The club rounded off the current competition season with its Annual Awards contest which this year was judged by Dr Roger Winter from Brentwood. The winners were as follows:- At entry level the remarkable result was that Jacqui Wall triumphed in all three mono categories (pictorial, portrait and record) with well executed prints, her record shot of a bicycle in Cambridge which was judged best mono print being typical of the standards achieved by this recent member. As if to drive home the point Jacqui also came first in all three colour print categories thus staking her claim to advanced level for next season. At advanced level mono, best pictorial and best mono print was 'Desert Dance' by Trevor Burley who also won the portrait section with 'Gypsy Woman'. Top of the record section was Melvyn Frewin with 'Pain in the Neck'. Advanced colour was keenly contested and best pictorial was awarded to Colin Birch with an atmospheric image of the Lofoten Islands. Best portrait and overall best colour print was 'Brown Eyes' by Anne Burley and best record photo was Ray Bacon's depiction of a Peregrine Falcon. Colour slides are still popular and Bob Scott won the general class with 'Worm and Cog' and Bob also won the portrait class with a realistic depiction of a dockyard worker. Pictorial, and the accolade of best slide went to Barry Henshaw for his atmospheric shot of a cyclist in Vietnam. After the presentation of the awards, club chairman Paul Beko thanked Roger Winter for the skill and effort he had put into judging the event. The members AGM took place on the 16th of May. The next season commences on 5th September with a talk by Bob Cross on ' A Professionals View.' Don't miss the club's summer exhibition in the central square at County Hall which runs from Monday 20th August to Thursday the 30th.
This evening, the club held its final projected image competition of the season which was ably judged by Maggie Tear (LRPS) from Loughton. Marks were awarded out of 10 and in the colour slide category there were three top scoring entrants as follows:- 'Tulip' by Malcolm MacGregor, 'Moody Sky' also by Malcolm MacGregor, and the winner 'Hot Lips' by Colin Birch. The digital section attracted a good following and four images received 10 marks. These were:- 'Magnolia' by Terry McDonald, 'Peaceful' by Colin Birch, 'Gondola in the Mist' by Barry Collin, and 'Fishing in the Rain' by Barry Henshaw which was the winner of this category.
Dennis Clarke broke the good news that the club had won the Chelmsford area photographic clubs slide 'battle' on the previous evening, our member Bob Scott winning the accolade of best slide of the evening with an image called 'The First Step'. We then enjoyed a lecture illustrated with large prints by Dr. John Law from St Neots under the title 'There and Back' This traced his journey to gain the RPS Fellowship distinction with some quite weird images based on sandwiching two or more slides together to produce unusual scenes. In the second part he showed more variety of creative images based on coloured paper shapes seen through patterned glass. He explained how many pictures were arrived at, some accidentally, from perhaps the slightest inspiration gleaned from a statue or shop window mannequin. This was a very entertaining, albeit contentious for some, evening. Paul Beko thanked Dr. Law for revealing so many of his techniques.
Members were able to view a slide presentation with recorded commentary of winning entries from the 2006 annual exhibition of the prestigious London Salon of Photography. These images have in the past proved to be controversial and tonight was no exception, many of the pictures taxing member's powers of interpretation. Some landscapes (including one from our Colin Westgate ) were enthusiastically received, but others with dark moodiness conveyed tension as the predominant emotion and whilst the skill and technical abilities of the photographers were appreciated, the results were not always easy to live with. After the presentation a lively discussion was led by Paul Beko and Arnold Cleaver in the course of which one member spoke for many when she said that she would not like to hang some of these images on her walls.
