Fionna Owen has asked us if we would be interested in creating  an exhibition during the first two weeks in September..
The theme  should be Middlewich in Summer and Photos should be taken  in July/August 2017.
HOWEVER NO PHOTOS OF THE BOAT & FOLK FESTIVAL  (this is catogary on its own)

Preferred size is 16 * 20 Ins (standard frame size)   Preferably the photos should be mounted

A little on Landscapes...

Landscape by Andy Boyle

There was a lot of discussion on focusing for landscape photography last night. Advice ranged from how to pick up the camera and shoot to how to plan a shot (that ‘one in a million- “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time” shot’. ;-) )

I would normally arrange a follow up to answer your questions but the next two meetings are booked and then we have a summer break. So I have tried to answer some of the issues here. There are, as we discussed last night, several different approaches; the main factors being time and experience.

My first recommendation would be – GET THE SHOT! If time is critical then get the shot, it might just be that ‘one in a million’. If you shoot in raw then you have some ‘wiggle room’ re. the exposure* but not with the focus so this is key. The quick, down and dirty answer is to reduce the aperture size (not number) and set the focus to just below infinity. This will give you the quickest shot but won’t give you the maximum usable depth of field** (assuming having everything in focus is your goal). If you have a foreground that you want to be in focus then you need to start thinking about focusing on the ‘middle ground’.  (“But there is no ‘middle ground” they chorused.) This is the hyperfocal distance that Bill mentioned last night.

Imagine you are focussed on infinity; the depth of field is then centred on infinity, with half of it ‘behind’ the subject of your camera. This means that, although you are technically achieving the longest depth of field available for your aperture, you are not using it all in your photograph. Reducing the depth of field but centring it on an area which is nearer the foreground maximises the amount of your picture which will fall inside the depth of field and increases your chance of having everything in focus. Find out more about it here.

  

Another handy post which also briefly explains the lens diffraction issue that Andy Boardman mentioned and focus stacking which KenRane spoke about can be found here.

* Underexpose slightly with DSLR cameras to preserve detail in the shot. Overexposed (blown out) areas will lose detail but underexposed areas will have detail that post-processing software can use. Very important for sky detail. If in doubt then use bracketing.

https://digital-photography-school.com/bracketing-what-is-it-and-what-to-do-with-the-images/

**To be in focus an item must be within the depth of field which is a distance that centres around your point of focus. The smaller the aperture the larger the depth of field.

Useful apps for mobiles:

Apps for calculating hyperfocal distance on iOS

Apps for calculating hyperfocal distance on Android

Compass link for Android

Sunrise/sunset times for Android

 Mel :-)

A Little HDR

HDR?

I have been banging on for a while now so I thought I should add something here..

I know some HDR pics are a bit overdone and can be a bit harsh on the eyes. This is a easy mistake to make as when you first start playing the the software you tend to push it to its limits just to see what it can do (and forget to reset it afterwards) . I must confess that I have done this myself in the past.

The main reason for using it is to reduce the excessive Highlights and Shadows that can be found in some pictures. To give a colour boost to a “Flat” picture I find that can be done with one frame.

Some people also say that it reduces noise in dark areas of a picture..

An example of this may be a church interior. Normally the camera will attempt to meter for the average light and in a church this may give very dark interiors with correct light from windows or correct light of the interior with 'Blown Out'* windows.

HDR uses a series of 3/5/7 frames which are the Reference frame with other frames darker or lighter. Personally I use three frames :- Normal, + 2stops under exposed & 2 stops over exposed

Many cameras have the “AE Bracketing” function built in so this can be done automatically (and if you are lucky handheld). If this is not the case you should use a tripod and:

Go to Aperture priority mode (You need a fixed focal length.  The shutter speed will vary.)

1 Take a normal picture

2 Set the exposure adjustment to -2 stops and take a pic

3 Set the exposure adjustment to +2 stops and take a pic

If you check the pics on your LCD you should have something like the following :-

Normal

Underexposed by -2 stopsOver exposed by two stops.

