Waterford Camera Club

Congratulations to Owen O' Donohoe on achieving his AIPF - the first A in WCC - on Saturday 11th March 2023. The Club congratulates Owen on this amazing achievement with his outstanding panel of Hairy Men. Well done Owen.

Congratulations to John Byrne on achieving his LIPF on Saturday 11th March 2023. The Club congratulates John on his achievement with an outstanding L panel. Well done John.

Congratulations to Tom Tyler who received his IPF Licentiateship in Thurles. Tom's panel had all the judges on their feet to enjoy his sense of humour. Well done Tom. Well deserved.

A great night was had recently to mark the start of our Summer break and our 50th Anniversary celebrations.

Head along to this very interesting exhibition in Dunhill for cultural information and an exhibition of photos, most by members of WCC, on aspects of the villages along the Copper Coast. The exhibition runs in the Dunhill Centre, every Saturday and Sunday 2 - 5 until the end of August.

A lovely night was had on Thursday night 1st July at Kilfarrasy Beach where several members met for an evening of seascape photography. Thanks to Peter Bijsterveld for the image shown here. Also, a big thank you to Norma Boyle for a job very well done over the last number of years as Outings Co-ordinator for WCC. This was Norma's last outing before she steps aside and lets someone else take on the challenge of organising outings for the Club.

A successful outing was held on 16th June to the Anne Valley where members had the opportunity to enjoy a nice evening walk interspersed with lots of nature photography. Thanks to Norma for organising the outing.

Congratulations to Peter Bijsterveld on achieving his LIPF on Sunday 21st March 2021. This year's distinctions were held online via Zoom in line with Covid-19 restrictions. Peter tuned into the meeting and was by his own admission on tenterhooks waiting for the result to be announced for his panel. The Club congratulates Peter on his achievement with an outstanding panel. Well done Peter.

WCC held their Annual Awards Night on Monday, 14th December last, via Zoom. A good number turned out to see who would be taking home the prizes for POTY 2020 and the Jack Kirwan Award. Manuel Lopez, our current Chairperson, presented a slideshow of all of the winning POTY images for this year which was followed by the presentation of (virtual) certificates and prizes by Tom Tyler, POTY Co-Ordinator. Terry Murphy then presented his shortlist of images for each of the Novice, Intermediate and Advanced categories in the Jack Kirwan Award and the winners were then presented with their (virtual) trophies by Manuel. The Club would like to take this opportunity to Congratulate all of the winners and to thank everyone for participating in the POTY competition, despite the challenging circumstances of 2020.

The Club suffered the sad loss in early December of long time Tramore resident, Jack Savage. Jack was an enthusiastic, fun and popular Club Member. He was always willing to share his knowledge and was particularly helpful to newcomers to the Club. Jack was one of a small number of people to be given the recognition of Honorary Life Membership of the Club. He is sadly missed by all at WCC. Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

We held our AGM for 2020 last night, 9th November. As we have had no face to face meetings since March because of Covid, our meeting was held via Zoom.

This is the first time as a Club that we have held a Zoom meeting. It was very successful. Full credit to all the Committee members who made it work.

About 28 members were present.

The meeting followed the normal procedure, with minutes of the previous AGM, followed by addresses by the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.

This was followed by the election of the new Committee. As a reward for all his hard work over the last year, Manuel was re-elected Chairman. Julianna remains on as Secretary and Antoinette will continue as Treasurer. Tom T, who was POTY Officer last year, continues on on the Committee. Following years of sterling service, Pam, Patty and JON (otherwise known as John O'Neill) have stepped down from the Committee. A huge thanks to them for the work they have done over the years.

To replace them, Fergus, Sheila, Dutch Peter and John Riordan were elected. Good luck to them over the year.

During the meeting, our new POTY judges were announced. All the outgoing judges, with the exception of Terry, have stepped down. To replace them, Novice judges will be Manuel, Jorge and Liam W. Intermediate judges will be Fergus and Brendan. To join Terry, who has strapped in for another year as Advanced judge, we welcome as guest judge Richie Dwyer, from Kilkenny Photographic Society.

