Exmouth Photo Group
Est. 1969
Newsletter Year 2019
Richard Sercombe and Adrian Harris 4th December 2019
Richard on a return visit to our club showed us how we can spend many hours of time in the pursuit of creating something a little different. It was clear that Richard was always thinking ahead about the creation of composite images by noticing and capturing photos of scenes, potential backgrounds and a wide variety of objects. These were then used with great skill and with many named layers in Photoshop to produce masterful and engaging final images. Certainly there was something a little different with ‘Richard in a glass’ and mindful of the need to improve Richard made the ‘Ian Bateman amendment’ to lights in one image.
Richard was influenced by famous artists such as Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) with his ‘impossible’ ascending and descending staircase and Richard set out to produce his own photographic version ‘in the style of’ and cleverly done it is too (see photo). Clever too is the way Richard photographed at least 50 cameras and combined his photos in a collage of a ‘face’ (see photo). Altogether, much to think about and to try out for ourselves.
Adrian followed with his ‘How to photograph a tractor at night’. Having noticed an abandoned tractor with photographic potential Adrian was quick to assemble equipment to photograph the tractor before it was moved. His detailed plan/check list was impressive with practical reminders (how many times have we gone out without an essential piece of equipment!) It was helpful to hear how Adrian how thought out the positioning and angles of his different flashes and we were impressed with his final results.
Impressive too was Adrian’s ‘Pole photography’. It was useful to learn how Adrian had altered a fishing pole to mount a camera on top with a support for his mobile phone so that the camera could be operated with ease. What a difference it made to Adrian’s photographs with different perspectives on his chosen scenes, with rivers coming into view, overhead views of people walking across bridges and steam locos in all their glory.
Altogether, an entertaining evening viewing Richard and Adrian’s fantastic photography, with much learnt, a lot to think about and the challenge to try some (or all!) of the techniques ourselves.
Review and photos by
Christine Chittock CPAGB, Programme Secretary
GNF (Great Northern Festival AV Weekend) 30 Nov & 1 December
Success for our AV workers; in the New Horizons section (entrants who haven't won an award) we had four winners and in the Great Northern 1 winner.
New Horizons section : 1st Derrick Holliday with his Reconcilliation, gaining him the an L&CPU Medal plus a copy of PTE 10 Studio; 2nd place Mo Martin with her La Vallee des Saints gaining a copy of PTE 10 Studio; 3rd place Peter & Carol Hyett with their Lovanet Lake also gaining them a copy of PTE 10 Studio and Commended for Jenny Baker for her Will you Speak to Me who gained a Ribbon and 1 flash drive.
Great Northern section: Ian Bateman had a Commended for his Valiant Soldier.
Well done all of you, it was a great weekend, we had quite an assortment of AVs plus good company.
Carol and Peter receiving certificate for their AV
Derrick receiving Gold Medal for his AV
The winners - Ian, Peter, Carol, Mo, Jenny, Derrick
27th November 2019 Nick and Heather Bodle
It is always good to have an evening of prints and Nick and Heather from Launceston Camera Club brought along a strong selection of prints including many landscapes and still life. It was evident that they are frequent visitors to the Lake District and Dartmoor and they certainly knew their locations.
Nick started the evening with a dark room print ‘The Rat Catcher’ which had won a gold medal. We also saw some infrared photos such as a Whitby Abbey graveyard scene. Derwent water was a favourite location and we saw a lovely composition of the Millennium stone; a split boulder to mark one hundred years of the National Trust in the Lake District. Both Nick and Heather showed us high key and low key photos and told us about the different papers they use, such as archival matte and Somerset cotton.
It was clear that Heather had a creative eye with plain vases showing off displays of well-chosen flowers set against a white background. Heather set up her scenes at home being mindful of the light to produce the best results. Nick was clearly well experienced at printing and mounting and all their photos were shown off to their best.
In part Nick and Heather achieved such good results because they are prepared to go out in all weathers, other seeking those snowy scenes with fresh snowfall before others have reached the spot. They had secured some beautiful misty scenes at Crummock Water and Grasmere, crisp frost at Postbridge in Dartmoor showing off the famous clapper bridge, a rainbow over Blea Tarn in the Lake District and lovely light over Padstow.
Altogether an interesting and informative evening with an incredible number of prints. To see their website click here
Report and photos by Christine Chittock, CPAGB Exmouth Photo Group Programme Secretary
26 November 2020 - South Devon League (SDL)
The SDL Print Battle between Exmouth, Newton Abbot, Crediton and Dawlish & Teignmouth was held at Newton Abbot. The judge was John Tilsley who did, as far as Exmouth was concerned an excellent job because we came 1st. Please click here to view all images we entered, marks and final results.
He started the evening with his amazing photos of deer in the rutting season. Caught in dappled light we saw a stag festooned with bracken and with this image and those that followed we could see why Andrew’s photos have been selected for the ‘Countryfile’ calendar and published in ‘Amateur Photographer’ magazine. Andrew knows his subjects and how to protect wildlife and this was evident throughout. So Andrew unlike some other photographers would not get too close to seals especially pups, but he could still produce those definitive shots.
