COMMENTS ON GET CREATIVE WITH WATER CHALLENGE

As we near the end of June, we are still no clearer about what the situation will be in September with regards to holding meeting again at the Social Club. We do have a programme organised, but we do need to make a few decisions that I don’t feel the Committee should do without feedback. I wondered if over the next few weeks in July you could all have a think and e mail me or anyone on the Committee, your personal thoughts and ideas. It may well be that some members will not feel comfortable returning to a “normal” meeting situation in person even if “allowed”.

Initially it would be useful to know what the situation actually is at the Social Club, so perhaps Dan could investigate that. I also wonder if Jill could give an indication of how possible it would be to run the planned programme virtually until Christmas and think later about the rest as time passes.

My thoughts are that we could:
1. Adapt the programme planned up till Christmas so it is Virtual. Think meetings post Christmas at this stage (if we have a venue), but be prepared to change again if not possible.
2. Accept that we cannot do next year as planned and make the whole year Virtual but we would need ideas, and to know which speakers/judges can and cannot operate that way

Anyway, take a look at the programme as planned, and send me or any member of the committee ,your thoughts in the coming weeks, and perhaps we can agree a date for the Committee to meet Virtually at the end of July/beginning August to fully discuss the situation and make the decisions based on what you all think.

In the meantime, the weekly walks and Thursday Zooms still seem to be something a working majority want to do, and as I said on Thursday, I can keep the weekly challenges going through July and then would quite like a rest in August if that is OK?! I shall be investigating the parking situation near to the Velvet Bottom and nearby venues this weekend ,and will get back to you all via Jill to suggest where we meet on Wednesday next at 2pm


So…. Feedback on the GET CREATIVE WITH WATER CHALLENGE:

[b]Jenny says: So many people revisiting things they have learned in lockdown or in practical sessions to such good effect!

Pamela: Good to see your creative side coming out I assume the two colour pics were blended in some way but the Flowing abstract catches my eye with the strong diagonals and the feel of fast flowing water over foliage AS you know I love B and W and the dark water is lovely I would clone out the twig at the top but the water has great movement and the rest is pretty sharp .
Tony: What a triumph that raspberry splash is ! Absolute mastery! The use of PS too with the whirly thing . I thought you might just have caught that as it seems but great use of tech. The Misty Water is ethereal and the rocks are SO sharply focused I love the subtle hint of metallic colour in the water.
Diana: Your Otter is so playful and you capture his character well. I want him to be a bit more separated from the rock but not sure how that might be achieved. I just know I lose him a bit colour wise. The Duck Bathing is also a good capture with the light and the waterdroplets- did you deliberately give it a brown tinge or was that just as it was ? nice anyway. Like the Water droplet-cannot think of any improvements it is a good moment in time with a nice shape, focused and in B and W What’s not to like ?!!
Jane R: Sorry you only managed the two but good to see you Thursday The water droplet proves you can still do it although this not quite in focus Great shape though. The water droplets on the plant are also a triumph- really sharp and nice colour with good composition. I really like that
Janice: The world in a fish tank: I cannot for the life of me work out how you did this .and should have explored your thinking on Thursday. As a picture it has colour, balance and form with more than a hint of intrigue so please tell me more!!! I do love the re creation of Jaws idea – nice composition with the diagonal and the colour and well exposed too. I like the weir with the reflection but I might find it even more appealing (and slightly less disorientating) if the verticals in the reflection were vertical…… so I might have rotated clockwise slightly to crop off the water level line but still keep the lovely sweep of the weir.
Jill: The abstract reflections are lovely- reminds me of the many you get on the canals around Bath- I think it is so typical colour wise. Your garden is quite a source of subject matter and both the water fall from afar and the frog within it are nice. I like the monotones in the frog and his eye is well captured with the light. I wonder if a slightly more diagonal approach and/or a polarising filter might have taken the glare off the water bottom right and the shine off the nose? Just a thought.
Graham; Another story of your dubious past with the capsize ! The Aquilegia is a beautiful flower and the water droplets enhance it I think I find myself wondering what a square crop would have looked like but I do tend towards that- bit more stem would allow that and maybe a bit more space in front of the flower compared with behind to the right. Colours of oil on water are lovely and again-refining previously learned skills I like it!
Suzanne: Unusual viewpoints especially the Water not for drinking. I do like that idea and the washing of hands -very topical right now. The movement and vigour of the handwashing is evident and I particularly like the POV and the tones. Your usual high quality landscape with the reflection is good but my favourite is the Lock. I always love the contrasting textures of the wood, the brickwork and the weeds against the water that always squeezes through and spurts. Nice colour.


