Club News

Judge Graham Smith ARPS

What an improvement! Graham managed to achieve an incredible 50% increase in the percentage of images he marked in the 18-20 range. On his last visit he marked 36% of our images in his range, this time a whopping 53% achieved our top scores. An improvement on this scale will mean we all achieve those elusive big scores. More seriously, Graham is always generous in his marking and a look back at the previous competitions he has judged will bear testimony to this.

Just as judging is a personal view, so is report writing, and the authors assessment of the competition. In my humble opinion Don Mitchell was in top form judging our prints and projected images, with concise critiques of each picture focussing on technical detail and composition rather than the common trait we have experienced from some judges of lengthy descriptions of the content of the picture.

The Crouch Shield for Digital Projected Images was held on 12 March 2010 and hosted by Henfield Camera Club. The judge for the evening, Bob Webzell is a past president of Brighton Hove Camera Club and lectures and judges throughout the south of England.

In the first round, Paul Hayward scored 17 points for his image entitled 'Hard Times'. This put us in 6th place at the end of Round One. Could it get better?

We had a really interesting evening with Roy Hales and his wife Angela who gave us a presentation about the wildlife in Borneo.

Their particular hobby is the study of spiders and the rainforest in Borneo has a lot of different varieties including some brand new ones not before seen or therefore named.

They keep a huge collection in pots in a room in their house with dozens of specimens and look after and study them. They also run the British Tarantula Spider Society.

A great time was had by all, the one opportunity in the year that we can all become judges.

I was personally shocked by some of the comments made, lampooning some of the Judges we have had this year, showing a total lack of respect. Hopefully next season we can raise the standard of judging and have some more insightful comments to help us improve our pictures.

We co-hosted this competition with Southwick CC. They were responsible for setting up the seating, manning the entrance, making the teas and coffees and running the raffle. Park Cameras sponsored the event and provided some raffle prizes.

Mike Davison ARPS, who was a member of our club for a number of years, returned this evening to give us a presentation about trying for an RPS distinction.

Whilst still a member with us, Mike was awarded his LRPS; but he was already a member of Chichester Camera Club, which is a much bigger club than ours and is stuffed full of photographers with RPS distictions, feeling that they offered him more, as he is an exceptional photographer himself.

I have belatedly been asked to write this report as both our Print and PI secretaries are away on holiday - lucky devils missing all this gloomy weather!

Our old friend Eric Burchell (steam engine enthusiast) judged this competition for us in his own experienced style giving mostly quite high marks. There were Four 20s; Eight 19s; and Fifteen 18s out of a total entry of 54 PIs.

Southwick hosted this Mix n' Match evening between Southwick, Steyning and Storrington Camera Clubs.

An evening of fun was had by all, as Eric Burchell judged whether our images matched the image put up by the leader of each round, and which was the best image offered.

Tonight we had a welcome return visit by Derek Forss. He has been a professionallandscape photographer for many years working for, amongst many others, the National Trust and Ordnance Survey. Derek also teaches photography at Earnley (south of Chichester) and leads photographic walking holidays for HF holidays, who have a house locally - Abingworth Hall at Thakeham.