Following the formalities, there was a long discussion, under AOB, about plans for the Club next year, in view of the uncertainty caused by Covid. Judging by the tone of the conversation, there is huge support for the Club and great hope for the future. POTY will continue in the present format for the time being. Zoom will be used extensively for as long as there is a need. Covid is seen as a temporary blip and we will be back bigger and stronger than ever.

This is a strange year for everyone. Like everyone else, we in the club have been badly affected by the Covid 19 virus pandemic. Club meetings and outings have been suspended since early March.

However, the Committee have kept our POTY running, with entries being submitted on the normal dates. They are being judged in the normal way, with the same judges. Committee member John O'Neill is putting together a short video with the judges' comments and results and this is put up on the website on the Monday nights that we would normally have a meeting.

We are coming up to our summer break. The final POTY entries for the first half of the year have been submitted and the results will be posted on the website on Monday 25th May.

In a first for the Club, we had a Zoom talk by guest speaker, Bernard Geraghty last Monday night, 11th May. Bernard is a full time professional photographer, running photo tours and workshops all over the world. He spent about an hour and half showing some of his images, primarily from Ireland and other parts of Europe. About 25 members tuned in for what was an excellent talk. Club member Tudor made contact with Bernard on behalf of the club.

The results of our Summer Flower Panel competition will be posted on the website tomorrow night, Monday 18th May. There should be some cracking images in.

We had a very successful outing around Waterford City last night, Wed 29th January. Approximately 25 members turned up, on a dry but cold night. We met at the Tower Hotel, had the group photo and then headed down to the Quay for light trails. The group moved on down to the Plaza and then up the small sides streets to the Viking Quarter. As is the nature of outings like this one, the group split up into smaller groups which bumped into each other as they moved on.

Along the way, we met a frozen RTE newsreader who was parked on the pavement outside the Tower, without as much as a woolie hat. We also met stray Cats, vagabonds, Ladies of the Night and Silhouettes.

As always, thanks to Norma for organising a great evening out. Also thanks to Tom Tyler, who did an amount of producing and directing on the night.

Waterford Camera Club had a fantastic result in the annual Suir Valley Challenge today, Sat 7th Dec, held in Carrick on Suir. We won the competition, comfortably beating off a stiff challenge from Clonmel, Carrick on Suir and Dungarvan.

As usual, the entries were of a very high standard. Along with the precious points, the judges had very positive comments to make about the images.

Waterford Camera Club won the inaugural Suir Valley Challenge five years ago. There was a change of sponsor for this year, with the Pat Power Perpetual Trophy being awarded. We have won that inaugural award as well.

Huge thanks to our selection committee of Mags, Aldo, Pam and Patty. Also huge thanks to Tom Quilty for doing a wonderful job printing the images. Also huge thanks to all club members for submitting images for consideration for the competition.

The attached photo shows the members present in Carrick today, with the Pat Power Perpetual Trophy.

During our recent very successful Exhibition in City Square, we ran a raffle in aid of Pine Grove Day Care Centre in which visitors voted for their favourite image. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd favourite images were:

1st - Old Boot by John O'Neill - Winner: C. Cunningham

2nd - Strawberry Moon by John O'Neill - Winner: Louie Power

3rd - Stag by Tom Quilty - Winner: Ciara O' Connor

Congratulations to all the lucky winners. If you haven't been contacted please contact us by email at wcclubcommittee@gmail.com

During our recent very successful Exhibition in City Square, we ran a raffle in aid of Pine Grove Day Care Centre. Visitors voted for their favourite image. We raised the fantastic sum of €1265. Patty and Norma had the unenviable job of counting through over 1000 votes, to find the winning image.

The winning image, by popular vote, was "Old Boot", by John O'Neill.

