2020 / 21 MCPF Travelling Portfolio

2020 / 21 MCPF Travelling Portfolio

by | Oct 29, 2020

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

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

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

by | Oct 22, 2020

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

2020 / 21 POTY 1 Open

2020 / 21 POTY 1 Open

by | Oct 15, 2020

  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

 

 

2020 / 21 Secretaries Challenge

2020 / 21 Secretaries Challenge

by | Oct 7, 2020

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
2020 21 Zoom Presentation Julian Elliott

2020 21 Zoom Presentation Julian Elliott

by | Oct 2, 2020

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/

 

 

2020 / 21 Zoom Presentation by Lee Sutton

2020 / 21 Zoom Presentation by Lee Sutton

by | Sep 24, 2020

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