Club News

Two weeks of excellent photography !

On the 21st October we had a guest speaker, Bret Charman, an award winning wildlife photographer specialising in African wildlife. The talk “ Africa’s Wild Wonders” , certainly took us over many miles within the African continent . All manner of beasts, large and small, were represented from hippos, lions, leopards and the special mountain gorillas. His love of wildlife shone through his photography, especially when showing his images of African wild dogs. His patience, skill and attitude meant he often captured more unique photos. There were lots of hints and tips which could be applied to taking wildlife anywhere in the world.

On the 28th October Paul Parkinson, ARPS,CPAGB, BPE2, arrived via Zoom to judge this year’s Landscapes Competition. A member of Aperture Camera Club in Woolwich, Paul said he has a real interest in landscape work. With attention to detail, Paul carefully moved through the 56 entries, advising the authors how, with simple adjustments, it is possible to make the images have more punch. There were all sorts of landscapes & seascapes with mist, snow, sunrises, sunsets and clouds. Images from all over the UK and abroad tantalised members to think about travelling again!

The Gold Award was given to Liz Wallis with her atmospheric “Mangersta Sea Stacks, Lewis” and she also won the Silver Award for “Glen Etive” . Scotland captured at it’s best . In Bronze place was ”Wild Camp, Wild Place” by Paul Richards .







Two images were Highly Commended, both set in Tenby by Dave Bolton, “Little Goscar” and “View towards Caldey”.

There were 4 commended images from Nicky Rhodes "Early Rise", Mike Cullis "Franz Joseph Glacier New Zealand, Cheryl Hewitt " Early Morning on the Haven" and Charlie Kidd "In the Shade" .

Next week we have the return of the special speaker Julian Cremona with a talk “ The Hidden World of Pembrokeshire” . A presentation not to be missed !

On the 14th October Tenby welcomed Mark Pain, an award winning Sports Professional Photographer with over 25 years of experience . Mark worked with The Mail on Sunday as Chief Sports Photographer for over 20 years, capturing so many iconic sporting moments. Images of top class sports people from Tiger Woods to Lewis Hamilton, top level sports from athletics, horse racing, rugby, and football, events from the Olympics, the Ryder Cup and the Derby, all shot with style and with careful planning, filled the evening .

Mark gave many helpful tips on how to approach an event from where to stand , pre setting your camera when possible, looking for something slightly different or watching for a human emotion. The standard of photography was just stunning with lovely special moments sealed forever .

On the 21st October we welcome Photographer Bret Charman taking us on a photographic journey across the African Continent .

Tenby Camera Club held it’s first internal competition on the 7th October. The First Open, where there are no restrictions on the genre or style, had an excellent 63 images entered. The judge tasked with critiquing the entries was the experienced Brian Coleman. This season the club is trialing a new approach to scoring. Scores are given by the judge but not announced, with just comments and critique being given. Brian had to decide and award Gold, Silver, Bronze places as well as Highly Commended and Commended . The quality of all the images were impressive, but Brian still discussed how small adjustments could help to enhance the image and story. There were birds, insects, sports, animals, castles, flowers and portraits. Plenty of variety to be enjoyed.

Brian held back 17 images from which he gave 8 highly commended and 6 commended .

Highly Commended Certificates were won by Nicky Rhodes ( 2) , Cheryl Hewitt, Jan Sullivan, Paul Richards, Charlie Kidd, John Whitehurst and Liz Wallis.

Commended Certificates were given to Charlie Kidd (2), Nicky Rhodes, Dave Lewis, Caroline Pickett and Jan Sullivan.

The Gold Medal was given to Cheryl Hewitt with an insect portrait “Morning Paddle”. The Silver Medal was also won by Cheryl Hewitt, again an insect photograph “Twins” . The Bronze Medal was given to Paul Richards “Sanderling running from the Waves” .














An excellent start to the competition season .

