Appraisal 3, Open by Gerry Tomkinson (24th February)

Appraiser Gerry Tomkinson from Midlothian Camera club gave his opinion on the members entries for the third appraisal of the year.

Congratulations to all those that did well. I felt that the judge did a good job, and he commented favourably on our request to have appraisals instead of a competition. He mentioned that there is a trend to go this way in club evaluations. Being more constructive, and having the appraisals more of a learning process.

By appraisal 3 it is difficult to keep coming up with excellent images, but I felt that Louise did a brilliant job with her projected images of the horses - stunning! As well as her Causeway and Frozen in flight prints. George Rosie also had a great night overall, especially with his Glasgow waterfront shots - very well done! It was also nice to see June and Rachel entering images for the first time. The appraiser liked June's Winter Wonderland, and had some good things to say about Rachel's Gossiping Women. It can be a bit intimidating at first, but we all benefit from seeing your images.

The top scoring images on the night were from Willie Mills with Great Blue Heron and Beaming out from The BBC and Louise Greenhorn with Stormy Causeway all scoring 20 marks.

Willie Mills' Beaming Out fron the BBC

Louise Greenhorn's Causeway

Murieston Over 50s Club - MCCC - AV Show and Tell (9th February)
Club Members attended: Ian Mac and Fred.

Our club members honoured a long standing engagement, to show some of the (MCCC) club member’s Audio Visual projects to the local community at the Murieston over 50’s club. As usual it was hosted in the Murieston Village Hall where the club holds their weekly meetings.

We arrived at 1:30pm and set up the clubs equipment, and had a few moments to ourselves before the hall filled up. Ian gave a short introduction about the camera club and what AV was all about. When asked how many members owned digital cameras of any kind, the response was about 50% did. Ian then proceeded to show about 7 AVs to the gathered audience before coming to a close at 3pm.

The interest in both the club and the shows was overwhelming, this was rewarding for us both. I have no doubt the club will be asked to give some kind of presentation in the future.

Points of note; 1) A small light weight portable screen is a must (it was not at all professional to show the presentation on the wall).
2) Some club business cards would save us giving out our website Information.

Vice Chairman Ian MacIntosh, setting
up the projector at the Over 50's Club

Shale Mining Project (3rd February)
Club Members attended: Gordon, Ian G and Fred.

Owing to the very bad summer weather, and the snow in December / January this project has been somewhat put on the back burner.

On Wednesday 3rd of February 3 MCCC members explored the shale village of Tarbrax (just off the A70 in Lanarkshire). We had not been on site for long, before we were given details of the shale mining events in the village. Gordon was given more insight to the workings of the mine by local villagers. Meanwhile Ian G and Fred walked the 3 streets of the village in the snow.

Having said that it was a very enjoyable afternoonwalk about, which will require another viist when there is no snow about? All images will eventually be put together to form the completed Shale Mining History Project

Points of note - Well worth taking a pair binoculars with you, to save your legs!!

Member Ian Gidney taking pictures outside Tarbrax

Guest Speaker James Gentles - Kite Photography (27th January)

James is in an elite group of KAPers and his presentation on Kite Aerial Photography showed us a unique way to capture images.

He included how to take these photographs with a minimum of equipment through to setting up complex rigs with high tech gear.

He brought along a kite and displayed several rigs strung up by the windows. Many of his photographs were of local landmarks, such as Cairnpapple Hill, Blackness Castle, and the Forth Bridge. For more info, check out his websites at Overview, and Gallery and Photography

Vice Chair Ian Macintosh discusses the finer points
of the complex rig with Speaker James Gentles (right)

Livingston Players, Womberang and Bouncers (25th January)

Members attending – Fred, George R, Graham, Grant, Dougie & Steve

January saw us back in the theatre again with Livingston Players, taking the publicity shots for their productions of Womberang by Sue Townsend and Bouncers by John Godber.

These were quite challenging to photograph not only because both plays were one act with no scene changes, but because both sets were quite sparse. Womberang is set in a hospital waiting room and Bouncers uses a simple set with very few props.

Womberang

Bouncers

Interclub Competition MCCC vs Livingston, Judge Chik Calder (20th January)

We won! It was a close race - with MCCC scoring 365 vs. Livingston 354. This will be the third time we've won the Dave Turnbull trophy - year 2000, 2009, and 2010.

The judging was hard, with many marks lost for blacks not black enough, not enough colour saturation, colour tinge on image, and pixelation. Points were picked up for detail in night skies, long-exposure water shots, dark sepia tone, and a photo that got a giggle.

Mid Calder's entry comprised images from 13 of its members and the best images on the night were Mid Calder members. Gordon Scott with Pedal Power and Willie Mills with Dawn Beckoning, and Green Malachite Butterfly.

Also of note is that this competition is one of the few that includes a monochrome category and we submited four of the six entries in the category.Thanks to Chick for judging this event.

Treasurer Steve Collier receives The Dave Turnbull
Trophy from judge Chick Calder LRPS on behalf
of winning club Mid Calder

Members Night Out - Margaret Watkins Exibition - Glasgow (14th January)

Through Steve's contacts, we were able to attend a private showing and a detail account of the history surrounding the Margaret Watkins Exabition in the Hidden Lane Gallery in Glasgow.

Gallery Proprietor Joe Mulholland, explained to our members the circumstances in which he came to possess the collection, and it's history since that time.

Canadian-born Margaret Watkins who was at the centre of artistic life in New York in the 1910’s and 20’s, came to Glasgow in 1928 to visit her three maiden aunts – and remain there untill her death in 1969. She is at last receiving the recognition that eluded her after she left New York. She is now in virtually every encyclopaedia of photography, and being recognised as the innovator of certain styles of photography credited to others, whom she taught.

The large collection of images on display were quite impressive, and the fact that she was a woman photographer practicing and teaching her art in the 1920's in a male dominated profession, and was quite successful at it, made it even more impressive.

Many thanks to Joe Mulholland for such an interesting evening.

Gallery Proprietor Joe Mulholland at his desk
in front of the Margaret Watkins Exibition.

Guest Speaker Rosemary Simpson - Underwater Photography (13th January)

We were pleased to welcome Rosemary Simpson to the club for the first time. Rosemary is a local lass and a member of Livingston CC.

