RPS Digital IMaging Group - Projected Image Competition 2020
Congratulations to the follow NDPS members who had images accepted for the RPS Digital Imaging Group’s Projected Image Competition 2020.
Open Colour Category
BOUQUET Ian McIntosh LRPS
DAWN MIST Dave Balcombe ARPS*
HORSEY WINDPUMP AT DAWN David Turner LRPS*
SUBWAY SPEEDER Robin Myerscough*
Open Monochrome Category
BALLETIC HIBISCUS Ian McIntosh LRPS
BREAKOUT Dave Balcombe ARPS*
BRIGHTON WEST PIER Dave Turner LRPS*
Altered Reality Category
THE GIRAFFE HOUSE Dave Balcombe ARPS
Due to the limited number of spaces available for the print catalogue, a selection of the highest scoring images were chosen to be shown. The images marked * above were not included in the print catalogue but will be included in the expanded digital version of the catalogue.
Read More
Norfolk enters Tier 4 - the Covid 19 Restrictions
Norfolk is to move into Tier 4 coronavirus restrictions from Boxing Day, following the continued rise in Covid 19 transmission in the county.
The government’s decision means that people cannot leave or be outside of the place they are living unless they have a reasonable excuse. People cannot meet other people indoors, including over the Christmas and New Year period, unless they live with them, or they are part of their support bubble. Only two people from different household can meet in public outdoor spaces.
It also means an end to the rule of six and cosequently ALL events held by the Society (with the exception of online meeting via zoom) have been cancelled until the current restrictions are relaxed.
Read More
Special Presentation by award winning photographer Tracey Lund
'Stunning images, Tracey'
This heading comes nowhere near summing up last night's Special Presentation to Norwich & District Photographic Society. Tracy was chosen because of her undoubted expertise in this particular field, as evidence by her long string of awards, to make the final Special Presentation of 2020.
'Wonderful, thank you'
Tracy took us through a long and breath-taking journey around the world photographing what was obviously the love and passion of her life - wildlife. We visited Japan (Snow Macaques, Red Crown Cranes, Whooper Swans, Eagles), Finland (Black Grouse, Goshawks, Waxwings, Golden Eagles, Wolverines), Iceland (Blue Nosed Arctic Foxes), The Camargue (Horses), Holland (Gorillas), Spain (The Lynx and Bears), Kent (Lions and Leopards, Yorkshire (Polar Bears), Yellowstone USA (Grizzly Bears, Birds of Prey) and other places in the United Kingdom (puffins, Seals, Owls, Hares, Red Squirrels). Not just a list of far flung places but a very long and varied list of species.
'I loved your beautiful images.'
Tracy also shared some of her techniques with us. She always uses Manual mode. She make eye contact with her subject and takes the images at their eye level - a way of working that shone through all her images. Always have your camera set and ready for the 'grab shot'.
Read More
Photographer of The Year Round Two Judged by Caroline Preece LRPS
Last Tuesday saw the judging of Round Two of POTY, another round of digital images. The themed image was ‘In A Row’ and the second image was unrestricted
Caroline Preece had, of course, seen all the images beforehand and was able to make pertinent comments about each of the presented images. The members offered a cornucopia of dazzling images for consideration in each of the four separate classes. There is no doubt that NDPS has some outstanding photographers in its ranks..!
Altogether a total of 78 images were judged and we offer our congratulations to the following winning photographers -
Free choice images
f5.6 League SALTWATER SOAK by Stuart Woodcock
f2.8 League JUST AFTER HARVEST by Bill Daniels
Themed images (IN A ROW)
f5.6 League SHIP TO SHORE by Pat Stebbings
f2.8 League ROW OF POLES ACROSS A GRAIN FIELD by Neil Hall
Read More
Martin Patten - How to Critique Your Own Images
During our weekly meeting on Tuesday 1st December NDPS was host to professional photographer, President of the Chilterns Association of Camera Clubs and well known and respected competition judge, Martin Patten.
Martin's Special Presentation was How to Critique Your Own Images. An area of photography of interest to all those who make pictures, not just for competitions but for exhibition, photographic qualifications, projects, memories and even commercial reasons.
