Exmouth Photo Group
Est. 1969
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Wednesday 4th September 2024 - Our first meeting in our new meeting room
Not one of our usual meetings, certainly a bit different. We will be having new chairs next week and might even change a few things in the future but at least we have a bigger room.
The Salvation Army celebrates their 140th Anniversary next year and wish to put on an exhibition of images that tell a story about all the different projects they are involved with. So they have invited us to do the photography hence the reason for having Andrew Cutler giving us a short talk about it. I do hope some of you will consider doing some of the projects, a few have signed up already.
We then had a break and I must thank Mo and Peter for coping so well in our new premises, I do hope members have looked at the Tea Rota.
The rest of the evening was taken up viewing accepted images entered into the WCPF this year and a quick run through the programme by Lynn.
I am pleased to say we now have an image of the Committee Members and Group Leaders . Chaz Madge managed to organise them into a group, thank you Chaz.
News From Your Chairperson at the start of our New Season September 2024 - May 2025
I am delighted to announce that the committee have co-opted Gill Stocker and Carol Hyett on to Exmouth Photo Group committee. Gill as Honorary Secretary and Carol as Membership Secretary. We are very grateful to them both for agreeing to take on these roles. Gill was our Programme Secretary for eight years and has also helped out by writing reviews. Carol has been our Projectionist for many years and both she and Gill have wide ranging experience and talents as many of you will have seen when they have given presentations.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sheila Haycox for stepping up to the mark and taking on the role of Acting Secretary, for handling the membership renewals and liaising withGill and Carol. Please see https://www.exmouthphotogroup.com/committee for a list of our committee and our President John Perriam.
We have a lot to look forward to this season, starting with our first evening on Wednesday 4th September at our new venue; the Salvation Army Hall, Sheppard's Row, Exmouth EX8 1PW. We have two allocated parking places which we have reserved for those carrying heavy equipment. The nearest public parking is London Hotel Car Park (Magnolia) Union Street Exmouth EX8 1HZ which is free after 18:00.
At our first session you can find out about an exciting New Photo Project for the 140th Anniversary of the Salvation Army in Exmouth and East Devon. A short explanation will be given by Andrew Cutler Community Mission Manager of ways in which we can record the current work of the Salvation Army photographically for a display of photos and stories next year. From Foodbanks and Lunch Clubs to the Salvation Army Choir and Band.
Following that we will have the opportunity to look at what we have on offer this season with many thanks to Lynn Middleton-Flynn for organising our Winter Programme. Sheila will lead us through the Western Counties Photographic Federation (WCPF) Digitally Projected Images (DPI) for 2024 welcoming comments and questions.
Exmouth in Bloom 2026 Calendar Photo Project
Don't forget to take images for the Calendar. Exmouth in Bloom will select images for the 2026 calendar months (Landscape) and cover (Portrait) from photographs entered into a competition created exclusively for EPG members. All locations must be either in, or viewable from, publicly accessible areas such as parks or pavements. Photographs of plants taken from inside private gardens will not be accepted. We need good images of flowers/shrubs taken in different seasons in recognisable locations around Exmouth. It would be a good advert to showcase our photography.
Please see a video of the 2024 calendar for ideas. Deadline for entries mid-January 2025
Jurassic Coast International AV Salon - Zoom Session 25 & 26 May and Gala Day 15 June 2024
I am pleased to report that yet again our Jurassic Coast International AV Salon has made a profit. The Zoom Sessions held in May went very well - we had viewers from all over the world watching. Our Gala Day attracted AV workers from Gloucestershire, Essex, Worcestershire, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire and we even had someone from New Zealand attending.
All this would not have happended without Ian Bateman taking on the task of organising the event together with his team of helpers, Derrick Holliday, Jenny Baker, Mo Martin, Christine and Maurice Chittock, John Perriam and myself and of course supported by Elaine, Ian's wife.
It is a massive task and being able to have PAGB and FIAP recognition is a very valuable asset. The team are already preparing for next year's event and Woodbury Village Hall has been booked for the Gala Day next June.
We have to produce Programmes, Medals and Certificates, and a Catalogue, Please take a look at the Catalogue that has been produced which has loads of information, all the winners. Below are images kindly taken by Chaz Madge at the Gala Day on 15 June.
To celebrate our success 22 of us finished off Gala Day by going to Prezzo's in Exmouth which was organised by Mo Martin.
Review by Sheila Haycox
Latest News Items 15 May 2024
AV Group - Battle between Wilmslow, Australia, Gloucester and our club members. I am deligfhted to report that our AV Group did well, we just pipped Wilmslow by 1 point to view full results click here. Well done members.
