PHPC Beginners’ Guide to Photography
Michael Frost has kindly provided a Beginners’ Guide to Photography which he developed a couple of years ago.
The Guide is for new members who would like some basic knowledge and as a starting point to discuss the subjects covered with more experienced members who have a deeper understanding of the material presented.
The Guide is interactive, using the controls at the bottom of the page, the index, and included hyperlinks to either the appendices within the guides or external websites. The Guide is intended to be viewed full screen.
The Guide has been posted in two parts on a new “Tutorials and Presentations” page which is restricted for PHPC Club Members only. Anyone not logged in as a member will only see a “page not found” error. This page also contains the presentations that have been made to the club by guests in recent years.
Many thanks to Michael Frost for the work he has done for the benefit of PHPC Members.
by Tony Strasser, 28 October 2018
Results of Competition 1809 “Circular the Shape” Have Been Published
The entries in and the results of Competition 1809 (Set only – Circular the Shape) are now available for you to see. View competition galleries here.
The instructions for viewing competition images and results can be read by clicking on the following link. The instructions are also on the Club Documents Page.
PHPC MyPhotoClub Instruction – Viewing Completed Competitions
Congratulations to everyone who entered their work in the competition. Everyone was impressed by the number of entries and the imaginative interpretation of the topic
by Tony Strasser, 22 October 2018
Comp 1810 – Special Trophy – Set Only – Laneways, Corridors and Tunnels
A reminder to members that there is less than one week until entry into the Special Trophy Competition for 2018 closes. The topic is set only, being “Laneways, Corridors and Tunnels – Corridors in buildings, laneways or tunnels of any kind (railway, vehicular, etc).”
This competition does not attract points towards the yearly totals, rather a trophy is awarded to the best entry in each category.
The main focus of judging, as always, will be on the image, its interest, composition and impact on the viewer, as well as its technical attributes. The topic is intended to constrain the subject matter in order to present a challenge for photographers’ imaginations and creativity.
Competition 1810 will close at midnight on Saturday 27th October 2018. The Committee will be scrutinising the photos presented as a prelude to judging for adherence to the topic. Any questions or issues about the competition should be raised with the Committee on or before the evening of judging so they can be respectfully considered and effectively addressed.
Instructions for entering a competition are on the Club Documents page and at this link: PHPC MyPhotoClub Instruction – Entering a Competition
As usual, if you have any difficulties or questions, please contact the Competition Secretary, Tony Strasser on 0408-406-519 or at competition@phpc.org.au.
Good luck with your entries! See you at the judging on the evening of the 29th October 2018
by Tony Strasser, 21 October 2018
FCC 2018 Interclub Competition Exhibition (Updated)
The Federation of Camera Clubs (NSW) Interclub 2018 Exhibition will be held this Sunday 21st October 2018 at the St George Leagues Club – 124 Princes Hwy, Beverley Park NSW 2217. The exhibition is hosted by the St George Photographic Society. PHPC entered a number of images into the Digital categories this year. Members of PHPC are also members of the FCC and are eligible to enter the exhibition.
Print viewing from 10.30am – formal presentation starts from 1.00pm
Visit the FCC website here: https://photonsw.myphotoclub.com.au/
by Tony Strasser, 16 October 2018
Next Competition 1809 – Circular the Shape
This long weekend provides an ideal opportunity for members to explore the subject of our next competition, to take photos and/or to select their entries for the competition.
Competition 1809 is set topic only, being “Circular the Shape – a subject where the basic shape is, or shapes are, circular”. The topic has had some questions, so this post is to clarify the topic.
Circular the shape means “in the shape of a circle” which in turn refers to the geometric shape “a round plane figure whose boundary (the circumference) consists of points equidistant from a fixed point (the centre)” – Oxford Dictionary.
The expectation is for subjects that clearly appear on the image as geometrically circular. An image where the subject may be circular in some perspectives but where those perspectives do not appear would not qualify, for example viewing a cylinder from the side so it appears as a rectangle. It is, however, acceptable to have circular shapes that are viewed from off-axis angles, where they appear as ellipses, as long as the shape is still obviously circular. Egg-shaped objects, on the other hand, are only circular when viewed on-axis, and other views would not be considered to be circular because they do not fit the geometric definition of a circle.
We always encourage creativity and artistic licence, so latitude of interpretation will be given, for example, to naturally circular shapes that may have irregular edges or long exposure subjects in trajectories forming circular trails would be considered to be on-topic. Other creative variations to the circular topic are of course possible.
The main focus of judging, as always, will be on the image, its interest, composition and impact on the viewer, as well as its technical attributes. The topic is intended to constrain the subject matter in order to present a challenge for photographers’ imaginations and creativity.
Competition 1809 will close at midnight on Saturday 13th October 2018. The Committee will be scrutinising the photos presented as a prelude to judging for adherence to the topic. Any questions or issues about the competition should be raised with the Committee on or before the evening of judging so they can be respectfully considered and effectively addressed.
