Introduction
Our club was established in 1902 and is one of the larger clubs within the EAF and the UK. We are a membership of around 200 enthusiastic amateur photographers. Our club is based on education and much of our activity is within our Specialist Interest Groups with Practical Workshops, Critique evenings, Technical sessions and we give help and guidance to those working towards photographic distinctions and much more. These activities are underpinned with weekly meetings of photographic talks and competitions. There is an Annual Exhibition of Prints and PDIs, which will next run in October 2024, with awards presented by the Mayor and our sponsors, to whom we are extremely grateful.
Our Sponsors: The Cambridge Independent, Campkins Cameras, Domino, OM Digital Solutions, Richer Sounds, Samsung, and WEX. Read more about our Sponsors.
Membership: We are an energetic forward-looking club with a vibrant membership. If you would like to join us, please fill in a Membership Application.
Season 2023/24 Kicks Off
On Monday 21st August, we were very happy to welcome our new members for the 2023/24 Season. Following a personal welcome by President Barry Badcock, we served drinks and nibbles as everyone chatted over the display of members' prints. New and returning members were given an overview of our website - the hub of club information and activities, before the Special Interest Group Leaders introduced their subject and activities. The event concluded with a slide show of a selection of the 2023 Exhibition images, set to music, by our Webmaster - Ian Wilson. We were so pleased to see the event was well attended by both new and returning members and we are looking forward to another interesting, inspiring and creative season.
We have been fortunate to gain further new members who join us for the 2nd half of the season. We have a packed calendar of talks, competitions, special interest groups, outings and workshops, to get through. Lots to learn and to enjoy. Welcome.
Video about the Club
A video, made by Tim Marchant and originally shown at the opening of the 2022 Annual Exhibition, gives an excellent overview of the club and its activities.
Print Panel Competition 2024
Dave Hipperson was our judge and brought not only excellent technical critique and advice to each and every panel, but also added more than a touch of humour. The field was of 26 quality panels of 5 images, on a wide range of topics. It is often said that it is a good idea to work on sets of images and projects, and panels can come out of that way of working.
Congratulations go to Martin Parrat who won the competition
Click the image above to view all the top scoring panels.
Serial PDI Competition 2023-24 Round 3
For the third round of the Serial PDI competition we enjoyed a good field of 90 images (48 Colour; 42 Mono). We thank Pauline Martindale, for judging this round for us.
Our congratulations go to top scorers (20/20)
Colour: Robert Ellis, Helen Cherry; John Harvey; Jane Moore; Clive Downes.
Monochrome: Eleni Paliginis; John Harvey; Sue Badcock; Jane Moore; Alan Linsdell; Bob Coote.
Enjoy the competition gallery with all the high-scoring (18+) images, by clicking on the image above. This is a serial competition of 3 rounds. Points from each round accumulate until the Winners are revealed after Round 3.
Serial Print Competition 2023-24 Round 2
Click the above image to see the gallery of high-scoring images.
Entries reduced a little: Colour 31, Monochrome 26. It was expertly judged by Chris Forster DPAGB FBPE MFIAP, who commented that the 'high quality of the work overall has made the judging all the more enjoyable'. Chris is unusual in that he picked up every print, so as to be able to judge the choice of paper and mounting as well as the image itself. We now know he is not a fan of 'matt' paper! :) He had some of the highest praise for those images which not only engaged the eye, but also the mind and made the viewer think. Images of frequently photographed iconic landscapes or scenes he asked the photographer for 'something more', 'something extra or different'. His critique was full and helpful to all and we thank him for it.
Our congratulations go to those who impressed Chris to gain the top mark (20/20):
Colour: Peter Baker.
Monochrome: Sarah Kelman.
Please enjoy the competition gallery with all the high-scoring (18+) images, by clicking on the image above. This is a serial competition of 3 rounds. Points from each round accumulate until the Winners are revealed after Round 3.
