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The annual judging of this year’s competition was a successful evening with a good turnout of members and judging carried out by David Gibbins ARPS, APAGB, AFIAP, BPE3*.  David introduced himself and it was clear that he had a long history as a successful photographer and also as a keen judge at many many competitions .  He launched into judging members images, firstly the general category before the usual break for tea and biscuits and then the small image category after the break. The critique was not only constructive but also helpful and we hope that members can take away jewels of information to make the presentation of images even better in the future.

David was assisted ably by a team of willing volunteers handing images over, recording the results and taking photos of events and a huge thanks is due to Alan Darlington, Janis Ibbotson, Alison Johnstone, Ray Fowler and Alan Hinchcliffe for their hard work.

David spent a lot of time giving helpful critique to every image and as the evening progressed he made his decision on which images he judged to be worthy of reward or accolade.  It became clear that his final decision about winners and commendations was not going to be easy with the high standard of images on show.  However, decisions were made and the eventual winners and commendations can be seen below.

General category

1st Stephen Elliott – Big Red Riding Hood

2nd Ian Ord – Gotcha

3rd Stephen Elliott – Sunset over the winding road

Small Print category

1st David Allwood  Nuthatch

2nd Ian Stanyon – Walk the line

3rd Ann Smith – Earl Grey’s door handle

Monochrome – Dennis Thorpe Trophy

Nick Chalkley – Orchid Mantis gaze

Commendations

(I’ve only been able to include copies of images receiving a commendation if the author had sent me a copy of her/his competition image. If PH & AC email me your image I’ll add it to the list of those who received commendations)

Keith Brown

Stephen Elliott

Ray Fowler

Nick Chalkley

Pat Fowler

Robert Nicklin

Nick Chalkley

Ian Stanyon

Members handed in their competition entries and then sat down to watch presentations by Alison and Ian S. A selection of these images are shown below. Before the presentation Ann made a number of announcements.

• There’ll be a social/photographic evening at Bugsworth Basin on 25^th May, commencing 1800. Further details are shown below the images I’ve popped onto our website.
• Ann also announced that the theme for the 2018 Annual Competition would be either ‘Shadows’ or ‘Imitatting song titles’. After a vote members picked the theme of Imitating song titles – so now you’ve got one year to think about how best to interpret the theme and produce some stunning images. Note that images taken before 1.1.16 won’t be edible to be entered into this competition.
• Finally, members were reminded that before the end of the month they should send copies of their 2017 competition images to Ian Ord, via email, memory stick or CD. These images will be stored on a password protected area of our website. Compressed versions of those who win or are placed or receive a commendation at next month judging evening, will be placed on our website.

Here’s a selection of the images Alison & Ian S presented to members. Judging from the volume of applause I’m sure that all present thoroughly enjoyed viewing these images, with informative commentaries given by first by Alison then Ian.

Bugsworth Basin social event – photographic evening. Ray and Pat Fowler and Keith and Kate Brown will be on duty at the Navigation Inn (where there is car parking) from 6.00pm onwards. You are invited to participate in this event and choose your own time of arrival. It is not the easiest place to find and we suggest travelling to Chinley and then follow the signs to Bugsworth, turning left in Bugsworh down to the basin. We suggest you take the same route home via Chinley. Full details can be found on the Bugsworth Basin web site www.bugsworthbasin.org. For those with a sat nav the postcode is SK23 7NE.Synopsis of 11th Aprilm

This was a meeting of two parts, as about 16 members met at Treak Cliff Cavern at 1900 to explore the cavern – with torches, cameras and tripods at the ready. Members were due to return at 2030, but a few continued taking light painting images – these images will be processed later and will probably form part of another meeting later on in the year.

Those who stayed behind met at 1930 and were introduced to our newest member – Bob Stone, a resident of Eyam. Then the non-cavers spent an hour looking at images Ian & Chris Ord took when they were in Myanmar – all present will have sympathised when Ian told them that his new camera with his (specially bought for the holiday) 12-100 lens fell off the security rollers at Mandalay Airport – less than halfway through the holiday adventure! The camera was repaired upon return to the UK – covered by insurance.

