other honorary member Fentham has ever had was founder member Bill Dowding, who was awarded that accolade at the club’s 21st birthday party in 1988.
The award was presented at Fentham’s annual Celebration Supper evening on 22nd January 2016. Secretary Richard Brown was pleased to present gifts and a certificate to Tricia and Dave to recognise and celebrate their forty years of commitment and enthusiasm for Fentham Photographic Society.
They have continued, in difficult times, to support the club under its new name of Sutton Coldfield Photography Club. Tricia will be sorely missed by all.
This is a very special distinction. The only other honorary member Fentham has ever had was founder member Bill Dowding, who was awarded that accolade at the club’s 21st birthday party in 1988.
The award was presented at Fentham’s annual Celebration Supper evening on 22nd January 2016. Secretary Richard Brown was pleased to present gifts and a certificate to Tricia and Dave to recognise and celebrate their forty years of commitment and enthusiasm for Fentham Photographic Society.
They have continued, in difficult times, to support the club under its new name of Sutton Coldfield Photography Club. Tricia will be sorely missed by all.
Talks
Wildlife garden Paddy Ruske
Paddy is a keen wildlife photographer to the extent that he is making a very valuable contribution to the study of moths that visit his garden.
He is concerned that 40% of open space in towns is lost to concreting over front gardens so he has created a wildlife garden to attract wildlife, and in particular, insects such as moths. He says that the Midlands is the best location for studying moths because of the overlap between southern and northern habitats.
In order to attract wildlife he has laid out a gravel path. Insects like gravel because they can live in the spaces it creates. He has planted wildflowers like campion and native daffodils and says that many charities give away packets of wild flower seeds. He allows nettles and brambles to grow and also has a wildlife pond for frogs and newts. Frogs are provided with broken flower pots to live in. The sparrows have a tower box on the wall of the house. There is a wood pile and he provides homes for bees. He also has a stack of pallets with straw and pots in between to make a layered insect home.
In order to study the moths he uses moth traps at night but he warns that you may have to notify the police about these as neighbours might think that there is something strange going on next door or in the woods.
He uses a camera with a remote control. He takes the photos whilst he is sitting in his lounge looking at the garden through his window. He puts twigs on a table plus a log, uses a water reflector in front. He provides an artificial background painted on woodchip paper and attracts the birds with food behind the log.
His real secret to success is his £35.00 Fuji Finepix S8000fd bridge camera with a macro button which he bought on the web. It has super macro which means he doesn’t have to zoom and therefore doesn’t scare the birds or insects.
Paddy has found that taking pictures of wild life is a good way of making friends in your street because people are interested in your pictures. They also become interested in increasing wild life habitats in their gardens.
As for the wild life itself even the mice have got used to the camera being in front of their face and, if you cover your face with the camera, deer will accept you as a tripod.
Moths can be attracted with pheromones. You can buy these or you can fill an old sock with mashed banana and wine to hang up outside.
Paddy can give you advice on photographing bats (you need a licence) and the possibility of red squirrels being introduced to Cannock Chase plus much more.
A guide to long exposure daylight photography. David Lowe
Photographers and the competition judges are always looking for something different so this talk and demonstration was really inspiring. David takes images with exposures of several minutes in daylight using extra dense filters. Why does he do this? The answer is not only to get unusual pictures but also to get rid of clouds in windows and to make a busy place look empty.
David has sent us the technical notes and with his permission we have added them to the club website for you to read so I do not need to write my usual notes of hints and tips.
Extra information that is not on David’s tips might also be useful. For example you can make a high density filter from welder’s glass by bluing it to the ring of an unused filter that has had its glass taken out. David also showed us that you can change the effect of the picture by using different types of paper.
He recommended Salford Quays in Manchester as an excellent place to take images and had also used Normanton Church in Rutland Water as a subject.
Finally he said that you do not need to waste money by buying the range of filters recommended in photography magazines. If you have a very dense filter you can increase the amount of time taken to expose the photo rather than mess about changing filters.
Notes from David Lowe's talk can be downloaded here•••
Interclub Competition
Great Barr/ SCPC
We came second in this competition but we saw some excellent prints and PDIs from both clubs. It is always a good thing to see the type of images that other clubs produce and as always Great Barr were very generous with their welcome and plenty of tea and biscuits. Maybe we need to take note of the type of images that judges give high marks to so that we can win next year! Studio portraits always seem to do well.
Three related images Competition.
This competition is aimed at increasing the skills of members at producing a panel of three pictures that are related to each other. This is more difficult than you might think. Each set has to have a definite link without being part of the same image. The lighting, colour and tone of the images should match especially on the outer two and of course the image must be something that is a little bit different to attract the judge’s eye.
It is often easy to match two pictures but trying to get three to match each other is can be very difficult. The best way to do it is to set out on a photography session with creating a panel in mind. Producing three print panels and three DPI panels is a lot of work. I’m going to take my own advice for next year.
Results
Wildlife garden Paddy Ruske
Paddy is a keen wildlife photographer to the extent that he is making a very valuable contribution to the study of moths that visit his garden.
He is concerned that 40% of open space in towns is lost to concreting over front gardens so he has created a wildlife garden to attract wildlife, and in particular, insects such as moths. He says that the Midlands is the best location for studying moths because of the overlap between southern and northern habitats.
In order to attract wildlife he has laid out a gravel path. Insects like gravel because they can live in the spaces it creates. He has planted wildflowers like campion and native daffodils and says that many charities give away packets of wild flower seeds. He allows nettles and brambles to grow and also has a wildlife pond for frogs and newts. Frogs are provided with broken flower pots to live in. The sparrows have a tower box on the wall of the house. There is a wood pile and he provides homes for bees. He also has a stack of pallets with straw and pots in between to make a layered insect home.
In order to study the moths he uses moth traps at night but he warns that you may have to notify the police about these as neighbours might think that there is something strange going on next door or in the woods.
He uses a camera with a remote control. He takes the photos whilst he is sitting in his lounge looking at the garden through his window. He puts twigs on a table plus a log, uses a water reflector in front. He provides an artificial background painted on woodchip paper and attracts the birds with food behind the log.
His real secret to success is his £35.00 Fuji Finepix S8000fd bridge camera with a macro button which he bought on the web. It has super macro which means he doesn’t have to zoom and therefore doesn’t scare the birds or insects.
Paddy has found that taking pictures of wild life is a good way of making friends in your street because people are interested in your pictures. They also become interested in increasing wild life habitats in their gardens.
As for the wild life itself even the mice have got used to the camera being in front of their face and, if you cover your face with the camera, deer will accept you as a tripod.
Moths can be attracted with pheromones. You can buy these or you can fill an old sock with mashed banana and wine to hang up outside.
Paddy can give you advice on photographing bats (you need a licence) and the possibility of red squirrels being introduced to Cannock Chase plus much more.
A guide to long exposure daylight photography. David Lowe
Photographers and the competition judges are always looking for something different so this talk and demonstration was really inspiring. David takes images with exposures of several minutes in daylight using extra dense filters. Why does he do this? The answer is not only to get unusual pictures but also to get rid of clouds in windows and to make a busy place look empty.
David has sent us the technical notes and with his permission we have added them to the club website for you to read so I do not need to write my usual notes of hints and tips.
Extra information that is not on David’s tips might also be useful. For example you can make a high density filter from welder’s glass by bluing it to the ring of an unused filter that has had its glass taken out. David also showed us that you can change the effect of the picture by using different types of paper.
He recommended Salford Quays in Manchester as an excellent place to take images and had also used Normanton Church in Rutland Water as a subject.
Finally he said that you do not need to waste money by buying the range of filters recommended in photography magazines. If you have a very dense filter you can increase the amount of time taken to expose the photo rather than mess about changing filters.
Notes from David Lowe's talk can be downloaded here•••
Interclub Competition
Great Barr/ SCPC
We came second in this competition but we saw some excellent prints and PDIs from both clubs. It is always a good thing to see the type of images that other clubs produce and as always Great Barr were very generous with their welcome and plenty of tea and biscuits. Maybe we need to take note of the type of images that judges give high marks to so that we can win next year! Studio portraits always seem to do well.
Three related images Competition.
This competition is aimed at increasing the skills of members at producing a panel of three pictures that are related to each other. This is more difficult than you might think. Each set has to have a definite link without being part of the same image. The lighting, colour and tone of the images should match especially on the outer two and of course the image must be something that is a little bit different to attract the judge’s eye.
It is often easy to match two pictures but trying to get three to match each other is can be very difficult. The best way to do it is to set out on a photography session with creating a panel in mind. Producing three print panels and three DPI panels is a lot of work. I’m going to take my own advice for next year.
Results
Prints
1st, Kate Nicholls - Woodland Impressions
2nd, John Cresswell - Old Moseley baths
3rd, Kate Nicholls - Model Sketches
HC, Paul Stokes - Winter Wonder Woodland
HC, Dave Ballantyne - Mud in Your Eye
C, Georgina Hughes - Pushing the Boundary
C, John Cresswell - Circle Flats
1st, Kate Nicholls - Woodland Impressions
2nd, John Cresswell - Old Moseley baths
3rd, Kate Nicholls - Model Sketches
HC, Paul Stokes - Winter Wonder Woodland
HC, Dave Ballantyne - Mud in Your Eye
C, Georgina Hughes - Pushing the Boundary
C, John Cresswell - Circle Flats
DPIs
1st, Dave Cooke - Three Fruit a Day
2nd, Kate Nicholls - Abandoned
3rd, Dave Cooke - Three in a Frame
HC, Georgina Hughes - Mirrored Reflections
HC, Dave Cooke - Send in the Clowns
HC, Pauls Stokes - Going for the Big Finish
HC, Richard Brown - Heavy Traffic
C, John Cresswell - Kings Cross
C, Steve West - Remember - Remember
C, Ian Dean - Reflective Moments
1st, Dave Cooke - Three Fruit a Day
2nd, Kate Nicholls - Abandoned
3rd, Dave Cooke - Three in a Frame
HC, Georgina Hughes - Mirrored Reflections
HC, Dave Cooke - Send in the Clowns
HC, Pauls Stokes - Going for the Big Finish
HC, Richard Brown - Heavy Traffic
C, John Cresswell - Kings Cross
C, Steve West - Remember - Remember
C, Ian Dean - Reflective Moments
Shenstone Community Library
In order to publicise our group I went to Shenstone Library to enter a photography competition that the club was invited to participate in. Whilst there I discussed the possibility of a link up with the library to publicise our club to people who live near enough to us to come along to our meetings.
The library has a gallery with a professional hanging system that is used to display art work of local schools and artists. I discussed with Gillean Yeo the idea that we might participate in showing our work in the gallery.
As a result Gillean has booked us in to do this in October for four weeks. There is a charge for doing this and there are some conditions that we have to follow if we wish to take up the booking.
The gallery costs £15 per week to hire for the whole group. The images must be made available to sell and should be framed as this makes them more likely to sell. The library will charge 20% of any sales. The money raised is put towards the cost of running the library which is run by the community and is completely self funding. Gillean says that the price of the framed pictures should be a minimum of £15 in order for the seller to make a profit depending on the cost of framing and, if possible, no more than £20. However Gillean does recognize that you might want to charge more. Frames can be hired for a £1 for the duration of the display if you do not want to go to the expense of buying them but will need to be replaced if the picture is sold. These frames were bought from Ikea.
The main objective of the library is to provide an attractive and happy environment for its users rather than to sell the pictures. Gillean hopes that all contributors to the exhibitions are happy to see their work displayed and are happy to be part of the organisation for a while.
In order to publicise our group I went to Shenstone Library to enter a photography competition that the club was invited to participate in. Whilst there I discussed the possibility of a link up with the library to publicise our club to people who live near enough to us to come along to our meetings.
The library has a gallery with a professional hanging system that is used to display art work of local schools and artists. I discussed with Gillean Yeo the idea that we might participate in showing our work in the gallery.
As a result Gillean has booked us in to do this in October for four weeks. There is a charge for doing this and there are some conditions that we have to follow if we wish to take up the booking.
The gallery costs £15 per week to hire for the whole group. The images must be made available to sell and should be framed as this makes them more likely to sell. The library will charge 20% of any sales. The money raised is put towards the cost of running the library which is run by the community and is completely self funding. Gillean says that the price of the framed pictures should be a minimum of £15 in order for the seller to make a profit depending on the cost of framing and, if possible, no more than £20. However Gillean does recognize that you might want to charge more. Frames can be hired for a £1 for the duration of the display if you do not want to go to the expense of buying them but will need to be replaced if the picture is sold. These frames were bought from Ikea.
The main objective of the library is to provide an attractive and happy environment for its users rather than to sell the pictures. Gillean hopes that all contributors to the exhibitions are happy to see their work displayed and are happy to be part of the organisation for a while.
If you want to see what the library has to offer look up the opening times and go there for coffee and cake in the very nice coffee shop.
Thank you to all those who have shown an interest in this. Gillean is delighted.
http://shenstonecommunitylibrary.org/
Newsletter number 14, October 2018
Karon has sent us this web link to some stunning photos. I’m jealous because two of the images were taken in West Cornwall which is the place I have been visiting on a regular basis. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-45862171
I have had an email asking if anyone has a use for a black and white enlarger. If you want it please contact me through the website.
Competition 2
Judge John Cartlidge
The great thing about John is his sense of humour. Not only that but he passes on some great tips about how to improve your images whilst judging. We spent most of the evening laughing at his stories.
Results competition 2
Prints
Martin James 1st
Alan McCormick 2nd
John Cresswell 3rd
Paul Stokes HC
Catherine Nicholls HC
Dave Cooke HC
Georgina Hughes C
Catherine Nicholls C
Alan McCormick C
Martin James 1st
Alan McCormick 2nd
John Cresswell 3rd
Paul Stokes HC
Catherine Nicholls HC
Dave Cooke HC
Georgina Hughes C
Catherine Nicholls C
Alan McCormick C
DPIs
John Cresswell 1st
John Cresswell 2nd
Catherine Nicholls 3rd
Steve West HC
Steve West HC
Richard Brown HC
Ian Dean C
Ian Dean C
Georgina Hughes C
John Cresswell C
John Cresswell 1st
John Cresswell 2nd
Catherine Nicholls 3rd
Steve West HC
Steve West HC
Richard Brown HC
Ian Dean C
Ian Dean C
Georgina Hughes C
John Cresswell C
Leader Board
Prints
Alan McCormick 1st
David Ballantyne 2nd
John Cresswell 3rd
Dave Cooke 4th
Alan McCormick 1st
David Ballantyne 2nd
John Cresswell 3rd
Dave Cooke 4th
DPIs
John Cresswell 1st
Ian Dean 2nd
Steve West 3rd
Richard Brown 4th
John Cresswell 1st
Ian Dean 2nd
Steve West 3rd
Richard Brown 4th
Talks
Peter Warner
“My Photographic Journey”
Peter’s theme was to show the journey had made in his photographic career and he made a start by showing us a really beautiful old bellows camera that used glass plates. This old camera was a work of art in itself and a beautiful piece of engineering and woodwork. When asked to guess who had made it we were very surprised to find out that it was that it had a label on it saying “Boots the Chemists”.
He then showed us a fold out Brownie camera that may have evoked memories of past photography for some.
Peter showed us a range of images illustrating his photography over the years including some excellent ones using a technique that seems to be coming into fashion. This technique is called Contra - Jour and involves taking pictures against the light. This can produce some very atmospheric images. Here is a useful link with some great images.
https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/landscape_photography-technique/shooting-into-the-light-mastering-the-contre-jour-technique-60472
Peter then went on to explain that he was now concentrating on producing audio visual presentations. Not only does this help you to tell stories, it also allows you to interpret other people’s art and make it your own. He also regards it as a way to make money out if you are willing to make promotional AVs for companies. He said it that some people charge as much as £3,000.
He was a bit nervous of showing his AVs in the presence of Richard Brown who has just won the most prestigious prize in the country for his AV “In Search of Christina”. Peter regards Richard as the world champion of AV makers.
Peter then went on to show his AVs which showed how much progress he has made in creating AVs. Peter showed an evocative AV called “Soldiers of the Great War” set to newly composed music by Tom Wells.
Richard had better look out.
Peter’s big tip was about how to convert old fashioned slides to digital images. He finds the converters that you can buy very slow so he set up a system that involves a macro lens, a light box and a piece of card with a hole cut in it the size of the colour slide. He sets the slide up in the hole over the light box, puts his camera onto a tripod looking down at the slide and takes a digital image of it.
“Imagination”
John Cresswell
As a member of SCPC John has had the opportunity to do six presentations for us over the years. He has put a huge amount of effort into showing us images from his collection that he has never shown us before and boy was it worth it!
John takes a wide variety of image types, everything from landscapes to portraits, architecture to pattern and more. He also showed us images that he created when he used film and slides and showed us very clearly how he uses his imagination to create photographs that are also works of art. His opening line was “It is all art. You need to use your imagination.”
One of the most suprising images was a black and white picture that needed to be entered a competition titled “Red Hats”. In order to create an image with red in it in days when he did not use colour film. He took an image of a model wearing a stylish hat and coat, developed it in black and white and then covered the hat and the coat in red felt. He then, very artistically, drew the folds and shape of the hat and coat onto the felt creating a very touchy-feely image that did very well in a competition.
Peter Warner
“My Photographic Journey”
Peter’s theme was to show the journey had made in his photographic career and he made a start by showing us a really beautiful old bellows camera that used glass plates. This old camera was a work of art in itself and a beautiful piece of engineering and woodwork. When asked to guess who had made it we were very surprised to find out that it was that it had a label on it saying “Boots the Chemists”.
He then showed us a fold out Brownie camera that may have evoked memories of past photography for some.
