Community

Camera club revisits the 1980s

Published

9 years ago

March 4, 2016

Tranquility: One of Jeff Driscoll’s many works

IT WAS IN THE LATE 1980s that the club’s guest speaker Jeff Driscoll last visited Tenby Camera Club. The meeting held on 15th February was partly a revisit to his days of film and dark room procedures up to today’s modern digital and Photoshop techniques.

Jeff is from Swansea and is a member of the Abertawe Camera Club, his talk would take the club members on a journey through his personal world of photography entitled ‘Welcome to my World’.

When Jeff first took up photography he used a Ricoh XR7 and Mamiya 645 camera, which was first of a series of 4.6 x 6 SLR’s film cameras. He explained that under the heading ‘Early Days’ he showed members images that he had digitally re-mastered from the slides taken from the years gone by. Using his engineering background he showed the club simple methods and construction of a mini-studio with soft boxes and lighting all for a few pounds rather than spending hundreds. He showed examples he had taken and how he achieved colour popping and cross polarization 30 years ago, and how the ‘Harries Shutter’ a strip device with three colour filters. The effect is to produce by re-exposing the same frame through red, green and blue filters in turn, while keeping the camera steady. This generates a rainbow of colours around any object that moves within the frame. Jeff went on to show images of waterfalls captured with the ‘Harris shutter’ technique.

It was obvious to the audience that Jeff had a vivid imagination, and when his projects has he called them were displayed the wow factor came up. He had goldfish floating in light bulbs, a Coca Cola can floating with liquid pouring out into another can. His fascination for space was displayed when he explained how he constructed his image of the millennium falcon and a distant planet. He started asking himself am I a photographer taking models or a model maker taking photographs?

Due to work and family commitments it would be many years before Jeff returned to photography. It was only in the last six years he picked up the camera and his next title for the evening was ‘The return – Digital what’s it all about then?’ As he explained to start over again he went out and photographed everything, landscapes and in particular waterfalls, fungi, wild life, butterflies and dragon flies and using a compact camera with a waterproof housing photographing tropical fish. Following on from taking the previous images Jeff introduced us to his ‘Super Macro’ images. Macro photography became a fascination from almost the first image he took, using a 105mm focal length macro lens and extension tube allowing him to be within millimetres of the subject.

Following a short break the talk continued with ‘Still Life’ and ‘Smoke Trails’. To complete this journey of Jeff’s his final title was ‘Photoshop – is it really a dirty word’. His images again were stunning and his imagination was just outstanding and seemed to have no boundaries.

The Chairman thanked Jeff for this memorable evening and hoped it wouldn’t be 30 years before he came again.

Community

Pembs Agricultural Society’s Christmas Fair expands to an all-weekend event

Published

4 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY’S Christmas Fair will be an all-weekend event next month. The Christmas shopping extravaganza is all set to take place on Saturday, 14 December as well as Sunday, 15 December.

The Parkhouse building on the Haverfordwest Showground will be transformed into a Christmas paradise. There will be even more stalls this year with a wide variety of quality local businesses exhibiting as well as festive music, Santa in his Grotto and an outdoor food court.

Judith Roach and Emma Thomas, the event organisers, said, “We are excited to be able to announce that our Christmas Fair will be on for two days rather than just one this year. We continue to build on the success of last year’s event with twice the opportunities to attend and even more stallholders. It will be the perfect start to the festive season as the Parkhouse Building will be transformed into a one-stop-shop for those preparing for Christmas.”

The Fair will be open from 10am until 4pm and admission is free. Visitors will find unique gifts, handmade decorations, art and beautiful homeware. Some of the county’s very best food and drink producers will also have stalls to give visitors the opportunity to stock up on all their festive treats. From decadent chocolate brownies, fudge, festive spirits to Welsh cheeses, there’s something to tantalise everyone’s tastebuds. There will also be a range of outlets for ‘on the go’ eating and drinking.