[b]Graham says:
Jenny I loved the minimalistic approach with the wine glass it stood out as a picture on the wall. I wished there was more water to see in the Wells moat but a very nice landscape. The water on cactus made me think back to the horror films like Quatermas, just like a horror movie shot.
Janice, you gave the world etc very clever use of water and the same goes for the doll needing a bigger boat away from the fish. Was it a shark? Unusual shot of the weir it reminded me of Javert committing suicide in Les Miserables.
Pam very clever community choir and very cheerful as well. Not sure about Dark Water I don't really like water in B & W. Loved your floral abstract it will make a good background to using layers.
Jill I loved the colourful and wavey abstract and I'm very envious that I didn't take it. You caught the frog well. They aren't coming out yet in my pond but I did get one on an iris leaf last year. Waterfall was a nice garden shot and I hope you sat down and let the sound of water relax you.
Suzanne 20 seconds to wash your hands very topical and I hope you sang Happy Birthday at the same time.A nice landscape with the We need water with the clouds reflected. Lots of weed just like my pond and then Ugh the water trough!!
Tony two fantastic shots with the raspberry and the swirl was amazing, so unusual. I have used swirl before but never like that. I didn't like the misty water all that as I prefer to see it as it is but of course lots of photographers like it that way.
[
Got to break here Jenny - Iris just called me for tea. Ok Graham Look forward to continuation! Just so you know.... my moat is totally the reflection in the water It s turned upside down !

Graham continues ......
Diana, a brilliant shot getting the duck bathing, hope you didn't get too wet. Love how you caught the spray. The otter playing with water is another amusing, almost human reaction with water. Another great shot with the water droplets and I've been trying to get this timing ever since Jenny gave us the first water challenge.
Jane R. you got it this time didn't you with your timing perfect. The water droplets on the very sharp & in focus stem showed a lovely refraction. I find this difficult to do getting another picture in the droplets.

from Janice :

[b] Jenny, an excellent reflection in Wells Moat. There is so much
detail and texture in the stone which gives depth to the image. Good
colour and composition too. Refraction makes a very good abstract and
suits mono. My eyes are not sure what to settle on in Cactus but I like
the bold colours and shapes.
Pamela, I love the different colours in
Community Cheer but wonder if just three would work better, just a
thought! The composition in Flowing Abstract works for me. The green
on the right hand side pulls you back into the image. Dark water is my
favourite of your three images. I love the flow of the water from
right to left with just the right shutter speed. It suits mono with a
good tonal range.
Graham, as always with flowers, you have presented
Aquilegia Chrysantha very well. Lovely lighting and colour. Capsized
Dinghy certainly tells a story. Good use of the ‘triangle’ just a pity
the mast cuts across the other dinghy. I really like Oil On Water. It
makes a great abstract with good shapes and colours.
Jill, I love your
garden, it’s very pretty and photographs well with those lovely
colours. The frog is a great capture. Nice textures on the skin and
the rocks and the colours blend well together. Colourful Reflections
is a superb abstract. The pattern on the diagonal, the shapes and
colours makes this a very strong image.
Suzanne, Twenty Seconds will
forever remind of us of lockdown. Just the right amount of movement,
this has been taken from a good view point. We Need Rain is a lovely
landscape with that interesting sky and reflection. I like the low view
point and the light in Not For Drinking. The edge of the trough in the
bottom left hand corner makes a great lead in line.
Tony, your timing
in Raspberry Splash is spot on. I know from trying this it is so
difficult to capture. I love the shape of the splash. Misty Water
works well as a letterbox. Good use of shutter speed and the exposure
gives nice detail in the background rocks. In A Whirl is a clever use
of your creative skills.
Diana, The Water Droplet is very well done.
Great timing, I love the ripples. I agree with Jenny’s comment re the
background in your Otter image. However, the otter is obviously having
a fun time so a great capture. I like the drama of the background
splash in Duck Bathing.
Jane, I admire you for trying again. You’ve
done well with the timing creating a good splash shape even though it’s
not in focus. The composition of The Mask works really well with
perfect spacing of the drops.

