Hello, and thanks for looking in.
Interest received from our Club members on a couple of events this coming week. The Awards Advisory Team from the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain will be at the Victoria Hall in Dunblane, near the railway station, on Saturday 18th November. It’s a great opportunity to look at what is required to gain PAGB Distinctions such as a BPAGB, CPAGB, DPAGB, EPAGB, or an MPAGB. The day is now full for Assessments but places remain for observers. Booking is required and details were recently issued to F.C.C. members.
On Thursday 16th November we welcome BAFTA Scotland award winning photographer and filmmaker Chris Leslie. He will be talking about A Balkan Journey, his project photographing the lives of people in post-conflict Former Yugoslavia. As well as being keenly focused on camera club photography, our club has always been interested in photography in a wider context. This photo-journalistic evening with Chris promises a fascinating look at how a photographer operates in the field.
Two images by Chris Leslie which currently adorn the outside of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh and are from the exhibition currently on display inside.
Last Thursday we were delighted to welcome Kenny McLean CPAGB BPE 2* AFIAP ( among others ), from Cumbernauld & Kilsyth Photographic Society, and his presentation Lockdown and Distinctions. During the first half of the evening Kenny treated us to a selection of images taken by C&K P.S. members during lockdown. They were all highly original and creative and illustrated how their club members had adapted to the challenging situation experienced by us all. A particularly accomplished photographer himself, during lockdown Kenny had looked at the awards systems run by the national and international photographic institutions. Among others, he now holds a CPAGB, a BPE 2*, and an AFIAP. Kenny also explained how organisations like the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain ( as mentioned above ) and the Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique promote international Salons and Exhibitions of photography designed to stretch the artistic and technical skills of photographers. Our thanks to Kenny for his inspiring presentation.
Three new sections are now open to Club members on PhotoEntry for forthcoming events.
Please upload PDI entries and Print PDI’s for Monthly Competition No. 3, and deposit your Prints at the clubrooms by 23rd November 2023. Remember, this is the Themed competition with the topics being Close Up / Macro Photography and Street Photography.
3 From 6 encourages us to photograph something different so Club members are invited to upload up to 3 PDI’s from this season’s 6 topics. Although not a Competition, a section for submissions is in the 2023 / 24 Competition Group on PhotoEntry. You can submit up to 3 photographs of the same topic, of different topics, or a combination of topics. The photographs may have been taken at any time. Closing date for submissions is 18th January 2024 and the photographs will be shown on 3 From 6 night a few weeks later.
Fill the Foreground – Add depth to your photograph by having something of interest in the foreground.
Botanical – Capture something more than just a bunch of flowers. It could be the structure, tone or colour of any form of plant life from leaves to bushes or flowers to trees. It may be forming or withered in Black & White, Colour, or perhaps Toned ?
Blustery Weather – Convey the atmosphere of the wilder side of weather, but stay safe while doing so !
Photograph a Film Title – Choose a film title and represent it on a photograph. Something like Goldfinger might be colourful, Duck Soup might be a bit surreal although, think twice about The Dambusters.
Modern Metropolis – It’s not too difficult to find photographs in a busy town or city. Illustrating a modern aspect, which may or may not be welcome, is slightly different.
On My ‘Phone – Might be a photograph deliberately taken on your ‘phone, or something you saw when you didn’t have your usual camera with you.
Talking Pictures is a joint event between Falkirk Camera Club and Falkirk Writers Circle and F.C.C. members are now invited to upload up to 5 PDI’s for this season’s event. It’s not a Competition, although the section for submissions is in the 2023 / 24 Competition Group on PhotoEntry. We pass the PDI’s over to the writers who will make a selection, then compose pierces of prose or poetry inspired by the images they have chosen. The work of the writers can be amusing or profound, thought provoking or uplifting and it’s always a joy to discover what our photographs have inspired.
Take care, hope to see you next week.