At our Club meeting last night, Norma presented the proceeds of the raffle to Anne Marie Veale, nurse manager of Pine Grove. Mao is also pictured, holding the winning image.

7 members travelled to Crough Woods, on the way to Mahon Falls, today Saturday 19th October. It was mostly grey and overcast, with only a small amount of sun early on. The overcast conditions made photography easier, as it acted like a huge diffuser, with no harsh shadows. The Mahon River flows through the woods and due to a lot of rain recently, there was a good flow of water. This made for some lovely slow images of water flowing.

There was also an amount of fungi present, so for those interested, the macro lenses were dug out.

As cafes are scarce in the area, by lunch time the need for food was urgent. Accordingly, the cafe in Kilmacthomas was raided for the traditional cake and coffee.

Thanks to Norma as always for organising.

On Sunday last, 6th October, 9 members met up in Waterford for an outing to photograph the murals around town that are done as part of the Waterford Walls.

It was a fine, dry, sunny day, ideal for photography. Our ramble took us from the Tower Hotel up to Mayors Walk, Patrick Street, Jenkins Lane and along O'Connell Street back to the Tower again.

A highlight of the morning was getting permission to photograph St. Patrick's Methodist Church Choir rehearsing after their weekly church service. Our thanks to the Church for allowing us access.

Tea and cake was in short supply - most unusual - so some members had to head into the Tower for the dinner.

As always, thanks to Norma for organising.

On Saturday last, 28th September, 6 brave members made the long and dangerous trip to take on the Vikings in Wexford. The Vikings were having a big festival, showcasing their lifestyle, including clothing, food and weapons.

Having arrived in Wexford, it was time for tea and cake. We then rambled round and befriended the Vikings and admired their displays.

Having done that, it was time for more nourishment. The rain came early, so by mid afternoon it was time to head for home.

Many thanks to Norma for organising.

On Wednesday 11th September Norma organised a Club outing to Benvoy for an evening shoot. In total, 19 members participated and a lovely evening was had by all. There was a lovely sunset followed by a harvest moon rise over the stacks. One or two members even stayed on for some astro photography. Once again a great outing. Many thanks to Norma for organising and to the many members who made it another successful Club outing.

On Wednesday 24th July, 10 members of the Club headed to Wexford for a day trip. It was a lovely sunny day. Having met in Passage East to car pool, we then headed to Kilmokea Gardens near Campile. As is usually the case, it was necessary to get out the tea before the cameras. We spent an enjoyable couple of hours in the Gardens. They were in full bloom and well worth the visit. Then time for more tea.

Having finished the tea, an unscheduled visit was made to the Barrow Bridge, which was only just down the road. The Barrow Bridge has the distinction of being the longest railway bridge in Ireland.

We then went to the PortLairge, an old dredger that used to work on the River Suir in Waterford. It is now a derelict hulk near Saltmills.

From there, we traveled to Hook Head for a couple of hours. There was a stiff breeze coming in off the sea, which made for interesting movement on the water.

Hunger then kicked in and having returned by ferry to Passage East, a trip was made to Dunmore East for a feed of fish and chips.

As always, many thanks to Norma for organising a great day out.

Pam's winning panel from Mullingar today.

Patty's winning panel from today.

Huge congratulations to club members Patty Connor and Pam Kiely, who both achieved their LIPF Distinctions at the IPF Distinction sittings in Mullingar today, Saturday 22nd June.

On a day with the judges repeatedly commenting on the high standard of panels entered, both Pam and Patty's panels were praised for the quality of their work.

On Thursday last, 18th April, about 18 members went to Kilfarrassy for a sunset shoot. There was a good mix of new members and more experienced people. It was a lovely clear evening and for once it was almost warm. Full tide was about an hour before the meeting, so there was plenty of opportunity to get images of waves on the rocks and the sea retreating down the beach. The low evening light made it easy to use slow shutter speeds to smooth out the waves.

