Our 2020-2021 season will continue until mid-May using Zoom software
Full details of the programme are shown below.
Because of the current restrictions, we're not yet able to run special events such as workshops, visits to places of interest, our annual club dinner and our annual outing.
There's a lot happening at the club, so if you're not yet a member and want to find out more, then just click on "Contact Us" in the footer on every page and complete the form or leave a message on our Facebook page - link above.
Programme to May 2020
All meetings open at 7.45 for an 8.00 start. Links will be emailed a few days before the meeting.
Subgroup meetings are shaded in yellow.
Thursday 21st January: TALK – Wildlife through the Lens with Tom Way
Tom is a professional fine art wildlife photographer based in the UK. He has been awarded in various international competitions including European Wildlife Photographer of The Year and the Sony World Photography Awards.
Tom favours a fine art style approach to photography exhibiting his work in galleries and exhibitions.
He spends the majority of his time overseas focusing on large mammals around the world. Tom’s main passion is Africa where assignments have seen him focus on elephants and lions in Kenya and leopards in Zambia.
In this talk, Tom goes into what it takes to be a Wildlife Photographer, talking about the importance of light and the emphasis on trying to compose a sellable image when looking through the lens. Tom describes his adventures over the last few years, and how he has gone from working in a gym to now taking wildlife images around the world and exhibiting them all over the UK. See: https://tomwayphotography.co.uk/events/
Monday 25th January: – Tondig (Tonbridge Digital Imaging) subgroup (Tony Hill)
These meetings are devoted to more advanced photographic techniques at both the taking and the processing stages.
In an attempt to combine several requests, we will be discussing and illustrating: Composition - the ‘rules’, the guides, the shapes etc. and Compositing - what to put in, where to put it and how it may help. If we use compositional guides, whether it be by contriving an 'S' shape in our image or by using the rule of thirds, or if we put a different sky into an image thus creating a composite, the fundamental reason that we are doing that is to make our final image look better, but what we are really trying to achieve is to encourage the viewer to look at our image for longer. We will be looking at various different ways we can draw viewers in to our images.
Thursday 28th January: Local Competition #4
A wide variety of images will be shown and the judge, Barbie Lindsay, will offer constructive views on what she sees. The comments will be of immense value to everyone, not just those who’ve entered the competition. Even if you’re not interested in competitions, you’ll enjoy the images.
Monday 1st February: EYI (Enhancing Your Images) subgroup (Philip Smithies)
This subgroup concentrates on relatively simple techniques which can be used to improve your photographs straight out of camera. Meetings will be recorded to enable you to practise the various techniques.
Thursday 4th February: MIPS Challenge
The Mersea Island Challenge Trophy was established over 30 years ago when 12 clubs from around the UK were invited to take part in a Slide competition. The competition became digital about 8 years ago. The clubs were divided into 2 groups of six and each club held a round of the competition. In effect, the images were judged independently by 6 different judges. The images from the top 3 clubs in each group were then forwarded to the final which was hosted by one of the 12 participating clubs. For the first time, Tonbridge won last year’s competition.
Because of Covid, the arrangements will be slightly different this year but we will still see 5 images from each of the 12 different clubs in this competition.
Monday 8th February: AV (Audio-Visual) subgroup (Philip Smithies)
AVs are pictures and/or videos combined with music and/or narrative and sound effects – often producing results which are similar to short television programmes.
Meetings are aimed primarily at those people who make AVs and/or those who enjoyed the previous seasons' meetings and/or those who'd like to find out more. If you're interested, please contact Philip Smithies.
Thursday 11th February: Local Competition #5
A wide variety of images will be shown and the judge, Andy Smith, will offer constructive views on what he sees. The comments will be of immense value to everyone, not just those who’ve entered the competition. Even if you’re not interested in competitions, you’ll enjoy the images.
Monday 15th February: Image Discussion subgroup (David Godfrey)
The Image Discussion subgroup, led by David Godfrey for the immediate future, aims to encourage and help all members (but especially less experienced ones) to take better pictures and improve those they already have taken. David says "I should comment up front that whilst I am an enthusiastic photographer with some club competition success, I don’t consider myself a qualified judge. I do however like to collaborate with those who have a similar enthusiasm for photography and it is within this spirit that I offer my constructive critique of images on the night. I will also of course invite others on-line in the zoom meeting to comment on images too. When offering critiques of photographs, I try to be considerate and honest by identifying the positives in the image whilst identifying areas that could be improved in my view. Hopefully I achieve this balance and you'll find the review helpful".