On the 30th September Tenby held an in house event . The club has many members who are experienced and talented with both photographic techniques and post processing. Five members volunteered to talk about and demonstrate skills which they have acquired over years with excellent results.

In the first half we had Gill Mackay who showed how an ordinary image was transformed into a stunning one by cropping and tonal balancing. She then went on to use it as part of a panel for attaining her DPAGB qualification. She then chatted about her successful Ironman and Mud run images, how she shot them, to showing the post processing procedures she uses , Lightroom, Photoshop, Nik Collection and Topaz.

Neil Thomas took over showing a varied collection of impressive wildlife and motor sport photographs. Neil explained his camera techniques used to capture unique moments. A brilliant selection of fungi, insects, red squirrels, ospreys, kingfishers and cuckoo for the wildlife. Sports including rugby, cricket and motorsports were prominent , with explanations on settings given too.

Charlie Kidd was next, showing his photographic journey from simple beginnings to award winning work, including his DPAGB where he attained the highest marks possible, a unique achievement.

Harry Gardiner who is not only an excellent photographer but an artist too. This shows clearly with his work, not being conventional and staid . He chatted about the merits of Mobile Phone cameras . In other words a great image with a story can be captured easily by anyone . His iconic Tenby in the Snow provided a super illustration on being aware of light and that special moment . This was a 9 image stitched panoramic and has been extremely popular in canvas sales.

In the second half, Gill Mackay, Charlie Kidd and Dave Bolton worked on a few provided images from fellow members. They all had different approaches to post processing but the results were all super. Lots of suggestions for sharpening, cropping and tonal work in several programmes were illustrated.

Dave Bolton has a reputation at club for being very creative in his work. We were treated to a run through his inventive ideas with suggestions of props and techniques to achieve something ingenious ! Wonderful thought processes ….

Club members thoroughly enjoyed the evening, with expressions of thanks and praise to Gill, Charlie, Harry, Neil and Dave being universal from everyone.

Next Week is the judging of the first competition this season …..The First Open , judged by Brian Coleman. There is also hand in for the Landscape Competition.

Tenby Camera Club held it’s annual 9 way battle on the 23rd September. The competing clubs were Afan Nedd, Carmarthen, Cardigan, Kidwelly, Llanelli, New Quay, Towy Valley, Trostre and of course Tenby.

Each club had to enter 10 digital images, giving a total of 90 to be judged by Peter Young, LRPS,CPAGB, AFIAP, HonPAGB.
The range of subject matter was super, with traditional and creative styles . Beautiful landscapes, interesting portraits, stunning wildlife and travel were all appreciated by the audience. There were 10 top scoring 20’s given so the standard was very high.

The final result was Tenby in first place with 179/200 points, Afan Nedd with 173/200 in second and third with 163/200 was Trostre.

Peter Young chose his “Best Image” for the evening. This was “Morning after the Storm” by Bryan Morgan of Kidwelly Camera Club.

Thanks were given to Peter for his patience and expertise, in judging and critiquing a mammoth number of images. Many thanks also to all the participating clubs for their interesting and quality entries, and for supporting the event on Zoom .

Next week, 30th September there is a “Show and Tell” from 4 club members, explaining why & how their favourite images were taken and why they love them . The second half is a Question and Answer session with Demonstrations on post processing.

The brand new season of Tenby Camera Club started on the 2nd September with a welcome meeting, giving details of the fabulous programme ahead . The club is operating solely on Zoom for the full season, no winter journeys to a club house, just maybe a trip to the kitchen to get a drink. Full of new and interesting speakers, competitions and workshops, it must be tempting to join the club for only £30. All the details of the programme and membership form are on the website .

https://tenbycameraclub.photium.com

The first of the speakers to entertain members was Roger Hance with his “All the gear and no idea” talk. A very qualified photographer, he captivated the audience with fabulous photographs, lots of useful hacks and helpful guidance on techniques.

