Summary of club activities during the 2019-20 season
1 June -
Even though a number of last season's competitions were curtailed we did hold this one with the images sent as PDIs and judged remotely.
Congratulations to Swales Parry for his winning entry - Just walking in the rain.
The award winning photos are shown below.
All subsequent club meetings in our 2019-20 programme were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
12 March - Graham Johnston critiqued the 4th PDI and Mono Print competitions, where the Set Subject was “Chocolate Box”. For the Mono Prints section in particular, the subject was problematical for both members and judge as monochrome images are very seldom regarded as chocolate box images - country cottages definitely found the most favour! Despite the difficulty the judge awarded four 10s in the mono section and four in the PDI section.
5 March - The presentation by leading photographer Eddie Hyde ARPS on ‘Motion Capture’ demonstrated, with images, the differences which may be achieved when using various shutter speeds and ISO settings including the use of Auto ISO. Subjects covered were: cars, bikes, planes, trains, people, animals, birds in flight, water, night, astro and ICM. He gave us much food for thought when choosing the camera controls.
The following images, copyright of Eddie Hyde and reproduced with permission, are a small sample of the type of photography shown during his presentation.
3 March - Cranleigh won the three-way competition against Haslemere and Midhurst. The final result was:
| Club | Total points |
|---|---|
| Cranleigh | 181 |
| Midhurst | 169 |
| Haslemere | 152 |
27 February - After entries were handed in for the annual CCC Exhibition, Chris Flood took us through the trials and tribulations of his journey to gain his ARPS. Chris is a very determined man and finally achieved his objective last year with a great panel of portraits of characters out on the street. He has developed his post camera processing abilities to a fine art and is a skilled practitioner in the making of digital prints. We are grateful to Chris for showing us how he achieved ARPS success
20 February - Our 4th Colour Print competition was judged by Gerald Kityakara LRPS and included the Chocolate Box Set Subject. It was interesting to see each member’s approach and Gerald did no find it easy to judge. Some were certainly more favourable as ‘chocolate box’ images than others. However, he still managed to award a 10 to three images in the set subject section and one in the open section.
13 February - A homespun evening when members presented themed panels for possible entry into the Annual Exhibition. There was a wide choice of subjects with help and advice offered when requested. A lot of work goes into the production of a panel and the evening was planned to provide an opportunity for all members to enjoy them, especially those unable to attend the Exhibition.
6 February - Planefocus by Geoffrey Lee. A fantastic presentation of aerial photography that gave a detailed insight into his working life and was supported by many images. Geoffrey also included some video clips to enable us to understand the need for all the training and tests he has to undergo to fly in so many types of aircraft, including ejecting in case of need and survival if ditching into the sea. He gave so much information, from planning sorties, briefing all involved, checking kit, working in cramped conditions often under G pressure and interacting with the crew.
Fast responses are essential when taking photographs of military aircraft performing both formation flying patterns and the releasing of various weapons but at the same time pictorial aspects must always be considered. A high technical appreciation of requirements is vital to success and air safety. His images, taken during many assignments in numerous countries, are used in a multitude of ways and he has built up a vast library over his working life of many types of aircraft. In all a very memorable evening.
The following images, copyright of Geoffrey Lee and reproduced with permission, are a sample of the type of photography we saw during his presentation.
30 January - Simon Van-Orden AFIAP judged the 3rd round Monochrome prints and PDI competitions. He gave a comprehensive critique on 32 PDIs and 33 mono prints and, in accordance with SPA guidelines, awarded a full range of marks including several 10s.
23 January - Our friendly competition with Ludshott CC was close-run in the first half with Cranleigh winning by one point. We gave way to Ludshott over the Nature section in the second half which they won withsome truly excellent images. The judge, Ken Scott, gave an excellent critique, spreading the marks with a very keen eye. Well done to Angela Karney, Mike Harrison and Chris Flood scoring 9.5, 9.5 and 10 respectively in the Open section and to Peter Jillians and John Warbrick each scoring 9.5 in the Nature half of the competition.
17 January - There was a good turnout for the street photography outing to London led by Bev Pegram. After alighting the tube at Blackfriars, we crossed the Millenium Bridge and made our way to the 10th floor observation area of the Tate Modern on the South Bank. It was a good time to capture the cityscape as dusk was approaching. For additional inspiration we saw a small exhibition of night photos taken in Tokyo by the Japanese photographer Naoya Hatakeyama. We crossed over the river via Southwark Bridge, past Cannon Street station and into the City, finishing near the Lloyds building to take night time photographs of a cluster of major iconic modern buildings.
16 January - Steve Kingswell ARPS, (a member of the SPA Judges sub-committee) judged our third open Colour Print competition. A trainee judge from Godalming also attended as an observer. Steve gave a comprehensive critique on all the images. As several members produced mainly nature images, at the Club’s request, the judge critiqued these in accordance with nature image guidelines and not as open competition subjects. His marks were widespread including four 10s and several 9s and 9.5s.
9 January - The first meeting of the new year was a critique and workshop. Members brought along up to 3 PDIs and/or prints for critique by other members in a non-competitive atmosphere.
