Magazine of the Eastern Suburbs Photographic Society Inc No A19507Y

Volume 48 Issue 4

April 2015 My Dream Boat: Ingrid Makowski

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 2

President’s Report Wim van Eijk Calendar

April 2015

Date TBA

4CLUB Interclub Compe((on

~ Friday 17 April

FORMAT available online

8pm Wednesday 22 April

Compe((on Mee(ng: Open

Entries Close: May comp “Eyes”

May 2015

Tuesday 5 May

Commi,ee Mee(ng

8pm Wednesday 13 May

General Mee(ng

Deadline for FORMAT submissions

Wednesday 20 May

FORMAT available online

TBA

VAPS Conven(on

8pm Wednesday 27 May

Compe((on Mee(ng: “Eyes”

Entries Close: June Open comp

It has been another month gone by

with the well organised “Watercra4”

compe((on. According to the judge,

the overall winning image of the night

was Ian Stuart’s image of a ferry,

which received a High Dis(nc(on.

Well done Ian! Curiously that same

image had not even received a mere

credit by the judge in a previous

compe((on. It shows, if at first you

don't succeed, try another judge.

At the general mee(ng in March,

because the planned drone man due

to force majeure couldn’t make it, we

had an excellent impromptu

presenta(on by Des Lowe on panning

of speeding objects: racing cars at

Phillip Island.

We have also just had the well-

a,ended orchid shoot on April 8.

Thank you Dieter and Astrid Weise.

Thank you also to Bill Bo,eril and

Joseph Maher for bringing the black

backdrops. There were about 38 or

so different orchids on display, which

gave everyone an excellent

opportunity to prac(ce their macro-

skills. The size ranged from a few mm

across to a few cm across.

We have had to re-organise a few

things in the background, one of

which is the contact emails, these are

now owned by ESPS instead of an

individual. We will let you know the

new emails

shortly.

The new

webmaster is Ian Arno,, who has

streamlined the website but has

maintained the previous appearance

and feel. Thank you for stepping into

the breach, Ian.

Unfortunately we have lost a

commi,ee member, our librarian

Sandra Ireland, due to changed

personal circumstances. Thank you

Sandra for your past effort in obtaining

and maintaining our books.

This month will be the Open Comp -

good luck to all entrants.

2015 Set Subjects

March: Watercra4

May: Eye(s)

July*: Unloved man-made object

September: A Portrait

November: Reflec(ons

*Koonung Woodturners Award

Wanted: articles and photos for FORMAT each month

We need your photos for the front page and last page of FORMAT each month.

The last page is our Members’ Gallery, showcasing our talents as a club and

sharing our images with each other. They don’t have to be compe((on

photographs.

As well as photos, send in ar(cles about a photography trip you’ve been on (or a

trip where you took photos!). Or about special types of photography that you do,

or anything photography-related.

Send photos and ar(cles to esps.format@gmail.com .

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 3

Format is two or three days late this month,

so apologies if you went to the web site

looking for it on Wednesday 15 April. Since

the last edi(on, I’ve been away in Tasmania

for two weeks with clubMINI (and taking

about a year’s worth of Open compe((on

photos!) and helping with the wedding of

one of my sons in three weeks’ (me. Next

month’s edi(on should be on (me on the

third Wednesday of the month.

The Tasmania trip also reminded me of the

importance of persis(ng with photography

plans, even if the weather appears

uninvi(ng. Many people aim to take their

photographs on bright sunny days with blue

skies and co,on-wool clouds. More serious

folk are perhaps looking for the crystal

ligh(ng of clear sunrises or sunsets.

You probably already know that it is o4en

cloudy — or even be,er, stormy —

weather which can produce some of the

more spectacular photos.

But some(mes you don’t know what you

will find when you head out for

photography. That was certainly the case

for me in Tasmania. Travelling with a

group with a par(ally pre-planned

i(nerary, I couldn’t always choose my

photography days or (mes. Further on in

this magazine you’ll see my photos of

Cradle Mountain. There was one day

available to travel there from Strahan and

it was raining over the whole western half

of Tasmania! But I went anyway – three

hours each way on narrow, rain-soaked

highways with huge mining trucks and

patchy fog. I was delighted to be able to

see Cradle Mountain at all on arrival! My

son and I sat in the car, in the rain, ea(ng

our lunch while we took it in. Then, for

less than an hour, the clouds parted, a

fiMul sun shone on the dus(ng of snow on

the mountain, a rare patch of blue

appeared in the sky, and it was just

perfect for photos. Then the rain closed

in again.