Wending a way throughout the British Isles from the Farne Islands to Black Country Museum, all styles of imagery were discussed. Advice on shooting through wire fences was valuable, illustrated with Brands Hatch images. Landscapes, portraits and wildlife were all featured with lots of valuable and relevant tips, from planning the location to using all the available features your camera has hidden in the menu. He gave nifty pointers on post processing, showing before and after examples.

Roger was a skilled and accomplished speaker who delivered a very thought provoking and beneficial presentation.

On the 16th September members were joined by Carmarthenshire Photographer Graham Harries . A regular speaker to Tenby Camera Club, his talk this time was in 2 halves . The first session was “Lost Carmarthenshire” . Taking us on a journey throughout his home county ,Graham illustrated his passion for old, derelict but fascinating buildings. With the owners’ permissions, we discovered through Graham’s images some unique and extraordinary houses, chapels and mansions. Sometimes hidden by nature, the past life of a building was given a rare airing, with Graham bringing to life it’s story and history. Luxurious detail of plasterwork, arches, windows was surprising and emotive . Rather sad to see but all from another era.

His second talk was “Eye in the Sky”, an engrossing journey via Graham’s Drone photography . Useful suggestions and advice on setting up with a drone , from what to buy, regulations, registration and using the device. Viewpoints of familiar places and buildings, from Stack Rock Fort to Tata Steel works gave a refreshing experience from the normal . There were many images from low levels and up high making a change from the conventional photos seen.

As you can see from these 2 talks, there is a variety of styles and techniques to stimulate the brain and inspire you to get out there with your camera or phone . Why not join in the fun?

Next week, on the 23rd September TenbyCamera Club is holding it's annual Battle . Lots of very interesting photos to be seen from the 9 clubs partaking.

Tenby Camera Club held its final official zoom meeting on May 6th. This was to award the Digital Image of the Year, a prestigious competition to win. Twenty four stunning images, which had all been placed in the top three, in the eight main competitions this season. Leigh Woolford was the experienced judge needed for the difficult task of critiquing and scoring the top quality images. The genres ,of course, were of a wide range from mono, landscapes, macro, nature and creative . There were 12 photographers holding their breath while the scores were awarded !

The first place was given to Charlie Kidd, “Dalmation Pelican at Lake Kikini”, scoring 20 points. In second place was Liz Wallis with “Brown Hare in the Snow” and in third place , Neil Thomas and “Miner’s Residence”

The final announcement was for The Photographer of the Year . The photographer who gained the most points throughout the 20/21 season was Paul Richards. A selection of his outstanding images were shown with much praise from fellow members.

We have now come to the end of the official programme for this season. A new programme will be published on the website soon . It has been decided to run for another full Zoom year . There will be some events throughout the summer period too. Membership remains open for new people with £30 covering the period up to September 2022. Details on the website .

On the 29th April Tenby Camera Club held the annual Creative Competition . We were joined via zoom by judge Barbie Lindsay, who lives in Ipswich. A very experienced creative photographer, and judge, Barbie carefully advised how to improve an image. There were 42 entries with a high standard and range of creativity.

In first place with full marks was Cheryl Hewitt with a poster style photo illustrating the slogan “Save our Insects” .
A close second was Jan Sullivan with a trio of dogs enjoying a Birthday party, “All eyes on the cake”. In third place was Paul Richards with a textured still life of a vase of flowers ““Past their Best”



After a break Barbie then judged the Mike Rowe Memorial Competition. This competition is in memory of a popular and sadly missed member, the late Mike Rowe. In the audience we welcomed Mike's wife, Carol Rowe. This competition is only open to members who have not won a first, second or third place in any of this year’s competitions. Looking at 16 images, Barbie showed how with some simple adjustments the image could be improved.

Mick Halligan swept the board gaining the trophy & first place with “Harvest Mouse eating Apple”. His images “Lone Tree” and “Three’s Company” were 2nd and 3rd.

