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(more to come!)

Norman has been working on this portfolio to illustrate a book to be published by local historian Caroline Rowland. The photos he showed illustrated memorials commemorating both WWI and WWII. As well as being evocative reminders of twentieth century conflicts, the photos are also a great example of Norman’s unique style. He is, of course, a technically masterful photographer but he also has the gift of presenting the subject in a unique way that brings home the pathos and significance of the subject matter. Here are a few examples of the images he showed us:

More of Norman’s work can be seen on his website www.normancrabb.com

Every now and then we hold sessions where members can bring their own photos along and talk about them to other members

The Critique evening began with mounted prints taking up the first part. There was a good variety of prints and plenty of discussion. Prints were presented by John, Trevor, Brian H, Michael, Betty, Adrian, Malcolm, and Brian C. After the coffee break we had the projected digital images from Norman, Roger, Brian H and William.

Then William did a short presentation about a third-hand idea for putting pictures for download on the website and then running a competition to see who could make the best job of retouching (fiddling with) them. That definitely sounds like a fun idea! We’ll have a go at that as soon as possible…

Here are some examples of the images members talked about this evening:

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(click on a pic to view slideshow)

Last Tuesday evening we were treated to a journey through China

In the presentation that we saw, Ted’s photos were interspersed with Malcom’s and the contrast between the two trips emphasized the rapid expansion that has taken place in China in the past twenty years.

The first part of the journey took us from Beijing via the vastness of Tianamen Square, through the Heavenly Gateway to the Forbidden City and a view of the Emperor’s throne.   The queues for the mausoleum were the same but transport in 1989 was bicycle led with very few cars whereas now cars are very much in evidence.

The next stop was the Great Wall.   In 2011 at 9.00 am it was crowded whereas at midday in 1989 there were few people.  Ted’s tour then took him to a jade factory with a large fat Buddha, to the Summer Palace and the marble barge, the Wild Goose pagoda and the huge bell which was rung to let people know the time.  There were views of parks, and evening shows of Chinese acrobats and Kung Foo dancers

Ted then arrived at the Xian Walled City.   There he photographed the amazing Terracotta Army of 7000 soldiers in situ, and its accompanying museum.

The next treat was the Yangtze Cruise which showed the huge locks needed to transport boats to the top and bottom of the Dam.   Then through the Three Gorges of Xiling, Win and Qutang – amazing scenery.

The trip included a visit to the Panda Research Centre where there were good views of pandas in the trees and lazing on garden benches.

Then the tour went on by plane to Guilin – founded by the Qin dynasty – set on the River Li, with its amazing panorama of karstic mountains. The next stop was Yangshua where it was raining.   There were lots of bikes there now and in 1989.   A typical Chinese house showing life as it was, including an old fashioned pump.

Malcolms’s shots of many of the same scenes contrasted very vividly the ‘then and now’ aspects of China.

There was plenty of audience participation with many questions being asked.   It was a very enjoyable evening – thanks to Ted and Malcolm for providing such an entertaining show!

Here are just a few of the beautiful photos they took:

(click on an image to view the slideshow)

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In the first part of our meeting we all brought in photos that the club had never seen before and everyone had to guess who the photographer was. Hence ‘Spot the Snapper’. This was very entertaining as some members brought in stuff that they had taken 20+ years ago, well before the age of digital.

After the break, where we consumed all of the aforementioned mince pies, we viewed an audio-visual presentation put together by Gillian to showcase many of the x-ray images that we took at the workshop we attended in November. Here it is on YouTube:

Thanks to everyone for a very fun and friendly meeting, and especial thanks to Betty for her lovely pies.

See you next year!

‘A year ago I went on an archaeology holiday/study tour, ‘Roman Germany’, staying at Köln, Mainz, Trier and Aachen and exploring the Rhine frontier between Roman Gaul and ‘free Germany’, an area of major strategic importance from the 1st century BC onwards. 

The strong military presence guaranteed peace and prosperity, demonstrated by the wealthy villas and rich towns.
The citizens of Köln enjoyed all the luxuries of Roman town life as we saw from the many Roman remains and fine display of high quality Roman glass for which Köln was famous. 

A boat trip on the Rhine took us to Mainz.  There in the Taunus Mountains we saw the military control of the frontier with the ‘Limes’, a continuous bank, ditch and palisade stretching for 550 km, and visited a reconstructed fort and watchtower (a feature of German archaeology).

Onwards to Trier – Urbs opulentissima – which became the imperial capital with monumental buildings as befitted its status, and with wealthy villas in the countryside.Aachen, with its natural hot springs was used by Celts and Romans. 

The fifth century AD saw the decline of the Roman Empire; Christianity was a new feature.  The Franks settled here and their king, Charlemagne, made Aachen his capital.  He built a great palace and chapel with the Emperor’s throne used in the coronation of German kings and queens for the next 500 years. It was a stimulating trip, with a tasty Roman meal as well! ‘

This was a fascinating talk and we enjoyed looking at the many illustrative images, some of which are shown here. Thanks, Brian – we’re looking forward to hearing about your next exciting adventure!

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(click on a pic to view slideshow)

The chairman reported that the committee, which also includes Brian C. (vice-Chairman) and Betty (Programme Secretary), had worked hard during the year to provide a varied programme of events and to administer the Club’s business.  The programme for 2012 was made available to the members and the committee announced that we had extended the club year beyond April to include two more meetings to be held in May.

After the formalities of the AGM, members shared photographs that they had taken during the summer months. These consisted of a rich variety of subject matter, both prints and digital images, which we enjoyed viewing and discussing. Here are a few of the digital images we looked at:

Michael

Norman

Roger

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Thanks to all the photographers who showed us their summer’s work.

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Thanks Ted – we look forward to seeing the rest of your Chinese portfolio!

Never mind, Betty – these images are superb: (click on a pic to see it full size)

We all took objects to x-ray and here are some of the results:

Brian H.

Brian C.

Betty

Gillian

Thanks to William and Sasha for such a stimulating day!