The Irish Photographic Federation National Shield for 2019 takes place in Kilkenny and is proudly hosted by Kilkenny Photographic Society. Kilkenny Photographic Society would like to extend a warm welcome you to this year’s venue, Hotel Kilkenny, College Road, Kilkenny, R95 KPO8 and to also welcome our judges for this most difficult task! Our judges on the day are:

Ms Ann Cassidy MFA, FRPS, FIPF, AFIAP,
Ms Judy Boyle FIPF, FRPS, MFIAP
Mr Bob Given MPAGB, BPE3*, LBIPP

The Irish Photographic Federation are once again delighted to welcome back Sheldon Long and his Company Fine Art Papers as sponsors for this year’s National Shield. Fine Art Papers are the leading supplier of papers by Canson, Hahnemuhle, Fuji, Epson and St. Cuthbert’s in Ireland and are a fully accredited Gold, Epson Pro Partner for the supply of Epson printers and inks. You can check them out on the following link: www.sheldonphoto.com

In addition, Sheldon has a bespoke printing and framing service which he runs together with Framing Direct in Glenageary, Co. Dublin. www.fineartprintingdirect.ie. He is also available for printing and training workshops on both a club and individual level. Sheldon has had a long track record in supporting the IPF National Shield and acknowledges the efforts put in by nearly thirty clubs every year to showcase the works of their non-advanced members. In his own words, “it is fantastic to see camera club members grow from their initial involvement with the Shield to advance members competing on the world stage”.

Many members have their work first exhibited at the National Shield and it is important that as many clubs as possible compete as Sheldon feels it brings out the competitive streak in some, the building of friendships in others and a familiarity with major competition that helps raise the standard and promote photography in Ireland. Even if you or your club does not compete you should make a point of attending the IPF National Shield at the Hotel Kilkenny, College Road, Kilkenny on the 17th November next. Our sponsor Sheldon Long and his Company Fine Art Papers will be on hand with a large selection of fine art papers and other photographic supply’s on the day.

We are delighted to welcome Bernard Geraghty and Ian Carruthers to Kilkenny, two of Irelands leading landscape and astrophotography photographers who will be giving presentations during the course of the day. First up will be Bernard who will be presenting a selection of stunning images of his travel in Ireland, Iceland, Faroe Island, Isle of Skye, and many other places. Bernard’s presentation takes place at 10:00am.

Bernard Geraghty is a professional landscape photographer and the founder of Bernard Geraghty Landscape Tours, taking groups of photographers from around the world, all over the world. Having only found photography in late 2015, although always having a keen interest in hiking from a very young age, it was only when he got his first camera that the hiking adventures became truly fulfilling. After spending a year chasing sunrises, sunsets and the stars at night, Bernard quickly realised he found his calling.

Photography gave Bernard both the easiest and hardest decisions he’s ever had to make in life, the latter, the fact he worked as a plumber in a steady job, making a decent living, but the easy decision knowing that, with hard work, landscape photography is exactly what he wanted to turn into a career. Now in his 3rd year of business, Bernard’s job has taken him all over Ireland, North to Iceland, Norway, the Arctic Circle, Scotland and the Faroe Islands, South, to the Italian Dolomites, Tenerife, Switzerland and Africa and West to the U.S and Canada.

Bernard’s inspiration for being outdoors and travelling has many factors, he truly believes spending time outdoors can act as a medicine in a battle against mental health, while out shooting, taking time to sit or stand and enjoy the sounds around him and the priceless reaction of clients when shooting the likes of sunrises/sunsets, the Northern Lights and the Milky Way Galactic Core. Bernard is a brand ambassador for some of the biggest companies in photography like Manfrotto, Hahnel Industries and Formatt Hitech filters. More information:

www.bglandscapetours.ie

Our second presentation of the day will be Ian Carruthers at 13:30pm. Ian will  Present ‘Severe Weather and Astrophotography’. His main area of interest Meteorology, Astrophotography, Landscapes with a special interest in capturing rare events.

Ian have been serious about photography since 2012, however the passion behind it all was there ever since holding film cameras when he was young. Ian has a BSc in Mathematical science. His main areas of interest would be landscape, meteorology and astrophotography, with a particular interest in capturing rare events. Ian loves the planning, research and the finer details of getting a shot. Ian’s travels have taken him to America to study/chase severe storms including tornadoes, to the Isle of Skye to experience its stunning landscape, Iceland and the arctic for the aurora borealis and to Tenerife to witness the clear dark sky in all its glory.

