Club News

Tenby & District Camera Club took a dive into the deep with Cate Barrow’s “Underwater Photography from around the World” Cate is a director of an Environmental consultancy and lives near Cardiff. She has enjoyed Scuba Diving for 20 years and has specialised in underwater photography.
Starting with all the challenges faced by this genre of photography Cate explained how the approach is different to land photography. Safety both from diving and the wildlife is paramount .
There are so many things to be considered from dive depths, currents, buoyancy control, light and the care of the environment, Information on her Nikon equipment with the protective housing and all the gadgets required to sustain a photoshoot. Not possible to change a lens or card in the depths ! Fish enjoy feeding around active water with fast currents but that makes photography more difficult and tests the diving skills .

The effects of camera settings and artificial lighting were shown, giving the impression of a night time shot. Strobe lights bring the colours to life and there were certainly some amazing colours. Then there is trying to get as close to the subject as possible without any personal danger or to disturb the subject. Natural light is possible in shallower waters where the suns rays delve into the water with lovely effects.
Cate admitted the diving in the UK is very good, albeit with cold and sometimes rough waters, with poor visibility . The coasts in Pembrokeshire, especially around Skomer, Devon & Cornwall all having good diving locations.

Cate showed the large amount of equipment needed when going diving abroad, your luggage allowance certainly is maxed out. There were other problems too, like sea sickness, sunburn and cramped boat space. This becomes unimportant once the undersea world is encountered .

Cate took us around the world to see some of the best diving sites for wildlife. Over 200 images of a huge diversity of sea life enthralled us. Beginning with Fiji , there were bull sharks and pipe fish then to New Zealand’s Poor Knight’s Islands with cold water diving, wonderful cave systems and Captain Cook’s Scorpion Fish. Moving swiftly into Australia with several areas visited, the creatures impressed us with their adaption to their environment. The Leafy Sea Dragon blending into the plant life so cleverly . Cute Sea Horses and the highly venomous Blue ringed Octopus, frog fish and Nurse Sharks all captured beautifully for us to marvel at . Indonesia was next with turtles and Pygmy Seahorses moving to The Maldives and it’s astounding range of life . Moray eels, Guitar Shark ( yes really! ), shoals of sweet lips and long finned bat fish . Shoals are difficult to photograph but Cate has acquired the technique of swimming backward so the fish are facing her, managing to get a pleasing composition . Raja Ampat, Papua New Guinea, is one of the holy grail diving sites pure and seemingly untouched. We then experienced Cate’s encounters with Great White Sharks in Guadalupe off the Mexican Coast. Fed with tuna these imposing sharks were stunningly caught in camera . The Bahamas gave us even more sharks, hammerhead, lemon and tiger . All imposing and dramatic.

Through her Photography Cate took us on a captivating and vivid journey, viewing wildlife tiny and gigantic in the vast undersea world. A breathtaking opportunity to see a hidden world for the majority of us. An excellent & knowledgeable speaker
Thank you Cate for an entertaining evening, Charlie Kidd for hosting Zoom, John Whitehurst for the zoom links and to Ali Rees for organising the evening .

Next week, on the 15th April, it is the judging of the 3rd Open Competition and also the hand in for the Creative Competition .

This weeks presentation

A wondrous presentation by Alyn Wallace took Tenby Camera Club members to new heights.
His talk “Night Sky Wonders”certainly did that, sharing with us his love of photography, science and the outdoors. Beginning honing his skills in 2015, Alyn taught himself the techniques required to capture the universe in all its glory. Using fantastic locations like the Brecon Beacons to start with, he was soon tempted to go far and wide, places like Chile, Norway, Iceland, Turkey and Easter Island. He was full of praise for the spectacular night skies we have in Wales.

After viewing some breathtaking land and sky scapes, featuring the Milky Way, Planets, Constellations and lunar & solar eclipses, Alyn was very generous sharing his approach to astrophotography. Guidance on equipment, settings, clothing , apps and safety was covered in detail.

