Prism's 25th Anniversary Dinner & Awards Evening

Prism's 25th Anniversary Dinner & Awards Evening
The People and the Prints

Frame It

Winning picture of the "Frame It" subject competition.

In The Air

More than ever entries rolled in for the challenging subject of “In the Air” and despite the rather cramped conditions in the Fellowship Room at the Forest Road Methodist Hall the evening was great fun with a large amount of friendly banter and excitement as the season comes to an end. Just like the end of a closely fought football season the results of our photographic leagues are by no means a foregone conclusion.
In the large section Mags Fewkes, in her absence, won with “Up, up and Away”. This shot was an excellent example of ‘How to break the Rules and Win’. Not displaying the encouraged rule of thirds, Mags split the vertical format in half with the horizon, and then showed two (as opposed to an irregular number) magnificent hot air balloons over the dessert. The end result was extremely attractive; the early morning light giving a serene image and a great feeling of being actually present in the photograph. As ever, Mags technical presentation was faultless and this was a well deserved winner.

Yet again Jayne Priaux’s patience paid off this week with her second placed shot “Migrant Hawker”. An astonishingly sharp image of a dragonfly in flight in all it’s glorious technicolour. Those of us who have spent hours trying to capture such a shot were congratulatory…others jealous!! This was beautifully composed with the insect off centre allowing ‘space’ for the object to travel into. So often, photographers make the mistake of placing the moving object bang in the centre of the frame, whilst placing it off centre can dramatically enhance the composition.

Annie Woodington and Sarah Finch tied for third place. Sarah is a recently joined member who has produced some excellent shots since joining. Her shot of a black headed gull entitled “Beakfull”, was similarly composed like Jayne’s image, and a accurate character study of gull behaviour. The background was pleasingly out of focus allowing the gull to be sharp but there was a strong inference that the shot was taken on the beach.
Annie’s “Throwing The Light Stick” was another beach shot but taken in very difficult lighting conditions. The fire stick illuminated the juggler beautifully and the tones were echoed in the setting sun. Even without the human interest the shot was very pleasing on the eye and showed off Annie’s skills in low level light photography.
Annie is one of the leading contenders to win the league this year. So, it is no surprise that she also picked up a winner in the enprint section with “Playing Catch” This was an endearing action shot of cats at play. It gained a lot of votes and considering the non cooperation usually associated with cats, was a beautifully composed and executed image.
Rachel Lee was yet again on the score sheet with her “Flowers in the Air” shot of a fireworks display over the harbour. Again a notoriously difficult shot that needs careful preparation before shooting…no chance of “Can you do that again, I missed it!!” Not only did Rachel capture the moment when the fireworks were at their best, but she included enough detail of the harbour to give the shot a sense of location.
Finally Pete Brehaut captured an image of a gull in flight Again, like Sarah this shot captured the character of the bird, effortlessly flying in search of food. The gull is flying away from the viewer but this works well in this excellent shot as the head can be clearly seen as can the gull’s beady eye!

Beach Art

Winning picture of the Beach Art competition.

Photos

Guernsey Building

Winning picture of the Guernsey Building competition.

Photos

Belle Greve Bay - Interclub

Winning picture of the Belle Greve Bay Interclub competition with the Guernsey Photographic Club

Photos.

British Photographic Exhibitions (BPE)

Link to the British Photographic Exhibitions (BPE) official website;
www.bpe.uk.net and list of exhibitions www.bpe.uk.net/exhibitions.htm

