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Set Subject: Nuts and Bolts Top Image by: Ian Damerell “Nut & Bolt City” March 2016
Set Subject:
Nuts and Bolts
Top Image by:
Ian Damerell
“Nut & Bolt City”March 2016
Publisher:
Editors:
Contributors:
Cover by:
Westville Camera Club
Kelly ElliottChas VenterLucia Phillips
Mike SandLucia Phillips
Ian Damerell“Nut & Bolt City”
Showcase: Top Images
Nature- 5 Star- Giant Egret- Howard Gillitt
Nature- 3 Star- No Rush- Barrie Walsh
CONTENTS
Chairman’s Report
General Club Information
March Birthdays
Interclub Challenge
Magical Lesotho
Durban Botanical Gardens Outing
Skills Page
Set Subjects
PSSA
Note from the editor
Committee Details
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Chairman’s ReportHi there everyone,
Is it just me, or is this year racing along at a break-neck pace? There are just so
many things on the go and for our benefit, it keeps us out of mischief! We had a
wonderful turnout to the first “official” outing of the year as a large group of 28
members, and a few guests, gathered at The Botanical Gardens for a morning of
photography, learning and refreshments at the Bot Gardens Cafe. As always, Bot
Gardens offers a variety of subjects to photograph from Avian to Flora to the
microscopic world of little bugs. Gary Jones was on hand to help anyone with
questions and I did hear a few members commenting on “learning new techniques”.
That pleases me, for this is what belonging to a camera club is all about. Keep your
eyes open for outing announcements on the Facebook page, WCC website and
emails. There are some wonderful opportunities in the weeks and months to come.
Mike and Ian are also hard at work, planning a weekend away for WCC members,
and that will most probably take place sometime in August. Watch this space.
The rest of the committee are equally busy with their various tasks as well as the
additional undertakings like Photoshop Wizards - At least 5 new members have
jumped aboard the Photoshop Wizards bus. The tri-nations competition is well
underway with Westville winning the first of the three legs. Hope you are all holding
thumbs as the second leg has been completed and we are only awaiting the results
of the third leg before an announcement is made.
In the next month or so, we’ll be conducting a hands-on training workshop for our
new members and it will be a great day. You’ll learn about all the basic functions of
your camera and how that translates into this wonderful art of photography. We’ll
spend the afternoon putting those newly acquired skills into action. We’ll venture into
the realm of that dreaded “Manual” mode that seems “Oh, so difficult”, and we'll tame
it.
Our next workshop on the second Wednesday in April is going to be another hands-
on event where everyone gets to bring their camera gear and learn all about lighting.
It is going to be a bumper evening - Don’t miss out, it won't be repeated!
Hot on the heels of the tri-nations competition, is another “friendly” competition
between the Durban Camera Club (DCC) and ourselves. Announcements will more
than likely be made by the time SNAP Magazine leaves the printing press.
The dry spell we have experienced in the region appears to be lifting and we have
received welcome showers, I hope that it is sufficient to end the drought. Don’t let the
mist, drizzle or rain keep you indoors, there is lots to photograph, with stunning
reflections, just to name one.
I trust you had a few days rest over the holidays.
Kind regards,
Chas.
GENERAL CLUB INFOIMAGE ENTRY:Any digital image entered in a section maynot at any time be re-entered in that or anyother section or medium for promotionalpurposes. Previously entered work, eitherwholly or partially, may not be enteredwithout substantial, content transformingmodifications.Proof of originality will rest with the author.All images contained within the image, mustbe the author’s own work.Exceptions: computer manipulated filters,distortions and textures. Images may not bemanufactured using stock material which haspreviously been entered in promotionalcompetitions without substantialmodification.
Images taken in consecutive framesrepresenting the same scene or activity willbe viewed as the same image and can only beallowed for submission once for judging.
Due to time constraints only 1 set subjectphoto from each member will be shown andjudged by the members on the night ofsubmission.When downloading through Photovault thefirst SS image you download will be the quickjudge image. If 2 photos are submitted theywill both be judged the following month asnormal.