Although it was a clear evening, there wasn't enough cloud to produce a classic sunset. However, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, with a bit of craic and people learning as well.

Many thanks as ever to Norma for organising. Stay tuned for details of future outings.

The Club outing to Kilkenny took place yesterday on what turned out to be a fine Spring day. Eleven members wandered the streets of the city taking in the river, the castle, the alleyways, the churches and of course the coffee shops. We also bumped into members from Portarlington Photography Club and new connections were forged for future inter-club communications. Thanks to Norah Davis for the image of Kilkenny.

A good turnout of 9 Beginners attended the post-processing workshop held last night. Everyone brought their laptops and worked on their own images with either Lightroom, Photoshop or PaintshopPro. Hopefully everyone learned something useful. A good night was had by all. Huge thanks to Patty, Mags and Pam for facilitating the workshop.

The following may be of interest to members considering going to Tenerife on holidays.

​

NAME: Phil Crean

EMAIL: phil@philcrean.com

SUBJECT: Tutor/guide, Tenerife

MESSAGE:

I'd like to introduce myself as a potential photography tutor/guide for your members who may travel to Tenerife on holiday. You can see my work and read more about me at: Website:www.philcrean.com Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/creanphil/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/PhilCreanPhotography



When you go on holiday you want to get some great images to take home. With over thirty years professional experience I can help and guide you. Why not also take the time to improve your photographic skills? Whatever your skill level, novice to advanced I can help you to get some great images from your time on Tenerife. Learn to control your camera more efficiently to make the most of the tools at your disposal and spend more time finding compositions, looking at texture, lighting, colours and lines that make great photos instead of struggling with settings. If you're already competent with all the controls I can concentrate on getting you to the best locations, places the average tourist will never see and you can discover some of the drama to be captured in the landscape on Tenerife. I'll be there to help with all technical aspects as well as assist with compositions, using the light and weather conditions to make the most of some amazing scenery ranging from wild Atlantic seascapes to rugged volcanic landscapes. Also possible is a trip to old towns and villages with fine examples of Colonial architecture and ramshackle rustic buildings, and in the capital there are examples of some cutting edge modern architecture. I can also provide tuition/guidance tailored to suit any particular requirements. Tenerife has lots to offer whatever style or genre of photography you prefer and having lived here over twenty years I have an extensive knowledge of the island. I would be grateful if you could pass this info on to your members and please feel free to contact me with any questions.

We had a super turnout of about 35 members for an indoor session in the Bridge Centre, Waterford, last night, Monday 4th March.

Patty, Terry, John O'N and Mags set up stations with smoke, still life, oil on water and plastic cutlery illuminated by laptop.

The last one was a new one for me. A laptop screen was turned white and clear plastic cutlery was set up in front of it as a still life. A polariser filter was used on the camera to produce dramatic colours.

Members moved from one station to another as they wished.

Mags and Patty were baking furiously and provided cake to go with the tea. All good outings have tea and cake.

It was a most enjoyable and entertaining evening, with a bit of chat, a bit of craic and everyone learning something new.

Thanks to Norma for organising. Thanks to Terry, John, Mags and Patty for teaching.

We had a good turnout of members for a Club trip to Altamont Gardens in Carlow today, 16th February. Having made an early start, we were in Altamount by about 09.30. It was necessary to have tea before getting the cameras out.

Altamont is renowned for it's display of snowdrops. Although some of the snowdrops were past their peak, there were plenty of excellent examples still on display. There was a breeze at times which made macro photography a challenge. Light conditions were good, with a hazy cloud, which diffused the sun.

As well as snowdrops, there is a fine display of crocuses. Daffodils and rhododendrons were just starting to come out.

As well as the walled garden, there is a large formal garden at the back of the house and a lovely walk down through the woods to the River Slaney.

Having spent the morning on hands and knees, we met back up at lunchtime for tea, cake and craic.

