Three of Keswick’s own members provided the entertainment this evening.
First in the spotlight was Sue Rugg who talked about her journey from complete novice in 2013 to an accomplished sports photographer today. She described the many pitfalls encountered whilst photographing sporting events. In 2014 she went to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but, despite having good seats, she soon discovered that she was not in the right place, quickly realising that she needed to be much closer to the action and in a position to achieve an uncluttered background. Following this she went to her granddaughter’s gym club but, although she was closer to the action, the backgrounds were still very cluttered. She then turned her camera on the Yorkshire stage of the Tour de France cycle race only to find that other spectators often obscured her view. Other obstacles at similar cycling events included support vehicles, advertising barriers, motor bikers and poor weather as well as her own over enthusiasm which sometimes resulted in her failing to press the shutter in time to capture the participants. Sue presented some excellent images and her talk demonstrated to members that setbacks and frustrations can, with perseverance, be overcome.
Ronnie Gilbert took the second slot and focused on his trip to the forests of the Bialowieza National Park in Poland in the winter of 2019 to photograph the European Bison. Ronnie explained that at the end of World War I there were no European bison left in the wild. They have now been reintroduced in Europe and there are about 7500 worldwide with around 800 in Bialowieza. In addition to Bison, Ronnie photographed Elk, Fallow Deer and Red Deer all against a stunning backdrop of snow-covered forest. He also photographed a variety of birds from hides including Goshawks, Buzzards, Sparrowhawks and White-Tailed Eagles. As always Ronnie’s talk and superb images were an inspiration to our members.
Our third speaker was Tony Marsh who talked about the wildlife he had photographed during the pandemic. All his images were taken within walking distance of Keswick. Tony explained that he always carries a camera and long lens on his walks and that these are set up ready to fire. His talk included many helpful tips on how to photograph wildlife including where to find certain species locally. His images included moths, butterflies, beetles and fungi as well as many different species of birds. Tony’s helpful and informative talk will have encouraged and enthused those of our members who are keen to develop their wildlife photography skills.