Weathered Competition Photographs

To introduce the evening’s meeting, Mags Fewkes kindly shared her wide knowledge and experience of entering national and international photographic competitions. Not only did the talk remind us of Mag’s much deserved success, it also illustrated the high level of organisation and planning required when entering these competitions.
This week the large print section was won by Pete Brehaut with “Any Old Iron”. One of several pictures depicting rusty metal, Pete’s image was a popular winner and was truly on subject .Despite the precariously wornout look of the subject, the image was strong both in the richness of colour and the “in your face” view point. Having secured wins in the enprint section this was Pete’s first A4 winner. Annie Woodington came second with “Rusty Lock”, a dilapidated padlocked door with the inevitable peeling blue paint. The colour range, exposure and composition were spot on and the image endorsed Annie’s skill of seeing detail in the big picture. Rachel Lee’s winning form continued with her third placed “French House”. This image captured the essence of all those wonderful dilapidated French buildings that no doubt one day will become holiday homes to the Brits. The limited tones were perfect and the darkened windows and doorways added an air of mystery making this a high quality image.
In the enprint section Maurice Brehaut continued the Brehaut winning streak by gaining a first place with “Old Shed”. This shot certainly showed the effects of the weather with missing tiles and paintless timbers. The rather sombre tones added to the rather neglected feel of this subject which Maurice captured so well. It was good to see Ian Corbin back on the winning sheet with a cleverly seen half sunken anchorage. This was a very pleasing shot with excellent use of colour and composition and printed with Ian’s usual attention to detail. Rachel Lee gained third with “Esso” again, taken in France, a rather worn out sign on a shed, made into a great shot with interesting foreground. The cleverness of this image lies in the composition; Rachel has sought out an interesting angle rather than taking the obvious end on shot.

Guernsey Salon 2008 opening night snaps

Some snaps taken at the opening of the Guernsey Salon 2008, spot the Prism Members collecting their well deserverd awards from the Bailiff's Wife. Photos.

For more informastion on the Guernsey Salon 2008 please visit their site. http://www.guernseysalon.co.uk/

Yellow

A record number of 46 entries and further new members joining Prism Photographic Club helped to make the “Yellow” night a very vibrant and fun evening.
Before the judging began, the president Wendy Meade announced the winners in The Prism Open Competition’s first round entitled “Guernsey”. Barry Wells kindly agreed to judge this first of three rounds and placed Annie Woodington in first and fourth place, Glen Irven in second place, Jeremy Stranger third and Wendy Meade in fifth place. Again the enthusiasm of club members and their willingness to take time and effort to compete meant that there was a good entry of 17 images. The second round, “Open Monochrome” is more challenging and Robin Millard, president of the Guernsey Photographic Club has agreed to judge the clubs offerings at the end of May.
In the league subject “Yellow”, Mags Fewkes in her absence took first place in the large format prints with “Golden Aspens”. A superb shot showing excellence throughout every dimension. Repetitive lines, balanced structure, 100% on subject and beautifully printed and displayed, Golden Aspens was a sure winner. In second place Rachel Lee’s “A Twist of Lemon” was one of many “lemon shots” but as usual Rachel had put her own twist to the interpretation. Expensive studio lighting and professional studio set ups are out of reach of most members who usually find that clever use of kitchen tables, natural lighting and a few well chosen props often produce some pleasing results. Rachel is a master at using what is available and capturing winning shots. In third place Wendy Meade gained points with a pleasing shot of a yellow boat hull entitled “Old Sea Dog” Very textural and quite abstract this striking image was enhanced by the deep blue underbelly of the boat highlighting the yellow in pleasing contrast.
In the enprint section Sarah Finch tied with Pete Brehaut for first place. Sarah’s image of “Citrus Streaks” made everyone puzzled as to how she had achieved this wispy, and beautiful abstract image. “Yet another kitchen studio and sun streaming through the kitchen window” was the reply! Pete’s shot of “Lemons” made peoples’ mouths water and was a well deserved points winner. The thoughtful lighting and clever formation helped by the black background and spot on printing made this the best of the many lemon entries.
In second place Annie Woodington took a more artistic approach and produced a completely different image of two semi-peeled lemons cleverly perched on a pane of glass. Annie too is experimenting with “The Kitchen Studio” technique and like others coming up with exciting and original images.
Judging by the number of egg yolks and lemons used to produce the images for this week’s competition, I am guessing in member’s homes there will be a lot of lemon curd to be made or possibly a lot of G and T’s to be drunk!

