Monday, November 01, 2010
New club website
Hillcrest Camera Club has established a new website which has all the current details including activities, directions to the venue, and all of that. See:
Monday, August 02, 2010
August Meeting
Hi All
We have a fantastic speaker lined up for this month's meeting! There will be an announcement about the format change of the club meetings, as well as details given about the new website. The new committee will be introduced to us all. Be sure to be at the meeting!
Speaker - SEAN LAURENZ
Sean, based in Durban, is one of South Africa's foremost fashion and beauty photographers. His client list boasts some of the biggest names in the fashion business. He will be showing a selection of his work and will be happy to answer any questions. He shoots in and around Durban, and some of his venues will be familiar to us!See more of Sean's work on www.seanlaurenz.com
Outing - 21 Aug 2010 - African Bird of Prey Sanctuary
OverviewThe African Bird of Prey Sanctuary is dedicated to the conservation of indigenous raptors and is the base to ongoing research, breeding and rehabilitation projects for birds of prey. The majority of these projects run ‘behind the scenes’ to ensure that the integrity of the wild birds is not compromised, and that a high release success rate is achieved. The sanctuary is, however, also home to a wide selection of captive-bred or ‘non-releasable rehabilitation’ birds. These raptors can be viewed in their ‘micro-environment’ enclosures by anyone who wishes to visit and learn about South Africa’s magnificent aerial predators.
More info : www.africanraptor.co.za 031 785 2981 or cell 082 925 3023
We will meet between 9h30-10h00, take some photos of the birds, and then will proceed to the bird show at 10h30. The Vulture Feeding is at 12pm, so we will continue taking photos in between. There is a restaurant for something to eat either before or after the shows.
Date: 21 Aug 2010
Time: 9h30 - 10h00
Bird Show: 10h30
Vulture Feeding: 12pm
Set Subject for September"We Own The Night" - The movie is about the conflict between a gangster brother and his police brother and father, set in New York. For our purposes, this set subject can be interpreted as night photography, or street photography, or whatever you want it to be. Be creative, and stretch your imagination!
See you all at the meeting!
Vanessa
We have a fantastic speaker lined up for this month's meeting! There will be an announcement about the format change of the club meetings, as well as details given about the new website. The new committee will be introduced to us all. Be sure to be at the meeting!
Speaker - SEAN LAURENZ
Sean, based in Durban, is one of South Africa's foremost fashion and beauty photographers. His client list boasts some of the biggest names in the fashion business. He will be showing a selection of his work and will be happy to answer any questions. He shoots in and around Durban, and some of his venues will be familiar to us!See more of Sean's work on www.seanlaurenz.com
Outing - 21 Aug 2010 - African Bird of Prey Sanctuary
OverviewThe African Bird of Prey Sanctuary is dedicated to the conservation of indigenous raptors and is the base to ongoing research, breeding and rehabilitation projects for birds of prey. The majority of these projects run ‘behind the scenes’ to ensure that the integrity of the wild birds is not compromised, and that a high release success rate is achieved. The sanctuary is, however, also home to a wide selection of captive-bred or ‘non-releasable rehabilitation’ birds. These raptors can be viewed in their ‘micro-environment’ enclosures by anyone who wishes to visit and learn about South Africa’s magnificent aerial predators.
More info : www.africanraptor.co.za 031 785 2981 or cell 082 925 3023
We will meet between 9h30-10h00, take some photos of the birds, and then will proceed to the bird show at 10h30. The Vulture Feeding is at 12pm, so we will continue taking photos in between. There is a restaurant for something to eat either before or after the shows.
Date: 21 Aug 2010
Time: 9h30 - 10h00
Bird Show: 10h30
Vulture Feeding: 12pm
Set Subject for September"We Own The Night" - The movie is about the conflict between a gangster brother and his police brother and father, set in New York. For our purposes, this set subject can be interpreted as night photography, or street photography, or whatever you want it to be. Be creative, and stretch your imagination!
See you all at the meeting!
