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Our first set subject competition of the season was held on November 3rd. For this, members were asked to submit a panel of three images, either prints or digital images, on a subject of their choice. Seventeen members entered and there was a wide variety of themes including portraits, landscapes, sport and wildlife.

Alan Walker judged the images and as well as looking at the quality of each individual image he considered how well the three images in each entry sat together as a cohesive panel.

There were six print entries and Alan awarded “Best Print Entry” to Sue Rugg for her panel of high key images of trees. He remarked that the simplicity of these images was particularly appealing.

 

There were 11 entries in the digital image section.  “Best Digital Entry” went to Antony Melling for a panel of beautiful abstracts of flowing water.

 

Alan then made a number of other awards. Best Portrait was awarded jointly to Annie Given for her digital panel of three images of a boxer

 

and to David Price for his print panel of three close up portraits of a busker.

 

Ann Healey’s triptych of moody trees was selected as the best creative entry.

 

Bob Given’s entry of female rugby players was awarded “Best Sports Entry”.

 

“Best Landscape” went to Chris Burgess for three images of sand dunes which illustrated various stages in their development.

 

Marilyn Woodthorpe’s panel comprising head shots of a Merlin was selected as the best nature image

 

and finally Michael Rowlinson’s panel of vintage diggers and other machinery was awarded “Best General Interest”.

 

Julie Walker, Nov 2021

Gerald Chamberlin DPAGB EFIAP is a member of the Morton Photographic Society in Carlisle and is an experienced photographic judge and speaker.  Members of the society again attended either in person at the meeting room or on Zoom.

Gerald started by explaining the science of Infra-Red (IR) and how it fits into the light spectrum, as ‘Invisible Light’, the history of Infra-Red photography and how it began in the late 1800s. It was used in both the First World War, for identifying trenches and gun emplacements, and during the Second World War. He showed how it was also used in the 1960s and 70s to produce ‘psychedelic’ photographic effects on record covers, etc. Originally the process relied upon film but nowadays digital cameras, which are a lot easier to work with, achieve excellent results. Gerald used to use a DSLR but now uses digital mirrorless cameras.

He explained how there are two ways to achieve IR by the use of external IR filters for the camera, which makes the process very slow, or getting the camera professionally converted by changing the standard filter in the camera to an IR filter, and the choices of different wavelength filters.

He presented his excellent digital images of very varied subjects, including the Harbour at Galston, Little Langdale, Carlisle War Memorial, Ferrybridge, Eskdale, Lowther Castle, Edinburgh Jupiter Park, Longtown Car Show.

The sitting man as Silloth, Threlkeld Quarry including Sir Tom, Beamish Museum, including some panoramas.

He described the complex and quite technical processing of the images once taken, including the stages of Custom White balance, Red and Blue swapping, Desaturation of colours, Clarity and Dehaze, using software such as Photoshop and Nik Effects.  He also showed some excellent prints for members to examine.

 

Gerald then bravely demonstrated this workflow for post processing the images on his laptop, successfully detailing the various stages.  Finally, Gerald showed a short video showing the subtle processes he had used on those prints displayed in the room. Members enjoyed the very informative talk and the excellent images and prints.

Gordon Train

This was the Society’s first Open Competition of the season. It was also the first meeting where the judging of prints has been possible since the start of the Covid pandemic due to previous meetings taking place solely on Zoom.  Our judge, Simon Allen, who attended via Zoom, is a member of Dumfries Camera Club. He an experienced judge and gave his detailed critique of the images which was full of positive comments and helpful tips.

The evening was divided in to two halves;  prints and digital images. There were 28 prints for Simon to judge.  There was a wide range of subjects in the images, many taken locally but some from further afield.

The overall winner of the print section was Carol Minks with a beautiful image of a Whimbrel.

 

This image scored the maximum of 20 points and judged Best Nature print.    Ken Rennie also achieved the maximum score of 20 for his image of a seascape titled ‘Wild Horses’, this image was also judged the Best Creative print.

