Tuesday 28 January Choosing The Best Paper For Your Print

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed Simon Ciappara to talk about paper and printing. Despite the weather we had a reasonable turnout. And members were not disappointed.

As photographers we all know the importance of choosing the right paper for an image. Simon has taken this to another level. He started started making his own paper during lockdown and is still doing it.  Most of the material is grown in his garden or sourced locally.

He creates his paper with an image in mind and each sheet is unique; be it the texture or colour.  Simon is very creative and thinks outside the box. He uses his photos to create three dimensional books which give the appearance of puzzles and can be viewed from various angles. He urged the group to step out of their comfort zone and experiment with other genres and release their creativity.

Simon explained that a picture does not exist until it's printed. When you hold the print, memories come flooding back to the time and place when it was taken. And if it's shared with others there is an emotional connection.  One is also able to feel the texture of the paper and its smell.  It is like reading a book.

Tuesday 14 January Altered Reality by Barry Mead

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed Barry Mead to talk about his project Altered Reality.

Barry has won many awards in the UK and various other countries, and has many letters after his name. 

Barry's presentation on altered reality was all about creativity and how to inspire others. He is a collector of artefacts, a film addict and regularly attends reenactments. His collection includes clocks, figures from Harry Potter, Lord Of the Rings and Star Wars, and these are all used in his images in a variety of ways. He photographs anything that is available. He also believes in taking images from different angles.

Barry gave a few demonstrations to show how he creates his images which was very helpful. They can take from a few hours to several days. Each image is made up of multiple layers and pay particular attention to detail, which he says is crucial. His motto is to 'never give up'.  He advised us to take time out and revisit, even if you have to start again, and never throw away anything.

Barry's website is worth visiting to inspire the creativity within you.

www.barrymead-photography.com

Tuesday 7 January Focus on internal judging theme Patterns

Despite the cold and icy roads our first meeting back for 2025 was well attended for a Focus On...Patterns. There were 40 images submitted. The audience were the judges who each scored their top 5 images. Images were wide ranging and members had gone to a considerable effort to think out of the box. Thanks to all those who entered and made the evening so enjoyable.

Top 10 images are shown below.

                                        1st Glass And Water Refraction by Jan Murphy

                                                      

                                                2nd Inside York Minster by Pam Rutty                                                                 

                                                    3rd Portland Town by Danny Berta                                                                       

                                                 4th Resting Monarchs by Dawn Osborn

                                                  5th Zebra Stripes by Robin Orrow

                                                  6th Going Down by Sue Baldwin

                                                                             

6th Petals by Liz Blake

                                                         8th Turkish Rug by Carol Martin

                                                                           

                                                             9th Tulip Orb by Jan Murphy

                                                                                 

                                             10th Reflected In The Forum by Pat Weir

Tuesday 3 December Interclub Competition Round two

 On Tuesday we welcomed Kings Lynn and North Norfolk camera clubs for the second round of the inter club competition.  It was good to see some familiar faces and new ones. We also welcomed David Steel to judge the competition.

A look at David’s web site shows that he works in a wide range of genre but has a particular interest in people photography. 

David explained that he would be extra critical to try and separate the clubs and would be expecting that extra something from the authors.

There was a wide variety of images both in print and DPI.

When critiquing the images, he commented first about the positives and offered simple suggestions such as choosing the correct paper to suit the image or making sure that the mount fitted correctly over the image.

The standard was very high from all three clubs and David held back several images from both print and DPI.  These images were given scores  between 18 to 20.

A big thank you to Robin Orrow our competition secretary for displaying the images on the screen and keeping the score for all three clubs.

Here are the competition results:

Tuesday 26 November Competition Print round 1 Theme: Open

 On Tuesday we welcomed Paul Radden to judge our first print competition of the season. 

Paul has been a judge for over twenty years and has many awards to his name.

Paul likes to have interaction with his audience. A perfect way to ensure that the audience is listening.