Andrew thinks about his compositions and is always looking for something a little different and we could see this in his photographs of dippers, a newly emerged broad bodied chaser dragonfly, a brown hairstreak butterfly laying eggs on blackthorn as well as a great green bush-cricket. Without notes Andrew was able to tell us which camera, lens and settings he used and we were impressed by his incredible recall.
During the tea break we admired Andrew’s prints, particularly ‘Waiting for her Prey’ showing a nursery web spider photographed against a velvety crimson dahlia. A well-deserved winner in the 2018 British Wildlife Photography Awards.
Andrew knows that some of the best photographic opportunities are at dawn in the summer and we could appreciate his efforts with butterflies and damsel flies caught in a beautiful early morning light. However, just as striking and indeed outstanding were his close up photos of a housefly indoors. The crisp detail on these photos was stunning! Definitely some of the very best nature photographs we have seen at the club.
To view Andrew's site please click here
Report and photos by Christine Chittock, CPAGB Exmouth Photo Group Programme Secretary
20 November 2019 - Andrew McCarthy ARPS - ‘Nature Photography: an ecologists' perspective'.
Andrew a keen photographer, professional ecologist and passionate conservationist shared his many photos with us and we were impressed by the quality of his work.
WCPF Kingswood Salver 16 November 2019
The Kingswood Salver was held at the Bovey Tracey Golf Club and EPG entered with their panel Light Reading and I am delighted to say that we got H/C. The Judge was Christine Widdall who gave excellent comments on all the panels.
In the afternoon she gave a presentation of her work and I must say I thought it was of the best presentations I have seen for a long time. A great day out. Sheila Haycox
Competition No. 2 - 13th November 2019
The competition was well attended and the judge was Ann Owens who had a hard task to choose the winning images from each of the sections entered. The overall winner for this competition was Dave Grout with his image Contemplation. To see the images please click here
Dave receiving the trophy from Ann Owens. Image taken by Christine Chittock
Project Evening 30th October 2019
Sheila Haycox ARPS MPAGB/AV EFIAP - Sheila started the evening by showing three more audio visuals (AVs) from the past made by Sheila and John Perriam ARPS DPAGB AFIAP who was absent. To the Spitting Image song ‘Chicken In The Air’ Sheila and John used images from Photo Group summer walks and outings (with some adaptions or quite a lot in some cases!) to match the crazy words of the song. So we saw members up to their waists in water, Sheila submerged in a pint glass, a member hugging a sheep and a Loch Ness monster. We could see how the AGMs were conducted in those days, by animals of course.
In a more serious vein we saw ‘Bicycles’ from Amsterdam. Stationary bicycles, on the move, in the rain, close up, carrying children and with bells jingling. As ever well captured photos. Then we saw outings undertaken in 2012 to Lympstone, Dawlish, Exeter, Topsham, Countess Weir and much more.
So thank you Sheila and John for inspiring so many of us to take photos whatever the weather, of different subjects, from unusual angles, on a theme and all before rushing off to the pub.
Bryan Webb MA – ‘A Photobook’ evening
Members were well prepared and informed for this evening as Bryan had sent out a detailed and comprehensive document about making ‘Photobooks’. Members had responded by bringing their own photobooks and what talent we have in the club with photobooks covering different themes, many locations and family and friends. Photobooks on display were provided by Bryan Webb, Bob Frost, Caroline Ovens, Chaz Madge, Christine Chittock, Deidre Jennings, Derrick Holliday, Elaine Bateman, Ernie King, Gill Stocker, Ian Bateman, Jenny Baker, John Wickett, Sheila Haycox and Tony Ovens.
Bryan (with thanks to Mo Martin) had organised a one off link to the Internet for the evening and so we could see his vast collection of photobooks and watch the development of each book as the pages unfurled. Bryan showed us how he had benefited from joining EPG summer outings to photograph bluebells at Blackberry Camp, a vineyard at Budleigh and the church at Ottery St Mary. Indeed one of his reasons for joining EPG was because of our summer outings.
We were treated to a wonderful display of photos taken on a theme such as the ‘Tour de France’ showing us how we can tell a story by including photos of reconnoitring the best place to take the photos, all the organisers, the spectators as well as the cyclists.
Bryan showed us different layouts, backgrounds, borders and how to add photos and pages. He advocated choosing books with low flat binding and how we could successfully include one photo over two pages.
Altogether it was great to see Bryan’s vast collection of striking photos, such as the Plymouth Fireworks championships and how he put them together so well in one of his many photobooks. Thank you Bryan for an entertaining and informative evening.
Report & Photos byChristine Chittock CPAGB Programme Secretary
Project Evening 23rd October 2019 - Sheila Haycox ARPS MPAGB/AV EFIAP and John Perriam ARPS DPAGB AFIAP
Continuing with our 50th anniversary theme, Sheila and John started the evening with a selection of their audio visuals (AVs). It was most interesting to see the work they had on display in an exhibition at the Welsh Assembly in 2006. Each photograph had a description: “This reflects the complex relationship between land and sea.” Other terms included “Emotionally complex …”, “Panache” and “Integrity of Purpose”. Another clever spoof, but I have a challenge for their next exhibition – The House of Commons will soon be free! On a lighter note and with a humorous approach was ‘Bill and Ben’ which was very well received by the audience, some of whom recognised themselves! Another wonderful start to the evening.
