Tonight 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'. 

​One of our longest standing and best attending members, Adam Burness, presented My Photographic Journey to the group on 4th December. Adam had never before made a presentation to a group but said that he was keen to explain his passion for photography to the group and had spent a good deal of time preparing his talk.
 
Adam stated that his interest in photography had been inspired from the age of about 5 by a colour photograph which had been taken by his mother, probably in the 1960s. He showed the photograph which featured the old YMCA building in Newcastle and a number of trolley buses which were operated for 31 years between 1935 and October 1966. 
 
He went on to showcase some of his images from around Newcastle. These included the inside of churches. Over the years Adam has taken many photographs around the city of buildings and structures being demolished and in the different stages of construction. These provide a fairly unique history of the city since the 1990s and include the building or restoration of the Sage/Glasshouse, the Baltic and the Millennium Bridge. Adam had visited the development of the Millennium Bridge so often that he had got to know the workmen involved. He had been given the opportunity to walk across the bridge before the official opening but had declined the offer because he wanted to wait until it was open to the public. 
 
Adam also likes to take photographs of music gigs, and he has had some success with these in competitions. He had also been invited to hen parties where he had taken on the fun role as "official photographer".
 
Adam is attracted to sepia photographs and has converted a number of his shots to sepia or, sometimes, black and white.
 
In addition to his talk, Adam exhibited 5 Nikon cameras which he owns and explained that he has 6 lenses, including a 600m lens which he had used to take a close-up photograph of Earl Grey at the top of his monument. Prior to using Nikon equipment, Adam had owned Olympus and Canon cameras.
 
Adam also exhibited some of his favourite prints from amongst his photographic collection. These included a large print of the Red Arrows and another print of 12 arches along walkway of the Tyne Bridge. 
 
The members appreciated Adam's talk which helped us to better understand his motivation and approach to photography.
 
Ray Barnes
CCC Programme Secretary   

​Last night Cramlington Camera Club were the host of this event, 1st leg of a two part competition with the PDI leg in March 2026.
We were joined by representatives of Gosforth Camera Club, Ponteland Photographic Society, Whitley Bay Photographic Society and Tynemouth Photographic Society.
 
Colin Livingstone ‘President’, welcomed all guests and members and introduced  Bill Broadley of Blyth as our judge for the evening, Bill started out by giving a brief biography and his approach to evaluating each image. He said how pleased he was to the quality and variety of the images presented to him. He then went on to show each image and give his constructive comments before awarding a score,(out of 30 points). As this was a print competition Bill did comment many times on the paper selection that was used by photographers, and the creativity and planning of some of the entries.
​The scoring was quite tight, never going below 22 points. Three images score 29 points,
St Mary’s in the Mist (John McGuiness, Tynemouth), Ice Queen(Lesley Hughes, Gosforth)
and Sir Nigel (Colin Livingstone, Cramlington).

​Jason Row, a professional photographer, was warmly welcomed to CCC. Originally from London, Jason explained that he and his Ukrainian wife had been living in Odessa for some years when the Russian invasion of Ukraine took place on 24th February 2022. They had quickly developed and executed an evacuation plan which saw them move to a new home in the north-east of England. Jason had been a professional photographer for many years, and he had continued this career from his new home. Jason, whose many YouTube videos about photography can easily be accessed, described himself primarily as a landscape travel stock photographer and videographer who had started out photographing on cruise ships (which is where he had met his wife).

​Jason explained that most photographers are drawn to standard "cliched" images of scenes. As an example, he showed us a high-quality image he had taken after waiting, and being jostled by many other photographers, for 5 hours at a well-known vantage point in Bruges. However, he also showed us other images he had taken in Bruges of much less well known scenes, which he contended were better, more interesting and more thought-provoking images. Jason emphasised that he was not arguing that the cliched shots should not be taken or that they were not good photographs. As he said, in order to understand a cliche, you first needed to experience it. His argument is that your photographic experiences and journey should not end there, and that you can enrich the experiences and insights of yourself and your viewers by looking beyond the cliches.  
 
Jason stated that most people today viewed photographs on social media where the time given to each image is fleeting. This is one of the factors which had driven cliched images. It is the cliched photographs which receive the most "likes". For similar reasons, he gave examples of other types of images which had become tropes. He showed us images using lens crystal balls and images of reflections in rain puddles. Again, Jason did not argue that there was anything wrong with such shots, or that they should not be taken, but that they can be overdone and so become cliches or tropes. 
 
We were shown images Jason had taken in Durham, London and Newcastle which were not cliches. Sometimes these images were quite recognisable but were taken from a different perspective or homed in on details from the location which told a story, and perhaps raised questions in the viewers mind, without being cliches. As Jason said, a photographer is on to something if their photograph tells a story or provokes the viewer's imagination. 
 