It happened again the next day on a

cruise on the Gordon River. It rained un(l

we boarded the boat , but by the (me we

entered the river the rain had stopped,

the river had its famous reflec(ons —and

mist was rising from the surrounding

valleys. Again, picture-perfect, but

impossible to predict in the earlier rain.

Tasmania also provided me with

reminders about persistence. From

Hobart CBD, Mt Wellington looked clear –

but by the (me we reached it 40 minutes

later it was 6 degrees, totally fogged in

and the rain was horizontal. We made

(me the next day to squeeze in a second

a,empt — and got

the best

photography

weather I’ve ever

encountered there.

Likewise, a second a,empt at Cradle

Mountain—a quick dash up to the lookout

while the rest of the party stopped at the

nearby photography gallery — was

rewarded with possibly the first (me

anyone in ESPS has photographed Cradle

Mountain in blue sky and sunshine.

So it’s worth heading out for photography

even if the weather seems uninvi(ng. It

can change so fast in places like Tasmania

— or Melbourne of course. And you

already knew persistence can pay off, but

it’s nice to be reminded it can happen.

This year, April is bookended by two

sacrifices: Easter and Anzac Day.

Both provided freedom. Anzac Day, and

military engagements a4er it, have kept

Australia free for a hundred years – and

hopefully many more to come. Easter has

offered freedom forever, without end.

But there is an important difference. We

gain the benefits of Anzac Day simply by

living in this country. The benefits of Easter

are offered freely, but are not ours un(l we

consciously decide to accept them.

Editorial Peter Williams

Hobart & Derwent Valley: Peter Williams 20-image s(tched panorama with AutoPano Pro. Rain showers at right.

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 4

Congratula(ons to all award recipients

in the March 'Watercra4'

compe((on. The entries covered a

wide variety of watercra4 in all states

of repair and disrepair, and the wide

spread of awards given is testament to

the quality of the images entered.

Many thanks to Jeff Rowe for his

judging and insighMul comments.

Secondly, please note that the email

address for submission of compe((on

entries is now changing. Entrants will

have no(ced that emails from the

compe((on steward have, up (ll

now, come out under the name of

Bob Thomas who did a good job of

seQng up much of the club's IT

infrastructure. However it would be

preferable if the compe((on

communica(on was to be done under

the name of the club and so we have

set up the following email address

under the club's name to be used for

submiQng entries from now on.

compe((ons.esps@gmail.com

Please use this address for all future

submissions.

Entries that have already been

submi,ed to the old address will s(ll

be processed. If you submit an entry

for the May "Eyes" compe((on to the

old address, it will be forwarded to

the new address,

and you will

receive a reminder email to use the

new address for future submissions.

Entries for the June "Open"

compe((on should be submi,ed to the

new compe((on address.

Competition Report Chris Burt

Competition Steward

New Member’s View Ani Zetzmann

Ani kindly offered this take on her

introduc�on to ESPS. Hopefully there

are a couple of helpful hints for new

members - and reminders for

established members on how new

members can be supported.

Believe it or not...I am a very shy

member of ESPS and when I was a

“New Member” of ESPS it was

daun(ng —with a love of

photography, an amateur, but not

sure of the expecta(ons of ESPS and

members.

I'm sure there are many reasons why

New Members join. They may be

accomplished photographers and

enjoy the challenge. They might even

enjoy the ac(vity and to them it is an

important part of social inclusion.

And like me - my friend Julie brought

me along to meet like-minded people

and to meet new friends.

It’s not easy to challenge yourself as a

New Member. It would be

a beneficial exercise to ask those

members in the club whose images

inspire you for assistance and, with

their support, enter one or two of

your images. They can sit down with

you and go through the guidelines

(being an amateur myself, the

guidelines were very helpful) and you

can ask ques(ons one on one. Just

take the first step!

Also there was a 'New Members' get-

together that I had the opportunity to

a,end. It was so welcoming. I will

always remember my introduc(on into

ESPS.

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 5

Ken Gosbell

Chasing the Dragons Words and photos:

One of the greatest joys I get from

photography is when I am observing

and photographing the natural world.

O4en my subjects are birds, but I have

had a long (me apprecia(on of

invertebrates, be they bu,erflies or

dragonflies (and damselflies) and the

like. Dragonflies are par(cularly

beau(ful animals with their variety of

forms, colours and behaviour.

To make the most of the last days of

summer I went to one of my favourite

spots on the Yarra River just beyond

Warburton on Labour Day, 9 March.

There were several ac(ve species,

although fewer than at high summer.

Here are some of the images I took on

that day. Most of these are of the

Bronze Needletail (Synlestes weyersii)

– a very appropriate name for this

insect with a body of bronze that

shines in the sun. The startling blue

one is a Whitewater Rockmaster

(Diphlebia lestoides). The Yellow

Striped Hunter was taken in

December.

