December 2011

CANNOCK PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

Picture by Yasmin Stanton Editors Mumblings

It’s Christmas, and our present to you dear reader is a bumper 20 page edition of the Newsletter instead of the normal 16 pages. There are some excellent contributions in this edition from holidays in very photographic locations to help on mounting pictures and even a little humour mixed in too. we hope you enjoy reading them as much as we have.

It is with some sadness that I have to tell you that due to family commitments I have decided to hang up my quill after the March/April edition and Margaret has decided to do likewise. It has been a wonderful experience for both of us and one that we have thoroughly enjoyed. We hope we have informed and pleased members with our contribution to Camera society membership, and we wish to thank all contributors to the newsletter for their efforts, “without you we were sim- ply quill pushers” . So the society is now looking for a new editor or editors, think you fit the bill? All that is involved is a willingness to ask people for contributions (only one person in 6 years has said no) there have of course been a few broken legs to persuade people, Lol. You need to know a little bit about Publisher, We are more than willing to show anyone the ropes and will always provide some back up and/or advice. The society provide the printers, complete with a continuous ink feed system that is very efficient. All paper and inks are paid for by the Society, all you need to supply is the time collating the information and printing it. If you are interested please contact myself Margaret or John Cartlidge and have a chat about it. The Society has in the past considered making it an internet only newsletter, but the vast majority of members preferred something to pick up and read as and when they wanted, and to have in front of them for the teaching articles. David & Margaret Eds I saw this and I smiled as I thought about a few of our members, "If I die tomorrow I hope my wife doesn't sell my gear for the price I told her I bought it at.”

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year. From your committee. Thoughts of an Older member

I thought that as this was the Christmas Newsletter, I would reproduce an article by our esteemed secretary, Chris Cartlidge. I am assuming that it's an item she read somewhere as it refers to bedroom scenes. " Remember that older folk are worth a fortune - with silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet and gas in their tummies. Although I am getting older I have two gentlemen always with me . . . . . Will Power helps me out of bed every day and Arthur Ritus never leaves me alone. The vicar says that at my age I should be starting to think about the "Hereafter" . . . . I do that all the time. No matter where I am, in the lounge, study, kitchen or upstairs, I am always asking myself, " What am I here after ? ". Don't remember writing that Chris ? Maybe your memory isn't that bad , after all, it was 17 years ago ! Pete Phillips Page 2 Not all actresses are airheads

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her 'beauty tips.' It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

We just thought it was lovely and you might enjoy sharing it with us. Eds

***************** Subject: Celibacy

Many aspects of human sexuality are very puzzling. Take celibacy. This can be a choice in life, or a condition imposed by environmental factors. While attending a Marriage Encounter Weekend, Robert and Mary listened to the instructor declare "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other." He then addressed the men. "Can you each name and describe your wife's favourite flower?" Robert leaned over, touched Mary's arm gently and whispered, "Self raising, isn't it?" Thus began Robert's life of celibacy.

Well it made us smile Eds

News Item News Item News Item News Item

Just had the catalogues for the 2011 PAGB Inter Federation DI comp. The MCPF won and Cannock PS members helped by having the most of all clubs in the UK in the exhibition, a grand total of 7 images selected from 4 members, Mark Davies had 3 images Racing Hare, Dappled Light Fox plus Red Squirrel Drinking. Carl Mason had his Room with a View. Paul Rey- nolds had 2 with Busking the Blues and Inside and Guy Rogers chipped in with Orange Tip Covered in Dew. Congratulations to the Four Musketeers LOL......

Page 3 I had a thought! Whilst putting together the current magazine I suddenly wondered if any other club or organisation in Cannock ever gets as much publicity for the town around the world as we in CPS do. So , I thought lets see just where the name of Cannock is being shown around the world. Here is the list for this year so far and the season has only just got going, there are a total of 178 acceptances in 26 competitions in 17 countries for the four members shown here, we know there are still a number that have been sent out but have not yet been accepted in competitions.