Vanessa
Friday, July 16, 2010
Summerveld outing - Saturday 17 July
Hi everyone
Summerveld Outing
1. For those of you who have not taken photos of horses before, care has to be taken when being around the horses.
Horses don't like to be spooked or alarmed, and can react quite badly if they are upset. They don't like crouching forms or creatures, and either want to throw their riders off, or stamp on the offending 'creature'. As such, they won't like us crouching or bending down, which is what we do when we take low angled shots. Try to remain upright, as they recognise that form to be a human, and shouldn't spook.
Do not use your flash.
Don't make sudden movements.
As these horses are highly strung race horses, we need to respect that and not jeopardise their race winning ability!
2. Directions from Durban.
N3 from Durban. After the toll, take the Shongweni turnoff, Exit 32. Turn left into Kassier Road. Pass the t/o to Shongweni Dam. Continue along the road and take the Summerveld t/o to the right, and go up the road a bit. You’ll go through a set of gates and, soon after that, you’ll see a not-very-obvious turn off to the left through the trees (if you go under a bridge, you’ve gone too far). Follow that road and park in the car park.
See you between 5.30am and 6.00am. Bring thermos flasks and coffee if you like, to warm you up, or wake you up!
See you soon.
Vanessa
Summerveld Outing
1. For those of you who have not taken photos of horses before, care has to be taken when being around the horses.
Horses don't like to be spooked or alarmed, and can react quite badly if they are upset. They don't like crouching forms or creatures, and either want to throw their riders off, or stamp on the offending 'creature'. As such, they won't like us crouching or bending down, which is what we do when we take low angled shots. Try to remain upright, as they recognise that form to be a human, and shouldn't spook.
Do not use your flash.
Don't make sudden movements.
As these horses are highly strung race horses, we need to respect that and not jeopardise their race winning ability!
2. Directions from Durban.
N3 from Durban. After the toll, take the Shongweni turnoff, Exit 32. Turn left into Kassier Road. Pass the t/o to Shongweni Dam. Continue along the road and take the Summerveld t/o to the right, and go up the road a bit. You’ll go through a set of gates and, soon after that, you’ll see a not-very-obvious turn off to the left through the trees (if you go under a bridge, you’ve gone too far). Follow that road and park in the car park.
See you between 5.30am and 6.00am. Bring thermos flasks and coffee if you like, to warm you up, or wake you up!
See you soon.
Vanessa
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
July 2010: Outing and 2nd Meeting
Two things:
1) A reminder about our outing to Summerveld on 17 July 2010. We will meet at the car park any time from 5h30am-6h00am and will have breakfast at the nearby club when we've had enough photography. Directions to get there are as follows:
Drive out of Hillcrest along Kassier Road, cross the N3, and pass the t/o to Shongweni Dam. Take the Summerveld t/o and go up the road a bit. You’ll go through a set of gates and, soon after that, you’ll see a not-very-obvious turn off to the left through the trees (if you go under a bridge, you’ve gone too far) follow that road and park in the car park.
2) The next meeting will be held at the Hillcrest Sports Club at 7pm on 20 July, 2010, and is very important because we have got to the stage where we really need a proper committee. The idea is NOT to pick a couple of people and give them all the work but, instead, to share things out so that everyone only has a little bit to do. You are urged not to do the usual 'club' thing and avoid the meeting like the plague. We'll chat and have a few drinks and it should even be fun. We can take the club on into the future as a valuable resource for us all, but only if everyone pulls together. Ideas will most welcome but actions are also needed
&&&&&& IMPORTANT: WILL EVERYONE PLEASE BRING A PLATE OF SNACKS. &&&&&&&&&&&&
More Photo Competitions
N3 Toll Concession - details and entry form from here.
GetPix - details and entry form from here.
Thanks Mandy.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Vega Photography Club
Hi all
I recieved an interesting email from Delaine Pillay at Vega Photography School.
They are setting up a Vega Photography Club. They invite all interested photographers to email them to put on their mailing list.
