Agenda - Club Meeting Tuesday 9th December

After the dust has settled on a great Christmas Party, it's business as usual with our next Club Meeting taking place tomorrow, Tuesday 9th December, 8pm St. Joseph's Resource Centre, Boyle.

Agenda as follows;

• Chairperson's Address. Members to take up the 5-minute talk needed. Pre-meeting Groups. Members suggestions for the New Year.
• Committee Flickr Choice - Peter and Kit will select one image each from the club's Flickr Pool and discuss them with members.
• 5-Minute Talk - Catherine Mullarkey will discuss one of her recent images.
• Motivation - This month's theme was 'Lead-in Lines'. Donal Hackett will judge and Joe and Tony will critique images.

• After the break, There will be an extended Groups Session. For Beginner (and Intermediate) members, John Walshe and Peter Kelly will examine and demystify Shutter Speed and other manual camera settings.
• Tony Murphy will take the Advanced and Intermediate Groups and examine a specific historical photographic genre and set a challenge for members over the Christmas period.

We look forward to seeing you all.
New members always welcome.
____________________________

Club Photo Shoot - Blue Hour in Roscommon



It was fairly cold and miserable in Roscommon this afternoon for the scheduled Boyle Camera Club Photo Shoot, and fair play to those daft enough to sacrifice the warmth of a cosy fire and Sunday afternoon telly for cold hands and a runny nose. For the brave that showed, you'll not get more challenging conditions for photography ... and I don't care how nice the Christmas lights looked in Roscommon Town ... it was wet and windy but it was great to see the enthusiasm and positivity on members faces. Ladies, ye know who ye are, ye put the rest of us to shame! Thing is, if ye want to learn ... don't let the weather hold ye back!! Get up off yer arses and get out there with yer cameras!

Christmas Party Night - Friday 5th December

Boyle Camera Club will host their annual Christmas Party Night next Friday 5th December at Daly's Bar, Boyle. Dinner with desert will be served from 9pm followed by music from The Psychonics.

Members should indicate their intention to attend by signing the related post on the club FORUM. Cost is €10 per person. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Blue Hour Photo Shoot - 7th December, Roscommon Town

This month's club photo shoot will deviate from the usual Sunday Morning slot in favour of a Blue-Hour afternoon shoot in Roscommon Town on Sunday 7th December. As we move steadily towards mid-Winter, the day's progressively grow shorter with sunset taking place about 4.15pm on 7th December. The Christmas lights will be aglow, so the town should provide some interesting photo opportunities for us.

Members should bring tripods and strobist gear, not to mention warm cloths and footwear. Look-out Roscommon! Members travelling from Boyle should meet on The Crescent at 3pm. Assemble in The Square, Roscommon Town at 3.45pm. We look forward to seeing you all.

December Motivation - Lead-in Lines

The Motivation theme for our December meeting is 'Lead-in Line's. Lead-in lines can take many forms, they can be an obvious visual element of the composition that direct the viewer towards the main subject of the photo or they may be subtly implied by the arrangement and position of other compositional elements. The two images here demonstrate some possible approaches. Members should email their photos to; motivationpics@gmail.com on or before Friday 5th December.

Agenda - Club Meeting Tuesday 11th November

After a busy weekend in Malahide, it's back to business as usual for BCC.
In line with discussions at the AGM, this month we will conduct a Pre-Meeting session from 7.30pm for the purpose of addressing members technical issues as well as a short presentation on camera shutter-speed. Participating members should bring their cameras!
These pre-meeting sessions will be suitable for beginners and provide an opportunity to put forward suggests for future sessions and Group gatherings.

The Club Meeting will begin as usual at 8pm with the following agenda;

• Chairpersons address.
• Members 5-minute slot - Catherine Mullarkey.
• Committee Flickr Critique - John Walsh and Mary Lane.
• Motivation 'Stranger Portraits', presented by Joe Kennedy and judged by Mick Nolan.
• Break.
• Main Presentation - John Walsh and Peter Kelly will demystify the process of Inkjet Printing at home.

We look forward to see you all.

IPF National Shield Competition 8th November 2014

Boyle Camera Club surrendered the coveted IPF National Shield to a deserving Galway Camera Club at yesterday's competition hosted by Malahide Camera Club. Galway emerged victorious over a record 31 entrants this year. Clubs were required to submit a panel of 8-monochrome and 8-colour photos from non-distinction holding members. Judging was a serious and critical business with great scrutiny given to image content and quality. We were delighted to be part of this national event and very proud of the images selected to represent the club. A sincere thank you to all members involved in getting the work to Malahide. Congratulations to Galway Camera Club.

Inter-Club Photo Shoot during the Bank Holiday Weekend

On Sunday 26th Oct, Boyle Camera Club were joined by Members of the North West Camera Club, Co. Donegal, for a photo shoot at Lough Key Forest Park. The dull day didn't deter this bunch of photo-enthusiasts ... the event was as much about making friends as it was for taking photos! We hope we can meet up again in the future. Thank you for visiting.

BCC Christmas Party - 5th December

The Psychonics

Attention All club Members. This year, Boyle Camera Club will host it's annual Christmas Party on Friday, 5th December in Daly's Bar, Boyle.

We have arranged catering which will consist of a choice from two main-courses (Beef Stroganoff and Chicken-a-la-King or Chicken Curry) and two deserts.

Also, we have The Psychonics belting out the tunes for those in the mood to shake a leg from 10pm. This has the makings for a fantastic night so we hope you and your partner/friends, can come and join us!

The cost is €10.00 per-head which will be collected at the club meeting in November. To give us an idea of numbers, please indicate your intention to attend by adding your name (and your partner) as a 'REPLY' in the FORUM POST HERE.

