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What's On 2018 Archive

January

10 January - AGM and Review of the Year

Presented by: The Committee

A brief AGM and the presentation of a cheque to our chosen charity the Rosemary Appeal, raising money for a new centre at West Berkshire Community Hospital, providing essential facilities to the local community, including day therapy, chemotherapy, renal dialysis, IV therapies and a CT Scanner.

This will be followed by an entertaining musical slideshow review of our photography throughout 2017.

Project vote: Night Time

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


31 January - Star Trails Photography

Presented by: Mary McIntyre - www.marymcintyreastronomy.co.uk

Mary's childhood facination with astronomy has more recently lead her to complete an Open University course in Astronomy and Planetary Science. Also a keen astrophotographer, she has had her images published in a number of astronomy magazines, local newspapers and on various tv shows and is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio Oxford during major astronomy events. She has a very interesting story to tell and amazing images to see, even if you are not ‘into’ astronomy.

Mary will explain how star trails photography can be done with the basic equipment most members are likely to have already (or can borrow). Including all the camera settings you need and how to use the star trails stacking software to produce the final result. After the break she will also show us how to create a gorgeous star trails time-lapse video. The software she recommends is free of charge so you can do this without spending loads of money!

Project vote: Elation

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


February

14 February - Working in low light

Presented by: Dave Hammant - www.dhphotoservices.com

What do we mean by low light and how can we set our cameras to deal with it?

Dave will discuss the problems with low light, such as focussing and exposure and show ways to overcome them. However, low light photography is not all about overcoming the lack of light. Dave will show it's about using the ambient and artificial light you have, manipulating them and the exposure settings of your camera to produce many different effects that can transform the images you capture.

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


28 February - Beautiful Bugs – discovering a hidden world

Presented by: Ann Healey - www.annhealeyphotography.com

Ann is a multi-award-winning photographer including ARPS, EFIAP, DPAGB and BPE2*. Her images have featured in a number of international and national photographic exhibitions, as well as winning a number of international awards.

Ann’s website showcases the diversity of her work while her passion for photography, particularly the challenging world of insects, is widely recognised.

From garden nature to far-off destinations and from landscapes to cityscapes, Ann’s photographs reflect her interest in shapes, colours, vibrancy and textures. She is heavily influenced by beautiful imagery and specialises in capturing form, delicacy and detail.

Project vote: Self Portrait

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


March

14 March - Light Painting and Star Trails

Presented by: The Committee

Make sure you bring your camera and lenses and tripod if you have one and wrap up warmly.

There will be the opportunity to try out both genres depending on whether or not the skies are clear. Light painting can go ahead even if it is cloudy.

Venue: To be confirmed @ 7.30p.m.


28 March - Forgotten Places through an invisible eye

Presented by: Darren Nisbett - www.darrennisbett.photography

The photography of Darren Nisbett portrays haunting portraits of isolation, desolation, and the abandoned. Through a distinguished, cinematographic use of framing and lighting, Nisbett endows his elegant photographs with a sense of both forsaking and nostalgia.

One of his first real projects was based around 2 trips that he made to Chernobyl, scene of the devastating nuclear disaster in 1986. His talk will be about that project and the infrared techniques used, as well as some of the more recent projects that he is working on.

Project vote: Rust

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


April

11 April - Masai Mara

Presented by: Nigel Glover-Wright - www.duma-images.co.uk

Nigel is a member of Whitchurch Hill Photo Club and also is a keen natural history photographer. He takes all his photographs with Canon cameras and lenses.

He has been giving presentations to many local groups – not only local photographic groups - and whilst much of his photographs have mainly been taken in Africa he has recently been to Japan where there is a plethora of wildlife, including plants, insects and animals, that one doesn’t expect.