At 2030 Ray Fowler gave a fascinating presentation of images he’d taken at our recent light paining evening. We’d all been occupied with the intricacies of setting up our cameras with the precise settings, whilst Ray had effectively occupied himself by taking  images of our industrious members engaged in the intricacies of light painting. Then David Allwood gave a short presentation of images members had taken of pizza making using a wood-fired oven at our last ‘informal evening’.

Our May meeting will also start 30 minutes earlier, giving time for members to hand in their three competition images. Click here if you want to re-read the guidelines for this competition:http://www.hopevalleyphotosociety.co.uk/?page_id=1709

Overall C&HVPS  did remarkably well for such a relatively small club, as we punched well above our weight. Les Nixon’s superb image got through to the semi-final round, before being knocked out when a handful of images were selected to go ‘head to head’ in the final round.

Our final club score was further elevated, as Steve Elliott’s ‘Alien’ light painting image got through to one to one of the later middle rounds, when by then 2/3rds of the DPI images had been eliminated. When Sheffield PS send us the club scores I’ll update the website.

Reaching Out by Les Nixon

Alien by Steve Elliott

Missed it by Ian Ord

Street advertising by Ian Stanyon

Phantom Trees by Kate Brown

Roger Moore’s infra-red DPI: The Great Ridge from Hollowford

was selected in the event of a tiebreak between two clubs – but we didn’t get to the tiebreak stage.

Ann, our bubbly and enthusiastic Chairman, through the medium of our website, would like to thank Steve Elliot for organising a hugely enjoyable and highly successful ‘hands-on’ workshop light-painting evening. Steve is a long-term member of our club, and is justifiably famous both throughout the Hope Valley and afar, for his spectacular landscape images. However, Steve has another string to his many photographic bows, and is now building up a reputation for his light-painting images.

Steve had been asked to give a workshop to members, so he could pass on light-painting tips and experience he’s gained. A goodly percentage of C&HVPS members assembled, with cameras and tripods, under clear skies, at Hope Sports Club on a chilly March evening. Steve had clearly devoted considerable time and effort in preparing for his workshop, bringing a range of equipment he uses when he creates light-painting images. Including various shapes of Perspex light-wands, LED lights, whisks to encompass wire wool (which is ignited and spun around – outdoors only!), LED torches capable of producing different coloured light beams, etc.

Those who were new to light-painting were fascinated to watch and learn from Steve, as he patiently and methodically illustrated how members should set up their cameras, as he demonstrated the equipment he’d either made or bought. The first part of the workshop evening was held indoors, then members trooped outside to the sports field, set up their cameras and tripods and stood fascinated as Steve whirled lights and burning wire-wool around, allowing members to capture the earlier indoor and then outdoor images illustrated at the bottom of this webpage.

Upon returning indoors, Alan Hinchcliffe, who also has expertise in light-painting set up a ‘light-wand’ he’d made. Which when photographed using a long exposure or ‘live composite mode’ displayed the name of our photographic society in coloured lights. Many thanks to Jessica, who stood stock still both indoors and outdoor, as Steve whirled lights around, allowing members to practice the art of light-painting. A selection of these images are shown below:

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This meeting was really all about our popular and highly respected Past President – the late Peter Harrison. Here’s a selection of Peter’s images – transcribed from transparencies into digital format by Ray Fowler. Details covering the evening are shown after the selection of Peter’s images shown below:

Ann opened the meeting by welcoming members and the significant numbers of guests from Castleton and around. Ann announced that next month’s meeting (Thursday April 13^th) would be split into two groups. The first group would meet at Treak Cavern at 1900. However, as the approach to Treak Cavern is steep some members may wish to join the second group at our normal venue at 1930. There Ian & Christine will show DPI’s of the images they took during their recent visit to Myanmar.

Ian S then announced that there were three events, which should be of interest to members. 1 An opportunity to photograph contestants in the exiting knockout competition: the Howard Street Duel. 2 A photography day with Parkour Athletes, to meet these athletes for part or the whole day at Parkhill flats, Sheffield. 3 An opportunity to photograph indoor and outdoor dance workshops in Leeds. Please contact Ian S for further information.

