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Newsletter Issue No 107 September 2003 1 The Leica Fellowship Newsletter No: 107 Contents September 2003 2 – 3 Welcome to Newsletter 4 – 6 – 6 Autumn Meeting 6 – 7 – 8 Postal Portfolio History 9 – 10 Panel v City & guilds 11 For Sale 12 Annual Competition 13 New Members etc. 14 – 15 – 16 The Houston L.F. 17 – 18 – 19 Leica Thambar 20 Notes for your diary & info. 21 Make sure. 22 – 23 News from Leica 25 Useful Info. 26 Next Newsletter 27 A few Photos © COPYRIGHT: No article or part of an article contained herein maybe reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the Editor of the Leica Fellowship Newsletter or the author. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Leica Fellowship Council or its officers 1 Welcome to the September Newsletter Over three months have passed since the last newsletter and here we are again bringing you up to date with some of the news and matters of interest. A beautiful summer has helped everyone to relax, enjoy their holidays and encouraged good photography as seen by the entries submitted for the Aspley Guise competition this last September, all of which were of a very high standard. During August Barbara and I took the annual village outing to Southend-on- Sea. It’s a popular venue with the villagers - all the fun of the fair and by the seaside, which is important when you don’t see the sea from one year to the next and for £10 per head as well. One of the local chaps from the cricket club organises the 40-seater coach and Barbara and I just have to walk 75 yards to the end of the road for 8 am to pick up the coach. We arrived at Southend at around 9.30 am and then go our own way until we meet up again at 6 pm to go home. What surprised me on arrival at the coach park was the speed at which people just disappeared not to be seen again until 6 pm. Within 2 minutes of parking there was no one to be seen. They ‘d just dispersed without saying a word; gone for breakfast, or into the amusement halls along the front or to sit on the beach (it was a sunny day) or to take their children on the rides in the theme park. We took a short train ride to Leigh-on-Sea to look at the cockle sheds and the busy industry around the harvesting of cockles, carried out over the years by the same families - the road was called (wait for it) Cockle Row. I was amazed at the quantity of shells being elevated from the factory floor after processing the cockles, into a large trailer and there was a young lad no more than 13 years stripped to the waist on the trailer making sure the shells were cleared under the elevator, to prevent any build up (bridging). Health and Safety at Work Act was certainly not being applied with regards to this youngster. The young lad beckoned me with his finger and over the noise of the machinery, invited me to go round to the front of the factory and ask for Tim, who would let me sample the freshly processed cockles. I declined the invitation as I had my Digilux1 poised for that winning shot, and didn’t wish to confront Tim; also Barbara wished to move on. We then walked along Cockle Row, sat outside a pub and shellfish stall and enjoyed a plate (approx. 4” dia.) of cockles and a plate of whelks, washed down with a glass of Chardonnay - most enjoyable on a sunny day. It was also 2 interesting watching other day-trippers and locals, enjoying jellied eels, mackerel, salmon and the rest! Another way of life! We arrived back home 7:30 pm having listened to the tales of the best fish and chips in the south east, who had been down the pier and we listened to the delights of one person who had just won £17 on the fruit machine just before departure, and was then prevented (because of time) of the opportunity of re-investing it on the same fruit machine! All in all we had a good day out, and now look forward to next year; it will be the same time, same place and the same people. I took the M6 and the Digilux1, a good partnership for a day out and little weight to carry around ones neck. So if you have the pleasure of visiting Southend-on-Sea in the future, take a walk down Cockle Row. Just after the Autumn meeting at Aspley Guise we took our grand-daughter to Aberystwyth she is reading law at The University of Wales and I was fortunate to view on the Saturday an exhibition of b/w prints by Sabastiao Salgado - “The Children of Exodus”. Powerful and compassionate portraits of children - displaced children who rarely express their feelings outwardly yet tell it all with their eyes and their facial expressions. All taken with R and M cameras. The exhibition has now moved back home to Paris but keep your eyes open as it could well return to the UK. Another exhibition that was showing at the time was by landscape photographer Jeremy Moore and narratives by the late William Condry. All the photographs were of the local area Ceredigion and I must admit I was taken up with the photos and ended up buying his book - “Heart of The Country”, ISBN 1 84323 2030, Gomer Press, Llandysul, Ceredigion, price £14.95. Many thanks for all your kind comments and support of the newsletter; please keep up the interest and the articles coming in. If you have something to say about your Leica holiday experiences or day out, or in fact your Leicas), or if you know of a photographic exhibition or special event coming up in the future just let me know and the newsletter will do the rest. Please drop me a line. I am fortunate to meet thirty, maybe forty members at our May and September meets and I am fully aware there are a further 130 or more members who for whatever reason are unable to attend the Fellowship meetings and the newsletter is the way the Fellowship keeps in contact with all members. So it is important that we share our views and experiences through the newsletter and I am positive that everyone will agree with that. All the best for now Keep clicking away—Ed 3 From Newcastle upon Tyne:- Jon Lawler writes an overview of the September meeting at Aspley Guise AUTUMN MEETING 2003 Moore Place Hotel, Aspley Guise The autumn meeting saw a pleasant return to the recently extended and very well appointed Moore Place Hotel. Jay Charnock, in her first official outing as President, opened proceedings by offering a warm welcome to all and introducing several new members. Until recently, North Norfolk, Newcastle upon Tyne and Lymington were among the most distant outposts of the Leica Fellowship, but these have now been superseded and a very special welcome was extended to Bill and Mary Caldwell, who travelled from Virginia to join us. Before dinner, Chris Parkin gave a fascinating presentation, relating the story of how he stumbled upon circus photography and became so captivated that it resulted in a career change, culminating in him directing a performance at this year’s Edinburgh Festival. This photographic journey was illustrated with a selection of excellent prints, created using a variety of techniques including selenium toning, Cibachrome and more recently, digital manipulation. This really was a stunning collection of photographs, conveying both the excitement of the performance and the sheer physical prowess of the performers. Some envious members were left wondering whether they had space at home for one of Chris’s huge prints and, perhaps more importantly, how they might persuade him to part with one! Karen Bradbury, the hotel manager, gave an illuminating and entertaining introduction to the local area, which was followed by an excellent meal and informal conversation. Saturday Most people opted to spend the day visiting Woburn Abbey. The approach to the house, travelling through the vast herd of deer is almost worth the admission fee itself and the art collection within the house is truly outstanding, including an impressive collection of Canalettos displayed on the walls of the family dining room! The Woburn Craft Show, held within the grounds, included amongst many other things, a steam driven sawmill and displays of glassblowing, providing a wealth of photographic opportunity for those who visited. Those who ventured further afield 4 to The Centenary of Flight Air Show at Duxford reported this to be excellent, and in what is now customary fashion for a Fellowship weekend, the weather remained fine, except for a few showers at lunchtime. With dinner finishing a little later than expected, there was some concern that the Annual Print and Slide Competition might finish late. However, Graham Laughton proved himself to be a good judge, offering considered yet succinct comment and supported by Hugh Elliott’s usual efficiency, the competition was completed in good time. Once the winners had been duly rewarded there was time for a little more Leica chat and fellowship before retiring. Sunday Brian Bower arranged the itinerary for Sunday and clutching a detailed set of directions we set off car sharing to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton. This is a real gem of a site, tucked away in the countryside (as some navigators may testify!), housing a collection of locomotives, rolling stock and 2 restored Victorian stations.