DIGITAL SUBMISSIONS:Digital images to be done electronically viaPhotoVaultOnline. File size to be a maximumof 1024 on the widest edge of a landscapeimage or 768 pixels on the longest edge of aportrait image. File size not to exceed 500kb.No names may be added to the digital imageswhen submitted.Note – thin outlines are allowed but largerframes are discouraged.Images to be named with the image title only(e.g.: Beach Sunrise).
ALL MEETINGS TO START PROMPTLY
AT 19h00
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13/04 Lighting Workshop-
one light source
16/04 Photoshop Wizards
20/04 Judging Evening
Follow the link below to the PSSA website for any information regarding the PSSA, salons, upcoming local and national photographic events and also to find out why it is a good thing to join PSSA!
http://www.pssa.co.za/
Please would ALL members check the Eats Roster for the meeting on Wednesday 20 April 2016.
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Birthdays
to those special members who will be
celebrating their birthdays over April.
We wish you many more!
8 Ben Myburgh & Nic Aberdein
10 Barry Stapelberg
17 Di Wayne
19 Elrene Koch & Graham Gillett
21 John Thackeray
22 Jenny Piper
www.lovethispic.com
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The subject for our new interclub challenge is…
Doors, Windows, Gates & Walls
Remember: Images must be current, meaning they should be taken after 9 September 2015.
Only basic editing is allowed, no Photoshop artworks.Remember to be creative and have fun with your subject!
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When the night sweats, hot
flushes and associated irritability
of manopause become
unbearable I am left with few
choices. I usually renew my vows
with the two remaining pebbles
in my pocket, then pick up the
phone and persuade fellow
sufferers to join me on a ride with
a difference. Five biker mates
willingly agreed to join me on this
adventure on untested routes.
We rendezvoused at BP Oasis in
Camperdown at 6am sharp,
Friday the 5th February, and after
a short route briefing headed off
for Underberg for a fuel stop and
breakfast. It had rained the night
before and the roads were still
wet in places and heavy clouds
still hung overhead, but the
weather report promised good
weather later in the morning.
After fortifying ourselves at the
Lemon Tree in Underberg we set
off at a brisk pace through the
scenic Swartland with the sun on
our
backs, headed for our entry point
into Lesotho at Ramatsediso Gate
which we reached at midday.
After a brief snack break we set
off again to our first real
challenge, Matabeng Pass, which
apexes at 3030m asl. Lesotho is
beautiful and the views are
breath-taking. The local populace
are friendly and will always smile
and wave back.
Our trusted BMW 1200cc dual
purpose bikes weigh in at about
260kg fully fuelled and packed.
This excludes the rider! To keep
them upright in the rough stuff is
challenging at the best of times.
To achieve this we stand whilst
riding off road as it allows the
rider to shift his weight quickly in
the opposite direction to what
the bike might be bumped into,
thereby maintaining balance.
Having reached the foot of the
pass we had to cross the
Litsoeneng River about 5 times
because it criss-crosses the track
along the way.
Magical LesothoBy Mike Sand
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This proved challenging as thenormally placid stream wasrunning in spate after recentrains, and all but one of us endedup in the drink at some point. Wesummited at 3:30pm and took awell deserved rest and snackbreak. The descent on the otherside proved equally challengingand put a different musclegrouping to work.Once in the valley the ridebecame somewhat more relaxedand we followed our trusty GPS’sto Tebalo where we caught ourfirst glimpse of the Orange Riverwhich we followed until wecrossed it on a brand newChinese built bridge betweenMashai and Mohlanapeng. Ourencounter with the tarred surfacewas short lived and we pushed onto our overnight stop in ThabaTseka with the setting sun in oureyes. We arrived at last light,checked into shared rooms,showered and met in the diningroom for dinner which was wellreceived by all of us, even thosethat don’t usually eat liver as aprotein of choice! We relaxed inthe lounge afterwards and wereall tucked up in bed by 9:30pmfor some well earned sleep.
Magical Lesotho- ContinuedBy Mike Sand
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Breakfast was the usual fare andafter paying a very reasonableR380pp DBB we set off to find theChinaman who ran the local fuelpump. Our planned destinationfor the day was Mokhotlong viaKatse Dam and untested 4x4track we found on Maps ForAfrica.