Perhaps the easiest way of processing the HDR pics is lightroom.. All you have to do is highlight the three pictures and press CTL H (CMD H on a mac I believe) or “Photo”, “Photomerge”, “HDR”

This will go to the HDR preview screen. On the side of the screen are a couple of tick boxes.

Make sure the auto align box is ticked as this will attempt to correct for movements of the camera.

The other option is for ghosting – this is for anything that might move in the picture (between the 3 frames). I would recommend setting to either “None” or “low” -  This should reduce the processing time required. If there is a large amount of pink areas on the preview set the ghosting higher.

Once you have done this press “Merge” and it will take a short time to process the picture depending on your pc. Once complete it will return to the normal Lightroom screen..

The processed frame might not be visible right away as the you are looking at imported files. You will have to go to your normal “Library” view of the folder

Initial Result of HDR process

At first glance the picture does not look greatly different from your reference image but you now have a greater dynamic range of colours and controls available to you..

By reducing the Highlights & White sliders you should be able to fix that “Blown Out” window and the Shadow & Dark sliders should improve the darker areas of the picture.

The vibrance and saturation sliders will allow you to control the colour (along with the other colour controls)

Also remember these controls can be applied locally by the filters and correction brush as well!

After processing

Photoshop

I believe there are two ways of processing HDR files in Photoshop. As I am not a PS expert I will give the most straightforward.

Open P.S.

“Files”

“Automate”

“Merge to HDR PRO”

You will be prompted to open your pictures and then a 'Processing Dialogue' will open on the screen.

Photomatix is a HDR processing program that can act as a stand-alone or a Lightroom plug-in

You can download a trial version to play with but this will put a watermark on any pictures it creates. These can be removed by purchasing a license.

HDRefex Pro is part of Google's free (NIK collection) designed to act as a plug-in to LR or PS.

With a little playing around it is possible to run this as a stand-alone program (run the exec file from within the program files folder).

Ken

*Blown out -An area where the image appears bright white and the camera hasn't stored detail that may have been available to the naked eye.

Add to Anti-Banner

Middlewich's Craft Fair - Great stalls - you can still catch 'em all

Derek Lomas's woodturning and Paul Shipley's bird houses

   So the festive music was in full swing and the hall was full of amazing stalls all displaying seasonal goods and more. Rarely had Middlewich seen such fayre but did you miss it?
   Don't worry, there is still a chance to catch up. There are links to the stalls here which will allow you to catch up and grab a bargain or two just in time for Christmas!

Amanda Owen
Middlewich Crafts
Helen Ireland (Local Body Shop representative), also at Willowmere
Laura Estcourt's cakes
Julie Shannon's brooches etc.
Pintail jewellery
Paul Shipley's bird houses
Derek Lomas's woodturning
Personalise your canvas
Aspire Global (Jenni)
Northlands' Naturals (new page, photos soon)



If I have missed you out or you have a preferred link then just let me know by messaging

@NorthlandsNaturals 

Christmas Shopping Event

Our first exhibition!

It is finally here! Our very first exhibition.
It has been hectic to get it in place once the group decided to go for it, but well worth it! I hope you get a chance to pop down and check it out (details below).

The idea of printing out work for a display was quite daunting and challenging for group members for several different reasons. Is my work good enough? Will it look good in print? What type of file should be used? What quality is required? How do I share large files? All questions that members of the group have been asking and discussing recently. I hope that most of you have gained some new knowledge and insight into this process. It has certainly helped me identify some areas where the group could do with more education and Phil Tomlinson is on the case with that already :-)

What a great way to end the group year. Our last evening meeting is the AGM then we have several group outings coming up over the summer and our evening meetings recommence in September.

See you all on the17th,

Mel

Jodrell Bank by Alan Smith

Check this out!

A local camera group, 21^st Century Technology and Camera group, have organised an exhibition in Middlewich’s ‘Art and Frames’ shop, next door to the Pet Shop on Wheelock Street. It is on for a fortnight starting today (14/6/16), so don’t be shy - do pop in and have a look. There is a wide range of subjects including local scenes and wildlife. Please go to our website  http://www.watch-it-and-c.co.uk/  to find out more about the group.

