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:

Turtle Dove 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