Sale Photographic Society Website

12/12/07 - Digital Presentation Competition at Rochdale
On Tuesday (11th December) we took part in our first ever knock-out competition, at Rochdale. Ten other clubs were competing, and each club entered 13 digital-images for projection which were judged by Gordon Jenkins. There were three rounds: in each round clubs entered four images which were judged and awarded marks. After the first round the club with the lowest total score was knocked out; after the second round two clubs were eliminated. We successfully survived these two rounds, coming 6th in the first round and 7th in the second (we won a four-way tie by having a high individual-image score – thanks Dave). In the third round, we came 8th . As usual, we did not always agree with the marks we were awarded, which ranged from 15 to 19.5, but we were not alone in this. Our totals in each round were 69, 67 and 66, while the top club got 74.5, 76 and 72.5. Finally, the two clubs with top score in the third round showed one slide each, and the winners, Oldham, were presented with a cup and a small permanent trophy. The runners up were Blackburn. Our nearest (geographical) competitor was South Manchester, who pipped us all the way through.

Dave Hollows, Clive Robinson and Richard Parish selected our 13 slides from the 66 submitted. The problem then was to select four per round, and we tried to make a stronger selection each time. Unfortunately, Gordon did not agree with us.

It was an interesting experience, and one worth repeating. Thanks to all those who sent images, to the Brave Ten who turned out in support and especially to Dave and Clive who put in much time making (and remaking) the selections.

Richard Parish

posted by RichardP @ 3:45 PM Comments:

Dahol said...
Thanks also to Richard who did all the admin. of selection, resizing and printing mini prints to choose from.
It was great to see a good turnout.

Wednesday, 12 December, 2007

ssori said...

Good night out. Pity we did not get to the final. Some nice images were submitted but still you cant win them all. At least the bottle of wine made it up for me so all was not lost. Thanks to all concerned and especially my driver.

Tuesday, 18 December, 2007

08/12/07 - Autumn on Ullswater
This sounded like a very imposing residence. Approached by its own footbridge, indeed! That was a first, anyway. Although the outside was imposing, our welcome was rather cool, as the owners had forgotten to put on the storage heaters the night before. Luckily, the wood-effect gas stove in the living room threw out enough heat to heat the surrounding area, and the storage heaters proved efficient, once they had been turned on.

The views from the house were breathtaking, looking out across Ullswater and the hills beyond. It would have been easy not to stray too far from the immediate area, as Martindale was only a few miles along the road, and in the amazing light of Friday afternoon the photo opportunities were endless.

The meal on Friday night was booked at the Brampton Country House Hotel, sadly the directions given to some of us were less than complete, and we spent some time racing through the countryside, looking for our destination. Thank heavens for Lizs competent driving. Thanks also to Cy, who took the trouble to look at a map, and then followed us to let us know where we should have been. Otherwise, we may have ended up eating in Penrith, which would have been a shame, as the food provided, when we finally arrived, was of excellent quality, and very pleasantly served.

On Saturday we woke to the smell of a wood fire, which was strange, because we didnt
have a wood fire! As Cy has no sense of smell, hed been sitting in the living room reading since 6.a.m. whilst a raffia coaster slowly smouldered on top of the incredibly hot gas stove. We wont go into who put it there will we, Keith? Luckily Janet quickly spotted the problem and removed the smouldering article. We did wonder where the smoke alarm was located, and why it didnt respond to the smoke!

Saturday was a reasonable day, though the light was frustratingly patchy. There is so much to see around Ullswater itself that some of us didnt even complete the drive to Patterdale, but there was plenty of time, and even better light on the Sunday. Ken had an unprofitable visit to the Car Boot Sale, some people even managed to join a Remembrance service, having arrived spot on 11 a.m. For those of us who braved the Kirkstone Pass, the rewards in terms of photo opportunities were immense. However, it was so very cold, with a brisk wind, that we couldnt hang around for long. We were a little concerned to see the gritters out on Sunday afternoon, and not a moment too soon, as the cars were well frozen up the next morning.

John served his usual high quality meals, no mean feat as the kitchen was somewhat under equipped. How hard is it to work out that 12 people are going to need at least 12 desert dishes, and that it neednt necessarily involve washing out your soup bowl in between?

We were a bit horrified when, on opening up the dishwasher, which had been turned off by accident halfway through its programme, Dave revealed the hideous state of the filters, which had probably never been cleared since the machine was installed. At least John didnt suggest making cream of leftover soup from the contents!!!!

We all enjoyed the slide show of various programmes, on Saturday night, thanks for bringing the equipment. Edward, who seems set to be a big prize-winner, showed us some of his pictures, thanks for that Edward.

John Hilton, on his first trip with the club, was definitely an asset to the group, as he quickly became Johns number one kitchen boy. Janet too seemed to do far more than her fair share of time at the sink. You did a grand job Janet, although some people still believe that the kitchen fairy came in the night and cleared up ready for morning.

We had quite a rowdy time at the table on Sunday, as we HAD to finish all the wine, not to mention Lizs damson gin, Mikes damson wine and various other liquid assets.

The weekend was gone all too quickly, and for once we left the Lake District on a dry bright day, which gave us all extra time to get our prizewinning shots on the way home. For Dave and me, the lure of the Lakeland shop at Windermere, proved too strong to resist, so we had a pleasant lunch, spent some money and decided we already had enough prizewinning shots for one weekend anyway.

Once again, our thanks are due to Ken, for his careful research, and for taking charge of all the booking and organisation. We all appreciate your hard work, Ken, and are looking forward to the next trip.

Joyce Hollows

posted by joyceh @ 5:21 PM

21/09/07 - Merits Standing after 4 Rounds:
Colour Prints
Author Points
Edward OKeeffe 50.5
Keith Brownlow 32
Clive Robinson 31.5
Dave Hollows 29.5
Richard Parish 28
John Earnshaw 27
Ian Ross 18
Liam OKeeffe 15
Tom Walton 14
Pat Holmes 13.5
Graham Shaw 10
John Hunter 10
Brian Rogerson 8

Mono Prints
Author  Points
Liam OKeeffe 64.5
Clive Robinson 61
Edward OKeeffe 40.5
Dave Hollows 40
John Earnshaw 25
David Kramrisch 15
Pat Holmes 12
Craig Stowell 12
Bob Heaton 7

Slides
Author  Points
Graham Shaw 151.5
Pat Holmes 28
Ken Matthews 27
Dave Hollows 23
John Earnshaw 20
John McNally 19.5
posted by Alan B @ 1:03 PM

12/07/07 - A grand week away June 2007
Just when we thought wed seen everything, Ken came through with our best trip ever. Most of us had already stayed for weekends at Grey Barns, near Alnmouth, and were looking forward to spending more time in that area of the Northumbrian coast. As we knew, the house itself was impressive: roomy and comfortable. But I dont think any of us had previously appreciated the idyllic location, until we saw it in brilliant sunshine.

There, just beyond the garden gate was a lovely bay, with sand, rocks and crashing waves.

Although that first afternoon was not so bright, we enjoyed just sitting on the rocks, watching the waves, and relaxing. Not far from us was a guillemot, which seemed quite happy to share the beach with us. Then Roland arrived, cup of tea in hand, to be followed by several others of the group. Ken was the only one with a camera, so those winning guillemot shots will be his. Or maybe not! We spent some time settling in before going off to Alnmouth for dinner, which we all enjoyed. Thanks to Ken for booking it in advance.

John E. worked his magic on the Sunday evening, producing an impressive meal, with loads of his special leftover soup to be enjoyed by whoever was feeling hungry over the next few days. He had also shopped for basics to be shared, making sure the enormous fridge was full, and also replenishing it over the week as things began to run out. We all appreciate Johns hard work, which helped the catering run smoothly.

During the week people did their own thing, visiting many of the local places of interest, offering lifts to anyone who was going in the same direction, and giving feedback on the places they had seen. Thanks, Pat, for your excellent map reading and direction skills. Trips to the Farne Islands were popular, though a few people got a good pecking as a penalty for taking photos. Cy liked it so much, I believe he bought Inner Farne!

The walking enthusiasts were well provided for as there are many splendid walks. Hope your feet are better now, Keith! I think we all enjoyed a visit to the gardens at Alnwick castle. The overall planning and the immaculate upkeep of this lovely garden are impressive, though the rope bridge to the tree house was a little scary for some of us, especially with Liz bouncing on it!

Lindisfarne was also well visited and seen at its best in the bright sunshine, although I preferred it in the swirling mist we found when we arrived, which gave it a mystical look. No-one was caught by the tide, although Karen tried hard to leave John there. Luckily, he had the car keys. Sometime soon I think we may all become a little too familiar with shots of Bamburgh Castle in a variety of lights, and also Dunstanburgh from many angles, not to mention seabirds in flight, on the ground, on their nests, eating, sleeping and doing what seabirds do.

On the Thursday evening we had a visit to Ashington camera club, where we were entertained by a presentation of some stunning wildlife prints by one of their members. We were made very welcome, and provided with an excellent buffet. I think we all enjoyed the evening. Especially Janet, who stayed at the house and took the opportunity to have a good soak and relax at the end of an exhausting day of photography with Liam, Keith and Edward.

Having already previewed some of the photographs taken on digital cameras, I hold out little hope for my own slides, which have now returned and are mostly blank, curiously.
So Mike and John McN. have a clear field! But watch out for Edwards work, if he gets it printed up, he seemed to have some great shots. Maybe you could make a digital presentation to entertain us in the future Edward?

Sadly, the week was soon over, and we had the last supper at the Red Lion in Alnmouth, an excellent meal, if a little raucous. We were all up, packed and tidied, in plenty of time on Saturday morning, thinking that wed have a sunny drive home. Im not sure about everyone else, but our journey was through heavy rain, thunderstorms and low cloud. It was hard to believe that we had just had a week of great weather, give or take the odd grey morning. Many thanks to Ken for organising it all, and perhaps we could do it again, with the same superb weather, another year.
J. Hollows

posted by joyceh @ 5:05 PM

03/07/07 - Panel Competition - July 19th
Rules for Castlefield

1.        A panel consists of 3-5 prints mounted on a single board which shall be not more than 16 x 20.

2.       Entrants may submit only one panel.

3.       The prints may be of any shape or orientation, in colour or black and white, and should be of images taken on the Castlefield evening (June 7).

