We had an eclectic mix for our first members' evening of the season. At the start Anne Eckersley, the President of the Southern Counties Photographic Federation of which we are a member explained that she was touring member clubs during her two-year period office to say hello, meet members, and speak about the opportunity for obtaining a qualification of the Photographic Association of Great Britain (PAGB) as an alternative or addition to those of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS). Instead of a panel of images which the RPS asks for the PAGB considers ten (for CPAGB) images presented singly and randomly to six judges who score them out of 5. A score of 200 is a pass. The qualification is a permanent achievement with no further payment of a membership fee. For those considering this route mentoring is available.
Dom Windsor then presented the panel of 10 images he had used to secure his award of the Licentiate distinction (LRPS) of the RPS. The images were mainly landscapes with one portrait and one piece of street photography. The landscapes reflected different locations and environments from a sunrise at Worthing, the Seven Sisters and Steyning tree also known to have been photographed by other members. Bluebells in Savernake Forest, people outside the Freemason's Headquarters in London and Worthing Pier also featured. He was honest enough to admit to some limitations with the panel itself, but he was successful and joined a growing band of members holding distinctions.
David Seddon was next with a vintage David Seddon performance on the subject of portraits, chosen because he likes people. Accompanied with his typically eccentric self-deprecation, physical antics and a genuine honesty he explained the setup of his studio in his garage, his long-suffering family, who allow him to photograph them as well as friends and strangers with who he will engage if they spot him taking photographs. Mainly mono images, they illustrated a wide range of techniques.
Derek Grieve, one of the club's longest serving members, wanted to show prints rather than projected images and presented a varied selection from his early days as a photographer to more recent images. He even displayed a box-Brownie camera he had retained from those early days. Birds featured prominently with an osprey, kingfishers and beautiful bee-eaters from Hungary accompanying a curlew and snowy owl. Landscapes of Eilean Donan, the South Downs, Spain and Venice followed with a Spitfire, Lancaster and Typhoon providing more variety as did images of Iceland, a golden eagle, butterflies and a moth.
Finally, Alex Swyer illustrated his photographic journey with examples of images often taken on the way to work early in the morning. Worthing Pier, a sunset, led the show with honesty, and poppies following. He worked at garden centres so had access to a wide variety of horticultural subjects. Herne Bay pier and a fisherman's cottage in Cornwall provided more variety. Once on Hankley Common he had completed an early morning landscape session only to turn round and find a squad of soldiers in full camouflage standing up behind him about to be engaged in some firing exercise. Thankfully he was both safe and not arrested for trespassing.
More from members on 8 December.