News – Page 13 – Earl Shilton Camera Club

Category: News

12/11/2020

2020 Cedars Challenge

L:ast night saw our annual Cedar’s Challenge which is a competition between Hinckley & District P S, Broughton Astley P S, Lutterworth Coop P S and ourselves. It was held on Zoom for obvious reasons but there was good representation from all clubs with 55+ participants. Each club entered twelve images that were judged by Dave Tucker EFIAP/G, DPAGB, CPAGB, BPE3* who gave some very insightful comments and in the majority of cases had to be quite hard on the judging purely because there wasn’t much wrong with many of the images. The results were

Club	Clubs Image	Author	Image	Title	BAPS	ESCC	HDPS	LPSC
			0
BAPS	1	Steve Burgess	1	Gloucester cathedral	17
ESCC	1	Peter Lawrance	2	Battling On		16
HDPS	1	David G	3	And in the End			18
LPSC	1	Alan Shean	4	Bird Watching				15
BAPS	2	Karen Collison	5	Portrait of a Spanish Horse	20
ESCC	2	James Botterill	6	Crow Point		19
HDPS	2	R Jacques	7	Curvy Stairs			15
LPSC	2	Michael Vernon	8	Body Sculpture				16
BAPS	3	Steve Burgess	9	Dark Hedges in Ireland	16
ESCC	3	Steve Bexon	10	Electric Power		17
HDPS	3	Chris D	11	Got Air			16
LPSC	3	Rawdon Bottom	12	Dirt Riders				17
BAPS	4	Polly Hall	13	The Night Feed	17
ESCC	4	Debbie Lowe	14	Fun In The Township		16
HDPS	4	R Jacques	15	Haw Frost			20
LPSC	4	Jill Frankham	16	Emperor Dragonfly				18
BAPS	5	Karen Collison	17	Dog Tired	17
ESCC	5	Ian Waite	18	Harvest Mouse		18
HDPS	5	Martyn Fisher	19	Mountain Hut			17
LPSC	5	Paul Wiles	20	Hornet Profile				19
BAPS	6	Andy Pearson	21	In The Groove	14
ESCC	6	Phil Mallin	22	Maruia Falls		17
HDPS	6	David G	23	Old Man			15
LPSC	6	Louise Beech	24	Hunting Kestrel				17
BAPS	7	Andy Pearson	25	Dinner!	16
ESCC	7	James Botterill	26	Mill Rock Moon		19
HDPS	7	G Holt	27	Ryde Pier			17
LPSC	7	Dave Hunter	28	Juvenile Goldcrest				18
BAPS	8	Rich Pedley	29	Gone Fishing	17
ESCC	8	Steve Bexon	30	Nightime On Tower Bridge		17
HDPS	8	Ray D	31	Shambles at Night			16
LPSC	8	Ian Achison	32	Lone Swimmer				15
BAPS	9	Polly Hall	33	and Relax	17
ESCC	9	Graham Townsend	34	Powder Puff		16
HDPS	9	Ray D	35	Sywell Hangar			15
LPSC	9	John Haddon	36	Small Heath on grass stem				19
BAPS	10	Rich Pedley	37	Can’t Get me Here	16
ESCC	10	Julie Holbeche-Maund	38	Saltwick Wreck		19
HDPS	10	A Holt	39	The Embrace			14
LPSC	10	Andy Gordon	40	Swan Reflections				17
BAPS	11	Alan Rowe	41	Sunrise in Norway	16
ESCC	11	Isobel Chesterman	42	Tides Out		17
HDPS	11	John S	43	The Need For Speed			17
LPSC	11	Peter Sands	44	Winter Sunrise				17
BAPS	12	John Palmer	45	Woman on a Beach	16
ESCC	12	Julie Holbeche-Maund	46	Wanaka in the Breeze		19
HDPS	12	G Holt	47	Vintage Racer			16
LPSC	12	Trudy Haddon	48	Winters Day				20

				Totals	199	210	196	208

With Earl Shilton just managing to hold on to the Trophy with a very narrow win over Lutterworth.