Martin's well-structured presentation began by asking 'Why are you taking pictures?' and continued with a discussion on emotions, critiques and characteristics of genres. At the end he said that this was a huge subject and that he had only 'scratched the surface'. Well that may be the case from his point of view but he laid out before us many pitfalls to avoid and many points to follow.
He said that we should 'divorce ourselves from the emotion of the shot!' A difficult process but one that should put distance between that moment of excitement when the shutter was pressed and the post processing began. Don't process a photo the same day! Don't choose the first frame you come to! Get another view - someone else to look at it, turn it upside down look at it in a mirror!
Read More
Rachael Talibart - 'Tides & Tempests'
Last evening's (24th November) presentation by one of the best photographers working in the United Kingdom today was a run-away success. 58 members of the Society turned on their computers to hear this presentation - this may be a record attendance for our online meetings during the current crisis.
Guest, Iñaki Hernández-Lasa, FRPS - FIPF - AFIAP, was quick to email his thanks to NDPS for inviting him to this presentation
'Thanks so much for inviting me to tonight's presentation and for your very kind words at the beginning Maurice, you are very kind. A fantastic talk tonight which is really tempting me to shoot more of this seascape malarkey..! LOL'
There were lots of words of thanks in the 'chat' box and one member even emailed the In Focus Team to show his appreciation.
Rachel's presentation covered a multitude of topics as well as sharing lots and lots of amazing photographs. She told how she returned often to the same location and found different shots each time. How she made use of her tripod and how she used it in the sea in positions 'close to catastrophe'. She talked about the difference between big stoppers, little stoppers and graduated filters and polarising filters. She talked about post processing and how she used only Lightroom and delved into some of the processes
She explained that all photographers should 'find their own voice' - not always a quick and easy thing to do but it will happen eventually. She urged us to 'do silly things' to help the learning process and she wanted her pictures to invoke a feeling of 'Curiosity and Wonder'.
This presentation certainly elicited both curiosity and wonder as we soaked up the fantastic images, considered the meaning of Fine Art and wondered if we should change from the Rule of Thirds to The Golden Ratio . .
Thank you Rachael.
Read More
NDPS Launches its Annual Exhibition - the Covid Virtual Exhibition 2020!
Last night (Thursday 19th November) was the launch and Private View of this 104th Annual Exhibition for Society Members.
Because of the Covid 19 restrictions our usual venue in the Cathedral Hostry was denied us but undeterred by the loss of a venue and not being able to produce printed images, the Society put together a wonderful and varied collection of digital images which will appear on the website and be available for all the world to see. This collection differed from previous exhibitions not only because there were no prints but also because there was no judging and no prizes to be awarded. Instead, it seemed fit in these straitened times where everyone found it difficult to get out and take photos, that this presentation of 136 images should be a celebration of the recent work of the Society members.
And what a celebration this is. Digital images grouped in the usual five classes reveal the width and breadth of abilities of photographers in the Society. Previous, pre Covid, exhibitions have produced some exquisite images, some thought provoking images and some technically brilliant images, and this presentation continues the trend.
Everyone, and anyone, interested in the photographic image is encouraged to go to the Society website and immerse themselves in a digital wonderland.
Read More
James Kerwin presents Sands of Time...
The photo-talk by this well known urbex photographer last night (17th November) was another great success. This was James' fourth visit to NDPS and he never fails to hold the attention of his audience with a series of photographs, anecdotes and advice on equipment and technique.
He took us on a journey around the globe from Georgia, Lebanon, Pryp'yat' in the Ukraine, Namibia, The United Arab Emirates and Myanmar. And then there were his photographs of the abandoned city of Chernobyl. A truly spooky place.
All his photographs were taken with a high degree of planning and attention to detail. He talked of his scouting trips to find the best shots and returning to a venue how he considered the light and texture of his subjects. How the effects of light changed from inside to outside a building, and from different times of the day. Nothing was left to chance.
