Category Archives: Sports

Anything ‘sporty’ here please, e.g. bikes, motorsport, rugby, frisby!

11 Dec 2025 (Eddie Telford: Remember Photography is Fun – Part 2)

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This week Eddie Telford returned to Musselburgh Camera Club to give us another custom talk. When he last spoke to us back in April 2024 the custom themes were “Remember Photography is Fun” and “Around the World in 80 Images”. This time he resumed the “Remember Photography is Fun” theme and added some advice on the theme of “From Beginner to Advanced”. Eddie began by telling us not to worry about competitions and scores. The main reason to take up photography is to have fun. Eddie showed us some examples of the joke photographs he had made: for example a photograph of someone slumped over a chair mimicking a yoga āsana, or showing the mischief at home that children got up to during the Covid pandemic. The “Nessie” toy (who likes whisky and now has his own passport) features in many of Eddie’s fun travel photographs.

Eddie described his recent experience photographing the Women’s Open Golf Championship at Dundonald Links. He sets his camera to silent mode and takes his photos from a distance with a long lens (to avoid disturbing the players) and tries to take one shot just at the moment the ball is struck. If he is lucky, the ball will still be in the shot. Eddie also likes bunker shots because the sand can fly into some dramatic shapes. Besides the action shots, Eddie also captures portraits of the players, first when they are concentrating on their shot or posing with their trophy, and then a few minutes later when they have relaxed. The relaxed portraits looks more natural. Eddie also showed us some images he captured at a youth competition organised by Bowls Scotland. The story begins with drone images showing the initial setup, followed by some action shots, this time captured at the moment when the player releases the ball.

Eddie is a member of Ayr Photographic Society and often supplies images to Ayrshire Magazine. Eddie was keen to point out that Ayr Photographic Society won the SPF Digital Championship this year for the first time in 35 years! He described two fashion photoshoots he made for the magazine: one was with the 2024 Miss Scotland, shot on the Ayrshire sea front, and the other was a shoot with the winner of Miss Great Britain at Turnberry. There was also a photoshoot covering the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Institute. Eddie was surprised at the images chosen by the magazine, but they wanted images that emphasised the characteristics (such as the jewellery or a particular look) featured in their articles. Eddie prefers natural-looking shots where the model looks relaxed. Magazines also like images that have a lot of empty space where they can add titles. Eddie also showed us how photographers and artists can help each other. He has collaborated with local artist, Rona Mcseveny, who converted Eddie’s photograph of Ayr Town Hall into an artwork which became the Lord Provost’s official Christmas Card.

Eddie showed us an audio-visual he made to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day in Ayr, including the “Field of Heroes” art exhibition. Eddie finished with an audio-visual advertising the spectacular scenery of Dunure, which was used to raise money for Dynamic Dunure, a local charity. We finished the night with a chat with Eddie over tea and biscuits. Thank you Eddie for a another great presentation. We look forward to your next visit.

Next week we have our Christmas night out at the Lido restaurant in Musselburgh. Our table is booked from 7pm on Thursday, 19th December 2025. See you there.

09 October 2025 (Digital Projected Images Competition)

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We were delighted to welcome Campbell Skinner to the club to judge our Digital Projected Images competition. Campbell is president of Greenock Camera Club and is internationally recognised for his stunning sport photography. You can see some of Campbell’s work on his web site:

https://www.campbellskinnerphoto.com/

Campbell began by telling us not to give too much weight to the marks he was about to give out. Feedback is more important than marks, and understanding why your image didn’t get a higher mark will help you improve. 33 members had entered 66 images covering a wide range of subjects, including sport, wildlife, landscape, portrait and abstract art. Campbell recommended that we look carefully to make sure that the title of an image is relevant and doesn’t clash with what we are seeing. Does it matter if the train is going to Aviemore when that isn’t apparent from the picture, or if the reflection of the red door was taken at Gosford? In another example, a canoeing shot entitled “Tight Turn” didn’t show what they were turning around. Campbell recommended that when attending a sporting event (such as the Grandtully slalom) that you recky the place first. Look where the light is coming from, look where the players might get involved, decide on the best place to stand to capture those players, and check what is visible behind them in the background. If there are distractions in the background, try to remove them by moving or using a wide aperture to blur them out. He also recommended that portrait, sport and wildlife shots be taken at eye level. If the players are on the ground, get down to their level. Try to avoid portraits where the subject’s eyes are turned instead of their head. A lot of shots had been taken in dull or over-harsh lighting conditions. If the lighting is dull, Campbell recommended using the dodge and burn tools to highlight your subjects, lighten eyes, reveal details and darken the background. Wildlife shots should stand out as if you could “touch” the subject. If your shot is taken in poor lighting, you could also try again at a different time of day. The top scorers were (in reverse order):

