BLACK & White comp

TENBY AND DISTRICT CAMERA CLUB Despite the brilliance of modern digital cameras and the stunningly life like colour they can give, black and white images are as popular as ever. Why? Who Knows! Maybe their classic looks reminds us of a simpler age, maybe paradoxically they convey honesty when their true colours are removed, or maybe things just look better in black and white. Judging took place at the club meeting on Thursday 14th November when Roy Thomas a member of the Neath Camera Club travelled the M4 corridor to judge the black and white print and digital images. Roy was critical of the title of images he was judging as some images were mono and some even with a sepia tone. What ever the reason, if you want to work in black and white you need to know how best to achieve these effects. Whether you are shooting in black and white or converting your full colour pictures into black and white. Roy went onto say what pictures work in black and white or mono? Because black and white makes your pictures look more worthy, try setting yourself a photo project, like shooting your town or village. A mono conversion can turn mundane, everyday pictures into a timeless comment on your works. Because black and white images can have their lighting worked a lot harder than colour ones, it’s possible to shoot in virtually any light and still end up with an atmospheric picture. If you have bad weather – just think mono. Roy’s judging of the 23 print images awarded 1st place to Roy Packer, 2nd place Bob Lineker and 3rd place Charlie Kidd. From the 34 digital images submitted Roy awarded 1st place to Roy Packer, 2nd place Paul Richards and 3rd Place Gill McKay. 28th November – Talk by Graham Harries – Location lighting

The ever popular Nigel McCall

TENBY AND DISTRICT CAMERA CLUB The guest speaker at the club meeting held on Thursday 7th November was the ever popular Nigel McCall from Carmarthen. The chairman introduced the evening by telling members that Nigel had recently won the urban view Category of the annual, ‘Take a View’ photographer of the year award. His winning image was a hypnotising cloud of starlings captured above Carmarthen at dusk. Nigel’s talk on this his third visit to the club was on the Falkland Islands, Wildlife and Landscape. The talk began, explaining the logistics of the journey, leaving Brize Norton R.A.F base, flying to the Ascension Island and then on to the Falkland Islands, a journey time of 18 hours. With over 700 islands making up the Falkland’s which equates to approximately two thirds of the land mass of Wales. The main mode of transport is small light aircraft and boats, while on the islands a 4 x 4 vehicle is essential. Nigel’s journey started in Darwin before moving on to San Carlos where there is a cemetery for British Forces and also the Argentines he visited Goose Green, Carcass Island where Nigel showed us the abundance of bird life such as, the Crested Caracara, Austral Thrush, Flightless Steamer Duck, Kelp Geese, Cobbs Wren. He then transported us to West Point Island by boat where once again the bird life was a photographer’s dream, the Black Browed Albatross, the bird most people visit this location to see. Pebble Island was the next island to visit, a twenty minute flight where sheep farming is the main employer, farming at fifty two degrees south of the equator is never easy, but nevertheless there is approximately eighty eight family farms on the Falkland Islands. We were also shown images of Southern Rock Hopper Penguins and King Penguins at Volunteer Point before a 40 minute flight to Seal Lion Island. The island is a relatively flat plateau with perpendicular cliff’s, Nigel showed images of Killer Whales hunting for Penguins, Elephant Seals, Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins. Nigel’s talk ended back at Stanley with images of some of the interesting buildings such as Jubilee Villas built in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee, Government House built in 1840 and the Whale Bone Arch made from the jaw bones of two Blue Whales, built in 1933 to commemorate the centenary of British rule in the islands. Nigel answered many questions following his most interesting and informative talk. 14th November – Judging black and white images 21st November – Judging of panels