Carl Mason Narava Slovenia 1 accepted Malmo Sweden 1 accepted - Bronze Medal awarded Belgrade Serbia 5 accepted Valetta Malta 5 accepted - Gold Medal awarded Tallaght Ireland 2 accepted Novi Sad Serbia 5 accepted Yuanlin Taiwan 1 accepted Swansea Wales 9 accepted - Highly Commended awarded Celje Slovenia 5 accepted Limours France 5 accepted ISO 2011 Belgium 4 accepted

John Cartlidge Taipei Taiwan 2 accepted Suncoast USA 5 accepted ICS Circuit USA 27 accepted including a PSA Ribbon Eco Truth Serbia 11 accepted Germany Photo Cup 11 including H.M. Narava Slovinia 4 including FIAP Ribbon Malta 8 including PSA Ribbon Leskovak Serbia 3 accepted Alberta Canada 3 accepted 202 Club Serbia 4 accepted Tallaght Ireland 3 accepted Limours France 5 accepted ISO Belgium 3 accepted Swansea 4 accepted

Mike Pearce Tropica in America 4 accepted Greater Lynn 3 accepted 6th Malta Inter 3 accepted Swansea 5 accepted Page 4 John Cartlidge got his picture “The Worshipers” on the front cover of the ICS circuit USA CD cover better positioned than some of the winners. Don’t worry Chris the chairman only likes him, he doesn’t fancy him! John had 27 Pictures accepted for this competition. The picture is top right.

Peter Clark

Australia 7 accepted Belgium 5 accepted Peter Clark France 12 accepted Germany 6 accepted PSA/FIAP Ribbon Ireland 9 accepted FIAP Bronze medal Luxembourg 1 accepted Malta 4 accepted Poland 3 accepted Serbia 7 accepted FIAP Ribbon Slovakia 2 accepted South Africa 2 accepted 4 x HM USA 69 accepted 1 x Best Scenic In 2 exhibitions 2 x Judges choice So folks, as can be seen the Society is bouncing the name of Cannock all over the world! Ed

On a lighter note….

My 6 yr old was having a tough time at Primary School. At least twice a week I would have a note from the Head Teacher listing his latest infractions. Eventually I put my foot down. “I don’t want any more notes from your Head Teacher.” “OK Mum” he said. After a pause he said “ Are you going to tell her or do you want me to?” Page 5 We All Need Some Action…

So there we sat, on the side of a Welsh mountain, armed to the teeth with cameras, waiting for a stream of rally cars to scream sideways around the corner. Being November at the time, and in Wales, to say there was something of a nip to the air would have been a vast understatement. Had it been any colder and the flame on the stove of the burger van would have frozen. However, a solution of four-thirds dedication, one-third caffeine and one- third lunacy (there were two of us!) meant that we were there ready to get some action shots of the World Rally Championship GB stage. Alex: Tripod stability was a big problem on the side of the mountain, with the surface consisting mainly of loose slates. By wedging a tripod leg against a hillside tree, then wedging myself against the tripod I was able to just about get a good angle without sliding off the hill onto the cars as they sped by at 70mph. That would have been tragic, as I don’t own a macro lens. As the corner we found to have the best lighting and most action was a blind one I had to watch for the hooligan on the apex to cheer in order to know when to compose, so I could track the car accurately and be ready to open. Shooting all day in the freezing temperatures nearly killed both of us, or would have done had it not been for coffee and a greasy burger! Steven: Tripod stability was the last thing on my mind; I considered getting up the hill in one piece a greater concern at the time. On the loose ground I seemed to be sliding backwards as fast as I could scramble up, progress was slow! After using anything I could grab onto to pull myself up, branches, tree trunks and long grass included, I finally managed to reach the position where Alex had set up. Page 6 The ‘perfect position’ as he described it. There was a slight problem with this however; he was using a 400mm lens and getting good results whereas the largest lens I owned at the time was 50mm so I spent this time just watching the race and trying to keep warm. Once we moved to the corner back on terra firma the action became more accessible for my little 50mm. As each car screamed round the bend I fired off a few shots them braced myself for the shower of debris that was inevitably kicked up by the cars. All was going well until a car broke down a short distance past where we were standing which led to us having to slow the following cars down to prevent a collision. This involved a lot of frantic waving and flailing of the arms but the drivers understood and a crash was avoided.