One special guest at the event will be everyone’s favourite bearded gentleman in red – Santa will be taking time out from his busy schedule to attend the event. There will be a charge of £3 per child to visit Santa and all proceeds will go directly to Sandy Bear charity to support their work. Each child will receive a small gift from Santa as part of their visit. Parents can book in advance via the website: www.sandybear.co.uk/santa

Adam Thorne, Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s President is looking forward to the festive event. He said, “The Society would like to thank Judith and Emma for all the hours they have put in, voluntarily, to organise the two-day Christmas event. We’re delighted to be able to offer visitors the opportunity to do all their Christmas shopping whilst enjoying the festive atmosphere.”

Follow Pembrokeshire County Show’s Christmas Fair event page on Facebook for a full list of stallholders in the run up to the event.

Community

Officials announced for 2026 Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire

Published

15 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD returns to Pembrokeshire in 2026, and organisers have named the officials who will steer this major cultural event over the next year and a half.

With the artistic and local committees already established, meetings to finalise competitions and adjudicators are underway to ensure the List of Competitions is ready by spring. Committee members have also been voting over the past weeks to elect key officials for the Executive Committee.

John Davies, former leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, has been appointed Chair of the Executive Committee. Known for his deep connection to Pembrokeshire and extensive experience with national organisations, Davies aims to make the Eisteddfod a true community event, welcoming involvement from all corners of the region.

Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, takes on the role of Deputy Chair (Strategy). With a strong passion for Welsh culture and language, Jones brings a wealth of experience working with local communities, visitors, and volunteers across three counties.

Deputy Chair (Culture) is Carys Ifan, Director of Canolfan Egin and a seasoned cultural organiser. Based in Llangrannog and originally from Llandudoch, Ifan has led numerous artistic and community projects across the region.

Cris Tomos, a community development veteran with over 30 years of experience, will lead the 2026 Eisteddfod Local Fund. Working with PLANED, a community development charity, Tomos has supported countless community enterprises and co-operatives in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire.

Non Davies, recently elected as Executive Committee Secretary, brings extensive cultural management expertise as Ceredigion County Council’s Corporate Manager for Culture. Having chaired the Cardigan Local Fund Committee for the 2022 Ceredigion Eisteddfod, Davies is well-versed in managing cultural projects.

National Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Betsan Moses, said: “We’re looking forward to working with John and the team over the next few months as we prepare for the 2026 Eisteddfod.

“There’s almost a quarter of a century since the Eisteddfod was last held in Pembrokeshire, and we’re very much looking forward to returning to the area. 2026 is an important year for us as we celebrate 850 years since the first Eisteddfod was held in Cardigan Castle in 1176.

“We’re looking forward to working in a new way within a catchment area which includes parts of another two counties, which is, of course, a chance to work with local people in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire again.”

Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks, including the sale of competition prizes and opportunities to donate the Crown and the Chair.

The National Eisteddfod will be held in Llantood from August 1–8, 2026.

Charity

Kurtz goes Jurassic as Pantosaurus visits Senedd NSPCC Campaign

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2024

Richard Lewis

THIS WEEK, the NSPCC’s annual campaign to safeguard children from sexual abuse reached the steps of the Senedd.

Pantosaurus, the friendly mascot of the NSPCC’s PANTS campaign, appeared to raise awareness among Members of the Senedd and the wider public about the vital importance of child safety. The campaign encourages parents and carers to talk openly with young children about risks and protective measures.

The PANTS campaign is built around five key child protection messages:

Privates are private.
Always remember your body belongs to you.
No means no.
Talk about secrets that upset you.
Speak up; someone can help.

After meeting Pantosaurus, Samuel Kurtz MS, Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, expressed his support for the campaign

He said: “I wholeheartedly support this important NSPCC initiative. Since its launch in 2013, it has empowered over six million families to discuss this sensitive subject.

“This issue affects communities across Wales, so promoting the five principles of PANTS is essential for everyone in Pembrokeshire and beyond.”