Paula Davies FRPS CPAGB EFIAP/S EPSA and Guy Davies ARPS EFIAP EPSA were the double act that shared part of their huge collection of prints. Members enjoyed the range of subject, location and detail as well as the high photographic quality of the images that were shown. Locations included Venice, southern Ireland, Glencoe, Mammoth Hot Springs, Santorini, west coast of Oregon, Capitol Reef National Park, Liverpool and Dublin. In places like Yellowstone Park, both Paula and Guy prefer to move away from the familiar to search for more interesting photographic opportunities that many visitors/photographers may miss. Hence, moving away from Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park took them to the Upper Geyser Basin were they captured intriguing images in the area of the Castle Geyser. Guy employs a subtle sense of humour in some of his photographs, cleverly manipulating through Photoshop or combining images from different sources to create a new image that tells its own story.

Paula looks for the close up detail in her surroundings and also likes to photograph parts of the landscape that resemble something else. For example, lines of quartz in a rock formation resembled silver birch trees against a hillside. She loves isolating close up detail in structures. Paula’s approach to photography is not to represent the subject her camera is aimed at as it appears initially through the lens but to create an image conveying how she feels about it. She also likes to employ her imagination to produce the outcome she wants to see. This view is contrary to that held by other photographers, whose aim is to produce an image that captures precisely in form, tone and mood what they see. Many thanks to Paula and Guy.

On November 23rd, members travelled to Northallerton Camera Club for a Digital and Print Battle. 24 of each were shown and an independent judge, not knowing to which club any one image belonged, gave a maximum of thirty points per image. The maximum thirty was only awarded three times. David Warner for Forest of Galtres achieved thirty for Winter Dawn at Rannoch Moor. Other high scorers for the club included Keith Schubert, Peter Dobson and Peter Rushton. By only ten points, Northallerton won the battle.

Next week, Peter Thompson DPAGB APAGB will judge the Pat Riggs Open Digital Competition.