Category Archives: Chairman’s Comments

29 November 2021 (4 Way Inter-Club Competition)

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The 4-way inter-club competition between Musselburgh, Kirkcaldy, Stirling & Edinburgh took place on Monday, 29th November 2021. The meeting was hosted by Edinburgh Photographic Society via Zoom. Some Musselburgh Camera Club members joined the meeting by Zoom and the rest watched the competition from the Fisherrow Centre. Unfortunately, the Zoom format meant we couldn’t socialise with the other clubs over tea and biscuits as we normally do.

Each club had submitted 15 digital images, making a grand total of 60 images. The images were judged by Campbell Skinner, who is based in Greenock. Campbell commented on the composition and quality of the images presented. He suggested that many of the images could be improved by an increase in contrast to make them more punchy. Some of the compositions could be improved by cropping more tightly on the subject, whereas other compositions had the subject too close to the edge. Campbell suggested using the “content aware fill” facility in Photoshop to add extra background to an over-tight composition.

There were several examples of the clubs submitting similar images. There were two examples of white water canoeing, images of interacting birds, empty streets photographed during lockdown, and several flower images. In each of the cases when Musselburgh had a similar image, the other club’s image had a better background, was sharper or had a punchier contrast. Musselburgh had submitted some good images, but this year the other clubs submitted better ones. The final scores were:

  • 1st place: Edinburgh Photographic Society, 273 points.
  • 2nd place: Stirling and District Camera Club, 257 points.
  • 3rd place: Kirkcaldy Photographic Society, 260 points.
  • 4th place: Musselburgh Camera Club, 247 points.

None of our images were awarded 20 points this year, but the following images came close:

  • Cheeky Fox Cub (Mike Clark) – 18 points.
  • Stylish (Carol Edmund) – 19 points
  • Mountain Gem Humming Bird (George Todd) – 19 points

Well done to Mike, Carol and George for keeping up the good standard. Commiserations to everyone who had an image in this competition. The scoring was the exact reverse of the 4-way competition from 2019. We have won this competition several times in the past, and we can do it again in the future.

18 November 2021 (Connecting with the Coast through Photography)

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This week Kim Grant visited the club virtually and gave us a Zoom talk entitled “Connecting with the Coast through Photography”. Many members were familiar with Kim’s work through her YouTube channel, where she describes her adventures as a landscape photographer and gives hints and tips for other photographers:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvkiZKobeYV4qO-KSvrL_9w

Kim also has her own web site, where you can see more of her work and find out about her training programme:

https://visualisingscotland.co.uk/

Kim began by describing her love of the Scottish landscape, which inspired her to take up photography and start her YouTube channel in 2017. She then explained how there was so much to see in the landscape even if you narrow the scope to just coastal photography. The coast can be viewed in different ways. You can take panoramic views from a clifftop. You can take wide angle views from the beach, showing the shape of the coves and rocks, or show people and activities. There are rocky beaches, sandy beaches, caves, lighthouses, coastal villages and harbours. You can take a wide angle shot showing the sweep of the landscape, or zoom in and highlight one intimate detail on the beach, such as an object washed up by the tide or the striking shapes and colours made by a group of rocks or a patch of seaweed.

Kim described how the timing and weather might dictate what kind of photographs you take. The very best time to capture a wide vista of pristine sand is when low tide happens at sunrise. The tide will have washed away all the footprints from the previous day. An early morning low tide is also the best time to find interesting objects washed up on the beach. Low tide also offers the chance to photograph rock pools and capture beautiful sunset reflections. If you stay a while after sunset you can capture lovely twilight shots during the “blue hour”. And if you are really lucky you could capture an image of the Northern Lights over the sea. Low tide is also the best time to photograph caves. High tide is the best time to photograph harbours and coves, which will be full of water, and the boats will be floating. In calm to moderate weather you can create serene, minimalist seascapes by using an ND filter and long exposures. You can also use Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) to create abstract images which enhance the colours and shapes. Kim recommended experimenting with different exposure times and amount of movement, as you will never capture the same shot twice. Bad weather brings the opportunity to photograph crashing waves and perilous scenes, contrasted with the shelter offered by a coastal village.

