A month by month summary of the Society activities.
December 2023: Terri Innes – A journey through Argentina and Chile
On our December Club night fellow member Terri Innes shared her images taken on her travels through Argentina and Chile. Despite her recent accident when on Safari following the Wildebeest on their famous ‘Crossing’ Terri was kind enough to come to Adderbury Institute and demonstrate her knowledge of the area she visited and share her images taken en route. The colours were amazing and her shots were varied between landscapes, dance, wildlife, culture and architecture.
Thank you so much. We did enjoy it.
Thanks you too to Terri’s partner who attended the presentation. Nice to meet you.
Picture courtesy Terri Innes
Miggy Wild, ADDPS
November 2023: Chris Dean – Finding Nemo
Novembers club night welcomed current member & keen under water photographer Chris Dean, who through the magic of his photos, took us to the pre-historic volcanic region of the Maldives, famed for its turquoise beaches & relaxing beach get away resorts.
Chris & his wife & their long-term friends, fly over to the Maldives and through the magic of planes & water taxis, base themselves in an idyllic beach facing hotel where they snorkel the local waters.
Chris showed us photos of his trip which varied from the copious amounts of friendly tortoises to the Black-tipped reef sharks and Nurse sharks, which are extremely difficult to photograph, given their nocturnal lifestyle.
In the shallower waters, Chris finds colourful Powder Tangs, Trevally, Snapper, Trigger fish, Convict Tangs (who he remarked on how wonderful they were as coral dwellers!)
Further afield Chris photographs Yellow snapper, Sweet lips and the extremely nest protective Titan trigger fish. He recalled a story of how he was very close to being bitten recently when he ventured too close on a dive.
Chris also likes to photograph Clown trigger fish (aka Finding Nemo!) and Picasso Tangs which are notorious as they are very quick and illusive, even to the naked eye. Amongst Chris favourite sea life who reside in the Maldives are the colony of Rays, which include Porcupine Ray, Feather tailed Sting Rays & Manta Rays.
We welcome new members to our Society nights on the first Wednesday of each month. Website and contact: addphoto.co.uk for further information.
Picture courtesy of Chris Dean
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
October 2023: Steve Brabner – Beyond the Comfort Zone
Octobers club night welcomed Steve Brabner, a long term member of Amersham photographic society and founding member of the sub group called ‘Beyond’, which aims to push club members away from their comfort zone and beyond, by listing monthly topics which need to be 1. Newly taken and 2. Will not be judged. Each task lasts 3 months.
Topics in the past include Blur, Still life, Playing with Scale & Perspective, Water / Bubbles, Paper (not trees), Self-portrait (foot, shadow, arms etc.), Pop Art, Joiner/Collage, Triptych, Silhouettes & text, to name but a few.
Steve spoke about the ups and down of organising a subgroup and how more famous photographers, such as Polina Plotnikova influenced some members with her flower portraits & how she photographed flower movement.
Some more recent topics have included Food, Postage stamps (where members created a mock up postage stamp with their chosen photo), Decay, Create a book cover, AI, Deconstructed Landscape and Surrealism.
The audience were very interested in all Steves images and is now looking into the feasibility of doing this within our own club.
We welcome new members to our Society nights on the first Wednesday of each month. Website and contact: addphoto.co.uk for further information.
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
September 2023: Scott Hurd – Namibia
Septembers meeting saw Adderbury connect via the wonders of technology (albeit intermittent!) with South Africa, so we could chat with past member and keen wildlife photographer, Scott Hurd.
Scotts talk, entitled ‘My Namibia’ took us on a journey from the beginnings of his hobby with his Aunty Vera through to his photographic around the country. Scott explores the country in his Bakkie (4×4 off road vehicle) and began by showing us his recent visit to the Vasbyt 4×4 races (meaning ‘art of being stoical’) where competitors driving adapted 4×4’s, must keep between the white taped off area and complete the course as quickly as possible but to remain in one piece! What started out as a predominantly white spectator & participant sport, thanks to historical apartheid, is now enjoying more spectators from coloured communities.
Scott also showed us how his country can go from rain and rainbows, to ‘dust devils’ which is a loose term for upside down plug holes which are similar to hurricanes and tornadoes but on a smaller scale. He mentioned if you were caught in a dust devil, you will spend the next few hours cleaning your lenses of dust & debris!
Scott enjoys his work as a hotel photographer and has travelled the length and breadth of the country photographing all manner of hotels & camping sites and explained how he enjoys getting to know hotel & kitchen staff as they are the beating heart of the business and will always keep you fed & watered!
As Namibia enjoys more sun hours then Great Britian, it’s not surprising that they are now embracing Solar panels in some of the hotels and lodges and that this is an ever growing number.
Scott’s local area is surrounded by a variety of animals including Flamingos, Onyx, Cattle and if he travels further inland he can see Elephants, Succulents, Geckos, Yellow Hornbills, Baboons, and explained that the local Herrero people rehabilitated the Vulture population.
Scott’s travels have taken him further north to photograph Hyenas, Zebras, Antelope and on his travels into Botswana, he has photographed Elephants, Hippos, Cape Buffalo, Bee Eaters, Spoonbills.
