NEWSLETTER No 2
Summary of recent meetings
Meeting on 6 January. This meeting was cancelled due to a heavy snowfall, and the presentation by member, John Prentice, on ‘Comparison of photo-processing software’ has been re-scheduled to the meeting on 4 August 2010.
Meeting on 2 December. Following the indisposition of the planned speaker due to illness, Steve Brabner stood in at short notice to give an account of his personal recollections of being a 'biker,' with a presentation entitled ' Ten years as a Harley-Davidson rider - what mid-life crisis.' Taking his audience through his time in California, Steve described how he acquired his first Harley-Davidson with the object initially of exploring the west coast of America. However, ownership conferred the unexpected benefit of membership of the Harley-Davidson Owner's Club, which provided a unique insight into the biker fraternity in America and opened the door to a hugely enjoyable experience. For two years, Steve and his wife toured the western United States as part of the Owner's Club, and the first half of his presentation drew on his photographic reminiscences from this time. Returning to the United Kingdom, Steve then joined the European Harley-Davidson community, and the second part of his presentation dwelt on his experiences of touring Norway, France, the Netherlands and Spain. Finally, Steve concluded with four audio-visual presentations of a 2008 holiday in America, where he and his wife hired a Harley-Davidson bike to explore the Rocky Mountain area, and which also included a short primer on using the Pro Show Gold software for his presentations. Overall, a highly entertaining presentation by an engaging speaker, interspersed with many anecdotes and personal reflections, which allowed several in the audience an opportunity to re-live their lost youth.
Meeting on 4 November. Chris Boba and James Philips of Corel software, gave a presentation on the 'Development of photo-manipulation software.' Introducing Corel's newest product for 2010, 'Paint Shop Pro Photo X2,' Chris took his audience through the capabilities of the company's latest software. This embraced the organisation and editing of images in various formats, including most raw file formats, the retouching and enhancement of photographs, the tools to create a number of special visual effects, and the options for presentation of completed photographs. Recognising that the market leader in photo-manipulation is Adobe Photoshop, Chris explained that Corel's design philosophy is to create a product that is both intuitive and easy to use, contains a comprehensive range of manipulation tools within one package, and provides the majority of functions required by digital photographers - all at a reasonable price. After demonstrating a representative range of the product's features, Chris and James then responded to questions from the audience, and distributed disc copies of 30-day trial versions of the product for members to use. In summary, a very interesting albeit somewhat technical presentation, by presenters at the centre of this particular industry.
Note: Seven copies of the 30-day free trial disc are still available for member’s individual use. Contact John Branton if you would like a disc.
Meeting on 7 October. Roger Neill gave a presentation on 'Better portraits than those of any painter,' which commenced by reviewing the influence of early photography on painters in the 19th century. Continuing with this theme, Roger then examined the history of photography in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as seen through the career of Walter Barnett - a noted photographer of royalty, celebrities and the theatre during this period. Augmenting his presentation with a wealth of old photographs, many being his own personal possessions, Roger gave an enlightening, humorous and very engaging account of life as a successful photographer at the turn of the century. Overall, an unusual and fascinating insight of early commercial photography, delivered with great verve by a consummate presenter.
Meeting on 2 September. Steve Brabner from the Amersham Camera Club, gave a presentation on 'digital club photography.' Adopting digital photography as far back as 1995, whilst employed in the USA, Steve recounted his own personal experiences and difficulties in adapting to the new technique. While the transition from film to digital simplified and dramatically expanded the scope of photography, it also introduced problems in the accurate colour rendition of images. Reviewing these difficulties, Steve took his audience on a journey through the pros and cons of equipment selection and processing software, emphasizing the unsurpassed performance of all digital cameras from compacts to SLRs, and their ability to produce truly amazing photographs. He concluded with a series of thought-provoking audio/visual presentations, demonstrating the impact of this media format, followed by a personal selection of his own photographs. A comprehensive and absorbing tour-de-force by a gifted amateur, which revealed many hereto hidden aspects of digital photography.
Meeting on 5 August. One of our members, Bob Bell, gave a digital presentation to the Society entitled 'From light to life to photography.' A personal odyssey, Bob gave a light-hearted and amusing talk on how fundamental light and colour is to all life on Earth, covering the development of vision, the history of optics, and the race to discover better means of preserving and improving images. The presentation contained many personal anecdotes and photographs, and included references to photography's roots in painting, the sciences and technologies, together with many of the personalities involved in it's advancement. An interesting and entertaining look at photography, viewed from a completely different perspective, that was very well received by his audience.