We look forward to seeing you all!

November Motivation - Stranger Portraits

The list of themes for the Monthly Motivation is presently being prepared by our new Motivation Secretary, Joe Kennedy. He has decided to raise the bar for us all this month with the theme; Portrait of a Stranger'.
Joe says, "It can be a daunting prospect, to approach strangers in the street and ask if you can take their photograph, but trust me, the confidence that you’ll gain and the photos you take are well worth the embarrassment of being rejected a few times by people you’ll never meet again. There are people of all sorts of shapes, sizes, and tones, with crazy hairstyles, boring hairstyles, over the top make up and no make up, out-there fashion sense and no fashion sense at all. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the people around us that shape our lives, and therefore need capturing."

Entries to be submitted in the usual way via email by Friday 4th November.

If your not familiar with the work 'Humans of New York', take a look on line, I think this is what Joe has in mind. Happy Shooting!

Inter-Club Photo Shoot this Sunday, 26th October at Lough Key Forest Park

This Sunday, 26th October, North West Camera Club will join Boyle Camera Club for a photo shoot at Lough Key Forest Park, Boyle. Members should meet along the waterfront in Forest Park at 10am. The park is particularly colourful at the moment. Warm clothes, rain gear and walking boots recommended. We look forward to seeing you all there.

The New Club Committee for 2014 - 2015

The newly elected, Boyle Camera Club Committee for 2014-2015. Back Row from Left; Joe Kennedy (Motivation Secretary), Peter Kelly, John Walsh (Technical Advice), Kit O'Connor, Mary Lane, Margaret Mulligan, Tony Murphy. Front Row from Left; Brian Munnelly (Treasurer), Marion Noone (Secretary) and Andy Rimmer (Chairperson).

If last night's first committee meeting of the new club year is anything to go by, members should prepare themselves for some serious shaking-up in the months ahead. A full review of the current meeting structure, motivations and Groups is underway. Watch this space as the buzz word from the new blood is currently 'invigorate'!

Boyle Camera Club AGM - Tuesday 14th October

Fiona Keenan on behalf of St. Vincent de Paul, accepts a donation from club Chairperson, Andy Rimmer. Also pictured are BCC Treasurer, Brian Munnelly and BCC Secretary, Marion Noone.

Welcome
The AGM was conducted as outlined in the agenda.

• Club Chairperson, Andy Rimmer opened the meeting.
• An inter-club photo shoot with North West Camera Club will take place (subject to confirmation) at Lough Key Forest Park on Sunday 26th October. Considering the beautiful Autumn colours in the park presently, this is a great time to visit!
• We will be defending our National Shield title this November. The committee are reviewing members work for the purpose of putting together colour and monochrome panels. Members will be contacted in the week ahead.
• Andy, Marion and Brian presented a cheque for €300 to Fiona Keenan, representing St. Vincent de Paul. The donation came from the proceeds of sales at our exhibition in Boyle Library during the Arts Festival.

AGM - Officers Reports

Andy Rimmer (Chairperson) gave a whistle-stop review of the activities and achievements of the club during the past year and presented his vision for the club in the year ahead. In particular, he called for more active participation from members in monthly photo shoots.

Brian Munnelly (Treasurer) presented the annual financial report. In short, the club is in a very healthy financial position which will enable us to invest in visiting presenters, workshops and possibly, equipment.

Marion Noone (Secretary) gave a very positive review of the past year with regard to her responsibilities as secretary.

The out-going committee stood down.

Election of New Committee and Officers

Chairperson - In the absence of additional nominations, Andy Rimmer agreed to accept the Chair for a third term. (carried via a show of hands from the floor).

Secretary - In the absence of additional nominations, Marion Noone agreed to accept the post of Club Secretary. (carried via a show of hands from the floor).

Treasurer - In the absence of additional nominations, Brian Munnelly agreed to accept the post of Club Treasurer. (carried via a show of hands from the floor).

Joe Kennedy, Mary Lane, Peter Kelly and Tony Murphy agreed to remain on the new committee.

Three new committee members were also elected; Kit O'Connor, Margaret Mulligan and John Walshe.

Tribute was given to outgoing committee members; Des O'Dwyer, Jason Mallard and Matthew Gammon, for their enormous contributions to the development and success of the club in the past year. All present expressed their gratitude!

Motions for Review
A number of motions to amend aspects of club procedure were presented by members.

Develop a new Facebook Page for members to freely post their photos

This was discussed at length without resolution. One major concern is the issue of copyright and ownership when images are uploaded to Facebook, something all photographers need to be aware of. It was agreed that this issue be discussed further by the new committee and report back to membership at the club meeting in November.

Committee Members personal contact details to be posted on the club website

This motion was rejected.

Club Membership Cards to be discontinued
This motion was rejected.
Facilitate Group Sessions and Technical Workshops BEFORE formal club meetings
This motion was accepted.
It was proposed that where appropriate and when members were available, workshops and specialist presentations could take place between 7.30 and 8pm before monthly club meetings.
A request for an expanded panel of presenters among club members
This motion was accepted.
Here, many members agreed to share their knowledge and contribute to presentations via workshops and during club meetings.
A request for an expanded panel of Motivation Judges
This motion was accepted.
Members would like to have more critical feedback from the monthly Motivation. They would welcome the views and responses from high profile, professional photographers from time-to-time. It was suggested that the club pay a gratuity for this service.

Photographer of the Year Awards

Photographers of the Year - From left; Sally Moffitt, Tony Murphy, Noreen McNamara with club Chairperson, Andy Rimmer.

