September 2021 News

Posted on by timflesher

Hello and welcome to our latest report.  The club’s summer season is now drawing to it’s close with only two outings remaining ie.

Saturday  Sept. 18th  Silverdale and Arnside.

Tuesday   Oct. 12th    Rufford Old Hall and Martin Mere.

Our recent outing was to Heysham, with mixed conditions, mainly cloud and the odd shower. Testing conditions for making good images !

We were also in attendance at the Garstang Show. Did you manage to see us ? We were kept dry since we shared the Horticulural Tent and quite a bit of interest was shown. Our thanks go to the Garstang Show Committee for allotting us the space.

Our ’21-’22 season starts with our first meeting on Sept.1st in the Arts Centre. For newcomers, we have quite a comprehensive evening with the following features :

A brief analysis of our website,our competitions and a potted history of the Club.  A camera presentation on the use of filters and long exposures ( might I add, not just for newcomers but many members too ! )  A fine buffet,  along with where our membership fees disappear to and how this year will develop (pun !)

The joining fee is £48 but for a taster and any subsequent meetings, we ask for an entrance fee of £5 which will be deducted from the membership fee if you decide to join. Our aim is to provide a safe gathering for all with as much social distancing as can be allowed for with adequate ventilation,

Finally, I wish to thank the Club’s Chairmen and their Committee for steering us through what I believe has been a successful year in spite of the present conditions.

MAURICE  BARKER

http://www.garstangcameraclub.co.uk

July 2021 News

Posted on by timflesher

Hello to everyone, camera enthusiasts or otherwise. If we were dining out, we would be between courses, having a little respite. Our ’20-’21 programme has now come to an end and we now await the new season which will start on September 1st.

On reflection, the past year has been as good as was possible given the situation ( I refuse to use the word covid, it has become too much a part of everyone’s vocabulary ,  All meetings were by ZOOM and therefore we could access presenters from nationwide locations. Our thanks go to our Programme Sec. John Moxham for making some excellent choices.

By the time this article is in print, we will have four of our summer outings remaining, which are:

Fri.     July 16th.     Brockholes.              8am onwards.

Wed.  Aug. 11th.   Heysham.               6pm.

Sat.    Sept. 18th.   Silverdale/Arnside  8am. Onwards.

Tues. Oct 12th.  Rufford Old hall/Martin Mere.  10am onwards.

We were very lucky for our first visit to Glasson, clear blue skies and warm too ! Not so with our second to Calder Vale, a damp afternoon, although I must add that my late appearance was accompanied with sunshine and a colourful sky.

If the Garstang Show does take place this year on August 7th. the Club will have a stall in the Horticultural Marquee with the aim of attracting some new members.

I must end this article on a sad note.  I have to inform readers and club members past and present of the passing of one of our popular members, Bill Hansell.

Bill had been a member for a number of years and was an excellent and successful photographer, his name engraved on many of our trophies. He was always willing to give of his time and experience to those lesser mortals in the club.    He would always be amongst the friendly jousting bouts between members and their specific marques of equipment, Nikon v Canon v Sony etc. but as most will agree, it’s not the camera but the person behind it !

His most recent award was that of holding  PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR  2020-2021. Skills indeed.    I have attached one of Bill’s images, a favourite of mine. He leaves behind his wife Pat and his Family and we offer them our most sincere condolences at this sad time. R.I.P. Bill.

June 2021 News

Posted on by timflesher

Hello readers. As you read this, the club’s ’20-’21 programme will have come to an end but we still continue with our social outings  with, of course, social distancing a priority. We have had two outings in recent months, the first to Glasson Dock and it’s environs and the last one visiting Caldervale at bluebell time. For the next one on June 16th. we take in Rivington Pike and the surrounding gardens. Apart from the social nature of the outings, we have an Events Cup for presentation in 2022. All enries for this award have to have been shot on all or any of these visits and so the range of subjects is vast.

I will give details of outings yet to come in the next issue, although as with anything else in this short report, full details can be found on our website (given at the end) which is very easy to navigate.

Our last presentation on May 5th. was an interesting evening given by Kylie-Ann Martin on “My Journey So Far “. A young lady who had made great strides in acquiring good qualifications within the space of six years.

We still have our fingers crossed for the possible opening of the Arts Centre in September so that we may once more, meet socially, and with that in mind attract new members.

                               NO EXPERTISE REQUIRED, JUST A CAMERA AND A DEGREE OF INTEREST.

Who would have thought that at Christmastime in 2019 we would have been subjected to all that has happened in the past 15 months ? We are still not through this and should remain vigilant for the sake of everyone. Anyway, good shooting !

Maurice  Barker.

http://www.garstangcamera club.co.uk

May 2021 News

Posted on by timflesher

Greetings to all readers. By the time this is being read( hopefully ), we will be in the Merry Month of May and if all of Boris’ plans go to order , alcoholic drinks may be served outdoors and, if the weather permits, then it may well be a Merry Month !