Ian Bateman FRPS MPAGB AV-AFIAP APAGB and Elaine Bateman
Elaine and Ian followed with ‘Travels in the Pacific North West’. It is always good to see how photographs taken on holiday can be shown to good purpose, illustrating photographic opportunities and how they can be used for AVs.
Strong compositions were evident, zoo animals had been captured with clarity, attention to detail was shown in beautiful raindrops and colour tones stood out in reflections. Timing was important particularly the superb use of the golden hour for photos of Seattle; they were absolutely stunning! Elaine and Ian explained the context of their photographs keeping our interest and making us appreciate their determination to achieve those definitive shots.
As ever, photos were well selected for AVs with succinct and relevant voice overs and a variety of well-chosen music. Ian always finds and then tells a very good story with a clever use of photos, illustrations, diagrams and maps, capturing and holding the attention of the audience throughout who are eager to know what comes next.
Altogether a most enjoyable evening.
Christine Chittock CPAGB Programme Secretary
16th October 2019 - Windmills of Your Mind a presentation by Barry Mead FRPS, EFIAP/d3, MPAGB, APAGB http://www.barrymead-photography.com/
We were very fortunate to hear Barry explain how he has achieved such a variety and quantity of creative work over the years. With almost 500 awards (an amazing achievement) from International Photographic Salons, including many gold medals Barry has been successful in producing creative work of a high quality.
Barry’s presentation started with some of his early work which took him days to produce in the days before ‘YouTube’ tutorials showing techniques and step by step processes. With determination, patience, a vast collection of superb photographs including textures, Barry showed us the development of his work.
It was clear that Barry had become very skilful at using ‘layers’ in Photoshop as a large number of completed pieces included a great number of layers. Seeking and capturing photos of clocks, playing cards, tea pots, cups and saucers, Bamburgh Castle, Corfe Castle, Fountains Abbey, Tynemouth Abbey, knights, a variety of birds, bats, beasties and broccoli (as trees) as well as the proverbial moon and much more, Barry showed us his extremely clever use of combining many different photos or a select few into one finished creative piece. Tip: Extra smoke/mist could be included to hide the joins. http://www.barrymead-photography.com/pages/creative-illustration.php
Altogether, a most enjoyable and humorous presentation. So, after an inspirational presentation we can now look to our photographic collections, think creatively, devote time to the skilful use of Photoshop and experiment to see what we can produce. There’s a challenge!
Report by Christine Chittock, CPAGB Programme Secretary
At the recent RPS National AV Competition held in Leeds Ian Bateman received a High Commended award for his AV called The Gallery and John Perriam, President of EPG was able to present Ian his ribbon.
Congratulations Ian.
Wednesday 9th October Open Evening
The Open Evening was very successful with 10 prospective new members attending with members displaying prints and audio visuals.
Competition No. 1 - 2nd October 2019
The first competition of the season was held on Wednesday 2nd October and the judge was Barry Holmes FRPS from Dawlish Camera Club. He had a lot of entries to get through and was able to give his thoughts on all the images. The results are on our Competition page, please click here. I am please to say that one of our newer members, Dave Grout was the overall winner of the evening. Image of Dave being presented with the monthly trophy by the judge Barry Holmes.
Susan Brown FRPS https://www.susanbrownphotography.co.uk/
A welcome return by Sue Brown on 18th September for an evening entitled ‘Pairs, Panels and Projects’. We were pleased to see five members from Honiton Camera Club who had marked this down as an evening worth attending and it certainly was.
Alongside her many wonderful prints Sue entertained us with numerous stories about the difficulties we photographers sometimes experience whilst endeavouring to capture those definitive shots. Whilst admiring Sue’s photos of Northumberland we recognised that she was extremely fortunate to have her car key handed into the police, saving a courier service of many hours and no doubt expense from Devon with her spare set.
Several stories later we recognised that Sue’s excellent prints are in part a result of her research often using Google Earth to identify unusual locations. Also her keen eye for the light, strong blacks in her monos, many shades of blue, minimalistic scenes, superb long exposures, attention to detail where it mattered and not sharpening. Additionally, her ability to recognise when it is worth getting up early to ensure scenes with a beautiful morning light and crisp frosts for example.
Sue made us think about printing in a square format so that you can then display your photo whichever way round you wish. Food for thought for our own prints and mounts and for Panel competitions.
As ever with these evenings we learn about places to visit. So open air swimming pools by the sea are a must. Bude is definitely worth a visit; Dungeness of course; the Turner Gallery at Margate and Frank Gehry’s reflective staircase in Sydney. Thank you Sue for an inspirational evening.