Combining her two passions of diving and photography, Rosemary entertained us with some excellent photographs of a world that very few of us have seen.

From sea horses to sea urchins, corals to moray eels and reefs to wrecks, her photographs took us from Loch Carron to the Red Sea and the Caribbean Sea.

Many thanks Rosemary for a very interesting evening.

Sea Urchin

Members Night Out - Glasgow's Waterfront (2nd December)

It was another great club night out. The weather held off and we were able to arrive OK. Some members were already there, and we joined up and went of to explore both sides of the river for the best photo locations. Long exposures and tripods were the norm.

There was so many angles and buildings and bridges to photograph that we just did not have time to do them all. Some of us were experimenting with the zoom effect during the long exposures, and I must say they turned out quite good.

We all got to practice using manual mode - selecting our own shutter speeds and f-stops, and wide angle lenses as well as zoom lenses and torches came in handy.

This was the last time we were able to use the Institute Bus as sadly it is no longer available to the club.

Thanks to all for participating, Thanks to Steve for driving the bus.

I had a good time, and it was nice to see so many participating, especially some of our newer members!

Glasgow's "Squinty Bridge" at night

Appraisal 2, Landscapes by Ken Roberts (25th November)

This was the first time we gave the judge a written request to appraise the images instead of scoring them in comparison to each another. And the result was that the scores were better related to the individual images, and the score average went up by a large margin. The club felt that this was fairer and would only encourage participation by our members.

Top scores in this appraisal were from Gordon Scott with Frosty Morning, Willie Mills with Dawn Beconning over the Forth Rail Bridge, Deb Mills with Water Lily at Dusk, Hugh Griffin with Autumn in Argyle, George Rosie with Night time on Bute, and Big Bucc Etive More, and Pebbles High Street, Tom Anthony with Perthshire Autumn, and Culzean Castle, and Louise Greenhorn with Sunset on the Forth, and Birdsview, and Snowscape. All scored top marks of 20.

Many thanks to our Appraiser Ken Robers for the daunting taks of appraising such a vast number of images.

Appraiser Ken Roberts with Club Secretary Gordon Scott

Midlothian Competition (11th November)

Mid Calder Camera Club welcomed Mid Lothian Camera Club to an inter-club photographic competition in the Institute Hall. The event was judged by Mark Dunnigan – a member of Bathgate Camera Club and Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society.

The competition was structured into two classes’ printed and digital imagery consisting of 20 images in each classification.

I am delighted to report that Mid Calder won the event 329 points to 305 and produced the top image of the evening, a digital image of a Green Malachite Butterfly (see image) provided by William Mills. Mark Dunnigan commented, “That the detail was stunning particularly the eye”.

Thank you to all who attended particularly the members of Mid Lothian and for Steve and Fred who provided the refreshments.

Lessons learnt - Projector requires calibration.

The individual scores can be seen here

Appraisal 1 Open, by Charlie Summers (28th October)

There was a large number of entries for the first appraisal of the year. 43 prints and 54 projected images.

The Judge Charlie Summers, said that he liked "bags of detail" and for the image to draw your eye in. And what he didn't like was for an image to have a distracting background, or dull colours.

Since it was our first event of this type for the year, it was well attended.

Top images were by Gordon Scott with Dreaming of a New Pair of Shoes and Red Balloon.

Many thanks to Charlie for Appraising our images. The individual scores can be seen here

MCCC Outing -Selm Muir (11th October)

Club Members attended: Ian Mac, Ian G, Willie, Deb, June, Louise, BobK, Dougie, Blair, Paul,

It threatened rain, but  the weather held and gave us different lighting conditions. Everything from diffused light to full sunshine. After meeting at the road sign (in future we will be parking at the fishery and checking with the attendant), we hiked down the road and veered right down a disused and tree-lined roadway. Natural History (Macro) Enthusiast, Ian McIntosh showed us what to look for and pointed out some interesting sights along the way. He also showed us how to set up his camera to get the maximum effect.

The fungi wasn’t immediately obvious (this trip will be a week earlier next year), but after some searching, many good specimens were found on trees and on the ground. Members got ‘down & dirty’ to capture some great images. 

We, like others, had an excellent time, and plan to return to try our hand again. There are other times of the year that I'm sure would also be worth a visit. Such as in the winter, as well as the springtime.

Many thanks to Ian McIntosh for sharing his knowledge of the local flora and of macro nature photography.

Members Night - Annual Portrait Night w/ Alma Fiera (14th October)

Club Members attended: Almost all the members attended.

This is possibly one of the real highlights in the Camera Club year. Members get the opportunity to experience professional lighting equipment and learn basic studio techniques whilst working alongside some of the senior members of the club.

Judging by the feedback from the membership, that seeing how a studio is run and more importantly, being able to have a go – is really appreciated by members who might otherwise never have the opportunity to work with professional lighting equipment. On this occasion it was something completely different and a first for Mid Calder Camera Club. We had the pleasure of working with local rock band ALMA FIERA which was certainly a first for George O’Toole, and William Mills who supervised the event.

We had a completely open brief though one of the goals of the evening was to produce some group shots of the band whilst also providing individual portraits. As a consequence of the brief, two studio set-ups were employed. A mid to high-key set-up using three lights and a canvas backdrop and a low key set-up also using three lights. Thus the high key set was used for the overall large group shots and the low key for a combination of group and portrait shots.

Once the event leaders had completed their shoot the membership were invited to take part. This was an enjoyable and well attended event where members learnt how to set their cameras to manual, set a pre-determined shutter speed, Aperture and ISO and also select a specific white balance all key skills that can be useful in every aspect of photography. They also learnt how to interact with our models, the band, and added images to their portfolios using the equipment provided.

Key Skills Learnt
Taking our beginners out of their comfort zone by asking them to move from using their camera equipment on automatic. How to use professional studio lighting in two different studio layouts.
Interaction with models and posing.
Issues for the future
Ensure that a club night is programmed the week before the portrait night where a demonstration of how to set up the cameras of club members can be demonstrated. For large groups a new method of backlighting is required to remove the backdrop from large group images. – Suggest use of Lastolite-Hilight or similar
In Summary
A great night enjoyed by all. Special thanks to Debs and Gordon for their assistance on the night and all the members who assisted in dismantling equipment following the shoot.

