Continued success for Ards Club photographers

On Wednesday evening 26th January the Club were delighted to be awarded three Stars at the NIPA Round 3 Adjudication Evening. A Star is only awarded to very high scoring photographs as judged by a panel of three judges. Sean Evans, one of our Novice photographers was awarded his first star for his stunning photograph of ‘The Rig’, Jonny Andrews for ‘Time to Go’ and Linda Hutchinson for her Busy Day in Lockdown Self Portrait.
‘The Rig’ by Sean Evans
‘Time to Go’ by Jonny Andrews

Report of Round 4 Judging Evening at Ards Camera Club

Martin Spackman ARPS, former NIPA President, was our judge for the fourth Round of the NIPA annual competition. A very well known face in camera club circles Martin can always be relied on to give valuable critique to all entrants. The theme this Round was Man’s Impact on the Environment and our members interpreted this in many diverse ways. Again Martin had kindly taken time to consider the creativity and skills displayed, pointed out issues he had spotted and gave much encouragement to all the entrants. We can’t show the winning photographs until NIPA has judged them but we have added a few which just missed getting through. This week we had two Member Nights during which we passed on learning and discuss individual issues or queries about technique. On Wednesday we are focussed on Processing Software other than Lightroom, Photoshop and Niks and on Friday we looked at all aspects of lighting in photography. Huge thanks to all our members who contributed to the evenings. Keith Malcolm's 'Sick and Tyred' was Fourth in Advanced Colour

Sinclair Rusty Adair's 'Turf Cutter' was Highly Commended in Advanced Colour Keith Malcolm's 'Metropolis' was Third in Advanced PDI

2021 Roy Finlay Memorial Natural History Competition

Congratulations to everyone involved in the 2021 Roy Finlay Memorial Natural History Competition!

We thoroughly enjoyed this lively and inspiring evening of great photographs and knowledgeable critique from judge Dominic Reddin. Congratulations to all photographers who received comments and especially those who achieved commended and highly commended status (a fuller report on our Ards results will follow).

The build up to the final three was excellently managed by Vittorio Silvestri and the 3rd place Dueling Rooks by Hugh Wilkinson of Catchlight Camera Club was a specular image which we took time to appreciate both for its impact and detail. Next special congratulations to our own Jonny Andrews in 2nd place with the delightful “Time to go”. And finally the pièce de résistance and the stunning “Splash” by Ross McKelvey of Catchlight Camera Club. Combining high speed action, a magnificent bird of prey, its squirming catch and a perfect background it is a very worthy Ray Finlay Memorial winner. The icing on the cake was Ross’s kind offer of a print of the winner to Neil Finlay, Roy’s son who again kindly provided a beautiful Langham Glass Sculpture of a Bullfinch as the overall prize. Many thanks again to everyone who entered and all involved in making the event run smoothly.

In these difficult times when many people are struggling and photography is capable of bringing so much pleasure and meaning to our lives it is lovely to see it being enjoyed, encouraged and inspired and last night was that kind of night. Please take time to visit the NIPA website to see our worthy winners.

https://www.niphoto.co.uk/roy-finlay-2021


Success for Ards at NIPA Round 2

The theme of Round 2 of the annual NIPA competition was Street Photography which had our members travelling all over seeking the perfect shot. In October we invited Vittorio Silvestri, a well know photographer and judge in camera club circles and former President of the Association to chose the 12 entries for the NI finals. It was a daunting task as many definitions exist and he had a wide variety of great photographs to choose from. The general rule is that they are candid, unposed, natural shots taken in a public thoroughfare.

This year we also have a Highly Commended and Commended section and 34 photographs were highlighted in all the categories. Our members really appreciate the time and care Vittorio took in considering and critiquing every image and providing valuable advice for the future.

Our successful entrants were Claire Russell, Sian Kerr, Alan Hillen (2), Linda Hutchinson, Liz Tullett, Sean Evans (2 firsts – Top Novice PDI and Top Novice Colour), Jim Tweedie, Rusty Adair and Richard Holmes (2).

Vittorio had chosen well and three members received a Star as being amongst the best photographs across all NI clubs. We may invite him back…

'Two Little Girls' by Sean Evans 'Sunburnt' by Sean Evans 'The Crossing' by Richard Holmes		'Little People' by Alan Hillen 'Sleeping on Guard Duty' by Liz Tullett 'Reflections' by Claire Russell 'The Board Meeting' by Rusty Adair
'Going, Going, Almost Gone' by Jim Tweedie

Street Success for Ards Camera Club

I’m guessing the Editor had a few favourites this week when choosing from our successful photographs from NIPA Round 2. Congratulations again to our stars - Sinclair Rusty Adair for The Board Meeting, Richard Holmes star for the Crossing but Take my hand printed and Jim Tweedie star for Going, going almost gone. Terrific photographs!

