Tuesday 14 April Landscape , Photographs and Focal Length. Speaker Claire Carter

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed Clair Cater to give a talk on focal length for landscapes.  Claire showed us some amazing images all chosen to show the different focal lengths and their creative potential. She explained how zooming in and out changes the composition and also that the best lens depends on the photographs goal and the environment.

Using zoom lenses allows you to choose different focal lengths

A 16m lens gives a 96 field degree view emphasising the depth of the background and big skies.

24-105m lens makes the subject important and the background more prominent. The image is all about the middle distant with less depth of field

With a100-300m lens the foreground and background will appear closer together. This is to create more intimacy between the subject and the background and to distort the perspective.  Objects closer in the foreground looks smaller as oppose to those further away looking larger. The more you zoom in the more you can play about with the depth of field.

Using zoom lens abstract details from the landscape and helps to add drama. The photographer can get several different views of the same image by using different focal lengths.

I am sure that many of the members will try out some of her very useful suggestions.

Tuesday 7th April. Print Competition Nature and Wildlife. Judge Penny Reeves

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed Penny Reeves to judge our final print competition of the season.

The category was nature and wildlife giving members plenty of scope.

Penny complemented the club on the high standard of the images that were entered. She explained that she was judging the prints in front of her and not the digital image projected on the screen as there are sometimes differences between the two.

Her comments were fair and helpful such as using a slightly gloss paper to enhance reflections.  She also pointed out that she would be very picky when judging the advance group because of the very high standard.

She held back two images in the members group and ten in the advance.

Here are the top scoring images in the members group:

Hellebore And Ladybug by Emma Moore 18

Portrait Of A Greylag Goose by Georgie McCall 20

Skeleton Trees - Dead Vlei Namibia by Ian spellar 19

Teal with Reflection by Georgie McCall 18

Here are the top scoring images from the advance group:

Turtledove by Jan Murphy 18

A Pair Of Herring Gulls Chick by Jack Mitchell 18

Brown Hare In The Morning Dew by Lyn Ibbilson-Elks 18

Catch Of The Day by Martyn Page 18

                                                           Goshawk by Diana Graham 18

Misty Morning Reflection by Sandie Jardine 19

                                                   Roe Buck In Velvet by Sandie Jardine 19 

Wreathed Hornbill by Jan Murphy 20

Brown Hare On The Move by Carol Martin 20

Red Kite Ever Watchful by Jack Mitchell 20

      

Tuesday 24 March Anology of the Darkroom. Speaker Andrew Stringer

The evening was all about black and white photography and printing.

 Andrew talked about his passion for film photography and black and white prints. He showed us a variety of film cameras, from old style to modern day. He explained that with the advance in technology it is now easier to develop film without using a darkroom.  He explained the process and gave a quick demo using a kit called a changing room.

On display was a selection of prints Andrew had taken right from the start of his photography journey up until now.  Each image had a story to tell and evoking memories of the past. 

Andrew emphasised that using film slows you down and makes you think before pressing the shutter.  Its all about getting it right in camera.  Focusing on the composition and checking to see if the image is in focus. And thinking about why you want to take this image.  All these are important because you only get one chance.

We had a guest, David Spain, who brought along some of his National Trust vintage black and white prints. Also some members brought along prints to share with the group and explained why they were important to them.

Andrew's closing speech was to encourage member to go out with the intention of taking black and white images and printing them.

Tuesday10 March: Inside Out Speaker Warren Alani

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed Warren Alani to give a talk on his project Inside Out. In this talk he covered many genres.  Warren is an accomplish photographer with many awards to his portfolio.  He initially started out in a camera club taking images for competitions but moved away to focus on taking photos of the things he likes such as street photography and architecture. The Inside Out project is about evoking emotions via the camera and how to explore the unusual.

He showed us several hundred images from around the world all in black and white.  He started off with images all taken in the outdoor environment either looking in from the outside or vice versa. Taking images from different angles showing the unusual, such as upside down mannequins with legs pointing upwards and a person walking past a shopwindow. 

