Author Archives: stevenmbeard

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About stevenmbeard

I am the chair of Musselburgh Camera Club, and also a software engineer at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh.

10 October 2024 (Indoor Photoshoot)

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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.

19 September 2024 (Fiona Brims: My Journey into Creative Portraiture)

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This week we were delighted to welcome our first speaker of the year, Fiona Brims. Fiona’s work can be found on her web site, where you can also sign up to her workshops:

https://www.fionabrimsphotography.co.uk/

Fiona described her journey into creative portraiture, which she defined as the creation of an image that is not a normal portrait, such as an unusual situation, an unusual location or an unusual prop. Fiona began by showing us her very first images from a photoshoot at an old paper mill in Bo’ness, where the idea was to shoot a bride in an unusual situation. Although it was a great idea, Fiona bravely pointed out all the mistakes she had made as a beginner:

  • There was insufficient attention to the lighting, which meant the models often had harsh shadows across their faces and no catch-lights in their eyes. Fiona had used a Weetabix packet with tracing paper as a soft box, but she could have used another light or a reflector to light the faces. She also pointed out that every pose needed careful light placement. It wasn’t sufficient to place lights on each side of the model and leave them there.
  • Always remember to iron the outfits before using them, as a photograph will reveal all the creases. Also, remember that a strongly coloured outfit could reflect light on the same colour onto the model’s face. Be prepared to correct the colour or cancel it with another light.
  • Don’t overdo your corrections in Photoshop, as they can make a portrait look unnatural. Less is more.
  • The model’s pose, expression, location and props need to make sense to the viewer. They need to tell a story, although each viewer might make up their own story.

The next set of images showed how Fiona had learned from her mistakes and improved. There were some outdoor shots at Bo’ness Railway Museum and St. Peter’s Seminary (which was a great place for graffiti but is now unsafe to access). [Note: The A1 tunnel at Newcraighall is closer to Musselburgh and easier to access for graffiti.] Fiona moved on from outdoor shots to renting a real studio, and moved on from photographing friends to photographing models. Moving on to professional models and professional make-up makes a big difference in quality, but it also costs more money. Fiona emphasised that you’ll need money to pay for the studio, the model, the make-up, the outfits, the props and the backdrop. But you can save money by looking for second hand bargains, for example buy your props from ebay, or look for outfits in charity shops. Remnant Kings is a good place to find material for backgrounds. If you want to try studio portraiture, you can join an organised model day, where a studio will rent hourly slots with a professional model.

Fiona finished by showing us a collection of stunningly good portraits that she had taken recently. Her journey into creative portraiture had been a learning experience, but it had lead to a flurry of creativity. See for yourself at her creative portrait gallery. Thank you Fiona for enlightening us.

  • Next Thursday we have a Members Evening. Please bring along any images you would like to share with other members. I expect we’ll see a lot of images from the Battle of Prestonpans, which happened at the weekend.

12 September 2024 (Bring in your Kit)

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This week members brought in their cameras, plus other pieces of interesting and thought-provoking kit. Most members were divided into Nikon and Canon camps, but I also noticed some Sony and Panasonic cameras. George Todd pointed out that the club has a Sony DLSR camera which members are welcome to borrow if they don’t have a DSLR camera of their own. The evening was an opportunity for members to discuss kit and help newcomers and beginners with any questions they might have. There is an opportunity for beginners to pair up with more experienced members who have the same kit.

Some members showed some unusual or particularly useful equipment that you might not know about.

