<![CDATA[Cramlington Camera Club - What\'s Going On?]]>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 02:45:02 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[5th march - 3rd mono and colour print comp]]>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:17:05 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/5th-march-3rd-mono-and-colour-print-compTonight started off with the 3rd Mono Print competition. With only 12 images there were only 5 places and no highly commended. the judge tonight was Geoffrey Bradford, his comments gave us all something to think about .
1st - St Aidens - Colin Livingstone
The composition works very well in that it leaves no part of the picture plane devoid of interest. Everything works in this photograph, nothing can be added or taken away.
2nd - River Breamish - Paul Dunn
The tree acts as a portal through whitch the viewer is compelled to enter.Patterns, forms, and shapes fill the composition.
3rd - Leaving the Perch - Bill Leadbitter
Three images in one .Wonderful use of the format, every part of the print is a feast for the eyes.
4th - The Kirk - Brian Sydney
Very surreal, almost a constructed still from a filmset where the characters are held motionless in anticipation.
5th - Jake - Colin Livingstone
Jakes athleticism whilst also injecting a sense of animation in an otherwise static image. It is a well handled piece of studio work.
3rd Open Colour Print competition had 26 prints entered so enabled us to have our top 5 plus 5 highly commended.
1st - City of Glass Marina - Ray Barns
Everything about this photograph works. The composition, and all the picture elements combine to catch and then hold the viewers attention.
2nd - Rock Chic - Paul Dunn
Perfect use of the portrait format and the diagonal placement of the figure adds dynamism.The intelligent choice ot lustre paper complements the work.
3rd - Preparing to Sail - Bill Leadbitter
Imaginative colour palette combined with an intelligent choice of format result in a beautifully balanced composition.
4th - Over the wall - Paul Dunn
The solid form of the wall running through this photograph is pivotal to the composition. It is the combination of the 'made' coalescing with the natural that makes this work.
5th - Volcanic Vine Pits - Ray Barnes
This is a work that invites the viewer to linger for a while and that will always be a good thing.
Highly Commended:
Love in the Mist - Colin Livingstone
Nice ethereal quality to this piece of work with good colour relationships.
Santa's Grotto - Colin byrne
Real fairyland, a safe haven and everyone's idea of where Santa might live. I am drawn to photographs that have transformative qualities anf that allow the viewer to imagine.
Head towards the Light - Colin byrne
Moving towards abstraction, the off centre placement of the iron railing injects a counterpoint to symmetry. It's an intelligent piece of work.
Wet Landing- Bill Leadbitter
I like the scale and composition of this, we are held and drawn to the rose and then we spot the beautifully positioned hoverfly.
Spreading the Wings - Bill Leadbitter
I was drawn to this piece of work whilst going through the box when it first arrived. The colours, textures, light, and drawing are reminiscent of Japanese wood block painting.
PDI Competition Secretary
​Colin Byrne
]]><![CDATA[Thursday 26th February 2026]]>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 23:19:15 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/thursday-26th-february-2026Last night we held a studio night for our members to do some portrait work with live models. We set up two backdrop sets, “Disney Castle” and “Green screen”.
​Our models where three lovely ladies, Sophie Nixon and Louise Lisle from “Beauty and the Ballgown/MW Events. This is Sophie’s own company and you can find more information on Facebook.  Sophie dressed as “Aurora” from Sleeping Beauty, Louise dressed as “Belle” from Beauty and the Beast. Our third model, a great friend of mine Amy Harkness who is a freelance  “Bridal Catwalk” model. The ladies swapped around the two sets, during the night and a good number of images were taken by our members.
​Part of the purpose of these events is for our members to learn new skills and ‘techniques , and I was aware that a few members learned new settings to try and also what setting to use for portraits. Thanks also to Paul Kidd for helping adjust lights and angles during the night, and other members for assisting each other with camera setting and menu adjustments, etc.
Overall a good fun night had by all.
 