4.       Panels will be judged by votes of the Society members present on the evening of July 19th.

5.       The Winner of the competition will be awarded a free drink in the Eskdale pub on the evening of the competition or any other gift of his/her choice of equivalent value.

posted by RichardP @ 2:41 AM

22/05/07 - Photosynth multi dimensional image viewer
I thought some of you might be interested to watch this demonstration of some exciting and revolutionary spatial imaging software that has been developed by Microsoft Architect Blaise Aguera y Arcas . Amazing stuff.....
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/129
Copy and post the link into your browser, as the movie wont load otherwise

posted by Craig @ 12:48 PM

21/05/07 - L&CPU Print boxes
Several members asked where they could get print boxes similar to the ones used by the L&CPU clubs. The company who supply the L&CPU is Nomad heres a link to an old price list (note the website address has changed)
http://www.lcpu.org/docs/nomad.pdf
Heres a link to their latest website

http://www.nomadplc.co.uk

If anyone contacts them for a quote, or places an order, please let the rest of us know how you get on.

posted by Craig @ 9:29 PM

16/05/07 - May Competition
For those who dont look at the Sale PS all groups board, the May Competition subject is Altered Images

Why not give it a go.

posted by Dahol @ 1:39 PM

12/04/07 - Sale Festival 2007 Photographic Competition
As part of its celebrations for Festival Week, Sale Festival 2007 is running a Photographic Competition for keen amateur photographers on the theme of
Life Through The Lens
Enthusiastic amateurs who would like to enter the competition should submit up to 4 prints to Sale Waterside Arts Centre to arrive no later than Monday 4th June.

An esteemed Judge will judge the competition during the week prior to Festival Week, and the winning prints will form part of an exhibition to be held at Sale Waterside Arts Centre during Festival Week, starting 15 June. The winning prints will take pride of place in the Gallery Bar.
The winner of the competition will receive a fabulous prize of £100, which will be officially presented to them during Festival Week, with runners up prizes of £50 for second place and £25 for third place.

How to Enter and Competition Rules can be found here:-

posted by Craig @ 7:43 PM

04/04/07 - Photo Challenge
Thanks to those Members who joined in the March Photo Challenge through the Flickr Group
The subject for March was Household Patterns and the entries were as follows:
farm1.static.flickr.com/171/428426540_68b54c571e_o.jpg
farm1.static.flickr.com/164/431577159_bcd2319280_b.jpg (winner)
farm1.static.flickr.com/186/434038125_fbd1b9b098_b.jpg
farm1.static.flickr.com/185/439927193_ca9dc595e9_o_d.jpg

The subject for April is Extreme Colour
If there are any other members who would like to join in, but are not sure how to, just let me know and I can advise you on the process which is very straightforward.

posted by Craig @ 1:11 AM

13/03/07 - Practical Evening - April 12th
This time we are trying a Table-Top session (= still life). Three brave souls (Albert B, Dave H, Mike B) have agreed to man a table each, to demonstrate a particular set-up and let you have a go. There will be a fourth table for anyone else who wants to bring things along on the night.

So bring your cameras and flash guns, and learn all about it.

posted by RichardP @ 3:01 AM

01/03/07 - SALE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2007
Thursday 15th March

Annual Print exhibition open to the public from 6.00PM
Evening Events start at 8.00PM (Members and Guests only)
Guest speaker
Awards presentation

Audio Visual Show
Prize raffle
Buffet
St Mary Magdalene Church Hall
Harboro Road
Sale
posted by Craig @ 9:28 PM

A few things...
Firstly we have received an email regarding a National Open Photographic Competition for Charity. Its The Second Sharow Photographic Competition 2007 and proceeds go to Macmillan Cancer Support. Ive never heard of the Comp, but it seems legit. Anyone interested can find out more at www.sharowphotocomp.co.uk. Closing date is 14th April. - Dont forget, its for Charidee Mate

Secondly, I am going to trial a monthly Photo Challenge using our Group pages on Flickr. If any members are interested in participating, this is to be a relaxed, just for fun comp, without lots of rules, to offer a bit of a departure from the Formal Club Comps. Ill set the theme for March which will be Household Patterns to keep things easy first time out. If you want to participate, its simple!; just upload your image to your Flickr account and add it to your SPS Group images, then post the URL of the image on the SPS Flickr Group Message Board with Message Title March Photo Challenge and your image Title. At the end of the month well have a democratic vote on the message board for the best pic, and the winner can choose the next months theme.

Finally, can anyone confirm if Animal Portraits are admissible in the Portraits Category of our Club Comps - rules state Person or Persons only nothing about animals??

posted by Craig @ 8:56 PM  Comments:

joyceh said...
Hi Craig, Competition sounds like a good idea, but will need a workable number of entries. I am already seeing patterns everywhere, but could that be that last bottle of wine, I wonder?.....
Keep up the good work!
Tuesday, 06 March, 2007

Craig said...
Haha!
Maybe we can use that as a future competition theme - through a (wine)glass darkly anyone?

With regards to comp entries, Ill be happy if a few people just join in to begin with, so Im not too worried about numbers of entries at this stage.

Id better get cracking myself on this....

Tuesday, 06 March, 2007

2007 Merit Competitions
The Judges for the 2007 Competitions are:
Joyce Hollows 29/03/07 H2O
Ken Matthews 24/05/07 Night-time
Graham Shaw 09/08/07 Humorous & Curious
Jonathan Hart 13/09/07 Motorless Motion
Cy Newton 13/12/07 Signs

posted by Alan B @ 4:41 PM

New Web Site
I am now getting accustomed to the new look website and cant understand why people find it hard to read. Thanks Craig for all your hard work.

posted by Alan B @ 2:53 PM Comments: 1

Record Judging
Last nights judge did a super job on a large and demanding entry. My small quibble, with no personal axe to grind, is with the treatment of some of the Record entries, which were penalised for being too pictorial. This goes against the advice published in the latest Society rules, which say that a Record entry need not necessarily be pictorially pleasing, but it is a bonus if it is.

Is this a view unique to our Society? Could the rule be drawn to the attention of judges before they look at the entries? Or should we withdraw the advice?

posted by RichardP @ 10:59 AM Comments: 4

• clive said...
  Very good point Richard. Just from a beginners point of view, and my first posting (so I dont want to be flamed :-) ), I still have problems with some of club rule definitions. For example:

1.       A Portrait is defined as an image or representation of a person or a facial picture of a person or persons. Does this mean that portraits in the style of Angus McBeans would have to be included in the Open section – i.e. being avant-garde or of an experimental nature? This applies to many other photographers such as the early works of Cindy Sherman etc. So can you have multiple images of the same person and where is the boundary of representation?

2.       Natural History is defined as wild living creatures or plants, NOT including domesticated animals or cultivated garden plants and vegetables. So then is a bird taken a wildlife establishment or a lion in a zoo not appropriate?

3.       Also what is defined as the hand of man – a forest planted by man, a wall built by man…?
Im not trying to start a major debate, as rules do need to be flexible to allow for artistic interpretation, maybe with experience these become obvious but I must admit I havent got my head around it yet.

Sunday, 11 February, 2007

Dahol said...
If I can put in my twopennyworth:
I think the rule for Nat History is clear in as much as the subject shouldnt be in captivity but if it is the signs of that captivity should not be seen. In the past Judges in National and International Comps raved over the work of Heather Angel yet a lot of her subjects were very definitely in captivity. Portraits are no clearer as some judges will accept animal portraits and why not I say if they are good enough.
Record has its own problems and some judges do not want clouds in the sky or trees as they make the image pictorial? In my opinion and that of many other judges if the image is a good record of the subject any added thing that makes it more pleasing on the eye and does not draw attention away from the record itself is a bonus.
All judges are different and the way they interpret rules are also different I feel that if the rules are totally restrictive tripod holes concreted in at the correct angle will be the only view of a subject allowed along with a bald sky. I certainly dont feel that any individual interpretation is a bad thing, its only when in front of the judge that you will know what they like. The biggest mistake as far as Im concerned is to try and take images with the judge in mind. In the end its what the author likes.

Sunday, 11 February, 2007

Craig said...
With regards to Natural History what puts me off is the rule no digitally manipulated/enhanced images as I find it confusing.
I use a Canon digital camera shooting RAW, and post processing in Rawshooter. My camera also shoots in Jpeg mode which applies in camera digital enhancement. Does this rule mean that only unprocessed RAW images are eligible for entry in Nat Hist?
If not, and Jpeg captured images are acceptable why not RAW images post processed in RAWshooter or Adobe PS?
Am I taking the rule too literally, and by digital manipulation what is meant is creating composites or seriously manipulated images, and not as I have understood it manipulating exposure, saturation levels etc etc ?

Wednesday, 14 February, 2007

Dahol said...
Craig I think you are taking this to ewxtremes, I understand this to mean not putting backgrounds in,selective blurring or sharpening. Shooting in RAW would not effect the eligibility of the image as exposure etc. are the normal tools of photography. Hope that helps a little.

Thursday, 15 February, 2007

Website tweaks
After receiving feedback from various members regarding the changes I have made to the website, I have now increased the font size in order that our more myopic members can now read the text. Hopefully this will go some way to resolving the problem. I am reluctant to alter the overall design, as personally I think it works, but I am happy to adjust it in order to make it easier to read, which from the feedback I have received, suggests this is what is needed.

Please let me know if you think these changes have improved viewing of the site. If not, I can always look at producing a braille version :)

Also, if you do use the site from time to time please try and contribute something, even if its just comments. Dave H has recently taken the time to produce the article below for members to read, so it would be nice to give him some positive feedback for his efforts.

posted by Craig @ 1:14 AM

29/01/07 - Email address

As you may have noticed, we now have an email address set-up in order that visitors to the website can contact us, to enquire about the club for example.

Already we have received an email from a Manchester based Photographer offering studio premises for hire, with full day rates starting at £150 so if anyone is interested I have some details available.

posted by Craig @ 7:42 PM

06/01/07 - A good start to 2007
Well done, Bert, for an interesting start to the 2007 syllabus. Your talk was informative, impressively put together, and easy for even the still hung - over, like myself, to understand.

I hope we can look forward to some equally high quality presentations in the future, both from within the club and from outside. Many thanks to getting us off to a good beginning.

posted by joyceh @ 5:21 PM

New website design.

As you can see, I have made some cosmetic changes to the website, which I hope members will find pleasing. All the previous features have been retained, and there should be no noticeable difference in performance.

Please let me know if you have any problems viewing the new site

posted by Craig @ 2:34 AM

05/01/07 - Sale Photographic Society
Second Tuesdays

At the risk of being controversial may I reiterate that the Second Tuesday meeting/s as announced at the club and in previous emails, is NOT a vehicle for me to start a splinter group or a Wigan 10 style breakaway movement. The purpose in mind is simply an additional forum for appraisal / discussion of images in a non competitive situation. In a perfect world this would take place on Thursday Nights but as we are all aware there are other priorities. What I HOPE will come out of it is Threefold.

1.       Some Members will be helped and encouraged to enter their images which themselves might be improved using the constructive comments received at STMs

2.       The average standard and appeal of images entered in club competitions will improve over time.

3.       Our combined output for use in the L & CPU and other external competitions will also improve over time.

For those who dont know my photographic history, Sale PS was the first club I joined some 18 to 20 years ago, I have lost track. In spite of toying with dual membership at Sale & MAPS for a couple of years, My membership of Sale has never lapsed.

I have, for much of that time, been on the committee in various posts and I trust that my loyalty to the Society is not in question. I would like everyone to know that any decision I make or ideas I support regarding Sale PS at the AGM, In committee or at club meetings is ALWAYS based on what I believe to be in the best interests of Sale PS and definitely not my own self interest. For example, regarding reducing number of entries in quarterlies and the annual, lower numbers would make my life as Comp Sec. easier, however I did not support reduction of the numbers of entries because I believe it is not a problem and I like maximum diversity.