Livingston Players - The Diary of Anne Frank (23rd September)

Club Members attended: Fred, Graham, Craig, Grant, George R, Sara- Jane, Steve.

We were back in the Howden Park Centre with Livingston Players, photographing their production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

This production was quite challenging, because out of a cast of eleven, eight of them were on stage all the time. The set itself was designed to convey something of the claustrophobic conditions that Anne, her family and friends endured for two years while hiding from the Nazis in occupied Holland during the Second World War, and so was quite small.

To try to capture the atmosphere of wartime, some of us chose to shoot in black & white, while others resorted to some sepia toning in post production.

Once again, the Players were pleased with the photographs, which were displayed in the foyer of the theatre alongside an exhibition staged by the Anne Frank Trust.

Armadale Guides Centenary - Party (20th September)

Club Members attended: Steve, Fred,and Craig

The Mid Calder Camera Club was invited to attend the Armadale Guides Centenary Party - The weather was kind, and the Girl Guiding people made us all feel quite welcome and even gave us cake!!

Everybody enjoyed the day and thought it was lots of fun.

There likely to be more celebration throughout October/ November - details when I get them.

Currie Rugby (29th August)

Club Members attended: Ian G, Stuart

Ian and I went to the Currie Rugby Club game on Saturday and we both had a shot at being sports photographers for the afternoon.

Ian borrowed my Nikon 300mm F4 lens and, as you can see, when the shots are sharp, they are very sharp!!. We both had the D300's setup as auto ISO and I think most of Ian's shots are around 1/800 th of a second with varying ISO.

An example is on the right - D300/Nikon 300 F4 on monopod.

Good fun!

Edinburgh - The Fringe - Festival (12th August)

Club Members attended: George, Willie, Stuart

A few of us managed to visit the Fringe during a weekday while weather permitted. It was the usual gathering of street performers and actors all vying for your tourist pound. Great entertainment and endless opportunities to take photos of actors and actresses on the cutting edge of theatre and comedy.

I found that with the actors/actresses, if you were willing to take a pamphlet they were quite willing to pose for a photograph. The only trick was to try to isolate them from the background crowd. Or to pick a background that was not too distracting.

There was also the "people watching the actors and performers" shots to be had, which can be just as amusing or interesting as the performers being photographed. Some of the photographic opportunities are unique, and where else can you get to photograph a street performance while the performer is open to being photographed for a small remuneration in their hat.

Sometimes it felt that there were more photographers there than tourists!

Highly Recommended!

Girlguiding West Lothian Centenary (5th August)

Club Members attended: Steve, Fred

Continuing in our role as official photographers for the centenary celebrations of Girlguiding West Lothian, we were invited to the launch of this exhibition at Broxburn Library. This is the exhibition for which we took photographs of uniforms through the ages. These photographs are displayed throughout the exhibition and Mid Clader Camera Club is prominently acknowledged as the photographer.

The launch was attended by invited representatives of Girlguiding, including the Scottish Commissioner and County President, as well as local councillors and council library staff who organised the exhibition.

The exhibition was well received by the guests and the status of the club was enhanced by the recognition awarded to us in the opening speech made by the County Commissioner.

As well as being recognised for the work we are undertaking for Girlguiding, local councillor Jim Walker is also aware of our activities in other areas, such as Gardening Scotland and Livingston Players.

MCCC Summer Night Out - Photo Shoot - Hopetoun House (5th August)

Club Members attended: George, Stuart, Willie, Deb, Fred, Vera, Katie, Hugh, Graham, Scotty, Craig (and guest), Sandy, George R., & Ian McNeill.

Mid Calder Camera Club recently contacted Hopetoun House, West Lothian, to enquire about the possibility of a club visit. I am delighted to report that not only was an invitation forthcoming, but we have also been asked to have an exhibition of our images on display in the entrance hall at the House!

The club attended on Wednesday, 5th August, fortunately it was a dry evening. We were allowed complete access to the grounds and we took full advantage, taking images from the front, rear and side elevations. This was a large turnout of the club membership. one of our largest midsummer night out - to date.

Feedback from the members was very positive with a common wish to return. Issues – Use of filters Telephoto & Wide Angle lens, Large differences in exposure between background and foreground, Camera stability when taking long exposures.

MCCC Summer Night Out - Photo Shoot - Callendar House (30th July)

Club Members attended: George, Stuart, Willie, & Deb

A late call for any club members to go to Callendar House for an evening's photo shoot resulted in a small turnout. Which was probably due to the location. It turned out to be another fine evening to be out and about as far as the weather was concerned - beautiful blue skies and the sun was shining.

As we were taking our pictures the ambulance and police were all around, trying to take care of drug addicts and over indulgent under-age drinkers, that seemed to roam around the park making a nuisance of themselves. I would not recommend a return to this location. Which is a real shame as the house and grounds made for an ideal photo setting.

This turned out to be a good reason to go to these photo shoots as an organised group - as there was safety in numbers. We were all perfectly fine, but it serves as a reminder that not all locations are ideal.

MCCC Summer Night Out - Photo Shoot - Lauriston Castle (24th June)

Club Members attended: Steve, Grant, George, Stuart, Ian G, Willie, Deb, Fred, Vera, Hugh, Graham, Andy, Steve W, George R.

Mid Calder Camera Club had a wonderful outing to Lauriston Castle, Davidson's Mains, Edinburgh. Lauriston is a hidden gem, especially that it lies in 30 acres of parkland and formal gardens with panoramic views of the Firth of Forth yet is a stones throw from the City Centre. Of particular note is the Japanese garden - (see image) with some beautiful oriental features.

The Castle itself originates from the 16th century when the tower house was constructed. The majority of the house is actually Edwardian and was home to a number of notable Scots, including the King’s Solicitor to Charles I, a goldsmith and a financial genius!

If you can we would recommend a visit to see the interior which we will try to cover on a later trip. Interior visits have to be made by appointment and a charge is levied. We would like to thanks Edinburgh City Council and Lauriston Castle management for allowing our visit.