Colin Livingstone
president
]]><![CDATA[19th Feburary - Monochrome and Me]]>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:28:27 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/19th-feburary-monochrome-and-me​Dave Best travelled from Hexham to deliver his talk, Monochrome and Me, to CCC members. He explained that whether or not he produced images in colour or black and white depended on the subject matter but that some subjects, he felt, were more effective in monochrome. Dave had with him a book for us to view which he has produced on this subject. 
 
Dave showed us his images from a wide range of genres. He is widely travelled, often to visit close relatives, and this was reflected in his shots which were from across Europe, South-East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. His monochrome subject content included architecture (he thought that portraying the essential symmetry of architectural images was often aided by monochrome), statues, sports, bands performing at gigs and people (including close family members). He believes that black and white photographs often emphasise the textures on display.
 
Of particular interest was Dave's explanation of what was going through his mind when he took individual shots. He often spotted incongruity between different elements within the scenes he captured and was attracted to the stories and inconsistencies which they suggested. His images often invited viewers to use their imaginations about what was going on. Although he had himself spent 15 years as a photography judge (he is currently taking a break from judging), Dave admitted that he was sometimes frustrated by judges when they failed to understand the points he was trying to capture and to make in his images which had been submitted in competitions. However, he also showed some of his images which had won competitions.  
 
Dave is an articulate, warm and engaging speaker and his presentation was appreciated and applauded by all members in attendance.
 
Ray Barnes
CCC Programme Secretary  
]]><![CDATA[12th Feburary – 2nd PDI Open Competition]]>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 17:41:29 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/12th-feburary-2nd-pdi-open-competition​The competition was a little smaller than normal with 35 images entered, but we did have a good selection of fine images.
We had the pleasure of welcoming Mike Allport as the judge this time, his critique did bring up questions afterwards but that is expected with any judges’ decisions.
Well done to the top 5 and 5 Highly commended.
1st – Kaleidoscope - Chris Houghton
2nd – Fading Away – Colin Livingstone
3rd – Tall Ship Blyth – Bill Leadbitter
4th – Ring of Brodgar – Brian Sydney
5th - Woodhorn – Donna Gibson
​Highly Commended
Just a Sketch – Colin Livingstone
Tam Hows – Bob Finlay
Landing Gear Down – Colin Livingstone
Holy Island Ruin – Donna Gibson
West Bay – Ray Barnes
Colin Byrne
​PDI Competition Secretary
]]><![CDATA[11th Feb - 4 way interclub Competition]]>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:20:54 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/11th-feb-4-way-interclubcompetitionA few members battled the rain and travelled to Cambois Camera Club to represent Cramlington in the interclub competition.
The 4 clubs taking part were Blyth, Cambois, Cramlington and Whitley Bay and was judged by Alan Wilson ARPS AFIAP.
1st place was awarded to Cambois with 272pts.
2nd place was Blyth with 263 points.
3rd place was Whitley Bay with 262pts.
 4th place was Cramlington with 248pts.
​
There were 4 x 30pts awarded to:
The Underpass - Shauna Hogg (Whitley Bay)
How much is that doggy in the window - Elaine Wylie (Cambois)
Misty Mountain Tops - Neil Benison (Cambois)
​Heart to Heart - Alison Leddy (Blyth)
The top two images from Cramlington were both awarded 27pts and were from  Colin Livingstone with 'Sunset on a rock' and Colin Byrne with 'Looking down at you'.
​Well done!
PDI Competition Secretary
Colin Byrne
]]><![CDATA[Thursday 5th feb - my view of the world]]>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:37:25 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/thursday-5th-feb-my-view-of-the-worldTonight's guest speaker was Phil Benton, a long standing friend of Cramlington Camera club.
Phil’s talk was entitled “My View of the World” which started of an image from Crosby Beach near Liverpool of one of Anthony Gormley’s statues sunk into the sand. Which Phil has now renamed his talk “Rear View of the World.
His talk is based on a project started during and the period during the Covid crisis. Phi was very ill at the time and like may could not get out much. He started with some images of the Northumberland coastline, from “Mirrored” a view of the Holy Island peninsular looking north to “Golden Light” a view of the castle and old boat huts on the island. As Phil progress his talk each image had an anecdote to indicate its meaning to him and to point out that the unusual viewpoint he takes his images from.
​Moving on to his time as COVID confined him to his garden images of two starlings “chatting” entitled “Bath time” to a “Flight of the Foxglove” showing the unusual angle of the bee coming in to gather pollen.
​Phil also works with a variety of Care homes and Hospitals, sharing his images as decoration in their wellness clinics and public spaces. Offering a bit of peace and tranquillity to residents and patients.
Phil has branched out to interior design, working with designers on projects such as Wallpaper and Splashbacks. All of this adding to his variety of outlets for his images. He also spends a good part of his year at local country fairs where he sets up his Stall. All of his images are free to view on his website.