Many thanks to

Personalise Your Canvas Cheshire https://www.facebook.com/personalcanvas/?fref=nf

 for their printing skills.

Is your photo a 3-course meal or an appetiser?

  It seems so simple...you look at a photo and hit 'like' but why? What is it that makes you like a picture more than another? There are the obvious social reasons involved, but I am talking about real appreciation here. What is it that draws your attention? Are you a sucker for technical expertise and experience, because sometimes it just shines through? Do you love or hate HDR? (It seems to be that you either belong in one camp or another.) Do you like a picture that tells a story? Brings back a memory? Makes you stop, take a coffee and just look? Maybe you're just greedy and you expect a little of everything?

  As a photographer do you try to create your 'perfect' image? Do you specialise in a 'comfort' zone or do you experiment and try to push your boundaries when you are behind the camera? However you approach your photography an understanding of what makes the difference between a good photo and a great one is important and could be argued over many a pint, but understanding what it is that makes a photo work for you? That's something we all need to be able to accomplish - to look at a photo and understand what it is that makes it stand out from the crowd for you.

  A couple of favourites that I have seen recently appealed to me for completely different reasons. This first one, a landscape by photographer Bill Armsden struck a chord for me. It worked for the simple reason that it is complete. It's foreground, mid-ground and background is a full three course meal. Each one leading on to the next, guiding the 'consumer' to fulfilment; From the lobster pot, with its rope wrapped frame pointing to the boat and the boat aimed neatly at the house, each item fitting into a classic 'rule of thirds' composition. Add in the perfect combination of late summer colours and it works.
 
  That first choice was an unusual one for me as I am not a great landscape fan. I tend to prefer images that form part of a story or evoke emotions and this is exactly where my next choice comes in. A picture that a friend, photographer Mike Finley, has recently put up for sale at an exhibition. Entitled 'The Long Climb', it is the perfect 'snapshot' of someone's life. Who is she? Who does she represent?  What has she experienced? What was her 'Climb' and where will it end? I think the decision to show it in black and white is just perfect and the rough edge used enhances rather than detracts from the image. Her position on the steps is just perfect too. She clearly has seen a lot of life go by but there is still more to come. I would so love this to be part of a set, with a child at the lower end of the steps but that in itself would raise so many questions. Should it have colour? I would be drawn to a colourful children's dress in yellow with a large daisy print, with the rest in black and white but would have to see it to be sure. It also gives rise to the question should there be an image of a mother with her children halfway up the steps, giving a 'Three Ages of Woman' effect (á la Klimt)? Just the fact that the original image gives rise to these questions is probably enough and if the other images are staged (as they almost certainly would have to be), it would take away from the candid nature of the original shot.

   There are a whole set of wonderful images here (click on link) that I could discuss but will leave you to review and comment on below. Personally I love the cleverness of the title, "Mite Walking in Frog Valley" and the 12-18 year old entry (Just how did a 16 year old produce such a perfect example of bokeh?) But I would love to hear your comments.

Mel
 

Just a little wine...

Ok! So a little while ago I started the ‘Challenge of the Century’. The idea of this was to create a photographic challenge with a learning objective and without a strong competitive element. This seemed to meet the general feeling of the group that I have picked up over the time I have been involved with it and I hope that we can continue with this. (In fact, pretty much as I am writing this, Mal has suggested taking shots of local landmarks each month to complete 'in camera'. I love this idea but would like to alternate this with a learning challenge so that we have variation to keep it fresh – Let me know what you think.)

The inspiration for the challenge was a mixture of requests from group members for a competition, and me considering how we can cover previous topics in a fresh light for new members, and refreshing the skills of those who have covered the topic before. Around the same time, a Digital Camera World tip for achieving a ‘bokeh’ effect appeared in my news feed which ‘hit’ the mark for considering ‘depth of field’.

Link to the article here.