This evening the club held its first Panel of Six competition in which members were invited to enter six related prints for judging as a panel. The competition was judged by Peter Taylor from Chafford Hundred. From a field of 20 entered panels, Third place went to Pat Frewin with a series of waterfalls from Aberfeldy, Second came Mike Daly with some sepia toned coastal images but First, and the winner, was Pat Frewin's with some well thought out images of rock strata. Peter identified three 'Highly Commended's' and these were 'Living Landscape' by Arnold Cleaver,' Eschers World,' a panel of surreal abstracts by John Fildes, and 'At Waters Edge' by Ann Burley. Pat Frewin therefore received the Cyril Chorley Cup which was being awarded for the first time and was kindly donated to the club by Dorothy Chorley in memory of her late husband who was for many years a talented and active member of the club. We were pleased that Dorothy was there to make the presentation.
The club welcomed photographer Howard Denner (AFIAP) from Upminster who gave a talk illustrated with prints on photographing people. This turned out to be a wide ranging subject with all types of people photography from figures in the landscape via street candids to formal portraiture being well covered and many excellent examples were shown backed up by Howard's anecdotes which were both informative as to technique and witty. Following retirement from his full time job as a civil servant 10 years ago, Howard's photography had moved on to a different plane and he now photographs concerts professionally, with a leaning towards jazz and pop venues. Examples of this were images of George Melly and Madonna in performance, both captured perfectly despite the restrictions inherent in concert photography where flash for obvious reasons is banned. Club chairman Paul Beko thanked Howard for a very entertaining evening.
The club held its 5th Projected image competition. A total of 82 entries gave the visiting judge, Brian Willett (LRPS) a busy time. In the first half digital images were shown and four entries were chosen for top scores of 10 marks. These were Bruce Gray's Padlong Girl, Cornish Rocks by Pat Frewin, Disc brake by Melvyn Frewin and Storm, a coastal scene with a vivid rainbow by Eileen Gray, the latter chosen as the best digital entry. After the tea break the slide entries were judged. 9.5 marks went to Terry McDonald for Tulip Petal, a large close-up, but top marks went to Barry Henshaw for his view of the Farne Islands, and to John Everett for his picture of the shore at Birling Gap which received the accolade of best slide. Club chairman Paul Beko thanked Brian for his sound advice on technique and his comments on the high quality of the entries.
The club welcomed noted photographer Patricia Jones (FRPS) who gave an illustrated talk entitled 'Still Viewing''. We were treated to a selection of breathtaking quality prints including many landscapes. There were shots aplenty of the Lake District through the seasons, but particularly good were some of her Scottish pictures including beach scenes taken on the Isle of Harris. Patricia had perfected a high key technique which highlighted misty weather and added a fresh dimension. Member Colin Westgate thanked Patricia for the high standard of her presentation.
The club held a print competition judged by Ron Tear from Loughton. At entry level Howard Binns won the mono section with his shot of a kestrel on the wing whilst colour was won by Jacqui Wall with a well observed picture of a group of students entitled 'New Tenants'Advanced level mono had three top scores: 'Burning Incense' by Ann Burley, 'Jessica' by Colin Birch which was a high key portrait, but the winner was a minimalist composition by Colin Westgate entitled 'Dune and Shrub'. Advanced colour generated 4 top scores: 'Man in Black' by Trevor Burley, 'Snowballing on the Village Green' by Ray Bacon, 'Final Resting lace ' by Bruce Gray showing the wreck of a Thames Barge, but best was a well lit and colourful shot of Rannoch Moor by Pat Frewin.
The club held a projected image competition which was judged by Harold Mousley from Ipswich. Traditional slides attracted 28 entries and the two top scoring slides with 10 points each were both by Barry Henshaw. One of these was a colourful image of lichen patterns, but the overall winner was Barry's coastal scene of the high tide at Newbiggin on Sea. In the projected digital category there were two images with 10 points and David Whiteing did well with a colourful shot of a volcano in Chile whilst the winner was Ursula Fuller with a wildlife study of a cheetah family.
