We started the New Year with a Members Evening which was mainly dedicated to using one of those bits of kit that sits dormant in peoples camera bags for long period of time….the flashgun……or speedlight as It is referred to nowadays.

A short presentation was given at the start of the meeting on the basics of how to use flash and ways to create diffused lighting depending on the subject matter. This was followed by a practical demonstration of using a single flash unit through to using slave units driven from a master, which opened up many more creative lighting possibilities. Members were then encouraged to experiment with their flash settings and a check list provided to minimise the inevitable oversights that can occur when a piece of equipment is not regularly used.

Hopefully those of us who have shied away from using flash due to the perceived complexities will now feel more confident and able to continue experimenting and capturing images in lighting situations which would otherwise have proved difficult to work with.

Earlier in the season, members had randomly picked three letters of the alphabet and were challenged to find and photograph three images representing each letter, whilst obeying the general rules associated with alphabet photography.

The fruits of their labours were assembled into a slideshow and played back on the evening..Not surprisingly, some letters proved easier to represent than others and a range of both straightforward interpretations and also far more creative compositions were evident. A logical extension of the project is for each person to now photograph the remaining alphabet letters and make collages. Several examples were shown which could themselves have a common theme. A short alphabet rap audio-visual from a past WCPF av competition brought the exercise to a close.

After the break some general sources of photography information were explored, with many providing free downloadable information covering a diverse range of topics. The evening concluded with a look at how to measure shutter count and a short video demonstrating some AI software which could greatly simplify the task of organising images and making searches much easier.

Colin Harrison stimulated our imagination as we enjoyed his presentation on Creative Flower Photography. With a simple “studio” set up in his garden and a variety of flowers nearby to select from, Colin showed us how he prepared, photographed and processed his flower images.

Simplicity was the key to many of the approaches and techniques used by Colin who fashioned his own flashgun arrangment, lighting options and a camera support which avoided using a tripod. He had also experimented with a wide range of software programmes for processing his images and thereby gained the relevant experience to comment on the pros and cons of each.

The end results were truly magical as he took us into the world of fine art using a plethora of creative techniques and his boundless imagination. Having provided comprehensive support documentation on many of the techniques he uses, it’s fair to say that Colin has encouraged us all to be more adventurous in our flower photography.

This rearranged activity was a Zoom presentation entitled “Sliding into Digital” by Leo Rich. Leo has been an active, amatuer photographer for over 50 years and therefore seen many changes in the way photography has evolved over that period, with the advent of digital photograohy being one of the major changes.

Leo started his talk with a series of slide images that had been digitised before crossing the rubicon and showing the first images he took with a digital camera of Salisbury Cathedral. It’s fair to say he was less than impressed with the results but gradually became more accustomed to the new technology and the way it worked.

Thereafter he shared a wide range of images including wildlife and portraits of people he had met on his travels. Having fallen in love with India after a holiday there, he subsequently organised five trips with a bunch of like-minded photographers to share his love of the culture and people. His images each had a story behind them and he seemed to develop an instant rapport with everyone he met and photographed. His final selection of images featured some magnificent Bengal tigers in all their glory from sleeping, hunting and the occasional charging the jeep from which he operated.

Whilst he is no longer able to travel long haul, Leo remains a great ambassador for India and the Water Aid charity that he supports.

Our third round of competitions contributing points towards the Mayor’s Cups featured Open and Still Life images as both prints and digital projected images and was judged by Lee Spencer-Fleet from Bristol.

A smaller than usual number of prints were submitted and the winning Open print was “Blue tits in flight” by Dave Garmont and the winning Still Life print was “Cameras” by Nigel Walkley.

The projected image competitions attracted many more entries and Rob Slade won the Open section with “Brothers and Sisters” whilst the Still Life section was won by Melanie Dartnall-Smith with “Macabre side of the glass”.

Several Still Life images featured fruit items which had been photographed at a previous practical evening. The judge gave several ideas and suggestions on how to make such images more impactful through incorporating other elements into the image and creating more depth in the displays.

Our second presentation of the new year was made by Steve Myall who actively participates in the Flickr “100 Strangers” project. This involves taking pictures of complete strangers and finding out some of their background information, in essence it is street photography but with permission.

Steve started by giving many examples of locations where people who were willing to be photographed could be found including comic con events, carnivals, costumed tour guides etc. The project requires a short write up of each encounter and the techniques used. Having identified suitable backgrounds and people Steve makes his approach, explains the project and in most cases obtains consent to take photographs. He often moves the subject to a background of his choosing and his eye for colour matching or seeking contrasting colour environments was evident in his work.

There is scope within the project for sub-projects such as men with beards, hat wearers and his favourite group of all – people with colourful hair styles. Having grown in confidence and refining his camera techniques, Steve is now into his fourth set of centenary images and relishes the challenges and surprises that he encounters.