Definition of Bokeh:

In photography, bokeh (Originally /ˈboʊkɛ/, /ˈboʊkeɪ/ BOH-kay — also sometimes pronounced as /ˈboʊkə/ BOH-kə, Japanese: [boke]) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens.Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light".

We had a scenario set up for people to have a go at during the last meeting at Willowmere and I know that a few of you have also had a go at home. I decided that I wanted to have a go at the set up but didn’t have time on the night, so a home set up it was.

  The first thing that struck me during the whole process was how long such a simple sounding thing took! I had a bunch of grapes and always have wine around ;-) so I chose the title 'Bacchus Bokeh’ and set up a still life for the subject. I rubbed a little coconut oil on the grapes for a natural shine (I wanted to eat them later so didn’t fancy some of the alternatives) but found the length of time I took to set up the shot allowed the coconut oil to solidify by the time I got what I wanted and the shine turned dull (so don’t try that at home guys).

With a little bit of tweaking and a red light, the scene was set and I started to think about camera settings and here was the rub… this was the first time since using the DSLR that I have really needed the f2 that I used to have on my old Zenit SLR. To get the background anywhere near out of focus I had to have it on the other side of the kitchen to separate it from the subject. The best I could get is the first picture of the set (It is just cropped to tidy up the edges), where, really, the background still looks like scrunched foil. Not the effect I want, particularly as the whole idea of bokeh is to minimise the background, not create the ‘busy’ effect I achieved.

  So, based on the restrictions of my equipment I was going to have to resort to Photoshop. This then gave me more options. Before I ‘broke set’ I took an out of focus frame of the background only. The first thing I tried was selecting the subject from the original photo and placing it in in a layer above the out of focus background. This gave me the second image. Using a genuine shot as a background is useful as it avoids some of the artefacts that you can get with post processing software. It is a good idea to ensure that you match your settings as much as possible, particularly ISO so that the levels of ‘noise’ match.

 

  The third image has the same selection above a background which has had the PS bokeh effect applied and the fourth has the PS field blur applied.

 

  For my ‘two-pennith’ out of them all, I prefer the 2nd image  with the natural, out-of-focus background but although it was an interesting exercise which I recommend trying just because of

·         the way it makes you think about what you are trying to achieve

·         makes you consider what your camera is capable of

·         helps you focus (pardon the pun) on ‘depth of field’ and

·         is a great exercise for still life composition

 the image didn’t really encompass the best of bokeh. What was most fun? Trying to get the shot ‘in camera’ - a challenge which I will look for more opportunities for in the future. (Macro lens – here I come.) There’s more about bokeh in this link with some cool examples.

 And finally, here’s one of Alan’s from Alderley Edge which I particularly like and, by coincidence, there’s also another example of bokeh by a young photographer in my next blog on the award-winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015, coming soon. Must stop now, there's not 'mush-room' for any more!

 

  Hope you like the idea of ‘Challenge of the Century’ and this blog. If you want to comment, please feel free. You may need to be on Google + to comment directly but if you want to pm me with a comment on fb I will post it for you. When commenting please remember this is about trying to improve the skills and experience of all of the group members, thank you. :-)

Now, where's that wine...

Mel

Fundraising

Working on getting enough funds for lots of fun things!

 

  The committee have had their meeting about fundraising and it was decided that besides applying for grants and funds from the CVSCE and other sources that the group would benefit if we had at least one major raffle a year with tickets available to all and a few more, regular, smaller ones for members.

 

  The larger raffle will require members to use any contacts they have with local businesses to get them to support our group. This time round I will be contacting Morrison's, Tesco and some of the smaller shops that are left in the town to see whether they will be able to donate a prize.  I will also try my luck with Creativelive and Udemy. Phil Tomlinson has already very kindly offered to donate a canvas print of a picture (MANY thanks Phil) and I hope that if any of you know any business that might like to donate, that you enquire to see what they might be able to offer. If we can get the prizes set up for the beginning of October we can sell tickets for the first two/three weeks in October. I can provide a standard letter requesting a donation for the raffle if you need one.

