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President’s Report

Hi Everyone, As I write this, last night was the first competition night for the year. And what a night it turned out to be! Lots of entries and some really great images. Simon may talk of this in his report later but isn't it great to see so many new members in our club and last night didn't they make their presence felt. Congratulations to all who won awards last night, especially those receiving awards for the first time. If you're like me, you will remember your first award for a long time. Thanks must go to our judge Peita Ward for her efforts. There were a LOT of images to get though and I thought she did a fantastic job. I can't remember one image that she didn't comment on with information that was positive. Thanks again Peita. Last night you will also have noticed our new purchases on show. Over a few years the club has built its finances up with the view that purchasing our own equipment at some time would be required. This year, the introduction of the digital competition required that we have some high quality equipment. The advantage of having our own equipment is that it becomes a standard set of gear that everyone can have confidence in; no unexpected funny colours etc. So, we purchased a top quality 2.5 x 2.5 m screen, a high end laptop computer, a super high quality digital projector and also a high quality slide projector. Now we have the equipment to really do justice to the images our members create. The lectures so far this year have also lived up to expectations. Who amongst us didn't go "WOW !!! " at the Stereo Camera Club presentation. I know of several members who are now experimenting in this direction. Then the chat (wasn't a lecture, too low key and laid back for that title!) from Grenville Turner was also great. What a wealth of experience Grenville has and it appeared to be so easy for him to chat to us about his time as a photographer. Our next lecture on 6 March is from David Oliver (see article from Andrew Treloar later in this newsletter). We have invited three other clubs to join us on the night, Parramatta RSL Camera Club, Blacktown City Photographic Club and Dooleys Camera Club. I know you will make them welcome and share what will be a wonderful night's entertainment. I cannot close this message without remarking on the tremendous enthusiasm being shown by members towards the club. Members, new and long standing, are standing up to come forward and help. Now our club is the size it is, there is a need for many hands to help steer the ship. Without you all things would not run at all, let alone as smoothly as they (mostly) do. Anyhow, enough from me, Regards, Bob Cook President

March, 2007

Issue 16

HILLS CAMERA CLUB at CASTLE HILL RSL

Special Interest Articles:

David Oliver - interview Australia Day Article Landscape/Seascape

Taralga

Individual Highlights:

P/Report 1

Club News 2

Exhibitions 3

David Oliver 4-6

Australia Day 7

A.Day/Waverley 8

Landscapes 9-10

Taralga 11-12

Member Profile 13

Robert’s Ramblings 14

Comp. Report 15

Contact Us 16

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CLUB NEWSCLUB NEWSCLUB NEWSCLUB NEWS Meetings for the Month Meetings are now on the 1st, 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the Month. 6th March: Lecture – A talk on portraiture by David Oliver . Special featured article pages 4, 5 & 6 13th March: Workshop – Photoshop tips/ Hands on presentation on Portraiture. 27th March: Competition Set & Open – Landscape/Seascape.

See pages 9 & 10 - Landscape/Seascape photography b y Jonno Ferns

Studio D ays Keith’s Studio – Gladesville – booked out until April Bob & Christene Cook’s Studio – Greystanes – Booked out until April If you would like to attend one of these Studio Days, please see either Keith or Bob, or just register your name in the folder which is provided at the club. Library Borrowing Charles Mifsud has given the HCC a number of up to date Photographic Magazines which have been ear-clipped to show really good articles. Make sure you talk to him about the borrowing of these magazines at our meetings. Getting to Know Your Camera Days. - SUNDAYS 4th March 2007, 3rd June 2007, 9th September 2007, 25th November 2007 Bring along your cameras and more experienced photographers will advise you on how to use all of the settings on YOUR camera correctly. We'll have lunch at the RSL and then we will head out for some practical experience, by using the knowledge just gained and take photos in the afternoon in the local Castle Hill area. Highly recommended for all levels of experience of photographers. New Members HCC welcomes the following new members to the club and we look forward to seeing your images. Terri Weston, Angela Downing, Eric Downing, Jaspal Rekhraj, Pauline Pertel, Belinda Fabian, Kathryn Bowie, William Siauw, Ian Oo, Jessica Shin, Monica Mulder, Anthony Charlesworth, Jarryd Barton, Gerard Siddle, Erik Mellenbergh, Ross Parry, Ashok Rao, Cheryl Willenberg, Colin Goff, Louise Whitby, Catherine Hewitt, Richard Hewitt,Francoise Munoz, Igor Cah, Sue Lawson and Michelle Sultana.