Peter showed us a range of images illustrating his photography over the years including some excellent ones using a technique that seems to be coming into fashion. This technique is called Contra - Jour and involves taking pictures against the light. This can produce some very atmospheric images. Here is a useful link with some great images.
https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/landscape_photography-technique/shooting-into-the-light-mastering-the-contre-jour-technique-60472
Peter then went on to explain that he was now concentrating on producing audio visual presentations. Not only does this help you to tell stories, it also allows you to interpret other people’s art and make it your own. He also regards it as a way to make money out if you are willing to make promotional AVs for companies. He said it that some people charge as much as £3,000.
He was a bit nervous of showing his AVs in the presence of Richard Brown who has just won the most prestigious prize in the country for his AV “In Search of Christina”. Peter regards Richard as the world champion of AV makers.
Peter then went on to show his AVs which showed how much progress he has made in creating AVs. Peter showed an evocative AV called “Soldiers of the Great War” set to newly composed music by Tom Wells.
Richard had better look out.
Peter’s big tip was about how to convert old fashioned slides to digital images. He finds the converters that you can buy very slow so he set up a system that involves a macro lens, a light box and a piece of card with a hole cut in it the size of the colour slide. He sets the slide up in the hole over the light box, puts his camera onto a tripod looking down at the slide and takes a digital image of it.
“Imagination”
John Cresswell
As a member of SCPC John has had the opportunity to do six presentations for us over the years. He has put a huge amount of effort into showing us images from his collection that he has never shown us before and boy was it worth it!
John takes a wide variety of image types, everything from landscapes to portraits, architecture to pattern and more. He also showed us images that he created when he used film and slides and showed us very clearly how he uses his imagination to create photographs that are also works of art. His opening line was “It is all art. You need to use your imagination.”
One of the most suprising images was a black and white picture that needed to be entered a competition titled “Red Hats”. In order to create an image with red in it in days when he did not use colour film. He took an image of a model wearing a stylish hat and coat, developed it in black and white and then covered the hat and the coat in red felt. He then, very artistically, drew the folds and shape of the hat and coat onto the felt creating a very touchy-feely image that did very well in a competition.
White Water Fun
Katherine Docks Colour
There are many images in John’s current collection that absolutely stand out as memorable, and stunning; pictures that show just what you can do if you go looking. John spends a lot of time visiting urban and rural areas. He regularly goes to Birmingham city centre and has visited Coventry Cathedral to create competition winning pictures. He has travelled widely around the country to many of the popular places that many photographers go to and looks on the internet to get some ideas for places to visit and images to look for, but wherever he goes he has a talent for taking images that capture something unique. He has taken some wonderful pictures of Moseley swimming baths.
His collection of pictures is really interesting because of the variety of subjects and because he likes to have a bit of a laugh.
He has been asked to do his presentation at other local clubs so if you weren’t able to see this one try and go to another one. It really is worth it.
His collection of pictures is really interesting because of the variety of subjects and because he likes to have a bit of a laugh.
He has been asked to do his presentation at other local clubs so if you weren’t able to see this one try and go to another one. It really is worth it.
Places to Visit
I’ve been trying to catch up on my photography in the last few weeks so I was fortunate enough to find a 1940’s re-enactment at Papplewick Pumping Station, north of Nottingham last weekend. This pumping station was recently featured on Country File.
The building is beautiful on the outside but the interior is really ornate with painted columns and well polished double beam engines that are regularly steamed up. Not only that, there are other buildings with active steam engines on the site that are worth a look.
I’ve been trying to catch up on my photography in the last few weeks so I was fortunate enough to find a 1940’s re-enactment at Papplewick Pumping Station, north of Nottingham last weekend. This pumping station was recently featured on Country File.
The building is beautiful on the outside but the interior is really ornate with painted columns and well polished double beam engines that are regularly steamed up. Not only that, there are other buildings with active steam engines on the site that are worth a look.
Weekend away
This year Ian arranged for us to visit Cheshire. We stayed in two excellent B&Bs not far from Chester. Our first trip out was to Quarry Bank Mill. The adventure began by trying to navigate our way around Manchester Airport but when we got there we found a very interesting building with a huge amount of working machines to see. We also visited the Anderton Boat lift at the end of the day but decided to go back in the morning for a quick visit because the visitor centre was closed.
We didn’t intend to stay long at the boat lift but spent a lot longer there due to the presence of a steam tug boat moored up on the canal. This boat was only there because the cruise it was supposed to be on was cancelled because of a damaged lock. It is called Daniel Adamson and it is 15th on the register of National Historic Ships along with the Cutty Sark. It is affectionately known as Danny and used to tow barges loaded with cargo. It was recently featured on Great canal Journeys with Pater West and Prunella Scales
The boat was originally converted to transport business men up the ship canal in rather more luxurious conditions than usually found on a tug. A luxurious Art Deco Lounge with a bar has been lovingly restored using original panels from contemporary ships.
The engine room is on full display as are all parts of the boat.
It took us so long looking around the tug that we only had time to look around the gardens at Dunham Massey. This is a place I would like to go back to but not on a weekend as the place was so busy that there were traffic jams on all routes leading to the site. The car park is enormous and being a National Trust member is really worthwhile when you consider the high cost of visiting such places these days.
Of course the highlight of the weekend is going out to eat in the evenings. As usual Ian had chosen two excellent restaurants, The Hanging Gate pub and the Fishpool Inn. The service at the Fishpool Inn was really efficient and friendly considering the number of covers it deals with on a Saturday. The food was good too.
This year Ian arranged for us to visit Cheshire. We stayed in two excellent B&Bs not far from Chester. Our first trip out was to Quarry Bank Mill. The adventure began by trying to navigate our way around Manchester Airport but when we got there we found a very interesting building with a huge amount of working machines to see. We also visited the Anderton Boat lift at the end of the day but decided to go back in the morning for a quick visit because the visitor centre was closed.
We didn’t intend to stay long at the boat lift but spent a lot longer there due to the presence of a steam tug boat moored up on the canal. This boat was only there because the cruise it was supposed to be on was cancelled because of a damaged lock. It is called Daniel Adamson and it is 15th on the register of National Historic Ships along with the Cutty Sark. It is affectionately known as Danny and used to tow barges loaded with cargo. It was recently featured on Great canal Journeys with Pater West and Prunella Scales
The boat was originally converted to transport business men up the ship canal in rather more luxurious conditions than usually found on a tug. A luxurious Art Deco Lounge with a bar has been lovingly restored using original panels from contemporary ships.
The engine room is on full display as are all parts of the boat.
It took us so long looking around the tug that we only had time to look around the gardens at Dunham Massey. This is a place I would like to go back to but not on a weekend as the place was so busy that there were traffic jams on all routes leading to the site. The car park is enormous and being a National Trust member is really worthwhile when you consider the high cost of visiting such places these days.
Of course the highlight of the weekend is going out to eat in the evenings. As usual Ian had chosen two excellent restaurants, The Hanging Gate pub and the Fishpool Inn. The service at the Fishpool Inn was really efficient and friendly considering the number of covers it deals with on a Saturday. The food was good too.
Ian in action
Some of the group at the Fishpool Inn
Inkexpress is a local company that has a special interest in providing supplies for Epson printers . They also supply printers and paper as well as a variety of inks for use in the printers. They can convert printers for use with continuous ink supply from bottles and can service your printer for you as well.
https://www.inkexpress.co.uk/about-ink-express.html
I recently took my Epson 1500W to them to be checked out and serviced because I hadn’t been getting very good results with my prints. They did a test print a found that there was nothing wrong with it and then gave me some information about what might be going wrong.
They also told me that these printers are highly regarded and are difficult to get hold of as they are no longer made. They could even put me in touch with someone who was prepared to buy one at a very good price, higher than the one I paid for it!
They continued to let me know that, rather than buying an upgraded Epson printer with several shades of black ink from them, I could get one from Amazon at a cheaper price.
I bought some print paper from their own range, went home and printed some much better prints which got a highly commended and commended in the second competition.
Now I do not know what you think but I was really pleased that the two young men who run this company are really committed to providing an excellent and very helpful service to their customers. If I had had taken my printer anywhere else I would have had to pay for a service that was not needed.
The print papers that they supply, whilst limited in range, are reasonably priced and of excellent quality. Buying their inks will save you a lot of money.
Several of our members have used them and are very pleased that they did so, if you have an Epson printer, or you are thinking of getting one, I can highly recommend them. They also deal with other makes of printers as well.
Ten tips for stunning images
Flickr
For those who want to see our pictures on Flickr, or add pictures to it, please use this link.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/scpc/
https://www.inkexpress.co.uk/about-ink-express.html
I recently took my Epson 1500W to them to be checked out and serviced because I hadn’t been getting very good results with my prints. They did a test print a found that there was nothing wrong with it and then gave me some information about what might be going wrong.
They also told me that these printers are highly regarded and are difficult to get hold of as they are no longer made. They could even put me in touch with someone who was prepared to buy one at a very good price, higher than the one I paid for it!
They continued to let me know that, rather than buying an upgraded Epson printer with several shades of black ink from them, I could get one from Amazon at a cheaper price.
I bought some print paper from their own range, went home and printed some much better prints which got a highly commended and commended in the second competition.
Now I do not know what you think but I was really pleased that the two young men who run this company are really committed to providing an excellent and very helpful service to their customers. If I had had taken my printer anywhere else I would have had to pay for a service that was not needed.
The print papers that they supply, whilst limited in range, are reasonably priced and of excellent quality. Buying their inks will save you a lot of money.
Several of our members have used them and are very pleased that they did so, if you have an Epson printer, or you are thinking of getting one, I can highly recommend them. They also deal with other makes of printers as well.
Ten tips for stunning images
- Keep it simple Think about what should be included within the image frame, and more importantly, what shouldn’t. Exclude anything that doesn’t make the composition stronger.
- Make sure that you change your position to open up space between important objects so that they don’t overlap.
- Get close with wide angle lenses. This can make even small objects look much larger and more prominent in the composition.
- When you’ve found the perfect subject or composition, wait for the ‘decisive moment’ that creates maximum visual energy.
- Too much balance in a composition is boring whilst too much energy is chaotic. Try to find a mix between these two extremes.
- Create a visual progression A progression of multiple visual elements from the bottom to the top can encourage the viewer’s eye to travel deeper into the composition.
- Opposing visual elements create energy in a composition. Look for lines or shapes that tilt or point in opposite directions, encouraging the viewer to study multiple parts of the composition.
- Diagonal lines, and diagonal visual relationships, bring energy to a composition. When appropriate, change your position to skew shapes diagonally.
- Look for simple, bold and dynamic shapes such as triangles, s shapes or circles to form the basis of your compositions.
- Include additional objects between you and your subject to create depth and enhance visual interest.
Flickr
For those who want to see our pictures on Flickr, or add pictures to it, please use this link.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/scpc/
Newsletter number 13, September 2018
Click on this link to see an interesting Article from BBC Technology
Mirrorless cameras: Photography's new decisive moment
Cowslips
Kate Nicholls
Kate Nicholls
We also have another major success to report. Richard Brown has won the RPS Grand Prix Trophy, RPS Gold Medal, Silver Salver and Pictures to Exe Licence Key for an audio visual presentation titled “In Search of Christina”. This very prestigious competition took place in Cheltenham but at the same time Richard had entered another competition in France, the “Epinal Coupe de Europe Trophy”. He won the trophy for that as well.
Malcolm Imhoff also won a ribbon at the Cheltenham competition.
Welcome also to our new members.
We hope to provide with an interesting year that encourages you to develop your photography skills and make new friends in the process.
Why join a small photography Club like us?
This is for anyone who reads the newsletter on our website and is thinking of joining a photography club for the first time.
When you join a small club you are much more likely to be able to display your images on a regular basis. You may not want to enter competitions but this is a way of having an expert talk to you about your image in a constructive way. Also you have more chance of doing well because you are not competing against so many people with international recognition for their photography and it is less intimidating.
You do not have to show your pictures as prints. You can show them as digital images. You do not have to have fancy camera. The best camera is the one you have with you at the time. Mobile phones can take competition winning pictures.
In large clubs where a lot of images are shown in each competition the judges have only a very short time to look at each image. They do not have the time to make constructive comments about each picture and you may never find out what their criteria are.
You have more time during talks to ask questions. Speakers might introduce you to places that are great for taking good photos. They will tell you about their tricks and skills for taking images of anything from a butterfly to a skyscraper. Some will concentrate on portraits. Others will tell you how to take pictures of fast moving sporting events or slow moving stars.
Something that is particular to Sutton Coldfield Photography club is that we have some leading experts in making audio visual presentations of images who are willing to pass on their skills. Our AV offshoot is called FADE and meets on a different night to the main club. If you want to know more look for our web site at https://suttonphoto.club An example of our work is the 'Town trail' AV produced for Sutton Coldfield Civic Society. You can view this on the AV section of our website.
We are also open to suggestions on how we can help you to learn new skills. We are a friendly club which welcomes new members and would like to see you and your photography whatever level you are at. Maybe you have some skills that you can show us or you would like to set up new activities that interest you and take the club in a new direction.
Whatever your reason for joining we would like to see you. Come along to The Methodist Church Centre, South Parade, Sutton Coldfield on most Fridays. Look at our website for our programme of events.
Competition 1
Friday 21st September saw our first print and PDI competition of the season. The judge was our good friend Ken Hudson from North Birmingham PS. Ken gave very positive comments on the entries in his usual easy-going style. He was very encouraging to members to ‘do something different’ especially appreciating unusual styles, and formats such square and extreme letterbox compositions. Ken seemed to like pictures that told a story and where the author had a clear grasp of the idea they wanted to portray. There was an excellent entry in terms of both quantity and quality and our new Chairman, Alan was very complimentary and said that it augured well for the coming year. It was great to see our newest member Georgina Hughes entering both sections and gaining a commended award in her very first competition.
We hope to provide with an interesting year that encourages you to develop your photography skills and make new friends in the process.
Why join a small photography Club like us?
This is for anyone who reads the newsletter on our website and is thinking of joining a photography club for the first time.
When you join a small club you are much more likely to be able to display your images on a regular basis. You may not want to enter competitions but this is a way of having an expert talk to you about your image in a constructive way. Also you have more chance of doing well because you are not competing against so many people with international recognition for their photography and it is less intimidating.
You do not have to show your pictures as prints. You can show them as digital images. You do not have to have fancy camera. The best camera is the one you have with you at the time. Mobile phones can take competition winning pictures.
In large clubs where a lot of images are shown in each competition the judges have only a very short time to look at each image. They do not have the time to make constructive comments about each picture and you may never find out what their criteria are.
You have more time during talks to ask questions. Speakers might introduce you to places that are great for taking good photos. They will tell you about their tricks and skills for taking images of anything from a butterfly to a skyscraper. Some will concentrate on portraits. Others will tell you how to take pictures of fast moving sporting events or slow moving stars.
Something that is particular to Sutton Coldfield Photography club is that we have some leading experts in making audio visual presentations of images who are willing to pass on their skills. Our AV offshoot is called FADE and meets on a different night to the main club. If you want to know more look for our web site at https://suttonphoto.club An example of our work is the 'Town trail' AV produced for Sutton Coldfield Civic Society. You can view this on the AV section of our website.
We are also open to suggestions on how we can help you to learn new skills. We are a friendly club which welcomes new members and would like to see you and your photography whatever level you are at. Maybe you have some skills that you can show us or you would like to set up new activities that interest you and take the club in a new direction.
Whatever your reason for joining we would like to see you. Come along to The Methodist Church Centre, South Parade, Sutton Coldfield on most Fridays. Look at our website for our programme of events.
Competition 1
Friday 21st September saw our first print and PDI competition of the season. The judge was our good friend Ken Hudson from North Birmingham PS. Ken gave very positive comments on the entries in his usual easy-going style. He was very encouraging to members to ‘do something different’ especially appreciating unusual styles, and formats such square and extreme letterbox compositions. Ken seemed to like pictures that told a story and where the author had a clear grasp of the idea they wanted to portray. There was an excellent entry in terms of both quantity and quality and our new Chairman, Alan was very complimentary and said that it augured well for the coming year. It was great to see our newest member Georgina Hughes entering both sections and gaining a commended award in her very first competition.
Leader Board
Prints
Dave Ballantyne - 1st
Alan McCormick - 2nd
John Cresswell - 3rd
Dave Ballantyne - 1st
Alan McCormick - 2nd
John Cresswell - 3rd
DPIs
Ian Dean - 1st
John Cresswell - 2nd
Steve West - 2nd
Richard Brown - 4th
Ian Dean - 1st
John Cresswell - 2nd
Steve West - 2nd
Richard Brown - 4th
Talks
“Drawing with Light “by Colin Walls.
Colin is a very experienced photographer of 40 years and has been working with clubs for 20 years. He only produces digital images and uses RAW to capture all the detail when taking pictures. He likes to take pictures that he sees rather than make or create pictures and he likes to keep things simple. He believes that you can find pictures to take wherever you happen to be. Look for strong diagonals, contrast and textures.
Text in pictures is a no no because it attracts the eye and incomplete text is a really big distraction. Red attracts the eye so use it carefully. Logos are acceptable because they are processed by a different part of the brain.
Colin likes patterns and will take pictures of chains or objects like peas and beans. He takes images of infinity pictures, for example a picture of a crowd of sea lions with no edge to limit what you are looking at.
When taking pictures you can get rid of people by using a long exposure and a neutral density filter, or just wait until the frame has cleared. If you do want to take pictures of people they do not notice mobile phones but make sure that the image is sharp. You do not need bright sunlight for portraiture. It makes exposure difficult. If photographing someone willing to be a model you need to interact with them.
Colin also likes taking pictures of parts of things and says how little of an animal can you photograph whist still getting a good picture.
He takes pictures of objects against the sun but reminded us that you can damage the eye looking at the sun through a lens. (The technique has a name but I didn’t catch what it was. Whilst researching the answer I found this really useful website: https://expertphotography.com/shoot-into-sun-beautiful-lens-flare/.)
