General Notes from the Chairman
Well, we are off to a flying start – the standard of entries to our first competition was very high. An astonished Di was declared the winner and scored a total of 59 from a possible 60 – excellent stuff and congratulations.
With some new blood in the committee we are feeling our way a bit. Some cherished notions are being challenged! We are thinking of introducing some extra sessions for beginners and improvers next year. (January onwards). An experienced member would tackle a basic subject – such as composition, depth of field, setting up your camera menu, taking moving objects, macro and so on. Please give us some feed back – these meetings would not be intended for everyone, though no one would be turned away, but for those who are starting out or who want more input. Tell us what will help you join Di in the high places!
In the same vein we have decided to change the program on 13th November and will now include some half hour slots on subjects like natural history, portraiture and any of the above – please tell us what you want and we will select the top four requests.
Many thanks to Peter Picthall for constructing the new ‘box’ a great start, just a little fine tuning to go, such an improvement over the old easel.
Watch this space ………… penguins will be arriving next year in their multitudes with Paul and the MacWhirters planning trips to Antarctica. Anyone for warmer climes?
Enjoy your photography – that’s what it’s all about.
Peter Michell
First Print Competition
Any Subject
2/10/08 – Judge Bob Webzell ARPS
Our first competition of the new season was a great success, with 62 entries in the main competition. Sadly there were only 3 entries in the en-prints.
Bob Webzell ARPS judged our entries with a great deal of good humour thrown in for good measure. He was very thorough and each print got a good ‘airing’. He gave a lot of high marks – nearly 50% of the entries got either 20 (nine), 19 (nine) and 18 (ten). This meant he thought very highly of our standards (?) but he did nothing to spread the marks.
We started with the three en-prints, all from Paul Setford, who creamed the marks, therefore. Please can we have some more entries next time?
The evening’s main honours went to Di Walker who got two 20s and a 19. The overall winner was her “Flying Squid”, which was a picture of a very long line of kites against a blue sky – all squid of course. Her second 20 was a wonderful letterbox landscape called “Early Morning Fishing” (which was my favourite) and her 19 was “Reflective Mooring”. Di only entered about 2 prints last year in total, so she has made a giant leap!
Bob’s second choice from the 20s was Daisy Kane’s “Brother and Sister” – a delightful picture of two Indian children. Daisy also got two 18s with two more Indian “People Pics”. The third 20 was our Chairman Peter’s “Into the Desert”, a delightful landscape with a jeep type vehicle in just the right place. Peter also got another 20 with a nude study “Joceline” and a 19 with his “Bubbles”.
The other 20s went to Paul Hayward’s “Contemplation” (a leopard portrait) and another for a magnificent “Sculptured” picture of rocks in the Grand Canyon. A further 20 went to Ian MacWhirter for his “Tha She Blows” (a whale blowing!) and Ian also got a 19 for “Hinlopen Strait Spitzbergen” and an 18 for his “Anxiety in the Ice Pack”.
I managed a 20 with my “Allerdale, Scotland”, a 19 for my “Head Ranger Innes MacNeil” and an 18 for “Red Pharalope, Shetland”.
19s not already mentioned went to Tim Hulbert’s “Bloom of Spring”; Roger Stevens got two with his “Fishing” and “Sculptured by Nature”; John Gauvin got 19 for his “Potentilla”, which was his first big print entry – very well done John; and finally, Roy Powell got 19 for his “Zantedeschia Lily”, another first print entry – bravo! As he also go an 18 for his “Tawny Owl”.
The remaining 18s went to Martin Tomes, Jane Coward, and two to Max Burns with his first ever print entries.
Before the Competition I told Chairman Peter that I thought that the standard of entries had improved from last year. It seems Bob Webzell agreed with me!
Derek Grieve