Author Archives: Niamh

SACC Interclub 2016 – Now Open for Entries!

by

The SACC Interclub Comeptition 2016 will be held on Sunday March 13th at Lifetime Lab, Lee Road, Cork City.

Rules are unchanged since last year and may be viewed on this link. In summary, panels are presented as colour print, monochrome print and projected image. A club may enter one, two or all three panels with ten images per panel. No photographer may be represented more then twice on any given panel.  Prints MUST fit on the panel boards.

We would love to see ALL clubs in the region take this chance to compete!  Don’t forget that a major part of this event is the exhibition after judging is concluded and representing your club on a panel is a very proud moment for every photographer.

The entry fee to this competition has increased by €10 across the three options.  Unfortunately, this is now necessary due to both rising costs and the evolution of the competition into the great event it now is which requires bigger venues to accommodate ever growing crowds.

Fees for the 2016 competition are:

€30 for one panel
€40 for two panels
€50 for all three panels

What does my club need to do to enter?

  • Step 1 – Register & Pay by March 1st

Due to the logistics involved in arranging access to and transporting the panel boards, we need all participating clubs to complete registration below by Tuesday March 1st. So the first thing you need to do it to tell us you are entering (and which sections you are entering) and pay the entry fee either via Paypal or by sending a cheque to our treasurer Liam at his address below. PayPal is our preferred method of receiving payment. We are now closed for entries!

Payment can also be made by cheque to Liam Cahill, SACC Treasurer at the address below. Please include club name, club website, contact name, contact number and contact email address with all correspondence.

Liam Cahill,
SACC Treasurer,
1 The Meadows,
Callan,
Co. Kilkenny

  • Step 2 – Email completed entry form by March 11th

Entry forms (the details of the images being submitted – titles and authors) need to be with us by Friday March 11th. The entry form for 2016 can be downloaded via this link.  Please complete, save and mail a copy to interclub@sacc.ie by Friday March 11th 2016.  Please study the rules before submitting!

 

  • Step 3 – Prepare

• Pack double-sided sticky velcro

Lots of it! You’ll need double-sided sticky velcro to attach your prints to the panel boards.

• Watch out for mount size

Maximum mount size is 20 x 16 inches. The dimensions of the panel boards are 8 x 4 feet (96 x 48 inches). Please note that if you are using the maximum size mount, and all mounts on any row are landscape oriented, they are not going to fit on the panel boards. You need to either adjust the layout of your panel, or use slightly smaller mounts.

• Hang panels

We’ll be announcing schedule for the day shortly.

• What to bring on competition day?

• For Print Panels:

• Prints & velcro. Measuring tapes, levels, laser pointers etc optional!
• Printed thumbnail view of each overall print panel layout – A4 print ideal on any kind of paper
• Jpg of thumbnail view of each overall panel layout on disc or memory stick
• Jpegs of each image on each print panel (sized to 1024 pixels on longest edge) on disc or memory stick

• For Projected Panels:

• Jpg of thumbnail view of projected panel layout (x2, one with name of club included, the other without) on disc or memory stick
• Digital jpgs of each image on projected panel (sized to 2400 pixels on longest edge) on disc or memory stick, numbered 1-10

For any issues or queries, please use the contact form on our website and a member of the committee will be in touch.

Please note that only members of paid up clubs will have access to SACC competitions and only paid up clubs will be eligible to enter SACC Interclub Competition. Please refer to fees page to pay your 2016 club fees and provide contact details for your club.

Great lecture series from Robert Thompson!

by

Robert Thompson visits SACC Camera Clubs – Jan 2016

Cork Camera Group Chairman Noel O'Connell pictured with Robert Thompson

Cork Camera Group Chairman Noel O’Connell pictured with Robert Thompson

The January calendar highlight for three SACC clubs had to be the visit and presentation by internationally renowned nature photographer Robert Thompson FRPS, FIPF. The SACC, on behalf of Cork Camera Group, Shannon Camera Club and Kilkenny Photographic Society invited Robert to make a series of presentations to the three clubs on Jan 19th, 20th, and 21st respectively.

From member feedback and social media posts the three presentations were a resounding success with individual members commenting that Robert’s presentations were among the best they had attended.

Robert’s knowledge, professionalism, and attention to details were a revelation. He generously shared his knowledge and experience of nature photography and left members with much to think about and to practice in their photography.

Among the many points made by Robert during his presentations were:

  • Know your camera equipment and be instinctive about the menu system so that you can quickly access and set the camera settings required for a given situation.
  • Plan your photo shoots and pre-visualise the image(s) you wish to capture. This not only helps with a positive outcome but also assists in developing your creativity.
  • As much as is possible, pre-select the camera settings required for the shoot. In some cases frequently used settings can be pre-programmed into “memory” buttons on your camera – learn how to do this and set them up.
  • Research and study your subjects and their environment before heading out into the field. When in the field also take the time to study the environment before taking images and think about different angles and an uncluttered background.
  • Avoid being a seasonal photographer and if your particular genre of photography is seasonal, then practice an alternative, but possibly related, genre in the off season to keep your camera and creative skills honed.
Kilkenny Photographic Society Chairman Eugene Canning pictured with Robert and SACC Chairman Richard Dwyer

Kilkenny Photographic Society Chairman Eugene Canning pictured with Robert and SACC Chairman Richard Dwyer

The SACC Committee and the three camera clubs would like to extend their warm thanks to Robert for his excellent presentations. At the end of each presentation Robert generously raffled a number of his highly successful books.