Thursday 18th February: Talk: All in the Mind with Ken Scott
Ken Scott is a photographer, adventurer, speaker, and coach from Sussex who is probably best known for his work with mountain landscape and light, which spans nearly forty years of walking and mountaineering in Britain, and overseas in Corsica, the Pyrenees, Alps and North America. In recent times his photographic repertoire has expanded to include a diversity of styles from intimate nature to abstract art, which have emerged from the discipline of daily practice. The end of 2019 marked twelve years – 4383 consecutive days – of a “365 Project”, now “Project Infinity”, making a picture every day.
His talk is “It’s All in the Mind”: An introduction to Photopsychology. He explores what it is that influences us to see what we see (or don’t see) and to like what we like. What is the effect of compositions and colours? How are you responding to facial expression and body language? How do our minds and our social environments influence how we see, think, feel and behave as photographers?
The trouble is, we give everything a label. It is how we understand the world. What happens if we take the labels away? If we go back to the fundamentals of seeing?
See: https://touchingthelight.co.uk/
Monday 22nd February: Tondig (Tonbridge Digital Imaging) subgroup (Tony Hill)
These meetings are devoted to more advanced photographic techniques at both the taking and the processing stages.
Thursday 25th February: Local Competition #6
A wide variety of images will be shown and the judge, Pat Couder, will offer constructive views on what she sees. The comments will be of immense value to everyone, not just those who’ve entered the competition. Even if you’re not interested in competitions, you’ll enjoy the images.
This time, the competition will be in two parts. Part 1 will be the standard open-subject competition; Part 2 will be Landscape Photography.
Monday 1st March EYI: (Enhancing Your Images) subgroup (Philip Smithies)
This subgroup concentrates on relatively simple techniques which can be used to improve your photographs straight out of camera. Meetings will be recorded to enable you to practise the various techniques.
Thursday 4th March: TALK – Smartphone photography with Jeanette Lendon
If you own a smartphone, then you own a camera, and if you own a camera, you have the tools to create stunning images and video content. Jeanette will give you the skills to use your smartphone camera to release its full potential.
“When people ask me what camera I use – I tell them my eyes” – Anonymous
See https://www.jetblacksquares.com
Monday 8th March: AV (Audio-Visual) subgroup (Philip Smithies)
AVs are pictures and/or videos combined with music and/or narrative and sound effects – often producing results which are similar to short television programmes.
Meetings are aimed primarily at those people who make AVs and/or those who enjoyed the previous seasons' meetings and/or those who'd like to find out more. If you're interested, please contact Philip Smithies
Thursday 11th March: In-house: “Improve your Photography through Distinctions” – an illustrated talk with Alan Cork PhD FRES LRPS CPAGB
Alan says: Part of the motivation behind people joining camera clubs is to meet people with similar interests in photography but ultimately it is to improve and achieve recognition for our work. When I joined Tonbridge CC in 2010 there was a Group system and I steadily worked my way up to Group 1; a process that I found valuable and rewarding. When starting out on our photographic journey it is important to get feedback on our images and learn from seeing others’ work, about what makes a good image and hopefully how to improve our own work. Luckily, Tonbridge CC is a large club and competition helps to raise the standard of our work.
However, club photography can only take you so far. We know that certain judges prefer certain types of image and that scores are subjective so how does our photography compare to regional, national and indeed international standards? As members of a camera club affiliated to the PAGB [Photographic Alliance of Great Britain] through the KCPA [Kent County Photographic Association] we can apply for Distinctions at national level [PAGB] and international level through FIAP [International Federation of Photographic Art] submitted as PDIs, Prints or AVs. Other organisations such as the RPS [Royal Photographic Society] and British Photographic Exhibitions [BPE] can also award distinctions. Each has different tiers of excellence and some are more costly to enter than others.
As the KCPA Awards Officer, I am heavily involved in the submission process for Distinctions [Awards for Photographic Merit] and have also gained some modest distinctions for my work [LRPS CPAGB], though actively working towards others.
The evening will consist of a resume of the requirements for Distinctions from the PAGB, RPS and FIAP and images from the PAGB Lecture Series will be presented to show the typical standard for each of the three tiers available. I would particularly welcome questions throughout the presentation.