In his spare time, he runs a weather page called Irish Weather Online which has close to 130k followers. His role on the page is short range forecasting, issuing short term forecasts and alerts for severe weather eg- Thunderstorms, Windstorms, Snowstorms and flooding. His photography work has featured in various forms of media including books, exhibitions and more recently got to tick off a long-time goal in which he won featured image of the month in BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine. Ian strives to get people interested in the outdoors and more especially, the night sky. Some of his photography goals for the future are to a) Go photograph an active volcano and b) to publish a book about the night skies of Ireland. More information:

www.facebook.com/iancarruthersphotography

Timetable IPF National Shield 2019

8:00am to 9:15am:

Registration and hanging of MONO Prints
All Mono Images must be in place by 9.30am

9:30am:

Judging of Mono images (No entry to room – restricted area)

10:00am to 11:30am:

1st Presentation by Bernard Geraghty Landscape Tours
A selection of stunning images of his travel in Ireland, Iceland, Faroe Island, Isle of Skye, and many other places.

Main Room will open once judging is completed from 11.30am to 13:30pm:

Viewing of Mono Images and Hanging of Colour Prints – All Colour Images must be in place by 13.30am

12:30pm to 13:30pm:

Lunch – Time to meet friends and have a chat

13:30pm:

Judging of Colour images (No entry to room – restricted area)

13:30pm to 15:00pm

2nd Presentation ‘Severe Weather and Astrophotography’ by Ian Carruthers
His main area of interest Meteorology, Astrophotography, Landscapes with a special interest in capturing rare events.

15:00pm to 16:00pm

Judges’ Comments

As in all IPF competitions, scoring is carried out separately by the judges whose scores are then totalled at the end of judging. Judging will be done in private, however, judges will provide commentary prior to the awards ceremony.

Our judges for the National Shield 2019 are:

Ms Ann Cassidy MFA, FRPS, FIPF, AFIAP,
Ms Judy Boyle FIPF, FRPS, MFIAP
Mr Bob Given MPAGB, BPE3*, LBIPP

16.00pm:

Awards Ceremony
Awards and certificates will be presented to winning clubs.

Notice to Camera Clubs from Fota Wildlife Park

Please note that the below is by invite only ** not to be posted publicly** as currently we are seeing if there is any interest in the below:

We plan to open the Park late – until 8pm on Wed 21^st Aug –  to facilitate any camera clubs who may want to visit and take twilight /evening images here – as you may be aware our Photography Competition is closing on the 31^st Aug, so it may be useful for that or indeed for your own photography or as your members wished.

If you and your group were interested I would need to hear back by close of business this Fri the 16^th to facilitate the planning of this (and we will contact each of the club individually then regarding the details.)

Please see attached graphic for the competition as we have an offer of €10/ person for camera club members for the duration of the competition. Please do not hesitate to call me on the below if you or your club have any questions or queries.

For m ore information on the competition click here

Roisin FitzGerald Marketing Manager
Direct Line: +353 (0)21 490 8142
Mobile: +353 (0)86 867 5796

St. Colman’s Cathedral is celebrating its Centenary this year. Many events have been planned to commemorate and celebrate its 100 year milestone but nothing captures the moment better than a photo!

We are inviting all amateur photographers and hobbyists to enter a competition for this special occasion. The theme is naturally “St. Colman’s Cathedral Centenary”. St. Colman’s Cathedral took 47 years to build and it dominates the skyline of Cork Harbour and the town of Cobh. It is an architectural neo-gothic gem, steeped in history. It has been home to many happy and tragic occasions since its construction. It was the last land-mark seen by close to one million emigrants before they departed Irish shores since famine times, many of whom attended their last Mass in the Cathedral. If only its walls could talk! All we ask is that the Cathedral features in the main body or backdrop of the photograph. The way you capture the image is up to you i.e. inside or outside the building, protrait, landscape, an event etc. Closing date: for the competition is Wednesday 10th July 2019 Email your entry to: stcolmans100@gmail.com with your full name & town in subject line (please see T&Cs) Prize: 1st Prize is €100. In addition the finalists will have their photographs displayed in the Cathedral for the month of August. The Cathedral gets on average 50,000 visitors annually so it will be great exposure. Some of the finalists photos will also feature St. Colman’s Cathedral 2020 Calendar. Good luck and we look forward to seeing the fruit of your inspiration!

RULES T&C’s

Sizing & Spec of Files:

Photos should be submitted to the address provided in a jpeg format, be’ at least 1800px on the longest side. Photos may be colour or black and white, portrait or landscape orientation. Entrants, if successful may be requested to submit a higher res version of the file for printing purposes.

Rules:

1. This competition is open to all amateur photographers and hobbyists. Email your entry to: stcolmans100@gmail.com with name & town in subject line. One photo entry per person and please add your name and telephone number in the file name.
2. Entrants to the competition warrant that the photograph they submit has been taken by the entrant, that it is their own and that as the owner they are fully entitled to use it for the purpose of the Photo Competition.
3. Where the photo submitted to the competition contains any recognisable person or persons the entrant warrants that those persons have given their permission for the photograph to be used in the competition. Please note that for child safeguarding purposes no photograph containing children will be considered.
4. By submitting a photograph for entry to the competition entrants grant St. Colman’s Cathedral a full, irrevocable licence to use the photograph at any time and in any format for the purposes of promoting the competition and/or St. Colman’s Cathedral. Where an image is reproduced by St. Colman’s Cathedral, the photographer will be credited.