Report & Photos by Christine Chittock CPAGB, Programme Secretary
First Project Evening for Season 2019 – 2020 with John Perriam ARPS DPAGB AFIAP, Sheila Haycox ARPS MPAGB/AV EFIAP, Gill Stocker and Peter Hyett ARPS by Christine Chittock CPAGB, Programme Secretary
For our 50th anniversary year, John and Sheila have kindly offered to start off each ‘Project’ evening with a look back at sequences/presentations from previous years. So on 11th September we started with a ‘Spoof’ production of a club competition. Unfortunately the judge couldn’t attend and so sent a recording of his judgements. As soon as we heard the recording with background noises including a cuckoo clock and a dog we suspected all was not right. At the end you were no wiser as to which photos were of a high quality with strong compositions, focus, good colour balance and tone. You had no idea whether it was best to include a subject in the background, but it was probably good to have a knee in one corner. A reflection in a mirror was best avoided but shadows were a good idea or were they? Some poor entrants only got one mark. However, if your photo had any connection with a distillery, however obscure you were sure to win!
We have been fortunate – we haven’t come across judges of such low calibre! Thank you to John and Sheila for such a humorous start.
Gill followed with photos of gardens from Bicton here in Devon to Tenerife. Gill had a good combination of landscape and portrait photos that blended well in her sequences.
We could clearly see the strong shapes and forms of plants especially the cacti. It is always useful to find places worth visiting. Jardin Botanico, Puerto de la Cruz Tenerife fell into this category with its beautiful flowers and amazing trees. Gill had found interesting connections with Orchid garden in Tenerife; William Wilde, Von Humboldt and Agatha Christie for example. Since the formation of our Audio Visual (AV) group Gill has made a number of AVs and is always on the lookout for new ideas. So a poem on a wall in N Cornwall inspired ‘The Haven’, with Gill reciting the poem with well-chosen photos and a lovely sunset over Crackington to end with. Thank you Gill.
Finally, Peter took us to a ‘passing out’ parade of firefighters with his daughter Claire resplendent in her uniform. The conditions for photography were not the best as Peter explained, but the occasion was well captured.
Then further afield to Norway on the famous Flam railway and a visit to Old Stavanger. Peter had noticed the potential of the door knockers of which there were a great variety. In Bergen too, Peter had captured the vibrant colourful wall art. Hearing a tragic story around Lake Lovatnet, Peter and Carol Hyett found out as much as they could on a brief visit; recognising the potential for an AV. So from beautiful tranquil scenes we learnt that tragedy had hit the villages of Bodal and Nesdal in 1905. 350,000m3 of rock from Ramnefjell Mountain had landed in the lake and created a 40m tidal wave, resulting in many deaths. Then again in 1936 a tsunami killed 74 people including an orphan who had survived the 1905 tragedy.
Peter ended by showing us how he processed photos from their RAW state, cutting out and altering scenes or combining other photos to make one composite photo. A helpful process to end on. Thank you Peter and thanks to Carol as well.
Report & Photos by Christine Chittock CPAGB, Programme Secretary
EPG 50th Anniversary Celebrations
On Friday 30th August Exmouth Photo Group celebrated their 50th Anniversary for a lunch at Devoncourt Hotel, Exmouth. Past members were invited for this special occasion and in particular the very first Chairman of the Club way back in 1969 Tony Langmead was able to come.
A big thank you for Maurice and Christine Chittock for organising the event and to Stella for the wonderful 50th Anniversary Cake. We had speeches from John Perriam our President and Ian Bateman our Chairman.
WCPF Interclub Print Competition 11 August 2019
On Sunday 11 August Dorchester Camera Club organised the first WCPF Interclub Print Competition. The attendees to the competition were by invite only but it is intended to hold a further competition next year open to any club members. Venue to be decided.
The competition this year was well organised and more details can be seen by clicking here including the images we entered.
Richard Wakefield Event - 8 June 2019
It is thanks to Ian Bateman that we had such a great day, well organised and Richard gave us an excellent talk on his lighting techniques. With the aid of a model, Amie Jayne Boulton, who Chaz Madge managed to arrange, Richard arranged photography set-ups and at the same time tethered his captures. He showed beauty dishes, coloured gels, led lights, retouching plus much more. The audience were able to use their cameras a couple of times on the set-ups he had arranged.
Its also thanks to the catering team, Jenny Baker, Derrick Holliday, Sarah, Elaine Bateman and Beate Gregory, they done a great job in supplying lunches for members of the audience who had ordered lunch.
We also had Fotospeed there giving advice on printing and hopefully selling their paper. Plus of course the raffle which is always well supported. All raffle prizes were kindly donated by members of EPG and Fotospeed. Thanks to Mo Martin as well for checking in all 86 ticket holders. Thanks to everyone else who helped.
Ian has had several emails from attendees which makes it all worth while, a few of these comments I have put below and I have also put below a few images John Perriam took of the day plus a couple from me of Amie.
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Thank you to you and your team for arranging and making this excellent day so successful and enjoyable. I shall certainly attend any of these events in the future, if I am able.
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Thank you once again for a wonderful day and your excellent organisation.
Many congratulations to all your team.
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Ian, Thank you for the information and for arranging such an interesting and enjoyable event.
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A huge “thank you” to yourself, and the hardworking team at Exmouth Photo Group. Such an enjoyable event - run impeccably!
