Parkland Photography Club - April, 2002

Tisdale - May 2, 2002 - by: Gerald Crawford
April 28th, 2002: We had a good turnout for our April meeting - nine of our twelve members attended.
 
Tibby showed us a photo she took of a cardinal, which has been visiting a bird feeder in the Zenon Park area for the past six months or so. The cardinal was very small in the photo, but so sharp and clear that the markings around the face were quite visible.
 

We had eight entries in the Theme competition. The Theme was “Wood”, and entries varied from photos of a woodland, to woodpiles, to wooden marks, to barn board. First was won by Darlene McCullough for her photo of two wooden Hawaiian masks against some greenery; runners up were Jerry Crawford’s photo of a long woodpile, and Tibby Frazer’s photo of a campfire. We then held a brief critique of all entries.

Darlene had entered a print in PRPA’s Gerry Fish Print Competition; her photo of the church at Batoche at 22 points was one point shy of an honorable mention. Winner of the competition made 24 points out of a possible 30.

Darlene had a print damaged in mailing to Edmonton; it was in a bubble pack but was bent. When mailing photos, always include cardboard or foam core stiffeners; they can still be damaged, but it takes a more dedicated effort. The extra postage will be much less than the cost of having the photo reprinted or being disqualified from a competition.
 
Catherine Letkeman, of PRPA, is interested in starting a new print circuit and had contacted Darlene for names of some interested members. Jerry, Doreen and Mary had all indicated interest. In a print circuit, a loose-leaf binder is started with sleeves for ten 8 x 10 prints, plus pages for comments. When a member receives it, he or she inserts a photo, writes critiques of the photos already in the binder, and sends it to the next person. When it comes around the next time, he or she can view the new photos added, and write in comments. Seems to me to be a marvelous activity.
 
The PRPA Annual Outing will be held at Greenwater, June 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. There could be sixty to eighty people attending from all over Saskatchewan and Alberta. They have asked that our Club bring its albums and print displays to be set up in the Hall, and our slide show, just in case inclement weather stops the outdoor activities. There will be workshops in macro photography, using black and white instant slide film, and outdoor portraiture.
 
 
Alie and Glen Neish are going to bring a showcase of their slides to the May 28th meeting.
 
Malcolm Salmond showed us some experimental photos he has been working on. He used slide film instead of negative film, processed in C-41 negative chemistry, and printed on color paper. The result was dramatic. He then used the print as a negative and printed on another sheet of color paper, getting a spooky-looking negative image. That image was then used as negative in another sandwich, resulting in a very dramatic, almost white-and-black photo. He also used the first negatives, from the slide film, to print on black and white paper. It’s good to see someone with the interest to experiment. That’s how progress comes about.
 
Tibby and Darlene took the Club’s slide show to a potluck supper at Armley, where it was very well received, and Alie and Glen Neish had shown it at Naicam. If any group would like to see the slide show, contact one of the members - we love to show it off!
 
Therese Lalonde won a membership in the Club some years ago and attended faithfully until she graduated and moved away. Her mother says she is going to make a career of photography, and that being in the Club influenced her decision. Gratifying news!
 
We held a bit of a tip session:
  • Mary Wright: When photographing a new place, go without your camera for the first visit, to get the feel of the place, then bring your camera the next time. Use a tripod!

  • Tibby: On camping trips, take twice as much film as you think you will need, plus extra batteries for flash and camera. Try something different — try a slide film.

  • Alie: Get down to the level of your subject.

  • Darlene: Look at your subject from different angles.

  • Adam: Try to photograph the subject at different times of day; see how the light changes the subject matter.

  • Tibby: Don’t forget your camera!

  • Harry: With a bit of Velcro on your lens cap and on your camera strap, you may never lose a lens cap again!
 
 
Darlene showed us some prints received from her friend Tony, in London. Most of the photos were of buildings in Madrid and Frankfurt, with a couple of a wedding couple in London. Tony is an accomplished photographer, and loves to travel.
 
Harry showed us his new digital camera, an Olympus 2100C, which he is very happy with. It is fully manual or fully automatic or anything in between, and has a 10X optical zoom lens (equal to 37mm to 370mm in 35mm terms) plus 2.7X digital zoom. That makes it a formidable machine!
 
Next meeting is May 28th, at Fairlight Studio in Tisdale, at 7 pm. The theme is “Trail”.
 

Gerald B. Crawford
Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0
(306) 278-3423
Check out my Webpage: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/crawg