The main event of the evening was a tribute to Peter, with a celebration of Peter’s life and photography. Peter & Ray were founder members of our photographic society.

Ray had made arrangements to access 6,000+ of Peter’s photographs (in transparency format) to gradually digitise and file the images for posterity. And to give Peter’s family and Castleton Historical Society access to scanned in versions of Peter’s images – taken over 50 years. Hence the significant number of visitors to our meeting.

The evening was broken into three parts: 1 Ray’s presentation of a number of scanned in images Peter had taken over many years. 2 A short presentation by one of Peter’s daughter, Vicky, using some of the images Ray had scanned into a digital format. This led to many of the family and other locals from Castleton discussing the images, and reminiscing, as the DPI’s were projected on the screen. 3 Ray had carefully selected some of Peter’s images, turning them into a representation of one of Peter’s famous quizzes. For many years Peter’s quizzes had been one of the highlights of our annual Christmas parties.

A group of us (Kate, Keith, Jason, Erica and Ian S) visited the NEMPF exhibition in Nottinghamshire over the weekend to look at some pretty spectacular photographs and also to find out a bit more about what our society could do entering images in future exhibitions. 

The standard of photography is very high and the winners of the various categories (both print and Digital) are of the highest calibre.  Images submitted to the exhibition first needed to be judged as suitable for hanging and once selected were then considered for the various awards and commendations.  Where would our members photographs sit?  Well we certainly have a good enough standard to get photos through the initial suitability selection.  The standard of the winners is very high and we would have our work cut out to win awards, however, it is not beyond our members’ capabilities to produce the standard of image to push for these accolades.

We aim to select images from CHVPS members for entering in the next annual exhibition later this year.  We will be putting together some guidelines for members to consider once we have details of entry requirements and categories.  Hopefully members will get to see the exhibition but if not we may rent a copy of the official DVD from this year’s competition for us to look at either on a club evening or one of the informal evenings?  If anybody would like to find out more then get in touch with Jason or Ian S.

Take a look at http://www.nempf.org/

Chill winds and bitterly cold Hope Valley weather greeted members as they assembled for our 13th AGM on 12th January 2017. We remembered that our 89 year old founder member and President, Peter Harrison, passed away last year. Our new President, Ray Fowler, formally appointed at this AGM, is assembling a digital record of the best of the 6,000+ transparency images Peter snapped. A fitting historical record of Peter’s work, who was (amongst other offices) was also the President of Castleton’s Historical Society.

2016 was the second year that Kate Brown has presided as Chairman of C&HVPS. Kate’s a talented photographer and has steered our photo society with significant skill over the past 12 months – despite the fact that Kate is suffering a challenging illness. Ann Smith, formally took the reins of office as Kate handed over to our 14th Chairman. Ann has a bubbly personality and her past photographic presentations to members have always been interesting, illuminating and fun!

Secretary Jason, President Ray & Chairman Kate concentrating on AGM formalities:

Past Chairman  Kate welcomes our new Chairman Ann:

Keith Brown takes notes as hands are raised in favour of Ann being our Chairman  for 2017:

Then ‘prize-giving’ time, as President Ray presents certificates to the winners of our 2016 Annual Competition (only some of the winners are shown below):

Following the formalities Ann gave us a presentation of the images she’d taken during December 2106. A tricky ask, as Ann took a photo every day; but December proved to be full of mist and rain. Here’s three of the images from the many images Ann present that evening:

A good turn out again; not quite the violent storm of the last meeting. The availability of oven baked pizza, a drink and social are continuing to prove popular and of course all club members are welcome to join us on this fun and informative evening.

The evening was broken into two halves; firstly we were entertained to a collection of images put forward by members Nick, Janis, Alison, Ian S, and Steve with many different interpretations on the theme of creative lighting.

After a short interlude, Nick introduced us to a practical demonstration using off camera flash. Thank you Nick for entertaining us with the whys, the wherefores and the pitfalls of flash photography.

In response to a request from the pizza team, the challenge for the next informal evening is ‘Pizza Night’, where members will be given the opportunity to take and develop creative photographs for the purpose of promoting the business