Other activities
Photographic exhibitions. The Society held its two annual photographic exhibitions: at the Adderbury Institute on 26/27 September and at St Peter and St Paul’s church in Deddington on 24 October, and were also invited to exhibit at the Kings Sutton Craft Fair on 10/11 October. It is estimated that a combined total of just under 500 people visited the three exhibitions.
Review of Committee discussions
The Committee met on four occasions during the period, namely on 13 August, 21 September, 13 November and 7 January. Discussion areas of interest were:
Upgrade of the Society’s web site. The continued growth of the web site has necessitated a software upgrade to ClikPic Super Pro status. Among other benefits, this enables bulk uploading and a total of 2,000 images to be supported on the web site. Currently, there are 45-50 visits per month to the site from non-members, who access an average of five web pages.
Addition of dissolution clause to the Society’s Constitution. The present Constitution contains no provision for dissolution in the event of the Society being wound-up at some future date. Accordingly, a draft dissolution clause has been prepared and will be presented to members at the AGM in April.
Application for a Lottery Grant. A decision has been made to apply for a Lottery Grant to the Society and a small working group led by Richard has been established within the Committee for this purpose. Following discussions with the Banbury Camera Club, who recently made a successful Grant application, a draft submission is being prepared with the intention of forwarding the final application to the Lottery Fund by 28 February.
Change of meeting venue. As a consequence of the continued growth in membership, the Seminar Room at the Deddington Arms Hotel is now too small for future meetings. The total seating capacity of the room is 29 people, with the result that some members had to stand during the November and December meetings. Following a survey of other possible venues in Adderbury and Deddington, it was decided to change the meeting venue to the Apricot Room in the Cartwright Arms Hotel, Aynho, for the meeting on 3 February and for all subsequent meetings in 2010.
Membership survey form. The increase in membership has introduced new members to the Society, with differing levels of photographic ability and experience. A survey has been initiated therefore to review the needs of all members and how their aspirations may be accommodated.
Subscription levels for 2010/2011. After discussion, the Committee has decided to recommend to members at the AGM that the present subscription level should remain unaltered for next year.
New Treasurer designate. Patrick has indicated that he wishes to relinquish the position of Treasurer in April. In order to ensure a smooth transition of this important position, the Committee has approached John Prescott who has agreed to assume this position, subject to the endorsement of members at the AGM.
Committee members
The present Committee members are Chairman: Patrick Rigby, Treasurer; Patrick Hanley, Society Secretary: John Branton, Programme Secretary: Bob Bell, and two additional members: Richard Broadbent and Martyn
NEWSLETTER No. 1
Summaries of recent events
Meeting on 1 July. Nik Proctor of Permajet Limited gave a presentation on 'Colour Management.' Stressing the importance of matching colour rendition between the camera and computer monitor, Nik gave a practical demonstration on achieving this using a sensor attached temporarily to the monitor screen with step-by-step software instructions. Continuing, Nik also reviewed ways of similarly calibrating inkjet printers to produce the same colour rendition, and then looked at the use of different textures in photographic paper to enhance the photographic image. The presentation concluded with a discussion on the cost of printer ink, and how this cost could be reduced significantly through investment in eco-flow ink systems. An enlightening presentation of a technical subject, delivered in a simple and entertaining manner.
Meeting on 3 June. Frank Ash ARPS gave a presentation on 'His Journey though Landscape Photography' in which he sought to re-create the mood and atmosphere of the Dales, Kintail, Skye and Glencoe. In so doing, Frank took members down a very personal journey where he emphasised the need to develop a feeling for the landscape before trying to capture its image. This, coupled with his own unconventional approach, produced some remarkable landscape photographs. Frank was forthright in the analysis of his own results, and members were treated to a unique critique of each photograph, where the importance of foreground, camera angle, sky, cropping and colour/monochrome in developing the mood of an image was discussed. The meeting concluded with an audio/visual presentation, after which Frank was invited to offer his comments on members submissions for the monthly photographic topic. Overall, an intriguing, thoughtful and sometimes very entertaining evening from an accomplished photographer.
