West Haddon Photo Club
Upcoming Events
These are the full details for the events we have planned that are coming up in the next few weeks.
If you want to see all the events we have planned this year then take a look at our Programme Page.
For our last talk this year we welcomed Nigel Spencer to present 'An Evening of Wildlife Photography' to our members and guests.
Wildlife photography is quite rightly very popular, not just because of the enchanting images, but also because of the desire of many photographers to take one themselves. Those of us who have tried know how hard this is, but Nigel's superb images made it look easy.
In an extensive presentation Nigel talked about how he had drifted from landscape photography to taking predominately wildlife images, at the cost of having to lug huge, heavy lenses up mountains in freezing weather. The results were worth it; we were treated to intimate and spectacular photos of birds and animals.
Whilst there is a element of luck (13 days in a hide waiting for a bear to show up) Nigel was at pains to explain that preparation, not least understanding your subject and their habits, was crucial to getting the shot. It was also interesting to hear him speak about the commerciality of photos - crucial if you're a professional photographer - and how subjects, composition and colour effect this.
The popularity of wildlife photography, and of Nigel as a speaker, was demonstrated by one of our biggest audiences for a talk this year. Thank you to Nigel and all who came along to the talk.
For details of the talks we have next year have a look at out 2025 Programme.
Delapré Abbey in Northampton has a history going back 900 years and incorporates the remains of a former monastry. There is a fine house (which wasn't open, unfortunately), extensive gardens and parkland that includes woodland and a large lake which attracts varied wildlife. The Abbey grounds are also the site of the Battle of Northampton, and one of only three extant Queen Eleanor Crosses is located nearby.
This photo shoot was organised by our friends in Spratton and Inspire clubs and is one of two joint events in July. It was a shame the weather didn't help us: overcast and drizzly conditions meant the light was poor and made it too dark to shoot in the woodland. Nonetheless this event provided a good opportunity to meet photographers from other local clubs.
We were very pleased to welcome back Justin Minns who presented 'A Learning Curve'. Since we last invited him to talk to us he has become a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society - take a look at the beautiful photos he submitted for his Presentation Panel.
On his website Justin describes himself as, 'An award-winning professional landscape photographer - best known for my images of East Anglia - but my work takes me to many parts of the world, creating atmospheric imagery for clients including the National Trust, British Museum and English Heritage'.
About 'A Learning Curve' Justin says, 'Over the last few years I have become increasingly absorbed by landscape photography. This presentation aims to pass along some of the things I have learnt during that time, illustrated by plenty of images'. He certainly lived up to his promise.
Justin broke his presentation into sections, using each to focus on a particular aspect to take into consideration when making a photo. For example in 'Let there be light' he talked about how the light changes, not just throughout the day - the much-sought after blue and golden hours - but also how the weather effects it - sunlight through mist.
In 'Compose yourself' Justin explained how to place your subject in the frame to increase the impact of the image, and to draw the viewer's attention using light, colour and leading lines. In case his audience was despairing of ever producing the quality of photos he was showing us, Justin showed he had to work hard too, not always succeeding immediately, in his 'If at first you don't succeed...' section.
Many of Justin's photos were taken in East Anglia and Essex and he has produced a couple of books packed with his sumptuous images that explain where to go and when so you can try and take your own. Photographing East Anglia and Explore and Discover Essex are available from FotoVUE and there's currently a 15% discount on these and all the other books they sell.
This talk was one of a number of events we hold during the year and was sold out. To avoid missing out on future events have a look at our 2024 Programme for forthcoming events.
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