Tuesday 28th January Focus On – Table Top Followed by a talk on Studio Flash

Having had a workshop on table top images it was time to have a Focus On – Table Top images. There were fewer than usual images  for the audience to judge them None the less there was lots of creativity and the top ten scoring images are shown below.

The second half of the evening was a talk about Studio Flash, given by club member Chris Kot. Lots of positive comments on Chris' talk which was aimed at trying to keep Studio Flash straightforward, only needing a single light to achieve a wide variety of lighting types.  Keep It Simple Stupid was Chris' repeated mantra and he did just that. In addition to a single light Chris explained how it was possible to modify a single light at very low expense. 
His talk was punctuated by images, many of Chris' own, which helped illustrate the point about different lighting set-ups.

1st Place Pink & Blue by Christine Alcock 

2nd Place Forking Egg by Andy Lowe

3rd Place A Whole New World by Di Jackson

4th Place Smoked Duck by Andy Caws

5th Place Bottle Abstract by Christine Alcock

6th Place Dickens by Candlelight by Graham Jackson

7th Place Four Gerberas by Andy Caws

8th Place Pages to Love by Francesca Shearcroft

9th Place Droplet on Gerbera Petal by Di Jackson

10th Place Faffing with Roses by Francesca Shearcroft

Tuesday 14th January - The Basics of Flash

Flash photography is an area many of us shy away from but tonight, Robin encouraged us to experiment and have a go.  First he described some of the typical options such as ETTL, Balanced Fill Flash, High Speed Sync and Second Curtain Sync.  We soon learned that there were many other variables and gadgets to consider when trying to achieve that perfectly exposed image.  After an hour and a half of theory, Robin demonstrated a couple of techniques for us to see the different effects.

With his many years of experience, subtle use of flash is second nature to Robin and his images should inspire us all to have a go.  We have a lot of catching up to do and will need to get out there and practise.

Thank you, Robin, for sharing your knowledge.

TIGGER FROZEN IN MID-AIR!

Point-to-Point Racing at Ampton - Sunday 12th January 2020

The first club event of 2020 saw us once again at Ampton Racecourse for the point-to-point meeting.  Conditions were bright and breezy and the going was good to soft. 

We all went off in different directions to try to get that 'special' shot from the six races taking place.  It proved to be quite tricky getting into the best position to capture the shots you wanted as there were often cars, people, dogs and portable loos in the way. With rapidly changing light conditions exposure was also something to keep an eye on.  


A few of our images can be seen below:

by Sue Baldwin

by Marnie Ball

by Geoff Lingwood

by Andy Caws

by Nick Akers

by Roy Scrivener

by Graham Frost

by Christine Frost

by Di Jackson

by Sue Baldwin

by Marnie Ball

by Geoff Lingwood

by Andy Caws

by Nick Akers

by Roy Scrivener

by Di Jackson

Tuesday 7th January – Fun Competition: Theme Book or Film.

The Chairman welcomed everybody back after the seasonal break and there was much chatter as members caught up with each other.
Finally the 37 images entered for the Fun Competition were shown. These were judged by the members present along the lines of a Focus On evening. There were some great images, lots of imagination and lots of photoshop skills demonstrated.
Congratulations to Graham Frost whose image of Gone with the Wind was the runaway winner. Heather Ryder with Hamlet came second and Steve Gregory with Alien was third. The top 10 images are shown below.
For the second half of the meeting members watched the EAF Dvd showing the images which were selected to represent the EAF at the inter federation competition.

1st Gone with the Wind by Graham Frost

2nd Hamlet by Heather Ryder

3rd Alien by Steve Gregory

4th Grapes of Wrath by Andy Caws

5th War of the Wells by Jack Mitchell

6th= The Alchemist by Andy Caws

6th= Call of the Wild by Di Jackson

8th Black Coffee by Heather Ryder

9th Apocalypse Now by Di Jackson

10th Khumba by Robin Orrow

WDPC Christmas Dinner - Tuesday 10th December at The Crown Great Ellingham

40 of us made it for this our third Christmas Dinner at The Crown and, once again, they did us proud.  The function room looked wonderful, the food was great and all the staff were fantastic.  The Chefs were introduced to us at the end of our meal and received a well deserved round of applause.

The Crown's function room is perfect for our celebratory dinners as it seats us all comfortably and also provides plenty of space for us to mingle and enjoy each other's company.

Tuesday 4th December – workstations

A practical hands on evening tonight with lots of choice for all members  Two workstations demonstrating depth of field and focus stacking, two still life sets ups, fruit splashes, oil on water to get some abstract images, and flowers in water droplets not to mention two more basic sets ups for members to practise some of the DoF lessons learnt and also to try to freeze the balls in motion on a Newton's Cradle.

There was lots of chat, lots of camera clicking, lots of questions asked and answered. 
Lots of positive comments from members.
Lots of folk learnt things.
So all in all a good evening.
Some of the images are shown below:

Frozen Motion by Robin Orrow

Strawberry Splash by Francesca Shearcroft

Horsey Gap Seals - Monday 2nd December 2019

23 of us met up in the Nelson Head car park bright and early and once everyone had all their camera gear and warm clothing on we set off to enjoy the 1 mile walk down to the coast.

Although direct access on to the beach was restricted for the safety of the seals, viewing was excellent, and there were hundreds of seals clearly visible and within easy reach of most lenses.  There were seal pups from newborns to a few months old some nestling close to their mothers others left to fend for themselves.  There was the usual aggressive behaviour to be seen between the males and also with the males becoming too amorous for the females and being sent packing often with bloodied noses!

Once everyone had got their shots we made our way back to the Nelson Head where we were served some delicious food in amazingly quick time - needless to say first back to the pub with food in front of them was Mr. Wilkin!

A few of our images can be seen below:

by Liz Akers

by Nick Akers

by Roy Scrivener

by Ann Barber

by David Wilkin

by Christine Frost

by Graham Frost

by Sue Baldwin

by Graham Jackson

by Mary Laing

by John Laing

by John Kerr

by Christine Alcock

By Di Jackson