Overall it was a good day even though the odds were stacked against us! Having spent the day in the cold may have felt somewhat uncomfortable at the time, but we enjoyed taking the photographs and it was worth a small dose of hypothermia in the end! Alex Titterton and Steven Murphy

Seen outside a Pub on the A5. Bank Holiday Monday

Music and Live Roast

Don’t they kill it first? Ed

Page 7

A Photographic Holiday in

Janet, my wife, and I had only been abroad once before and after spending nearly forty years holidaying around the UK we decided to venture into Europe for a second time. Switzerland was our choice as we enjoy walking, mountain scenery and rail travel. After much thought and deliberation a three centre based tour including a day travelling on the world famous Glacier Express was booked.

I did not want to carry my Nikon D60 DSLR, so I purchased a Panasonic Lumix LX5 which also gave me the facility to do some video footage. I also bought a lens adapter so that I could use 52mm UV and Circular Polarising filters.

We flew to Zurich from sunny Brum and then transferred on to Interlaken via Bern using the wonderful punctual Swiss Rail System. The weather had not been very kind during the days leading up to our visit and we feared the worst. Luckily, after a dull start on the first day the weather gradually improved and the sun shone everyday for the remainder of our stay.

Interlaken, a bustling town situated between Lake Thun and the wonderful Lake Brienz offered many varied options. Our stay, being limited to two days was restricting so we opted for a boat trip on Lake Brienz, with its milky aquamarine colour, and an excursion on the cog railway to the Schynige Platte, with its magnificent views. To the south, the skyline dominated by the silhouette of the majestic Eiger, Münch and Jungfrau peaks, then turning to face north and far beneath you Interlaken with its shimmering twin lakes.

After watching the start of the Jungfrau Marathon – they must be mad; we transferred to via Visp, arriving at lunchtime.

At 1600m the air in Zermatt is thin and I felt dizzy, but soon acclimatised making sure that we drank plenty of water. An interesting feature of Zermatt is that petrol and diesel vehicles are prohibited so the only motorised transport around the town are electric buses and taxis. Sounds good, but you quickly realise that they appear behind you without warn- ing so you have to be on your guard.

That afternoon we spent walking around the town catching glimpses of the famous , what a sight. The town, running for approximately two miles along a valley is a mixture of old and new. New hotels and fashionable boutiques next to fifteenth century barns.

Page 8 Up to date sporting facilities next to vegetable gardens and horses grazing in paddocks. Perhaps one of the most poignant moments was when we walked through the graveyard full of headstones dedicated to climbers killed whilst attempting to conquer the many 4000m plus peaks that encircle Zermatt.

We purchased a three day pass that entitled us to use the cable cars, buses and the famous cog railway. The pass enabled us to ascend easily to 3000 to 3800 metres to view the breath taking mountain landscape panorama, including twenty nine peaks in excess of 4000m, and walk a few of the sixty four sign posted hiking routes.

View of the Fluhalp restaurant with the Findel Glacier in the background.

The Rothorn at 3100m, renowned for its view of the Matterhorn, was our first ascent. We disembarked from the cable car to be met by a herd of goats that after posing for a photo shoot and chewing my trousers disappeared in a procession down a rock face.

From the Rothorn we took a leisurely walk down past the magnificent Findel Glacier to Stellisee a small lake which, on a calm day would have afforded an opportunity to photograph the Matterhorn in its full glory along with its reflection in the lake, but this was not to be as the wind was blowing ripples across the lake. Special early morning excursions are available, weather permitting, to view the Matterhorn as the sun rises, described as a sight to behold.

We then decided to walk along a special trail that is dedicated to the alpine plants found in the area, special information stations placed strategically along the trail gave information about individual plants, most informative.

Page 9 Moving further down the mountain the terrain changed to forest and beech woods and the lower green slopes as we finally arrived back in Zermatt three hours later. During this walk we saw marmots, numerous alpine plants, including the vivid blue gentian and black squirrels. Walking down hill, especially the steeper forest slopes, was rather heavy going on the poor old calf muscles.

Up early and ready to embark on our second ascent on Europe’s highest open air cog railway to the Gonergrat at 3089m. At the top the viewing platform was bustling with visitors, the young Japanese tourists were a particular joy to watch as they set up their cameras on a time lapse and then quickly ran into position to jump excitedly in front of the Matterhorn as the camera clicked.