  • 5th place (50 points)
    • Jim Innes
  • 4th place (51 points)
    • Steven Beard
    • Mike Clark
  • 3rd place (52 points)
    • Amber Morris
  • 2nd place (56 points)
    • George Todd
  • 1st place (57 points)
    • Derek Muller

The top images were:

  • Frosted Whiskers (George Todd) – 20 points
  • Dave Going His Own Way (Derek Muller) – 20 points
  • National Museum (Steven Beard) – 19 points
  • Strength Against the Current (George Todd) – 19 points
  • She Dances With Fire (Derek Muller) – 19 points
  • Proud Woodpecker (Malcolm Roberts) – 18 points
  • Rapid Run (Mike Clark) – 18 points
  • Hurricane and Spitfire (Steve Williams) – 18 points
  • Sold Out (Elaine Gilroy) – 18 points
  • Going for a Win (Jim Innes) – 18 points
  • Barn Own (Derek Muller) – 18 points
  • Beach Day (Amber Morris) – 18 points

Well done to Derek Muller for winning with 57/60 points, to George for coming a very close second and to Amber for achieving her first medal. Thank you Campbell for judging our competition and giving us a lot to think about.

We will be reviewing this competition on 23th October. In the meantime, have a go at making some of the changes recommended by Campbell. We can also use that evening to give our own feedback. Which were your favourite images?

Next week, 16th October, Derek will be collecting entries for the Colour Print Competition. We will be having a club night based on a technique, rule of composition or theme; so please bring in an image (or a small collection of images) on a technique, rule or theme that interests you. Here are some examples to help you find inspiration:

  • Telling a story about a subject in 6 images (as suggested by Charles Everitt).
  • Making a triptych out of 3 related images.
  • Still life photography (with or without John West’s paperclip figures).
  • ICM photography.
  • Time lapse photography.
  • Street Photography (as inspired by Graeme Barclay).
  • Combining images to make a composite.
  • Using depth of field creatively.
  • Using art tools to improve photographs.
  • Etc…

I look forward to seeing what you bring along. I’ll be showing you some of my attempts at 3-D photography.

 

27 March 2025 (Set Subject Round 3 – Cycling)

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Our 2024-25 set subject tournament concluded this week with round 3 on the theme of “cycling”. The competition was judged by Jennifer Davidson, who won last year’s competition. 13 members entered 36 images altogether. Although “cycling” is quite a narrow subject, members had interpreted the subject in creative ways. There were images of racing cyclists, commuting cyclists and delivery cyclists carrying various loads. George Todd, in particular, had captured a cyclist moving what looked like a haystack! Carol Edmond had a well-timed shot of a jumping BMX cyclist. There were also images of parked bicycles placed against a background, and some creative abstracts made from close-ups of bicycle parts, such as Jim Innes’ image of a spinning bicycle wheel. Steven Beard took the “cycling” theme to the extreme with an image of the inside of a washing machine! Jennifer gave a detailed critique of each image. Cycling was the main theme, so the cyclist or the bicycle needed to be the dominant subject in the frame. She liked to see shots which showed detail on the cyclist but also gave a good sense of movement. Panning with a slightly longer exposure time helps to blur the background and blur the wheels, but you need to follow the cyclist accurately to keep them sharp. She also considered the eye contact and facial expression of the cyclists. Jennifer noticed a few artefacts on the images that might have been added by Photoshop and a few bright or coloured distractions near the edge that could be cropped out. Some of the close-up shots were spoiled by distractions in the background, and Jennifer suggested a change in viewing position or depth of field might have helped. The top scorers were (in reverse order):

  • 5th place (49 points)
    • Mike Clark
    • John West
  • 4th place (50 points)
    • Steven Beard
    • Elaine Gilroy
    • Derek Muller
  • 3rd place (53 points)
    • Joe Fowler
  • 2nd place (54 points)
    • Jim Innes
  • 1st place (56 points)
    • George Todd

The top images were:

  • Moving a Heavy Load (George Todd) – 20 points
  • Out on His Own (George Todd) – 20 points
  • Flat Out (Joe Fowler) – 19 points
  • Vietnamese Cyclist (Malcolm Roberts) – 19 points
  • The School Run (Jim Innes) – 19 points
  • Team Time Trial (Joe Fowler) – 18 points
  • Neil The Cyclist (Steven Beard) – 18 points
  • Over The Bridge (Mike Clark) – 18 points
  • Spinning Slow (Jim Innes) – 18 points
  • Just Eat (Derek Muller) – 18 points