 The presentation was well constructed and delivered and included some nice touches of humour. Our members very much appreciated Jason's talk and observed that much depended on why the photographer was producing the image and who they considered the audience or the viewer to be. Perhaps images are sometimes taken only, or primarily, for the photographer. Jason's talk challenged us to give some serious thought to these matters and to consider whether we sometimes want to escape the cliches and tropes and to instead take a more subtle, considered and thought-provoking approach.
 
Ray Barnes
CCC Programme Secretary

This week we had a practical evening at our meeting in lieu of “Shadow Screen”.
Colin Livingstone and Bob Finlay hosted this event and set up a number of small “sets” for members to photograph.
Scene one, was a “beach” with a surfing backdrop to which a bottle of ‘Aqua’ deodorant was added, for members to shoot to try their hand at product photography. With lighting and assistance on hand if members needed it.

​Scene two, was a floral one showing how Colin produces his individual images, this also show showed how small a space is needed and how simple the lighting can be. Again help was on hand to assist members when needed.

​Scene three, a very simple Christmas set using a fake backdrop and some Christmas figures (carol singers, snowman and father Christmas) for members to shoot using ambient lighting.
Adam Burness also supplied some props and a “coffee bean” set was created under a ring light.

A small turnout of members and one guest, but everyone had a go on all the sets and where needed was assisted by other members with settings and technique.
So along with the tea and biscuits a very relaxed and casual evening was had.
Thank you to all who took part and so pleased you enjoyed the evening.

Colin Livingstone
​President

Tonight we had our 1st open PDI Competition and the pleasure of Rob Butler to judge the images. It was a tuff competition but the top five and the Highly commended were selected below. The discussion at the pub afterwards was about whether a border on the images works with judges or not!
​

Winning Images:
1st Light and Shade - Bob Finlay
2nd Tom - Adam Burness
3rd Looking down at you - Colin Byrne
4th Tumbling Eddies - Bob Finlay
​5th Brothers Winter - Paul Dunn

Highly Commended:
Hen Blackbird - Bob Finlay
Guitar Heads - Paul Dunn
Dubbrovnik Old town - Iain Chambers
​Norwegian Fjord - Ray Barns
Breaking Waves - Bill Leadbitter

​Colin Livingstone, our President, introduced Paul Dunn as one of our long-standing members. Paul is well known within CCC for photographing music gigs and last season he had presented to the group his popular talk entitled Gig Photography. Tonight, Paul was to present to us his recollections of a trip he had made to Peru in 2023.
 
Paul explained that the trip had involved staying in 3 different locations over about 2 weeks: Lima (the capital of Peru), Reserva Amazonica and Cusco (a city in the Andes Mountains known as the historical capital of the Inca Empire and a major gateway to Machu Picchu).
 
Paul said that he arrived in Lima expecting to find consistent sunshine but soon discovered that Lima, which is on the Pacific coast, is characterised by grey skies. He stayed in the Miraflores Park area where there are a great number of stray cats which are looked after by the local population. Lima had been founded by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizzaro, in 1535. Successful in his search for gold, Pizzaro had already completed the conquest of Peru by entering Cusco in 1533.  Paul showed us a photograph of the skeleton of Pizarro which is kept in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Lima. Paul showed us photographs of nearby ruins which are more than three times as old as Machu Picchu and are towering mounds of camel coloured clay bricks, known as huacas. In the indigenous Quechua language, huaca literally translates to "sacredness".
 
Paul next flew from Lima to Reserva Amazonica, where he stayed in an eco-lodge on stilts next to the Madre de Dios River which meanders through the Southern Peru rainforest region. From there Paul showed us photographs of nearby animals, including rodents called agouti, monkeys and caimans, and various birds. Paul visited and photographed the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway which is a bridge system at 30 metres above the ground in the rainforest.
 
The next flight was to Cusco. As Cusco is more than 11,000 feet above sea level and Reserva Amozonica is close to sea level, a number of people in Paul's group spent the next few days experiencing altitude sickness. It so happened that Paul's arrival coincided with a major festival and this allowed him to take photographs of local people in various types of colourful traditional dress. As part of the festival, the locals barbecued and enjoyed a local delicacy, guinea pig. Paul gave that a miss! 
 
Paul then travelled to Ollantaytambo, an ancient Inca town and archaeological site in Peru's Sacred Valley, and from here he spent a full, and very hot day, walking to Machu Picchu. The walk involved terrific views over the towering Andes and the opportunity to visit other Inca ruins. He first saw Machu Picchu from Sun Gate which overlooks the site. The buildings at Machu Picchu are made from stones which were transported from various parts of Peru and which are perfectly fitted together without any type of mortar. They are so close fitting that it isn't possible to insert a piece of paper between the stones. The area is prone to earthquakes, and the buildings were ingeniously designed to withstand seismic movements. Terracing, used for agriculture, is a major feature of the region and around Machu Picchu. The Spanish conquistadors knew of Machu Picchu but failed in their bid to find it. It was abandoned by the Incas in about the mid 1500s and, over the centuries, was lost to the jungle and was largely forgotten until it was again "discovered" by the American explorer and academic, Hiram Bingham, in 1911.  
 