James included in his presentation a brief overview of his equipment and, perhaps most important of all, how he kept it clean and sand free. So, if you want to change a lens make the change inside your camera rucksack! If you want to keep your tripod in tip top order, dismantle it - every single bolt and screw - and clean it thoroughly before re-assembly!
Read More
Dotan Saguy delivers outstanding photo-talk
Our presentation last night (10th November) by the gifted Doton Saguy held 50 members of the Society in thrall as he took us through his exciting photography career. He was born in Israel, grew up in Paris, lived in Manhattan during the 9/11 outrage and now lives in Los Angeles from where he delivered his presentation.
Not a man to let the grass grow under his feet he led us through the second part of his working life, his photography. Delivered clearly, simply and accompanied by a whole series of fantastic photos everyone listened intently and saved up a lot of questions and plaudits for the session at the end of the presentation.
Doton talked of his early learning experiences and Street Photography which moved on to Photo-Journalism, Documentary Photography and finally Travel Photography. What a journey! But we were not just entertained, there were lots of important 'take away' moments - let your pictures tell a story; the thrill of publication; the shot list; DIM and Personal Projects. DIM stands for Design (layering, colour, delight the viewer), Information (clues to the story) and Moment (emotion, action and interaction) - for a full and proper explanation find Dotun on You tube and soak up the knowledge!
Yet another first class speaker for NDPS. It's worth mentioning that Doton was presenting from California in the United States and in the audience was a member of the Kpblenz Foto-club who asked questions - America and Germany joined together for a moment by Norwich and District Photographic Society…!
Read More
Shooting Models on location with Jade Stacy Maria
Last night’s monthly Studio Group could not go ahead as originally planned due to the latest ‘lockdown’ imposed by the UK Government so instead we all gathered for a zoom presentation by the professional model Jade Stacy Maria Brimfield.
Jade has become well known to several members of the Studio Group since she moved to Norfolk from her native Essex a few years ago and more recently through her blog ‘Journeys with Jade’ as she travels the world with her partner James Kerwin.
Jade is a Fashion model most of her time and she specialises in (surprise surprise) location shooting. Jade has shot extensively, across the world, with James and she spoke last night via zoom from Tbilisi in Georgia where she and James are currently residing before their next planned return to Norwich in the Spring of 2021.
Last night’s talk consisted of an Informative and easy to follow presentation about shooting models on location and offered useful tips and techniques about achieving the best possible results at different types of location.
Jade covered a range of subjects such as how to approach a model for a location shoot and using colour theory by implementing simple additions such as props, subjects and set designs. In addition, she covered the likely sources for being inspired and practical tips for finding potential locations
Read More
Monochrome Conversion Last Tuesday's Special Presentation by Ian Wilson
Ian's second visit to NDPS proved as well received as his first.
Here was a computer engineer, someone who has spent a lifetime working on the 'inside' of computers talking to a group of, mostly, amateur enthusiast photographers. A recipe for disaster, a geek talking to the uninitiated! But no. This was not the case at all, Ian's encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject and his ability to make difficult concepts understandable left us all sagely nodding and muttering phrases like 'Yes, of course', 'Got it', 'Ah, so that's how I do it'.
In a presentation clearly divided into two halves, the theory and the practical, Ian showed us how he converts his photos into monochrome. Everyone learned something, even those who are regular users of the software he described.
Perhaps the most telling remark was from an NDPS member who uttered 'Humbling!' at the end of the evening.
Thanks Ian for your knowledge, clarity and enthusiasm. You'll be back!
Review written by Tom Watson
Read More
The inspirational Rachael Talibart has agreed to talk to NDPS members
Rachael Talibart had planned to be in the Antartic during November but with that no longer possible for obvious reasons Norwich & District Photographic Society are therefore delighted to announce that Rachael has agreed to make time to talk via zoom to the members of the Society.