Special mention should go to

Karen Collison from Broughton Astley for her image “Portrait of a Spanish Horse”,

Trudy Haddon from Lutterworth for her image “Winters Day”

and R Jacques from Hinckley and District for their image “Haw Frost”

All 3 scored the top mark of 20

05/11/2020

2020 / 21 Lightroom Live with Joe Houghton

Last night we had a very informative live interactive Zoom demonstration of how to use Lightroom from Joe Houghton of Dublin where he showed us numerous features of lightroom and demonstrated how to use them on members images including some that were only released last week.

29/10/2020

2020 / 21 MCPF Travelling Portfolio

Last night we viewed the print section of the MCPF Travelling Portfolio which because the Photofolio 2020 Exhibition had to be cancelled included all the accepted images.

It was good to see so many of the clubs prints with 15 accepted which must be the best performance of the Club at this event.

Alan Wardropper

“Flower girl” scored 12 and was accepted

“Searching” scored 12 and was accepted

“Hungry” scored 12 and was accepted

Peter Lawrance

“Towards Tower Bridge” scored 12 and was accepted

“Battling on” scored 12 and was accepted

Graham Townsend

“Flamingo” scored 12 and was accepted

Isobel Chesterman

“Doggy Paddle” scored 12 and was accepted

“Salad Days” scored 12 and was accepted

“Sandhole Oak Barn View” scored 12 and was accepted

“Somewhere over the Rainbow” scored 12 and was accepted

“Sweet Peas” scored 12 and was accepted

Julie Holbeche-Maund

“Saltwick Nab” scored 12 and was accepted

“Still Life-Pheasant” scored 12 and was accepted

And the highlights included

“Normanton Church” by Isobel Chesterman scored 13 and was Highly Commended

and the Best Colour Landscape image “Rydal Mist” by Julie Holbeche-Maund scored 15 and was awarded a Midphot Golden Jubilee Trophy

22/10/2020

2020 / 21 Zoom Speaker Mike Martin AFIAP AWPF “It’s Not what You See, It’s What You Make”

Last night saw a change to the planned programme owing to the use of Zoom and doing the POTY round on line we found we didnt need the Image Review evening so arranged for another speaker, This time we had a presentation Mike Martin AFIAP AWPF from Bristol entitled “It’s Not what You See, It’s What You Make”

It was in summary a resume of his photographic career but with emphasis on his image making in particular his composite model images. He showed various examples where he included the before and after and a brief description of how he merged them and ensured that the colours were balanced. He also discussed how he set about creating his panel for his AWPR including talking about why he selected certain images and why he presented them in the layout he choose.

It was a excellent presentation and I’m sure the practical examples and insight into how to create a panel will have given at least some of the members lot of ideas and inspiration from it.

To see more of Mikes work visit his web site https://www.mikemartinphotography.co.uk/ or for his worked example https://www.crowdcast.io/e/photo-chat-episode-19/register?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=profile_web&utm_campaign=profile