Over the course of the year, club members acquire points for attendance at club meetings, photo shoots, participation in the monthly Motivations and other club activities. The title 'Photographer of the Year' is less about the quality of the individual's photography and more about their contribution  and involvement in the club. This year the winners are; Sally Moffitt - Beginners, Noreen McNamara - Intermediate and Tony Murphy - Advanced. The award in each category is a cheque for €50. Congratulation's to you all.

Motivation

Des O'Dwyer presented this month's Motivation. The theme for October was 'CONTENTMENT'. Andy Rimmer judged and critiqued the entries. See all entries HERE.

Motivation Winners this month are, top; Steve Dobson - 'Contentment'. Bottom left; Yvonne Sarsfield - 'Contentment' and Jordin Cummins - 'Love'.

The winners in each category were;

Advanced

1. Jordan Cummins - 'Love'
2. Mick Nolan - 'Contented Puppy'
3. Matthew Gammon - 'Apres Surf'

Intermediate

1. Steve Dobson - 'Contentment'
2. Declan Gaffney - '6.45am Slippers and Silence'
3. Martina Morris - 'Content to play on our own' and Derek Fetherstone - 'Happy as a Pig in Muck!'

Beginner

1. Yvonne Sarsfield - 'Contentment'
2. Sally Moffatt - 'Cheers'
3. Margaret Mulligan - 'Contentment'

The November Motivation Theme will be presented here after the next committee meeting, along with a set of themes for the year ahead.
As we begin a NEW CLUB YEAR, only images taken AFTER 1st of October 2014 will be eligible for Motivation entry!
Members can submit up to FOUR images.

A reminder also that the title of each photo should be;

"MEMBERS NAME - CATEGORY (Beg, Int, Adv), IMAGE TITLE and MEMBERSHIP NUMBER" e.g. “John Fox - Beg – Autumn Evening Reflection – 104.jpg”

Entries should be re-sized so that a landscape format photo is 1024 pixels wide or if in portrait format the photo is 600 pixels high.

November Motivation Entries on or before Friday 7th November  to;

motivationpics@gmail.com

Conclusion

The meeting concluded with abundant refreshments and entertainment in the form of belly-dancing and Karaoke! Now I bet you're sorry YOU weren't there!!

Next club meeting; Tuesday 11th November.
New (and former) members are always welcome.

AGM Agenda - Tuesday 14th October

Boyle Camera Club will hold it's Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 14th October at 8pm in St. Joseph's Resource Centre, Boyle. All club members and interested members of the public are welcome to attend.

Club members interested in putting their name forward for election to the new committee should have notified the club secretary at info@boylecameraclub.com. The officers posts to be filled are; Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Motivation Secretary, Photo Shoot Coordinator and Technical Adviser.

The Agenda for the meeting is as follows;

• Chairperson's Address
• Defence of the IPF National Shield
• Presentation to St. Vincent De Paul on behalf of club from proceeds of BAF Exhibition.
• Interclub photo shoot with North West Camera Club

• Officers Reports - Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer

• Election of Committee and officers for 2014-2015
• Motions for members consideration;
• Request to have greater sharing of club members photo's from Flickr to the club Facebook page.
• Contact details of committee members to be placed on website
• Membership cards to be discontinued.
• Request for more classes/workshops to be held prior to club meetings with a greater selection of 'member teachers'.
• Call for volunteer workshop leaders and workshop topics.
• More judges to be identified for monthly motivations and willing to provide critical feedback on members submissions.

• Photographer of The Year Award - Awards given in Beginners, Intermediate and Advance categories.

Refreshments

• Desmond O'Dwyer presents this month's Motivation. The theme for October is "CONTENTMENT" and will be judged by Andy Rimmer. Members photos available to view HERE (soon). NB Members are reminded that this month there is a PRINT category for this month's Motivation.

• Discussion - This will be an open conversation with members to consider a vision for the club as it moves into a new season.

All members are encouraged to attend.

We look forward to seeing you all.

Boyle Camera Club members "clean-up" in Bundoran Competition!

The 2nd annual Discover Bundoran Photography Competition took place this weekend in association with Cara Pharmacy and the North West Photographic Club.  Boyle Camera Club were ably represent by Maeve Cormican, Margaret Dolan, Catherine Mularley, Derek Fetherstone, Mary Lane and Martina Morris. Mary writes; "... just to let you know, we cleaned up again in Bundoran. Four-1st places, Three-2nd and Two-3rds. We did not get the over all prize this year. We had great craic and a few drinks too many, so its off to bed now."
Well done guys! You've done us PROUD!! Sleep tight.

Photo Shoot - Elphin Windmill 28th September 2014

A very big Thank You to Andy, Marion and Siobhan who were excellent hosts during our visit today to the wonderful 18th century windmill at Elphin. Andy is a very well informed and friendly tour guide and the hospitality was second to none! After photographing the site from every possible angle, we enjoyed the banter over tea and scones. For those of you that were unable to make it, ye missed a great morning!

Visit the Elphin Windmill Facebook Page for undated and news regarding future events.

Tea, scones and craic at Elphin Windmill

Photo Shoot this Sunday 28th September to Elphin Windmill and Surrounding Area

This month's photo shoot will begin at Elphin Windmill and take in some sites of interest in the surrounding area. Members will have a guided tour, full access to exhibits and enjoy refreshments for a reduced fee. Meet on The Crescent in Boyle at 9.30am for car pool.

2nd Annual Discover Bundoran Photography Competition

The 2nd annual Discover Bundoran Photography Competition will happen over the weekend of the 3rd – 5th October 2014 in association with Cara Pharmacy and the North West Photographic Club. Boyle Camera Club members done us proud at last year's event which proved to be a great weekend away! Not to be missed. Full details on the website.

