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Derek Smith • 15 March 2018
Sorry, unable to grab the .rss feed from the zenfolio site, so copied.
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en-us (C) Louth Photographic Society ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:50:00 GMT Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:50:00 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/img/s/v-5/u349382545-o648549513-50.jpg
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120 82 http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/2/update-jan/feb-start
Good to see members returning to the Club after the Break. The first 2 weeks were taken up with viewing the LPA Print Portfolios, which turned out to be a wealth of images in both colour and B&W. It was a difficult task to select the Club preferences to go forward, but it was achieved. Well done to Chris in Chairing the events, alongside Roger for his input.
7 Feb saw a great evening, led by Peter Cory, giving a very descriptive talk about his journeys through North Africa, then after the break with two tours of Russia. His DPIs from Slides and Prints from times past were expertly manipulated and managed and the evening displayed tales of austerity through to sheer opulence.
Our next event is 14 Feb - DPI Comp, 'Patterns in Nature' 'Open' and 'Tetney Blow-wells'. Images through to Graham as soon as possible, with a cut-off of Midnight Sunday LATEST.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/2/update-jan/feb-start Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:49:51 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/1/upcoming-events January 24 sees a return to the Club after the Christmas Break. This date, followed by January 31, sees two special evenings, displaying the very best in the form of the LPA Folios for both colour and mono. Historically, the quality of these evening's works are extremely high and should provide a catalyst for members to 'get out there and give things a go'. Following this, on February 7, our own member (Peter) has an evening showing his work from numerous visits to Russia (believed to be DPI).Members may note that Graham has sent out the request for programme input ideas; please support him in this and return in good time, to allow him to formulate the programme so there can be something to hopefully please everyone.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/1/upcoming-events Tue, 16 Jan 2018 17:42:57 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/1/2018---a-happy-new-year-to-all May I take the opportunity to wish all members a very "Happy New Year" and best wishes for all endeavours in 2018. I hope you all had a good festive break, including Christmas, and look forward to seeing members back at the LPS. Can I further encourage members to view the remaining programme for the year and see where they can contribute.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/1/2018---a-happy-new-year-to-all Mon, 01 Jan 2018 13:18:35 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/29th-november-competition-night Wednesday 29 November : Tony Gaskins : DPI CompetitionAnother robust turnout from the membership, to listen to an eminently qualified and experienced Judge in the form of Tony. This was Tonys second visit to the Club, so we must be doing something right if he's prepared to return! The 3 themes for the evening's DPI Sections were 'Breaking the Rules', 'Open' (Mono) and 'Local Architecture' (Colour). Tony had previewed the DPIs on the laptop and explained it was going to be a difficult task ahead, a good reflection of the quality of work on offer. He went on to afford a very detailed, fair and experienced critique of each image, giving time to pick up on the positives, as well as proffering advice where he though an image could be strengthened. For the showing of the DPIs, I personally sat at the back and was amazed at both the diversity and quality of work on show throughout each theme. In the end, Tony selected his worthy choices and gave his rationale as to why they made the 'final cut'. Well done to all who took part, and to Tony, for a great, valuable and entertaining evening. I believe there was something of value and education for us all in the evening's event.
To the team in the background who keep things going, a hearty 'Thank you' to John for his projector work, Roger and Carol for the points recording, and Dave for providing the hot refreshments at half time!
On behalf of all members of the LPS, we offer our very best wishes to David the President; our thoughts are with you at this time.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/29th-november-competition-night Thu, 30 Nov 2017 17:15:03 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/louth-panorama Wednesday 22 November : Richard Gurnham : Louth Panorama and its People
Another fascinating insight into the life of early Louth and its people was brilliantly explained tonight by Richard.
It is his third visit to the Club since my membership, and each visit brings not just a fresh approach, but new stories of times, both good and bad of the history of Louth and its people. Richard extracted numerous images from 'Brown's Panorama', displayed them in DPI format and had eloquent stories to tell of each, based upon his extensive research and knowledge. Keen to impart this information with meticulous precision, there were stories ranging from Publicans, Doctors and Lady Nymphs, right up to Police and JPs. As ever, we can only imagine the hardships people of the time endured.
All too soon the time limit on the evening arrived - despite many untold stories waiting in the wings.
I'm sure Richard will devolve further in his latest book (due out in 2018).