Alyn’s enthusiasm shone through and members were very appreciative in their thanks .

Tenby Camera Club entered the creative and humorous world of Lynne Morris, our speaker on the 25th March. Lynne who is from North Wales, is highly qualified and has been learning her craft in just 9 years. Spectacularly talented with a superb sense of humour , Lynne conjures up images that have a story and impact. Lynne explained where her inspiration comes from, for example music, films and news items. A fabulous set of Llandudno goat images depicting their antics during lockdown made everyone laugh . Lynne keeps a large portfolio of her own stock photos from textures to household equipment which can be used to give a surreal and artistic effect. The final image looks like an original instead of a composite !
Lynne spent time showing the stages in Photoshop, layer after layer, giving attention to details like shadows and perspective. All very time consuming but with wonderful end results. It is no wonder her images are showered with awards. Her innovation and originality shone through her presentation and was very inspiring .

Tenby held it’s annual Mono competition on the 11th March . A wide range of genres throughout the 72 images submitted by 19 photographers for critique & scoring . We had a new judge to Tenby via Zoom . Susan Ashford from Swansea and Cymru Mono camera clubs, was tasked with assessing the work . Susan is an experienced judge especially with Mono work . She was fair, encouraging and gave advice on how to improve an image.

There were 4 images scoring 19 points with 5 “held back” with 20 points. From these “held back” images Susan announced the final places.
In first place was Rosie Dungey with her beautiful portrait “Dolly”. In second place was a super “Dalmation Pelican having a shake” by Charlie Kidd. Third place was taken by Paul Richards for his gentle landscape “A misty morning in the valley”

The Carmarthen 4 way Battle was held on the 4th March . No road trip to Carmarthen this time but there was a 60 plus audience on zoom . The judge for the night was Dennis Russ who worked his way through 40 images. There was a wide range of styles and genres to be enjoyed . Tenby had 4 images scoring the maximum points from Charlie Kidd, Cheryl Hewitt, Jo Wakeman and Paul Richards. The final result was that Tenby gained 189 points out of 200 and was in first place . Cardigan Camera Club came a close second with 183 points . Newquay in third, scored 177, with Carmarthen in 4th with 177 points.

On the 25th February we held an adapted for Zoom competition “The Fourtograph” . Usually the Hexagon, a competition with 6 themes, this was changed to 4 themes. The themes chosen for this year were Reflections, Circles, Paths and Abstract.
There is no critique or score from a judge for this event but the images are scrutinised & scored by the Zoom audience of club members . A super selection of images to look at, with some great interpretation of the themes.
The Reflections category was won by Cheryl Hewitt with “Emperor” , Circles was won by Dave Bolton and “Little Smiler” . Paul Richards and “Gannet Flight Paths” won the Paths section and the Abstract section was won by Dave Bolton with “Behind the Mask”

The points for all the categories were added up for each entrant so an overall winner could be announced . This was Dave Bolton in first place with 24 points, Cheryl Hewitt , 2nd, with 20 points and Liz Wallis, 3rd, with 17 points.

Tenby Camera Club had a Street Photography Presentation on the 11th February. A genre that is gaining popularity in the photographic world , it was brought to life by Brian Lloyd Duckett. A very experienced photographer, journalist, lecturer and Fuji ambassador who is based in London .
After a run through some classic street images by exemplary photographers, to illustrate candid street photography styles, Brian went on to explain how to proceed. Firstly with the narrative or story telling, then the Aesthetic using unusual approaches , like shooting through a window, taking silhouettes , shooting at night . Finally there is the Moment , making connections , perhaps using humour .
With ten tips Brian covered the basic way to approach this genre, from being observant, watching body language, getting lucky “right place right time” and being patient. Brian gave excellent advice on settings, lighting and legality. He also encouraged us to have an ongoing project to focus on .
Brian was a very practical, down to earth speaker, inspiring many members to have a go in the future.

