Club News

A very Happy New Year to one and all.

I really should not be writing this report as this evenings activity was not for me. Why, I hear you cry? Simple, I do not ‘muck about’ with my images apart from cropping, sharpening, levels, highlights and shadows and clarity.

I do not use layers and am not artistic and therefore I try to take photographs of what I see before me, mainly birds and landscapes.

In a club like ours, you are never going to please all of the people all of the time, like life really.

Well here we are again, 5am, brain working overtime you have got to write a report tomorrow so as you are now fully awake get on with it.

We had a committee meeting a week ago at my house, (running the committee meetings is about the only useful thing I do as joint Chairman), and the Christmas party was discussed. Our brilliant Secretary Daisy volunteered to get the food and drink again, bless her, and David said he would produce a quiz and Liz said she would come up with a picture quiz again.

On Friday evening four SCC members attended the Regnum Print Competition hosted by Littlehampton CC at the Woodlands Hall in Rustington which is a very nice airy hall, well appointed, but with the most uncomfortable seats ever. Come to Storrington CC where we have a choice of two types of seat, both comfortable.

We were assured of an entertaining evening with two Paul’s in charge!

Paul Hayward as chairman, welcomed the return of Paul O’Toole as judge, who brought some of the “Emerald Isle” humour together with skill and perception, as we journeyed through the entries.

In his introduction to the judging, Paul O’Toole shared his thinking behind architecture as a photographic subject and said that black and white bridges were the norm and at the end of judging he added and cathedrals, as 4 were exhibited here in various forms.

Another remarkable Lady showed us her work this evening, following some others who remain in my memory, Vanda Ralevska and Rosie Armes in particular (and some of our own ladies of course). Pete Bamforth once said, whilst giving us one of his special talks, ”the ladies are coming!”

Asrid McGecham LRPS gave us an inspiring talk entitled ’Feel the Land’ which sent me to bed with my head buzzing, but somehow I managed to sleep and started this report at 6am the following morning with a ‘cuppa’.

Here are our winning images.

Yesterday evening we welcomed David Eastley to our club once again to give a critique of our work. This time we had prints and PI’s rather than just PI’s as last year but David’s approach was much the same as previously – but that’s because, even in this era of fake news, the fundamentals haven’t changed and if we get those right we are a long way to successful photography.

So we launch into a new season after a long summer break filled with photo opportunities.

Our new vice chairman Janet Brown welcomed Malcolm Bull as judge, Derek Grieve newly appointed chairman for 2017 sorted the prints in the unavoidable absence of Anne Nagle print secretary, Alex Swyer presented them for judging and marking, then later Alex presented the projected images in his own inimitable way.

I knew that we were going to see some stunning photographs as I had looked at Richard Peters website before our meeting, but I did not know what a complete treat we were all going to have with his talk.

The first meeting of the season went well, with plenty of banter, especially as it was David Seddon's 65^th birthday the day before, and he had foolishly offered to buy everyone's teas and coffees. Daisy had come up trumps with a cake as well, so the break was even better.

The main part of the evening was billed as a series of Members' summer images. There were ten presentations in all, with a great deal of variety. I will apologise right now for not taking any notes at the time, so I am a little vague on some of the presentations.