The last but not least speaker for the 2020/21 season was Oliver Wright who enthralled us with his exceptional images and interesting talk. Yorkshire based, Oliver became a professional photographer in 2014, his work takes him around the world, specialising in wildlife, macro, adventure and landscape photography.
He spent time illustrating his aurora photography, representing “Lights over Lapland” as a guide , based in Abisko, Northern Sweden during the autumn & winter. Fantastic colours in the sky in all sorts of weather, snow, ice & mist & pristine arctic landscapes. While illustrating the a wealth of wildlife and macro shots of astonishing ice formations, Oliver kept our attention with tales of his wild camping, Arctic style.
After a break, Oliver talked about his own unique style of photography, using handheld focus stacking. The photographs of all manner of insects and birds were stunning in their detail. Horse and robber flies, jumping spiders, dragonflies captured naturally in the wild, even covered in dew. Videos of photographic techniques were very useful. He related how he spent a great deal of time successfully capturing the breath of a wren. Such patience. Tenby members were mesmerised with every image. Certainly worth having a look at Oliver’s website .

Tenby Camera Club held their 3rd Open Competition on the 15th April. There were 73 entries from 19 photographers . Judging was undertaken by Dennis Russ who found it a difficult task to assess the high standard of work . Nevertheless, he finally worked out that 5 images should score 19 points and 5 score 20 points . In the final places all with 20 points were Liz Wallis in first place with “Brown Hare in the Snow”. In second place Charlie Kidd and “Sparrowhawk eating prey” and in third place Rosie Dungey with “ Pelican grabbing his breakfast” .

This is the final Open event, the photographer who gains the most points scores from all three competitions becomes the overall winner . The trophy awarded is the Ray Hine Memorial Trophy . Ray was one of the founding members of Tenby Camera Club and played an assertive and influential part in making it the camera club it is today . Ray was a respected member and also a great photographer, winning the photographer of the year on many occasions. Sadly passed away now , he is remembered by us all at Tenby and with his good friend Mike Cullis donating the super trophy in Ray’s name.

This year’s recipient of the Trophy is Liz Wallis, with a commendable total score of 223 points out of 240. Paul Richards came second with 216 points and Neil Thomas with 3rd and 214 points .

Tenby & District Camera Club took a dive into the deep with Cate Barrow’s “Underwater Photography from around the World” Cate is a director of an Environmental consultancy and lives near Cardiff. She has enjoyed Scuba Diving for 20 years and has specialised in underwater photography.
Starting with all the challenges faced by this genre of photography Cate explained how the approach is different to land photography. Safety both from diving and the wildlife is paramount .
There are so many things to be considered from dive depths, currents, buoyancy control, light and the care of the environment, Information on her Nikon equipment with the protective housing and all the gadgets required to sustain a photoshoot. Not possible to change a lens or card in the depths ! Fish enjoy feeding around active water with fast currents but that makes photography more difficult and tests the diving skills .

The effects of camera settings and artificial lighting were shown, giving the impression of a night time shot. Strobe lights bring the colours to life and there were certainly some amazing colours. Then there is trying to get as close to the subject as possible without any personal danger or to disturb the subject. Natural light is possible in shallower waters where the suns rays delve into the water with lovely effects.
Cate admitted the diving in the UK is very good, albeit with cold and sometimes rough waters, with poor visibility . The coasts in Pembrokeshire, especially around Skomer, Devon & Cornwall all having good diving locations.

Cate showed the large amount of equipment needed when going diving abroad, your luggage allowance certainly is maxed out. There were other problems too, like sea sickness, sunburn and cramped boat space. This becomes unimportant once the undersea world is encountered .

