Tonight was the first critique evening of 2013. These have proved to be extremely popular events as they give an opportunity to discuss a wide range of photographic subjects and techniques as a selection of photographs submitted by members are reviewed, firstly be a volunteer then the group.

Prior to the photographs being given to the volunteer, they are stripped of all information that may identify the photographer to ensure that all are judged, praised or otherwise on their merit alone.

Tonight’s volunteer was Garvin Sewell who, having had a week or so to study the photographs submitted, led the critique.

Firstly he gave his observations on what he liked about each image then explained what changes, if any, he would make in relation to his own particular preferences.  These were in no way criticisms, but they did generate a good deal of discussion and debate about different ways to approach a particular subject depending on each individual’s style and taste.

Once again, the standard of images submitted to Garvin was of the highest, and the variety of subjects reflected the wide range of interests of members of the club.  These included images of a feeding jay and of a wild dolphin taken by Dan Downer, a beautifully rendered black and white Alberto Korda(esque) image of old American cars in Havana submitted by Michael Parkinson, a candid but intimate picture of a man relaxing and enjoying a moment of solitude on a park bench by Dave Brennan, and a new and different view of Newcastle Quayside taken pre dawn on a cold winter’s morning by Craig Carter.

Other photographs submitted allowed Garvin to indulge in his love for skies, these included a long exposure seascape featuring the rock stack at Colywell Bay by John Redpath, and a view of Lindisfarne Castle taken from the Gertrude Jekyll garden submitted by Tony Stevens.

By the end of the evening, although hoarse, Garvin was able finally to relax.  His critique was judged a great success, no-one was insulted, embarrassed or hurt and he was allowed to leave the building safely and without a police escort.

Tonight we welcomed John RICHARDSON to the club as a guest speaker..

John is the Vice President of Cramlington Camera Club who developed his love of photography through his passion for aircraft.

His talk took the form of a walkthrough of his development as a photographer from his first 35mm film camera, through his enduring love of range-finder cameras to his eventual acceptance of the digital format, all against a fascinating visual and factual potted history of aviation.

John explained how he overcame the limitations of the cameras of the 1970’s by exploiting their advantages, namely the build quality of the bodies and lenses. He also went on to demonstrate the differing qualities of the different films available at the time, demonstrating through his beautifully captured  images, the differing colour and light representations obtained by the use of  Fujichrome and Agfachrome  films.

John is also an avid collector of film cameras, a number of which he brought with him to share with members of the club which he used to illustrate in a practical and hands on way, the development of camera technology over the last half century.

All too soon the evening came to a belated end, albeit well past the meeting’s supposed end time.

This proved to be a fascinating night giving many of us food for though and the inspiration to try something new (or old).