 

Three scores of 19 were awarded; one to Alan Walker for an image titled “It’s long way down Dad…be brave Son”, an adult and a young owl,

 

and another to Marilyn Woodthorpe for an image of an Indian woman feeding her goats titled “Feeding Time”.

 

The third was an image by Tom Stenhouse titled “Attempted Charge Down”, which also was judged Best People print. Simon also awarded a score of 18 to four prints. These were “Dawn on Bassenthwaite Lake” by Fred Bell, which was also judged Best Landscape print,

 

“In the Shifting Wind” by Sue Rugg,

 

 

“Three in One” by Ken Rennie

 

and “Made It” by David Price

 

Fifty Two images were submitted for judging in the digital section. Again a wide range of subjects in the images. The overall winner was Bob Given for his image titled “Lara Clears”, a monochrome image of a high jumper. This image scored 20 points, and judged Best People image.

 

A score of 20 was also awarded to Alan Walker for his image titled “ I see You”.

 

It was a good evening for Carole Minks who was also awarded 19 for her image titled “Wild Buzzard with Prey”, which was also judged Best Nature image.

 

All the entered images can be viewed in our gallery pages:

Gallery link

 

Despite only starting her photography journey in 2013, our latest Zoom speaker, Jo Knight, DPAGB BPE1* QPSA EFIAP, has already attracted considerable  international acclaim for her unique creative fine art images. We were enthralled and enthused after her first presentation to the Society in March and couldn’t wait to have her back for this season. In the new presentation, titled Promoting Passion, Jo convincingly demonstrated the truth of her aphorism of do what you love and love what you do. Jo has chosen a photographic path in which she single-mindedly pursues the style of photography which resonates with her artistic sense regardless of more conservative and restrictive external judgements.

Much of her work involves constructing photographs by combining a number of her images in Photoshop, such that she spends almost as much time in front of a computer screen as in front of the camera viewfinder. Not that this applies to her first love of wildlife photography in which she sensitively brings out the character of birds and animals in their natural setting, although she is not averse to improving the backgrounds for pictorial effect.

Jo has had to overcome many obstacles in her all-consuming passion for photography, not least that she has invisible painful neurological disabilities which limit her mobility. So the majority of her images are taken within 10 miles of her home in the Eden Valley and she has to use herself as the model for her creations. Her composite image called On The Shelf has her own figure positioned on the shelf in her hallway to metaphorically address an implied critical comment by a friend as to why she was still single in middle age.

 

The image illustrates her way of working in which a long time is spent developing the concept of the story she wants to tell and then she takes the various photographs to produce a compositionally strong and effectively-lit image in the computer, including adding shadows by hand. The On The Shelf image took two years from conception to creation but the effort was rewarded by it being selected for the exclusive Master of Print award of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain as well as gaining a gold medal in the 2019 Scottish International Salon.

Jo became the Lady of the Lake only by immersing herself in her bathtub clutching a sword and with the camera suspended from the bathroom ceiling. The background was taken at the local River Eden.

 

While not actually confining herself to a bird cage, she created Life Behind Bars in which the birds are the ones looking in, in a series of thematically connected images commentating on the way we keep animals in solitary confinement.

 

The series was nominated for an award from 5000 entries to the  2021 Fine Art Photography Awards. The Enemy Outside shows her trapped during lockdown behind a window (salvaged from house demolition in her village) which is being beseiged by red Covid viral particles. This was the global winning entry of a Covid-19 lockdown competition attracting over 6000 entries from 90 countries and was shown in a large outdoor exhibition held at the Beijing World Art Museum.

 

Jo highlighted other obstacles which rang true with our own female members. Camouflage wear for wildlife photography comes in pink for women! Adventure watches hang off the wrists of the fairer sex and hides have viewing holes beyond the reach of any but six-footers. She also has her own sad tale of male harassment and champions the cause of gender equality in a number of her composite photographs, including a literal Breaking The Glass Ceiling and a hard-hitting image titled Child Bride. Equally poignant was her image of Evacuee showing a young girl with a teddy bear and with a disappearing railway line added to the background.