  • Steven showed the oldest camera he owned, a Russian Zenit TTL film camera, only to discover this model is apparently the “new fangled” version which has a light meter built into it. The beauty of this camera is that the shutter works by clockwork, so the camera can be operated without a battery. You could lock the shutter open for hours without worrying about the battery running out.
  • Steven also showed his “Wimberley Plamp“: A useful device which can be attached to a tripod to prevent a specimen from moving in the wind.
  • Steven also showed his smallest and most unusual Nikon lens, a pinhole! Pinhole lenses are made by making a small hole in a sheet of thin metal attached to a plate which fits to the camera. You can buy one for your camera or you can make one yourself by drilling a hole in a blanking plate, covering the hole with aluminium foil and making a pinhole in it. Pinhole lenses give your photos a blurry but arty appearance with a huge depth of field.
  • By contrast, Mike showed us his largest Nikon lens and, in particular, the gimbal tripod head which he used during the air show. A gimbal head takes the weight of a large lens and, when balanced correctly, can hold it steady and make it easier to follow moving objects. It is very helpful for wildlife, aviation and sport photography where your subject is moving.
  • Mike also showed us the sling strap he uses to carry his large lens, which takes the weight of the lens but give some freedom of movement.
  • John showed us the clever thumb rest which attaches to the hot shoe on the top of his compact camera and prevents his thumb from accidentally touching any controls while shooting. Here is one example: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1032640-REG/fotodiox_thumb_grip_b_pro_thumb_grip_for.html
  • There was a discussion about using the rear screen of a camera as a viewfinder. It is easy enough to see the screen in a darkened room, but the screen can be difficult to see in bright daylight. You can buy sun hoods which fit over the screen and make it easier to see. Some of these hoods also include magnifiers which make the display easier to read. Here are some examples: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/LCD-Hoods-Shades/ci/4968/N/3777857691

George showed us the 6 images that will be given to members for the editing challenge on 3rd October. Please contact George if you would like a copy of the images. Select 2 of the images and show us how you have changed them.

George is also accepting entries to our Digital Projected Images competition. Please email your 3 JPEG images to George at georgetodd1957@me.com. Images should be scaled to a maximum size of 1600 pixels wide and 1200 pixels tall. George can help if you don’t know how to do this. We had a discussion about the DPI (dots per inch) setting associated with an image, but you don’t need to worry about this as it is only important when printing.

There was going to be a “Strike a Pose” photoshoot this weekend, but this is being postponed because the organiser is ill. Get well soon. We’ll let you know when it is rescheduled.

Next week we have our first speaker of the year. Fiona Brims will tell us about her journey into creative portraiture. You can check out Fiona’s web site here:

https://www.fionabrimsphotography.co.uk/

Perhaps she will give us some inspiration for the rescheduled “Strike a Pose” session? See you there.

21 March 2024 (Set Subject Competition C – Flowers)

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Thursday saw the conclusion of our 3-part set subject competition. The third part on the theme of “Flowers” was judged by Gordon Davidson, who had won last year’s competition. 11 members had entered 33 images altogether, with a wide selection of floral images ranging from wide shots of entire flower beds to portraits of a single specimen, including a Karen Woodcock’s “Happy Wee Poppy” that looked like it was smiling. Gordon commented on the detail and composition of each image. Some images had lost detail through a slightly offset focus or too little resolution. It is easy to over-exposed a flower when brightly lit, and some images had lost detail in their highlights. Gordon also pointed out some blobs and halos that he found distracting in the background. Nevertheless, Gordon liked most of the images, which meant there were a lot of high marks. The top scorers were (in reverse order):

  • 5th place (50 points)
    • Joe Fowler
  • 4th place (51 points)
    • Gavin Marshall
    • Jim Innes
  • 3rd place (54 points)
    • Steven Beard
    • Derek Muller
  • 2nd place (56 points)
    • John West
  • 1st place (57 points)
    • Jennifer Davidson

The top images were:

  • Red Roses (John West) – 20 points
  • Let us out! (Jennifer Davidson) – 19 points
  • Blue Lily Head (Jennifer Davidson) – 19 points
  • Pink Daisy (Jennifer Davidson) – 19 points
  • Dandelion (Steven Beard) – 19 points
  • Yellow Lily (John West) – 19 points
  • Pink Rose (Carol Edmond) – 19 points
  • Backlit Sunflower (Derek Muller) – 19 points
  • Purple Plant (Joe Fowler) – 18 points
  • Frosty Rose (Joe Fowler) – 18 points
  • Red Dahlia (Steven Beard) – 18 points
  • Turkscap Lily (Elaine Gilroy) – 18 points
  • Tulip Fields (Jim Innes) – 18 points
  • Thistle From Above (Derek Muller) – 18 points

