This was the title presented to us by our guest speaker.
Hi Dave Hall.
For once the guy was welcome, normally he’s here to trash, sorry, judge our work.
He began the evening with a few anecdotes about how he got to this position, from having his Dad show him a darkroom in action and the joy of seeing a picture form in front of his eyes (been there and it is a wow moment, perhaps we should drag this digital generation in to the dark and show them) tales of his uncle building him a camera. So, just the one shutter speed then, no adjustable ISO ... only way to control light is via the f.stop. A steep learning curve. This gave him an advantage during Military Service when the powers that be, wanted someone who knew their way around a camera. Though hearing tales of hanging out the side of a banking helicopter, realising when you get back on the hard stuff that you hadn’t tethered yourself in proper ... oh the joys and indestructability of youth eh? Tales of living in Kent before seeing the light and moving to Essex!
Now I don't know about you’se lot, but I take loads of photos throughout the year, though the club only gets to see thirty or so of them.
Dave’s evening took us through the shots that don't get touted in the competitions. He showed us his love of taking landscapes, how even he’s not averse to shelling out a few quid to have someone show him how to improve his craft. We got to see his bird photography, and his travel shots. It was disjointed but in a fun way. One moment you’re looking down on a Gannet, then you’re in Venice, up into the arctic. Over to Arran for a sunset, then a chaffinch followed closely by a spider on a snowdrop. Each shot with a little tale attached, taking us alongside him as he took the shot. Telling us why, when & how he took the shot. Three little frogs in his pond with a brolly to soften the sunlight, a fill in board to get light back into the picture, the camera on a tripod. The only thing he didn’t explain was, how he kept the three little frogs there in the first place while he set that all up. The little shi... erm ... darlings in my pond, bolt for cover as soon as I step into the garden, let alone set up all that gear.
A strangely fun evening showing us you don’t have to take perfect photos every time, some of his run ins with the judges of the RPS as to whether his work was good enough for accreditation. How some of his best work was done on a 7MP camera.
Dave showed us the joy of photography
& I have to say, I found it infectious.
Cheers man!