He also explained what he looks for when judging an image: stunning composition, superb exposure and oomph.

Paul gave each image a considerable amount of time when critiquing them. He looked for a story line and how the author used the light that was available.  He mentioned about using the depth of field to make the image sharper.

He gave tips such as changing position and looking for different angles before pressing the shutter button. Another very valuable tip was to print the image, put it away for a few days or a week then revisit it, and even hanging it upside down.

He held back five images in the advance group. Three received the top score of 20.

Here are the top scoring image.

Members:

Sentinels by Sue Baldwin 20/20

Snoozing by Sue Baldwin 19/20

Advance Members:

Snow Bunting With Insect by Dawn Osborn 19/20

                                 Golden Plover by Dawn Osborn 20/20

                            Grey Wolf Alpha Male by Robin Orrow 20/20

                                        Victoria by Carol Martin 20/20

                                                                                    

Monday 25 November Back to Basic training.

 A few club members had requested an opportunity for some basic training so an email was sent out to all members to see who else might be interested.  Eight members responded and it was decided to hold three sessions. 

For some it was a refresher whilst for others it was back to basic and getting to know their camera. The sessions were a combination of theory and practical; giving participants the opportunity to put things into practice and ask questions.

The sessions covered Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO and Metering, and of course anything else that members wanted help with.

After the third session it was decided to have a morning in Swaffham taking images of the local surrounding providing more opportunities to put theory into practice.

There were some strange looks from passers-by at a group of photographers taking photos of broken windows and rusty locks.

A big thank you to Francesca Shearcroft and Andrew Stringer for giving up their time to run the sessions.

Here are some images from Swaffham.

                                                         Rusty Intercom by Ann Barber

                                                          Through The Gate by Ann Barber

                                            Lantern On The Hotel    by Ann Barber

                                                            Nice Hat by Andrew Stringer

                                                       Peak A Boo by Andrew Stringer

The Great Pyramid by Andrew Stringer

     Church Cloth Of Beauty by Paul Hayes-Griffin

School Of 800 Years by Paul Hayes-Griffin

 Bird Of Prey by Paul Hayes-Griffin

                                           

                                                               Deer by John Keer

                                                              Wall Adjustedby John Kerr

                                                         Four In A Row by Pam Rutty

Strattons by Pam Rutty

                                                     The Meat Delivery by Pam Rutty

                                            Alpha AndD Omega by Francesca shearcroft

                                                    REFLECTION by Francesca Shearcroft

                                   Swaffham Church-Silhouette by Francesca Shearcroft

                                                           Costa Window  by Pat Weir

Showing It's Age by Pat Weir

                                                            Shadow LightT by Pat Weir

                                                      Checking My Phone by Georgie McCall

                                                  Three Mallards by Georgie McCall

                                                    Broken Window by Georgie McCall

Tuesday 12 November Macro and Close up

 On Tuesday evening we welcomed Derek Gale to our club via Zoom to give a talk about macro and close up photography.  He gave a brief introduction about himself and how he got into photography. He then went on to explain the difference between macro and close up. He also talked about equipment and technique.

Close up is about photographing small objects to look larger. 

Macro is also close up, but true macro displays the image life size (1-1 magnification). Both macro and close up can take the photographer into a whole new world.    The closer ones gets to the subject the more one is able to see the complexity of the details.   

Equipment can be expensive or cheap depending on the photographer. Close up can be done with a telephoto lens. Some cameras have macro settings.  He also talked about technique - how to avoid camera shake, using a tripod or self timer and how to adapt the equipment you already have. Patience is very important

What is special about macro and close up is the photographer does not have to leave their own environment.  It can be done indoors or outside (even in your own garden) and there is no need for a studio.  If venturing outside you might need to consider the time of day, check weather conditions and also get to know your subject and their habitat.

Derek is passionate about macro and close up. He was very entertaining and shared some great stories and images.

A visit to his website might just inspire you to have a go at macro or close up photography.