12 December - We had a most enjoyable Christmas party with 35 members and partners. Following the mulled wine or soft drink served on arrival Mike and Christine Harrison came up trumps with another delicious three-course meal. John Warbrick provided the quiz designed to test our brain cells and, with the help of a number of members, it all contributed to making the evening go with a swing and one to remember. In keeping with tradition it was announced that the Chairman’s Challenge for the forthcoming months is 3 images on Inclement weather.
5 December - A workshop where members brought along up to 3 PDIs and prints for critique by other members in a non-competitive atmosphere and also saw their images either projected or displayed under easel lighting as they would be on a competition evening.
28 November - Tony Baverstock gave an interesting insight into how he achieved his Associate of the Royal Photographic Society accreditation last June and his work in progress towards a Fellowship panel. For his Associateship he photographed a clear, crushed, one litre plastic green bottle ninety-seven times from which, with the aid and advice of an RPS Advisory Group connected with Chichester CC, fifteen were chosen. The final panel of square, abstract, monochrome prints, arranged in three rows of five, was carefully balanced to achieve a strong overall effect.
23 November - The SPA ICC Print competition was held at East Horsley, with both Open and Nature sections. Cranleigh gained reasonable marks but they were not as good as those from other clubs. However, our Chairman was advised we were the strongest club in terms of supporting all the competition criteria. You can view Cranleigh’s entries at: SPA ICC Prints - club entries Nov 2019
21 November - Darren Pullman judged our second Monochrome Print and PDI competitions, including the Set Subject Stone. He said all the photos in the set subject section complied with the set criteria but he awarded the marks out of ten based on how well he considered the picture clearly showed stone as the definitive subject and not simply as incidental. He awarded a score of ten to one image in the monochrome open section and two in the set subject section. In the PDI competition three images scored ten in the open section and one in the set subject section.
16 November - The sun shone for much of the time during the outing to Thursley Common and while it was too late in the year for dragonflies there was plenty of autumn colour and some splendid reflections to shoot.
14 November - A workshop for members to bring along PDIs and prints for critique and improvement suggestions. It was a useful evening when images and approaches to image-making could be tried out in a non-competitive atmosphere and also an opportunity to see those images either projected or displayed under easel lighting as they would be on a competition evening. One member requested help with his experiments in getting water droplets of a sufficient size and sharpness on several branches of a twig which had been giving a depth of field problem. Another member had experimented with taking still shots from the television but the resulting images were deemed by members to be plagiarism..
7 November - During the first half of the meeting members shared some of their images taken during the last season’s outings. The outings are not only an opportunity to take photographs in various locations but are also very sociable and a chance to exchange photographic knowledge.
After the tea break, members showed a keen interest in a recently unearthed set of old prints by Dave Brooker. It was nice to see the quality gloss achieved using Cibachrome material and there were many comments on the use of coloured mounts rather than the conventional black or white in greater use today.
31 October - David Smith, SPA Chairman, gave the Club a fascinating illustrated talk on The Great Silk Road of Today. Photographs taken on several trips along the route gave an insight into an area not often visited by westerners and showed the differences in culture, landscape and people who live in a world very different to ours. Architecture, both ancient and modern and overwhelmingly beautiful in many instances, featured prominently.
26 October - Our hastily re-scheduled outing to the Weald and Downland Museum was blessed with fine, warm, sunny weather after the downpours of the previous day. There was so much to see there: old buildings from former times, equipment and crafts practised in days gone by, and some of us watched a horse-drawn ploughing demonstration. The images below give a small flavour of the visit:
24 October - Paul Graber ARPS had a very busy evening critiquing our first PDI and mono prints open competitions. He had the onerous task of judging 34 PDIs and 40 monochrome prints and explaining the reasons behind the marks he awarded. Anne Ingram, Swales Parry and John Warbrick scored 10 for their mono images as did Peter Jillians, Swales Parry and Pete Baldry for their PDIs. Congratulations to all.
17 October - At the first meeting in September the chairman challenged members to bring along three images depicting street photography. Members brought along a good variety including picturesque narrow streets, portraits and places - quite a worldwide selection! This type of evening does rely on sufficient members bringing images to share and is intended to encourage everyone to take photographs in a genre perhaps unfamiliar to them so members can learn from one another.
10 October - At our 1st colour print competition, David Mendus gave a reasoned and comprehensive critique of the forty-four prints entered. It was pleasing that he felt our standard was as high as any of the other clubs in the SPA. Congratulations to Ann Smith, Peter Jillians, Norman Price and Adam Young for their images which all scored 10.
3 October - Members brought along PDIs and prints to a workshop during which other members put forward suggestions for improving them. It was a useful evening when images and approaches to image-making could be tried out in a non-competitive atmosphere and also an opportunity to see those images either projected or under the easel lighting as they would be on a competition evening. Comparing the brightness level of an image at home to when it is subjected to the club lighting can make a difference to the end result.
26 September - Members brought along three images of the subject they most enjoy photographing. It was delightful to see so many images and what a wide range they covered! With all the advice given, we hope you agree it was a really worthwhile evening.
19 September - The new club season began with an informal evening and it was good to welcome back two previous members and to greet some newcomers as well. The Chairman gave a résumé of the 2019/20 programme highlights and announced the new club challenge: Street Photography (see club announcements in the Latest News column on this page). Phil Copestick gave an interesting demonstration of Affinity Photo software, an alternative programme to Photoshop and much cheaper. Finally, there was plenty of discussion on a selection of photos taken by many members during the summer break.