An Antidote? By William Stewart www.photographynsw.org.au There is an article about the Hills Camera Club Inc on the front page.

For Sale Digital Zoom Camera, Brand New – Unused Kodak P850 digital camera Asking Price $600 (negotiable) (lots of accessories included) Contact: Malcolm Kleu - 0425 276 432 See our online forum for more details.

Sunday 1/4/2007 - Bella Vista Farm Park Picnic Day

Come and celebrate Heritage Festival at Bella Vista Farm Park Picnic Day. This day gives families, friends, and visitors the opportunity to relax and enjoy the lifestyle and activities in traditional 19th century style. The day will be filled with fun including music (bush band), tours of Bella Vista Homestead, and stalls. The theme of this year's Heritage Festival is “Places in Context: Cultural and Natural Landscapes”, we encourage you to bring this theme to life with a prize for the best dressed family, female, and male. So pack a picnic and come on down to Bella Vista Farm Park.

Time of Event: 10.00am - 3.00pm

Cost: Gold coin donation

Where: Bella Vista Farm Park, Elizabeth MacArthur Drive, Bella Vista

Bookings: Not Required

Event Organiser: Baulkham Hills Shire Council

Regards, George Simpson Assistant Communications Officer, Baulkham Hills Shire Council 129 Showground Road , CASTLE HILL NSW 2154, Phone (02) 9843 0158

For Sale Epson R800 Photo printer which is still in its unopened box for sale at $450. Contact -Steve Wiessner Ph: 9899 4895

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COMPETITIONS

CASTLE HILL SHOW The 121st Castle Hill Show is on 16, 17 and 18 March 2007. Castle Hill Showground, Doran Drive (off Carrrington Rd) Castle Hill. Delivery of entries closes 3/3/07 between 9am to 12noon. Section 17 includes Photography Group H is for Adults and Group J is for Juniors There are sections for: Black and White and Colour Sub Sections include: Landscape/Seascape Portrait Nature Open (Entry Fee $4.00 each print) There are ribbons for 1st 2nd and 3rd and Champion Ribbons and prize money. See below link for entry dates. http://www.castlehillshow.com.au/CHS/chs.pma/sec_paperFibre.pdf?OpenResource ---------------------------------------------------------------- FCC TOPSHOT 2007 hosted by Hawkesbury Camera Club in Richmond. Entries Close 23/3/2007 Judging: 31/3/2007 Exhibition date: 21/4/2007 More details available FCC website. www.photographynsw.org.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- Interclub Competition 28th June, 2007 between Blacktown City Photographic Club and Parramatta RSL Camera Club and HCC We are the host club. We won the title for Champion Club in 2006. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Information and entry form can be found at http://www.headon.com.au Deadline for submissions 16 March 2007

Sydney's first Non-Professional Photography Festival CLOSING DATE FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS IS - WEDNESDAY, 14TH OF MARCH 2007. www.shutterbug.org.au

OTHER

“Celebrate your birthday with us”

Taronga Zoo 90th Birthday 90 cents Offer

Terms and Conditions

The 90 cents Birthday Promotion allows patrons to enter Taronga Zoo on the day of their birthday for 90cents.

The offer is open to Australian and International residents and Closes on 30/06/2007.

EXHIBITIONS

Australia Day Celebrations Photographic Competition Exhibition - Sponsored by the Baulkham Hills Shire Council. Castle Hill Community Centre, Castle Grand building the same as the library (opposite Castle Hill Towers) Castle Hill between 23.2.2007 - 8.3.2007.

For more info: www.londonphototours.co.uk

Dubbo Zoo Keep the long weekend - 9th, 10th & 11th June, 07 Available for a Photographic Weekend (stay over) at Dubbo Zoo. Please sign your name on the sheet at the club or see Alia Naughton.

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An Interview with david OLIVER – text and photography by Andrew Treloar

In what promises to be a wonderful night, David Oliver will be our guest speaker at the Hills Camera Club on Tuesday 6 March at 7:45pm. David has received many awards during his career, being a multiple winner of both the John Whitfield King award for Excellence in Portrait Photography and the NSW Wedding Photographer of the Year, as well as taking out the Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year and five gold awards in competition.

