We are so pleased to be back to meeting physically. It was great to see members back in the room and once again sharing their love of photography. It was a great start to the season and although not every week will be a physical meeting, the majority will be wherever possible.

A fantastic presentation by photographer Paul Haffenden. Found Image/Object really got us thinking about where inspiration for our photography could come from, for example, the family album could inspire a journey to where an image was taken by our relatives/ancestors and maybe we might have a go at recreating the image. So many inspiring ideas and a very enjoyable evening.

Here are the results of the Digital Manipulation Competition 2020/2021. There were 38 entries in total. Congratulations go to: 1st place – THE RED PLANET by Peter Bruns 2nd place – WATERY ROSE by Ignatius Mauceri3rd place – FORKS by David Tovey Highly Commended – CATKINS ON PAPER by David ToveyHighly Commended – THE PIER BELOW by Julie Lawton The Judge for the evening was Stephen Carroll ARPS.

A fantastic evening of landscape photography by Guy Edwardes. Should you wish to see Guy’s work or book him for a lecture, visit his website: https://www.guyedwardes.com/

Here are the results of the Novice Cup 2020/2021. There were 44 entries in total. Congratulations go to: 1st place – FROSTY FLOWERS by Natasha Neal 2nd place – LOIS by Terry Blanchette3rd place – REFLECTIONS AND THE BALTRADER by Julie Lawton Highly Commended – BEACH DAYS by Natasha NealHighly Commended – ELIZABETH by Julie Lawton The Judge for the evening was Cherry Larcombe EFIAP ARPS DPAGB BPE5*

What a treat it is when members provide other members with an insight into their photography practice and interests. This was one of the first evenings the Club has run in this way and it was a great success. First up was Nizar Birch who presented his fascinating editing process for one of his remarkable dog portraits. Next was Tony Mitchell who took Club members on a road trip to Botswana, where he visited last year. The evening ended with Liz Smith giving a presentation, prepared from her Photography Degree critical review, titled “Illuminating Space: Shedding Light on the Landscape.” Such diverse subject matters and we all learnt something.

Here are the results of the Reflex Cup 2020/2021. There were 75 entries in total. Congratulations go to: 1st place – WILLOW THE LAB by Nizar Birch2nd place – FALLEN ANGEL by Julie Lawton3rd place – GARLIC GARLIC GARLIC by Elisabeth Smith Highly Commended – CAMOUFLAGE by David EllisHighly Commended – NOT GOING OUT by Colin Pillen The Judge for the evening was Jack Taylor EFIAP DPAGB.

An amazing evening with Cherry Larcombe EFIAP ARPS DPAGB BPE5* learning about flower photography. Cherry’s presentation included: macro photography, lots of different ways to photograph flowers, how to press flowers in a microwave, a simple at home studio set up and what you can achieve with a Lensbaby, to name a few. A fabulous evening which left us inspired and ready to give flower photography a go.

The Club’s Opening Night Presentation and Celebration Evening is tonight and with it the new season will have officially begun.

The reinstatement of physical meetings is not going to be possible for the start of the new season (17 September 2020), however, a full programme of events has been scheduled. 2020 meetings will be held online via the Club’s Zoom, see below: From 2021 it is hoped that meetings will return to the Rainham School for Girls campus. Please also note that the Club’s Annual Exhibition at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre will be unable to go ahead this year due to the restrictions currently in place there. This will be re-arranged in due course.