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Well done to all - and a special thank you to Ian for providing that comprehensive list of notes from the day.
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Hi Ian Thanks for that. You really are ultra efficient . Wish you belonged to Exeter CC!
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Margaret, myself and members of Colyford Photographic Club All had a really enjoyable and enlightening day. For those of us who are familiar with much of the information Richard gave us it was useful to be reminded what we have forgotten. It is such a superb way of gleaming new skills with hints and tips. Please Thank all your Team for so much hard work to enable the whole day to be a memorable one
WCPF Judging Seminar Saturday 27th April
Exmouth Photo Group hosted the WCPF Judging Seminar which, according to the leader John Tilsley went very well as the seminar is likely to produce several new judges, a great help to clubs in the area. A big thanks to members who helped, especially the tea and coffee makers, Maurice & Christine Chittock, Mo Martin, Stella French, Gill Stocker, Elaine Bateman, Christina Adamson they kept the audience well supplied with drinks. Ian Bateman and Sheila Haycox also gave up their time to be tutors at this event.
AGM , Awards and Chairman's Challenge 24 April 2019
The AGM was conducted with no issues and with its conclusion the Chairman, Ian Bateman presented the year awards to members. Images below which were supplied by John Perriam. Chaz also took an image of our meeting.
After the awards the Chairman's Challenge was shown, for more details on this please go to the Chairman's Challenge page
Project Evening 17 April 2019 - Beate Gregory & Deirdre Jennings
Beate started the evening with her audio visual (AV) ‘Fairy Caves’, the Saalfeld Fairy Grottos in Thuringia Germany. Beate had captured the colourful mineral formations and the reflections very well. It is always good to see places that most of our members have never seen before so that we can add them to our long list of photographic locations. Then Beate explained that she had attended a photographic workshop covering difficult terrain in the ‘Saxon Switzerland National Park’ in Germany. Seeing the dramatic rock formations in the mist and the panoramic gorges it was well worth the effort. To end Beate showed an AV entitled ‘Pippin’s world’ where she gave the many animals she has photographed a voice in her story. It was great to see her lovely photos of the great spotted woodpecker, dormice, owls, horses and much more.
Deirdre followed with her photos of a trip from Delhi to Mumbai and as ever she had produced a lovely photo book of her holiday. Deirdre had certainly captured the stark contrasts of busy streets with rickshaws, hundreds of people and in one case a photo of a street with electrical cables cascading from the rooftops. In comparison we saw the splendour of the magnificent Taj Mahal in the early morning mist and the beauty of the pink and red sandstone of the Palace of Winds in Jaipur with intricate latticework on the numerous windows. Deirdre was fortunate to capture a number of photos of tigers given that when she visited in 2010 there were only 1,706 tigers in the whole of India.
So thank you to both Beate and Deirdre for all your hard work.
During the second half of the evening we saw AVs made by some of the AV group. Each AV worker had submitted a piece of music and these were redistributed so that each AV worker had a new piece of music to work to. Members had risen to the occasion and produced some wonderful AVs. We saw work by Carol, Chaz, Christine, Derrick, Ian, Jenny, John P, Mo, Peter and Sheila. By the end of the session we had seen the imaginative use of a fisheye lens, a chance to look back at old family videos, the Dawlish Airshow to a change in tempo in the music and the colourful vibrant work of Gaudi. Photos from two
Photo Group holidays were used from Whitby and the Yorkshire Dales. Swiftly changing coloured liquid was the order of the day for ‘Sing a Rainbow’ and colourful cars and their parts featured in two AVs. Music was very well matched for a jousting sequence, dancers appeared to move graciously across the screen in one AV and flying dragons ended the last AV with a Game of Thrones connection. Altogether a fantastic session.
Report by Christine Chittock, CPAGB Exmouth Photo Group Programme Secretary
13/14 April 2019 - Smethwick National AV Competition
Exmouth members have done it again, won AV awards at the Smethwick National AV Competition. In the Photo Harmony section Ian Bateman got a Bronze medal for his sequence called The Fallen and Sheila Haycox got a Judge's medal from Edgar Gibbs for her sequence Landscape Odyssey. In the Open Section Christine Chittock got H/C for her sequence Stories Behind the Pictures. So congratulations to you all.
10 April 2019 - Project Evening Sheila Haycox ARPS MPAGB/AV EFIAP
As ever Sheila’s project evening lived up to our expectations of a brilliant evening with high quality prints and audio visuals (AVs) which kept us entertained and inspired. Ian our Chair explained that Sheila has kindly agreed to organise a club photo book for the Photo Group’s 50th anniversary. Sheila then showed us that the idea is for every club member to have their own page with space for a short autobiography and up to four photos. So this should be an excellent way to illustrate the work of every member in 2019 – 2020.
We were impressed by Sheila’s dedication in producing 21 prints on the theme of ink wells for a possible Fellowship panel. She had obviously worked hard to produce different versions and we wish her all the best on the road to achieving a FRPS.
