Mid-Somerset Camera Club has recently been on their annual spring weekend away trip (12/13th April), the destination for this year was Torpoint & the surrounding area in Cornwall & Devon.

After meeting at 6.30 pm on the Friday evening, 13 club members boarded the minibus and we made our way to Cornwall.

Saturday morning was spent exploring and photographing the harbours of Looe and Polperro. After a lunch stop at Fowey the afternoon was spent at Charlestown & Golitha Falls, before stopping at Minions to photograph the prehistoric “Cheesering” & “Hurler” stone circles which was on the way back to our accommodation at Crafthole.

Sunday morning was spent photographing the house & gardens at the National Trust property of Cotehele, which included the quay,the mill & a country craft display. We then made our way back home across dartmoor to Dartmeet where we stopped for a cream tea & the group photo, the final destination for anyone who had film left was Widecombe in the Moor (Uncle Tom Cobley was unavailable).

Everyone who went enjoyed a good weekend, with good accommodation & good food & perhaps even took some good photographs. We are all looking forward to the Camera Club meeting arranged to show our photographs of the trip & the various Camera Club competitions for which they can be entered.

There was a good attendance on the 4th February for the outstanding Travelogue Audio Visual Slide Show sequences shown by Phil & Pat of their extensive world travels.

We were taken on a tour of “ The Land of the Long White Cloud” featuring the North & South islands of New Zealand, Patagonia, Provence & the Dardanelles, around which they had made their own way by means of Camper Van or Hire car.

With the well informed tape commentary that accompanied the slides, you almost felt you were there with them.

After the show Phil & Pat answered various questions on their travel & photographic technique from club members.

We would strongly recommend anyone having the opportunity to see any of the Davies A/V shows to do so.

We would like to encourage the public to come & see the visiting speakers & our work, which may inspire you to come & join us on Tuesday nights at the Tor Leisure Centre, Glastonbury.

AN AWARD

Martyn Butler receiving his award for 2nd place in the WCPF traveling print porfolio

He is receiving his certificate from Bill Aven (WCPF President) at the WCPF AGM at Monkton Heathfield

MONTACUTE HOUSE

These happy snappers had a most enjoyable day at Montacute house

BATTLE STATIONS

Mid-Somerset Camera Club & Frome Wessex Camera Club have been involved in a photographic battle.
Frome Wessex were the hosts for this years battle. The judge was Mr Tony Byram, the past president of the Western Counties Photographic Federation

The evening was split into two sections, 15 Slides & 15 Prints per club.

• M.S.C.C. = 220 points.
• F.W.C.C. = 249 points.

• M.S.C.C. = 244 points.
• F.W.C.C. = 248 points.

A good evening was enjoyed by all & we all learned from the constructive judging.

Congratulations are extended to Frome Wessex for their win but Mid Somerset are looking for revenge in future battles.

TOR LEISURE

The clubs display at the Tor Leisure fun day

“Tell us a Story” Competition

For the Gonda Harvey Memorial Trophy’.

The Club has recently held their annual `Tell us a Story’ competition, which consisted of eight prints that depicted a theme, all mounted on a single board. There was a good entry for the competition, which was judged by Camera Club members. This year the winner was Kay Berry with her theme of `A Balloon Flight over Bath’.

The Club has instigated a new trophy for this competition to commemorate the memory of Gonda Harvey, who was a club member for many years and is sadly missed by Mid Somerset Camera Club & her friends.

As this was the first year for this memorial, Gonda’s husband John Harvey was in attendance to kindly present the trophy to Kay.

“PUFFINS IN THE PICTURE”

Mid-Somerset Camera Club has recently been on their annual spring weekend away trip (17/18^th April), the destination for this year was Tenby & the surrounding area in Pembrokeshire.

After meeting at 4.00 pm on the Friday evening, 16 club members boarded the minibus & we made our way to our hotel in Wales, stopping for a Fish & chip supper on the way.