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/louth-panorama Thu, 23 Nov 2017 06:51:15 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/donna-nook I visited Donna Nook today to see how the Seal numbers are doing.
It was pleasing to see a healthy number of mums and pups.
Many of the pups were very close to the fence line, with some actually touching it.
I went at 7am to see a magnificent sunrise, and catch the first light on the Seals at the southern edge of the fence line.
There were numerous Wardens constantly on patrol, and speaking to them, they advise that the pupping season is approaching its peak.
Birthing happens along the complete fence line, and a range of lenses from 50-400 on full frame or crop will cover 90% of needs.
It goes without saying, that Nov/Dec is cold, but this morning was bitter. Get well wrapped up!
Paul
19-11-17
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/donna-nook Tue, 21 Nov 2017 11:25:50 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/street-photography---part-2 Wednesday 25 October : Mike Bennett : Street and others Pt2Tonight saw another strong attendance from Club members, for the welcome return of Mike Bennett. The President started by thanking Mike for attending at short notice. It certainly was a further coup for the membership having a second serving of Mike's DPI images and immaculate AV. The images were as diverse in street theme as last time, with different viewpoints of known landmarks, interspersed with human action. As an addition to his expertise in street genre, Mike gave insight, knowledge and practical skill through DPI work in other fields, including Transport and wonderful Portrait work. Theme music and images captured more stories in AV. I hope the dual lectures provide some stimulus for members to get out and have a go, remember the DPI of the year Comp has opportunity to enter images for this genre.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/street-photography---part-2 Fri, 27 Oct 2017 11:28:40 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/october-print-competition At the meeting of 18th October Louth Photographic Society held a Print Competition.Our Judge for the evening was a welcome return of Jorj Malinowski who ably sorted out the 25 Open entries and the 20 British Wildlife entries. It was encouraging to see an increasing number of entries and Jorj commented that he was seeing even better quality images.
Sid Pearce took first prize in the Open section with Wrinkles, and Graham Harrison gained first in British Wildlife with Young Robin. Full details of the results and the winning images can be found on the Competition
Next week 25th October sees a change of programme with a welcome return of Mike Bennett with more images including his speciality of Street photography.
P. Huke.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/october-print-competition Sun, 22 Oct 2017 05:48:24 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/on-the-street
Wednesday 4 October : Street Photography and extras : Mike Bennett
Club events, following the Summer Break have been outstanding quality, and tonight was no exception. A genre of photography which is new to many, perhaps on the fringe of their comfort zone or bordering with slight trepidation, was unfolded in a professional, educational and motivational way by Mike. Starting with his personal belief of the topic, his discussion covered both his ethic and factual stance in terms of go/no go areas for this specialist field. Mike displayed crafted DPI work from area's including Grimsby, Lincoln, Nottingham, Sheffield and some outstanding work from within London. Colour and mono DPI told a story to the viewer. His approach through gritty, contrasty, sometimes sombre B&W showed great empathy with his subject. Extra showing during the evening included some Studio work, selective tone work and wonderful Photoshop skills. Finally, beautifully crafted and executed Audio Visual work balanced the images with carefully selected music taking the audience on a journey of perfect storytelling.
For me, it was enthralling, a new concept and one I would like to try; hope you all enjoyed it too.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/on-the-street Thu, 05 Oct 2017 05:44:29 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/photoshop-workshop "Photoshop workshops
We are planning to start Photoshop workshops this Autumn. An Open evening is being held on Monday, 9th October at Church House, Louth starting at 7.30 pm.
At this meeting we are fortunate enough to have Brian McCarthy who will demonstrate what can be achieved with Photoshop and how it can be used to improve your images. We will also discuss how the workshops will be run
All interested are invited to come along and find out more about the workshops and our Society, or contact Peter Huke on 01507 605158"
P.H.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/photoshop-workshop Mon, 02 Oct 2017 11:18:28 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/presidents-eveningWednesday 27th September: President's Evening.
David Hewson : Aperture Priority and Depth of Field.
