Beginners Group - Photo Shoot at the Gaelic Chieftain

Members from the Beginners Group of Boyle Camera Club met tonight at the Gaelic Chieftain on the N4 outside Boyle to be eaten by persistent swarms of midges ... and take a few photos too. This informal session gave newcomers to the club the opportunity to get to know other club members. Our gratitude to Meave for providing refreshments on the evening. The anticipated dramatic sunset that seemed likely during the day did not materialise, none the less it was a productive shoot where issues relating to composition was the main item addressed. The club intend to have many more Group specific sessions like this during the Summer months, so watch this space.

Irish Met Society Photography Competition 2011

Irish Meteorological Society

What to photograph: Any Irish location but the photograph must have a seasonal or weather theme. Some rules: The competition is open to everyone with a maximum of 2 entries per person. Only colour photographs are accepted and there must be no people in the picture.

Photos must have a minimum size of 1Mb.

Closing date: September 30th 2011

Prizes: 1st: €150.00, 2nd: €75.00, 3rd: €50.00. There will also be small prizes for an additional 5 runners up. The Irish Meteorological Society will nominate a panel of judges and their decision will be final.

Please note that photographs submitted as entries may be selected to feature on the IMS website and related links as well as in IMS publications. The photographer will always be acknowledged. Enter HERE.

NUI CERTIFICATE: Photography and Digital Imaging.

NUI CERTIFICATE: Photography and Digital Imaging.

National College of Art & Design, Dublin

A 20 Credits Level Six (National Qualifications Framework) - This one year part-time course offers students an opportunity to extend their visual vocabulary and explore the creative possibilities of photography within contemporary visual art and design practice. The course is suitable for mature students with an interest in exploring ideas through photography. Students applying for this course should be willing to experiment with a range of photographic approaches/media and be committed to developing their own personal body of work.

Closing date for application: 24th June 2011 For further details and an application form contact mailto:cead@ncad.ie or phone: 01 636 4214 or link to website HERE.

BCC Strobists in Carrick

Photo by Jason Mallard

Boyle Camera Club Strobists took on Carrick-on-Shannon on Thursday night for Advanced and Intermediate Group photo shoots. Bad weather was no match for this 'hardy' bunch!

Beginners Group will meet next Tuesday 24th May at 7.30pm by the Gaelic Chieftain on the N4 outside Boyle where Tony Murphy will be using a Digital Compact Camera to address issues relating to Composition and White Balance. Participating members are reminded to bring a tripod.

Photography Ireland 2012

Photography Ireland 2012 Yearbook

Closing Date - 01 July 2011

Camera Club members are invited to submit images for inclusion in the Photography Ireland 2012 yearbook.

As in previous years Irish amateur and professional photographers are invited to submit images for the 2012 edition of Photography Ireland. Friends and distinction holders of the Irish Photographic Federation and Irish photographers living abroad may also submit entries. Images in the book will be in both colour and monochrome. The closing date for entries has been extended to 1st July 2011.

Photographers may submit up to five images in colour, and five in monochrome. Images should preferably be submitted on a CD or DVD as 300 dpi actual size TIFF or high quality JPG images suitable for printing up to A4 size. Colour corrections should be made and each image accompanied by a small print, minimum size 10 cm X 15 cm, (4" X 6") to aid selection.

A completed copy of the entry form must be taped to the back of each print. The entry form can be downloaded from the IPF website or by clicking on this link Photography Ireland 2012.

Send your CD/DVD and photographs for the yearbook securly packed and labelled 'IPF Yearbook' before 1st July 2011 to:

Seán Casey, FIPF,

161 Ard Easmuinn,

Dundalk,

Co. Louth,

Ireland

Tel:042 9335255 E:scasey161@gmail.com

All photographs and discs will be retained by the IPF and not returned to photographers.

Submission of entries does not guarantee inclusion in the yearbook.

Each photographer will retain copyright of their images. Remember there is no submission/entry fee.

Well Done Martina!

Congratulations to Boyle Camera Club member Martina Morris. Over 3000 people entered and over half a million votes were cast over the course of the Danone - Photo Competition that took place earlier this year. The aim of this competition was to encourage the people of Ireland to get out there and enjoy life to the full and capture a winter moment that was full of life. Martina’s picture depicts the vibrancy of outdoor family pet fun, they are the perfect excuse to get active & get healthy at that time of year!