Monday 15th March: Image Discussion subgroup (David Godfrey)
The Image Discussion subgroup, led by David Godfrey for the immediate future, aims to encourage and help all members (but especially less experienced ones) to take better pictures and improve those they already have taken. David says "I should comment up front that whilst I am an enthusiastic photographer with some club competition success, I don’t consider myself a qualified judge. I do however like to collaborate with those who have a similar enthusiasm for photography and it is within this spirit that I offer my constructive critique of images on the night. I will also of course invite others on-line in the zoom meeting to comment on images too. When offering critiques of photographs, I try to be considerate and honest by identifying the positives in the image whilst identifying areas that could be improved in my view. Hopefully I achieve this balance and you'll find the review helpful".
Thursday 18th March: Portrait Competition
All the images will be portraits of people and the judge, Kirsty Ralfs LRPS QCP ARPS, will offer constructive views on what she sees. The comments will be of immense value to everyone, even if you’re not particularly interested in portraiture. Although competitions may not interest you, you’ll certainly enjoy the images.
Monday 22nd March: Tondig (Tonbridge Digital Imaging) subgroup (Tony Hill)
These meetings are devoted to more advanced photographic techniques at both the taking and the processing stages.
Thursday 25th March: Local Competition #7
This time, the competition will be in two parts. Part 1 will be the standard open-subject competition; Part 2 will be Monochrome Photography.
The judge, Paul Adams, will offer constructive views on what he sees. The comments will be of immense value to everyone whether or not they entered. Even if you’re not interested in competitions, you’ll enjoy the images.
Monday 29th March: EYI (Enhancing Your Images) subgroup (Philip Smithies)
This subgroup concentrates on relatively simple techniques which can be used to improve your photographs straight out of camera. Meetings will be recorded to enable you to practise the various techniques.
Thursday 1st April: No meeting (the day before Good Friday)
Monday 5th April: No meeting (Easter Monday)
Thursday 8th April: PDI Sequence Competition
Something rather different… Each entrant submits up to six strongly related images with a logical theme (possibly telling a story).
Monday 12th April: AV (Audio-Visual) subgroup (Philip Smithies)
AVs are pictures and/or videos combined with music and/or narrative and sound effects – often producing results which are similar to short television programmes.
Meetings are aimed primarily at those people who make AVs and/or those who enjoyed the previous seasons' meetings and/or those who'd like to find out more. If you're interested, please contact Philip Smithies
Thursday 15th April: TALK – Flowers, Nature and Landscape of the British Isles with Andy Small
Andy Small specialises in macro flower photography and photographs of nature and landscapes, particularly of the British Isles. He regularly runs flower photography workshops at RHS Wisley. He photographs dramatic close-up portraits of nature; particularly flowers, and landscapes. His work has become known for its modern graphic style and striking use of colour. His Fine Art background meant he spent as much time painting and drawing as he did developing his photography and this has had a profound influence on his style.
He regularly exhibits at events in the UK, including many of the Royal Horticultural Society Flower Shows - RHS Chelsea Flower Show, RHS Tatton Park Flower Show and also the flower shows at RHS Wisley, RHS Hyde Hall and RHS Rosemoor.
See https://www.andysmall.co.uk/
Monday 19th April: Image Discussion subgroup (David Godfrey)
The Image Discussion subgroup, led by David Godfrey for the immediate future, aims to encourage and help all members (but especially less experienced ones) to take better pictures and improve those they already have taken. David says "I should comment up front that whilst I am an enthusiastic photographer with some club competition success, I don’t consider myself a qualified judge. I do however like to collaborate with those who have a similar enthusiasm for photography and it is within this spirit that I offer my constructive critique of images on the night. I will also of course invite others on-line in the zoom meeting to comment on images too. When offering critiques of photographs, I try to be considerate and honest by identifying the positives in the image whilst identifying areas that could be improved in my view. Hopefully I achieve this balance and you'll find the review helpful".
Thursday 22nd April: Natural History Competition
All the images will be of wildlife and the judge, Bob Webzell, will offer constructive views on what he sees. The comments will be of immense value to everyone, even if you’re not particularly interested in Natural History. Tonbridge has some of the best Natural History photographers in the county so the images will be well-worth seeing.
Monday 26th April: Tondig (Tonbridge Digital Imaging) subgroup (Tony Hill)
These meetings are devoted to more advanced photographic techniques at both the taking and the processing stages.
Thursday 29th April: Competition: Battle with Aperture and Torbay Photo Societies
Three clubs fight it out tonight with each submitting some of their most successful images so the standard will be extremely high.
Monday 3rd May: No Meeting – Bank Holiday
Thursday 6th May: AGM (Annual General Meeting)
More information nearer the time.
Monday 10th May: No Meeting
Thursday 13th May: Presentation Evening
We hope we may be able to hold this in the Angel Centre to replace the one that couldn’t take place last year because of the pandemic.