The club welcomed distinguished botanist Dr Peter Brandham from Kew Gardens to give an audio visual presentation. On this occasion the subject matter was not from Kew but encompassed the railways of India. Bitten by the 'steam bug' when still a student Peter had begun his railway photography in the U.K but with the demise of steam in this country he had looked abroad to India and had taken a fascinating variety of images of locomotives and trains on both the broad and metre gauge lines during steams' years of decline in the sub continent. Armed also with a tape recorder he had captured vivid sound to go with his pictures and this included much more than just the trains, with atmospheric scenes of people at work and in the bustling streets for good measure.Anyone who was not captivated by work-stained engines would have been in thrall at Peter's superb depiction of the Taj Mahal viewed at dawn through the early morning mists rising from the Jumna river, a river which boasts a spectacular railway bridge at Agra which formed the backdrop to so many of the images presented during the evening. Club chairman Paul Beko thanked Peter for an outstanding evening, commenting that his pictures had shown an insight into the nature of life in India and the daily toil for a subsistence wage on the railways.
We welcomed Brian Beaney FRPS from Ipswich to give an illustrated talk on his photographs. Starting with some of his earliest monochrome images Brian showed how he had developed artistic styles which complemented his subject and utilised the best modern digital techniques to full effect. We were impressed by a number of shots taken near Felixstowe ferry where Brian had used his skills to imitate the style of pastel, water-colour and acrylic art. Brian went on to obtain an ARPS qualification with a series of small craft, some beached, some rotting away, where the art of the landscape painter had been emulated by progressively blurring backgrounds and introducing dramatic skies with light and sharpness falling on the main subject. It can truly be said that each print was a work of art, a fact confirmed by the award to Brian of a full Fellowship by the Royal Photographic Society. After the interval Brian explained some of the secrets of Photoshop which he used to perfect his images, and in thanking him Bruce Gray said it had been an inspirational evening.
The club held a print competition which was judged by Harry Tabeart LRPS from Canvey Island. Results were as follows:At entry level best mono picture was of a Donkey man in Fez by Jacqui Wall and the colour section was won by Ann Clark who had entered a natural history photograph of a Kookaburra. At advanced level both mono and colour were keenly contested and dealing first with the mono out of 26 entries there were three pictures which scored the maximum of 10 points. Barry Collin LRPS had taken a striking shot of a spiral staircase, and Dennis Clarke had travelled to Istanbul for his shot of a railway station. Best in this category was an architectural shot of ornate columns on the facade of a building by Colin Birch. The colour section attracted 39 entries from which there were 4 'finalists':- Ray Bacon LRPS had photographed some multi coloured pebbles which made a convincing composition and Bruce Gray ARPS did well with an abstract rock composition as did Mike Fuller with a picture of frogs spawning. But the winner was Colin Westgate FRPS with a coastal landscape of the Seven Sisters.
We hosted our annual 'battle' with Colchester, which we won!!!This keenly fought but light hearted contest was judged by Barbie Lindsay BPE5* and took the form of print and slide sections, each club providing an advocate to promote, or in the case of the opposition, damn with faint praise. Chelmsford was well represented by the genial Dennis Clarke, a recent chairman of the club and Colchester gave us some characteristic asperity from their seasoned campaigner, Vic Hainsworth. Chelmsford won the print section decisively by 10.5 marks to 5.5 but Colchester held their own in the slide section, the clubs drawing with 8 points each. This left Chelmsford as overall winner and club chairman Paul Beko thanked Colchester for taking part and Barbie Lindsay for her judging of the event.
The club held its annual competition for the Burley cup which was judged by Heather Clarke BPE2*. This was a print competition and members were asked to submit a panel of three related prints which would be judged on the theme they presented as well as for photographic merit. Twenty seven entries totalling 81 prints were selected and Heather identified five panels as being of special merit. Highly commended were Pat Frewin LRPS with three images taken at Aberfeldy in Scotland, and Bruce Gray, ARPS with a mono panel showing coastal erosion at Happisburgh, Norfolk. In third place Pat Frewin had also done well ith three images showing rock strata, and second place was a panel by Ann Burley entitled 'At the waters edge' showing fishing in the third world. The trophy itself was won by Melvyn Frewin LRPS with an amusing and carefully thought out set of images of a street mime artist which was called 'I can't bear to look'. Following the competition club chairman Paul Beko led a discussion and thanked Heather Clarke for her skill and judgement. For her part Heather said she had been in some difficulty such was the high standard that it was a challenge to identify the winners.