These and other images of  social commentary and of personal tribulation show Jo to be an outstandingly unique photographer with a gift of being able to translate the stories conceived in her mind into striking creative fine art representations. She certainly lives up to her mantra of Have The Courage To Tell Your Own Story and the exquisite and moving photographs that we were treated to in her presentation certainly justified the enthusiastic reception she was given by members at the end of an unforgettable evening.

Keith Snell

On Wednesday 22^nd September David Bibby entertained Keswick Photographic Society’s members with an illustrated talk on Iceland in winter. He first visited Iceland seven years ago with two aims in mind; to walk on a glacier and to see and photograph the Aurora Borealis. On his way to achieving these he travelled along the south coast of Iceland visiting some of the now well-known sights. On his first visit however, there were very few tourists and he and his travel companion were often alone.

 

His presentation started in Reykjavik.  He then took us eastwards, first to the Strokkur Geyser which he illustrated with a short video clip of an eruption. He then went on to several dramatic waterfalls including Gullfoss, which was partially frozen, and Skogafoss. After this he went on to photograph the Eyjafjalljokull ice cap. At this point David gave us a lesson in how to pronounce the seemingly unpronounceable Icelandic names which we were greatly in need of!  His next destination was the Myrdalsjokull ice cap which covers the Katla volcano. With the help of a guide, he ascended this by snow mobile.

 

David then showed us images of the wreck of a US Navy Douglas aircraft which crashed on the coastal plain of Solheimasandur in 1973. This is a desolate spot and a four-mile round trip on foot is required to reach the crash site. Weather conditions can be hostile.

His journey then took him further east on to Hofn. On the way he stopped to visit Jokulsarlon which is a glacial lagoon usually filled with icebergs. These eventually drift out to sea; some being deposited on the way on the nearby black volcanic sand beach.

 

David then described the difficulties he experienced in trying to achieve his aim of walking on a glacier. Several of the glaciers that he visited proved to be unsuitable however he finally settled on the Skaftafellsjokull glacier and, equipped with suitable footwear including crampons, he and his travelling companion ascended it.

Finally, David explained how he had achieved his aim of photographing the Aurora Borealis, including what not to do. He was lucky to witness three displays of this amazing natural phenomenon.

 

We had a very enjoyable evening listening to David and looking at his superb photographs and videos which showed off the stunning Icelandic landscape to full advantage.

Julie Walker

 

On Wednesday 15th  September members enjoyed three different presentations.

The Chairman, David Woodthorpe, opened the evening with a presentation explaining the complexities of the annual PAGB (Photographic Alliance of Great Britain) Inter-Club Projected Digital Image Championship. As winners of the NCPF Club Championships, Keswick Photographic Society was selected to represent the Northern Counties in the National Championships. Success in rounds one and two carried Keswick into the final round where they achieved 6th place overall. Another fantastic achievement for Keswick. Judges selected ‘White-tailed Eagle Patrolling Forest’ by Ronnie Gilbert for a Silver Medal Award.

 

‘Taking Pictures of the Milky Way’ was presented by Richard Jakobson. His images are absolutely stunning! He captures not only the wonder of the sky at night but includes foreground detail to create spectacular landscapes.

 

Images were shown from Buttermere, Hard Knott, Crummock Water, Ennerdale, Stonehenge, Portugal and Namibia. Richard demonstrated how the galactic core becomes more visible as you travel further South.

 

The need for rigorous planning was stressed and details of Apps and Software that support planning were shared. The time of year, phases of the moon and weather conditions all need to be considered.

 

A tripod is an essential piece of kit, a wide fast lens if possible, and at a basic level a head torch with red lamp, warm spare batteries and several layers of thermal clothing! Finally we learned about processing and stacking and merging multiple images. Richard is leading an Astrophotography group for any club members who would like to learn more about this aspect of photography.

Finally Simon Roberts demonstrated his enthusiasm and expertise in Wildlife photography through a wide range of impressive images taken in locations across the world including India, Svalbard, South Africa, Finland, Norway and closer to home Wales and the Scottish Highlands.

