Meeting/outing: May 2008

We will be meeting at the Hillcrest Sports Club at 7pm on May 6, 2008. We will have a talk by Mike Volckman on photo composition and architecture and will then view members' pictures as usual. The set subject is Landscape/farm animals and the best picture on that topic will win a gift voucher.

We'll have supper at 6pm beforehand and you're all welcome to that as usual. Please reply to this message to confirm if you would like supper.

Our outing in May is to World's View in Pietermaritzburg and the railway museum in Hilton Road. I suggest we meet at around 06h15 (dawn) on May 17, 2008, at World's View. Be sure to bring some some coffee.

We will then proceed to breakfast and the railway museum in Hilton.

Directions

Drive straight into PMB along what used to be Durban Road (I think it's Alan Paton now) and go straight through the centre of town. The road becomes Chief Albert Luthuli Road (R103) - continue straight, past the Royal Showgrounds. Continue until you get to a traffic circle at Athlone Primary School ( 4 kms further) and turn left towards Howick (Hilton). Continue up Town Hill, ( Old Howick Road ) for about 4 kms. There are 5 'rumble strips' on the road to warn you of the turning. Take a left into Worlds View Road and go straight to the view site at the end.

Hilton and the railway museum / station is further along Old Howick Road. Go into Hilton and turn right at the Crossways Hotel. After a bit you will see the Quarry Centre on your right. We'll meet there for breakfast in Bustle's Café (breakfasts from R27) when it opens at 08h30.

After eating, we'll proceed to the museum/station, which is a bit further along the road past the Quarry Centre.

Outing: April 2008

This is a reminder about our outing to Bush Hill Stud Farm on 26 April 2008. We are going to make our way there individually, meeting at around 7am, whereafter we will shoot whatever there is to shoot and have breakfast. The owners of the stud will provide breakfast and we will be expected to contribute to the cost.

*** WE NEED TO HAVE PRIOR NOTICE OF NUMBERS SO YOU MUST RSVP BY 20 APRIL IF YOU ARE GOING TO COME. THIS APPLIES EVEN TO PEOPLE WHO THINK IT DOESN'T APPLY TO THEM. ****

The directions from Ondine are as follows:

Take the N3 from Durban heading north to Jhb.
Pass Pietermaritzburg.
Pass Howick
Pass Nottingham Road
Take the 1st Mooi River off-ramp through toll (R19.00)
Once through the toll turn left - you will find yourself at a T-junction looking at Engen Garage/Wimpy.
At this T-Junction turn right towards Mooi River.
Cross over the Mooi River, you will pass two garages - i.e. Caltex on left and Engen on right. At traffic circle turn left. If you follow the Giants Castle / Summerhill Stud signs you will head in the right direction, but the detailed account of where to go is thus : After you have turned left at the traffic circle do the following :
At the next stop street with Pep Stores in front of you, turn right and follow this road up and over the railway line. Road curves sharply to left and at this stage you will have Standard Bank on your right.
At the next stop street turn right onto the Giants Castle Road. This will take you past the Argyle Hotel on your left and you will climb a long hill out of Mooi River. Continue for approx 2km until you come to a left turn - Hlatikulu Road.
Turn left at this Hlatikulu Road (very important otherwise you will head off to Giants Castle). Continue on the Hlatikulu Road for approx 7 km until the road changes to dirt (ignore the left turn to Connington). Once on the dirt you will travel a further 300m's and Bush Hill Stud is the first farm entrance on your right. Bush Hill Stud is approx 10k's from the traffic circle - if you go much further, stop, as you have missed a turn!

By Allan Jackson

April 2008 meeting

We will be meeting at the Hillcrest Sports Club at 7pm on April 1, 2008. We will have a talk on a topic as yet to be confirmed, and then view members’ pictures as usual. The set subject is Architecture/Gardens and the best picture on that topic will win a gift voucher.

Another thing is that the automated e-mail system isn’t working for us and so we’ve gone back to the old manual system. Damn!!!

We have a great outing lined up for April to the Bush Hill Stud Farm but it is going to have to be on 26 April instead of the 19^th as previously stated. Ondine will bring more details and directions to the meeting. She suggests that we take a couple of skottels and do ourselves a breakfast when we get there.

Andew Begg

We've heard from former member Andrew Begg who has been in the UK for a year. By the looks of things, he's been keeping up the good work over there.

March 2008 outing

You are reminded about our outing to La Domaine on Saturday, March 15, 2008. We are to meet at the main gate in Acutt Road (NOT INANDA ROAD) at 7am and then we'll drive through to the clubhouse where we will park. Breakfast is at 9:30 and compliments of La Domaine but we are required to provide a couple of prints each in return.

Historic milestone

We had a very interesting meeting last Tuesday in which Peter Duffy shared many stories of his time as a press phographer in Durban. As a club, we try and encourage members to go out and shoot new stuff rather than relying on their archives for pictures to bring along to meetings.

By Natalie Knibbs

We decided to award a monthly prize for the best set subject or picture taken on an outing. The set subject was Transport and the winner, by popular acclamation, of the first prize ever awarded by the club was Natalie Knibbs with her atmospheric picture of a Makoro canoe. Well done Natalie.

Year planner at last!

Click on the link at the right-hand side of this page to view the 2008 activities planner.

March 2008 Meeting

Our next meeting is at the Hillcrest Sports Club on 4 March 2008 at 7pm. We look set to have a very interesting meeting with Peter Duffy as the ‘guest of honour’. Peter has been a photographer in Durban for many years, having specialised in news and social photography. Adding spice to his talk will be the fact that he has served under Major Mike Hoare on a number of occasions, including the ill-fated trip to Seychelles.