Colin also showed us some really interesting pictures of silhouettes which made me think about trying it myself. His talk was really inspiring and a little bit different. There were lots of good ideas to try out. He suggested topics such as “Old and New”, and “Steps”. This could involve ladders, dancing, footsteps, staircases and …… well use your imagination. That’s what it is all about.
“Drawing with Light “by Colin Walls.
Colin is a very experienced photographer of 40 years and has been working with clubs for 20 years. He only produces digital images and uses RAW to capture all the detail when taking pictures. He likes to take pictures that he sees rather than make or create pictures and he likes to keep things simple. He believes that you can find pictures to take wherever you happen to be. Look for strong diagonals, contrast and textures.
Text in pictures is a no no because it attracts the eye and incomplete text is a really big distraction. Red attracts the eye so use it carefully. Logos are acceptable because they are processed by a different part of the brain.
Colin likes patterns and will take pictures of chains or objects like peas and beans. He takes images of infinity pictures, for example a picture of a crowd of sea lions with no edge to limit what you are looking at.
When taking pictures you can get rid of people by using a long exposure and a neutral density filter, or just wait until the frame has cleared. If you do want to take pictures of people they do not notice mobile phones but make sure that the image is sharp. You do not need bright sunlight for portraiture. It makes exposure difficult. If photographing someone willing to be a model you need to interact with them.
Colin also likes taking pictures of parts of things and says how little of an animal can you photograph whist still getting a good picture.
He takes pictures of objects against the sun but reminded us that you can damage the eye looking at the sun through a lens. (The technique has a name but I didn’t catch what it was. Whilst researching the answer I found this really useful website: https://expertphotography.com/shoot-into-sun-beautiful-lens-flare/.)
Colin also showed us some really interesting pictures of silhouettes which made me think about trying it myself. His talk was really inspiring and a little bit different. There were lots of good ideas to try out. He suggested topics such as “Old and New”, and “Steps”. This could involve ladders, dancing, footsteps, staircases and …… well use your imagination. That’s what it is all about.
Dexter
Kate Nicholls
Kate Nicholls
Barbara Lawton’s talk “What Next” started with an explanation of why Barbara became a photographer of Natural History. She had wanted to be a botanical illustrator but found that it was easier to take photographs of natural history than to paint it.
She has pursued a policy of taking photographs of wildlife within a two hour journey of her home. She doesn’t need to go on international journeys and she does not believe in taking pictures of captive animals and birds. She advised that the welfare of the subject is vital. You should not move things and you need to be patient when flowers are being moved by the wind.
Barbara started by showing us images of flowers and told us where she had taken them. She went to Attingham Park for snowdrops, Hershaw Abbey for aconites and Monkswood for wood anemones. Yoxall has a good display of bluebells and fritillaries can be found at Winterbourne Botanical Gardens.
Barbara focuses manually a third of a way into the subject to get a good depth of field and uses a depth of field preview button on her camera to check that she has got it right. Bright but overcast weather is best for flowers. Taking pictures of white or yellow flowers if difficult so you have to expose for the lightest part of the image to capture the detail. Pictures should contain patterns and textures. Backgrounds should be out of focus when you take the photo. You are not expected to photoshop natural history pictures although you may remove minor blemishes or distractions. The picture must be framed up correctly when you take it.
There is a code of practice published by the RPS.
She gave us many more sites for taking pictures of grass snakes, butterflies, birds and red squirrels. The best subject to experiment with camera settings is fungi because they do not move and you can use a white card as a reflector to increase the amount of light during a long exposure.
Above all Barbara showed us that you do not have to travel the world to get interesting and beautiful pictures. You might only have to go out into your garden or just down the road to get a stunning picture of wildlife.
She has pursued a policy of taking photographs of wildlife within a two hour journey of her home. She doesn’t need to go on international journeys and she does not believe in taking pictures of captive animals and birds. She advised that the welfare of the subject is vital. You should not move things and you need to be patient when flowers are being moved by the wind.
Barbara started by showing us images of flowers and told us where she had taken them. She went to Attingham Park for snowdrops, Hershaw Abbey for aconites and Monkswood for wood anemones. Yoxall has a good display of bluebells and fritillaries can be found at Winterbourne Botanical Gardens.
Barbara focuses manually a third of a way into the subject to get a good depth of field and uses a depth of field preview button on her camera to check that she has got it right. Bright but overcast weather is best for flowers. Taking pictures of white or yellow flowers if difficult so you have to expose for the lightest part of the image to capture the detail. Pictures should contain patterns and textures. Backgrounds should be out of focus when you take the photo. You are not expected to photoshop natural history pictures although you may remove minor blemishes or distractions. The picture must be framed up correctly when you take it.
There is a code of practice published by the RPS.
She gave us many more sites for taking pictures of grass snakes, butterflies, birds and red squirrels. The best subject to experiment with camera settings is fungi because they do not move and you can use a white card as a reflector to increase the amount of light during a long exposure.
Above all Barbara showed us that you do not have to travel the world to get interesting and beautiful pictures. You might only have to go out into your garden or just down the road to get a stunning picture of wildlife.
Newsletter number 12, June 2018
News
Richard has had a significant birthday and Malcolm sent me a picture of the magnificent cake made by Dave’s daughter Diane. It is all edible, even the slides that feature photos taken by Richard, and a light shines from the projector. Happy birthday Richard.
For sale
Item for sale is a Manfrotto MH293A3-RC1. This is a compact head with a single control arm for pan and tilt. Perfect fit on the Benbo tripod which I originally had it fitted to.
Lightweight with a quick release base that fixes to your camera. Condition is excellent.
I’m asking £40 for it and £50 for the tripod but I’ll sell the pair for £80 if someone wants both.
Contact Steve West at steve-west@blueyonder.co.uk.
Item for sale is a Manfrotto MH293A3-RC1. This is a compact head with a single control arm for pan and tilt. Perfect fit on the Benbo tripod which I originally had it fitted to.
Lightweight with a quick release base that fixes to your camera. Condition is excellent.
I’m asking £40 for it and £50 for the tripod but I’ll sell the pair for £80 if someone wants both.
Contact Steve West at steve-west@blueyonder.co.uk.
This is a photo of a similar tripod with a different head.
Statfold
I am amazed that nobody seems to know about this place, especially as it is so local. I went there recently to do a charity ukulele concert and was very impressed with what was available to see, travel about on and take photos of.
I am amazed that nobody seems to know about this place, especially as it is so local. I went there recently to do a charity ukulele concert and was very impressed with what was available to see, travel about on and take photos of.
Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow gauge “garden” railway with miniature steam engines, and a museum of narrow gauge engines that is located very close to Tamworth. The “garden” is a bit of a misnomer as the track extends into the nearby fields. It is mainly set up for the use of enthusiasts but it does have open days. You can buy tickets from the web site but you have to apply at least a week beforehand.
The next event is on the 9th June and this has been named as a photographer’s day in some of the publicity material. Have a look on the web site for other open days.
Newsletter number 11 May 2018
We have come to the end of another season of meetings again and there is some excellent news. We have won an interclub competition between us South Birmingham Photography Club and Yardley. Also Richard has won another international competition for his AV, “In Search of Christine”. He has received a FIAP gold medal from Port Elizabeth Camera Club in South Africa. Congratulations Richard.
I would also like to welcome our new chairman, Alan McCormick and thank Paul Stokes, the retiring chairman for the work he has done over the last year. We also have to thank Richard for the work he has done over a very long period as secretary to the club as he has stood down this year and been replaced by me. I will have to be more efficient from now on.
Well done to those who have won the trophies this year and thanks to Dave Cooke for getting the wine glasses inscribed.
Meanwhile for those of you who do not know what the letters FIAP stand for (just like me) it means Federation Interrnationale l’Art Photographic and whilst I’m at it making myself more knowledgeable, PAGB stands for The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain. For those who knew this and understand what they do, remember some of us haven’t ventured this far into the world of photography and there are still a lot of terms that established photographers use that we do not yet understand. For example I am still not entirely sure what a stop is. I know I use them but I am not sure of the exact definition. Maybe I should ask someone or look it up on the web or maybe it is an opportunity to have an in club practical session where we teach other what we know. Perhaps you could make some suggestions as to what you would like to be covered.
Lastly
Error Corrections. I dropped a couple of clangers in the last news letter. The date of the club display at Newhall Mill is August 27th, the bank holiday. We will need prints and help from members in order to set up a display. Also we need to obtain some more vertical display boards to mount the pictures on.
The second error was the dates of the Spetchley History Comes Alive, Re enactment this is on the 11th and 12th August, ie Saturday and Sunday. I will go on the Sunday.
Times are,10am-5pm Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday. A fascinating family day out with battles, skirmishes and displays performed. There will be over 650 re-enactors spanning eight major periods from Medieval to WWII. Adults £8.00, 5-16 yrs £3.00, under 5's FREE, family (2 adults & 2 children) £20.00
Other Reminders
Upton Blues Festival 20th to 22nd July. This is free but you can camp overnight. Paul has already booked and Alan has taken winning pictures there in past years.
Tewkesbury 14th to 15th July. Especially good for those who wish to purchase Medieval armour, costumes and furniture. This is also free but you will be asked to donate towards the running costs and car parking has to be paid for.
I will be going to a steam rally at Statfold Barn near Tamworth on 12th and 13th May. I will be playing my ukulele with Go Ukulele Crazy at 12.30pm on the Sunday. This looks like an interesting event for those of you who like narrow gauge steam engines. You need to check if you can get tickets at the door as they do not accept bookings on line in the week before the event. Also children under 10 cannot go for safety reasons. There are other events during the year if you are interested.
Steampunk Weekend
Blists Hill Victorian Town
23 Jun 2018 – 24 Jun 2018
Dave Cooke says that the price for OAPs to attend this is £14.00. Looks like a good opportunity to get some Chopper Gennard type of pictures.
Saturday’s event will run continuously from 10am to 10pm, while on Sunday the Festival is open from 10am to 4.30pm. Annual Passports will be valid for the weekend or tickets for each day can be purchased on the gate priced at £19.75 adults, £14 for 60 plus and £12 for children under 16; under 5s free.
More places to get good images.
If anyone wants to contribute interesting items to the news letter please send them to me. Have you been to interesting places where you took good photographs? Have you learned anything that you are willing to pass on to others.
For example John Cresswell seems to get to some really interesting places and takes some stunning pictures so I asked him to suggest some good locations. Here they are.
Prescott Speed Hill Climb Sun July 14th. 80th Anniversary and Buggatti Festival. He says that it is quite expensive but looking at the ticket prices it is cheaper to book on line.
https://www.prescott-hillclimb.com/events-list
Papplewick Pumping Station. Look on the web for special events and steam days.
Bumble Hole canal bridges at Netherton Junction. https://birminghamnavvies.wordpress.com/category/birmingham-canal-navigations/dudley-no2-canal/bumble-hole-branch/
Black Country Boating Festival 14th to 16th Sept. Free https://www.waterways.org.uk/iwa/calendar/event/view?id=2045
The key to taking good pictures seems to be being able to get out and about. Some of the best displays and talks this year have been from people who travelled around the world but you can still get some good images locally.
Have really good summer and take lots of photos. You never know we might win another interclub competition next year but it takes team work.
Newsletter number 10 April 2018
It is a longer time than usual since I wrote a newsletter. This is partly because we have missed a couple of sessions due to Easter and the snow but also because I’ve been off gallivanting with my camper van. More about this later.
The best news for this news letter is that we have won an interclub competition! This is something that we have not done for a while. Well done to those who contributed the images which allowed us to do this. Keep up the good work so that we can have a go at beating Aston and Erdington next year.
The club has ended its meetings year with the final competition the theme of which was “Motion”. This was followed by the competition for the best print and DPI. We have to thank Peter Gennard for being so quick and efficient at judging so many images in one evening and for being patient with the technical hitch experienced when looking at the DPIs for the best image of the year.
Meanwhile, it is the AGM coming up in a week’s time. The questions are will you be there and what issues do you wish to raise for inclusion in the club’s activities next year? What are you willing to do for the club that will help to keep the club going as an active and expanding group? What do you need the club to do for you?
Would you be prepared to take a group of people to a site or place that you have visited to get good images? Have you got some expertise to pass on to other people?
Please get thinking. It is your club so it needs to do things that help you.
Reminders
We have booked a gazebo for the monthly outdoor exhibition at Newhall Mill on Monday 27th of August. Volunteers and prints will be needed to help set up the display. This is a really good way of publicising the club to potential new members as well as an opportunity to take some good pictures. This is free publicity for the club. Entry to the mill is free and there is a car park in the field next to the mill.
Can anyone supply some extra display boards so that we can create a really good display under the gazebo? They need to be self supporting as it could be windy on the day. Do you know anyone that would lend us some?
Competition Results
Interclub competition April 6th
On Friday 6th April, five intrepid SCPC members ventured over to Hall Green for the annual three-way inter-club with South Birmingham PS and Yardley PS. There was an excellent and varied entry in both sections from all three clubs this year. Judge Roger Parry from Smethwick PS was on good form and gave very positive comments, though never failing to point out improvements which could be made. Being a leading portrait worker, his comments on the portraiture entries were of particular interest. Among his observations were not to crop portrait pictures too tightly, to have lighting with some modelling rather than too flat and the desirability for the model to show some animation or interaction with the photographer rather than looking too posed.
At the break, the print scores were South Birmingham 131, Yardley 120 and SCPC 133. Although Yardley romped home in the PDIs with SCPC second, we still came out the overall winners by three points on 260 with South Birmingham and Yardley tying for second place on 257. A rare victory for Sutton in this 3-way competition, so congratulations to all the members whose work was shown. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening and a great opportunity to socialise with members of the other clubs. Let’s hope we can successfully defend the title on our home ground next year!
Richard Brown
Fiddle a File competition
As promised this was amusing as usual with members producing some interesting images that showed off the skills of the members in using Photoshop and other software for manipulating digital images.
John Haines judged with great humour and felt very sorry for one of the characters used in the images who seemed to be being berated on a regular basis by his wife.
The images ranged from the weird and wonderful to comic book and poster style images with some more realistic images thrown in in between.
Well done to all those who took the time to contribute to this competition. It is a great opportunity to learn new skills when using Photoshop.
Prints
1st Red, black and Blue - Dave Cooke
2nd Action Bot - Paul Stokes
3rd Aliens Incoming - Dave Ballantyne
HC Final Destination - Paul Stokes
C Cartoon Villain - Paul Stokes
DPIs
1st Cyborg - Paul Stokes
2nd Hot Rod - Steve West
3rd Post Apocalypse - Richard Brown
HC Ghost Train - Paul Stokes
C End of the Road - Paul Stokes
Don’t Look Round - Richard Brown
5th Competition
Prints
1st Tewkesbury Mill - John Cresswell
2nd Shoreline Ripples - Alan McCormick
3rd Church Close Rye - Paul Stokes
HC Drop in if you are passing - Paul Stokes
No Band Today - Alan McCormick
C Old passes between the New - Dave Ballantyne
I’m Lost - Dave Ballantyne
DPIs
1st Capitulation - Bob Roberts
2nd Lily Pad - Alan McCormick
3rd Day Dreamer - Alan McCormick
HC Old Scrap Wall - Dave Cooke
Porth Nanven Sunset - Catherine Nicholls
The Golden Hour - Alan McCormick
C Pulsitilla Alpina - Malcolm Imhoff
The Visit - Ian Dean
Selfie Time - Steve West
New Street Commuters - Steve West
Set Subject: Motion
Prints
1st Street Dancers - Alan McCormick
2nd Water Ballet - Alan McCormick
3rd Spin at the Fair - John Cresswell
HC A Dangerous Place to Stand - Catherine Nicholls
Stormy Weather - Catherine Nicholls
C Pistyll Gain - John Cresswell
DPIs
1st Spin - Steve West
2nd Firework Feathers - John Cresswell
3rd Water Dog - Catherine Nicholls
HC Urban Motion - Steve West
Spinning Wheel - Bob Robertson
C 5.25x6 - Dave Cooke
Proceed with Caution - Ian Dean
Accumulated Scores for the Year
Prints
John Cresswell 109
Alan McCormick 90
Paul Stokes 68
Catherine Nicholls 66
Dave Ballantyne 65
Dave Cooke 62
Fred Allen 18
Henley Wheadon 6
Richard Brown 6
Sid Butterworth 6
DPIs
Catherine Nicholls 86
Dave Cooke 84
Ian Dean 82
John Cresswell 77
Steve West 74
Alan McCormick 65
Richard Brown 61
Paul Stokes 57
Bob Robertson 52
Angus Spiers 33
Dave Williamson 14
Joe Bromage 8
Malcolm Imhoff 8
Talks
Light is Everything
Bill Allsopp
There are some talks that are so helpful that I wish I could write fast enough to get every detail and this was one of them. I’ve done my best for those of you who could not be there but if you get a chance to listen to Bill do take the opportunity.
Bill started out by introducing us to the images of Leonard Misonne. He is a Belgian photographer who joined the Pictorialist Movement with his images of landscapes resembling paintings. His images used diffused foggy atmospheres highlighted by dramatic skies. The scenes are taken with the light in front of the camera and low in the sky. You can find these images at: https://www.bing.com/images/searchq=leonard+missonne+photos&qpvt=leonard+missonne+photos&FORM=IGRE They are really worth a look.
Bill used the mantra Wait, Create, Use, Give Up, but it depends on having the right light.