15/10/2020

2020 / 21 POTY 1 Open Table of Results

	Competition:	Open
	Date:	14/10/20
No	Title	Author	Rank	Avge
24	Nightime On Tower Bridge	Steve Bexon	1	23.96
48	Wanaka In The Breeze	Julie Holbeche-Maund	2	23.74
17	Maruia Falls	Phil Mallin	3	23.70
7	Crow Point	James Botterill	4	23.13
10	Floral Fantasy	Julie Holbeche-Maund	5	22.39
20	Mother Cap	James Botterill	6	21.96
40	Sunrise Over Castleton	Trish Rudin	7	21.74
29	Riding Into The Sunset	Peter Lawrance	8	21.65
37	St. Benet’S Abbey	Isobel Chesterman	8	21.65
27	Powder Puff	Graham Townsend	10	21.57
45	The Black Hat	Phil Mallin	11	21.39
13	Harvest Mouse	Ian Waite	12	21.30
38	Star Trails Over Dunstanburgh	Steve Bexon	13	21.26
21	Mount Cook	Chantal Cooper	14	21.17
43	Sweeps Lunch	Al Simms	15	21.04
32	Seeking Inspiration	Alan Wardropper	16	20.87
49	West Wheal Owles	Gary Wood	17	20.78
39	Stargazer Lily	Margaret Waterson	18	20.74
41	Sunset Priests Cove	Gary Wood	19	20.43
9	Fairy Steps	Alan Wardropper	20	20.30
18	Miss Celis	Al Simms	21	20.22
2	Bathed In Light	Ken Chesterman	22	20.17
31	Say Hello To My Little Friend	Debbie Lowe	23	19.96
46	Totalnd Pier	Isobel Chesterman	24	19.61
25	Normanton Sunset	John Denny	25	19.39
4	Caribbean Storm	Roger Leck	26	19.35
8	Early Morning At The Taj Mahal	Steve Pears	27	19.22
19	Morning Crossing	Steve Pears	27	19.22
23	New York Apartment Block	Geoff Whitelocks	29	18.74
34	Somebody’S Watching You	Andy Freeman	30	18.61
42	Survival Of The Fittest	Debbie Lowe	30	18.61
12	Froth	Peter Lawrance	32	18.43
33	Short Clawed Otters	Margaret Waterson	33	17.91
35	Something Fishy	Graham Townsend	34	17.83
6	Conker Time	Ken Chesterman	35	17.61
51	Woodland Walk	Trish Rudin	36	17.48
3	Bringing Home The Catch	John Smith	37	17.04
30	Rose	Daniel Wood	38	16.88
16	Leicestronaut	Andy Freeman	39	16.87
26	On The Prowl	Ian Waite	40	16.78
11	Franz Josef	Chantal Cooper	41	16.50
47	Waiting For The Tide	Loz Waterson	42	16.17
14	Human Stand	Daniel Wood	43	16.13
1	Badia De Calp	Roger Leck	44	15.96
44	Taking Flight	John Smith	45	15.87
50	Windermere Boating Club	John Denny	46	15.78
36	Spring In Sutherland	Geoff Whitelocks	47	15.70
15	Lady In Waiting	Md Trigg	48	15.46
22	Napton Bottom Lock	Loz Waterson	49	15.35
5	Catching Some Rays	Jason Wainde	50	14.33
28	Remember	Jason Wainde	51	13.92

07/10/2020

2020 / 21 Secretaries Challenge

This week we reviewed the 2020 / 21 Secretaries Challenge images. This year the competition was themed ‘Travel’ in memory of MIke Dawe a long time member of the club who unfortunately passed away last year.

Unfortunatly due to covid-19 restrictions we had to change this normal print comp to PDI but this enabled us to send the images to the judge Bob Moore Hon.FRPS, Hon.PAGB, MPAGB, FIPF, FBIPP of Arden PS for Judging.

Click to View Gallery

Image Name		Comments	Score (out of 20)
01 Acapulco In Moonlight	Geoff Whitelocks	Quite a good attempt at a panorama image. Unfortunately,it lacks quality i.e. It’s not very sharp..	16
02 Alcantara Gorge Sicily	Peter Lawrance	An image that is difficult to appreciate the scale. I know it’s a gorge, tells me in the title, but how big I don’t know. The limited range of colours is attractive and perhaps the authors’ intension was to create an abstract image.	15

04 Awestruck	John Denny	Don’t really think the backs of people are very interesting, especially the guy with sunburn, he looks terrible. The quality is fine but I find the subject matter not inspiring.	13
05 Bellagio	Ian Waite	Reflections are always attractive. I think perhaps you could have straightened the horizon, it is definitely leaning.	14
06 Between The Clouds	Dave Varnham	Pleasant sunset/sunrise image. Probably taken on a flight. Best used in a travel talk.	13
07 Bustling Bright Brixham	Al Simms	Although nicely arranged it lacks lighting to give interest. Perhaps just concentrating on the colourful buildings would be more successful.	13
08 Canadian Pacific Railroad	Geoff Whitelocks	Good attempt and the train is well captured. Not too sure about all the trees on the right hand side	16
09 Conniston	Dave Varnham	Disappointing B&W image. Large areas of uninteresting tones i.e. the water. Needs better lighting. Out of focus foreground and over bright water do not help.	12
10 Cornwall Home Of The Wild Pastie	Gary Wood	Afraid it doesn’t work for me at all. Lacks design and depth and possibly purpose.	12
11 Covid Departure Lounge	Andy Freeman	Good quality image but best used in a series.	14
12 ‘Did You Chaps Call Uber’	Rob Jones	Another shot best used in a series of travel images. As a single shot it’s all rather complicated.	14
13 Driving On Us Route 163	Steve Bexon	Good single travel shot telling a story. Not too sure about the colour content in parts.	17
14 Early Morning La Palma	John Smith	Another pleasant sunrise. Lovely sky, especially on the right hand side. Poor quality of the building in the village though. Lacks clarity.	14
15 Final Leg Of The Journey	Steve Pears	Interesting travel shot only spoiled by contrasty shadows on the boy and the middle figure. Needs more control in post processing.	17