David Oliver will entertain and inspire us with a presentation of his images on the night of March 6 2007 and provide his unique insight into the art of portrait and landscape photography. He will also have available some of his own photographic prints and books for sale, (credit card please). Be sure not to miss out on this special night.

I spoke recently with David at his gallery in Pennant Hills where he was kind enough to reflect on his life and career, his style of photography, his thoughts on judging and his upcoming guided photographic tour of Africa.

What are your earliest memories of photography?

“My first memories were probably as a kid picking up a book and always going to the pictures first before reading anything. I always loved imagery, always looked at pictures. I was born in London back in the early 50’s so that’s probably why I‘ve always liked B&W photographs - being brought up in that dark murky, foggy, misty part of the world.”

What was your first camera?

“It was an old Kowa 6x6 that I used many, many years ago in the early 70’s. Then I moved on to Mamiya 6x7 and Hasselblad 6x6 before I discovered Leica which is my preferred camera.”

Was there a family interest in photography or was i t something you developed on your own?

“Pretty much on my own. My brother in law was pretty keen …. and I used to play around with his cameras and lenses but this is going back to the early 70’s. My early influences were the black and white books – the Lewis Morley’s and David Bailey’s from London. Interesting thing is that I got to know Lewis quite well as he is now living out here in Australia. I have a copy of “Keeler” [one of Morley’s iconic 1960’s pictures of Christine Keeler sitting naked astride a backwards-facing chair] hanging in my hallway ….. that I printed with him.”

Did you ever belong to a camera club?

“I went straight to TAFE, so can’t remember ever joining a camera club. I studied printing techniques and my big break was when I met a commercial photographer by the name of Geoff Doughth and he operated out of a studio in North Sydney and in the evenings he would run classes. It was called the Australian School of Photography and I signed up for one of his courses - I think it was a 6-week course. He saw something in me, he saw pictures that I was taking that he quite liked, and he said why don’t you come in during the day and you can watch what I do and maybe even assist, give us a bit of a hand. That was probably my big break.”

You’ve got many awards during your career; do any o f them stand out as being more special than the oth ers?

“Yes, The four A’s - the John Whitfield King award - which is presented to a photographer who achieves well in wedding and portraiture. To win the award you have to win two categories within the institute – you have to be the number one wedding photographer; you’ve got to be the number one portrait photographer. It’s about people photography. John Whitfield King was a great portrait photographer from Perth who passed away mid-late 80’s. Because he was in Perth, not many people knew of him here on the eastern side but he would be up there with the Max Dupain’s and the David Moore’s of Australia – his work was sensational.”

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What other defining moments have shaped your career , or your development as a photographer?

“Meeting up with John Whitfield King before he died in the mid-eighties, he … introduced me to Leica cameras and I guess the rest is history, because once you have used one of those little, beautiful machines you see the world differently and you get the quality that no-one else gets – in B&W especially. [They’re] just amazing little cameras – but now we are living in the digital age where everyone is shooting digital which is rather sad.”

Regards your photographic style, you have some very strong messages in your photos and just looking up there [on the wall of your gallery] is a perfect example – a very simple scene of a black and white dog in an alley, but spontaneous and the message is really strong.

“That’s exactly what I look for - strong spontaneous images that will last the test of time. My style is more journalistic, spontaneous moments rather than staging. You could pull that picture out in 100 years time and it wouldn’t have changed much - that’s why I like black and white. It’s very easy on the eye and you’ve only got those three tonal ranges – the blacks, the midtones and the highlights.”

Is there any particular image that has had a lastin g effect on you, either one you have taken yourself or one that you’ve seen from another photographer?

“I guess Henri Cartier-Bresson’s pictures always struck me from a very early age and I found that I was following the careers of the London photographers like the David Bailey’s, Lewis Morley’s and the Brandt’s of this world. But the photographer I admired most while he was alive was Henri Cartier-Bresson. I’ve got one of his originals in my house and I’ll show that on the night [6 March]. I’ve also got three Elliott Erwitt’s. Elliott is my favourite living photographer – still pretty fit and still taking quite a few assignments.”

What do you admire in other photographers, what cha racteristics?

