Digital Evening – 29th Jan 2008

This week’s meeting turned in to an enjoyable demo and question & answer session on topics digital.

We showed a demo video on how to prepare images for projected digital image competitions; followed by demonstrations in both CS and Elements.

After that the evening became free format with interesting questions and informative comment from quite a number of members.

Topics covered included a basic explanation of colour spaces and profiles and how to work with them. I hope the session was helpful; I quite enjoyed being in the ‘hot seat’ and thanks to everyone for the questions and especially for the additional commentary and opinions.

Hope to see you next week
/Graham

Set Subject Mono Print Competition – 23rd January 2008

The set subject for the monochrome print competition was “This England”. The judge for the evening was Paul Andrew. Paul is no stranger to the club and as always he did a fine job.

Because there was a smaller than usual entry, Paul was able to provide an excellent comment and critique on all the prints. He especially took the trouble to use the time to go through many of the basic ‘rules’ of composition.

The winners were as follows:
Advanced Section - Ruth Jennings with her print of Fairfield Church which gained 18 points. 
Intermediate Section – Ian Farrant with his print of A view across the Thames which gained 19 points.

Well done Ruth & Ian; and all other entrants.

Reoprt posted by:
Graham (Club Chair)

New Tutorials Page

I have added a Tutorials page to the ‘menu bar’ of the blog…
The idea is that over time you will recommend articles, tutorials, techniques, etc. from the internet that you have found to be helpful and that you think will be helpful to other club members.

Please have a look and suggest your favourite tutorial/technique links.

Thanks
/Graham

Lecture: “The Competent Amateur” – 16th Jan 2008

Our very own Competition Secretary, John MacLellan, has had a long term interest in materials antiquarian. Amongst the various collectables that have passed through his inquisitive hands have been a variety of photographic items covering many years and various technologies from glass plates to 35mm negatives.

On Wednesday he treated us to a glimpse of part of his photographic collection of mainly amateur material from a number of photographers covering the first half of the 1900s. There was a surprising breadth of subject matter from family images, military, transport and social & industrial history.

John must have put a massive amount of work in to assembling this display of approx. 200 mounted prints. These prints were digitally prepared from scans of contact prints, glass plates and various formats of film. A few of the prints showed signs of the age and neglect of the negatives, but the overall technical quality of the prints was outstanding. John said that he was especially pleased about being able to use digital techniques to extract the very best results from neglected negatives.

Technical qualities aside, a large proportion of the prints showed what is, was and will always be true of the effective still image. This is the presentation of engaging subjects composed and rendered thoughtfully in the frame.

John’s supporting commentary on the photographs added a great deal of history and context about the subjects and the photographers. It was also good to get time to get a closer look at the pictures as well as being able to ask questions.

All in all, an excellent and very well received evening. Well done John, thank you very much for the presentation.

Report compiled by
Graham Robinson (Club Chairman)

Technique – Controlling Exposure

Understanding, Selecting and Executing
Effective In-camera Exposure
This is a short paper I originally wrote to support a presentation I gave at the club in 2006 but I think it is still helpful as a standalone document.

Programme update

Due to availabilities there is a change to the printed programme for the 30th Jan 2008 and the 20th Feb 2008.

These nights are being switched. The online programme has been updated as follows:

30 Jan Appraisal: Digital Images; Graham Robinson.
20 Feb Appraisal: Slides; Tony Catt.

Please could you update your copy of the printed programme accordingly.

For the digital appraisal evening:
It would be be good if we could concentrate on specifically digital concerns but general appraisal will happen as well.

Note: Please bring either prints and/or images for projection.
If you can please bring along the ‘finished’ jpg or photoshop file and the untouched original file from the camera be it a raw or jpg.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused by the programme change.

/Graham (Club Chairman)

Open Aggregate Colour Print Competition – 9th Jan 2008

On Wednesday, 9th January 2008 the Club held the first Open Aggregate Colour  Print Competition of the New Year. There was a large entry on a variety of subjects.

The judge for the evening was Richard Walton FRPS, EFIAP,  MPAGB, BPE3* and the results were as follows:-

Intermediate Photographers
20 points: Ian Howard (1st) and Jim Whalley
19 points: Ian Farrant, Ian Howard and Jim Whalley
18 points: Ian Farrant, John Harrop and Jim Whalley

Advanced Photographers
20 points: Sarah Smith (1st) and June Hill (2)
19 points: June Hill (2) and Dave Longley
18 points: Valerie Jennings, Kay Monk, Dave Longley and Les Mullage

Report compiled by
Marion Holness, Publicity Officer

Digital Technique – 2nd Jan 2008

Our first evening of the new year was a digital technique evening.

Using the club laptop and the digital projector with Photoshop Elements 5 and CS, I went through some techniques for general and local tone control using levels adjustment layers with and without layer masking.

Happy New Year for 2008

I hope everyone enjoyed the brief Christmas and New Year break and that Santa brought you some things to help you with your photography.  He brought me some gloves that seem, at last, to meet the needs of the photographer.

Look forward to seeing you back this evening.

/Graham