Photographic Issues:
Difficulties: High contrast between background and foreground - extensive shadows due to it being high-summer.

Really suited use of Graduated Neutral Density Filters to decrease the number of stops between the background & foreground - up to 5 stops or more.

Guide Association Centenary Photo Shoot  (13th June)

Club Members attended: Steve and George

The Mid Calder Camera Club was invited to document "Guide Uniforms Through the Ages" to celebrate the Centenary of The Guide Association.

The shoot, which took place in Glasgow, required images to be taken of Guide models wearing uniforms from the following periods: - 1917 - 1930's -1960's -1990's and the present day.

The photographers chose to shoot the models on the streets of Glasgow in uniforms with backgrounds to match the time periods. For example the 1917 images were taken with a Georgian building in the background and the 1960's had a 1960's office block in the background, the current uniforms utilised a modern office block as a backdrop.

Skills required during the shoot were:
Patience - multiple uniform changes.
External flash photography
- required to provide fill flash because the models wore hats in most of the shots.
Timing - because we were parked on a meter and had limited time frame.

The Guide Association was very happy with the results and issued the members of Mid Calder Camera Club with 2 special "Thank-you" badges!

Gardening Scotland  (29th May - 1st June)

Club Members attended: Most of the Members (along with one or two friends and relatives!)

Members of the MCCC attend for the 4th year running as official photographers to Gardening Scotland as they celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Again we were given unlimited access to all areas of the show, from the setting up and building of the displays and exhibits, through the three days when the show is open to the public, to the dismantling of exhibits and hectic sale of plants and floral displays at the end of the show.

During the event our members split into teams and took on a variety of photographic requests from the Gardening Scotland officials, as well as exploring the grounds for any other photographic oportunities.

Over the three glorious days the sun never stopped shining. More than 32,000 visitors thronged the Royal Highland Centre to enjoy the spectacle and amongst the most popular areas was the Earthy Green Garden in the Big Back Garden which this year had a ‘grow-your-own’ theme.

The miniature Pallet Gardens were as popular as ever and it wasn’t just the crowds who were impressed by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society’s magnificent display to mark their 200th anniversary.

Society patron, HRH The Princess Royal was equally enthusiastic when she toured Gardening Scotland on the first day of the Show. (some club members got shots of HRH but no invites to the garden party !!)

Avant Gardens, New Hopetoun Gardens (Saturday, 2nd May)

Club Members attended: George R, Craig, and Steve.

For the third successive year, we were invited to take the official photographs at the launch of this garden design competition.

As in previous years, six show gardens were constructed within New Hopetoun Garden Centre and will remain until October. For the first time the weather was not kind to us – torrential downpours mixed in with heavy showers to make life uncomfortable, but not enough to deter the 60 or so guests and intrepid photographers. The Club was specifically mentioned in the welcome speech by Lesley Watson, who along with her husband Dougal Phillip, owns the Garden Centre.

The gardens will develop and mature over the summer so there will be plenty of opportunities to get more shots, hopefully with better weather.

MCCC Image of the Year Competition (6th May) Judged by Norma McCloud

Here we are at the end of the year again, time for the Image of the Year competition.

This year we had three sections, Beginner and Intermediate and Advanced. Also this year our judge Norma McCloud was asked to judge between the print and projected images in each of the 3 sections. In this our most successful of winning years, All the entries were "top notch", and I'm sure that it was very difficult for our judge to pick just one winner for each category. Well done to all the entrants!

Beginners Section
Scott Boyd - Duck in a Flap
Intermediate Section
Hugh Griffin - Water Spray
Advanced Section
Willie Mills - Street Opera

Congratulations to all the winners!

Judge Norma McCloud, Chairman George O'Toole
and Advanced Winner Willie Millls

Livingston Players Rush (20th May)

Club Members attended: Steve, Grant Graham, George P, and Fred

Continuing our work with Livingston Players, we were once again invited to take the publicity photographs for their production of the musical, Rush, written by David John, Set in 1862 in the goldfields of New Zealand, Rush depicts the savage and unforgiving environment, especially for the immigrants in search of their fortune.

Again it was a challenging production from the photographic viewpoint as it was a fast moving production, and by the time you thought what would of been a good image, everything had changed, but thank goodness you could come back the second night and hopefully take that shot. Again the Mid Calder Camera Club provided The Livingston Players with a good selection of photographs for display at front of house.

The Livingston Players next production is the “Diary of Anne Frank”  on the 24th - 26th September, 2009 at Howden Park Centre, Livingston.

MCCC Wins West Lothian Competition (9th April)

The annual West Lothian inter club competition was hosted recently by Livingston Camera Club and Mid Calder Camera Club ran out winners by a comfortable margin.

The entries were divided into three categories Mono prints, Colour prints and Projected Images with a total of five entries from each club in each section. After the first section mono prints,was appraised by Bob Copeland of Carluke CC. Mid Calder stormed ahead by 21 points and never looked like losing the trophy they had shared with Bathgate CC the previous year.

Top scorers for Mid Calder were Willie Mills whose print " Street Opera " was one of four entries who received 20 / 20 points on the night and Ian Gidney for his Rugby action shot " A Quick Break " which recieved 19 / 20 points.

MCCC Speakers Night - Speaker Robert Copeland (11th February)

Bob is a member of the prestigious Scottish Photographic Circle, a Glasgow-based group that accepts only the best photographers as members.

They celebrated their centenary in 2007 and Bob presented a selection of archival prints spanning those years. Many of the prints have interesting stories attached to them; used cutting edge printing techniques; and demonstrated what could be done without Photoshop.

The more recent prints demonstrated that the SPC is still at the forefront of photography. View their gallery - past and present.

Livingston Players Blood Brothers (28th - 31st January)

Club Members attended: Fred Grant & Steve

Once again we were back in the theatre with Livingston Players, photographing their production of Willy Russell’s play, Blood Brothers.

The action takes place against the backdrop of poverty in Liverpool in the early 1980s, and tells the story of twins, one of who is given away by their mother but whose paths are destined to cross later in life with tragic consequences. As usual, the strong cast delivered a tremendous performance to capacity audiences.

