Club Meeting, Vice Chairs Challenge 3 - Tuesday 28th March 2023.

  

Morpeth Camera Club met on Tuesday 28th March 2023, to hear the observations of Peter Downs LRPS on his third
and final beach themed challenge, during his tenure as Vice Chairman. Members had been invited to submit up to
four images on the theme of Sand, which could be in colour or monochrome and should preferably have been taken
since the beginning of the season. Peter hosted the evening saying that all members were welcome to comment on
their own images and those of other entrants.

  

Seventeen members took up the challenge and entries varied between sweeping vistas of coastal regions, to dune
pathways to the beach and macro shots of sand detail. We saw worm casts, sea coal patterns resembling eerie dark
forests, wind blown ripples of sand, curved shapes that were formed by erosion and linear patterns of sand in ridges
of sedimentary rock.

                                

With no sense of scale, several sand images resembled deep canyons and steep cliffs, creating an illusion by which
one can use one’s imagination as to what can be seen. A rock embedded in sand with trailing sand patterns could be
an alien, and suspended sand between rocks resembled a calving glacier. Coruscating sand patterns in evening light
throwing dark shadows, wet sand patterns resembling ice or draped satin, the sun reflected in a pool, newly burst
bubbles leaving crater-like circles and sand clinging to emerging groynes, were also included.

                                

Entries in colour, monochrome and sepia toned, abstracts using artistic filters and Intentional Camera Movement
showed images of beaches taken in Scotland and Cape Verde Islands, and at Druridge Bay, Lynemouth, Buston
Links, Blyth, Cresswell, Newbiggin, Cambois, North Seaton, Hauxley and Seaton Sluice.

  

Other entries included images of inland seawater which had been dammed after a storm, long ridges forming a sand
platform by inshore winds, ripples of sand creating texture, low tide patterns forming sea coal ripples which resembled
marble, forests and roots, and patterns formed by pollution in blue and gold. This was not a competition but one could
see that a lot of imagination and originality had been used.

   

Digital Competition Secretary, Davy Bolam thanked Peter for putting together his three part beach themed challenge,
which had made us look at our local beaches in detail and in a different way. Refreshments were served after another
interesting evening at the club.

Steph.