On May8th the subject is “Weathered”
New members to The Prism Photographic Club are always made welcome at the Thursday meetings at the Forest Methodist Church Halls; please call Wendy Meade 265001 or Carlton Greening 07781101471 to find out more information.

Photos from this competition: http://picasaweb.google.com/prism.org.gg/2008yellow

Guernsey Salon 2008

Heartiest congratulations to Steve, Mags, Glen, Annie and Derek for your success in the 2008 Guernsey Salon.....wonderful results with a very special mention of Steve who has achieved a very high level of acceptance and honours. Well done Steve !!!
Well done to those who found the time and energy to enter and have had none accepted...better luck next time and keep trying!!
Please find the time to post your comments as requested on the winning images...the Salon website is excellent and very accessible.
Hope to see you Monday night at the Vale Douzaine to hear the judges comments

With regards
Wendy Meade. President of Prism Photographic Club, Guernsey

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Le Prevost
The Winning images and full results of the Guernsey Salon are now published.

http://www.guernseysalon.co.uk/

Abstract

The league subject was “Abstract” and when all the images were placed on the display boards collectively, they looked stunning and some members felt they had been transported into the Tate Modern. Colours and shapes were dominant and edgy and yet again some members had spent literally hours preparing images whilst others delved into archives to find a fitting entry. Following on from her success Rachel Lee not only won the A4 section this week but also won the smaller enprint class. Her winning A4 shot “Drip Drop” was simply stunning especially so, as she used a compact camera, a tea towel and the kitchen sink to achieve her popular win. Intelligent use of focal length and beautiful reflections worked to make this an excellent image. Annie Worthington’s “High rise Living” had a striking visual impact with a very ordered and angular shot of a block of flats. The tonal quality was spot on and from a distance it looked a very pleasing abstract pattern, only on closer inspection did the true subject become apparent. In third place Peter Brehaut deservedly won points not only for his end result but for his patience spending four hours in an incense filled kitchen to get that “special” shot. All three winning images would look totally right on the walls of any establishment or indeed art gallery.
The enprint section was again very varied with Rachel winning with a shot that turned out “anyone could do” at home. However, the difference being, that Rachel has a talent for spotting the unusual in everyday matter. Her "Rainbow Drops” were simply droplets from her finger onto a CD and with careful exposure and mount cropping she produced a highly effective result enhanced by clever use of the mount dimensions.
Wendy Meade’s “Atrium”, an upward looking shot taken from the centre of a skyscraper hotel caused debate as to whether the skylight should have been cropped out. Nevertheless, the well seen second placed shot was a great example to remind photographers to keep an eye open for what lies above and below eyelevel. Finally in third place was Dee Langmead with a characteristic easy on the eye shot of a cactus entitled “Succulent” It was a beautiful study with great form and colour. A popular photo which some thought looked like an underwater shot of coral. This illustrated what the evening was all about. Abstract was certainly not only in the eye of the author but in the judges too. The phrase “I don’t know what it is, but I like it!” was heard quite a few times that evening!

http://picasaweb.google.com/prism.org.gg/2008Abstract

Steve Le Prevost's recent successes

Web link to the Winchester Exhibition site:-
http://www.winphotosoc.co.uk
(follow link to 2008 exhibition)

Since then, Steve has also won the colour section of the Southampton International. Their website is just being updated but should be available very soon, maybe later today
http://www.southamptoncameraclub.co.uk
(follow link to 2008 exhibition)

Steven Le Prevost FRPS MPAGB BPE3*
http://www.stevenleprevost.com

New website message - Prism's President

Well done Kevin and Rachel....was sad that I had missed the "Clocks" evening as I was looking forward to the member's usual inventive angle on a rather challenging subject. But here I am catching up with emails and able to see how well the guys did. Thank you so much for your ideas and effort...owe you both a drink!!:) Wendy.

Sharow National Open Photographic Competition

Closing date for entries 4th April 08 – a reminder for the Sharow National Open Photographic Competition in aid of charity. This year proceeds will go to Marie Curie Cancer Care who are celebrating their 60th anniversary year.

