Morning All

Last Wednesday saw an impressive turnout of 11 hardy souls at Sunderland Point, all armed with cameras, good humour, and the optimistic belief that the weather forecast might actually be telling the truth. Sunset? Full moon? Sadly, and, inevitably, not to be.
We thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company, shared plenty of laughs, snapped the occasional photograph, and even managed a spot of exercise.
For the first hour, the weather lulled us into a false sense of security with nothing more than a grey sky. Then, without so much as a polite warning, the heavens opened with enthusiasm usually reserved for the monsoon season. Cameras were hurriedly tucked away, waterproofs suddenly became fashionable, and we unanimously agreed that discretion was the better part of photography.
A tactical retreat to the nearest safe haven – the Ship Inn – followed, where the conversation quickly drifted away from aperture, shutter speeds, and composition to far more important matters, helped along by a welcoming pint or two. The cameras may not have had the outing we’d planned, but our vocal cords certainly did.
Despite the weather’s best efforts to wash us away, it turned into a thoroughly convivial evening, proving once again that good company is far more reliable than the British summer!

Notices:

Garstang Show – our photography stall!
A huge thank you to both Lewis and Maurice for transporting the photo-stand to and from the showground. Remarkably, it arrived in one piece on both journeys, which is always a bonus! Thanks also to Adrian and Lewis for helping me “man” the stand during the day.
It’s reassuring to know that if anyone wandered off in search of a bacon/sausage sandwich and/or a coffee, there are capable people left behind to convince visitors we actually know what we’re talking about. Why is it that on early mornings, on show grounds, the smell of bacon cooking permeates the air waves making them very tempting and utterly irresistible!
All in all, it was a cracking day out. The weather behaved itself (well, by Lancashire standards), the conversations flowed, and we met a steady stream of interesting people. Some were genuinely interested in photography, some were curious, and a few simply seemed grateful to find somewhere to rest their feet for five minutes. We welcomed them all with equal enthusiasm.
We answered the age-old question, “Do you have to own an expensive camera?” approximately 147 times, and successfully resisted the temptation to recruit anyone who merely stopped to ask where the toilets were.
As for potential new members, I’d say we’ve done reasonably well; the betting odds are looking quite respectable. I’d put 2 or 3 in the “almost certainly” pile, with another 2 or 3 firmly in the “we’ll see if they can still remember where we meet” category. As every seasoned club member knows, expressions of enthusiasm at a county show and actually turning up on a Wednesday evening are two entirely different sports.
So, as seasoned optimists, we’ll remain quietly hopeful, avoid counting any chickens, and perhaps just polish a couple of extra chairs – without getting too carried away. If everyone who expressed an interest actually turns up on Wednesday, 2nd September, there could even be standing room only… although history suggests the biscuits are under far more pressure than the seating.
Whatever happens, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day, full of laughs, good conversations and plenty of opportunities to spread the word about our club. Thanks again to everyone who helped – it couldn’t have happened without you.

Meetings;

Please note: the next meeting at the Arts Centre is on Wednesday 26^th August.

Club outing: Crook O’Lune, Wednesday 5^th August. LA2 9HU:
I suggest we meet at Kirkland Memorial Hall, The Avenue, Churchtown, Garstang, PR3 0HR at 6.30pm and car share where appropriate. If we leave at, say 6.40pm, we’ll be there for 7.10pm
If you can’t make this time, you can obviously make your own way there and meet up with us.
Sunset (if we are lucky!) is at 21.03pm
Weather: At the time of writing – light rain showers and a gentle breeze! But you know things can change, for the worse – see above!

Early notice!
The Opening Night Competition; 2^nd September.
The rules are very simple:
Best Projected Digital Image (PDI); Open, that is, any subject, colour or monochrome.
Only ONE PDI from any member taken in the last 12 months.
Image sent to me (Mike) by Tuesday 1^st September, midnight to  info@garstangcameraclub.co.ukAll presented, anonymously, in a PowerPoint presentation.
On the night, each person present will vote, anonymously, on each one giving a score between 12 to 20 points.
The winner is the image with the most points!
Brownie points only though I might have a bottle of wine/chocolates for the winner.
The winner will be announced on Wednesday 16^th September.
Please take part, it’s just for a bit of fun!

First Show and Tell (SAT):
If you have had the opportunity to look at the programme you will see, dotted throughout, are various SAT’s (Show and Tells).
On Wednesday 23^rd September, amongst other things, we have our first SAT, ‘Colour.’
The idea here is to show images that contain either the colour red OR yellow or red and yellow.
However, the images MUST be taken on a phone or on an iPad.
There are 3 ways to show your images:
Put them on a USB ‘stick’ and I’ll put them up on the screen and you can chat about them, at the front of the room; perhaps you may want to say, where, why and any editing.
Put them on a USB ‘stick’ and I’ll put them up on the screen and you can chat about them, from your seat; again, perhaps you may want to say, where, why and any editing.
Or, send them to me on info@garstangcameraclub.co.uk and I’ll put them on a PowerPoint presentation and show them anonymously and the members can chat about them.
How many can I show I hear you ask – as many as you want, with reason – please don’t show 40+!
Please have a go – there a few of these throughout the ‘season’ and we are a very friendly bunch!

WhatsApp:
If my memory serves, quite a few years ago Adrian very kindly set up a WhatsApp group called ‘Garstang Camera Club.’
The idea being if you are off somewhere on a shoot you could open it up to other members to join you.
So, for example, I could say I’m off to Keswick for some landscape photography, next Thursday, leaving at 9am and back around 5pm; anyone want to come with me?
If you wish to join, please email Adrian on adrianwhitaker@btinternet.com or phone him on 07713 310555 – thanks.

Up and coming programme of events:

Wednesday 5^th August – Club outing to the Crook o’ Lune; details above.

Tuesday 11^th August – Events Cup, final destination – possible first visit to Levens Hall. Details in last week’s newsletter.

Wednesday 12^th August – NO MEETING – Committee meeting at 7pm start.

Saturday 15^th August – Events Cup, final destination – possible visit to Levens Hall.

Wednesday 19^th August – Club outing to Scorton and Scorton Picnic area. Details in next week’s newsletter.

Wednesday 26^th August – Show and tell evening; images from Sunderland Point, Levens Hall and Scorton and Scorton Picnic area. Please bring your images in on a USB ‘stick.’

That’s all folks!

Mike