“Elliott Erwitt, I love his simplistic style, capturing those little quirky moments, his sense of humour – he would be my favourite. One of my favourite Australian photographers would be Graham McCarter. Graham is a good mate and we have lectured together around Australia so we do have things in common. Graham is about a decade older than me so he’s come from a little further back. I also love listening to Lewis Morley and hearing all the stories of London in the sixties - which is when he took that iconic shot of [Christine] Keeler.”

What advice would you give someone starting out in photography, like at a photo club?

“My advice is to be passionate and shoot from your heart rather than following styles. Shoot for the moment. Use a camera and a standard lens for a few years and see what you get rather than telephoto lenses with their zooms. A high speed 50mm lens is what I use for 90% of my work - that’s all you need. You’re seeing what your eye sees through a 50mm lens, so your not changing perspectives, changing backgrounds, you’re just catching what your eye sees. And they’re probably the cheapest lenses in the world – apart from my Leica Noctilux f/1.0!”

“I’m a member [of the NSW Art Gallery] and I’m often there having a look through. You get inspired by painting, films, all types of things, not necessarily photographs.” You’ll be judging the FCC Top shot this year. Do yo u enjoy judging photos and do you find it easy to j udge a competition?

“I enjoy judging at the professional photography awards as I’m on a panel of five …. and that gives you five different opinions when a picture comes up. I find it’s a lot fairer when there are more judges because that score becomes a lot more balanced. When you’re alone at a camera club ….. it’s only one person’s opinion and my opinion could be totally different from the next judge you get coming along. It’s always very difficult when there is only one judge concerned.”

Later on this year you are taking a guided photogra phic tour of Africa. How did you get interested in Africa?

“I’ve always wanted to go … then I got a commission in Rwanda for a book called “Hope Rwanda”. The people organizing the book wanted a photographer who could photograph people and it just so happens that they got a bonus as I can do landscapes and a bit of animal photography too.”

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On Safari in Africa with David Oliver For more info: (02) 6582 5082 or 0439434011 Email: enquiries@africanencounter.com

What highlights and special moments are in store fo r people on the tour?

“This year we will be doing the safari parks and that will be special. I’ve seen photographs that other photographers have done, the Serengeti …. Kilimanjaro. There’s interesting landscape and lots of animals. When we get to Rwanda it will be all about people and then the gorillas will be amazing. You’re literally there - “gorillas in the mist” - all on your own. The gorillas are quite inquisitive. I had a silver back come right up to me (all 280kg!). He just gave me a little shove when we were finished eyeing one another off!”

Now that’s a strong, spontaneous moment!

If club members would like to learn more about Davi d Oliver and his images, he has a tremendous Internet site at: http://www.davidoliver.com.au/Default.aspx . This includes information on the upcoming tour to Africa. David has 4 people booked already for the tour and has space for at least another four people on this photographic trip-of-a- lifetime

More of David’s work can be seen on at the official site of Hope Rwanda: http://www.hoperwanda.org/newsletter6/index.html

David’s working kit consists of three Leica rangefinder cameras, 50mm and 90mm fixed focal lenses and a Hasselblad X-Pan. More recently, his studio has acquired two DSLR cameras including a new Fuji S5.

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PRINT OF THE MONTH

Title: Innocence

Name: Dianne Hay

Judged by: Peita Ward

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Australia Day in Glenorie – Friday 26 th January, 2007 After attending the Flag Raising Ceremony at North Rocks, Darryl, Julie and Dianne headed north for the ceremonies at Glenorie. We weren’t too sure where we were going, actually we over shot the mark by some kilometres. On our return to find where the flag raising was to be we came across some beautiful flowering gums which we spent some time photographing. After finding the flag pole, with not a sole in sight we decided to go into the small local hall where we found Ray, the President of the Progress Association of Glenorie who was setting up a formal luncheon for past and present Progress Association Members. Local Members of Parliament were in attendance plus the Mayor of Hornsby as Glenorie is a split shire between Baulk ham Hill and Hornsby. There was a wonderful display of photos in the hall going back as far as the early 1900’s which we found most interesting. We were very welcomed by several residents and learnt a lot of history of the area. About 50 people arrived for the flag raising and then to enjoy the luncheon.