We took action shots of the performance and portraits of the main characters for display in the foyer.

The Players’ next production is the Scottish premiere of the musical Rush! which is set in New Zealand in the late 1800s

For more information about Livingston Players, follow the link above.

MCCC Speakers Night - Speaker Mark Dunnigan (29tht January)

Mark Dunnigan made a return visit to the club to show us some of his images.

A good turn out of members was treated to a series of themed slide shows covering subjects from the Czech spa towns of Karlsbad and Marienbad, the Wartime Day at Pickering in Yorkshire and Puffins on the Farne Islands.

More of Mark’s work can be seen on his website.

MCCC Speakers Night - Speaker Hunter Kennedy (21st January)

Speaker Hunter Kennedy showed us with his unique style, some outstanding photography.

Humerous, informative and full of advice for the budding photographer and serious amature alike, Hunter drew on his vast experience to continue from his last appearence at MCCC with this amazing show of his"Next 30 Years".

It was a sheer delight to have such an experienced and tallented photographer let us know some of his photoshop secrets, as well as how he developed such an intresting photographic style.

Our charman, George O'Toole asked Hunter if he would return and give the club a master class in some of his photoshop techniques, to which he agreed. This is one club night that I would not miss for anything.

Thanks again goes to Hunter Kennedy for a very informative evening.

Ian, Hunter, George and newest member Ian McNeill discuss the details of one of Hunter's photographs.

MCCC Speakers Night - Speaker Ian Rutherford (14 January)

Speaker Ian Rutherford gave us one of the most interesting talks to date. We were amazed at the trials and tribulations that he had to go through to capture the wonderful images that he had on show. His style was informal and friendly, and the members quickly warmed to him.

We all know about standing at a location for a long periods in the heat or freezing cold awaiting that photographic moment to come along. But not quite to the extent that Ian has had to put up with in the persuit of photojournalism - Police in France, heat strokes in Afganistan, bullets in Bosnia, radiation in Russia, famine in the Sudan - all for a chance of that award winning photo!

Thanks for giving us all such an inspiring insight, and a chance to view your amazing work.

Ian explaining a finer point with George

Livingston Competition (12th January 2009)

Mid Calder had a narrow victory over local rivals Livingston CC in the annual inter-club contest between the clubs.

Hosted by Livingston and judged by Libby Smith of Carluke CC, the result was in the balance right up to the final print when Mid Calder won by a narrow margin - 388 points to 386 points.

A special thanks to all those members who submitted images for the competition. Gordon not only got some high marks - 20 for one in particular, but his image choices were obviously good. The win was the first in some nine years!

Well Done MCCC!

The results to your entries can be seen here

MCCC Chaiman George O'toole accepts
the trophy from Libby Smith

MCCC Speakers Night - Speaker Peter J Clark (10 December)

Scottish wildlife and natural history photographer Peter Clark, who's father was distinguished botanical photographer - John Clark, showed us that that he has a unique photography style all of his own, as well as the ability to capture images that rivals the best nature photographers in the UK.

Peter has his own website - Outward Vision - which showcases 60 of his most memorable photographs, and encourages you to join his mailing list.

We were privileged to have Peter along as guest speaker. His images not only served as an inspiration, but his presentation gave us an insight to a new range of techniques, and valuable lessons on nature and landscape photography.

MCCC Appraisal 2 Judge Elspeth Fear (Monochrome) (26th November)

Despite Elspeth's reputation as a harsh marker, we were all pleased with the outcome, and the helpful hints, tips and insights she provided for the images presented tonight.

There were numerous scores of 20 - Gordon's "Early Morning, River Tweed", Willie's "Chrome at the Forth Bridge", Steven Dowd's "Cindy", and Collin Allan's "Good View Down the Glen" As well as quite a few 19s and 18s, but are too numerous to mention them all here.

Well done to all those who entered!

The results to your entries can be seen here

MCCC Members Portrait Night II (12th November)

Wednesday 12 November saw us back in the studio – well, two studios really because George and Willie had set up lights and backdrops to let us try our hand at high key and low key portraiture. We were joined again by our two lovely models Kirsty & Charlie. There was even a make up artist in attendance.

Everyone got the chance to photograph both models in both situations and judging by the chatter and laughter everyone had a good time.

Special  thanks to our models Kirsty & Charlie for coming along once again. Thanks also to George and Willie, not only for providing the lights and back drops and stuff but also for setting everything up.

Midlothian Competition (4th November)

Club Members attended: Steve, Grant, Ian Mc, Graham, Deb and Willie

Great News! We won the Mid Calder Camera Club vs Midlothian Camera Club Competition!

Well Done - everybody deserves a pat on the back.

The judging was harsh (what else is new), but a few highlights; Gordon got 2 x 20's with "Smailholm Tower and Ice Boat. Deb got "picture of the evening" with "Glow from Within" again with a score of 20. Ian Mc also did well with his images, "Eight Sombreros" and "Geisha". The total Scores were -

MCCC 330    MLCC 297                           

The members of Midlothian Camera Club, as usual were warm hosts, and the food afterwards was excellent, and the banter was engaging. However they did through down the gauntlet for next year's competition.

The individual scores can be seen here

MCCC Portrait Night presented by George O'Toole (29th October)

Another very successful professional presentation of Studio Photography by our Chairman George O'Toole. There was two complete studio set-ups covering both High Key and Low key (Rembrandt) studio portrait lighting. George included lots of advice on the how to set up the equipment, and adjust the lighting for each situation, as well as the settings for the camera. He also included hints and tips about working with models.

George worked his way through a varied selection of poses on both studio set-ups as well as a variety of lighting arrangements within the main set-ups. He was assisted by both Gordon (on the computer) and Willie (on the tape gun). The photography was live thanks to George's camera that transferred (via radio transmitter) the images in real time to the club laptop and was instantly projected on the large screen. This instant feedback was both helpful to the photographer as well as the model as they could see if any small adjustments were needed, as well as the club members being able to see the results and any points that George was making very easily on the large projection screen.

We were fortunate to have two lovely models who were very professional in the way they posed for the shots, Both turned up with their makeup done to a "T" and even had a change of costume for the night. A special heart felt thank you to Kirsty and Charlie from all the members at Mid Calder Camera Club for your excellent efforts for the evening. "Fantastic Models!"