The Kulm hotel and its twin towers capped with shiny metal observatory domes provided an excellent photo opportunity with the Matterhorn as a backdrop. We stayed for about half an hour before going back down to the Rottenboden station in order to view the Gorner, Theodulg and Furgg glaciers,

A chance meeting with an English man, whilst resting, told us how, fifty years ago he was part of a scientific expedition measuring the glaciers. He pointed out just how much regression has taken place over the last fifty years shown by the amount of visible moraine. A short walk down the mountain and we reached the Refelsee lake and with weather conditions almost perfect, it afforded an excellent opportunity to capture the Matterhorn with its reflection.

The observatory tower Janet relaxing in front of the Rifelsee(lake) on the Gornergrat. with the Matterhorn and its reflection.

Then back down to Zermatt for an afternoon visit to the Matterhorn museum. A most interesting exhibition inviting you on a tour into Zermatt’s history including an insight into the 19th century Mountaineer’s Page 10 obsession with the Matterhorn. Conquered in July 1865 by a team of seven led by Londoner, Edward Whymper. Tragically the thinner reserve rope they employed for the descent snapped and four men fell to their death, the rope was on display in a glass case as a reminder to visitors. The Matterhorn although surrounded in mystic is not the highest or most difficult summit in the area.

Our final ascent was to the Paradise. After ascending to the first gondola station at Furi we took a short excursion to a new hanging footbridge, so Janet could cross it before setting off on the remainder of our ascent, we thought.

Unfortunately on arrival at we found the cable car for the final stage was out of order and watched in amazement as twenty or so boiler suited men stood holding and splicing the cable for the cable car. A detour took us back down to Furi and finally an ascent on the skier’s cable car to the summit. It was worth it, as once there, we walked out onto the snow and ice of the Obrere glistening in the strong sunlight; the air although thin at 3883m (12740ft) was fresh and clean. It was so clear it was possible to see the highest peaks in Europe, including Mount Blanc 70 miles away, from the observation tower.

We then ventured into the glacier underground palace to view the wonderful ice sculptures and to ride on the ice slide. The next day saw us boarding the Glacier Express (the slowest express in the world) for a seven and a half hour transfer to Davos. I decided not to video the experience as we wanted to take in the journey fully and listen to the commentary available. We therefore bought a DVD, booklet and photograph cards as souvenirs. The commentary consisted of fifty plus short audios at strategic stages of the journey describing the history, geography, politics, culture and language of the surrounding areas and also facts about the train.

Did you know? There are 35 kms of rack track along the route that is picked up by cogs on the engine to enable it to pull the train up inclines that would otherwise be impossible to climb. That, before the 9.5mile long Furka Basis tunnel was engineered, the train took an 11mile detour and only ran for four months of the year, as the collapsible bridge over the Steffenbach Streham on this section had to be dismantled for the winter months as they feared avalanches might sweep it away.

Page 11 Finally we arrived in Davos and caught a connection to Klosters, Prince Charles’s favourite ski resort. The weather did not look promising with low lying cloud and poor visibility, yet the next morning a trip on the Madrisa gondolas took us above the clouds into glorious sunshine. Soon the sun had burnt off the low lying cloud in the valley below and once again we were blessed with brilliant weather that remained with us for the final two days of the holiday.

Klosters is a beautiful village lying in a lush valley, wooden houses constructed from larch that turns dark brown after years of bathing in bright sunlight, brightly painted windows with red and pink geraniums hanging from window boxes. Carved wooden statues and the silver grey waters of the Landquat river running down through the picturesque village of Monbiel.

The River Landquart near Monbiel Wooden Sculpture

There was no attempt at manicured lawns just lush meadow which eve- ryone appears to cut and store in barns, wooden logs piled against the side of barns ready to burn during the long winter months. The occa- sional horse drawn carriage taking visitors on a short tour and as with all of the areas we visited a sense of respect for their surroundings.

It was so exhilarating to explore such a wonderful area of Europe and having sunny weather does help enormously and we were graced with more that our fair share.

