Morning All

Infrared Photography eh, phew!

On Wednesday evening things got… a little heated. Not in the dramatic, stormy sense – more in the invisible-light-spectrum, “we’re now photographing things our eyes can’t even see” kind of way.
The evening’s speaker, Tom Lee, arrived armed with a topic that sounded vaguely like science fiction but turned out to be very real: infrared photography. Within minutes, perfectly sensible photographers – people who normally argue about aperture and tea biscuits and cake – were contemplating spending £300 or more to convert their beloved cameras into something that can essentially see heat signatures.
Tom explained that there are two main paths into this mysterious world. Option one: send your camera off for a professional infrared conversion, which costs roughly the same as a weekend away but results in a camera that sees the world in an entirely new way.
Option two: the slightly less wallet-threatening R72 filter, which screws onto your lens and blocks most visible light, letting infrared wavelengths sneak through. The catch? You’ll need patience, a tripod, and possibly the temperament of a saint, because exposure times can stretch longer than the club’s tea break queue.
What followed was a fascinating deep dive into a photographic realm where the rules politely excuse themselves and leave the room. We learnt that in infrared photography, foliage doesn’t just look green – it glows bright white, turning ordinary trees into something that looks like it belongs in a dream sequence (Lucy in the Sky comes to mind, remember? You have to be ‘of a certain age’), or a slightly unsettling Christmas card. Skies, meanwhile, go dramatically dark, giving images that punchy, otherworldly contrast that makes viewers say, “Hang on… what am I looking at?”
Tom also touched on the technical quirks that make infrared photography both intriguing and ‘mildly’ infuriating. White balance goes completely rogue and often needs custom setting (or heroic rescue in post-processing). And yes – post-processing becomes less of a tweak and more of an adventure, often involving channel swapping (reds, yellows, blue and greens – what?) to produce those surreal blue skies and golden foliage looks you may have seen online.
Before halftime we were treated to a video showcasing stunning infrared images. Trees shimmered like frost-covered sculptures, landscapes looked like alien planets, and familiar scenes suddenly became unfamiliar in the best possible way. It was the kind of visual experience that makes you reconsider everything you thought you knew about photography – and possibly your bank balance.
Of course, Tom didn’t pretend it was easy. Infrared photography comes with a learning curve that could politely be described as “steep” and more accurately as “a bit of a climb without proper footwear.”
But that’s also part of the appeal?
In a world where digital photography can sometimes feel a bit too predictable, infrared offers a chance to experiment, to get things gloriously wrong, and occasionally to create something genuinely unique. Over to you, judge!
By the end of the evening, there was a definite ‘quiet’ in the room and members trying to remembering where ‘things’ went way-over heads!
As Tom said – if photography is about seeing the world differently, then infrared photography doesn’t just nudge that idea – it throws it into an entirely different spectrum.
Happy days – you learn something every day!

Peter Frankish:
Peter has chosen 20 images from the ones we submitted and I’m sending them off to get printed – DS Colour Labs – and send them to Peter. He will mount and frame these and put them on display in July at The Arts Centre. I don’t expect all will go out together, probably 6 – 8 at a time. Sale proceeds go to the Hospice.

Calendar:
Just a strong reminder about images for the 2027 calendar. Time and tide…..!
Boundaries: Focused, where possible, on Garstang and immediate surroundings; however, any images considered between Lancaster in the north, Preston in the south, Blackpool in the west and Abbeystead/Bleasdale in the east. This should give us plenty of opportunity, so please start thinking and snapping!
So, this means that the scope has now widened! Please get out and about, so that we can offer a great selection to the Arts Centre committee.
All images submitted, anonymously, will be shown and voted upon on by you the members on Wednesday 13th May (our AGM evening, amongst other things going on), and the selected top 36 will be sent to the Arts Centre committee for their final selection of 12/14 for the calendar.
So, PLEASE send in your entries over the next few days to me on the usual email address of info@garstangcameraclub.co.uk
Images will need to be with me by the latest on MONDAY 11^th May, that’s only 8 days away!

Events Cup:
The second Events Cup ‘round’ is upon us, already!!
The destination is Blackpool and the 2 dates to choose from are Tuesday 12^th May OR Sunday 17^th May.
Just to reiterate and remind everyone, you must choose only one date to visit and take photographs.

AGM – reminder!
Hopefully you will have noticed that the AGM is to be held soon! Wednesday 13^th May. 
This gives you, the members, an opportunity to put forward any ideas or thoughts you may have with regard to the running of your club.
If you have any suggestions please email in ( info@garstangcameraclub.co.uk) and we can put it on the agenda.
This is your chance to influence the direction of our club to hopefully change and/or improve what we offer!
Want to join the committee? Anyone is more than welcome. You wouldn’t have to take an active role, just gives us your considered opinion! We only meet twice a year!
Many thanks to, as you know, Ian and Dom for joining and I’m very pleased to announce that Frank has stepped forward!
Finally,I would like to say that the current committee has been in post for several years and over the coming next year, or certainly two, new members will have to come forward to take some responsibility.
The present incumbents will need replacing eventually and I’m sure we would all agree that the club will need new blood to help establish the camera club for the future. This isn’t tidings of bad news but just to state the obvious!

Raffle:
As usual we will be running a raffle on Wednesday 20^th May (presentation evening) so, if anyone would like to donate a prize, it would be very appreciative! Please bring along anytime, not necessarily on the evening.

Coffee duty this Wednesday:
Coffee and tea duty for this coming Wednesday is Lewis and Shelly – many thanks in advance!

Up and coming programme of events:

Wednesday 6th May – A talk by Terry Hewitt ‘live’ at the Arts Centre. The title is ‘An imperfect Safari.’
Terry writes: A presentation about my two-week trip for a safari in South Africa. I cover all aspects of the trip and the lecture includes photographs of the whole range of birds and animals I saw.

Wednesday 13^th May – Our AGM! See above. The AGM will be in the first half of the evening followed by announcements by Mike, including, the new programme, the summer programme, various images and voting on the submitted calendar photographs.

Wednesday 20^th May – Our final social gathering together of the ‘main season’ with the presentation of the certificates and the trophies. Many thanks go to Lewis for organising this!

Wednesday 27^th May – The summer programme commences – more later!

That’s all folks and see you Wednesday!

Mike