Familiar faces here among last year's competition winners!

Agenda - Club Meeting Tuesday 9th September

The Agenda for the September meeting is as follows;

• Chairperson's Address;
• Boyle Arts Festival - Summary of Club's Annual Photo Exhibition
• IPF Defence of the National Shield title!
• Print Motivation for October
• Issues relevant to the AGM in October - Nominations now accepted for Committee Posts
• AOB

• Andy Rimmer and Tony Murphy will select the 'Photo of the Month' from the BCC Flickr Group Pool.
• This month's 5-minute talk, due to be Joe Kennedy, is postponed.
• This month's Motivation theme is 'Nature' and will be judged by Phil Burns.
• Tea/Coffee Break
• Our scheduled presenter was unable to attend this meeting so on short notice, Tony has agreed to discuss Composition and Framing. Some members may remember this presentation some years ago but seeing as there are many new faces in the club, this might be a subject of some relevance. Audience participation welcomed!
• Group Sessions - if time allows; Opportunity to discuss relevant photography issues for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced members.

We look forward to seeing you all.

New members always welcome.

Photo Shoot at Rindoon

Club members at Rindoon, Lecarrow bright and early last Sunday on a beautiful, fresh Autumn morning. Many thanks to Frances Coyle who gave us a guided tour of the site. Rich in local heritage and a great spot to stretch the legs.

Check out our Page devoted to videos on Photography

Members may not be aware but for some time we have been adding photography-related tutorial videos to our Video Page. There is some very useful tips and information on technical issues as well as videos on past-greats and contemporary photographers of our time. Tune in for regular updates.

Recent addition - Long Exposure Set-up with Scott Kelby

Boyle Camera Club thank Kennedy Picture Framing

Peadar and Lucy Kennedy have played a very significant role in presenting Boyle Camera Club's exhibitions since the club's founding in 2007. From their premises on the Circular Road in Tubbercurry, they provide a service that's second to none! They have also sponsored a number of club prizes over the years and offered advice and discounts to club members. The committee would like to extend our gratitude to you both for your contribution to the success of this year's exhibition during Boyle Arts Festival.

Kennedy Picture Framing 071-9314137

Photo Shoot this Sunday 31st August to The Warren Point Looped Walk of Rinn Duin

Boyle Camera Club committee would like to welcome back members after the summer break with a Photo Shoot this Sunday 31st August. We plan to take The Warren Point Looped Walk at Rinn Duin (Rindoon) Co. Roscommon. Situated 3km outside the village of Lecarrow, Rinn Duin is on a peninsula that reaches out into Lough Ree and contains the ruins of a 13th century walled town. We hope to have a guide available to take us through the site but you can read about the area in advance by following the above link.
Rinn Duin is about an hour from Boyle so we need to depart promptly from The Crescent at 9am. Bring walking shoes and a rain coat but say a prayer for decent weather. We look forward to seeing you all again.

Exhibition Opening Night - 24th July in Boyle Library

Boyle Camera Club Committee would like to thank everyone that came to the opening of our current photography exhibition in the library at King House. We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. A special thank you to Fiona King, who spoke eloquently about the work on show. Thank you also to Conor Dowling who printed the images, to Kennedy Framing for the fine job they done presenting the work, to the library staff for accommodating the exhibition and to Boyle Arts Festival for all their cooperation and assistance. The exhibition runs until next Sunday 2nd August.

More photos on our Facebook Page.

Agenda - Club Meeting Tuesday 8th July

The Agenda for the July meeting is as follows;

• Chairperson's Address;
• Boyle Arts Festival - Club Annual Photo Exhibition - Submission of images for selection process complete. Late submissions considered (contact committee members). Details HERE. Marion has compiled a rota to supervise the exhibition during the festival, this will be presented during the meeting. Participating members are asked to sit for at least two one-hour periods.
• August - No Club Meeting.
• Issues relevant to the AGM in October.
• AOB

• Mary Lane and Joe Kennedy will select the 'Photo of the Month' from the BCC Flickr Group Pool.
• This months 5-minute talk will focus on the IPF Licentiate panel submissions by Matthew and Mick.
• This month's Motivation theme is 'Man-Made'. Members should note that in addition to the digital submission, there is also a PRINT option this month. As outlined previously, prints should be A4, preferably mounted. Jason Mallard will judge entries. See submissions HERE.
• Tea/Coffee Break
• Tony Murphy with give a brief presentation about 'home printing' in the context of this month's Motivation print submission.
• Group Sessions - if time allows; Opportunity to discuss relevant photography issues for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced members.

Members should note that the door fee for meetings is €3.

We look forward to seeing you all.

New members always welcome.

Last Sundays Photo Shoot to Sligo

Brian Munnelly reports; "Basically we met at Streedagh, but while the weather was lovely and sunny, the conditions were not great for photography as it was very bright and the sea was very flat. So we decided to head to the Gleniff Horseshoe, where we stopped at the Old Schoolhouse and later at the waterfalls near the old mill site as you enter the horseshoe. On the way back we took a detour to Mullaghmore, where members made their way around the loop around Mullaghmore Head, taking in the village, Classiebawn Castle and anything in between."