What they say the club will do:
"Our expert lecturer, Lanel Janse Van Vuuren, will spend 30 minutes on a specific topic each month. Thereafter we will have an opportunity to interact, chat and mix, whilst we share our passions around photography. "
When: Every 3rd Thursday of each month
Where: Vega Durban Campus
Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Meetings are free to members.
Please email Delaine at dpillay@vegaschool.com or call her on (031) 266 2595 to book your seat!
It sounds interesting, and as it doesn't clash with our Tuesday meetings, should be well attended by all HCC members! Put your name on the list asap!
Regards
Vanessa
I recieved an interesting email from Delaine Pillay at Vega Photography School.
They are setting up a Vega Photography Club. They invite all interested photographers to email them to put on their mailing list.
What they say the club will do:
"Our expert lecturer, Lanel Janse Van Vuuren, will spend 30 minutes on a specific topic each month. Thereafter we will have an opportunity to interact, chat and mix, whilst we share our passions around photography. "
When: Every 3rd Thursday of each month
Where: Vega Durban Campus
Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Meetings are free to members.
Please email Delaine at dpillay@vegaschool.com or call her on (031) 266 2595 to book your seat!
It sounds interesting, and as it doesn't clash with our Tuesday meetings, should be well attended by all HCC members! Put your name on the list asap!
Regards
Vanessa
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Develop a New Angle on Concrete - NPC Photographic Competition
NPC are running a fantastic photographic competition.
"Develop a New Angle on Concrete.
Using your photographic skills, to capture futuristic images of buildings or structures that feature concrete predominantly in their design, and you could be a winner is a flash!
Amazing cash prizes : 1st - R20 000, 2nd - R10 000, 3rd - R5000.
Get more info and enter online, on www.npcfocus.co.za "
Check it out, it looks like a fun competition. Lets see who can produce the best concrete photo, and do HCC proud!
"Develop a New Angle on Concrete.
Using your photographic skills, to capture futuristic images of buildings or structures that feature concrete predominantly in their design, and you could be a winner is a flash!
Amazing cash prizes : 1st - R20 000, 2nd - R10 000, 3rd - R5000.
Get more info and enter online, on www.npcfocus.co.za "
Check it out, it looks like a fun competition. Lets see who can produce the best concrete photo, and do HCC proud!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
July Meeting
Hi all
July Meeting - Tuesday 6 July 2010, 7pm
1. Speaker
Dennis Guichard - Fine Art Architectural Photographer
I have managed to secure a fantastic speaker for July's meeting. He is Dennis Guichard - one of the featured photographers in the FIFA Fine Art Exhibition 2010. Dennis is an architectural photographer, and has been involved with works in SA, the UK and Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Look here for more of Dennis's architectural work.
Look here for info on the FIFA Fine Art Exhibition at Suncoast Casino and Kizo, Gateway.
2. Outings for July
There are TWO outings this month!
Summerveld
-Saturday, 17 July 2010
-Between 5.30am and 6.30am (The horses are out at 5.30am, but arrive whenever you want to. Sunrise is at 6.50am)
The Durban July is being held on 31st July, so all the trainers will be bringing their horses to Summerveld in the prceeding weeks. There is opportunity to get moody shots of the horses training, as well shots of Summerveld. Lots of beautiful trees, grassy fields and hopefully some morning mist. Breakfast somewhere afterwards.
Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk
-Point, Durban
-Saturday 24 July 2010
-3pm - 5pm
This is the third year that this photowalk is being held. The idea is to meet up and take photos for two hours, in the specified area. Submit your best photo, and you could stand a chance of being chosen as the best photo worldwide, as determined by Scott Kelby. Allan Jackson won the best photo of the Durban group last year, so the challenge is on to have another Hillcrest Camera Club member win!
Club member Andrew Roos is organising this year's photowalk. The after-walk gathering and supper will be held at Moyo.
See here for details about the walk.
3. Photo Sharing at the meeting
Sharing your photos and hearing other members' tips and advice is a huge part of growing as a photographer. Participation in this part of the meeting is very important. We had a poor show last month, so please all bring your photos! One photo per catergory.