 

Simon’s narrative was both informative and really interesting thanks to his stories along the way. Being at risk of becoming stuck in sea ice and dangling cameras attached to monopods over the side of ships are two that come to mind!

 

Simon left us with some key ethical questions around the welfare of both the animals and the bait that is used to attract them in locations that are specifically set up for photographers.

 

Keswick Photographic Society welcomes beginners and expert photographers, as new members, or guests, to their meetings. Due to COVID live meetings are restricted to members only for the time being. However, meetings are also being broadcast via Zoom and guests may join these. For information about how to join Keswick Photographic Society or to participate in one of our Zoom meetings as a guest please e-mail: contactkeswickPS@gmail.com.

Sue Rugg

 

This week’s meeting was the second of the new season. Our speaker was David Garthwaite, a fine art photographer from Leeds. His speciality is architecture but he photographs landscapes and does some portraiture work as well. The talk was given via Zoom and most members watched from the comfort of their own homes, but some chose to attend our normal venue, the Friends Meeting House, where we watched via a laptop linked to the television screen.

David began by showing a short video of some of his monochrome images. These included several of the stunning City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia designed by Santiago Calatrava.

Some, taken closer to home, were of the Roker Pier and Berwick Lighthouse. There were images too from London, including an image of The Shard.

 

There were also images from the Netherlands.

 

David researches his locations thoroughly before travelling. Once on site he spends time viewing his subject from every angle and then he decides on the best composition. All this before even taking his camera out of the bag.

 

Unlike many photographers he prefers to shoot on dull, overcast days as this does not create strong shadows and provides a flat image that he can add his own shading too as he sees fit. On bright days he waits until the sun disappears behind a cloud. Sometimes he also uses long exposures to eliminate distractions such as people or vehicles moving through the scene.

David’s distinctive style is largely due to his meticulous approach to processing his images using Photoshop and other software and most of his talk comprised a master class in this.

 

He can spend hours processing one image and he employs such techniques as replacing skies and selectively lightening and darkening parts of the image. While many other photographers also employ such techniques David goes to great lengths to ensure that these changes are employed gradually to ensure they look natural.

 

It was a very informative and enjoyable evening although many of us will need to watch the recording of this meeting several times before mastering his approach.

Keswick Photographic Society’s welcome both beginners and expert photographers, either as new members, or as guests, to their meetings. Due to the COVID pandemic live meetings are restricted to members only for the time being. However, meetings are also being broadcast via Zoom and guests may join these. For information about how to join Keswick Photographic Society or to participate in one of our Zoom meetings as a guest please e-mail: contactkeswickPS@gmail.com.

This week saw the start of the 49th season and the resumption of physical meetings.  After months of zoom it was good to have the personal interaction badly missed by many of the members. The society provided a simultaneous zoom transmission for those not able, or uncomfortable with attending such a gathering.

As is tradition, it was The Chairman’s evening, and David Woodthorpe presented some of his favourite images taken during three visits to India, the country which has captured his heart. India, he explained, is a place where everything that bombards the senses of western visitors and appears to be extraordinary and at times quite shocking to us, is in fact quite normal.   Unlike European countries which differ in quite minor ways, India is a world apart in terms of the history, religion, culture, behaviour and sheer number of people.  With a population of 1.3 billion it is more than 20 times that of the UK.

 

David began by showing images from some of the iconic Sikh and Buddhist temples in Delhi, Guwahati and across Rajasthan explaining how many of the temples prepare and provide thousands of free meals a day to the poor, hungry and homeless of the city, funded by donations. During the pandemic as the numbers of needy grew the Gurudwaha Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple in Delhi increased its provision of meals from around 30,000 to an eye watering 100,000 meals a day and expected to increase that number. One of David’s favourite buildings is the Lotus Temple in Delhi, a Baháʼí House of Worship.

 

Many of the temples are of a scale difficult to comprehend, with for example, the Ranakpur Jain Temple having 1444 individually and uniquely carved marble pillars supporting 80 domes over 29 halls.

