The South Sask. Photo Club celebrated the efforts of its members and the improvements they have made during the past nine months during the annual year-end photography show and competition on Tuesday night at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM).
The club meets at the EAGM on the fourth Tuesday of the month from September to November, and from January to June, to discuss new techniques and ways they can improve. Jon Gillies, who drives from Weyburn each month to instruct the club, said it has been a very good year for the club.
Nearly 30 members were part of the club this year, and about 110 photos were entered into the competition.
“I’m very impressed with the quality of the work, and the quantity of a very productive group of people,” Gillies told Lifestyles.
Entrants were divided into intermediate and advanced groups. The intermediate class was for those who have never entered a photo competition, and it allowed them to experiment. Only two people were in the intermediate show.
Normally it’s an even split between intermediate and advanced, Gillies said. He believes it reflects the number of people who have been in the club for several years.
“This year, with the skill set going higher and higher in the group, a lot more people are in the advanced group,” he said.
Seven categories were offered for intermediate and advanced photographers: landscapes, cityscapes, people, animals, motion, floral and experimental. Club members could enter up to three photos in each category. Submitting an entry for the competition was optional.
Processing of photos was encouraged, particularly in the experimental category. The photos are supposed to have been taken in the past year, but Gillies said members are on the honour system.
Experimental photos are often a couple years old, he said, because they have often been processed multiple times.
Gillies was impressed with the photos that were on display.
“The nice thing about the photo competition, and every year I tell people this, is that a photo isn’t a photo until it’s printed. And if it’s not printed, all it is is a file on your computer. This is an opportunity for a lot of people who have been shooting all year long to force them to actually go and print the pictures,” said Gillies.
Local photographer Dave Rosenbaum was the adjudicator for the competition. He said he saw some really nice photos, but he also encouraged people to use Photoshop and to do it well.
“Photoshop just makes a world of difference with photography,” said Rosenbaum. “You have to be able to take photos with your camera, and you have to be able to use your gear, but you also have to know how to process your photos afterwards, because that just makes such a substantial difference to photos. It’s a tool that’s available.”
If people can reach a certain level without Photoshop, they can reach a higher level with a few tips they can learn via the Internet.
As for the category winners, Ellen Delorme had the top floral, cityscape and people photo. Marilyn McCutcheon won for the best landscape photo, Christina Wock had the best experimental photo, and Mary Jacobs won for the best animal and motion photos.
Jacobs’ motion photo, taken during last year’s Estevan Rodeo, won the best overall photo award.
“I’m flabbergasted,” said Jacobs, who loves taking rodeo and wildlife photos. “I didn’t think I was going to do that well.”
Jacobs said she loves the action element of good rodeo and wildlife photos.
The photo club gives her a good chance to associate with other people who have a like interest, she said.
“You learn things, too,” said Jacobs. “I’ve been doing this for so many years, and maybe I’m getting too old to learn, but it’s just really nice to associate with people that are all interested in the same things.”
The photo competition is a good opportunity for members to compare their work, and learn more from each other.
Jacobs has been entering the photo competition, offered through the Estevan Fair’s domestics show, for many years, and she finds it’s fun to compete and to take photos.
“You record things that you see, and can be gone in a minute or two, but the picture is there for you to look back on,” she said.
Gillies said each club meeting is divided into two parts: an introductory lesson and an advanced component. Topics are often requested by club members.
Basic skills include the rule of thirds, which is a way of formatting a photograph and having it properly laid out. Gillies said it’s an introductory skill that people should know about, but sometimes they need refreshers.
The advanced skill might be beyond the skills of a beginning photographer, but he said he needs to cater to the advanced skill set.
“It gives the people who are new to say ‘wow, I want to do that,’” said Gillies.
Club members also get together regularly to take pictures.
“They get together, jump into someone’s vehicle, and they go out and do field trips. And that’s really one of the advantages of photo club is being able to go out and go for a drive, and go see what you see. You never know what interesting things will get in front of your camera when you’re out, driving around and checking things out,” said Gillies.
He described the club as a flexible, relaxed group.
It’s been a fun year, and Gillies said he is looking forward to the fall, and helping people in the community further their skills with a camera.
