The challenge to members was; given a RAW file what can you do with it?
This was a new idea for the club and involved members trying their hands at editing some RAW images taken by Dave Gray. There were 5 images sent out to members to see what they could do – 3 were landscapes, one was a portrait and one was a nature image.
Twelve club members had a go at the post processing although not all managed all 5 images. Most of those that took part used Lightroom to edit the images although Camera Raw and other editing software was also used. Many also tweaked the images using such add-on software as the Nik Collection or the TK Panel to give further enhancements.
The edited images of the first landscape were shown and it was interesting to see the variety of results. The image was titled ‘Red Pike’ and it showed an area of the Cumbria fells with rocks strewn across the grass. After the first basic editing, some members chose to give the scene a very stormy look while others chose to convert to monochrome or to crop the image in various ways. Dave then demonstrated how he had edited the image using Lightroom.
The next image was an HDR composite image of a waterfall taken in the Brecon Beacons. The slow shutter speed made the fast flowing water very white in the image and many members struggled to get any detail into it. There was also a patch of white sky showing through the trees which a judge would probably have criticized so members tackled that problem in different ways. Some chose to crop the offending area and others disguised it in different ways. Again the results were very varied – some colourful others muted or monochrome.
Next another tricky image to edit with just the cloud covered summit of a Scottish mountain to contend with. Again some members had difficulties with the highlights and some tried various filters to improve the image. Dave then explained how he would have solved the problems of blown highlights.
The portrait ‘Gambian Girl’ presented those taking part with many post processing problems. The lighting was harsh and the colour of the girls’ skin was difficult to get right. The background needed replacing or subduing it in some way to make it more complimentary to the subject. Some cropped the background away completely, just leaving the face and the head covering in the final image. Some found the image looked better when flipped.
Several members asked how best to replace a background and Dave demonstrated his method using layers in Photoshop.
The final image for members to work on was a brimstone butterfly image with an annoying grass stem and a distracting background. Members used various techniques to soften and tone down the background and Dave demonstrated how he selected the subject and then used Gaussian blur on the background. Members cropped in various ways and some preferred the image flipped.
It was very interesting to see the different ways that members presented their edited images and the results very much depended on individual taste. Many taking part found it more difficult editing someone elses images rather than their own.
David Wilkinson thanked Dave Gray for his work setting up the idea and giving his advice. Thanks to those members that had a go at the post processing challenge.
At the end of the evening everyone learned something from each other and said that it would be good to do something similar again. PM

On Tuesday 20th April, we welcomed Alex Nail on Zoom!, all the way from Bath, to give us his presentation entitled “Mastering Mountain Photography”.
Originally from Peter Tavey, in South Devon, Alex became interested in photography after seeing long exposure images during a rugby trip to the Antipodes. On his return, he started venturing out onto Dartmoor making images of tors all over the region. In search of original images, he went deeper into the moors, off the beaten tracks, and began to realise that remoteness was becoming important to his work. So he started travelling to, and camping in, Scotland, shooting among the Munroes and remoter mountain areas.
    Alex gave us an insight into his trip planning process, describing an 18-day pack raft and hiking trip to Greenland. Starting with Google Earth, he searched for likely photographic subjects in remote areas. He then did further research using Ordnance Survey maps and, in this instance, Harvey’s Maps which he said were the best for Greenland. Having decided on his target, he found out about other trekkers experiences and decide on his route. He planned his kit, organised transport and food drops - and left his job at Airbus!
   Showing us loads of fantastic photographs, Alex described some of the difficulties he and his friend encountered on the trip. On the first evening, his pack raft drifted off on the high tide and disappeared down the fjord requiring the help of a local rescue service. Having found it and continued on the trek, they also encountered near impenetrable birch forest, and energy-sapping boulder fields, before they reached a suitable camping spot where he could take an evening shot of the view of Ketil mountain that he had originally seen on Google Earth.
   Giving us his thoughts on composition, Alex felt that balance in the image is the most important issue. While the classical concepts such as the Rule of Thirds, symmetry, separation, repetition and leading lines should not be overlooked, getting a good balance to the picture is something that can become natural and intuitive.
Alex then went on to talk about “working a location”. Using a wild and photographic location known as Mbundini Abbey in the Drakensberg mountains of South Africa, he showed a series of images taken from essentially the same position in different lighting conditions. There were shots at sunrise; with cloud inversions; crepuscular rays; an approaching hail storm; rainbows; and night shots. He also broke the vista down into smaller sections by zooming in and focusing on compositions within compositions, such as pillars of rock against a ridge and a series of receding ridges.
   Alex ended his presentation with an illustrated account of a workshop he led to Holmselern in Southern Iceland. The group stayed in a Mountain Hut in this remote, picturesque area of Iceland and went hiking each day to find photographic locations. The area is vast and it can be difficult to get a sense of scale, so he showed us images of the group trekking within the vista. While there were days when they were soaked in rainstorms or had to stay in the hut, Alex suggested that bad weather can create some fantastic photographic opportunities. He finished his talk with some of the most wonderful images of Maelifell, a conical volcano standing in black sand and surrounded by glacial rivers.
    After a question and answer session, our Chairman thanked Alex for an awesome presentation and highly entertaining evening. Our members were unanimous in their agreement and provided a round of muted applause. DF
See Alex's amazing images

Wiltshire photographer David Sage ARPS judged the club’s final open competition of the season. David has been taking photographs for about 40 years and gained his Associate Distinction with the RPS in 2014. He looks for originality and something a bit different when he is looking through the images entered. The winners he chose from the competition entries ‘jumped out’ for him. He likes to give all entrants feedback on their images as it is a good way to learn how to improve your photography. David had looked in detail at the EXIF and the settings used and had also checked the images using the histogram. Comments were made about cropping out unnecessary areas of the images to make better compositions and increasing the contrast to make some of the images stand out more.

In the Beginners section it was a delightful winter scene by Richard Blackbourne that caught the judges eye. Titled ‘Christmas on the Avon’ the image showed the Bradford on Avon Bridge with its lights and frosty trees. David remarked that it was a good use of available light and a good composition and gave it first place.
There were several good bird studies entered in the section and second place went to ‘Long-tailed Tit’ by Gerald Clarke.
In third place was an interesting image of a derelict barn reflected in the water by Hilary Tapley. The judge said that ‘Reflections’ had strong colours and a good composition.
Hilary were also awarded an HC for a monochrome image ‘House by The Ford’ and Richard had an HC for ‘Garden Greenfinch’.

Next came the Intermediate section and the image that stood out most for the judge was ‘Old Jetty’ by Martin Stokes. David said the long exposure and the well-positioned red buoy made it very pleasing on the eye.
In second place was a well taken image by Mark Sommerville of toadstools titled ‘3 in a Row’. The well-lit, sharp image had appealing autumn colours. Trees featured in the third placed image by David Eagle. ‘The Embrace’ depicted twisted trees with mossy trunks and some autumn leaves in a woodland setting.

The Advanced section was shown after the break with 30 entries for the judge to peruse. David said that there were many good local landscapes and awarded Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP first place for his image ‘Freezing Fog’ Woodborough Hill’. The judge said it stood out for him as it was a strong image showing good lead-in lines and an interesting composition. Robert was also awarded HC’s for his other 2 images.
Second place went to David Wilkinson with his bird image ‘Collecting Nesting Material’. It was well caught and showed the birds natural behaviour.
The judge said that Frank Collins image was taken at one of the best locations in the Lake District. ‘Sunrise over Buttermere’ showed a bare tree reflected in the still water of the lake and it was awarded 3rd place.
Two images by Susie Bigglestone ARPS were awarded HC’s as were images from Tim Tapley LRPS, Dave Gray and Pam Mullings.

Thanks to all those who sent in images and thanks to the Competition Secretary David Eagle for organising the competition.
The judge was thanked by club Chairman Steve Hardman and who said he hoped members had all learnt something from the excellent critiques. PM

See the full results         See the awarded images in the Galleries

The inter-club battle between Devizes and Frome Wessex Camera Clubs has become an annual fixture over the last three years, with the latest instalment taking place via Zoom. The battle aims to test each club’s ‘strength in depth’: no more than 2 images can be entered from any one member; and entries must include images from at least 5 members who do not compete in the club’s top competition section. This also makes for a very inclusive contest, giving many members an interest in seeing how their images fare at the inter-club level.

Our judge for the evening was Ralph Snook ARPS EFIAP, who gave a very thorough and fair assessment of each image, giving everyone the benefit of his considerable knowledge and experience. The subjects ranged through Landscape, Nature, Architecture, Still Life, Creative, Nude Studies and many more besides, but each was given a mark out of 20 reflecting its quality as an example of its particular genre.

Maximum marks were given to 3 images on the night: ‘Sidewinding Adder’ left by Robert Harvey (Devizes), ‘Blossom and Bird’ right by Jane Wiltshire (Frome Wessex) and ‘In Your Arms’ below by Alan Denison (Frome Wessex). Our congratulations go to Robert, Jane and Alan.

On a club level, the first half of 30 images saw both clubs closely matched, with Frome Wessex just in front with 257 points against Devizes’ 255. However, in the second half of 30 further images, Frome Wessex steadily pulled ahead and finished with a convincing win, scoring 516 points against Devizes’ 502. Congratulations from Devizes go to the worthy winners on the night. The aggregate score over the last 3 years is now 2-1 in favour of Devizes, so both clubs will have everything to play for when we next meet on 8th April 2022. DG


Thanks to Battlle secretary Dave Gray for organising the Battle. Frank Collins for reading out the titles and score and to David Eagle for hosting the zoom meeting.