Our sincere thanks to Robert for this series of fantastic presentations.

Thanks must also be extended to the SACC committee and the representatives from the three clubs for their coordination and organisation of the three extremely successful events.

 

 

 

For more background on Robert Thompson and to see his exemplary work check out the following links:

SACC Qualifying Round of IPF Nature Photographer of the Year 2015/2016 – Results

by

for web npoty

The SACC regional qualifying round of IPF Nature Photographer of the Year 2015/2016 in association with Mahers Photographic took place last Sunday (January 24th 2016) at the Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery, Co.Cork.

The event was extremely well attended again this year with photographers travelling the length and breath of the region to attend. We were delighted to welcome Michael & Richie from competition sponsors Maher’s Photographic who were a very welcome addition to the event and with a massive variety of photography equipment available to play with on the day, there was many a photographer gone home wishing for that winning lotto ticket before the national finals in a few weeks!

Congratulations to all award winners, especially Charlie Lee from Clonakilty Camera Club who was crowned regional winner with his beautiful image ‘Golden Plover’.  We’d love to show you his image, plus all other awards, but as the judging of the finals hasn’t taken place yet, we have to refrain ourselves!

Thank you to our judge Gerry Kerr for his expert skills. Gerry had the unenviable task of judging solo due to illness of our second judge on the day. Thanks also to Clonakilty Camera Club for their amazing hospitality, to the Celtic Ross Hotel who looked after us all so well at a great venue and to the SACC Committee all their work relating to this event.

We’d also like to say a big thank you to Jim McSweeney for his beautiful calligraphy skills on certificates yesterday!

Report cards will be sent out shortly. Images were marked out of a maximum score of 9 points.  The qualifying mark for all sections was 7 points and above, with the exception of the Projected Open section where the qualifying mark was 6 points.

We hope to see you all travel again to Kilkenny in a few weeks for the finals and with a bit of luck, maybe it’ll be an SACC photographer taking home the silverware this year!!

Click here for list of award winners

Presentation and some other photos from the day are shown below. Click to enlarge.

SACC Qualifying Round of IPF Nature Photographer of the Year now open!

by

Mahers Logo IPF copyWe’re pleased to announce that the SACC regional qualifying round of the IPF Nature Photographer of the Year 2015/2016 in association with Mahers Photographic is now open for entries. Please note that this is the competition formerly known as the IPF National Nature Competition.

To read more about this competition, the themes for this year, cost of entry etc please read this article.

To enter, you must be a member of an SACC affiliated club.

The competition takes place on Sunday January 24th at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery, West Cork and is being hosted by Clonakilty Camera Club.  Why not make a weekend of it in a beautiful part of the country?  The Celtic Ross have a limited number of rooms left on Saturday night for €45 PPS for bed and breakfast and €65 PPS for dinner, bed and breakfast! First come, first served!

Closing date for entries is Friday, January 22nd.

Please note this year:

  • You must use the new colour coded labels on the back of your prints – please print them in colour and attach securely to the back of your prints
  • You must upload a digital copy of all prints at time of entry
  • Make sure you enter the correct level as defined in the rules
  • For sections under FIAP nature definitions, please ensure you comply!

Rules

The updated rules for the 2015/2016 are available to view on IPF website.

Labels

Labels can be downloaded from the IPF website. Prints without these labels will not be accepted. Please print the labels in colour and attach securely to your prints.

To Enter

Entry must be completed online via the online entry system. If you experience any issues with the entry system, please contact the IPF webmaster via their contact page. Please, first check that your system meets the requirements for using this software.

Judges

We are delighted to welcome the following judges for this years event:

  • Gerry Kerr AIPF AFIAP, Celbridge Camera Club
  • Kevin Murphy FIPF ARPS, Mayo

Schedule (note that times are approximate)

10.00am-11.00am Handover of print entries.
Prints for Nature Photographer of the Year must have been pre-registered via online system.
Prints that have not been pre-registered will not be accepted.
11.45am Judging starts at 11.45am and will continue in the sequence outlined below. There will be a lunch break at approximately 1pm.

Prints (open & themed)

Projected Images (open,  themed & natural world)

Awards ceremony (likely 4.30pm onwards)

Images that do not qualify for national finals can be collected AFTER awards ceremony.
Qualifying prints will be retained and forwarded to IPF for National Finals.

 

for web npoty

SACC Qualifying Round of IPF Photographer of the Year now Open!

by

Canon_WEB_logoWe’re pleased to announce that the SACC regional qualifying round of the IPF Photographer of the Year 2015/2016in association with Canon Ireland is now open for entries. Please note that this is the competition formerly known as the IPF Print & Projected Image Competition.

