21 November 2024 (Match An Image Competition)

This week we were delighted to invite North Berwick Photographic Society to Fisherrow for the “Match an Image” competition. The competition was judged by Simon Wootton of Midlothian Camera Club. Images were displayed in pairs, and Simon’s task was to judge whether the second image shown matched the first, and in the case of a match to judge which was the better of the two images.

North Berwick started the competition with a strange, distorted shape which turned out to be the reflected image of the bow of a ship. Musselburgh responded with an image of a laughing duck which, astonishingly, was declared a match because the duck’s beak and tongue had a similar shape! Musselburgh responded with the first of a series of John West paperclip creations: a grid of paperclips. North Berwick replied with their image of an array of prayer wheels, which contained the same number of rows and columns. Another match! The evening continued with North Berwick challenging us to match their variety of telephone images and Musselburgh challenging them to match our selection of indoor abstracts. We got lucky when North Berwick shows us a picture of the glowing balls at Newhailes House & Gardens which we matched with a picture of some light bulbs. North Berwick flummoxed us with their arctic scenes, as we had no snow scenes in our collection. The best we could do was try to match their polar bear with an otter (another animal on water, although not necessarily frozen). At the tea break North Berwick were just ahead by 16 points to 15.

In the second half we hit them with a series of flower pictures which gained us a few match points and bonus points. But they replied with a series of animal images that became harder to match as we ran out of examples. Then we exchanged some portraits. Carol Edmond’s portrait “Hi There” was matched but declared the best image. It became harder to match images in the second half, but Simon also wanted to reward the high quality images that were coming up, so the matches became more tenuous. Yes, we matched their silhouette of a soldier holding up a gun with two hands with our image of a kayaker battling the rapids and holding a paddle. But they matched our image of a man on a tricycle in an alley with a street image because the diagonals were the same. By the end Musselburgh clinched the competition by 33 points to North Berwick’s 29 points.

Thank you Simon for some entertaining judging. It was great fun. Thank you to everyone who submitted their images for this competition. You helped us win it! Next year we’ll be travelling back to North Berwick.

  • Unfortunately, the speaker we had booked for Thursday, 28th November can’t make it. So next week we’ll either have a Members Evening or something Derek can put together at the last minute.
  • Derek is arranging a photoshoot at the National Museum of Scotland this Saturday morning, 23th November, at 10:30am. If you’d like to come, please meet Derek in the foyer some time between 10am and 10:30am. Let’s hope the snow holds off.

20 November 2024 (4 Way Inter-Club Competition)

On Wednesday, 20th November 2024, MCC members fought their way through the delays on the Edinburgh city bypass to join StirlingEdinburgh & Kirkcaldy at the Birds and Bees restaurant in Stirling for the annual 4-way interclub competition. The competition was hosted by Stirling & District Camera Club and judged by Eddie Telford of Milngavie and Bearsden Camera Club.

Each club had submitted 15 digital images, making a grand total of 60 images. The competition began with Edinburgh’s image of a firefighter tackling a forest fire, which achieved 19 points; then Stirling’s image of an American wren caught in mid flight approaching its nest hole, which scored the first 20 points of the night. Next up was Musselburgh’s still image of a nuthatch on a tree, which couldn’t compete with the dynamism of the wren and received just 16 points. This was followed by Kirkcaldy’s beautiful landscape image of a lone tree against a mountain background, which got 18 points. This first round summed up what was in store for the rest of the evening. We had some good images, but the other clubs’ images had something more. For example, George Todd’s portrait of the boxer “Kalon” was beaten Kirkcaldy’s image “On Target” of two boxers caught in mid fight. In the second half, you could hear the disappointment from Musselburgh members when Carol Edmond’s portrait “Hi There” received a very positive description but was awarded a disappointing 17 points. By contrast, Stirling surged ahead with four of their 15 images receiving 20 points and another 19 points. Edinburgh managed a 20 and a 19 and Kirkcaldy a 19. It just wasn’t Musselburgh’s night. 😦 The final scores were:

  • 1st place: Stirling and District Camera Club, 267 points.
  • 2nd place: Kirkcaldy Photographic Society, 258 points.
  • 3rd place: Edinburgh Photographic Society, 253 points.
  • 4th place: Musselburgh Camera Club, 248 points.