Starting on time, David gave a wonderful lecture on controlling the 'Depth of Field' in an image, by the selective use of Aperture. Interspersed with a beautiful array of natural wildlife images in both Print and DPI format, David showed how a zone of focus, with front to back depth, and a focal point, could be used to great effect in composition and exposure. Throughout the evening his images 'popped' with vibrancy, as the audience were led on his journey (both geographically and technically), into achieving his image. David took time to answer questions as they arose, and gave some valuable tips into the use of Aperture Priority, including the rationale behind his preference for its use in his specialist field of work. Technically, although aperture selection, focal length, distance and Crop v Full Frame come into the equation, David spoke of the need to have the image in mind to start with. Exposure Compensation, Macro and the use of the Histogram also featured. The images were made available to view at the end of the evening and David continued to talk to members. A hugely insightful evening and one which must surely prompt members to 'Turn the dial' to Av and have fun learning...
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/presidents-evening Thu, 28 Sep 2017 15:18:26 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/lincoln-shutter-imps Just a reminder that the Lincoln 'Shutter Imps' Photographic Exhibition is currently running in the Lincoln Central Library until 30th September. It covers a variety of genres and is Free to view. I have been today, and there are a diverse selection of wonderful images from some very talented individuals.
PM.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/lincoln-shutter-imps Sat, 23 Sep 2017 12:39:43 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/competition-night Wednesday 20 SeptemberWednesday 20 September was advertised as a 3-theme DPI evening with an external Judge. Unfortunately, the Judge was absent, so our President David Hewson very kindly 'stepped up to the plate' for the evening to undertake the Judging role. This was David's first evening back, and it was good to see him looking well. There was a robust number of images on display - totalling nearly 70, split between the themes of 'Sunrise/Sunset', 'Open' and 'Man's effect on the environment'. Each theme contained images in which members used their interpretation and skills to good effect, to give the Judge a challenging evening. Scores were close, but congratulations go to Graham Elvidge in coming first in 2 out of the 3 themes, Stirling work indeed!
Continued thanks to those who assist in making the evening a success.
As a heads-up, David returns next week (27th) to stand and deliver an evening on aperture and depth of field control, something which he uses to great effect in his work. Certainly an evening not to be missed.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/competition-night Thu, 21 Sep 2017 16:54:14 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/return-to-the-club Return from the Summer Break
Wednesday 13th September saw a very welcome return back to the Club Room for the LPS Members after the Summer Break. The evening (as advertised in the local Newspaper and Lincs FM Radio), consisted of seven Members displaying and talking about their 10 favourite PDI works. The range of work on offer was diverse and excellent, and it proved to be a very good start to the Autumn Season.
It was good to see some new faces in the audience too, let's hope the show of skill and calibre has whetted the appetite.
Graham asked to remind of the PDI Comp next week; cut-off for entries is midnight next Monday.
Please keep abreast of the programme, and Peter will inform of all activities, including the forthcoming Photoshop Workshop.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/return-to-the-club Thu, 14 Sep 2017 06:25:42 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/exhibition I have been into Lincoln this morning and had a social coffee with a good friend, who is an outstanding nature and wildlife photographer. He advises me that a local gathering (which he is a member of), the "Shutter Imps" are holding a 2-week display of their photographic work from 18-30 September in the Central Library. Entrance is free.
Louth Photographic Society
It was our first meeting after the Christmas break, it was good to be back and the meeting was well attended. We held a PDI competition with the categories of “Insects”, and “Open”, our judge for the evening was Colin Lusby, who is a very experienced judge, and he gave many useful tips, and suggestions on how to improve our images for greater impact. Dave Turner took the well deserved top spot, in the “Open” category with his image of “Moody Llanberis”, landscape photography doesn’t just need a good view, the skill is in capturing the mood, the light, and the shadows, as well as the scene – Dave has captured the scene perfectly, it’s a view that anyone would love to hang on their wall. In the “Insects” category, Graham Harrison took the top spot with his perfectly sharp Willow Emerald Damselfly, this is a beautiful green iridescent insect pictured on a stalk, an excellent capture. The Competition page on the our website has been updated with the top three images in each category, and the score sheets.