Club Photo Shoot tomorrow - Sunday 29th June

 

This month's photoshoot will take place along the North Sligo coastline on Sunday (29th June). We will be leaving the Crescent, Boyle at 9am and meeting up in Streedagh, Sligo at 10am. Please remember as this is an outdoor shoot, be prepared for all weather conditions. We always have fun when we visit the sea-side, so we look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

Inis Oirr - Doolin Ferry Friday 13th June

Most members travelling to Inis Oirr this weekend for our annual photo shoot have opted for the Doolin Ferry crossing. This is now booked and paid. We are travelling with Doolin2Aran Ferries and our contact at the pier is Joe. He has a list of those that paid at our recent meeting. Members that have not paid and wish to travel via Doolin can avail of the discount price when they buy their ticket at the pier.
Once again, ferry crossings to Inis Oirr on Friday are; 10am, 11am, 1.00pm (4.00pm maybe?) and 5.30pm. Allow at least 3-hours for the trip from Boyle.
We look forward to seeing you all at the Inis Oirr Hotel on Friday evening.

Agenda - Club Meeting Tuesday 10th June

The Agenda for the June meeting is as follows;

• Chairperson's Address;
• Recent IPF Distinctions recipients and distinctions sitting next September.
• Annual Photographic Weekend 2014 - Inis Oirr. Up-date and travel details. Members are asked to bring payment for the ferry which must be booked in advance to avail of the group discount. Full details HERE.
• Boyle Arts Festival - Club Annual Photo Exhibition - Submission of images for selection process now due. Details HERE. Also, details relating to this year's designated charity and raffle. Marion will present a rota to supervise the exhibition during the festival. Participating members will be asked to sit for at least two one-hour periods.

• Des O'Dwyer and Matthew Gammon will select the 'Photo of the Month' from the BCC Flickr Group Pool.
• This months 5-minute talk will focus on the IPF Licentiate panel submissions by Peter, Matthew and Mick.
• This month's Motivation is 'Technology'. Images must be submitted before mid-night on Friday 6th June.
• Tea/Coffee Break

• Group Sessions - BRING YOUR CAMERA! ... and say a prayer for good weather. A series of mini-workshops will be conducted. Below is a selection of the subjects that will be covered.
• Out-door portrait - Tony murphy
• Using flash, Fill-flash and Off-camera flash - Peter Kelly
• Composition and Still-life - Joe Kennedy
• 'Smoke' photography - Brian Munnelly
• Advanced members will be available to demonstrate and advice beginners on camera settings and other issues.

Members should note that the door fee for meetings is €3.

We look forward to seeing you all.

New members always welcome.

REMINDER - Submission of Images for Annual Club Photo Exhibition during Boyle Arts Festival

Members are reminded once again to consider their images for this year's exhibition during Boyle Arts Festival. Select four images (Highest Resolution Files - ideally 4800 pixels at widest side) and bring them to Tuesday's Club Meeting on memory stick or CD. Alternatively, members can load their images on-line via the Dropbox Folder created by Des.
The submission fee, which covers printing and framing costs, is €35.00. Members can collect their framed photo after the exhibition.
All proceeds from sales will go to a designated charity. We will also have a raffle during the exhibition for the purpose of generating funds for the club.
The exhibition will open on Thursday 24th July in advance of the Boyle Arts Festival launch.

More details HERE.

Travel Details for Inis Oirr Weekend Photo Shoot - Friday 13th to Sunday 15th June

The long anticipated return to Inis Oirr is almost here! More than 20 members will travel to the Island on Friday 13th June. Members should decide if they wish to travel by plane or boat (details below). We plan to meet up at Hotel Inis Oirr on Friday evening but I recommend to travel across early (if the weather is good) and make the most of the day! The hotel is a short walk from the harbour, many will remember it from our last visit. We will firm up on details at the meeting next Tuesday and answer any questions you might have about the trip.

Travel Options
Travel options listed below. For the ferry, we need to decide weither we travel (as a group) from Doolin or Rossaveal to avail of the group rates. Once registered as a group, we don't have to travel together but need to pay in advance (bring cost of ferry to the club meeting). My personal preference is to travel from Doolin as there are more options regarding departure times and the crossing is just 30-minutes. Granted, it's a long drive to Doolin from Boyle but it takes you through The Burren and some very beautiful countryside, so allow time to enjoy this if interested!
Flying is an alternative. There are a number of 'scheduled' flights from Connemara Airport (see below) and the 10-minute flight-time is very appealing indeed. As I recall, the plane can take about 8 or 9 people so if a group decided to travel together, then an additional flight could be negotiated. Individual members will need to make their own flight arrangements by contacting Aer Arann (number below or visit their WEBSITE).
All options will be discussed at the meeting on Tuesday 10th June.
Looking forward to the weekend!
Tony.

Travel by Boat from ROSSAVEAL

From Boyle to Rossaveal Harbour (091-568903) - Allow 2 hours 30 minutes travel-time.

Boat departs from Rossaveal Harbour on Friday at 10.30am and 6.30pm.
Boat departs from Inis Oirr on Sunday at 8.45am and 4.30pm.

Cost per person return; €18 (Group Rate - 50% advance deposit required).

Travel by Boat from DOOLIN (longer drive but short crossing to Inis Oirr)

From Boyle to Doolin Pier (Doolin2Aran Ferries 065-707 5949) - Allow 3 hours travel-time.

Boat departs from Doolin Harbour on Friday at 10am, 11am, 1pm, (4.00pm) and 5.30pm.

Boat departs from Inis Oirr on Sunday at 8.30am, 12.30am, 2pm and 4.45pm.

Cost per person return; €13 (Group rate, money to be delivered as single payment).

Travel by Plane (ring airport to confirm times listed below)

From Boyle to Connemara Airport (091-593034) - Allow 2hours 15 minutes travel-time.