To read more about this competition, the themes for this year, cost of entry etc please read this article.

To enter, you must be a member of an SACC affiliated club.

The competition takes place on Sunday November 22nd at the Horse & Jockey Hotel in Tipperary.

Closing date for entries is Friday November 20th.

Please note this year:

  • You must use the new colour coded labels on the back of your prints – please print them in colour and attach securely to the back of your prints
  • You must upload a digital copy of all prints at time of entry
  • Make sure you enter the correct level as defined in the rules

Rules

The updated rules for the 2015/2016 are available to view on IPF website.

Labels

Labels can be downloaded from the IPF website. Prints without these labels will not be accepted. Please print the labels in colour and attach securely to your prints.

To Enter

Entry must be completed online via the online entry system. If you experience any issues with the entry system, please contact the IPF webmaster via their contact page. Please, first check that your system meets the requirements for using this software.

Judges

We are delighted to welcome the following judges for this years event:

  • Carl Cutland FIPF AFIAP, Portlaoise Camera Club
  • Judy Boyle FIPF FRPS EFIAP, Drogheda Photographic Club
  • Tony Mc Donnell AIPF EFIAP/p, Dundalk Photographic Society

Schedule (note that times are approximate)

9.00am-10.00am Handover of print entries.
Prints for Photographer of the Year must have been pre-registered via online system.
Prints that have not been pre-registered will not be accepted.
10.45am Judging starts at 10.45am and will continue in the sequence outlined below. There will be a lunch break at approximately 1pm.Colour Prints (open & themed)

Monochrome prints (open & themed)

Projected Images (open & themed)

Awards ceremony (likely 4.30pm onwards)

Images that do not qualify for national finals can be collected AFTER awards ceremony.
Qualifying prints will be retained and forwarded to IPF for National Finals.

for-web-copy1

Change of Venue for Ray Spence’s talk in Cork

by

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the venue for Ray Spence’s talk in Cork on Tuesday November 3rd has moved to the Whitechurch Suite at the Imperial Hotel in Cork City. Start time remains 7.30pm and we aim to start promptly.

Ray’s talks in Carlow and Wexford over the last few days were inspiring to say the least and we know that Cork are in for a treat again tonight.  The talk is being hosted by Cork Camera Group and is open to other clubs also. Entry fee is €5.

 

ray

SACC Creative Photography Competition 2015 – Schedule

by

 

creative 2015

Thank you for your entries. The competition is now closed for entry with judging taking place on Saturday 31st October at the Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow.

As part of the day, we are delighted to host a lecture by one of our judges, Ray Spence at 11am. Full details and schedule below. There is a €5 entry fee to the talk as a cover charge. Full details of this not to be missed talk are available over here.

carlow

 

[table id=11 /]

 

SACC Creative Photography Competition 2015 – Now Open

by

 

creative 2015The SACC Committee is delighted to announce that the 2015 SACC Creative Photography Competition will be held on Saturday 31st October at the Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow.

The competition is open to members of all clubs affiliated to the IPF.

For those collecting Irish qualifiers for AFIAP applications, the top 35% of images in this competition qualify from this year onwards.

The rules of the competition, which was formally known as the SACC Creative Digital Competition, have been revised and updated and the competition will open for online entries at the start of October. Please refer to Rules for full details. The competition will be judged by Ray Spence FRPS and Brid Coakley AIPF ARPS.

There are two sections; prints and projected images, each catering for intermediate and advanced photographers. Entry fee is €8 for one section and €12 for two.  The definition to work to is:

“Creative Photography means different things to different people. To some, it means manipulation of images using image editing software and to others, it means breaking the rules/conventions using creative techniques in-camera such as slow shutter speeds, panning, creative compositions etc. Photographic content should predominate. For the purposes of this competition, anything goes.

The inclusion of stock images/clip art is not permitted. For example, if you wish to add a sunflower to your image, then you need to photograph a sunflower!”

To Enter: Enter Competition Here

System requirements are listed here.

Should you experience any issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us via our ‘contact page‘.

Closing Date: Midnight, October 28th.

Ray Spence Lecture Tour

by

Siren 1 A3We are delighted to announce that Ray Spence FRPS will be conducting a lecture tour in the SACC region this autumn.  There will be a €5 cover charge for each talk.

Rough details below with further details, times and venues to follow.

  • Saturday, October 31st in Carlow (morning)
  • Monday, November 2nd in Wexford (evening)
  • Tuesday, November 3rd in Cork (evening)

Ray is a fine art photographer, author and lecturer.
He is the co author of five books on photographic technique and has exhibited extensively at many venues including The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry,
La Manege in St Petersburgh, The Royal Albert Hall in London and the Royal Photographic Society in Bath.

Wave 2

 

He has lectured for many academic and private institutions including Warwickshire College and Birmingham City University.
His work spans all photographic genre from digital to wet plate collodion.
In 2013 he was awarded the honour of the Fenton Medal from the Royal Photographic Society.

www.rayspence.co.uk