Serial PDI Competition 2023-24 Round 2
For the second round of the Serial PDI competition it was even a larger field of 100 images (51 Colour; 49 Mono). We thank Gill Adams BSc Open, for judging this round for us.
Our congratulations go to top scorers (20/20)
Colour: Stacey Purkiss, Sally Freeman and Gerry Metcalfe
Monochrome: Jenny Hodd and Philip Gravett.
Enjoy the competition gallery with all the high-scoring (18+) images, by clicking on the image above. This is a serial competition of 3 rounds. Points from each round accumulate until the Winners are revealed after Round 3.
Serial Print Competition 2023-24 Round 1
The first round saw a good entry of 68 prints - 38 Colour and 30 Monochrome. It was expertly judged by Nick Akers ARPS BPE3*, President Elect of the EAF. His critique was full and helpful to all and we thank him for it. Our congratulations go to all those who achieved the top marks (20/20):
Colour: Malcolm Brown, Philip Earl, Clive Downes.
Monochrome: Ken Bingham, Andrew Colgan, Sally Freeman, Allan Hale.
Please enjoy the competition gallery with all the high-scoring (18+) images, by clicking on the image above. This is a serial competition of 3 rounds. Points from each round accumulate until the Winners are revealed after Round 3.
Serial PDI Competition 2023-24 Round 1
With a large entry of 92 for the first round of the Serial PDI competition, we were lucky enough to have Tony Bramley FRPS (website) as judge. Despite the numbers, he managed to offer excellent critique which was helpful to all. Our congratulations go to top scorers (20/20)
Colour: Peter Baker, Andy Holloway, Martin Johnson, Stacey Purkiss, Sally Freeman and
Monochrome: Ian Wilson, Jim Bennett, John Gough, Helen Cherry.
Enjoy the competition gallery with all the high-scoring (18+) images, by clicking on the image above. This is a serial competition of 3 rounds. Points from each round accumulate until the Winners are revealed after Round 3.
It's a Knockout! 2023-24
Sampson
Our first competition of the season is a very relaxed and demoratic event, where all the members attending get to vote for their favourite image. The entries are all matched randomly with another image and the audience votes. The winner goes through the next round and so on, until we get down to the last two images. This year, congratulations go to Sally Freeman with her winning image of Sampson. Runner Up was Torrie Smith and Tony Blaney and Peter Baker were joint 3rd.
A number of CCC Members have their own websites, and a list of these can be found here. Shown below is a small selection of Member sites (CCC is not responsible for the external links).
More of the Way I See It - Rosemary Willman HonFRPS ABPE AFIAP APAGB
When Rosemary spoke for Cambridge CC in October 2021 she was obliged to present her work via Zoom because of the Covid restrictions so, it was with great pleasure, we were able to welcome her back in person last evening to show printed images of her work. And what a show it was! The first half of the evening was devoted to viewing her many accomplished images, printed on a variety of papers, taken during her travels in India, Santorini, Iceland and the isles of Scotland. Rosemary has a keen eye for the unusual and we enjoyed her own interpretation of the Icelandic landscape, as well as her clever capture of light and shade in Greece. Her images are often minimalist in style and many convey a painterly view, most of which is captured in-camera with minimal post-processing. Rosemary’s skills in macro photography were also demonstrated by some flat-lay projects she had undertaken during lockdown.
During the second half of the evening, we enjoyed projected images taken during her recent trip to Japan. Photographs taken both inside and out of Tokyo’s towering glass buildings captured dazzling reflections of city life, and Rosemary’s winter scenes of Hokkaido featuring trees and fields in a deep snow-covered landscape were elegant in their simplicity and style. A visit to Rosemary's website is well worth it.