Flights depart from Connemara Airport on Friday at 9am, 10.30am and 5.00pm.
Flights depart from Inis Oirr on Sunday at 10.15am and 4.45pm.
ADDITIONAL FLIGHTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR GROUPS - CONTACT AIRPORT FOR DETAILS.

Cost per person return; €49.00 return.

Club Meeting - Tuesday 13th May

Welcome
The meeting was conducted as outlined in the agenda.

• Club Chairperson, Andy Rimmer opened the meeting. Membership cards are now available to all registered members. For NEW members, the committee have prepared an introductory letter containing club details, motivation guidelines, photo shoot schedule, etc. New members intending to take part in the annual weekend photo shoot to Inis Oirr in June must have their subscription paid for insurance purposes.
• Boyle Arts Festival. Members are asked to submit up to FOUR images for selection. These can be brought on memory stick or CD to the next club meeting. Images should be HIGH RESOLUTION (ideally 4800 pixels at longest side) and labeled with TITLE and photographer's NAME. The committee will select ONE image per member. Images will subsequently be printed and framed. The cost of entry is €35. Members will have their framed image returned after the exhibition. Des has also prepared a DROPBOX address so entries can be submitted on-line. More details HERE.
• The June club meeting will be an active photography session - ALL members are advised to bring their cameras for a series of small active workshops.
• Motivation - Members are reminded to ensure their motivation entries are resized to 1024 pixels at the longest side and labelled with title, member's name and membership number. See 'Motivation' below and rules HERE.

BCC Flickr Pool - Photo of the Month
Each month, club members registered with Flickr are encouraged to put their photos into the Boyle Camera Club Flickr Pool. From the pool, a committee member selects an image and discusses it at the beginning of the meeting. This month, Jason Mallard selected Ciara Maher's photo 'High Five' and Marion Noone selected Geoff Percy's 'Flower Girl'.

5-Minute Photo
This month, Matthew Gammon gave an excellent presentation about his recent participation at Ian Ruhter's wet-plate collodion photography workshop during the Palm Springs Photo Festival. Matthew gave an informative illustrated overview of the process and showed some of the images created at the event.

Presentation
Jason Mallard discussed the essentials of digital data management, storage and back-up options. This is an area often neglected by beginner photographers (and some advanced ones too!) but giving due consideration to storage and back-up needs will counteract (not prevent) drive failure, damage and theft regarding the preservation of precious images. Entry level portable hard-drives can be purchased from €50 for 1TB of space. There are more sophisticated RAID systems available from about €350. Also, 'Cloud' storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, Flickr, etc) is becoming a viable option with initial free storage space for those 'extra' special images. This is a subject we all need to do our homework on, no matter how safe we think our data might be!

Motivation

Des O'Dwyer presented this month's Motivation. The theme for May was 'Street Photography'. Ross Magrath judged entries and Joe Kennedy read Ross's critique on selected shots. See all entries HERE.

Clockwise from Top; 'Three Sugars' – Tony Murphy, 'Guinness is Good for Me' – Nettie Wood, 'Evening in Keshcarrigan' – Sally Moffatt.

The winners in each category were;

Advanced

1. Tony Murphy - 'Three Sugars'
2. Mick Nolan - 'Street Musician'
3. Jason Mallard - 'I Said No!'

Intermediate

1. Nettie Wood - 'Guinness is Good for You'
2. Noreen McNamara - 'Will You Come for a Pint?'
3. Maeve Cormican - 'Feeling the Blues'

Beginner

1. Sally Moffatt - 'Evening in Keshcarrigan'
2. Sally Moffatt - 'Walking Dogs'
3. Gordon Blackwell - 'Delivery Boy'

The June Motivation theme is; "TECHNOLOGY". Members can submit up to four images. Images taken before September 2013 are NOT eligible for entry!

A reminder also that the title of each photo should be;

"MEMBERS NAME - CATEGORY (Beg, Int, Adv), IMAGE TITLE and MEMBERSHIP NUMBER" e.g. “John Fox - Beg – Autumn Evening Reflection – 104.jpg”

Entries should be re-sized so that a landscape format photo is 1024 pixels wide or if in portrait format the photo is 600 pixels high.

Entries on or before Friday 6th June  to;

motivationpics@gmail.com

Group Session

Time did not allow for Group Sessions at this month's meeting, however special emphasis will be placed on reconvening these at the June meeting. See agenda shortly.

Club Photo Shoot this Sunday - 25th May to the Breffni Vintage Car Rally

This Sunday, members will meet on the Crescent in Boyle at 9am for car pool. The group will then head to Drumshambo in Co. Leitrim to the Breffni Memorial Run 2014. The Breffni Vintage Club are hosting what promises to be a very interesting event. A great opportunity for some street photography not to mention the fine cars that owners will be proud to showoff!

Congratulations to Our New IPF Distinction Recipients

Peter Kelly, Matthew Gammon and Mick Nolan, pictured at the recent IPF Distinctions Awards in Mullingar

Congratulations to Peter, Matthew and Mick on receiving their Licentiate Distinctions at the recent Irish Photographic Federation event held in Mullingar. Another great result for Boyle Camera Club and a fine example for members considering the next licentiate sitting in September. Well done to you all.

Agenda - Club Meeting Tuesday 13th May

The Agenda for the May meeting is as follows;

• Chairperson's Address;
• Club Membership Cards
• Annual Photographic Weekend 2014 - Inis Oirr. Up-date and travel details.
• Club Photo Shoot Sunday 25th May 
• IPF Distinctions and National Club Championship; BCC members going forward to the next sitting in Mullingar on 17th & 18th May. Also IPF AGM.
• Boyle Arts Festival - Club Annual Photo Exhibition - Submission of images for selection process.
• June meeting - evening photo shoot proposed?