I took 700 plus photos, 70 plus videos and in general I was pleased with the performance I got from the Lumix LX5. The lack of a view finder did pose some problems especially when trying to set up compositions in sunlight using the 3.0-inch display, but the £200 plus for an External Optical View Finder was out of the question. Frank Gill.

Page 12

Travels in the Utah & Arizona Wilderness Peter Clark FRPS EFIAP/p APSA EPSA

Last June I attended a Utah & Arizona Wilderness Workshop run by my friend Nigel Turner of Nigel Turner Landscape Photography whom I have known for more than 15 years. This was by no means a ‘normal’ workshop in that we were not based in motels, nor did we travel for the most part down recognised highways to the shooting locations; it was far more than that – it was a great adventure and a total experience and, of course, there are no motels in the wilderness!!

Nigel’s Fifth Wheel & HD 4x4 Truck Nigel’s Polaris RZR ATV’s

The Workshop was based on the Utah border just to the west of Page, AZ on an RV park adjacent to the Paria Ranger Station where our accommodation was in Nigel’s 37’ Fifth Wheel, a very comfortable, self contained unit, kitted out like a small apartment which sleeps 4/6 people and has all the facilities one would expect in America – a self contained queen suite with shower & toilet, a bunk bed area with ensuite washing and toilet facilities, in addition to a well equipped kitchen, lounge area, air conditioning, full sound system, etc., etc.!! The RV park is very quiet even though it is used regularly for stopovers by Trek America and Suntrek (remarkably well behaved young people) and has an excellent shower and toilet block too.

The aim of these Workshops, which are limited to 4 people, is to visit some of the most remote yet outstanding landscapes that most photographers can only dream about, where the nearest accommodation can be two hours away from the shooting locations which are impossible to reach without the use of specialised 4x4 vehicles such as the Polaris RZR’s shown above.

Page 13 White Pocket & South Coyote Buttes

White Pocket (which was only discovered some 5 years ago) and South Coyote Buttes are relatively close to one another and some 30 – 40 miles out in the wilderness We visited each area twice camping out overnight to catch both the evening and early morning light. We left our base camp early afternoon in the two Polaris RZR’s – we shared the driving - that in itself was a great experience, along rough dirt roads, a steep rocky mountainside switchback track and along miles of deep sandy tracks on which the Polaris’s ‘surfed’, to eventually arrive at the camp site. Once the tents were pitched we headed off to the target area.

Lollipop Rock, White Pocket Cinnamon Swirl, White Pocket

White Pocket belies it’s name in that there is also plenty of colour around as shown above, but there are also large areas of whitish rocks known as the Brain Rocks on account of their brain like structure. Two visits gave us familiarity with the area and the opportunity to review our images and make amends for missed opportunities, etc.

Brain Rocks & Pine, White Pocket Sandstone Swirls, White Pocket

In the evening there was nothing more civilised than sitting out under the stars drinking (several) substantial gin & tonics – with ice and lemon, of course!!

Page 14 The rocks of South Coyote Buttes are similar in nature to those of North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, but are predominately red rather than red and orange verging to yellow. That said there is one small area with strong magenta and yellow lines in the rocks as shown in the image below. If there was one image I really wanted to capture on the Workshop, that is it!

Psychedelic Rock, S Coyote Buttes Red Rock Glow, S Coyote Buttes

South Coyote Buttes is not an area suited to monochrome, but no doubt a few mono images will surface eventually!

Lines of Time, S. Coyote Buttes Tepees at Dawn, S Coyote Buttes

The Wahweap Hoodoos

The Wahweap Hoodoos, sometimes called the Ghost Hoodoos, are located to the north of the highway to Page, about 25 miles from the RV park. The first part of the journey is along the highway followed by 10-15 miles of fairly decent dirt road and for this trip the HD 4x4 truck was used and, as it is a morning only location, there was no need to camp out over- night. From the trailhead it is an ~1 ½ mile hike along a flat wash, fine in the cool of early morning, but sapping on the return journey in the heat of the day at 100 °F. The hoodoos are almost black and white so lend themselves admirably to monochrome photography as seen in one of the images opposite. Page 14 Page 15

Tower of Silence Wahweap Hoodoos

Lower Antelope Canyon

Lower Antelope Canyon together with Upper Antelope Canyon are well known locations, both accessed directly from the highway. We visited Lower Antelope, which I had visited a couple of times before many years ago, and a pair of images are shown below.