“We really had a fantastic response to this innovative competition and we would like to thank everyone that entered and everyone that voted for the photograph that they felt best captured a full of life winter moment”. Maria Murphy - Danone

Club Meeting - Tuesday 10th May

This was another busy, full-schedule event which took place on the eve of the club's departure to Inishbofin for it's annual weekend photo shoot. There were a number of potential new members visiting for the first time. Phil and Rose, representatives from Mohill Camera Club, were also welcomed.

Straight to business with an overview of the Boyle Camera Club Members Forum. All members are advised to register and contribute to this lively space.

Tony Murphy delivered this month's presentation on the subject of lenses. Part one of a two-part series that addressed; focal length, lens types & categories and touched briefly on the value of specialist lenses like macro and tilt-shift. No doubt, this subject will need to be covered in greater depth at a later stage.

Motivation

This month's Motivation theme was Movement. Former club Chairperson, Sean O'Dowd judged and critiqued entries at the meeting. He rigidly adhered to the criteria prescribed for each category and put emphasis firstly on applying the rules and principles of photographic composition & treatment and on the other hand, commended those that understood these principles and had the courage to break them for creative and artistic intent. He commended members for their work and expressed the value of having a monthly Motivation and it's important contribution to helping members develop new skills and challenge their understanding of the craft of photography. Sean's results are listed below.

From top - Frances Farrell, Anthony Troy & Tony Murphy.

Beginners

1. Anthony Troy - Destination Boyle
2. May Costello - Ag Iascaireacht
3. Susan Duffy - Moving

Intermediate

1. Frances Farrell - Showing Off
2. Paul Little - Splash
3. Martina Morris - Speeding Boat

Advanced

1. Tony Murphy - Crashing Wave
2. Jason Mallard - Dizzy Rascal
3. Joe Kennedy - Train

The theme for next month's Motivation is DOORS. Members are advised to be creative and inventive in their interpretation of the theme and think beyond the obvious! Have a look at some of the images in these related Flickr Groups.

Members should submit their photos to info@boylecameraclub.com on or before Friday 10th June.

Group Sessions

At this month's meeting, members split into groups to arrange a schedule for Group Specific Photo Shoots in the coming weeks. The schedule is as follows;

Beginners; Meet at the Gaelic Chieftain at 7.30pm on Tuesday 24th May. Everyone will need a tripod.

Intermediate; Meet at the Docking Area for Moon River (opposite the Landmark Hotel) Carrick-on-Shannon at 7.00pm on Thursday 19th May. Everyone will need a tripod.

Advanced; Meet at the St. Joseph's Resource Centre, Boyle for car-pool to Carrick-on-Shannon at 7.00pm on Thursday 19th May. A 'strobist' shoot is planned to take place on the boardwalk in front of the Landmark Hotel. Everyone will need a tripod and speedlight (radio-triggers optional). Members are advised to know in advance how to use their speedlights remotely (consult camera manual).

Other Issues

Next Club Meeting - Tuesday 14th June 8pm, St. Joseph's Resource Centre, Boyle. IPF Distinction group will meet Conor Dowling as usual before the meeting at 7pm.

Agenda will follow shortly.

Forum - Members that have not registered on the club forum are advised to do so. This is an opportunity for members to ask questions, exchange tips and useful information and express opinions on club and photography matters. Once registered, members will be notified via email of all comments and additions to forum topics. It is an excellent way to keep in touch and up to date with club activities. If you have something useful to say, say it THERE!

Inishbofin Weekend Photo Shoot May 2011.

Boyle Camera Club members basked in island sunshine this weekend during their third annual Summer Photo Shoot. A contingent of 16 enthusiastic photographers (above) explored beautiful Inishbofin off the coast of Galway. Blessed once again with great weather and light, a splendid time was had by all. The committee would like to extend a special word of thanks to Pat Coyne and the staff at The Dolphin Hotel for their warm and friendly reception and to Peter Boalch, who organised yet another memorable and excellent event.

Club members with presenters Ryan Tubridy and Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin on Inishbofin.

Photos from the Inishbofin Photo Shoot HERE.

TOP Photo Calendar Competition 2012

TOP (the fuel company – formerly TOP Oil) are running a photography competition which is open to any amateur photographer in the country.

Photographic entries can be of any subject, taken anywhere in Ireland and the winning photos will be compiled to make the TOP Calendar for 2012 – distributed to 40,000 homes.

