Category Archives: Meetings

Group Meeting 6/5/14

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Ann Marie Collins speaks to the Group by Denis Barry

We were delighted to welcome Ann-Marie Collins L.I.P.F. as our guest speaker at The Midleton Park Hotel on Tuesday 6/5/14. A former member of ECCG, Ann-Marie has recently turned professional specialising in Custom Newborn Photography. As a mother of two herself, she appreciates how fast baby’s first few weeks go by and decided that she would capture those precious memories in her East Cork studio for parents to treasure for a lifetime. Her passion for this genre of photography is evident even in how she speaks about the subject not to mind the exquisite photography she produces.

Ann Marie presented a slide show of some of her work which you can see on her website here. The variety of poses and props were amazing while all her subjects seemed quite at home posing for the camera! It was a revelation to hear that sessions can take several hours to complete but considering her passion to get it just right, it was not surprising. She also showed some wall hangings in canvas and other materials as well as albums and prints which really show off her subjects well.

Newborn photography is a particularly sought after service so if you want Ann-Marie to perform her magic on your newborn, don’t wait until baby arrives as you will be too late. Contact her studio some months ahead of time to ensure your booking.

See Ann-Marie’s website here. Find her on Facebook here. You can contact Ann-Maire here.

Our next speaker was Mervyn Daly who demonstrated the art of mounting photographs for framing or exhibition/competition. A delicate operation in its own right, Mervyn covered the subject in detail showing all the tricks involved to get a perfectly mounted image.

The Group were delighted to welcome three new members at the meeting and look forward to working with them and seeing their work in the months ahead.

 

Group Meeting – 15/4/14

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Last night’s meeting at the Midleton Park Hotel saw another packed agenda and among the large attendance we were delighted to welcome three new members.

The main speaker of the night was railway enthusiast, Finbarr O’Neill, who showed his slideshow of various railway-related images captured all over the island of Ireland with both diesel and steam engines represented as well as some interesting railway architecture and engineering works. Finbarr spoke about the best places to photograph on the various railways around the country and also of outings by the steam preservation societies during which it’s possible to make classic steam locomotive shots. Good pre-planning and a little bit of luck would seem to be the main requirements for this type of photography. You can see some of Finbarr’s images at his Flickr page here.

Following Finbarr were Group members Karen Fleming and Finbarr O’Shea who presented slideshows of their own featuring macro, portraiture, landscapes and seascapes.

A mini bring and buy sale, held while teas and coffees were served, saw some brisk trading that would rival any scene in the Coal Quay or Moore St. – nothing like the chance of a bargain to get the blood flowing!

Thanks to all the speakers, those in attendance and The Midleton Park Hotel for a great evening.

 

Group Meeting – 1/4/14

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The Group meeting held on 1/4/14 was in the Midleton Park Hotel. The packed schedule included a review of the recent SACC competition in Kilkenny, the Group’s current exhibition at Trabolgan Holiday Centre, the unboxing of a 24″x16″ Alumini Print from Loxley Colour, a review of recent shoots and a slide show by Group member, Kevin Murphy.

Kevin’s slideshow consisted of images made in Calcutta, India while on a Street Photography Workshop there with the Hope Foundation. While bringing home the abject poverty of the people there, his images were captivating, stunning, educational, sometimes sad and sometimes not. Kevin hopes to put an exhibition together at some stage in aid of the Hope Foundation and will be writing a post for this blog on his trip featuring some of his images in the near future.

 

 

David and Michael Hegarty

The members at last Tuesday nights Group meeting were treated to two great talks as David and Michael Hegarty (no relation), took the floor.

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David Hegarty is an amateur photographer based in Cork. Self taught, his photographic interests are wide, varying from Landscape to Events and most genres in between. His presentation was an eclectic mix of colour and gesture, heavily influenced by his close association with the artist community in Cork City. His images of new bands and DJs performing in Cork showed a great command of the use of flash while ‘dragging the shutter’ to mix in the ambient light and was an interesting insight into the nightlife of the city.

David’s presentation was fresh and interesting and was very well received by the Group. We are delighted that he took the time to share his photography and knowledge with us and we look forward to working with him again. See David’s Flickr Gallery here.

ECCG member, Michael Hegarty, had the difficult and unenviable job of following David with a short presentation of his own.

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Though he rates himself as a beginner with little technical knowledge, his images betrayed a ‘keen eye’ for a photograph which, arguably, outweighs any technical ‘know-how’.

Behind everyone of Michael’s images was a story, a place and a reason why each one was taken. With images from Cork to the U.S., Europe and beyond, Michael’s presentation was enjoyable and informative and rounded off the night on a high note. Well done Michael.

 

 

Sensor Cleaning with Finbarr O’Shea

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Finbarr O’Shea demonstrates Camera Sensor Cleaning

The very thought of personally cleaning the sensor of a digital camera is enough to send some camera owners into a state of shock and physical sickness such is the fear of causing lasting damage to this delicate and vital part of the photographic process. Not so for ECCG member, Finbarr O’Shea, who always cleans his own cameras’ sensors using both wet and dry methods.

Finbarr tried to dispel the fear by giving a demonstration of how he goes about the process at the first Group meeting of 2014 at the Midleton Park Hotel on Tuesday 7/1/14.

Using surprisingly little kit, Finbarr went through the various steps of the process from using a blower brush to dislodge dust and free debris from the mirror box and sensor to using swabs, perfectly matched to the size of the camera’s sensor, along with a few drops of cleaning fluid to perform a wet clean for more stubborn dirt.

It was indeed a revelation as to how simple an operation it can be. However, a word of warning: this is not for the faint-hearted and should not be attempted by those unsure or not proficient in the process as lasting damage could be caused to the camera which could require a costly repair.

Members click here for more details.