Well done to George Todd, who won this round with both of the 20 point images. George would normally win the right to judge next year’s competition, except he already won the first round and will be judging that one next year. George nominated Jim Innes, who came second. After consulting the final spreadsheet I can reveal that the final result from all three competitions is:

  • 1st place
    • George Todd (57 + 56 = 113)
  • 2nd place
    • Malcolm Roberts (53 + 53 = 106)
  • 3rd place
    • Derek Muller (55 + 50 = 105)
    • John West (51 + 54= 105)
    • Jennifer Davidson (53 + 52 = 105)
    • Joe Fowler (52 + 53 = 105)
  • 4th place
    • Jim Innes (50 + 54 = 104)
  • 5th place
    • Steven Beard (51 + 50 = 101)
  • 6th place
    • Melanie Gallacher (51 + 49 = 100)
    • Karen Woodcock (51 + 49 = 100)

Congratulations to George for winning the set subject trophy with a massive 113 points, and commiserations to Malcolm for being pipped at the post.

  • 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.
  • Don’t forget to send your dancer images to Derek, and let him know if you would like to take part in the “Acting Out” opportunity on 15-16th May.
  • Also, don’t forget to register and let Ed and Stephen know if you would like to go with other MCC members to the Hopetoun Horse Trials on 24th May.
  • Next week we have our last Members Evening of the season. The main theme this time will be “editing”. If you have improved some of your shots with editing techniques, please bring along some “before” and “after” images and tell us how you did it. But as it’s the last Members Evening of the season, it’s also an opportunity to bring along anything else you would like to show members. See you there.

20 February 2025 (Joe Gilhooley: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It)

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The club was delighted to welcome Joe Gilhooley from Loanhead, Midlothian to talk about his work. Joe’s interest in digital photography began in 2010, when he wanted to record his daughter growing up. He purchased a Canon DSLR and took the camera on family trips. He developed a liking for landscape photography but fell into the usual trap of coming home with 400 scattergun images of the same scene. He now recommends pretending you have a roll of film and only capturing the small number of images you think are worth keeping. Joe has 3 Canon DSLR camera bodies, a Sony compact camera, and a selection of 9 lenses. He always uses a tripod for landscape photography and recommends using the camera in “mirror up” mode with a remote shutter release to prevent camera shake. Joe’s love of landscape photography won him the “Scots Magazine Photographer of the Year” award in 2017 and 2019. Joe joined the Royal Photographic Society in 2020 and achieved an LRPS qualification in 2021 and is working towards the ARPS qualification. You can see more of Joe’s work on his web site:

http://www.joegilhooley.co.uk/

Joe started by showing us the 10 images he had submitted to win his LRPS qualification, which included a night view of the Forth Bridges, a night view of Edinburgh from Calton Hill, star trails over the Belhaven Bridge and a clever still life which simulated colours being painted onto a bowl of fruit. Joe likes to take his landscape images during the blue hour: the hour just before sunrise or just after sunset when sky is still bright enough to give a blue background. Joe watches the weather forecast and will often drive to a location at short notice to arrive in time for the perfect conditions. Calm conditions at sunrise are ideal for capturing still reflections and morning mist. Joe took us on a journey across Scotland, showing us a wide variety of excellent images of castles, gardens, monuments, lochs, mountains and iconic viewpoints. His subjects included landscapes, cityscapes, wildlife, star trails and fireworks. In 2022, Joe successfully applied for a press contract to photograph the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which gave him the opportunity to capture some beautiful images of the event. Joe had also offered his services to several football clubs, and had obtained a press pass to capture images of key moments during their games. Joe finished by showing us some of his sports photography images. Joe uses two camera bodies for his sports photography. One body has a 400mm lens attached, which he uses to capture distant action. The other has a 70-200mm lens, which he uses when the action gets closer. He uses fast (f2.8) lenses and a very high ISO to achieve the fast shutter speeds required for sports photography. A monopod helps to support the weight of his heavy 400mm lens.

It was a fascinating evening where Joe gave us hints about good places and times to take photographs and encouraged us not to be afraid to contact organisations like sports clubs and local newspapers who may need a local photographer.

  • We are having our “Sense of Speed” club photoshoot this Saturday, 22nd February at 10:30am in Lewisvale Park, Musselburgh, EH21 7AR. Bring your camera to practice photographing bicycles, dogs and people moving against a background. For best results bring a lens with a large maximum aperture, such as f2.8.

Musselburgh Rugby Club Photoshoot

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The club has received the following message:

Good afternoon. My name is Scott Johnston and I help run the Scottish Police Rugby Section and we are hosting our first game in over 2 years on Wednesday the 15th September at Musselburgh Rugby Club. It’s an evening kick off (7:30pm) and the game is being used as a trial match to pick our national team to take on the English police later this year.

