We were treated to an inspiring and thought provoking talk by Susan Clark from Conwy Camera Club who shared her knowledge and experiences on the topic of “Composition – Rules and Myths”. 

Sue had extensively researched the way in which composition contributes to the impact and visual appeal of an image with some of the so-called rules dating back to ancient times. The Fibonacci rule of numbers was discovered in the 12th century and shows up in nature, human anatomy, structural designs, the shape of spirals etc.  The Golden Ratio is also a mathematical concept that can be seen in landscapes like the Pyramids of Giza through to modern day designs of corporate logos.

Lots of compositional techniques ranging from use of colour, textures, shapes (especially triangles), leading lines, cropping, rule of thirds, flipping images and others were illustrated with myriad examples from the world of art, television, film and photography. The psychology of viewing an image and deriving emotion and aesthetic pleasure during the process can be strongly influenced by the subconscious effect of many of these techniques which permeate our daily lives.

It’s fair to say that we will all look through our camera viewfinder with a refreshed and more educated viewpoint.

Our first photowalk during the summer recess was at Lechlade-on-Thames and attracted a good level of participation. We congregated at The Riverside Inn and then wandered along the Thames path as far as St John’s lock before turning back. Several narrow boats were moored alongside the river, providing a colourful spectacle as well as some insight into life on the river and the creature comforts that could be included.

Whilst the weather remained dry, the overcast sky meant that the light was flat and the iconic shots of St Lawrence church spire with the river in the foreground would have benefited greatly from some direct lighting. Some swans “posed” to have their picture taken but retreated when no food was in store for them and near the end of the walk we encountered a large number of Canadian geese along with their goslings. A few military aircraft flew by, presumably en-route to Brize Norton, and included the Atlas replacement for the much loved Hercules transport aircraft.

After a lengthy walk we returned to our parked cars and took the opportunity for some refreshments in The Riverside Inn before departing.

Our Members Evening was well attended and included a number of contributions from the audience. Firstly Nigel Walkley shared some of his excellent bird in flight and insect images and explained the equipment used and the techniques employed to capture the images. A long focal length lens being a prerequisite for the bird images in combination with a lot of patience and prior knowledge of the subjects behavioural traits. This was followed by Dave Garmont who showed a host of images that charted his photographic journey and the cameras and lenses that helped him along the way. Lots of experimentation and practice helped develop the many skills required to capture his pleasing selection of ice hockey, dualling birds as well as motorcycle racing.

After the interval Peter Hodgson shared some images taken from a recent visit to Iceland and the evening was rounded off by Paddy Bohan who brought along some prints that were passed around for the audience to inspect. It was satisfying to see a good attendance, a couple of new faces at the Club and some lively conversations during the refreshment interval.

This is an open evening at which members have the opportunity to show some of their work and generally discuss photography issues. If time permits we can also critique some images that were submitted for external competitions but never made the cut. It is also the deadline for submissions for the Annual Competition for prints and projected images for which various trophies are awarded.

New members are warmly welcomed to come along and learn more about the Club and our activities. We meet in the Angel Hotel ballroom (1st floor), 47 High St, RWB at 7.30 pm with free car parking on the High Street and in Sainsburys car park behind the hotel.