Macrophotography - Ann Miles FRPS EFIAP FBPE
70-80 members filled our hall to listen to our very own Ann Miles, one of our longest-serving members and very much an inspiration to the whole club. She shared her considerable knowledge of equipment, settings, fieldcraft and the subjects. It was a masterclass. Ann's website is well worth visiting, whatever type of photographer you are. You cannot fail to be inspired by something there. From her profile: I trained as a biologist and spent my working life in scientific publishing; this enabled me to keep abreast with all the changes from traditional to digital photography and printing. I have been an active photographer all my life and, for about 10 years, taught general and nature photography at university degree level. I am a Member of The London Salon which keeps me in touch with the best of pictorial photography around the world. I gained an Associateship in Nature and a Fellowship in Visual Arts and served as Deputy Chair of the Fine Arts Panel for 8 years. I now sit on the Natural History Distinction Panel. This reflects a wide spectrum of photographic interest. In my photography, I enjoy images that depict the interactions of people, architecture, nature and landscape. I have lectured all round Britain and give workshops and individual tuition.
Pax Aeterna - Clive Tanner
A packed meeting were treated to a wonderful show of exquisite prints, along with many interesting historical and architectural facts.
Clive Tanner in his own words: I am a photographic dabbler, moving from what was the latest to something even newer but at the same time, following my chosen photographic interests, mainly cathedral and church interior architecture. I have been fortunate to have friends/colleagues with similar interests who have guided and encouraged my picture making and help with the quest for photographic distinctions; so far these include Fellowship of Royal Photographic Society, Master Photographer of Photographic Alliance of Great Britain, Fellowship of Irish Photographic Federation and Associate of Welsh Photographic Federation, there is also Associate of Photographic Alliance of Great Britain. I am proud of these achievements and the recognition, but they do not make me a better photographer, hopefully experience, reading and talking to those who are recognised as great photographers will have positive effects. I will show prints which were successful for the distinctions and others which have been in books of my pictures which have been produced since covid lockdown.
History Re-coloured - Richard O'Brien
Richard is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop, an IT instructor and a keen amateur photographer. He combines his skills in demonstrating his start-to-finish process for restoring old photographs and applying colour. His presentation, via Zoom, was aimed at all levels of photoshop user, from basic to expert, using tools common to all recent versions of Photoshop and Elements and avoiding some of the most recent advanced tools. This made it a very practical and useful workshop, for everyone. His presentation was extremely clear, well organised and engaging. Another very well-attended evening.
The Greater Picture - Tom Way
Tom Way was an extremely charismatic speaker and spoke to a packed audience at Cambridge Camera Club. His enthusiasm for his photography and for his subjects was both inspiring and infectious. His talk gave us a broad view of Tom’s life as a fine art wildlife photographer. He demonstrated his camera settings whilst speaking about the critical components he feels essential to creating evocative wildlife imagery. He outlined the importance of large format print and explained how he creates a viable business through photography.
Landscape and Ariel Photography - Mieka Boynton
Mieka Boynton delivered a very engaging and informative talk, along with her spectacular images. She started by giving her view on what made landscape images standout. She listed 'Unusual weather conditions; A special feature (glacier; mountain; winding path); An isolated tree; Reflections; Patterns / repetition / symmetry; Filters and long exposure; Your viewpoint; Night Photography and Choice of lens'. Basically, show people what they do not 'normally' see. Her “Landscape and Aerial Photography” presentation begins with a very brief explanation of her background, and then – through audience interaction – highlights a series of maximum-impact elements of Landscape Photography. The advice given is valuable for photographers at all levels. She also presents a selection of her aerial photographs and provides some useful advice for members if they wish to try their hand at this genre.