The WCPF Members Exhibition was held at Uffculme and Seale Hayne for two weeks in May, 4 of our members did stewarding for a day and our oldest member Ernie King visited with Bryan Webb. Ernie met up with some old friends whilst there and they took images. I mjust say it was one of the best Members Exhibitions I have attended, the standard of the prints this year was high.
AGM 24th April 2024 + Presentation and Awards + Chairman's Challenge
The last meeting of the Winter Season was a busy one. It featured the AGM, Awards’ Presentation, and the Chairman’s Challenge.
Twenty-five members were in attendance, and Derrick was able to move swiftly through the agenda as no questions or comments had been received. The 2023 Minutes, Officer’s reports and financial statements were all approved by a unanimous vote. Mo expressed thanks to Derrick for rising to the challenge and agreeing to be Chairman for the 2023-24 season when nobody else would volunteer to take on that role.
The election of committee officers followed: Derrick Holliday (Chairperson) and Mike Gillan (Print Competition Secretary) were retiring; Christine Chittock and Tony Howell were nominated for those posts; Mark Reed, was standing as Member with less than 4-years membership; Sheila Haycox, who had been co-opted onto the committee mid-year as Vice-Chairperson, was officially nominated for that role; Sandra Morton (Secretary), Mark Hazell (Treasurer), Peter Hyett (DPI Competition Secretary) and Lynn Middleton-Flynn (Programme Secretary) agreed to continue in their posts. As all the positions were uncontested, the committee was elected ‘en bloc’ by a unanimous vote.
No proposals or items under AOB had been received so Derrick closed the AGM. This was followed by a brief discussion about the lack of a replacement for Jenny as Refreshments coordinator. Bryan Webb pointed out that there was a long-standing problem getting volunteers. Jenny and Mo agreed to provide refreshments for the first meeting in September, but after that, members will have to bring their own. Water will be provided for visiting speakers. Members were assured that the new committee would continue the search for a larger meeting room.
The Awards followed with EPG President, John Perriam, presenting the trophies and Chaz Madge taking photographs. Derrick awarded the Chairman’s Shield to Carol Hyett for all her hard work over the years behind the scenes.
‘Bird(s) in Flight’ and ‘Feet’ were the subjects for this year’s Chairman’s Challenge. Derrick’s favourite bird image was ‘In Flight’ by Chaz, and Mo came first in the feet category and was awarded the trophy for best image overall with ‘Lion Feet’. All the images from the challenge are on the website.
As Chairperson, Christine Chittock thanked Derrick for his long-standing service to the club and the committee, where he has held many different posts. She then announced the subjects for next season’s Chairperson’s Challenge – ‘Triptych’ and ‘Light’. After briefly talking about the Summer Programme and the Summer Challenge, Christine closed the meeting.
Review by Sandra Morton, Secretary
To view the Chairman's Challenge images and winner please click here
Presenations, Awards and General images (photography by Chaz Madge) see below
17th April 2024 Members Evening
Members evening trying out for the first time, an evening of photography created by any method that members had experimented with. We had phone photography, scanned photography, ICM, inverts, reflections, scanned images, Ai, multiple exposures and lots of manipulated images.
Members talked about the way that they had produced the image. Quiet a few were produced by apps on the phone, slow shutter app, photo split app, live on the iPhone, multiple photos in camera.
Some members tried experimenting with artificial intelligence, with some strange effects, mostly legs missing or one too many, but also some that worked very well, especially the image with the mist created in the woods.
It was a very interesting fun evening, where we all learnt from the variety of experimental applications in camera, or by phone apps, or by manipulation on the computer. A big thank you to all that contributed to a very different evening.
Review by Lynn Middleton-Flynn Programme secretary
10th April 2024 Panel Competition Judge Peter Ottley CPAGB, LRPS, AFIAP
Tonight’s panel competition judged by Peter Ottley from Bleadon photographic group, we started the evening with seven panels. We had seven sets of very beautifully printed panels all very different. We had panels on sections of buildings, trains, windmills, Scottish castles, fishermen and Morris dancers. Congratulation to Sheila Haycox two Golds for her panels O'Porto Terminal and City of Arts and Mike Gillian for his Silver panel called Spark and bronze for his panel called Morris Medley.
We had a very strong entry of twenty DPI panels. Again, a very varied and wide range of topics were presented for the DPI panels, so again Peter had a very hard challenge to choose the HC, Bronze, Silver and the Gold. Christine Chittock was awarded a gold for her dpi panel Reflections as did Sandra Morton for her panel Epson Downs.