This evening the club welcomed Simon Jenkins from Benfleet who gave a slide presentation of his work. During the first half he presented his work over the last 12 months; after the interval we saw the best of his earlier images. We saw many fine landscapes in which Simon had made a particular feature of the sky and loud formations, some coastal shots with the wide angle lens being especially impressive. Club chairman Paul Beko thanked Simon for the quality of his photography and for his entertaining presentation.
Another of our regular monthly tutorials was held in the Writtle Christian Centre. The subject was digitally converting colour images to black and white and the popularity of this technique ensured a good turnout to hear member Bruce Gray ARPS taking us through a variety of methods which he has used successfully himself, most recently in obtaining his ARPS qualification. This was an informative evening and no doubt we shall see an increase in 'mono' prints as a result.
The club saw a slide presentation of the best colour slides from the 2006annual exhibition of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain. Some top quality work was on display although it was noted by some members that the predominance of wildlife and nature studies militated against the variety that would be expected from a balanced selection.
We held a members AV evening. This consisted of a collection of audio visual presentations which members had prepared for projection using the club's computer and digital projector. A number of us had decided to venture into this relatively new medium and some very good results were on show. This is the natural successor to the traditional slide presentation but enables perfect synchronisation between image, music, and the spoken word, and once mastered some very professional results are possible and were achieved on the night.
The club held its third projected image competition of the current season which was judged by Malcolm Tinns LRPS.The first half of the evening was devoted to slides and out of a good entry of 31 our judge awarded 10 marks to two images. The first of these was an excellent natural history shot by Ursula Fuller of a Herring Gull tucking in to a hapless crab, and the second which was declared the winner was a timeless landscape from the Yorkshire Dales by Melvyn Frewin. After the tea break we saw the projected images which were either taken on digital cameras or had been scanned in to the computer for digital projection. Of the 48 entries Malcolm awarded three top scores including a well focussed shot of wild flowers near a waterfall by Bruce Gray, a study of a Red Colobus monkey by Terry McDonald, and a elephoto picture of a Red Kite on the wing searching for prey by Ursula Fuller. All were first class but only one could win and it was Ursula Fuller's bird of prey which received the accolade.
Ron Tear ARPS from Loughton presented over 200 colour slides illustrating the huge diversity of the English landscape. The Essex pictures were mostly of early morning mists over rivers, the mud glistening in the dawn light at Leigh-on-Sea. Most dramatic were images from his many excursions in the Lake District, Snowdonia, Glencoe, and Ben Nevis. The magnificent sandy beaches on the Western Isles of Harris, Lewis and Barra featured, a lone figure giving scale to nature's vastness. Ron's persistence and endurance had paid off with strong pictures of storms at their most violent and his expert eye had exploited the pictorial possibilities of old slate quarry workings in North Wales. After taking questions from the audience Ron was thanked by club chairman Paul Beko for the presentation and for giving guidance to many members interested in this type of photography.
The lub held its third print competition of the season which was judged by John Woolliams from Woodford Green. Results were as follows:-Entry level mono was won by Jacqui Wall with 'Choose your Path' and the colour was won by Ken Dawe with 'Late for Church,' the runner up in this category being 'Guess' by Jacqui Wall, a portrait of two drag artists. At advanced level mono, the winner was Colin Westgate with a desert landscape but Melvyn Frewin was close on his heels with a study of a bust of Vincent van Gogh and also an amusing portrait of fellow member Dennis Clarke who himself did well with a picture of Havana; the list of runners up being completed by a portrait by Trevor Burley. Advanced level colour was keenly contested and was won by Colin Westgate with 'Heartstone' a close-up of patterns in rocks. Also scoring 10 was Trevor Burley with 'Palace Guard, Jaipur,' and Bruce Gray, Barry Collin, Dennis Clarke and Melvyn Frewin were all highly placed runners up with a selection of superb images. Club Chairman Paul Beko led a vote of thanks to John Woolliams for his skill in judging the contest.
