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Follow the link for the results You can see these slides at the following venues!
Isle of Man Photographic Society Below is an account, from their Website, of the opening of the Snaefell Wheel at Laxey, as you can see it has been named after Evelyn Jones who has been our competitions Secretary for many years. Her Daughter Sue Jones has completed a photographic record of the rebuilding of the wheel and can be seen on the website below. It came as a complete shock to her as the name was kept a close secret until the naming ceremony. She said that if she had known then she would not have come to the opening! This is typical of Evie, she likes to remain in the background but works very hard for us all. Pete and Sue are also active members of the Society. Congratulations, Evie Very many congratulations to our very own Evie Jones in whose honour the Snaefell Wheel has been named, the Lady Evelyn. A very well deserved tribute to a lady who does an unbelievable amount of work behind the scenes for any organisation which she is involved with, including our own. In this instance, the tremendous work that she has done in supporting the Laxey Mines Research Team has now been publicly recognised in a tangible and everlasting way. Well done Evie! Well done also to Pete Geddes, Sue Jones and the Laxey Mines Research Group. The dream is now a reality and, thanks entirely to you and your sponsors, a further part of Manx history has been uncovered and restored for the benefit of the Manx public both now and for the foreseeable future. A magnificent achievement.
ease visit the Snaefell Wheel Project website for more information about the history of the Lady Evelyn
The Hanging of the Centenary Exhibition
The L&CPU are grateful for the support of the members from Nantwich Camera Club, the Museum staff and of course our roving reporter Nigel Richards who supplied the pics. -Thank you. Obituary: Roger Westwood . It is with sadness that the Wrexham and District Photographic Society record the death of Roger Westwood on 27 October. Roger was a keen and experienced hill walker but fell 150 feet while walking with a friend on Mount Liathach in the Torriden region of Wester Ross. The Torridon Mountain rescue team, aided by a Royal Navy helicopter, was not able to save his life. Roger Westwood was an enthusiastic and contributing member of the Wrexham and District Photographic Society. Her entered prints and slides for internal competition, usually of mountain landscapes. His interests, as well as walking, included computers and photography, and he was a vital tutor in the regular W&DPS series of Photoshop masterclasses. The session, fixed for 15 November, was scheduled to be led by Roger. Roger was employed as a Health and Safety manager for a chemical company near Runcorn. He had worked for this company for almost 30 years after graduating in chemical engineering from Aston University. He was due to retire at the end of this year. Roger leaves a wife, Sue who is in poor health with Huntington's syndrome, and two daughters, Catrina, 15 and Megan, 13. His funeral was held on November 14 at All Saints Church, Gresford. In keeping with Roger's happy and friendly outlook the funeral was "not black", and a celebration of his life was held afterwards in the Griffin pub. Wrexham and District Photographic Society extends its sympathy to Roger's family and friends.
Crewe Photographic Society Annual Awards Evening L&CPU Centenary Medal Presentation to Jim Harrison Centenary Medal and Member’s Awards presentation The Lancashire & Cheshire Photographic Union (L&CPU) is celebrating it’s centenary this year and decided to also honour the centenary of their, and Crewe Photographic Societies, oldest member, Jim Harrison, with the award of a specially commissioned Centenary Medal which was presented to Jim at Crewe Photographic Society’s Awards Evening on Thursday 20 th April 2006 by David Marsh FRPS HonPAGB, President of the L&CPU. David was joined by L&CPU Secretary: Christine Widdall DPAGB who is an old friend of Jim’s from his days at Oldham Photographic Society (who have also created a tribute to Jim on their website www.oldhamps.org.uk ). David also kindly agreed to present the other members of Crewe Photographic Society with their annual club awards. More images of Jim’s presentation and CPS Awards Evening can be found on their recently updated website www.crewephotosoc.com which also includes full details of next season’s programme, a host of useful tutorial downloads and some great photographic links.