17 Hauganes Fishing Boat Iceland	Julie Holbeche Maund	On my monitor this is dull and the sky is overpowering. Needs a little more post processing control. However, the ingredients are there to work on. It’s growing on me.	17
18 Indian Builders Transport	Roger Leck	It’s the type of image that will fit in a talk of India. Perhaps you should have spoken to him and tried a few portraits rather than this distant shot.	16
19 Inukshuk At Mount Cook Glacier	Chantal Cooper	Good quality landscape. Pity about the cloud highlights that dominate the sky. Could consider cloning the cloud out completely.	17

21 Late Again	Steve Bexon	Sorry to say I’ve seen so many shots of this tube station recently. Good of it’s type but not original.	16
22 Lonja De Mallorca	John Smith	Beautiful archways dominate this image. Not too sure what post processing has been carried out. I certainly don’t think it improves the end product though.	15

24 Montargis	Roger Leck	Good quality. Not too sure if the square format suits the image. Harsh lighting doesn’t help.	15

26 Mount Etna	Peter Lawrance	Another panorama image and I’m afraid, not very sharp.	15
27 Port Of Burgas Bulgaria	Geoff Whitelocks	Same comments as above. Perhaps the author should ask themselves why there is a lack of quality.	15
28 Reflection	John Denny	I like the candles, the use of them gives a strong base. However, in my opinion the figure looks out of place. Perhaps a person more in keeping with the scene would have helped.	16
29 Sami Reindeer Herder	Debbie Lowe	Nice quality but rather a holiday snap type image with the main subject looking away and other elements do not help i.e. the tractor in the background.	14
30 Sand Storm	James Botterill	A good try. Unusual square image is not everyone’s choice but work well for me. Just lacks a little something to lift it out of the ordinary.	17



34 St Thomas Becket Church	Trish Rudin	A well photographed image of this attractive church. Good record shot. Just needs more input from the photographer to lift it out of the ordinary.	17
35 Stunning St Ives	Al Simms	And St Ives is stunning from this viewpoint. I’m slightly, if not very concerned, about the colours though. They seem rather over saturated and unreal. I don’t think it works.	13
36 Sunrays In Scotland	Chantal Cooper	I love the sunrays in the distance. Pity the foreground is not more interesting. Needs better post processing control to brighten up the image. And perhaps you could clone out the telegraph pole.	16
37 The Broads	Gary Wood	Nicely arranged with the windmill between the 2 boats. However, it is rather dull. Needs dramatic lighting to lift it out of the ordinary.	15
38 The Kitzsteinhorn Express	Loz Waterson	Difficult shot to comment on. It’s sharp and colourful but needs something else to make it stand out as an interesting travel shot.	16
39 The Other Albert Hall	Steve Pears	An attempt at a night shot that doesn’t quite work. The choice of colour would not be mine. Suggest the best night shops are taken just before dark when there is still some detail in the sky.	14
40 Tides Out	Trish Rudin	A disappointing shot with the dull conditions definitely against you. Landscapes really need light to give form and atmosphere.	13
41 Time Travel	Jason Wainde	Not for me I’m afraid and I don’t really get the titile. The technique of softening the focus in some parts of the image does not work.	12
42 Times Square	Ian Waite	Extreme chaos in Times Square. Puts me off wanting to go there.	16
43 View From My Window Seat	Margaret Waterson	Difficult to know what the author had in mind. Probably bored on his flight. Could use it in a series of travel images.	14
44 Viewing The Valley	Steve Bexon	I’m suspicious as it seems too good to be true. Did the guy on horseback really pose for you? Good luck if he did. Slightly over saturated colours for my tastes.	17