Entries from 8.30AM to 9.30 AM Saturday Morning at Horse & Jockey Hotel.

Click here to enter 

20^th & 21^st October, 2018 in Aras Chronain Ionad Cultuir, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.  

Judges – Bev Tyrer & Alan Tyrer, CPAGB/AV, ARPS. 

It’s nearly here!  Final preparations are being made.  We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on either day or better still – both days!

We have a full programme.  There are entries in all categories in the National Championships – Novice, Intermediate, Club & Advanced representing several clubs/societies.  All national entries will be commented on.  In the Open Photo Harmony competition, there are entries from 3 continents – we’ll have to work on the rest – America, Asia & Antarctica!  So, a great chance to see the different styles in this medium of audio visual.  There will be also assessments for distinctions in Audio Visual and an opportunity to see some of the judges’ work.

Weekend Timetable 

Saturday, 20^th October Sunday, 21^st October

10.00 a.m. Doors open.  Registration Doors open. Registration

10.30 a.m. Welcome & Introductions Welcome & Introductions

10.50 a.m. Judging Sessions 1 & 2 10.45 a.m.  Judging Session 5 

13.30 p.m. Lunch 12.00 p.m.  Lunch

14.00 p.m. Judging Session 3 & 4 12.45 p.m.  Judges’ sequences

17.00 p.m. Close 13.45 p.m.  Raffle

14.00 p.m.  Distinctions’ judging 16.30 p.m.  Prize winning shows &

      Awards presentations   17.30 p.m.  Close of AV2018.

This is an approximate timetable.  Should you arrive during a sequence, you will be admitted at the end of the sequence.

Admission charges:  For non – competitors, there will be a charge of €12.00 for the day or €20.00 for the weekend.   There will also be a raffle!

Lunch:  Soup & Sandwiches at €5.00 will be available each day.

Dinner:  The Gala Dinner on Saturday night will be in the Green Isle Hotel at 8 p.m.  This is a great way to socialise and mingle with the judges, fellow competitors and other AV friends, from Ireland, north and south and England.  Menu will be available and payment will be made prior to 13.30 on that morning.

Exhibition:  A photographic exhibition by members of Palmerstown Camera Club will also be on display.

Please tell your friends and encourage them to attend!

We would love to see ALL clubs in the region taking part in the competition! REGISTER AND COMPLETE YOUR ENTRY BY MIDNIGHT SUNDAY APRIL 1ST 

Step 1 

a. Register

All participating clubs are required to complete their registration. To register your entry you need to download/complete the Registration Form here and return it to interclub@sacc.ie

b. Pay

All participating clubs can pay: 

(1) By Cheque

Cheques should be made payable to SACC and sent to our Treasurer Tadhg Hurley at his address below.

or

(2) By PayPal.

If you wish to pay by PayPal, you should send an email to Tadhg 

(Tadhg.Hurley48@gmail.com ) who will send you a link, which you can use to pay your club entry fee through your PayPal account.

Tadhg Hurley, Treasurer SACC, 48 Castleowen, Blarney, Co Cork.

Please include club name, club website, contact name, contact number and contact email address with all correspondence.

Step 2 – Email completed entry form by April 1^st 

Entry forms (the details of the images being submitted – titles and authors) need to be with us by Sunday April 1^st. The entry form for 2018 can be downloaded via this link. Please complete, save and email a copy to interclub@sacc.ie by Sunday April 1^st 2018.

Following the IPF Council meeting of July 1st Dominic Reddin FIPF from Mountmellick Camera Club was elected as the new IPF President. Congratulations Dominic from all your SACC colleagues and best wishes for your term as President.

Replacing Dominic as IPF National Secretary is Joe Doyle from Malahide Camera Club. Joe has served for the past few years as National Shield Coordinator.  Best of luck in your new role Joe!   The Shield this year will be coordinated by Joe with assistance from Bill Power and Patrick Kavanagh. Patrick, from Palmerstown Camera Club, is the newest council member, following his election at the AGM in May.

Creative Photography Competition – Event Schedule

This is a quick reminder that the SACC Creative Photographic Competition, which is being hosted by Dungarvan Camera Club, takes place in the Park Hotel, Dungarvan on Sunday 23rd Oct. The proposed event time table is given below. As you’d expect, the results and awards may be earlier or later than the scheduled time, depending on the number of entries.

Our thanks to all those who have already entered, we appreciate your support. For those still intending to enter, please note that the closing date and time is midnight on Friday next (Oct 21st).

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Robert Thompson visits SACC Camera Clubs – Jan 2016

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

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 Post) https://sacc.ie/robert-thompson-lecture-tour-jan-19th-to-21st-2015
• (Robert Thompson’s website) http://www.robertthompsonphotography.com