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.