The dam is a sight to behold andan engineering marvel, and aftera cup of coffee at Katse Lodge weset off for our challenge of theday. Our introduction to thecattle track we were to followwas a 50m section of mud whichwe willingly attempted. Some ofus got through without gettingdumped into the sludge and thetail enders chose to take a shortcut through a mielie field.
It soon became evident that thiswasn’t going to be a ride in thepark because by now our GPS’swere only showing our preloadedtracks with no road overlay onthe map. We made slow time andreached what we were to nameBrokeback Pass.
Magical Lesotho- ContinuedBy Mike Sand
The trick with offroad riding is topick your line on the fly, committo it and then go for it as best youcan. The problem happens whenthere are suddenly no lines topick and the line you were onsuddenly ends in a deep rut andyou get stuck. Help is thenneeded from the others to heavethe heavy bike out, and a fewrepeats of this is very energysapping and risky in a remotearea. We stopped for a huddlehalfway up and decided that itwas best to turn around and re-route for Fouriesburg for thenight. No need to prove anythingto anyone and no egos wereharmed!
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We checked into the FouriesburgCountry Lodge at about 4pm andaired and dried our dampclothing from the previous day’sriver crossing in the afternoonsun. Dinner was magnificent,rump steak and salad for all,followed by deep fried ice creamhearts in pastry at the chef’sinsistence. He had beenpracticing all day to perfect it as itwas to feature on the ValentinesDay menu the followingweekend. It was heavenly, notshabby at all for a small derelictFree State town.
Our route home on Sunday wouldbe back through Lesotho viaMokhotlong and Sani pass. Theroad is now all tarred and theChinese engineers have done atruly magnificent job. We madegood time and reached altitudesin excess of 3300m where middaysummer temperatures arearound 15C. We reached Sani atmidday and after the obligatorypictures and a cup of coffee,made our way down the passback into home territory.
Magical Lesotho- ContinuedBy Mike Sand
We fuelled in Himeville and it wasdecided that we would stop for alate lunch at the Pickle Potoutside Boston. We took turns toshare our personal highlights ofthe trip and committed to revisitLesotho again in the not toodistant future. This had been my3rd visit to the country, all doneon my trusty bike. We are reallyfortunate to have all this beautyin our backyard and I will be morethoughtful in future when I havethe urge to moan and groan as somany of us are prone to do.How many pebbles are left inyour pocket?
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Durban Botanical Gardens OutingBy Lucia Phillips
28 members met bright and early in the visitor’s car park for what was to
be a great morning of shooting at this iconic Durban venue. The lake is
always a good starting point, and members were not disappointed with
an abundance of bird life to kick start the day. The usual gaggles of
Egyptian geese (and goslings) were “sitting ducks” for those wanting to
get up close and personal; whilst the Herons, Kingfishers, Red Bishops,
Moorhens and Bronze Manikins provided for opportunities that required
more than just a lazy “point and shoot”.
Some members were fortunate enough to capture the action of a heronwith its “catch of the day”…whilst others watched on (in utter disgust) asthey had the wrong lens on their camera body!
Insect life around the lake is always plentiful and members were lucky to
spot dragon flies emerging from their nymph casings. Interestingly, the
reeds around the lake were littered with these nymph casings, and I do
believe they made for spectacular images. Angie Borges showed me
some of the casings she had captured and they were truly amazing.
Chas and I wondered up to the sunken gardens and managed to do aspot of macro photography in a cool shady spot. Chas, using his CanonMP-E 65mm, managed to capture a tiny aphid (less than 1mm in length)giving birth to live young – all on a tiny four leaf clover bud. The yellowbud was probably around 8mm in length and contained at least 5 ofthese almost transparent aphids.My f2.8 100mm macro lens was unable to capture the detail clearly, andthis remarkable sighting would have gone by unnoticed had it not beenfor the superior quality of the MP-E 65 lens..Macro photography lends itself to a whole new world of exploration –and Bot Gardens certainly dishes up the opportunities in thisdepartment.
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Durban Botanical Gardens OutingBy Lucia Phillips
After a good few hours of shooting everyone gravitated towards theinfamous tea garden for some much needed refreshments. Whilst sometucked into fresh cream scones, others exchanged stories of what hadbeen photographed, what should have been photographed and what wasnot photographed (for a variety of entertaining reasons).