03 All Aboard	Rob Jones	The strong lines give impact to this story telling shot. Like the way the guard is looking towards the camera. Well controlled use of the steam above the train.	18
20 Lake Como	Ian Waite	Nicely arranged and framed image of Lake Como. Perhaps tweak the vertical wall on the left. At present it’s a bit of a irritation leaning to the right and possibly darken highlight bottom left. So easy to put right on both counts.	18
25 Morning Tide	James Botterill	Another slow shutter speed image. I do like the central arrangement something that was very much frowned upon only a few years ago. Not quite as harmonious, colourwise, as number 20.	18
31 Singapore Cloud Forest	Peter Lawrance	Interesting image which took a while to work out, Well designed and photographed.	18
33 St Clair Beach Nz	Phil Mallin	Another slow shutter speed image. It captures well the feeling of the tide washing over the groins. Perhaps a slightly closer viewpoint could have made it more dramatic.	18


16 Fun In The Township	Debbie Lowe	Now this I like. Tells a real story of travel. The two young children running in their village environment are excellent and the use of B&W is perfect for this subject matter. If the quality can take it, would like to a see an A3 print.	19
23 Moeraki Boulders Nz	Phil Mallin	Good shot, almost gave it 20. Excellent use of the slow shutter speed technique which gives movement in the water and clouds. Good quality and use of colour.	19


32 Smiling Sphinx Rock Nz	Julie Holbeche Maund	Lovely quality and colours throughout. Of it’s type, excellent. Spot on with choice of shutter speed, Well done!	20

02/10/2020

2020 21 Zoom Presentation Julian Elliott

This week we really pushed the boundaries for whats possible using Zoom with a presentation by Julian Elliott.

Julian Elliott has been a professional landscape and travel photographer for 10 years. Having started writing for a number of British UK photography magazines he started selling his work through the World renowned Getty Images. To date his work has sold in over 40 countries and he has travelled in over 30 countries capturing the world around him. It was felt he was as good as any keynote speaker we have had and that we were very privileged to have had such a talk when, without Zoom, we could not possibly have managed an eminent speaker who is located so far away based in France. Obviously his methodology of minimal post processing and making sure that the image is correct first time round is in contrast with many club photographers but his success is shown in that he is making a living at it and the hit rat he is achieving selling / renting around 1000 images a year using Getty, and that agencies such as Alamy and Shutterstock are seen as also-rans.

Close-up of a monk’s hands at Gimpil Darjaalan Khiid Monastery in Erdenedalai. Built at the end of the 18th century, Gimpil Darjaalan Khiid Monastery in Erdenedalai is one of the very few monastries not destroyed under the rule of Chorloogiin.

Julian started his talk with an introduction of who he is and his history in photography, he then proceeded to describe Mongolia From Steppe to Eagle Hunters. He did this from the aspect of the tour he leads giving a day by day break down of what could be expected during the journey from Mongolia’s capital to the Altai in the country’s far west. He interspersed this with images that showed how the journey in this vast country unfolded and how he captured the vast landscapes and the people that inhabit them, their culture and religion, the difference in said culture compared to ours, Gers, the nomadic life style. The images were very varied switching from being a landscape photographer to travel to sports and finished with a look at the Eagle Festival,

To learn more visit his website https://www.julianelliottphotography.com/

24/09/2020

2020 / 21 Zoom Presentation by Lee Sutton

Last night Earl Shilton Camera Club hosted its second Zoom meeting with a very interesting presentation by Lee Sutton.
It again let us see and meet someone who we wouldn’t have done in the physical world although we didn’t go as far as the previous week
just to Preston it was no less impressive with the images shown and you could soon tell from Lee’s talk that he is someone who is passionate about what he does.
The talk was really his life’s journey (so far) into photography from absolute beginner to after just 8 years a multi award winner.
It describes how this journey has been driven by his need to improve owing to becoming interested in competitions and shows how he has and has gone beyond just capturing the photograph into the realms of image creation and has a collection of ‘just in case’
His work is very diversified he hasn’t become a master of a single genre but is willing to try his hand at all sorts of subjects readily admitting its this diversity that has kept him interested.
Lee punctuates his talk with lots of examples of his work including showing some as originally processed and what he would do now.
He discusses how his images are influenced by both subjects and other photographs showing his attempts at trying to emulate their work but with his spin on the image.
He also discuses his work processes including usage of Photoshop and discussing various techniques he uses in both pre and post production.

