Sharp Focus April 2022

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Greetings, everyone

Having missed the last outing to the car museum, this was the first time for me – since our end of year party – to get together with other members of the club. I have a sneaky suspicion that the excited vibe in the hall, among the 13 who attended, was more to do with sharing together a love for photography, than learning about Macro photography.

But hopefully, in between the frustration, exasperation, and ‘I just can’t get it into focus’ type language, we did learn something. For about 40 minutes I gave an introduction to macro photography, explaining some of the difficulties of the genre, and how to, with any luck, overcome them. Also I was able to show some bought and home-made aids to help photograph at close quarters or moving bugs – my favourites being the ‘Lazy Susan’ and the crocodile clip on a cell phone tripod.

It was then time to put into practice some of the things we had learnt. So after grabbing some items of interest – fruit, flowers, marbles, feathers baby snail (yes, snail) etc., it was off to a table and with camera, tripod, lens, extension tubes et al for about an hour and a quarter of frustration and fun.

I want to thank Ceridwyn who found most of the items to photograph – even the snail, and for helping me put the talk together. Also a big ‘thank you’ to Coral for the coffee and hot cross buns (they were most welcome), and to Keith who was there to give me a helping hand if anything went wrong. Finally to everyone who attended – thanks for making it a very special afternoon.

Geoff

From the Editor’s Desk

Firstly, I was one of the lucky folk who attended the macro workshop, and what a great afternoon it was. I hadn’t been on any kind of photography outing for months (thanks, Covid), and to be included in this one was more than special to me. Thank you to Geoff, Ceridwyn, Coral and Keith for the hard work that produced an afternoon that we wished would not come to an end.

Secondly, Peter has added the Macro and Street Photography details to the outings timetable on our website. The link is https://fishhoekphotoclub.co.za/themes-and-outings. Please do have a look at the upcoming outings and join us if possible. They’re always great fun and often produce great images.

And lastly, I came across an interesting article by Arthur Goldstuck in the Sunday Times last weekend, entitled “Smartphone tsunami threatens professional cameras”. Arthur says that the combined onslaught of iPhone and Android caused the camera market to drop below the 10 million mark in 2020, and last year (2021) it dropped to 8.3 million!

He goes on, “The inexorable advance in smartphone camera technology is coming for interchangeable lenses.

“Last month’s launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22 range brought the threat neatly into focus. The flagship S22 Ultra boasts a decent enough camera by any definition, with the rear hosting a 108MP wide-angle lens, a 12 MP ultra-wide and two 10 MP telephoto lenses.

“That’s just for stills. Moving on to the video pro menu, a similar dizzying array of settings is on offer, along with aspect ratio, definition choices, zoom and microphone settings.”

There’s much more, but I don’t have space for it here. I would suggest that you read the full article in the Sunday Times of 20 March 2022. Here’s the link:

https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/business/opinion/2022-03-20-smartphone-tsunami-now-threatens-top-professional-cameras/

Winners of Image of the Month

Evaluation of Digital Photography
Digital Entries
Title	Author	Star	Score	Award	Points	Pic of Month
Beautifully old	Karyn Parisi	4	12	Gold	3	Yes
Belly soaking sandgrouse	Patrick Cardwell	2	11	Gold	3
Blitz bok	Lorne Sulcas	4	11	Gold	3
Chasing prey	Derek Goldman	3	12	Gold	3	Yes
Exposed	Evelyn Lyle	4	11	Gold	3
Family evening time	Didi Franklin	3	10	Gold	3
Heron watch	Maureen Miller	3	10	Gold	3
In fear of the shroud	Peter Brandt	MB	12	Gold	3	Yes
Inquiring mind	Lynn Toms	3	10	Gold	3
Kingly profile	Karyn Parisi	4	12	Gold	3	Yes
Last touches of the sun	Betzi Pierce	3	11	Gold	3
Love on Fire	Evelyn Lyle	4	11	Gold	3
Low tide	Marielouise Cardwell	2	10	Gold	3
Lusitano	Kate Graham	1	13	COM	4	Yes
Mental preparation	Betzi Pierce	3	11	Gold	3
Mom and twins	Lorne Sulcas	4	13	COM	4	Yes
Montreux Lily	Ceridwyn Jamieson	3	10	Gold	3
Moody lightning dance	Dante Parisi	5	12	Gold	3	Yes
Mourners	Didi Franklin	3	12	Gold	3	Yes
Perch	Peter Brandt	MB	12	Gold	3	Yes
Perky weaver	Patrick Cardwell	2	10	Gold	3
Pixie cap	Geoff Jamieson	4	10	Silver	2
Stalking cautiously	Dante Parisi	5	11	Silver	2
Steps to nowhere	John Engle	2	10	Gold	3
Take off	Geoff Jamieson	4	10	Silver	2
Taking time out	Lynn Toms	3	10	Gold	3
Where are my spots mom	Marielouise Cardwell	2	11	Gold	3
Window panes	John Engle	2	10	Gold	3
Wreck at sunset	Ceridwyn Jamieson	3	10	Gold	3
Yes, can I help you?	Derek Goldman	3	10	Gold	3

Winners of Theme Image of the Month

IMAGES BELOW: THE WINNERS OF THIS MONTH’S IMAGE OF THE MONTH CONTEST – CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE ALL AND VIEW DETAILS

Salons