Kim ended the evening by showing us some of her favourite coastal shots, followed by a long question and answer session. All in all it was a very enjoyable evening, and Kim gave us all inspiration to go out and photograph the Scottish coastline.

04 November 2021 (Colour Print Competition)

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Our colour print competition took place on 4th November 2021.  Since we are still in a period of hybrid meetings, with not all club members able to attend at Fisherrow and deliver prints, this competition was judged digitally. Clive Watkins, president of Irvine Camera Club, judged the competition and presented the results by Zoom.  Clive told us he had been a photographer for more than 20 years and, after being at the receiving end of judges’ comments for a few years, he decided to become a judge himself. He told us that a photograph first needs to look good and be technically well executed. But photography is a work of art, and a photograph also needs to make a statement or have an emotional impact.  You can view some of Clive’s work in the Irvine Camera club gallery or on his web site (Siglov).

16 members had entered 48 images altogether. There were wildlife images of birds, insects, a hare, and a fox. There were photographs of flowers, landscapes, sport and urban architecture and one or two portraits and still life compositions.  A popular image with the audience on the night was Carol Edmund’s lovely portrait “Stylish”.  Clive commented on the composition of each image, the shapes formed by the components, and the separation of the subject from the background.  Some of the landscape images could be improved by cropping out areas of dull lighting.  Some of the images had a large expanse of green grass in the background. He suggested reducing the contrast of the background and reducing the green saturation so that the grass didn’t detract from the main subject.  Some members had photographed their subject against a plain black background. While this helped to separate the subject technically, Clive felt that a plain background didn’t help to present a subject (and made it look cut out). He suggested choosing a background which harmonises with the subject. For example, photograph flowers against a background of greenery, and photograph nuts, cones, seeds and spices against a natural background of wood or slate.

Clive ended his presentation by taking us through his top images in reverse order, which were:

  • Following the Leader (George Todd) – 18 points
  • Poppy Girl (Gordon Davidson) – 18 points
  • Stylish (Carol Edmund) – 18 points
  • Humming Bird (George Todd) – 19 points
  • Cheeky Fox Cub (Mike Clark) – 19 points
  • Lone Tree Last Night (Mike Clark) – 19 points
  • The Race Is On (Mike Clark) – 20 points

When the points were added up, the top scorers were revealed to be (in reverse order):

  • 5th place (49 points)
    • Elaine Gilroy
    • Carol Edmund
  • 4th place (50 points)
    • Malcolm Roberts
  • 3rd place (51 points)
    • Jennifer Davidson
    • Gordon Davidson
  • 2nd place (53 points)
    • George Todd
  • 1st place (58 points)
    • Mike Clark

Congratulations to Mike Clark, who managed to secure Clive’s top image of the night and two of his second placed images, making his total just two points short of a perfect score. Congratulations also to George Todd, Jennifer Davidson and Gordon Davidson for winning silver and bronze medals.

Next week we have our first members evening. George and Joe will show some of their work, but we may have some time to fill. If you have any images you would like to show please bring them along to Fisherrow or have them ready at home if you are connecting by Zoom. Don’t forget to submit your 3 JPEG images for the “black and white print” competition this week.

See you on Thursday,

Steven

28 October 2021 (Digital Knockout Competition)

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Our annual digital knockout competition took place earlier than usual this year, on 28th October 2021. This year the subject was “Three Colours”, and members submitted 3 JPEG images, each with a different dominant colour.

13 members entered 39 images into the competition. We had some added complications due to the hybrid nature of the meeting this year, with 6 of the images from Zoom attendees stuck in limbo because they had been emailed too late. The remote attendees shared their screens to show the late images, which needed a lot of screen jugging during the evening. (If we are still having hybrid meetings next year we’ll set an earlier cut off time for remote entries.)