Many thanks as always to Norma for organising the trip. Thanks also to the members for turning up and contributing to an enjoyable day out. Outings such as today are a great opportunity for less experienced members to get practical hands on tuition.

Huge congratulations to club member John O'Neill, for two Honourable Mentions in the National Finals of the Nature Photographer of the Year, held in Carlow today, 16th February.

John's images were "In the Deep Dark Wood", in the Flora and Fungi themed section and "Robin" in the Open Projected Category.

On Tuesday night last, 5th Feb, we had a night of fireworks in the Peoples Park in Waterford. After a very wet day, the evening cleared up and we had an excellent turnout of about 25 members for a session of wire wool spinning with our resident pyromaniac, Aldo. The evening was mild with no wind. The wet ground after the day's rain added to the atmosphere with some lovely reflections. We started off beside the big orb, before moving on to the bandstand. We then moved on to the skate park. The walls in the skate park were light painted with a torch, to light up the artwork. For those who wish to, they will be able to blend the artwork with the wire wool shots.

Huge thanks to Aldo for giving up his evening and huge thanks to Norma for organising the outing and for having the courage to believe the forecast.

WCC Chairman George O' Mahony couldn't hide his surprise when some of the members and a guest treated him to birthday cake complete with candle earlier this week. He's all set for the year now - he'll be out photographing in all weathers! There ain't no stopping him now... Thanks to John O' Connor for the photos and Geraldine for hosting.

On Saturday, 19th January, 7 brave members made the long journey to Kells in Co. Kilkenny. Although it was cold, the morning was fine and clear. After meeting in Waterford for car pooling, the group traveled to Kells. While there, they visited the mill, Priory and the old bridge. Although a number of the group had been to Kells before, for most of them, it was their first visit. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day out and the new members in particular found it an interesting and informative day.

Thanks as ever to Norma for organising it.

Nearly 30 members turned up in the Mansion House last night for the annual Christmas Night Out. Some members dressed for the occasion with flashing lights, fun glasses and seasonal outfits. Finger food was provided along with plenty of liquid.

A great night out, thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Normally what happens at a club function stays at a club function. However, the local roving photographer has outed us and revealed all. See the club whatsapp group for further details.

All I will reveal is Our Dear Leader hamming it up in his usual inimitable style.

Thanks to Mick for organising it. Fair dues to him as well for being the last man out the door and then going to his place of employment this morning.

Waterford Camera Club were thrilled to take 2nd place in the 2018 National Shield Competition held in Palmerstown, Dublin on Sunday. Out of 27 Clubs who took part from around the country WCC took 2nd place overall, trailing Malahide by only 4 points, as well as taking 2nd place in the Colour Panel category, A tremendous achievement for WCC and all those involved in making this happen. Well done and congratulations to the IPF on the running of the competition and all the Clubs who took part, making it the success it is every year.



WCC Colour and Mono Panels can be seen here.

Waterford Camera Club's AGM was held last night in the Tower Hotel. About 40 members turned up, which was a great turn out.

Following a lively and at times highly entertaining meeting, seven of the outgoing committee members were reelected. Pat Whelan stepped down from the committee for personal reasons. He was replaced by long time club member, wit, raconteur and judge, Terry Murphy. Welcome aboard Terry.

Our thanks to Pat for the hard work and dedication he put in while on the committee.

The new committee are as follows, Chairman George O'Mahony (better known as Chairman Mao - for obvious reasons); Secretary Liam O'Neachtain; Treasurer John O'Connor: ordinary members John O'Neill, Pam Kiely, Patty Connor, Terry Murphy, Bob Twigg.

Norma Boyle is looking after club outings. She has been doing a great job since she took on the job a number of months ago.

Fergus Cooper has been appointed Panel Officer. He will help members who are going forward for IPF distinctions and also with panel competitions within the club.

Finbarr Barry has agreed to take on updating our permanent exhibition in the Tower Hotel.