The club welcomed Barry Kaufmann-Wright. Formerly an Essex Police wildlife officer, published author Barry had once worked with the legendary Gerald Durrell and is now a DEFRA consultant. His slide presentation contained images of many birds, butterflies and moths together with rodents, badgers, deer, wild cats and foxes, each slide having a tale to tell. He told amazing stories of the high incidence of illegal trapping of our local songbirds and finches for export to the middle east where they are caged to hang in doorways and suffer only a few months life. Barry also led a discussion and encouraged audience participation before being thanked by club chairman Paul Beko.
Tonight, the club won the prestigious Basildon Rosebowl Competition, coming first in the print section and second for slides out of ten clubs competing. Best overall print was awarded to our member Ray Bacon size=1LRPS for his picture of hounds, and highly commended was another of our entries by Pat Frewin (LRPS). In the slide section we also had a 'highly commended' which was a harvesting scene from India by Barry Henshaw. On the same night in Chelmsford the club welcomed Dave Wilcox and Dick Williams from Hornchurch who treated us to a very professional and entertaining series of digital audio/visual presentations with a strong nostalgia element, the 60's and 70's featuring prominently.
We held our second projected image competition of the current season. The evening comprised both digital images and 35mm slides and was judged by Elizabeth Brown from Harlow and Epping CC. Marks as usual were awarded out of 10 and the digital competition attracted many high quality images of which the following gained 10 marks: Terry McDonald with an alpine scene, Bruce Gray with a close-up of an anemone fish, Ken Dawe with a scene at Maldon, and Pat Frewin with a well composed close-up shot of a mussel bed. After the tea break we moved on to the slides and two images managed a maximum score; The first of these was a telephoto shot of a magnificent fox in the snow by Terry McDonald. The second was a well composed street scene from warmer climes with man ascending a flight of stone steps and the photographer responsible was Bob Scott. A feature of both these images was the photographers' perfect control of focus and exposure, the latter being tricky with colour slide film. Our judge had a difficult task but n the end 'best slide' was awarded to Bob Scott's entry. Simon Bromwich thanked Elizabeth Brown for her skill in judging the competitions and led a short discussion before the meeting closed.
The club welcomed Royal Photographic Society member John Wells who had come all the way from Lincoln to give a presentation of his creative print images. His ourney was indeed worthwhile as we were treated to an almost mesmerising display of print imagery which this gifted photographer excels at. John takes what are very often a series of simple scenes and builds them into a stunning set of panels on a variety of themes with consummate use of colour and an understanding of filters and Photoshop software which both inspired and entertained. Following questions from the audience, club chairman Paul Beko thanked John for sharing his work with us.
Tonight the club held its second print competition of the season which was judged by Peter Smith from Barkingside. Results were as follows:- Best entry level mono was a print of a scene in Cambridge featuring a bicycle by Jacqui Wall. At advanced mono there were two top scoring pictures. The first by Ann Burley was a well observed shot of patterns in sand resembling a peacock but best overall in this category was a shot by Veronica Rice of animated performers 'strutting their stuff ' during the recent street entertainment event in Chelmsford. In the colour section, entry level was won by Katharine Sockett with an original composition of reflections in a pendant sculpture. Advanced colour was, as always, keenly contested and there were four top scoring pictures. Colin Birch did well with a landscape taken at dusk in the Lofoten Islands; doing equally well was an intriguing shot of a light fitting framed by a spiral staircase by Barry Collin, and an excellent shot of a flower in bloom by Steve Baxter, but the accolade went to Bruce Gray for an image of a couple realised entirely by the shadows cast by the late afternoon un. 'A Long Marriage' was a fitting title to this winning photo. Club chairman Paul Beko thanked Peter Smith for judging the event and for standing in at short notice for the advertised judge.
