Photograph by Robert G
Review of the PFF MEETING, November 2024 THEME: Frame in a Frame
We had a large number attending which included new members. Judith welcomed them all and reminded them that the ‘Themes for the year’ were on the website. (Photography For Fun - Ravenshead). Paper copies were also given out to those without them. Note that Members pay £10 in advance for the monthly sessions which cover the rent of the room for each session (which I have just discovered has gone up to £12). However, in this way, we usually need payments just once a year. Currently we have just enough in the kitty to take us to our last meeting in July! (The money is paid directly into the Ru3a Groups account, and the treasurer deals with the outgoing payments to the village hall. This saves us a lot of hassle, so thanks!)
Photos sent in: Frame in a Frame
We started as usual with the photographs that had been sent in on the theme of “Frame in a Frame”. This seemed to be a popular topic and there was a wide selection of ideas to fit the theme from members. Sending in a maximum of 3 photos made it more manageable, thanks! (I’ll put a selection of these on the website later!) The theme certainly made us aware of how often we can include a ‘frame in a frame’ as part of the composition of a photograph and how effective it can be. Well done to all! Along with other compositional ideas, such as the rule of thirds, this is a good one to keep in mind when out and about!
In the Shots of the Month section, Charles had some photographs of key points in his river cruise down the Douro in Portugal and these were supplemented by a couple from Elizabeth too. Heather sent the same photo twice, one in colour and one in black and white, and posed the question to us of which one was best? I don’t think there was any result either way as both looked good! Amongst others, Maureen had a topical shot of pumpkins on display and Judith one of the firefighters at Papplewick 1940s day.
One issue that had occurred before the meeting was that some files sent by phone were of very small dimensions. These show up on screen at a reduced size and become pixilated when made bigger. Try to send files at a large size or about 2000 pixels (HD size) for our projector.
(EPTAS) : Every Picture Tells a Story
Judith filled this spot with a ‘tomb sculpture’ photograph taken in Worcester Cathedral. This was unusual because it was created in a ‘sitting up’ position. She explained some of the reasons for this and the background behind it.
Does anyone else fancy having a go at this for us? Let us know for December!
NEXT MONTHS THEME: Animals
Anything that isn’t ‘Vegetable’ or ‘Mineral’ is Animal it seems, so anything goes! We looked at various categories of animal photography taken from the internet. These were shown with examples of links to websites for reading yourselves which will give guidance on technique and tips for better photographs of this type. You can find these listed on the attached pdf file, but just in case the links don’t work, I’ll add them to the bottom of this email too.
We enjoyed looking at some of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2024 and knew that it would be tremendous to capture something of this quality, but also how difficult it would be! Something to aspire to in the future when the opportunity arises!
The 10 Minute Talk was given by Andy and took up the remaining time of the meeting. He showed us a selection of his wildlife shots from his expedition on Safari in Botswana and explained a bit about the trip itself, the techniques behind the shots, the camera settings and the lens used. The selection included a wide variety of animals that were spotted, some of which were close up and very detailed whilst others were wider shots which gave us more context of the environment they were in. Thank you, Andy, for an interesting talk.
If there is anyone who would like to fill the 10 minute talk spot in the future let me know! It can be about anything that relates to photographs or photography. The photos shown can be your own, current or past, or not your own, from someone else or from the internet. Do you have a favourite photographer (for example) that you could research and tell us about and show us some of their photos?
Our next meeting is on Wednesday, December 4th 2024 at 1.30 pm in the Brammer Room.
Judith and I look forward to seeing you all again then. Please send me your best 3 of your ‘Animal’ photos by Sunday 1st December 2024. This will be the last meeting of 2024 of course and we start again in February 2025.
Best wishes,
Judith and Terry
Animals: Links to website help pages
· How to Take Wildlife Photos: A Complete Guide
· The Ultimate Wildlife Photography Tutorial
· Complete Pet Photography Guide: How to Take Great Pet Photos
· 9 Macro Photography Tips for Beginners
· 18 Tips for Stunning Zoo Photography (+ Examples)
· Bird Photography: 17 Expert Tips for Breathtaking Images
And just for fun!
· All 40 Photo Finalists for the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards | PetaPixel