NWBCC News & Events

NWBCC win first round of 'International' photo contest

2010-02-18T09:27:00.000Z

The Isle of Man Photographic Society were the hosts for the first round of a digital photographic competition with the NWBCC recently. 25 specially selected images where dispatched to the Isle of Man at the end of last year to be put up against 25 from the Photographic Society. After a very close result, with only a few points in it, the NWBCC were the winners. It even made the news, local newspaper the Isle of Man Courier published an article about the competition.

The second round will be hosted by the NWBCC later this year.

Sports Photography with the Dings Crusaders

2010-01-21T22:50:00.000Z

Last May the club was sent an email asking for someone to volunteer as team photographer for Dings Crusaders Rugby Club. I took on the Role. Since late August I have been attending all home games and some away games as team photographer. I take a few hundred photos each game, then send some to the Bristol Evening Post and the local paper of the opposition; on the Monday after a home game, there will be a photo or two in the Evening Post and sometimes they are printed in a national rugby paper. Each week, one of my photos is printed on the cover of the match programme, and several within it.

Since starting as team photographer, I have set up a website where people can order prints or downloads, www.avonsports.co.uk. It is a great job, and now I am looking for a sport to keep me busy in the summer.

Words and pics by David Stephenson.

Do you spend a lot of time on getting a shot just right?

2010-01-14T11:41:00.000Z

Do you spend ages trying to get the shot? Wether it is setting up and adjusting your tripod, or huddled in a hide waiting for that elusive bird to appear. Well, thats nothing, this crew from the BBC spent 2 Years of Hard Work for a 60 Second Shot for a recent series.

13 Jan meeting is also cancelled

2010-01-11T01:36:00.001Z

Unfortunately , once again we have to cancel this weeks meeting (13 Jan) due to the weather.The speaker was due to be driving from Cardiff and given the current circumstances it was thought better to postpone until a later date. We hope to get the meetings back to normal as soon as possible.

Tonights meeting is cancelled.

2010-01-06T14:48:00.000Z

Due to the weather the meeting tonight (6 Jan) is cancelled. So get outside and take some snow pictures while you can.

Happy 2010

2009-12-17T09:27:00.000Z

Happy New Year to all. Meetings start again this Wednesday 6 January for 'Second Time Around' by Bob Bishop.

Postcards of Bristol

2009-12-10T13:57:00.001Z

Club members Cyril C and Pete F recently participated in the Bristol City Council led 'Postcards of Bristol' project. Working with others in the local community, the challenge was to photograph those aspects (and a couple of characters!) of Westbury on Trym that give it its unique character.

Selected photographs were then incorporated into 'picture postcards' which will be used to capture local's reflections on WoT. The results will contribute to the exhibition material in the new 'M Shed', a.k.a. the Museum of Bristol. The photographs will also contribute to the City's archive. Working to a very tight timescale, photographers had to work with the weather 'as they found it on the (wet November / December) day' which proved to be a considerable but not insurmountable challenge. The project served to raise the profile of the Club locally and within the Council. Cyril and Pete had their eyes opened to the rich mix of photographic opportunities and challenges that WoT offers.

Words by Pete F.

UK Photographers Rights V2

2009-11-25T22:19:00.001Z

Photographers rights continue to get a bashing and its often very difficult to know exactly where you stand and what your rights are. One of the most useful sources of information on the subject has recently been updated. The UK Photographers Rights guide is written by Linda Macpherson LL.B, Dip. L.P., LL.M, a freelance legal consultant specialising in Media Law and Intellectual Property Law. And with all those letters after her name you just know she knows what she is talking about. Download and print out your 2 page guide from www.sirimo.co.uk/ukpr, and keep it in your camera bag.

The NWBCC flickr group

2009-10-30T13:36:00.000Z

The NWBCC flickr group has been growing steadily over the last couple of years and at the time of writing stands at 392 images and 52 members. (For those of you that didn't know we had a flickr group, or don't know what a flickr group is then head to flickr.com, get a free account and have a play). There are an amazing range and variety of images in the group from club members and virtual club members. So I would like to remind you about the two groups we have and encourage you to make use of them.

We have two groups named NWBCC and NWBCC Members Gallery. The first group is open to everyone. From your flickr page search for groups and enter NWBCC as the search term. You must join the group before adding images but that won't take more than a few seconds. You can browse the current images in the group pool.