Friday 19th November 2021
Direct from Kenya to Ards Camera Club

Zoom has opened up amazing opportunities and last Friday our speakers Jonathan and Angela Scott came live to us from Kenya. This event in partnership with RPS NI, ourselves and Bangor and North Down Camera Club was always going to be a highlight and as they are the only couple to have individually both won the prestigious award of 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year" they really were world class. They entertained us with tales of the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs they have photographed in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. They have written and illustrated 34 books and we saw stunning photos from their latest “Secret nature 2: Reconnecting people to our planet” The Scott’s were married in the Maasai Mara in 1992, and from 1996 to 2008 worked on the hugely popular TV series Big Cat Diary. Aside from East Africa, they spoke of travelling widely including expeditions to the frozen wastes of Antarctica. As Patrons and Ambassadors for a number of Conservation organisations including the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia and the Kenya Wildlife Trust’s Mara Cheetah and Lion Projects, there was also a special relevance in these post COP 26 times. This week our photos had to be of beautiful animals so our featured photographer is Colette Andrews with Devoted and Egrets.

Friday 12th November 2021
Entertaining Judging Evening at Ards Camera Club

Gerry Coe was our judge for the third Round of the NIPA competition. A highly awarded photographer, digital artist and renowned iPhone photographer, a longtime friend of the club and a member of Bangor and North Down Camera Club he was a perfect choice to look at our eclectic range of entries. Again Gerry had kindly taken time to consider the highlights and skills displayed and he provided valuable critique and shared tips about improving crops, weak areas and issues to look out for and gave much encouragement to all the entrants. We can’t show the winning photographs until NIPA has judged them but Chris Davidson had two highly commended – Make some Noise and Plover and Claire Russell was commended for English Country Garden and third in the PDI section with Summer Eventide. Next Friday, 19th November 2021 at 7pm we have a special joint Zoom event all the way from Kenya with the Royal Photographic Society NI and Bangor and North Down Camera Club. “Big Cat Tales” is presented by Jonathan and Angela Scott, who are award winning wildlife photographers and authors who have made their name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Free to Ards Club members but also open to the public.

Friday 5th November 2021
Projects galore at Ards Camera Club

David Keep enthralled us on Friday evening on his Project-Based Approach to Photography. He had promised us descriptions of his approach to creating powerful images that stand out from the crowd and he certainly didn't disappoint. The evening was a fascinating and informative walk through his logical, project-based approach and the benefits were clear to see in the striking end results. His clear explanation from initial concept, contact building, planning and shooting, right through to the processing techniques he uses on some of his award-winning images was a master class in the rewards of hard work and dedication. Also, thanks to funding from Ards and North Down Borough Council both Bangor and Donaghadee Camera Club members joined us so we had over 50 photographers benefiting from David's presentaton. This week’s photo was second overall in our recent Annual Four Nations Quadrangle Competition when we compete against clubs from Wales (Wrexham & District Photographic Society), Scotland (Hamilton Camera Club) and England (Corby Photographic Club). Swallow Squabble was awarded the full 20 points and is by Ted McKee.

'Swallow Squabble' by Ted McKee

Friday 29th October 2021
Steve Proctor evening - Talk to Me.

On Friday 29th October we had a very entertaining evening with Steve Proctor. We were delighted that he not only showed us some superb photographs but he also shared many practical tips that will undoubtedly improve our photography. Rather than focussing on the equipment he discussed the preplanning to do before even touching your camera. His main focus was on working with models and this has been valuable this week as some members were doing just this.

His subject was “Talk to me” and it did indeed explore “working with people to create images to be proud of.” He covered all aspects of two formal studio-based shoots right through from the planning, shooting, post-processing and sharing of the resulting images. He gave details about the technical aspects of the shoot in a way we could all follow and understand. The key message was to improve the collaboration between photographer and subject. We look forward to the resulting photographs!

