So, just a brief note to tell everyone the news.
We still can’t have our hall back yet.
There is a rumour that next week we’ll have a discussion after the zoom meet, but don’t hold me to that.
Talking of zoom meets, where are you all. Every Wednesday, 8:00 in the pm, teabreak anytime you like. (Remember to switch off the mike when you go to the loo though)
Take this week, for instance.
We were entertained by a Cambridge wildlife tog.
Kevin Pigney was his name.
The man showed some stunning images. He started the show off with photos of hares, his passion. But not just any old shots, we learned that he would lay in wait for them. Some of them got as close as 20mts and then he shot them on a 500 mil lens. We were that close you could tell which way they dressed! And then there was the technical stuff, settings he used, kit, from the stuff he laid on (some of those shots were in the snow) to the fact his tripod had no centre column so he could get down low and had a gimbal mount for extra mobility. Next, he took us birding and the trials and tribulations that involved. Like tricking owls into believing that he had left the buildings, getting into the hides early to get the best seat for his shots (some 2 1\2 hours before his target even appeared) barn owls, little owls, grebes, short eared owls, seals (yeah, they wern’t flying) Again good tips on exposure settings, backgrounds and equipment. For instance, who else would even consider putting extension tubes on a 500 mm lens, but when you saw his shot of a dragonfly. The only thing wrong was that I was viewing it on a silly little laptop screen.
The third part of the evening was his wildlife trips around the UK, with white hares up on the Cairngorm, puffins on Skomer, deers in the Royal parks, Benton Cliffs plus others. The dedication required and anecdotal comments (like there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing) were great too. If you didn’t come away with new knowledge of where, why and how to shoot fauna, then this type isn’t for you.
Kev’s final segment was insect shooting with macro. Well you could still go out into your garden in this lockdown, so this was/is the best time to hone this skill. Again, stunning shots followed with frozen bees in flight, butterfly’s, and other creepy crawlies, with or without artificial light. When it came to flash, there was some serious kit there but most of the hardware was within our range (Yougnuo do a good range at half the prices Canon want)
Overall a brilliant evening. Congrats to Kevin, very entertaining, and some seriously good shots there.
I feel a little sorry for Rob who has to follow that next week with his ’Within ten miles of my house!’
did I mention there was a zoom meet next week. You can download the app on your laptop, desktop or tablet (one account per email address) then follow Val’s direction.
Come and see me in the pantry, Chris and Cathy, Rob, Val, Steve, Colin, David and Betty, Dave, Keith, Katherine and Bex, Alan And Veronica. It don’t cost you, we’ll apart from time and the best bit, you can check out any time you want.
So, see you all next Wednesday, yeh!
Byyyyeeeeeeee