 

  We will also be having smaller, in-house, raffles for cakes, used photography books etc. that members have donated at some of our regular meetings.

 

  Some of the money raised from these activities will go towards printing costs of all-occasion cards and/or Christmas cards. The sales of which will again bring in more  funds. I will set up a few suitable sections of our Flickr group for you to put forward the images which you think are suitable for use and you do not mind be used in this manner. If your images are chosen, you will not be losing your copyright, just signing a form to agree to our printing of your image for the purpose of raising funds for the group. Your name as photographer and the groups id as a not-for-profit charity will appear on the cards. A range of pictures will be chosen, ie. a set of insect cards seems likely given the output of recent weeks.

 

  Please let me know if you can help with any of this. It is very important for the group.

 

Many thanks,

Mel Smith

 

Upcoming Opportunities!!

 I have so much to say...

..or as Dave W might put it, "She can 'narf talk, that Mel." :-)

I was so pleased with the way the meeting went on Wednesday, particularly the sort of discussion that was going on and the feedback from the audience was very welcome. It is so important for the group to be exactly that, a group! People with an interest to get more out of their photography and technology, who want to work together to help each other do exactly that.

  As a relief from all of my chatter, there were a couple of tutorials and practicals aimed at helping you get ready for the next photo outing and hone your 'camera settings' skills. Mal has very kindly written a few comments about the evening which can be found here. (Links to the two tutorials are also available on this page too.) The practical activities are something that I feel we should do more of and your feedback seemed to indicate that you agree with this which is great.

  During the evening I mentioned a lot of outings and opportunities that were coming up for the group. The next outing which Dave is currently arranging, should be an opportunity to photograph radio controlled models. Date to be announced ASAP.

  There is also the potential of going down Woods Mine at Alderley Edge. Alan and I went down there a couple of weeks ago (sans camera so can only provide a couple of phone shots I'm afraid) but there were a couple of interesting 'waterfalls' where the copper deposits have left beautiful green and blue trails on the rocks and a large cavern where we can do some light painting.
When I mentioned this the interest was good so I will now go ahead and start making arrangements. I am suggesting the afternoon of Saturday 14th November as the first Saturday in the month (which we usually do) will clash with fireworks events. The price is £6 a head and I will need the money when you put your name down for the event. I will start collecting from confirmation of the date. This outing, as indeed any other, will also be made available to Middlewich Photographers. Money will be refunded if the club has to cancel the event due to lack of interest. If somebody doesn't turn up then the fee will usually be forfeited depending on circumstances. Certainly any cost to the group will have to be deducted. Myself or Kyla will also investigate the chance of a warm fire and snacks in the Wizard afterwards.

  On the subject of light painting, I believe that Bill Armsden is going to do a local walk about in Middlewich one night in the autumn with the intention of doing some lightpainting so when I find out a date I will let you know. I know that everyone who went last year had a great time and loved their photos afterwards.

In December, we will be looking at 'light on skin' at Willowmere Meeting and our outing will be the Christmas meal.

The final opportunity is that Ian Hill Smith has invited any member of the group to consider showing their photos for sale in his Artspace. Phil Tomlinson kindly gave us more information on this and has a service where you can get your photos printed for this purpose (and other forms of display). I suggest that he is one of your first ports of call if you want to check your image is of the right technical quality to print. (How about a blog on it Phil? - hint, hint :-) )

Like I said, lots of opportunities, lots of chatter!
Mel

Battle of Middlewich 1643-Member Photos

Photo by Cliff Astles.........Royalist troops line up, ready for battle, at the Battle of Nantwich 1643

Next weekend, May Bank Holiday Weekend, will see troops line up in similar order, to re-enact the Battle for Middlewich.

I feel sure that many of our group will be out and about with their cameras taking similar photos of the action. If this is the case please, make sure you get your best photos (large Jpeg ), to the local Guardian Series of newspapers , where there is every possibility that some  of our members photos will be used by the paper.