Well done to Jennifer Davidson, who wins the right to judge next year’s competition. Also well done to John West, whose image of red roses achieved the highest mark. The latest scores have evened up the league table, making the final result close, but after consulting the final spreadsheet I can reveal that the final result from all three competitions is:

  • 1st place
    • Jennifer Davidson (53 + 57 = 110)
  • 2nd place
    • John West (50 + 56 = 106)
  • 3rd place
    • Steven Beard (51 + 54 = 105)
    • Elaine Gilroy (51 + 54 = 105)
    • Derek Muller (51 + 54 = 105)
  • 4th place
    • Carol Edmond (54 + 50 = 104)
  • 5th place
    • Joe Fowler (52 + 50 = 102)

Well done to Jennifer for winning the trophy, and thank you to all the members who entered some beautiful images this year.

  • This is the last competition of the season, and George needs to engrave the trophies for the AGM. If you won a trophy last year please return it to George as soon as possible.
  • This coming Thursday we will be hosting Musselburgh Art Club and will be meeting in the upstairs room F1 in the Fisherrow Centre.
  • The season is drawing to close, and we need to decide where to go for our end of season photoshoot on 18th April 2024. Please think of ideas for where we could go and let me have your ideas. I have already had the following suggestions:
    • Meet in Edinburgh for sunset and street lighting pictures.
    • Meet at a local nature reserve, such as Aberlady Bay.
    • Switch the date to Saturday, 20th April 2024, so we can meet earlier when there is more daylight. That would also open up local sites which close before 7pm, such as Dalkeith Country Park and the Gosford House Estate.

 

19 March 2024 (3-Way Inter-club Competition)

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There was an extra club meeting this week. On Tuesday, 19th March Musselburgh Camera Club visited Haddington Camera Club to take part in the annual 3-way competition, along with Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club. The meeting took place at the Poldrate Mill, Haddington, where we were treated to a lavish spread of sandwiches and cakes.

The competition was judged by Gordon Scott of Mid Calder Camera Club. Each club submitted 15 images each, making a total of 45 images. Musselburgh got off onto a good start and were 1 point ahead after the first round. We maintained that narrow lead and by the break had 134 points to Beeslack’s 133 and Haddington’s 130. We kept our lead through the second half. In the final round Haddington sneaked ahead of Beeslack, but Mike Clark’s “White Mountain Hare in the Heather” secured top marks and guaranteed a good win for Musselburgh. The final scores were:

  • First place (252 points) Musselburgh Camera Club
  • Second place (244 points) Haddington Camera Club
  • Third place (243 points) Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club

The top Musselburgh images were:

  • White Mountain Hare in the Heather (Mike Clark)  – 20 points
  • Woodpecker feeding (Joe Fowler) – 19 points
  • Harvest Queen (Joe Fowler) – 19 points
  • Sea Eagle with Catch (Mike Clark) – 19 points
  • Hunting Sparrowhawk (Jennifer Davidson)  – 18 points

Well done to Musselburgh Camera Club for a great win, and thank you to Mike, Joe and Jennifer for helping us to achieve that win.

  • This Thursday, 28th March, we have our joint meeting with Musselburgh Art Club. We will be meeting in room F1 in the Fisherrow Centre, not our usual room. To reach that room you need to go upstairs and follow the signs to F1. Come along and see what the art club members have created this year.