Following on from the prints we saw a wonderful variety of AVs. The new ‘Landscape Odyssey’ gave Sheila the opportunity to include her very best photos of snow capped mountains, Dunstanburgh in the snow and Newcastle and Salford reflections for example. ‘Dreamtime’ with reference to the religious cultural worldviews of many Aborigines included fantastic photos of the iconic majestic red rocks in Australia and the indigenous people. Then to the suitably chosen music of Chevaliers de Sangreal we saw the embellishment of domes and intricate mosaics in Russia. Showing that music is important to AVs we saw two different versions of Evolution 1 and 2, with photos of a graffiti covered abandoned building.
Sheila’s amazing ability to tell a story was evident in a number of AVs; told so well that it is often difficult to know what the truth is and what is fabricated. Throughout though, the photos are always well composed and beautifully taken and Sheila uses transitions from one photo to another with such skill. As usual we were impressed by Sheila’s ability to improve upon her photography which is of an incredibly high standard already and her willingness to take the time to share her work.
Thank you Sheila!
Report by Christine Chittock CPAGB EPG Programme Secretary.
6 April 2019 - WCPF AV Competition
I am pleased to announce that we have four members who did well in this competition. The competition was divided up into sections - Short Competition, Long Competition and Photo Harmony.
Long Section: Ian Bateman came 2nd with his Valiant Soldier and Jenny Baker had a H/C with her sequence A Hare's Tale.
Short Section: Sheila Haycox came 2nd with her Daisy's Bizarre Day Out
Photo Harmony:Mo Martin had a H/C for her Share the Dream and Sheila Haycox a commended for her Landscape Odyssey.
Photos courtesy Chaz Madge and Christine Chittock
27 March 2019 - A Wonderful World of Macro Photography by Victoria Hillman
Victoria introduced herself as a scientist with a great love of nature photography. Throughout her presentation her background of a BSc in Zoology and an MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation shone through. She encouraged us to be responsible photographers, always putting the welfare of animals and little creatures first never moving them, gardening round them or using false backgrounds or flash to secure that definitive shot. Rather she would spend endless time learning about her subjects and how they interact with their environment being careful to put the safety and welfare of her subjects and their environment first.
Usefully for every projected photograph there was information about her camera settings. Sometimes she would vary her aperture settings for the same shot so that she could find the best settings to suit the situation. On occasions she would use small led lights pointing up to a flower for example so that she could show it off in the best light.
Some of Victoria’s success was due to her commitment to get up early so that she could secure a scene with water droplets and lovely light. However, there was hope for the night owls amongst us as we could try and secure a butterfly against a full moon or creatures silhouetted against the evening sun.
Victoria recommended that we take our time to fully understand one or two species, research our locations and visit the same location several times throughout the year and also year after year. So now we can research where we might go to see snowdrops, native bluebells, damsel flies, dragonflies, great green bush crickets, frogs and toads for example, in the hope that we could secure photos of the quality of Victoria’s.
Please click here for Victoria's website
Christine Chittock, CPAGB Exmouth Photo Group Programme Secretary
On the 20th March 2019 we were entertained by Clive Haynes FRPS with his talk ‘Pandora’s Box of Creativity’ 20th March 2019
Clive emphasised the importance of doing your own thing in photography’ and being released from the ‘tyranny’ of always keeping to the rules. So off we went and immersed ourselves in Clive’s many and various ideas, wondering which ones we could try out, or maybe all of them?
We were treated to bright vibrant colours, swirls, curves, circles, splatter, orbs, kaleidoscopes, double exposure, infrared and much more. We explored the art and craft of lens less photography and then how to create images with a flatbed scanner. Clive explained how he rolled glass or a tube of toothpaste over the scanner whilst wearing black gloves so his hands were hidden. Sounded intriguing!
At his local garden centre Clive had photographed those large ceramic pots where there is usually some glaze inside the pot. He had directed his lens over the top of the pot and then transformed his images into alien landscapes with dramatic surreal results.
For some of us it was a first introduction to the work of William Henry Fox Talbot 1800 – 1877 a photographic pioneer. Clive’s ‘Signatures of the sun’ audio visual showed us how we could create images with leaves and feathers by exposing photographic paper.
Altogether we were shown so many different techniques and effects over the evening and a particular highlight was Clive’s high quality mono images seen through 3D glasses; so sharp and stunning. So now we look forward to our own club members trying out some or all of Clive’s ideas!
Please go to his website for loads of information. Report by Christine Chittock, Programme Secretary
Competiton No. 4 was held on the 7th March and I am delighted to say that Jenny Baker was the overall winner of this competition with her image Sax Player. Here she is proudly holding the cup.
To see details of competition 4 click here
Project Evening 13th March - Carol Hyett, LRPS and Peter Hyett, ARPS
Our own members, Carol and Peter had clearly worked hard to process and order their numerous images so that we could view and learn more about the places they had visited. So we were treated to the colourful reflections of Birmingham’s modern architecture and infinitesimally small people against a backdrop of the towering snow-capped mountains in Switzerland.