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


25 April - Tips & Techniques

Presented by: Paul, Sue, Stuart, Ray, Dave

This evening we will have five 20 minute talks by our own members on the following subjects:

  • Paul - challenges in the Community for the remainder of 2018.
  • Sue - problems of taking photographs in snow and ice (in preparation for next winter!).
  • Stuart - using commander flash.
  • Ray - 3D photography - using a standard camera and Adobe Elements to create stereographic images.
  • Dave - planning and setting up a shoot - from selecting a location to the choice of time and the kit to select.

Project vote: Rows of things

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


May

9 May - Practical evening: Food and drink

Presented by: The Committee

Don’t forget to bring your camera and lenses. This is a chance to try your skills with a camera (not with eating!) at various tables on which you will find a variety of food and/or drink to photograph (not consume!!). More experienced members will be available to offer advice/suggestions. See if you can create photos that could enhance a cookery book or an advertisement!

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


30 May - Macro Photography

Presented by: Bob Brind-Surch - www.naturesphotos.co.uk

Bob is a good friend of the Club and has visited twice before. He is an excellent speaker who explains processes very clearly and, at the end, he gives us all access to a section on his website that contains all the information – very helpful for future reference.

He will bring along examples of macro lenses and filters so that you know what you will need if you haven’t got them already.

Project vote: Colour to the fore

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


June

13 June - Practical session: Bugs and other macro items

Presented by: The Committee

An evening when you will be able to practice the techniques you have learnt about in earlier meetings, especially photographing bugs and other macro items. Don’t forget to bring your cameras. Some people might need the help of kneelers or a partner to help them up.!! You might also find other items of interest to photograph as the evening progresses.

Exact details where we will meet at Greenham Common and the parking arrangements will be sent to members a few days prior to the evening.

Venue: Greenham Common @ 7.00p.m.


27 June - Improving my Photographs

Presented by: The Committee

Bring along some of your prints - especially ones you are not too sure about. We will convene around the tables and examine the prints and have a general discussion on the processes you used - or could have used - to make an award winning contribution. Perhaps a different crop, colour balance, printer difficulties, etc. etc. - or maybe just praise.

This will be conducted in a non-critical way but we hope that we all can learn from one another. Previous sessions like this have increased the knowledge of all individual members substantially.

Project vote: Bridges

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


July

11 July - Practical Session: Outside/inside

Presented by: The Committee

The first part of the evening will be practical where you will take photographs in the area surrounding the Football Club. When you return to the room you select your best two photos to download onto the Club computer. We will then show the photos, in no particular order, two at a time and one is kept and the other discarded. This sequence will continue throughout the evening until there is only one 'winning' photo left.

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


25 July - Inspire, Capture, Print

Presented by: Neil Cave - neilcave.co.uk/

Neil was just 6 when he was given his first camera – a 126 Kodak Instamatic. This was the start of a lifelong love affair with photography. When he got his first SLR at the age of 11 things got serious.

When digital cameras appeared Neil decided that this was going to be the future of photography and he got his first digital Nikon camera in 2001. Apart from giving photographers a change in working practices it gave them control over their workflow. But for Neil the biggest single thing it did was open up the gates of creativity.

To Neil, photography is about being inspired to capture and print beautiful pieces of fine art.

Project vote: Sailing

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


August

8 August - Summer BBQ

Presented by: The Committee

A casual evening of food provided by members, incinerated by the committee, and washed down with a glass or two of your favourite tipple. A great way for members with their partners to relax and reflect on our year so far, talk about the photos we took, the ones that got away, the projects that we'd like to do, and the kit we want to buy!

An additional cost of £5 per person will apply to this evening. Please send an email to Stuart Bain, our Treasurer, to ensure you book your place and arrange payment.

Project vote: Food

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


29 August - Outdoor Meeting

Presented by: The Committee

This will be a practical outdoor session providing a great opportunity to improve your skills in the various aspects of photography that we have looked at during the year.

From macro, still life, wildlife, reed beds, the canal and the railway line, Thatcham Discovery Centre provides many different environments to practice. Don't forget to bring your camera!

