Friday 25 September 2009

Results 3rd Digital Progess Competition. Judge Ian Woodley

1st Place John Wise.... Double Crested Cormorant Landing


2nd Place Chris Oliphant....Craster to Dunstanburgh



3rd Place Barry Armitage....A Different Lighthouse


4th Place John Attle.... Rose Window Durham Cathedral



5th Place Chris Oliphant....Helianthus




PHOTOGRAPHY Assignment Day. Saturday 10th October

PADDY’S HOLE, SOUTH GARE
Saturday 10th October 09

PARADISE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS!
As well as Paddy’s Hole, with its fishing boats and great views across the Tees, there are the famous, green fishermen’s huts, each customised inside in the men’s sheds tradition, acres of golden grassed dunes, wildlife and, towards the lighthouse, giant concrete and brick structures where once the big guns stood in the 2nd World War.


ADDED CHALLENGE!
All members are welcome – the only proviso is to produce 3 prints for the de-brief which will follow on a date to be agreed. Everyone is free to do their own thing on the day but you are also invited to use your imagination and unique photographer’s viewpoint to capture pictures on the theme:
“WOOD”!


DIRECTIONS
From Middlesbrough, take the A1085 towards Redcar. As you near the beach, at the Kirkleatham Lane Junction take the 1st exit onto York Road. Continue on Tod Point Road. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit. This is the private road leading to Paddy’s Hole and the lighthouse beyond. You will see the Corus works on the left.

MEETING POINT 10.00 to 10.30 a.m.
At the farthest end of the Paddy’s Hole Marina at the top of the steps. If you look down you will see the boats stretching away to the left and a wall with graffiti in big letters ahead. Ample parking on the side of the road.


FOOD AND WEATHER
There is a cafe that could be open on the day (the one with the word “CafĂ©” in big letters on its roof). It might be an idea to take your own food/hot drinks however.

Check the weather forecast and wear suitable clothing. South Gare can be a wild and windy place – much colder than inland. On the other hand it could be balmy!

ENJOY A GREAT DAY OUT … IN THE COMPANY OF FELLOW MEMBERS!


Photo....Tony Griffiths

Thursday 24 September 2009

REINVENTING THE CITY

A major festival celebrating 200 years of Urban Imagination across Tyneside. Includes debates, talks, walking tours, and numerous exhibitions of interest to photographers. These include Byker Revisited by Surkka Liisa Konttinen at the Side Gallery, City State, including urbanscape photography by John Davies at the Lit and Phil, and Changing Byker which includes photography of Byker from the 70’s and 80,s at St Michaels Church, Byker. Various dates during September and October. Full details: www.reinventingthecity.org
CHECK OUT OTHER CULTURE 10 EVENTS
ODIN’S GLOW, Newton under Roseberry, 22-25th Oct – magical transformation of the village
XPERIENCE ’09, Tynemouth, 24th to 25th Oct – extreme sports action
McCAIN GATESHEAD INTERNATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY RACES, Gateshead International Stadium, 14th November
Details at: www.NewcastleGateshead.com

Thursday 17 September 2009

DPS DIGITAL 09

7th October: Mavis Ord mavisord@btinternet.com

Photoshop CS4 - Masterclass by our very own Photoshop Guru. This session could appeal to the following categories of members (Mavis will do her best to do the impossible and please everyone!):
A. Anyone who has or will have CS4
B. Anyone thinking of acquiring CS4 but is not yet sure
C. Anyone using CS2 or CS3. Much of Mavis’ demos also apply and she is happy to explain the differences
D. Even beginners! Mavis will be covering some important basic techniques as well as more advanced ones
Includes the amazing functionality of Camera Raw 5
NB: A handout will be provided


Special note to beginners: you may feel, at these sessions, that things go right over your head at times. This is normal! But do not despair! Our advice to raw beginners is to pick up basic computer and Photoshop skills by going to classes or working through tutorials. You can also seek help from the legion of fellow members who are willing and able to assist. You can also request demos at future DPS Digital nights. Otherwise, it’s practice, practice, practice – your abilities will be transformed and there’s a lifetime of enjoyment ahead!

Note: NEW VENUE! County Hall room 2.

Organisers: JOHN GORDON j.k.gordon@btinternet.com,
JOHN ATTLE attlejohn@aol.com
Check out www.d-p-s.org.uk for blog news, forums, folios and more…

Friday 11 September 2009

REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT SEPTEMBER 09

Well, here we are back again after the break. Thanks to everyone who put in time over the holiday to keep photography in the public eye and to get us ready for the months ahead.
Looking back over the past series of meetings I have to say that home grown talent has come up trumps again. Thanks to Roger and Don and to all the people who contributed to the two members’ nights. I found the talk by Julian Harrop of Beamish Museum most interesting. It provided a positive reminder of the power of photography as a recoding medium, as even what had been the most innocuous snaps took on a historical meaning when ‘rediscovered’ after a period of time.
I feel it could be useful to pass on an experience when working with Pictures to Exe. I recently noticed a quite significant colour shift from the original JPEGs when I brought them into the programme. I tried other programmes including Fast Stone and found the same thing. After a lot of research, finally the RPS AV group advised me that the Colour Space of projection programmes such as PTE is sRGB. I had been using Pro-photo RGB while I know many of our members use Adobe RGB. I now wonder if some members are giving us non sRGB files to project and then blaming the projector for disappointing colours. This may be worth considering for inclusion in the regulations next year.
Alan Stott

Thursday 10 September 2009

NEWS REPORT: DURHAM BIG RIDE 2009

Once again. DPS members were on hand to photograph this popular event on Sunday 6th Sept. A gallery of images will be posted shortly, news of which will be on this Blog. The picture is of DPS member Dennis Hardingham who bravely tackled the 25 mile course rather than take photographs

Photo ...Tony Griffiths
LINK to Tony Griffith's Photos
LINK to John Attle's Photos
LINK to Terry Messenger's Photos

e-news from the PHOTOGRAPHIC ALLIANCE OF GREAT BRITAIN

Issue 17 is now available and includes news of the forthcoming Inter Club Print Championship at Connah’s Quay near Chester, clarification on the rules for the PAGB Great British Cup and other items. A copy will be on the Society notice board or you can subscribe free by emailing Rod Whelans: rod@creative-cameras.co.uk

NEWS REPORT: ST CUTHBERT’S HOSPICE 2010 CALENDAR

The Hospice Calendar was launched at the Annual Garden Party on Saturday 5th Sept. Shown in the photo is Very Reverend Dean of Durham Michael Sadgrove (a keen photographer) with his picture for April together with St Cuthbert volunteers. The front cover is by DPS member John Attle and fellow members Janet Thackray and Les Travis also kindly donated images. Many thanks to DPS member and St Cuthbert’s volunteer Sylvie Reid for arranging things.
The calendar is on sale, priced £3, at the St Cuthbert’s Hospice gift shop and charity shops as well as other outlets.


Photo... Tony Griffiths

Photographic Opportunities

English Heritage open days between this Thursday (10th) andSunday (13th). Many of their sites are open free on certain days, includingsome sites which are not normally open to the public. It is all explainedon the website and perhaps this could be put in as a link. Visitors to thesite can search for the north east events.It is important to note that some need pre-booking and some do restrictphotography. It will pay to check first as not all include this in thedescription (e.g. Durham Castle)
http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/

Durham Photographic Society will have an exhibition at the Bowburn Community Centre on Saturday.
LINK