Meeting/Outing April 2009

Hi All

This is your friendly reminder of the two Hillcrest Camera Club happenings this week!

Thursday 16th April , 7.00pm at Augusta (see here for directions! ) There will be coffee and tea and you can either bring other drinks or order from the bar before 7pm.

We will be discussing Portraits – the Headshot!

Your “entrance fee” is the following:-

- Your monochrome print (homework from March’s Thursday night meeting)

- A print or digital file of an image by Yousuf Karsh.

Obviously if you are coming along for the first time to a Thursday session, then you don’t have to bring your monochrome homework, but you still need to find an image by Yousuf Karsh!

On Thursday we will look at and discuss your monochrome prints/images. Then Geoff Purnell will give a 5min presentation on Yousuf Karsh, and by way of a counterpoint Allan Jackson will give a 5min presentation of images by Annabel Williams.

We will then look at and discuss your images that you brought by Yousuf Karsh. The purpose of this session is to be exposed to portraiture by a “master”, and gain an understanding on why their images work so well and are highly regarded. This can only help one develop one’s own style!

April Outing

Saturday 18th April, 6.00am onwards at Steinbank Nature Reserve at Yellowood Park.

There is a small entrance fee payable at the gate – it is an Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Reserve.

Unfortunately we can not get entrance to the Steinbank Castle, but we can walk around the gardens outside! The wildlife in the Reserve is very tame (zebras in particular), and the scenery is spectacular. There are patches of open grassland between Coastal Dune Forest, and even a little dam, so wildlife, landscape and architecture photographic opportunities abound!. There are a few roads to drive on, and one is encouraged to walk…….

Geoff will bring the ingredients for an egg and bacon (and coffee!) on a roll or plate breakfast, some fruit juice, and organise a few skottels and a braai fire. It suggested that you bring your own cutlery, mug and anything special that you may want for breakfast. Geoff will bring a gas stove and large kettle, and limited quantities of real coffee and a plunger, so if you really want coffee maybe bring your own flask or instant coffee!

The idea is that you get to the main gate as soon after 6.00am as possible to capture the magic early morning autumn light. Maybe drive around along the two available roads and then park up at the boma. Wonder around to your heart’s content, and then meet back at the boma at about 9.30. We will then cook and consume breakfast there.

To get to Steinbank – look at your map or GPS! Once through the main gate, you have 3 options. The road going to the right goes down to a picnic site. The road straight ahead goes up to the castle (it says private road, but we are allowed to go up it to the castle, which is on your right about 1km up the road). The road to the left goes to the main car park, which is a nice place to start a few walks from. To get to the boma, you turn left off this road a short distance after leaving the main gate. You then follow this road upwards for approximately 1km – it is pretty, going through forest and along the edge of a grassland. It then turns 90 degrees to the right, by now you are in the forest! Keep your eyes open for a turn off to the left which takes you straight into the boma area. If you carry on straight, you drive along a very beautiful road that is completely covered over by the forest! This road eventually takes you to the castle.

As we cannot book the boma I will try and go straight there and occupy it!

See you there!!

Geoff Purnell
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