Cate took us around the world to see some of the best diving sites for wildlife. Over 200 images of a huge diversity of sea life enthralled us. Beginning with Fiji , there were bull sharks and pipe fish then to New Zealand’s Poor Knight’s Islands with cold water diving, wonderful cave systems and Captain Cook’s Scorpion Fish. Moving swiftly into Australia with several areas visited, the creatures impressed us with their adaption to their environment. The Leafy Sea Dragon blending into the plant life so cleverly . Cute Sea Horses and the highly venomous Blue ringed Octopus, frog fish and Nurse Sharks all captured beautifully for us to marvel at . Indonesia was next with turtles and Pygmy Seahorses moving to The Maldives and it’s astounding range of life . Moray eels, Guitar Shark ( yes really! ), shoals of sweet lips and long finned bat fish . Shoals are difficult to photograph but Cate has acquired the technique of swimming backward so the fish are facing her, managing to get a pleasing composition . Raja Ampat, Papua New Guinea, is one of the holy grail diving sites pure and seemingly untouched. We then experienced Cate’s encounters with Great White Sharks in Guadalupe off the Mexican Coast. Fed with tuna these imposing sharks were stunningly caught in camera . The Bahamas gave us even more sharks, hammerhead, lemon and tiger . All imposing and dramatic.

Through her Photography Cate took us on a captivating and vivid journey, viewing wildlife tiny and gigantic in the vast undersea world. A breathtaking opportunity to see a hidden world for the majority of us. An excellent & knowledgeable speaker
Thank you Cate for an entertaining evening, Charlie Kidd for hosting Zoom, John Whitehurst for the zoom links and to Ali Rees for organising the evening .

Next week, on the 15th April, it is the judging of the 3rd Open Competition and also the hand in for the Creative Competition .

This weeks presentation

A wondrous presentation by Alyn Wallace took Tenby Camera Club members to new heights.
His talk “Night Sky Wonders”certainly did that, sharing with us his love of photography, science and the outdoors. Beginning honing his skills in 2015, Alyn taught himself the techniques required to capture the universe in all its glory. Using fantastic locations like the Brecon Beacons to start with, he was soon tempted to go far and wide, places like Chile, Norway, Iceland, Turkey and Easter Island. He was full of praise for the spectacular night skies we have in Wales.

After viewing some breathtaking land and sky scapes, featuring the Milky Way, Planets, Constellations and lunar & solar eclipses, Alyn was very generous sharing his approach to astrophotography. Guidance on equipment, settings, clothing , apps and safety was covered in detail.

Alyn’s enthusiasm shone through and members were very appreciative in their thanks .

Tenby Camera Club entered the creative and humorous world of Lynne Morris, our speaker on the 25th March. Lynne who is from North Wales, is highly qualified and has been learning her craft in just 9 years. Spectacularly talented with a superb sense of humour , Lynne conjures up images that have a story and impact. Lynne explained where her inspiration comes from, for example music, films and news items. A fabulous set of Llandudno goat images depicting their antics during lockdown made everyone laugh . Lynne keeps a large portfolio of her own stock photos from textures to household equipment which can be used to give a surreal and artistic effect. The final image looks like an original instead of a composite !
Lynne spent time showing the stages in Photoshop, layer after layer, giving attention to details like shadows and perspective. All very time consuming but with wonderful end results. It is no wonder her images are showered with awards. Her innovation and originality shone through her presentation and was very inspiring .

Tenby held it’s annual Mono competition on the 11th March . A wide range of genres throughout the 72 images submitted by 19 photographers for critique & scoring . We had a new judge to Tenby via Zoom . Susan Ashford from Swansea and Cymru Mono camera clubs, was tasked with assessing the work . Susan is an experienced judge especially with Mono work . She was fair, encouraging and gave advice on how to improve an image.