The resulting photographs can be seen on the "Photos by George" website. We would also like to extend a big thank you to the members for their attendance and their interest shown, as well as all the thoughtful questions put forward during the evening.

This is in line with the club's continuing policy of sharing photographic skills and knowledge with the members, in order to advance the levels within our club. With this in mind, this evening was part 1 of a 3 part session. In part 2 - club members will have the opportunity to try their hand at studio photography with both professional set-ups on Wednesday the 14th November. And part 3 - a review of the results on the 21st of November.

The Big Screen

All the action during the evening

MCCC Appraisal Night - Open, by Dougie Allan (Beeslack Penicuik CC)
(15th October)

Our appraiser was Dougie Allan (pictured on the left) from Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club. Dougie immediately put us all at ease by saying that he makes observations rather than criticisms and he encouraged us to ask questions.

He gave us lots of advice, including how to avoid overly dark and light areas in our photographs, how to eliminate distractions in photographs, and how best to photograph sunsets and skies.

The best score of the night was a 20 for Gordon’s Red Rider. Thanks to Dougie for an interesting and educational appraisal of our work.

MCCC Photo Night Out - Falkirk Wheel Revisited (8th October)

Club Members attended: George, Deb, Graham, Steve, Grant, Gordon, Hugh, Stuart, Scott, Steven, Collin & Willie

We finally had a break in the weather which made for a great night shoot. When we arrived the moon was low in the sky which added to the night shots of the wheel.

There was a slight problem with the local kids, but that was soon sorted. Again we learned that you cannot do timed exposures while on a floating dock! The security personnel was very cooperative and helpful, and even offered to adjust the lighting of the wheel for all us snappers.

One thing I must mention is that for those who parked in the lower parking lot, be aware that they open the swing foot-bridge when they close in the evening, which did cut off access to the cars for a few members and it is a long walk around. Fortunately the security were kind enough to close the swing bridge and allowed access again for a few minutes - Thanks!

MCCC Photo Night Out - Falkirk Wheel (1st October)

Club Members attended: George, Deb, Graham, Fred, Scott, Steven, Collin & Willie

Despite the rain, the club outing to the Falkirk Wheel went ahead with a few members. With umbrellas and plastic bags, we managed to get some great shots of the wheel lit up at night.

Many thanks to George who got us permission to roam around there at night and take photographs. Also, the patience and helpfulness of the security guard were much appreciated.

Thanks to Gordon for staying behind at the clubhouse to take care of members who opted out due to the weather.

Another trip is planned when the weather is better.

Livingston Players  "The Factory Girls" (29th September 2008)

Deans Community High School

Club Members attended: Steve, Grant, Hugh & Fred.

Continuing our work with Livingston Players, we were once again invited to take the publicity photographs for their production of the bitter sweet Frank McGuiness play “The Factory Girls”.

Set in a shirt factory in Buncrana Ireland, the play explores the relationships, friendships, secrets and personalities of a group of women who are thrown together when they decide to stage a “sit in” at the factory in protest at changes to working practices.

From a photographic viewpoint it was a challenge, since the set is spartan and industrial, and the costumes are fairly drab. The play also has a small cast and the action in each act takes place in one location.

However, once again we rose to the challenge and provided The Players with a good selection of photographs for display at front of house.

Leuchars RAF Air Show (13th Septrmber)

Club Members attended: George, Stuart, Graham, Deb, & Willie

Again the poor weather was a major factor, the air show was very limited this year. They needed a cloud ceiling of 700 feet and at least 5 miles of visibility, and of course they had neither! This reduced the number of photo opportunities.

Still it was a good day out with good company (with great seats to the show that did not go) There was still plenty on the ground to see and do, and surprisingly - about 60,000 people attending. We can only hope that next year the  weather will cooperate a little more.

18th Scottish Nature Photography Fair SNPF
(Sat, 6th and Sun, 7th September) Battleby Centre, Redgordon, Perth

Club Members attended: Steve, Grant, Ian (G), ian (MC), George, Stuart, Deb, & Willie

A very interesting showing of Nature Photography by a varied group of international professional photographers from different backgrounds, who have nature as their common denominator. Some of the most outstanding photography that I have seen displayed - ever!

Outside there was a large and varied raptor display with plenty of opportunities to photograph them close up. Again with the rain! The event was held in the Battleby Centre, which is an outstanding facility to have such an event in.

AVVA 2008 Vintage Rally - Oatridge College (Sat. 7th September)

Club Members attended: Fred, Gordon & Graham

I was asked to take some images by their secretary, Alistair MacDonald,

There was a good turnout of entrants in all classes from stationary engines to vintage tractors and cars, and a special attraction on a mini steam engine 4 ½ scale traction engine (see top Image)

Although the weather had been very wet during the week leading up to the event and some entrants had cancelled before the event. However the day itself started of dry and overcast with some blueness in sky, but by mid morning it had become overcast and by the time Graham & Gordon, arrived it started to rain shortly afterwards.

There was also a good turn out of the public to around 100 to 150 during the event.

MCCC Summer Photo Night - Kirk of Calder Church (2nd July)

Club Members attended: George, Stuart, Graham, & Willie

We were fortunate to get (at short notice) permission to photograph inside the Mid Calder's Kirk of Calder Church during yet another rainy Wednesday night out. A warm thank-you goes out to the Rev. Povey for making this possible. We had the entire church at our disposal, which allowed us to take our time and set up some interesting low light interior shots.

The historic church is quite photogenic with wonderful stained glass windows and great texture in the stone walls along with the contrasting wood and cream coloured ceilings which were nicely lit.

We have in the picture what appears to be two club members respectfully praying in the pews, but in actual fact are shooting identical photographs to compare noise levels at high ISO settings between Canon and Nikon cameras. I'm sure that we will have the basis for another workshop demonstration in the new year!

Round Britain Powerboat Race Port Edgar Marina (27th June)

Club Members attended: George, Stuart, & Willie

Despite the changeable weather the event turned out to be quite good. The only difficulty was in getting close enough to get a decent photograph. The organizers wanted to have the finish line under the Forth Road Bridge, which I'm sure would have been spectacular. But the Forth Authority would not allow this and had the finish and start lines adjacent to Crammond Island. From a spectator's viewpoint this made the event visually less than spectacular.