A well supported Ace of Clubs Competition was held on the 21st February via Zoom . Thirteen talented Welsh Clubs competed with the top 2 clubs going forward to represent Wales in the future UK wide PAGB Battle . Thirty entries from each club, scored by 3 eminent judges, gave a thrilling and closely fought competition. Tenby Camera Club members were thrilled to gain first place. Three members scored a maximum score. They were Charlie Kidd and a Bronze medal , Dave Lewis and a ribbon ,and Dave Bolton, a judge's choice. There were many amazing images and it must have been difficult for the judges to choose the medal and ribbon winners . Well done to Gwynfa Camera Club who came second and also qualified . Afan Nedd Camera Club came a worthy third place .

A big thank you to all the authors who allowed their images to be used

February 11th was a particularly impressive evening when Tenby welcomed Ross McKelvey. A highly qualified photographer, with his achievements being MFIAP, MPAGB,FBPE,EFIAP and over 300 medals in National & International Competitions since 2010 . A member of Catchlight Camera Club based in Belfast, Ross’s presentation, titled, “A Talk of Two Halves” had members spellbound . The first part was a eclectic mixture of images from creative to landscapes but it is his portrait work which sets him apart. Using beautiful professional models, he captured the female form in all it’s glory . Ross gave advice on lighting, both natural & flash, and how to use it to your advantage , as well as posing positions.

After a zoom break, Ross then took the club on an exciting journey through processing in Photoshop and Nik Collection. And my, what a journey ! Advice on shortcuts, blending modes, filters, masking, actions, sharpening and so much more. Using a wide range range of tools to improve the final image. A bit hard to keep up but we were advised that his You tube pages have lots of information and video tutorials to look at .

A memorable evening .

Tenby Camera Club held their Macro& Close up competition on the 4th February . The trophy awarded is the Gary Jenkins Memorial Trophy . Gary was a prominent, popular and active member of the club but sadly he died 2 years ago. His wife Sarah joined the Zoom presentation, enjoying viewing the excellent selection of entries.
Well supported with 49 entries, the diverse range of subjects made the judging challenging . Johnny Rodgers was tasked with critiquing and scoring all the images from butterflies to frogs, wildlife and creative.
A very competitive and close finish saw 6 images scoring 19/20 points and 4 scoring 20/20 .
In first place was Paul Richards with an insect “Bush Cricket” . In second was Liz Wallis with “Robber Fly with Prey” . In third place was Gary Mayhew with a creative image “Soap Bubble”

The Hexagon competition has been replace with a fourtograph DPI competition. Four images. One from each category. Circles, paths, abstract and reflections. Please hand in your images by the 11th February 2021.

Tenby Camera Club welcomed on 21st January, Colin Trow-Poole, who delighted the zoom audience with his exceptional talent . Titled, People & Places, Colin showed panels of images, predominately Black & White, set in many UK cities . Visiting museums, art galleries, unusual streets with graffiti using them as setting for the people to wander through to be captured on camera. Many points of techniques were discussed to help achieve a great balanced image. Drama, moods and storytelling jumping out at you .

This was particularly illustrated with a set of images taken in France of the memorial village of Oradour-Sur-Glane . On the 10th June 1944, the village was in Nazi occupied France. It was destroyed when 642 of it’s inhabitants, including women & children were massacred by a German Waffen-SS company . A very sombre event treated compassionately and thoughtfully. Superb images, showing the crumbling buildings and rusting vehicles, capturing a moment in time of a harrowing day .

Following on from such a shocking time, Colin lightened the mood only slightly with his award winning FRPS panel. A study of street life, so seeing poverty and penury, but with kindness and sympathy . A diversity of impoverished street people, musicians, beggars, all captured with creativity. Gritty and realistic showing the darker side of our society.

From his sensitivity to safety advice Colin sustained our interest throughout in a quiet and thoughtful way. A super speaker who was warmly thanked.

Tenby Camera Club has recently been active in two external Competitions.