Currently, away in Cornwall until next week on a workshop we have able to agree with Rachael’s all the details of her talk but will do so as soon as possible. In the meantime we recommend you make a note in your diary about this outstanding opportuniy to hear from such an outstanding photographer on Tuesday 24th November at 7:30PM
Rachael is a former lawyer turned professional photographer specialising in coastal photography. Her inspiration comes from a childhood spent at the sea and she is best known for her Sirens portfolio, critically acclaimed photographs of stormy seas, named after creatures of myth and legend. This portfolio has won numerous awards and has been published globally.
Rachael has exhibited in major London galleries and in Brighton, Barcelona, New York and Massachusetts. Her limited edition prints appear in private collections in the UK and USA. Rachael writes for photography magazines and is an experienced public speaker. She was described as one of ‘the best outdoor photographers working in the UK today’ by Outdoor Photography Magazine (June 2016) and she is a judge for the Outdoor Photographer of the Year contest.
Rachael is an excellent photographer, that goes without saying, but she is also a top class speaker - don’t miss this event if you want to see some truely inspiring photography and pick up plenty of useful tips
Special Presentations are free to NDPS members but once we have finalised arrangement for Rachael’s talk we hope to have guest tickets available for purchase from our booking agents Eventbrite UK.
Read More
An evening in discussion with Brian Northmore...
On Tuesday (22nd September) in the latest of this Season’s Special Presentations we were treated to a series of super images of a wide variety of subjects from Brain Northmore. Brian is a photographer and Videographer based in the South West of England who has his own YouTube channel and offers courses and workshops for photographers.
Brian has a passion for both aviation and landscape photography and talked us through the trails and tribulations of trying to capture the perfect shot. From camping in the hills of Wales to shoot fast jets around the Mach Loop to braving the rain in the fells, lakes and tarns of the Lake District where he shot his latest series of landscape images.
Brian’s Lake District series were created in black and white and accentuate the texture and geometry of the landscape. His local stomping ground is Dartmoor and Brian shared some evocative images of the landscape he has come to know well.
Offering tips for capturing the best of these subjects and tales about his photographic trips with Ruby, his dog made for a highly enjoyable evening
Read More
Dennis Hales and Paul Oliver give the Society ideas and tips based on their photographic experiences.
Tonight as part of our programme of Activity/Practical/Technique Evenings we were all entertained with two outstanding presentations from two of our own members - Dennis Hales and Paul Oliver.
Activity/Practical/Technique Evenings are where we get the chance to learn about photographic techniques, find out how to critique our images, learn practical stuff like editing techniques or photo-mounting, and occasionally go outside with our cameras.
Dennis opened the evening with a description of how his photography linked to his business of wood turning. He showed us several pictures of his absolutely outstanding turning and painting on wood and also briefly explained how he went about this work. The finished results in gold and silver, and colour matching to customers special requirements, were amazing.
Paul followed Dennis after the break and gave us a demonstration of developing film and, in an easy and simple demonstration (with tap water) took us through the process. The process brought back memories, particularly olfactory memories, to many members.
Read More
Iñaki Hernández-Lasa's inspirational talk opens the 2020-2021 Season
Every year the Society aims to begin a new season with a bang. This new season was no exception and we, and a record number of virtual attendees from the Society and further afield, were not disappointed. With antecedents that included two Fellowships this always promised to be an attention grabbing presentation from Iñaki and he did not disappoint.
He led us through the inspirational areas of Minimalism and Abstraction through to the production of breath-taking images. He shared his thinking processes and pressed home his conviction that conceptualisation and meticulous planning were the precursors of success
His mantra was: Think - Compare - Compose - Shoot.
This presentation held everyone spellbound and when the time came for questions Iñaki was pleased to share his knowledge of photographic kit, different techniques and advice on submissions for photographic awards. A wide range of advice in answer to a wide range of questions.
We are delighted that this presentation was so well received, not just by the regular NDPS members, but also by people outside the Society who had obtained guest tickets to attend.
Read More
David Keep closes the 2019-2020 Season with inspirational photo-talk
Thank you David for delivering such an awe inspiring talk last night to the members and guests of our Society. David’s presentation - Underwater Photography 1 - brought to a close the 2019-20 season and we could not have chosen anyone better to talk to us. This season Norwich & District Photographic Society hosted 11 outstanding Special Presentations covering a wide genre of photographic subjects at the Methodist Hall before coronavirus struck and we all went into lockdown. Since then NDPS has opened up and hosted a further exceptional 12 online presentations but when we look back we shall all remember David’s talk as one of the standout events of an exceptional season.