We are approaching the end of the Club’s year with just a few meetings remaining as listed here.

May 5th………..Kylie-Ann Martin……….My journey so far.

May 12th………A G M. and our Presentation Evening.

May 19th………Chris Upton……….Travels with my X ( Fuji Cameras )

As I mentioned in my last copy, we hope that “proper” meetings may be held again in the Arts Centre in September and with a degree of optimism and a following wind, we may achieve our goal. However, we will still be using ZOOM for many of the presentations but at least we will be able to converse with each other (social distancing, of course ) much more satisfactorily.  As I write this , A spell of stable weather is predicted (kiss of death ?) and so photographic opportunities should present themselves more readily.  Our Summer outings will have started, I listed them in the April mag. but if discarded , can be found on our website given at the end.

We have said goodbye to  an enthusiastic photographer, a keen amateur for many years, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. We send our sincere condolences to all the Royal Family at this sad time.

Good shooting, but still stay safe through the new stages.

Maurice Barker

http://www.garstangcameraclub.co.uk

February 2021 News

Posted on by photogmeyers

Hello to all and welcome to our Club’s New Year. We thought it would be greeted with a degree of optimism and so it might. But we still have a disturbing few months ahead of us before we arrive at a new normal.  Right ….that’s the bile out of the way.

We are already into our new year’s programme having had our CREATURES OF THE WORLD judged and a presentation of A-Z Back to Basics by Dave Bibby. The programme for the rest of Feb. is given below :-

February  3rd.  Judging of the club competition  HUMANITY.

     ..         10TH. We welcome  Roger Geldard on  JAPAN’S  WINTER WILDLIFE.

     ..         17TH. Alison Jenkins presents  OUR PHOTOGRAPHY — WORK AND HOBBY.

March 3rd. Starts with our club competition  ANYTHING GOES.

All zoom meetings start at 7.30  Anyone wishing to join in by membership , please contact us through the website given at the bottom.

Since, as I write this, we are under the instructions of stay at home , photographic opportunities are diminished unless we happen to live in a rural location where we can carry our camera as we take advantage of our daily exercise. The white tops of the Lakeland hills are in golfing parlance “out of bounds”.  The attendance at our zoom meetings still impresses me and our presenters come from a much wider radius than before, not having to travel many hours for a two hours session. That is one silver lining I can think of………..not many others !

We wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year and look forward to normal ( ish) times in the future.

                                                                      G.M. Barker.

January 2021 News

Posted on by photogmeyers

Our programme for January is as follows:

Jan. 6th.      Members of the club will be demonstrating  “the processing of a digital image “ This will involve the use of software such as Lightroom and Photoshop.  Sounds interesting !

Jan. 13th.    Tonight sees the judging of one of our annual competitions  “ Creatures of the World “

Jan. 29th.    Tonight, we welcome back one of our regular presenters Dave Bibby. Dave always produces an interesting evening and tonight , his subject is  A-Z  Back to Basics.

Our committee plans with a degree of optimism and if “things” should go well, we hope to meet as normal from September but…………no promises at this stage ! Keep everything crossed. It is worth mentioning at this point that our ZOOM meetings have attracted a good audience numbers wise and so ,it could be said that something good(ish) has come out of the covid bug (ever the optimist )

                                                                            MAURICE  BARKER

August 2020 News

Posted on by photogmeyers

Hello to everyone. Here we are nearly at the start of a new season for the club and we are still basically in a “lockdown situation” What this means to us is that we cannot meet at our usual venue, the Arts Centre, nor in any other due to restrictions re. using our normal equipment, necessary to show images and display prints.

I will attempt to precis the new arrangements necessary if we are to continue as a club.

The committee has decided to hold three “meetings” per. month, ie. the first three Wednesdays in each month. These will be presented using ZOOM. No…! don’t be put off by modern electronic wizardry, all committee meetings to date have used this system successfully.

The first Zoom meeting on September 2cnd. Will be a trial and success one, and there will be no pressure on anyone at all. As well as viewing the last club competition’s entries ( in which we were the victors ) we will be taking Questions from the virtual floor from both members and newcomers regarding the present situation and any club matters. Competition rules have had to be altered since we will be unable to display colour and mono prints. Rather than go into too much detail here which might off put newcomers ( we are a very friendly group), I would suggest going onto our website ( given at the end of this newsletter).

For anyone who has not used Zoom before and feel unsure about it, we are happy tohold a short practice session for one or two people at a time, again , no pressure before our new season begins. If you would like to take us up on the offer, drop us an e mail with your name and tel. no. and you will be contacted. All you need is a computer( with a camera and mic.), tablet or smart ‘phone. No need to download any apps,……….so go on, have a go !

Finally…….some good news, the Club Subscription for this year has been reduced to £30.  If any newcomers , and members wish to sign up, then a cheque should be sent to our treasurer from September 1st, His address is

Mr. R Shorrock.