Ards and North Down Borough Council

Steve Proctor: https://stproc.net/


Stars at Ards Camera Club in NIPA Round 1

The first round of the Northern Ireland Photographic Association Annual Club Competition was judged on 25th October. Ards has a great Club record and regularly finishes in the top 5. In 2019/20 and 2020/21 we were especially delighted when our Novices won the overall NI Novice Competition and they continue to go from strength to strength.

The top photographs scoring 13 or more points out of 15 are awarded Stars and we got off to a great start when three stars were awarded to Jacqui Agnew, Keith Malcolm and Sian Kerr. Jacqui is one of our Novice photographers and this is her first star so we will continue to watch her progress with interest.

The other scores have set us up in 3rd place in the Novice competition and 4th in the overall competition. Much appreciation to everyone who entered Round 1 and please note the deadline for Round 3 is 6th November and Round 3 will be judged on 23rd November. The images in Round 2 were yet again of a really high standard.

Many thanks to the Newtownards Chronicle for their continued support.

Ards Camera Club Starred images for NIPA Round 1 Competition
	'Cosmos' by Sian Kerr
Newtownards Chronicle - October 2021	'Green Veined White Butterfly' by Jacqui Agnew
'Swallow on the Wing' by Keith Malcolm

Kingfishers attract attention at reserve

Great photos in the Chronicle this week from Club member Marty Coney. He has been a great supporter of club members with their wildlife photography and several members have reported their first photos of this elusive, speedy bird. Best tip? Bring a deckchair and lots of patience.

' Kingfisher' photos by Marty Coney

Annual Four Nations Quadrangle Competition 2021

Our Annual Four Nations Quadrangle Competition when we compete against teams representing Wales (Wrexham & District Photographic Society), Scotland (Hamilton Camera Club) and England (Corby Photographic Club) is always a highlight. On Wednesday 13th October we saw a wide range of work hosted by Malcolm Hupman of Corby Photographic Club. Thank you to all our members who entered photographs and congratulations to all got through to the final selection and contributed to our very respectable final total.

Each club choses a selection of 15 images to represent the club and they are marked out of 20 points each. An additional twist is that only 3 photographs can be from the one photographer so the competition also shows the spread of talent within a club and we had 9 photographers representing Ards this year. Many a finger nail was bitten throughout the evening as we knew the result would be extremely close.

Huge congratulations to all and special congratulations to Wrexham’s Simon Roberts whose image, Feeding Grebelets came first and our own Ted McKee for coming second with Swallow Squabble awarded 20 points and Liz Tullett whose Sleepy Puppy was awarded 19 points.

Ards had a very successful record but we were content to be beaten by a very slim margin of 3 points by the excellent range and depth of skills on display from Corby Photographic Club who achieved 244 points on the night.

Our Judge was Rosemary Wilman, Hon FRPS ABPE AFIAP APAGB a former President of The Royal Photographic Society and she gave her experienced and valuable critique on every image entered and it was particularly interesting to see how her approach was similar to and also differed from what we are used to in Northern Ireland.

One benefit of not winning this year is we will shake ourselves up and rise to the challenge of improving for next year!

'Swallow Squabble' by Ted McKee

Photos by Ards Camera Club members in the new Macmillan Cancer Care Centre at the Ulster Hospital

Ards Camera Club are delighted to welcome the opening of the new Macmillan Cancer Care Centre at the Ulster Hospital today by Health Minister Robin Swann. The Club was excited to be invited to send local images on the theme of Flight and Movement to adorn the Unit and we are honoured that 8 photographers had 14 of their photographs chosen.

Congratulations to Ted McKee, Jenny McCrea, Claire Russell, Elizabeth Campbell, Keith Malcolm, Marty Coney, Marlene Hazlehurst and Sean Evans. This unique building provides welcoming, uplifting spaces that support the comfort and wellbeing of patients.

You can catch some glimpses of the artwork in the news coverage and the photos taken below by Hospital staff as, of course, we can't visit at the moment. We will add some more photographs here soon. We also appreciate the work of last year's committee in managing this valuable project.

