Me and Mr Grumpy
SILEBY Photographic Society held its usual Monday evening meeting on September 9, when guest lecturers, Louise Walton, CPAGB, and Gary Langley, DPAGB came along and gave a joint presentation of digital images entitled Me and Mr. Grumpy.
People was their first choice of subject to present, and this they did in both monochrome and colour. Their material had been obtained whilst attending various events up and down the country.
Striking portraits, images captured on camera at re-enactments, festivals, modelling events and elsewhere, emerged on screen and provided awe-inspiring viewing.
Gary explained that by making good use of today’s available technology, their pictures had been enhanced but not to the point of over-saturation and thus retained the natural look which was very appealing to the eye.
Sea and landscapes, rural and urban, together with interesting architecture and beautiful sunsets, provided the basis for their next set of images.
Experimenting with different angles, lighting and choice of lens, their photographic expertise had enabled them to produce great images. The dramatic scenery north of the border, and particularly the Scottish Isles, provided perfect material for the camera and perhaps it was the monochrome medium which captured the atmosphere best.
A winter’s day in a snow-covered Peak District produced great pictures, as did, in contrast, the deserted beaches, sand-dunes and wild grasses whilst visiting further north.
Action pictures included a series showing horses cooling off whilst attempting to cross the river at Appleby. They appeared to be in their element, as did their riders, and made for excellent images too.
Wildlife captured on camera in this country and overseas was another of their favourite subjects and, applying their well-practised techniques, superb images were projected. Included were a koala bear in Australia, red squirrels in Yorkshire, seals on Mull and crocodile, lion and rhino in residence at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and all made for great viewing.
Bird photography was another classic within their extensive repertoire.
Louise and Gary had been able to capitalise on their experience producing images of high quality. Osprey in flight demonstrated huge wing spans, with other species nesting, perching, feeding, swooping and wading, at the same time boasting colourful plumage which made them look so appealing.
Swans elegantly making their way along the river, and in no particular hurry to go anywhere, provided great reflections in the water on sunny days.
Use of the Macro lens provided perfect close-up shots of butterflies, depicting their intricate and colourful wing detail, grasshoppers and dragonflies.
Few subjects escaped their photographic expertise and the superb quality of each image evidenced their firm grasp of the art of photography in today’s technological world.
A selection of equally impressive prints was exhibited during the half-time interval, another area of photography in which they excel and hopefully will feature in a future display at Sileby.
Their combined presentation was full of humour, often self-deprecating and, as such, an excellent evening was enjoyed by everyone. Quite where ‘Mr. Grumpy’ came from the audience was not too sure but perhaps it was something between themselves!
Malcolm Coulton thanked Louise and Gary for an excellent presentation full of picture-perfect digital images and prints.
The next meeting will be held on Monday, September 23, when one of Sileby’s own members, Nigel Atkins, will entertain his colleagues with his photographic display and narrative entitled ‘My Journey with Photography’.
Nigel has an avid interest in natural history and wildlife, and thus promises to be an evening full of appeal for anyone interested in the subject.
Visitors and prospective new members are always welcome to attend the Society’s meetings which commence at 7.45pm for 8pm and are held at Sileby Community Centre.
Further information can be obtained from the Society’s website, www.silebyps.org.uk