Ray invited us to stay for lunch which we did and thoroughly enjoyed, good old country cooking. Some of us even had seconds. We were also asked to photograph the members over lunch and the official proceedings afterwards. We all managed some great shots of Australia Day at Glenorie and sent Ray a CD of the photos we took. It was a day of festivity, fun and friendship and we were proud to be part of it. By Dianne Maytom, Darryl Lane and Julie Smith

Images supplied by Darryl, Dianne & Julie

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Australia Day Celebrations 2007 – Photographic Exhibition

Hat in Hand by Jennifer Scarf

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L to R - Robert Brear, William Siauw and Arry Sumar wata Image by Tony Spence

Sunrise at Waverley Cemetery – Outing Update Our first outing of the year was a great success. Thanks to our enthusiastic club members who braved the weather conditions and were rewarded with a dramatic sunrise. Our numbers reached into the 30’s, a wonderful support for this outing. Some members also remained for a yummy BBQ breakfast. Thanks you, from the Social Committee

Our presentation night on the 23rd February was a fantastic turnout of our members. There were 75 images on display in the foyer. The winning entry was taken by William Siauw, second place was Robert Brear and third place was Arry Sumarwata. Congratulations to these members. Each member was also presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Council. The images will be on display until 8th March, in the foyer of the Castle Hill Community Centre at Castle Grand, and entry is free. All members and public welcome.

Photos by Elizabeth Goff

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LANDSCAPES/SEASCAPES I find the most important thing to take with you when doing landscape photography (or any photography) is your camera; it is very rare that I will leave the house without my camera. Nature has put on some of the best shows I have ever seen, when I didn't have my camera with me. It's also handy to carry a note pad & pen with you when you are out & about so if you think of a good idea for a photo shoot you can just jot it down. If you are like me when you finally find the time to go out and take some shots you get a mental block & can't remember that really good place you found about a month ago. It also good for writing down camera settings when doing experimental shots eg: time of day or night, shutter speed, aperture, film (if you use it) & length of exposure, so if something doesn't work out you limit the chance of making the same mistake twice. Another good thing to carry in your kit is a compass especially when taking sunrise & sunset shots. Every now & again drag your self out of bed at sunrise & take note what direction the sun is at, it will only take a few seconds then you can go back to bed. One day you might be out by the coast in the middle of the day and you find a nice spot that you think might make a good sunrise shot, you can pull out your compass & find out where the sun will rise, then you can take your time to have a wander around & find just the right spot. This can save you time scrambling over the rocks at 4:00am in the dark not knowing what you’re looking at or where the sun is coming from. I like to carry a small torch with me it's good for setting up your gear in the dark & can save you from walking off the edge of a cliff. A watch is a good investment for timing long exposures. Most cameras will only go to 30 seconds before having to switch to the bulb setting so an exposure over this will have to be timed. Always carry spare batteries. There is nothing worse than getting up at 3:00am driving for an hour then walking to your spot, (that you spent all day the day before finding) setting up your gear, only to find out that after one or to shots your batteries go flat, then nature puts on this wonderful display of colour & light as if to tease you. Trust me, I have done this, it's not a good feeling, but you will only do it once. Always use a tripod, or if you don't have one at least rest your camera on something sturdy eg: a wall or rock, to avoid any camera shake. Even pushing the shutter can cause shake so if you have a remote shutter release use it as well, if not, you can set your camera on auto timer this will give you about 10 seconds before the shutter will go off. Most of the time not always, the best time of day for landscape photos is early morning or late afternoon, so be prepared to get up early or stay out late. If I am trying to get a sunrise, I like to be set up & ready to go at least an hour before the sun & I will stay at least an hour or more after or until I am confident that nothing else is going to happen. The same goes for sunset get there early and stay until dark. Always look around, even when taking photos in front of you every now & again take your eye out of the view finder & have a look behind you, sometimes the shot your taking might not be the best one. Don't be afraid to use film, (if anyone still uses the stuff) if you are unsure about the exposure reading you have got then bracket your shots. Take one photo at the metered exposure then one maybe one stop under & one stop over, this way if you were a bit out you should still get a good photo. I would rather waste a bit of film than hours of my time & miss that once in a lifetime shot. When composing your shot be very careful what's going to be in the picture eg: any rubbish, your own shadow it's amazing what shows up in the final photo that you didn't see through the view finder. Be careful where you walk, you may walk right past the spot that you finally set up at, only to find that you have left great big footprints in the sand, destroying what was otherwise a great photo. Take a look from different angles; it's amazing what a difference it can make especially with a wide angle lens from standing up straight to crouching on the ground or even moving from side to side by only a few meters. As far as taking photos, I almost always have the camera set on the manual setting this allows me to make my own decision on exposure rather than what Mr Canon tells me. I usually set the aperture as small as possible eg: f22 this gives me the greatest depth of field, so I can have from my feet to the horizon in focus. Cont……