Full scores can be found here

Long standing friends of the club John Tilsley ARPS, APAGB, DPAGB and Di Tilsley APAGB CPAGB made a welcome visit to the club to show images of their recent travels. Even though they are often at the same location at the same time they take usually take different viewpoints and aspects.
John feels that his images should be shown as prints as the printing and paper used can really enhance the images. John is sponsored by Fotospeed and takes a great interest in the wide variety of printing paper available and experiments to find the most suitable paper for each type of image.
For this presentation both John and Di had to show projected images using Zoom so we will have to wait to see John's well presented prints.
John began the evening by showing images taken on a visit to Tenerife. They were hoping for some time to relax in the sunshine but it turned out rather differently. The island experienced unexpected storms and very rough seas which did bring some drama and excitement to the visit. However, in spite of the torrential rain neither he nor Di were deterred and made the best of the conditions. Both showed some dramatic images of the sea breaking over the coastal rocks and harbour walls. As they travelled towards the centre of the island and higher ground there were some dramatic images of the mountains and rock formations above the clouds. After the break Di showed some monochromatic images showing recession in the misty mountain ranges, the volcanic stacks and the lava flows.
A long term interest of John’s is the Swanage Railway and he has been taking photographs of the steam trains for some years. He showed some interesting character portraits with their grimy faces as they take pride in looking after the locomotives. John has photographed many of the enthusiastic volunteers that work on the trains with a view to making a composite collage.
A favourite photography location for both John and Di is the island of Mull with is abundant wildlife and photogenic coastline. Both showed us images of the stunning scenery and John showed some interesting, very minimalistic, atmospheric images of the scenic islands. Di showed some stunning images of white-tailed sea eagles picking up the fish thrown for them from the boat they were on.
John and Di enjoy travelling by narrowboat along the Midland canals photographing the interesting architecture, scenery and wildlife along the quiet waterways.
East Anglia is a favourite winter destination both for its birdlife and coastal scenery. John showed some superb, almost abstract images of flying birds in his own very individual style. Di had some impressive images of flying geese as well as some misty landscapes.
John and Di were thanked for giving the club such an enjoyable evening and an insight into the interesting areas that they had photographed. It was fascinating to see that two people can visit the same place but record it in very different ways. PM

The club welcomed back Mike Hendon LRPS to judge what should have been an open print competition. The competition had to be changed to open projected images as we have been unable to run print competitions over the last year. Never the less there was a good entry of projected images with a wide variety of interesting subjects.
Mike said that when judging he looks for images that show originality and that have something striking about them. A lot depends on what he has seen before and which images are most appealing on the day that he finally makes his mind up about the awards. Mike said that he was impressed by the overall standard of the entries from each of the sections.

Starting with the Beginners section Mike gave his comments on each entry. He said he was impressed by the generally high standard and went into great detail about each image.
A still life image titled ‘Memories of a Moonraker’ right by Lynda Croft intrigued him. He felt he wanted to know how and why the objects were connected. There were books on Wiltshire, a camera and a spool of film, a compass and an hourglass. The arrangement was well balanced, the colours blended well and it ‘told a story’. The image was awarded first place in the section.
In second place was a well-lit monochrome portrait of a young lad which the judge said reminded him of an old advertisement. ‘My Little Mate’ was by Mark Somerville who also was awarded 3rd place with a view of the Caen Hill locks. Snow covered the path alongside the impressive flight with a good reflection in the water. Mark was also awarded a highly commended for an action shot of a motorbike race at Thruxton. Two images by Bridget Codrington and one each from Gerald Clarke and Richard Blackbourne also gained HC’s.

In the Intermediate section an atmospheric image 'Great Crested Grebe' left by Martin Stokes gained first place. The judge said that the simplicity and negative space worked well, the tones were muted and the ripples and reflection captured well.
Two woodland images by David Eagle caught the judges eye and were awarded second and third places in the section. ‘The Magician’ showed a magnificent ancient tree that the judge said had a mystical quality and ‘Skinny Dancers’ showed a simple and effective monochromatic area of young saplings.

The Advanced section had a range of interesting images with some excellent landscapes but none of them were selected for awards. However, the judge was very impressed by ‘Milky Way over Kimmeridge Bay’ right by Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP. The judge said he had tried astro-photography himself but found it very challenging. He said that staying for hours in the cold and dark could be quite frightening and also the image must be well researched and the location pre-planned. Robert captured an excellent image of the night sky over the coastline and lighthouse. Another lighthouse image by Robert also impressed the judge this time framed by a dramatic wave in ‘Storm Ciara’
Second place went to an outstanding macro image by Tim Tapley. The judge said that ‘Common Blue in Morning Dew’ looked as if it was jewel encrusted. Tim also had an HC with another macro image ‘House Fly’ captured all the minute details including the hairs on its body and the amazing, large deep red eyes.
A monochrome image titled ‘Twilight Barley’ by Susie Bigglestone ARPS was in third place. The image showed the heads of the barley under a cloudy sky. Susie also gained an HC with ‘Bromham Jack’ with a characterful bull strutting his stuff and a very unimpressed cow in the distance.
David Wilkinson’s well caught image of two hares ‘The Chase’ was also awarded an HC. The judge said he appreciated the time the photographer probably took to catch the action.
Congratulations to those who gained awards and thanks to all those who entered the competitions.
Many thanks to Mike for taking the time to give his comprehensive, detailed critique and his judgement on all the entries. Thanks to David Eagle for organising the competition and hosting the Zoom meeting once again.
Full results        The awarded images can be seen in the Galleries

The GB Cup is an annual competition between Camera Clubs throughout the UK, organised by the PAGB (Photographic Alliance of Great Britain). It is always judged behind closed doors, though normally by three judges sitting alongside each other.

This year was different, due to the pandemic, and it took a little while for PAGB to solve the technical issues around remote judging. However, judging did eventually take place on 13th-14th March, and we now have the results.

In a change to the rules this year, we were allowed to enter as many images as we liked, all of which would be judged, and the best 12 scores used to make up our final score. This at least meant that a single error in selection would not impact the overall score.
However, being a national competition, Devizes is used to a placing in the lower part of mid-table, and this year was no exception:

• In the Open category, our best 12 images scored 132 points, giving us a placing of 71st= out of 120 competing clubs. For comparison, the winners (Rolls Royce Derby) scored 161 and the bottom club scored 111.

• In the Nature category, our best 12 images scored 123 points, giving us a placing of 64th= out of 104 competing clubs.
Again for comparison, the winners (South Manchester Camera Club) scored 162. The bottom club scored 28 points, presumably due to an incomplete entry.

On an individual level, congratulations go to Robert Harvey, who scored 13 (out of 15) for ‘Sidewinding Adder’, 12 for ‘Milky Way over Pondfield Cove’ and also 12 for ‘Stonehenge by Moonlight’. DG

Thanks to Battle Secretary Dave Gray and the selectors for entering the DCC images in this National Competition.

See the full results                          Images © Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP    
    

Multi-award winning, wildlife photographer, Tom Way gave an excellent presentation to the club. His images have a very distinctive style with usually just one animal as the subject either as a close up portrait or against a simple uncluttered background. The image of a white rhino is a typical of Tom's style with it’s clean background and unconventional, centrally placed subject.
Tom began a career in sport and travelled to many parts of the world but about 10 years ago took the plunge and changed direction completely to become a professional wildlife photographer. Realising that his images had to sell to provide him with a living he had to work out what makes a successful image. Why do some images sell and others not? Learning from his mistakes he recognised that he needed to capture the character and personality of his subjects. Even before he presses the shutter he has in mind what the image would look like as a fine art print. Favouring mostly a fine art black and white style of photography which is not usual for wildlife subjects, he has proved that this style really works for him. Any colour in his prints is very subtle and does not distract from the character of the subject. He seeks out subjects with their own individual personalities whether it is an aged scar-faced lion, a mud covered, angry looking buffalo or the thoughtful face of a gorilla.
Tom says ‘do your own thing’ and develop your own individual style. He has taken his own photography to the next level and certainly stands out from the crowd with his own very successful individual style.
To eliminate distracting backgrounds Tom says ‘get down low’ and use the sky as the background. This viewpoint makes large mammals such as elephants or giraffes look even more impressive. Tom has even laid down on the ground, close to a full grown elephant to get just the image he wanted!
Dedicated to his profession Tom will wait for hours or even days to get just the image he has in his mind. Light is very important and he will wait until his subject has the early morning or evening light to bring out the detail. He advocates quality over quantity so is prepared to wait until he gets jut the expression of the subject or the composition he wants.
Sometimes he shoots very tight with just the head of the subject sharp but other times prefers a wider view to give an impression of habitat. Clean backgrounds are very important for his style of wildlife image with just enough background or foreground to indicate the type of habitat.
The image of the lone elephant against a sunset also shows a large area of dry, cracked mud to capture the emotion he felt about the drought in the area at the time he took the photograph.
Using mainly a 400mm 2.8 prime lens he finds the shallow depth of field can eliminate distracting background detail.
Tom showed us the methods he uses to edit his images using Lightroom. Usually converting the image to monochrome, he then makes adjustments to bring out the contrast and advises photographers to be careful not over sharpen their images.
Tom feels that an image should be printed to be able to see its true quality and to make you a better photographer. Seeing his images in print is very important to him and he regularly exhibits his impressive large scale prints in galleries and exhibitions around the world.
Club members greatly enjoyed this very relaxed and informative presentation. Tom was thanked for his fascinating evening and for showing the club his superb images and an insight into his life as a professional photographer. PM
Images © Tom Way       See more images on Tom's Website

These two very different competitions were judged by Clive Rathband FRPS FPSSA EFIAP and Joan Ryder Rathband FRPS FPSSA AFIAP DPAGB who were welcomed back to the club by chairman Steve Hardman. Clive and Joan are judges for national and international photographic competitions so the club was honoured to have them to give their judgement and comments on the entries.
There was a good entry for the two competitions with 82 images to be judged during the evening. Members from all 3 sections of the club could enter so it was good to see so many from the Beginners section having a go in these competitions.

A club competition just for creative images started about 10 years ago when an annually awarded trophy was given to encourage members to explore the possibilities of the genre. This year there were 37 entries using a wide range of interesting techniques and subjects. Entries can be created in camera in a variety of ways or the image can be manipulated using editing software. Clive and Joan said that they look for creative input from the photographer and something special that makes an image stand out and have impact. Each image was commented on in great detail with the judges looking at technical quality as well as the creative aspect.
Many images were imaginative and well taken but did not have the ‘glow’ that the judges always look for and would have benefited from a little more editing to bring out their full potential.
Many of interesting in camera techniques were used including bubbles of oil on water, coloured liquid in glasses, frozen flowers and reflections. Other images were composites of several images blended together.

Clive and Joan finally decided that an image titled ‘The Soothsayer’ top left by Pam Mullings was the competition winner. The image showed an aged man as he prophesied the future in his glowing ‘crystal ball’. The judges liked the unusual technique used and the two tone colouring.

In second place was another unique image titled ‘Cracked It’ right by Pam depicting an egg with a distressed looking face being smashed by a spoon and flying egg shell. 
The third placed image which was also by Pam and was again a unique composite titled ‘Too Close for Comfort’ the image depicting an elephant tusk smashing through a mobile phone.