Set Subject - June is "Step-Up. The Streets". This is an interesting topic as it provides for all kinds of interpretations.
Open catergory - In keeping with the architectural theme of the meeting, please bring your shots of architecture, or buildings, particularly if they have a fine art feel to them. Dennis has said he will comment on them.
Don't forget to stop by the Fine Art Exhibition at Suncoast and view Dennis's work! Its amazing and well worth a visit!
See you the meeting.
Cheers
Vanessa
July Meeting - Tuesday 6 July 2010, 7pm
1. Speaker
Dennis Guichard - Fine Art Architectural Photographer
I have managed to secure a fantastic speaker for July's meeting. He is Dennis Guichard - one of the featured photographers in the FIFA Fine Art Exhibition 2010. Dennis is an architectural photographer, and has been involved with works in SA, the UK and Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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Look here for more of Dennis's architectural work.
Look here for info on the FIFA Fine Art Exhibition at Suncoast Casino and Kizo, Gateway.
2. Outings for July
There are TWO outings this month!
Summerveld
-Saturday, 17 July 2010
-Between 5.30am and 6.30am (The horses are out at 5.30am, but arrive whenever you want to. Sunrise is at 6.50am)
The Durban July is being held on 31st July, so all the trainers will be bringing their horses to Summerveld in the prceeding weeks. There is opportunity to get moody shots of the horses training, as well shots of Summerveld. Lots of beautiful trees, grassy fields and hopefully some morning mist. Breakfast somewhere afterwards.
Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk
-Point, Durban
-Saturday 24 July 2010
-3pm - 5pm
This is the third year that this photowalk is being held. The idea is to meet up and take photos for two hours, in the specified area. Submit your best photo, and you could stand a chance of being chosen as the best photo worldwide, as determined by Scott Kelby. Allan Jackson won the best photo of the Durban group last year, so the challenge is on to have another Hillcrest Camera Club member win!
Club member Andrew Roos is organising this year's photowalk. The after-walk gathering and supper will be held at Moyo.
See here for details about the walk.
3. Photo Sharing at the meeting
Sharing your photos and hearing other members' tips and advice is a huge part of growing as a photographer. Participation in this part of the meeting is very important. We had a poor show last month, so please all bring your photos! One photo per catergory.
Set Subject - June is "Step-Up. The Streets". This is an interesting topic as it provides for all kinds of interpretations.
Open catergory - In keeping with the architectural theme of the meeting, please bring your shots of architecture, or buildings, particularly if they have a fine art feel to them. Dennis has said he will comment on them.
Don't forget to stop by the Fine Art Exhibition at Suncoast and view Dennis's work! Its amazing and well worth a visit!
See you the meeting.
Cheers
Vanessa
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Meeting Fail!
Your committee has just noticed that we had an incorrect date in the meeting schedule published on the blog. According to the schedule, the date of the the second meeting this month was 22 June which is the fourth Tuesday of the month.
The meeting took place on the third Tuesday, 15 June, but it seems that some members did not come out because they assumed that it had been postponed. We apologise to anyone who was affected.
The schedule, linked from the right-hand side of the page, has been updated.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Worldwide Photowalk
Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk is on again on July 24, 2010. Club member Andrew Roos has registered as a walk organiser and full details on his walk will be available at the following website:
There are are great prizes on offer and Andrew has apparently organised an after-walk function at Moyo restaurant. Sign up on the web page, only the first 50 will be lucky....
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Outing: June 2010
An unexpected snag came up with our outing this month when the hotel was found to be unsuitable and the original date was found to be too close to a match at the stadium with possible road closures. Instead, it has been decided is to meet in front of the hotel as planned on (but on 12 June) and go on a photo walk along the new promenade.