He advised “Always have a camera with you because you see potential images where ever you go.” His first tips were to create interesting shadows using blinds. He also said that good photographs of glass objects can be taken in a supported black board box with a hole cut under the glass. The light source should be put under the hole in a bucket and shone through the glass. This avoids unwanted reflections on the glass. He also said “Keep backgrounds simple and do not take photos of old people in harsh light as it shows up their wrinkles. Look for shadows and use bright, overcast light for plants.” He then went on to talk about different types of light and how to use it. These are brief notes which probably miss out a lot of useful detail.
Artificial Light
Take a photo of a white card to assess what colour your artificial light source is producing, then replace it with the subject.
Kitchen foil can produce an interesting background.
Against the light outside.
Start before dawn. Make sure the sun is behind a tree or a cloud. Bracket your pictures and try to pick a misty morning. A useful photographer to look at is Andre Kersetz. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Andre+Kersetz+photos&qpvt=Andre+Kersetz+photos&FORM=IGRE
Flat Light.
This is very useful for portraits in the street. Reduce the content. Use a long lens to get rid of the background and lie down to take pictures of flowers. Carry a plastic bag with you to lie on. Daffodils that are wet with rain are a good subject.
Cross light.
This is a good source of shadows, especially for buildings.
Mixed lighting.
Eg.daylight plus artificial, reflected light. Avoid shadows from flash by bouncing light.
Starlight.
The rule is 500/focal length =max exposure to avoid star trails. Use a torch to light objects or buildings that you want in the picture. Use a high ISO but get the exposure right to avoid noise.
Infrared
These images need to be taken in sunlight for them to work.
Finally his advice on mounts is “The darker the picture the darker the mount should be.
Dave Tucker on HDR
Dave took on the difficult task of explaining the skills needed when using High Definition Range software on Photoshop. He covered some very useful skills on how to use HDR to enhance images by taking multiple images and using multiple merge techniques.
He also recommended ON1 as an app that does much the same job as photoshop but only costs a one off fee rather than being rented. It can also be put on five computers and run at the same time. He says that it does things much faster than photoshop and is a great time saver when you are working on a high number of images.
You need to ask me for the discount code if you wish to purchase it. This is valid until the end of June.
Places to get good photos in the Summer
Tewkesbury Medieval Festival 14th -15th July
There are lots of events throughout the town as well as the Medieval Market and the re-enactment itself. You can buy all sorts of Medieval armour and weapons, clothes and furniture. Re-enactors travel from all over the country and from France to be involved. There are puppet shows involving dragons and it is all free. You are asked for donations. You do have to pay for parking.
Spetchley Park 12 - 13 August:
History Comes Alive, 10am-5pm Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday. A fascinating family day out with battles, skirmishes and displays performed. There will be over 650 re-enactors spanning eight major periods from Medieval to WWII. Visit the web site to check this out. Dogs are not allowed on site. www.spetchleygardens.co.uk/news.
Adults £8.00, 5-16 yrs £3.00, under 5's FREE, family (2 adults & 2 children) £20.00
Several members went to this meeting last year and took some excellent pictures which have been successful in competitions.
April 29th to May 1st : 'SS Great Britain' @ Bristol.
August 5th/6th : 'Cromford steam rally' @ Brackenfield, Nr Matlock, Derbyshire.
October 28th/29th : 'SS Great Britain' @ Bristol.
The main web address is: http://www.raggedvictorians.co.uk/events
Just one warning about the Ragged Victorians, they are a bit anti photo club due to too much use by keen photographers.
Finally
Since buying my camper van I have been on a few adventures but the best one so far has been a stay at the camp site at Brown Moss Nature Reserve, near Whitchurch in Shropshire, with the Caravan and Camping Club Photography group. Despite the dreadful weather of the previous few days we did manage to get onto the field, although I had to be towed off.
The theme for the long weekend was pictures of nature taken over the weekend but the trouble was that Brown Moss was very brown and the wildlife was largely difficult to see due to the number of dogs being exercised there. Even so I managed a few interesting images and it is a great place for taken pictures of dogs having fun.
Bob Moore, a well known local photographer, lead the workshops and put on a display of his and his wife Sue’s lovely prints. Bob and Sue also volunteered to take some of us around Blists Hill Museum to show us how to get good images. As a result, I managed to learn some new techniques for getting good images and got some good material for next year’s competitions.
My welcome to the club was friendly and I was able to get advice from some excellent photographers that I have not met before.
The funniest event of the weekend was when a photographer spent ages stalking an unusual pink bird in a tree but when he looked at the image it turned out to be a child’s pink dummy hung on a twig. I think the image is called “The Pink Dum Tit”. It was still a really good image that would probably win competitions.
My next adventure will be Sharpness. Are there any other campers who are likely to be there?
Kate
Newsletter, 9 January 2018
I said it last year and I’m going to say it again what a stunning group of panels have been produced for our annual “Three of a Kind” competition this year. This competition produces sets of images that really enhance each other by being in a set of three. We also had some very innovative images with unusual mounts and thought provoking subjects.
We are now looking forward to our annual fun competition “Fiddle a File” which is unique to our club and which is designed to help us develop our skills using Photoshop and other photo processing software. It is the competition that produces the most laughs during the year but it can be very difficult to produce imaginative images using the pictures we are given to change. The first time I did it I turned the colours and textures of a wooden door into a face wearing a top hat. Somebody very kindly told me I had a sick mind. Well actually it was more of an accident especially as it looked just like a dinosaur when turned on its side.
This picture has been fiddled. I call it “Ghost Train”.
News
Once again Richard and Malcolm have been successful with their entries for the Midlands Counties Audio Visual Championships or Midphot AV which took place in Burton on Trent on 27th January. Malcolm won M.C.P.F Ribbons for “Whispers Linger” and “Love Will Remain”. Richard won the Tom Prince Memorial Trophy and M.C.P.F Medal for “In Search of Christina”. He also won the Martin Fry Trophy for the audience vote for the same AV.
Well done to both as putting together an AV takes hours of work.
Richard has been on the holiday he won in Italy and has begun to show some of the pictures he took whilst he was there. Lake Garda is very photogenic place so maybe if you can win prizes like that we all ought to have a go at producing an AV and entering it for competitions.
Talks
On Friday January 26th we welcomed back one of our regular visitors; Patrick Hickey with his talk “For the Want of a Title”. Patrick is a member of both Aston and Erdington PS and Smethwick PS and a well known exhibitor in national and international exhibitions. He showed a wide variety of projected images, broken down into themed groups and explained in detail how each picture came to be taken. Although we saw subjects ranging from landscapes, urban environments and even a few nature shots, the predominant theme was portraiture. Patrick is very much at home in the studio and likes to create most of his pictures in the camera, though he does do a few montage type images in Photoshop when the mood takes him. He emphasised that to get good pictures of models planning is essential. Thinking about props, lighting and backgrounds in advance contributes very much to the final success of the pictures. Particularly intriguing were the long exposure shots where the model was sometimes moving and sometimes still, which gave a dream-like quality. All in all, a most interesting talk which contained much inspiration for anyone aspiring to get involved in studio photography.
Written by Richard Brown
Social events
If you didn’t come to the quiz you missed the opportunity to win some excellent prizes donated by Calumet. The winners chose from a camera bag, a tripod, remote camera flash controls, photo paper and other things. Well done to the chairman for devising an interesting set of questions that were educational as well as varied.
For example did you know that there is a blue plaque to Emma Barton in Hartopp Road? As part of their new house on the Four Oaks Park Estate, George and Emma Barton ensured that it should include a dark room. Emma had already begun taking pictures when they lived in Wishaw, and by the time they moved in to their new house with their four young children in 1900, she was already making a name for herself as a photographer. In 1903 Emma Barton was awarded the Royal Photographic Society Medal, the most prestigious award in the world for photography! Wow
Her work was published in Sunlight and Shadow: The Photographs of Emma Barton 1872-1938.
This blue plaque was the first one to be put up in Sutton Coldfield.
Information and photographs relating to Emma Barton are held in the reference section of Sutton Library.
Does anyone else know any other interesting facts about Sutton that relate to photography?
Many people have asked why we haven’t run our annual “Judges and Speakers dinner” this year. It has been missed as we were the only club to do such a thing to say thank you to all our highly valued visitors. If you want us to run it again next year we need your support in setting it up, providing the food and attending. It is a good occasion to get to know the people who come to speak to us or judge our competitions and it provides them with the opportunity to chat to each other on a social basis.
Publicity
We need to publicise the club to let people know that we exist, when we meet and what we do. We can do this by putting up posters in local community centres, shops, libraries, people’s work canteens or any other suitable place you can think of.
If you live near somewhere that has a community noticeboard could you take responsibility for putting up posters or distributing leaflets on a regular basis. Some shops change the posters on their notice boards every few weeks so if you go there on a regular basis you can ensure that our poster is regularly replaced.
Three of a Kind Competition
Entering panels of pictures is hard work, especially if you enter all six of the possible entries. Finding three images that form a balanced unit is a great skill but boy is it worth it. Something happens when you get it right. The three images together enhance each other and the final result can be so much better than one picture by itself.
The competition was also helped by the positive and humorous judging style of John Hartshorne. As well as being well known to many members of the club his enthusiasm for encouraging people to improve their skills and knowledge in photography shines through in the way he judges. He seemed to be very impressed with the quality of the panels produced this year.
Competition Results
Prints
1st Old Moseley Baths John Cresswell
2nd Chapterhouse Vaulting John Cresswell
3rd The Race Alan McCormick
HC Steam Giants Dave Cooke
Birmingham Painted Bricks Dave Cooke
C Graffitti Alan McCormick
Ballboys John Cresswell
Rock On Dave Ballantyne
Be My Valentine Catherine Nicholls
Aldbourne Cottages Richard Brown
DPIs
1st Stained Glass Detail Dave Cooke
2nd Holy Light Richard Brown
3rd Into Battle Dave Cooke
HC Slipway 2 Catherine Nicholls
Sunset on the Rocks Catherine Nicholls
C Big Steam Catherine Nicholls
Irish Arches Richard Brown
Cutty Sark Rigging John Cresswell
Leader Board
Prints
1st John Cresswell
2nd Paul Stokes
3rd Alan McCormick
4th Dave Ballantyne
DPIs
1st Dave Cooke /Catherine Nicholls
3rd Ian Dean
4th John Cresswell
Photo tips and how to use them.
Whilst on one of my regular visits to Penzance I saw a photo very similar to the one I took of a wreck on the beach in Mount’s Bay. Apart from the fact that the picture was taken on a sunny day I was wondering why St Michael’s Mount looked so much bigger in the image. I also noticed the same effect when people were taking similar pictures of the Super Moon that occurred recently so I’ve had to do a bit of research to extend my knowledge of the way lenses work.
More experienced photographers probably know this already but for us relative newcomers this is what I found out.
Objects shot close to a wide angled lens look larger relative to more distant objects. Distant objects look small and further away. Telephoto distortion can be seen in images shot from a distance using a long lens focus. These lenses have a narrower field of view than a normal lens and therefore closer objects are abnormally small and more distant objects are abnormally large. Distances are compressed.
Taking pictures with a wide angled lens can allow you to get nearer to your subject, but this lens can foreshorten or distort an object. Taking a picture of a long nosed dog will produce a picture with a very large nose relative to its face. Do the same thing with a lens with a narrower angle of view and the nose appears to be smaller relative to the face.
This effect explains why shots taken with a telephoto lens of the Super Moon show an enormous moon relative to the horizon.
Some experts say that you can obtain a similar effect by cropping a wide angle picture to contain the same content as a picture taken with a telephoto lens whilst standing in the same position thus proving that the effect is an optical illusion.
Now I have a problem because I now have to take some pictures of my friend’s dog to prove my theory. The additional problem will be to get the depth of field right so that the whole face is in focus. If I succeed the pictures will appear below.
Well Pearl wouldn’t stay still so this isn’t a brilliant picture. It was taken very close to with a wide angled lens, (an SP 10-24mm 1:3.5-45).
This was taken with an AF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 telemacro from further away, but as you can see it is difficult to see the effect. Her nose does seem more in proportion with her face.
So I did the same thing with some satsumas which are much better behaved.
This was taken with the wide angled lens.
This was taken with the wide angled lens.
This was taken from further away with the telephoto lens.
As you can see the satsuma at the back is the same width as the one at the front. I haven’t moved them.
My conclusion is that if you take pictures with a wide angled lens close to the subject the background is smaller in relation to the subject. If you take the picture with a telephoto lens from further away, then the background looks bigger in relation to the subject. The narrower the field of the lens the more this optical illusion comes into play.
Small cameras with non detachable lenses and phone cameras will have wide angle lenses. So if you take pictures close to someone's face it will make their nose look big! Stand back to lessen the effect.
I’ll try this out when I go to Mount’s Bay again but meanwhile if anyone wants to add more technical details to my rather basic understanding I would be pleased.
My conclusion is that if you take pictures with a wide angled lens close to the subject the background is smaller in relation to the subject. If you take the picture with a telephoto lens from further away, then the background looks bigger in relation to the subject. The narrower the field of the lens the more this optical illusion comes into play.
Small cameras with non detachable lenses and phone cameras will have wide angle lenses. So if you take pictures close to someone's face it will make their nose look big! Stand back to lessen the effect.
I’ll try this out when I go to Mount’s Bay again but meanwhile if anyone wants to add more technical details to my rather basic understanding I would be pleased.
People come to a photography club hoping to learn how to do things with their cameras. How about some of the club members contributing some articles about things that they have discovered about the way their cameras work? The newsletter is a good place to demonstrate what we know or what we found out when taking pictures. Are there some experiments or demonstrations that we can set up on practical evenings to help people with their photography?
Club Activities
Is there something that you can do to widen the activities that go on with club?
Could we set up some days out in very local places during the year where small groups go out and take photos of places that some of you know about which are a good source?
Let us know what you think. It’s your club so you can decide what you want from it.
Is there something that you can do to widen the activities that go on with club?
Could we set up some days out in very local places during the year where small groups go out and take photos of places that some of you know about which are a good source?
Let us know what you think. It’s your club so you can decide what you want from it.
Christmas Dinner
Sixteen of our members enjoyed a Dinner at the The Boat House in Sutton Park, in December 2017.
Happy snappers all!
Newsletter, 8 January 2018
Happy New Year to you all. Time is still flying by although my Christmas was rather quiet. The Christmas dinner worked well although we were a bit packed in at the Boathouse. It is lovely to be able to get together with people just to chat.
We are already through the first half of the year’s programme and the accumulated scores for the end of year awards are beginning to build up. For those who want to accumulate a big score you need to enter the “Three of a Kind” panel competition as the points for entering that are higher than the other competitions. Last year the standard of entries for this competition was excellent. I am looking forward to seeing this year’s entries but I really do not know what I have that is good enough to form a panel of three pictures.
News
We have booked a stand at Newhall Mill to advertise the club again on August Bank Holiday 27th Aug 2018. We will need prints to display and help to look after the stand so could you put it in your diary please. Visits to the mill are free and there is plenty of parking space in a nearby field.
Talks
Richard wasn’t well enough to do the planned talk on “North American Capers” so we still do not know what he got up to but Malcolm stepped in with an excellent talk and demonstration of how to create Audio Visual presentations using “Picturestoexe” and “Audacity”. Mac users can use Photomagico.
AV Basics
Malcolm Imhoff
What is an AV? Essentially it is the presentation of a sequence of photographs with an accompanying soundtrack. Audio Visual presentations, or “sequences”, can range from interpreting music, poetry or song, to stories and documentaries on subjects as varied as nature, travel and tourism, topical issues or historical events. They can be humorous, educational, campaigning, inspiring or eccentric. AV is much more than "pictures to music"! AV at its best has the power to touch people’s hearts, communicate feelings and emotions, and to change people’s lives.
Malcolm wished to demonstrate one particular type of AV which he called “Photoharmony”, the setting of pictures to music.
His first piece of advice was to choose your pictures carefully. Less is more. Select the best ones. Ditch the poor ones because they stand out. Only choose one out of three similar ones. Resize them to 1920 x 1280 px to fit projectors although 1920x 1080 is accepted. The widescreen format standard is 1400x1050. Higher resolutions are pointless.
Rule 1. All pictures should be of the same size and format and need to croppped or resized. Landscape pictures work best. Including portrait shaped pictures spoils the flow of the pictures. You can use image resize for most picures.Changes in shape or size are annoying.
If you must use different shapes and sizes group the pictures to reduce the number of changes. You could also make a composite of two or three pictures on a page with a special effect using layering to blurr them into the background one by one.
Rule 2 White borders in AV do not work. It makes th AV too bright on the edges. However rules are meant to be broken so if you want to create an old photo effect you can use them.
Rule 3 Choose appropriate music but make sure that you like it because you have to listen to it over and over whilst making the AV. You should use copyright free music but you can get a license from the Institute of Amateur Photographers to use music in copyright. It is cheap to do so. Use the start and end of a piece of music and cut the middle out if it is too long. That way you do not leave people in suspense.
Rule 4 Start with a blank slide at the beginning which lasts for 3 seconds. The last picture should be a fade out.
Rule 5 Link the composition of the pictures. Don’t use automatic arrange as it produces a boring AV. Listen to the music and match changes in the images to the rhythm and emphasis of the music.
Rule 5 Change the transitions from fade to other types to concentrate the eye on what it sees but be aware that transitions can be intrusive.
Rule 6 Zooms and pans can be used to create interest. As seen on TV zoom into a face but zoom out to give a sense of scale. Avoid alternating zooming in and out. With pans don’t make them too drawn out or long. Vertical pans can look strange unless it is something like a church tower that is being shown. You can add video. That can show perspective.
Rule 7 Avoid animating inanimate objects unless you are trying to make things look comical.
Rule 8 An AV needs a beginning , a middle and an end but it doesn’t have to be chronological. Do not write “The End” on the end but you can write a few credits.
Rule 9 Titles should be kept simple. Don’t give too much information and use a good font at the top of the screen. Good names are as important for AVs as they are for prints and DPIs.