South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust   News Article & Video

Photographs by Marty Coney and Keith Malcolm in the Entrance Hall

'Saltwater Brig' by Ted McKee in the Unit

 Ards Camera Club Macro Members Evening

One of the joys of being in a club like Ards is being able to benefit from members willingness to share their knowledge and experience. After last weeks talk on Macro photography several very experience members led an informal evening on their approaches to macro photography. Keith Malcolm, our featured photographer in The Chronicle this week, put together a very interesting talk about the pitfalls of macro and explained his techniques and gave us all hope by saying maybe only 5% of his shots would be keepers! Jonny Andrews showed his light boxes, which were also inspirational, and showed what imagination and ingenuity can produce. Robert G Johnston and Alan Hillen showed us interesting photos from their archives and all this mixed with the usual banter made it a fun club night, and we appreciate all the members attending and contributing.
	'Black Darter' by Keith Malcolm
	'Honey Bee' by Keith Malcolm
	'Cosmic Companion' by Keith Malcolm

Friday 8th October 2021
Members Night - Macro Hints and Tips

Thanks to Keith, Jonny, Robert and Alan, to name but four, we had an informative, though informal evening discussing Macro on Zoom.

Keith put together a very interesting talk about the pitfalls of Macro and explained his techniques, and gave us all hope by saying maybe 5% of his shots would be keepers! This talk was all the more appreciated because he had put it together in an afternoon after gentle (?) persuasion from Claire!

Jonny’s light boxes were also inspirational, and showed what imagination and ingenuity can produce.

Robert and Alan showed us very interesting photos from their archives.

All this mixed in with the usual banter made it a fun club night, so thanks to everyone for attending!

Jenny
(Vice Chair)


Macro photography talk at Ards Camera Club

Not for the squeamish this week!

Wonderful coverage again from the Newtownards Chronicle for our feature photographer Jonny Andrews under the Theme of Macro photography. His three photographs are The Fly, Hoverfly and The Jumping Spider. Believe it or not he keeps these spiders as pets!

The theme is in honour of our speaker on Friday 1st October, Tony North on the art of macro photography which involves taking very close up photos of very small objects or creatures. Many members had expressed an interest in this subject, as it was a great pastime in Lockdown – as long as you could find spiders and bugs in your house (or get Jonny to lend you some)!

Tony discussed his love of nature and special times spending hours in a wildflower meadow capturing images of butterflies and dragonflies. His fascinating talk also revealed the amazing beauty of the world of miniature beasts. He discussed balancing the beauty against the story and shared many tips such as the temperatures needed to get a chance of photos before they wake up and start to move about, how to overcome the more usual challenges and how to work with your depth of field to get the best results. Everyone agreed it was an evening packed with tips and great ideas to inspire us to try this type of photography and we continued the theme into this week's members night.

The featured photographer this week is Jonny Andrews and he has certainly mastered the art of macro photography.

Our full programme is available on Facebook and our website. New members are very welcome to join us for a few evenings to get to know us before deciding to join us.

Club Contact: secretaryardscameraclub@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cameraclubards

Ards Camera Club Members 'Out and About'

It’s lovely to have great support again from the Ards Chronicle and to see our members out and about enjoying their photography. This is what the club is all about- fun, socialising and learning all at the same time. Our featured photographer this week is Colin Majury and they look amazing. Ards Camera Club is going from strength to strength!

Photos from Newtownards Chronicle - September 2021

  Abundant entries in Ards Camera Club NIPA competition

'Wing Walker at Portrush' by Liz Tullet	'Sausage, Egg and Chip Man' by Liz Tullet

Ards Photographer awarded Royal Photographic Society Membership

Another great success for Ards Camera Club this week as member Patricia Mackey was awarded Licentiate membership of The Royal Photographic Society. Her successful panel is a carefully constructed, coordinated and complementary collection from both her worldwide travels and her back garden. Patricia is also one of our members always willing to help support beginner photographers improve their skills.

Click on panel above for larger view
Top: 'The Mountain Priest' taken in Lalibela, Ethiopia Right: 'The Temple Pigeon' taken in Kathmandu, Nepal

The quality of the speakers we can engage this year thanks to the support of Ards and North Down Council's Arts grant is clearly seen in last week's speaker. If you have any CD's from or have watched Planet Earth, Life of Mammals, Deep Jungle, Congo, Wild Africa, Life in the Undergrowth and the Natural World series you will probable already have seen many of Phil Savoie's excellent images in your home. Phil worked for the BBC Natural History Unit and has explored the Amazon, the Congo and the jungles of Papua New Guinea as well as the surprising hidden nature on our doorstep.

The evening was not only full of stunning images but also of valuable learning as he covered the principles of photography and provided tips for all levels of photographers. This valuable time spent with an experienced professional will surely help us all improve our photography. We are now on the lookout for fishing buckets, cling film, tin foil and nun's knickers! A thought from the evening - Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field. Peter Adams.