http://www.philbentonphotography.com/


Colin Livingstone
President
]]><![CDATA[29th Janurary - 2nd Open PDI Battle]]>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:04:00 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/29th-janurary-2nd-open-pdi-battleTonight we had our 2nd PDI battle of the season, this time we mixed it up a bit and only allowed mobile phone pictures.
It's quite surprising how good a picture can be created using a phone these days.
With 30 images in the competition we managed to whittle it down to the last two with 'Thaw' by Donna Gibson winning first place and 'Starters Orders' by Brian Sydney coming a close second.
​Well Done.

Colin Byrne
PDI Competition Secretary
]]><![CDATA[22nd Jan - Members Night with Paul Kidd]]>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:44:13 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/22nd-jan-members-night-with-paul-kidd​Paul Kidd, one of Cramlington Camera Club's best photographers, organised a practical evening for members. The objectives were to help members improve and practise their skills in a safe and supportive environment. Paul provided the equipment for 4 different photographic experiences, each of which came with its own high-quality lighting. Members simply had to bring their cameras and tripods.
 
In one of the experiences, Paul showed us what he does and the equipment he uses to take professional photographs of school children in school environments, where speed and accuracy are of the essence. We each then had the opportunity to take photographs of Janet, one of our members, to the prescribed standards and using the standard computerised set up. ​
​Other set ups included the use of a ring light for portraits, a light box with a revolving and colourful wheel (photographing this necessitated the use of a tripod and very different images were captured depending on shutter speeds) and a well-lit flower with a subtle background.
​Members enjoyed the evening and most of us were able to improve our knowledge and skills. A big thanks to Paul or the work and organisation he had put into the evening.
 
Ray Barnes
CCC Programme Secretary  
]]><![CDATA[15th Jan 2026 - 2nd Open Print Competition]]>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:24:43 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/15th-jan-2026-2nd-open-print-competitionTonight (15th Jan) saw the results of this season’s 2nd Open Print Competition. Tonight’s competition was judged by Glen Lawson and was a combination of both colour and mono prints.
 
Glen provided his observations on each of the images providing some good positive feedback on the night.
Congratulations go again to Colin Livingstone, his prints being placed 1st 2nd and 5th.
A full list of the prints 'placed' and' highly commended' are shown below.


1st . Lilly's - Colin Livingstone
2nd. Fish Supper - Colin Livingstone
3rd. Lochside Sentiments - Ray Barnes
4th. Autumn red - Bob Finlay
5th Chloe - Colin Livingstone​
​Highly Commended:
Dinner at Twilight - Ray Barnes
Belsay Trials - Colin Livingstone
Bashum Crashum - Paul Dunn  

Paul Dunn
(Print Competition Secretary)
]]><![CDATA[11th December open PDI Battle]]>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 21:59:22 GMThttps://www.cramcams.org.uk/whats-going-on/11th-december-open-pdi-battleTonight was an in house competition just for fun, where the members choose their favorite. after selecting the pairs at random we were able to narrow the event down to the last few. The quality of all the images were a high standard and we couldn't choose between the last  two in the final so it was declared a draw!
Well done to Bill Leadbitter for 'Making a Splash' and Bob Finlay for 'Little and Large'. 
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