Enough said, but thank heaven we have this outlet to try to set the record straight. Nows your chance. !!!!!!

posted by KenM @ 9:43 PM

Craig said...
Thanks Ken for your posting.

The second Tuesday meetings are proving to be quite a contentious issue. I personally have no problem with the concept or aims of this as long as the principals behind it remain true - I think any moves towards a splinter group would be a real shame, and would not be in anyones best interests. However, Im sure this will not happen.

Im certainly not wanting to add fuel to any fires, however here is a thought - would the website and/or Flickr site not be an ideal place for the sharing and discussion of images?

Images can be uploaded for all members to view - in their own time.

Members can freely comment on individual images, and discussion threads can develop.

There would be no time restrictions or need for members to host the meetings.

The process would be an ongoing one, not just restricted to a few hours a month.

In my opinion this is exactly the sort of thing our web resources could and should be used for.

Saturday, 06 January, 2007

KenM said...
I aggree that the blog site could be used as a forum however I do not believe it can replace the actual viewing of a print which you can look closely at, decide if the mount is complementory and see the print quality which cannot be done on line. Also there are people who do not have access to the web or who choose not to use it. These people would be excluded and I want our club activities to be as inclusive as possible. Lets have both because in my view the more we see others pictures and the more opinions we get about ours, the better we will be at creating quality images both for our own appreciation and that of others.

PS. I cannot now use this website using my preferred browser which is Firefox. In order to access it properly I needed to use Explorer. (I use firefox for security purposes).

Sunday, 07 January, 2007

Craig said...
Fair enuff...will sort the Firefox issue out soon.

Monday, 08 January, 2007

04/01/07 - Annual Competitions
With the annual competitions looming I was wondering what the rules are with regards to forwarding entries to the LCPU competition. Do LCPU entries still need to be 20 x16. I understood that they had relaxed the size constraints.

posted by SPS @ 9:12 AM Comments: 2

KenM said...
Hi there,

My understanding is that the rules were relaxed in that You CAN enter smaller mounts (minimum 15 along one side) but that only 20 X 16 mounts would be considered for Exhibition and Possibly also for the folios. I checked with John E. our secretary and he seems to concurr. Cheers KM

Friday, 05 January, 2007

Dahol said...
If I can vary that slightly, my understanding is that the 15 minimum still stands as stated but these may be exhibited at the L&CPU but not retained for any folio. The idea of this was to save damage in the foilio boxes during transit.
Cheers.

Saturday, 06 January, 2007

29/12/06 - Fotosense.co.uk
I just thought Id let members know that I got good service from this vendor based in Bolton. I was after a Tamrac camera bag (RRP £50), and the cheapest I could find it online was from bristolcameras.co.uk at £35 + £5 Delivery.

Fotosense were offering it at £39.99 + £5 Delivery, but offered to price match like-for-like deals. When asked, they were happy to match the price, and I went down and picked it up from them, saving £5 postage and getting it same-day.

I had a chat with the guy that runs it and he said they are planning to do some open/demo days in the new year, to showcase supplier products, and also some practical studio sessions with models. I have signed up to their email newsletter and will post a blog entry as and when these events are confirmed.

posted by Craig @ 5:47 PM

23/12/06 - Advice, please
I have found some 25-year old snapshots which are very faded. Can anyone advise on their restoration, please? Levels shows that red is missing at both ends of the histogram, so restoring that and tweaking green and blue makes a vast difference. Further improvement comes from tweaking the colours in Curves. Are there any other dodges I should be using?

I shall go round with Clone later to remove little blemishes.
All suggestions welcome.
Merry Christmas!
Richard

posted by RichardP @ 3:43 PM

Dahol said...
Hi Richard
Adobe Lightroom is available as a Beta download and in the Library section has a colour recover setting that gives a lot of leeway to correct things. It may be helpful.
Cheers
Dave

Tuesday, 26 December, 2006

19/12/06 - Filters
Hi everyone,

Im thinking of getting some new filters and am looking to weigh up pros and cons between a square filter system (Cokin) and standard screw on (Hoya etc). Has anyone got any opinions on either?
I would want to be able to swap between lenses so interchangeability is needed and as far as I can tell it would either mean step-up rings (standard circular filters) or adapters (Cokin).

All comments welcome.

posted by Craig @ 7:51 PM Comments:

RichardP said...
Cant help, but wouild be interested in the answers.

Wednesday, 20 December, 2006

KenM said...
Hi there,
An interesting question which may come down to cost. In my opinion the quality is better with glass screw on filters, and here one would need to buy them in the largest size you are ever likely to use and acquire appropriate step up rings. However this falls down when using graduated filters which in the square filter system can be adjusted to the horizon etc for best effect. As someone who would tend only to use ND Grads and Polarizers I need both and have to admit I also need to buy more and larger Grads.
If you hear of any decent camera fairs, these used to be a good source of such items without breaking the bank.
However they seem to have virtually died out in this area. Good Luck. KM

Friday, 05 January, 2007

14/12/06 - Thanks Bill
Just a quickie to thank Bill Roberts for organising an excellent Christmas Do. It really went well, with good food and a good laugh which we all need from time to time.

posted by Dahol @ 4:31 PM

08/12/06 - New Wonder Camera
It looks like Alan B. has now added yet another camera to his bag. This is a state of the art, twin eyepiece digital camera with large monitor, SD card and onboard memory. The only problem, is it is only currently available in pink . These are in very short supply as everyone in the know has rushed out and bought them up.

OH! and the maker is that well known manufacturer FISHER PRICE!

We will now all have to save up to keep up with the latest technology.

posted by Dahol @ 5:20 PM Comments:

Alan B said...
I have to confess, its all true (had to order a red one from the USA), at the end it was a straight choice between Nikon and Fisher Price but the software from Fisher Price was the final decider!

I wonder, does it have a full frame sensor?

Saturday, 09 December, 2006

04/12/06 - Autumn Trip
November in the Lake District

Once again we were lucky enough to spend our Autumn weekend break at Esk View. Members who had been there before were delighted to see the additions and improvements to what had already been a warm and inviting, well equipped house.

The journey to Eskdale on Friday 3rd November, was very promising, with bright sunshine to set off the Autumn colours. Our spirits rose, and we were in and out of the car, especially on the last lap of our journey, across Birker Fell. No doubt the other members of the group who came via the Wrynose and Hardknot passes, found the views equally breathtaking, and the road a little more hair raising.

Liz was the first to arrive and was still recovering from the rigours of the drive up when we arrived half an hour later. But, you did it, Liz!

We were less brave when the owner appeared to give us her orders. We tried to persuade her to wait for Ken, but she decided we were suitable material to be ordered about, and so that is what she did. No shoes inside the house, remember, no smoking, (as if!), all breakages to be paid for, put the rubbish out on Sunday: but an extra half hours grace on Monday morning. We were allowed to stay until ten, instead of 9.30., giving us a whole extra half hour to return the house to its pristine state. However, all was forgiven when we discovered the tins of buns and cake she had left for us.

When all fifteen members had arrived we were able to enjoy a leisurely drink, except for John E, who was busy unloading all the food into the brand new enormous fridge, and the freezer. We all admired the two brand new dishwashers, and the two new cookers, though John and Pat seemed to be the ones who were to spend most time with them! Some of us were even lucky enough to have new beds and super cosy quilts in our rooms. Top marks to the owner for investing in her guests comfort.

On the Friday evening we had a good meal at the local pub, thoughtfully booked in advance by Ken. Our way to the pub was well lit by Keiths multimillion voltage lamp, putting Lizs puny headlamp to shame.

The weekend followed its usual course, so did the weather. Although it did not actually rain, it was very dreary, limiting the photography a little, but there are always church interiors (and coffee shops). We had a digital AV show on Saturday night, thanks to Dave for organizing that, and were very impressed with some hot off the press photos of the lakes by Edward. Hope he will put some of these in competitions and give some people a run for their money.

Sunday was also dreary, but we did get out in the fresh air. Cy even got his foot out, we were told, leaving his boot behind him in the mud more than once. The meal on Sunday evening became a little hysterical, we were all under the influence of the bubbly brought by Janet and Liam to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Congratulations, you two.

The entertainment of the evening began close to fisticuffs as there was a heated debate over TV versus a slide show. Luckily, the slide show won, and we were very interested to see Pats record of her travels in Peru. It seemed like a lot of walking, and mainly up crooked stairs, but the pictures were well worth the effort, thanks Pat. We also saw the upmarket Eskdale Lodge shots that Mike had taken for advertising purposes. The place was hardly recognisable without the usual grinning locals.

We managed to be up and about in time on Monday, leaving the place tidy enough, we hope. Ken was left to deal with the visit of inspection by the owner, as we all beat a hasty retreat. And, naturally, as we progressed on our journey south, the weather improved and we were once again able to get some winning shots.

Well done, Ken, for doing the work and getting it booked, another successful trip, which we all enjoyed. And many thanks to John for the traditionally super food, not only the cooking on the premises, but also for the shopping and preparation that went on beforehand. We do appreciate your hard work, even though you say you enjoy doing it. Pat did sterling work as assistant cook, also quite a lot of the clearing up. And thanks to all the rest who helped out when and where they could. It doesnt half take a long time just to set the table for 15, not to mention filling and emptying the dishwashers! Oh, and thanks also to Liz, our resident health advisor. She knows what I mean!

Already the winning photographs are appearing in club competitions, well done John McN. We are now all looking forward to the planned week away next June in Alnmouth. Sounds like lots of puffin shots will be appearing in next years competitions, along with more pictures of Bamburgh castle, from even more unusual angles, we hope. Me, Ill just look forward to the crab sandwiches eaten overlooking the sea at Craster.

posted by joyceh @ 5:46 PM Comments:

Craig said...
Thank you Joyce for posting this piece about the last trip, it sounds like everyone had a great time.

Being so far unable to attend the club away trips, I found it to be particularly interesting, and I think this is exactly the sort of content we should be striving for on the website - I hope other club members will take your lead and start flexing their creative writing muscles :)

Monday, 04 December, 2006

28/11/06 - Photography Podcasts
There are now many Photography Podcasts available online, and the Podcasts broadcast by Martin Bailey are particularly interesting.

There are over 50 Podcasts available for download at www.martinbaileyphotography.com , covering all sorts of subjects and typically lasting approx 20 mins each.

posted by Craig @ 11:36 PM

23/11/06 - Photoshop Tutorials
A very good website to visit is by Ian Lyons who has a really good range of PDF lessons. Well worth a look. www.computer-darkroom.com/

posted by Dahol @ 6:30 PM

21/11/06 - Jessops
I can now confirm that Jessops in St Peters Square and in Deansgate will give the advertised 10% discount. Mind you, the guy in St Peters Square took a bit of convincing, and the one in Deansgate had to ask the Manager, but both agreed.

Thanks, Dave!

posted by RichardP @ 1:07 AM

20/11/06 - Mounting question
I have a question with regards to mounting for Merits.