• Jason Mallard and Marion Noone will select the 'Photo of the Month' from the BCC Flickr Group Pool.
• Matthew Gammon will give a 5-minute talk on his recent trip to the Palm Springs Photo Festival.
• This month's Motivation is 'Street Photography' and will be judged by Dublin-based street photographer Ross McGrath. View members photos HERE.
• Tea/Coffee Break
• Presentation - Jason Mallard will discuss the importance or saving and archiving your digital images and data. Details HERE.
• Group Sessions - Opportunity to discuss relevant photography issues for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced members. (Tony Murphy will begin a series of presentations on the Exposure Triangle for Beginners. This month the subject will be APERTURE).

Members should note that the door fee for meetings is now €3 as discussed and agreed at our recent AGM.

We look forward to seeing you all.

New members always welcome.

Christy Regan Remembered

Christy Regan - photo taken recently by his son, Enda, at Strandhill.

Boyle Camera Club would like to express our condolences to the family of photographer, Christy Regan who passed away recently after a long illness. Christy began his photographic career in the 1960s working for Michael O'Callaghan at the Roscommon Herald and contributed his images to numerous other papers about Roscommon, Leitrim and Sligo. Starting out with a Kodak 'Box-Brownie' camera, for over 40 years, Christy photographed weddings, Baptisms, First Holy Communions, Conformations, dinner dances and every form of social and public event and gathering about Boyle. Christy was thoroughly professional, quick to laugh and had an easy way about him. He passed on his great passion for the camera to his wife Mary and son Enda, who carry on the family photographic tradition in his name. Rest in Peace Christy.

Club Photo Shoot - A great beginning to the Summer

 

This month's club photo shoot was blessed with fine spring weather. The group left Boyle and stopped off at Lough Talt, Co. Sligo and later visited the Ridge Pool in Ballina. Later, we headed to the seaside at Enniscrone but disappointingly, the tide was out. The route back home took us over the Ox Mountains to Lough Easkey. Overall, a splendid day.

Club Photo Shoot - Sunday 26th April

View of the River Moy which flows through Ballina.

This month's club photo shoot will take place this Sunday 27th April, about Ballina, Co. Mayo. Members should meet on the Crescent, Boyle at 9am for car-pool. We will take the Tubbercurry route to Lough Talt and the Windy Gap. Weather permitting, we'll stop at these locations and hopefully hit Ballina about 11am.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Club Meeting - Tuesday 8th April

Welcome
The meeting was conducted as outlined in the agenda.

• Club Chairperson, Andy Rimmer opened the meeting. He disclosed that a schedule of Photo Shoots for the coming months has been drafted and that henceforth, club photo shoots will take place on the last Sunday of each month. This month's photo shoot will take place on Sunday 27th April to Ballina via Lough Talt and the Windy Gap.
• The club's annual weekend photo shoot is now fully subscribed with 26 members signed up to travel to Inis Oirr on Friday 13th June. Accommodation has been booked, travel details to follow shortly.
• This Summer, Boyle Arts Festival will run from 24th of July until 2nd August. The club will host it's annual exhibition during the festival. Members are advised that a call for submissions will be put out at the next club meeting. Members can submit up to four images from which one will be selected and printed. Full details to follow.
• Martina Morris held a very successful exhibition of her photography this weekend at the Tawnytaskin Centre, Boyle. All proceeds from the exhibition will go towards Martina's travel expenses to Zambia and related charity work.
• Andy reminded members that the club will be defending it's IPF National Shield title this year and that the committee will be reviewing members work for possible inclusion in the monochrome and colour panels.
• After the committee were individually introduced to the membership at the meeting in March, this month, all present were asked to introduce themselves and disclose their photographic aspirations for the year ahead. This was primarily for the benefit for new members but it was a bit of craic too!

BCC Flickr Pool - Photo of the Month
Each month, club members registered with Flickr are encouraged to put their photos into the Boyle Camera Club Flickr Pool. From the pool, a committee member selects an image and discusses it at the beginning of the meeting. This month, Brian Munelly selected Pat Mullen's photo 'Last Cast' and Peter Kelly selected Ciara Maher's 'Sea Gull, Lough Key'.

5-Minute Photo / Presentation
This month, the proposed 5-minute photo slot turned into the main presentation. Tony Murphy discussed the World Press Photo Awards which took place in February. After defining the photo-journalistic tradition of the awards, Tony focused on this year's winner, John Stanmeyer and his photo 'Signal'. Selected from almost 100,000 images, 'Signal' reflects a particularly significant shift away from the tragic images of human suffering and depictions of disaster traditionally associated with the WWPA. Tony spoke at length about the story behind the photo in the context migration and technology as well as it's artistic merit.

John Stanmeyer - 'Signal' Winner of the World Press Photo Award 2013

Motivation

Des O'Dwyer presented this month's Motivation. The theme for April was 'Pattern'. Sean Kennedy from Dublin Camera Club judged entries and Joe Kennedy read Sean's critique on selected shots.

Clockwise from top left; Derek Fetherstone 'Touch of Frost', Matthew Gammon 'Atrium', Margaret Dolan 'Chromatics' and Jordan Blackwell 'Daisies'

The winners in each category were;

Advanced

1. Margaret Dolan - 'Chromatics'
2. Tony murphy - 'Church of Our Lady & St. David, Naas'
3. Andy Rimmer - 'Chess Board'

Intermediate

1. Derek Fetherstone - 'Touch of Frost'
2. Martina Morris - 'Pattern of Circles'
3. Ciara Maher - 'Down Under'

Beginner

1. Jordan Blackwell - 'Daisies'
2. Hugh Flanagan - 'Punchplate'
3. Sally Moffatt - 'Gold Stripes'

Print Section

This month's print section was won by a show of hands for Matthew Gammon's black & white photo, 'Atrium'. 

