Monday evening’s development session with Susie Whelan was a great success. Susie, who is IRIS Classical Portrait Photographer of the Year, demonstrated how she uses lighting in her home studio, and shared lots of ideas about her approach to making successful portraits, whether of people or dogs. This photo was made with two light sources, using the back wall of the hall as backdrop.

You can see more of her work on her website at  www.gggphotos.co.nz

A huge congratulations to Gary Moncrieff for winning Frank Hinchcliff Print Award, judged by John Boyd on 25th July.

In the Wake of the Southerly © Carol Molineux

Overlooked © Gavin Klee

Faye and Ruby © Scott Stevenson

Congratulations to Jo Goudsblom for getting a BRONZE in the Creative Focus Competition

“A Pair Plus One” ©Johanna Goudsblom

And Carol Molineux for her HONORS award photo from the Trenna Packer set

Cortinarius © Carol Molineux

Also congratulations to Neil for 3 Acceptances, Carol for 1 Acceptance and Shona for 1 Acceptance into the Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon.

Well done everybody, isn’t our club doing well?

Several reminders:

1. Monday 1 August is a Development night, with a focus on lighting, especially flash. I hope some experienced members will come along to share ideas with newer members who have queries. Bring your cameras and flash units.

2. Midday Sunday 7 August is the closing time for online entries for Winter Salon, and print hand-in is Monday 8th.

Monday 8 August meeting: we will do a club member selection of our entries for the Wellington region interclub print battle. Bring along lots of prints that could fit the subjects below, and we’ll set them out on tables and all vote for the topics one by one – this is always fun. Smaller unmounted prints OK – but if they are chosen we need to get them printed bigger and mounted – if they are fairly standard shapes (2×3 proportions) I have mounts that can be recycled.

Subjects: Reflections, Looking Up, NZ Landscape, Happiness, NZ Wildlife, Macro, Impressions, Blue, Landing, Tryptich based on the Haiku: Winter leaver, buds tightly rolled, silence.

3. The actual Interclub gathering is Wednesday 17 August, 7.30pm at Khandallah – we’ll organise car-pooling to get people there.

4. Mahara exhibition –  BW environmental portraits of Kapiti retired people – the dates are 15 October to 27 November, so they include the two weekends of the Kapiti Arts Trail, which is really good. Anyone in the club is welcome to offer work for selection, and I can arrange the printing. So do consider approaching a friend, neighbour or relative who would be an interesting subject, and we’ll have a first look at what is available at the end of August. Still time after that if we need more to be taken!

“Gracefully aging” – Honours, Advanced Print – ©Susie Whelan

A huge congratulations to Susie Whelan, who was awarded the top print in the Classic Portrait Category at the NZIPP Iris Professional Photography Awards, on display at Shed 6, Wellington waterfront this weekend. The award is for this stunning portrait of her mother. Susie also received another Gold and Silver, well done.

Congratulations also to the following for successes in the recent North Shore Salon:
Rachel Stevens, Honours for her print Smokin’  that we saw in the last club salon
Neil Gordon, two prints Highly Commended and one Accepted, one digital Highly Commended, Teresa Angell,  Jo Goudsblom and Alison Viskovic – one digital Acceptance each and Roger Smith with two acceptances.

Also another Congratulations to Carol, Shona and Neil for their Four Nations acceptances, and Carol, Jo and Gavin for NZ Camera.

My apologies if I have missed anyone.