[b]Pamela says:
: Jenny. Wonderful reflection and detail in Wells moat. If you
didn’t know, it would be easy to think it was a painting and not a
reflection. I love Refraction and would like a session on how to do it.
(I missed the one you gave). Very dramatic and eye-catching. Cactus is
unusual but, for me, the black on the right is distracting.
Janice. I know I’m going to smile when I see your entries. I think the World
Atlas is so unusual; perhaps it should be a window piece for an
amusement arcade. I love it! Pulteney Weir is intriguing. I can’t work
out what the black bit at the top is, but I like the composition. The
boat is telling a story. I like the mystery.
Graham. Aquilegia is, as
usual, a lovely work of nature. Lovely colour and the water stands out
well. I enjoyed the story behind dinghy; the water looks cold! My
favourite is Oil on Water which I think is very good. It looks like
pieces of marble or glass; the colours work well together, the whole
affect is lovely.
Jill. Reflections is just wonderful. I love the
colours and the design. Looks like an African print. Frog. I love frogs
but haven’t even tried to photograph them. I think I would fall into
our pond but I am determined to try and get one as good as this
(nothing like ambition). Garden - still no weeds, just lovely sharp
flowers and water.
Suzanne. 20 secs. This is another one for your
social record of lockdown. Original, funny but also a vivid reminder of
how our lives changed. I think you have caught the action well. Need
rain is another reminder of this year and how dry it was earlier on.
Lovely clear reflection. Not for drinking. I really like this,
especially as you have the sheep in the picture and they are the ones
who would be drinking there, if it’s not too high. I do hope they are
OK, though. Weston lock has some lovely textures but I prefer the other
photos.
Tony. What can I say. Congratulations. In a whirl is fantastic.
I am envious. And then there is Raspberry, another excellent photo. I
love both. Misty water also works well. Well done!
Diana. Otters are
one of my favourite animals so I am hugely biased. A lovely clear
photo, pity the rock behind is so prominent, but that can’t be helped.
Water droplet is dramatic and well caught. I love duck. The composition
works very well, the water is clear and the duck in its element.
JaneR. Water. Lovely colours and it almost works, just a bit fuzzy. Work on
the addiction though. I love the mask. Clear droplets of water,
intriguing angle, it really works well.

Jill says :
I think the honours this week go to Tony for Photographic
skill and to Janice and Suzanne for thinking outside the box!
Tony’s In
a Whirl and Raspberry splash are very well caught and similar To
Diana’s Water Droplet which is also good but sadly Jane’s effort isn’t
sharp but she redeemed herself with The Mask which is, so well
done.
Graham’s water on oil is very colourful and attractive and the
Aquiligea is also good with the vibrant yellow against the
black.
Pamela’s Flowing Abstract is very pleasing but I agree with
Janice that 3 “flowers” would be better on the “Community Cheer”. The
Dark Water would be better for toning down the leaves in the bottom
right as the brightness takes your eye and detracts from the water.
There aren’t any greys in the picture so the full tonal range is
missing.
Jenny – I like the Moat and it looks like an impressionist
painting. I also like the Refraction one but it doesn’t look quite
sharp to me and I feel much the same about the Water on Cactus.
I enjoyed all the Landscape ones – Suzanne’s We Need Rain and the Not
for Drinking and Janice’s Pulteney Weir with a lovely reflection of the
bridge.


Jane L says :
: Jenny’s Wells Moat is intriguing as it takes a while to work
out the perspective and the detail of the reflections but in the end
find myself wanting a bit of context for comparison! Refraction is a
trademark picture for me. Like the thought put into the composition and
choice of glass. Is it sharp? The semi abstract Cactus Water is
interesting. Did you experiment with dof for more or less spine blur as
it’s a bit of a jungle.
Janice’s World warranted several visits to work
out what was doing what where. Definitely interesting light, colour and
reflection. Still laughing at Bigger Boat. Simple but effective.
Fantastic Pulteney Weir perspective and detail. An example of a
commonly photographed landmark with a twist. Like the reflected
building and trees but wonder if the top edge could be cropped down a
little? It may not need it if viewing in a bigger frame but can’t
identify what’s there on my screen.
I like the take on Chilcompton’s
waterfall and flowers in Pamela’s Cheer but needs more vibrancy for me
as it doesn’t quite capture the spirit of the original.
Graham’s
Aquilegia is a simple effective image of a complex flower although
might adjust angle/d'oh if mine.
Like the preciseness yet abstract
nature of Jill’s Reflections. Nice frog.
Tony’s retake of a splashing
Raspberry shows the practice was worth it! Water surface needs a
horizontal tweak. The cascade is a bit too blurred and close cropped
for me unless looking at it as an abstract which it isn’t
quite.
Diana’s Droplet is fun as you have to look for it. Like the b&w,
the rings and interesting light patterns. Nice duck. The otter’s face
is obscured by the background but no choice I guess!
Jane R’s Try
Again does warrant more practice but it will be well worth it! Like the
lighting and positioning of the ripples. Finally got my glasses in the
right place to see “The Mask”! Very clever reflection. The stray lhs
water drop(s) bother me a little when the main three are so well
placed!
Suzanne’s 20 seconds
is my favorite I think: topical idea, great viewpoint, like the clarity
of the taps with the blur of the hands, good exposure of the “whites”,
works well in b&w.