29 February 2024 (Set Subject Competition B – Contrasting Textures)

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Part two of our three-part set subject competition took place this week. Members were challenged to find some memorable images on the theme of “Contrasting Textures”. The competition was judged by Malcolm Roberts, the winner of last year’s competition. Malcolm began by saying how he had enjoyed seeing all the different interpretations of this year’s theme. He had looked at the impact, lighting, sharpness and depth of field of each image and rewarded images that had an emotional impact or showed some thinking outside the box. Malcolm commented that some images were a little soft, and he recommended sharpening them to show off the texture. He didn’t mind images that contained both sharp and soft parts when that highlighted the difference between the textures.

15 members had entered 45 images, covering a huge range of subjects. Some images showed contrasts within natural subjects, such as between the parts of a flower, between sand and grass, fungi and log or duck and water. There were man-made contrasts involving stone, rust, whitewash, rope, wood and metal. John West’s entry called “Two plumbing systems” combined both natural and man-made and showed a tree mirroring the bends and twists of a downpipe. Some members had responded to the “contrasting textures” challenge with some truly innovative or humorous entries. Carol Edmond’s “War Time Textures” showed a collection of wartime memorabilia and Jim Innes’ “Chalk and Cheese in Blue” showed some blue snooker chalk next to some cheese. Derek Muller had cleverly combined “JUST Cotton, Stone and Paper” to make a convincing artificial landscape with fluffy cotton-wool clouds, and Liz Sowler had crafted some humorous still life images out of household objects.
The top scorers were (in reverse order):

  • 5th place (49 points)
    • Derek Muller
    • Ed Robertson
  • 4th place (50 points)
    • Jim Innes
  • 3rd place (51 points)
    • Jennifer Davidson
    • Steven Beard
    • George Todd
  • 2nd place (52 points)
    • Joe Fowler
    • Liz Sowler
  • 1st place (54 points)
    • Elaine Gilroy
    • Carol Edmond

The top images were:

  • Poppy (Elaine Gilroy) – 20 points
  • Autumn Textures (Carol Edmond) – 19 points
  • Mandarin Duck (Joe Fowler) – 18 points
  • Bud and Petals (Steven Beard) – 18 points
  • Ice & Black Sand (George Todd) – 18 points
  • Anemone (Elaine Gilroy) – 18 points
  • War Time Textures (Carol Edmond) – 18 points
  • Housework (Liz Sowler) – 18 points
  • Fruit and Veg (Liz Sowler) – 18 points

We done to Elaine and Carol who both earn the right to judge next year’s competition. And thank you to everyone for your creative and entertaining entries. After two competitions, the “league table” now looks like this:

Elaine Gilroy (51 + 54 = 105)
Jennifer Davidson (53 + 51= 104)
Malcolm Roberts (52 + — = ??)
Carol Edmond (49 + 64 = 103)
Joe Fowler (50 + 52 = 102)
George Todd (— + 51 = ??)
Gordon Davidson (54 + 47 = 101)
Steven Beard (49 + 51 = 100)
Jim Innes (50 + 50 = 100)
Derek Muller (51 + 49 = 100)
John West (50 + 48 = 98)

Elaine’s win has taken her to the top of the table, but with only 4 points separating the top half of this table there is still everything to play for. Don’t forget to send your 3 JPEG entries for the final part of this competition (“Flowers”) to George Todd.

This Thursday we will be hosting Mölnlycke Fotoclubb, who will be joining us from Gothenburg, Sweden for our annual interclub meeting.

22 February 2024 (Eddie Telford: Around the World in 80 Images)

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This week Eddie Telford returned to Musselburgh to give us a custom talk based around two themes: “Remember Photography is Fun” and “Around the World in 80 Images”. Eddie began by showing us a short comedy video showing the antics of the “Nessie” toy that he takes with him on his travels. A Loch Ness monster who likes his whisky. 🙂 He then showed us a selection of humorous photos with silly poses, odd juxtapositions and unfortunate angles of view which showed the funny side of photography. Eddie showed that photography can be fun and entertaining, and is more than just entering competitions.