Of the 9 images awarded highly commended, three were interesting images by Penny Clarke created in camera using reflections, oil bubbles and close up on water droplets so very well done Penny. Well done to new member Susie Bigglestone ARPS who was awarded an HC on her first competition with the club.

After the break came the 46 entries in the Macro & Close Up competition. Many entries did not comply with the specific criteria which stated that the image should show greater detail than would be seen with the naked eye.

Entries that were rejected can be entered into other competitions next season where they should do much better.
One of the problems often encountered with such extreme close ups is the shallow depth of field which often gives many of the images out of focus areas. Focus stacking can be used but can be very difficult to use on a moving or flying insects.
Another problem that spoilt many of the images were the cluttered and sometimes ‘noisy’ backgrounds.
Despite all those problems 8 of the images were held back for awards.

An amazing macro image titled ‘Striped Slender Robberfly’ right by Tim Tapley was awarded first place.
The tiny insect was not only very sharp, but its prey and even the minute caterpillar feeding on the prey were shown in great detail.
Another image by Tim was awarded 2nd place – this time an image of a flying Hummingbird Hawk-moth gathering nectar from a buddleia flowerhead.
Third place went to an image titled ‘Hairy-footed Flower Bee and Cowslip’ which was an excellent shot by Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP showing the pollen collected on the legs and body of the insect.
Both Robert and Tim also were also awarded HC’s.
Congratulations also to Caroline Wright, Helena Chambers and David Eagle who also gained HC’s in this very challenging competition.

Thanks to Clive and Joan for taking considerable time and trouble judging the competitions and all their helpful comments on each image much appreciated.
Thanks to David Eagle for organising the competition and hosting the zoom meeting. PM

Full results     All the awarded images can be seen in the Galleries

Members of the club Landscape Group were not able to have their usual day or weekend field trips during 2020 because of the Covid restrictions. Following the rules at the time, members were able to visit scenic areas on their own or in small groups and so were still able to show their images to the rest of the club. During the evening members enjoyed seeing images and hearing some of the stories about where they were taken.
Dave Gray as leader of the group began the evening by showing his images taken on another of his treks to the Cairngorms. Climbing some of the high peaks each year, Dave has now reached the top of 269 of the Munros with only 13 still to conquer!
Dave showed us some breath-taking views of the mountain ranges, the deep valleys with the lakes and waterfalls and the wonderful scenery of the Scottish Highlands. Vast landscapes with no one else in sight Dave thinks nothing of walking 24 miles in a day. He likes to take photographs as the rays of the sun break through the clouds to light up the landscape and give the occasional rainbow. Later in the year Dave met up with some others in the group as they visited areas of Cumbria.

Next Sue Wadman showed some of the photographs taken as she visited areas of North Yorkshire on a walking holiday with her husband in September. Based in Whitby Sue enjoyed photographing the spectacular coastal scenery. The weather was not always kind and the sunrises and sunsets she wanted did not often materialise. Sue managed to get some interesting images including some taken of the ruins of Whitby Abbey and its scenic surroundings.
The wild unspoilt and deserted coastline around Robin Hood bay was another area that inspired and on another occasion Sue visited the spectacular Falling Foss waterfall left.

Local areas inspired Bridget Codrington and recently she went out to photograph nearby hills with a dusting of snow and swirling clouds. An image right shows the rolling mist over the Ridgway. Another very successful image showed Lacock Abbey across the icy river with frost on the nearby trees. Starting out early in the morning Bridget managed to catch a spectacular sunrise at Avebury.
North Dorset was another destination Bridget visited with the picturesque mill at Sturminster Newton on the River Stour and Gold Hill, Shaftsbury good subjects.
During the summer Bridget met up with some other club members and they managed to get photographs of an amazing sunrise over a field of poppies at Bratton.

After the break Robert Harvey who often organises group trips showed us a sequence of images of Porlock Marsh on the North Somerset Coast.
Robert showed how quickly one of the highest tides of the year floods the area and how he almost got marooned on a tiny hillock. In the same area Robert photographed a sequence of images as the tide came in around the groins on Bossington Beach.
In October Robert made a return visit to the Lake district collecting images for his forthcoming book on the technique of landscape photography.
Robert showed his excellent images of well known viewpoints of Coniston Water, Lloughrigg Tarn, Buttermere and many other scenic places in the area.
Another interesting destination was Hardknott Hill Fort and Wasdale head with its ancient field system.

Steve Hardman and his wife Helen spent some time during the summer travelling around the northern isles of Orkney and Shetland.
It is an area that both have visited many times before and Steve shared a photo of his first visit when he stayed on the very remote Island of Foula. Then it was very basic and he slept in a tent but this time they enjoyed the facilities of a converted bothy with fantastic views over the coastline and even had the luxury of wi-fi!!
Steve has taken some amazing images while in the Orkneys of Rathwick Bay and the rock stack known as the ‘Old man of Hoy’ right was one of his many interesting images of this photogenic area.

Dave Eagle spent a lot of his time walking around the fields and hedgerows around his home. He decided to travel light, abandon his DSLR and just take his Fuji x100 camera with him and practice the technicalities of using such limited equipment.
The large-sensor, fixed-lens compact gave excellent results which Dave later converted to monochrome to good effect.
The area is mainly flat fields divided by broken fences and some interesting old trees. Dave was intrigued by the variety of weather-worn fence posts encountered on his walks.
The different angles and the often attached pieces of barbed wire made interesting photographs and he spent time working out how best to compose the images.
Dave was looking for footpaths and field edges that made good leading lines for his images. Detail of a gate shown left.

Last but not least Frank Collins gave an account of his visit to the Lake District in October with its fast changing dramatic skies and autumn colours.
During his visit he often met up with Robert as they visited the many beauty spots around the lakes. Frank showed images of the well known view of the Ullswater boathouse and the Loughrigg cottage.
Other scenic sites encountered on the trip were the picturesque Ashness and Slaters bridges and the forceful flow of water at Aira Force falls.
Views of the Pikes and their reflections made some delightful images. Frank's view of Lloughrigg Tarn is shown right.

Steve thanked all those who had presented their images and he hoped that group trips can be arranged when travel is allowed again later in the year. PM

The club was delighted to have Ray Grace ARPS DPAGB back for a second time to give members advice about using Photoshop. Ray came to us in December and answered many queries but has come back to answer some more questions on this very comprehensive editing software.
Ray explained that as you get used to using the editing tools you get into a routine which you can apply as a first step to all your images. There are many ways of doing each task and in time you work out your own preferred method. Editing can give an image more impact by increasing the contrast and sharpen where required. Colours can be corrected and faults removed and then finally the image can be cropped if needed to give a better composition. When required there is an endless selection of editing tools to do just about whatever you need to produce an amazing image. All this can seem very difficult and confusing at first but with patience you can pick up the basics and then go on step by step to more advanced editing. In time members can get used to using the many keyboard shortcuts for the editing tools to save time.
The Zoom session was recorded so that those that were present have a chance to watch Ray's demonstrations again and practice in their own leisure.
The first question Ray answered was how to select and edit just a small section of an image. In a recent competition a judge commented that it was a good photograph of a lion's head  but the eyes should be lightened to have more imact. Ray went through his technique selecting the eyes and using a curves adjustment layer to increase the contrast.
Next Ray showed how the colour could be adjusted as the waterfall in an image had a rather blue tint and some areas were too dark. There are many Photoshop techniques to remedy these problems and Ray demonstrated his favourites. Ray showed the differences between opacity and flow when using brushes to alter areas of the image.
Other queries that Ray answered were how to remove the ‘fringing’ that can appear between areas of high contrast and also the purple fringing (chromatic aberration) that can spoil some images.
Another query was how to make a subject stand out more from the background. Ray demonstrated how to easily select the subject, invert the selection and then de-saturate or blur the background.
Ray has shown how to replace a sky on previous workshops but this time he demonstrated how a sky and also its reflection can easily be replaced.
Ray gave lots of useful tips throughout his demonstration that can save time and make editing easier. Ray also kindly sends the club his helpful information notes so that members can go through the techniques step by step at their own pace. He says ‘keep practicing’ and in the end you get to remember how to use the tools at your disposal and editing becomes easier.
Club Chairman Steve Hardman thanked Ray for sharing his expertise and for giving his time to help others. PM

Making a welcome return visit to the club was Peter Orr ARPS to give his judgement on images entered in the Annual Landscape competition. 
Peter who is an accomplished landscape photographer himself had looked through all the entries very closely and gave his thorough and well informed comments on each one. Peter said that in the first few seconds of viewing an image he wants to get an immediate impact.
Entries for this competition must be taken within the British Isles and show 'an extensive area of natural scenery’.
There is a very fine line between editing to enhance the image and overdoing any adjustments to give an unrealistic impression. Many images in the opinion of the judge were either over or under saturated and care should be given to give an accurate rendition of the natural scene. The use of HDR (high dynamic range) was in many cases overdone giving an unnatural appearance. Peter felt that often the colour green was captured unrealistically by digital cameras and members should take care to make the green areas look more natural. Another problem often overlooked is the removal of sensor spots before the image is given very close scrutiny by a judge.
Many of the images featured the rolling Wiltshire hills on which Peter was very knowledgeable with the misty valleys and beech clumps which are very typical of the area.
Some images were from scenic areas that the Club had recently visited including the Lake District, Northumberland and the Snowden area. Interestingly some members had taken the same view at the same time with differing results.
The standard of entries was generally high and Peter held back 18 of the 60 images so that he could then give his final judgement on the awards and the Highly Commended’s.
Peter said that many images although of a high standard did not make his final cut but another judge might have a different opinion.
In first place and the winner of the Landscape Projected Image trophy was a seascape by Martin Stokes. Titled ‘Poole Bay Storm’ right the judge said that the image had impact and a lot of interest with a good redition of a stormy sea with a ship on the distant horizon. Very well done to Martin who also gained third place with a panoramic view titled ‘Pewsey Vale Sunrise’ below right which Peter said had good exposure and tonal range.
In second place was ‘Old Man of Coniston’ left by Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP. The light and reflections were excellent with detail in the foreground boulders. Robert also was awarded an HC for another Lake District image – this time featuring Langdale Pikes.
Four other images were awarded Highly Commended including local images of a comet over Oliver’s Castle by Caroline Wright and Frosty Trail at Barbury Castle by Dave Eagle. ‘Autumn in Elterwater’ was the subject of the image by Tony Leach and Early Sunlight, Lindisfarne was by Dave Gray.
Well done to all those who entered the projected image competition. The Landscape Print competition was unable to be held this season but hopefully will return next year.
Thanks to Gerald Clarke who for his first time hosting both the Zoom evening and dealing with the complexities of the DiCentra software to show the images. Thanks to Dave Eagle for collecting the images and putting the competition together.
Many thanks the Peter for taking the time and trouble to look over the entries and giving his advice. PM