In Varanasi, possibly the oldest inhabited city in the world, it is normal from the banks of the mother river Ganges, to launder clothes, to bathe, to drink and to cremate bodies.  It is difficult for the western visitor to comprehend these simultaneous activities.  But every evening the Aarti Festival, a well-choreographed ceremony restores peace, calm and tranquillity to the Ghats.

 

India has retained an enormous wealth of ancient buildings, maintained in superb condition and accessible to all.  Members were shown images of a wide range of forts, castles, palaces and historic monuments.  But it’s the very talented, colourful, characteristic, often beautiful or handsome and happy people who really make any visit to India unforgettable.  David showed many portraits and scenes of people carrying out their everyday activities, whether at home, in markets, at work or simply relaxing or playing.

 

Rajasthan is a land of colour with the Amber Fort, The Blue City of Jodhpur, the Pink City of Jaipur and the White City of Udaipur, all of which are populated with colourful characters.

 

Of course, no presentation would be complete without reference to the special wildlife and David showed images of One Horned Rhino, fearful Monitor Lizards, Gharials, Crocodiles, colourful birds and Butterflies from across Northern India.

 

David concluded his presentation with some amusing examples of the transport system from the Toy Train of Darjeeling, goats on Motorways, incredibly overloaded vehicles and the rather dangerous habit of farmers choosing to drive the wrong way along the fast lane of motorways!

 

Such is the captivating sub-continent which is India.

The Society’s fourth Set Subject Competition took place via Zoom on the evening of Wednesday 30^th June. The competition was the last meeting of the extended season. Members were invited to enter up to three digital images according to the theme ‘Isolation’. The judge was Robert Given MPAGB FBPE EFIAP EPSA, a Society member based in Belfast who is a renowned and talented photographer. Seventeen members entered the competition resulting in a total of forty-seven images for Bob to judge.

People, animals, plants, structures and transport all featured within the ‘Isolation’ theme. One particularly poignant image by Carol Minks featured a view of central Keswick deserted by people as a result of the pandemic.

 

Before starting the judging, Bob commented on the exceptionally high standard of the images that he had received. He then gave a critique of each image and, on occasion when needed, suggested where improvements could be made. Marks were not awarded but at the end of the judging Bob revealed his chosen first, second and third images as well as seven further images he designated as being within the Highly Commended/ Commended category. In first place was ‘No Escape’ by David Woodthorpe.

 

This was a strong graphic image with a viewpoint looking up towards the top of two intersecting, extremely tall, concrete walls. The feeling of isolation was intensified by the rungs of a ladder fixed to one of the walls failing to reach ground level so being out of reach to someone standing on the ground within the walls. Bob pointed out how well this superb graphic image illustrated the theme of isolation. In second place was ‘No Boundaries’ by Alan Walker, a beautifully captured snowy scene with an S-shaped line of fencing leading up to three distant deer on the far horizon, the whole image anchored by a fence post just peeping out of the snow.

 

In third place Bob chose ‘Restriction’ by Marilyn Woodthorpe. This was a very strong side-lit image of a man with piercing blue eyes and a mask staring out from behind a grid, the mask adding an increased sense of foreboding to the image.

 

Bob’s chosen Highly Commended/Commended images were ‘Winter’s Solitude’ by David Stephenson, ‘Isolated Church’ by Alan Walker, ‘Lone Penguin in Blizzard’ by Julie Walker, ‘Arctic Isolation’ and Icelandic Isolation’ both by Keith Snell, ‘Lockdown Hair Cut’ by Barbara Keen and ‘Alone Again’ by Ken Rennie.

All the images submitted can be viewed on our gallery page:

Isolation images gallery

David Woodthorpe, the Society Chairman, thanked Bob for his hard work giving a critique of the images. David also pointed out that the range of images entered covering the theme of isolation certainly justified having set subject competitions. The Society now has a summer break before starting its 49^th season on 1^st September with a meeting titled ‘The Magic of India’ given by David Woodthorpe CPAGB. If you are interested in joining our friendly club for the next season either as a beginner or as a more experienced photographer please email us at contactkeswickPS@gmail.com.

Tricia Rayment