January 13th 2020
Every year, Thornbury Camera Club runs a competition called the Tom Crowe Challenge. Tom Crowe was chairman of Thornbury Camera Club for many years and was instrumental in guiding the club through dark days when it seemed that the club might not survive through to the success it is today. Tom died many years ago but he is remembered in this competition.
The competition is held between local camera clubs. There are eight rounds – four with a set subject and four open. Each club enters one image for each round. At the end of each round the scores are added up to see which club has scored most marks. At the end of the evening, the club with most marks wins.
For this year’s competition, we welcomed Hay Camera Club to the competition for the first time. The judge was Neil Stangan from Cornwall who provided a recorded commentary.
The images were wide ranging as you might expect, from dreamy landscapes to punk portraits.
As the rounds progressed, the clubs rose and fell on the leader board.
** We won't put the final result until all participating clubs have had a chance to watch **
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Every year, Thornbury Camera Club runs a competition called the Tom Crowe Challenge. Tom Crowe was chairman of Thornbury Camera Club for many years and was instrumental in guiding the club through dark days when it seemed that the club might not survive through to the success it is today. Tom died many years ago but he is remembered in this competition.
The competition is held between local camera clubs. There are eight rounds – four with a set subject and four open. Each club enters one image for each round. At the end of each round the scores are added up to see which club has scored most marks. At the end of the evening, the club with most marks wins.
For this year’s competition, we welcomed Hay Camera Club to the competition for the first time. The judge was Neil Stangan from Cornwall who provided a recorded commentary.
The images were wide ranging as you might expect, from dreamy landscapes to punk portraits.
As the rounds progressed, the clubs rose and fell on the leader board.
** We won't put the final result until all participating clubs have had a chance to watch **
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January 6th 2020
Brian Wetton joined us at Thornbury Camera Club this week. Brian is President of our neighbouring club; Tyndale Camera Club. He has been a member of the Tyndale club for over 20 years. Brian’s topic was “The Way I See It”. This was a wide ranging talk covering prints, projected images and audio-visuals. The subjects ranged from Brian’s wider travels as well as scenes within walking distance of home.
Overall, Brian’s theme was first and foremost to enjoy photography and second, not to be seduced by advertiser’s claims that a new camera will always improve your photography. Rather than buy new equipment and more lenses, Brian uses a commodity which money cannot buy: imagination.
His travels round the globe have taken him, in the East, to India, Nepal, Turkey and Samarkand and, in Europe, to Croatia, Austria and Tuscany. In all these places he found places and people of interest. I particularly remember a picture of women chatting in a market in Samarkand – their expressions suggesting the whispered exchange of confidences... “Well! Have you heard....!”
While he has travelled far, he seems to despair of those who cannot find images closer to home. Landscapes from Dursley, Porton and Stinchcombe made the point.
He also showed flower images – very simple against a white background; usually slightly desaturated and lightened. He uses the Photoshop “Poster Edges” filter extensively. In the past he applied a vignette to all his pictures, but he claims to have grown out of this!
In the second part of the talk Brian moved to projected images. At the Tyndale club, they have a competition called “Folio 5” in which five images on a theme are presented. He showed several examples. To close, he showed two of examples of Audio-Visual presentations. The themes of both were taken from his regular trips to Lanzarotte.
An excellent evening and it was good to hear someone arguing against the increasing costs of photography.
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December 16th 2019
Christmas is coming so, for the last meeting of the year, not only did Thornbury Camera Club have mince pies and sausage rolls, but the whole meeting was devoted to nostalgia. Members were asked to bring either projected images on the subject of nostalgia, or to come armed with prints made more than ten years ago.
The ten year limit on prints was clearly not a problem as members had searched their attics and spare rooms for prints from thirty or more years ago; prints which may not have seen the light of day since then. The old prints portrayed scenes from long ago, often of once-young family members now grown up.
The projected images were, in some cases just as old. They included old scenes of Thornbury some of which prompted memories from others in the audience. Other images were more modern including several images taken at National Trust properties. Often, when we ask members to bring images, they include trips to far flung places; in this case, pictures of Moscow from the time of perestroika.
The club has no more meetings until the New Year. But, while the weekly meetings are put on the back burner, work continues on a beginner’s photographic course to be held over six weeks in February and March next year. If you are interested, contact Mike at course.thornburycameraclub@gmail.com.
Christmas is coming so, for the last meeting of the year, not only did Thornbury Camera Club have mince pies and sausage rolls, but the whole meeting was devoted to nostalgia. Members were asked to bring either projected images on the subject of nostalgia, or to come armed with prints made more than ten years ago.
The ten year limit on prints was clearly not a problem as members had searched their attics and spare rooms for prints from thirty or more years ago; prints which may not have seen the light of day since then. The old prints portrayed scenes from long ago, often of once-young family members now grown up.
The projected images were, in some cases just as old. They included old scenes of Thornbury some of which prompted memories from others in the audience. Other images were more modern including several images taken at National Trust properties. Often, when we ask members to bring images, they include trips to far flung places; in this case, pictures of Moscow from the time of perestroika.
The club has no more meetings until the New Year. But, while the weekly meetings are put on the back burner, work continues on a beginner’s photographic course to be held over six weeks in February and March next year. If you are interested, contact Mike at course.thornburycameraclub@gmail.com.