The rules currently state the following:-

The print must be backed with a suitable flush mounted backing board to prevent damage to other prints. The backing must have no exposed tape.

With this in mind would it be valid to submit a print, whereby the entire back of the print and mount is the back of the print itself, if the print is flush to the edges? Rather than mount the print to the board, a mount board frame has been adhered to a print which has sufficient excess border space around the viewable image to allow it to be flush with the outside edge of the mount board frame. It is therefore flush, with no exposed tape and would not damage other prints.

As such will it be eligible for entry?

posted by Craig @ 1:44 PM Comments: 5

Dahol said..
I dont quite understand that Craig. What is the mountboard frame? The print and the mount do not have to be flush, as I understand it this will only apply to window mounts where it is the back of the mount that has to be covered to hide any tape or glue. If the print is stuck to the mounts surface it doesnt have to be flush.
Dont know if that helps?

Monday, 20 November, 2006

Craig said...
To clarify:-
I have a 12 x 10 print with a 1 inch border around each edge which gives a visible image size of 10 x 8
To this I have adhered a 12 x 10 mountboard frame with a bevel cut aperture of 10 x 8
The result is a 10 x 8 image with a mountboard frame, giving 12 x 10 overall, the back of which is the 12 x 10 print.
So its rigid and flush to frame but the back is the actual print.

Monday, 20 November, 2006

Dahol said...
I assume then that you are fixing the edge of the print to the back of the mount frame. If that is correct and no tape or glue is on the back of the print then that is OK. The only problem I can see with that is that the actual print is in danger of being more easily damaged with nothing protecting the back of it speacially ain the window area where it could be pierced. Hope that helps.
Cheers

Tuesday, 21 November, 2006

Craig said...
Thanks Dave, yes that is correct. You are right, with no backing the print itself could be damaged, but I have only had these printed for comp entries anyway, so its not a major concern.
Thanks for the feedback

Tuesday, 21 November, 2006

18/11/06 - Your Ideas Please
Hi all

As some will know, I have already arranged a Summer Trip to Grey Barns 16th June 2007. Unusually this is for a full week Sat. to Sat. There are still a couple of places available.

I Am trying to arrange a trip to a place near Symmonds Yat and in sight of Goodrich Castle for the Autumn (Better for colour in the Forest of Dean etc.) However I have not as yet fixed anything for the spring.

A recent show of hands indicated there were around 12 who would go on such a trip probably in March and I have toyed with going back to Keswick in a house called Bonshaw, but nothing definite, and this house sleeps 12 max. Any Ideas members may have will be given due consideration, but now its getting near Christmas better get on with it ASAP. I Know we would all prefer to be together so bear that in mind when making any suggestions. If we have to split into two groups its good to be close together or as probably in Autumn 07, in the same building. Let me know your thoughts!

Ken M

posted by KenM @ 8:32 PM

Dahol said...
Hi Ken
Did you have somewhere in mind around Kettlewell or Grassington in the past. That would make a nice change if you did.

Monday, 20 November, 2006

17/11/06 - Hello all at SPS
Hi everyone, it would seem I am now a contributor to our Blog site. Thanks to Craig who kindly sent me some instructions in plain English so I could log in and get going.

Whilst Im here may I add my thanks to all those who organised our 60th Anniversary evening. I for one was pleased to see those Ex SPS members who turned up and I join with others in the hope they will see fit to re-visit us in the near future.

Watch this space cos now Im in there will be no stopping me.

See Ya Ken M

posted by KenM @ 10:36 PM

60th Anniversary
Just a note to say what a really great night this was. Thanks are due to our guest speaker Judge Singer and to Bill Roberts the main organiser whose agenda was stuck to. Paul Bates did his usual excellent job with the AV show making something out of a lot old photos, memory lane wasnt in it. Everyone who brought food for the buffet and helped set it out and serve the food and drink also deserve our thanks, it really was a tremendous spread. Cy and Pat kept the evening moving along at a good rate so the finish was timed very well. The raffle was also a great success, Im not sure how much was made for the club but judging from the amount prizes donated and raffle tickets sold it will be substantial.

Finally, for me, one of the high points of the evening was the great attendance and seeing a lot of faces we havent seen for a while and the opportunity to chat during the interval. I hope we see some of them return as members.

posted by Dahol @ 4:40 PM

joyceh said...
Yes, a thoroughly enjoyable evening, full marks to all involved in organisation. Lovely to see faces from the past, hope some of them will become regular returners. Well done for time keeping, we seemed to have achieved the impossible and finished on time.

Saturday, 18 November, 2006

davekrammy said...
Just a note to say that my Father In LAW has reiterated how much he enjoyed last thursday evening and how he was extremely impressed with the portraits on show.

Sunday, 19 November, 2006

Craig said...
Thanks for organising the night Bill, and for providing entertainment during the raffle.

Monday, 20 November, 2006

14/11/06 - Pirelli Calendar Portal
For over 40 years the Pirelli Calendar has been a cult object, particularly amongst photographers, constantly redefining the rules of glamorous photography, year after year.

With the imminent launch of the 2007 calendar, I thought members may be interested in visiting :

http://www.pirellical.com/thecal/home.html

a portal devoted to The Cal which represents 42 years of photography history.

posted by SPS @ 1:19 PM

60th Anniversary Schedule
Chairmans address including welcome to and introduction of Judge Singer

Judge Singer
Presidents address
Food (about 45 minutes).
Paul Bates AV
Raffle
Chairmans closing address

Those who volunteered to come early & assist (& anyone else who didnt), please be there at 7:00

It was also decided to have a display of prints. All are requested to bring a few of your prints for display on the night.

posted by SPS @ 12:52 PM

02/11/06 - Reminder of Programme
There have been so many recent changes that a reminder might be useful.
Nov 9: Members Digital Presentations
Nov16: 60th Anniversary Celebration
Nov 23: L&CPU Documentary Folio - HAND in MERITS
Nov 30: Merits Comp - Shadows + Open - HAND in QUARTERLY SLIDES
Dec 7: Quarterly Slide Comp - HAND in QUARTERLY PRINTS
FRIDAY Dec 8th: Christmas Social
Dec 14: Quarterly Print Comp
Dec 21: Informal social gathering at the Eskdale
Dec 28: No meeting
posted by RichardP @ 11:27 AM

31/10/06 - Sale Photographic Society
Chairmans Report AGM 2006.

When just prior to the 2005 AGM, I was asked if I would agree to my name being proposed for the position of Chairman for 2006, I remember thinking, oh that sounds rather grand, Ill have a go at that. What I didnt realize was, that, apart from acting as referee at committee meetings and releasing the occasional throat from the clutches of several pairs of hands, the chairmans other main responsibility is ensuring that the club room is set up correctly for the type of meeting being held each week. So the title is really very apt, i.e. making sure that the right equipment such as print stands or projection equipment is set up and working, and, ----- wait for it,----- putting out the chairs!!!

So its not quite as grand as at first appeared and I also have to thank our president Pat Holmes and vice chairman Bob Heaton, who are both aware that the room does not magically set itself up each week and who regularly provide extra hands to put the room in order. To them I offer my grateful thanks for their help week in and week out.

Every one of us have the opportunity to play a part in the working of the club and its worth asking ourselves, what can I do for the club, what talent do I have that will help move the club forward.

There are many examples of this. Ken Matthews, apart from his committee work and caustic wit at meetings, organises long weekends away for club members twice a year with excellent accommodation and very low prices. In the last three years we have been to Alnmouth in the North East, to Keswick and Eskdale in the Lakes, Brecon in South Wales and later this week to Eskdale once more.

John Earnshaw apart from being an excellent administrator in his position as club secretary is also a good cook and organises the meals at the weekends away. He also from time to time arranges club hikes for those who enjoy the open air and thus provides members with further photo opportunities.

Joyce Hollows makes sure that we have all the necessary ingredients for the tea/coffee and biscuits break each week and as a result provides a regular source of extra income for club funds.

Dave Hollows regularly uses his experience both as a keen photographer and L&CPU judge, to provide us all with valuable and incisive comments when judging club competitions, with comment that we can all use to improve our own work.

Richard Parish and David Kramrisch dabble in the black art of syllabus production to ensure a good mix of club entertainment throughout the year.

Bill Roberts is our very own party animal, organizing this years Christmas Doo and 60th anniversary celebrations.

The club has a website which until recently was developed by Dave Leeming who has recently passed this duty on to Craig Stowell.

Our now retired tax inspector, Mike Bannister has done a sterling job as treasurer of the club for many years now and has created excellent slide shows for our entertainment on the weekends away.

There are several members who have organised outings to places of interest because of their knowledge of a certain area, or who have a particular passion such as Railways, Horse events, Motorcycle and Speedboat racing, enabling them to organise a trip of special interest for the benefit of other club members.

My contribution has been to organise regular exhibitions at the Sale Library Exhibition Hall after each quarterly and annual competition in an effort to take the club to the public and attempt in the process, to attract new members by displaying existing members work.

In a brief summary like this its not possible to mention everyone and if I have missed you from the list, please know that every contribution however small is much appreciated.

I believe that we have a very special club here in Sale. The membership is very friendly and there are no cliques as are often found elsewhere. If anyone needs help to improve their work in any way there is always plenty available from within the membership and if you are a new member or beginner, dont be afraid to ask for any help that you may need, everyone is approachable and will be happy to help.

On that positive note I conclude this report.
Posted by Cy Newton @ 5:03 PM

Support your website!!
Hi everyone,

As you may or may not be aware I have agreed to take over the responsibility for maintaining and developing the SPS website, from Dave Leeming.

Going through the handover this evening, it was immediately apparent to me how under-utilised this resource actually is. A lot of effort has clearly gone into creating the site and as a combination of Weblog (blog) and Photo library (Flickr) it serves a number of important purposes e.g.

Promoting the existence of the Society online (a number of new members/visitors this year found out about us through the website primarily).

Providing online access to useful information (Syllabus, Competition rules etc)
A message-board for the posting of news, updates, interesting stories, articles etc
A forum for discussion, comments, expression of opinion etc
A gallery for the viewing/posting of members images
A revenue generating tool for the society (Adsense)

Much has been said about driving the club forward, and ensuring SPS is positioned to meet the needs of existing and future members, and I believe the web site is one of the key ways we can do this. In many respects the website is an extension of the club itself, and ultimately requires ongoing input from members in order to grow and develop.

With this in mind, I would like to request that you all take a fresh look at the current website and ask yourselves How can I contribute? - Is there a photo in the gallery that you would like to comment on? Have you read an interesting article online that you would like to share with other members? If you are planning a trip out with your camera, maybe another member would be interested in joining you? If, because of time constraints, you were unable to get your message across on Thursday night, or even want to re-iterate what was said - please, use the site!!

If everyone could contribute something, just once a month, I am sure we would all see the benefits.

Id like to say thanks to Dave L for the sterling job hes done with the site so far, and I will do my best to ensure the site continues to develop and hope it becomes an invaluable part of SPS.

Cheers,

Craig

posted by Craig @ 1:39 AM

Dahol said...
Whole-hearted agreement Craig. Good luck in your efforts I think we all need to support the site not just the same old few.