About Jim Harrison Aside from music, Jim’s other lifelong passion has been photography and his family recall how they used to be banished from the family bathroom when Jim turned it into his darkroom! Jim was a member of Oldham Photographic Society (OPS) for 43 years printing all his own Black & White photographs and using slide film. Jim joined Crewe Photographic Society 11 years ago, at which point he also started producing colour prints. Known as Gentlemen Jim for his grace, kind words and good humour to all, Jim is still an active photographer and member of the society entering a number of competitions. Being as technically-minded as ever and forever young at heart Jim bought his first digital camera last year! Jim’s enthusiasm and passion for photography has been commemorated by Crewe Photographic Society (CPS) by the creation of the new “Jim Harrison Trophy” for digital competitions. I think photography and playing in dance bands must have helped me as my step father used to say to my mother ‘That lad will kill himself with his late hours’ but here I am! Thank you all”. Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union Young Photographer of the Year Mr George Steele, Competitions Secretary of the L&CPU visited the Island recently, to present the awards for the Young Photographer of the Year, at the Cheery Orchard, which was won by Thomas Goldie, from the Southern Photographic Club, with his print titled - Douglas RUFC Line Out
A Certificate of Merit was awarded to Ruth Nicholls LRPS CPAGB of the Weston Photographic Society for her print of a Reef Heron.
George then entertained us with an Audio visual slide show titled ‘World of Winter Whiteness’ a collection of slides from his walking holidays in Switzerland.
Some pics from the Delegates Meeting.
The obituary produced below is by the kind permission of Jon Adams Editor of Digital Photo Magazine for which we offer our thanks. http://www.photographymags.co.uk/ Barrie Thomas 1938-2006
Dr. Adi (Eddy) Sethna Another great digital man, Adi (Eddy) Sethna, also died last week. Both he and Barrie were founder members of the RPS Digital Imaging Group. AGM 25th February 2006
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Walter Frederick Free A.R.P.S. Known to most of us as Wal or Wally. Sadly our dear friend Wally passed away on Saturday 4 th March 2006 following a debilitating illness. His enthusiasm for photography not only made him so popular with the South’ but he also had many other friends in the local Clubs, the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union and beyond. A photographer who inspired many, Wally had one of those very rare qualities of a good seeing eye. For many years he was one of those untouchables in the league tables, particularly with his monochrome prints which brought his name to all of the Clubs’ silverware and trophies. He was an inspiration to all, always willing to help and to guide. He joined the Royal Photographic Society in 1974 and was awarded an A.R.P.S. distinction for a monochrome panel in 1975. Wally retired from his employment at F.S. Owen in 1984, putting his knowledge and expertise of photography to good use, assisting with teaching projects at Lark Lane and the Lynwood project in West Derby. This gave Wally more time to develop his Wedding Photography, and in 1986 he set up his own business ‘Freeway Photography’ as a very popular and well respected Professional Wedding Photographer. Wally made a huge impact on photography and to all his many friends. The ‘little’ man with the ‘big’ smile. God bless you Wal, you will always be remembered and sadly missed. Graham Pickthall
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Amateur Photography in the North West |
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Lecture by David Marsh FRPS HonPAGB |
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David Marsh FRPS Hon PAGB, President of the Union, using a digital presentation for his lecture. |
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MOVING INTO THE NEXT CENTURY-
A Discussion document
by
David Marsh FRPS HonPAGB, President
As the L&CPU approaches its 100 th birthday on 6 th November, it is perhaps time to review the services that we supply to our member clubs especially since the digital revolution is now firmly established, though still moving at a rapid pace.
The PAGB has already tabled suggestions for change. One of these raises the prospect of replacing the PAGB Annual Print Exhibition (and presumably also the slide one) with an appropriate CD for distribution to the Federations, except perhaps for the original gallery showing by the host Federation. Such a move would allow all Federations, many of whom find it almost impossible to secure a showing in a Gallery, to show the exhibition to their members.