The second half of Eddie’s talk showed a varied selection of photographs taken on his travels around the world, covering at least 4 continents. I lost count of the number of countries he mentioned. His presentation was peppered with fun anecdotes and good advice about presentation and choosing the right title. He showed us some “before and after” images showing the edits he had made in response to judges’ comments. Eddie was not averse to viewing a scene from the best angle, sometimes donning waders to get the shot from the middle of a river. We finished the night with a chat with Eddie over tea and biscuits. Thank you Eddie for a great presentation and an entertaining evening.

Next week, 29th February, Malcolm Roberts will reveal the results of the “Contrasting Textures” set subject competition; and the week after, on 7th March, we will be saying “hello” again to our friends from Mölnlycke Fotoclubb, in Gothenburg.

15 February 2024 (Audio Visual Evening)

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This week we hosted our annual audio visual evening with Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club. Two years ago we had hosted this meeting by Zoom in room G3, but this year we were fully back to normal. Members of both clubs met in room G6 of the Fisherrow Centre and were treated to tea, sandwiches and cakes by Liz Sowler, Ed Robertson and Carol Edmond.

Beeslack began the evening with a beautiful presentation created by Brian Nicolson, made from photographs of woodland scenes in Midlothian paired with inspirational music. Musselburgh then resurrected a presentation made by Steven Beard in 2012 describing his 2008-2009 trip to the Cerro Paranal Observatory Chile to commission the VISTA Infrared Camera. The place had also been used as the secret lair of the villain in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. The VISTA Infrared Camera was decommissioned in 2023, bringing the story to an end. Beeslack then showed their club presentation which celebrated the “Environs of Penicuik”. It featured a selection photographs from historical monuments and scenic places to visit around Penicuik taken by their club members.

The meeting then changed tack and showed a YouTube video created by Musselburgh member Derek Muller entitled “Getting Started in Screen Printing”. The video showed us how to use a MiSCREEN silk screen printer to transfer an artwork or black and white photograph onto paper, or a T-Shirt, etc… Derek creates his videos with a camera or iPhone and edits them using iMovie. Beeslack then showed a supplement to their club presentation which demonstrated the artistic filters applied by Bill Baird. Photographs of the Midlothian countryside were transformed into artworks before our eyes. This was followed by a short video showing a visit to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by Musselburgh member Kevin Johnston and then a presentation showing a visit to Alicante, Spain in 2019 by Beeslack member Mike Walby.

The evening finished with three short presentations. Derek Muller showed a video of the waves crashing onto the shore at Portobello beach, which featured some lovely slow motion effects and a passer by who looked like they were going to get soaked but escaped. Then we watched a Beeslack video showing the Fells, Becks and Lakes of the Lake District. Beeslack also chose the perfect presentation on which to close the evening: a celebration of Valentine’s Day created by Gordon Peerless. We finished with a discussion over tea and cakes.

Thank you to Beeslack for visiting and showing their presentations, and thanks again to Liz, Ed and Carol for the catering. Next week Eddie Telford will be returning to give a talk on “Around the World in 80 Images”. See you there.

08 February 2024 (Human Portrait Print Competition)

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Gordon Rae kindly agreed to judge our human portrait print competition at short notice and had travelled to Musselburgh from South West Scotland. Gordon is an award-winning wildlife photographer whose work can seen on his web site:

https://www.gordonraephotography.co.uk

Gordon said he was impressed with the quality of the entries and had judged and scored them to a high standard, so he hoped nobody (especially beginners) would be disappointed with their score. Gordon had identified one winning portrait, plus some second and third placed runners up.