Excellent news for all participants: Prize monies up from £735 to over £1,200 – (best overall photograph £250)

Four challenging categories to enter - rules and entry forms from:

www.sharowphotocomp.co.uk
Generous prize money also for school students 10 – 19 yrs, having their own section: www.sharowphotocomp.co.uk/schools.php

Clocks

Do you remember the children at school who before an exam swore they hadn’t done any revision and they always came up with high marks? Well, considering the puzzled and frustrated comments running up to this month’s subject Clocks/Time the outcome was first class!
In the A4 class, newcomer Rachel Lee yet again delighted the members with an outstanding image, entitled “Second Hand” This was cleverly thought out and perfectly executed. From now on, Rachel loses the title of newcomer; she is flying with the pro’s now!
In second place it was great to see Carlton Greening returning to his past form with “Frozen in Time” which reminded us of his ingenuity and creativity. Hours of freezing watches in blocks of ice and getting the face in focus minus the air bubbles resulted in a brilliant image but probably a defunct timepiece!

In joint third place, Annie Woodington of “Bathing Pools and Indian Portrait” fame stepped well out of her comfort zone and with the help of her daughter produced an ingeniously titled image “Body Clock”. Sensitively portrayed and well thought out it was further proof that Annie is capable of exciting work. Annie took pleasure in the fact that for once none of the members guessed that it was her work.
Also in joint third, Dee Langmead, won with a delicate but strong image of an antique pocket watch. Her precise attention to detail and perfectly exposed photo was of a very high standard.
Like Carlton it is great to see “older” members returning to winning ways. However, no one can deny there is an exciting group of newcomers who are certainly giving the more experienced members a run for their money. The outcome of this can only mean more exciting and adventurous shots with members producing increasingly better submissions.

In the enprint section Pete Brehaut won with an effectively simple shot “In the Midnight Hour”. Pete’s work often reflects his sense of humour and this perfectly executed shot seemed quite tongue in the cheek. Members loved it and were also impressed with his critique on the evening’s entries.
Annie Woodington won second place with a bold approach to a reflection of a clock tower entitled “Reflection on Time”. Even in the fractured image, the clock face remained evident and the treatment definitely gave the image an abstract feel to it. This was a cleverly seen shot and well framed.
Jayne Priaulx’s “Time Pieces” had the appearance of a collage. The subtle hues of gold and silver and numerous cogs gave this image a rather surreal appearance looking like a watchmaker’s graveyard. As ever, Jayne’s professional attention to correct exposure and subtle colour gained her third place in a very competitive round.
Thanks to time and effort by Rachel Lee, Kevin Sparkes and Mervyn De’Ath, Prism has now updated its website and hopefully all entries to each of the rounds will be available online.
http://picasaweb.google.com/prism.org.gg/2008ClocksTime

Multiplication factor for SLR lenses and sensor size

Following the comments last meeting regarding the multiplication factor for SLR lenses and sensor size.

This is a good comparison of compact camera sensor size to full frame 35mm:- http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/key=sensor%20sizes

You may also wish to read this regarding the Focal Length Multiplier:-http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Optical/Focal_Length_Multiplier_01.htm

A full glossary of digital photographic terms can be found here:-
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/

So what is the club all about ?????

Do you know the difference between an "F-stop" and a "pit stop" ? Do you know what the "Rule of Thirds" is ? Do you think that "Depth of Field" is a farming term ?
Are you the next Ansel Adams or David Bailey ?
If you would like to know the answer to these questions and many more, come along to our next meeting and find out !
We are a group of people interested in photography and regularly meet to participate in print competitions, photographic based workshops, model shoots or even a trip to Herm.
Our members range from pure beginners through to experienced, nationally qualified photographers with a wide range of skills including dark room processing and computer based image enhancement & printing.
If this appeals to you, come along to our next meeting at the Forest Methodist Church Hall (opposite the Deerhound Pub). Check our Calendar of Events for details.