February 2010

5th January
Wigan 10 Exposed

This evening was a recorded show of the work of the Wigan 10 Group of photographers. The Group has just 13 members. Each member had examples of his work on show and each selection was prefixed with a CV of the photographer. Considering the cold weather and the forecast of snow, a really good turn out of members in this first post Christmas meeting. Was it worth the effort? Yes. We were treated to a selection of first class images. Some fairly straightforward landscapes, sports or wild life. Other images had been given thoughtful manipulation in Photoshop. Details were given of how each shot had been taken. It was a shame the projector started playing up during the evening and members had to watch the end of the show on the laptop screen. A good evening.


12th January
Members' Choice Competition

A new idea that was first tried last year. Members put in a selection of their prints which are presented on the evening. On the evening all members are given a list of entries and asked to score out of ten for each entry including their own. On the evening some thirty-nine prints were entered, a mixture of monochrome and colour. Tony Deller had been volunteered to make the presentation. As each picture went on the easel, Tony described the picture commenting in particular on the technical quality of image. Members were then encouraged to give their opinion and, with some pictures, members had widely different views. Members were then asked to score the picture before moving on to the next picture. A total of twenty score sheets were entered on to the computer and totals for each image calculated. The two top score were equal and therefore to separate them the picture with the most 'tens' was declared the winner. A very enjoyable evening with much member participation. The result was:

Place	Score	Title	Author
1st	172	A Foggy Day in Old London Town	Tony Deller
2nd	172	Becky	John Hill
3rd	168	Steam Train	Tony Deller
4th	164	Black Billed Wood Dove	Hilary Walker
5th	161	Fox	Joyce Bernard

Saturday 16th January
Outing to the National Theatre

Some twenty members chose to attend this outing on a very wet and miserable day. Unfortunately, photography was not permitted during the tour but none the less the visit proved interesting and worth while. Our young lady guide was full of enthusiasm for the theatre and this added to the tour. We started in the 'Olivier Theatre' where the circular rotating stage was described including the various extras such as it being able to be split, lowered and changed. Our attention was drawn to the semi-circular seating arrangement of the auditorium. We then went on to the Lyttelton theatre which was laid out in a more conventional way with a proscenium arch over the stage. Again the workings of the scene changing were described before being taken back stage. Here we saw the workshops where the National Theatre constructs about 95% of all its stage sets. The tour concluded with a visit to the Cottesloe Theatre, a small compact theatre, where all kinds of seating and stage arrangements can be made. As a bonus, after the tour, members could view the pictures of the Landscape Photographer of the Year Exhibition. Yes, it was still pouring with rain after the tour.


19th January
Digital Projection Competition Heat 3

Our Judge, Nenne van Djik FRPS DPAGB, is no stranger to West Wickham and after a quick run through of the 41 entries she began her task. As always, Nenne cut to the chase with each image but always finding something to like in each shot. It soon became clear she did not like fussy foregrounds. She felt that many images would be improved by some cropping. A number of pictures showed out of focus bright spots in the background, particularly in the corners or edges of the image that she thought could have been darkened a little. However, overall the members work was thought to be of a reasonable standard with only three images scoring less than 7 points. Ten images were held back of which six were awarded ten points. The results were:

Place	Title	Author
1st	Where have you been	Mike Spurway
2nd	Group of Yellow Crocus	Tony Deller
3rd	Bike Hub	Bob Zwolinsky
4th	Red Colobus Monkey	Hilary Walker
HM	Shikra	Hilary Walker
HM	Chimney Stack	Bob Zwolinsky

Monday 25th January
FSLPS Inter Club Plate Competition

Under the revised Rules for Federation Inter Club Competitions, after the initial heats in each category, those who did not make the semi-finals are given a second chance by what are known as the 'Plate' Competition. Our panel of Monochrome Prints fell into this category and the play off was held at South London PS venue. There were four clubs in our group with the following scores, Cheam 73, Woolwich 67, Carshalton 67.5 and us with 69.5. Thus we came second which unfortunately meant we drop out of the competition. Of our eight prints, five scored 9 or better with Vic Tokarski getting a ten for his Dawn at Durdle Door. Comparing our top five with Cheam's top five, we were only half a point behind. Unfortunately the remaining three were not quite good enough. The judge was Andy Smith.


26th January
Chicago and the Great Lakes

Our speaker for the evening, Paul Adams DPAGB LDPS, has been a judge of several of our competitions and now members had an opportunity to see some of his work. Paul started with a map showing the route our tour was to take. Starting in Chicago, we were to travel up the east side of Lake Michigan to Sault St Marie, a brief cross over into Canada to head west along the northern shore, then on to Minneapolis and back to Chicago. A journey that was to take three weeks. The tour started with many shots of Chicago showing some of the well known sights and some not so well known. Our trip around the lake was to be punctuated by several shots of lighthouses and seagulls, often together in the same shot. We saw some of the farmhouses used by the Amish, Americans who shun modern technology. Paul showed us some of his efforts using his newly acquired macro lens. Crossing to Wisconsin, the State of Lakes, we were treated to several landscapes with a difference. A ride on the Algoma Central Tourist Rly was included. A tour of the buildings of Minneapolis and St Paul before a final look at Chicago. Along the way Paul gave out many hints and tips on how to photograph this and that and how he discovered macro photography is not as easy as it looks.