It was great to see photographs from two very enthusiastic club members - Polly Knowles and Ted Strawson - who demonstrated how enjoyable this hobby can be and how it can offer countless opportunities for travel, learning and experimentation.
Polly's photographs of Zimbabwe revealed how fortunate we have been until recently to be able to travel to distant countries and also to have the life style we have. Polly's holiday images of the wildlife were plagued by problems of getting to grips with a new lens and the sheer lack of co-operation of the wildlife to line up for their portraits to be taken. Nevertheless, her shot of approaching hippos meant she had at least one very good competition shot in the bag, as was witnessed in last month's club competition. But for me, it was Polly's images of people which stood out and in particular one of children playing together with a drum and enjoying their happy togetherness.
Ted delved into his photographic archive for us and showed examples from the various categories he employs to catalogue his images. It was clear that Ted enjoys setting himself projects and this results in image which showed his keen photographic eye and a willingness to experiment with Photoshop. This was evident in a sequence of 'aged photographs' in which he had turned back time by careful post processing. There was plenty to enjoy in the variety Ted presented for us and I particularly like the street image of two women, one on their mobile phone, standing next to traditional old-school red phone boxes. The irony was clear.