The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain is the GB and NI federation of camera clubs and other groups interested in amateur photography. Rod Whelans who is a Dumfries Camera Club member and international judge produces the PAGB e-news approximately every 2 weeks. It comes to the MCC Secretary for information as it has competition dates but anyone can have access by subscribing (free) via the PAGB website.

The e-news always has a selection of images produced by club members from all over the country. The January 2016 edition has just arrived in my inbox and while some of the images are weird/overphotoshopped (in my view) there are many which are simply fabulous.

Take a look while nursing your hangover and start next session inspired !

The weather was very warm and dry as 7 photographers ( 3M 4F ) dressed for Arctic weather met up at the Scottish Cafe. The sky was grey but the clouds provided an interesting backdrop as it gradually got dark. People who had brought tripods were definitely ahead of the game. The lights provided a fantastic show and a challenging subject but experiments with long exposure/high ISO provided some great  results – watch this space ! 5 of us met later for tea/hot chocolate at Henderson’s salad bar in Hanover Street to compare results. Next Club meeting on Thursday 7th January.

Hi All,

I am planning to organise a trip to photograph a kingfisher in a hide in Kirkcudbright.  A lot of you will have heard me chirping on about photographing kingfishers. I have tried in the wild but no great shots as Dogs normally scare the birds away.

The hide can hold between 1 and 4 people depending upon the requirements of a perched shot or a diving shot.

I will take my car

the price for the shoot is £80. this reduces the more photographers there are.

First come first served.

Once I know interest I will book a date.

Mike Clark

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS NIGHT TIME CITY PHOTOGRAPHY

We are planning to meet on  

TUESDAY 29TH DECEMBER 2015 

 at 3:30pm inside the  SCOTTISH CAFÉ 

The Cafe is located under the National Gallery in Princes Street

Sunset is at 3:45pm so you can get the evening sky background.

 All members are welcome !!

If you plan to come along,  please send Liz  an email 

liz.sowler@virgin.net

At the Club meeting on 26th November one or two excellent images were marked down by the judge because of printing problems. Most Musselburgh Camera Club members print their images at home. A lot of them have been doing this for many years. We have new members and others (me included) who have lots of images on file but just can’t get round to setting up their home printer to produce top quality photographic images. We collected the information below at a recent Club meeting. If anyone spots any errors or has any extra information to share please add a comment. Remember to bring along a digital version of your best prints and give to George Todd, our Competition Secretary, for the Club image collection.

Basic information:

Local printers process images saved in the form of .jpeg or .tiff files on some sort of file storage e.g.CD/DVD/memory stick,  or a memory card from your camera. If you’re wanting to print direct from camera don’t forget to take connecting lead to USB port. Some equipment e.g. smartphones can transfer images by Bluetooth. For competitions most Club members print their images in A4 or A3 size. You can also make square, or letterbox  prints but similar scale. See below for size tables.

To help the printer, label your CD/DVD/flash drive with your name, make sure you clearly identify the images you want to print, how many copies of each you want and whether you want matt or gloss paper. You should ask to see samples of prints on different sorts of paper as it can make a huge difference to the final result. If you’re not happy with the result of the printing e.g. red or green tinge to colour not apparent on the screen, discuss with the printer and ask their advice. If it’s a processing problem they should redo it for free.  Over time, you will find a source of printing that you like and trust, and which best shows off your work.

Local printers listed by geographical area :

Edinburgh

www.trumpslab.co.uk

Trumps Photolab, 29 South Clerk Street, EH8 9JD (07827 589 527)  (within Newington Stationers) Near to University. Experts on site. Turnaround depends on workload but usually within I day. Trumps have gone out of business ( as at Dec 2015 ).

www.amimage.co.uk

A+M Imaging, Unit 3, Stewartfield, Newhaven Road EH6 5RQ (0131 553 3548) Bonnington area with free parking.  No personal experience of service but good prices on website and v helpful on phone.

Musselburgh

www.eastern-info.co.uk

Eastern Exhibition and Display, 108 Market Street, Musselburgh EH21 6QA   (0131 653 5700) Next to LIDL, Fisherrow. Mostly do large scale commercial work.