23 prints had been entered by 9 members. The subjects included sports competitors, street artists, musicians, wise men, soldiers, and pictures of other club members. John West had entered a unique, double-exposed, self-portrait called “Doppelganger” which was popular during the tea break. Gordon commented on the composition of the portraits and suggested some crops that would tighten up the subject in the frame. He explained that the “rule of thirds” guideline that is useful for landscape photography is not so important for portraits. Male subjects can be shown looking straight into the camera but female subjects often look better with their head turned at an angle. In some of the portraits there were dark shadows on the face that could have been prevented by using softer lighting (or by balancing the light with a reflector). He also warned photographers to watch out for colour casts in their prints and make sure that the skin colour looks natural. Watch out also for places where the subject could merge with the background (for example a dark coat shown against a dark background of a similar colour) and make sure there is a distinct boundary. The highest scores went to the prints that Gordon judged had captured a moment, showed a great expression, had a good balance of tones and had good backgrounds. The top scorers were (in reverse order):

  • 4th place (46 points)
    • John West
  • 3rd place (51 points)
    • Jennifer Davidson
    • Joe Fowler
    • Carol Edmond
  • 2nd place (53 points)
    • Derek Muller
  • 1st place (54 points)
    • George Todd

The top images were:

  • Kalon (George Todd) – 20 points (and the overall winning print)
  • 96 Years Young (Carol Edmond) – 19 points (and overall 2nd equal print)
  • Beguiling (Derek Muller) – 19 points (and overall 2nd equal print)
  • Katrine (John West) – 18 points (and overall 3rd equal print)
  • He Gets The Joke (Derek Muller) – 18 points  (and overall 3rd equal print)
  • I Love my Purple hat  (Jennifer Davidson) – 18 points
  • Downhill Racer (Joe Fowler) – 18 points

Well done to George for winning the competition and achieving best print with a fabulous portrait of a tattooed boxer, and well done also to Derek, Jennifer, Joe and Carol. Thank you to everyone who entered and thank you to Gordon Rae for judging the competition for us at short notice.

We had some spare time after the competition, so Gordon gave us a short presentation entitled “Birds of Iceland”, which showed the wildlife photographs he had collected on a tour of Iceland (see Gordon’s Iceland gallery for a couple of examples). Gordon explained that he most often used a Nikon 200-400mm lens with a 1.4X teleconverter. Most of his photos are taken at f/5.6, but at low angles he finds f/10 a better choice because the water appears more out of focus at those angles. We enjoyed the talk so much we booked Gordon to give us a full-length talk next year. Watch out for next year’s programme.

  • On Thursday, 15th February we will be joined by Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club for our annual audio visual night. We will be meeting in the larger room in the far corner, G6, not our usual room, G3.
  • If you would like to enter the “contrasting textures” set subject competition, please send your three JPEG files to George Todd this weekend.

See you this Thursday for some AV entertainment.

01 February 2024 (Digital Knockout Competition)

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Our first club meeting of February 2024 was our annual digital knockout competition, where members bring in digital images on a chosen theme and vote to choose their favourites. This year’s theme was “water”, chosen at last year’s AGM.

8 members entered a total of 23 digital images with some creative interpretations of the “water” theme. There were a lot of photographs of rivers, waterfalls and beaches, some lakes with reflections, some underwater scenes and some snow scenes. There were also some impressive abstract images created from droplets and waves at the water surface. One particularly inventive image was “Water Music”, showing a water splash superimposed on some sheet music. Another simple but effective image showed the rain on the window of an Edinburgh bus at night. The images were voted off in a series of head-to-head rounds until only 3 images remained. Members then voted for their favourite to determine the final placings, and the result was:

  • 3rd place
    • An image of a splashing wave in front of Arthur’s Seat (Steven Beard)
  • 2nd place
    • An image of a Tough Mudder contestant emerging from water (Jennifer Davidson)
  • 1st Place
    • Waves crashing over rocks at North Berwick (Joe Fowler)

Well done to Joe Fowler, who won a packet of water biscuits! Well done also to Jennifer and Steven, who’s images survived the head-to-head rounds despite some very close counts.

  • Next Thursday Colin Joyce will be judging our human portrait print competition. George Todd will also be collecting entries for our second set subject competition. Please send your 3 JPEGs on the subject of “contrasting textures” to George.

See you on Thursday,

Steven