I use a telephoto lens

to take most

dragonfly photos.

Like all nature, the

most important thing

to do is spend some

(me observing their

behaviour before

firing off any shots.

A4er a while you will

find they are

reasonably

predictable and, with

luck, you get some startling

shots of these gems.

If you are interested I have an album of dragonflies at

h,p://www.pbase.com/kenimages/dragonflies .

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 6

Peter Williams Cradle Mountain in 4 Moods

2.13pm Thursday

All photos

These photos were taken on 26th and 28th

of March 2015, showing how quickly the

weather changes and snow melts in

Tasmania—and (Thursday) why you should

always go and take photos even if it’s

raining for 3 hours there and 3 hours back!

2.45pm Thursday

3.19pm Thursday

1.25pm Saturday

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 7

Theme: Watercraft

Judge: Jeff Rowe March Competition Awards

Colour Print - A

HD Anna Berger Castaway Boat

D Thomas Lyons Night Shi4

D Jenny Vass Night Fisherman

C Paul Nador Thai Boats

C Chris Burt I would rather be in bed

C Wim van Eijk Blairgowrie

C Paul Nador Moored

C Jenny Vass Oyster Barge

C Thomas Lyons Rigging

Colour Print - B

HD Ian Stuart Cruising

D Jeff Malley Farewell Melbourne

C Ian Stuart Your Next Ride on the Li River

Colour Projected

Image - A

HD Ingrid Makowski My Dream Boat

D Ingrid Makowski The Fishermen & their Boat

D Anna Berger Re(red And Forgo,en

C Ros Osborne Someones Pride & Joy

C Ros Osborne Going Fishing

C Roger Vass GeQng an Overhaul

C Jenny Vass Just Cruising Along

C Evelyn Ware Big Sky

C Bill Bo,erill Fast Landing

C Bill Bo,erill Marina Money

C Ken Gosbell Into the wind

C Graham Phillips Water Taxis

C Thomas Lyons Idiot

C Chris Burt CuQng it Fine

C Anna Berger Reflec(ng on Re(rement

Colour Projected

Image - B

D Astrid Weise Outward bound

D Wirut Khemnak Water-font

D Astrid Weise Morning tow

C Ian Stuart Out Of The Fog Came

C Ivan Tnay Tied up

C Alan Mackinlay Balancing Act

C Jeff Malley In Praise Of Ship Restora(on

C Wirut Khemnak On The River

C Richard Gay Riverside chat

C Trixie Corless In The Morning Mist

C Craig Lindley Ready to Go

Monochrome Print

D David Edwards CX349

C Evelyn Ware Paddle Steamer

Monochrome

Projected Image - A

C Peter Williams Leaving Port

Monochrome

Projected Image - B

C Jeff Malley Sorrento Evening

Small Print

C Astrid Weise A Tight Squeeze

Cruising: Ian Stuart

Night Shi4: Thomas Lyons

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 8

March Competition Awards

Castaway Boat: Anna Berger

Theme: Watercraft

Judge: Jeff Rowe

My Dream Boat: Ingrid Makowski

Night Fisherman: Jenny Vass

Farewell Melbourne: Jeff Malley

Outward Bound: Astrid Weise

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 9

March Competition Awards

CX349: David Edwards

Theme: Watercraft

Judge: Jeff Rowe

The Fishermen and their Boat: Ingrid Makowski

Re(red and Forgo,en: Anna Berger

Waterfront: Wirut Khemnak

Morning Tow: Astrid Weise

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 10

How I Didn’t Do It We welcome contribu�ons from

place-ge#ers. Email up to 200 words to

esps.format@gmail.com .

Portrait Tips

A very useful link for the upcoming Portrait topic is here:

h,p://news.smugmug.com/2015/02/06/8-rules-to-remember-that-make-more-

powerful-portraits/

Back Button Focus

Wim has recommended an ar(cle on back-bu,on focus. He writes:

“It highlights an aspect of what I use when taking photos of a subject that doesn't

move out of focus: the back bu,on focus op(on.

“It's useful because normally, when you let go a4er a taking a shot and you want to

take another, the camera refocusses, but by (not) using the back bu,on it just

takes the shot.

“It's great for nature photography and other purposes.”

You can read the ar(cle here: h,p://digital-photography-school.com/back-bu,on-

focus-what-is-it-and-why-should-you-try-it/.