Instructions for entering a competition are on the Club Documents page and at this link: PHPC MyPhotoClub Instruction – Entering a Competition
As usual, if you have any difficulties or questions, please contact the Competition Secretary, Tony Strasser on 0408-406-519 or at competition@phpc.org.au.
Good luck with your entries! See you at the judging on the evening of the 15th October 2018
by Tony Strasser, 29 September 2018
Camerally Photographic Weekend Retreat
The club has received information from Barbara Seager of Camerally (Mobile: 0407-015-456) regarding a photographic weekend retreat on 1st – 3rd March 2019 at Lutanda Recreation and Conference Centre, in Yarramundi, near Richmond NSW. The main presenter is Mieke Boynton, 2018 AIPP Victorian Travel Photographer of the Year. See her work at www.miekeboynton.com
The brochure and registration form can be obtained by clicking the links below.
2019 Camerally flyer 2019 Camerally Registration Form
This information is provided as a courtesy to members who may be interested to join the retreat. Please correspond with the provider directly as the club has no commercial interest nor takes any responsibility for the retreat.
by Tony Strasser, 26 September 2018
Results of Competition 1808 – Open and Set “Soft Focus” are Available
Dear Members,
The entries in and the results of Competition 1808 (Open and Set – Soft Focus) are now available for you to see. The instructions for viewing competition images and results can be read by clicking on the following link. They are also on the Club Documents Page.
PHPC MyPhotoClub Instruction – Viewing Completed Competitions
Some feedback to members concerning entering competitions:
- Please check that you have correctly entered your photos as intended, particularly in the Open or Set categories.
- A reminder once again that print labels should be printed (or saved as a PDF file) when entries are submitted. It is not possible to print labels after the competition has closed.
Congratulations to all who entered their work in the competition. We are amassing quite a large collection of competition photos.
by Tony Strasser, 21 September 2018
FCC 2018 Interclub Competition
The NSW Federation of Camera Clubs (FCC) holds an annual Interclub competition which our Club has been invited to enter. The Committee has selected and entered the following photos into the Interclub competition, which closed last Friday, the 14th of September 2018. An exhibition of the Interclub entries will be held at the St George Leagues Club on the 21st of October 2018, and the awards announced on that date. Congratulations to the authors of the photos that were selected for entry, and we hope they are judged favourably.
The FCC also holds an annual TopShot competition which is an individual competition open to all members of camera clubs that belong to the FCC, which includes our Club. The 2018 Top Shot Competition has already been held. You can see the FCC 2018 Top Shot entry catalogue here.
To view the FCC site please visit https://photonsw.myphotoclub.com.au/
PHPC Entries into the Interclub Digital Colour competition:
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PHPC Entries into the Interclub Digital Monochrome competition:
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PHPC Entries into the Interclub Digital Nature competition:
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by Tony Strasser, 16 September 2018
Monday night – soft focus
Hi everyone
Monday night is open and set subject. The set subject is soft focus – an image which has been deliberately blurred by controlling depth of field, or use of blurring filters on the camera during capture.
To be clear this means not blurred in photoshop or any other programs. If you have uploaded photos that do not fit the criteria you still have till Saturday night midnight to changed the photo/s.
See you all Monday night and I’m looking forward to seeing your entries.
Kind regards
Nancy
by Nancy Morley, 14 September 2018
Reminder – Competition 1808 Open and Set “Soft Focus” Closes Very Soon
A reminder to all members that Competition 1808, which is Open and Set will close at midnight on Saturday 15th September 2018. The Set topic is “Soft Focus – An image which has been deliberately blurred by controlling depth of field or by use of blurring filters on the camera during capture”. For clarity, “on the camera during capture” means that images that have been de-focused using post-capture techniques, for example, using Photoshop Filters, run the risk of rejection. The Committee will be scrutinising the photos presented as a prelude to judging for adherence to the rules. Please be present early enough so the Committee can discuss photos with you before such decisions are made. Any questions or issues should be raised with the Committee on the evening of judging so they can be respectfully considered and effectively addressed.
If you have not done so already, please prepare your photos, enter them on the MyPhotoClub website (taking care that you select the correct category and media), print your labels and attach them to the back of the prints. It is good practice to print your labels immediately after submitting your entry as you cannot print them after the competition closes. A good idea is to “Print to PDF” and save the file for when you need it and you can then print it when and as often as needed.
Instructions for entering a competition are on the Club Documents page and at this link: PHPC MyPhotoClub Instruction – Entering a Competition
As usual, if you have any difficulties or questions, please contact the Competition Secretary, Tony Strasser on 0408-406-519 or at competition@phpc.org.au.
Good luck with your entries! See you at the judging on the evening of the 17th September 2018
by Tony Strasser, 14 September 2018