If you want to enter a “Photoharmony” competition then the AV needs to be 4 minutes long.
Retrospective
Peter Gennard
Peter stood in at the very last minute for Tony Winfield, who has unfortunately injured his back. Luckily Peter had just the right talk already prepared which had been well received at another last minute substitution at another club. Perhaps we need to change his nickname from Chopper Gennard to the Substitute Kid.
Characteristic Pose
Peter chose to do a retrospective of his work over the years. He started when black and white was the easiest way to present your prints and he is an expert at dodging and burning in the dark room.
Peter’s summary of his very definite style is to create images of light faces against dark backgrounds. As a result he is an expert at chatting up characterful people to take portraits of them and “kidnapping” them to take pictures of them under dark bridges or passages. If he takes images of people without the correct backgrounds he uses National Trust buildings for providing the type of background he needs. He also recommended St Peter’s Church in Kinver for good pictures of grave stones.
Peter keeps himself safe whilst taking photos by going out with a friend although all the people that he has taken photos of turned out to be much friendlier than their form of dress might suggest.
He is fantastic at establishing a rapport with his models. He asks them to adopt expressions on their faces which make the picture interesting and says that portraits are all about expressions.He likes to get close up to his candidates and thinks that using a telephoto lens is not the way to do it.
As we know from his former talks he goes to the Goth gatherings in Whitby Bay. These happen in the last weekends of April and October. He also recommends the Edinburgh Fringe. Steam Punks tend to gather in the Royal Mile and like being photographed. He has been to the Blakpool Punks convention but finds that a number of the people there are a bit scruffy so it is more difficult to take pictures of them.
Peter takes every opportunity when he is abroad to take portraits of interesting people and often offers a small reward for doing so. He has also taken photos at the Stow on the Wold Horse Fair where you get gypsy caravans and people who are willing to have their photo taken.
He also makes life more simple by always producing his pictures in landscape format. They are always the same size and are always mounted in black mounts. He uses Proam to print his pictures at about a £1 a time.
His success in the world of photography has come from adopting a very definite style but that doesn’t mean that he can’t take stunning pictures of other subjects such as landscapes.
Social events
Calumet has generously donated some prizes for the quiz on Friday. I am looking forward to seeing what they are.
Competition Results
4th Competition Dec 2017
Prints
1st Roped Triangle, John Cresswell
2nd Global Warming, Paul Stokes
3rd Elephant’s Eye View, Alan McCormick
HC Morning Mist, Alan McCormick
C Station Team, Dave Cooke
C Pinmill Jetty, John Cresswell
C Balancing the Book, Catherine Nicholls
Projected Digital Images
1st Gerbera Daisies, Steve West
2nd Waiting for the Off, Dave Cooke
3rd Winter Walkies, Steve West
HC Out on the Town, Ian Dean
HC Snowy Outskirts, Ian Dean
HC Sundown in the 3.45, Ian Dean
C Suspicion, Catherine Nicholls
C Chilling by the Cut, Steve West
C King Approaching , Angus Spiers
C A Winter Walk, Alan McCormick
C The Need for Speed, Alan McCormick
Leader Board
Prints
1st John Cresswell
2nd Paul Stokes
3rd Alan McCormick
4th Dave Ballantyne
DPIs
1st Ian Dean
2nd Catherine Nicholls
3rd Dave Cooke
4th John Cresswell
Photo tips and Where to use them.
Portraits are very successful in competitions but it helps if you can go to places where people are really keen to have their photos taken. Here are three places where it is easier to take good images of interesting people. You need to develop a good rapport with people and you need to get close enough to make the portrait the most important part of the picture. Make sure the background is part of the story of the picture.
Dates of interest are:
Tewkesbury Medieval Festival 14th & 15th July 2018
The Battle of Tewkesbury took place on 4 May 1471 and was the final battle in the War of The Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster. Prince Edward was killed either during or just after the battle and is now buried in Tewkesbury Abbey.
The Battle of Tewkesbury is now fought every year with cannons firing, swords clashing and soldiers marching. Thousands of re-enactors and medieval enthusiasts from all around the world visit Tewkesbury as part of the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival. The battleground is filled with knights in armour, warriors and townsfolk in medieval dress. Many sleep in traditional tents and cook over open fires eating typical medieval food.
The Tewkesbury Medieval Festival is the largest free medieval re-enactment and fayre in Europe. Traditional medieval entertainment is provided by jugglers, musicians, dancers and jesters. The Medieval Market is full of stall holders selling everything from musical instruments to medieval style pots and pans. It is a great family day out and an insight into living history.
- Living history camp
- Medieval market
- Entertainment
- Activities for kids
- Beer tent - ales & cider
Gates Open: 11am to 6pm Saturday, 11am to 5pm Sunday
North Staffs and Cheshire Traction Engine Club
Klondyke Mill, Draycott in the Clay, DE6 5GZ
June Steam Party
Engines in steam, tractors, stationary engines, cars etc.
Stalls, hot and cold refreshments
Free off-road parking
2nd & 3rd June 2018
Entry £5.00/£1.
October Steam Party
Engines in steam, tractors, stationary engines, cars, commercials etc
Stalls, hot and cold refreshments
Free off-road parking
13th & 14th October 2018
Entry £6.00/£1.50
Bonfire Party
Fire lit 7.00 pm
Display 7.30 pm
A professional pyrotechnic display, set to music with the added attraction of engines in steam.
Bar, bbq and sweet stall.
Free off-road parking
3rd November 2018
Entry £8.00 acc. chn. free
Spetchley Park Gardens Spetchley Worcester WR5 1RS England
11 - 12 August: History Comes Alive
A fascinating family day out with battles, skirmishes and displays performed by over 650 re-enactors, and spanning eight major periods from Medieval to World War 2.
Newsletter, 7 November 2017
Doesn’t time fly. We certainly have got into the new season with a bang. I wonder if anyone got some pictures of the fireworks? Malcolm and Dave C have been successful with their AVs and we have had some interesting presentations and a practical session. The competitions are coming thick and fast. This includes the three way interclub competition between us, Aston and Erdington and North Birmingham photo clubs. We need your best pictures if we are going to get a good result out of this. We are after the W.G.Ross Trophy!
Christmas is coming up and we are booking our places for our Christmas meal at the Boathouse so if you want to be there make sure you contact Dave Williamson as soon as possible.
News
Dave Cooke
On Oct 20th Tricia and I visited Dublin for the Irish Photo Federation International A V cCmpetition which took place over Saturday & Sunday.
We were made most welcome and there was a strong group from England + 2 from Wales. We saw some very good AVs from Ireland (North & South), and excellent international AVs
Malcolm Imhoff won a bronze medal for “Queen of the hills” and I was most chuffed to be awarded a certificate of merit for my “One day of history”. The hospitality is amazing and the Guiness was terrific. No wonder Richard Brown is a regular visitor, by the way he is an Honorary Irishman Richard de Bruwn.

Dave being presented with his certificate in Ireland.
RPS National Audio-Visual Championships Sept 2017
Whilst I included the news about Richard Brown’s success in the Italian AV competition, I didn’t tell you about the club’s other national successes. Richard Brown, and Malcolm Imhoff also entered the biggest national championships in the country, the 20th RPS National AV Championships in September 2017 at Leeds. Richard won a silver medal for his AV “In Search of Christina” And Malcolm won a bronze medal for “God’s Paintbrush”. Malcolm also won a Highly Commended for “Love Will remain”, made jointly with Maggie Imhoff, and all three did very well with the audience vote for their AVs as well.
RPS Vice President Robert Albright presenting a Silver Medal To Richard Brown.

RPS Vice President Robert Albright presenting a Bronze Medal and a Highly Commended to Malcolm Imhoff.
Pictures courtesy of AV News.
I think we need to recognise that our club has the potential to become a real centre of excellence for producing AVs with such a successful group of club members. Not only does it give you the opportunity to tell stories, put music and commentary to your pictures but it also allows you to use the pictures that you take that would not ordinarily be suitable for print or PDI competitions. You can also do research into a subject that interests you and use pictures that other people have taken to illustrate your work ( copyright permitting).
What are your other passions, apart from photography? Have you got animals, machinery, artwork, hobbies, music, or other interests that you would like to tell the story of in an audio visual presentation? Maybe you have travelled abroad and you want to show people where you have been in an interesting way. Maybe you want to create a protest AV like the very funny one one that Richard completed about the cost of printer ink. Maybe you want to illustrate some of your favourite music?
If you want to have a go I am sure that Richard, Malcolm and Dave would be very willing to help and don’t forget FADE, our AV branch of the club.This meets informally to help members learn how to create audio visual programmes.
Talks and Pictures
Nature in Digital Pictures
Ian Andrews
Ian is a dedicated natural history photographer who specialises in taking photographs of birds and other wildlife. He must be very patient because he spends most of his time sitting in a hide waiting for the right shot. Some of his subjects like otters and dolphins proved very elusive and difficult to get good pictures of.
In order to take images of birds with unobtrusive backgrounds Ian uses a wide aperture to limit the depth of field and he takes his time to choose the right image. He uses quite a high ISO for a fast shutter speed. He uses a monopod rather than a tripod and finds a bean bag very useful for taking pictures from the car window. We were amazed to hear that he never uses RAW quality pictures and relies on jPegs
Like many dedicated wildlife photographers Ian travels extensively all over the UK but uses more easily accessed sites like Slimbridge for photographing a wide range of birds including the very rare bitterns. These are best photographed when there is ice on the water as this provides a good contrast. Slimbridge also has a vivarium for creatures like blue frogs.
Ian must have a bad experience taking photos of goats because he said they are inclined to attack if you get too close.
For those that still might have film cameras Ian announced that Kodak are re-launching Ektachrome. I wonder how popular this will become?
“The Platinum Trail”
John Cartlidge
There are some speakers that you can listen to for hours without getting bored and John is one of them. His presentation of how he got to the stage of gaining a platinum medal for entering pictures in exhibitions through FIAP, hence the p after EFIAP/p in the letters after his name (I hope I’ve got this right!), was delivered with good humour and one well used joke.
In order to get this qualification John has had to enter and gain acceptance for an enormous number of images to national and international exhibitions. The dedication to photography that this requires is huge, let alone the storage space for all the prints and equipment involved.
John presented us with a potted history of the progress he has made as a photographer over his working life. He was, as a journalist, involved in taking pictures of the Handsworth riots and reckons his best picture was of a burnt out car. He also said that as a little guy he found it easier to get to the front of the crowd to take the pictures plus it was a very frightening experience.
His hints for success in competitions were:
• Names make a picture. If you give your picture a good name that makes the judge see what the image is about it will have a positive effect on the outcome.
• Use layers to create pictures of moving objects like motorbikes. Panning the background to use as one of the layers is a good method.
• Good places to take photos are Wiseman’s Wood on Dartmoor, the Louvre in Paris on a Sunday when it is free to enter and the Avoncroft WW11 re-enactment.
Chris, John’s wife, also deserves thanks for acting as John’s technical assistant and for supporting him in his photographic career. Her attitude is very much “If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em”.
“Judges and Composition”
Peter Warner
I cannot possibly include all the fantastic information given to us by Peter during this presentation. Apart from everything else I can’t take notes fast enough so if you weren’t there you missed a treat.
Peter (ably assisted by his wife Sue as technical assistant) made the point “What are club competitions for?” Do they help us to improve our photography or can we do that just as well by allowing club members to run critique sessions and suggest how they might improve the images.
As a judge Peter looks at each image and comments about what he likes about the pictures and what he would do differently to make it better if it were his. He likes to view the pictures in advance and think about what he is going to say before the competition.
He awards points in the following way when judging.
Interpretation of a theme – 5 points
Creativity – 5 points
Composition and originality – 5 points
Technique -5 points
He rquoted John Miskelly who says “You must master the rules before breaking them.”
The first thing that all photographers need to know that it isn’t the equipment that you use that makes you a good photographer. It’s the ability to “see” the picture. People can take competition winners on a phone or a compact camera.
Fancy equipment does help. Telephoto lenses help you to narrow the depth of field and create blurred backgrounds whilst wide angled lenses give a different perspective and can distort reality.
When taking pictures you need to consider light, colour, pattern, shape, abstracts, motion and view point. All of these can be used to create originality and impact if you get them right. Some of Peter’s unusual pictures were taken on the diagonal or involve supersaturated colours of multi-coloured scenes. He also uses very high or low view points and leans against lamp posts rather than using a tripod.
Places that he recommends for taking pictures are the Upton Folk Festival, where people love having their picture taken, and the Czech Republic because it is very beautiful and cheap to visit.
He gave a long list of things that judges hate but at the same time he said it is Ok to break the rules if it adds to the picture. (I’ll put the list on the notice board.)
On top of all that he illustrated his talk with stunning pictures, many of which he had taken for his own satisfaction rather than for competitions and, best of all, he is an ex Geography teacher so he knows a good landscape when he sees it.
Competition Results Competition 2
Prints
1st - Medieval Glass, John Cresswell
2nd - Sea! Eagle!, Paul Stokes
3rd - Smutty Face, Catherine Nicholls
HC - Early Morning Light, Dave Ballantyne
HC - The Coy and the Confident, Dave Ballantyne
C - Guardian, Paul Stokes
C - The Old Mill, Dave Ballantyne
Projected Digital Images
1st - Bending Time, Catherine Nicholls
2nd - The String Section, Alan McCormick
3rd - Museum View, Dave Cooke
HC - Winter Warmer , Paul Stokes
HC - The Last Train Home, Paul Stokes
C - Mountain Music, Ian Dean
C - Sun and Showers, Ian Dean
C - Coventry Cathedral Colours, John Cresswell
Leader Board
Prints
1st - John Cresswell, 24points
2nd - Paul Stokes, 22 points
3rd - Alan McCormick & Dave Balllantyne, 20 points
DPIs
1st - Catherine Nicholls, 27 points
2nd - John Cresswell, 23 points
3rd - Dave Cooke , 16 points
3rd Competition
Judge: Paddy Ruske
Paddy who is an ex member of Fentham Photographic Society (before it changed its name to Sutton Coldfield Photography Club) started off the evening by telling us about a recent judge’s workshop that he had been on. He came up with some really good tips about what judges want to see in successful images in the future. The tips were:
Do not over whiten eyes and highlights in the eyes need to look natural.
Landscapes should not enhanced with HDR effects as it alters the lighting and makes it look wrong. Also landscapes should not be too green or too oversaturated.
Regularly photographed groups such as the Ragged Victorians are not liked as there are too many of them. This includes regularly used sites such as the Black Country Museum.
The rules on Natural History images have been tightened up to prevent people from altering the images. The original RAW image must be presented with the final print. There are also requirements to present images on either side of jPeg images.
Pictures of swans in Natural History are also not liked as they are too common.
The rules for Natural History competitions are strict and quite complicated so if you do want to enter one of these competitions read the rules before you take the pictures.
When it comes to open competitions you are free to do whatever you like to create a winning image as it is regarded as an art form.
As a judge Paddy is very constructive and positive with his remarks. Some of tips were very useful. He pointed out that you must be careful how you place hands so that they do not seem large in comparison to the rest of the body. Hands look larger when they are closer to the lens.
He also said that you need to be careful when publishing pictures of military enactments because knowledgeable viewers might be upset if the kit is not absolutely right. He also prefers enactors to be younger rather than older to reflect the correct age of the soldiers who would have been fighting at the time.
He likes the subjects of pictures to be arranged in triangles and also says that pictures being entered for European competitions should read from left to right whereas entries to Asian competitions, where the written language is read from right to left, should also read from right to left.
Paddy also talked about how to light glass. He said that the source of light should be above and in front of the camera pointing down at the subject to avoid glare on the glass. He also mentioned using “Black Light” which he did explain. If you want to know how that works then we will have to rebook him to run a practical session for us so look out for that. Alternatively I can tell you about it when you come to a meeting.
Competition 3 Results
Prints
1st - Disconnected Commuters on MCR, Dave Ballantyne
2nd - Postmill and Wheel, John Cresswell
3rd - Return at Dusk, Paul Stokes
HC - Winter Walkers, John Cresswell
HC - A man and his Engine, Catherine Nicholls
C - The Joy of the Blues, Alan McCormick
C - The Book Man, Dave Ballantyne
Projected Digital Images
1st - The Blues Singer, Alan McCormick
2nd - Blowing Bubbles, Bob Robertson
3rd - Vintage Look, Ian Dean
HC - Old ‘Uns Resting, Angus Spiers
HC - A Wet Start, Dave Cooke
HC - Warden’s Words, Dave Cooke
HC - Wastwater, John Cresswell
HC - New Street Commuters, Steve West
2nd Leader Board
Prints
1st - John Cresswell, 40 points
2nd - Dave Ballantyne, 33 points
3rd - Paul Stokes, 32 points
4th - Alan McCormick, 28 points
DPIs
1st - Catherine Nicholls & Ian Dean, 33 points
3rd - John Cresswell, 32 points
4th - Dave Cooke , 28 points
Photo tips
If you want to use a bean bag when you are abroad but your luggage is already over weight then buy some rice or lentils at your destination and put them in a poly bag. You can throw them away when you have finished with them, or cook them if you are self catering.
Newsletter 4, May 2017
I don’t know about you but the end of the club year seems have come on shockingly fast this year. I wasn’t ready for the first competition in September, probably because summer was too relaxing and I had been away too often. We seem to have belted through the competitions at a rate of knots far in excess of usual, and the final competition “Old Birmingham” meant dashing around at the last minute to try and get something put together.
At the same time I’ve managed to have a few ideas for next year that I would like to get done now so that I’m not in so much of a rush next September.I’ve also found that it is a good idea to keep photos that you do not think are good enough for competitions because they might come in handy as backgrounds or source material for ideas in the future.