Carol Edmund and Charlie Briggs had got into the spirit of the time of year by coming in Halloween costume. Come to think of it, nobody photographed the costumes. But thanks to Carol and Charlie for cheering us up.

The competition had inspired some very creative images. There with images of brightly coloured animals, leaves and flowers. There were urban scenes of coloured lights; abstract scenes of water droplets, reflections or chocolate; and a brightly coloured car. The images were paired together in a series of head-to-head rounds until only 5 remained. Members then voted for their favourite to determine the final placings, and the result was:

  • 5th place
    • Blue Canary Warf (George Todd)
  • 4rd place
    • Blue Meconopsis (Steven Beard)
  • 3rd Place
    • Pink Rose (Jennifer Davidson)
  • 2nd Place
    • Wild Geese Golden Orangle (Mike Clark)
  • 1st Place
    • Red [Poppy Field] (Gordon Davidson)

Well done to Gordon Davidson, whose winning image featured a girl in a red dress in a poppy field looking at a stormy sky. Mike Clark’s second placed image showed a flock of geese silhouetted against a fiery orange sunset, Jennifer Davidson’s third placed image showed the folded petals of a beautiful pink rose. Steven Beard’ s image showed two blue meconopsis flowers, and George Todd’s image showed the urban landscape around Canary Warf lit by blue lamps.

Reminder: If you would like to come to the club Christmas dinner on 16th December 2021 please email Joe Fowler and bring a £10 deposit to the next club meeting.

07 October 2021 (Digital Projected Images Competition)

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The first major competition of the club calendar took place on 7th October 2021. Neil McGoldrick, from Hatton, Aberdeenshire, joined us via Zoom to judge our Digital Projected Images competition.  You can check out some of Neil’s work on his Flikr site: https://www.flickr.com/people/45770642@N04/

The competition almost didn’t take place as expected. We arrived at the Fisherrow Centre to discover the Wi-Fi was not working!  This is not a good thing for a hybrid meeting connected through Zoom.  After we had spent 20 minutes struggling to connect, George Todd eventually saved the day by turning his mobile phone into a Wi-Fi hot spot.

17 members had entered 54 images altogether. There were shots of wildlife, landscapes, urban architecture, portraits, men at work, flowers, and some interesting abstract and still life shots. One of these, John West’s “For Khandles”, was praised for it’s amusing and imaginative title.  Neil commented on the composition of each shot and did not like shots with too much empty space or strong background colours. There were some beautiful compositions he really liked but needed their highlight areas darkened. Some shots were not quite sharp enough where it mattered. Neil was pleased that so many members had decorated their images with a border, which helped delineate them when projected onto a screen, but he suggested that pure white is not necessarily the best colour to use. A very bright colour can draw the eye away from the centre. He suggested using a more neutral colour.  The top scorers were (in reverse order):

  • 5th place (48 points)
    • Lorraine Roberts
    • Gordon Davidson
  • 4th place (49 points)
    • Charlie Briggs
    • Gavin Marshall
    • Mike Clark
  • 3rd place (50 points)
    • Jennifer Davidson
    • Joe Fowler
  • 2nd place (51 points)
    • Malcolm Roberts
  • 1st place (55 points)
    • GeorgeTodd

The top images were:

  • Candlemakers (George Todd) – 20 points
  • Not on Speaking Terms (Charlie Briggs) – 19 points
  • Kelpies at Night (George Todd) – 18 points
  • White Tailed Sea Eagle – Catch of the Day (Mike Clark) – 18 points

Well done to George Todd for winning the competition and getting the 1st and 3rd placed images. Commiserations to Charlie Briggs and Mike Clark, who had images placed 2nd and 4th but just missed out on a medal. But your great images will still help the club in our inter-club competitions. The total scores included a lot of shots scoring 17 points.

Next week we will go through the competition images a second time, with more opportunity for feedback, comments and questions. I am away on holiday, so next week’s meeting will be hosted by George and Joe.