This week's we have our first competition of the new season and our full programme is available on Facebook and our website. New members are very welcome to join us for a few evenings to get to know us before deciding to join us.

Club Contact: secretaryardscameraclub@gmail.com

Website: www.ardscameraclub.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cameraclubards


Friday 3rd September 2021
Guest Speaker - Tommy Hatwell "Around the World and Back Again"

Our impressive Zoom speaker, travel & portrait photographer Tommy Hatwell reminded us of the travels we were missing in these Covid times. We listened to his wonderful tales of adventures on ships, trains and bicycles over several continents and his fascinating talk included his favourite photographs along the journey from knowing little, to knowing a little more about the potential of photography. The photographs were stunning in their own light but the stories behind the scenes of the people, places, adventures and relationships added great depth to the evening. It was a night to inspire us all to think about pushing the boundaries in our photography and we are grateful he shared many tips and techniques behind his photography.

Tommy Hatwell: https://www.tommyhatwell.com/


Launch of Ards Camera Clubs New Season 31st August

Ards Camera Club launched our 2021/22 Friday Night Programme at the opening night of the new season on Friday 27th August. Our Friday evenings are full of great national and international speakers and 6 of these have been funded through a valuable grant from Ards and North Down Borough Council. As well as several regional and national competitions to look forward to we also have a Wednesday evening programme with a more practical approach including outings and many learning opportunities. This Wednesday we will be hosting a Zoom Q&A session all about our cameras and equipment.

On Friday 3rd September travel & portrait photographer Tommy Hatwell will join us through Zoom as he shares his photographic journey and adventures in an engaging talk full of imagery from around the world. Tommy will go beyond the image and behind the scenes to share the moments before, after and in-between the people, places, adventures and relationships in his favourite photographs along the journey from knowing little, to a little more about the potential of photography!

Our full programme is available on our Facebook page and our website and new members are very welcome to join us for a few evenings to get to know us before deciding to join us. We are looking forward to a year full of great speakers, practical learning and sharing inspiration.
Club Contact: secretaryardscameraclub@gmail.com Website: www.ardscameraclub.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/cameraclubards

Ards Camera Club Summer Speakers 17 August 2021

Even though our 2021/22 Season does not formally start until Friday 27th August, our summer programme continued with topics specially requested by our members.

On 28th July we had an evening with renowned UK street and documentary photographer Brian Lloyd-Duckett. Brian runs StreetSnappers, shoots editorial portraits for newspapers and magazines worldwide and is the author of best selling books, ‘Mastering Street Photography’, and ’52 Assignments: Street Photography’. He shared a wide range of tips, techniques and discussed various approaches to Street Photography to give us food for thought and inspired our members to get out with their cameras and explore local street scenes. This will also be invaluable for the NIPA competition Round and the Ards and North Down Council funded project Love Living Ards.

On Wednesday 11th August, we looked at mono processing particularly looking at Lightroom, Photoshop and Silver Efex. Martin Sproul, who runs F-Stop Training, took us through a carefully crafted journey highlighting loads of tips, advice, recommendations and learning from his years of experience in this area. This was exactly the sort of practical skills evening our members had been seeking. We threw random and sometimes very advanced specific questions at him throughout the evening (we are not known to be silent viewers!) and we were impressed with his patience and easy manner of both explaining and demonstrating his answers.

This week we will be putting all this learning into practice with a club outing to the Titanic area. The photos this week are from Jim Tweedy and illustrate both street photography and the impact of black and white processing.

'Street 1' Black and White By Jim Tweedy

'Street 2' Black and White By Jim Tweedy

  Ards Camera Club successes in NIPA Exhibition 2021 15th July

The Northern Ireland Photographic Exhibition (NIPA) selections for 2021 has been announced and Ards Camera Club are delighted to report our members great successes. The following members got photographs accepted - Jonny Andrews, Patricia Mackey, Alan Hillen, Sinclair Adair, Sian Kerr, Collette Andrews and Ted McKee. In addition we were delighted to see Alan Hillen and Sinclair Adair were awarded PAGB Ribbons. Congratulations to all those who had an image accepted and especially to those who received an award. Also our congratulations to Catchlight Camera Club, whose members were awarded all 6 PAGB medals for the 6 best photographs! To view all the Ards Camera Club accepted and awarded images click here

'Will I Go First' by Sinclair (Rusty) Adair - Awarded PAGB Ribbon
'Oh Lonesome Me' by Sinclair (Rusty) Adair	'Innocence' by Sinclair (Rusty) Adair

Ards Camera Club Awarded Council Arts Funding 6th July

Ards Camera Club are delighted to receive an Ards and North Down Borough Council Arts Project grant. Our project is called “Loving Living Local” and will support access to the arts, skills development and wellbeing. Our final aim is to present a photographic record of life in, out and about in the Ards Peninsula in 2021.