He captures people in a variety of situations (eg. at demonstrations) and finding characters with expressions that tells a story (eg. a lone person in the tube station).  He uses a slow shutter speed on a static person giving contrast between the subject and the environment around them

He has a fascination with staircases, which he photographs from above and below, portraying movement and showing the patterns, leading lines and shapes. And sometimes just a lone figure on the stairs.

His images encourages the viewers to use their imagination about what could be happening.  What is around the corner.  Even if his style is not for you, it gets you thinking about the importance of taking images for yourself and things you like.

Tuesday 3 March DPI competition. Theme Macro and Close Up.

This evening we welcomed Wayne Davey to judge the macro and close up competition. The standard of entries were very high.  Wayne's first comment was that the club was making his job difficult.

He was very positive about every image: highlighting the strengths; commenting on the composition such as leading lines going from left to right; the lighting; and cropping the the image to suit the subject. He praised individuals for their creativity and being different.

Feedback for improvement included helpful suggestions like increasing the shadows and possibly reducing the highlights.  His scoring reflected the comments he made.

He held back several images in both the members and the advance group.  These received scores between 18 -20 points

Here are the top scoring images.

Advance Group:

Yellow Gecko by Lyn Ibbitson-Elks 18

Softness by Sandie Jardine 18

Peacock Tree Frog by Diana Graham 19

Not All Daffodils Are White by Andrew Stringer 20

Llama by Diana Graham19

                                                       Hypholoma by Maureen Campbell 18

European Hover Fy on Queen Anne's Lace by Jack Mitchell 20

Brimstone by Francesca Shearcroft 18

                                                     Bee on Purple Flower by Carol Martin 19

Members Group:

                                                 At The Heart of The Bloom by Di Daniels 18

                                                               Hellebore by Phil Childs 18

                                                    Hover Flies on Gerbera by Ann Barber 20

                                                            Leaf Lines by Di Daniels 19

                                                             Snowdrop by Georgie McCall 19

                                                            White Crocus by Georgie McCall 20

                                                    

Tuesday 24 February Wildlife Travels With My Camera by Robin Orrow.

This evening Robin gave us a tour of some of his various wildlife travels. He started off on a safari in Botswana at a variety of campsites.  We were shown a variety of images of lions, giraffes, zebras, elephants and a host of other animals and birds. 

He then moved on to South Georgia in Antartica with the amazing penguin colonies, sea lions and fulmars.

At Yellowstone Park we were treated to Bald headed eagles, bisons, coyotes, grizzly bears and many others. 

Finally, to Finland and Norway for wolverine, Artic fox, Eurasian wild elk, otters, and bears.

These are just a few of the animals that we were shown. Each image was crisp, sharp, full of action and all telling a story.  The viewer was given the feeling that they were actually at these places.  Each image was accompanied with the settings and throughout his talk Robin stressed the importance of shutter speed to give a crisp and sharp image. Robin is passionate about wildlife not just in photography but about its welfare. If you want to see more of his adventures there is a link to his website from the clubs homepage. Just click on Norfolk Wildlife.

Tuesday 10 February Macro and Close up.

 On Tuesday evening we had a practical session all about macro and close-up.  Jack gave a quick recap on the difference between macro and close up

Macro is 1x1 magnification and the subject is usually 1" (2.5 cm).  He talked about the different methods that can be used to photograph small objects.  You can use macro lens of different focal lengths, a telephoto lens or even add adapters to your lens such as tele convertors or extension tubes.

There were several tables setup with a variety of objects.  Jan also set up a table for water reflections.  Jack had a variety of of lenses and adapters to show what was possible.

Here are some of the images from the evening:

Flower Reflection by Tom Thurston

Owl By Mark Foscoe

Shell by Francesca Shearcroft

Happy Valentines by Tom Thurston

Double Reflection by Lyn Ibbitson-Elks

Pussy Willow by Francesca Shearcroft

Buttons by Sue Baldwin

               

Nuts and Bolts by Sue Baldwin

Drops by Mark Foscoe