Upminster Camera Club: March 2015

Sunday, March 29, 2015

ANNUAL DIGITAL IMAGE COMPETITION

ADVANCED SECTION

It was back in the stalls again this week, with the promise of an early night with the judge saying that he would have a result by 9:30. and he was as good as his word.Unfortunately he was looking at the new? clock on the wall, which was an hour slow.

Almost straight away we were back with Max Bygraves and "I'm A pink Toothbrush Your A Blue Toothbrush." From light entertainment to the serious side of television when he informed us that he spent three years on Panorama. Probably investigating the great Photo Shop scandal of the "Halo Rings" on the JPS Special cars. I thought that as they were John Player cars they were smoke rings.

So that is the annual competitions over for another year, thank you to all those who have entered their images into the various competitions especially the prints. Well it keeps me off the streets.

Also thank you for returning the trophies for engraving, well actually Janet is out in the garden as I write this, feeding them into the Chiminea to melt them down for scrap, there is a lens I have seen that I would like, but no funds to pay for it.

That will look good in the Trophy Cabinet

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

ANNUAL COLOUR PRINT

WINNING IMAGES

ADVANCED

1st & Colour Print of TheYear. Seascape

by Eric Bush

2nd Gorilla

by Andy Laing

3rd Charlotte Campbell

by Dave Wilcox

Highly Commended Dawn

by Brian Clark

Highly Commended Thames Barrier

by Brian Clark

Highly Commended by Surface Tension

Andy Laing

Highly Commended Monument Valley

by Dave Wilcox

Highly Commended Yosemite Falls by Moonlight

by Dave Wilcox

Highly Commended The View From The Shard

by Kevin Sykes

Highly Commended The Blue Hour Ullswater

by Sarah Oliver

Highly Commended Champion Wakeboarder

by Annie Moring

Highly Commended Under The Waves

by Annie Moring

Highly Commended Chelsea Embankment

by Stephen Deer

Highly Commended Wast Water

by Stephen Deer

Eric Bush receiving The Advanced Colour Print of The Year Trophy from Ron Tear ARPS MPAGB PSA3 BPE3*

INTERMEDIATE

1st Ashness Bridge

by Mandy Deer

2nd Waterloo Bridge

by Mandy Deer

3rd Boat House at Coniston

by Mandy Deer

Highly Commended Oia Santoria, Greece

by Joe Travasso

H.C. Northern Village in Winter From the Train to Edingburgh

by Richard Saville

Mandy Deer Receiving The Intermediate Colour Print of The Year Trophy from Ron Tear Arps MPAGB PSA3 BPE3*

PRELIMINARY

1st Sleeping With A Cat

by Derek Holloway

2nd Cow Parsley

by Len Adshead

3rd Park Bench

by Len Adshead

H.C. By The Lakeside

by Len Adshead

Derek Holloway receiving The Preliminary Colour Print of The Year from Ron Tear ARPS MPAGB PSA3 BPE3*

Friday, March 20, 2015

ANNUAL DIGITAL COMPETITION

ROUND ONE

It was back to the one and nines this week for myself and Andy we thought it wold be good for us to mix with the hoi polloi. After spending the last couple of weeks at the top table.

Anyway back to the evening, no theatricals this week from the judge, although after the last two weeks of seeing the judge it seemed a bit surreal hearing the judge's voice as if from on high.

There was however, a touch of the Max Bygraves with I want `you` to tell me a story, then admitting he was a bit lazy which reminded me of a contact on Flickr who is retired and wrote on his profile that he was "paid to be lazy".

However, the most confusing comment was I want to see the author in the picture, not sure about the Pantanal Tiger, was the photographer wearing a Onesie? our had they decided to set the camera on timer, give the Tiger a cuddle and ended up in it's stomach. Or the girl on the platform, I did not recognise her as one of our members.

My Aunt, however, always managed to get part of herself in her pictures, sometimes her feet but more often her thumb, whereas her subject often got their head cut off, or if a group of us then the one at the end lost half of their body,so we would change places after the first picture and make her take another, so when the prints came back we would have to cut and cellotape them to get a complete group. If only she waited for Photoshop before she took up photography.

Funny how judges like different things photographically last weeks judge was not keen on "Mind The Gap". Yet this week's judge liked a similar image. Just goes to show that if you like an image, you should stick with it and keep persevering, until you find an judge with impeccable taste and gives you maximum marks.

It is the same with heavily photo- shopped images you either like them or hate them, personally I'm not sure.

It Runs in The Family (Forgive The Pun)

Friday, March 13, 2015

ANNUAL COLOUR PRINT

ACT TWO SCENE ONE (and a bit)

It was once more unto the breach dear friends, and decorate the walls with our prints. There was the Romeo and Juliette again, what light through the print does break, it is contre jour.

However, like all serious actors, he hankered after being a comic actor, and so it was towards the end of the judging, perhaps he was worn out after commenting on all those prints that he tried to try a little pantomime, it was the Gorilla that started it, not sure if he thought it was going to attack him as it tried to escape from it's mount. Whatever it was as he came to the front of the stage as we shouted "Look out behind you", as he turned round the Gorilla put it's head back into the mount.

After an evening of intense marking and sorting of held back prints he made his final decision, admitting that he had changed his mind several times on the positions of the final three. Perhaps in future if the judge has similar problems we could have a kind of musical prints to help them decide, we shuffle the prints around while music is playing, then when it stops whatever order they are in will their final placings. I would like to be in charge of the music.

Many thanks to Dennis for helping Andy move the prints from one side of the stage to the other saving on his shoe leather and my thanks to Lin for saving me from writers cramp writing all those Highly Commended tickets.

The quality of prints from all three classes was magnificent and there is no reason why we should not do well in outside competitions.

Look out behind you !!!!!

Friday, March 6, 2015

ANNUAL COLOUR PRINT

SCENE ONE ACT ONE.

What is it about the judges that come to our club that as soon as they get on the stage it brings about out the performer in them. Last week we had Musical Hall revival. Perhaps it's The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell of The Crowd. This week nearly started as a song and dance routine, however, once the judge got started it brought out the frustrated thespian in him. It was Friends, Members of Upminster Camera Club, and countrymen lend me your ears I come to critique your pictures and praise them. The first print of an empty park bench got him, a simple scene with no people in the picture, got him going into As You Like It, All the worlds (or empty park benches) are a stage and all the men and women merely players, waiting stage right and left to sit on the bench.

Then onto Romeo & Juliet. What light from top right hand corner of the frame? Tis the sky and it is bland. To crop or not to crop that is the question? Whether it is nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of the judge or not to include the sky at all. Of course there was a winter of discontent, well as far as photography was concerned with no no snow. The picture of Santoroni was of course All Greek to him.

I hope that next week he does not come dressed in tights and make up. If so, Beware The Ides of March.

Note to Sylvia, please check when booking judges, for their hidden talents. I don't mind a bit of Ballet, not keen on Opera. Pole dancing judge anyone?

My Thanks to Howard for the idea for this weeks blog.

Sadly the entertaining bug has bitten our chairman, seen below doing a poor impression of Eric Bush, receiving his trophy for best mono print