The Guardian Newspaper Group have been very good in publishing a number of articles about the success of our group, and as they have today requested from myself some photos, I thought many of you would also wish to do this for them as well.

IF, YOU DO HAVE PHOTOS, GET THEM TO THE NEWSPAPER QUICKLY !!!!

Cliff

North Wales Group Photo Outing-Post Visit-Report.

Betws-y-Coed-From the rocks under the bridge, as river Llugwy passes under the road.

Another most enjoyable trip was undertaken by members of the group on Sunday 17^th May, and in spite of the rather cloudy start and the odd spot of rain as we went over the Llanberis Pass, it was a good photography day, being cloudy, but nice and clear for most of the time.

We managed to take a number of photography stops starting at the aquaduct at Pontcysyllte, the waterfalls on the river Conway, and Betws-y-Coed, to a late afternoon stop at the small stream along the Llanberis Pass.

With the rain now beginning to be a problem for clear photos, and being early evening time, we decided to call it a day stopping at the lake in Llanberis for a few last minute shots, as the weather had improved sufficiently to get shots of the lake and back along the Llanberis Pass.

Great to see members getting together and having a good time, whilst being able to gain even more experience, photographing differing places of interest. A selection of photos by members taking part can be seen on the group Facebook page, and also very many more on the group FLICKR account link, on the web page:-(www.watch-it-and-c.co.uk) .

What a big difference in quality of shot and perspective is now being shown by members of the group, with some member shots, I would consider,  surely good enough to go into photo magazines. The group is obviously making a big difference to our members’ photography and understanding of their cameras. Great to see, and it can only get better.

The next group photo outing will take place at BUNBURY MILL, on Saturday afternoon 30^th May, from 2.00 till 4.00 pm. ( £3.50 entrance fee, payable on entrance, parking free). Make sure you make this next photo outing day, so that you can gain even more experience using your own camera, with a group of sociable, like-minded members.

Cliff

June Group Meeting-AGM-Plus.

Monthly Group Member Meeting-Wednesday 24^th June-2015-7.00 till 9.00pm

The meeting in June will commence at 7.00 pm PROMPT, with the first groups Annual General Meeting, followed by the normal break for refreshments at 8.00 pm.

There will be NO-CHARGES for attendance at the group AGM.

Member’s, will have the opportunity to meet the group committee and ask any further questions they may have about the group, and help by providing any suggestions to improve or enhance the present ways in which the group operates.

We would like as many members to attend the meeting as is possible, to ensure we have everyone’s input to what is being planned by the group, and that any input provided enhances the current format, to ensure this continues successfully into the future.

This will be the last monthly group meeting at the Willowmere-Middlewich, before the Summer break in July and August, re-starting in September, date TBA. However, we plan to have a number of local instructional photo outings during July and August. Watch the group Web Site ( www.watch-it-and-c.co.uk) for details of these increasingly popular outings.

Following the group meeting we plan to have a curry meal at a local Middlewich restaurant where all are invited. Members wanting to attend the meal should make contact with Cliff Astles, using the group e-mail of 21stctncg@gmail.com.

Number of seats / places may well be limited at the restaurant, so please make sure you book early, requesting number of places required. Members will be required to pay for their own food and drinks.

Cliff Astles

Group Chairman.

North Wales Photo Outing Update-Plus.

General Group Membership Update-Thursday 14^th May 2015.

North Wales Photo Outing. Sunday 17^th May-2015-Meet at 9.00 am- leave at 9.30 PROMPT!!!

    A) There is a Fun Fair on the proposed car park and meeting place, so we will now be meeting on the SALINAE Centre car park, at the same time. The SALINAE car park is opposite Middlewich Town Library, on Lewin Street. Go through the towns traffic lights on the road to Sandbach, the Library is on the right hand side, 400 yards from the traffic lights. Turn LEFT next by the small DIY Centre, the car park is on your left, and also at the rear. WE WILL ALL MEET AT THE REAR CAR PARK. 