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I find simple subjects end up turning out the best, if you have to much information in the photo it can look to busy. Try to have a point of interest in your photos, something that stands out that will stop your eyes from wandering aimlessly around the photo. When you start out the first thing you learn is the rule of thirds, I don't consciously worry about this, to me if it looks good through the view finder I will take the shot. Most of my shots I use a wide angle lens (19-35mm mainly set on 19) so I can get as much of the landscape in as possible, the down side is, some times you end up with to much information in the shot but that comes back to getting your composition right. From Jonno Ferns

A landscape is a photograph of natural scenery. It may include evidence of man, people, animals, even part of the sea provided that none of these elements dominate the photograph.

A seascape is a photograph of natural coastal scenery, a wave study, or a picture of the open sea, provided always that the sea is the centre of interest of the photograph. People, boats and man made structures may be present as incidental to the photograph.

Images by Jonno Ferns

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Bob Cook taken by Tony Spence

Taralga A number of our fellow HCC members shared a country experience with each other in the delightful historical town of Taralga, about 30 minutes drive from Goulburn. It has imposing stone buildings, federation homes and slab cottages in the village. A large proportion of its existing buildings date from 1860s – 90s. Bob and Christene Cook secured the best and nearly the only B & B in the town, about 50 metres from one of the two pubs in the town. They were dismayed with the fact that they hardly had any sleep, due to the yahooing of the drunks passing by there room on the way home from the pub late at night. But the kind people that they are, still rose early to secure a special place under the trees by putting tarps and blankets on the ground at the showground at 7.00am each morning. No wonder Chris didn’t take too many photos, she was tired from hardly any sleep. Bob as enthusiastic as always fought the sleep deprivation and rallied with all the hundreds of photographers to get the best vantage points for good shots.

Keith and Carol Gillard, Charlie Mifsud and Margaret Fagg enjoyed the rented accommodation of a newly renovated cottage about 7 minutes from the showground. They took turns at rushing to the showground each morning with the Cooks to secure our place. If you don’t sit under the trees, you are open to the harsh sun and blustery clouds of dirt elsewhere. On the Saturday afternoon, the whole gang was invited to their cottage for drinks and more drinks and nibbles until they decided that a walk to the nearest pub for tea would be the best option. We laughed, rambled, discussed and enjoyed the fun of being together on a relaxing country weekend. Some of us who were staying in Goulburn, Rodger and Marj Buckley, Ree and Chris Ericksen, Tony and I were still sober to drive and avoid the increasing numbers of kangaroos around dusk on our journey on the Saturday night. We continued our little party back in our room, where we reminisced over how we all met each other and what adventures we had undertaken since joining the HCC. Robert and Maria Brear the brave ones slept in a tent on the Saturday night at the showground where a live band was playing about 100 metres from their sleeping quarters. They were frozen the next morning and looking tired from a lack of sleep. Their never say die attitude, relentlessly forced them into taking photographs all day without sitting down for a rest. How did they do it? Simon Finch joined us all on the Sunday at the rodeo accompanied by his 5 litre tank of water for the journey. Upon his arrival we gladly welcomed him to the heat, dust clouds, friendly faces and action. We found all the action of the outback with a thrilling weekend of Australian stockmen and women showing their skills with rodeo, camp drafting, yard dog trials, sheep counting contest and much more. The town must surely have the most charming welcome sign which announces 'Taralga - Smile you are in a Happy Town' and, typical of many country towns, the welcome is accurate. A wonderful weekend was enjoyed by all of us. By Mary Spence

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All images on this page supplied by Rodger Buckley

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How and why did you start in photography?

I left home on the far north coast of NSW at the age eighteen and started work in Bega . I made friends with a fellow that developed his own photos in a made up dark room in our private hotel. My interest in photography started from there.

Do you remember your first camera?

It was a small Ricoh which I updated with a Ricoh SLR XR1S Do you use film/digital or both?

Digital only. What type of photography do you find the hardest to take?

Most types of photography but I find portraits a bit of a challenge.