See you in two weeks.
Steven

23 September 2021 (Into the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods)

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On 23rd September, George Robertson visited the club to give us our first face to face talk for more than 18 months. Two thirds of club members came to the Fisherrow Centre to see George’s talk, with another third joining remotely by Zoom. George is a member of Milngavie and Bearsden Camera Club and runs a guided mountain walking company called “MountainTreks” (see below).

http://www.mountaintreks.co.uk/

He guides clients through mountaineering adventures, and his photography began from a need to give clients a visual record of their journey. George’s photographs have won him awards, the most recent being the ‘Urban Life’ category of ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year’ 2017 and 2020 awards. George’s work can be followed on his photography site:

https://www.mountaintreksphotos.co.uk/

The title of George’s talk comes from a book by Galen Rowell, containing a photographic record of his attempt to climb K2 in 1975. The book inspired George to travel to the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram mountains of Northern Pakistan. We had the privilege of leafing through the book and seeing the fantastic photographs contained within it.

George described to us the awe-inspiring journey he had made around this glacier a few years ago while escorting clients to the basecamp of K2. The group had to carry everything they needed for the trip, so there was little room for photographic equipment. George was limited to just a camera body, a single 18-200mm lens and 6 camera batteries. There was no point in attempting to fit a filter or change the lens because the environment was very hostile and dusty. The main purpose of the trip was to look after the clients, so there were only limited windows of opportunity for photography.

Despite the limited time and rigours of the trek, George still came away with a fantastic photographic record. We were treated us to a feast of staggeringly beautiful mountain images: bright snow; stark mountain peaks contrasting against a bright sky; threatening clouds wrapping around the peaks; the striated curves of flowing glaciers; and “mushroom” rocks balanced on stumps of ice. George’s photographs also described the story of the trip: the local towns and run-down buildings; the rough and broken roads; the river crossings; and the tiny tents clinging to a huge mountain landscape. There were also some great portraits of George’s group and of the local people he encountered on the way.

We ended the evening utterly gobsmacked by the quality and beauty of the mountain photographs. Very few people get to travel to these remote and inhospitable places. Thank you George for bringing us a flavour of this amazing scenery.

16 September 2021 (Introduction to Photography)

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This week I gave my introduction to photography presentation for beginners, this time as a combined face to face and Zoom presentation. This was the first use of the club’s new wireless microphone, which we found was good for picking up the speaker but not so good for picking up the chat from within the room. Next time we will switch to a different microphone for the questions and chat.

Here is a collection of downloadable notes, if anyone would like more details.

01HowDoesACameraWorkDownload
02ChoiceOfLensAndGadgetsDownload
03ExposureApertureDepthOfFieldDownload
04CameraExposureSettingsDownload
05DigitalInformationAndHistogramDownload
06DynamicRangeRawAndHDRDownload
07LightingAndCompositionDownload
08ImageProcessingDownload

The following downloadable notes and give more information on club competitions.

mcccompetitioninformation2021Download

After the presentation there was a technical hitch, where the club laptop struggled to manage a Zoom meeting and play a Dingwall DVD at the same time. After a few minutes delay we eventually showed some inspirational images from the Dingwall Camera Club National Projected Image Exhibition.

09 September 2021 (A Journey Round Spitzbergen)

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On 9th September 2021, we joined Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club for a joint session with their guest speaker, John Nathan, from Tonbridge Camera Club in Kent, England. John joined us by Zoom and told us the story of his trip to Spitzbergen, which gave him the 15 photographs he needed to qualify as an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS). This was our first truly hybrid session with a guest speaker, with some members joining by Zoom and some members watching John’s presentation at the Fisherrow Centre.

John flew to Spitzbergen from Norway. He found it to be a place with very few roads, where most of the transport was by ski doo or small boat. It was a land where there was almost constant daylight during the summer, and where there was an ever-present danger from polar bears. All visitors needed to be escorted by guides who would scout out an area to be visited to make sure no polar bears were lurking there. There was also a danger from pack ice, which frequently scraped along the side of the ships used to tour around the islands, but the pilots were used to the environment and confidently navigated through it.