The first being the Memorial Trophies Day held via zoom with 21 Welsh camera clubs competing. Tenby achieved a respectable joint 4th place in the colour section and a joint 3rd in the mono section.
The Brian Jennings Competition held again by Zoom was hosted by Trostre Camera Club. This was a seven-way Welsh club battle, each club submitting 5 images . It was a stunning night for Tenby Camera Club with 3 of the images gaining top scores. The final score was 488/ 500 so a notable triumph and it meant gaining the 1st place too.

This week, the 28th January we should have had Alyn Wallace stunning us with his “Night Sky Wonders” of astrophotography . Unfortunately due to a family illness it had to be postponed. The talk will be rescheduled as soon as possible. There will an opportunity to book a ticket for the new date if you couldn’t make the last one !

Keep an eye out on the website for information for that and all events coming up .

On the 14th January Tenby Camera Club held it’s 2nd Open Competition. Jenny Hibbert was the judge tasked with assessing and scoring 70 images from 19 photographers . Jenny is one of Wales’s most experienced judges, and she showed this by being detailed and articulate in her comments. Every image was carefully critiqued with suggestions on how to improve it.

The range of genres was extensive with wildlife, architecture, landscapes, street and creatives featuring.
The standard of work was superb and this showed with the awarding of 9 entries with the maximum of 20 points .

There has to be placings though, so in 1st place was Jan Sullivan and a stunning Oystercatcher image titled “The Cockle Picker” . In 2nd place was Ali Rees with “Carefree” and in 3rd place Dave Bundock and ‘Gentoo Penguins, Falkland Islands’ . Congratulations and thanks were given to the winners and to Jenny Hibbert .









New Members are still being accepted for the remaining talks and competitions which run up to the beginning of May , with a reduced rate of £12.50 .

Tenby Camera Club joined forces with the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales for a brilliant presentation by Dr Julian Cremona. The talk was titled “The Rocky Shores of Pembrokeshire” a superb insight into this temperate environment of special biodiversity . Pembrokeshire is one of the best examples of this, having small sheltered coves & rough Atlantic exposed beaches.

It was a perfectly pitched explanation of the ecosystem found here and the relationships between the many organisms both microscopic to large. Many excellent photographs illustrated the diversity and intricacy of these creatures. Julian explained with humour and detail how to explore the rock pools, even in winter to find vast numbers of species from limpets and barnacles to seaweeds and lichens.
Julian explained some of the photographic techniques he uses, lighting, camera settings and photo stacking.

Tides, tidal zones & waves are fundamental to the diversity and abundance of wildlife around Pembrokeshire. This fragile but expansive ecosystem is full of strange species and Julian brought them to us through images, and his description of their life cycles. Who knew limpets use a tongue bristling with tiny teeth to scrape food off rocks and into their mouths and that dog whelks drill into the limpets to eat them. Wonderfully unusual names of seaweeds and anemones, star fish and worms , sea spiders and crabs all photographed in detail.
Battered by waves & scoured by tides, the Pembrokeshire rocky shores are dramatic and impressive destinations, offering a wealth of opportunities for exploration and discovery . It will be wonderful to be free to potter amongst the seaweed and rocks again in the future with our newly acquired knowledge !

This presentation was held by Tenby Camera Club to raise funds for the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales. This was done by charging guests ( many from the local wildlife groups ) for a zoom seat and by donations . An outstanding sum of £307 was raised for this worthy cause .

Many thanks to Julian Cremona and all our guests who made the evening fun and worthwhile .

Tenby’s presentation on the 10th December was a fascinating talk by Alun Richardson. Alun is a Pembrokeshire professional photographer, and an IFMGA mountain guide. Titled “Greenland and my journey to capture better images”, we were shown how much he loves wild, harsh and isolated places . His 8 day journey through Greenland in winter, by dog sleds, skis and boat was superbly illustrated with images and words bringing to life the beauty of this stark and remote terrain. Greenland is the world’s largest island with approximately 80% of it permanently covered in ice. You will find one of the world’s smallest populations in Greenland and they mainly live along the coasts.

