OPS Weekly Newsletter 24 November 2024
- Please start thinking about your entries to our second Projected Digital Image competition which takes place on 10 December. Upload them to the usual place – PhotoContestPro
- Let David B know if you want to enter prints for our next exhibition at the Westgate library. Please check Dave’s email which he sent to all members. Many thanks to Dave and Les for pulling all this together
- Last week’s meeting Tues 19 November: Out of Africa with Helen and Keith
Helen and Keith gave us a fascinating and informative presentation about not only photographing the wildlife of Kenya and Zambia, but also the habits and behaviour of the wildlife they photographed.
Keith started with a ‘here is one I made earlier’ contraption that he had developed so he can take photographs low down without having to leave the safety of the vehicle. It worked perfectly but unfortunately it couldn’t see through the tall grass of the nature reserve, so it was abandoned and replaced with a camera support that rested on the car window.
They had decided that they would organise their own safari in Kenya and spend their budget on photographic opportunities not hotels and restaurants. The first reserve was Amboseli in Kenya, which was a bumpy and dusty 12-hour journey from Kenya’s capital Nairobi. They stayed in a rudimentary hut in the national park so they could be up early in the morning before the park gates were open.
The first thing they saw in the morning was a magnificent big tusker – elephant – whose tusks we so long they scraped the ground. At 52 year old it was likely to be near the end of its life as its sixth and final set of teeth would soon be worn down and it would not be able to feed itself.
The elephants of Amboseli are numerous and they move from Amboseli to the Chyulu Hills, and then into Tsavo beyond.
The melt water from the snow of Kilimanjaro makes small lagoons that attract fish eating birdlife. There was a great shot of a Goliath Heron which doesn’t bother with the small fry and only eats large fish in the lagoons. There was also a shot of a magnificent Fish Eagle, though it is more of a scavenger and would rob the Heron of its catch if it can.
As the grass is quite long you need to be quick to take shots of the wildlife when they pop their heads above the grass. You cannot be changing your camera setting as there is no time to waste. You have to be ready all the time.
We were treated to a few shots of an Aardwolf (the name means “earth-wolf” in Afrikaans and Dutch). It looks like a jackal but is related to the hyena and its diet is exclusively termites. It is nocturnal so it is rare to get a shot of one during day light hours.
Star of the show was a mother Cheetah and her five young cubs. She would leave them and go off to hunt. If successful she would either hide the catch and take the cubs to where she hid it or drag it back to where the cubs were. All this was dangerous as any predator could steal the meal or attack and kill the cubs. Helen had little hope that the cubs would make it to be adults. They, Helen and Keith, saw the mother go off to hunt and did not follow as this would have put her chance of a kill in jeopardy.
The national park have strict rules that do not allow cars to stray from the park roads. One time Helen nearly went off piste when she drove along a flooded road which got deeper and deeper until the engine conked out. Fortunately she managed to restart the engine and gingerly reversed out of the flood water.
Next up was Zambia and a stay at Crocodile Camp in tents. They were there to capture shots of Leopards. One had reputedly made a kill of a Bushbuck outside Helen’s tent at night and the local guide was not all that convincing that there was nothing to worry about. The noise of frantic baboons didn’t help matters.
We were treated to shots of beautiful Southern Carmine Bee Eaters. From below they are beautifully coloured, but it is when they fly below you and the sun catches their feathers that you get their full magnificent beauty.
They did get shots of leopards, one reclining on a tree trunk soaking in the sun’s rays and ones walking towards the camera. Helen was low down in the well of the front seat getting the eye level shot.
There were lots of other great shots of various other wildlife – baboons, buffaloes, goshawks, fish eagles, open beaked stalk and the truly amazing jacana which walks on water lilies.
The presentation was ended with a hilariously funny video of mating ostriches to the sound of Benny Hill’s theme tune Yakety Sax.
It was an excellent evening of cracking images and fascinating explanations of the wildlife’s behaviour.
- Next Tuesday’s meeting 26 November at 19.30: Wildlife for all Seasons with Robert Harvey
Exciting wildlife photographs do not require overseas travel! Featuring owls, kingfishers, puffins, hares, otters, seals and deer, this talk shows how, when and where to make striking images of iconic British species in the wild.
https://www.naturalworldphotography.net/wildlife-for-all-seasons
- Upcoming meetings for 2024
Tues 3 December at 19.30: Intimate Landscapes with Adrain Cubitt
Intimate Landscapes: What’s it all about?
Tues 10 December at 19.30: Projected Digital Images No. 2
Our judge with be Colin Mill
Tues 17 December at 19.30: Julian Elliot: Mongolia – from landscapes to eagle hunters
His talk will take us on a journey across Mongolia from the famous Steppe landscape to the eagle hunters of the Altai region in western Mongolia.
- Programme Secretary vacancy
We have a full and varied programme for you this season thanks to the hard work and excellent choices by Les. Unfortunately, due to unexpected changes in Les’s work commitments he cannot continue in the role and we need someone to step forward to start the planning and booking of speakers for next season’s programme. Please do contact me or any other committee member if you are interested in taking on the role.
- Events photographic in and around Oxford
Bettina von Zwehl: The Flood
This exhibition will feature photographs by London-based artist, Bettina von Zwehl (b. 1971). Von Zwehl’s aim is to rekindle wonder and curiosity as critical tools for exploring new ideas and practices.
https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/ashmolean-now-bettina-von-zwehl
Windrush Years: Portraits of a generation who rebuilt Britain
Sat 9 – Sat 30 Nov 2024
Fusion Arts
15 Park End St
OX1 1HH
1-6pm (Thursdays – Saturdays only)
This exhibition brings together portrait photographs which have been collected as part of a community archiving project led by The Oxfordshire Community Education Group. The images reflect the lives created as the Windrush generation arrived and settled in Oxford, making critical contributions to the life of the city through their work.
https://fusion-arts.org/whats-on/windrush-years-portraits-of-a-generation-who-rebuilt-britain
Visions of Psychedelics
By Eddie Jacobs and Adam Isfendiyar
Monday 25 Nov – Sunday 1 December
Opening Times
11am-4pm
Venue
Season pop-up venue, 33-35 Little Clarendon Street Oxford
Tickets
FREE, Just drop in
https://oxfordculturalprogramme.org.uk/event/visions-of-psychedelics/
- General photographic interest
See the amazing International Landscape Photographer of the Year winners
International Landscape Photographer of the Year has announced the winners of their 11th competition! The overall winner, decided based on a portfolio submission of at least 4 images, is Andrew Mielzynski, with Ryohei Irie awarded International Landscape Photograph of the Year.
80s Britain: landmark exhibition presents pivotal moment in photography
This autumn sees the launch of a major new book and exhibition devoted to examining the multiplicities of photography during 1980s Britain. Peter Dench finds out more
Who are the shellsuit boys in image that captures the 1980s? New Tate Britain show solves mystery
Friends who posed for celebrated photographer Ingrid Pollard in 1989 are reunited for new picture 35 years later
A life of hard work on the hills of a Welsh valley – photo essay
Photographic reportage exploring the traditions, life and history of upland farmers in Wales, and the modern forces that threaten their generational way of life
‘They are the last community people are openly racist about’: Sam Wright on his tender portraits of Travellers
From family life to fairground glamour, across Ireland and the UK, the photographer wanted to show a different side to a group whose way of life is dying out