Club Meeting, 'Club Exchange Visit' - Tuesday 11th March 2025.
On Tuesday 11th March Morpeth Camera Club welcomed members of Cramlington Camera Club. Morpeth had attended
Cramlington earlier in the season and this was a reciprocal visit where Cramlington members gave short presentations
which showcased examples of some of their best projected digital images, prints and audio-visual shows produced at
their club.
Club President Chris Houghton led the evening by introducing Derek Parker with his prints taken not only in the United
Kingdom but Thailand, Cuba, The Gambia and Nepal. Brown hare, barn owls, sun baked congregating butterflies, Black
Winged Stilt, Cuban Woodpecker, the Grey-backed Camaroptera and concluding with a stunning Mount Everest sunrise
were included in Dereks’ presentation..
Next on was an Audio Visual presentation (Av) collaboration between Ray Barnes and Peter Moody. Their journey took
us to Australia, starting off in Perth, taking in Adelaide, Melbourne, Tasmania and finally Sydney. They showcased fine
Victorian and Modern Architecture, bridges, night time vibrant river scenes, rocky coastlines, flora, wildlife, landscapes,
marinas and iconic landmarks, providing us with an exciting insight into this great country.
Brian Sidney followed on with ‘The Heavenly Dancers’, which alluded not to the art form but to the Aurora Borealis. He
explained his journey since 1976, into trying to capture the perfect shot. His talk was illustrated with his attempts over
the years, he explained his settings, how photographic technology had progressed and how he has learned to anticipate
when this spectacle is likely to be seen.
He was followed by Paul Kidd who showed images of the Isle of Skye, taken over two separate visits, at different times
of the year. The first visit was a learning curve and he returned with a greater understanding of what it took to achieve
a better photograph. We enjoyed scenes of highland cattle at Elgol, The Fairy Pools, the Old Man of Storr and Neist Point
at sunrise, the black rocks of Talisker Bay and dramatic images of Sea Eagles in flight.
Chris Houghton followed with ‘The Alpine Adventure.’ We enjoyed striking landscapes of the Austrian Alps, high village
vistas, vertiginous waterfalls which drop to the gorges below, man made stepped rivers which create power for mills,
together with illustrations of his work helping the disabled to enjoy the scenery independently.
‘Creatures that Walk and Fly’ was the title of two of Colin Livingstone’s’ Av presentations and we enjoyed seeing a wide
variety of garden, water, game and forest birds, which included woodpeckers, raptors, owls, puffins in flight, and lovely
reflections of Heron and Kingfisher. His second short Av concentrated on red and grey squirrels and stags, all set in their
own environment and set to a tranquil musical accompaniment.
Bob Finley concluded the evening with ‘An Eclectic Mix’. In portraiture we saw, re-enactments, studio workshop images
of punks, body builders and a farrier at the Northumberland Show. Sport included side car cross and quad bike racing,
and in the wildlife category were a selection of birds taken at Wooler Common. He finished off with Land and Seascapes;
taken in the Langdales, along the Tyne, Low Force, Hindhope Linn, St Abbs and Bonnyhope Quarry.
Exchange evenings give everyone the chance to see the standard of work that is produced by other clubs and to meet
other photographers, and we certainly enjoyed seeing Cramlingtons work and enthusiasm for their genre. Chairman
Peter Downs thanked our visitors for presenting a wide variety of work after which refreshments were served.
Steph.
Cramlington earlier in the season and this was a reciprocal visit where Cramlington members gave short presentations
which showcased examples of some of their best projected digital images, prints and audio-visual shows produced at
their club.
Club President Chris Houghton led the evening by introducing Derek Parker with his prints taken not only in the United
Kingdom but Thailand, Cuba, The Gambia and Nepal. Brown hare, barn owls, sun baked congregating butterflies, Black
Winged Stilt, Cuban Woodpecker, the Grey-backed Camaroptera and concluding with a stunning Mount Everest sunrise
were included in Dereks’ presentation..
Next on was an Audio Visual presentation (Av) collaboration between Ray Barnes and Peter Moody. Their journey took
us to Australia, starting off in Perth, taking in Adelaide, Melbourne, Tasmania and finally Sydney. They showcased fine
Victorian and Modern Architecture, bridges, night time vibrant river scenes, rocky coastlines, flora, wildlife, landscapes,
marinas and iconic landmarks, providing us with an exciting insight into this great country.
Brian Sidney followed on with ‘The Heavenly Dancers’, which alluded not to the art form but to the Aurora Borealis. He
explained his journey since 1976, into trying to capture the perfect shot. His talk was illustrated with his attempts over
the years, he explained his settings, how photographic technology had progressed and how he has learned to anticipate
when this spectacle is likely to be seen.
He was followed by Paul Kidd who showed images of the Isle of Skye, taken over two separate visits, at different times
of the year. The first visit was a learning curve and he returned with a greater understanding of what it took to achieve
a better photograph. We enjoyed scenes of highland cattle at Elgol, The Fairy Pools, the Old Man of Storr and Neist Point
at sunrise, the black rocks of Talisker Bay and dramatic images of Sea Eagles in flight.
Chris Houghton followed with ‘The Alpine Adventure.’ We enjoyed striking landscapes of the Austrian Alps, high village
vistas, vertiginous waterfalls which drop to the gorges below, man made stepped rivers which create power for mills,
together with illustrations of his work helping the disabled to enjoy the scenery independently.
‘Creatures that Walk and Fly’ was the title of two of Colin Livingstone’s’ Av presentations and we enjoyed seeing a wide
variety of garden, water, game and forest birds, which included woodpeckers, raptors, owls, puffins in flight, and lovely
reflections of Heron and Kingfisher. His second short Av concentrated on red and grey squirrels and stags, all set in their
own environment and set to a tranquil musical accompaniment.
Bob Finley concluded the evening with ‘An Eclectic Mix’. In portraiture we saw, re-enactments, studio workshop images
of punks, body builders and a farrier at the Northumberland Show. Sport included side car cross and quad bike racing,
and in the wildlife category were a selection of birds taken at Wooler Common. He finished off with Land and Seascapes;
taken in the Langdales, along the Tyne, Low Force, Hindhope Linn, St Abbs and Bonnyhope Quarry.
Exchange evenings give everyone the chance to see the standard of work that is produced by other clubs and to meet
other photographers, and we certainly enjoyed seeing Cramlingtons work and enthusiasm for their genre. Chairman
Peter Downs thanked our visitors for presenting a wide variety of work after which refreshments were served.
Steph.