Breaking Waves, Lower Antelope Navajo Pipes

In addition to the locations already mentioned we also visited Stud Horse Point and the Rim Rocks – both locations were described in the article on my Bodie to Bisti trip in a previous newsletter.

It was an amazing trip, full of excitement and adventure, which took us to locations to which many photographers aspire, but few manage to get to and it yielded a number of strong images. It was so different from a normal workshop in which one travels from one location to another, staying in motels and never venturing off the highway except on foot. Without doubt it was one of the best, if not the best workshop I have had the pleasure to attend and as a group we all gelled and complimented one another perfectly and I could not have wished for

Page 16 HOW TO PREPARE YOUR PRINTS FOR ENTRY INTO THE CPS MONTHLY COMPETITIONS ~~ A GUIDE ~~ Presentation of your prints is almost as important as the print itself. This guide is intended to provide information that may help you mount prints successfully.

MOUNTBOARD The thickness of the board is up to you, however, most board that is suitable is around the 1.4mm mark, anything thicker than this will probably be too heavy. Surface colour is your own choice also, but the preferred norm. is white in its various shades, from pure white to bordering upon cream. Black may be suitable for some prints but other colours will often clash with the colours in the print and may be quite unsuitable for a black and white print. The maximum cut size is 20x16 inches. If you work in metric, 50x40cm is almost 20x16 inches. You can use smaller sizes if you wish but the maximums are the preferred sizes. You can purchase ready cut boards in these dimensions but if you cut the boards to size yourself please make sure they are cut square i.e. 20 inches on 2 sides and 16 inches on the other 2, with straight sides. Your print size can be anything you choose bearing in mind the 20x16 inch maximum.

DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO FIX YOUR PRINT. It is generally accepted that at club level there are 3 ways to fix your print to the mountboard, these are: - a). Cut a middle section out of the board and attach your print to the back or to a backing card. This is currently the most often used method. b). Use an aerosol spray adhesive on the back of your print and fix it to the front of the mountboard. There is a danger of getting glue on the face of your print. c). Use Archival Dot Adhesive, either from sheets or a roll dispenser. There are 2 types, permanent and re-positionable. This is probably the easiest and safest method.

PREPARE A BACKING CARD This is an optional requirement if you use mounting method a). above. It gives rigidity to the mount and helps to protect the print. Use thin but stiff nd card from about 600microns up to the 1.4mm of a 2 mountboard. Cut/prepare the card so that it is bigger than the print paper but smaller that the mountboard. It is sensible to save the cut out middles from the mountboard then join 2 together with tape and cut to a suitable size to make backing boards. If you do not use a backing card, you run the risk of your mounted print buckling and not lying flat, this is due to the expansion/ contraction of papers at different room temperatures. Page 17 MOUNTING YOUR PRINT With the spray glue/dot adhesives, apply to the back of the print, keeping the adhesive well away from the printed side and fix the print to the front of the mountboard making sure you position it correctly.

If cutting out the middle of the board to form a window, measure and cut carefully. You can use a steel ruler with a thin bladed craft or mat knife; do not use a Stanley type knife, as the blade is usually too thick. A custom-built bevel mount cutting tool is by far the best option, but is more expensive. Always use a very sharp thin blade; anything else and the cut will drag giving rough, untidy edges. Be especially careful with corners and leave all of your fingers attached to your hands. Once the window is cut out, if you are not using a backing card, position the print and fix it to the back of the mount using single sided adhesive tape on all 4 edges. You do not need to apply the tape to the full length of the edges, but please make sure it is secure. If you are using a backing card, you can either position the print and fix to the back of the mount or, fix it to the front of the backing card. In either case only apply tape to the top edge of the print paper (this will prevent buckling), then bring the backing card to the back of the mount and fix with tape along all 4 edges. A word about adhesive tape, you are strongly advised to purchase and use tape intended for the job, it isn’t expensive. Please do not use brown or clear parcel tape, the adhesive is usually of poor quality and can bleed at the edges causing damage to other peoples work. Never use masking tape, it only lightly fixes the backing card, can peel away easily and then attach itself to other peoples prints.