Full results        See all the Awarded 2021 Landscape Images          

For our latest Zoom! evening, we welcomed Adrian Davis MSc ARPS with his presentation entitled Close to Nature. Adrian is essentially a “natural history and wildlife photographer” with a particular interest in Close-up and Macro photography. The distinction between the two, he said, was that Close-up means images of anything “closer than normal”, whereas Macro refers to images in which the magnification in camera is at least 1:1
  Throughout his presentation, Adrian used his images to illustrate the point he was discussing. He said that images, too, should “tell a story”, as with his wasp pollinating a Broad Leaved Helleborine Orchid. Another consideration to take into account is how much of the frame you want to fill with your subject. In some instances, for example with butterflies, you may want to provide some context, but at other times it may be better to fill the frame. You will also need to think about how close you want to get to the subject and, therefore, which lens to use. Close-ups of crocodiles are better taken with a long lens - preferably from the other side of the river!
On the other hand, patterns on lichen or the underside of fungi may need macro lenses and extension tubes to get close enough. Adrian showed us a series of images of lichen on gravestones in a churchyard in Devon in which each shot was a more magnified image than the previous one. He also showed us a whole array of fungus images, some in woodland context and others in ultra close-up taken in studio conditions.
Adrian said his favourite lens combination was a 105mm macro lens with a 1.4 converter, which he recommended should be by the same manufacturer as the lens. He explained that a teleconverter will increase the focal length of the lens (in this case to 147mm) while extension tubes will allow you to focus closer in on the subject. He said he almost always uses a tripod and manual focus, and rarely uses flash.
Bright light can be difficult when photographing nature as it can create unwanted highlights and play havoc with colours, as Adrian showed with a pair of bluebell images. In sunlight the image had some dappled shade but a lot of bright highlights on the flowers, whereas under cloud cover, the image was much flatter overall, but the colours were rendered more accurately.
  When considering depth of field, Adrian warned that you need to decide whether you want the background blurred or in focus. He used an image of a Deathcap fungus to illustrate that the distance between the tip of the cap and the stem will be from 1-5 cm. To show this subject in focus with a blurred background would be difficult, but he showed us that, using a focus-stacking technique, you can take a series of images with slightly different focus points and blend them in software. He said that, to be successful, the subject must be stationary and you must be using a tripod. As well as his Deathcap, Adrian showed us images of Bird’s Nest fungus and Butterfly eggs in which he had blended 6 or more images in this way.
Adrian’s latest work, which he calls Invisible Imaging, centres on the use of Ultraviolet light, which, it is suggested, allows us to take images of subjects as insects see them. He showed some images to illustrate this effect including flower petals with different colours under UV that appear to attract insects to the pollen; pitcher plants that accentuate drops of liquid under UV to attract their prey; brimstone butterflies that have patches of brighter yellow on their upper wings under UV that is thought to be used to attract a mate.
Adrian warned that UV photography is not for the faint-hearted as it requires extensive, and expensive, modifications to camera equipment. However, he said that it was possible to use ultraviolet fluorescence to take some interesting images. Using an ultraviolet torch in a dark room, you can take images that show hidden patterns and colours. He showed us a whole range of images taken in this way, including the flow of quinine as the tonic was poured into his gin!
After a Question and Answer session, which centred mostly on focus stacking techniques, our Chairman thanked Adrian for a fascinating presentation and the provision of a set of new techniques for us to try out during Lockdown. DF
Images © Adrian Davis MSc ARPS

DPIC 2021 was a virtual affair this year, with over 360 members of Western Counties Camera Clubs joining a Zoom call to see the judging. It was gratifying that 58 clubs had submitted entries, very much on a par with previous years. This meant that as usual, we were treated to just over 1000 excellent images from all photographic genres displayed over the course of 2 hours.

For newcomers to DPIC, it is the Western Counties annual ‘Digital Projected Image Competition’. Competing clubs each submit 18 images, with limits on the number of images per author and number of Nature images allowed. Each image is scored by 3 judges who award it a mark out of 5, giving a maximum score per image of 15.

The virtual process actually worked very well. Judging sessions had been pre-recorded and club totals already totted up, so apart from a couple of 10 minute breaks, proceedings ran pretty much continuously.

When all was done, Devizes had achieved a creditable =14th place, with an overall total of 204 points. We were towards the upper end of a tightly bunched mid-table, and just 8 more points would have moved us level with the club which came 3rd. Our congratulations go to Bristol Photographic Society who were winners with 226 points, and Dorchester, whose 215 points gained them 2nd place.

Within our entry, congratulations go to David Wilkinson for his ‘Brown Hare Sitting In Stubbles’ right, which achieved our highest individual score of 13 points. Also, congratulations to Robert Harvey for ‘Sidewinding Adder’ left, which scored 12 points including a 5 from one judge. DG


Thanks to Battle Secretary Dave Gray for organising the Devizes CC entry.   See Devizes CC full results

Wildlife conservationist and photographer Nick Upton made a welcome return visit to the club to give an update on some of the projects he is involved with and also a look at some of his latest projects. Since his last visit Nick has been given the Conservation Documentary Award at the Bird Photographer of the Year 2020 for his project on swifts and the work of the Bradford on Avon Swift Group.
Nick has for many years concentrated on film making and spent 20 years with the BBC on Wildlife projects, working alongside Sir David Attenborough on Trials for Life and contributing to Springwatch and other wildlife programmes. Nick follows a range of projects using his videos and photographs to help publicise the work of the various conservation organisations. Wildlife and conservation magazines regularly publish his articles and photographs.
The Beaver introduction programme Nick told us about on his last visit continues to do well with about 30 beavers established in several locations. Several club members have since been to photograph the beavers at their release site. The project to re-introduce pine martins has done well with them now breeding in Wales and the Great Crane project has seen the return of common cranes onto the Somerset levels and other areas in the South West.
Recently Nick has been following a project to re-introduce white storks back into Britain. The Cotswold Wildlife Park has been involved and Nick has been taking photographs of the storks breeding, raising chicks and then being released into the Knepp Estate in Sussex as part of their re-wilding project. Nick will continue to follow the progress as the storks begin to nest and breed in the area after a gap of some 600 years.
Nick showed photos he has taken at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary as they treat and re-habilitate the rescued Grey Seals whose numbers have dropped dramatically in recent years. Nick followed the volunteers as they treat the injuries often sustained from getting tangled in fishing nets and then when possible release them back to the sea.
Injured bats from over the UK are often cared for by the Devon Bat Rescue group and Nick has been taking photographs to publicise the good work they do. Using various techniques including infra-red Nick shows the fast flying bats catching insects.
Most of Nick’s work on conservation is here in the UK but recently he got involved in the work to help the endangered Siberian flying squirrel. Only a few are still to be found in the forests of Estonia where a scientist is studying their lifestyle and Nick was privileged to be able to photograph this very cute nocturnal mammal in it's natural habitat.
The second half of this presentation concentrated on local projects in the South West. Because of the 2020 lockdowns Nick was unable to travel as far as usual but took the opportunity to appreciate the local wildlife.
Nick's own garden gave him the chance to notice the abundance of unusual and rare insects to be found and was able to capture unusual behaviour never photographed before. Experimenting with remote cameras, floating camera housing for underwater shots and various lenses he was able to view the wide range of mammals, birds and insects that frequent his Wiltshire garden. 
Local wildlife reserves brought him many photographic opportunities including Morgan’s Hill where he found many wild flowers and butterflies. Visiting Brown's Folly reserve, Nick observed mason bees using snail shells as nests.
A project being followed is the restoration of old dew ponds to encourage the return of great crested newts to the Pewsey Down. Photographs were shown of the work of the Sustainable Eel Group to restock rivers with the once numerous glass eels.
Always full of interesting stories, Nick gave members a fascinating evening and an insight into some of his latest projects. PM
images © Nick Upton

The club welcomed back Sandie Cox ARPS DPAGB AFIAP to judge the Annual Monochrome PI Competition. As usual this season the club was not able to run the Monochrome Print competition and Sandie had to give her comments and awards via Zoom. Non the less members were able to enjoy seeing all the entries and hearing the judge’s helpful comments on each one.
Sandie said that she likes to almost feel the softness of feathers or fur, the crispness of grass, the roughness of stone and always looks for good texture in the images. She looks for a full range of tones with white white’s and black black’s, detail should be visible in the lightest and darkest areas. Images should be sharp where needed and members should always look out for light in the eyes of subjects and also check there are no light spots on the edges of their images that draws the eye.
As mainly a natural history photographer herself, Sandie said that she enjoyed looking through the wide range of subjects entered in the competition. Many misty landscape and woodland scenes, seascapes, architecture, portraits, creative and wildlife subjects were entered. There were so many strong images that some had to miss out on the list of awards but other judges might have had other ideas. Judging is always subjective and all judges have to choose the images that especially appeal most to them.
On some images Sandie gave her ideas about cropping out some areas to give a better balance to the image or to draw more attention to the subject. Some images she thought were rather ‘grey’ and needed some editing to give a wider range of tones.
Out of the 74 entries Sandie held back 22 for awards.

In first place was ‘Abandoned Oil Rig’ shown left by David Wilkinson which the judge said as taken from a good low angle, showed good textures and recession.
David will be presented with the ‘Constance Mundy Trophy’ for best Monochrome Projected Image in due course.
Second place went to ‘Waiting for Business, Peggy’s Cove’ right by Frank Collins which showed a harbour scene with a waiting boat at this popular Canadian tourist attraction. Sandie said it was a strong monochrome image showing some interesting buildings.
A very different subject again was depicted in the third placed image – this time a flying helicopter. ‘RAF Chinook’ below right was an image by Martin Stokes with well caught action.

