April 2010

2nd March
Members’ Evening

The evening was spent watching an excellent series of videos setting out the processes of taking a good photograph and not just a snap. The videos were based on taking a landscape picture but the basics could be applied to many other branches of photography. The first dealt with choosing the spot. For this one did not need a camera but an imagination to see the potential of the spot. The example looked quite ordinary under the midday sun but a return to watch the same scene as dawn broke added the drama to make the picture different. Next we had a short guide to composition and the rule of thirds and when to break that rule. Exposure was then discussed, the importance of a tripod for some kinds of work. The use of graduated density filters and so on. The final video gave an insight into how to change your RAW image into the visualised shot with a few tips on the basic adjustments that can be applied on Photoshop. All agreed the videos were well put together and very informative. It is thought even some of our more experienced members picked up a tip or two. We thank Alec Mahood for making the videos available.


9th March
Digital Projected Images Competition, Heat 4

Chairman Bob was put in charge of the Projector in the absence of Lorina and so Tony took the Chair for the evening. Our Judge, Mrs Ann Smith ARPS, got started with a quick run through of the 39 entries from 9 workers. Our judge in describing each picture gave comment on the composition and exposure. She did make the comment that some of the Titles given by the author did not seem to fit the picture. There was also the comment on some images which were not sharp all over due to lack of depth of field. On the first run through some 9 images were held back for Ann to make her final selection. Her final choice was:

Place	Title	Author
1st	Red Light Area	Bob Richards
2nd	A Splash of Blue	Hilary Walker
3rd	Baby	John Hill
4th	One Over the Eight	Lorina Dean
H.M.	Frosted Leaves	Bob Richards
H.M.	Quiet Water	Tony Deller

16th March
Chasing the Light

Our speaker for the evening was Patricia Jones, FRPS, MPAGB, APAGB, EFIAP who opened her talk by saying that she would start at the South Coast and work her way North ending in the Hebrides. Patricia, ably assisted by her husband, displayed her prints on a stand in panels of from two to six prints. It soon became apparent what sort of picture she enjoyed taking. Nominally landscapes but taken in such a way as to become a pattern picture. Most were printed in high key pastel colours. In addition to these landscapes, some panels consisted of close ups of the detail of flowers or rocks where a true abstract pattern was in full evidence. Just when the audience were getting into these pastel shades, Patricia would produce a landscape or sunset full of vibrant colours. The display of the prints was accompanied with interesting anecdotes of the circumstances of their taking. In one she appeared to have photographed a poacher! She said she always tried to use a tripod when taking a picture and often a neutral density filters. An interesting evening.


Saturday 20th March
Outing to Kenwood House and Hampstead Heath

As planned, the party of eleven members met in the cafeteria at Kenwood House on a dull and overcast day for a cuppa. The party then toured the house including the special exhibition of photographs of ‘Forgotten London’. Some of these photographs had been blown up to around three feet high and yet showed no sign of grain and were very sharp. Those Victorian Photographers knew a thing or two. After an excellent lunch a number of the group decided to walk down across the Heath to Hampstead. In places the path was rather muddy and slippery due to the overnight rain. Shortly after setting out the clouds lowered and the rain did pour but the stout souls of WWPS pressed on, our target Parliament Hill. The determination paid off as after ten minutes or so the rain stopped. On arrival at the Hill the view, due to low cloud, was down to about two miles. None the less, the pictures were taken. As if for a reward, briefly a hole appeared in the clouds and a spot of sunlight broke through. By the time we left the cloud had lifted making it possible to see the Crystal Palace Hill. A stop off at Burgh House in Hampstead for tea before rejoining the Northern Line and home. Not a brilliant day for weather, nor for photography but those present did seem to enjoy the day out.



23rd March
Print Heat 4

With a good entry for the evening’s competition, Bob introduced our Judge for the evening. Gerald Kitiyakara LRPS is no stranger to West Wickham and so got straight on with the business of judging the Society’s work. Gerald started by saying he was going to be tough in his marking but as it turned out, perhaps not that tough with a lowest mark of 6.5 being given only once. It is a pleasure to watch Gerald judging. His comments are concise and to the point whilst at the same time not being over critical. Often his comments amounted to a mini master class on how to compose and present a print. The colour prints went first with 28 entries of which Gerald held back seven. After tea the twenty mono chrome prints were judged with six held back. The results were :

Colour Prints

Place	Title	Author
1st	Tides Out	Tony Deller
2nd	The Gathering Storm	Tony Deller
3rd	Rydal Stream	Alec Mahood
4th	It’s That Hut Again	Tony Deller
H.M.	Evey	John Hill
H.M.	Gerbera	John Hill

Monochrome Prints

Place	Title	Author
1st	Friends	John Hill
2nd	Art	John Hill
3rd	The End of The Pier	Tony Deller
4th	Only a Tenor	Martin Ridout
H.M.	Steam Train	Tony Deller
H.M.	Cascade	Alec Mahood

30th March
PAGB Recorded Lecture ‘Lakes and Dales’ by Irene Froy FRPS, EFIAP, Hon PAGB.

This slide show consisted of around two hundred of Irene Froy’s pictures taken in some of the more wild parts of the UK. The show was accompanied by the recorded voice of Irene telling us what the pictures were about and some of the story behind their taking. We are told the photographer prefers to travel to these places in the ‘off season’ thus most of the shots were of Autumnal and Winter scenes. Our tour started in the Lake District with many autumnal shots. Irene likes to shoot against the light and, to keep burnt out skies from appearing in shot, she avoids including the sky in frame. After the lakes we moved on to the Peak District, followed by Scotland and the popular valleys such as Glen Coe. Some shots are repeated with a different treatment and Irene explains her thinking and preferences. Much in evidence is the Defroyser Filter, a soft focus filter made from Anti Newton Glass that she claims to have invented. After Scotland we come south and end our tour in Yorkshire. A lot of information and tips accompanied by some superb photography.