North Wales Photography Coach Tour

Photo by Cliff Astles-Swallow Falls-Betw's-y-Coed-North Wales

21st Century Technology & Camera Group

North Wales Photography Coach Tour-

Sunday May 17th 2015

A full day photography tour of North Wales has been planned by the group. We have a number of seats left on the coach, and we are now making these available for interested people to join us. 

Cost is only £15.00 per person, from 9.00 am until 8.00 / 9.00 pm.

Interested ? Then please use the group e-mail of  21stctncg@gmail.com to find out more information and book your places.

You can also view more details using the group web site at www.watch-it-c.co.uk and the group BLOG information.

Final payment for the places booked will be Wednesday April 15th 2015.

You can also call Cliff Astles on 07971 136360 for information and to book places.

Photography Coach Tour-North Wales

Photo by Cliff Astles-Swallow Falls-Betws-y-Coed-North Wales

North Wales Photography Coach Tour-Sunday May 17th-2015

This is the last request for group members (particularly for our newer members) who would wish to attend this day out for the group, to confirm to myself they would like to go. The coach will take 38 passengers, and currently we only have 24 confirmed bookings with a number of members paying in full, for the trip.

More fuller details of the day can be found on the Web Site BLOG pages.

Who...........................21st Century Technology & Camera Group Outing.
What..........................Photography Group Coach Tour.
When.........................Sunday 17th May from Middlewich Town Hall Car Park
Times.........................Leaving at 9.00 am & arriving back between 8 and 9.00 pm.
Costs.........................Cost per person is only £15.00.

There is a toilet on board the bus and we have had prepared (by a North Wales Photographer) an itinerary for the day, with places to stop to get the best photos from the journey.

Please CONFIRM your intention to go on the trip........ASAP if you wish to join us on the trip, and also let me know of the number of seats required. Members can bring with them guests and children, costs as above.

Monies will be finally collected on the night of the group meeting on Wednesday 15th April at the Willowmere-Middlewich.

Cliff

28th March 2015.

Queens Park Crewe-Free Instructional Photo Outing.

Photo by Cliff Astles

April-Members Monthly Instructional Photo Outing

Queens Park-Crewe

Saturday 11th April-2.00 till 4.00 (ish)

Have checked out Queens Park Crewe, by visiting and believe this could be a nice local afternoon, with plenty to view and take a good selection of photos.

Flowers (hopefully) but certainly some nice trees, and at this time a number of wild birds both flying and water based will be very good for many of our newer members.

There is a Cafe' if wet, and plenty of places to rest, with the best access to date for wheelchairs and scooters, with ample free parking.

Plan to meet at the cafe' at 2.00 pm. Please, don't forget when you first get out of your car, set your camera to AUTO, get that shot, and practise, practise, practise. We will stop at differing spots during     the afternoon, where we can all try getting photos, when all using the same camera settings.

Group photo outings are FREE to group members, and are a good way to quickly improve your      photos, as well as meeting with other group members socially in a relaxed and informal way.               Also, this is a good place to try out landscape shots using a tripod. I will be on hand to give members advice and no doubt other more skilled members will be doing the same.

Cliff

Thursday 26th April 2015.

PS Also remember this next month's photo topics are STILL LIFE-FAMILY PETS  and of course any of your photos from CREWE PARK.

Members MARCH Photo Presentation.

Photo by Nicola Keenan----Spring Flowers---Member Photo Presentation---MARCH 2015.

Member Photo Presentation-MARCH 2015-PowerPoint Presentation

This is to remind members that the MARCH member Photo presentation in FULL, can be seen by looking at the FILES in the 21st Century Technology & Camera Group.

Members can view their own photos and compare with other members to see for themselves just how they are progressing.

Don't forget to make contact with other members to discuss with them their own photos, and to help you progress further with your own shots at future photo outings.

Cliff

Post-March Group Meeting.

Photo by Cliff Astles............Group Meeting Venue-Willowmere-Middlewich.

March Group Meeting-Post meeting revue / update.

I would like to thank all of the members for a very good turnout for our March group meeting.

We were also very happy to see quite a number of new members, and the topics of technology and photography with member questions going down well with the whole group.

Wondering if half the attendees had deserted and gone home after the half time tea break,  I was delighted to see that the new Member Training Facility, was being fully investigated by some half of the members. Many were just checking out what we had and how to get on-board with some more specific technology and photography at a later date. 