The second group is the NWBCC Members Gallery. This is a closed group, open to NWBCC members only. Joining takes a little longer because we have to confirm you are a club member. Images added to this group can not only be seen in the group pool but will appear on the NWBCC website in the Members Gallery.

We need more members images in the gallery, it's been a bit static lately. So please take a look at flickr and if you are a club member join the members group and start posting.

Five go mad in Severn Valley

2009-07-01T14:29:00.001+01:00

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.

Remove those pesky tourists

2009-06-30T21:48:00.001+01:00

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.

Bristol BioBlitz 2009

2009-06-25T00:49:00.001+01:00

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.

Photos from the past

2009-06-18T09:24:00.002+01:00

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.

Festival of Nature 2009

2009-06-04T23:49:00.001+01:00

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.

This weeks meeting is a little different

2009-05-11T21:46:00.000+01:00

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.

Preserve Your Rights as a Photographer

2009-04-25T23:51:00.001+01:00

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.

35 Basic Tutorials for Photoshop

2009-01-06T23:50:00.001Z

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.

New Season of Club Meetings

2008-09-07T20:33:00.002+01:00

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.

Summer Programme

2008-07-22T18:43:00.001+01:00

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.

The Bristol Festival of Nature 2008

2008-06-05T21:22:00.007+01:00

The Bristol Festival of Nature is the UK's biggest celebration of the natural world and this weekend promises to be the biggest yet. Whatever the weather, come down to the harbour-side for talks, sideshows, animal encounters and more. We have a stall in the main tent so come along and ask questions about the club, photography or just to have a chat and stay out of the rain. Come back here to see pictures from both days as they happen, and if you have any pictures from the BFN yourself add them to flickr and tag them 'BFN08'. You can see pictures from the event on our special Bristol Festival of Nature 2008 page.

Bristol Festival of Nature

2008-05-19T20:20:00.000+01:00

Once again, NWBCC is excited to be a part of The Bristol Festival of Nature at the Harbourside on the 7-8 June. There is a fantastic programme of hands-on activities, talks, animal encounters, films, workshops and more. We will be on-hand to help with your photographic queries and to tell you all about the club. For more details on the festival see the Bristol Festival of Nature homepage.

Practical Evening

2008-02-04T22:28:00.001Z

John recently hosted a practical session on tabletop photography at the club. I have never seen so many desk lamps, torches, strobes etc. gathered together in one place. A lot of the images have been posted to our flickr pool. You can see them here.

Website of the Month

2008-01-21T21:18:00.001Z

National Geographic have a section on their site dedicated to photography. There are loads of tips for everything from people to landscape photography, as well as videos. Well worth a look, check it out at the National Geographic Gallery.

Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008

2008-01-11T21:09:00.000Z

If you have seen the 2007 exhibition at the Bristol Museum and think you have what it takes then you may be interested to know that entry opens in January for the 2008 WPOY.

Entry opens on 17 January 2008 and all images must be submitted by 24 March by post or 31 March online at www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto. Entrants stand to win an impressive £10,000 prize if they are given the coveted title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008 or share of a £23,550 prize fund if successful in one of the categories.

Winning photographers will have their images showcased in an international exhibition that debuts at the Natural History Museum in October 2008 before touring venues across the world. Winning images are also featured in a special supplement to the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine and in a hardback commemorative portfolio by BBC Books.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition is the world’s greatest wildlife photography contest and an international leader in the artistic representation of the natural world. Every year, it showcases the very best photographic images of nature to a worldwide audience, giving people an insight into the beauty, drama and variety of the natural world. Now in its forty-fourth year, the 2008 competition is open to anyone with an appreciation of wildlife and a passion for fresh, innovative photography.

You can read more about the 2007 exhibition on our 2007 Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year page.

Photo Talk

2007-12-16T13:15:00.000Z

P1030779
Originally uploaded by peteruck.
Another comment from Johnc15 on an image from our Flickr pool. Remember, if you want to comment on any of our pictures on the pool drop me an email at the feedback address below. Meanwhile here is what John had to say about on of Peter's photos:

"Love the textures of the dilapidated old building, the flaking paint of the boat, but a little PhotoShop work would have really brought this out more. The sky needs some attention and the image could be warmed to better effect."