Waverley Camera Club

This Sunday 26 February, 2012 will be the next official club outing, this time to the RAAF Museum in Point Cook for their Air Pageant.

Entry is free and the gates open at 9am with the flying display running from 1pm until 4:30pm.

I was there two years ago, so have a look at a selection of my photos to get an idea of what you will see.

Things to note:

• Get there early (although the flying display doesn’t start until 1pm) so we can claim some space along the flight line.
• The is no seating in the viewing area, and very little elsewhere, please ensure you bring along a chair.
• Along with no seating, there is very little shade, don’t forget sunscreen and a hat.
• There should be enough of us to allow some to remain with the chairs, while others photograph the static displays in the morning.
• There should be vendors with take away food and drink, otherwise bring your own.

See you on Sunday,
Stephen

The next camera club outing is on Sunday the 5th of February at Williamstown. Be mindful please this is a sunrise shoot which means it happens very early in the morning, yes even while it is still dark! Bring along a sturdy tripod, a remote shutter release, and a torch.

We will meet at the intersection of The Strand and Stevedore Street in Williamstown at 5:45am. Sunrise is at 6:38am with first light at 6:09am.

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1. Bring a TRIPOD because there are long shutter speeds involved, some people may have a spare one with them if anyone doesn’t have a tripod and others might be able to share if required.
2. There is more to shoot than just the sun, it will be hectic from first light to sunrise and for about an hour afterwards. Don’t forget to look behind you as well for the suns light on subjects.
3. We will be looking at the sunrise over the city (or fairly close to it) and there may be hot air balloons over the city to photograph as well.
4. Please be there promptly and leave in plenty of time as there is always shots to be taken before the sun comes up.
5. Also if the moon is out like last year, twilight is the best time to take shots of it so if that interests you, see Pete or Dave and we’ll help you with it.
6. We usually look for some breakfast at a café afterwards so if you don’t want to cart sandwiches etc. you are more than welcome to join us.
7. Even if it looks cloudy there may still be a good sunrise so don’t be put off by the weather 40 km away at home. If it is cloudy and rainy when we get there, then we’ll have a great WCC breakfast together instead.

I am sorry I have waited so long to get this out to you all.

Cheers and have a great day!

UPDATE: We have found out that Citylink will be closed from Toorak Road until 9am on Sunday morning, an alternate route such as Dandenong Road should be considered.

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Just because I was somewhat successful with a couple of my rodeo images last year, I have been looking at the rodeo calendar for some days now in an effort to repeat the performance. There is plenty of rodeo activity happening right here in Victoria – this month, next month and in fact right up until March 2012. So here’s the thing – do we as a club want to go to a rodeo specifically to make images?

If we are, then I am prepared to try to get us some nice seats in a prime position! If we, collectively, are not interested then Rosie and I will go together, as we do anyway. Here are some dates (though we cant go in January!)

January
28th – Cranbourne

February
11th – Kyabram
25th – Whittlesea

March
9th – Kyabram
10th – Merrijiig(?)
17th – Cockatoo

… now this is all I know so if you want to go as a group let me know and I will do some research. Find a contact, butter it up, and see what happens.

Rosie and I joined 14 other WCC members and their guests on the final Sunday outing for the year to Werribee Open Range Zoo – Yes there were 16 of us including new members Paul Spence and John Ho, and several guests; husbands, wives and in-laws. It was a cold, almost wet, windy Club Outing – what more would we have expected!!!

Image by Andy & Rosie Armitage

Undaunted, and by the good offices of Mary McLean who organised us all into the 11.10am bus, we all sat together each with a window and we took pictures to our hearts content. Of course the first thing we did given the overcast conditions, was to re-set our ISO ratings – some to ‘auto’ others up to 400. Some of us even remembered Andrew Harrison mentioning the other night that an overcast sky can take the place of a soft-box and did nothing with ISO ratings.

Image by Andy & Rosie Armitage

After the interesting safari ride into a wet and dull African Savanna on which we were able to spot Hippo, Zebra, Giraffe, Rhinos we went for a walk into the jungle seeing many other animals such as Cheetah, Lions, monkeys, African Wild Dogs. Later we had some well deserved lunch and another walk to look at kangaroos and emus. It was long after 3.00pm when the afternoon ended and we headed home. And as we drove home, guess what? the sun came out to give us the feeling of quiet contentment, we had indeed spent a warm day on the African Weldt.

Image by Andy & Rosie Armitage

I hope you had a great day and learned some photography tips and techniques. We also hope that you can be with us next year when we have our first Sunday Outing for 2012 – Daybreak at Williamstown on the 5th of February. Pray for some sunshine and a great sunrise, see you at the End of Year Night.

Cheers Andy

The next scheduled Sunday outing and the last before Christmas and maybe even for the year, will be to Werribee Open Range Zoo on the 4th of December.

If everyone who said they would like come actually is able to come it promises to be a great WCC turn out. Check your iPods and iPhones for the weather. I only hope the weather will hold out for us. Rosie and I will try to be there by 10.30am, however if we are not, buy your tickets and go on the first available bus. The theory is that animals get sleepy as the day goes on, we dont have to look too far.

These outings are not designed to be either workshops or outdoor classrooms folks but rather another opportunity for us to get to know each other, get together as people with a similar interest, exchange ideas, show off our kit and take some pictures too.

In the past the experienced shooters at WCC have been on hand, and eager, to help us mere mortals; Sometimes with a small but important detail that goes on to make us better image makers in the long run; words like “Dont lean on your tripod Andy it makes shakey pictures” still ring in my ears everytime I go out with a tripod, so dont U feel bad about asking for advice.

There will be at least one great natural history, macro and black & white shooter ‘On Safari’ with us although getting an admission might be difficult, and a member of your club.

The cost of this little jaunt is what U want to make it. There is a charge for entering the zoo ($25.40 per adult, or less) and I understand this includes a 45 minute ride through the park in a safari bus that supposedly takes as many as 40 people. Rosie and I plan to take our lunch so do bring yours too if U like – but there is a cafe where U can buy lunch, drinx, souvenirs and stuff. I dont think there will be room on the bus to take and use a tripod effectively but there is no harm in carrying your tripod if it doesnt weigh too much, U never know when U will need it.

So see U all there on Sunday and dont forget spare batteries.

Cheers Andy