Good Morning All I photographed this Treecreeper bird at Linwood Warren recently. We start back again this Wednesday 14th January with a PDI competition, the categories are "Insects" and "Open" to be judged by Colin Lusby of NELPS. The list of entries has been sent out and we have a good entry, fifty images altogether. The following week we hold our project night, "Prime Time", we have four members showing their images from the project. Regards Graham
The use of monochrome images seems to be coming back into fashion of late. Many of a certain generation will remember when monochrome was everywhere, television, newspapers, magazines, films, and our own photos (black and white film was less expensive), I remember in the mid sixties when the Sun newspaper (a broadsheet at that time) and the Daily Herald began a rivalry to publish the most colour photos into each edition. Monochrome images can sometimes convey a mood, and detail that’s not always evident in a colour photograph. Converting a digital colour image to monochrome can take a fair amount of skill, sometimes it’s helpful to visualise the image as a monochrome before even taking the photo, when editing the blacks have to be rendered as pure black, and the whites rendered as pure white, with a range of greys in-between, otherwise an image can look “muddy”. If your camera allows possibly try shooting some images in monochrome. Portraits, architecture, landscape, street photography, and trees often make the best monochrome images, and rarely wildlife, although my image of a lizard is quite effective. I shall be running a “Photo Editing” workshop on the 4th February, and members will have a chance to try converting colour digital images to monochrome.
Good Morning All I have been out a few times with my camera, there are a lot of Fieldfares around in large flocks at the moment, the only trouble is they soon take flight so are quite hard to get near, this one was from the car window. Our first meeting back in the New Year will be January 14th opening with a PDI competition, the categories are "Insects" and "Open" judged by Colin Lusby, please send your entries to Harry with a closing date of midnight the 7th January. The following week is the project night where members were asked to take part and using a prime lens take one photograph a month. Myself and Derek have done the project could any members who have taken part let me know please so I have an idea how much time will be left over. We are hoping to enter the N&EMPF club PDI competition and LPA club PDI competition, Harry as usual will organise an entry for us but if you can send him up to six of your very best PDI's when you have time, please. The main rule is it can't have been in the competition before. You may need to send them in two files as LPA use a size of 1920 x 1080 and NEMPF 1600 x 1200. The new project for this year is water, one photograph a month which includes water. The projects will be then shown January 2027. There is also the LPA individual PDI competition you may want to enter, Derek sent details a few weeks ago but information can be found on the Lincolnshire Photographic associations website. Regards Graham
So, why did I swap my Olympus OM-D E-M5 iii camera, and associated lenses for the Fuji XT-3 and lens system, and return to Olympus / OM Systems just a few years later? The Olympus E-M5 iii was, and still is a very capable camera, with a 20Mp micro four thirds sensor, and fully weather proofed, my camera upgrade path was to the OM-D E-M1 iii, but it would have cost me at least £1000, providing me with dual SD cards, and a few extra controls. It was cheaper for me to sell all my Olympus gear, and buy into the Fuji ecosystem, the XT-3 had the dual SD card slots, and promised to have improved image quality. The Fuji lens selection was extensive, and I bought a pair of zoom lenses, and a couple of prime lenses. Later on I bought the Fuji XS-20 as an everyday carry camera, but it was forever warning of overheating. I was content with the Fuji system for several years, I would liked to have photographed more birds, and wildlife, however the reach (focal length) of the 70-300mm Fuji lens was a limiting factor. I took some of my best photographs with the Fuji system, and the Fuji 16-80mm zoom lens was one of my favourite all-round lens. The turning point for me was the launch of the OM Systems OM-1, with a stacked BSI sensor, and subject detection AF, I could have chosen a Nikon, or Canon camera system but the lens selection was limited at that time for the latest mirror-less cameras. I sold all the Fuji gear, and bought a used OM-1 camera for £850, closely followed by a 12-45mm f/4 zoom lens, the 17mm f/1.8 prime (an all time favourite of mine) the 25mm f/1.8, and the 45mm f/1.8 prime. I’ve repurchased the Olympus E-M5 iii, as it’s a great small everyday carry for travel, and general photography. The lens I bought last year was the 60mm f/2.8 macro lens, which has enabled me to take some great insect photos. For bird, and wildlife photography I have been using the Olympus 70-300mm zoom lens, but I’ve just upgraded that to a OM Systems 100-400mm zoom lens, which is stabilised to 7 stops of IBIS on the OM-1, and is fully waterproof, and dustproof. As the micro four thirds sensor is smaller than a full frame sensor, you have to double the focal length to obtain an equivalent viewing angle to a full frame camera, thus the 100-400mm lens becomes equivalent to 200-800mm on a full frame camera. For this coming year I intend to be more focused (no pun intended) on landscape, and wildlife photography, watch this space. Whatever camera, or phone you’re taking photos with just enjoy your hobby, and keep learning and improving.
