NEWSLETTER APRIL 2008

FORTHCOMING PROGRAMME
        

May 13th:  Monthly Theme Competition - Close Up
                    Presentation - Cavern Diving - Cathy Lewis
                    Photo Forum - Wide Angle - Alan James

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

May 13th: Monthly Meeting

Please note that the Meeting (start time 2000hrs) will be at our new  venue - The Casson Centre, Rodway Road, Patchway, BS34 5DQ (map)  It is  easiest to access it via Durban Road, off Highwood Road - you can turn right at the traffic lights if coming from the Gloucester Road direction. The Casson Centre is the left hand part of the Patchway Community Centre, immediately next door to the Patchway Town Council Offices. There is off road parking adjacent to the Centre and further spaces along Rodway Road, near to the local Spa shop.

Our main speaker is Cathy Lewis who will give a presentation on diving the Cenote caverns in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico - considered some of the best cavern diving in the world. To include: how the Cenotes were formed, what it's like to dive them, problems associated with photographing in caverns etc.

The Photo Forum will be led by Alan James and the theme is 'Wide Angle'. Expect to see some great images from Alan, to hear how he achieved them and to discuss what makes or breaks an image that would be described as a  'wide angle'.

The monthly competition theme is 'Close Up'.  Even if you don't feel you have any winners, send some in to benefit from the audience feedback.  Send your digital files to our Competitions Member - Kathryn Rosling (kathryn.rosling@blueyonder.co.uk) and also send a copy to Arthur Kingdon(akdiver48@hotmail.com). A word of caution - Kathryn's email box can fill up, so do not leave your submission to the very last minute.

BUPG Splash In

Traditionally in May, at Babbacombe but the last couple of years have been blown out by the weather. We are currently looking at a suitable weekend in June with either Hope Cove or Babbacombe as the venue - depending on wind direction. Watch this space.

BSoUP Splash In

The BSoUP Splash In takes place on Saturday 12th July at Plymouth. We have a boat booked for the 12th and 13th, and at the moment there is one slot remaining for both days. If you would like this slot or wish to go on the Reserve list, please let me know.

Important Note: Entries to the Print Competition have to be in by May 21st.

See http://www.bsoup.org/Splash/2008/intro.php for all the details.

St Abbs Splash In

The St Abbs Splash In takes place on Saturday 23rd August. We have a boat booked for the Fri/Sat/Sun and at the moment there may be a couple of spaces. If you would like a space, then please let me know but note that accommodation up there is in short supply.

RECENT EVENTS

March Meeting

Monthly Competition - Wrecks

Not the most popular of subjects with only 18 entries.

In First Place was Rick Ayrton, well clear of the field with six votes. This image of the Million Hope, just north of Sharm, is everything that a wreck image should be - massive machinery, dwarfing the exploratory diver. The monochrome conversion suits the subject well.

In Second Place with three votes was Jim Drake. Shot in Stoney Cove, specifically for this competition, it shows what can be achieved even if you do not have any wreck images in your portfolio.

Another image from Rick Ayrton and another Red Sea wreck.

Ralph Mortimore used the wreck to frame this angel fish to good effect

Finally, a shot from Arthur Kingdon of the Chrisoula K in the Red Sea

Presentation - Out With the Old, In With the New - Alan James

Alan opened his presentation by explaining that he had used this title some years ago when he had been talking about the demise of film cameras and the advent of digital. This time, he was the 'Old' in the title and his daughter Anna was the 'New' - the week after this Meeting they would be doing a joint presentation to BSoUP but tonight it was Alan's half of the presentation.

Alan outlined his career in underwater photography and how he had built a successful business in retailing the equipment. He was now changing direction and was enjoying his new career in property development. His underwater photography trips would now be less intense and done for his own pleasure.

This was something of a trip down memory lane for Alan who showed a selection of images from his many trips over the past few years. With each image, Alan described  what he had been hoping to achieve and how he went about capturing the image.

He opened with a selection of images from the Red Sea, the first being Dennis the dugong from Marsa Alam. A minute or two with such a creature would have been great but Alan had him, all to himself, for over an hour. However, this was after several days of trying to find him. A notable feature of Alan's presentation was his determination to achieve a particular image rather than just being content to photograph the same subjects over and over again.

Quite a number of Alan's images were from Nuweiba which has become a favourite destination for him. Lionfish reflection shots are now relatively commonplace within the BUPG but this was the shot that started it all off. This won the Sportdiver Photographer of the Year award for Alan - back in 2004. The reflection was enhanced by one of the strobes being held out of the water.

A most unusual subject - a free swimming anemone, spotted at Nuweiba and looking for all the world just like a jellyfish.

Another favourite destination for Alan is Sardinia and he showed several images from the island. However, Sardinia offers Access to Corsica and the marine park at Lavezzi. Here, the giant groupers are very photogenic - and what big mouths they have!

He even managed to find the big stuff on a trip to Mabul - a sunfish had never been seen there before and then Alan turned up. How does he manage it?

Despite his many overseas trips, Alan is very fond of UK diving and has captured many memorable images including this action shot of fighting cuttlefish at Babbacombe.

Alan's biggest earning image to date - a basking shark from the Lizard, shot in very low light, late in the evening with a D100.

Photo Forum - Close Up - Alan James

So what makes a good close up image? Well, unless the competition lays down some rules regarding size, it's pretty subjective. Some competitions will have separate categories for macro and for close up but we do not differentiate - so macro or close up will do.

Alan discussed a selection of images from his presentation, inviting the audience to decide on whether they fitted the 'Close Up' theme.

A close up of Dennis or is a portrait? There is no restriction on the size of the subject in our competition so this shot would qualify. Alan referred to this as the Dust Springfield look - check out those eyelashes!

A nudibranch from Nuweiba - no confusion over whether or not it is a close up. Note that the rhinophores and the gills are in focus. This pose makes that possible and makes a refreshing change from most nudibranch shots which will have the gills out of focus.

Another good close up subject - this time from Sardinia.

A shot from the Maldives. Alan spent quite a while on this cleaning station and, initially, decided to go for the biggest shrimp with the biggest coral trout. After he achieved that, he was somewhat disappointed with the result so back to the cleaning station he went. This time, he photographed the biggest shrimp with the smallest coral trout and the result was much more dramatic.

This image had a definite thumbs down from the audience who felt it was a wide angle shot. Without the diver, it would have qualified as a close up.

Many of us would have been happy with this as a 'close up' but Alan felt it was really a fish portrait image.

Alan's winning shot from the 2006 Splash In is clearly a 'close up'. Although Alan felt rather embarrassed to win with this shot it's about as good as a lobster shot gets. This individual was in a ledge a couple of feet above the sea bed so enabling an  upward angle of the camera and this is what makes this one so special

BSoUP Meeting April 16th

This was something of a Bristol invasion. The Meeting opened with Arthur being presented with the Theme Portfolio trophy which he had won the month before. Then it was Alan and Anna as the main event and they put on a very good show. Finally, the monthly 'Focus On' competition was won by Arthur, with Rick a very close second - to see results http://www.bsoup.org/Gallery/85.php

Miscellaneous