Meeting on 6 May. A Workshop was held on 'table-top photography' which was led by one of our members, Martyn Pearse. Explaining how interesting images can be achieved on an ordinary plain table by the use of simple propos such as angle poise lamps, white card reflectors, coloured tissues and different background materials, Martyn demonstrated the techniques he employed to produce creative photographs. Members then separated into groups around six tables and, using these techniques and the various props, each produced a variety of images for different photographic subjects. A most interesting, entertaining and inter-active evening, which considerably broadened the photographic horizons on what can be achieved with the minimum of equipment.
Review of Committee discussions
The Committee met on two occasions, 30 April and 18 June, during which the main discussion areas were:
Advertising in The Contact. Doubt was expressed on whether a final decision had been made regarding future advertising in the magazine, and it was agreed the matter should be referred back to the Society. (Note: matter subsequently raised at the 1 July meeting, where it was agreed that advertising will continue).
Society's web site. Expansion of the web site was discussed concerning the inclusion of some new web pages, and improving the web site's visibility on various search engines.
Management of future Exhibitions. Experience had shown the importance of identifying individual project managers for each of the Society's three proposed Exhibitions in 2009. These were identified as John B for the Adderbury Exhibition on 26/27 September, Philip R for the Kings Sutton Craft Fair on 10/11 October, while a person was still being sought for the Deddington Exhibition on 24 October. (Note: Glynne has subsequently volunteered to manage this event at the 1 July meeting).
Business cards. Action will be taken to obtain some general purpose business cards for use at the Exhibitions.
Adderbury Half Marathon. Philip R is co-ordinating with the Adderbury Running Club, and the Society has exclusive rights for taking the official photographs of this charity event. At present, eight members are designated as official photographers, namely Philip R, Patrick, John B, John P, Philip LeM, Richard, George and Martyn - any more are welcome.
Outstanding subscriptions. Currently, there are a number of outstanding subscriptions that need to be progressed. The Society's Constitution allows three months for renewal, before membership lapses.
CACC Handbook. The Society has submitted inputs for the 2010 edition of the Handbook.
Future programme of events. The future programme to the end of 2009 was reviewed and agreed. It was also decided that the New Year dinner would be held on Sunday 17 January, at the Deddington Arms hotel (subject to agreement with Paul, the hotel manager).
Grant from Adderbury Parish Council. A grant of £200 had been received from the Parish Council, towards the purchase of a digital projector.
Summary of recent meetings
Meeting on 6 January. This meeting was cancelled due to a heavy snowfall, and the presentation by member, John Prentice, on ‘Comparison of photo-processing software’ has been re-scheduled to the meeting on 4 August 2010.
Meeting on 2 December. Following the indisposition of the planned speaker due to illness, Steve Brabner stood in at short notice to give an account of his personal recollections of being a 'biker,' with a presentation entitled ' Ten years as a Harley-Davidson rider - what mid-life crisis.' Taking his audience through his time in California, Steve described how he acquired his first Harley-Davidson with the object initially of exploring the west coast of America. However, ownership conferred the unexpected benefit of membership of the Harley-Davidson Owner's Club, which provided a unique insight into the biker fraternity in America and opened the door to a hugely enjoyable experience. For two years, Steve and his wife toured the western United States as part of the Owner's Club, and the first half of his presentation drew on his photographic reminiscences from this time. Returning to the United Kingdom, Steve then joined the European Harley-Davidson community, and the second part of his presentation dwelt on his experiences of touring Norway, France, the Netherlands and Spain. Finally, Steve concluded with four audio-visual presentations of a 2008 holiday in America, where he and his wife hired a Harley-Davidson bike to explore the Rocky Mountain area, and which also included a short primer on using the Pro Show Gold software for his presentations. Overall, a highly entertaining presentation by an engaging speaker, interspersed with many anecdotes and personal reflections, which allowed several in the audience an opportunity to re-live their lost youth.
Meeting on 4 November. Chris Boba and James Philips of Corel software, gave a presentation on the 'Development of photo-manipulation software.' Introducing Corel's newest product for 2010, 'Paint Shop Pro Photo X2,' Chris took his audience through the capabilities of the company's latest software. This embraced the organisation and editing of images in various formats, including most raw file formats, the retouching and enhancement of photographs, the tools to create a number of special visual effects, and the options for presentation of completed photographs. Recognising that the market leader in photo-manipulation is Adobe Photoshop, Chris explained that Corel's design philosophy is to create a product that is both intuitive and easy to use, contains a comprehensive range of manipulation tools within one package, and provides the majority of functions required by digital photographers - all at a reasonable price. After demonstrating a representative range of the product's features, Chris and James then responded to questions from the audience, and distributed disc copies of 30-day trial versions of the product for members to use. In summary, a very interesting albeit somewhat technical presentation, by presenters at the centre of this particular industry.