Tuesday, 31 October, 2006

08/10/06 - Small Change of Plan
All

Tony Redford is not with us for a few weeks so Its going to be a Double Dave Digital Demo.

I have been asked by quite a few of our newer members about the basics, so I will be demoing how to load pics, convert them from Raw and play with them simply in Photoshop, resize and try to fend off - er.. I mean answer any questions with the help from the gang. The 35mm vs. digital debate continues.....

I will also be talking about and demoing a few prints from Commercial Printers. This is bound to spark some heated discussion from the home printers!

Then after the break, as we missed out a month or so ago, its over to Dave Hollows for Sunny America using Pro-Show Gold. An AV presentation well worth waiting for.

See you Thursday

posted by davekrammy @ 9:50 PM

04/10/06  Knee-How
Hello from China. Weather been good, but very hazy. Not got lost yet and seen some amazing sights. Half way through our journey but still lots to see and do. Lots of different beers but none like Lancaster Bomber; but at 50p a pint you cant complain. Food superb; not had to resort to KFC or McDonalds once. In fact I now use chopsticks like a native. Photos in RAW so not able to load any up. More to tell but that will have to be at the Eskdale in a few weeks time.
Regards Dave & Adele.

posted by SPS @ 3:32 AM

Alan B said...
Very pleased to hear it but...how do you drink beer with chopsticks?

Im sure Gary can convert raw to jpeg if T-Mobile can send the same picture twice (once as landscape & one as portrait format)

Enjoy the rest of your hols.

Didnt get as much as I expected for your car but had lots of fun driving through the speed cameras.

Wednesday, 04 October, 2006

Dahol said...
Is that Knee-How or Knee-High?
Glad your both having a good time.

Sunday, 08 October, 2006

30/09/06 - Membership Cards
I have been asked to say what the advantages of membership cards are.
Apart from a form of identity, you can get 10% discount at Jessops stores for Jessops own brand items, paper, film etc. You can also get a variable discount at the camera shop in Altrincham by showing it and asking for a discount. It has worked Joyce and myself. If anyone knows of other places please put on the site.
Whilst on the subject, anyone who has not had the photo for the card taken can if they wish forward me a small digital file of a self portrait to may email address dhollows@ntlworld.com and I will do one for them

posted by Dahol @ 11:40 AM

29/09/06 - A Great Turnout
What a good turnout last night, 28.09.06.
Not only were the numbers good but the number of entries for selection was quite a surprise also. Although some DISCUSSION took place about the selection process in the end I dont think that anyone could say it was undemocratic. Whether it was the right selection only time will tell but at least the whole club was involved.
All it needs now is a good turnout at MAPS on the 3.10.06 to support the entry at the battle. Good luck.

Dave

posted by Dahol @ 3:19 PM

19/09/06 - Sally Mann Profile

Last night BBC4 broadcast a profile of controversial American Photographer Sally Mann - If anyone is interested in seeing it I have recorded it on VHS. The sound is very poor, but it was an interesting programme nonetheless.

posted by Craig @ 5:11 PM

02/09/06 - Syllabus Changes
Amendments to the remaining syllabus for 2006 have been formalised. The details can be found by clicking the link below....
Thanks to the syllabus team for resolving the conflicting dates.....

posted by SPS @ 7:01 PM

26/08/06 - The lengths some people will go to....
Some people will do anything for a great shot. Case in point:-
http://www.flickr.com/... .../216200392/in/set-72157594222213140
Read the photographers description below the shot, then look at the second picture in the sequence:-
http://www.flickr.com/... .../217713707/in/set-72157594222213140/
I wonder if Ansel Adams ever went this far?

posted by Craig @ 12:09 AM

25/08/06 - Change of Programme - August 31st
Alan Ross is not available so Steve Lewis will entertain us with  Private Views of Snowdonia - prints connected with his new book. I believe that Steves previous visits have been much enjoyed.

posted by RichardP @ 1:57 AM

21/08/06 - BBC Competition – ends soon!
BBC1s The One Show (weeknights 6.55pm) has been running a wildlife photography competition with photos being displayed on BBCi (press red button on your digital remote) between 7pm-8pm daily.

There is a prize for the winning photo of a top of the range camera (presumably digital), and the closing date is Monday 4^th September. Submissions can be uploaded to a specific Flickr Group or emailed directly to the Beeb.

For more details and submission info see

http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/photocomp

posted by Craig @ 2:08 PM

SPS said...
Before submitting any of your treasured images please read some of the discussion threads. In particular the one discussing the rules on copyright and attribution. You have been warned.

Monday, 21 August, 2006

19/08/06 - Airport Panel and Graham Shaw
Just a line to say that I think that sufficient people entered the panel competition to make it a worthwhile first part to the evening. The standard of the entry was very good and the winners well deserved and the marks for the first three were extremely close.

I think Graham is to be congratulated on his succinct and positive comments on the panels.

The second half of the evening belonged to Graham alone with a show of very high quality images of the Gower region. As someone who has never been there I was amazed at the beauty of the area and how peaceful it was in April. It now has made Joyce and myself want to add it to the list of places we still have to visit. Thanks again Graham

posted by Dahol @ 4:30 PM

13/08/06 - Panel competition followed by a 35mm slide presentation by Graham Shaw
Hello All

After a fantastic evening with Christine Widdall last Thursday who showed us some superb mono prints and then gave us a digital slide presentation & informative tutorial, this Thursday is going to be another split between Prints & Slides.

Part 1 - Prints:
Referring to the 2006 Syllabus, the judge for yourself panel competition is for 5 prints.
As confirmed from Thursday, the prints can be any size but need to be mounted on a 20 by 16 board. Though I do remember only entering 4 prints on a 20 by 16 board last year……

Coffee / Tea Break

Part 2 - 35mm Slides:
Graham Shaw has very kindly offered a slide presentation that is entitled The Gower, its Cliffs & Castles from the beautiful area west of Swansea.
Graham has presented before and we always look forward to seeing his pictures.

Graham is also preparing a Photo Hikes presentation evening in association with Roland Asquith for sometime in 2007 and we look forward to that as Roland has also presented previously.

Look forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

PS - If anyone else would like to prepare and show a picture presentation (any format is OK) in 2007 please let Richard Parish or myself know as we will endeavour to make available slots in the 2007 syllabus.

posted by davekrammy @ 12:02 PM

07/08/06 - 21st century monochrome
Hello All Again !
Just to confirm that Christine Widdall is with us this Thursday evening.
Christine will be enlightening us all on monochrome in the 21st century.
The first half will be prints with the second half using Adobe Photoshop CS2 on our laptop and the digital projector.
Christine is a member of one of the oldest photographic societies in the UK, Oldham Photographic Society, which was founded in 1867 when photography was in its infancy. She has held most offices there over the years, with her third term as President in 2004-5.
Photography has now become a major part of her life, as an exhibitor locally, nationally and internationally and also as a lecturer and judge in the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union, where she also serves as Hon. General Secretary.

The evening should be most entertaining.

Please also have a look at her website www.widdall.dsl.pipex.com/artemis

Non-members welcome - £1-50

Best Regards and see you on Thursday.

posted by davekrammy @ 10:31 PM

Alan B said...
Its good to have a lecturer again, especially one of Christines quality. Hopefully we can enjoy her presentation without the usual inane* interruptions made by some members of the audience when other members are doing their part, be it judging or presenting.

* http://www.thefreedictionary.com/inane

Tuesday, 08 August, 2006

joyceh said...
Yes,it is always interesting and enjoyable when someone of Christines calibre comes either to judge or to give a lecture. Hope we have a good turnout on Thursday. Let us also hope that all members of the audience are able to listen, without feeling the need to express their own opinions,unless, of course, Christine invites them to do so. No doubt she will leave time for comments, or questions,at the end of her lecture.

Wednesday, 09 August, 2006

davekrammy said...
Magnificent Monochrome from Christine!

I know we all enjoyed the evening and I will ask her to visit us next year as she has another two demo lectures in her repertoire.

I for one am looking at how to make some more of my images monochrome.

Regards

David

Saturday, 12 August, 2006

Dahol said...
I totally agree it was a great evening and does show what mono prints can be done on an inkjet. Having the iodeas in the first place is the big problem. Hope you can get her again.

Sunday, 13 August, 2006

davekrammy said...
I have booked Christine again, for roughly the sime time of year.

Tuesday, 15 August, 2006

05/08/06 - Merits Update
Following the merits competition last Thursday, Open & Modern Architecture; judged by Cy, the current overall standings in the competition can be viewed in the pdf document located in the sidebar.

posted by SPS @ 12:31 PM

joyceh said...
Well done,Cy. An excellent judge,concise comments, constructive criticism, and you finished on time, more or less!

Sunday, 06 August, 2006

24/07/06 - Sale Photographic Society
Hello All

Its Digital evening time again.
In a fun packed programme for Thursday we have various activities in response to questions and queries from some members:
Part 1:

A 30 min Digital Presentation of Joyce & Daves Holiday (sunny part) in the USA.
A quick few notes about Pro Show Gold vs. Photo To Exe for Digital Presentations.
A quickie reminder about how to resize photos for emailing purposes or inserting onto the blog website.
- Coffee / Tea Break - Ken has promised to bring some special biscuits.

Part 2:
Digital Downloaders / Portable Viewing Devices. – Please can everyone who has one bring them along so that we can compare & contrast. E.g. usefulness, cost etc.

Look forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

Remember that you need to click here to download the Merits form and complete it to enter your prints on Thursday for the merits competition next week

posted by davekrammy @ 10:53 PM

SPS said...
So... in summary and as a final assessment... the evening, all things considered, was both informative and entertaining. A good night overall. Well done Dave

Friday, 28 July, 2006

Alan B said...
in the final review, overall, with hindsight, the evening was both enlightening and pleasurable.
I particularly enjoyed the reception given, in kiddies corner, to the use of entry forms.
Thanks Dave, a good night.

Friday, 28 July, 2006

14/07/06 - Autumn Weekend Away
Unfortunately Kens illness prevented his attendance at last nights competition but I understand that preparations for his next weekend away are at an advanced stage. His secret was given away by the sign-writers recently been spotted in Whitby.
I am sure that Ken will reveal full details on his return to good health.

posted by Alan B @ 7:31 PM

Page Changes
The more observant of you may have noticed the addition of a search function in the side bar. This is Google search and will return a list of search matches in a new web page. If you click through any of the search results we get some dosh in our adsense account. I do not know what level of income this will provide, it depends on how much it is used!!!!

Also at the bottom of the side bar you will find a button that links to a Firefox download. Each time a download is effected, to a different PC/user, we get more money. So if you have any family members or friends looking to replace their dodgy Internet Explorer get them to use the button and earn us some cash.

posted by SPS @ 11:04 AM

Alan B said...
Downloaded it and played with it, it seemed quicker than Microsoft but they didnt seem too happy when I went to their updates page, which seem to do more and more these days, and had to revert to Explorer to pick their downloads.

ps spooky that the first bookmark (favourite)is now calydel.com, Im sure its just a trick of the alphabet.

