Photograph by PFF member Mick "Summer by the Sea"
Review: PFF MEETING 03/07/2024. THEME: SEASONS
Judith welcomed the members to the meeting. (That didn’t take long as there were only five of us there!) We had received apologies from Andy, Andrew, Charles, Elizabeth, Heather, Diana, Robert, Trevor, David and Karen, so we did wonder how the meeting would turn out! However, we were pleased to see those that came, and we had a good meeting. Oh, and Trevor managed to attend after all as his other meeting was cancelled taking us up to six!
We also welcomed Neil, a friend of Mike, who hadn’t long retired and is considering joining us after the August break. (We hope you do!)
For those of you who enjoy getting out to local events for photo opportunities we mentioned the “Steampunk at Papplewick Pumping Station” weekend on July 13th and 14th. Details can be found in the July edition of the Ravenshead Newsletter.
Photos sent in: “Seasons”
We were grateful for all the photos sent in along with those from our ‘missing members’ which allowed us to show a good range of our Seasons Theme photos. We saw them in ‘season groups’, starting with spring and then on to a few collages sent in by a few of us.
As we watched, we discussed various aspects of composition and techniques that help to improve the quality of the shots taken. Rule of Thirds, level horizons and shutter speed were just a few of these. Well done to all those that submitted their photos. We enjoyed looking at them.
(See selected photos on the PDF below)
Shots of the Month
We only had a couple of these. One of a robin from Maureen which was nicely focused and sharp considering that it was taken at a slow shutter speed of just 1/10sec. The other one was sent in last minute by Andy after a visit to Paignton Zoo. This was a lovely close-up of a lion, but I wondered how near he had been before running away!
10 Minute Talk: Maureen
Maureen had been observing birds in her garden which seems to have a plentiful variety that regularly visit to consume the food and water that she puts out for them. She told us the story (in words and photos) of a particular day when she saw a fledgling sitting very still on a water dish. The story revealed various visits from other types of birds. Without going into detail, I’ll just say the story didn’t have a happy ending! Thanks, Maureen, for contributing to the meeting. Ask Maureen if you want to know more!
Video Tutorial
With no set theme for September (more about this later) we concentrated on composition once again. Firstly, we saw a partial rerun of one of Chris Bray’s videos on composition as a reminder of some basic tips. It is well worth watching again all the way through so have a look here: Top 10 Composition Tips - Photography Course 3/10 (youtube.com) There are 10 videos to watch, all free, giving great advice in a clear and concise manner. Well worth watching all of them whether for the first time or for revision.
Secondly, we viewed another video which you can see here: 5 Advanced Composition Techniques Used by Pro Photographers (youtube.com)
This included some of the things we have used and mentioned before such as using frames or reflections but at a more advanced level. Generally worth watching and it may give you further ideas for your photography.
NEXT THEME: For September!
As we didn’t have the opportunity to have a discussion about themes for the next ‘term’, with many members missing, we decided to go with the following one for SEPTEMBER and Judith and I will then sort out the themes based on what people have already suggested or on what we think will fit best.
For September then (yes you have two months to complete this!) the task will be:
1. DECIDE ON YOUR OWN THEME!
a. Choose a theme that you would like to tackle. It can be a completely new theme that you haven’t tried before. You can choose from any of the suggested links below for inspiration including the 328 themes page ( which we gave as a handout today) or any other such as the u3a eye link page.
b. Explore these themes yourself and look at the examples given to inspire you.
c. Alternatively choose a theme that you have tackled before at any time in the past. It might be one that you just enjoyed perhaps, or one that you want to try again to improve on.
2. TAKE 3 PHOTOGRAPHS.
a. Using the theme that you choose take 3 NEW photographs to send in for the September meeting (adding the theme title to the file name).
b. Don’t send in photos that you have already in your ‘archive’ for this one. Take new photographs please, even if you are choosing a theme from the past!
3. NOTE:
a. You can of course try out more than one theme on a trial basis. Then decide on which theme to use for September.
These links provide lots of suggestions and help on photographic themes, some of which we looked at at the last meeting:
o These 13 Cool Photography Themes Will Motivate Your Work (expertphotography.com)
o We set the theme, you take the pictures - BBC News
There are many more ideas online if you need them!
That’s it for now. Have a good break but don’t leave it till the last week to get started on your ‘OWN THEME’ photos. Please send them to me as usual by the weekend before our next meeting. This will be on Wednesday September 7th 2024, 1.30 pm in the Brammer Room as usual.
Best wishes,
Terry and Judith