What photos do you like to take the best?

Probably landscapes but I am a mad collector of all things old and in future I would really like to take photos involving these items as props. These would probably amount to what I have heard described by some judges as ‘Hallmark photos’. But if they make me happy, I guess that it what it’s all about.

Whose photos in the Camera Club do you admire the most?

Too long a list to name them all, but I am constantly amazed by the class of photos that are displayed at the meetings.

What are your thoughts on today’s Judges?

I find them all good; all have different views, and all offer constructive comments. However I was a bit perplexed by one judge who looked at my photo (entered in the rear end of something category) who couldn’t identify my photo of the south end of a north bound elephant. What did he want, a sign on it?

Member Profile –

Darryl Lane

What advice would you give to a new beginner in photography?

Take up something easier, like the violin, or learning Japanese.

Do you follow any sport or team or have a hobby?

No sport, no team. Not even time for golf. I have many hobbies including gardening, sandstone sculpture, woodwork, furniture making, wood carving, cooking and house restoration among others. What has been your favourite holiday and travels?

I have only ventured overseas once in my life and that was this month to New Zealand. I have in the past limited my travels within Australia, but now that my wife and I have our passports - stand aside. Name one thing we don’t know about you?

I once appeared on an episode of Australia’s Most Wanted.

Where do you see the Camera Club heading?

The camera club is so professionally run that I can only see it going from strength to strength.

Image taken by Dianne Maytom

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Projection - Something to think about I've seen it written that an image printed on paper looks different than the same image viewed on a monitor, something easily confirmed by viewing your own images on your monitor and comparing to the printed result. I'm not talking about colour calibration of monitors or properly profiled papers, I'll assume that you have both of those aspects sorted. It is just a simple fact that an image viewed on a monitor is different to the paper version because a monitor has light transmitted from it and paper requires reflected light. Many of you that have entered the digital competition will now be taking this comparison one step further and you will have noted that your image as viewed on a monitor looks different than when projected 2.5m high on a screen. On the one hand we have a huge image that when viewed up close will show every flaw the photographer left in the image and is a reflected image, but one with different properties than a piece of photographic paper. The monitor as we know is a transmitted light source. The viewing environment is also different, the room is darkened for a projected image and that image is the only thing in the room to look at (unless your mobile phone went off). The added peculiarity is that your image comes after the image before (not so peculiar in itself) which may have a strong colour balance different to your own that for a brief moment throws your own colour perceptions out. My point is that all mediums and their viewing environments have unique qualities that must be taken into consideration. And then there is the recent change to slide judging and the newly introduced Electronic Digital Imaging competition. Slides were previously judged on the night after a (if you were lucky) 5 second glance of an image. Prints did not get much longer as they stood on the stands around the room. This 'show and judge' method favours the photo with impact, it hid many technical faults from the judge due to lack of time although the experienced judges could always spot them and large technical problems did not go astray from any judge. There is still that chance that a print or slide could slide (no pun intended) through if it was over sharpened, a bit soft, off colours or any number of other technical hitches due to having such a short viewing time. The judging of slides and digital projection is now done in a more leisurely manner. The judge receives the photos up to 2 weeks before competition night and technically has 2 weeks to peruse your work. So what changes? The time factor changes, a judge may now go over the images as many times as he or she likes. The judge may spend 5-10 minutes on your image looking at the story that makes the image work, every compositional slight of hand and every tonal transition. The judge may then blow it up to 100% on his monitor or view a slide projected and find every misplaced graduation filter, every digital brush stroke, every sharpened or over sharpened detail and pick every dust spot. On the positive note the judge will be better armed to suggest what they think would improve the image, understand the image and make relaxed judgments and critiques. There is also no stopping a judge asking a fellow photographer for their opinion as well with the possibility of the photo receiving a more balanced appraisal. As a photographer you must now be more aware of every part of your photo due to the new style of judging slides and digital slides (if we can call them that). The utmost care must be taken with every pixel, tone, theme, story and idea. The judge now has plenty of time to assess everything that makes a photo. That is not to say that a print can be sloppy, far from it and I am not suggesting yours are, but with a 5 second glance, how much can a judge notice? Yes Mozart could listen to a piece of music and play it back without error, but how many of us are a photographic Mozart? I bet you discover new details in your own photos every time you look at them and so we should expect that a judge would also miss many details. Every image you make should be the very best it can be otherwise it should not be shown. If you think it needs this or that then this or that should be done before showing it. Now you may disagree with all of this. I may have too much time on my hands during my usual business jaunt away from home. If you have a comment please discuss/disagree on the forum. By Robert Hoehne