Caution:
If you go close to the railway line, stay super aware of approaching trains. It's easy to get lost in the moment of taking a photo and forget where you are!

Parking:
The main car park closes at 8.00p.m. so make sure you park up the lane on the Newbury side (West) of the lakes where there is a smaller car park. There is also space much further up this lane nearer the reed beds.

Venue: Discovery Centre, Lower Way, Thatcham @ 7.30p.m.


September

12 September - Wildlife through a Lens

Presented by: Tom Way - tomwayphotography.co.uk

Tom is an award winning wildlife photographer who favours a fine art style approach to photography and regularly exhibits his work in galleries and exhibitions.

He spends the majority of his time focusing on large mammals around the world. His main passion is Africa where assignments have seen him focus on elephants and lions in Kenya and leopards in Zambia.

Tom also leads a number of wildlife safaris, in partnership with Busanga Safaris, to destinations such as Zambia, Kenya and Uganda. His U.K workshops focus on kingfishers, badgers, little owls and foxes.

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


26 September - Pecha Kucha

Presented by: The Club Members - www.speakerwebsite.com

Pecha Kucha is a presentation methodology in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each (six minutes and 40 seconds in total). The format, which keeps presentations concise and fast-paced, powers multiple-speaker events called Pecha Kucha Nights.

We're giving over this evening to a number of presentations by volunteer members of the club. Expect a wide variety of subjects, and a lot of fun.

Project vote: Shadows

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


October

10 October - Thatcham Festival Event - Mix & Match Competition

Presented by: Thatcham Photographic Club vs Burghfield Camera Club -

In celebration of the Thatcham Festival, we open our doors to the public to join us for a fun evening of light-hearted competition with one of our neighbouring clubs.

The Mix & Match competition is a game where two photographic club teams take turns to display a photo on one projector whilst the other team tries to match it in some way with one of their photos on the other projector. With only 35 photos each and restricted to play each photo once only.... the teams have to think and play tactically.

As well as enjoying the inevitable banter between the teams, the audience get to see some great photos. An independent judge will declare how well (or not) the photos match, awarding points accordingly. What does the winning team get at the end of the evening? Respect and bragging rights!

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


31 October - Taking Images and Making Images

Presented by: Steve Brabner

Steve loves to experiment with creative, post-processing techniques and no two of his pictures are alike.

'Taken' images (ie captured in a single exposure with minimal adjustment) still predominate in club competitions. However, images constructed or enhanced in the computer are prevalent at national and international levels.

Chris will talk about his techniques and show images that succeeded and the ones that nearly did!

Project vote: Eyes

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


November

14 November - Forgotten Places

Presented by: Matt Emmett - www.forgottenheritage.co.uk

Matt is a photographer whose goal is to rediscover the forgotten worlds all around us. He focuses on photographing ruins and abandonment in order to beautify something.

For Matt as a photographer there is a total lack of distraction in the stillness of a derelict building; the sound and movement associated with people has been removed, which makes the buildings far more sensory than when they were occupied. The mind can focus and take in so much more.

He makes no apologies for photographing ruins and abandonment for he finds something positive, an uplifting or beautiful aspect to a situation that others may find distressing.

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


28 November - Practical session: Light painting

Presented by: The Committee

Bring your cameras and a tripod if you have one.

We hope our fabulous wheel of light will be motorised and, if the weather is dry, further action will take place outdoors.

Project vote: Isolated objects

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.


December

12 December - Christmas Party

Presented by: The Committee

A light-hearted end to the year with an evening of fun activities including skittles, quizzes, good food and friendship for all members and their partners.

We also get to vote for our favourite monthly project winner for the year who will be awarded the Chairman's Cup.

An additional cost will apply to this evening. Details nearer the date.

Project vote: The Project Vote for December's theme 'Sports' will take place during the first meeting of 2019 on 9th January.

Venue: Thatcham Town Football Club @ 7.30p.m.