Carol started the evening by showing us how she had captured the magnificent lines and shapes of Birmingham Library shortly after it opened. We saw the clear blue lines of the escalators and the superb downward views of the visitors both on the move and studying. To striking music we saw the vast variety of colours and patterns of the reflections of Birmingham New Street Station. Then with wave sound effects we could admire the beauty of the Scallop shell dedicated to Benjamin Brittain in Aldeburgh, this whilst on an Exmouth Photo Group holiday to Suffolk. A variety of delicate and colourful plants were shown in 3 different sequences; ‘An Alpine Garden’, ‘Bonython Gardens’ and ‘Cornwall’.
After the tea break Peter showed us how he had researched the various places he had visited on a train holiday staying in Strasbourg, France and Switzerland. This included trying to find out why there was a red British letter box outside the Tourist Information Office in Strasbourg. Such was Peter’s dedication that he even wrote to the Mayor of Strasbourg! In Peter’s photos we saw many contrasts, such as the colourful hang gliders against the snow covered mountains, the references to 007 whilst high up on the Schilthorn and the ant like trails of people following a glacier trail. We admired Peter’s ability to stitch together photos for different panoramas, capturing the beauty of Switzerland. Finally Peter showed us the work of different members on an Exmouth Photo Group’s summer’s day out to Dartmoor. So altogether, thank you Carol and Peter for an entertaining, interesting and informative evening.
Christine Chittock CPAGB, Programme Secretary
EPG Exhibition at The Cafe Topsham
On Thursday 28th February 2019 a small team of members from the club put up an exhibition of members work at The Cafe, Topsham. The Exhibition of 37 images will be on displayed for the month of March and the images below give you an idea of the display. The Cafe is an ideal place to go for that coffee and cake so please pop along and take a look at all the marvellous work members have produced. Ian has done a great job advertising the event and getting frames from the WCPF and its thanks to Mo for her organisation especially for framing all the images.
27 February 2019 - Mix and March
A great evening with Exeter invading us for the annual Mix & Match competition, in fact there were nearly more of Exeter than Exmouth. George Reekie from Taunton was the judge of this excellent event and he certainly got himself into the spirit of the occasion. There was heckling from the audience but George dealt with that very well. The final results were Exmouth 52 and Exeter 48 which was a bonus for us having lost to Exeter for the last few years. Well done Exmouth.
The evening was great fun and thank you members for bringing along so many cakes to keep us all going.
20th February 2019 - An Evening with Derrick Holliday ARPS and John Perriam ARPS DPAGP AFIAP
On 20th February both Derrick and John showed us their mastery of audio visual (AV) presentations, making full use of the medium to entertain, inform and tell a story. With their well-chosen music of different tempos their photography was shown at its best as in Derrick’s case when he used powerful music for his motorbike sequences and in particular the Madmax close ups. With the Coventry conjoined cathedral sequence we started outside with sound effects from the 2nd World War and then a change of music for the spectacular scenes inside the cathedral.
John chose ‘I want to marry a lighthouse keeper’ by Erika Eigen for a humorous sequence on Beachy Head. Then ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon for his vibrant sequence of autumn colours at Stourhead.
Derrick showed us two versions of his work on Coventry Cathedral, firstly a photo harmony and then the second as a documentary with words written and spoken by Tony Ovens. Both were thought provoking and engaging sequences.
We saw powerful leading lines in Derrick’s photos of lavender fields and then well-chosen and handled colour popping in John’s ‘Face in the crowd’ where we were treated to well seen and captured photos of individuals in the crowd. We had a wonderful variety of subjects with Derrick’s bright vibrant photos in ‘Dragstela’, his beautiful photos in ‘Animals and Birds’ and then very unusual vehicles made from everyday objects such as an ironing board and a shopping trolley.
John took us to Hever Castle in Kent, captured people moving in his time lapse at Dawlish and then showed us his incredible skill at creative photography for his ‘Creatures of the deep’. These are but some of the illustrations from their sequences as there were more, all of a high quality keeping us thoroughly engaged and entertained throughout the evening.
South Devon League 22 February 2019
Crediton hosted the Digital Projected section of this event and as a result an awesome win for us. We were against Newton Abbot, Dawlish & Teignmouth and Crediton clubs. It was touch and go but Ian Bateman with 1st and Andy Lock with 2nd gave us the 3 point lead we needed. John Kelley was the judge who did a great job. We are now the proud holders of the cup for a year. Well done Exmouth.
The results were: 480 points for EPG; 477 points for Newton Abbot; 475 points for Dawlish & Teignmouth and 452 points for Crediton. Maurice Chittock received the Cup on behalf of Exmouth. To see the images entered and who took them go to the SDL page.
‘Wildlife for all seasons’ by Robert Harvey BA ARPS EFIAP https://www.naturalworldphotography.net/
On the 6th February Robert on a return visit, took us through the seasons with superb photos of wildlife in the UK. Robert gave us ideas for setting up a hide and a reflective pond and ways to provide birds with food hidden in old tree trunks and logs for example so that it is possible to photograph wildlife in a more natural setting than the usual shop bought bird feeders. Sensibly his reflective pond was set at a height with the gentle slope in the best direction for photography and we were suitably impressed by the results.