Bot Gardens remains a treasure trove for all photographers out there,and it never seems to disappoint.Its accessibility and relative safety make it the ideal place to just “pop” inwhen you have some free time…and you can always be guaranteed tofind something to shoot!
Until the next outing,Lucia
Conrad Kelsey Conrad Kelsey
Lucia Phillips
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Photography Tips 101
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March – Deck of Cards
Concentrate on the cards or a depiction of the cards, the faces, the backs and/or the deck. Be creative!
Scenes with cards/decks, a house of cards, the characters on the cards, etc. The image must contain
cards or aspects of the cards, real or fictitious.
April – Letters and Numbers
Image to contain either letters and or numbers. These can be in their natural format e.g. number on
old rusted letterbox or taken from nature, food etc…so long as the number or letter is easily
distinguishable. Examples are an “s” bend in a river or some pasta shaped into a letter/number.
May – Reflections
Reflections wherever you can find them. Windows, mirrors, chromed surfaces, polished floors, water
and even in eyes. Try to compose the reflected subject and the reflective surface as 2 images in one.
That is, an image in an image.
Images sourced from Google Images
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June- Doors, Gates, Walls and Windows
Doors, Gates, Walls and Windows. Only images taken on or after 9 September 2015 are eligible. Images
taken before this date will be disqualified. Please ensure that the exif data is included on images
submitted so that we can verify the validity of the images. (Only basic editing allowed – No photoshop
artworks)
July- Frozen in Time
High speed shutters to freeze the moment – here you need speedy subjects and you freeze an instant
in their action. It can be athletes, dancers, machines and mechanics, objects in motion, fluids or
anything else – You get to freeze it in time. It could even be literal, something involving ice.
August – One Light Source
Take an image using only “one” light source. 1 flash, 1 torch, 1 spotlight, 1 candle, 1 LED, 1 beam of
light, 1 narrow sunbeam. You get it? Only “one” light source. Not the entire bright wash of sunlight,
not 200 candles, you get it. Use minimal lighting, make it atmospheric, even dark. Try do this in
camera and not through fancy PhotoShop actions. (No Limitations)
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September- Local is Lekker
Typcially South African, typically Durban and typically local. Make it lekker! There are a myriad of
occasions, festivals, music, food and cultures to take full advantage of ‘local is lekker!’ (No limitations)
October- Distorted
One to tease the AR/Creative togs! Image must show distortion either in perspective, shape, size,
colour, not truly representative of reality. Could be twisted, deformed , misshapen, or perhaps even a
twisted mind !!
November – Fairytale
Recreate a fairytale scene or depict a fairytale character or two. As inspiration; think of Johhny Depp
in Alice in Wonderland. Use props or costumes. Use the classic fairy tales. Use modern fairy tales or
even create a diorama.
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PSSA Salon Calendar for 2016:
Follow this link to find out all the information you need… http://www.pssa.co.za/about-pssa-mainmenu-124/what-is-pssa
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Hello to all WCC’ers
From reading Lucia’s article on the BotanicalGardens outing, it sounds like it was an awesomemorning out. What a great turnout of club members,a whopping 28 people! Thank you for your supportand thank you to the committee for organising a verysuccessful outing.
Next month, we will be introducing a new page toSNAP. It will be a “get to know the member” pageand next month we will kick it off with getting toknow the committee. I believe this will be a greatway for us to get to know one another a little better.
Enjoy your Easter weekend and travel safely if youare going anywhere!
https://www.pinterest.com/lmkia/photography-memes/
Chairman :
Chas Venter 074 266 0432 [email protected]
Vice Chairman :
Karen Fischer 084 707 9090 [email protected]
Secretary:
Lucia Phillips 082 770 1179 [email protected]
Treasurer :
Shirley Gillitt 083 661 2746 [email protected]
Entries Steward :
Conrad Kelsey 083 570 0217 [email protected]
Web Master :
Agustin Ritacco 083 651 9608 [email protected]
Outings/Workshops:
Mike Sand 083 709 7722 [email protected]
Ian Damerell 084 510 3890 [email protected]
Other email addresses:
[email protected] [email protected]
Snap Editors :
Kelly Elliott 083 388 5258 [email protected]
Chas Venter 074 266 0432 [email protected]
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