Note: Seven copies of the 30-day free trial disc are still available for member’s individual use. Contact John Branton if you would like a disc.
Meeting on 7 October. Roger Neill gave a presentation on 'Better portraits than those of any painter,' which commenced by reviewing the influence of early photography on painters in the 19th century. Continuing with this theme, Roger then examined the history of photography in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as seen through the career of Walter Barnett - a noted photographer of royalty, celebrities and the theatre during this period. Augmenting his presentation with a wealth of old photographs, many being his own personal possessions, Roger gave an enlightening, humorous and very engaging account of life as a successful photographer at the turn of the century. Overall, an unusual and fascinating insight of early commercial photography, delivered with great verve by a consummate presenter.
Meeting on 2 September. Steve Brabner from the Amersham Camera Club, gave a presentation on 'digital club photography.' Adopting digital photography as far back as 1995, whilst employed in the USA, Steve recounted his own personal experiences and difficulties in adapting to the new technique. While the transition from film to digital simplified and dramatically expanded the scope of photography, it also introduced problems in the accurate colour rendition of images. Reviewing these difficulties, Steve took his audience on a journey through the pros and cons of equipment selection and processing software, emphasizing the unsurpassed performance of all digital cameras from compacts to SLRs, and their ability to produce truly amazing photographs. He concluded with a series of thought-provoking audio/visual presentations, demonstrating the impact of this media format, followed by a personal selection of his own photographs. A comprehensive and absorbing tour-de-force by a gifted amateur, which revealed many hereto hidden aspects of digital photography.
Meeting on 5 August. One of our members, Bob Bell, gave a digital presentation to the Society entitled 'From light to life to photography.' A personal odyssey, Bob gave a light-hearted and amusing talk on how fundamental light and colour is to all life on Earth, covering the development of vision, the history of optics, and the race to discover better means of preserving and improving images. The presentation contained many personal anecdotes and photographs, and included references to photography's roots in painting, the sciences and technologies, together with many of the personalities involved in it's advancement. An interesting and entertaining look at photography, viewed from a completely different perspective, that was very well received by his audience.
Other activities
Photographic exhibitions. The Society held its two annual photographic exhibitions: at the Adderbury Institute on 26/27 September and at St Peter and St Paul’s church in Deddington on 24 October, and were also invited to exhibit at the Kings Sutton Craft Fair on 10/11 October. It is estimated that a combined total of just under 500 people visited the three exhibitions.
Review of Committee discussions
The Committee met on four occasions during the period, namely on 13 August, 21 September, 13 November and 7 January. Discussion areas of interest were:
Upgrade of the Society’s web site. The continued growth of the web site has necessitated a software upgrade to ClikPic Super Pro status. Among other benefits, this enables bulk uploading and a total of 2,000 images to be supported on the web site. Currently, there are 45-50 visits per month to the site from non-members, who access an average of five web pages.
Addition of dissolution clause to the Society’s Constitution. The present Constitution contains no provision for dissolution in the event of the Society being wound-up at some future date. Accordingly, a draft dissolution clause has been prepared and will be presented to members at the AGM in April.
Application for a Lottery Grant. A decision has been made to apply for a Lottery Grant to the Society and a small working group led by Richard has been established within the Committee for this purpose. Following discussions with the Banbury Camera Club, who recently made a successful Grant application, a draft submission is being prepared with the intention of forwarding the final application to the Lottery Fund by 28 February.
Change of meeting venue. As a consequence of the continued growth in membership, the Seminar Room at the Deddington Arms Hotel is now too small for future meetings. The total seating capacity of the room is 29 people, with the result that some members had to stand during the November and December meetings. Following a survey of other possible venues in Adderbury and Deddington, it was decided to change the meeting venue to the Apricot Room in the Cartwright Arms Hotel, Aynho, for the meeting on 3 February and for all subsequent meetings in 2010.
Membership survey form. The increase in membership has introduced new members to the Society, with differing levels of photographic ability and experience. A survey has been initiated therefore to review the needs of all members and how their aspirations may be accommodated.
Subscription levels for 2010/2011. After discussion, the Committee has decided to recommend to members at the AGM that the present subscription level should remain unaltered for next year.
