Tell a story night, Tuesday, 3rd April, 2018

Hi Folks,

Last night is was tell a story night which could be either a holiday experience or a project or anything that you thought would be interesting to members.

The first to talk was Chenxi who gave a chat on the difficulty in photographing a heron with a slow reaction camera. Chenxi used a shutter speed of 1000 to freeze the detail but the camera takes around a whole second to prepare a second shot

which makes it difficult to capture the full action of the heron as part of the action is missing within that second

Chenxi says these images have a bright background when shown on a projector but the background works better on a print and he was generally pleased with his result. I understand these were taken in Richmond park where Chenxi often takes shots of deer.

Next was Carol who gave a talk on a holiday trip to Peru travelling in a holiday train that takes 10 hours. The end carriage was open which shows some magnificent scenery.

The farming, landscape and its people could been seen on the journey

People even walk on the railway and have markets at the side

From there Carol went to Lake Titicaca to see the reed people who spend their lives living in reed houses. Carol said the people look big but they have layers of clothes on to keep them warm at night as it gets very cold.

Boats and houses are made from the reeds and every so often several dwellers help by lifting the house to put new bedding underneath, just like we would have new carpet

They keep ducks which is their main diet to live on.

Carol said every six months they elect a new leader and everyone obeys and at the time Carol was there it was a stern lady in charge.

 

Next Dave gave a talk on an extension of a conservatory he had built on the back of his house. The footings were taken out to build a wall.

He was careful as the drive was shared by another camera club member lol

after the hole was complete the cement lorry arrived.

The wall and the structures went up

and then a firm from Germany sent 3 men to fix the conservatory into place in four day.

Over the period Dave counted up he had made 255 cups of tea and 68 cups of coffee but none of the builders took sugar.

 

Next John gave a talk on what started him taking movement pictures.

John has been inspired by a photographer who had taken a picture of a large number of passengers leaving a train using a slow shutter speed which created a swirling mass of blur.

John tried his first ever movement picture from a window in a hotel in Bath using the street corner below.

Later, John noticed Waterloo station had good potential. Above the platforms there were places overlooking with very good lighting. However, John said you do need to seek permission to photograph there but they have been very good in allowing him to take shots. John said his pictures are handheld but a tripod just might make a sharper picture.The downside is the camera is not so easy to manoeuvre when positioning the shots.

since then his grand daughter Emily has helped at holiday times, first John has used a white background but this Easter he has moved to using a black background.

John is always experimenting and used a flash and a softbox to create this picture.

 

 

Next was Kathy

Kathy unable to attend sent me some shots of the Fleet Air museum that she had visited recently in Somerset. Kathy is not generally interested in the subject of aircraft but in these situations she prefers to look for shapes and themes to take photographs of.

Here Kathy has found the front of an aircraft which has created a sphere which is reflecting light in different areas

a different angle on a jet engine

As Kathy could not be with us tonight Brian thanked Kathy for making the project.

Coffee time

After coffee it was me on a talk of a weekend in Somerset

Visiting my son and partner I took the opportunity to visit Vicar’s Close the oldest medieval street in the UK

The following day we had a visit to Glastonbury Abbey where Lancelot, Merlin and the Lady of the Lake was my only knowledge of King Arthur.

However, as the story unfolded of King Arthur’s body being discovered in the grounds I started to take more interest. The body was said to be found 16 feet down after a monk’s last dying wish was to be buried in a spot near the Lady’s chapel. Digging the hole they found a slab 5 feet down and underneath a cross with writing in Latin which said, here lies the body of Arthur and Guinevere, King of Avalon.

The original Abbey had burned down six years earlier and most experts believe the story was made up by the Abbey to attract more pilgrims to come and repent and hand over land, gold and money. The Abbey became the second richest in the country behind Westminister.

Some 80 years later King Edward I and Eleanor witnessed the bodies being exhumed and said to be of a massive man and a lady with golden hair who were buried in a hollow tree trunk. So 500 to 600 years 16 feet down not sure how much there would be left of a hollow log. The Isle of Avalon could be Glastonbury Tor and Avalon marshes are at the back but why buried 16 feet down. Perhaps if flooded hmm.

Few records were kept after the Romans left but Arthur was said to have been born between 500-600 AD and a champion of the people of Wales protecting them from the Anglo Saxons after the Roman’s left. A myth said, ‘In the hour of need Arthur will return to help his people’. Edward I think was happy and interested to have Arthur seen to be dead. Arthur was placed in a marble tomb with the cross underneath.

This started me on a new Dan Brown like hunt on arriving home lol.

The tomb remained until 1539 when Henry the eighth desolved all the Monasteries. The abbot disobeyed Henry and was hung drawn and quartered on Glastonbury Tor. The riches were taken. The roofs and stain glass windows taken for other estates.

The tomb of Arthur disappeared with the cross (the cross thought to be from Arthur’s shield). A piece of the marble from the tomb is in the Abbey museum and carbon dates correctly.

In writings the cross then appeared in the hands of William Hughes Chancellor of Wells in the early 1700’s and has disappeared again. Where did the Chancellor live? Yes in Vicar’s Close in the treasury behind me lol. An expert said, pity the cross or Arthur can’t be found as it could be carbon dated

But the hunt for Arthur is not over as experts have found more readings leading them to Baschurch in Shrewsbury

 

Next was Jan

Unfortunately Jan’s images did not want to open on the laptop so she just read her story to us all.

Jan meets each Monday with a friend and they visit various places to photograph. One of her set of images was of Burnham Beeches which they like to visit, one was on a frosty morning where Jan got a silhouette of a duck on the lake. On the heath there are horses and cows although the cows seem friendly it is a bit unnerving having them come up to you.

Burnham Beeches has a car park, good facilities and toilets.

Green Dragon Eco farm is another place they like to visit with animals such as reindeer,  cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

Also Water Perry Park which has gardens and a river with a bridge, plants and garden equipment and gift shops, a museum  and a tea room entry price is £7.50 or £49 per year.

Tiggywinkles has all kinds of animals to photograph one is allowed to take photographs but one is not allowed to publish them. They have deer, badgers, foxes and herons most are behind fences but Jan had got a good shot of a red kite there.

 

Next was Peter who did a talk about the Whitby Goth weekend which is held in April and October. For photographers who are concerned about taking strangers on the street this is the place to go. The trouble is everyone taking part wants their photograph taken and will pose for you but it is the more natural pictures most photographers want.

I think these are the type of images Peter was after. The event was originally a Goth festival but more fancy dress is coming in

Peter said they look scary but are nice people all having fun.

There were lots of people posing in Whitby Grave yard all are strange but lovely people

 

Last was Nick who gave a talk on music photography that he specialises in

It usually starts with him getting a message about 4pm to say come to London for 7/8 pm. He drives to the gigs and parks. A pass is already made up for him on arrival. The pass allows him to take all the gear he can carry into the pit area which in Nick’s case is three lens and a camera. The pit is the front lower area below the stage where a band would perform at a show.

Nick picks his spot carefully, as the lighting in the background can easily darken faces. ISO’s can be as high as 6400

He is allowed to photograph only on the first three numbers of the gig and then has to leave.

so not a lot of time.

Once home he has to process all the shots ready to send off

 

So quite a diverse evening and thank you to all who took part.

 

Next week is

Open Forum