Member Ken Rane is our Training co-coordinator for technology, photography, and photo post processing, and much, much more.

Interested ? then let Ken know of your needs and he will discuss this with you, and recommend the way ahead for each person, as each persons needs can be quite different.

Member training is available for members wanting specific 1 to 1 help, and we are also interested in running small group training ( 4 to 6 members per group). Costs are from £ 5.00 per hour for group training to £10.00 per hour if you would prefer 1 to 1.

Currently, all training will take place at the Willowmere-Middlewich on Sunday afternoons for those interested. ALL monies raised by our volunteer trainers will go directly to help the group finance's, after paying for the hire of the Willowmere.

Next group meeting at the Willowmere will be on Wednesday 15th April-7.00 to 9.30 pm. Presentation Topic is TBA at this time.

North Wales, Group Photo Outing-Sunday May 17th 2015

Photo by Cliff Astles-Llanberis Pass Stream

We now have some 27 places filled for the tour, and the bus will take 38. ........PLEASE BOOK UP NOW !!!!

A number of the members have already paid for this day out but I would like to say one FINAL TIME. The trip will go ahead should the bus be full or not :)

However, if members are not wanting to take the trip I will be forced to put the tour out to the general public to fill the places left. I would therefore make this last request for member to book seats, if they wish to go. 

After this next full week (Sunday 29th March) the trip will be then put out to the general public to ensure we have a fully paid up coach full. The group cannot afford to pay out for unused seats :(

FINAL and FULL payment in full for the trip will be required to be paid to Bab's by the end of APRIL, but preferably by the April Group Meeting on Wednesday 15th April.

I am also considering another CANAL BOAT trip along the Shropshire Union Canal, perhaps end of AUGUST / SEPTEMBER, when I hope it will be a tad warmer than the trip in Jan. If this trip is only half as good as the last one it will be one to remember :)

Cliff

March 19th 2015.

Member photos for March 18th Group Meeting.

Photo by Jonathan White. New group member-photo submitted for this months members presentation.

Photos required for inclusion into this month's member photo presentations.

The COUNTDOWN for member photos is neigh :)

10.00 pm this evening will be the cut off for photos to be with myself for inclusion in the March member photo presentation.

The presentation has already been completed, and thus far with some 120 plus photos submitted, this is by far the best members photo contribution since we started this, some 12 months ago this month. It must be working :)

I have included above, a photo submitted by one of our new group members Jonathan White, which fully illustrates the way in which different people see topics we present each month for members photos. Well done Jonathan.

There is still space available for members photo contributions, who may not have had time to process their photos and get them in to myself, before the 10.00 pm deadline.

SO,  SATURDAY AFTERNOON this weekend is for PHOTO PROCESSING & MAILING........................................................................... never mind watching the RUGBY!!!

Thanks.

Cliff

CVS-Cheshire East-Marketing & Press Information-March 2015.

Photo by Mal Wetton-Sunset in the Gambia 2015.

CVS-Cheshire East does the 21st group proud again !!

It is very nice to know that we have a great relationship with CVS-Cheshire East, as they still manage to get our marketing and press info published for the group even though they have very many more groups asking for help in this way.

So, a big THANK YOU to them for again making sure we get something in their press that the group has recently achieved.

Cut and paste the LINK below into your Internet browser to see just how good the info is :)

http://www.cvsce.org.uk/news/latest-news-21st-century-technology-camera-group


Cliff



PS CVS-Cheshire East have also sent the below LINK to be shown to our members.

Well worth the effort to have a look at all the other things they do for the £ 45.00 per year.

http://www.cvsce.org.uk/news/latest-news-21st-century-technology-camera-group

Cut and paste into your browser to see the other info that CVS-Cheshire East do for the group :)

MARCH MEMBER PHOTOS.

Photo by Cliff Astles-                  DAFFODIL with 48 HOURS before being in FULL BLOOM

A bit like the 21st Group Member Photos to myself,  to add into the MARCH Member Meeting Photo Presentation.

Members now have only 48 hours to get photos to myself for :-

A)      SPRING FLOWERS

B)      MARBURY PARK

C)     SUNRISE & SUNSET

We already have a great photo presentation for MARCH, but there are some members who have not had the time yet to get their photos to myself, so this is quick last time reminder.

REMEMBER all of your photos HELP others to IMPROVE their photography by comparison with your photos.