Mieke is now an Internationally-acclaimed landscape photographer. In 2008, Mieke travelled to the rugged and remote Kimberley region of Western Australia and promptly fell in love with the landscape. She took up photography as a means to share her amazement with family and friends, and quickly caught the photography “bug.” Mieke became a full time professional photographer in 2018 and that same year, was named “Victorian Travel Photographer of the Year” by the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. In 2019, she was awarded the title of AIPP Victorian Landscape Photographer of the Year. She is the first Australian and first woman ever to win the renowned Epson International Pano Awards, with three of her abstract aerial photographs receiving Gold Awards. In 2021, she achieved her Masters distinction with the prestigious Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique (FIAP) - one of only 5 successful applicants world-wide. Mieke now lives in the beautiful alpine township of Bright in Victoria Australia where she and her partner (award-winning photographer Matt Palmer) have opened their “Alpine Light” photography gallery. Read more about Mieka on her website www.miekeboynton.com
The Best Camera is the One You Have With You .. Your Phone! Thomas Peck CPAGB LRPS
Tom's subject clearly had a lot of appeal as he had very good attendance for his lively talk. He has been taking photographs for many years now. Originally he focused mostly on macro photography of flowers, and then expanded to include landscape, architecture and portraits. Tom shoots with Sony & Leica cameras, but this evening he focused on what can be achieved with a phone. He began by showing some of his first iPhone images dating back 10 years or so of family, friends, the family pet and holidays. While he still loves his professional kit – suggesting '... it’s that blokey geeky equipment thing.' but then he came to recognise the iPhone as a useful tool for recording locations in anticipation of visiting with clients. Since that realisation, he has further explored the full capabilities of the phone and the editing apps available. The second half of the talk was an interactive session with the members using their own phones as Tom taught us how we can embellis our images using the many features to be found on the mobiles phones today.
Tom told us that the real pleasure of photography is that it forces him to slow down and really look. That’s never easy in our rushed world, so a chance to stop, look and see is truly valuable. He hopes the his pictures convey that in some small way.
Sports Illustrated - Roger Evans MPAGB FBPE EFIAP/p
Roger's talk was extremely entertaining. An excellent raconter, he took us through his very earliest days as a sports photographer - a 'stringer' (part-timer) for the Telegraph, when he modestly admits it was a case of 'all the gear, but no idea'! But his love of sport and his passion for photography made him determind and a fast learner. His first days were in boxing, where lack of knowledge meant he missed a golden opportunity to photograph Frank Bruno, so he soon realised that 'preparation is key' and he now plans every detail of the event he is attending - from who will be there, and when, to where the sun will be at any given time of the day, and therefore the best locations. Over 40 years, he has photographed over 25 different sports - from amateur cricket to top class athletics at the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. His favourite is gymnastics. He was the recipient of both a Silver Medal and a Special Merit in the Gynmastics section of the World Photography Awards 2021. Across all sports, he has witnessed both triumph and disaster and captured both the same. As his skill developed, he has pushed himself to take images with a difference and has won many accolades for his efforts. Our members enjoyed a very entertaining evening, whilst picking up many tips and tricks.
Flowers through my Viewfinder - Hemant Jariwala ARPS
Hemant Jariwala was a big draw this week with so many members keen to see his images and learn from his techniques. Hemant is an award-winning photographer, who specialises in botanical, garden, landscape and iPhoneography. His images have been regularly published in popular photography & garden life-style magazines, greeting cards, calendars and books, around the world. He began by explaining that his prime technique is that he composes his images 'through his viewfinder ALWAYS - not looking at the backscreen and not relying on post processing/cropping. His backgrounds are natural - as he finds them. And he says, the more you practice, the more you see the image further ahead of you - not 1 metre, but eventually 10 metres! His presentation was threaded through with a clear joy of photography and a love for nature and flowers. Hemant treated us to a photoessay, presenting an intimate study of flowers - close-up and portraits, that were once considered exotic are now common and mundane to Britain. Indeed, botanical photography is often considered as ‘record photography’, but Hemant showed the ‘artistic persona’ and beauty of flowers that have been taken for granted.