‘More than Mountains’ with Tom Dodd

TENBY AND DISTRICT CAMERA CLUB At the meeting on Thursday 31st October, Neil Thomas Vice Chairman thanked the three club members who travelled to Connah’s Quay to represent the club at the P.A.G.B. inter club print championships held on Saturday 26th October. He then introduced the speaker for the evening, Tom Dodd who travelled from Blaenau Ffestinog and was supported by his two grandchildren. Tom’s theme for the evening was ‘More than Mountains’, before showing any images Tom told members he remembered visiting Tenby as a child with his dad who worked for the bus company Western Welsh. He is a native of Abergavenny and then moved to North Wales where he was employed in the outdoor leisure industry leading parties of young people into the mountains. “I have always been taking photographs, but I guess my interest in mountains and landscape started with my work”. He told us he is is a ‘Permajet’ sponsored lecturer and gives many talks around England and Wales. His images of the Mountains were spectacular, taken in the French Alps, Switzerland, Nepal, Greenland and of course the Snowdonian National Park. Tom explained that a lot of his early images were taken as slides, which was then scanned and the print produced. His interest goes beyond the mountains, he describes his work as a large format of social photography, where his images managed to capture people in their social context without being heavy handed; this was evident in the portraits of people from Katmandu, the street scenes of Belfast and the small grocers shop in Abergavenny. Before the coffee break Tom told members “Our photography should be documentive in addition to the images we take for competition, every picture tells a story”. Tom continued to show images of birds and insects, flowers, family images and close ups; and saying to the audience that “composition and arrangement of your images is important and to shoot what you love, marry photography with something you are passionate about”. Neil Thomas thanked Tom for a wonderful and light hearted talk and hoped that he would return to club in 2014. 7th November – Falkland Islands – Wildlife and Landscapes – talk by Nigel McCall 14th November – Judging of Black and White images

natural history photographic competition

TENBY AND DISTRICT CAMERA CLUB The judging of the natural history photographic competition on Thursday 24th October was well attended by members for this the first visit to the club of Malcolm Kingswall who travelled from Tredegar. Malcolm told members he was a generalist in photography but his passion was natural history, and was pleased when he first looked at the images, to see the approach, freedom of expression and composition which was refreshing. The standard of photographs and digital images varied, but on the whole the standard was very good. In the print section there were over 20 entries with the subjects varying from sea birds, seal pups, caterpillars, Robins and Gold Finches, a stag, monkeys and fungi. Malcolm gave excellent critiques to every image commenting on both good points and failings of the photographs, good composition but poor contrast of light, strong image poor composition. He went on to say photography in the club is certainly up there with the best in Wales. 3rd place was awarded to Paul Richards for his ‘Pied flycatcher’, 2nd place ‘Tipping Point’, Gary Jenkins and in 1st place ‘The Stag’, Andrew Baxter. Following the coffee break Malcolm then continued his judging of the 32 digital images, once again the subject matter varied from all varieties of birds, Red Kites, Sparrow Hawks, Puffins, Mute Swans, Pheasants, Kingfishers even a Brown Pelican, a Hedgehog, Dragonfly, Bluebells and fungi; once again Malcolm gave constructive and useful comment on the images such as how the light plays on the subject, he continued to say that all images have merit, but of course some are better than others and this was evident in the final placings. Malcolm awarded joint 3rd to three members, Ann Batty, Mike Cullis and Gary Jenkins, in 2nd place Neil Thomas ‘Kingfisher with Catch’ and in 1st place Paul Richards ‘Barn Owl with Prey’. The overall winner of the competition was Andrew Baxter’s image of the ‘Stag’. 31st October – A Talk by Tom Dodd – More than Mountains. 7th November – Nigel McCall – The Falkland Islands – Wildlife and landscapes.

Alan Squires on Macro Photogaphy

TENBY AND DISTRICT CAMERA CLUB The chairman, Roy Packer gave a warm welcome to Alan Squires AWPF a member of the Gwynfor camera club. This is Alan’s second visit to the club to talk about macro photography. He introduced the subject explaining to members that he mainly uses a Nikon D3S camera and a Sigma 105 lens, with various flash guns and other pieces of equipment, such as bellows, focus rail and extension tubes. Alan showed a number of digital images of insects, fungi, flowers and even a wrist watch face. He commented that most people do not look too closely at flowers, they view them as a whole, but a flower viewed through a macro lens is fascinating. Flowers, fungi, insects and spiders are incredible creations of nature and Alan portrayed this in his images even in imperfect and damaged flowers and insects. Following a coffee break members were encouraged to have a go at the work stations Alan had set up. As members moved around Alan was on hand to give advice and helpful tips such as to ask yourself what is the main attraction, Is it the colour, the texture, the shape? Does it look better portrayed alone or in a group? Once you have decided, you can concentrate on that particular element, experimenting with different angles and viewpoints. Alan shoots in manual mode and mostly the camera is hand held, with the occasional use of a tripod. While out in the field, he uses his camera bag to rest his camera on to ensure the sharpness and no camera shake, he advocates using reflectors to even out the light and get detail in shadowed areas. 24th October – Judging of Natural History Competition and hand in of black and white entries. 31st October – More than Mountains talk by Tom Dodd and hand in of panels competition.