Directions: The best access would be approach from the N3, go down Dr AB Xuma Street (old Commercial Rd), until it joins Pine Street. Cross over Sylvester Ntuli Road (old Brickhill Rd) into Boscombe Road. The Checkers is on your right. Boscombe Road runs behind all the hotels. Turn right into Serridge Square, then right into OR Thambo Parade (old Marine Parade) and park in front of the hotel. None of these roads were closed yesterday, and the hotel staff say that they don't expect them to be closed at all.
Meet at 5h45 am on 12 June in front of large white Holiday Inn Garden Court.
Walk. // Photos
Breakfast. Wimpt, the Deck or whatever.
I will check that all is still in order on Friday evening and will update the blog if anything else crops up. Please visit the blog at http://hillcrestcameraclub.blogspot.com/ before going to bed on friday night, just in case there are any changes.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday Meeting - 1 June 2010
Hi all
We had an excellent outing on Saturday to the top of the Old Mutual Building in Durban! There was a stunning sunset, lovely city lights and the full moon made a stunning appearance. We had been waiting for the moon to appear, but low lying clouds delayed it for quite a while. Suddenly it popped out of the clouds, and there was silence as everyone quickly took their shot of the moon in all its glory. Probably one of the few times that we will get everyone in the club to stop talking!
A big thank you to Garry for organising access for the club!
Allen Schultz will be speaking on Tuesday. He was the lucky winner of the Vega Intermediate Course, which he completed a few weeks ago. He will be sharing some of the tips and information he learnt on the course. It should be very interesting, and will give us all an insight into the Vega course.
We will have the usual photo sharing opportunity in the 2nd half of the meeting. The set subject is "Are We There Yet?" - quite a challenging topic this month. Outing photos, and open topic will also be viewed. Three photos per person, one per category, please.
See you at the meeting tomorrow!
Regards
Vanessa
We had an excellent outing on Saturday to the top of the Old Mutual Building in Durban! There was a stunning sunset, lovely city lights and the full moon made a stunning appearance. We had been waiting for the moon to appear, but low lying clouds delayed it for quite a while. Suddenly it popped out of the clouds, and there was silence as everyone quickly took their shot of the moon in all its glory. Probably one of the few times that we will get everyone in the club to stop talking!
A big thank you to Garry for organising access for the club!
Allen Schultz will be speaking on Tuesday. He was the lucky winner of the Vega Intermediate Course, which he completed a few weeks ago. He will be sharing some of the tips and information he learnt on the course. It should be very interesting, and will give us all an insight into the Vega course.
We will have the usual photo sharing opportunity in the 2nd half of the meeting. The set subject is "Are We There Yet?" - quite a challenging topic this month. Outing photos, and open topic will also be viewed. Three photos per person, one per category, please.
See you at the meeting tomorrow!
Regards
Vanessa
Monday, May 24, 2010
Change of venue for May Outing
Hi everyone
HCC OUTING - VENUE CHANGE
We have to change the venue for the "Tall Building" outing on Saturday. The lifts are being shut down and worked on at Durban Bay House, which means we can't get to the top.
Thanks to Garry, we can however use the Old Mutual Building. This building is also in Smith Street, and has views of both Smith and West Street, as well sea and inland views.
The only drawback to this venue is that the access to the viewing area on the roof is not that easy. You will be required to crawl under a concrete wall to get to the vantage points. This will mean getting down on your butt, or knees and scooting yourself across to the other side. Its about a half meter scoot. I'm not sure whether everyone can manage this? It was for this reason that we decided to use the other building, which has easier access. Rather than cancelling the shoot altogether, I think we should take advantage of Garry's offer to use the Old Mutual Building, and see how we go. If need be, Garry says we can organise another shoot at Durban Bay House for those who can't, or chose not to, attend this shoot. On the whole, I think most of us will cope fine.
Details:
Venue: Old Mutual Building, Smith Street, Durban. (In the block between Gardiner and Field Street) (Sorry, I don't now the new names.)
Time: 4pm - whenever we all finish
Meetup directions:
* Meet at the entrance to the PARKING GARAGE, in Smith Street, which is after the Gardiner Street intersection, on the right hand side, before the 1st pedestrian crossing.
