Morning All

Garstang Camera Club Skills Survey
Our club survey:~
It is mostly ticky boxes, just 5 mins of your time, honest!
Many thanks to the 30 members who have filled it in and pressed that ‘submit’ button!
If you haven’t so far….
The aim is simple: it will help us plan talks, workshops and outings that people actually want, discover the hidden talent in the club, and maybe match members who’d like a bit of help with those who are happy to share their experience.
There are no wrong answers. Please complete: just click on:
https://forms.gle/7S8suxaAoadmmQGW7
At the end of the form just press submit!
Thank you it is really appreciated!

Notices:

From Tim: Sale of donated camera kit
Many thanks to all those members who have purchased one or several pieces of the camera kit kindly donated by Tim’s friend. So far, we have raised £855 for the club’s funds! Wow!
At last week’s meeting a number of members said they would like to buy further items – the attached table shows who you are and the kit you said you were interested in. Tim will bring along these items to this week’s meeting. Please could those buying these items either bring cash on Wednesday or transfer their payment to the Club’s bank account prior to the meeting. All proceeds from this sale are going to the club’s funds.

Bank details for BACS
Account Name: Garstang Camera Club
Sort Code: 20-55-41
Account Number: 90896284

The attached list also includes those items that did not sell last week. If anyone is interested in any of these, please let Tim know (timflesher@btinternet.com) and he will also bring them along to this week’s meeting for you. After this we will look to sell any remaining items through an online camera kit site.

Message from Stan: Image Critiquing – 28th October:
On Wednesday 28th October, our very own Stan — photographer, sage, and man who has seen more images than the average hard drive — has kindly offered to critique members’ photos. The theme is “Open”, meaning you can submit anything you’ve taken recently: colour, monochrome, or that experimental shot you took when you accidentally pressed the shutter while sneezing.
This is your chance to have your images analysed and receive constructive criticism from Stan, who has enough photographic experience to fill several walls at the Arts Centre. Having your work critiqued by him is an excellent learning opportunity… and possibly a character‑building one.
All images will be shown anonymously, so no one will know who submitted what – except Mike, who will know everything but promises to keep your secrets safer than his camera batteries.
📸 Submitting Your Masterpieces:
Each member may submit up to 3 images. Stan guarantees he’ll critique at least one, and probably two, unless you send him something truly baffling, in which case he may need a lie‑down.
📤 How to Send Them:
In an ideal world (the one where we all remember to charge our cameras), please send:
The original file AND your edit,
OR, if life is being life, just send whichever version you can find.
Deadline: Sunday 4th October or send them as soon as you can find them; earlier the better; Stan sometimes needs time to think!
JPEGs: Email to info@garstangcameraclub.co.uk with subject line: Image Critique. 
RAW files: Send via WeTransfer to the same email and subject line as above.
USB stick: Also acceptable, provided it arrives by the deadline and isn’t disguised as a novelty keyring.
All images will be viewed by Mike only, then passed to Stan anonymously as “Member 1”, “Member 2”, etc. No names, no clues, no identifying marks — unless you’ve watermarked it with your face.
If you’re struggling, confused, panicking, or simply allergic to file‑handling, ask at the next meeting or phone Mike on 07340 314408. He will help. He may sigh, but he will help.

Message from Robin – our treasurer!
During our recent committee meeting I suggested transferring some club funds (not all) to a savings account so it may be possible for these funds to accrue some interest.
So, I have transferred £3,000 to a Barclays account. It won’t amass a huge fortune but ‘Every little helps! To quote a famous grocer!

Advance notice:
Attention, cake enthusiasts and caffeine dependents!
The Camera Club is running a coffee morning at the Arts Centre on Saturday 3rd October, perfectly aligned with our print exhibition and possibly some Plein Air pictures — assuming the artists didn’t blow away, melt, or abandon their easels in frustration.
We expect a crowd, so we need cakes, traybakes, biscuits, or anything that doesn’t require a risk assessment. Cakes of all shapes, sizes, and levels of structural integrity considered. If it’s edible, we’ll sell it. If it’s questionably edible, we’ll still sell it – we’re not proud.
Please let Mike know what you’re bringing so he can pretend he’s in control of the situation.
Cheers. Ta muchly!

Events Cup:
A reminder! The last date for entry, digital images and prints, is Wednesday 16^th September – 3 days!

Coffee duty:
Coffee/tea duty for Wednesday 16^th September is Claire and Anita – thank you ladies, in advance!

Up and coming programme of events:

Wednesday 16^th September – This evening’s speaker is Ian Brodie with a talk titled, Local Damselflies and Dragonflies: Ian writes: A look at the colourful and exotic insects which have been around since the age of the dinosaurs!
Ian’s talk will be followed, after the break, by: A short talk from Tim titled – “Family History – a Photographic Practical Joke”.
Plus, of course, the Opening Night Competition result!

Wednesday 23^rd September – Members evening; members will be invited to vote on the ‘Battle’ images needed for the 3 ‘Battles’ this season.
Stan will introduce the ‘Battle’ concept and all the images will be shown as a slide show then one by one to vote on. Stan will coordinate the results which will be presented during a subsequent meeting.
Following the voting, and the coffee break, members are invited to SAT the first challenge this season which is ‘Red and/or yellow images taken by mobile phones or iPad only, digital no prints – no cameras!

Wednesday 30^th September – A talk by Jonny Gios on Landscape Photography, centred on the Lake District.
Jonny writes: My talk, ‘Landscapes, centred on the Lake District’, is a personal look at the landscapes that have inspired me as a photographer, from the iconic mountains and lakes to the quieter, more intimate details that can easily be overlooked. I’ll share images, stories and a few thoughts on light, weather, composition and what makes a landscape photograph really connect with the viewer.

Wednesday 7^th October – This evening speaker is Susie Freeman and the topic is ‘The Magic of Colour.’ Further details to follow.

That’s all folks,

Mike