I am also thinking about having a go at producing some AVs of the places I have been to recently. After all we do have some of the best experts on producing AVs in our club who are always willing to help. We did a bit better in the inter club competition hosted by Yardley coming second rather than last and, as I predicted, the Fiddle a File Competition was a real laugh, if somewhat brief due to the lack of entries. We did, however get to see the digital photos from the M.C.P.F portfolio which gives us a chance to see what other clubs are producing.
If anyone is interested in buying cheap lenses and cameras, even digital ones, it might be worth looking at the catalogue, online, for Winterton’s Auctioneers, Lichfield. I was amazed to see boxes of lenses, equipment and cameras of all types and ages going for a few pounds. I thought that amongst all the junk there might be some useful items that might be worth bidding for. You could always take what you wanted out and put the rest back to be auctioned again.
I’ve also found that it is a good idea to keep photos that you do not think are good enough for competitions because they might come in handy as backgrounds or source material for ideas in the future. I am also thinking about having a go at producing some AVs of the places I have been to recently. After all we do have some of the best experts on producing AVs in our club who are always willing to help.
We did a bit better in the inter club competition hosted by Yardley coming second rather than last and, as I predicted, the Fiddle a File Competition was a real laugh, if somewhat brief due to the lack of entries. We did, however get to see the digital photos from the M.C.P.F portfolio which gives us a chance to see what other clubs are producing.
If anyone is interested in buying cheap lenses and cameras, even digital ones, it might be worth looking at the catalogue, online, for Winterton’s Auctioneers, Lichfield. I was amazed to see boxes of lenses, equipment and cameras of all types and ages going for a few pounds. I thought that amongst all the junk there might be some useful items that might be worth bidding for. You could always take what you wanted out and put the rest back to be auctioned again.
News
After so many years of being chairman of the club Dave would like someone to take over. He and Pat have done so much for the club over the years that you may be worried that the job is too big to take on. However it is possible to split up the jobs that Dave and Pat have done and make the job of chairman less onerous than it is at the moment.
If you feel that you could do some of those jobs or volunteer to be nominated as chairperson please come to the AGM and discuss the matter. The club needs all its members to come to the AGM. Bring your new ideas for taking the club forward. It’s a lovely, friendly club which needs looking after.
Reminders
We have booked a gazebo for the monthly outdoor exhibition at Newhall Mill on September 10th. Volunteers and prints will be needed to help set up the display. This is a really good way of publicising the club to potential new members as well as an opportunity to take some good pictures. This is free publicity for the club. Entry to the mill is free and there is a car park in the field next to the mill.
Spetchley Park
12 - 13 August: History Comes Alive, 10am-5pm Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday. A fascinating family day out with battles, skirmishes and displays performed. There will be over 650 re-enactors spanning eight major periods from Medieval to WWII. Adults £8.00, 5-16 yrs £3.00, under 5's FREE, family (2 adults & 2 children) £20.00
Talks and exhibitions
The talk on Western Australia and the Northern territories by Tony Broom proved to be both interesting and amusing. It gave us a real insight into the landscape and nature of the west coast of Australia which I have never seen before. The wild life pictures were particularly fascinating with some excellent shots of some wonderful birds, or as Tony called them, Ducks sitting on sticks. For someone who does not regard himself as a wildlife specialist he can do a pretty good job.
He also told about keeping safe in the sea. If the sharks don’t get you there are poisonous stinging jelly fish and sea going crocodiles to avoid. These are called Salties and they are much more aggressive than the fresh water crocs who tend to hide when there are humans about. The only safe places to swim seem to be inland in rivers with waterfalls that crocs can’t climb. What a shame because the sandy beaches stretch for miles.
He also told us about the incredible distances that you have to travel to get from one place to another and the very flat nature of the countryside in between hills. The talk also conveyed something of the type of lifestyle that people have in the towns and the architecture both old and new.
“Pictures wot I like” by Dave Tucker and his wife showed, not only their dedication to taking good pictures but also a wide range of interests. Landscapes, portraits, re- enactments were all part of their show. They also gave us information about good places to go for photography. One of those not mentioned before was the ragged Victorians at SS Great Britain in Bristol. The poses were so good that I have looked up the Ragged Victorians web site and found the following dates which might be of interest to you.
April 29th to May 1st : 'SS Great Britain' @ Bristol.
August 5th/6th : 'Cromford steam rally' @ Brackenfield, Nr Matlock, Derbyshire.
October 28th/29th : 'SS Great Britain' @ Bristol.
“The Big Picture” by John and Dinah Hartshorne was a fantastic way to finish the year. Above all Dave and Dinah like taking landscapes which seem generally out of fashion at the moment.
Dinah’s interest in piers shows that you can take some absolute stunners of some of the piers around the UK. She believes in simplicity and uses Nik Effex to process her pictures. She showed several pictures of Boscombe pier in Norfolk.
John’s pictures of Iceland were beautiful, moody and different, but what made them extra special was printing them as big pictures with no surrounding mounts apart from a white border. His tips for taking pictures in Iceland were to beware of enormous tidal and wave surges on the beach. Also you should use a tripod with spikes on when taking pictures on permafrost. That will stop your tripod moving during long exposures.
John uses metallic paper for printing infrared prints and pure white paper for black and white. He says that PF lustre paper doesn’t scratch so easily as gloss and is therefore better for prints that are going to be shown at talks and exhibitions.
When taking pictures for panels he plans in advance what he is going to take. One excellent example of this was the panel of the Old Chevrolet which looked like a suit of armour with arms.
John uses tide tables for taking pictures on the Thames and beaches and Photographer’s Empheris to work out where the light is coming from in any part of the country.
It was also lovely to welcome so many members of Trinity Photography Club who had come as guests to see John and Dinah’s first showing of their new collection of prints.
Fiddle a File
This was a fun evening as expected with the difficulty of the pictures presented as source material encouraging members to come up with some really original ideas.
Richard admits to using about 45 layers to place suits of armour across the battlements of a castle. Dave Cooke decided to barbecue some re-enactors from Blists Hill. The castle was turned into a pub and someone produced a very cheeky speech bubble outside the Irish pub. Malcolm and Dave created two AVs which raised a laugh.
Set Subject Competition “Old Birmingham”
Judged by Peter Clark this competition proves to have been quite a challenge to those who participated. However there were some excellent and novel ideas presented and Peter had to take his time when deciding who to choose as winners.
Judging both the set subject and deciding on the prints and DPI of the year is quite a task for the appointed judge as it means looking through a lot of pictures and making some very fast decisions. Many thanks are due to Peter and to judges who have done the job this year and in the past.
Set Subject Results - Prints:
• 1st – Monuments to the Past – Alan McCormick
• 2nd – Last One Standing – Alan McCormick
• 3rd – Broad Street Bridge – Dave Cooke
• Highly Commended – Moseley Baths in Peril – John Cresswell
• Commended – Newhall Mill – Dave Ballantyne
• Commended – Old Pubs in Birmingham – Dave Cooke
• Commended – Old Town Hall, Handsworth – Henley Wheadon
Set Subject Results – DPI’s:
• 1st – Newman’s Coffin Museum – Bob Robertson
• 1st – Newman’s Coffin Museum – Bob Robertson
• 2nd – Birmingham Narrow Boat Dave Cooke
• 3rd – Gas Street Moorings – John Cresswell
• Highly Commended – Survivor – Ian Dean
• Commended – Remaining Few – Dave Cooke
• Commended – Terminus – Ian Dean
• Commended - 19th--20th—21st – Paul Stokes
• Commended – Aston Hall – Steve West
Image Of The Year:
• Print – He’s Forgotten The Words – Alan McCormick
• DPI – Street Player – Ian Dean
Competitions Final Scores (1st, 2nd & 3rd) - Prints:
• 1st – Dave Cooke – 93 pts
• 2nd – Alan McCormick – 87 pts
• 3rd – Dave Ballantyne – 73 pts
Competitions Final Scores (1st, 2nd & 3rd) – DPI’s:
• 1st – Catherine Nicholls – 85 pts
• 2nd – Ian Dean – 81 pts
• 3rd – John Cresswell – 80 pts
MCPF
Once again we have sent pictures to Smethwick PS for possible inclusion in the Photofolio. We had two PDIs in last year. Hopefully we will get some more in again this year. The club visit will be in June on a date yet to be organised.
If you have never been to see the exhibition because you need a lift or you don’t know where it is held call me using the number on the 2017 programme and I will see what I can arrange.
Kate
Studio Night
On Friday March the 10th We held “An Evening with Tony Rabin Photography” Enjoying Tony's insights into studio portraiture and an innovative lighting set-up with a model.
On Friday March the 10th We held “An Evening with Tony Rabin Photography” Enjoying Tony's insights into studio portraiture and an innovative lighting set-up with a model.
Newsletter 3, March 2017
I was told that the Travelling Portfolio went well because everyone was invited to critique the prints. As this took all evening no one saw the PDIs so we have them in reserve to show another time. I shall look forward to that.
We haven’t done too well in the inter club competitions but the standard of some of the pictures that beat us were very good and very suited to the tastes of the judges.
I was absolutely blown away by the standard of the prints in the Three of a Kind competition. I would even go as far as to say that they would look lovely on the wall of my hall.
I do not know if anyone will miss the leader board that I usually do but the writing on one of the print entry forms was difficult to read so the points for that competition haven’t come to me yet. Maybe the names of the entrants and the prints should be printed rather than in hand writing?
Thanks to those who sent in pictures for FAF 2017. I would have liked a few more to choose from so I hope that you will find them to your satisfaction. For those who do not enter FAF it enormous fun and a great way to learn about how to use Photoshop or any other app that allows you to manipulate pictures.
News
We have booked a gazebo for the monthly outdoor exhibition at Newhall Mill on September 10th. Volunteers and prints will be needed to help set up the display. This is a really good way of publicising the club to potential new members as well as an opportunity to take some good pictures.
Dave C took some really good pictures at the Spetchley Re-enactment last year and recommends it as a place to go in the summer break.
12 - 13 August: History Comes Alive, 10am-5pm Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday. A fascinating family day out with battles, skirmishes and displays performed by over 650 re-enactors, and spanning eight major periods from Medieval to WWII.
Adults £8.00, 5-16 yrs £3.00, under 5's FREE, family (2 adults & 2 children) £20.00
Judge’s Tips
If you look back through old newsletters you will find that I have given a summary of the tips that judges give whilst judging competitions. Many of the tips are the same from judge to judge but I am still trying to pick out anything new that I have not mentioned before. This is also aimed at the less experienced members of the club (like me) who need to find out what makes a good competition picture.
Borders seem to raise a few issues with some judges liking borders that have a colour related to the print. The width of the border is important. It must not be too wide as it distracts from the picture and it must be a uniform width. Some judges do not seem to like borders but then again it depends if the border adds something to the presentation of the image.
Eyes in people, animals and birds are an ever recurring topic for judges. Two very sharply focused eyes in portraits of people and animals seem to be essential. Judges do not like closed eyes and sun glasses (even if that is part of the story the picture is telling).
Vignetting has to be subtle. They are liked because they draw the eye back into the picture. White vignettes seem to less popular with some judges.
Backgrounds to PDIs produced some interesting comments. The use of textured backgrounds or subtle treatments of the original picture seem to be liked but as usual the background must not detract from the picture.
Once again some judges raised the idea that too much green is a problem. I wonder what they would say if the theme for the end of year competition was Green?
Story telling is a real favourite amongst judges and getting in close to your subject. Simple pictures, to the point of starkness are really well liked and anything that is different or an attempt at a new idea. Judges see the same old thing over and over again. This has two effects. The judges begin to develop a rather rigid taste for what they think is a good competition picture and get bored with seeing the same old thing over and over again.
As usual judges do not like highlights near the edges of pictures, or distracting spots, objects or clutter in pictures.
Pictures that were very successful in interclub competitions are often studio pictures set up by Smethwick Photography Club. Large clubs can afford to book very experienced models. Smethick has facilities which any one can use on a Monday evening. There is a session run for people from any club. You can go along with your lap top, your questions, your photographic problems and get advice and help from the very experienced photographers who might be there that night. There is a small fee. You can also get help using the studio, the backgrounds and the lighting. There is a bar and tea and coffee.
One issue that has arisen as a result of Graham Walton’s comments on our pictures is that processing pictures often produces haloes around objects. He says that you need to get rid of these by magnifying the picture and then cloning them out.
Graham made his judging criteria very clear at the beginning of the competition. He is looking for correct exposure, sharpness where relevant, story, emotion, inventive lighting and if possible, something unique. He wants to see something of the photographer in the picture, an individual style maybe or a hint of the personality of the photographer.
Talks and exhibitions
“Every picture tells a story” by Louise Hill was a brilliant example of how to take pictures that do well in competitions. They are also good to look at. The title of the talk gives away the point that she was trying to make and this reflects one of the most often recurring judge’s comments. Louise also said that judges are fallible and subjective!
Louise works for Permajet and spends a lot of time away taking photographs, especially on remote islands with abundant wildlife. She also takes people on photography courses and gives good advice on how to avoid being dive bombed by birds. She likes pictures with people in but does not like too much processing of pictures, especially skies.
“It rained in Namibia” by Simon Palmer prove to be a very different kind of photography. Simon specialises in horse and wildlife pictures and has a long history as a professional photographer. But this talk was specifically about wildlife in Namibia and his work with Africat..He takes pictures that he likes rather than for competitions.
He spoke about the need to educate the local people about the human/animal conflict and the need to take action to conserve environments and animals in danger. The charity have fitted radio collars to elephants. These track them and send texts to warn of very fast movement or stillness. They then know if an elephant is running away from poachers or has been killed. Each collar costs £3000.
He showed some stunning pictures of leopards, cheetahs, lions and other animals as well recounting stories about times when he had got a bit too close to danger for comfort. We now know how to tell the difference between leopards and cheetahs. Cheetahs have a distinct tear line under each eye. He also told that us that it possible to tame cheetahs and some people keep them as pets. This is not possible with other large cats.
He was concerned about petting zoos where visitors are encouraged to stroke wild animals who are being kept in captivity solely to make money. The animals are then taken to be shot for sport.
Simon sells pictures of the animals and gives part of the fee back to the nature reserves in Namibia. He will also give his fee for giving our talk to the wildlife charities in Namibia.
“Fade Assortment” AV’s SCPC has a reputation for achieving real success in the AV world with Richard Brown, Malcolm Imhoff and Dave Cooke producing some of the best AVs in the country. Richard and Malcolm have gained their FRPS qualifications through presenting their AVs. Richard is giving a talk in Cardiff to the South Wales Audio Visual Group in April. If you want to get involved with producing your own AVs you can some of the best advice available in your own club! Once again the presentation showed us the variety of themes that you can create with an AV from Richard’s humorous take on the cost of printer inks to Dave’s AV on traction engines. You can incorporate beautiful music, interesting commentary, bird sound, art work, other people’s pictures, historical documents, videos, animations and anything which enhances the presentation. You are only limited by your imagination and creativity. One of the advantages of producing an AV is that you can use pictures that cannot be entered for competitions. That means all those hundreds of pictures that didn’t quite work have a use. What better way of making your own record of family celebrations or holidays that can be shown on a TV, lap top, tablet or phone? There is also the advantage that it is a cheap hobby with no printing costs.
If you want to have a go then you need to download a program called Picturestoexe to deal with the pictures and Audacity to deal with the sound files. I’m going to have a go and maybe I’ll pop along to the Fade meetings when I’ve got something to get some help with.
- Fiddle a File
- Why do it?
- - It makes you investigate tools in photoshop or other photo processing programs that you wouldn’t necessarily use.
- - It develops your photo processing skills.
- - It encourages you to use your imagination.
- - You can create amusing or artistic images.
- - It is a fun activity that is not so competitive and serious as the other competitions.
- - No other club does it as far as I know but they think that it is a good idea.
- - GO ON. I DARE YOU TO HAVE SOME FUN.
Annual Club Supper
Friends of the club and members enjoyed an evening of great food and conversation on the 20th of January 2017.
Christmas Dinner
Twelve of our members enjoyed a Dinner at the Old School House at Weeford in December 2016 . Every course was perfect!
Newsletter 2, November 2016
I don’t know if it is just me but the speed with which competitions come up between September and Christmas always takes me by surprise. No sooner than I have got one lot of pictures ready than I have to start work on the next lot, as well as trying to sort out the problem of printers that have either broken or do not do what I expect them to do.
| Leader Board Competition 2 |
| Leader board Competition 3 |
(All of these are subject to checking by someone who can add up better than me.)
Open Day
Photos (by Steve West) from our open day held on the 1st of October 2016
Newsletter 1, October 2016
Words from the Editor
Welcome to the start of a new season and our new name and logo. I hope you had a good summer and took lots of great photos. On the one hand the time has flown by and on the other it seems like ages since the last club meeting.
Over the summer members of the club have been working hard to complete the changeover of the club name and website, and lots of effort has been put in to advertise the Open Day on October 1st. People have already begun to express interest in the activities of the club so we hope that we will attract some new members.
Meanwhile Dave Cooke was wondering if his and Pat’s lifetime honorary membership applied now that we have changed our club name. After all the hard work and commitment they have put into the club and the work that that they are continuing to do they thoroughly deserve to be honorary members of SCPC. All Dave has to do is remember to say SCPC instead of FPS when he introduces the meetings.
I am looking forward to another really good season of meetings and I hope to improve my photography. I would like to say thank you to all those who work hard to make it possible.
News
Trophy Presentation
Alan McCormick was not able to attend the AGM so he has been presented with his two Print trophies in the summer at home, together with two engraved glasses, the last presentation from FPS.
AGM
The theme for the end of year competition is “Old Birmingham”.
A small loss was made by the club last year so it was deemed necessary to put up the membership fees to £25 annual fee and £3 per session plus £4 for visitors.
It was also decided that guests could make two visits before being asked to pay a membership fee.
