The West Coast of Scotland has a long history of seafaring, and the Clyde river was home to some famous shipyards in their time. Much of the history of that seafaring is on display at the Irvine Maritime Museum. There are many exhibitions varying from simple wooden block and tackles to complete ships and all are worthy of being photographed - and Irvine Camera Club makes the Maritime Museum one of the first places to be visited in the clubs season. It is ideal for practising low-light, flash and long exposure photography.
These types of photography are made much easier these days by the relentless march of technology in our cameras and in the accessories that we use to take these types of pictures. Today, most cameras (and many phones) can handle taking pictures in low-light conditions that would have defeated the cameras of just 5 years ago.
Camera flash guns have progressed to the point where if you buy the right flash gun for your camera they will work in concert together to produce perfectly exposed shots of your subjects even if it is pitch black. The photographer still has some work to do, deciding on how harsh (or not) the light will be, whether it will be directly aimed at the subject or modified by some of the weirdly named accessories that flash photographers make use of from time to time (like "snoot", "barn door", "diffuser", "softbox" etc.). In the photographic layout this week are some of the shots taken by Irvine Camera Club members, no doubt using some of those weirdly name accessories.
In a departure from the norm, Irvine Camera Club this year contacted other photographic clubs in the area and offered them the chance to come along on the evening outing and we are happy to say that Irvine Camera Club members were outnumbered by their counterparts from other clubs. This is the first time I have seen photographers waiting to set up at certain exhibits at the Maritime Museum - normally there are plenty to go around!
The members and visitors who attended the outing reported that they were pleased to have made the effort, and some visitors asked if Irvine had any other visits planned that might be opened up to other clubs. Something for the committee to discuss! If you would like to join us for the full Winter program (starting September) please get the details from our web site ( https://irvinecc.co.uk ) and while you are there, please feel free to check out the members galleries.