Waterford Camera Club's latest outing took place to Mount Congreve today. Sixteen members turned up for a bright crisp Autumn day. Having met in the car park, members rambled through the walled garden and up past the house. Although a lot of the leaves were gone off the trees, there were still some fabulous colours to be seen. There was some cloud early on, which gave great texture to the sky in landscape shots. By lunchtime, caffeine withdrawal was kicking in, so the cafe was raided for cake and coffee. All in all, an enjoyable day out - a bit of photography, craic and cake. As ever, thanks to Norma for organising.

The latest Club outing to Inistioge and Woodstock Gardens took place yesterday. Eleven enthusiastic members roamed the river bank for a while enjoying the reflections before heading up to the gardens where wild flower meadows, walled garden produce and a variety of fungi were photographed between tea and cake breaks in the beautiful Turner Conservatory. A very enjoyable day was had by all and as always, Thanks to Norma for co-coordinating the outing.

Free tour of this beautiful Japanese Garden in Tramore this Friday 21st September. See details on the poster by clicking the image to the left.

The Club outing (postponed from last week) took place yesterday to Ballysaggartmore Woods, outside Lismore. 5 members spent an enjoyable day photographing an abundant variety of fungi as well as the gates before a quick visit to the cathedral in Lismore. A very enjoyable day was had by all and as always, Thanks to Norma for organising.

Waterford Camera Club had an outing to Dungarvan last night, Thursday. Members met in Kilmeaden to car pool. Having been a bright, sunny afternoon, the cloud rolled in in the Dungarvan area. With a dull, grey evening, the light was poor. Some shots were taken around the harbour area, with a view to turning mono. Later on, as the light was fading and the street lights came on, there was nice colour on the water and the bridge in the harbour area.

An enjoyable evening with a bit of craic.

Thanks as ever to Norma for organising

Waterford Camera Club had an enjoyable outing to photograph the murals on Waterford Walls last night, Thursday. Members met at the Tower Hotel and split up into 2 groups. Maps were provided showing the location of the murals (so people weren't left climbing the walls).

There were some beautiful paintings to view and the groups met some of the artists involved.

A very enjoyable and different outing.

Many thanks to Norma for organising it.

Outing planned for next Thursday 23rd August. See the Outings and Events Calendar or WhatsApp Outings Group for more details.

Waterford Camera Club held a successful outing to Kilfarrassy on Thursday last, 9th August.. Approximately 18 members turned up, which was great to see. There was a good mix of ability levels, with more experienced members giving advice to people who needed it.

The theme for the evening was Slow Motion, designed to give people experience in slowing down shutter speeds. Although we didn't get a spectacular sunset, there were some lovely cloud formations over the course of the evening, with great colour in the sky and on the rocks.

Thanks to Norma for organising.

This might be of interest to photographers of all levels, whether in a club or individuals. Check it out at this link...

http://worldwidephotowalk.com/

Don't forget to get your shots for your Summer Photography Panel. Six photos of your favourite Summer shots to be displayed on a digital photo panel of 6 ins x 4 ins images. A tutorial on how to make a photo panel in Photoshop can be found here.

A Club Outing is being organised for Thursday evening next week. Check the Outings and Events Calendar and the WhatsApp Outings group for more details.

This 3 day workshop by Eimhear Collins and Rodney O' Callaghan will take place in September 2018. If interested you can get more details here.

A Club trip to the Saltee Islands for some wildbird photography is being organised for next week. Contact Norma via the WhatsApp Outings group to register your interest.

Details of the next outing will be posted shortly.

This might be of interest to some of our members...

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/digital-camera-photographer-of-the-year-competition-2018-launched?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=19372&utm_term=8967700&utm_content=347410

Special thank you to David O Sullivan for his presentation last night on his trip to the Himalayas last year.
His graphic detail of his exertions was very inspiring, but I'm afraid a Club outing to the Himalayas won't be happening this year.
See David's website for some of his stunning work.
Thanks David


http://capturemephotography.ie/