It was also decided that it was important to attract new members. This was to be done by renaming the club as Sutton Coldfield Photography Club, which better reflects the location of the club and to hold an Open Day on October 1st 2016.
New Website
Our new Sutton Coldfield Photography Club website is here!
You can find the new website at suttonphoto.club or www.suttonphoto.club It is best viewed using the Firefox, Google Chrome or Safari web browsers and also works well on smartphones and tablets.
The welcome page has been specifically designed to encourage prospective new members to visit a club meeting. I was personally thrilled when we had our first new membership enquiry through the site on the day after the website was launched.
A feature of the website is the members’ gallery page. Clicking on any image on this page will open the image and display it in a slide show format complete with a caption and credit for the author. The idea behind this page is for members to send their work for inclusion on it. This is a non-competitive activity within SCPC so please send in even your most experimental work. Images for the page should be 640 x 480 (or 48 x 640) pixels @ 72 ppi. If your image does not crop to these proportions please send it to me anyway and I will mount it onto a black background in the same way as the images already on the page. I plan to maintain the page at around a couple of dozen images, with the most recent at the top of the page. Please send your images to me at paulhstokes@me.com
The website also features an improved upload page for digital competition entries and a recent winner’s page which displays images at the full size of the browser window. Please send me digital images of your winning prints for inclusion on this page. Digital winners will be sent to me by the Competition Secretary.
No website is ever finished so please contact me with any suggestions you may have for improving our club website.
Paul Stokes
Vice Chair
Entering DPI Competitions
Please rename file before submission to include Your Name%Image Title.jpg
(e.g. Joe Bloggs%Sunset.jpg This is then ready for our new Judging and Projecting programme also please advise the number of times the image has been submitted in internal competitions with email entries.
Entries - Each internal competition allows a maximum of three entries in both prints and projected images. Prints should be brought on the competition night and titles added to the appropriate entry list. Projected images should be entered as email attachments and must be with the Internal Competitions Secretary one week before the competition date. Email entries should currently be sent to suttoncomps@gmail.com
Alternatively images can be handed to the Internal Competition Secretary, on CD, flash drive or memory card one week before the competition date. Label with name for return.
Regards Dave C
Weekend Away
We are booked in at Doublegate Farm, Lower Godney, Wells, BA5 1RZ.
To avoid the problems experienced last year, please note that Kate, Paul, Martin, Beryl, Pat and Roy are in the main house. Pat, Dave, Barb and myself are in the riverside rooms.
Our Friday evening meal will be at The Sheppey Inn, just next door to where we are staying (staggering distance). It's a bit quirky but the food comes highly recommended.
Our Saturday evening meal will be at The Pheasant, a lovely Pub/Restaurant not too far from our accommodation (approx. 5 miles - Postcode: BA5 1LQ).
I will be contacting The Pheasant as I think we may need to give them our food choices prior to the day; I will let you know.
Whilst we are away I propose the following as great places for us all to visit:
Wells Cathedral
Stourhead (National Trust)
Frome
Glastonbury
I am sure you will have some more to add to the list and if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.
Ian Dean
Digital Ramblings Sept 9th
Paddy Ruske, the first lecturer of the year gave a very interesting talk which gave a huge amount of really good tips about photography. I thought that those who were not at the talk might be interested to read about them.
His first topic was how to photograph sports activities and how to earn money whist doing it.
He found it difficult to take good photos of bowlers and the bowls they were rolling so he concentrated on the bowlers themselves. As a result of this he was asked to take photos to give players feedback on their technique and for this he was paid a decent sum of money.
When taking pictures of cyclo-cross he uses a telephoto lens, rather than a wide angle lens, in order to cut out the white tape used to mark out the track. Cyclists also wear crazy helmets which make for very lively and interesting portraits. He used a tent to provide a white background and put a helmet on a sports car bonnet to achieve a rather startling effect.
He also found that sportsmen are often very keen to buy copies of pictures taken of themselves. This particularly applies at small rugby matches where the clubs and players are prepared to buy them for £10 to £20 each. The best pictures are taken when the players are covered in mud. Both action and portrait pictures are easier to take because you can get much closer to the players at a small club. For action pictures you should always get the ball in the shot.
For his second subject, Landscapes, Paddy told us that farmers in Italy will invite you into their house to socialise with them if they see you taking photos of their land.
He also told us about some of his experimental photography using an upside down model aircraft against a sky picture. This fooled some of the judges until one noticed there was no pilot in the cockpit.
Paddy has also experimented with glycerine mixed with ink and water to get abstract shapes and mirror images and told us that when taking pictures of glass you should reduce the amount of light by 50%.
Finally he told us about his experiments with a homemade pinhole camera. He used a 5.5 minute exposure and produced an interesting image.
Paddy was thanked for his out of the ordinary and very interesting talk.
Leader Board
Print competition
1st Dave Cooke
2nd Malcolm Imhoff
3rd Alan McCormick
4th Syd Butterworth John Cresswell
DPI competition
1st John Cresswell
2nd Malcolm Imhoff
3rd Angus Speirs Bob Robertson
4th Dave Cooke Ian dean
Judge’s Tips
We can learn a lot from judges about how to improve our pictures as well as the type of picture that can do well in competitions so I have decided to put in some of the really good tips from each competition during the season.
- Many judges are unsure about or do not like the printed word to appear in pictures.
- Portraits should tell you something about the person.
- Portraits are often cut out and put against a different background. This may be one of those things that is getting a bit old hat for some judges.
- Borders need to be chosen to enhance the picture in some way.
- Simple pictures without clutter often do very well.
- Animals must have the right number of legs and must not be chopped off at the feet or anywhere else. Well lit head shots with sharp detail, especially around the eyes, often do well.
- Statues and other examples of art work are not considered to be a good subject but sometimes the photographer may use them in an unusual way to gain an artistic effect.
- Judges see many pictures and know what is good but they get a bit bored with the same old thing all the time. Going for an unusual view or object often gets good results.
- Judges have lots of personal preferences and often joke about them. They may use them to explain why they pass over a picture. However they will over ride these preferences for a really good picture when they see it.
Reclaim Photography Festival 2017
Submissions are now being invited for Reclaim photography Festival 2017. The festival will include responses to our open call: Reclaiming Our cultural Landscapes, through our one-day event across seven regional venues in print, digital and projected image format on Saturday 6 May 2017.We will also be offering photography workshops, gallery exhibitions and professional opportunities for young people and emerging artists.
Prints from the event will be auctioned to raise money for St Basil’s, who work with young people age 16-25 to prevent youth homelessness.
Reclaiming Our Cultural Landscapes
Cultural landscapes are an important part of our past, present and future. They help to provide us with a deeper understanding of the world. We are therefore looking for images that represent landscapes which have been influenced or shaped by human involvement, whether through cultural events or by individual personalities. In reclaiming our understanding of our cultural landscapes, we hope to explore our sense of self, our evolving relationship with our communities, and the continuity of our communal heritage.
Participants are encouraged to respond to this theme through the use of archive material, analogue, digital and mobile photography. We hope to attract 1000 images which will incorporate both traditional and contemporary approaches in the form of:
- portraiture;
- landscape photography – coastal, rural or urban;
- still-life photography - objects or the natural world; o documentary photography;
- photo journalism;
- and experimental imagery.
There is no entry fee and no competition.
- Submit entries online at: www.reclaimphotographyfestival.org .
- We will print 600 images, alongside 400 images presented in digital and projected image format.
- Individual entrants will be notified of their print ID numbers and allocated venue by email.
- Student and photography member groups will be notified by email, via their institutions or organisations, with details of their print ID numbers and allocated venue.
www.reclaimphotographyfestival.org . Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
A copy of the full document is posted on the club notice board.
Camera tips
Avoiding Camera Shake
When shooting hand-held images you can avoid blurring caused by camera shake by using a shutter speed roughly equivalent to the reciprocal of the focal length you are using. If you are using a 100mm focal length then you can take a sharp hand-held shot at a shutter speed of 1/100th of a second or faster. If you are using a 35mm focal length then 1/35th of a second is safe, and so on.
Modern cameras may include stabilizing technologies, either in the lens or linked to the sensor. These will help to avoid blurring when a camera is hand-held. There is no clear advantage to one system over the other but the stabilisation system should be turned off when you are using a tripod and the camera is guaranteed to be still. The stabilisation system may be confused by this and will attempt to compensate causing the shot to be blurred.
Free Online Photo editor
It might be worth having a look at Pixir Editor. pixir.com/editor It is similar to Photoshop Elements but doesn’t take up any space on your computer and won’t cost you a penny. It produces Photoshop quality results without the hefty price tag. The disadvantage is that some of the screen is taken up by adverts.
News Archive
Fentham Photographic Society
Newsletter 6 April 2016
Words from the editor.
Well I’ve been off on adventure, an epic journey through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam so I feel that I’m a bit behind with the news. I’m going to make some AVs of the pictures when I get some time.
The interclub competition between South Birmingham, Yardley and Fentham sounded very close with only one point between the three clubs. Once again pictures that did well in club competitions did not do so well in the interclub confirming just how subjective the judging process is. As several speakers have said it is a good idea to take pictures that you like rather than trying to please the judges.
Brian Dowdall gave an interesting and wide ranging talk on his photos starting with his first competition entry and showing his most favourite picture, the portrait of a little girl resembling the portrait of “A Girl with a Pearl Earring”. It is rewarding for the less experienced photographers amongst us to know that Brian has only taken up photography relatively recently and has made rapid progress in gaining recognition by other photographers.
Karon Deakin has found a free photo processing add on to photoshop which you might like to try. It is called the Google Nik Collection. When it is downloaded it automatically adds itself to the filter section of Photoshop and works a bit like Topaz.
https://dl.google.com/edgedl/photos/nikcollection-full-1.2.11.exe
News.
An Old Post Reinstated
It has been decided to reinstate the position of Vice Chairman on the club committee. This is intended to allow someone to shadow Dave Cooke in what may be his last year as chairman due to family commitments. Members are asked to think about nominations for the AGM which will be on Friday May 6th. Thanks to Dave for doing so much for the club for so long.
5th Print and PDI Competiton
Judge: Tony Broom, CPAGB
Tony is a judge well known to Fentham, in fact he was the judge when Fentham won the Interclub competition with Great Barr back in October last year.
As the judging progressed Tony expressed a liking for strong contrast and indicated he also considered compositional strength in an image very important. He was not over keen on ‘Photoshop’ worked files although would not reject them altogether if the image is good enough. His other dislikes included centre of frame horizons and black and white shots without good blacks. He also felt that black and white is difficult in projected images, often lacking contrast with blacks tending to look grey.
Print Results
Commended:
The Very Best Dave Cooke
Dandelion Seed Heads John Cresswell
Autumn Evening in Montpazier Paul Stokes
Highly Commended:
Going Home Dave Ballantyne
Autumn Glade Dave Cooke
Third Place:
Tropical Martin James
Second Place:
Beckford Spiral John Cresswell
First Place:
Modern Day Dandy Catherine Nicholls
Digital Projected
Commended:
Lottie Richard Brown
Antique Rose Catherine Nicholls
Highly Commended:
Autumn Glow John Cresswel
Taxi Rank Ian Dean
Third:
Spot the Spot Catherine Nicholls
Second:
Valentine Bob Robertson
First:
Cityscape Bob Robertson
Dave Ballantyne 4th March 2016
Fiddle a File competition
As usuaI this competition was run to stimulate creative thinking and to encourage people to experiment with Photoshop and other programs but I don’t think I can remember a FAF that has provided so many laughs. The subject matter proved quite challenging and lead to some very creative ideas with the motorbike rider doing some very strange things.
The new section for AVs only had one entry but that was “fall about funny” with an ending based on the Goons.
I think that the low entry numbers is a bit of a shame as I learn a lot about Photoshop every time I start messing about with the pictures. I expect the committee would like to know your views on what would encourage you to enter. I think I would need a lot more time with the pictures in advance if I was to create an AV and less experienced members might like some objects that are easier to cut out and move.
If you have an opinion on what would encourage you to enter next year let someone on the committee know of your ideas or maybe you would like to submit a picture to be used in the competition.
Results
Prints
1st Age of Steam Paul Stokes
2nd Work in Progress Martin James
3rd 46443 Dave Cooke
HC Ellie Dave Ballantyne
C All comer’s Obstacle Race Dave Ballantyne
C The Model Shop Martin James
PDIs
1st The great Escape Steve West
2nd Through the Woods Kate Nicholls
3rd Hiding in the Woods Kate Nicholls
AVs
“He’s Fallen in the Water” Malcolm Imhoff
Inter club Competition
3 way Inter Club with Yardley South Birmingham And Fentham Judged by John Cartlidge
Final scores were
Prints - Yardley 125 South Birmingham 137 And Fentham 121
PDI’s - Yardley 125 South Birmingham 114 And Fentham 130
Totals - Yardley 250 South Birmingham 251 And Fentham 251
3 best marks in our PDIs were
John Creswell Wollacombe Beach Huts 20
Ian Dean Taxi Rank 19
Lace Kate Nicholls 15
Best in Prints
John Creswell Beckford Spiral 20
John Creswell White Bentley Detail 20
Alan McCormick Feelin’the Blues 15
Days Out in the Summer
Over the summer the club meets up a couple of times at local events to take photographs. Two venues that are regularly used are:
The Upton Blues festival. 15th -17th July 2016 in and around the streets of Upton on Severn with stages and music sessions all around the town.
There is an enormous camp site where Alan McCormick usually parks his mobile home. If you want a parking place near the town centre you have to go early in the morning. Alan takes his best pictures at night when the stages are lit. If you are short you need to take a stool to stand on and a telephoto lens.
Ashdown re- enactment
War Time in the Vale 18th to 19th June 2016
The days out will be announced at the AGM and everyone is informed by e-mail afterwards. If you have any good ideas let the committee know as soon as possible so that we can tell everyone in advance.
October Weekend Away
Ian Dean has been busy finding a suitable B&B/ hotel for the members to stay in. The venue this year is the Mendips at a place called Lower Godney near Wells.
Doublegate Farm, Lower Godney, near Wells, Somerset. You can view on their web site for full details.
Rooms are approximately £80 - £85 pn. (single £60 pn)
Places are limited so you need to get in touch with Ian very quickly to find out if there are any rooms left.
There is no set programme of events on these weekends but we usually get to visit some really photogenic places and do a lot of good eating, drinking and socialising.
Wells Cathedral is wonderful and has an unusual set of arches to support the tower. Some of Harry Potter was filmed there. There is a moat around the Bishop’s Palace which has a bell for the swans to ring when they are hungry.
Photo Competition
I received this email which I thought might interest some of you.
Hi Fentham Photo Club
I'm getting in touch about Millennium Hotels' Through the Lens photography competition.
This year we’re aiming to celebrate all of the things that make Britain beautiful. UK entrants will all be in with a chance of winning £5000 worth of top of the range camera equipment
We'd love any of your talented photographer members to enter the competition, so please do let them know about it and feel free to share on your website.
Let me know if you have any questions,
Thanks,
James
James Brown
Senior Outreach Specialist
The Varnish Works, 3 Bravingtons Walk,
King's Cross, London, N1 9AJ
+44 (0)20 3326 6205- DDI
+44 (0)20 7253 7000
James.Brown@greenlightdigital.com
For Sale
Item is a Fuji WL-FXS6 Wide Angle Converter Lens. This is designed to fit on the front of a lens and reduce its focal length by a factor of 0.8, therefore an 18mm lens would become a 14.4mm lens.
It has a 58mm screw thread as it was originally bought for my Fuji S9500 bridge camera, but I will be including a 58-52mm step ring which allows it to fit any lens with a 52mm screw thread (such as the Nikon 18-55 lens, which I've been using it on for over 5 years). Other step rings can be bought for a couple of quid to suit other threads. I believe that Canon 18-55 lenses have a 58mm thread so no adapter required.
Being Fuji the optical quality is great, and as long as you adapt it to a lens with a thread smaller than 58mm there is no vignetting. I've taken lots of my pictures over the years with this lens. Condition is great, no dust or scratches.
Reason for sale is I am now buying a 10-20 lens so I don't need it anymore. Cost £70 originally, but will sell for £40. Comes with original box, soft pouch, front and rear caps, and 58-52mm step ring.
Great low cost option for landscapes and interiors, and miles better than most of the cheap Chinese ones sold on Amazon.
Steve West
Photo Challenges
How about taking on some more photo challenges to widen your skills? Here are some suggestions.
Photograph:
A plate of food in the style of Ansel Adams.
Pick your favourite Bond theme and illustrate it.
Something black against a black background.
Open a magazine and recreate the first image that you come across.
Shoot an object that is only partly in the frame.
Shoot the shadow of something made of glass.
Shoot a portrait in the style of a well-known photographer.
Interpret the phrase “ As different as chalk and cheese”.
Display Calibration
Fentham now owns a ColorMunki Display calibration device which members can borrow to calibrate monitors and projectors. Loan fee is £10 refundable deposit and £2 per week. Contact Martin James to arrange collection and return: mjj3000@virginmedia.com
Information on use can be found on the X-Rite website:
http://www.xrite.com/colormunki-display
An unusual AV Show!
Members were treated to an AV show with a difference at the end of February when magic lantern 'professor' Peter Spencer entertained us with his show "The Golden Age of the Magic Lantern". Peter showed a fascinating variety of slides on different subjects including characters as diverse as the Duke of Wellington and Bonzo the Wonder Dog! His wife Pat provided the musical and sound effects accompaniment and encouraged the audience to join in. Although the couple live in Bearwood, they were on familiar territory as Peter is a former minister at St. Barnabas Parish Church in Erdington. All in all, it proved a most educational evening and showed that even in these days of mobile devices and the internet, a technology that is several hundred years old can still capture the imagination of an audience.