Nineteen images were awarded Highly Commended including 3 from Martin Stokes, 3 from Tim Tapley and 3 from Pam Mullings.
Special mention of Christine Ellerby whose image ‘Spiralling Navel College’ has gained her an HC in the first competition she has entered with the club so very well done to her. Also ‘Lime Avenue on a Foggy Morning’ by Bridget Codrington which the judge declared the best of the many misty woodland scenes that were entered.
Awards were given to members in all 3 sections of the club with many of them going to those in the Beginners section which was very pleasing. Well done to all those who entered.
Thanks to Sandie for all her helpful comments and for judging the competition. Thanks to Competition Secretary Dave Eagle for organising the competition and hosting the Zoom session so successfully once again. PM
Full results          All the awarded images can be seen in the Galleries

This critique evening gives some club members the chance to show some of their images to groups of fellow members. The 'speed' aspect is that they have about 10 minutes to show and discuss their photographs.
Usually members can meet up and have face to face discussions but this time it all had to be set up using Zoom. After some trial runs 6 members were able to present their images with the rest of the members split into 3 ‘rooms’. Sounds complicated but it all worked perfectly on the night thanks to Dave Eagle and his patience dealing with a group of ‘amateur’ presenters!
Some of those showing their images were experienced photographers and wanted some feedback others were quite new to photography and so comments from fellow members can be really helpful for presenting their images at their very best.

Sharing his ‘photographic journey’ David Wilkinson said that he first showed his early images a few years ago at a critique. Having advice and learning from his mistakes has very much helped him progress into a very competent wildlife photographer. David has learnt a lot editing skills as well as field craft which has helped him achieve some excellent images of birds, mammals and insects. An outstanding image of a White-tailed Sea Eagle shown on the right.

During the lockdown Janet Rutter had fun trying out several photographic techniques that she can do indoors. Using flowers or grasses placed on light box produced some interesting images and Janet experimented by freezing flowers in ice and floating oil on water shown left to produce some very interesting and unusual photographs.

As a newcomer to photography Graham Sawyer has concentrated on getting to know more about his camera and showed a range of his images for members to comment on. Some excellent snow scenes and other images which just needed a bit of editing to bring out the best in them. The photograph of weather-worn steps left made an interesting abstract image.

Having recently retired Lynda Croft has more time to develop her interest in photography and showed members a range of images. Landscapes and architecture are her usual interests but she recently took an unusual image of water droplets on a savoy cabbage right with good results.

Already an accomplished photographer Pete Souster presented some of his outstanding minimalistic landscapes. Pete experiments with seascapes using long exposures and likes to photograph areas of the Wiltshire countryside such as the clump of trees near Beckhampton shown below.
Pete showed us an interesting image of the Royal Crescent in Bath as well as a sunset image that was published in a photography magazine.

Members complimented Tony Leach on the excellent colours of his image of a balloon flying over Namibia below right.
Tony showed some of his landscapes as well as zebras and a stag and asked members for ideas about any improvements that might be made.


All those members showing their images for the critique said that they enjoyed the experience. As usual there were lots of ideas put forward about cropping and whether an image looked better in mono or colour but as always the final judgement has to be made by the photographers themselves.

Thanks to all those who presented their images for others to comment on. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the critiques and learned some new ideas.

Special thanks to David Eagle who sorted out all the technology needed, so that we could all join in the discussion from our own homes. PM

This presentation was a first for Devizes Camera Club, we welcomed a photographer from overseas to our Zoom! meeting. Glenn Bartley joined us from Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada.
For those of us who had browsed his website, we knew we would be listening to an expert. Glenn is an award winning bird photographer, particularly known for his hummingbird portfolio. Fascinated by these “mesmerising birds” since childhood, Glenn has spent months, over the years, in the rain forests of Ecuador and Costa Rica developing and honing his skills. He his a regular contributor to magazines and journals, and has published a number of his own books.
Glenn started by talking about his approach to capturing images, in particular the 7 elements of a great bird photo: Exposure, Light, Composition, Sharpness, Perch, Background and Pose.
He said it is important to balance the exposure and avoid images such as a dark bird against a bright sky. Use your histogram, he urged, and “expose to the right”. He said that, although Manual exposure is best in some situations, he uses AV most of the time and dials in exposure compensation as required. Glenn prefers to work in natural light, but the quality of the light is important. He gave us a great tip, suggesting that it is only worth taking photos if your shadow is longer than you are tall - otherwise the light will be too harsh. He said that bright overcast conditions are great, especially in the Tropics, giving you more shooting time and flexibility of composition. However, images may appear a bit flat out of the camera and will need more post-processing time. Using flash is useful, especially for fill-in purposes, but you need to learn how to control the power and you should get the flashgun off the camera. He showed how the use of flash with the right mode and power can help to freeze the action, particularly of hovering hummingbirds.
Key composition issues for bird photography, Glenn suggested, include the orientation of an image, which will depend on the shape and pose of the subject. And he suggested leaving some space around the subject to allow for some cropping in post-processing. For wildlife images, Glenn confirmed, sharpness is all about the eyes and the factors required to achieve sharpness include using a tripod, good quality lenses with stabilisation and an appropriate shutter speed. But he warned us not to over prioritise sharpness as its not the only factor in achieving a good image.
Glenn pointed out that a good perch for the subject can be essential for a great shot, whether it is about finding a branch in the wild that a bird keeps returning to or a set-up in your back garden. While a messy, distracting background is to be avoided, Glenn warned against getting too hung up on blurred backgrounds as the inclusion of some environment can be important. The pose of the bird is also important, he said, and should always include eye contact with the subject.
Having sorted out all these elements, Glenn then talked about finding an x-factor that will really make an image stand out. He provided a long list of things to watch out for including birds feeding, especially with prey, birds mating, birds with chicks, birds in bad weather or any sort of action shot.
In the second part of his presentation, Glenn talked about the research that he does before going on a trip. He likes to find out where birds are located for which he recommended ebird.org which provides information on sightings. He familiarises himself with bird calls (xenacanto app) and other peoples trip reports (cloudbirders website). In the field, he advocated keeping it simple, only taking the equipment you need, setting realistic goals and taking your time to get set-up correctly.
When building a portfolio, Glenn emphasised the importance of defining your goals with regard to species diversity and styles of images. During post-processing, on your calibrated screen, he recommended targeting the deletion of at least 90% of the images taken. Becoming picky about your images will make you a better photographer, he said. He also recommended establishing your own workflow, using basic techniques, and building your skills over time. He encouraged us to share our work with others through websites, social media and email.
Glenn finished off by talking about the sort of gear you need for successful bird photography. In answer to questions from the audience about his basic camera set-up, he said that he starts with AV, f5.6 and an ISO setting depending on the available light. He generally uses Evaluative Metering with AV and checks his histogram to see whether any exposure compensation is needed.
Throughout his presentation, Glenn showed us some stunning images to illustrate points he was making. His website at glennbartley.com is full of amazing images of birds from the various countries he has visited. Despite having spent considerable time in countries such as Ecuador and Brazil, when asked which country he would most want to return to, Glenn unhesitatingly said - “Colombia”
A thoroughly interesting and comprehensive evening was enthusiastically applauded by the audience. DF

The first club competition of 2021 was rather different this time – not only a virtual competition as we have become used to, but instead of members all using pencil & paper to vote it was all very cleverly done with a click on our own screen and some clever software!
Members are asked to score each set entered out of ten taking into account how they look as a set of 5 images, the quality of each image and how well they all the images fit the set title.
There were 54 sets entered altogether from 18 members who were each required to enter 3 sets. Frank Collins set out the guidelines and a demo set was shown so that members could try out the on line voting system. It was suggested that it would take an exceptional set to warrant the top score of 10 but none the less several sets achieved this high score. Thumbnails of the whole set were shown and then each of the 5 separate images then members had to give their own score. After members had voted for each set the results were shown and we could see the range of votes. It was interesting to note that scores for some sets ranged from 4 up to 10 showing a big difference in how members regarded those sets and how very much opinions can vary!
There was a large range of subjects entered with as usual wildlife and landscape photographs dominating but there were also some rather unusual subjects that members had dreamed up. Who would have thought images of padlocked gates, traffic lights, heirlooms, or vintage car steering wheels could make such interesting sets! We also had pilots waving from aircraft, laughing animals, slices of fruit and even ‘slightly flighty’ portraits.
Members gave their points out of 10 for each of the sets except their own and the scores were averaged – then each entrants 3 scores were added to give the results.
For the third time in a row Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP won the competition and the Hewitt Cup, this time with landscape images of the Cornish coast, Savernake forest and Wiltshire fields. One of the images from the set showing a field of sunflowers of is shown above.
In second place with delightful images of hares and red squirrels as well as autumn scenes was David Wilkinson. Third place went to Club Chairman Steve Hardman with images of the isle of Skye, monkeys and gannets.
Peter Souster, Pam Mullings and Dave Gray were awarded Highly Commended for their sets.
The individual set with the highest score was ‘Hares’ by David Wikinson, ‘Just White’ by Pam Mullings was second favourite and the set ‘Red Squirrels’ by Gill Cardy FRPS DPAGB EFIAP was placed third.
It takes a lot of time and trouble to find all the images and put 3 sets together so many thanks to members who entered.
Another very succesful and interesting evening showing the great talents of club members.

Very special thanks to David Eagle who not only collected up and put together all 54 sets for the competition but also sorted out so successfully the software that allowed the scores and results to be shown so well. Thanks also the Frank Collins, David Wilkinson and Gerald Clarke who verified the scores. PM

See the top sets as scored by members

The club’s usual Christmas Knock-out looked a little different this year but nevertheless we were still able to have Santa as Master of Ceremonies as usual even though we were all sitting in our own homes to see him!
Due to the wonders of technology we were still able to view the 128 images entered by members.
In this competition two of the randomly selected images are shown on their screens side by side and members vote for their favourite of the two. One image is knocked out and the image with most votes then goes on to the next round.
Several members had cleverly worked out how the competition could be run this year using Zoom and everyone was very impressed how well it all worked on the night. Usually Santa has to count raised hands in a darkened room but this time at the click of a mouse the result came up after each pair of images shown.
Anyway all was ready for the fun to begin with all the usual rough justice along the way.

No different to usual was the occasional injustice as 2 images came up by the same photographer and one had to go. Also how do you choose between a cute animal, a superb landscape, fantastic close up or something a bit different. Everyone was impressed by all the superb images entered but sadly many very good images were eventually knocked out. Only once did Santa have to choose his favourite when the votes were equal for each of the two images and that came up in the semi-final.

Anyway we had to make up our minds on each image so round by round images got eliminated down to eight and the finally the last four images that survived all 6 rounds.

This year the favourite with most votes in the final round was a portrait of a Hare by David Wilkinson. In second place was a Red Kite by Tim Tapley then third was ‘Rutter Force’ right a riverside mill by Sue Wadman. In fourth place was The Boathouse, Ullswater left by David Evans. Very well done to the winners who all received Amazon vouchers.