Saturday, 15 July, 2006

Dahol said...
I will try and download it again, I already have it on the machine but I admit I rarely use it. i have Window washer and it does not like it.Amazing how calydel gets everywhere?

Saturday, 15 July, 2006

Dahol said...
come to think of it I cant see the Firefox button now. Has it been taken away?

Saturday, 15 July, 2006

08/07/06 - Internal Competition Entry Forms
Following a recent committee decision all internal competition entries are to be accompanied by a completed entry form. The forms will be available from the information table at club meetings and can be downloaded here using the links below.

posted by SPS @ 10:46 AM

Dahol said...
What a good idea and it will save any confusion over future entries?

06/07/06 - Lecture by Andrew Brochwicz-Lewinski ARPS
Andrew Brochwicz-Lewinskis talk on his three year stay in Moscow held the attention of his audience, in spite of the hot weather. Illustrated by his photographs, the lecture was full of interesting information and anecdotes, giving us an insight into life in Moscow in the mid -1990s.

He took us through the rigours of a Russian winter, the re-emergence of churches, and the remarkable return of long hidden icons. We saw photographs taken of the wedding of his Lada -driving chauffeur, at which vast quantities of vodka were consumed, and which seemed a lavish affair, particularly in view of the low pay, and shortages of commodities.

There was a contrast in the buildings, from the refurbished traditional style buildings, the newly re-emerged churches, whose icons had been reinstated after lying hidden for seventy years or more, to the huge buildings known as Stalins Teeth. We also saw the apartment buildings where the workers lived, many of them in very poor conditions.

We were shown pictures of the shops within containers, where no-one could ever be sure what would be available from one day to the next, maybe razor blades, maybe Hellmanns mayonnaise. We also saw the inside of the galleries of the huge GUM store, and the queue for McDonalds, with a three hour wait for fast food!

Andrew gave us an overview of the political situation during the period he was there, and the developments since that time.

The overall impression was one of contrast, change and development within Moscow and the wider Russian society. We were given the benefit of Andrews great knowledge and understanding of his subject, lightened with his dry asides. It is a long time since I have heard such an interesting speaker and I am sure that we all agreed with Cys comments at the end. If only we could have more lecturers of this calibre!

posted by joyceh @ 4:38 PM

Alan B said...
Totally agree, a well presented and interesting lecture matched only by the eloquence of Joyce, our resident wordsmith!

Friday, 07 July, 2006

Socrates said...
Joyce has hit the mood spot on. No great competition winning pictures but a totally absorbing evening.

Saturday, 08 July, 2006

25/06/06 - Presidents Evening 2006
Another inspired venue! Thanks to Pats organisation we visited the fascinating Staircase House in the centre of Stockport. I had no idea that so much history lay behind the prosaic exterior. Altogether, a very relaxed visit, with plenty of information from our guides, who encouraged us to look, touch and listen to the displays. We had an interesting insight into the history of one of Stockports oldest buildings. This was followed by dinner at the Old Rectory, excellent value for money at two meals for the price of one. Once again Presidents evening was interesting and satisfying, a good social occasion. What a shame that more of our members were not able to join us for this excellent outing. Many thanks to our President, Pat, for arranging the event.

posted by joyceh @ 8:08 PM

23/06/06 - Presidents Night 2006
presidents night 5,
originally uploaded by Dahol.

Some pictures from the Presidents night are on my Flickr site. Click on the image to view them all. I dont think they will do much to attract new members unless they think its a witchcraft seminar?

posted by SPS @ 1:50 PM

14/06/06 - Thank you, Brian.
Brian, Many thanks for your interesting talk/demo last week. It is reassuring to know that there is more than one way to do use digital techniques, and that trial and error is a good way to learn. I shall approach Photoshop with more confidence from now on. Joyce Hollows

posted by joyceh @ 5:46 PM

29/05/06 - Jags Dont Do Country
Another exciting trip by some intrepid explorers from the society. This time the venue was a steam rally at Chipping, near Preston. Due to the poor weather and soft ground there were not many steam engines present and the highlight of the afternoon was the extraction of the Jag from where it had sunk. This is a jag in a field picture rather than cow.

posted by SPS @ 12:29 PM

Dahol said...
This could start a whole new trend!!

Tuesday, 30 May, 2006

joyceh said...
Could this be used in the Age competition?
Has the driver entered that certain period of his life?

Tuesday, 30 May, 2006

Alan B said...
I think youll find that the driver entered that period of his life some years ago and got lost there, not able to remember;

how he got there and
where he was going in the first place!

Thursday, 01 June, 2006

23/05/06 - Forget The Rain - Send Out Suncream
Hi, the last two days have been warm and sunny and we have seen some great scenes around Mystic and Newport. Looking forward to Cape Cod next. See you all next week.

Joyce and Dave

posted by Dahol @ 1:45 AM

19/05/06 - Send boats and wellies
Hi from Vermont and New England. Today we saw the sun for the first time in 10 days.

We had 6 inches of rain in Boston followed by a total of 12 inches in Portland, Maine.
There were flooded side roads before we moved on to New Hampshire and then into Vermont. The coast had a total of 15 inches of rain, burst rivers, broken dams and the main coastal highway closed. So no photos. Do you think this is the rainy season? The weather forecast keeps saying it will clear in 2 days but they are as accurate as at home.
Otherwise lots of covered bridges and white churches. See you soon with a slightly rusty look.
Cheers

Joyce and Dave.

posted by Dahol @ 1:00 AM

SPS said...

You can take solace in being the first international blogger....

Monday, 22 May, 2006

14/05/06 - May 25th & June 1st
The meeting on June 1st (listed as a Members Evening) will now be Out and About in Sale - an opportunity to go into Sale and take images suitable for entry in the Festival Competition.

There should be enough light to allow photography until about 8.45. Those wishing to hunt in a pack might assemble in the Waterside plaza at 7.45, others may proceed independently.

Please note that Gordon Batley is not now available for May 25th as advertised. A revised programme will, we hope, be circulated ASAP. If you know of any visiting speakers who would come at this short notice then please email or phone.

David K & Richard

posted by davekrammy @ 11:16 AM

10/05/06 - Professional Printing
The links below are to the various price lists discussed by David last week together with his presentation.

Daves Presentation
Loxley Prices
Peak Imaging Prices
Jessops Prices
posted by SPS @ 8:22 PM

05/05/06 - Digital evening
Many thanks to all concerned, including Richard and David K., for an enlightening evening. What a wealth of talent we have within the club! I am sure I am not the only member to learn from their input. Probably bite sized pieces like this are easier to learn from than longer sessions on one subject. For a slow learner, like me, anyway.

posted by joyceh @ 4:23 PM

04/05/06 - Short Photoshop Tutorials
Hi. I came across these the other day all bar 1 are less than5 minutes long and easy to follow.

1.http://www.prophotosecrets.com/ecourse/huesat1/huesat1.html
2.http://www.prophotosecrets.com/ecourse/huesat2/huesat2.html
3.http://www.prophotosecrets.com/ecourse/chaircol/chaircol.html
4.http://www.prophotosecrets.com/ecourse/addcolbw/addcolbw.html
5.http://www.prophotosecrets.com/ecourse/dropshad/dropshad.html
6.http://www.prophotosecrets.com/ecourse/whiteyes/whiteyes.html
7.http://www.prophotosecrets.com/ecourse/wedding/wedding.html

Well worth a visit.
Cheers

posted by Dahol @ 5:38 PM

PRIORITY MESSAGE
Thursday June 1st is marked as a Members Evening - You Decide - Let Us Have Your Suggestions
I suppose that David K and I are us and we NEED YOUR SUGGESTIONS

This is the one evening in the year when you can have just what you want !!!
Please use the COMMENT box to tell us, otherwise well be in the pub by 8.10 (now theres a thought).

posted by RichardP @ 1:56 PM

21/04/06 - Sale Festival Photographic Competition
Sale Festival Committee has decided to run a photographic competition as part of this years festival celebrations. For some reason, that I have not yet figured out, Mike Bannister and myself are organising the competition on behalf of Sale Festival. The competition is open to all members of the public but we hope that as members of Sale Photographic Society you will all feel obliged to enter. The theme of the competition is Aspects of Sale and the focus should be on the richness and splendour of the Borough with particular reference to its people, its architecture and its artistic & recreational culture.

posted by SPS @ 5:32 PM

Digital Evening - May 4th
....But Were Afraid to Ask

An evening to provide basic and more advanced information about all aspects of digital photography. A Panel of speakers will give short presentations and will then take Questions from the floor.

1. Shoot-and-Point and Beyond - Getting the Best from Your Camera - John Earnshaw
2. Digital Darkroom – Transferring images to the PC and Essential Processing - Dave Hollows
3. From PC to Paper – Professional Printing - Dave Kramrisch & DIY Printing - Cy Newton

IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF A FEW QUESTIONS COULD BE SUBMITTED IN ADVANCE

[either by a comment here or by email to rparish@btinternet.com]

Thanks
Richard and Dave

posted by RichardP @ 1:18 AM

davekrammy said...
I used Peak Imaging last week.

One word - Excellent!

Summary:

Easy to use internet downloadable application
Credit card number accepted on secure server
5 no. 15 by 10 cost £15 plus £3 p&p
5 day return time in strong round cardboardtube.
Prints were on gloss paper and super quality.
I will show some on May 4. (Some will have to wait for comps)

I have just used Loxley
Harder to interface to
I need to phone CCard details separetely
Not had the prints back yet.
Will keep you posted

David Kramrisch

Sunday, 23 April, 2006

09/04/06 - Sale Photographic Society

Update to Story in Three Pictures Competition Rules

A potential entrant, anxious to effect economies, has asked whether three prints could be entered on a single mount.
I can see no objection to this, provided that the three are all colour OR all monochrome, and that the order in which they should be viewed is obvious.

posted by RichardP @ 5:38 PM

Dahol said...
Thanks for that Roger.

Monday, 10 April, 2006

31/03/06 - Brecon weekend away
A weekend in the Brecon Beacons with Sale Photographic Society

Our spring weekend away this year was to the Brecon area, a place where I had never been before. I was looking forward to it, as I had often heard of the outstanding beauty of that part of Wales.

The drive down took us along winding quiet roads, through gently rolling hills, and all of it lit by bright sunshine. We arrived at our accommodation, and were pleased with what we found. The only drawback was that our group of fourteen was split between two houses, within 200 yards of each other, instead of sharing one larger house. Not really a problem, except that, with only seven in each house, mealtimes were much more civilised events. And fewer people cluttering up the kitchen must have made life easier for John and Kate, who undertook the catering in their respective houses, with a little help from galley slaves as needed.

This time Ken had surpassed himself. He has taken us to many beautiful places on our weekends away, but the next day, as we looked down from a viewpoint high above the Usk valley, we both agreed that this was probably the most spectacular. Well done, Ken! Hed even got the weather right, for once. The spring-like sunshine was a bonus. Our weekends usually take place in a steady downpour interspersed with spells of heavy drizzle. Not so this weekend. We returned to our warm and comfortable accommodation, to enjoy another of Johns super meals.

