ECCG Symmetry Competition

Tuesday 11/2/14 was competition night for ECCG with the judging of the first competition of the year which had the theme, ‘Symmetry’. Twenty three entries were received and were varied in their interpretation of the theme. From clinical, geometric patterns to architecture and animals, they were all there.

Following a vote and some intense number crunching, the results were announced as follows:

Above photographs of the winners and runners up with Chariperson, Denis Barry by Finbarr O’Shea and Fidelma Read.

See all entries below. Mouse over the image to activate the control buttons.

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Well done to all who entered and to the worthy winners and runners up who each receive 12, 10 and 8 points, respectively, in each grade, towards the 2014 Photographer of the Year Competition. Well done also to the Competitions sub-committee comprising Mervyn Daly, Adrian Newcombe, Fidelma Read and Gráinne Davies who devised the competition, grading and marking schemes for 2014.

 

 

Loxley Colour: Unboxing & Mini Review

UK-based photographer, retoucher and trainer, Glyn Dewis recently took delivery of an Alumini print and canvas print which he ordered a few days earlier from Loxley Colour in Glasgow. In the impromptu video below, Glyn, in a scene reminiscent of Christmas morning, practically tears through the packaging to get at the goodies inside. With his palpable enthusiasm and the obvious high quality of the finished products, I’m inclined to get an order in to Loxleys immediately – watch this space!

Cork Camera Group Exhibitions

Our friends in neighbouring Cork Camera Group are really busy at the moment. Not only is their annual exhibition currently running but they also host the exhibition of the 1st Cork International Salon of Photography on Saturday next, 8/2/14.

Cork Camera Group Exhibition 2014

Cork Camera Group Exhibition 2014

Their annual exhibition opened on Tuesday 4/2/14 at the Cork Vision Centre, North Main St., Cork and will be open to the public to the 21st February. Opening times are Tuesday – Saturday: 10am – 5pm and admission is free. Around 75 images are on display and, as the press release says, they “present a veritable cornucopia of portraits, land and seascapes, wildlife and travel images” with some macro, nude and abstract also in the mix.

Suitably surrounding an extensive model of Cork City, the exhibition is magnificent and inspiring. Make sure you put it on your calendar. Details here.

Cork International Salon of Photography

Meanwhile, the exhibition of the 1st Cork International Salon of Photography, awards ceremony and gala dinner takes place on Saturday February 8th at the Clarion Hotel in Cork City. In addition to the exhibition running throughout the day, several photography seminars, a trade show and a fantastic opportunity for a fun photo shoot for individuals, couples, friends, families etc have been organised. Also, if you bring your camera along, there will be an opportunity available to take some images with an experienced agency model as Pulse Models & Events Management will be present on the day. Get full details here.

Seminars

Schedule:

9am Seminar Macro Magic
Discover the magic of the miniature world as two macro experts share their knowledge – with Jason Town AIPF AFIAP & Niamh Whitty FIPF ARPS
11am Seminar Portrait Lighting Techniques
Watch and learn as Michael O’Sullivan FIPF FRPS demonstrates various portrait lighting techniques
2pm Seminar The Importance of Make-up Art in Photography
Learn the importance of photographic make-up in the creation of the best beauty, fashion & fantasy images with make-up artist Noreen O’Connor who specialises in photographic make-up
4pm Seminar Printing Demonstration
Looking for picture perfect prints from your printer? Allow one of the experts to guide you through the printing process as Michael O’Sullivan shares his secrets to perfection
7pm Awards Ceremony Awards ceremony
8pm Gala Dinner Book by Feb 5th
9am-late Exhibtion The exhibition itself will run throughout the day and evening, starting at 9am.
9am-5pm Trade Show Trade stands open from 9am-5pm

This type of event is exactly what the photography community in the south needs and we congratulate CCG on their efforts. It has something for everyone and deserving of everyone’s full support. See you there!

Shoot at Youghal on 26/1/14

ECCG shoot Youghal-8230With a Code Orange weather warning in place for most of the West and South of the country for Sunday 26/1/14, it was touch and go whether another ECCG shoot would succumb to the wintry weather conditions of 2014 so far. However, following early morning consultations with various weather forecasters it was felt that Youghal might have a chance of a reasonably good day so the shoot was ‘on’.

Seven members turned out at the Walter Raleigh Hotel, Youghal in a windy but dry morning and with high tide due at 12.48pm and a 50kph wind blowing, the sea was already raging against the rocky shoreline – a sure draw for eager photographers.

FOS Youghal. 097-3

Finbarr O’Shea

Following the short walk to the lighthouse, we descended the many steps to the ‘diving rocks’ where it seemed someone had taken the time to construct ideal photography platforms for us and, with the tide surging only feet away, it was a photo-fest indeed.

Having worked our way around to the front strand by 1pm, we regrouped at the Old Imperial Hotel, North Main Street, for lunch which felt well overdue due to the appetite inducing, fresh sea air.

After this welcome break in proceedings it was back to the shoot with a visit to the nearby St. Mary’s Collegiate Church, a national monument of Ireland and which is the oldest church in continuous use since its foundation in Ireland and whose roof timbers have been carbon dated to the year 1170. The extensive graveyard is surrounded by the original town walls, complete with walkways and viewing points and they are thought to be the best preserved medieval town walls in Ireland.

Unfortunately, it was about this time when the weather took a turn for the worst and cut our visit short, but Youghal and the jewel that is St. Mary’s are certainly on the cards for a return visit.

Thanks to Michael Hegarty for his assistance in organising the shoot.

Photos above by Bill Sisk, Finbarr O’Shea, Lorna O’Dwyer, Joseph Keniry and Denis Barry.