May Meeting - A Return to our Artistic Roots

Forty people attended our May club meeting along with a record 38 people submitting images for the night’s many slideshows. Images came from members trekking both near & far, including a number from the other side of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Our meeting started with a discussion of Bokeh – a Japanese word meaning “blur”. We discussed how artistic Bokeh could enhance your image with a nice soft & smooth background that allows the viewer’s eye to concentrate on the sharply focused subject.

The first slideshow of the night depicted the brave and partially insane residents of Port Hope, Floating their Fannies Down the Ganny! Very few boats or watercraft were able to stay afloat on the fast moving, icy waters of the Ganaraska River. It was all done in a light-hearted festive atmosphere with thousands of supporters cheering them onwards. The show was highlighted with some timely video by Caspar of a number of (un)fortunate dunkings!

Our next agenda item was a collaborative effort from Dave, Ramesh & myself to help us all keep informed and to upgrade our photographic and artistic skills/knowledge. Dave took On-line Tools & Sources while Ramesh followed up with Photo Apps for your Phone/Tablet. I picked up a catch-all other category of learning sources. This information is available on our Youtube channel to better assist everyone with their individual needs in this area.

The second half of the meeting belonged to Margaret. First, she started with her slideshow entitled My Ireland – a glimpse through her eyes of her beloved homeland taken during a trip to the emerald isle last September.

Margaret also put on another episode of her The Art of Seeing series. This time around it was focused on Abstract Photography. She discussed the various elements of the Abstract, from line, shape, texture, pattern and colour. She discussed how they could be utilized to create unrecognizable (or, at least, difficult to recognize) subject matter. The key was to think outside the box and to train your eye to see the abstract in an everyday scene. Her presentation was adorned with some great imagery, including a number of images from others in our membership.

Our theme challenge slideshow was split into two 10 minute segments featuring some tremendous Water on the Move ... imagery. As previously mentioned 38 individuals submitted images interpreting this powerful and relevant theme. These images, along with our Port Hope outing photos are now available for viewing on our public Facebook page.

The meeting concluded with theme challenges for the next 60 days- The Awakening for May and Architecture for June. The club outing for May will take place Saturday May 13^th at Presqu’ile Provincial Park to capture some of our tiny migrating avian friends on their trip northward. Also a special Portrait Workshop session is planned for Friday May12th at the parish hall of St Mary Magdelene Anglican Church in Picton. This is a unique opportunity for all of us to utilize professional studio set-ups with our own cameras in tow.