Five of us went to the recent Severn Valley Railway 1940's do. We had a super day perfect weather and good company:- Sandie, Marian and John. We were amazed at the displays and the atmosphere which was created. Many sound effects, music and dancing displays were organised and the photo opportunities were endless. I took nearly 200 images and I am sure the others did as well. Sandie did the driving, which she enjoys and we were all in the one car. This was a very successful club outing and I can thoroughly recommend a visit next year. Perhaps if we could get enough people interested a small coach could be hired.

Pictures and words by Peter.

Do you wish you had that scenic vista or picturesque cathedral all to yourself? Does someone always manage to sneak into your shot no matter how long you wait? Then you need Tourist Remover. Anyone care to sign up and give it a try? The idea seems pretty simple, you need at least three shots of the same scene with and without the obstruction to remove. Nothing that couldn't be achieved in Photoshop, but anything that makes this stuff easier is good in my book.

The UK's first BioBlitz is takes place this Friday and Saturday (26-27 June). Starting 13 years ago in Washington D.C. a BioBlitz is a 24 hour inventory of all living things in a given area. BioBlitzes have been held in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and many other countries. Bristols event will start this Friday (26 June) at 9am and continue until Saturday 3pm. NWBCC are among the many volunteers and our job will be to record the event and document the species as they are discovered. For more information see the Bristol BioBlitz homepage. Check the latest tally on the BioBlitz blog and see the pictures on the BioBlitz flickr site.

Take a long look at the picture on the right. Notice anything unusual about it? It could have been taken yesterday, but in fact was taken 100 years ago by Russian photographer Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky. His mission was to record the Russian empire in full colour using an innovative new approach. See more of his pictures and read the story of The Incredible Century Old Colour Photography of Prokudin-Gorsky.

Once again its time to get up close and personal with nature at one of the largest events of its kind in Europe. The Bristol Festival of Nature kicks of this weekend (6-7 June) and promises to be one of the best yet. The NWBCC will be there to answer any questions about the club as well as taking publicity pictures over the weekend. So come along and say hello. You can get more information and download a programme on the official Festival of Nature site.

There is no regular meet this week. Instead we are heading down to the International Slide Show at the QEH Theatre, Jacobs Wells Road. Please be there by 7pm for a 7-30pm start. For directions click here.

Did you know that since February photographing the police could get you prosecuted under new anti-terror legislation. This is just the latest example of the gradual erosion of photographers rights in this country. Simon Taylor of phooto.co.uk has decided something needs to be done. He has started a petition on the Number 10 website which I urge everyone reading this to sign. Do it now while we still have some rights left to protect.

Nothing comes even close to Photoshop for image manipulation, but all that power can be a bit hard to get to grips with. Becoming proficient can take a very long time. These 35 basic tutorials to get you started with Photoshop aim to get you up and running as quickly as possible.

Welcome back to everyone after the Summer break, we have a very varied range of talks and presentations for the coming weeks. I trust you took plenty of photographs over the Summer months and the wettest August since records began didn't dampen your enthusiasm. If you would like to show everyone your photos, don't forget to add them to our flickr group. Even better, why not write a few words about how you got the picture you did, what you used and why you like it and I will publish it on the front page here.

Is summer finally here? Hopefully we can expect more of this warm weather and to take advantage of it we have a couple of planned outings:

30 JULY - CLIFTON VILLAGE (7pm) - Meet at The Avon Gorge Hotel - in the patio garden at the rear. This overlooks Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Gorge. Meet inside if raining. Lots of interesting buildings and quaint alleys around the area

13 AUGUST - THE OSTRICH INN (7pm) - This just might be our favourite meeting place! Easy to locate right on the riverside behind the General Hospital. Meet at the outside tables, or inside if cold or damp! Photo opportunities around Redcliffe or along the path to Prince Street Bridge and developing Industrial Museum etc. Boats, ducks, docks...and much,much more. Soft sunset lighting by this time.

IMPORTANT NOTE - If in doubt, because of weather conditions - Please check that each event is going ahead by phoning Peter or checking this site.