Good Morning All I hope you all had a very good Christmas and wishing you all a happy new year. I tried to find one photograph that summed up the year. Regards Graham
I hope that everyone has had a very good, and healthy Christmas. For our Programme for the New Year, I shall be running a photo editing workshop on 4th February, I will provide each participating member with an SD card containing example images for us to work together in editing. I shall be using three photo editing apps, which are all free to download and use, the first of which is: FastStone – This is the software that our Society uses for displaying images during our PDI competitions. The software is excellent for reviewing a file of .jpg images, basic edits, and resizing of images. The software is unable to develop RAW images, but does show a thumbnail preview which can be useful for culling a set of RAW images. Microsoft Windows only. Canva Affinity – This is excellent for developing a single RAW image, processing Focus Stacking, and Bracketed Exposure images. The software also can be used for layering, and compositing of images. I will be demonstrating the Focus Stacking, Bracketed Exposures, layering and compositing of images. You will need a Canva account to download this free software which runs on Windows, and Apple Mac. RawTherapee – This is an extremely complex photo editor, but I firmly believe that the software can rival anything that Adobe produces without the bloat, and cost. However the software has a steep learning curve, especially with the masking tools. One of the best features for me is the preview ribbon of a set of images at the top of the screen, I also like the tabbed editing tools, it is also possible to batch process basic edits onto a RAW file using a RawTherapee pp3 file. RawTherapee can be downloaded to Windows, Mac, and Linux. To gain the best from the workshop I would ask members to download all three software apps to their laptops. In addition there are YouTube tutorials on the use of RawTherapee, which I would encourage you to watch, and that way we can work together to understand how to produce the best results from the software. Wishing all our members a very happy, and prosperous New Year.
Good Morning, All, We had a very good last meeting before Christmas, thank you to my partner Jane for her hard work preparing the buffet, also thank you to Tony for preparing the quiz, there were some very good questions with Robin and Heather coming out on top with a fantastic 48 points. Thank you to Harry as well for running the raffle and to everyone who donated a prize. We now start our Christmas break but if you get bored there are things that you could be doing. The first meeting back on 14th January will be a PDI competition, with the categories of "Insects" and "Open", you can start sending entries to Harry now, remember three insect entries and three open entries with an (R) after one entry which will be removed if there are too many entries, but you may use it some other time. Derek sent information regarding the individual LPA PDI competition, it would be good if a few members entered. They do like you to go along on the day of the competition as well if you enter or just go along anyway if you didn't. The Print Of The Year (POTY) competition is held in February, so it would be a good time to look through your prints and sort some out ready. For newer members it may seem a funny time of year but our camera club year runs from the beginning of May to the end of April, all rules are under competitions on our website but the main one is that your entry hasn't been in a print of the year competition before, there are six subjects plus best mono in competition, this can be from any of the subjects. The subjects are Landscape, Pictorial, Nature, Photojournalism / Street, Record and Portrait. Regards Graham
The buffet and quiz evening was one of the highlights of our calendar, it's the culmination of the year's events before the Society takes a Christmas break. The buffet was excellently prepared by Jane, who is Graham's partner, with plenty of delicious food, pork pies, sandwiches, plum bread, with cheese, quiche, mince pies, and cake. Tony Gaskins produced an esoteric quiz, and Robin and Heather scored the most points with 48 points, I scored a miserable 17 points, but we all had a lot of fun with the answers. The raffle raised £47, with some members collecting more prizes than others, amid lots of laughter and banter. Overall it was an excellent evening, enjoyed by all. A big thank you to Jane for the buffet, Tony for the quiz, and Harry for organising the raffle. Wishing all our members, and readers a merry Christmas.
Good Morning, All We did go to the sand racing again last week, the weather was a bit overcast but as no sky is required for this kind of photography, so good action shots are still possible. Last week at the club we held our monthly competition, of prints, with the categories of "People" and "Open". There was a very good entry with some excellent prints. David Whitehouse came first in the People section with Dave Turner winning the Open section. All the results are on our website under competitions with a blog on the evening as well. This week our Christmas buffet and quiz night will be held. The buffet will be provided for you but feel free to bring a drink along with you (a beer or glass of wine if you wish). Dave Mann will also be providing tea and coffee. Tony is doing a quiz for us all so bring a pen and paper if you remember, Christmas jumpers are optional. Harry will be selling raffle tickets, and if you would like to provide a prize please bring it along and give it to Harry. Regards Graham
