Join local professional photographer Jon Ratcliffe as he shares some of his unseen pictures of Swindon’s recently demolished buildings and new developments. From hidden cellars to lost tunnels and rarely-seen rooftop views, see familiar parts of the town in a new light.

This additional meeting had been arranged specifically to share knowledge and experiences in printing images and their subsequent mounting in readiness for competition submissions. Firstly some potential print suppliers were explored to compare offerings and ease of online ordering. Prices ranged enormously between local print shops to the large online print houses which typically charge around 80p for an A4 print and £1.20 for A3 size.

We then turned our attention to methods of mounting prints for display purposes. Surface mounting the print to a backing board using a spray adhesive is one process that can be used which does require some dexterity in placing the print in exactly the correct position but using a repositional adhesive enables some adjustments to be made. The most popular route in camera clubs tends to be attaching the print to a window mat and securing it with tape. Additionally a backing board can also be used to provide additional rigidity and robustness. Window mats are cut from mat board materials and can be either bought ready made or made yourself using a mat cutter and a great deal of care. Paddy demonstrated how to cut a window mat, attach the print on one edge and then finish by adding a backing board. He also showed various images printed on different photographic papers to demonstrate the effects which can be achieved and also different coloured window mat and backing board materials.

Hopefully the information exchanged and the practical demonstrations will have given people more confidence in producing their own prints and either doing their own mounting or outsourcing. The deadline for print entries for the Annual Competition is May 24th with up to 3 prints allowed in each category of Action; Open and Portrait.

Members were treated to a full evening of audio-visual presentations which had been entered into last year’s Western Counties Photographic Federation Competition. In total 38 AVs had been entered across 3 main categories: Short; Long and Photoharmony.  Short related to presentations that were less than 4 minutes in length; Long included presentations exceeding 4 minutes and a Photoharmony section enabled participants to demonstrate their skills in marrying images through appropriate transitions and strong harmonisation with the sound track. We started viewing some of the unplaced entries before moving to each category and watching the presentations in reverse order. Being able to see the judge’s comments gave further insight into the main characteristics of each presentation and how they were interpreted.

As always the subject matter was diverse ranging from social documentaries covering the covid lockdown experience to vibrant street photography, still life images, unusual connections and exploration of places both in the south west and far further afield. One can only marvel at the skill, patience and creativity that had been used to achieve the final results.