We tucked into a delicious oriental first course, but our main course was somewhat delayed by a very dramatic fire in the kitchen, the details of which need not be disclosed here. Luckily, some quick thinking averted what could have been a hideous tragedy, and as we escaped outside into the freezing air, to avoid inhaling too much of the thick black smoke, we began to see the funny side.

So, having cleaned up, we continued our meal, and the party from the other cottage joined us for an evening of digital presentations shown on the clubs new equipment. Plenty of wine was consumed, and by the time we went to bed, our friends had staggered off to their accommodation through the beginnings of a snowstorm.

Imagine our delight the next morning to find that the magnificent view of the Brecon Beacons was a snow-covered wonderland. Our initial excitement was somewhat dampened by the realization that the thick layer of snow over the previous days ice had made the narrow, winding access lane almost impassable.

However Sale photographers are a resourceful bunch so, after a hearty breakfast, we set about making the most of the photo opportunities presented by the snow. Our next merits competition has the set subject of Minimalism, and soon the fields around us were scattered with bodies lying or kneeling in the snow, taking advantage of every clump of grass, or twigs, poking up through the snow. Catkins with icicles, footprints, tyre tracks, drifts of snow in tree roots, the intrepid Sale Photographers missed nothing. I only hope that other peoples efforts turned out better than my own!

The more energetic club members went for invigorating walks in the snow, whilst the rest of us lazed around on the sofas, reading or watching the rugby on television, whiling away the day very easily. It was a rare opportunity for some of us to do absolutely nothing.

Late in the afternoon, Ken and John drove out to see if the road was passable, and to pick up a few extra supplies. We had mixed feelings when they returned with a thumbs-up, to tell us the road was open. Sadly, we realised that there would be no excuse not to leave as planned the following morning.

Once again, Kate fed her hungry band, John fed us, and we shared another evenings entertainment. This time we had a slide show of Pats trip to Porto Rico, a far cry from the scenes we had experienced during the day. A little more drinking brought the evening to a slightly noisy conclusion.

And then it was time to clear up and set off home. Several of us took the opportunity to drive around the Elan Valley, a magnificent sight in summer, we were told. Covered in snow, it was breathtaking, if a little dangerous. As the sky became darker, more snow began to fall, and we thought it wise to drive out, slowly, as the road was slippery, due to frozen snow. There was a real danger, too, that we might accidentally run over one of the many sheep, which merged in so well with the snow that they were barely visible. It was here that we caught sight of several red kites, which thrive in that area.

The drive home was dreary and dark, quite the opposite of our drive down on the previous Friday, when we had seen the landscape at its spring-like best. We were quite glad to arrive back in snow-free Sale. But we are, as usual, thankful to Ken, the organiser, and John and Kate who fed us so well. We look forward to our next trip. Any ideas, yet, Ken?

posted by joyceh @ 4:17 PM

18/02/06 - Portland Bill - Graham Shaw
Portland Bill - Graham Shaw,
The award winning images from the Annual Slide Competition can be viewed by clicking on Grahams picture shown here. This image was judged First in the open section and also selected as Best Landscape. Congratulations to Graham and the other members with winning images.

posted by SPS @ 9:24 PM

09/02/06 - Sea France Competition
Chef, Congratulations to Richard Parish, for success in a competition recently organised by Sea France and France Magazine. Submitted images had to be taken in France (naturally), and had to illustrate one of the five senses. Over 750 images were entered in total, and Richard came top in the Taste category with his picture of a chef at the wine festival in Châteauneuf du Pape last summer. His prize includes a free Channel crossing and a bottle of champagne. Click the image to see more detail.

posted by SPS @ 9:18 AM

01/02/06 - Sale Photographic Society
Story in Three Pictures Merits Competition
Since this is a rather unusual category for the Merits Competition it might be helpful to spell out the rules which the Judge (me) will be following.

The Open Section will, of course, be as usual: up to four prints and/or slides per entrant, no prints or slides which have previously won a Merits competition, points out of 10.

1.       A single entry for the Story Section should consist of a set of three prints (colour or monochrome) or three slides, which together tell a Story. Entries in which images tell different stories will not be considered.

2.       Up to two entries may be submitted in each category (monochrome prints, colour prints, slides), i.e. a maximum of eighteen images per entrant.

3.       Each set of images must be the same size and type (e.g. all A4, all black and white), but may differ in orientation if necessary.

4.       Each set of images must be given an appropriate title, consistent with the Story. Inappropriate titles will be penalised.

5.       The order in which the images are to be shown must be clearly indicated.

6.       Entries will be judged principally on the effectiveness of the three images in telling the Story. Artistic merit will be of secondary importance and used mainly for tie-breaking.

7.       Points will be awarded out of a total of 15 in each category.

posted by RichardP @ 2:28 AM

27/01/06 - Stained Glass
Welcome to Liam. Another member to join the Flickr/Blogger community. Click to see more of Liam excellent images

posted by SPS @ 4:45 PM

25/01/06 - SPS Photo Cabinet in St Marys Church
We really must do something about this. Keith used to do it and was one of the drivers to having the cabinet installed in the first place. However no new pictures have been put in for months.

One of the committee needs to pick the job up, or at least find some other willing member to do it.

For those who do not know, what is involved is putting a picture in the cabinet every month that has some relation to a bible quotation. The quotation list is quite extensive and has been provided by the church.

Pictures can be chosen from one of our competitions or by speaking to potential authors.

Any offers ??

posted by Socrates @ 12:25 AM

23/01/06 - Sale Photographic Society
Syllabus2007-onwards and upwards !

Last Tuesday night, Richard Parish and I met up to discuss our thoughts for the Syllabus for 2007 and we also discussed several ideas that had been mooted by various members on how members may want the society to be steered to ensure survival and growth.

I hope we can discuss them at the next committee meeting and at the E.G.M. type meeting prior to Richard & I setting the 2007 syllabus as some of the topics require effort & thought to organise.

Im sorry that I tend to miss out on meeting in the Eskdale Pub after the meetings but work beckons early the next day and unfortunately do not have as much free time as some.

The pub does seem to be the place where good discussions can take place due to the short length of time for coffee/tea break. Richard was saying that last week there was indeed some good discussion in the pub, where John E thought that people might want more how to take photographs evenings, going out for practical sessions, or how to get the best out of your (digital) camera. This is in line with our thinking too. Dave H also suggested that the last Digital evening of the year (Nov 2) could contain Members Pictures To Exe presentations, about 5 minutes per person, perhaps with discussion and even voting for best.

We realise that there are about 13 to 15 weekly slots to fill for the year that are not already taken by competitions etc. We discussed that there does need to be more discussions on how to take good photos (what light, what lenses, good hints and tips) and just what is it and what does the photographer do that makes one photo stand out from others.

We have absolutely no intention of alienating anyone but the question has to be / is being asked as to what percentage of the members are using what methods (35mm prints, 35mm slides, digital prints and now is there room in the merits / quarterlies for digital slides using programs such as picstoexe).

For example as a relative novice, Im not very good with traditional slide film but with a bit of help from rawshooter/photoshop/picstoexe I can produce reasonable digital slides. The competition would be fair as most people will have / can have that software to make an even playing field.

Can we make more use of the laptop & digital projector? Could we do digital slides for merits? Does this need an EGM?

Four more evenings could be catered for as part of the 2007 syllabus by the week after the quarterly comps, the winners saying what they did to achieve their winning shots.

There could be practical session evenings both inside and outside:

Inside: Lets see each others equipment, cameras, light-meters lenses gadgets etc and help each other on how we faired with the kit and to use the kit to its best ability. Review and swap magazines as a library (For example I subscribe to Photography monthly because I feel practical photography is biased).

There may be members who are just about to buy new equipment and need practical help to see how members fair with their equipment.

Inside: For example I have now made a brief study on digital printing and could spend 10-15 mins or so on my experiences of the various shops used (bonusprint/truprint/klick/jessops) etc with costings/quality of print and service.

Inside: Macro work etc - Lets use our lights not just for portraits but see practically how the experts take photos and make use of the lighting. Just how did Dave H do his 3 roses for example?????

Outside - lets make use of the spring/summer/autumn evenings - There should be about 6-8 weeks where it stays light for us all to have some favourite places to visit in Greater Manchester / Cheshire area. Then either come back to the church for tea/coffee or some convenient meeting house/inn or use the Eskdale pub - Using the pub also saves on rental fees as long as the church does not mind too much.

Where do other photo societies visit in the area ?- I bet they have published calendar of events for ideas.

Of course there are always our favourite guest speakers who are most entertaining and informative (This is where I found out that other societies use the summertime light)

Richard & I also discussed the great benefits of the issue raised by Bill - Team merits competitions.

As stated on this blog site, whether these take over from individual comps or run alongside (e.g. 2 of each comp) needs to be discussed.

We reckoned that this idea needs to be moulded into a practical working solution and may take up to the order of say 3 months to finalise but here are some more ideas: Teams to be set up so that photos were discussed within a group prior to presentation X number of photos by teams could all be displayed on the boards and viewed by all members rather than being discussed slowly on a 1 by 1 basis which may be boring members and keeping them away.

Winning photos can be marked for not only individual recognition but also team recognition (Team A,B,C etc).

In order to balance out winning potential, committee members may need to be team captains ( E.g.: John E/Dave H/KenM/Cy N) etc

Could there sometimes be a longer tea/coffee break for members to discuss their views rather than the rush that it sometimes seems to be. This could be accommodated in the digital evenings where those evenings can be split into general or digital discussions or team prep for comps etc.

Anyway, enough of this long blog. Some food for thought & even more discussion.

posted by davekrammy @ 11:52 PM

19/01/06 - A Digital Alternative
Got an old 4x5 camera and an old working scanner. Then look here and make yourself a 115 Megapixel camera......
http://www.scannerphotography.com

posted by SPS @ 10:33 AM

Alan B said...
It is:
a) time to up your medication - or :
b) buy a very long power cable to do your landscapes on this new camera?

Saturday, 21 January, 2006

Dahol said...
And buy a 4x4 to carry it !!

Saturday, 21 January, 2006

17/01/06 - 2006 Merit Competitions
With thanks to the volunteers, the Judges for 2006 are:

30/03/06 Minimalism - Dave Leeming
18/05/06 Story in 3 Images - Richard Parish
03/08/06 Modern Architecture - Cy Newton
05/10/06 Sound - Dave Hollows

23/11/06 Shadows - Jonathan Hart
posted by Alan B @ 9:12 PM
Quarterly Print Exhibition a great success
The recent exhibition of members work from the last Quarterly competition was very successful in attracting new people to the club, so far we have had seven potential new members turn up to our meetings this time.

There were some initial problems with mounts being affected by the rather high temperature in the exhibition hall, but overall the viewing public appeared to very much enjoy the show.

I am currently trying to get permission to put on another exhibition, this time of our annual competition prints and would like to try and make it an even more effective recruitment tool by putting forward the suggestion that we man it on a daily basis for the two weeks that it will be on, with volunteers from the membership who may be retired or not working on a particular day.