None of our images achieved the top spot this year, but one came close:

  • Harvest Queen (George Todd) – 18 points.

Although we were unhappy, Stirling cheered us up by offering a lovely selection of drinks, sandwiches and cakes. We were up against some very strong competition this year, especially from Stirling who had a cracking selection. Strong competition lowers the scores, so well done to George, Joe, Derek, Mike and Carol for scoring 17+ points against such odds. We’ll be back next year and ready for a much better result.

14 November 2024 (Colour Print Competition)

We were delighted to welcome Colin Joyce to Musselburgh to judge our colour print competition, braving the evening rush hour traffic on the Forth Bridges to visit us from Dunfermline. Colin is both an artist and a photographer, whose work can be seen on his web site:

His work will also be on display during the weekend beginning 30th November at the Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show at St. John’s Church in Edinburgh. Colin said it was a privilege to have the opportunity to view other people’s work and had enjoyed the variety of ideas shown by our members. He doesn’t like the term “judging” when assessing images, as he’s simply expressing his opinion. He said all of the prints entered are worthy of display.

33 prints had been entered by 11 members. Colin really liked the strong colours and detailed textures on many of the prints. He suggested some prints with an extensive background could be improved by cropping, and some prints could be improved by toning down a distraction or adding a focal point. But he had positive things to say about all the prints and appreciated the work that had gone into creating them. The top scorers were (in reverse order):

  • 5th place (51 points)
    • Elaine Gilroy.
  • 4th place (52 points)
    • Jennifer Davidson
  • 3rd place (53 points)
    • John West
    • Derek Muller
  • 2nd place (54 points)
    • Joe Fowler
    • Mike Clark
    • Carol Edmond
  • 1st place (58 points)
    • George Todd

The top images were:

  • Courting Great Crested Grebes (George Todd) – 20 points
  • Battling the Rapids (George Todd) – 20 points
  • Where’s that Nut?  (Joe Fowler) – 19 points
  • Come Fly With Me (Mike Clark) – 19 points
  • What Was That? (Carol Edmond) – 19 points
  • Apprentice Welder (Joe Fowler) – 18 points
  • Forrest Nymph (George Todd – 18 points
  • You staring at me? (Mike Clark) – 18 points
  • Anemone Triptych (Elaine Gilroy) – 18 points
  • Fake Fly (John West) – 18 points
  • Hand Made and Home Grown (John West) – 18 points
  • Rubbing hands with devilish delight (Carol Edmond) – 18 points
  • That’s My Nut (Derek Muller) – 18 points
  • Chilling After a Heavy Lunch (Derek Muller) – 18 points
  • Beautiful Young Woman (Jennifer Davidson) – 18 points

Well done to George Todd, winning with 58/60 and also creating “Courting Great Crested Grebes”, which Colin considered the best image overall. Thank you to Colin for “expressing his opinion” for us, and to everyone who entered the competition.

Next week we have two inter-club competitions in quick succession:

I look forward to seeing you again in the coming week.

 

31 October 2024 (George Robertson: Exploring Kathmandu and the Khumbu Valley)

This week we were delighted to welcome back George Robertson to the club. George had already entertained us with two previous talks featuring stunning mountain photography:

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

22 September 2022 (George Robertson: The Snows of Kilimanjaro)

This time George enthralled us with photographs documenting a trek from Kathmandu through the Khumbu Valley to the Mount Everest base camp. George is a member of Milngavie and Bearsden Camera Club and has been running the mountain trekking company Mountaintreks for a number of years. George’s photography had begun from a need to record the experiences of the clients on his mountain adventure treks but had expanded into the fantastic collection of mountain landscapes you can now see on his web site:

George Robertson Photography

The journey begins at Kathmandu, a place full of jumbled, multi-colour buildings and picturesque Buddhist temples. The group then catch a flight to Lukla, perhaps one of the most dangerous airports in the world. All flights to Lukla take place early in the morning to avoid the fierce winds, and the short runway slopes upwards at 12 degrees to help aircraft stop before hitting the concrete wall at the end! From here, the rest of the journey is on foot along a narrow, rocky road dotted with monuments and engraved symbols. Literally everything, from luggage to building materials, is carried down this road either by pack animal (dzo) or on someone’s back. George documents this journey with a series of stunning photographs showing the towns and people encountered on the way and the increasingly stunning views of Mount Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. All of George’s photographs were taken with one camera body and a single 18-200mm lens. He didn’t take a tripod but managed to get some fantastic night shots of the mountains by balancing his camera on a rock. The talk finished with the group’s arrival at the Everest base camp and a series of jaw-dropping photographs of the mountains at sunset. Thank you George for entertaining us yet again and showing us why you have twice won a Landscape Photographer of the year award.

  • Next week’s colour print competition has been moved to 14th November, so will have our members evening on 7th November instead. Please bring along any interesting images or ideas you would like to share with other members. We can also take the opportunity to finish the back and white printing.

17 October 2024 (Digital Projected Images Competition)

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?

10 October 2024 (Indoor Photoshoot)

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)

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)

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.

05 September 2024 (Opening Night)

The 2024-2025 season is now well underway. I would like to welcome all the potential new members who came along to try us out. If you entered your email address on the club home page you should receive these blog entries that describe our meetings. You can also follow group activities by joining our member-only Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/25703565185901411. Ask Elaine Gilroy or Charlie Baird for an invitation.

You will find our 2024-2025 programme of activities on the club website:
https://musselburghcameraclub.org.uk/programme-2024-2025/ There will also be regular outings and photoshoots not mentioned in that programme, so keep watching our Facebook group. Ed, the club secretary will also notify members of events by email, in case you don’t use Facebook.

The club web site contains a collection of tutorials on photography that our chair has added over the years:
https://musselburghcameraclub.org.uk/introduction-to-photography-presentations/


Here is a list of interesting events that could present photographic opportunities in the next few weeks:


Information on how to enter the club competitions can be found here (or you can just ask George Todd, our competition secretary). Competition images are normally emailed to George at georgetodd1957@me.com:

An introduction to the club competitions

I look forward to another year of exciting photographic activities.

25 April 2024 (AGM and Presentation of Trophies)

The 2023/24 Musselburgh Camera Club season ended on 25th April 2024 with the AGM and the presentation of trophies. We discussed the upcoming programme for 2024-25, which John West has packed with more speakers and special events. We are planning a series of monthly photoshoots through the year, so watch out for notifications or check our activities page. The club now has a private Facebook page which members can join to be notified about events and to chat during the summer while we are not meeting at Fisherrow. Click the link below to request to join (you’ll need a Facebook account):

https://m.facebook.com/groups/25703565185901411

Members had an opportunity during the evening to suggest and vote for the topics for next year’s set subject competitions. The top results were:

  1. Buildings
  2. Distorted
  3. Cycling

which become the themes for set subjects 1, 2 and 3. We decided that the knockout will be open to all images next year.

The AGM finished with a presentation of trophies and medals and with a selection of snacks and refreshments provided by Jennifer Davidson and Liz Sowler, who received the club’s “Golden Teapot” award. The full list of trophy and medal winners can be found on the following page:

Trophy Winners – 2023/2024

Although the 2023/24 season has come to an end, the club’s exhibition will be touring local libraries during the summer. This year we also have an exhibition at Cockenzie House. Here is the timetable and list of volunteers.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered. Our first meeting of the 2023/24 season will be on Thursday, 5th September 2024. But in the meantime I hope to see you at some of our summer photoshoots.

All the best,

Steven Beard