Click here to see the whole photograph – Shadows and Light by Wendy Meagher
This May, we welcomed back Robert Harvey, who gave a fascinating presentation entitled ’Stumbling Around In The Dark’ which focused on landscape astrophotography. Robert discussed how best to photograph the night sky with all its possibilities; he spoke of the differences in light provided by the various stages of the moon – from the gibbous moon, which gives a lot of shadows, to considering the time of year and where the moon appears in the sky. The closer to the horizon, the more interesting a composition can be achieved. Robert provided insight on how to use and incorporate light pollution within compositions. One useful tip he gave was that planning ahead and checking the times of the moonrise can pay off. This he demonstrated with a photo of the moon framed in the doorway of Glastonbury Tor. He also showed an effective photo that demonstrated that no matter how well you plan your composition, this can be changed by inadvertent interference by your fellow man.
Robert’s talk covered different needs depending on the effects wanted, such as limiting exposure to 20 seconds if you do not want star trails. He noted that there is only a short period of time after dusk when light from both the moon and sun are evenly balanced. Also covered were meteor showers, the taking of multiple shots and stacking, the arm of the Milky Way, the need for a large aperture and high ISO; photographing the planets which, although brighter than the stars, need a darker sky to really show up. Robert gave a thoroughly interesting and captivating presentation, which was enjoyed by all.
There then followed the Monthly Photo Topic, ‘Weather’ – the subjects were varied despite the lack of dramatic weather for the time of year. Members once again showed their ingenuity, imagination and skill. There was much merriment and enjoyment of one member’s offering of a uniformly blue/ grey photo with no features: as some would say, a depiction of very British weather!
The next Club Night will be on Wednesday 5th June, with a presentation by Verity Milligan entitled ‘Light on the Land: Explorations into Landscape Photography’. The next Workshop will be held on Wednesday, 15th May, entitled ‘Bring the WoW Factor To Your Images’ by Anne Sutcliffe FRPS. Both events will be in the Apricot Room, Cartwright Hotel, Aynho, OX17 3BE, at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Wendy Meagher (contributing notes from Meriel Flux)