DETAILS ON THE BACK Once mounting is complete you must put certain details on the reverse. Avoid entering these at the top right as you look at the back of the mount, but anywhere else is O.K. Details should be entered in the same orientation as the print to indicate which is the top of the print when it is viewed.

The information you should show is: - a). The title of your image b). Your name c). A contact phone number d). Section being entered e.g. ADV MONO or INTERMEDIATE COLOUR etc. You can write the information directly onto the back of the mount or use a printed self-adhesive label. If handwriting the details, please use capital letters and make it legible.

FINALLY Please hand in your prints on the dates shown on the programme. If you cannot do this, you can bring them in early and hand them to the Print Sec. Page 18 Late hand-ins are frowned upon but if there is no alternative you should discuss arrangements in advance with the Print Competition Secretary. If there is anything in this Guide you are unsure about, please talk to me about it. If you have any associated questions, please ask Carl Mason The Print Competition Secretary.

THIS and THAT Pete Phillips

What a great season we're enjoying and only just over a third of the way through. I particularly enjoyed "Beyond the Moment of Capture" by Brian Beaney FRPS with his layers of mist giving haunting images of the derelict boats he favoured. The results were stunning and his detailed explanation of the way in which they were done made them appear almost achievable ! So much so that I believe several of our members had a go when they got chance. In answer to a question Brian did concede though that he worked on each one for a couple of days to get it as he wanted. Nevertheless we may see something similar in our next monthly competition. (I wouldn't hold your breath). If you didn't catch the lecture do have a look at Brian's website " Brian Beaney Fine Art Photographer ".

The A.V s by Malcolm Imhoff were also very good and one sequence gave us an in depth look at the reasons for the styles of the Venetian masks that feature so very often in our pictures, particularly those of our expert, President Paul Reynolds, who has had so much exhibition success with them

Members Profiles. These Newsletter articles have always been interesting when we discover a bit more about our fellow club members than just a few words in the coffee interval.

Sad but true you sometimes only really learn some fascinating background when the eulogy is read at their funeral. One case in par- ticular was that read out at the funeral of one of the society's founder members Cadwaladr Owen Hughes , " Pop " to his friends at the club. It was that many years ago that I guess only a handful of we older members remember him.

One of eleven children he was born in 1902 at Betws-y-Coed. At the age of 22 he started a touring cinema around the village halls in North

Page 19 Wales. He towed his own generator and made weekly visits to Llandudno Junction to pick up the latest films from London for his nightly shows. He provided the piano accompaniment for any silent films.

He made the news headlines in 1925 when showing a film to most of the village's population at the meeting hall in Dalgerrog. The dam above the village burst and tons of rock and water created a landslide which swept down onto the houses in the village killing sixteen souls. Had it not been for "Pops" film show that night many more lives would have been lost.

After a spell of chauffeuring in Llandudno and Sutton Coldfield, driving Rolls and Daimler limousines he moved to Harrow as a chauffeur for the chairman of Aston Martin. When war was imminent he went to work for the Air Ministry at West Bromwich. He had to test and examine aeroplane parts around the Midlands. He was an " ideas " man and many of his innovations went unrecognised. He solved the problem of bomber tyres bursting on landing by putting small fins on the hubs so that the wheels were already spinning on impact. He was presented with awards by Rolls Royce for his services.

After the war he became Chief Maintenance Engineer at Bilston Council and moved to Cannock in 1952.

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Situations Vacant Finally some good news for those seeking an exciting opportunity to fill in some of their spare time and help the club at the same time . . . . . and bad news for the rest of us ! Due to sudden unforeseen family events Editor David Evans thinks it's highly unlikely that he will be able to carry on the job of producing the Newsletter after the next issue. In March. And as a 'double whammy' associate editor Margaret Peters is also hanging up her - whatever editors hang up. See David or Margaret as soon as you can. Full training will be given in the use of the printer and continuous ink system, newsletter layout and anything else that's necessary. Pete Phillips

If you wish to write an article or simply get in touch with the editors please ring :- David on 01543 686480 or Margaret on 01785 223516

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