We will also view and discuss members’ pictures as usual. The set subject for the evening is Transport and there’ll be a voucher up for grabs for the best set subject or outing picture.

Out and About in March 2008

Bat Watch at Umbilo Ponds (phone Carol 031 572 3479) - 8th March
NWJ Bridal Exhibition at Durban Exhibition Centre - 7 - 9th March
Guided Nature Trail through New Germany Nature Reserve - 15th March (031 262 8239)
Open gardens - 15 - 16th March (031 763 4435)
Easter Pageant (take picnic baskets) - 16th/21st March (083 286 2155)
St Patricks Day Celebration at Nottingham Road - 17th March (033 266 6151)
Splashy Fen 20 - 24th March (www.splashyfen.co.za)
Grape Crushing Festival 21 - 23rd March, Nottingham Road
Festival of Chariots 21 - 24 th March - North Beach (082 824 2203)
South Coast Airshow - 22nd March, Margate

If you have any other information or great ideas for outings to share, please contact us, we will add to the list. Here's hoping this helps you take interesting photo's whilst enjoying a day out and about at the same time !

December Meeting ? Party

These notices were also sent out on our mailing list. If you didn't get the message, you need to register for our newsletter by filling out the form on the right-hand side of this page.

December Meeting:
We will be meeting at the Hillcrest Sports Club at 7pm on 4 December 2007. We will view members’ pictures as usual and, if we can organise it, we might have a short Photoshop demonstration as well. We’ll have supper at 6pm beforehand and you’re all welcome to that as usual. Please reply to this message to confirm if you would like supper.

Christmas Party:
We are having a braai at Barrie and Tish Walsh’s home on 7 December at 6pm. They live at 39 Howick Drive in Waterfall which is your second turning to the right [going North towards Inanda] after the robot in the middle of Waterfall.

Bring your meat, drinks, snacks and a folding chair, if you have one. Anyone who can bring a salad as well is asked to contact Tish on 083 357 8378 to coordinate things so that we don’t end up with 19 bean salads.

By Allan Jackson

Outing and other things

All members must please join the mailing list by filling in the form to the right.

Outing:

We have a model shoot going on at the deserted house overlooking Inanda dam this weekend with a number of models sourced by Barrie. We meet in the parking lot at Crinkly Bottom at 6:30pm on Saturday, October 20, 2007. Members with trucks and 4x4s will give lifts to those without. The shoot probably won't take more than a couple of hours and then we'll have breakfast at Crinkly.

WHY NOT TAKE A LOOK THROUGH SOME OLD MAGAZINES AND TEAR OUT A COUPLE OF PICTURES OF MODELS IN POSES THAT YOU LIKE? BRING THEM ALONG ON SATURDAY AND IT'LL GIVE YOU A STARTING POINT FOR YOUR SHOOT.

By Leanne Mackenzie

Lighting with small flashes

These are the details of the site mentioned in Allan's talk at the October meeting. Inspiring stuff indeed!

http://strobist.blogspot.com/

Where to go first (links on right side of page)

§ What is Strobist?

§ Lighting 101

§ On Assignment

Readers’ discussion and photos at http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/ – most photos have explanation of how they were done.

Strobist will help you go from thisto this

August outing

We had intended to go on a bay cruise on 31 August as our outing for the month but, unfortunately, the whole boat has been booked out from under us and so that will no longer be possible. We thought, instead, that we might just shoot nightlights around the bay and then go for supper somewhere afterwards.

The plan is that we still meet on 31 August as soon after 5pm as possible in front of the BAT centre. You get there by going to the Yacht Mole and turning immediately left after crossing the railway line behind the large white building (PYC??). Go on for a couple of hundred yards (you'll go past the maritime museum) and park when you can't get any further. The small craft harbour is there and BAT Centre is there and, on the way back, we'll also have the opportunity of photographing at the yacht mole itself, and at Wilson's Wharf if we want to.

Don't forget your tripods!

Summerveld at dawn by Natalie Knibbs

August 2007 meeting

** All who attended the Summerveld outing are reminded to please bring a picture to hand in to the racing authorities.

Our meeting this month is on Tuesday, 7 August at 7pm at the Hillcrest Sports Club. We will be hearing a presentation from professional photographer Roy Reed on his experiences. We will also view pictures brought in by members and guests and will ask Roy to comment on them. Two or three pictures each, please.

We will be having supper at 6pm before the meeting as usual and you are all invited to come. It's only R30 a skull but please e-mail Allan to make your booking.

The outing this month is still undecided but an evening trip on the bay and nightlights and supper afterwards have been suggested.

Reader's picture reply

A couple of posts below this one is a black and white picture of trees at Summerveld by Gwynne Gosher. Harry Lock didn't quite agree with the comments that were made on it and submitted his own along with an altered version of the picture.

I don't think the fences in the foreground are the problem, as everyone suggests, I think it is the gap between the front fences and the one in front of the trees in the background.

Taking the picture from a lower camera angle would have the effect of reducing the gap and thus bringing together the foreground and background elements in the picture. See my edited example.

If the picture was taken from the balcony at Summerveld - which I suspect it was- there is no way of getting the exact camera angle - but there is always Photoshop, which it what I used here!

I like the black and white treatment as it gives the picture a sense of atmosphere. Harry.

Rogue's gallery

This very nice picture of two fillies was taken by Gwynne Gosher on the recent visit to Summerveld. The less pleasant picture below was taken by Allan on the same outing.