Peppered throughout were many tips and advice how to deal with the cold, the winds. the snow, the ice and the risks of polar bear attacks. Yes , rifle at the ready as well as your camera !

Alun also talked about his favourite photographers who inspire him, and spent time advising on avoiding photography pitfalls, giving lots of encouragement too. He really emphasised that you should find your own way and style to enjoy your photography, not always copying what is fashionable or current. A very inspiring and influential presentation which rounded off this year’s talks admirably.

Wishing our members, followers and friends of Tenby Camera Club a safe and happy Christmas and a more normal and special New Year .

One more event to round off an exceptional series of talks and competitions for 2020 and that is The Christmas Zoom Party on the 17th December !

Judging Nature 2020
On the 3rd December Tenby Camera Club held its annual Nature Competition. Tenby has an excellent reputation for its wildlife photography and this competition illustrated this very clearly.

Judge Andy Leslie was entrusted with the daunting task of critiquing and scoring 77 entries from 21 photographers. A wide range of nature was represented from birds, fungi, insects, mammals and amphibians . Images from gardens to far flung places, all the seasons meant the variety was excellent.





Eight images were given the maximum score of 20 with eleven scoring 19 points. So as you can see a tight fight for the top places.

The final score was in first place Dave Bundock with Fur seal pup sheltering from wind , taken in South Georgia. In second was Charlie Kidd with Dalmation Pelican landing at Lake Kikini and in third was Neil Thomas with Osprey (pandion haliaetvus) .

On the 10th December we have the return of Alun Richardson . Alun will take us on a journey through Greenland on skis. He will talk about the challenges of capturing images in adventurous environments, his approach to capturing spectacular images and the lessons he has learned .

On the 26th November Tenby Camera Club were treated to a Intriguing presentation by Sleepy Robot. Steve & Jen Milton are the talent behind the name . Llanelli based, their creativity and originality produces images that are innovative and unique . Photographs were shown of their portraiture work expressing their interpretation of a weekly theme , set by their camera club. Certainly not conventional or lacking in resourcefulness when designing sets or garments. Dresses of fishing nets and colourful multi jumpers showed their ingenuity in design. Great care was taken with making of props, using lighting techniques and choosing locations. They predominately prefer to create the effects desired in camera with only small adjustments afterwards in software.
They have worked with Ballet Cymru, creating a publicity portfolio for the company to use for their upcoming productions. Wonderful images portraying strength and dynamics of male & female dancers. Steve & Jen were warmly thanked for letting us into their world of photographic creativity.

Our next zoom meeting on the 3rd December is the judging of the Nature Competition . Always a hard fought and gripping competition with many entries to be assessed.

Tenby and District Camera Club held its annual Panels competition tonight, our members submitted a total of 31 panels, each consisting of 5 images, that’s a total of 155 images, a mammoth task for any judge, but we had Roy Thomas, Roy is one of Wales most experienced judges, and a past President of the PAGB, he did a fantastic job in judging, critiquing and advising on panel layout of our images, and in good time.
Roy chose five panels in the final frame, each scoring 20 points, any one of them could have won first place, after a nail biting wait, he awarded joint
4th place to Lizzie Wallace for her panel Indian life
4th place to Jo Wakeman for her long eared owl in flight.
3rd place to Paul Richards for his Banded Demoiselles



2nd place to Dave Bolton for his Working Women.



1st place to Al Rees for her panel He’s got the Moves.



Congratulations Al Rees, on a stunning panel of a Surfer at the top of his game.
and to all our winners, tonight, Roy also awarded a further 10 Panels, 19 points. A very close contest.
Thank you all for entering our panels competition and everyone for your support.
Our grateful thanks to Roy Thomas for all his hard work in preparing, and judging.
Next week we have “The Sleepy Robots” an incredible presentation, one not to miss.
Don’t forget it’s Hand in for our 2nd Open Comp on the 3rd of December.