However, we were able to take as many close up photographs at Port Edgar Marina, where the powerboats were berthing for the night. Access was limited to the main dock, but fortunatly this is where all the top class boats were located.

Again early in the morning, before the start of the next race proved ideal for photography, you could even go down to the  berths and chat with the racers and boat owners, who were quite open and frendly to the public.

Perhaps next year the start and finish line will be under the road bridge, which will allow a lot more spectators to see the event live and close up.

MCCC Annual Exhibition (1st June)

Once again we staged our Annual Exhibition on “Fun Sunday” at the start of Gala Week.

Over 150 prints were on display as well as a variety of slide shows and AV presentations. The standard of the photographs was exceptional. We had more visitors than in previous years, partly due to the links we have established with other community groups. One or two of our visitors will become members of the club this year. As usual, light refreshments were available and appreciated by the folk who braved the monsoon conditions to come and see us!

During the exhibition, MCCC member and professional photographer George O'toole set up a studio and offered to take portraits at a very attractive price and donated all of the proceeds to the Forth Region Explorer Scouts. A party of 45 Explorer Scouts and their leaders is going to Namibia to build a health clinic and one of our members, Grant, is part of the expedition. The donations for refreshments were given to the Explorers as well and over £210 was added to the Expedition Fund.

Gardening Scotland  (29th May - 1st June)

Club Members attended: Most of the Members (along with one or two friends and relatives!)

For the third time, we were asked by the organisers of Gardening Scotland to act as official photographers for the show, which is one of the biggest gardening and flower shows in Scotland. It’s held at the Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston.

Again we were given unlimited access to all areas of the show, from the setting up and building of the displays and exhibits, through the three days when the show is open to the public, to the dismantling of exhibits and hectic sale of plants and floral displays at the end of the show.

Despite having rain for a few of the days, our well organized group, took photographs of floral displays, exhibits, exhibitors, flowers, performers, demonstrations and members of the public. At the end, we provided the organisers with a comprehensive portfolio of several hundred images that they will use for publicity, news letters and advertising.

Livingston Players “The Hot Mikado” (25th May 2008)
Deans Community High School -

Club Members attended: Steve, Grant, Willie, & Deb.

Once again we were working with Livingston Players, taking photographs of their production of “The Hot Mikado”, a modern reworking of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta.

This time we were asked to provide not only publicity shots for front of house but also portraits of principals and production crew for inclusion in the programme.

As usual Willie & Deb did wonderful things with the shots of the main characters, and the comments on the quality of the photographs were most favourable. The players are very pleased with way the relationship between them and the Club is developing, and are happy to have the Club acting as their “official” photographers for the foreseeable future.

Avant Gardens Festival, New Hopetoun Gardens (24th May 2008)

Club Members attended: Steve, Grant, Willie, & Deb.

Avant Gardens Festival, New Hopetoun Gardens

For the second time we were invited to take photographs of this garden design festival, organised by New Hopetoun Gardens, near South Queensferry.

Like last year, six gardens were selected from all the entries and were built at the garden centre. The “official” opening was at the end of May on a lovely late spring day.

We will return to the gardens throughout the year to record them as they grow and mature so there will be plenty of photo opportunities.

MCCC Outing - Linn's Mill Aqueduct (21st May 2008)

Club Members attended: Graham, Hugh, Dougie, Grant and Steve.

Though the light wasn’t perhaps all it could have been, we spent a pleasant evening wandering along the Union Canal towpath eastwards from Linns Mill Aqueduct.

Waterside plants, fungi and muted reflections were the main photo opportunities. But there was the chance to photograph some canal craft, either moored or cruising sedately past. Some of us tried our hand at panning shots of cars on the nearby motorway.

Good company, good crack and some peace and quiet – what else could we ask for? (apart from better light, a Hasselblad with a digital back, a…)

This area is definitely worth another visit in late summer / early autumn.

MCCC Outing, Dawych Gardens (Sunday 18th May 2008)

Club Members attended: George, Stuart, Sara-Jane, Deb, & Willie.

Last October some members of the MCCC went to the Royal Botanic Gardens site at Dawych to photograph the Autumn colours. At that time, many vowed to come back in late Spring to catch the huge collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas within the site. We delayed our visit for a couple of weeks due to the late Spring but those who attended today were able to photograph many of the Rhoddies and Azaleas in spectacular full bloom.

There were many other subjects to photograph including Bluebells, Wild Garlic, Bracken fronds and the star of the show – the blue Himalayan Poppy, Mecanopsis!, All of us were captivated by these beautiful poppies growing in beds of waving colour – you had to be there to see them.

Let’s hope more members of MCCC come when we next return in the Autumn!

Steam in the Park  (Balado 10th May - 11th May)

Club Members attended: Fred, Vera and Graham

This annual event was organised by the “Scottish Traction Engine Society” and authorised by the National Traction Engine Trust, which gave members who attended the opportunity to get up really close to the engines. Exhibitor numbers were up again this year with almost 40 steam entries (large and small).

The weather was good on Saturday but very hot, which made it at times uncomfortable to walk around the large display area. Also, this gave a light haze over most of the 300 images taken as there was no breeze to displace the smoke from the traction engines. Late afternoon saw a thunder storm which stopped the steam engines road run into Kinross. All the Tractions engines and vehicles displayed were lined around the side of the disused runway and the runway was used by the mobile traction engines for the public to take free foot plate rides during the afternoon. This proved popular (not me, too much baggage!) although staying on the ground did mean that we were able to take a good number of images with the engines on the move and at times with more than two engines in the same image and with lots of smoke too!!

No requirement for long lenses – just a little patience to wait for the public to move away, to obtain some good images of details of the traction engine’s fine art work. I did miss this year, the working steam saw bench but they had a working steam threshing mill. There were displays from Glenrothes Model Aeroplane Club & Rosyth Model Boat Club and Birds of Prey. Graham attended on Sunday and reported a better day with no thunderstorms!! That’s it folks! It was a really great day out for the family for just £4.00 each. Soon will be some kind AV show. I’m now looking forward to “Farming Yesteryear “ in September - details will be on the clubs events page .