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COMPETITION CO-ORDINTOR’S REPORT The first competition of the year drew a huge response in the number of images entered, as most of you would have noticed, it was a record for the club. February was the first time digital images were included with 73 digital entries. These were projected on the new club equipment (laptop, projector, and screen). We hope the digital image section will provide people with a cheap and reasonably easy way to enter competitions in the future. If you’re not sure how to get your images ready, there is more information on the web site FAQ section. Congratulations to everyone who won awards especially those winning awards for the first time. It is great to see so many new faces, and the great images. We appreciate that the night ran over time, we are looking at ways to keep the evening to a reasonable length. Please bear with us as we deal with the current rapid growth in the club. Thanks to everyone who continues to help keep the competitions running smoothly as possible, especially to Rodger Buckley for the tremendous amount of work he puts in behind the scenes with the slides and digital images. The next competition includes the set subject of: Landscape & Seascape – A landscape is a photograph of natural scenery. It may include evidence of man,

people, animals, even part of the sea provided that none of these elements dominate the photograph.

A seascape is a photograph of natural coastal scenery, a wave study, or a picture of the open sea, provided always that the sea is the centre of interest of the photograph. People, boats and man made structures may be present as incidental to the photograph.

We look forward to seeing another bunch of great images. Don’t forget the FCC Top Shot competition which is coming up. This year there is a new novice section for anyone who has not entered previously, which includes prizes. There are a number of categories including open, nature, and creative/experimental. Closing date is 23 March, so check the FCC web site for all the details http://www.photographynsw.org.au/events.html We look forward to seeing those landscapes and seascapes next month. Simon For the competition committee.

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CONTACT USCONTACT USCONTACT USCONTACT US

President Bob Cook

president@hillscameraclub.org.au

Vice President Phil Brown

vpresident@hillscameraclub.org.au

Treasurer Malcolm Hobson

treasurer@hillscameraclub.org.au

Secretary Mary Spence

secretary@hillscameraclub.org.au

Program & Meetings Coordinator Ron Quester

progcoordinator@hillscameraclub.org.au

Competition Coordinator Simon Finch

compcoordinator@hillscameraclub.org.au

Social Coordinator Alia Naughton

social@hillscameraclub.org.au

Web Master Robert Hoehne

webmaster@hillscameraclub.org.au

Newsletter Editor Irena Hayes

editor@hillscameraclub.org.au

HILLS CAMERA CLUB ATRIUM CASTLE HILL RSL, LEVEL 6 77 CASTLE STREET CASTLE HILL P.O. BOX 25, CASTLE HILL, NSW 1765 WEB: www.hillscameraclub.org.au E-MAIL: admin@hillscameraclub.org.au

Battery Specials Most of our cameras need them and if you shoot digital you may need a spare in your pack for the days shooting. As a special deal for Hills Camera Club members I am able to get batteries for practically any camera at extremely good prices. DSLR batteries, laptop batteries, standard cells, UPS, camcorder, you name it. Please contact me at robert@flytestrom.com.au for a quote.

Newsletter Contributors - Are most welcome.

The deadline for the April edition is last week in March. If you have any

articles that may be of interest to our members, please feel free to email

me.

Articles are preferred in Microsoft word or plain text format. Send your

contributions to the editor via email or printed copy. Images as JPG.

Hey Members!!!! "Did you know that, if you show your RSL Membership card, at ‘The Good Guys’ you get a discount there?" Corner of Showground Rd & Victoria Avenue, Castle Hill Ph: 9659 2811

Dear HCC Members 19th February 2007 Cotswold Picture Framing, Unit 15, 8 Gladstone Road Castle Hill Ph: 9894 5036 Have given us a special HALF PRICE deal on 15"x 12" (outer size") black mat boards. They are only the cardboard, no backing. MEMBERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GREAT DEAL ....... $5.00 each only Get in before the rush. Take this ad with you to Cotswold Picture Framing a s proof of the offer. Regards Mary Spence Secretary Hills Camera Club Inc. Email: secretary@hillscameraclub.org.au