[QueensPhoto] budget and new project!

[O.J. Beardon]

Good evening all!

I hope you have had a good weekend and managed to avoid the drunken brawls 
last night, sounded suspiciously like carnage!

We have a decided it is time to tackle the theme of 'portraits and people' 
as the May week exhibition was very landscape/travel based. It may seem a 
confined theme at first, but portraits and people can be approached in very 
different ways. For example with a posed subject, you can choose to use the 
soft flattering light from a north facing window, or harsh dramatic direct 
sunlight; which you choose can depend on who the subject is and what effect 
you are after. Then you can choose to make it an intimate, closely composed 
head shot, or a full length figure taking in some of the setting, or 
something in between. Think about the angle you take it from, does it have 
to follow the rules? You could even go out looking for interesting people 
to photgraph in public, (just don't get arrested!) The market might be 
good, try to show some of the life. Some of the best pictures of people are 
spontaneous moments caught unawares... If you really want to bend the 
rules, a portrait need not always be of a person, animals or even satues 
could count, but they must show the spirit of the subject.

If anyone needs some B&W film, I've got some you can have - if you want to 
use the darkroom, this is a good place to start! More on that soon.

THE BORING BIT: We had a meeting today, and have sorted out our budget 
request for the year. As so many people now are using digital cameras, we 
decided that injet paper and ink would be a good idea, could be used for 
some of the printing for an exhibition maybe. The ususal darkroom supplies 
of paper, chemicals and film are also allowed for. As for equipment, I have 
budgeted for a new enlarger lens to allow the use of medium format cameras 
as well as 35mm, and a new tripod for the society; apparently there was one 
once, but it appears to have made a three-legged run for it. Suspicious.

Any questions about anything, give me a bell! (ojb28) Meanwhile, happy 
photographing until our next meeting in two or three weeks time!

Oliver