Tuesday 22nd November: Print Competition, Open

We welcomed Frank Blyth as our judge for the first print competition of the season. The bar was set very high with lots of great images, 68 in total, and as the subject was "Open" the range of images varied considerably, including abstract, landscape and wildlife, not to mention urban and transport. Thanks to all members who participated and thanks to Frank who said he had had an enjoyable if difficult task judging the images. The high scoring images are shown below.

Buffalo at Water Hole by Di Jackson 20/20

Castle Acre Church by Andrew Barnes 20/20

Elephant having a Dust Bath by Rachael Trivett 20/20

From the Gloom by Paula Cooper 20/20

Glowing Sunflower by Vanessa Robertson 20/20

Monitor Lizard by Roy Scrivener 20/20

Swan by Nick Healy 20/20

The Colours of Southwold by Jan Murphy 20/20

Zebra Drinking at Dusk by Di Jackson 20/20

Crashing Waves by Paula Cooper 19/20

Grey Heron with Stickleback by Jack Mitchell 19/20

Tawny Eagle on Carcass by Kim Scrivener 19/20

The Pier after Rain by Jack Mitchell 19/20

Thursday 17th November - Cambridge University Botanic Garden

In spite of the cold,wet, blustery weather conditions we were able to find plenty of fantastic photographic opportunities in the many glasshouses displaying an amazing variety of plants from around the world.

For those more hardy photographers who ventured outside there were still some autumn colours to be found.

See below for some of our images from the garden and the glasshouses:-

Autumn Colours by Diana Graham

Across the Rockery by Suzi Senior

Monkey Cup by Heather Ryder

Blue Flower by Reg Barber

Hydranga Leaves by Diana Graham

View across the Rockery by Ann Barber

Patterns by Francesca Shearcroft

Flower Detail by John Kerr

Fungi by Andy Caws

On Golden Pond by Heather Ryder

In the Glasshouse by Suzi Senior

Stem Detail by Francesca Shearcroft

Japanese Anemone by Di Jackson

Autumn Reflections by Andy Caws

Strelitzia by Christine Alcock

Leaf Detail by John Kerr

Lady Slipper Orchid Flower by Di Jackson

Tuesday 8th November – Speedlight tutorial and workshop

The use of flash seems to be something which perplexes many photographers and something many shy away from.
Well after Robin Orrow's instructional tutorial there will be many members who will now have much better grasp of how to use their flashguns. Whilst demonstrating various techniques Robin had his camera tethered to the projector so we could all clearly see on the big screen, the effects of changing various settings. A very useful teaching aid. Robin answered all our questions in a helpful and easy to understand manner. 
We grappled with fill light, spill flash, high speed sync, rear curtain sync.....all now more familiar terms. Once we had a chance to use our own flash guns to take pictures of a variety of subjects, most of us felt a lot more confident. 
All we need to do now is practise, practise and practise.

A couple of Robin's demo images are shown below. 

Manual flash

Rear curtain sync

Tuesday 1st November – “20 Nature Photography Projects Throughout the Year”.

We welcomed Kevin Sawford to our club on this evening, a Suffolk based photographer who takes images for the RSPB, runs workshops for the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and has been Highly Commended in the British Wildlife Photography Awards.
Kevin's projects started at our home and led us through to the garden, then more locally and finally ending up in India. East Anglia venues included, Holkham Deer Park, Strumpshaw Fen, Banham Zoo, Lackford lakes and Carlton Colville. Kevin showed us a wide range of images and impressed the need to practise, practise and practise, with a suitable amount of patience and persistence to get the shot. Knowing the behaviour of the animals and your location is critical.
Kevin certainal provided us with lots of ideas and the inspiration to go out and capture the living world of flora and fauna close to home as well as further afield.
To view his galleries please go to: http://www.kevinsawford.com