Cliff

Group Brochure-Circulation throughout Cheshire.

This is the latest A5 Group Brochure and has been designed and sized in such a way as to be both interesting to GRAB people’s attention, and also small enough to be able to go into any SHOP WINDOW without taking up to much of the shop door or window display space.

We still have loads of brochures available to get out into Cheshire, and believe we now have sufficient members to help to get these out to a much wider range of towns and villages and therefore to more potential members.

Your help would be much appreciated.

Member Update-March 10th 2015

I have today been out in Middlewich and have gone into all the shops on the main High Street, and other places of note, i.e. Pubs that were open, and have asked the owners, and managers if it would be possible for the leaflet to be displayed in their shop windows or notice boards. Not one establishment refused to do this, and so encouraged by their keenness to help the group, I will also be out this evening to do the same into the very many take-away shops and other eating places hoping to get a similar response.

Therefore, I would like to think that current group members who live in or near to Sandbach, Northwich, Crewe, Winsford, Holmes Chapel and any other place not mentioned may like to volunteer to do the same for their own town or village? Would those members interested in helping in this way please IN-BOX me on FACEBOOK with your home or business address, and I will let you have 25 (or as many requested) of the above brochure, by post. More members mean more security for the group to continue into the future, without any financial problems. Member attendance at meetings is the ONLY source of generated income for the group, so more members mean’s more income, and a more secure future for the group.

Cliff

10th March 2015

Member photos for the MARCH 18th Group Presentation.

Photo by Cliff Astles-Marbury Park and Lake.

Photos-Member Monthly Meeting-Wednesday 18th March

Following the again, well attended, "Instructional Photo Outing" to Marbury Park last weekend, I have put out this Blog as a reminder note for members that the cut-off date for photos to be e-mailed (21stctncg@gmail.com) to myself, for inclusion in the members monthly photo presentation, is.......SATURDAY 14th MARCH by 10.00 pm.

A number of members have already placed their photos from Marbury onto the Group Facebook page, and this is great to see so many good photos from our afternoon out. Plus a few taken going to and from Marbury ;)..... No names mentioned, no pack-drill, so they say ;) Getting your photos to me early will allow us to have sufficient time to collate all the photos into a MS PowerPoint presentation. 

More photos enable members to compare their own photos, to those taken of the same topic by other members. This I believe is a good aid for all members to see what progress they are making with their own photography

I ONLY need to have 3 to 5 of your photos from EACH of the below sections, around 500 K in size.

Photos Required.

A)    SUNRISE / SUNSETS.

B)    SPRING Flowers.

C)    Photos from the visit to Marbury Park this last weekend.

Please let me have your photo contributions early, so I don't have to rush getting the final photos into the presentation.

Thanks

Cliff



Middlewich Shop-Wanting Group Photo Exhibition-YAH!!!

Birmingham Town Hall-November 2014- Venue for the Birmingham Community Gospel Choir-Charity Concert.

This is just an attention grabber for our members to know in good time. 

I have been approached by a new shop owner in Wheelock Street, Middlewich-Cheshire, for the 21st Group to provide sufficient photo materials to put on a good general exhibition. When TBA, but watch this space.

This combined venture will give some much needed publicity for the new shop owner and the group for more members to join.

Details will be announced when we get together, but there is quite a lot of wall space for photos /  canvases etc, and we may also be able to get an old PC ( I have one) that will run MS PowerPoint with member photos running a continuous photo presentation, with a small bit of advertising for the group in the shop window.

Group ideas back to myself as to how we can make this go well :)

Cliff

SUNRISE on a NEW ERA of the 21st Century Technology & Camera Group

Photo By Cliff Astles-Sunrise over Mow Cop, Biddulph-Staffordshire

21st Group-Member TRAINING on Photography, Basic IT for Photography & MS Office for Business, plus MUCH, MUCH More :)

 

The Group has purchased (from GRANT Funds) a NEW HP Laptop. This has been configured and made live by our Group  Sponsor, Amita UK Ltd, so we say thank you to Darren Astles MD, for his good services :).

The Laptop will be used initially at monthly meetings for presenting the previous month's photo topics and member photos from our FREE "Instructional Photo Outings".

OFFICIAL GROUP TRAINING-Willowmere-Middlewich

Following discussion with Group Committee Members, we have asked Ken Rane (with myself and other volunteer members, if possible, as back up) to be responsible for a Group Training Schedule. What is being planned at this stage is that there will be TWO member training sessions. 