17  Canterbury Way

Garstang

Preston

PR3 1XE.                 Cheques made out to  Garstang Camera Club. 

As I submit this copy, we have just held the second of our three Summer Outings , the first one in Garstang, today’s in Fleetwood and the third one yet to be decided upon. As this is a monthly magazine , I do urge you to keep an eye on our website.

To all ,  non-camera people and all photographers,  do  KEEP SAFE.

                                                               MAURICE BARKER.

                                                      

July 2020 News

Posted on by photogmeyers

Since lockdown at the end of March, the club has managed to tick over involving it’s membership.

The joint Chair, Lewis Thompson and Mike Jenner organized a series of six internal competitions, the first four of which the images entered had to be taken within the confines of the photographer’s property. The last two, with restrictions to travel being relaxed slightly, were a little more open.

The response to the competitions has been good and members of the club could vote for the best ( in their opinion ) top five places.

However……! with a chink of light at the far end of the tunnel, and it is a long one , the committee has organized a half day (3 hour ) session/visit which takes place on July 22nd. With the location being Garstang.  This will be the first of three such visits over the summer period, the final two have yet to be decided upon. Images taken on these three visits will form the basis of the EVENTS CUP 2020.  Any member wishing to take part in this, should inform the club’s chair on

                                    info@garstangcameraclub.co.uk

We will meet on Booth’s car park at 2.00pm and the time allowed for the event is 2.00-5.00pm. The “theme” is anything  photographable in Garstang.

As with many other voluntary organisations  we aim to follow the relevant Health and Safety Recommendations and these can be found on our website given below.

We do seem to be arriving, not at Platform 1, but at a version of the  “new normal” whatever that may be and so we wish you all good shooting and that you all keep safe as the chains are slackened.

                                                                                   MAURICE  BARKER.

June 2020 News

Posted on by photogmeyers

Although we have had no meetings whatsoever since March, the Club, in it’s  present metamorphic state, continues to keep it’s members busy albeit in an online capacity.  Our joint Chairmen have worked very hard in producing 6 competitions over the past few months and at this point in time we are just beginning no. 5  Reflections. The criteria for this theme has altered slightly in that these images can be taken within a 5 mile radius of home as well as within the boundaries due to the relaxing of lockdown procedures.

The previous 4 were  Food and Drink……..Flowers, shrubs and trees……..Time on my hands and Inside looking out.     Members can submit 3 images, taken within the specified time, usually two weeks. These are put online when members can vote for the top 5.

At the end of all 6 themes, the 1st. and 2cnd. of each  will be voted for, ie  12 finalists to again be voted for, 1st. , 2cnd. and 3rd.  placings. I hope you can make sense of that. 

The Club Committee have met once in the past couple of weeks using Zoom and found it quite successful after a modicum of minor problems. Discussions related to the Clubs restart or otherwise in September, but as everything at the moment is in the air including the Arts Centre availability we are not in any position to make decisions.  Anyone interested in joining the Club  and indeed current members should keep an eye on the Club’s website, given below, where the full “works” of the Club are to be seen along with news.

Keep the shutters clicking and most of all keep safe !

                                                                                                  MAURICE  BARKER.

May 2020 News

Posted on by photogmeyers

As this is being prepared for submission, we are in the 8th week of the lockout. Many rolls of films could have been unwound since March 23rd. The club in it’s normal format has been temporarily closed down but continues to function on line.

Our Chairman for the past few years, Peter Knight, has resigned, having served his spell in the trenches and done a splendid job. Anyone connected with the club will be well aware of the tremendous efforts Peter has put into the club and these have been acknowledged and appreciated by everyone. One might say he has worked the 25 hour day, and often. Thank you Peter, let us hope that you will now be able to concentrate on your photography in a more relaxed manner. I should like to add at this point that Peter’s resignation is not in any way connected to  Covid19, it had been arranged for the last twelve months.

The role of Chair is now shared between two members, Lewis Thompson and Mike Jenner. They took hold of the reins about the time of lockdown and although the usual meetings have temporarily ended the club is in safe hands at this difficult time.  They have put on line a series of on line competitions in which members submit 3 images on a theme , these are then mailed out to all members who vote for their top 5. What a splendid idea.

The themes to date have been   1  Food and drink,  2 Flowers, trees and shrubs  and  3  Time on my hands. The criteria is that the images are taken within a time frame, no stored images, and they have to be shot within the boundary of the photographer’s property.  At tis point ,I should like to thank them for their endeavours.

This time should be an absolute haven for camera people with superb weather ( imagine  this beginning last November ) , empty cities and towns and landscapes devoid of that person who is always in the way of that perfect shot !

However, ……..we must be patient and await to see what the “new normal” brings.    Happy shooting,

                                                                                                                                                                             MAURICE  BARKER.