Dave Ballantyne LRPS
Congratulations to our hard-working Treasurer Dave Ballantyne, who gained his Licentiate membership of the Royal Photographic Society recently with a panel of prints.
Peter Lamb
Long standing member Peter Lamb sadly passed away in August 2014. He joined the club around about the time we moved to Stockland Green Leisure Centre in 1990. He stepped in as Programme Secretary at short notice and held that job with distinction or over ten years, making many friends among our regular lecturers and judges.
A local lad, he was born and lived his whole life in Erdington. Ill health prevented him from attending the club in the last few years, but we were delighted that he was able to attend the Celebration Supper in 2011 to mark the move to our new room in Sutton Coldfield. Our condolences to his wife Joyce who was also a Fentham member and their daughter Elaine.
Chairman Dave Cooke with Peter in 2011
Christmas Card Fundraising
We decided that instead of exchanging members Christmas cards this year, we would donate the money saved to charity. Several members had cause to use the services of the new QE Hospital during 2012, so we decided that their patient's charity would benefit.
Studio Evening, 2nd November 2012
Continuing our long established tradition of practical evenings, we enjoyed a most instructive evening at Tony Rabin Photography in Appleby Magna. About twenty members were in attendance for Tony's excellent demonstration of lighting techniques.
Digital Photo Day 2011
Our second Digital Photo Day, held on Saturday 10th September, was a great success with lots of old friends and new visitors dropping by.
Surprise for Fentham's Secretary
At the start of the club meeting on Friday 20th November, Richard Brown had a 'This Is Your Life' moment when Peter Brown ARPS DPAGB HonPAGB from Leicester, who is a past President of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain, surprised him with his very own 'Red Book'.
The occasion was to present Richard with the Award for Meritorious Service of the PAGB in recognition of his lecturing and judging at photographic societies during the past thirty years.
L to R. Peter Brown; Richard with his APAGB certificate and Dave Cooke, Chairman of Fentham P.S. Photo by Vic Palmer.
Fentham in the press... feature article in the Sutton Coldfield Observer
Reporter Hannah Greaves interviewed FPS Secretary Richard Brown at the end of February and we had an excellent publicity write-up for both the club and the Digital Imaging Group in the March 13th edition of the Sutton Coldfield Observer.
Display in Erdington Library
The following members had prints on show as part of the club's publicity display in Erdington Library between the 1st and the 15th of December: Alan McCormick, Dave Cooke, Tricia Cooke, Dave Williamson, Peter Horton, Martin James, Ken Hoare and Richard Brown.
MCPF Photofolio 2008
Fentham member Richard Brown FRPS had his picture 'Gower Ponies' selected in the projected digital image category, to be shown as part of the Portfolio which will tour around the Midlands clubs throughout 2008-09.
Print of the Year
At the final competition of the season, judge Peter Clark FRPS EFIAP/p selected 'Amarilis' by Ken Hoare as the best print from all of the previous award winners this year.
First lecture of the 2007-08 season
Our good friend and frequent visitor Peter Gennard M.FIAP, E.FIAP/p from Smethwick PS, gave us his talk "PG Tips, From Film to Digital", illustrated with his excellent black & white and colour prints. A great way to start off the new season.
Peter with a couple of prints illustrating just two of his many and varied photographic interests: portraiture and nature.
Studio Still Life Evening 2.11.07
Two excellent shots by Dave Cooke from our first practical night of the year.
Harvest
Garlic and Mushrooms
Studio Evening
One of the evenings on last season's programme saw the clubroom filled with lights, backgrounds and props for another successful practical evening of still life photography.
Club visit to the Smethwick International Exhibition 2007
This superb exhibition which has been running for about thirty years, attracts entries from all over the world.
Pat, Dave and Ken meet up with Ray Dowding, who founded Fentham PS back in 1967, at the Smethwick Exhibition.
Success in the Mid-Phot Audio Visual Competition 2007
Fentham member Richard Brown took first place at the annual Midlands AV Competition held at Braunstone near Leicester. He also won a medal for the most popular sequence with the audience for his production 'The Picasso of the Pier'.
Richard being presented with the winner's trophy by Wendy Outram, President of the Midland Counties Photographic Federation along with judges Keith Brown FRPS left, and Ken Doney LRPS.
Studio night at Lichfield
About a dozen members attended a club evening at Rob Mason's studio to photograph a delightful young model, Sam.
'Sam in Red' by Richard Brown FRPS
Fentham Photographic Society
Newsletter 6 April 2016
Words from the editor.
Well I’ve been off on adventure, an epic journey through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam so I feel that I’m a bit behind with the news. I’m going to make some AVs of the pictures when I get some time.
The interclub competition between South Birmingham, Yardley and Fentham sounded very close with only one point between the three clubs. Once again pictures that did well in club competitions did not do so well in the interclub confirming just how subjective the judging process is. As several speakers have said it is a good idea to take pictures that you like rather than trying to please the judges.
Brian Dowdall gave an interesting and wide ranging talk on his photos starting with his first competition entry and showing his most favourite picture, the portrait of a little girl resembling the portrait of “A Girl with a Pearl Earring”. It is rewarding for the less experienced photographers amongst us to know that Brian has only taken up photography relatively recently and has made rapid progress in gaining recognition by other photographers.
Karon Deakin has found a free photo processing add on to photoshop which you might like to try. It is called the Google Nik Collection. When it is downloaded it automatically adds itself to the filter section of Photoshop and works a bit like Topaz.
https://dl.google.com/edgedl/photos/nikcollection-full-1.2.11.exe
News.
An Old Post Reinstated
It has been decided to reinstate the position of Vice Chairman on the club committee. This is intended to allow someone to shadow Dave Cooke in what may be his last year as chairman due to family commitments. Members are asked to think about nominations for the AGM which will be on Friday May 6th. Thanks to Dave for doing so much for the club for so long.
5th Print and PDI Competiton
Judge: Tony Broom, CPAGB
Tony is a judge well known to Fentham, in fact he was the judge when Fentham won the Interclub competition with Great Barr back in October last year.
As the judging progressed Tony expressed a liking for strong contrast and indicated he also considered compositional strength in an image very important. He was not over keen on ‘Photoshop’ worked files although would not reject them altogether if the image is good enough. His other dislikes included centre of frame horizons and black and white shots without good blacks. He also felt that black and white is difficult in projected images, often lacking contrast with blacks tending to look grey.
Print Results
Commended:
The Very Best Dave Cooke
Dandelion Seed Heads John Cresswell
Autumn Evening in Montpazier Paul Stokes
Highly Commended:
Going Home Dave Ballantyne
Autumn Glade Dave Cooke
Third Place:
Tropical Martin James
Second Place:
Beckford Spiral John Cresswell
First Place:
Modern Day Dandy Catherine Nicholls
Digital Projected
Commended:
Lottie Richard Brown
Antique Rose Catherine Nicholls
Highly Commended:
Autumn Glow John Cresswel
Taxi Rank Ian Dean
Third:
Spot the Spot Catherine Nicholls
Second:
Valentine Bob Robertson
First:
Cityscape Bob Robertson
Dave Ballantyne 4th March 2016
Fiddle a File competition
As usuaI this competition was run to stimulate creative thinking and to encourage people to experiment with Photoshop and other programs but I don’t think I can remember a FAF that has provided so many laughs. The subject matter proved quite challenging and lead to some very creative ideas with the motorbike rider doing some very strange things.
The new section for AVs only had one entry but that was “fall about funny” with an ending based on the Goons.
I think that the low entry numbers is a bit of a shame as I learn a lot about Photoshop every time I start messing about with the pictures. I expect the committee would like to know your views on what would encourage you to enter. I think I would need a lot more time with the pictures in advance if I was to create an AV and less experienced members might like some objects that are easier to cut out and move.
If you have an opinion on what would encourage you to enter next year let someone on the committee know of your ideas or maybe you would like to submit a picture to be used in the competition.
Results
Prints
1st Age of Steam Paul Stokes
2nd Work in Progress Martin James
3rd 46443 Dave Cooke
HC Ellie Dave Ballantyne
C All comer’s Obstacle Race Dave Ballantyne
C The Model Shop Martin James
PDIs
1st The great Escape Steve West
2nd Through the Woods Kate Nicholls
3rd Hiding in the Woods Kate Nicholls
AVs
“He’s Fallen in the Water” Malcolm Imhoff
Inter club Competition
3 way Inter Club with Yardley South Birmingham And Fentham Judged by John Cartlidge
Final scores were
Prints - Yardley 125 South Birmingham 137 And Fentham 121
PDI’s - Yardley 125 South Birmingham 114 And Fentham 130
Totals - Yardley 250 South Birmingham 251 And Fentham 251
3 best marks in our PDIs were
John Creswell Wollacombe Beach Huts 20
Ian Dean Taxi Rank 19
Lace Kate Nicholls 15
Best in Prints
John Creswell Beckford Spiral 20
John Creswell White Bentley Detail 20
Alan McCormick Feelin’the Blues 15
Days Out in the Summer
Over the summer the club meets up a couple of times at local events to take photographs. Two venues that are regularly used are:
The Upton Blues festival. 15th -17th July 2016 in and around the streets of Upton on Severn with stages and music sessions all around the town.
There is an enormous camp site where Alan McCormick usually parks his mobile home. If you want a parking place near the town centre you have to go early in the morning. Alan takes his best pictures at night when the stages are lit. If you are short you need to take a stool to stand on and a telephoto lens.
Ashdown re- enactment
War Time in the Vale 18th to 19th June 2016
The days out will be announced at the AGM and everyone is informed by e-mail afterwards. If you have any good ideas let the committee know as soon as possible so that we can tell everyone in advance.
October Weekend Away
Ian Dean has been busy finding a suitable B&B/ hotel for the members to stay in. The venue this year is the Mendips at a place called Lower Godney near Wells.
Doublegate Farm, Lower Godney, near Wells, Somerset. You can view on their web site for full details.
Rooms are approximately £80 - £85 pn. (single £60 pn)
Places are limited so you need to get in touch with Ian very quickly to find out if there are any rooms left.
There is no set programme of events on these weekends but we usually get to visit some really photogenic places and do a lot of good eating, drinking and socialising.
Wells Cathedral is wonderful and has an unusual set of arches to support the tower. Some of Harry Potter was filmed there. There is a moat around the Bishop’s Palace which has a bell for the swans to ring when they are hungry.
Photo Competition
I received this email which I thought might interest some of you.
Hi Fentham Photo Club
I'm getting in touch about Millennium Hotels' Through the Lens photography competition.
This year we’re aiming to celebrate all of the things that make Britain beautiful. UK entrants will all be in with a chance of winning £5000 worth of top of the range camera equipment
We'd love any of your talented photographer members to enter the competition, so please do let them know about it and feel free to share on your website.
Let me know if you have any questions,
Thanks,
James
James Brown
Senior Outreach Specialist
The Varnish Works, 3 Bravingtons Walk,
King's Cross, London, N1 9AJ
+44 (0)20 3326 6205- DDI
+44 (0)20 7253 7000
James.Brown@greenlightdigital.com
For Sale
Item is a Fuji WL-FXS6 Wide Angle Converter Lens. This is designed to fit on the front of a lens and reduce its focal length by a factor of 0.8, therefore an 18mm lens would become a 14.4mm lens.
It has a 58mm screw thread as it was originally bought for my Fuji S9500 bridge camera, but I will be including a 58-52mm step ring which allows it to fit any lens with a 52mm screw thread (such as the Nikon 18-55 lens, which I've been using it on for over 5 years). Other step rings can be bought for a couple of quid to suit other threads. I believe that Canon 18-55 lenses have a 58mm thread so no adapter required.
Being Fuji the optical quality is great, and as long as you adapt it to a lens with a thread smaller than 58mm there is no vignetting. I've taken lots of my pictures over the years with this lens. Condition is great, no dust or scratches.
Reason for sale is I am now buying a 10-20 lens so I don't need it anymore. Cost £70 originally, but will sell for £40. Comes with original box, soft pouch, front and rear caps, and 58-52mm step ring.
Great low cost option for landscapes and interiors, and miles better than most of the cheap Chinese ones sold on Amazon.
Steve West
Photo Challenges
How about taking on some more photo challenges to widen your skills? Here are some suggestions.
Photograph:
A plate of food in the style of Ansel Adams.
Pick your favourite Bond theme and illustrate it.
Something black against a black background.
Open a magazine and recreate the first image that you come across.
Shoot an object that is only partly in the frame.
Shoot the shadow of something made of glass.
Shoot a portrait in the style of a well-known photographer.
Interpret the phrase “ As different as chalk and cheese”.
Display Calibration
Fentham now owns a ColorMunki Display calibration device which members can borrow to calibrate monitors and projectors. Loan fee is £10 refundable deposit and £2 per week. Contact Martin James to arrange collection and return: mjj3000@virginmedia.com
Information on use can be found on the X-Rite website:
http://www.xrite.com/colormunki-display
An unusual AV Show!
Members were treated to an AV show with a difference at the end of February when magic lantern 'professor' Peter Spencer entertained us with his show "The Golden Age of the Magic Lantern". Peter showed a fascinating variety of slides on different subjects including characters as diverse as the Duke of Wellington and Bonzo the Wonder Dog! His wife Pat provided the musical and sound effects accompaniment and encouraged the audience to join in. Although the couple live in Bearwood, they were on familiar territory as Peter is a former minister at St. Barnabas Parish Church in Erdington. All in all, it proved a most educational evening and showed that even in these days of mobile devices and the internet, a technology that is several hundred years old can still capture the imagination of an audience.
Dave Ballantyne LRPS
Congratulations to our hard-working Treasurer Dave Ballantyne, who gained his Licentiate membership of the Royal Photographic Society recently with a panel of prints.
Peter Lamb
Long standing member Peter Lamb sadly passed away in August 2014. He joined the club around about the time we moved to Stockland Green Leisure Centre in 1990. He stepped in as Programme Secretary at short notice and held that job with distinction or over ten years, making many friends among our regular lecturers and judges.
A local lad, he was born and lived his whole life in Erdington. Ill health prevented him from attending the club in the last few years, but we were delighted that he was able to attend the Celebration Supper in 2011 to mark the move to our new room in Sutton Coldfield. Our condolences to his wife Joyce who was also a Fentham member and their daughter Elaine.
Chairman Dave Cooke with Peter in 2011
Christmas Card Fundraising
We decided that instead of exchanging members Christmas cards this year, we would donate the money saved to charity. Several members had cause to use the services of the new QE Hospital during 2012, so we decided that their patient's charity would benefit.
Studio Evening, 2nd November 2012
Continuing our long established tradition of practical evenings, we enjoyed a most instructive evening at Tony Rabin Photography in Appleby Magna. About twenty members were in attendance for Tony's excellent demonstration of lighting techniques.
Digital Photo Day 2011
Our second Digital Photo Day, held on Saturday 10th September, was a great success with lots of old friends and new visitors dropping by.
Surprise for Fentham's Secretary
At the start of the club meeting on Friday 20th November, Richard Brown had a 'This Is Your Life' moment when Peter Brown ARPS DPAGB HonPAGB from Leicester, who is a past President of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain, surprised him with his very own 'Red Book'.
The occasion was to present Richard with the Award for Meritorious Service of the PAGB in recognition of his lecturing and judging at photographic societies during the past thirty years.
L to R. Peter Brown; Richard with his APAGB certificate and Dave Cooke, Chairman of Fentham P.S. Photo by Vic Palmer.
Fentham in the press... feature article in the Sutton Coldfield Observer
Reporter Hannah Greaves interviewed FPS Secretary Richard Brown at the end of February and we had an excellent publicity write-up for both the club and the Digital Imaging Group in the March 13th edition of the Sutton Coldfield Observer.
Display in Erdington Library
The following members had prints on show as part of the club's publicity display in Erdington Library between the 1st and the 15th of December: Alan McCormick, Dave Cooke, Tricia Cooke, Dave Williamson, Peter Horton, Martin James, Ken Hoare and Richard Brown.
MCPF Photofolio 2008
Fentham member Richard Brown FRPS had his picture 'Gower Ponies' selected in the projected digital image category, to be shown as part of the Portfolio which will tour around the Midlands clubs throughout 2008-09.
Print of the Year
At the final competition of the season, judge Peter Clark FRPS EFIAP/p selected 'Amarilis' by Ken Hoare as the best print from all of the previous award winners this year.
First lecture of the 2007-08 season
Our good friend and frequent visitor Peter Gennard M.FIAP, E.FIAP/p from Smethwick PS, gave us his talk "PG Tips, From Film to Digital", illustrated with his excellent black & white and colour prints. A great way to start off the new season.
Peter with a couple of prints illustrating just two of his many and varied photographic interests: portraiture and nature.
Studio Still Life Evening 2.11.07
Two excellent shots by Dave Cooke from our first practical night of the year.
Harvest
Garlic and Mushrooms
Studio Evening
One of the evenings on last season's programme saw the clubroom filled with lights, backgrounds and props for another successful practical evening of still life photography.
Club visit to the Smethwick International Exhibition 2007
This superb exhibition which has been running for about thirty years, attracts entries from all over the world.
Pat, Dave and Ken meet up with Ray Dowding, who founded Fentham PS back in 1967, at the Smethwick Exhibition.
Success in the Mid-Phot Audio Visual Competition 2007
Fentham member Richard Brown took first place at the annual Midlands AV Competition held at Braunstone near Leicester. He also won a medal for the most popular sequence with the audience for his production 'The Picasso of the Pier'.
Richard being presented with the winner's trophy by Wendy Outram, President of the Midland Counties Photographic Federation along with judges Keith Brown FRPS left, and Ken Doney LRPS.
Studio night at Lichfield
About a dozen members attended a club evening at Rob Mason's studio to photograph a delightful young model, Sam.
'Sam in Red' by Richard Brown FRPS
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