MCCC Image of the Year Competition
Judged by Club Members

At the end of the year the we held the Image of the Year competition. This year we had two sections, Beginner and Intermediate / Advanced. All the entries were excellent, and it was very difficult to pick just one winner for each category. Well done to all the entrants!

Beginners Section
Joint Winners
Grant Collier - Waterfall
Stuart Robinson - In The Pink

Intermediate / Advanced Section
Print
Willie Mills - Rowboat on Slate
Projected Image
Willie Mills - View from a Hill

The 2008 Winners - Grant, Stuart & Willie

MCCC Photography Night Out, Linlithgow Palace (23rd April 2008)

The first night out to finally take some photographs had us all arriving at Linlithgow Palace a half hour before sunset. Judging by the pictures taken, the night was a success.

There was a variety of photographs to try our hand with, including "Magic Hour", Night, Architectural, HDR, and Landscape Photography. After seeing Gordon's excellent demonstration of HDR (High Dynamic Range) last week, we were all anxious to try it out.

It was good to see everyone out taking pictures for a change!

West Lothian Competition at Linlithgow (15th April 2008)

Club Members attended: Willie, Deb, Ian (G), George, Steve, Grant, Gordon, and Graham.

We won! And so did Bathgate! The West Lothian Competition is between all five clubs in the county – Mid Calder, Bathgate, Livingston, Armadale, and Linlithgow – and this year we tied to win with a score of 252. Pictured here (from left to right) is the Bathgate representative, Judge Neil Scott, and our very own Gordon Scott.

Neil Scott, from the Edinburgh Photographic Society, judged colour prints, monochrome prints, and for the last time in this competition, slides. Thanks very to Linlithgow Camera Club who hosted the event at the Burgh Halls.

Speakers Night - Speaker Donald Stewart ARPS (9th April 2008)

Donald is from the Dundee Photographic Society and specialises in black & white film photography and the related darkroom techniques.

However, Donald’s discussion on cropping, composition, selecting your subject, and how shadows and reflections of light affect a photograph was equally applicable to colour digital work.

For our members who wonder about how to get “letters,” Donald also showed us the portfolios that he used to achieve an ARPS.

Many thanks to Donald (pictured on the left with Steve) for inspiring our members to think about how they could use monochrome photographic techniques to improve their photographs - although most likely in the digital form.

MCCC Practical Night - Portrait Photography (5th March 2008)

Following our Professional Portrait Demonstration by senior club members we held an open practical portrait night where members of the club could utilise professional portrait lighting.

We are very grateful for the services of our model Kirsty whose professionalism was only surpassed by her patience by putting up with us for the entire evening.

Two set-ups in two rooms were arranged; one using Kirsty and one using club members as the models. Members were encouraged to bring along their cameras and then utilise the two studio set-ups. Friendly advice was available from senior club members at all times.

The feedback from the membership was very positive both on the night and indeed since the event.

MCCC Practical Night - Still Life Night (20th Feb 2008)

This practical night was an opportunity for club members to try a variety of still life set-ups, with different subjects and different lighting methods.Since the excellent presentation on Macro Photography by Ian was a hard act to follow,. Steve decided to turn this into a completely “hands on” session.

Several table top “studios” were arranged and subject matter of flowers, wine glasses, fruit and even camera lenses was photographed from every possible angle. Different lighting arrangements were set up and the emphasis was very much on using our cameras.

It was really good to see how everyone participated – hints, tips and advice were freely passed on, equipment was shared, and everyone learned something.

Perhaps we should record our thanks to staff at The Black Bull who lent us a couple of wine glasses!

MCCC Practical Night - Macro Photography (13th Feb 2008)

An interesting evening demonstrated by our Chairman Ian McIntosh.

Ian covered the various aspects of macro photography. Ian showed the different equipment used in obtaining good macro close ups, including extension tubes, bellows and magnifying filters.

Other topics covered were tips on lighting and focusing techniques.

The Mid Calder Camera Club Competition No.3 “Open 2”(30th January 2008)

Our appraiser was John Scott from the Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club and he was accompanied by James Scott, also of Penicuik (no relation). John is pictured (on the left), beside Gordon Scott (no relation).

John has been a judge for 20+ years and has also taught photography. We appreciated his valued comments, especially about backgrounds, highlights in eyes, and the importance of naming your photograph properly. John was available after the judging for questions. Overall the evening was both educational and enlightening.

Livingston Players (21st, 22nd January 2008)
Deans Community High School

Club Members attended:
Steve, Grant, Ian (G), Graham, Hugh, Fred, Dougie, Willie, Deb, Sarah-Jane.

Two plays were in dress rehearsal and many MCCC members took the opportunity to photograph the actors while they performed in full costume. Will set up lights and umbrella reflectors to take the formal head and shoulders portraits, which are used for the front of house display. Many of the club's photographs from previous productions are posted on the gallery page of the Livingston Players' website.

The club received complimentary remarks from cast and paying public about the photographs that were displayed at front of house. The Players' committee are very pleased, not only with the photographs, but also with the "professional" way that we handled the project.

These plays were Central Park West by Woody Allen and Shakers by John Godber. The next production (May 2008) will be a musical called The Hot Mikado.

Livingston Competition (16th January 2008)

The Livingston Competition pits the Livingston Camera Club vs. Mid Calder Camera Club and this year, it was judged by Mark Dunnigan CPAGB LRPS of the Bathgate Camera Club

Mark appraised each entry “relative to the photos presented.” Keeping with a long-standing tradition, Livingston won the day with a score of 376 against our 363. The photo shows Mark (left) presenting the trophy to Livi member, Bob Thompson. Congratulations LCC!

Special thanks to Steve, Grant, and Carol for the catering, which was appreciated by both sides.

Christmas Night Out (9th January 2008)

Our Christmas Night Out is traditionally held in January (!) and this event gives us an opportunity to meet in a different setting and discuss the coming year's activities. This year, the dinner was held at La Vita restaurant in Mid Calder. Before and after dinner, many members also enjoyed some time in the adjoining "Tap."