Three club members stepped up to give presentations at the recent club meeting and provided a rich mixture of topics and photographic techniques.

David Dagg presented his successful panel of pictures which gained him his LRPS distinction from the Royal Photographic Society. His ten images covered a wide range of subjects and skills all of which are required to get this award. His pictures were pin sharp, expertly printed and formed a cohesive arrangement – essential to meet the LRPS standards. This was David’s third submission for the award and although he described his success as ‘a bit of luck’, it was clear that it was not a case of third time lucky but a demonstration of his competence as a photographer.

Tony Drew offered the club a brief history of photography which he claimed was going to tell members ‘where they all came from’! This turned out to be the equivalent of a parental talk to their offspring of the photographic birds and the bees. Tony’s extensive knowledge of the pioneers of photography helped give club members a better understanding of what they owe to the giants such as Niepce, Daguerre, Fox Talbot and Eastman as well Oskar Barnack and Ernst Leitz. But this was not just a history lesson. It was well known that Tony has an extensive camera collection but his production from his bag of several early Leica and Contax cameras was a surprise. His advice to look out for a Leica 0 or Leica 1A in any car boot sale or junk shop was good advice well taken. We should be so lucky!

Tom Borg rounded off the evening with digital images of architecture – whole buildings and their distinctive parts. This was a great demonstration of the value of keeping your eyes open and how often looking skywards enables the photographer to find some fascinating images. This was an intriguing montage of ancient and modern architectural styles to be found in pub fronts, alms houses, churches and the growing skyline of London and other cities.