We will then make sure we all have each driver’s mobile numbers (emergencies and  any other reason) and then commence the journey going by Nantwich Road in Middlewich, then Wrexham, to Llangollen, but calling at the first photo spot of where the Llangollen canal crosses the river called the PONT CYCLLTE Aquaduct, then through Llangollen to Betws-y-Coed for more photos, stopping on the main car park in the town.

Having had our fill of photos at Betws-y-Coed, we will go via Chapel Curig, to the Llanberris Pass. We will stop a number of times along these roads when we reach a number of photo spots indicated to me via a North Wales photographer.

As we have quite a long journey it is considered that packed lunches may be best, as we do not at this time, envisage stopping for any long time (this may change as the day progresses). A tripod will be useful, if you have one to use. It is likely there will be many stops for a quick toilet.

There are a few places still available, so anyone wanting to go on the trip needs to make arrangements by making your wish to go on the trip known on the groups FB site. People with cars will make contact via FB to fill up the places in their cars.

Bunbury Mill Photo Outing-Saturday May 30^th-2015.

     B)The photo trip to Bunbury Mill carries a minimum charge of £ 40.00 (this is a special trip, organised for group members only, on a Saturday afternoon, hence the minimum charge). Trip info can be found on the Web Site Blog Page. Member charge is £ 3.50 per person, payable on admission.

Cliff

Member photos-Marketing & Press.

Winter Sunrise-Over the old ICI Lime Beds-Middlewich-Cheshire.

Group use of member photos for Marketing and Press.

It is now some time since we asked group members for their permission for the group to use any of their photos submitted for use in order to create marketing and press interest. With the recent move to Flickr by the group to better display photos, I thought it was worth mentioning again.

We would obviously wish to continue to use member photos, but ONLY if members have no objection to them being used in this way. Therefore, would members not wishing for their photos to be used, please let me know via e-mail, so I do not make any mistakes.

The group has been able to gain many more members by using photos in this way, and we will continue to use them in the future.  Additionally, it is in the group’s future interest to gain more members and I would like to think that members will continue to send photos to any of the local papers, as they continue to request local photos to be submitted to them, where a mention of the group would not go amiss.

Cliff

Photo Topic Reminder for MAY 2015.

Photo by Cliff Astles-River Wheelock from the Bridge on Forge Mill Lane-Warmingham-Cheshire.

Member photos-May Group Meeting-Willowmere-Middlewich.

Reminder-TWO TOPICS for photos are CHESHIRE COUNTRYSIDE and MACHINES.

Make sure you use your own and the group FLICKR Galleries to place your photos on-line, and to make them available to be sorted and placed into a photo presentation.

The quality of Flickr for photo presentation is allowing for some GREAT member photos to be shown, and is so very much better for the group to use than just using Facebook.

Cliff

Group members working together.

Photo by Paul Macready

Photo by Paul Macready

Group members, working together to improve their photography.

One of the main objectives when initially forming the Group was for the more skilled members to offer help, and give guidance to other members, who were just, perhaps starting to use a digital camera, and wanting to get up to speed quickly. We believe we have achieved this in no short measure, with many new to photography, quickly creating photos of merit.

It was very satisfying therefore to see recently, that Paul Macready (using his excellent photos above) was helping member Donna, to also try to achieve a similar quality photo by providing photo settings and other advice, for her future use when presented with a similar photo opportunity.

With the move from placing group photos on Facebook, to members now  using Flickr, we can not only now see members photos in much better quality, but Flickr also provides all of the  technical information regarding photo settings for members to see for themselves, so they may use the information in order  to improve their own photo skills. A BIG step forward for the group members. 

The group continues to grow with new members and the more conversations that take place of this nature, the better and stronger the group becomes. Thanks to members like Paul, Mal Wetton, Brian Roberts, and others that help in this way, we are achieving one of our main goals with the group.

Getting members to shoot quality photos, all of the time J

Cliff

Two pictures (see wingtips) are to show what happens when you use a shutter speed of  1/640 sec. 

Heron............ slight blur at the wing tips), which does give a nice motion effect, that you may wish to have?