There were 4 images scoring 19 points with 5 “held back” with 20 points. From these “held back” images Susan announced the final places.
In first place was Rosie Dungey with her beautiful portrait “Dolly”. In second place was a super “Dalmation Pelican having a shake” by Charlie Kidd. Third place was taken by Paul Richards for his gentle landscape “A misty morning in the valley”

The Carmarthen 4 way Battle was held on the 4th March . No road trip to Carmarthen this time but there was a 60 plus audience on zoom . The judge for the night was Dennis Russ who worked his way through 40 images. There was a wide range of styles and genres to be enjoyed . Tenby had 4 images scoring the maximum points from Charlie Kidd, Cheryl Hewitt, Jo Wakeman and Paul Richards. The final result was that Tenby gained 189 points out of 200 and was in first place . Cardigan Camera Club came a close second with 183 points . Newquay in third, scored 177, with Carmarthen in 4th with 177 points.

On the 25th February we held an adapted for Zoom competition “The Fourtograph” . Usually the Hexagon, a competition with 6 themes, this was changed to 4 themes. The themes chosen for this year were Reflections, Circles, Paths and Abstract.
There is no critique or score from a judge for this event but the images are scrutinised & scored by the Zoom audience of club members . A super selection of images to look at, with some great interpretation of the themes.
The Reflections category was won by Cheryl Hewitt with “Emperor” , Circles was won by Dave Bolton and “Little Smiler” . Paul Richards and “Gannet Flight Paths” won the Paths section and the Abstract section was won by Dave Bolton with “Behind the Mask”

The points for all the categories were added up for each entrant so an overall winner could be announced . This was Dave Bolton in first place with 24 points, Cheryl Hewitt , 2nd, with 20 points and Liz Wallis, 3rd, with 17 points.

Tenby Camera Club had a Street Photography Presentation on the 11th February. A genre that is gaining popularity in the photographic world , it was brought to life by Brian Lloyd Duckett. A very experienced photographer, journalist, lecturer and Fuji ambassador who is based in London .
After a run through some classic street images by exemplary photographers, to illustrate candid street photography styles, Brian went on to explain how to proceed. Firstly with the narrative or story telling, then the Aesthetic using unusual approaches , like shooting through a window, taking silhouettes , shooting at night . Finally there is the Moment , making connections , perhaps using humour .
With ten tips Brian covered the basic way to approach this genre, from being observant, watching body language, getting lucky “right place right time” and being patient. Brian gave excellent advice on settings, lighting and legality. He also encouraged us to have an ongoing project to focus on .
Brian was a very practical, down to earth speaker, inspiring many members to have a go in the future.

A well supported Ace of Clubs Competition was held on the 21st February via Zoom . Thirteen talented Welsh Clubs competed with the top 2 clubs going forward to represent Wales in the future UK wide PAGB Battle . Thirty entries from each club, scored by 3 eminent judges, gave a thrilling and closely fought competition. Tenby Camera Club members were thrilled to gain first place. Three members scored a maximum score. They were Charlie Kidd and a Bronze medal , Dave Lewis and a ribbon ,and Dave Bolton, a judge's choice. There were many amazing images and it must have been difficult for the judges to choose the medal and ribbon winners . Well done to Gwynfa Camera Club who came second and also qualified . Afan Nedd Camera Club came a worthy third place .

A big thank you to all the authors who allowed their images to be used

February 11th was a particularly impressive evening when Tenby welcomed Ross McKelvey. A highly qualified photographer, with his achievements being MFIAP, MPAGB,FBPE,EFIAP and over 300 medals in National & International Competitions since 2010 . A member of Catchlight Camera Club based in Belfast, Ross’s presentation, titled, “A Talk of Two Halves” had members spellbound . The first part was a eclectic mixture of images from creative to landscapes but it is his portrait work which sets him apart. Using beautiful professional models, he captured the female form in all it’s glory . Ross gave advice on lighting, both natural & flash, and how to use it to your advantage , as well as posing positions.

After a zoom break, Ross then took the club on an exciting journey through processing in Photoshop and Nik Collection. And my, what a journey ! Advice on shortcuts, blending modes, filters, masking, actions, sharpening and so much more. Using a wide range range of tools to improve the final image. A bit hard to keep up but we were advised that his You tube pages have lots of information and video tutorials to look at .

A memorable evening .