Thanks to all those who entered the competition.
Thanks to Dave Gray for his work displaying the images in pairs, eliminating the losers and shuffling the images between rounds.
Thanks to Dave Eagle for setting up the voting process and passing the results on to Santa to read out. Also many thanks to Santa alias Frank Collins for making it such a fun evening even though we could not meet up together this year and share some Christmas goodies.PM


Hoping all our members have as good a winter break as they can possibly manage and that they can look forward to the next virtual club meeting on 5 January 2021.

The club was pleased to welcome back a former club member, Ray Grace ARPS DPAGB to give members advice about solving Photoshop problems and demonstrating new techniques.
Members were asked to send in their Photoshop queries so Ray went through them one by one giving his expert advice.
One of the questions put to Ray was how to develop a working system to edit your images.
As Ray explained there are often many ways to use the many tools available in Photoshop and in time everyone develops their own techniques which is why any advice given may vary.
There were several queries about the best ways to select part of an image and apply it to another image and Ray demonstrated some of the many ways that a selection can be made. If the outline is fairly simple, then there are quick selection tools in Photoshop that can do a pretty good job. If the part of the image to be selected is more complex then the use of several tools and mask layers may be required but with time and practice you can learn the skills.
Among the other queries were ‘how and why to use layers’ and Ray explained about the many types that can be used such as adjustment or mask layers. Using layers means that your original image is left untouched and that any adjustments are on separate layers that can be re-edited at any time. The image can be saved and any layers preserved as a PSD or Tiff image.
Some of the queries required quite complex answers such as the use of luminosity panels and using selective clarity using Camera Raw. Another rather complex subject was on the use of ‘smart objects’. Ray explained how to focus stack in PS and showed how his set of images taken at different focus points can be cleverly aligned and then auto blended to give an image sharp from front to back.
Simpler questions for Ray to answer were ‘how to add a border’ or ‘how to add a vignette’
Many photographers gain information from the many videos available on line which explain in detail how to do different tasks. Just type in your question and you will get many answers. Take time to practice and it will become much easier and you will work out from all the options the methods that you prefer. Also don’t get too stuck in your ways but take time to experiment with the many editing tools at your disposal. Ray kindly said that he would send members his information sheets on various topics for those who want more details.
There were too many queries for Ray to answer in one session so there will be another chance in February.
Steve Hardman thanked Ray and said that it had been a fascinating evening about a massive topic and hopefully all those watching will have learned something. Thanks were given to Dave Eagle for setting up the Zoom session.
There were too many queries for Ray to answer in one session so there will be another chance in February. Photoshop is a very big learning curve! PM

This competition should have been the first print competition of the year but because of restrictions it had to be changed to Projected Images with the judge giving his comments and the results to members using Zoom. The judge was John Taylor who said that he was fairly new to judging and he said that he felt that his comments should helpful, supportive and positive. He felt that club photography should be fun and not taken too seriously. John said that the images entered were very interesting and that it is not easy to judge one image against another when there was such a wide range of subjects. In many cases John gave his views about cropping parts of the image which he felt were unnecessary and detracted from the image. Some images John said that in his opinion were rather cluttered and the main subject not obvious and that he preferred the rather simpler images. He looked for good composition often with leading lines that guided the eye to the subject.
Starting with the 33 entries in the Beginners section the judge gave his detailed comments on each one. John went ‘wow’ when he came to ‘Power Performance’ by David Evans. That image really shows the power of the jet aircraft in flight and the lighting is excellent and he awarded it a well-deserved first place. Another image by David also impressed the judge – this time a portrait of a young lady titled ‘Feather in my Hat’. The eyes engaged with the photographer and there was great detail so it was awarded second place.
A delightfully simple image by Megan Boardman gained third place in the section. The early morning start rewarded the photographer with an excellent image titled ‘Cygnet in Early Morning Light’ with good detail in the feathers and a very nice reflection. Two photographs of fungi by Tony Leach gained Highly Commended. A very simple shot taken in Iceland by Lynda Croft and a Puma by Penny Clarke also gained HC’s.
Next came the Intermediate section with a seascape catching the judges eye. ‘Portland Bill Sunrise’ by Pete Souster was a stunning shot with the sea crashing on the rocks and the lighthouse to draw he eye and the judge gave it first place. Another seascape by Pete this time a monochrome also impressed with its simplicity so ‘Silver Seas’ was places third.
Second place went to an image of a colourful fungi by David Eagle. The judge said that David’s ‘Fly Agaric with Climbing Rope’ was well seen with good lighting. Finally, a close up of a rat by Steve Hardman titled ‘Unwelcome Visitor’ was awarded an HC.
After a short break the judge went on to comment on the entries in the Advanced section. Again simple but effective images caught John’s eye with ‘One Tree Hill’ by Sue Wadman awarded first place. There were just 3 elements – a tree, blue sky and a ploughed field. The judge said it was very well balanced with the tree on the thirds and a good lead in line. Sue also impressed with ‘Peeping out of the Fog’ this time an early morning shot with a good balance between the spire of a church and a group of trees. Sue also did well with her image of one of the statues on Crosby beach with a delightful sky and it gained an HC.
In third Place was ‘Hadrians Wall’ by Dave Gray which the judge said was taken from just the right viewpoint. The eye follows the line of the wall towards the distant hills and the sky. Highly commended’s were awarded to Frank Collins, Tim Tapley LRPS and Pam Mullings.
Congratulations to all.
Chairman Steve Hardman summed up saying the club had a very talented bunch of photographers. He thanked the judge for his comments and said that the ‘crop tool’ was an important aid to improving the balance of images. PM
Competition results         All the awarded images can be seen in the Galleries

Members were invited to send in some of their images so that they could explain where and why they took the photograph and ask fellow members for comments.Ten club members sent in some of their images and asked for suggestions about any improvements that could be made. The idea was mainly to review members landscape images taken during the year but there were also some other types of image that members sought opinions on. Would the image look better with some areas cropped or would the image display better as a monochrome image? There was a discussion about how far to take HDR to improve the image or can it go too far and look unrealistic?
Of course member’s opinions differed so this brought about some interesting debate and maybe this gave the photographers some new ideas. It is good to get the views of others  but in the end it is a matter of personal taste and the photographers have to decide themselves how best to present their images.

Many of the photographs featured the lovely autumn colours including a selection from Megan Boardman who has been exploring local woods and looking for interesting compositions amongst the trees. Also looking out for the colours found on the trees was Marlis Rawlins who made visits to several areas to find interesting viewpoints.
Frank Collins showed some of his images taken recently on the Cornish coast and explained that the lighting conditions were often not ideal. Also in some cases he would have preffered to have taken the image at a different time of day if it had been possible. 
Some well-lit fungi images taken by Tony Leach on a photography course were discussed and he also showed some impressive landscapes taken in the Lake District.

Gill Cardy FRPS DPAGB EFIAP showed some of her landscapes taken on her travels in the past to Spain, the Outer Hebrides and an obliging Egyptian Goose posing for her in South Africa.
Tim Tapley LRPS usually specialises in close up images of local wildlife but wanted to see what members thought of several of his landscapes which he had almost forgotten about. A colourful view of the river in Bath, a ‘surprised’ castle in France, the Caen Hill locks and a pastoral scene of sheep with Edington Priory in the background.
Gerald Clarke showed some of the images taken on a photography course using light painting to illuminate features at night and an image taken on the Dorset coast.

Bridget Codrington asked for member’s views on several images including a Dorset river scene featuring a ruined mill with members giving some ideas on cropping. Interesting images were shown by Lynda Croft including a still life that she had set up.
Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP had of course been out and about during the summer and had some interesting images to show including one of Clevedon Pier and images taken on a visit to the Lake District.
Probably some of the images shown during the evening will appear in club competitions so members can then hear the views of the judges.
Steve Hardman summed up the evening saying it had been an interesting debate and it confirmed how good the club member’s images are.
Thanks was given to those who put up their images for comment and to Dave Eagle for running the Zoom meeting. PM

 Images: Westwoods by Megan Boardman   Elterwater by Tony Leach   Kimmeredge Bay, Dorset  by Gerald Clarke

In our latest Zoom! meeting, Tim Jones from Fotospeed gave us a presentation entitled From Camera to Print. Tim started by telling us a bit about his photographic journey, including working with hard rock bands around Europe followed by many years doing assignments involving schools, weddings, portraiture and product placement. He then explained that he wanted to talk about the 3 foundations of printing - the camera, the computer and the printer.
Taking a picture with a camera is clearly the photographic starting point for creating a printed image. While it is important to try and get the image right in the camera, there is also much debate about whether to take RAW or JPG images. In Tim’s view, RAW images are best as they will provide a higher level of data which can be used during the print preparation process. For the same reason, he advocated using the AdobeRGB colour space in the camera rather than sRGB.
Having obtained an image for printing, Tim explained that colour management is important for ensuring that the print is as you want it. He said that colour management is about consistency of colour rather than accuracy and as we all see colours differently, we need to make sure the colours we present are consistent. So we need to generate profiles for our screens and for each printer/paper configuration that we use.
Screen profiles, he said, are generated using a calibration tool such as the Datacolor Spyder and printer/paper profiles can be created with the help of organisations like Fotospeed. This involves making a print of a calibration chart, posting it to Fotospeed who scan the print using software to compare it against International Colour Consortium (ICC) standards to create the profile, which is then returned to the user.
Having received the profiles they need to be loaded into the computer according to instructions available from Fotospeed’s website. Tim explained the process of selecting the appropriate profiles, and other options, at the time of printing to ensure the results are as required. He also pointed out that the choice of paper type, while being very personal, can make a difference to the impact of the image. To illustrate this, Tim showed us a range of images and explained what paper he would choose to print them on.
Following an extensive question and answer session, our Chairman thanked Tim for a very interesting and informative evening. DF

The second Open Projected Image competition of the season was judged using Zoomby Robert Phelps from Bristol.
Robert has not judged Devizes CC images before but said that he was impressed by the high standard of competition entries particularly in the Beginners Section. He said that it is sometimes difficult for judges when they have to compare images with technical excellence against those with perhaps, some technical flaws but with much greater emotive interest. Robert commented that many of the otherwise well taken landscapes needed a point of interest somewhere in the image to give a focal point.
Starting with the 36 Beginners entries Robert commented on the good points and then where needed gave his ideas on where the image could have been improved. Often it was too much uninteresting foreground which could have been cropped or the background could have been more muted.
It was ‘Shaking it off’ right - an unusual image by Megan Boardman which particularly impressed the judge who awarded it first place. Robert said that the flow of water droplets as the duck shook its head was very well captured.
In second place was a delightful still life by Bridget Codrington entitled ‘Afternoon Tea’ – the judge said that the arrangement of objects, the lighting and focus all worked very well. Robert commented on the third placed image ‘White-tailed Eagle by Hilary Tapley saying that it was a dramatic capture with the subject well placed in the frame. The judge awarded Highly Commended to nine of the Beginners images.

