Oct | 2024 | Musselburgh Camera Club

Our first competition of the new season took place this week. David Ferguson, president of Falkirk Camera Club, visited to judge our digital projected images competition. David said when he had first started in photography he owned a Kodak 126 Instamatic camera. He shot and developed his own film and once worked in the photography section at Boots. If your print once came back with a “needs improvement” sticker it’s possible that David put it there. 🙂 You can see David’s more recent work on his web site:

David Ferguson Photography

There were 48 images altogether, entered by 16 members, covering a wide range of subjects, including wildlife, landscape, sport, portrait and architecture shots, and some really imaginative still life creations. David commented on the high quality of the entries, which meant there were a lot of high marks. Each image was assessed on its exposure, sharpness and composition, and David suggested changes in the cropping or spacing that may improve the impact of some of the images; although he pointed out this was his own opinion, and other viewers may see things differently. Some images could be improved by lifting the shadows, adjusting the contrast or converting them to black and white. Some studio shots could have been improved by adjusting the lighting to bring out more facial detail or reduce blemishes. Notable images were a paperclip figure beach scene (At the Beach) submitted by John West, which none of us could figure out how it was done. There was also an innovative back of the head shot (Leading the Way) created by new member Melanie Gallacher, which broke all the rules but worked and secured a maximum 20 points. The top scorers were (in reverse order):

5th place (53 points)
- John West
4th place (54 points)
- Joe Fowler
- Jennifer Davidson
- Melanie Gallacher
3rd place (55 points)
- Mike Clark
- Carol Edmund
- Derek Muller
2nd place (58 points)
- George Todd
1st place (59 points)
- Malcolm Roberts

There were many top images:

Place Your Bets (Joe Fowler) – 20 points
Nuthatch (Malcolm Roberts) – 20 points
Tap Dance (Malcolm Roberts) – 20 points
Battling the Rapids (George Todd) – 20 points
Hi There (Carol Edmond) – 20 points
Leading the Way (Melanie Gallacher) – 20 points
Caught in the Middle (Malcolm Roberts) – 19 points
Osprey With Catch (George Todd) – 19 points
Ferrier Working in the Smiddy (George Todd) – 19 points
Braving the Rapids (Mike Clark) – 19 points
Strong Competition (Derek Muller) – 19 points
Carriage Driving (Jennifer Davidson) – 19 points

Well done to Malcolm Roberts for winning with a fantastic 59/60 points! Thank you David for judging our competition, and thank you to everyone who entered.

Next week, 24th October, we will be having a review of this competition. Please have a go at making the changes suggested by David and bring in your edited images. We can also discuss how to “lift the shadows” or “bring out the sky”, or any other adjustments mentioned. Perhaps John could tell us how he created his beach scene? Besides working on your own images, what were your favourite images of the evening?

This year’s indoor photoshoot was based on an idea by Derek Muller, inspired by a video on toy photography:

John, Steven, Jennifer, Joe and Liz brought in examples of their home studio setups, while members were asked to bring in small toys, vases, flowers, mirrors, rocks, shells, glass decorations, and other interesting things to photograph.

John West brought in his photo studio tent and his collection of paperclip figures. He also showed us examples of how he sets up his studio at home with LED lights and a curved piece of card to make an infinity curve.

Steven Beard brought in his small portable light box, which has built in LED lamps and a selection of coloured backgrounds, a dimmable LED torch and a glass globe. He also brought a selection of close-up lenses, which can be used as an alternative to a macro lens. In particular, the budget lenses can distort the edges of the frame and mimic the effect of the lenses shown in the “toy photography” video.
Jennifer Davidson brought a lined box with backdrops, torches and lights, together with a large selection of flowers and objet d’art.
Joe brought in some objects which cast shadows and showed how the plain white wall of the room could be used a backdrop to create some stark-looking images. Steven’s torch turned out to be useful for casting the shadows.
Liz Sowler showed how you can make a simple, home-made light tent out of a laundry drier covered with a sheet. Objects placed inside the tent could be lit with torches shining through the entrance. Liz had brought a glass eagle which we discovered looked best when lit just by the ambient light.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening. I hope our members have had the opportunity to learn from the different setups and take home a good selection of still life images.

Next week we have our first competition of the year. David Ferguson will be visiting us to judge our Digital Projected Images competition.
Next week is also the hand-in date for entries to the colour print competition. Please bring in 3 mounted prints and give them to George. Don’t forget to send JPEG copies of your 3 images to George as well.