Tuesday 11th November: What are we going to do about AI? by Christine Widdall

 

This evening we welcomed Christine to give us a talk about AI. Christine has been using AI for sometime in her photographic images and so making her the right person for this highly debated topic. She explained that by the end of the session we might have more questions than answers, and perhaps a few headaches.

In the presentation she talked about what AI is, how it works and what it can do.  AI has been around since the 1970s in photography editing software and we have been using it, though we might not have been aware that it was AI. We use it as an assistant to enhance our images. Masking to hide or reveal part of an image especially in composite. To restore, to refine and retrieve things and removal of errors . But given all this the image has been created by the Photographer.

In recent years editing software has AI generated capabilities which have presented dilemmas for photographers and camera/photography clubs alike. In making changes to an image, such as removing noise, AI may now make changes to the image that adds new content that was not in the original image. It is now possible to generate images with a few commands without using a camera.

It is not just editing software that contains AI generated capabilities. Cameras and phones all have AI software providing more creative possibilities.

Christine showed us a selection of images, some were AI assisted, some Composite and others AI generated. She asked the group to select which was AI generated or AI assisted.  This was extremely difficult. The correct answers were just lucky guesses.

The evening was very informative and thought provoking. It showed how AI will have a profound impact on decision making for camera/photography clubs. As she said at the start of her talk, we did leave with  more questions than answers, and we have some new issues to address.

Tuesday 4th November: Wildlife Conservation by Barbara Meyer

Our speaker tonight, Barbara Meyer, left us in no doubt about her passion for Conservation of wildlife.

In the first half she spoke about Conservation, the various issues involved and some surveys that she had been involved in.  During her talk she showed some images which reflected what she was saying. She spoke very enthusiastically and with no notes. She gave us many interesting facts about the conflicts of different species living together, including the concerns in some areas between humans and animals.

After the break she continued the theme of conservation and how her photography fitted into such work. Again her talk was amply illustrated, most images were her own but occasional credit was given to another photographer. Some of her images were taken from zoos but this was mainly to illustrate how such organisations were working to ensure some very endangered species were not completely extinct. In many cases work was being done very carefully on how to reintroduce some animals back to the wild.

Barbara's raison d'être was to use her photography to highlight issues of big cats, particularly those who were on the  engendered list, and to raise awareness of the plight of some of British wildlife that were being threatened, eg badgers, seals and deer.

Please check out her website for more details of the organisations that Barbara works with. 

Tuesday 28th October Print Competition: Theme Open.

For the first competition of the new season we welcomed back Simon Ciappara FRPS to judge the prints. The theme was Open, so anything goes! Simon critiqued the photos with a keen eye, picking up on where the photographer could improve the images. He held several photos back and the well deserved winning photos are shown below. As we had time, Simon entertained us with a short video about his life and work.

Courtship by Sandie Jardine 20

Impressions of St Benets Abbey by Francesca Shearcroft 20

On the Limit by Phil Childs 20

Clouds by Mark Foscoe 19

Umbellifers in winter by Dawn Osborn 19

Winter Sanderling by Jack Mitchell 19

Crashing Waves by Georgie McCall 18

Hunstanton Sunset by Emma Moore 18

Little Egret in Winter Plumage by Jack Mitchell 18

Mevagissey Watercolour by Emma Moore 18

Mr Grumpy by Carole Martin18

Truce by Pat Weir 18

Vexillologists Delight by Andrew Stringer 18

Tuesday 14 October Gardening For Wildlife Photography

 This evening we welcomed David Chapman to give a talk on Gardening for Wildlife Photography. David is a professional photographer and author. He has written articles for several magazines and also gives talks to gardening clubs.

David's talk was very interesting and informative. He gave lots of tips on how to create a garden to encourage wildlife to visit and live in the garden. He talked about the plants that are needed for different types of insects; not just to feed on but also to lay their eggs and hibernate.

He also explained how to create homes for bees, hedgehogs and birds.  He stressed the importance of pond building, including the correct depth that is needed for for the variety of creatures that might visit and the vegetation for them to feed and rest on.

He showed a variety of images taken in his garden and also shared how he constructed the settings for his compositions.

There was something for everyone whether you are a wildlife photographer or someone who just loves to garden and encourage wildlife to visit.

Tuesday 7 October Portrait Photography

Tonight we had a practical session led by Andrew Stringer, one of the club members who loves to photograph people, and Ken Barrett, who was a wedding photographer for many years. They both provided the lighting and the backdrops.  Ken used a very famous saying that 'you need to break every bone in your model to get the right pose'.  He stressed that we should all take photos of our families as they provides us with memories of the present and past. He also gave the settings that members should try.

We had four models but one went the extra mile with his props. It was like having Mary Poppins with a magic bag with all the different outfits that he changed into. Giving members plenty of opportunity to tryout various poses.

There was a lovely atmosphere in the hall. Members busy taking photos of the models and helping each other.  Even those who rarely take photos of people participated and enjoyed the session.

Here are some of the images.

Berni by Rachael Trivett

Gordon and Georgie by Rachael Trivett

Gordon by Rachael Trivett

Paul by Rachael Trivett

Our Geoff by Jack Mitchell

Our Gordon by Jack Mitchell

Happy Trevor by Jack Mitchell

Our Geoff Looking Good by Jack Mitchell

Our Graham by Jack Mitchell

Our Paul by Jack Mitchell

Tuesday 23 September Sport Photography

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed Gavin Bickerton-Jones to give a talk about photographing sport activities. He was a junior racing driver, a freelance motor racing engineer and has also worked in international motor sport as a photographer. With such a background and as someone who has been on both sides of the fence he is highly qualify to give this talk. 

He covered a variety of sports including athletics, football, rugby, motorbike racing, swimming and Formula motorcar racing. He gave some value tips such as doing some research about the sport, finding the best place to stand and camera policy to make sure you have the correct lens.

He also talked about experimenting with the shutter speed and thinking about whether the background, foreground, reflections, signage or shadows would enhance or be a distraction to the image.  He recommended getting down low to get eye contact, depending on the sport. He stressed the importance of waiting and judging the moment to press the shutter button. He also displayed the settings he used for some of his images.

All these tips can be adapted to other types of photography. A very informative evening.

Tuesday 9 September Summer Challenge

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed back members after the summer break. We opened the season with our Summer challenge competition. The judge for the evening was Andy Swain. There was a varied variety of images ranging from wildlife, movement, and people.  Andy held back several sets of images.  The standard was very high and this presented him with the difficult task of selecting an overall winner.

Thank you to members who submitted images. Without their input the evening would not have been a success.  Thanks to Jack and Rachael for holding the fort while both the chair and vice chair were away.  

The top images can be seen below.

                                                 1st Winged Creatures by Francesca Shearcroft

2nd It's All About Symmetry by Jan Murphy

3rd Creatures by Maureen Campbell

Highly recommend images

From My Garden Seat by Jack Mitchell

Seed Heads by Liz Blake

Canna Leaves by Pam Rutty

Red Kites by Sandie Jardine

Commended Images

I remember When by Tom Thurston

Life's A Beach (Hut) by Andrew Stringer

Summer Insects by Geoff Lingwood