The idea being that we would talk to people viewing the entries and if they are interested tell them a little about the club and invite them to attend our meetings. A friendly chat one to one and an informative leaflet and syllabus may provide the little extra incentive to people to find out more.

If you have any comments or would like to volunteer your services please let me know.

I will of course be a volunteer myself.

posted by Cy Newton @ 10:59 AM

13/01/06 - Disused Tin Mine
Newly introduced to the art of Blogging and the creation of a Flickr account we see the results of Mikes efforts. An excellent image which can be seen in greater detail by clicking on the image.

posted by SPS @ 9:24 AM

06/01/06 - Group Competitions
This is a suggestion that it is hoped will
a). Address the problem surrounding the lack of enthusiasm concerning the merits competitions;
b). Increase the numbers of club members who take photographs;
c). Assist those members who are anxious about submitting work as an individual.

THE FORMATION OF COMPETITIVE GROUPS

There will be no restriction upon the type or number of groups formed. e.g. Portrait, landscape, digital, record, natural history etc.

It is suggested that digital skills can be utilised in all groups, but the digital group would be used for the composition of pictures that are demonstrably digital in creation.

Members can join as many classes of group as they wish, but can join only one group within each class. Groups must consist of between two and five people.

Competitions between GROUPS will take place instead of the merit competitions between INDIVIDUALS.

Club members will have to decide:-

a) How many entries in total will be permitted in the competition.
b) The maximum number of individual entries permitted.

For instance: - Lets say members decide to allow 30 print and 30 slide entries per competition and that the maximum number of entries per individual will be 3 per discipline, (e.g. prints and slides.)

IF there are five groups formed, each group will therefore be permitted to enter six entries per discipline (i.e. 6 prints & 6 slides). However, no individual will be permitted to enter more than three entries per discipline. EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO INCLUDE ENTRIES FROM ALL MEMBERS OF EACH GROUP.

Should a member be part of more than one group, his/her individual permitted entries will, of course, be multiplied by the number of groups to which they belong.

All entries must be handed to the competition secretary one week prior to the competition. (S)he will number the entries. Each member present on the night of the competition will be given a sheet of paper upon which will be the names and numbers of all entries. The prints and slides will be shown in the normal manner. Each member will be asked to nominate his or her favourite print and slide by placing a tick against its name. The papers will be handed to the competition secretary whose task it will be to count the votes registered.

AFTER the results are announced, the group members will collect their work and one or more of the group members will be asked to give SHORT descriptions of the works voted 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the night.

THESE COMPETITIONS WILL BE GROUP COMPETITIONS, NOT INDIVIDUAL MEMBER COMPETITIONS. It follows, therefore, that points scored by INDIVIDUAL entries will be added to the GROUP overall score.

osted by Bill Roberts @ 8:15 PM

Dahol said...
Hi Bill
I think that anything that encourages members to enter competitions can only be a good thing.
I didnt quite understand the bit about classes of groups? Did that mean that if lots of members were interested in on group then that group would be split into smaller groups?
Another snag I can forsee is the question of trophies as three of them are alocated to Merits comps.
Would this replace merits comps as they stand?
Most things are worth a try.

Monday, 09 January, 2006

• Alan B said...
  A step in the right direction! Points to consider:
  
  Mono, is this a group or are these entries deemed to be part of the print entry.
  
  Should the minimum membership in any class be four even five? If too many classes are formed comprising of only two people, as three images are allowed per author, it would enable some members to submit all their work. If these members were already proficient in that subject then it would seem likely that their group would become the Wigan Ten of Sale. This may increase the effort put in by other to oust them or it may get people to move to other less well trod subjects.
  
  Hopefully these and other issues raised will be discussed and resolved not used as an excuse for the status quo.
  
  With regard to trophies, we have too many as it is and as some are long past their best, let the present holder of them keep them, or bin them, and reallocate the good ones. It will make the presentation section of the Annual Exhibition evening a little shorter.

Tuesday, 10 January, 2006

• RichardP said...
  [Got it right this time!]
  1) Didnt think that the merits were unpopular - didnt the AGM have to restrict entries (after having increased them the year before]?
  2) Bills idea is useful -it would be good to increase member participation and provide opportunities to learn from each other.
  3) Unclear how the classes/groups would operate. Would they be part of the normal Thursday-evening programme? At whar sort of frequency? Who would organise/chair a group?
  4) Would the competition points accrue to the individuals, as well as to their groups? As a new (old-age) member, I was (and am) invigorated by the effort of choosing and mounting competition prints and obtaining some points during the year.
  
  Look forward to an interesting discussion.

Friday, 13 January, 2006

Cy Newton said...
This blog mistyfies me for three reasons.

1) There were 57 prints and 41 slides entered in the last merit competition and the overall standard was excellent. Also the turnout of members attending on the evening in question was high. So where do you get the idea that there is a lack of enthusiasm for merits.

2) All entries into club competitions are incognito ensuring no embarrasment is caused if an entry receives a poor comment from the judge thus enabling the author to benefit from constructive criticism without anxiety.

3) I have read the initial blog many times and still dont understand how it works. I am a great believer in the keep it simple principle to ensure maximum participation, this idea reminds me more of a management training boot camp.

I am all for the creation of new ideas to take the club forward and hopefully, the forthcoming discussion evening will bring forth some less complex suggestions.

Tuesday, 17 January, 2006

02/12/05 - 2 Way battle
Sale had a great win against MAPS on the 1st December when the subject for the battle was Parks & Gardens in Greater Manchester.
It was a shame that because of unusual circumstances Altrincham & Hale PS were not able to enter this year. They will next year.
They were represented by the judge for the night Bill Edwards who not only had the excellent taste to make Sale the winners but kept us entertained as well. It was nice to see several members from MAPS attended and it was a little disappointing that so many Sale members were not able to attend.
They missed the cake.

Especial thanks to the selection panel of Graham Shaw, Roland Asquith and Joyce Hollows and to all the members who supported them by sending entries.
Top scores of 20 went to a print by Cy Newton and to 2 slides one by Graham Shaw and one by John McNally. Well done.

posted by Dahol @ 10:07 PM

20/11/05 - 2005 Merits Competitions - Final Results
Now that all the tears and recriminations have subsided it is time to publish the final results as compiled and presented by our new merits comp sec Alan B. Congratulations to section winnners Richard, Liam and Graham for submitting a consistent series of excellent images throughout the year. The full results are available in pdf format as usual ..... click below
A word of commiseration to Cy, who as the final judge of the season and therefore ineligible to enter the competition, saw his lead disappear as he awarded points, unknowingly, to Richards images......... never mind there is always 2006...

posted by SPS @ 12:19 PM

Dahol said...
Congratulations to all the winners, you have to be consistant to win. Well done.

Monday, 21 November, 2005

KenM said...
May I add my conratulations to Dahols. I am so pleased that Graham has at last shown his true colours and by entering high quality material on a regular basis has done so with style. Liam has always been a prolific worker and deserves to be recognised. And Richard, well what can I say, what a fantastic result. Well done those three and all the others who have done well!! Seems I need to get my act together !!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, 07 January, 2006

Cy Newton said...
Well done to all the winners, you all made the effort and put in a lot of work throughout the year, as the saying goes you have got to be in it to win it, congratulations enjoy your success.

The rest of us will have to try harder this year.

Tuesday, 17 January, 2006

16/11/05 - Sites worth a visit.
Here are 2 sites that are well worth a visit for other peoples images and tutorials. Broadband is helpful here.

www.photoblink.com

www.radiantvista.com/index.php

posted by Dahol @ 11:16 AM

15/11/05 - L&CPU Annual Print Comp Rules Change
The following is extracted from the L&CPU news page....

Mount rules for the L&CPU 2006 Annual Print Competitions:
1. The maximum mount size will be 20x16 inches , with no minimum.
2. No sticky tape will be allowed on the back of the mounts.
A number of recommendations and guidelines will also be published.
John should have full details at the next meeting.
Also a new section is to be added for digitally projected images. Details can be found here....
http://www.lcpu.org/lcpu/comps.php

together with the rules....
posted by SPS @ 10:51 AM

Dahol said...
The digital comp looks interesting!!

Tuesday, 15 November, 2005

SPS said...
Yes, not sure about having all images in Adobe1998 though. Still worth a go.
Need more members to join the blog.. only six of us so far.

Tuesday, 15 November, 2005

11/11/05 - AROUND EUROPE IN 90 DAYS
Last night, 10th November saw a well attended lecture by David Power. He entertained us with tales of a 3 month caravan trip around Europe along with his wife. In the first part of the show he showed us a large number of high quality slides from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany and Belgium. All were accompanied by information on the areas visited. The second part of the show was made up of three AV shows. One dealing with Seville, another with the Camargue and the final one with the Rousillon area. All were really well put together sequences and obviously took a lot of work. No digital for David yet but he seems to be getting around to it in the near future. All in all an entertaining evening.

posted by Dahol @ 5:07 PM

07/11/05 - Syllabus Changes
Please remember that this Thursday will be handing in of entries for the merits competition (Seascapes & Open) which will take place a week earlier on Thursday 17th November.

Also all monies for the Annual Dinner (formerly Christmas Dinner) are due on or before the 17th. The dinner itself will take place on 24th November.

posted by SPS @ 8:45 AM

04/11/05 - Any Other Subject - Peter Anstess ARPS
Last evening we were treated to a variety of images from Peter. His work, on 6x6 slide film, was a departure from the normal 35mm and showed Peters philosophy of making a photograph from anything you can see around you. He showed his imagination and creativity in a very entertaining way and the evening passed in a flash…. pardon the pun.
Again thanks to Peter and if other members wish to comment please do so…

posted by SPS @ 7:56 AM

31/10/05 - Pro2Col - Manchester
The link below is to a downloadable copy of their price list. They have a large range of services, if a little expensive, but they are local if you need something in a hurry.

Pro2Col Price Guide

posted by SPS @ 7:17 PM

29/10/05 - Tree with leaves
Following Grahams excellent directions I visited the limestone pavements. An excellent place for walking with camera in tow. The day was a little poor weather wise but the attached photo I considered quite good. What do you think?

posted by SPS @ 5:19 PM

Honorary Member
Congratulations are extended to Dave Hollows. Following the AGM, Dave has been voted an Honorary Member. Dave has been a member of the society for many many years and has always been an informed and enthusiastic member. His photographic skills are a constant source for members young and old. He has embraced the digital age and is one of the societys foremost experts in the field.

Again congratulations and the beers are on Dave....

posted by SPS @ 4:24 PM

AGM 27/10/2005
The AGM has just taken place. We wish to thank our outgoing President, Dave Hollows, and welcome our new President for the next year, Pat Holmes.

Full details of the makeup of the new committee can be seen on the information table at future club meetings.

posted by SPS @ 4:21 PM

Website Relaunch
Hi and welcome to the new look website for Sale Photographic Society. This is a radical change in format but it will hopefully provide a better means of communicating both with members and other interested parties.

posted by SPS @ 4:16 PM