Next images in the Intermediate Section were shown with an impressive image ‘Gannet’ left by Steve Hardman gaining first place. The judge said that it was a dramatic, detailed close up of the flying bird with the wings on the diagonal adding interest.
Second place went to a subtle coloured, minimalistic landscape by new member Pete Souster. Swanage old pier is a very popular subject for photographic competitions and Pete’s version titled ‘Stillness’ was awarded 3rd place. Martin Stokes was awarded an HC for his impressive panoramic landscape'Celestial Heavens'

After a refreshment break Robert continued with his comments.
The Advanced Section had a range of subjects including many stunning landscapes and impressive nature images. An extreme macro shot of an arachnid titled ‘Harvestman’ right impressed the judge and he awarded it first place. The image by Tim Tapley showed in great detail the body of this tiny creature.
A small white dog featured in the second placed image by Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP. Titled ‘Bewildered’ the dog was photographed in front of an interesting gothic- looking doorway. Third place went to a creative image ‘Delicate Beauty’ by Pam Mullings portraying white Camellia’s. Seven other images were awarded Highly Commended.

Summing up club chairman Steve Hardman thanked members for sending in such a stunning array of images for the competition.
Thanks to Robert for giving his helpful comments and opinions on the images and thanks to the Competition Secretaries for running the competition.
Congratulations to all. PM
All the results             See all of the awarded images in the Galleries

Club members had a very entertaining and informative evening when Phil Savoie gave us an excellent presentation on how to get the very best out of your photographs.
Phil describes himself as a biologist, photographer and filmmaker and his dream came true when as a photography obsessed, field biologist he joined the BBC Natural History Unit based in Bristol. He was able to photograph wildlife subjects around the world and has amazing stories to tell about his time filming for ‘Planet Earth’ and making his own wildlife films.
Living in a beautiful part of wales Phil enjoys photographing the local scenery and wildlife as well as a range of different genres and showed some excellent monochrome portraits, sports shots, panoramic landscapes and even some astro-photography.
Keen to help others get the most from their photography Phil maintains that a photo needs to tell a story and emotionally engage the viewer. He suggests focusing on subjects of personal interest and be prepared for any photo opportunities.
Phil says plan ahead, compose the image and stick around as the image can often change in minutes. Take time and try to show a fresh point of view and try out new ideas.
Photographers should have projects and Phil has many of his own which he works on for years aiming to get the ‘perfect shot’. We were shown some of the images taken of swallows as they dived about catching insects. Another project he works on is the life of bees and macro shots of them collecting nectar. Members were amazed at the extreme close ups where even the hooks on grains of pollen used to attach to the hair on a bee can be seen. Another project is the night sky with impressive images of the milky way with ruined castles in the foreground. When photographing at night let your eyes get used to the darkness and you will see more.

Phil says it is very important to get as near eye level with your subject so in most cases get down low. Use depth of field to direct the viewers eye to the main subject. Check that the background compliments the subject. Study the pattern of behaviour of wildlife subjects and get to know your subject really well. Set up your camera, set the manual focus and wait for often repeated actions. The blue tit repeatedly came to the same branch with insects and Phil was able to get very detailed close ups that even showed the hairs on the insects legs.
 Phil has a great knowledge of the technical side of photography and has worked out in great detail how to get the very best images from his range of lenses. Phil often makes up his own contraptions to enable him to get just the image he is striving for and he shared lots of the tips and tricks that he uses.
Be creative, experiment and enjoy your photography!

Members very much enjoyed the humorous presentation from this great character who clearly enjoys sharing his passions and skills with others. PM

See Phil's website for amazing images

On Tuesday 27th October, Jeanette Lendon gave us a presentation over Zoom entitled Smartphone Photography. This was very much a session for those who want to do more than take selfies and pictures of their food. Indeed she showed us images detailing how she uses her smart phone for corporate and commercial assignment as well as for her own pleasure.
Initially a primary school teacher, Jeanette retrained as a photographer in the early noughties and spent 13 years doing corporate and commercial work, initially using a DSLR. In 2015, when the iPhone 6 was released and she saw advertising billboards with images taken with it, she reassessed her views on phone cameras and started using hers more and more. Having seen Lara Jade’s images on the Cheap Camera Challenge (DigitalRev TV) and David Loftus showing food photographs taken with a smart phone, she attended an exhibition at Waddesdon Manor where Nick Knight was presenting smartphone images taken in his rose garden. She entered 2020 Rankin on Sky Arts and was short listed for both the show and Rankin’s book. And she entered the Urban Photo Race and came 3rd despite being the only photographer using a smartphone.
So, Jeanette started by showing us how to control exposures when using the camera’s phone app by touching the screen and moving her finger up or down. She repeatedly came back to this technique, saying that reducing the exposure helps to bring out colours in the image.
For close-ups, she recommended slowly bringing the camera closer to the subject and letting the camera work out the focus. Example images of this technique included a spider, a moth, fungus and a snail. For the snail, she had turned the camera upside down and rested it on the ground to get to the same level as the snail’s head. She also mentioned that clip-on lenses can be purchased very cheaply which can be used to get extreme close-ups, as in her image of a snowflake.
Jeanette showed us several wonderful images of reflections taken around London and shared her technique with us. She recommended finding some water, such as a river or puddle, or make your own puddle from your water bottle! Turn your camera upside down and rest it on the water, compose your image and shoot. One great reflection image of St Pancras station (right) was taken using this technique but on a shiny black cafe table top instead of water. She also showed us a vertical reflection taken by placing her camera against a window.
To take a long exposure, Jeanette suggested switching on “live” which will take a 2 sec video which can be used for various effects. Having kept still for 2 seconds to take the picture, swipe up on the image to view the effects and go to the end to view the “long exposure”. She illustrated the outcome showing a shot of a water feature in London.
At the end of her presentation, Jeanette showed us a series of images that she called London Lockdown. These included empty trains and stations, a closed skate park on the South Bank, deserted streets including Westminster Bridge, The Strand and Trafalgar Square, and Covent Garden and the Millennium Bridge without a soul in sight.
To round off the evening, Jeanette did a live demonstration of how to edit smartphone images using the Snapseed app which was eagerly followed and raised a number of questions.
After a further question and answer discussion, our Chairman, Steve, thanked Jeanette for a very entertaining and informative evening and there was general agreement and applause from the audience. DF

Ralph Snook ARPS DPAGB EFIAP/b was welcomed back to the club where he has judged competitions many times before. Ralph said he always looked forward to seeing all the nature entries as the standard was always very high. This makes it difficult for him to judge as he has to make tough decisions and leave many excellent images out of the awards.
There were 62 entries from all 3 competition sections so well done to all especially those in the Beginners section. The print section of the Annual Nature competition could not be held this year so members could send in 4 digital entries instead of the usual 3. 
 Ralph gave his usual helpful comments to point out the good and bad points in each image. Focus is extremely important for nature subjects and in some cases Ralph pointed out where a wing on a flying bird or insect was not quite in focus. Nature photography is difficult anyway so there is usually not much time to check everything at the time! Over sharpening and noise in the background were other issues that marked images down. Ralph said that some entries were ‘pictorial’ and would have done better in an Open competition as he was judging mostly on the nature content.
After giving his comments and holding 19 images back he finally gave the results.

Not surprisingly first place went to ‘Sidewinder Adder’ by Robert Harvey ARPS EFIAP and Ralph commented it was an excellent image and he had already awarded it a gold medal in another competition. The limited tonal range perfectly camouflaged the snake in the desert sand with the eyes in sharp focus. Robert also gained 3rd place with a sharp macro image titled ‘Tortoise Shieldbugs’ - the colours were good with a muted background. Well done also to Robert for Highly Commended’s for ‘Barn Owl in Flight’ and a different version of his ‘Verreaux’s Sifaka’.
A delightful image by David Wilkinson was awarded second place. The judge said the colours in ‘Brown Hare sitting in Stubble’ blended perfectly and it was an excellent capture. David also was awarded 2 HC’s for images featuring an emperor dragonfly and great - spotted woodpeckers.
The judge awarded Tim Tapley 3 HC’s for his well taken close up’s of insects and Martin Stokes impressed with his Black-backed Gull and Puffin both taken on Skomer.
Insects were the chosen subjects of Sue Wadman’s 2 awarded images as was the Peacock butterfly by David Fraser. A hare was the subject in David Eagle’s image and a roe deer by Richard Atkinson being all awarded HC’s. The only wild flower to win an award was an unusual view of a Burnt Tip Orchid by Dave Gray. The close up of a young goldfinch by David Evans completed the list of the 16 images awarded an HC.
Many congratulations to all and thanks to all those who entered.

