Prestwich Co-op Camera Club

The Formby Photographic Group had produced the taped commentary accompanying them and the speaker was clear and distinct. He gave the commentary a light-hearted treatment that is often missing from the very serious attitude adopted with some of these folios.

As usual, a variety of landscapes were featured on the majority of the slides. Snow and mist also seemed to be the background to many of them.

There was also a wide variety of natural history subjects, ranging from a cheetah to toads and a chameleon. There were at least 13 different varieties of bird, all well captured on camera.

The Formby team gave a "Wow" factor to those slides they particularly liked and most of the Prestwich members would be in agreement with their selection.

There were many pictures of people but not many head and shoulders portraits. Some had been treated electronically and their team, like us, could not understand why. We can only assume that many of these very skilled treatments were done to show off the special techniques developed by the owners.

As the speaker said, often they become a personal statement by the author instead of an enhancement of a picture to please the viewer.

There was only one slide of a recognisable train and that was taken locally. Motorcycles dominated the small group of sporting events.

The last 26 slides had been entered in the 2003 Photographic Association of Great Britain exhibition and these were of slightly higher quality than the rest.

Next Tuesday is the handing-in night for prints and slides for the annual exhibition. Check with Brian Proctor if you are not sure how they are labelled and which groups they are.

The following Tuesday, February 1, will be our monthly assignment evening. There should be an outside judge so bring all your entries along in good time to the side door of the Bridge Methodist Hall, behind Radcliffe Library, between 7.30 and 8pm as usual.

G. E. WILSON