The funding will help us book Zoom events with well-qualified and recognized professional tutors to encourage artistic development and help with digital processing skills and support both our beginners and advanced members in a safe and nurturing environment. In particular this will enable older members or those with vulnerabilities who were isolated due to the Covid restrictions and may be hesitant about physical meetings to still be involved. We are sharing the grant by inviting members of Donaghadee Camera Club and Bangor Camera Club to join our funded Zoom events.

The images will relate to the common theme of Living, loving Ards and will reflect the joys, troubles, community efforts, and other aspects of life within the Ards Peninsula. This week we have included a few photos taken by Rodney James at the 20 Year Anniversary of Movilla Fishery. A perfect example of Loving Living Local.

'Jonathan Kelly at Movilla Trout Fishery' by Rodney James	'Fisherman at Movilla Trout Fishery' by Rodney James

Ards Camera Club Members success in National Inter-Federation Competition 2021

Every year the Northern Ireland Photographic Association chooses images to represent NI club photography at the Photographic Alliance of GB (PAGB) Inter-Federation Competition. Out of only 19 photographers selected from across Northern Ireland clubs, five members of Ards Camera Club were chosen in the Nature Round; Alan Hillen, Jonny Andrews, Michael Loane, Patricia Mackey and Ted McKee. In the Open Round two Ards Photographers were chosen; Sinclair Rusty Adair and Alan Hillen.

The highest scoring images from across the UK are accepted into the PAGB Inter-federtion Exhibition and we are delighted Club member Alan Hillen has two images accepted and will receive a NIPA Neil Marshall Medal. The two images are Pure Joy and Tying the Knot are we are sure you will agree they are exceptional photographs. Alan joined Ards Camera Club as a Novice photographer but is now Advanced and regularly helps our novices and advanced photographers with workshops, sharing tips and practical advice. He will be leading our outdoor lighting Motorbike Photography session this week in Groomsport.

Congratulations to other NI clubs for their successes and especially Laurie Campbell who won the Gold Medal (and a PAGB Ribbon), and to Ross McKelvey and Mark Marlow who each won a PAGB Ribbon.

'Tying the Knot' by Alan Hillen	'Pure Joy' by Alan Hillen

Ards Camera Club Members visit Kiltonga 2nd June 2021

After the success of our first post-lockdown outing members agreed another evening out was a good idea. The weather just about held for our Wednesday evening outing to Kiltonga Nature Reserve and members took many photos of the wildlife there. Some members were also willing to model and let others practice their flash photography which can add beautiful light on duller evenings. The outing was another success and we intend to keep up a mix of our Wednesday Zoom sessions and safe outings over the summer months. Our featured Club photographer this week is Marty Coney and these amazing photos were all taken around Kiltonga.

'Wildlife around Kiltonga Nature Reserve' by Martin Coney

Ards Camera Club Members finally get to meet up! 26 May 2021

Along with many others, our small club house was closed all last season and we only met over Zoom. Although that social connection was very valuable especially over the long winter, we longed to be able to meet up again in real life.

There was a sense of relief mixed with some hesitancy when the restrictions were relaxed. After much discussion, detailed risk assessments and studying expert advice our members were finally able to have a safe socially distanced outing this week.

We chose Sketrick Island as our location as there is plenty of space and a variety of sights to suit members needs. We emerged from our separate cars and were greated, at a distance of 2 meters, by familiar friendly faces. We also realised our new members, who we had only seen over Zoom, looked quite different in real life. The outing was great success and we intend to keep up a mix of our Wednesday Zoom sessions and safe outings over the summer break. And any whiff of alcohol will only be from the hand gel!

'Setting sun at Sketrick' by Alan Hillen
'Sketrick Cat' by Irvine Ferguson	'Sunset over Ballydorn Light' by Irvine Ferguson

 Ards Camera Club Member receives National Award 24th May

Sian in paper	'Raphael' by Sian Kerr
'Flamingo' by Sian Kerr	'Cosmos Purity' by Sian Kerr

All Images Copyright © 2021 Ards Camera Club