It is not just David’s images that stand out but also his relaxed presentation style and the passionate way he takes people through his trips and explains in detail how the images were captured along with his excellent use of video clips. We all look forward with both excitement and a little trepidation – having been introduced briefly to the saltwater crocodile - to next season when David returns to share the continuation his journey with Underwater Photography 2.
Read More
Norwich & District Photographic Society looks forward to an exciting new Season
At this time of the year the members of the Society are normally pre-occupied with staging their Annual Exhibition at Norwich Cathedral and looking forward to welcoming an influx of new members who have in recent years turned up during the first weeks of September as the new Season begins. In the past three years alone, the Society has grown by more than a third and last season reached a peak of eighty members.
Covid-19 means that during the past months the Society has been forced to change but we continue to innovate and despite all the difficulties we look forward with excitement to our new season which opens on Tuesday 1st September with an online illustrated photo-talk from the very talented Bilbao born photographer Iñaki Hernández-Lasa, FRPS - FIPF – AFIAP who is now living in Ireland.
When on the 16th March the Prime Minister announced the first measures to combat the pandemic the third time in just over 100 years our Society could not meet as a group - two world wars and now a pandemic – but we were determined to bounce back strongly...!
Our first action was to appoint a small steering sub-committee with the brief to keep the members connected with one another and to steer the Society through these difficult times. This In Focus team, each chosen for their particular skills, met immediately and took the view that the pandemic was an opportunity to take the Society in new directions and allow the members to take part in events that previously had not seemed possible.
Read More
Masterclass in macro-photography from Allan Walls
Covid-19 has allowed the Society to reach out to renownd photographers who due to the sheer distances involved are normally unable to present one of our regular highly-illustrated and inspiring photo-talks. Last night we were joined by Allan Walls from Alabama in the United States of America. who promised an introduction covering all aspects of macro-photography. What we got was a true ‘Masterclass’ from a photographer who is clearly as passionate as he is skilled in everything to do with this genre of photography.
If you want to give macro-photography a try but really don’t know where to begin, Allan explained all you need is a basic DSLR and a few inexpensive pieces of equipment to achieve some stunning images. Progressing further until we ran out of magnification Allan explained it was now time to reach for some different gear. Specifically, it’s was time to figure out how to replace diffraction-limited camera lenses with another optical marvel - microscope objectives. The result was high resolution images that revealed the beauty (Allan’s words) of creatures little bigger than a grain of sand made possible by focus-stacking in some cases thousands of individual images.
Read More
Tuesday 16th June, 2020 - Another First and Another Great Success!
At half past seven on the evening of 16th June about 40 members of the society gathered round their computers at home, because of the ubiquitous Lockdown, and settled in to enjoy the first Virtual Member's Evening ever. Member's Evenings are, of course, not new but to hold such a meeting using Skype was a first and, although we have had many Special Event speakers in this difficult period, this was the first home grown meeting. And it was a real success.
Member's Evenings are a chance for members to share ideas, images, knowledge and experience in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. So, what was on the menu this evening?
Neil Hall gave a presentation on that part of his career as a paparazzo describing not only the job briefs but the long and sometimes tedious hours waiting for celebrities to appear. But when they did appear the frantic action to get the shot. And good shots too - Neil included several sample photos in his presentation! Thanks Neil for a whirlwind half hour.
Read More
Guy Edwardes delivers outstanding talk on Landscape and Wildlife photography
WOW – does not come close to adequately describing the inspirational talk that Guy Edwardes delivered on Tuesday night (9th June) to the members of Norwich and District Photographic Society.
In a highly-illustrated two-hour remote talk consisting of two parts Guy presented his outstanding landscape and wildlifee photographs from around the world and generously explained how many of the images were planned and also shared details of the photographic kit and techniques he often uses to capture his stunning images.
Read More