John showed us the photographs he took on his travels around the islands of Spitzbergen, from Longyearbyen, to Poolypynten, to Ny Alesund, alongside the Monaco Glacier, through the straits to Kiepertoya, and then down to Kapp Lee, Gashamma and Bourbonhamma. There were landscape photographs showing the beautiful lighting and reflections, the weird and wonderful colours and shapes of the icebergs and the ragged mountains contrasting with the smooth reflections on calm water. John had also captured some wildlife shots of walrus, seals, seabirds and, of course, polar bears from a safe distance.

John ended his presentation by showing us how he had put together the 15 A4 prints he had submitted to the RPS. The collection was carefully balanced to show both the beautiful scenery and the variety of wildlife living around Spizbergen. For more of John’s work, check out his web site:

https://j-nathanphotography.co.uk/

Thank you to Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club for hosting a fascination session.

Welcome to the 2021-2022 season!

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We started the 2021/2022 club season with a new meeting format. Our 2019/2020 club season was interrupted by the Covid pandemic and our 2020/2021 season was entirely virtual, with meetings hosted by Zoom. This year we moved to a hybrid format. 17 club members gathered at the Fisherrow Centre and another 6 joined us by Zoom. I was delighted to welcome 4 potential new members! There had been some changes at the Fisherrow Centre since we were last there, and our projection screen has been replaced by an entire section of the wall coated with screen paint. During the meeting we displayed the mounted prints that had been left at Fisherrow, and club members had a chance to retrieve their own prints.

The last meeting held at the Fisherrow Centre was on the 19th March 2020, when we viewed and commented on images provided in advance by Mölnlycke Fotoclubb, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

19 March 2020 (Swedish Inter-club Competition)
Our last club meeting at the Fisherrow Centre in 2020.

Those were the last images projected at Fisherrow in 2020, and they were the first images projected at Fisherrow now we are back in 2021. During the lockdown we learned that Zoom can connect you with people who would be too far away to travel to a regular club meeting, and a year later we hosted our Swedish interclub live with with members of Mölnlycke Fotoclubb.

11 March 2021 (Swedish Interclub)
Zoom gives us the chance to reach out to other clubs who would otherwise be too far away.

I hope the new hybrid meeting format will give us the best of both worlds. We have a packed programme coming up, with a mixture of face to face meetings at Fisherrow plus virtual events hosted by Zoom and played at Fisherrow.

Programme 2021 – 2022
The club programme

Thank you to everyone who came to Fisherrow, and thank you to everyone who connected by Zoom. At our next meeting we will connect with Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club by Zoom, where speaker John Nathan will talk about travel photography. I will send the Zoom information to members before the meeting. The meeting will also be shown in room G3 at Fisherrow.

Welcome back everyone, and see you next Thursday.

Steven

29 April 2021 (AGM and Presentation of Trophies)

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The 2020/21 Musselburgh Camera Club season ended on 29th April 2021 with the AGM and the presentation of trophies.  It has been a very unusual club season, with all of the meetings taking place by Zoom.  A summary of the season can be found on the Chairman’s Comments page.  I would like to thank all members who have supported the club during this unusual year.  The lack of face to face meetings meant we missed some regulars, such as the “match an image” competition with North Berwick Photographic Society and our annual get together with Musselburgh Art Club. But the Zoom format has given us some new opportunities, such as being able to invite judges and speakers from further afield, and meet up with photographers from overseas clubs, such as

22 October 2020 (International Swedish Members Evening)

03 December 2020 (International Dutch Members Evening)

04 March 2021 (Three Weeks in Burma)

11 March 2021 (Swedish Interclub)

Next season I hope we will be able to have a mixture of face to face and Zoom meetings and gain the advantages of both.  Our AGM finished with a virtual presentation of trophies. A full list of winners can be found on the following page.

Trophy Winners – 2020/2021

I look forward to seeing you all at the next season, when I hope we can welcome some new members. Our first meeting will be on Thursday, 2nd September 2021. See you then.

Steven Beard