Please check out the website for all the winning images here
Reviewed by Lynn Middleton-Flynn EPG Programme Secretary
WCPF AV Competition 6th April 2024
The WCPF AV Competition was held at Woodbury Village Hall on the 6th April. Jill Bunting and John Smith were the judges via Zoom. We had a good audience and a record number of AVs were shown, 45 in total. I am delighted to say that a few of our members did well in the competition. We also had two members who belong to our AV Group get awards.
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Photo Harmony section: Christine Chittock gained Highly Commended for Rust and Decay
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Photo Harmony section: Peter Budd (member of our AV Group) gained 2nd for All Aglow
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Short AV section: Mo Martin gained Highly Commended for Teddy Bears Picnic
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Short AV section: Ian Bateman gained 2nd for Holloway
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Long AV section: Sheila Haycox gained 3rd for A Troubled Country
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Long AV section: Ian Bateman gained 2nd for Monster
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Long AV section: Cathy Fordham (member of our AV Group) gained 1st for Childhood Struggles
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Audience Vote: This is for the whole competition - 1st Childhood Struggles, 2nd Monster by Ian Bateman and 3rd A Troubled Country by Sheila Haycox which happens to be the same as the judges choices..
3rd April 2024 International Exchange
This was an interesting evening which gave us a chance to see and discuss a variety of images taken by clubs living in other parts of the world. The clubs taking part were Gibraltar Photo Society, Edinburgh Photo Society, Paris Photo Society, Waikaro Photo Society New Zealand and Exmouth Photo Group. Each club contributed 30 images.
Thank you to Peter and Carol for organising and coordinating this event which was enjoyed by all.
27th March 2024 Competition 4
Our judge for this evening was Kay Wilson from Saltash Camera Club. Kay gave a very thoughtful and considered review of all the entries in each category, with helpful suggestions on how to make each image stronger.
We had four sections in all, Colour Prints, Mono Prints, DPI Mono and DPI Colour. The Overall winning image was given to Ian Bateman for his Mono DPI Adams Plaza Bridge
Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who entered to make another interesting evening.
If you wish to view the competition winners please click here.
To view the Running totals please click here
Review by Lynn Middleton-Flynn EPG Programme Secretary
20th March 2024 Paul Mcloughlin My Backyard and Extreme Macro
What a fantastic evening that Paul presented to EPG this evening. Paul started the evening with explaining why he had changed to photographing in his local area, for health reasons.
It has not made the slightest difference with his passion for photography and his achieving of such beautiful images. Paul based in Crediton demonstrated that getting up early and watching the weather apps paid off with his misty photos, his sunrises, his fog bows, beautiful clouds, sunset and much more.
In the second half Paul showed us how he persevered with cameras and lenses, trying out different setups. He now uses the Olympus OM1 with a 60mm macro lens and a converter, which he is now happy with. It certainly produces some fantastic fungi images that the naked eye would never see.
Paul’s dedication paid off with his brilliant photos of slime mould, finding a passion that has inspired him to get out in the woods, to explore and discover a whole new minute world in the undergrowth.
A brilliant evening enjoyed by everyone.
Review by Lynn Middleton-Flynn EPG Programme secretary.
13th March 2024 Image Makers Group led by John Perriam
This was the first evening to feature the IMG group, and it was an excellent opportunity for its members to show their work to the rest of the club. John started by explaining the format of the group. It comprises of an open session with a discussion of images both prints and digital, and a monthly task or challenge. In parts I and 2 we saw the images for discussion, a variety of imaginative and creative ideas presented in AV’s.
The challenges were: Black and White, Still Life, Process Images, After Sunset, Depicting Autumn, Transport, Rule of Thirds, and Motion Blur on the Beach. Members were invited to talk about their images, and it was really interesting to see the different interpretations of each challenge.
Thanks to John for such a successful and enjoyable evening. Hopefully this will inspire more members to join the IMG group.
Review by Gill Stocker
6th March 2024 Members Evening Sheila Haycox ARPS MPAGB/AV AFIAP
What another brilliant member evening, showcasing Sheila’s talent at producing Avs with her imaginary friends and family.
Sheila started the evening with the first AV called Paragliding, set in snow topped mountains with animated paragliders gracefully travelling through the mountains. We then went off to The Spectral world with Sheila’s ghosts floating gracefully in and out of the ruins. We then enjoyed a story of a local Exmouth lady's fight to run her tea hut on the beach. A fascinating history of her fight with the local authorities.