What’s on at the Club tomorrow
Tomorrow is a Members Evening. Please bring in some of your pictures on a memory stick and explain why you took the picture and why you like it. If you are going to take part please let Steve know in advance.
It is also hand in for Round 3 of the Mono Print Competition.
Next week (22 February) is Round 3 of the Mono Print Competition to be judged by Gerald Kitiyakara
Camera Club Wildlife Outing – Sunday 18 February
Greg Gillies and Czech Conroy are leading a trip to the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes (New Tank Hill Road, Purfleet, Essex RM19 1SZ) and they will be on hand for advice. The plan is to meet at 10:45am. We will try to arrange car sharing for those not wishing to travel independently.
Part of the Thames Estuary, Rainham Marshes reserve in Essex is a haven for all kinds of wildlife, and particularly birds. The reserve protects 411 hectares of ancient, low-lying grazing marsh in the Thames Estuary. Its complex of wet grassland and ditches, together with grassland and scrub, supports many breeding and wintering birds. Wildlife also includes scarce wetland plants and insects, and a key population of the nationally declining water vole. In winter, you can see large flocks of wildfowl. Keep an eye out for marsh harriers, golden plovers, water and rock pipits, little egrets, snipe, chiffchaffs, curlews, lapwings, dunlins, redshanks, shelducks, peregrines, kingfishers, short-eared owls, stoats and weasels. In addition, RSPB has just completed a woodland photography hide on the reserve, with the installation of a reflection pool. The pool should enable close up shots of woodland birds drinking or bathing, and with an interesting reflection with the woodland in the background.
Entrance is free to RSPB members and the fee is £5 for non-members.
Bring a DSLR camera with a large zoom lens (e.g. 100-400mm) if possible. Binoculars will also be useful. Check the weather forecast beforehand and dress accordingly – wrap up warm. The network of footpaths is well-surfaced, but it would probably be advisable to wear walking boots – wellingtons are not required. The reserve has a good cafe, but you may want to bring some refreshments with you.
Camera Club Coach Outing – Saturday 28 April
We are also planning a coach outing to Brighton on Saturday 28 April. We will leave Bromley at 8.30am and return around 6.30pm. On the way you can visit Gatwick Aviation Museum or Nymans Garden with a stop of 90 minutes at either place (the coach will do a circular drop-off/pick-up). We will arrive at Brighton sea front around 12.30pm and depart at 5.00pm. Cost of transport is £30 per person. Entry to Aviation Museum is £7.50. Nymans is a National Trust property.
In order to confirm the coach booking Steve will need sign-ups and deposits of £10 by Thursday 15 February. There are still some seats available. You can email Steve to sign up or speak to him at the meetings.
Congratulations
To those scoring a 20 in Round 3 of the Colour Print Competition
Improvers: “Northern Beaches” by Chris Murray
Advanced “The Dancers of Degas” by Paul Lehane and “East End Balcony” by Val Bluck
What’s on this weekend and soon
Beckenham Photographic Society Annual Exhibition at Beckenham Public Hall, Bromley Road, Beckenham, BR3 5JE. The exhibition is open to the public on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 February from 10:00am till 8:00pm and also on Saturday 17 February from 10:00am till 5:00pm. Around 100 judged prints and 60 judged digital images will be on show, together with some displays of their other activities.
In addition, all are welcome at their Opening Night on Wednesday 14 February (7:45pm for 8:00pm) when their judge, Roger Reynolds FRPS APAGB FBPE, will present the awards. Soft drinks and snacks will be available.
Chinese New Year – Sunday 18 February
Watch colourful floats and more than 30 teams take part in the vibrant Chinese New Year parade, which kicks off at 10:00am with a dragon and lion dance in Charing Cross Road, before snaking its way through Chinatown. Walk down to Trafalgar Square from 12 noon for the main stage performances, featuring traditional Chinese dance and music shows, contemporary hip-hop acts and an exciting line-up of artists from China. Take the kids to the Leicester Square family zone for cultural activities and family-friendly performances, including calligraphy, Chinese music, dressing up in traditional outfits and more. See thrilling martial art performances, including tai chi chuan and traditional flag display, in the Shaftesbury Avenue martial arts and culture zone. Spot up-and-coming British-Chinese artists on the New Talent stage, hosted by Spectrum Chinese radio, in the Charing Cross Road community zone.
Enjoy more cultural activities with lion dances and craft stalls in Chinatown and don’t miss the pyrotechnic display, which lights up Trafalgar Square to mark the end of the festivities.
David Granick: The East End in Colour, 1960-1980 – on now and open every day except Sundays until 5 May.
See brilliant Kodachrome images of the East End back in the day at this exhibition of long-lost photos by Stepney-born-and-bred photographer David Granick. The scenes will be hanging up at the Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives (277 Bancroft Road, E1 4DQ) and span 20 years from the 1960s, including sights such as now-demolished Stifford Estate and the wonderful George Tavern in Whitechapel. Free.
International Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition – on now and until Sunday 11 March
The exhibition showcases winners and runners-up from this prestigious competition, including the bespoke Captured at Kew category. Now in its 11th year, the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) Competition will hold its exhibition in the Nash Conservatory at Kew. This annual competition brings together the best garden, plant and botanical photography from across the world. The ‘Captured at Kew’ category centres on images taken at Kew or Wakehurst.