Don’t Be Afraid of Manual Focus

There are some situa(ons where it’s really good to be able to confidently focus

your camera manually. Wim has suggested an excellent ar(cle on how to do it—

and why and when you might want to.

h,p://digital-photography-school.com/dont-afraid-manual-focus/

Unfortunately, no one sent me any “How I Did It” ar(cles this month.

If you gain a High Dis7nc7on or Dis7nc7on for an image, it would be greatly

appreciated if you could jot down a few notes about how you took the photo, what

if any post-processing you performed and anything else interes(ng to others about

the photo.

A key goal of the club is to support each other in improving our photography. If

you receive an HD or D, then there are definitely things others can learn from you.

Please write just a few sentences and send them to esps.format@gmail.com.

For Sale

A friend of mine dropped and broke his

camera, an APS-C model. He replaced it

with a full-frame camera—and several of

his Sigma lenses don’t work on full-frame.

I’ve already bought his 10-20mm wide-

angle zoom—in top condi(on like all his

lenses.

He s(ll has for sale a Sigma HSM 30mm

f/1.4 prime lens, Canon mount. Obviously

for non-full-frame cameras. He bought it

new in 2011 and it has rarely been used (he

has quite a few lenses!) $200.

He also has a ba,ery grip for a Canon 7D

for $80.

If you’re interested, call me on

0431 500 006 and I’ll put you in touch with

him.

Peter Williams

Deadline for FORMAT

The deadline for submissions and

reports to include in FORMAT is the

General Mee(ng night, the second

Wednesday each month.

FORMAT will be published on the ESPS

web site by the third Wednesday each

month.

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 11

Official Information

Eastern Suburbs Photographic Society

Inc No A19507Y

PO Box 187, Forest Hill VIC 3131

Web: www.esps.org.au

Email: admin@esps.org.au

Complete details of the Society’s mee(ngs

and compe((on program can be found in

the Society’s published program on our

website, with updates published in this

magazine from (me to (me. Further infor-

ma(on about the Society may also be

found on our website or enquiry email

(both above) or by contac(ng the appropri-

ate Officer from the list of contacts provid-

ed elsewhere in this magazine.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this magazine

are not necessarily those of the Society. The Society

does not accept responsibility for those opinions nor

the accuracy of any statements appearing in this

journal.

President Wim van Eijk president@esps.org.au

Deputy President Des Lowe

Secretary Alan Mackinlay esps.clubsecretary@gmail.com

Treasurer Joseph Maher esps.treasurer@gmail.com

Compe((on Steward Chris Burt compe((ons.esps@gmail.com

for submi'ng digital compe��on

entries and copies of print entries

Interclub Compe((on

Steward

We need

someone!

esps.interclub@gmail.com

[FORMAT Editor] Peter Williams esps.format@gmail.com

2015 ESPS Office Bearers — Committee and [others]

[Webmaster] Ian Arno, webmaster@esps.org.au

General Commi,ee

Members

More posi�ons

vacant

Social Secretary Astrid Weise with Ani Zetzmann

Minute Secretary Stephen Evere,

General (Club)

Mee(ngs Coordinator

We need

someone!

Librarian We need

someone!

Membership Officer Des Lowe

Meet & Greet Joseph Maher with Ani Zetzmann

Membership Fees

$60 pa—Full adult membership.

$55 pa—Each addi(onal family member or partner

living at the same residence as the full member.

$50 pa—Students and holders of a Commonwealth

Government Concession Card.

Payment Methods

By Bank Transfer

BSB: 633000

Account: 131803314

Account Name: Eastern Suburbs Photographic

Society

In the reference field please insert your last name.

Please send a confirma(on to Treasurer:

esps.treasurer@gmail.com

Other method

Cash brought to a mee(ng of the Society and paid

to the Treasurer.

ESPS meets at the

Pines Senior Ci7zens Centre,

25 Central Road, Blackburn

(Melway Map 48 A10)

General Mee(ng

2nd Wednesday each month (not Jan)

Compe((on Mee(ng

4th Wednesday each month (not Dec)

All photos appearing in the Format

magazine and on the ESPS web site are

copyright of their respec(ve

photographers and may not be used or

reproduced elsewhere without

permission.

Please contact the Secretary or President

if you wish to be put in contact with a

photographer about reuse of an image.

ESPS FORMAT - Volume 48 - Issue 4 - April 2015 Page 12

ESPS Member Gallery If you would like to share one of your own special images—not necessarily a

compe((on entry—or to nominate another member’s image for inclusion, let us

know at esps.format@gmail.com.

For my Bower: David Simcox

Eilan Donan: Stephen EvereB Just Cruising Along: Jenny Vass

Ready to Go: Craig Lindley Going Fishing: Ros Osborne