Club Chairman Steve Hardman thanked Ralph for his judging and for giving such helpful comments. Steve said he was blown away by the quality of the entries and the club was lucky to have such talented photoraphers.
Thanks to Competition Secretary David Eagle for organising the entries and for running the evening using Zoom. PM

Full list of results      All the awarded images can be seen in the Galleries.          Members can log in to see the 20-21 points tables

Club members and visitors were enthralled by the presentation by fellow member Robert Harvey  BA ARPS EFIAP MCIWEM CSci CEnv. which was based on his latest book ‘Photographing Wiltshire.’
Robert was commissioned by the publishing company ‘fotoVue’ to write and illustrate the Wiltshire edition of the series of books which give information on the photographic opportunities to be found in the county. Lavishly illustrated with over 500 superb images with all the technical information and details of location make this book a must for photographers who live in or are visiting the area.
Robert said that he started researching the county when he moved here 20 years ago. The rolling chalk hills, meandering river valleys, ancient woodlands, quaint villages and of course the wealth of ancient monuments all gave him endless photographic opportunities. From well-known attractions such as Stonehenge and Avebury to little known gems that Robert has himself discovered.
Robert has researched in great depth the geology, history and natural history of the county. The wealth of natural habitats gives endless photographic possibilities with some of the best bluebell woods in the country to rare snakeshead fritillaries, impressive fields of poppies, chalk downland flowers and wildflower meadows. A wide variety of flora and fauna can be found in the counties diverse habitats.
From ancient tracks to modern roads, canals, rivers and the railway have all been explored by Robert giving us new ideas. The wealth of interesting villages and towns make the county a haven for photography. The county has so many quirky features such as the chalk cut horses, the unusual follies and monuments and even the crop circles that the county is famous for!
The book is full of comprehensive information on how to find the best viewpoints, the best time of day, the best season and even the best days to take the most impressive photographs. In one instance there are only two short periods in a year when the rising sun lines up with the Caen hill flight of locks so photographers taking his advice, get to the exact spot to take the image.
Robert advises making use of frost, snow or mist to enhance the landmarks, look out for interesting skies to add interest to a landscape. Using night skies can give a different take on familiar structures and buildings.
What a wonderful county we have with such inspirational locations – whether its grand country houses and gardens, churches and monastic buildings or the wider landscapes with the hilltop beech clumps and ancient monuments. Robert’s images make us realise why he loves his adopted county so much!
Summing up, the club chairman Steve Hardman said what an astonishing amount of detail was in the book and it makes one want to go out and explore more of the county.
Thanks to Robert for giving us such an entertaining, inspiring and thought provoking evening. PM
See the website to obtain your copy of Robert's book.
Images © Robert Harvey

The club was delighted to welcome Sue Morris who is a professional photographer from Hampshire. Sue explained to members using Zoom, that to pay the bills she photographs weddings and portraits but her real passion is wildlife – especially big cats.
After a visit to Alaska and taking with her a fairly basic camera, Sue decided to take her photography more seriously and got hooked on wildlife photography. Sue has won many prestigious awards since and had many of her wildlife images published.
The presentation this evening concentrated on photographs taken on her many visits to Tanzania and the Serengeti National Park area.
On one of her first visits she managed to follow a female cheetah and her four young cubs for several days and became very attached to this very special family. On returning the next year she was delighted to find the whole family were still in the area and thriving. Sue showed us the many wonderful images she took as the cubs played together, the mother brought in food and told of the tough life that cheetahs have in the wild. It’s interesting to witness the circle of life as hyenas and vultures are quick to finish any remains from the kill.
The visits were made in the dry season so the herds of wildebeest have gone and there is very little game for the resident cats to hunt. The grass is golden at that time which gives the images a very pleasing subdued colour palette. There were some impressive portrait shots showing the deep orange eyes of the cheetahs. Other cats also featured with some impressive big maned male lions, playful lion cubs and family groups. Sue was lucky to have many encounters with the elusive leopards and captured some amazing images. She also showed a selection of elephant images with their family groups and the playful youngsters.
Sue showed us some photos of other African animals and birds to see if club members could identify them. Many of the club members have also travelled to that area so it was nice to see again the variety of photogenic subjects to be found there.
Sue advised getting as low as possible when photographing animals so that you can have eye level contact when possible. Cameras have to be set up quickly and be ready for the action which can happen very suddenly. Lighting cannot be controlled so photography can be difficult when the light is low. Sue uses a bean bag to support her camera as a tripod is not practical in a vehicle.
Africa is a country you can easily fall in love with and want to return time and time again.
Steve Hardman thanked Sue and said that her presentation showed her passion for the big cats. The images were stunning even when the lighting had been difficult. PM

The first competition of the season was judged by John Hudson ARPS SPSA DPAGB ASPS who is a freelance photographer from Bristol and has won many photographic awards. He was introduced by David Wilkinson who said it was a great privilege to welcome him to the club.
As it has to be nowadays the competition had to be shown using Zoom. The club is grateful to Dave Eagle as Competition Secretary who has to not only juggle with the DiCentra software to show the images but is also the host for the Zoom meeting.
This is John’s first time judging for Devizes CC and he explained that judging photographs is very much a personal view. After going through the positives and negatives for each image the final awards go to the images that meant something to him or those that told a story he liked. John gave a detailed critique of each image pointing out the good points – then there came the ‘but’ when he said what improvements could have been made to improve the image. Often it was some cropping of unwanted areas or else the background was too distracting. The comments are a great help for members in order to try to avoid similar problems when they enter competitions in future.
The Beginners section is for new members who have not entered club competitions before even though many of them might be quite experienced photographers. Starting with the 20 entries in the section the judge explained in great detail what he liked about each image and then the improvements that could have been made. Flower and nature images appealed to him most with a stunning image of birds awarded first place. John said that ‘Western Cattle Egret’ right by Penny Clarke was an image that he wished he had taken! The lighting on the bird was excellent and the movement well captured so very well done to Penny.
Second place went to a macro shot ‘Hoverfly on Scabious’ by Hilary Tapley and third place to ‘Summer Flowers’ by Bridget Codrington. Images by Hilary and Bridget were also awarded Highly Commended as were images by Jennifer Skjoldbro and Helena Chambers. (see full list below)
Only nine entries in the Intermediate section with Martin Stokes taking first place with a beautiful forest scene. The judge commented that ‘Forest Trail’ left was 'an image to die for’ - the light on the trees, the lead in and the foxgloves to add a bit of colour was wonderful. Dave Eagle was awarded both second and third places with a landscape titled ‘Lone Tree, Babbacombe’ and an unusual close up of seaweed and pebbles titled ‘Fresh from the Sea'.
After the break was the biggest section with 30 entries. The Advanced group are those that have worked their way up through the sections and the judge expects to see ‘perfection’.
The image that caught John’s eye for first place was ‘Fishing for Crabs’ right by Richard Atkinson AFIAP. It was a rather unusual image and John chose it because it told a story with lots of people enjoying the seaside and concentrating on the fishing.
Second place went to a delightful image ‘Goldfinch amongst the Hawthorn Berries’, the judge said it may be ‘a bird on a stick’ but in this case it was a well caught image with a good uncluttered background.
John remarked that there were many really good landscapes entered in the section that it was difficult to judge. Third place went to what John felt was the best landscape and that was ‘Franschhoek Valley’ a pleasing view over a lake by David Fraser. Ten other images were awarded highly Commended – see full list below.
Summing up David Willkinson said many congratulations to all those with awards and he thanked the judge for giving his very detailed critique.
A ‘virtual’ competition did not have quite the same ending as our usual face to face meetings when we can applaud the winners but nevertheless it was good to be able to run the first competition of the 2020-2021 season! PM
Full results             All the awarded images can be seen in the Galleries

Nicki Douglas-Lee is a professional photographer based in Devizes and gave the club a Zoom presentation showing the various sports events that she photographs both locally and further afield.
Nicki explained that it is not easy being a professional sports photographer and it requires knowledge of each sport, dedication, commitment and often long hours!
With any type of photography, you need to get to know as much as you can about the subject in order to capture the best images. Nicki herself has had experience of many sports and has played rugby, canoed, been involved in equestrian sports and has her own motor bike so has first-hand knowledge of a wide range of sports.
Starting with a local annual event, Nicki showed images of the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race which she has photographed for a number of years. She showed images of individuals and pairs that take part and being a portrait photographer as well, that helps her capture expressions and the concentration on participants faces.
Nicki’s sports photographs are often published in local and national and international publications. Usually there is a very short turnaround so editing has to be kept to the minimum.
Knowing the sports well, she can often anticipate what might happen and capture the moment which may be good look of triumph or it can be bad moment such as a capsized boat or a fall from a horse.
Local ladies and men’s rugby matches are well portrayed showing the action and sheer determination on the faces. Nicki captures the dramatic action and the essence of the game and the interaction between players.
Next Nicki showed us some of the equine events that she photographs starting with horse trials where dramatic images can be captured as the horses negotiate the fences and water jumps. The superb looking horses used for racing and eventing make wonderful images and often the special harmony between horse and rider is portrayed. Nicki says it is all about observation – get in the right place and wait for just the right moment to press the shutter.
Next Nicki showed images of a different type of horse power – this time with wheels! Trail riding where riders have to slowly negotiate a very difficult course over rough terrain and then the fastest sport – drag racing where the bikes and cars can go at 300 mph and you need a very high shutter speed to catch the action! Seeing the variety of specially enhanced vehicles that take part and some very atmospheric night shots was amazing.
To go onto the track, you need special permission and insurance but good photographs can be obtained from behind the barriers. See Santa Pod Raceway for events if you would like to have a go yourself.
Thank you Nicki for giving such an interesting insight into taking images of the sporting world and you have probably inspired others to have a go themselves. PM

The club was pleased to welcome Leigh Woolford AWPF EFIAP DPAGB BPE3 HonFWPF to give a presentation using Zoom of his photographs taken on his many visits to this land of ice and fire. The journey he showed was from the town of Keflavik in the West on the coast road to Hofn towards the West. Using photos’ videos and maps Leigh gave facts in great detail about this amazing country. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe, the roads are almost empty so driving is a joy and many of the most scenic areas can be viewed from the roadside.

As soon as you land near Reykjavik you become aware of the geo-thermal activity in the area with the massive power plat and the thermal pools. After a short look at some of the impressive sculpture and buildings in the capital city Leigh set us off on a photographic journey along the south coast road.
Leigh showed us images of amazing waterfalls often with rainbows over, massive geysers spewing steam into the air and the largest glacier in Europe. Leigh said the weather could change in an instant and it was often raining and overcast so many of his images conveyed the moody nature of the country by being shown in monochrome.

Many images were shown of the impressive basalt rock stacks and cliffs taken in all directions from the black sand beaches in the area. There were many views of a much photographed, photogenic church near Hellnar set against the dramatic coast.

As the glaciers reach the coast large chunks of ice break off and float on the lagoons. In the right light the ice can take on beautiful blue hues and reflect the colours of the sky. Leigh showed many photos of the ice as it was washed up on the black sand beaches giving dramatic contrasting tones. The air is clean and unpolluted so amazingly clear photographs can be taken of the mountain ranges and glaciers in the distance. The sea is often very rough and Leigh showed images of the waves breaking over the rocky shoreline.
Leigh was lucky enough to see a really impressive show of the Northern Lights on one of his many visits.
As a change from the many landscapes Leigh showed images of the Icelandic horses with their thick coats and long manes to protect them from the severe winter cold.
Leigh was thanked by chairman Steve Hardman for showing us the diverse landscapes in this hot, cold, and beautiful country. Steve said it made him want to revisit this amazing area. PM
Images © Leigh Woolford