Of course, there will be the cries from some of the print workers that the quality of the print will not be properly shown by the small files of the CD. In reality, that only becomes visible when the print is viewed at a distance of three feet or less, i.e. to the front row of the audience at a club showing. Furthermore, for some time the PAGB has considered the practicality of replacing the Recorded Lectures by CD's - only put off by the cost of projectors for small clubs and the loss of R.L. revenue.
For our Federation, we still manage to show our print exhibition and the access for the ordinary club member is the circulating folios that were instituted in the first year of its existence. It is perhaps time that we consider replacing our folios with a CD for every member club.
The basic objection is centred on the smaller clubs and their ability to purchase expensive projection equipment. However, as with all electronic equipment that cost is reducing very rapidly. Already, a digital projector can be obtained for a few hundred pounds, roughly equivalent to the cost of a good quality slide projector, so it is becoming within the ability of the smaller clubs.
Should we consider now the practicality of replacing our folios with CD's provided to each member club? - Let us consider the plus's and minus's.
Advantages.
For the print folios
• Members would not lose their prints for a whole year ( or two years in the case of prints sent to the PAGB competitions.
• The number of handling events seen by each print would be greatly reduced meaning that authors would get their print back in better condition.
• The only restriction on print size would be that needed to ensure that they would be able to be mounted in the initial exhibition, if framed.
• Clubs would not have the problem of transferring print folios by hand.
• There would be no problems for the folio secretary in arranging the difficult job of the distribution to fit in with club syllabus's.
• Most important ! The Exhibition could be seen entirely in one evening and including all the current year's award winners for each section. (I always find it most difficult explaining to members that the folio only contains half of the exhibition and that most of the award winners were from the previous year's competition).
• If the CD is made at high quality, the image would be quite acceptable and ALL the club members could see the pictures - even those sitting at the back of the room.
For the slide folios.
• Here there is one major consideration. For over 15 years, I have been the person who produces the duplicates for the two folios and it took me some time to arrive at the optimum quality, which involves reducing the first development time to lower the contrast even more. My charges for this service are strictly production costs. Could someone else pick up this job if I could suddenly no longer do it ? It demands the ability to process on the spot in a consistent manner. If not, duplicating will have to be done commercially at greatly increased cost and possibly at a poorer quality.
• The impact of the digital revolution is resulting in the manufacturers reducing the range of films they produce and I seriously wonder whether I (or my successor) will be able to obtain supplies of duplicating film when my current stock runs out in about two years time.
• Again, the clubs could view all the exhibition or all of each section on a single evening.
For the new CD competition
• Now that we are embarking on a digital section to our competitions, the CD could include a file on the 'exhibition' from that section.
Disadvantages.
• Costs - Here this would be the cost in time for the person producing the CD's but the basic cost of the CD's is small even including the postage to each club.
• The low resolution of the projected image will not give a true impression of the original picture quality. However, as I noted before in the case of the prints, all the members of a club should be able to see the Pictures. The low resolution will also negate any copyright problems.
• Some may object to the disappearance of the folio evenings, but that is only a mind-set. If the competition sections are put on the CD as separate files, each will be enough for an evening and there is the added advantage that each can be viewed a second time, or more.
• The clubs will have to have the availability of a digital projector, but I would expect that the vast majority of clubs will already have access to one.
• There will be no 'critical' commentary, but over the years that has been very mixed blessing and will not be missed by many clubs.
As you will note I have concentrated on the folios. I have now shown the CD of the FIAP slide Biennial on three occasions. It was produced at high quality and the clubs liked it.
There is another aspect. If clubs have access to a digital projector it could result in some changes to the lecture service. A lecturer need not bring all his prints, but use a CD for the lecture so that all the audience could see what he is commenting upon and more fully appreciate the lecture. In fact for many years, I have used slides of my prints so that everyone could see the pictures and just rought a few examples to place around the room. That is vital if you know that the audience will be large.
This is purely a discussion paper. It is perhaps time we moved forward and I will leave you with the above to contemplate for comments at a future EC meeting
David M