Robert recommended places that we could visit such as Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire where in January we could see teal and tufted ducks for example. Also Welney Wetland Centre near Wisbech where Robert suggested we could practise flight photography with the many swans that are there and then go on to the RSPB nature reserve at Snettisham in Norfolk to photograph geese in flight. Other possible locations are Gigrin farm in Mid Wales to photograph the red kites feeding, Blakehill farm nature reserve to photograph short eared owls and the Somerset Levels to photograph starlings. Robert also told us about a visit to Fermyn woods near Corby in Northants to see the impressive Purple Emperor butterflies
Robert helpfully suggested the settings we might like to use to capture the wildlife at its best and as we travelled through the seasons we learnt of more locations such as Thursley Common in Surrey. Further afield we were shown stunning shots of mountain hares, red grouse, black grouse, ptarmigan and white tailed eagles.
We were shown some amazing and unusual shots of kingfishers, a beautiful silhouette of a cricket and dramatic red deer on Exmoor. Altogether a most impressive evening with plenty to inspire us to extend our range of wildlife photography.
Christine Chittock CPAGB, EPG Programme Secretary
WCPF DPIC Competition - 10 February 2019
The competition was held at The Corn Exchange Exeter where 57 clubs took part and 1026 images were shown. Each club entered 18 images and I am pleased to say that Exmouth came 9th which is very encouraging. The judges were Gwen & Phil Charnock plus Peter Young. They certainly had a difficult task concentrating on all those images and the results will be posted on the WCPF website. Dorchester Camera Club were the winners of the competition but I am pleased to say that Sheila Haycox got a H/C for her Long Billed Hermit and a Judge's Ribbon from Gwen Charnock for her Green Pit Viper. To see all our images and results please click HERE.
The WCPF also announced a new Inter-Club Print Competition in order to be able to chose two clubs to represent them at the PAGB Inter-Club Print Championships. This is going to be run by Stephen and Helen Jones from Dorchester Camera Club and to be held on the 11th August in Dorchester but as a closed adjudication with club representatives only. This may well develop in the future with a larger hall and open to a wider audience.
Sheila, John and Nova admiring the view from The Corn Exchange whilst waiting for the results.
Sheila with her certificates and ribbon
30 January 2019 - Competition No. 3
Congratulation to Ian Bateman as the Overall winner of Competition No. 3 with his digital image Four Facets of the Artist. Please go to the competition page to see the competition winners and their images. The judge for the night was Ken Holland ARPS from Dawlish and Teignmouth Club.
Jenny Baker LRPS and Mike Gillan Project Evening 23rd January 2019
Two of our members Jenny Baker and Mike Gillan treated members to an evening of superb photography. Dramatic music accompanied Jenny’s well-chosen Icelandic scenes with a mix of beautiful landscapes, striking architecture and the differing shades of green of the aurora borealis. This excellent start was followed by a wonderful variety of audio visuals (AVs) We were treated to Jenny’s own version of ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’, lovely macro shots of spring, stunning photos of harvest mice and a child’s questions about a visit to the Swannery at Abbotsbury.
Then we were prompted to think about the killing of elephants for their tusks via Jenny’s skilful use of her camera. Lastly we saw Jenny’s creative side coming out with her clever use of crystal balls to produce colourful, vibrant striking patterns.
Mike started his presentation by saying that as a relatively new member he had been made to feel most welcome and that he had learnt a great deal by being a member of our club. Mike showed us that you don’t need to travel far to secure great photos with his ‘Exeter at Christmas’ sequence and ‘Strolling by the River’ with beautiful reflections. Also with his ‘Devon fields’, a lovely close up of a bee and skeleton leaves. With evocative music ‘Linden Lea by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Mike showed us his wonderful Dartmoor scenes. Then a bit of fun with Mike’s well seen gull reflected in a mirror, entitled ‘Seagull Selfie’.
Finally Mike showed us that Sicily is worth a visit to capture contrasts, such as Greek Doric columns alongside Baroque columns. Certainly the Cathedral of Syracuse looking striking and Mike was fortunate to capture scenes of the Feast Day of Santa Lucia. Then to end we were impressed by Mike’s ability to capture low light scenes by noise stacking.
Altogether a fantastic evening of photography by Jenny and Mike.
Christine Chittock, CPAGB,
EPG Programme Secretary
Meeting 9 January 2019
Tony Worobiec started the New Year very well with his excellent illustrated talk ‘Photographing Landscape Whatever the Weather’. Fortunately I had booked him over a year in advance as his diary for January consists of visits to nine camera clubs and two photo workshops including one for the Royal Photographic Society South East region. Tony had brought along a superb set of prints illustrating how he managed to capture wonderful photographs whatever the weather with very little post processing. We were able to see how he went out in the rain, fog, mist, drizzle, sleet and snow and all types of weather and was still able to secure amazing photos. We were impressed by his knowledge of the weather and his ability to find scenes that complimented the skies. Members were able to see how you could capture high quality photographs from urban scenes, derelict sites, abandoned vehicles and much more. So now we are inspired to go out whatever the weather, even on those dull grey days!
Christine Chittock, CPAGB Programme Secretary
Tony Worobiec - Click here for his website