I was wondering if any of your members would be interested in attending and taking some pictures of the match.

thanks
Scott

Please contact Elaine Gilroy (elainegilroy@hotmail.com) if you would like to get in touch with Scott.

18 February 2021 (Astrophotography & Action Photography)

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This week the club had a virtual visit from Andy Bennetts of Haddington Camera Club, who gave us two talks on very different photographic subjects: “Astrophotography” and “Action Photography“. 

Astrophotography

Andy showed us examples of different kinds of astrophotography. The easiest subject to photograph is the Moon, which is best photographed on a clear night with your longest possible telephoto lens. Andy’s examples were photographed with his 400mm lens, with a 2x converter, at ISO 3200, 1/2000sec at f5.6. The tripod and fast shutter speed help remove camera shake at this extreme magnification. You can use the web site https://www.timeanddate.com/ to predict the phases of the Moon and look up the times of moonrise and moonset.  Andy also likes to photograph the Sun at sunrise or sunset. You need to be careful not to look at the Sun through the telephoto lens and use a narrow aperture to protect your camera. The Sun will appear as a featureless disk unless you use a dark solar filter (see https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/solar-observation.html), so it is best photographed next to a landmark. The web site https://photoephemeris.com/ can be used to predict when and where to photograph the Sun and Moon against local landmarks. There are also smartphone apps called TPE and Sun Surveyor which give you the same information.

Andy then showed us how to photograph more difficult subjects, such as the stars and Milky Way. These are best photographed from a dark site well away from light pollution. The most convenient dark site near East Lothian is the B6355 from Gifford to Duns. The camera should be set to manual focus and manual exposure for best results.  A red headlight is useful for setting up your camera in the dark.  Andy recommends focussing by looking at a magnified “live view” on the back of the camera, rather than just setting your lens to infinity. Photographs to emphasise star trails are best made with a wide angle lens, with the camera on a tripod. Exposure times of up to an hour can be achieved by setting the shutter speed to “bulb” and using a remote shutter release. Images containing some foreground detail, such as trees, lakes and mountains, will have the most impact. Use a wide aperture and an ISO setting below 400 to reduce noise. On the other hand, photographs to emphasise the Milky Way need an exposure time of 20-30 seconds to prevent star trails. These shots require an ISO setting greater than 1600. Andy recommends taking 5 or more shots of the same scene and stacking them in Photoshop to reduce the noise. Layers can be matched together manually using the “difference” blending mode. The Milky Way shows up better on a dark, clear night without the Moon.  Andy showed us some beautiful images he had taken by the Whitadder reservoir.  Finally, Andy showed us some post-processing tips for astrophotography:

  • Darken the shadows to emphasise the blackness of the night sky
  • Increase the contrast to brighten the stars.
  • Increase clarify, vibrance and saturation to emphasis the faint detail and colour.

Action Photography

Andy then showed us the techniques he uses to capture action shots, using different kinds of sporting events as examples. The photographer has control of the aperture, shutter speed, focal length and camera movement.  A wide aperture (such as f2.8) is useful for reducing the depth of field to emphasise the action while blurring the background.  A fast shutter speed (such as 1/500s) will help to freeze the action, while a slower shutter speed (such as 1/50s) can help to emphasise movement. Panning the camera helps to emphasise the movement of fast-moving subjects such as motorbikes, cars and cyclists.  A long focal length lens allows you to zoom in on the action from a distance. You can also eliminate a distracting background (such as ugly buildings behind a sports stadium) by cropping closely on the action, such as a rugby scrum. You can hand-hold a lens up to 200mm, but for longer focal lengths Andy recommends a tripod or monopod. A monopod gives you the best compromise between steadiness and flexibility. If you don’t have a long lens there are also opportunities for capturing action from a closer viewpoint, such as at the Edinburgh Marathon or at road cycling events.

Getting the focus right is one of the most difficult aspects of action photography. Autofocus works better when your subjects are well separated from the background, but even then most of the shots will not be focussed properly. Andy takes lots of shots and selects the ones with the best focus. Some sporting events, such as horse racing, are difficult to get right with autofocus. For those events, Andy recommends manually focussing on a stationary object, such as a fence, and waiting for the riders to jump or pass that fence.

Andy gave us some hints on where to find subjects for action photography. There are usually (when not in lockdown) regular football, rugby and cricket events in Haddington. Horse racing can be photographed at Musselburgh, action water events often take place at Fox Lake Adventures, near Dunbar, golf at Gullane, Canoeing at Grand Tully, wind surfing at Longniddry and Gullane beach (best viewed at high tide) and Motor Cycling at East Fortune.

Thank you to Andy for a very enjoyable and informative double evening.