To enter the TOP Photo Competition, simply upload your potential winning shots to the TOP competition website. To qualify, you must be over 18 and an amateur photographer; your picture must have been taken in Ireland and not previously entered into the TOP Photo Competition. For more information about the competition, including some previous winning shots and full terms and conditions go to FACEBOOK.

Closing date is 31st May 2011.

You can also follow TOP on Twitter for all updates.

Group Photo Shoot Schedule

This month, Beginners - Intermediate - Advanced Groups will splinter to conduct separate evening photo shoots at a variety of locations about Boyle. Each group will be accompanied by an advanced member who will assist others in basic camera operation and setting-up and composing photographs. All members should bring a tripod and speedlight. If anyone has suggestions for specific shots, they can start a suggestion thread in the Club Forum.

Beginners; Meet at the Gaelic Chieftain at 7.30pm on Tuesday 24th May. Everyone will need a tripod.

Intermediate; Meet at the Docking Area for Moon River (opposite the Landmark Hotel) Carrick-on-Shannon at 7.00pm on Thursday 19th May. Everyone will need a tripod.

Advanced; Meet at the St. Joseph's Resource Centre, Boyle for car-pool to Carrick-on-Shannon at 7.00pm on Thursday 19th May. A 'strobist' shoot is planned to take place on the boardwalk in front of the Landmark Hotel. Everyone will need a tripod and speedlight (radio-triggers optional). Members are advised to know in advance how to use their speedlights remotely (consult camera manual).

Inishbofin Weekend Photo Shoot 13th - 15th May.

View Larger Map

Members participating in the annual Weekend Away Photo Shoot to Inishbofin this weekend should note that ferry times from Cleggan (map above for route via Westport but some may prefer to travel via Roscommon - Galway - Clifden), Co. Galway are as follows;

Departure Cleggan Harbour, Friday 13th May - 11am, 2pm and 7.30pm.

Cost is €17.00 return for BCC Members. Car-pooling is encouraged for those leaving on Friday from Boyle. Allow at least 2.5 hours for the journey.

Accommodation costs €129.00 for two nights. This includes breakfast and one evening meal.

Club Meeting - Tuesday 10th May

7.00 - 8.00pm In advance of the club meeting, members that are going forward for IPF Distinctions will meet with Conor Dowling.

The Agenda for our May club meeting is as follows;

• 8pm - Chairperson's Address

• Presentation - Tony Murphy will discuss the issue of lenses. This should be of interest to members who intend to explore the creative potential offered by lenses of varying focal lengths.
• May Motivation - Movement, presented by Joe Kennedy. Former club chairperson, Sean O'Dowd will judge this month's entries and present his critique to members.
• Tea/Coffee
• Peter Boalch will outline details relating to the club's trip to Inishbofin.
• Group Sessions - Beginners, Intermediate & Advanced related issues.

Club Shooting Vests

Members that have ordered shooting vests from Kit can collect them at the meeting. Vests cost €35.00.

House Keeping Duties

• Setting out the room in advance of the meeting.
• Taking charge of refreshments.

Members Forum Activated

As a response to a request from some of our new members, we have set up an on-line MEMBERS FORUM using Nabble. Club members interested in posting topics of interest should register using the link on the FORUM PAGE.

This is an opportunity for members to share information and contribute to the vibrant community that is Boyle Camera Club. We will briefly discuss the presence of this new forum at the next club meeting.

One Day in the Life of the World

We recently received an invitation to take part in ‘One Day in the Life of the World’. It is a global photographic project with random people, taking random photos on a random day (May 6th).

The basic idea is that thousands of people all over the world take photos of something, someone or somewhere that they love, and then submit those photos into our website to create a snapshot of the world on that day, for everybody in the world to explore and enjoy forever.

See full details HERE.

Evening Shoot - 3rd May

Many members took part in this evening's photo shoot about Boyle. This was an experimental event where more experienced members went through the paces of making and taking a location photo with less experienced members. One group went 'fishing' at the Wooden Bridge in Boyle and had some fun learning about the process of composing a photograph, ably assisted by not-too-reluctant models (above). The group made the most of the rapidly fading light to discuss issues of ISO and off-camera flash.

A second group were involved in a stake-out at Boyle Railway station, waiting for the arrival of unsuspecting trains to explore the possibilities of slow-shutter speeds and implied movement. Depending on members responses, this could become a regular feature of the club's activities in future. Thanks to everyone that took part.

In this shot we experimented a bit with some off-camera flash due to the fading light.