Seagull...........when you use a much higher shutter speed (1/2000 sec). The wing tips are quite clear, with no motion to speak of.

Bunbury Mill-Group Instructional Photo Outing.

Bunbury Water Mill-Bunbury-Cheshire

Instructional Group Photo Outing-Update

I have received formal notification for the group to visit Bunbury Mill, for a photo outing on Saturday 30th MAY 2015. 2.00 till 4 / 4.30.

This is quite an extraordinary opportunity for the group, and I have added this extra visit in MAY as I am not too sure how many can make the North Wales trip on Sunday 17th May.

Bunbury Mill is run today by a local group of volunteers, much like our group, and they are prepared to open the Mill for our group for a full afternoon at a time when they are not normally open to visitors. We will be provided with a 45/50 min’s guided tour of the Mill and shown it’s operations, with the water wheel operating as it would have when it was operational. The cost per member will be £ 3.50 each, paid when at the venue.

We would like to make this a great local photo outing, so please try to make sure you attend, as there is a minimum charge for the group of £ 40.00 for this special open day.

You will need to use flash for some of your indoor shots, as it is quite dark in many of the most interesting places. A tripod will also be useful. There is a Mill pond with ducks as well as many different spring flowers and a visitor centre. (This may not be open).

NOTE: - Access to some of the floors, as you would expect, is via some steep stairs, but has also has been made user friendly for disabled access. However, loads to see and photo anyhow, as both inside and outside is just full of history, and in my view a photo opportunity not to be missed.

Cliff

Bunbury Mill-Cheshire-Potential Visit- Saturday 30th May-2 / 4.00 pm.

Bunbury Mill-Cheshire.

Potential Instructional Group Photo Outing

Just to give advance notification to the group I have requested that they will allow for the group to visit  Bunbury Mill, for a photo outing on Saturday 30th MAY 2015. 2.00 till 4 / 4.30

I will confirm this to members as soon as they have said AOK.

This is quite an extraordinary opportunity for the group, and have added this extra visit in MAY as I am not too sure how many can make the Wales trip on Sunday 17th May.

Want to make this a GREAT local visit so please make sure you try to attend. You will need to use flash for some of your indoor shots, as it is quite dark in places. A tripod will also be useful at times. There is a Mill pond with ducks as well as flowers and a visitor centre. Cost will be £ 3.50 per person.

NOTE :- Access to some of the floors, as you would expect, is via some steep stairs. However, loads to photo anyhow, as both inside and outside is just full of history.

Cliff

Bunbury Water Powered Mill-Photo Outing Opportunity

Bunbury-Working-Water Powered-Corn Mill

Previously recommended by Brian Roberts, I was today in the vicinity of Bunbury Mill, Bunbury-Cheshire, and finding it open, went to investigate the potential of using this excellent working Mill, for an instructional photo outing for the group.

Meeting with one of the volunteers I explained what we would wish to do as a group, and he was very keen to help us out, and gave myself a quick look around to view the potential.

He was prepared to open the Mill for the group to visit on a Saturday afternoon (they are not normally open on a Saturday afternoon), when we have made the proper arrangements with them. It would only cost £ 3.50 per person for a 45 / 50 mins official guided tour of the Mill, and after that time we could then spend all afternoon taking whatever photos we wished.

There is also a visitor centre, that serves tea / coffee and a cake etc, but that would be extra. However, there are NO parking fees, and is just up from a set of staircase locks, also at Bunbury, on the Shropshire Union Canal, which we could visit after the Mill tour, should the weather be kind to us. It will only take some 20 / 30 mins for most of the group to travel to Bunbury, so looks to be a good place to visit.

Additionally, as it is 90% inside for photos, even if the weather is not too good, we could still do most of the photography, as well as seeing some very important Cheshire countryside history brought back to life, in a very striking and personal way, as the volunteers do dress up in clothes of the era, and for a short while you feel as though you are back in the 1800’s. What a place to take some great photos, so would hope for a good number of members to take up this opportunity to take some excellent historical photos.

Cliff