New Treasurer designate. Patrick has indicated that he wishes to relinquish the position of Treasurer in April. In order to ensure a smooth transition of this important position, the Committee has approached John Prescott who has agreed to assume this position, subject to the endorsement of members at the AGM.
Committee members
The present Committee members are Chairman: Patrick Rigby, Treasurer; Patrick Hanley, Society Secretary: John Branton, Programme Secretary: Bob Bell, and two additional members: Richard Broadbent and Martyn
NEWSLETTER No. 1
Summaries of recent events
Meeting on 1 July. Nik Proctor of Permajet Limited gave a presentation on 'Colour Management.' Stressing the importance of matching colour rendition between the camera and computer monitor, Nik gave a practical demonstration on achieving this using a sensor attached temporarily to the monitor screen with step-by-step software instructions. Continuing, Nik also reviewed ways of similarly calibrating inkjet printers to produce the same colour rendition, and then looked at the use of different textures in photographic paper to enhance the photographic image. The presentation concluded with a discussion on the cost of printer ink, and how this cost could be reduced significantly through investment in eco-flow ink systems. An enlightening presentation of a technical subject, delivered in a simple and entertaining manner.
Meeting on 3 June. Frank Ash ARPS gave a presentation on 'His Journey though Landscape Photography' in which he sought to re-create the mood and atmosphere of the Dales, Kintail, Skye and Glencoe. In so doing, Frank took members down a very personal journey where he emphasised the need to develop a feeling for the landscape before trying to capture its image. This, coupled with his own unconventional approach, produced some remarkable landscape photographs. Frank was forthright in the analysis of his own results, and members were treated to a unique critique of each photograph, where the importance of foreground, camera angle, sky, cropping and colour/monochrome in developing the mood of an image was discussed. The meeting concluded with an audio/visual presentation, after which Frank was invited to offer his comments on members submissions for the monthly photographic topic. Overall, an intriguing, thoughtful and sometimes very entertaining evening from an accomplished photographer.
Meeting on 6 May. A Workshop was held on 'table-top photography' which was led by one of our members, Martyn Pearse. Explaining how interesting images can be achieved on an ordinary plain table by the use of simple propos such as angle poise lamps, white card reflectors, coloured tissues and different background materials, Martyn demonstrated the techniques he employed to produce creative photographs. Members then separated into groups around six tables and, using these techniques and the various props, each produced a variety of images for different photographic subjects. A most interesting, entertaining and inter-active evening, which considerably broadened the photographic horizons on what can be achieved with the minimum of equipment.
Review of Committee discussions
The Committee met on two occasions, 30 April and 18 June, during which the main discussion areas were:
Advertising in The Contact. Doubt was expressed on whether a final decision had been made regarding future advertising in the magazine, and it was agreed the matter should be referred back to the Society. (Note: matter subsequently raised at the 1 July meeting, where it was agreed that advertising will continue).
Society's web site. Expansion of the web site was discussed concerning the inclusion of some new web pages, and improving the web site's visibility on various search engines.
Management of future Exhibitions. Experience had shown the importance of identifying individual project managers for each of the Society's three proposed Exhibitions in 2009. These were identified as John B for the Adderbury Exhibition on 26/27 September, Philip R for the Kings Sutton Craft Fair on 10/11 October, while a person was still being sought for the Deddington Exhibition on 24 October. (Note: Glynne has subsequently volunteered to manage this event at the 1 July meeting).
Business cards. Action will be taken to obtain some general purpose business cards for use at the Exhibitions.
Adderbury Half Marathon. Philip R is co-ordinating with the Adderbury Running Club, and the Society has exclusive rights for taking the official photographs of this charity event. At present, eight members are designated as official photographers, namely Philip R, Patrick, John B, John P, Philip LeM, Richard, George and Martyn - any more are welcome.
Outstanding subscriptions. Currently, there are a number of outstanding subscriptions that need to be progressed. The Society's Constitution allows three months for renewal, before membership lapses.
CACC Handbook. The Society has submitted inputs for the 2010 edition of the Handbook.
Future programme of events. The future programme to the end of 2009 was reviewed and agreed. It was also decided that the New Year dinner would be held on Sunday 17 January, at the Deddington Arms hotel (subject to agreement with Paul, the hotel manager).
Grant from Adderbury Parish Council. A grant of £200 had been received from the Parish Council, towards the purchase of a digital projector.
Newsletter
Will be updated on a periodic basis.