At the end of the day you can tell Lee isn’t giving his time / talks for the cash reward but for his passion of the subject.

Visit his website to lean more and to see his images

16/09/2020

2020 / 21 NPS Recognition for members Work

2 members Peter Lawrance and Phil Mallin have had achieved further recognition for their work wining awards from the National Photographic Society

https://www.facebook.com/thenps/photos/pcb.3749288785098803/3749244935103188

https://www.facebook.com/thenps/photos/pcb.3749288785098803/3749257031768645

https://www.facebook.com/thenps/photos/pcb.3749288785098803/3749257085101973

10/09/2020

2019/20 ESCC AGM

Last night saw the first meeting of the 2020/21 season and the last of the 2019/20 season with the AGM. We had around 25 members in attendance some physical and some virtual.

The outgoing members of the 2019/20 Committer gave their reports

CHAIRMAN Statement 2020

Competition Secretary s report 2020

Secretarys Report 2020

Programme Secretary report 2020

ESCC Accounts 2019-2020 AUDITED Page 1_2

ESCC Accounts 2019-2020 AUDITED Page 2_2

Minutes for AGM 9th September 2020

This was followed by the presentation of the 2019/20 competition trophy’s which this year owing to restrictions was by the Club Chairman.

Secretaries Challenge: Winner ‘Ivory Flame’ by Phil Mallin

Trevor Wain UK Landscape: Winner ‘Saltwick Wreck’ – Julie Holbeche-Maund

Chairman’s Trophy award to whom statistically and after deliberation by the competition committee to who they thought was the most improve photographer this season – Steve Pears

Neville Jackson Trophy for Image of the Year: ‘Herringfleet’ – James Botterill

Wendy Jarvis Memorial Trophy for Photographer of the Year – Phil Mallin

The committee then stepped down and John Smith and Julie Holbeche-Maund both indicated that they intended not to stay on the committee for the new season although both will be remaining as active and vocal members of the club.

Paul Steans was then elected as Chairman, Steve Bexon as Vice Chairman, James Botterill as Club Secretary and Peter Lawrance as a member without portfolio. Ian Waite retained the Programme Secretary role, John Langham Treasurer, Gary Wood Competition Secretary and Daniel Wood as a member without portfolio.

After about this point I must apologise as the Zoom coverage became a bit sporadic due to internet issues and this does put a question on whether its worth meeting at the Conny Club for the next 2 weeks. With the continued Covid 19 restrictions the programme as published in the handbook is subject to change and as a result the next two meetings have been rescheduled as Zoom talks invitations to them will be sent out in due course.

16th Sept is A zoom presentation by Glyn Edmunds who is a wildlife photographer and will talk about his work with an animal conservancy project. See his Website https://glynedmunds.com/

23rd Sept A zoom presentation by Lee Sutton BPE5* DPAGB EPSA EFIAP LRPS ADPS GPU Cr3 GPU Zeus who will talk about his photographic journey after only starting eight years ago! To see examples of Lee’s work visit his web pagehttps://ldsphotography.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR0akf8LzOqLsJqcoPmLNFSzR69vi-je3mdYQqRKwKRE4pwdJh1CzKV6CAE

30th Sept will be a Review of the Secretary’s Challenge which this year has a theme of Travel as a memorial to past member Mike Dawe who passed away last year. Hopefully it will include comments and scores from Bob Moore Hon.FRPS, Hon.PAGB, MPAGB, FIPF, FBIPP from Arden PS who will judged the images at home offline

In regard to competitions all those scheduled for this year Secretary’s Challenge and POTY 1, 2 & 3 will now be electronic submission only. It’s hoped the remaining 4 rounds can be held as print round but this will be under continuous review dependent on government guidelines so keep an eye on the web site for other programme / event updated.

In regard to The Secretary’s Challenge please send me by the 16th Sept your electronic copies as Jpegs, resized nominaly 1920 x 1080 sRGB colour space with the naming format <image name>-<author name>.jpg (Please no – in image name) as per club rules see http://www.earlshiltoncameraclub.org.uk/competition-rules/ also you need to ensure you nave renewed you club membership as all competitions are only open to members.

Gary Wood

Competition Secretary

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