The May Motivation theme is; "Street Photography". Members can submit up to four images. Images taken before September 2013 are NOT eligible for entry!

A reminder also that the title of each photo should be;

"MEMBERS NAME - CATEGORY (Beg, Int, Adv), IMAGE TITLE and MEMBERSHIP NUMBER" e.g. “John Fox - Beg – Autumn Evening Reflection – 104.jpg”

Entries should be re-sized so that a landscape format photo is 1024 pixels wide or if in portrait format the photo is 600 pixels high.

Entries on or before Friday 9th May  to;

motivationpics@gmail.com

Group Session

Time did not allow for Group Sessions at this month's meeting, however emphasis will be placed on reconvening these at the May meeting.

Martina Morris opens her 'Impression of Nature' photography exhibition in Boyle.

Club member, Martina Morris has opened her 'Impressions of Nature' photography exhibition this weekend at Tawneytaskin Centre, Boyle. This fund-raising exhibition runs until Monday 21st April with all proceeds going towards Martina's great charity work in Zambia. Congratulations and well done to Martina, we wish you every success.

Martina published Floral Photo Book on the back of her 52/52 project

Club member, Martina Morris, has self-published a splendid photo book of her images submitted to this year's 52/52 photo challenge. The book is a botanical feast for the eyes and accompanied by very informative text on each floral specimen. This is an excellent way to celebrate the completion of a photographic project and I hope it will be the first of many from Martina's able and prolific lens work.

Martina's book is available to view and purchase on photo box HERE.

52/52 Photo Challenge - Winners Announced

 

Video compiled by Des O'Dwyer representing a selection of members images contributed to this year's 52/52 Photo Challenge.

This year's 52/52 photo challenge was contested by over 20 members with 10 making it successfully to the finish line. The challenge asked participants to post one photo each week for an entire year. One would think this a simple enough task, but those taking part confessed to the struggle involved in such a commitment. The fact that over half those that started the challenge (many serious photographers from the Advanced Group!!) failed to complete it, proves the point. Congratulations to the finalists; Donal Hackett, Mick Nolan, Martina Morris, Hugh Rooney, Margaret Dolan, Matthew Gammon, Catherine Mullarkey, Noreen McNamara, Derek Fetherstone and Andy Rimmer.

This year, the challenge was judged by Joe Kennedy, Tony Murphy and Jason Mallard. Judging was based on consistency in quality and content. Sets did not have to be thematic but some members did adopt a thematic approach which added to the challenge. After much deliberation, Donal Hackett was announced winner and Mick Nolan, a well deserved runner-up. Congratulations to you both!

The full contribution to the 52/52 challenge this year was 752 photos from 25 members. You can see the full set HERE.

The NEW 52/52 challenge begins this week with the first photo due to be loaded by participants TONIGHT! So if you've not yet registered by joining the New 52/52 Group on Flickr, do so now HERE. Remember, photos must be taken during the week of submission, NO BACK-DATED PHOTOS! If your photo is not posted to the Flickr Group before midnight Friday (period of grace, Saturday morning), it will be recorded as an invalid entry! Please read the full rules by following the link below. We wish you all the best of luck and look forward to seeing the images! 

Full details of the rules are available HERE.

Agenda - Club Meeting Tuesday 11th March

The Agenda for the March meeting is as follows;

• Chairperson's Address;
• 52/52 End of Season - Finalists. New 52/52 to commence after this club meeting. Entry fee is €5.00. First photo to be loaded to the new 52/52 Group this Friday 14th March. Participants must have their own Flickr account, join the 52/52 Group and add their photo each week before midnight on Friday.
• Annual Photographic Weekend 2014 - Inis Oirr. Members advised to pay deposit of €20.00 to secure accommodation. So far 25 members have signed up on the FORUM.
• Photo Shoots and Schedule for 2014. Also, Inter-club shoots as a number of camera clubs have expressed interest in visiting Boyle.
• IPF Distinctions; members going forward to the next sitting.
• Roscommon Community Tourism Network request for images of local interest.
• Andy Rimmer and Tony Murphy - BCC Flickr Group Pool - 'Photo of the Month'.
• Mick Nolan will give a 5-minute talk on one of his recent images.
• This month's Motivation, 'Environmental Portraiture'. Judged by photographer, John Reynolds. Members photos HERE. Members are encouraged to PRINT one of their images for this month's additional print category which will be judged during the meeting.
• Tea/Coffee Break
• Presentation - Jason Mallard and Tony Murphy will demonstrate their individual approaches to basic image editing using Lightroom and Photoshop.
• Group Sessions - Opportunity to discuss relevant photography issues for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced members.

Members should note that the door fee for meetings is now €3 as discussed and agreed at our recent AGM.

We look forward to seeing you all.

New members always welcome.

INIS OÍRR Annual Weekend Photo Shoot - 13th - 15th June

 

Our Annual Weekend Photo Shoot will take place on Inis Oírr from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th June. It is ESSENTIAL that members indicate their interest in participating as accommodation will be reserved for a limited period only! Please add your name to the Forum Post HERE.

A booking deposit of €20 will need to be paid to reserve accommodation at the club meeting in March. We are hoping to stay at the Inis Oírr Hotel. Cost for B&B is €38 per night, per person sharing. We usually make a big deal of eating out on the Saturday night, evening meal will be €15. Additional costs will be the flight or ferry crossing. Full details will be posted here shortly.