Paul eventually returned to Lima and from there returned home. 
 
A good turnout of members enjoyed Paul's talk and photographs (modestly described by him as "holiday snaps") and he was given a warm round of applause.
 
Ray Barnes
CCC Programme Secretary 

​George Ledger (ARPS, DPAGB) has visited CCC numerous times over the years as both a judge and a speaker. We now consider him to be one of our friends. He is a long-standing member of both Consett and Hexham photography clubs, a former policeman and a former professional Sports Photographer.  When Covid, at first generally referred to as a Corona virus, and lockdown struck George was no longer able to continue his work in sports photography and so decided to take on a project recording images of how the virus and lockdown affected his local community. The project eventually became so extensive that George had to be supported by other local photographers. George's talk to us and his photographs covered the period from when the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the lockdown starting on 23rd March 2020 until we started to return to normality, albeit a changed normality, in June 2021. His talk followed a monthly progression as circumstances and the regulations unfolded.
 
George recorded how people began to adapt to the new lockdown situation, with some people setting up their own gym equipment and training regimes. People pursued a great variety of interests and a whole army of volunteers sprung up to help the vulnerable within society. We were all strongly told to limit our time outdoors and contact with each other. People were allowed to establish their own very limited social bubbles which, themselves, created issues for those who were excluded. George was able to gain access, always following the current guidelines (which often involved photographing through windows), to a range of NHS, care home, funeral and other key workers. These images showed the anguish, as well as the community spirit, which was awakened. Clapping for carers became a common communal activity. George was able to gain access to a school where the children of emergency and key workers were educated under very strict regimes, often involving hazard marking tape in classrooms, toilets and other parts of the building. Communications between individuals and groups were often via Zoom calls, which were used by educators and many camera clubs, including CCC.  Home shopping deliveries and arrangements for collecting shopping became the norm. As strict regulations were gradually relaxed, one-way systems were operated in retail outlets and people had to sign in before attending their local pubs (often naming themselves Donald Duck or other such cartoon characters, George observed) and following the rules on social distancing. Even as society returned to normal, it was a new normal. Home shopping deliveries, working from home, the use of face masks etc have become much more common features of our society.
 
Even though it is only a relatively short time since CCC members had, as mature adults, experienced Covid and lockdown, we were struck by how weird and surreal the experience already seemed to us. Did we all really live like that for many months? We reflected on how the experience will be viewed by people in 10, 20, 30 etc years' time and how George's project represented and captured a unique piece of social and cultural history for our country. We felt that at least one organisation in the country should take ownership of George's body of work on the project and retain it for future generations. Accordingly, one of our members is to contact a local museum who have in the past asked CCC for copies of local images. 
 
Our members were very appreciative of George's talk which transported us back to a fairly recent but very strange time for us all. 
 
Ray Barnes
CCC Programme Secretary  

Tonight (9th Oct) saw the results of this season’s 1st Open Print Competition. Tonight’s competition was judged by Stephen Fowler.
 
Stephen provided constructive and positive feedback on each of the prints which was well received by the members. With the wide range of subjects Stephen had a difficult task to decide on the best prints.  With the increased number of entries the print competition was split between mono and colour categories, thank you to all who entered.
Colour:

1. First Bloom - Bill Leadbitter 
2. York Minster over  the Rooftops - Bob Finlay               
3. Red Hot Poker                     Janet Leadbitter
4. St Abbs                                Ray Barnes
5. Time for Reflection              Janet Leadbitter 

 
Mono:

1. Tree Lady                   Peter Moody
2. Antique Road Show   Bill Leadbitter
3. Ullswater                     Paul Dunn
4. Malham Cove             Paul Dunn
5. Phil                              Paul Dunn       

Highly Commended:
Puffin                                          Colin Livingstone     
Dark Hedges                               Paul Dunn               
Sir Nigel                                      Colin Livingstone
Get My Best Side                        Paul Dunn
                                                    

​Our Speaker this evening was Gillian Hales of Whitley Bay Photographic Society. Gillian has been a member of Whitley Bay for over 25 years and has held variouse roles on the committee. Gillian’s main passion is sports and from an early age has attended many local, national and international events. She has many hobbies from coin collecting to stamps and is an avid “crafter”.

​Second AV, was a selection of images from Birmingham “Bullring”, and Gillian had images from ever conceivable angle, showing the complexity of the outer shell.

​Third AV, was Gillian’s collection of dog images taken over the years, accompanied by (who let the dogs out) by “Baha Men”

​Gillian’s AV show To end a shorth Q&A continued with images of street art in its many forms, including a large advert for the BBC “Peaky Blinders” on the wall of a building in Digbeth, Birmingham. Plus many more examples of Graffiti. 

To finish off  Gillian held a short Q&A.
 Members then showed their appreciation.
 
Colin Livingstone
Club President