One will be for members wishing to do some minor training, brush up skill training, or by asking members for some direction etc at the monthly meetings at Willowmere. These at this stage will not be officially planned as we are still unsure what member training is required, but members will be able to use the Laptop, and the 32 inch TV as the monitor (so others can view if they wish). A more skilled member will be present to give guidance and a small measure of training on a number of software products the group has purchased. 

These will include the below, which will be continually added to and updated as necessary.

Post photo editing software...............Photoshop.................................Lightroom Version 5

Post photo editing software...............PICASA3.................................FREE from Google

Microsoft Office software..................MS 365 Office.........................Purchased copy.

There will also be a number of other software packages installed as Ken decides which is best suited for the group to use. We are also planning to have further funded training for members. A small fee would be required to cover the rental of the facilities at Willowmere Middlewich, on perhaps SUNDAY PM, when Ken and myself are ready  and available. Members involved in training will provide their own time FREE, and any funds raised by their efforts will be paid to the Group in order to help secure it's future.

Willowmere Middlewich-Training (ONE to ONE ) £ 10.00 per hour.

Training on fairly basic photography, and a measure of training on the supporting IT necessary for beginners to use for editing, photo re-sizing, Internet loading of photos, and e-mail etc. We will be prepared to provide such training as is deemed necessary to meet the expectations of the learner, and it will be entirely up to the trainer to decide the level of training necessary for that individual.

Willowmere Middlewich-Training (GROUP Training) £ 5.00 per hour.

It is planned that training for a GROUP of members will be similar to the one to one sessions above. However, the cost will be for each person only £ 5.00 per hour, as we plan to have groups of  FOUR to SIX MEMBERS (and no more) per training session. Members wishing to take part in these training sessions will need to make contact via email on the group Website 'contact us' page to make arrangements to attend.

Members booking places for training will be expected to pay at the start of the training session however please be aware that booking a slot with Ken confirms you wish to complete such training and the room at Willowmere will be paid for. Members who reserve a slot for training, but do not attend will be expected to pay for the missed session at the next group meeting.

Further group member training will be considered, depending upon the needs of the members, and will be down to Ken Rane to consider what training maybe necessary. A schedule of the member training plans will be made available, when all the details have been decided.

Ken can be contacted by using Facebook. 

Thanks

Cliff & Ken.



MARCH Monthly Member Meeting Photo Presentation

Photo by Cliff Astles-Warmingham Lane-Middlewich-Cheshire

Still WANTED ---Large numbers of your Photos!!

Group Member Update for Photographs :) :) :)

There are a number of good reasons to be out and about, as we get much better weather than is normal for this time of your, so here area few reminders, when taking some more photos.

INDEPENDENT FREE Newspaper.

As a GROUP, there has been a request from the Editor of this newspaper DIRECT to the group, to let them have ANY photos taken in and around Mid-Cheshire of buildings, parks flowers, churches, people so they can use the photos to show off where we live. In return, YOU could have your very own photos printed in the paper, with information about the group, and what we are doing together to help the group and local community. Therefore, please let me have your photos, with your name, where the photo was taken, what it is, and a Caption for each photograph.

I NEED YOUR PHOTOS!!

Warrington Guardian Series of Newspapers.

The local Guardian Series of Cheshire Newspapers have a similar request. However, they want you to send YOUR photos direct to the newspaper for publication of the better local shots. See the Guardian Newspaper series for information where to send you photos.

I NEED YOUR PHOTOS

21st Century Technology & Camera Group

Finally, I have already had photos provided by members of the TOPICS for this next months member photo presentation, but NEED MORE. 

Sunrise-Sunsets, plus Spring Flowers are the ones we require, plus of course photos from our afternoon out together at MARBURY PARK on Saturday afternoon 7th March, 2.00 till 4.00 pm.

It takes quite a while for myself to collate all of the photos and place these into a MS PowerPoint presentation for the monthly meeting, so don't delay, get those photos off  TODAY. Also, please remember to re-size them to be less that 500K per photo, as PowerPoint ONLY allow 25 megabyte for the whole presentation, so please keep them small, but high quality. :)

Please let me have your re-sized photos via Group e-mail at 21stctncg@gmail.com as soon as possible as I normally get a large number from our photo days out, and would like the others asap.

Thanks

Cliff