This month sees our Annual Exhibition on Saturday 30th September & Sunday 1st October, where our members will exhibit a variety of high-quality images taken in the past 12 months. All welcome.
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
August 2023: Peter Crane, ARPS – Street Photography My Way
A little something different this month from AD&DPS- a guide to Street Photography as presented by Peter Crane at our Club night this month.
Being a Street Photographer:
Peter thought Street Photography is a bit like fishing. You’re out to catch a moment or chance event. You need to be alert and not switched off. You need to have a little confidence and a great deal of patience.
Street photography hints and ideas:
By carrying his camera by his side in order to not bring attention to himself and by blending in, he can capture great shots by being at the right place, at the right time.
The technical stuff – Peter uses:
1. A 16-80 zoom lens for flexibility.
2. A wrist strap for the safety of camera equipment.
3. Camera settings – Manual with AUTO ISO / Aperture f8 / Shutter speed of 1/250sec
4. The back button for prefocus, having the spot focus with centre weighted metering.
5. High speed Continuous mode
6. Spirit level in the hot shoe for keeping horizontals straight.
Different styles that Peter demonstrated:
Relationship of colours together – People with each other,
Relationship of shapes – Buildings, graffiti, road signs, posters etc having a connection with people in the image.
Juxtaposition of signage with subjects – People with the many signs and text around us in our surroundings.
Similarities of people to their surroundings – People with the background
Reflective surfaces to shoot images – Use of windows, mirrors and puddles.
Atmospheric Silhouettes – Use of street lighting at night
Miggy Wild, ADDPS
July 2023: Mary Macintyre, FRAS – Photographing the Milky Way from the UK
Mary is a familiar face with the club and is always well received with her knowledgeable Astro-photography talks always a firm favourite topic.
This month, Mary focussed her talk on photographing the Milky way & explained how she goes about it with her many Canon 1100, kit lens, tripod & shutter cable. Mary entertained her audience explaining the best way of keeping her lenses warm in the colder months is to use cheap, easy to buy, hand warmers wrapped in socks which are then held onto the outside of the lens with Velcro or hand sewn buttons & fastenings.
That’s where the basic equipment ends. Her vast array of technical star viewing equipment ranges all the way up to her Star Adventurer mini tripod which can be controlled from an app, from the comfort of your home.
Mary went onto explain that on the Burtle dark sky scale, where 1 or 2 is best and only found far south in Devon or in the northern parts of the UK, Oxfordshire is 4 and the better parts being the villages, out of the light pollution.
As it happened, July is the peak time for photographing the Milky Way, with the 23rd of July around midnight is the absolute optimum milky way evening, for anyone wanting to try their hand at this fascinating hobby.
Mary advises that its optimum to have some type of foreground interest within your photo, which as a windmill or trees and to try and stack 30 x 20 second exposure and stitch together in post processing in Lightroom, Photoshop or programmes such as Sequeator.
If this has peaked your interest, social media is a great way to see what others are photographing. Stephen Cheatley @starman_1969 is a great account to follow. Mary Macintyre can also be found on YouTube, Instagram & Facebook @spiceyspiney.
Picture courtesy of Mary Macintyre.
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
June 2023: Robert Harvey – Photographing the beauty of Birds
For our June club night we had the absolute pleasure of hearing from renowned wildlife photographer Robert Harvey & he spoke about what makes a good bird photograph. Robert has spoken to the club on previous occasions and last year, took a group of members to Wiltshire for a few days showing them the sights & sounds of the Wiltshire Countryside.
His talk focussed on moving away from the ‘bird on a stick’ glamour shots and talked about adding background to the image but stressed that it needs to match what you’re trying to say about the photo and whether it relates to the habitat of the bird. He spoke about how Reflections make a great photo and getting up early or waiting until golden hour can be the best photography time with silhouettes making beautiful images if you catch the light in the right way.
He showed us images of birds in flight and how shadows and viewpoints can really make an image ‘pop’ but to always keep settings on Manual. We were shown some images of birds taking off and landing but also how a flock of birds can make an interesting picture if framed correctly.
Birds that interact with each other and are caught in action or calling to each other can create good shots for the viewer & emphasised that although portrait stye shots are great, to focus on birds with interesting and eye-catching head feathers or plumage.
Looking forward on the 28th of August we will be exhibiting our members images at Steeple Aston Flower show. We are really excited to be there and look forward to meeting you all and talking about our images, the club & anything else photography related.
Picture courtesy of Robert Harvey.
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
May 2023: Colin Lamb, LRPS – New Zealand, the Southern Islands
For our May club night we had the absolute pleasure of hearing about and viewing fantastic images of our Programme secretary Colin’s recent New Zealand holiday.
His trip centred around the South Islands where he began a tour in Christchurch and with his wife by his side, they made made their way down the country, experiencing Whale and Dolphin watching, Albatross encounters as well as travelling the coastal path to Blenheim for Seal watching and they stopped off at a few well known New Zealand wineries for liquid refreshments. His tour also included Punakaiki which is well known for Pancake rock formations and blow holes and on to Doubtful Sound for wildlife watching.