Eskbank

www.southfield-stationers.com

Southfield Stationers, 25 Hardengreen Industrial Estate, Dalkeith EH22 3NX (0131 654 4300)  Commercial printers. Will do small orders. Good price but can be variable quality depending on other workload.

Near to IKEA

www.warehouses.costco.co.uk

Upload images online and collect next day at Costco Edinburgh, Costkea Way, Loanhead EH20 9BY (0131 440 7075) Have to join Costco as individual member. Mike Clark club member recommends. Very helpful on phone.

Online only

www.photobox.co.uk

Very good reviews from customers and recommended by Jennifer Davidson. Prints sent rolled by first class post 1 – 5 working days or can do special or courier delivery.

Don’t forget to give us feedback on your experiences !!

Liz Sowler     liz.sowler@virgin.net

Secretary Musselburgh Camera Club

28/11/15

The Camera Club meeting, due to be held at 7:30pm on Thursday 3rd December  at the Fisherrow Centre, has been moved to Beeslack Camera Club at Beeslack Community High School, Edinburgh Road, Penicuik EH26 0QF   If anyone needs a lift, transport will be available leaving the Fisherrow Centre at 7pm.

A bitterly cold but sunny November Saturday when 8 club members ( 6 girls + 2 ) met up at 10:30 at Port Seton. After a coffee at the Cafe opposite the Co-op, everyone went out to explore the harbour area. The light was very bright but the sun occasionally clouded over giving better exposures. Lots of opportunities for coastal and abstract images for later competitions.  After about an hour, fingers were frozen so all moved off to the other end of the town and a look round Cockenzie Harbour. Then lunch at 12:30 at the Secret Garden Cafe in Cockenzie House.  Delicious soup and tea/coffee with strudel.  Cockenzie House is a 16th Century building with a large and beautiful garden. It is now a community centre with rooms for hire.  There was a beautiful display of art works on sale in the rooms at the front of the house. Next outing, between Christmas and New Year, will be to see Edinburgh Christmas lights. Watch this space.

Club members enjoy photographing fishes, animals and birds.  If we want to enter these images in important competitions, there are international criteria and definitions of “Nature” and “Wildlife” which are used in Scottish and UK competitions.  Basically they aim to exclude photographs of stuffed animals, and major Photoshop reconstruction of the subject ! A copy of this info will be on the Club notice board too.

FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE L’ART PHOTOGRAPHIQUE (FIAP)

Nature Photography Definition

Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Human elements shall not be present, except where those human elements are integral parts of the nature story such as nature subjects, like barn owls or storks, adapted to an environment modified by humans, or where those human elements are in situations depicting natural forces, like hurricanes or tidal waves. Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement.

No techniques that add, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are permitted. Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content, or without altering the content of the original scene, are permitted including HDR, focus stacking and dodging/burning. Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots, digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed. Stitched images are not permitted. All allowed adjustments must appear natural. Color images can be converted to greyscale monochrome. Infrared images, either direct-captures or derivations, are not allowed.

Images used in Nature Photography competitions may be divided in two classes: Nature and Wildlife.

Images entered in Nature sections meeting the Nature Photography Definition above can have landscapes, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and extant organisms as the primary subject matter. This includes images taken with the subjects in controlled conditions, such as zoos, game farms, botanical gardens, aquariums and any enclosure where the subjects are totally dependent on man for food.

Images entered in Wildlife sections meeting the Nature Photography Definition above are further defined as one or more extant zoological or botanical organisms free and unrestrained in a natural or adopted habitat. Landscapes, geologic formations, photographs of zoo or game farm animals, or of any extant zoological or botanical species taken under controlled conditions are not eligible in Wildlife sections. Wildlife is not limited to animals, birds and insects. Marine subjects and botanical subjects (including fungi and algae) taken in the wild are suitable wildlife subjects, as are carcasses of extant species.

Wildlife images may be entered in Nature sections of Exhibitions.

Competition Founder