Saturday we were up bright & early & travelled to Marloes, where we caught the small boat to Skomer Island, where the morning & afternoon was spent exploring & photographing the Wildlife Trust island with all of its bird life, including Puffins, Seals & Porpoises.

Sunday morning was spent in an around Tenby where we had the group photo, followed by a pub lunch stop at Carew, where time was

spent investigating the Castle & the Tidal mill. We then made our way home stopping at Amroth, to explore the petrified forest & beach. Laugharne was the next stop to photograph the Castle, Dylan Thomas’s boathouse’, the estuary & to enjoy a welcome cup of tea before continuing our homeward journey.

Club members waiting in anticipation of what was to come from The Street Judo Club who agreed to come along and allow us to photograph there various moves and throws, an enjoyable evening was had by both clubs.

The Club has recently held their annual end of season presentation awards dinner at The Bishops Palace, Wells.

The guests of honour for this year’s dinner was Ann Cook FRPS,FPPA,FRGS and Howard who is Ann’s husband. Ann is the Honorary Vice President of the Mid Somerset Camera Club.

Ann presented the trophies to the winners for the various photographic competitions that were contested for during the camera club season.

The photograph shows the trophy being presented to the overall “Photographer of the Year”, which was won this season by Kay Berry having entered colour prints, monochrome prints and colour slides in all of the four internal competitions and had scored the higher points total.  Various independent judges had been invited to assess all the photographs.

Amongst the other various trophies awarded was the overall “Picture of the Year” which was won this year by Duncan Simey with his colour print entitled “Dodgems”.

Congratulations are extended to all the other trophy, cup and award winners for what was the Camera Clubs 30^th anniversary year.

Club members enjoyed good food and a pleasant evening at the Bishops Palace to officially finish the season.

Kay being presented with the trophy by Honorary Vice President Ann Cook

The Club has recently enjoyed their annual spring weekend away trip, this year the destination was Buxton and the surrounding area in the Peak District.

After meeting at 2.00 pm on the Friday afternoon, club members boarded the minibus and we made our way to our hotel in Buxton, Derbyshire stopping to photograph Tewkesbury and later for fish and chips on the way.

Saturday we set off early and travelled along Snake Pass to Lady Bower reservoir, where we spent time photographing the lake before we moved on to Castleton where we had a trip into the `Speedwell Caverns’ and had our lunch break. The afternoon was spent exploring & photographing Arkwrights Mill and the canal at Cromford, after which the final destination for the day was the town of Bakewell.

 Sunday morning we spent some time in and around Buxton before making our way to Matlock Bath where we had the opportunity to photograph a white water canoeing competition that was in progress as well as

around the town, a pub lunch was enjoyed at the village of Brassington before making our final photographic stop at Dovedale. The camera club then made tracks for home.

We all enjoyed a good photographic trip, with good accommodation and food and this year we were blessed with decent weather.

We all look forward to the club meeting which will be arranged to show our photographs of the trip & the various Camera Club competitions for which they can be entered.

A TRIP ALONG THE CANAL

Club members had enjoyed an evening cruising along a section of the Bridgwater and Taunton canal.

COLLET PARK EXHIBITION, SHEPTON MALLET

Club members enjoying the sunshine

'RHYNES,REEDS,RECLAIMED'

An exhibition by Kim Aplin of 28 monchrome images around the Somerset levels

Club members who met with Kim Aplin today (05/04/07) at the Rural Life Museum to view and to be personally introduced to his current exhibition on display

EXHIBITION CUP

Open Evening plus the Exhibition Cup Award.

An open evening where visitors and friends were able to view an exhibition of the club’s previous seasons prints.

The Exhibition Cup was won by Gabriella Butler

Gabby receiving the cup from the mayor of glastonbury

OCTOCENTENNIAL FESTIVAL

Club members presenting an album of pictures taken at the Octocentennial Festival to the Bishop of Bath & Wells