* Look for the metal roller door.
* Park in the street - we will go in together at 4pm sharp.
* We will park in the parking garage and all enter the building itself from there.
Your car should be safe, there will be no parking or walking in the streets of Durban at all.
Please bring a torch, wear jeans and provide for rain, wind and cold weather.
IMPORTANT : Please remember that this is a fairly dangerous outing, as we will be very high up. The Old Mutual Building has a steel railing around the edge, not a wall, so we advise that you apply caution and be careful. Judge for yourself whether it is safe and secure enough to go close to the edge. Please be careful and responsible.
Bring all your lenses, as you will get varied photographic opportunities. Hold thumbs that the full moon is visible, and that it isn't too cloudy!
If you have any queries, please email Vanessa - sweetd@iafrica.com. If you have any problems on the day, call Vanessa - 083 679 4716.
See you all there!
Regards
Vanessa
HCC OUTING - VENUE CHANGE
We have to change the venue for the "Tall Building" outing on Saturday. The lifts are being shut down and worked on at Durban Bay House, which means we can't get to the top.
Thanks to Garry, we can however use the Old Mutual Building. This building is also in Smith Street, and has views of both Smith and West Street, as well sea and inland views.
The only drawback to this venue is that the access to the viewing area on the roof is not that easy. You will be required to crawl under a concrete wall to get to the vantage points. This will mean getting down on your butt, or knees and scooting yourself across to the other side. Its about a half meter scoot. I'm not sure whether everyone can manage this? It was for this reason that we decided to use the other building, which has easier access. Rather than cancelling the shoot altogether, I think we should take advantage of Garry's offer to use the Old Mutual Building, and see how we go. If need be, Garry says we can organise another shoot at Durban Bay House for those who can't, or chose not to, attend this shoot. On the whole, I think most of us will cope fine.
Details:
Venue: Old Mutual Building, Smith Street, Durban. (In the block between Gardiner and Field Street) (Sorry, I don't now the new names.)
Time: 4pm - whenever we all finish
Meetup directions:
* Meet at the entrance to the PARKING GARAGE, in Smith Street, which is after the Gardiner Street intersection, on the right hand side, before the 1st pedestrian crossing.
* Look for the metal roller door.
* Park in the street - we will go in together at 4pm sharp.
* We will park in the parking garage and all enter the building itself from there.
Your car should be safe, there will be no parking or walking in the streets of Durban at all.
Please bring a torch, wear jeans and provide for rain, wind and cold weather.
IMPORTANT : Please remember that this is a fairly dangerous outing, as we will be very high up. The Old Mutual Building has a steel railing around the edge, not a wall, so we advise that you apply caution and be careful. Judge for yourself whether it is safe and secure enough to go close to the edge. Please be careful and responsible.
Bring all your lenses, as you will get varied photographic opportunities. Hold thumbs that the full moon is visible, and that it isn't too cloudy!
If you have any queries, please email Vanessa - sweetd@iafrica.com. If you have any problems on the day, call Vanessa - 083 679 4716.
See you all there!
Regards
Vanessa
Friday, May 14, 2010
Tuesday Meeting - 18 May 2010
Hi all
1. Art Deco outing. This outing has unfortunately been postponed to another time, possibly June. We'll keep you updated.
2. Second meeting, 18 May. Harry will be giving us a talk - An Introduction to Flash Photography. Should be informative! There will be a demonstration as well.
3. The 2nd Tallest Building in Durban outing is still happening. Saturday 29th May, at 4pm. Please check here for meetup details and directions.
See you on Tuesday!
Vanessa
1. Art Deco outing. This outing has unfortunately been postponed to another time, possibly June. We'll keep you updated.
2. Second meeting, 18 May. Harry will be giving us a talk - An Introduction to Flash Photography. Should be informative! There will be a demonstration as well.
3. The 2nd Tallest Building in Durban outing is still happening. Saturday 29th May, at 4pm. Please check here for meetup details and directions.
See you on Tuesday!
Vanessa
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
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