There was a good turnout at the club this evening for a presentation of the 2006exhibition portfolio of the East Anglian Federation of Photographic Societies. This took the form of projected images using the club's recently acquired digital projector, a recorded commentary being supplied by Colin Southgate of the EAF. We saw a compendium of the best images submitted to competitions by members of the clubs subscribing to the EAF and a very high standard was evident. We were pleased to see that a number of images from Chelmsford club members featured and the presentation which included both prints and slides was followed by a discussion led by club chairman Paul Beko.
This evening the club held its first projected images competition which was open to both digital and colour slide workers. Our judge for the evening was Peter Espley from Ipswich. The first half consisted of digital images and three members scored a full 10 marks namely: Pat Frewin with an abstract called 'Distorted Pencils', Jacqui Wall with 'Bulgarian Meeting' and best image was a nature study of a baboon and young which proved a winner for Terry McDonald, the runner up in this category being 'Mind the Rats' by Barry Henshaw with a score of 9½After tea we saw the 35mm slides and the winner with a score of 10 was Bob Scott with 'Evening, Mevagissey'; runners up with 9.5 marks being Bob again with 'Underwater Crossing, Pat Frewin with 'Yorkshire Dales' and Terry McDonald with 'Guinea Fowl.'.
Don Thompson BPE2* of Canvey Island gave an illustrated talk on monochrome techniques. Don is an experienced photographer and still practices the art of darkroom enlarging and printing. He showed us a wide range of images which had all been taken within 15 miles of his home. As well as clever use of darkroom skills in preparing montages Don had used the mood creating properties of the monochrome format to show us what at times were mages whose stark qualities would not have responded well to colour photography but in monochrome took on a different dimension, whether depicting the ugliness of graffiti-daubed concrete or the more unprepossessing aspects of municipal architecture in Basildon. More easy to reach out to on a human scale were Don's ortraits of local people particularly some formidable looking bikers and younger members of his family. It was nice that Don handed many of his prints round and we were privileged to see them in close-up. Paul Beko thanked Don for his presentation and for stepping into the breach, the advertised speaker having been taken ill.
This evening the club held the first print competition of the season which was judged by Gill Adams from Witham whom we were welcoming to the club for the first time. She had a lot to do because we were pleased that over 80 prints had been entered, a good number from new members competing for the first time. The results were as follows: -Entry level colour was won by Ray Lawrence with a score of 8 for '6am, Santa Maria,' Jacqui Wall and Sheila Birch also gaining 8 marks with their entries. Advanced level mono was well supported and 4 pictures gained a top score of 10 marks namely: 'Child of India' by Trevor Burley, 'Sand Pattern' by Melvyn Frewin, 'Folk Singer' by Colin Birch and 'Brighton West Pier' by Mike Daly which was best picture in this section. Advanced level colour also attracted a high quality entry and a top score of 10 went to the following: 'Peregrine Falcon' by Ray Bacon, 'Sand' by John Fildes, 'Poppy' by Terry McDonald, 'Sadhu Jaipur' and 'Woman in red Rajasthan' both by Trevor Burley, and best picture 'Young Orang-Utan' by Ursula Fuller.
There as a friendly print and slide 'battle' with visiting Basildon camera club. The contest was judged by Bob Norris from Ware and was closely fought with both sides submitting many high quality images. However when the final scores were counted Chelmsford was ahead with 241 points to Basildon's 228, and Barry Collin won Best Print for Chelmsford with a gritty monochrome image of the lightship at Tollesbury. It therefore falls to Chelmsford to host next year's return match when Basildon will redouble their efforts to topple us from the winners podium.
The club inaugurated its new season of meetings with a slide presentation by Suzanne Flood DPAGB about the Isle of Skye. Suzanne and her colleagues had travelled to Skye in February and braved some wet and hostile weather conditions to bring back some memorably atmospheric images of the island and its occupants. Club chairman Paul Beko thanked Suzanne for her lecture.