Thurso Camera Club members will look to the night sky during autumn and winter season
Members of Thurso Camera Club will be taking the opportunity to try some night-time photography as their autumn/winter season gets under way.
Club outings are planned, including some evening sessions, while Zoom will continue to be used for meetings and for presentations from professional photographers.
With restrictions easing, the club is hopeful that face-to-face meetings will resume before too long in the Pentland Hotel and that 2021/22 can be a more normal season.
During the summer, club members were out and about photographing areas of historic and natural beauty across Caithness, with chairperson Colin Campbell on hand to offer the benefit of his knowledge and experience.
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8 / 8Over the last weekend in June several members visited medieval Buchollie Castle, perched high on an east Caithness cliff. “What a View, Buchollie Castle" by Colin Campbell and “The Castle” by Jason Ridgley are examples of images taken on the day.
The following week, on an evening trip to Dunnet beach, an overcast sky meant members were able to develop their skills in different light conditions. Jean Mackay’s image of “The Club Gathering” and Alisdair Mackechnie’s “The Heart of the Sea” each give a different perspective of the day.
On July 19, Danny Green gave a presentation of his personal and professional development as a wildlife photographer. He described some of his photographic techniques, particularly around the Arctic Circle – an example of which shown in his image entitled “Polar Bears”.
Danny gave valuable feedback as external judge for the club’s July competition, entitled Bird Life. First place went to Ruthie Nicolls for “Puffin Head". Danny said: “I really like the composition chosen for this image – it is unusual and very brave. Just enough of the colourful beak is on show and all your attention is drawn to that wonderful eye.”
Richard Griffith was second with “Barn Owl in Flight”. Danny commented: “The choice of black and white is spot-on for this picture which really shows that great black background which then highlights this beautiful barn owl.”
Third place went to Grant Coghill with “Puffin with Sand Eels”. The competition judge remarked: “A really good effort to capture this as it is not easy to get an image of a puffin carrying sand eels. The wings spread out is a nice bonus to the final image.”
The club's final summer outing on August 28 was to Dirlot Castle, near Westerdale by the River Thurso – another area with an interesting history and great photographic opportunities. Images taken there include “Dirlot” in black and white by Richard Griffith and “Pool View” by Julie Catterall.