A month by month summary of the Society activities.
March 2025: Kim Benson – 2024 – Travels and Techniques.
Fellow society member Kim Benson chronologically documented her photography in 2024, taking her audience to different parts of Britain and overseas to the U.S.
Being keen on photographing many different subjects, she showed us, the audience, images of birds, flowers, insects, buildings, balloons and illuminations that she enjoyed throughout the year, giving hints and tips and techniques she used to take the most stunning photographs.
Her first tip was to be organised, storing images in named folders with dates and places. One platform that she successfully uses for photo storage is Flickr. (https://www.flickr.com)
Her style of taking long exposure images to create movement in her pictures spilled over into the different genres she enjoys- in Street photography, Sport, air shows, Balloon festivals, Architecture and Landscapes. Using techniques such as panning, zoom bursts, and ICM, she created movement alongside altering camera exposure and shutter speed. And for clear, sharp images, particularly flora and fauna, Kim used the technique of Photo stacking in the camera.
Kim enjoys going on planned, organised ’Flickr walks’, joining fellow photographers in London and Oxford to photograph these destinations. Some of her images are edited in Snapseed and Adobe Lightroom to create abstracted images.
She also uses editing techniques to layer images to add movement into the final images. An example of this was a dramatic image that she created by layering of six shots of a stuntman falling from high following his fall to the floor.
Wherever Kim takes her camera, she finds something to shoot. Thank you Kim.
The club slideshow at the end of the evening was titled ‘Circles, Ellipses and Curves’. Members produced some amazing images, from a light pendulum art piece to outdoor shots of architecture and nature. Well done all- very creative.
Next month is our AGM and the start of our 2025-2026 year. We welcome new members as we venture into another exciting year.
Miggy Wild, ADDPS
February 2025: Tina Hadley – A Lifetime of Photography.
Tina Hadley, our February guest speaker, shared her inspiring journey in photography.
Her passion ignited when her parents moved to Germany, leading her to a transformative three-year apprenticeship with a wedding photographer.
There, she mastered the art of cleanliness, essential for capturing the perfect shot, and learned to mix darkroom chemicals and understand camera lenses, ultimately receiving her first camera—a Zenith—2.5 years in.
Despite the challenges of growing up as a foreigner in Germany and the constraints of the photographers’ union, Tina persevered and found her path.
Working at an eye hospital, she developed a deep sense of empathy, approaching vulnerable patients with kindness. Her adventure as a ski representative not only introduced her to her husband but also opened doors to a new chapter.
In the Middle East, she thrived, capturing the essence of wealthy dignitaries and processing photos in her tiny bathroom for same-day delivery. Upon returning to the UK, she created a beautiful home business, collaborating with her husband who crafted frames for her art.
Tina embraced the principles of CLEPS: Composition, Light, Exposure, Pose, and Shoot. In her digital era, she found joy using her Hasselblad camera and gracefully wound down her business last year after an unforgettable Bar Mitzvah. The highlight of her career was photographing the Queen at a parade, where a moment of eye contact filled her with pride and inspiration.
Februarys monthly topic was ‘Blurred / Out of focus’.
In March we have one of our members Kim Benson coming to talk about ‘Travel & Techniques’. Everyone welcome.
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS
January 2025: Favourite/Best 3 images of 2024
Happy New year!
We got 2025 off with a bang with a ‘Best 3 photos of 2024’ display from our members which was well attended.
With nearly 60 images, ranging from Portraiture to Reflections, Snow bound holidays, Flowers and pin sharp macro photography, our photos reflected the broad interest we have at the club.
Break time, once our members were treated with sumptuous home baked cakes & biscuits , we chatted about Xmas holidays, reflected on those no longer with us and discussed plans for 2025.
In February we have Tina Hadley coming to talk about her ‘Photographic Journey’. Everyone welcome.
Picture Credit: Nicky Westwood (Kid goats on the northern tip of Sark)
Courtney Killpack, ADDPS