In 1993, Hemant Jariwala won two major awards: Practical Photography magazine’s ‘Photographer of the Year’; Royal Photography Society (RPS) International Slide Exhibition (General Category) Gold Medal & The Agfa Trophy. Hemant is an Associate of the Royal Photography Society, and member of Bedford Camera Club
Landscape and Seascape Photography in the UK
A good friend to the club, Roger Hance presented to a packed audience this week. Landscape and Seascapes Photography is one of the most rewarding areas of photography, as well being one of the most challenging. Roger demonstrated with his spectacular digital images, accompanied by high quality prints, just how he meets those challenges and comes out with award-winning images. In the first half of this presentation he covered composition, lighting, exposure, equipment, preparation and research, as well as Infra Red Photography. He gave us the technical information on the focal length of the lenses he uses, and how, depending on lighting and composition, he decides which lens to use. ND filters, both in and on the camera, plus slow shutter speeds were all explained. Most helpful were his tips on how, when you arrive at your location and the weather is against you, you can adapt your approach and perspective and still come away with some great images. In the second half of the talk he took us to eight of his favourite areas in the UK. Cornwall, The Lake District, The Scottish Highlands, The Peak District, The Northumberland Coast, Snowdonia, Devon, and Dorset. A thoroughly entertaining and inspiring evening, enjoyed by all.
Young Photographers' Competition 2024
The theme for the 2024 Young Photographers' Competition, run in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Cambridge, was Rebuilding. The carousel below shows the award winners from the Competition, but all the entries can be viewed either by clicking here or on any of the carousel images.
Inter-Club Digital Competition 2024
Last Leaves by Peter North of Melbourn & District Photographic Club (winner of the 2024 Roy Pitman Award for best image)
The Cambridge Inter-Club Competition took place at Whittlesford Memorial Hall on Saturday 20th January 2024, and our judge was Barbie Lindsay MPAGB EFIAP/s FBPE AWPF from the Beyond Group. Full results can be found by clicking here or on the image above.
Member Success at 49th Smethwick International Exhibition
Cllick on the image to enter the gallery of accepted images, to view enlarged format.
We congratulate the Members from Cambridge Camera Club who have images accepted in the 49th Smethwick International Exhibition of Photography. Sally Freeman was awarded a Silver Medal for her image Aurora Lighting Diamond Beach plus 3 other acceptances, Peter Baker had 4 acceptances, Philip Earl 2 and Richard Bircham, Allan Hale and Helen Cherry all had one image accepted. Out of the 100s of entries from very many countries we applaude them for their successes.
Jim Bennett wins Medal at The London Salon
The 'accepted' images are then reviewed to assess if any should be awarded a medal. Up to just 10 medals are awarded in a salon year and only 7 were awarded this year. So Jim is rightly very proud indeed to have his image 'Clouded Vision' selected. Well done. The London Salon |
Cambridge Camera Club 3rd in Regional Competition
Cambridge along with 24 other Clubs took part in this year’s EAF PDI Championship. Clubs could enter 25 images and the first Round comprised 15 images with the top 10 scoring Clubs proceeding to Round Two.
At the end of Round One we were in the top three and after the scoring of the remaining 10 images, we finished in third place behind the winners Beyond Group and PICO.
This result means that Cambridge will be invited to represent the EAF at the PAGB PDI Club Championship at Warwick in July along with Beyond and PICO.
A big thank you to all those Members who allowed us to use their images. Special mention must be made of Kevin Pigney and Stacey Purkiss who both scored 14 for their images of Hares in Snowfall and Mating Banded Demoiselles.
The images and their scores are viewable in the Gallery section of the Club Website.
https://www.cambcc.org.uk/CCC.main/Gallery/ViewGallery?gId=145919#prettyPhoto
David Townshend wins First Prize in IGPOTY Abstract Views
CCC member David Townshend has won first prize in the Abstract Views category of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition 16 with ‘Abandon Hope’.
David’s description for the image explains the title: ‘Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.’ In this image I see the circles within circles in Dante’s Inferno. It was created in my garden from a bug hotel, using in-camera image blending.
More of David’s successful IGPOTY images can be seen on his website.
Lachlan French gains his LRPS Distinction
Many congratulations to Lachlan French, who achieved the LRPS distinction at December's Licentiate Assessment.