CREATIVE IMAGE

What a diversity of images, it only goes to show that when we put our thinking caps on what we come up with. Both during and post capture. Some people's Photoshop skills are amazing. 

Not sure how the photographer got the flash gun under the Swan's backside, I have heard of Swan Upping but that was ridiculous, not sure how many volts were sent up the Gorilla's to create that image. But I have reported it to the R.S.P.C.A. They are looking into it. Not a pleasant thing to have to do.

Has Dennis got himself a new hobby? as a hairdresser Only I noticed on Tuesday that he was"doing" Sylvia's hair as he was putting on the mike prior to her commentating on the pictures, either that or was he checking for head louse under the new health & safety guidelines for using head mikes. I'm happy to report that he did not find any.

Did you see the pictures taken of Pluto? I was surprised that when they said on the news that they had received images back from the spacecraft but would not be available straightaway, then realised that the spacecraft was sent up before the digital era and that they would have sent up a film camera and they were waiting for the prints to come back from the chemists. Luckily there were no naked aliens walking about or the head of NASA would have had to explain himself to the authorities.  

My pictures from Pluto ready yet?

JULY DIGITAL IMAGES WINNERS

CREATIVE IMAGES

ADVANCED

1st Milk Drop Mushrooms

by Stephen Deer

2nd Smashing Water

by Andy Taylor LRPS

3rd Trooping Out

INTERMEDIATE

1st A Square Meal

by Paul Vine

2nd Homer Simpson Meets Cerne Abbas

by David Lund

3rd Sri Lankan Hut in The Style of Dungeness

by Richard Saville

H.C. Reflecting St. Paul's

by Paul Vine 

PRELIMINARY

1st Tithe Barn, Upminster

by John Purvis

2nd The Pope's View

by Andy Brett

3rd Do Not Disturb

by Andy Brett

H.C. Table Tennis Net, Upminster Park

by John Purvis

H.C. Tack Turmoil

by Sharon Brown

Evening Stroll

The weather was kind on Saturday evening when 11 members took an evening stroll around the Thames Basin on a club outing photo-walk.

Warm temperatures with some stormy clouds and half of a sunset were great conditions for some good photography.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the results in the "Outings Competition" in January.

BIJOU TROPHY

After last weeks rant about titles it was good to see that the print titles were either one or two words long. Now I have got to learn to spell Giraffe and Mandrill.

The more serious part of the competition is the Projected Digital Images it was interesting to see that the titles did not contain full Latin names. I seem to recall a judge a few years ago deducting marks if the image did not contain the Latin names of the subject. Still he did not have to pronounce of write them down. 

Our judge made a sexist comment that did not seem to get picked up on. When he said "slow birds are easy". This would have been o/k had he not been judging a picture of a Tiger at the time. 

He wanted to see the eyes and ears of the big cats showing their attention to the photographer. That is all well and good as long as there is a fence or a distance of several hundred metres between you and the animal.

I did not realise that Dave & Dick were Tick Tack men. At one point I thought Dave was giving one particularly poor image odds of 100 to 1 to get 16 points, and Dick signaled back he was giving 150 to 1. Then it all made sense as Dick announced that tea was ready. 

   

Who are you calling easy?

BIJOU TROPHY & ANIMALS & FLOWERS COMPETITION

BIJOU TROPHY

1st Andy Taylor LRPS

 Having Fun

Just About to Feed

The Rain Has Gone

2nd Reg Mellis

Hoopoe Feeding Mate

Red Throated Bee Eater Pair

Spur Winged Plover

3rd Mick Ladner

Bittern Over The Mere

Red Kite in Flight

Swallow Tail on Dames Violet

NORMAN BONHAM TROPHY

Crow & Stag Beetle

by David Lund

ANIMALS & FLOWERS (PRINTS)

1st Andy Laing 

Clematis

Cyclamen

Fishing Cat

2nd Mandy Deer

Ants

Wallaby

Wood Nymph

3rd Stephen Deer

Giraffe

Mandrill Monkey

Tiger

WINNING PRINT FOR PRINT JULY MONTHLY 

PRELIMINARY

1st A Country Life

by Derek Holloway

 2nd A Country Pub
by Derek Holloway

=3rd Do You Mean That

by Derek Holloway

=3rd New Zealand Splendour

by Sharon Brown

INTERMEDIATE

1st The Outcast

by Colin Smith

2nd Gibraltar

By Len Adshead

3rd Reflections

by Len Adshead

H.C. Cash Point

by Len Adshead

H.C. Evening Angler

by Len Adshead

ADVANCED

1st Magnificent 50ft Wave in Cornwall

by Annie Moring

2nd Waiting 

by Stephen Deer

3rd Dandelion

by Andy Taylor

H.C. Great Balance 

by Annie Moring

JULY MONTHLY PRINT

At last the message seems to be getting through about long titles. This month we had, The Outcast, Gibraltar and Reflections. This makes it easier to write out the stickers, my writing is bad at the best of times, so is my spelling. So, single word titles and words of one syllable make it easier for Dave to read out.
Of course there is an exception and that is Latin names, keep it simple, I know Taraxacum officinale  is only two words, but Dandelion is only one and is easier to pronounce. Also Gaelic words Buachaille Etive Mor is all well and good but "Big Hill" will do. Although the trasnslation is just as bad "The Great Heardsman of Etive". It is easier to say though. Otherwise we will have to ban all images from Scotland and Ireland.

Some people are still not getting it. "Magnificent 50ft Wave in Cornwall", not the worst we have had recently. (There was one about a view from a train, that had a Scottish name in it although it was not in Gaelic). "Stormy Sea" would have been sufficient, "Effing Big Wave"

Perambulating With A Canine or Dog Walking

   

A Journey into Textural Photography by Pauline Fowler

Upminster had a real treat on Tuesday when our visiting lecturer was Pauline Fowler to give her presentation "A Journey into Textural Photography"

Pauline is a prosthetic sculpture and artist who produces make-up and models for many film and tv shows.

Following a brief introduction into her interesting job "with some images of the models and dead bodies that she has produced" she launched into a seemingly non stop flow of stunning images of birds, animals and people all with her perfected style of using her own created textures as overlays and backgrounds.
Her enthusiasm and infectious laugh kept the audience captivated for the whole evening and she was only too willing to share her techniques of creating images and textures "although she did keep some secrets"

Tuesday evening was the first time that I can remember that the members were approaching me half way through the tea break asking to get started again....!
Pauline took up photography just five years ago.....! But you would never believe that by looking at her photographs.

Many Thanks again to Pauline for a very entertaining and informative evening and allowing us to use some of her pictures here.

Dave Wilcox