Lacock Positive: May 2018

ON A JOURNEY

Three members presented a mixture of documentary DPIs and AVs at our last meeting.

Dorothy took us on a visit to the Carnevale, with many vibrant images taken over a number of years while visiting or living in Italy. She cleverly integrated a voiceover too, using iMovie, to give us an understanding of the history of Carnevale and of some of the floats making satirical political statements.

Amanda, in contrast, took us to the British Virgin Islands with images of how the islands looked pre- and post- the 2017 storms. From a Caribbean ideal to a devastated landscape, with images of destroyed communities, houses, cars and boats, it gave us an understanding of the enormous challenge now facing BVI if it is to successfully rebuild.

Alan meanwhile stayed closer to home with his study of North Wiltshire Wildlife, with many of the images shown being taken during his frequent visits to his allotment and the river around Lacock. Birds, butterflies, damselflies, dragonflies and small mammals were all featured.

Next meeting: watch out as we pretend to be tourists with our mobile phones around Lacock!

FANTASTIC EXHIBITION WEEKEND!

The weather couldn't have been lovelier for the Spring Bank Holiday and it certainly helped with visitor numbers to Lacock Positive's Annual Print Exhibition.

We encourage visitors to choose their favourite three images, a task that many found very difficult as there were many comments about the excellence of all the images on show, which was very encouraging!

The following were voted the top ten favourites by visitors:

1st: Phil Selby: Forever Autumn

2nd: Phil Selby: Shadows & Light

3rd: Phil Selby: Family Tree

4th: Danny Wootton: In Full Flow

5th: Phil Selby: Collision Course

6th: Danny Wootton: Time for a Nap

7th: Danny Wootton: Sunrise

8th: Bob Bray: Landscape in a Bubble

9th: Sue Power: Remembering Icarus

10th: Ros Vickers: The Dark Hedges

Racing ahead!

We enjoyed a very busy night full of contributions from members.

Chris Hamblett showed both slides and an AV illustrating the thrills and spills of motor-racing, the photographic techniques he employs and the challenges involved in getting the shots. We all know motor racing is dangerous but seems there are quite a few risks in taking photos of it too - long lens seem to be a good answer!

Philip Male showed images from a sequence he entitled 'The Other Side of Me'. Philip is well-known for his splendid images of wildlife but last night he showed mostly black and white street photography, describing the challenges he has faced taking those too! There are quite a few rules that we all need to be aware of when taking this type of photography, including awareness of private and public spaces and security concerns both public and personal - luckily Philip didn't get mown down by a bus in Birmingham!

This month's members challenge was Tree(s) and it was good to see our newer members submitting images for review (e.g. see Danny's below)

Our latest shoot venue was Slimbridge which was enjoyed in unexpectedly good weather! It proved a good practice space for wildlife shots, though Derek got into taking dormouse shots rather than the birdlife! Another new member, Carolyn, submitted shots too, see below.

Our Annual Exhibition takes place in Lacock Village Hall over the Spring Bank Holiday from 10am - 5pm on both Sunday 6 and Monday 7 May. Many of the images will be available for purchase. Hope to see you there!