Picture courtesy of Colin Lamb
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
April 2023: AGM and “What Is It” quiz
The formality of a Society AGM took up the first part of our Club night this month.
We saw Martyn Pearse retire as Chair and Miggy Wild was voted into this position.
Andrew Dayer was voted in as Secretary. The remaining Officers, Nick Hardwick and Colin Lamb continue in their roles as Treasurer and Programme Secretary respectively.
Martyn Pearse thanked the working committee for their help this last year which included Meriel Flux, Lindsey Smith, Neil Grantham, Courtney Killpack and Anne Hunsley. They have been instrumental in keeping the Society moving forward.
Martyn Pearse concluded his Chairman’s report with, ‘I leave confident in the knowledge that the society has a highly capable committee that will continue all the good works to ensure the continued success of the Adderbury Deddington & District Photographic Society.’ Thank you Martin for all your work on the Committee over the last ten years.
The second part of Club night was a well fought quiz of guessing ‘What is it?’ A two-round collection of images guessing something taken in close up and their full size answers leaving a winning team of four with Easter chocolate as a prize. This is possibly one of the quietest moments we have had in our club nights together. Well, Chocolate was up for winning!
How would you have done?
What is it?
Answer:
Photos by Paul Whitehead
As part of our Society calendar, we enjoy photoshoots and workshops. This last month we enjoyed a light photoshoot organised by myself at Deddington Church.
Photo by Maureen Tyrell
Next month we have an in-house presenter Colin Lamb presenting his recently taken images from his visit to New Zealand.
At each club night we have a slideshow of members images on a theme and this next month’s title is ‘Discovery.’
On May 5th we are visiting The Old Dairy Farm, Cropredy and Slimbridge Wetland Centre – dates and times t.b.a.
Our new year begins, and we welcome new members to our Society nights on the first Wednesday of each month. Website and contact: addphoto.co.uk for further information.
Miggy Wild, ADDPS
March 2023: Scarlet Page – Portrait Photography
For our March club night, we had the absolute privilege of inviting Scarlet Page, an English photographer and also daughter of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.
Scarlet describes her style as very editorial but likes to keep her editing and lighting simple. Her colourful resume includes the who’s who of the rock music world including her beginnings with photographer Ross Halfin who she travelled the world with and cut her teeth as his assistant, loading the film for his cameras and eventually started taking her own photos and grew professional relationships with tour managers. Her 1st festival was the infamous Lolapalooza festival in USA back in 1994 and by using her ‘fish eye’ lens captured what was to become, some iconic photos of behind the scenes, which were eventually picked up by RAW! And Kerrang magazine. Through working with them she forged relationships with the likes of Stereophonics, The Verve, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and eventually went on the road with The Darkness for 12 months of their world tour.
Shortly after that, Robbie Williams team reached out to her as they were after images for his picture biography, which was the dawn of a new style of autobiography, shortly followed by other music stars such as Leona Lewis and Ronan Keating. Her intimate portrait of Brian from Placebo has recently been picked up by the National Portrait Gallery, which is a very high accolade indeed!
In 2020 she was selected as a winner of The British Journal of Photography’s ‘Portrait of Britain’ award and she has become an active member of the Association of Photographers and its associated women’s group f22.
Her photos can be seen on her website Scarlet Page – Photographer
Next meeting is our AGM on the 5th of April at 7:30pm at the Adderbury Institute.
All welcome.
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
February 2023: Light Workshop
We enjoyed a fun, relaxed, informative workshop evening creating light distortion photos over various activity tables brought in by individual members of the committee. It’s amazing how light, mirrors and glass can create such exciting photos and got the rest of the members talking about photography techniques & pushing some out of their comfort zone!
We also utilised the darkness outside and created light trails & light painting which was a new technique to quite a few members!
Something we will be re-visiting next month to further our knowledge & experience.
The aim was to experiment with lights that anyone has access to, such as candles, torches, phone torches etc to show the variety of photos available to everyone, no matter what level of photographer you are.
The Topic of Minimalism was a challenge for some, but others found this something they really enjoyed & excelled in. The frosty weather we have been experiencing recently definitely helped with the creative juices for foggy & misty field & lake photos.
All can be seen here in our website Galleries: addphoto.co.uk > Galleries
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
January 2023: Favourite/Best 3 images of 2022
We welcomed the new year with a look back at our favourite images from 2022. The range of genres from landscape to studio portraits, street, architectural, wildlife and action shots were all covered. It was interesting to hear the recounts of the memories the shots invoked from testing mountain descents to elephant experiences at Woburn, to home landscapes from childhood. It was a veritable tour around the world, touching European countries as well African safaris. New equipment was tried and tested in incredible in-flight shots. I do urge you look at the photographs featured on our website as our favourites from 2022. We also welcomed five guests to our first meeting of the year. Hopefully we can encourage them to become members soon.
I’m handing over the notebook and pen to Courtney Killpack from February so look out in the next newsletter for a new point of view. Good luck Courtney.
Anne Hunsley, ADDPS